Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Mulin Shen peeked out, appearing somewhat nervous as he surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings. No matter how clever he was, he couldn't fathom the reason for his situation. Despite his courage, he remained stunned and unable to shake off the shock.
Once outside the hall, he was greeted by beautiful weather: a clear blue sky, high clouds drifting lazily, deep green mountains and trees, and fresh air. Taking a deep breath, the two nurses released Mulin Shen but remained vigilant, as if guarding against a sudden attack. He glanced around, his confusion deepening, and nervously remarked, "Gentlemen use words, not fists."
"There are no gentlemen here, only madmen. Just watch," Dr. Bai said with a smile as he led Mulin Shen away. Mulin Shen hunched over in fear, following closely behind. There were people talking to themselves, singing loudly, reading aloud, and even weeping uncontrollably. Suddenly, an elderly man with white hair jumped in front of Mulin Shen and shouted, "Hey! What about your ideals and ambitions? What about your party spirit and principles? How can you be so timid?"
Huh? It felt like he had stepped into a movie from the 1950s; Mulin Shen felt a bit dizzy.
"Alright, Old Bu, you should study the spirit of the Third Plenary Session. Let me give this newcomer a serious critique," Dr. Bai continued in response to the old man's words, pushing him aside. When he turned back, Mulin Shen was already cowering behind him. Dr. Bai chuckled and said, "A crazy old party member; the only thing he remembers is party spirit and principles."
Mulin Shen remained silent; it seemed Mu Shao was frightened. Just as Dr. Bai was about to say something, Mu Shao spoke up in astonishment: "How did I end up here?"
"You are a patient; of course you are here," Dr. Bai explained.
"Nonsense! I remember being kidnapped," Mulin Shen insisted seriously. His memories were fragmented; there were gaps where he felt like he was in the kitchen, constantly thinking about things from his childhood. He couldn't piece together what had happened.
Dr. Bai paused for a moment but quickly recovered. He smiled as he explained to the nurses, "See? This is a classic symptom of delusional disorder; patients imagine themselves in various identities."
"I’m not sick! Even if I were sick, it wouldn't be delusional disorder! You must be mistaken!" Mulin Shen protested bitterly.
"How could we be mistaken? This is a Mental Hospital; you are a Mental Patient," Dr. Bai clarified. Mulin Shen threw his head back and laughed heartily: "I’m a Mental Patient? Hahaha… I think you all have mental issues!"
He scoffed at them even more and refused to believe it. Dr. Bai asked him with a smile, "Then who do you think here looks more like a Mental Patient?"
"That old lunatic," Mulin Shen pointed at Old Bu, who had just frightened him.
Dr. Bai immediately confirmed it by shouting, "Old Bu! Are you a Mental Patient?"
The old man paused in shock and anger before looking up and saying, "Am I a Mental Patient? Hahaha… I think you all have mental issues!"
He turned his face away in anger, then Dr. Bai looked back at Mulin Shen. Young Master Mu was so frightened that he bit his fingers, his expression, voice, and tone almost identical to the way he spoke, leaving him unable to articulate how it was even possible for a madman to exhibit such behavior.
"Fack, what’s going on?" Young Master Mu was stunned; this situation was beyond his coping ability.
"Don't worry, your symptoms are not as severe as his... Stabilize your emotions and follow the doctor's advice, and you'll be able to recover and be discharged soon... Our specialized hospital has successfully treated thousands of patients with mental disorders..."
"Wait, how should I address you?"
"My surname is Bai, you can call me Dr. Bai."
"Dr. Bai, there seems to be a misunderstanding... Please don’t leave me here, that..." Mulin Shen began to speak politely when Dr. Bai waved his sleeve and walked away. He hurried after Dr. Bai and bluntly said, "My family is very wealthy; my dad is the Boss... Just tell me how much you need, I can transfer it to you with a phone call. Just notify my family to come pick me up... Really, I'm not lying..."
Suddenly, Dr. Bai stopped in front of a middle-aged man with short hair wearing an open robe. He smiled and asked, "Rich man, when will you pay me the money you owe?"
The man pointed dramatically, exuding an air of authority as if he were addressing the nation. He shouted as if insulted, "What are you talking about? What money do I owe you? I, Yaozhang Wang, have been in business since I was eighteen; ask around if I've ever owed anyone money! Look at this building and this car; I’m worth hundreds of thousands every minute! Do I look like a fraud? Am I trying to scam you?"
The man shouted furiously, nearly poking Dr. Bai in the face with his finger. Then he rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a crumpled newspaper, tearing off a piece and handing it to the doctor. "Here, take this and go get your money yourself. Don’t mention that you know me when you leave; it would embarrass me."
Dr. Bai accepted the piece of paper with a bow and nod. The man then walked away with his hands behind his back, basking in the sun. Mulin Shen stood there dumbfounded as Dr. Bai smiled and placed the note in his hand without saying anything further.
