Knock, knock, knock!
"Come in."
Lin Qiyue pushed open the door and entered the consultation room.
Seated on the other side of the desk was a middle-aged male doctor, dressed in a white coat, sporting a sparsely populated Mediterranean hairstyle, a clear symbol of intellect.
Taking a seat on the chair, Lin Qiyue was addressed by the doctor in a leisurely manner, "Speak up, what seems to be the issue?"
"I don't have any issues."
"If you don't have any issues, why are you here?"
"I don't have any issues personally, but I have a friend who is suffering from a severe mental illness."
Upon hearing this, the doctor looked at Lin Qiyue with a peculiar expression, chuckled while running his fingers through the few remaining strands of hair on his head.
"Your friend, isn't it just yourself?"
"No, it really is a friend."
"Alright, then tell me about your... I mean, your friend's condition. What specific symptoms are they experiencing?"
Lin Qiyue pondered for a moment, "It might be a bit difficult to describe..."
The doctor smiled, "Well, then, treat yourself as your friend and demonstrate the actual manifestations to me."
Giving the doctor a strange look, Lin Qiyue reluctantly nodded.
Thus, Lin Qiyue slowly stood up from his seat,
Under the doctor's gaze, he walked directly in front of him.
He extended his hand,
Buried the middle-aged doctor's head into his embrace,
The other hand gently stroked the few remaining strands of hair on the doctor's head,
His eyes filled with kindness,
Softly saying:
"My good son, Dad finally found you!"
Doctor: "............"
In the next ten minutes, Lin Qiyue employed the rhetorical skills he had learned throughout his life, explaining vehemently to the doctor that he wasn't the one with the illness, thus avoiding the fate of being forcibly hospitalized.
"So, your friend sees everything as if it were her own child?"
"Yes!"
"And she cried for a long time?"
"Constantly."
"Enjoys sitting in the yard telling stories to a flower vase and a chair?"
"Exactly."
"How is her sleep?"
"She doesn't sleep."
The doctor furrowed his brow, "Your friend's condition is quite severe! I strongly suggest bringing her to our hospital for inpatient treatment."
"Her situation is rather unique, and inpatient treatment is not feasible." Lin Qiyue replied helplessly.
Naturally, he couldn't tell the truth. If he revealed that Nyx, the goddess of the night, was the patient, and that she resided in his mental hospital, he would soon receive a hospitalization notice himself.
The doctor pondered for a moment and began typing on the keyboard, "If hospitalization isn't an option, then we can rely on medication for now. I'll prescribe some medication for you to take back. If the condition doesn't improve, make sure to bring her to the hospital."
Lin Qiyue looked somewhat conflicted.
Can real-world medicine be brought into the realm of the mind?
Lin Qiyue wasn't sure, but even if he could, ordinary medicine might not necessarily be effective for divine beings.
"Doctor, besides medication, are there any other ways of treatment?"
The doctor contemplated for a moment before slowly speaking, "Your friend's symptoms belong to severe delusional disorder. I've encountered quite a few patients with similar conditions. There was a man who deeply loved his wife. After his wife died in a car accident, he frequently spoke to the air, imagining that his wife was still by his side."
"This kind of illness is mostly due to immense psychological trauma, a subconscious rejection of reality, creating a false consciousness of 'she's still by my side.'"
"If we can address the root cause from a psychological perspective and provide some treatment, there is a possibility of improvement. However, without medication, it becomes very challenging."
"Medication and psychotherapy, these two are complementary. Do you understand what I mean?"
Lin Qiyue nodded thoughtfully.
To approach it from the perspective of the root cause... but he had no knowledge of Nyx's past, making it difficult to proceed!
It seems he needs to do more preparation.
Lin Qiyue took the prescription from the doctor but chose not to go and pay for the medication. Since real-world drugs might not be effective in the realm of the mind, there was no need to spend money on them.
Moreover... these drugs were too expensive!
Exiting the mental hospital, Lin Qiyue boarded the returning bus.
This trip to the mental hospital was still worth it; at least, it provided Lin Qiyue with a breakthrough.
To console Nyx from a psychological perspective, and to achieve that, he must have a sufficient understanding of her.
