9 A FRIEND

It was a room of a girl's dream.

The wall was colored with pink hues while the ceiling was an indigo color with shiny stars hanging.

They twinkled each time the sunlight brushed over them.

There was a round, pink-colored bed and a pink net surrounding the whole bed, covering the inside from intruders' sight.

On the left side of the bed was the closet attached to the wall. A huge mirror was glued to the closet door.

On the right side of the bed was a pink lavender table and a chair. There were a few coloring books, pens and colored pencils.

On the opposite side of the bed, there was a reading bed that was filled with stuffed animals.

The cute stuffed animals made Sakura giggle in happiness.

She dashed toward the dolls and jumped on them.

Alex smiled as he saw her acting like a child.

"You know you should call a psychiatrist to treat her. She is not acting her age."

Lucas brought the teddy bear into the room and whispered to Alex.

Alex replied, "You don't have to tell me that. I've already contacted someone. She will be here any minute–"

Ding!

The doorbell rang.

Alex looked at Lucas. "I think she is here."

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"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Xue Lin. This is my husband, Ge Chen."

The psychiatrist introduced herself. She had white-jade colored skin and red lips. She had a unique pair of gray eyes.

And her husband had almost a similar pair of eyes. Aside from that, he was tall, dignified, cool and quiet.

Both of them gave off a Richie Rich* vibe.

"I'm Alex. The pleasure is mine." Alex shook hands with the couple. "Thank you both for coming. I'm sorry I made you come here on such short notice."

Xue Lin said, "Don't mention it. I have always wanted to visit Japan. I just never had the time. So, thank you."

"We rented the apartment above yours. Whenever you need anything, you are more than welcome to request our assistance." Ge Chen said.

"Thank you. And here are Mateo Lopez and Lucas Garcia. Guys, they are our new neighbors, our psychiatrist Miss Xue Lin and Mr. Ge Chen from China." Alex introduced his friends to the couple.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you." Mateo shook hands with both.

"Likewise." Ge Chen said.

Lucas was observing Xue Lin. Looking at her youthful face, he couldn't believe she was a psychiatrist.

He couldn't help but say, "Well, I imagined that I would be seeing an older woman. Did you just graduate from school? I think we are the same age."

There was a hint of a smile in Xue Lin's eyes. "I graduated when I was twenty-three. That was a few years ago. And I'm married."

Lucas's jaw dropped. "Seriously?! Unbelievable! You don't look like a married woman."

Xue Lin said, "It's not just you. When I go out alone, people still treat me like a student."

"This is awesome!" Lucas was bewildered.

Xue Lin looked at Alex and said, "I want to check on your girl first before I come to a conclusion about how long I need to stay with her, and what the process of helping her should be."

"All right. I appreciate it. And one more thing, she isn't my girl," Alex corrected her.

"I'm sorry I forgot her name," Xue Lin instantly apologized without feeling guilty. "And I don't like calling people a 'patient', even though most of the people in the world are crazy."

Alex said, "I'm not offended."

"So, can I meet her now?"

"Sure. I'll show you to her room and Mr. Ge Chen, please feel free to stay in the living room." After that, Alex escorted her upstairs.

Xue Lin spotted Sakura with the stuffed dolls.

"Are these hers?" she asked.

He replied, "Yes, I bought those for her. For the past three days, I interacted with her. I noticed that she didn't behave like an adult.

"She was more like a child. At first, I thought she was autistic. Then, I thought maybe there was a chance for improvement."

Xue Lin said in reply, "There is always a chance to change as long as the person wants to change. Let's see what she can do. Introduce us."

They entered the room. Sakura heard their footsteps and turned her head. Seeing a new face, she became cautious.

"It's okay Sakura," Alex assured her. "She lives above us. She is our neighbor. She wants to be your friend. Her name is Lin."

Sakura stared at the new face and then muttered, "…Li…n…"

Xue Lin smiled at her in a friendly way. "Hello, Sakura. I'm Xue Lin. You can call me Lin. I am here to be your friend."

She looked at the dolls and became excited.

"You like dolls! I love dolls too! They are amazing. They are so soft and fluffy. It makes you want to hug them a lot, right?"

Sakura saw her being all excited and friendly. There was no hint of cautiousness and fright. '

She felt that Xue Lin was trying to be her real friend.

When Xue Lin talked about dolls and her feelings for stuffed dolls matched hers, Sakura relaxed her muscles.

She gradually let her guard down.

She smiled at her and said, "Like dolls. Fluffy dolls."

Xue Lin pretended to be surprised. "Oh my God! Your voice is so sweet! You look so sweet! Will you please be my friend? Also, please talk to me a lot! I want to hear your sweet voice more."

Sakura bashfully smiled. Her pale face had a hint of red color. She lowered her eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered in the process.

"Is this the psychiatrist we have just met or someone else? She didn't look this lively when she was talking to us."

Lucas came to check up on them and watched how Xue Lin interacted with Sakura, he couldn't keep quiet.

Alex noticed it too. He was surprised at first but then he decided to observe them.

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*Richie Rich is a cartoon. The character Richie, his family is damn rich and so is he.