Indeed, how could a madman talk about money? Was he joking?
"Rest well, stay active, and follow the doctor's orders; you'll recover soon... No need to worry about him; his symptoms are not severe and there's no violent tendency," Dr. Bai said while patting the dazed Mulin Shen a few times before calling two nurses and leaving.
Young Master Mu remained stunned for quite some time before suddenly coming to his senses. He chased after the doctor’s footsteps, continuously explaining from behind, "Dr. Bai, I really am not sick; why don’t you believe me?"
"No one here thinks they are sick," Dr. Bai replied.
"I’m not saying I think so; I truly don’t have any issues! I don’t even know how I ended up here... Oh right, regarding family members—was it my dad who sent me here? Let me tell you something: my dad has issues; he always tries to impose his way of thinking on me... You need to bring him in! Hey, I'm serious... What you're doing is illegal—locking up a normal person in a mental hospital!" Mulin Shen chased after the doctor as he grew increasingly exasperated.
"Come on now; it seems like you're really not well," Dr. Bai remarked as he continued walking.
Seeing hope in this situation, Mulin Shen hurried after him saying, "Doctor, don’t worry about your responsibility; I know my dad arranged this. He has some money and wants to do whatever he wants with me... As for psychological disorders—I understand them well: cognitive impairment, loss of control over emotions, logical confusion, abnormal behavior... Which of these do I exhibit? I remember everything clearly; I even remember my dad's assistant's phone number."
Dr. Bai paused several times, appearing somewhat anxious. He hadn't expected this person to be so mentally resilient; it seemed his efforts were having no effect at all.
It looked like he had to pull out the big guns. Entering the office, Mulin Shen stood in front of the doctor's desk. Dr. Bai flipped through the medical records and asked him seriously, "Are you sure... that everything you just said isn't a delusion?"
"How could it be? I'm really not sick," Mulin Shen replied.
"Then let me ask you, what is your name and occupation?" Dr. Bai suddenly interjected.
"My name is Lin Musheng, and I am a chef," Mulin Shen blurted out. As soon as he said it, he froze, surprised that he had spoken those words.
"Then what is your father's name?" Dr. Bai continued.
"My father is Lin Qingchen, also a chef," Mulin Shen again answered without thinking.
"Exactly, Lin Qingchen, the chef at Binhai City’s Hunan Road Qingchen Hotel... You, Lin Musheng, are learning to cook... Due to financial difficulties and a failed romance, you've developed this delusional disorder. Your father has been deeply worried about you..." Dr. Bai laid out the identification card that clearly stated "Lin Musheng."
"This can't be true! Nowadays, who falls in love so easily? I can cook; how could I possibly... My clothes alone cost tens of thousands... A single meal can cost thousands; how could I come from a poor family? Ha ha, I've failed at everything, but I would never fail at love," Young Master Mu said with a mix of laughter and frustration. Then he realized things were indeed chaotic; he felt something was off but vaguely sensed that the doctor might be speaking the truth.
"See? This is the root of your problem—you constantly fantasize about being a wealthy young master who spends money like water... So when things don't go your way for a moment, you become depressed to the point of contemplating suicide; just now you almost hanged yourself," the doctor explained.
"No, no, this is hypnosis therapy; someone has influenced my subconscious... I kept dreaming about my childhood..." Xiao Mu exclaimed. Having some knowledge of psychology made him suddenly understand. He pointed at the doctor and said, "Yes, that's it! Someone hypnotized me; my dad must have found an excellent psychologist to deal with me."
Young Master Mu was stunned; after years of causing trouble for his father, he finally faced consequences. His father must have been desperate to resort to such extreme measures.
"I can't make sense of what you're saying; you're just rambling. All your belongings are right here," Dr. Bai stated firmly. He produced a worn wallet, an old set of keys, and a battered phone. Young Master Mu picked up the phone in disbelief and stared at Dr. Bai, enunciating each word: "Nokia..."
Yes, a Nokia—an old model. Dr. Bai asked seriously, "Looks like you're quite familiar with your phone?"
"...I can't control my mouth; you all are doing this to me..." Young Master Mu began to say when he noticed Dr. Bai signaling to two nurses who were slowly approaching him. He swallowed his words, realizing that resisting would only lead to trouble. He then tapped his head with the phone and muttered to himself, "Why is my mind so chaotic... This phone seems like it's mine."
"As long as you can contact your friends or family and have someone come pick you up, we will release you; otherwise, we will take responsibility for your care," Dr. Bai said.