Therefore, Lin Qiyue, at a certain stop, got off the bus and entered the Cangnan City Library.
...
Second High School, at the school gate.
"Hey, look, who's that uncle?"
"Don't know, probably some parent."
"I saw him when I entered the school gate at seven in the morning."
"I saw him too. He was wearing sunglasses in the morning, dressed in a shirt, holding a cup of coffee, leaning against the wall. At that time, I thought he looked quite handsome."
"Why does he look like a beggar now? His eyes are even red."
"Do you think he has been waiting here since morning?"
"It can't be. It's almost ten o'clock now."
"Who knows, oh, by the way, did you hear that two students were killed last night on their way home from school?"
"Is that true?"
"Of course, it's true. I heard..."
...
On the opposite side of the school gate, a lonely man sat on the roadside. Cigarette butts littered around him, and under the streetlight, his figure exuded an indescribable sadness.
Zhao Kongcheng flicked the cigarette in his hand. He couldn't figure out where the problem was.
From six in the morning until ten at night, he had been waiting, and his mind felt as if it had been roasted under the sun, but he still hadn't seen a trace of that kid.
Clearly, he saw the Second High School uniform yesterday!
Could it be that the kid guessed he was coming to find him and simply didn't show up?
Damn it... his butt hurts from sitting so long.
Zhao Kongcheng propped himself up with both hands, slowly stood up from the roadside, and nonchalantly patted off the dust from his pants. He pretended to be indifferent as he looked around.
At this moment, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of a casually dressed young man, holding a few books, leisurely strolling on the other side of the road...
That guy, does he look a bit like that kid?
A bit...
Huh?
Zhao Kongcheng was stunned, blinked his eyes vigorously.
Damn!
Whoosh!
Without saying a word, Zhao Kongcheng, like a gust of wind, sprinted directly towards the young man, his eyes bloodshot, exuding a fierce and wicked appearance!
However, when he was about twenty meters away from the young man, the young man seemed to sense something, trembled all over, and immediately started running!
The two of them began a mad dash on the street
—one in front, one behind!
At this moment, Lin Qiyue truly wished he could slap himself. Why did he have to choose this route, out of all the streets!?
Now, he had stood up the guy just yesterday, and now he's literally chasing after him!
Although Lin Qiyue's speed wasn't slow, compared to Zhao Kongcheng, he was still far behind. In a matter of seconds, Zhao Kongcheng caught up.
Zhao Kongcheng grabbed Lin Qiyue's shoulder, sneered twice.
"Kid, we meet again!"
Lin Qiyue turned his head stiffly, tilting his head.
"Who are you?"
Knock, knock, knock!
"Come in."
Lin Qiyue pushed open the door and entered the consultation room.
Seated on the other side of the desk was a middle-aged male doctor, dressed in a white coat, sporting a sparsely populated Mediterranean hairstyle, a clear symbol of intellect.
Taking a seat on the chair, Lin Qiyue was addressed by the doctor in a leisurely manner, "Speak up, what seems to be the issue?"
"I don't have any issues."
"If you don't have any issues, why are you here?"
"I don't have any issues personally, but I have a friend who is suffering from a severe mental illness."
Upon hearing this, the doctor looked at Lin Qiyue with a peculiar expression, chuckled while running his fingers through the few remaining strands of hair on his head.
"Your friend, isn't it just yourself?"
"No, it really is a friend."
"Alright, then tell me about your... I mean, your friend's condition. What specific symptoms are they experiencing?"
Lin Qiyue pondered for a moment, "It might be a bit difficult to describe..."
The doctor smiled, "Well, then, treat yourself as your friend and demonstrate the actual manifestations to me."
Giving the doctor a strange look, Lin Qiyue reluctantly nodded.
Thus, Lin Qiyue slowly stood up from his seat,
Under the doctor's gaze, he walked directly in front of him.
He extended his hand,
Buried the middle-aged doctor's head into his embrace,
The other hand gently stroked the few remaining strands of hair on the doctor's head,
His eyes filled with kindness,
Softly saying:
"My good son, Dad finally found you!"
Doctor: "............"
