Sister, can I be a maid too?

Jiang Yubai originally wanted to tease her a bit, but he suddenly stopped when he turned his head.

Lin Jianxia was seen gripping the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, her eyes fixed on the closed study door, filled with unease.

He had never seen this guy so vulnerable.

Unlike that little hedgehog that always had its soft quills raised, it had also lost its usual cheerfulness or awkwardness, leaving only a heart full of worry.

Jiang Yubai sighed inwardly.

To be honest, it was a miracle in Jiang Yubai's eyes that Lin Jianxia was able to take such good care of the two sisters after losing their parents.

But she always seemed to feel guilty towards her younger sister.

It seems that if she had been a more responsible older sister and cared for her more, her younger sister might not have turned out the way she is now.

That's why she was so afraid—afraid that when that door opened again, the doctor would say something she didn't want to hear.

Lin Jianxia wasn't oblivious to her sister's improvement, nor did she ignore Jiang Yubai's repeated words of comfort.

She was just afraid of that "what if" scenario.

“I’m telling you, Lin Jianxia,” Jiang Yubai sighed, “your sister is much better than before, you’ve seen that, haven’t you?”

Lin Jianxia, ​​still looking at the door, replied somewhat uneasily:

"What if, what if..."

“There’s no such thing as ‘what if’,” Jiang Yubai interrupted, “things will be alright.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianxia finally turned her head and stared blankly at him.

"Really...?"

The girl's voice carried a hint of uncertainty, as if she had grasped at a straw.

"real."

Jiang Yubai answered without the slightest hesitation.

Tsk.....

If hugs really work, then if all else fails, he should hug her twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. That should be more effective, right?

Regardless of what Jiang Yubai was thinking, Lin Jianxia seemed to have genuinely relaxed a bit.

So the two of them sat quietly on the sofa, waiting for the doctor to come out.

About twenty minutes later, a soft 'click' came from the door, and the two of them immediately perked up.

Su Xianyun pushed the door open and came out, then turned around and gently closed the door again.

"Dr. Su," Lin Jianxia quickly stood up, her heart pounding again as she had just relaxed, "Is Wanwan alright?"

Su Xianyun walked to the sofa and sat down, gesturing for her to sit down as well:

"The situation is better than expected, so don't be too nervous."

Hearing this, Lin Jianxia finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Of course, when I say 'the situation is good,' I'm referring to your previous description."

"In fact, compared to one or two years ago, the symptoms have indeed progressed significantly, and the situation is not mild."

Su Xianyun adjusted her glasses and spoke gently:

"Let me give you my initial assessment. It's highly likely to be autism spectrum disorder, accompanied by selective mutism."

Seeing that the two looked somewhat bewildered, she slowed her speech and explained:

"You've probably heard of the term autism to some extent. It's a developmental disorder that usually shows signs in early childhood."

"The most fundamental manifestation is difficulty in social interaction and communication—for example, not being able to take the initiative to communicate with others, being slow to react to what others say, and not understanding other people's expressions or jokes, etc."

She paused, then looked towards Lin Tingwan's door:

"As for 'selective silence,' it's just like what you've encountered before."

“In situations where she feels stressed or is unfamiliar, she will fall into a more severe state of autism, and may even stop communicating altogether.”

"If we force her to adapt, it will only make her more withdrawn."

Lin Jianxia listened attentively, and upon hearing this, couldn't help but ask:

"Developmental disorder? So, Wanwan was born with a problem?"

Su Xianyun slowly shook her head:

"No, autism and selective mutism usually occur in children, and it is relatively rare at this age."

"So I am more inclined to believe that Lin Tingwan's actions were an instinctive protective measure due to psychological stimulation or pressure."

“At some point in the past, she may have experienced social situations that made her feel very helpless or scared.”

Lin Jianxia's face turned pale instantly.

Su Xianyun glanced at her, her tone tinged with a sigh:

"It seems I was right."

Lin Jianxia bit her lower lip and said weakly:

"Dr. Su... what exactly is the situation that happened last night?"

Su Xianyun sat up straighter and said seriously:

“Following the usual development trajectory, if Tingwan’s situation does not receive proper support, it may indeed gradually worsen.”

"But to my surprise, it seems that her condition has not only not worsened, but is slowly improving."

For some reason, she glanced at Jiang Yubai beside her:

“This is not easy. Usually, it means that her environment gives her enough security to allow her to relax little by little.”

"Also... I need to confirm one thing: has she ever harmed herself or attempted to harm others?"

"no!"

Lin Jianxia immediately shook her head:

"Wanwan is very quiet, she just doesn't talk, but she would never do that kind of thing."

Su Xianyun nodded, her expression visibly relaxing:

"That's good. Judging from her current condition, she doesn't need medication for the time being."

"Continue with the current way of getting along, be more patient and less pressured, and try to meet any of her requests."

She paused for a moment, then began to speak:

"Everything else is fine. You can go in and keep your sister company for a bit."

Lin Jianxia breathed a sigh of relief, thanked him sincerely, and then hurriedly got up and went into the study.

Jiang Yubai had been listening quietly the whole time, and seeing that the two had finally finished talking, he was about to say something.

But then Su Xianyun's gaze suddenly shifted and landed on her.

"Jiang Yubai, right... I have something I'd like to say to you privately about Lin Tingwan."

Chapter 93 "Going".

"Jiang Yubai, right... I have something I'd like to say to you privately about Lin Tingwan."

Hearing this, Jiang Yubai paused, then couldn't help but speak:

"Tell me?"

No, he's just a landlord, why would he want to talk to me alone?

"Yes, if it's not offensive, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Please speak."

Jiang Yubai is naturally no objection.

Su Xianyun adjusted her posture and asked:

How long have you known Lin Tingwan?

How long have we known each other...?

“If we’re talking about knowing each other, we’ve known each other for two years,” Jiang Yubai replied, “but strictly speaking… we’ve only been communicating for about a month.”

"Only a month?"

Su Xianyun raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by the timing:

"You just mentioned that you've been spending a lot of time talking to her lately. What do you usually talk about?"

"It was just... casual chatting," Jiang Yubai recalled. "We talked about the weather, asked her if she had eaten, and occasionally talked about the little things we saw outside."

"Is it just chatting?"

Su Xianyun paused for a moment, then softened her voice further:

"Are there any close interactions? For example... does she exhibit any dependent behavior towards you?"

Seemingly sensing Jiang Yubai's hesitation, she waved her hand:

"Of course, it's okay if you feel uncomfortable saying it."

“There’s nothing inconvenient to say,” Jiang Yubai hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth, “It was just a hug.”

"She had seen it in a novel before, probably because she wanted to know what a hug felt like."

"A hug...?"

Su Xianyun nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

"Um... Dr. Su?" Jiang Yubai couldn't help but ask, "Is there a problem?"

Su Xianyun snapped out of her daze and gave a reassuring smile:

"Don't be nervous, it's just a routine check-in."

"At first, I thought you were just offering help out of kindness, but after chatting with Lin Tingwan for a while, I found that she wasn't against you."