Mulin Shen fell silent and directly dialed the most familiar number, reaching his father's assistant's phone. He had used this number for nearly ten years; how could he forget it? "Assistant Yan," he called, asking to speak to his father. The assistant, however, inquired who was calling. This time, Mulin Shen didn't dare act aloof; he politely introduced himself as Lin Zi and requested to speak with his father. Assistant Yan seemed taken aback, responding incredulously, "Who are you? Do you think just anyone can see our general manager?"
Click... the call was abruptly ended. Mulin Shen was stunned, while Dr. Bai and the nurse chuckled softly.
He decided to look for Su Rongle, vaguely recalling that he had last seen him with Lezi. Young Master Mu dialed another familiar number but was met with an unexpected voice: "The number you have dialed is no longer in service..." This sudden turn of events caught Young Master Mu off guard. He dialed again, desperately trying to remember the familiar phone number.
No service, unavailable, calls not answered—every attempt yielded the same result. Dr. Bai expected the "patient" to become furious and desperate, but instead, the "patient" remained surprisingly calm. He silently set down his phone and stared blankly at his belongings.
"Relax and follow the treatment plan. The chances of recovery for someone with delusions are quite high," Dr. Bai said.
Mulin Shen rolled his eyes and gently placed the Nokia on the table before calmly saying, "Thank you, doctor... Can I go out to get some sun?"
"Sure, it's activity time every morning," Dr. Bai smiled and signaled for the nurse to escort Lin Musheng outside. Once they were out the door, he let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed effective; even the "patient" was starting to accept this identity. Dr. Bai's excitement lasted only a few seconds before a professional instinct made him uneasy. Indeed, whether in theory or practice, it was common to see patients who were desperate and crying or scratching and clawing at themselves. Yet he had never encountered a mental response like Lin Musheng's—one moment lost and despondent, the next moment eerily calm.
"Oh no, is he pretending?" Dr. Bai recalled how this guy had once feigned hanging himself.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, chaos erupted outside. Dr. Bai craned his neck to see that Lin Musheng had already climbed over the wall while the nurse assigned to watch him had vanished without a trace. He pressed the alarm button and rushed out.
Running out was startling; as soon as Mulin Shen climbed onto the wall and looked outside, he was dumbfounded—there was another layer of iron mesh fencing beyond it. To get over that would require acrobatic skills he didn’t possess. He hesitated just as pursuers closed in behind him; someone jabbed at him with a pole. In a panic, he scrambled for grip but fell right into the doctor's trap—the pole had electrified metal on its tip, sending a shock through him as he toppled down from the two-meter-high wall.
They seemed quite experienced in dealing with mental patients; below, a net was already prepared to catch Mulin Shen. As it expanded, it enveloped him completely—his head poked out above while his knees were tied up below. If he dared to move again, pulling on the rope would turn him into a dumpling.
By the time Dr. Bai rushed out, Mulin Shen was already bundled up like a dumpling. A male nurse ran over to report that during just a quick trip to the restroom, this kid had managed to climb the wall and almost escaped. Dr. Bai ignored the report and headed straight for the scene; it was chaotic—the doctor and patients formed a circle around him. As he pushed through the crowd to take a look, he saw a group of patients watching Mulin Shen like they would a panda at a zoo—some were sticking out their tongues at him while others laughed or shouted at him. The scene would have frightened any normal person into madness; it seemed Mulin Shen was genuinely scared and was trying hard to dodge their attention.
"Step aside! Everyone clear out... This is today's game content; it's over now!" Dr. Bai coaxed the onlookers among the mental patients while glancing at Mulin Shen and asking, "Oh? Quite clever of you; using stalling tactics."
"You all wait... I'm going to sue you... This is illegal detention! Do you know what that means? Do you understand some law? If you're smart about this, let me go right now..." Young Master Mu glared fiercely at them, admonishing them with an American citizen's fervor.
"In this era of people's democratic dictatorship, talking about freedom? Ha! Clearly just a lunatic," one older patient remarked seriously before turning away disinterestedly—it seemed they found no amusement in it at all.
Mulin Shen suddenly realized something was wrong. A circle of doctors looked at him with pitying eyes, and he understood that in a place like this, the more desperate and furious you were, the more you resembled a Mental Patient.
"Lock him up; the symptoms are quite severe... We must fulfill our duty of care," Dr. Bai said, tossing out the words before turning to leave, showing not a hint of sympathy or compassion in his cold gaze.
"Ah... let me go," Mulin Shen struggled.
"Let me go! I’m not sick... I want to get out!" Mulin Shen shouted in anger.
"Oh, please let me go. I’m sick... I really am sick. I have a mental illness; you can't treat me like this." Mulin Shen was held by several strong arms, and as he was being taken toward the ward, he pleaded desperately.
Bang! The door opened, and he was pushed inside.
Thud! The door locked behind him, and he was confined once again.
Through the iron bars, looking at his own pitiful state, he truly resembled a Mental Patient, and it seemed he was quite ill indeed.
Comment 0 Comment Count