In the next ten minutes, Lin Qiyue employed the rhetorical skills he had learned throughout his life, explaining vehemently to the doctor that he wasn't the one with the illness, thus avoiding the fate of being forcibly hospitalized.
"So, your friend sees everything as if it were her own child?"
"Yes!"
"And she cried for a long time?"
"Constantly."
"Enjoys sitting in the yard telling stories to a flower vase and a chair?"
"Exactly."
"How is her sleep?"
"She doesn't sleep."
The doctor furrowed his brow, "Your friend's condition is quite severe! I strongly suggest bringing her to our hospital for inpatient treatment."
"Her situation is rather unique, and inpatient treatment is not feasible." Lin Qiyue replied helplessly.
Naturally, he couldn't tell the truth. If he revealed that Nyx, the goddess of the night, was the patient, and that she resided in his mental hospital, he would soon receive a hospitalization notice himself.
The doctor pondered for a moment and began typing on the keyboard, "If hospitalization isn't an option, then we can rely on medication for now. I'll prescribe some medication for you to take back. If the condition doesn't improve, make sure to bring her to the hospital."
Lin Qiyue looked somewhat conflicted.
Can real-world medicine be brought into the realm of the mind?
Lin Qiyue wasn't sure, but even if he could, ordinary medicine might not necessarily be effective for divine beings.
"Doctor, besides medication, are there any other ways of treatment?"
The doctor contemplated for a moment before slowly speaking, "Your friend's symptoms belong to severe delusional disorder. I've encountered quite a few patients with similar conditions. There was a man who deeply loved his wife. After his wife died in a car accident, he frequently spoke to the air, imagining that his wife was still by his side."
"This kind of illness is mostly due to immense psychological trauma, a subconscious rejection of reality, creating a false consciousness of 'she's still by my side.'"
"If we can address the root cause from a psychological perspective and provide some treatment, there is a possibility of improvement. However, without medication, it becomes very challenging."
"Medication and psychotherapy, these two are complementary. Do you understand what I mean?"
Lin Qiyue nodded thoughtfully.
To approach it from the perspective of the root cause... but he had no knowledge of Nyx's past, making it difficult to proceed!
It seems he needs to do more preparation.
Lin Qiyue took the prescription from the doctor but chose not to go and pay for the medication. Since real-world drugs might not be effective in the realm of the mind, there was no need to spend money on them.
Moreover... these drugs were too expensive!
Exiting the mental hospital, Lin Qiyue boarded the returning bus.
This trip to the mental hospital was still worth it; at least, it provided Lin Qiyue with a breakthrough.
To console Nyx from a psychological perspective, and to achieve that, he must have a sufficient understanding of her.
Therefore, Lin Qiyue, at a certain stop, got off the bus and entered the Cangnan City Library.
...
Second High School, at the school gate.
"Hey, look, who's that uncle?"
"Don't know, probably some parent."
"I saw him when I entered the school gate at seven in the morning."
"I saw him too. He was wearing sunglasses in the morning, dressed in a shirt, holding a cup of coffee, leaning against the wall. At that time, I thought he looked quite handsome."
"Why does he look like a beggar now? His eyes are even red."
"Do you think he has been waiting here since morning?"
"It can't be. It's almost ten o'clock now."
"Who knows, oh, by the way, did you hear that two students were killed last night on their way home from school?"
"Is that true?"
"Of course, it's true. I heard..."
...
On the opposite side of the school gate, a lonely man sat on the roadside. Cigarette butts littered around him, and under the streetlight, his figure exuded an indescribable sadness.
Zhao Kongcheng flicked the cigarette in his hand. He couldn't figure out where the problem was.
From six in the morning until ten at night, he had been waiting, and his mind felt as if it had been roasted under the sun, but he still hadn't seen a trace of that kid.
Clearly, he saw the Second High School uniform yesterday!
Could it be that the kid guessed he was coming to find him and simply didn't show up?
Damn it... his butt hurts from sitting so long.
Zhao Kongcheng propped himself up with both hands, slowly stood up from the roadside, and nonchalantly patted off the dust from his pants. He pretended to be indifferent as he looked around.
At this moment, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of a casually dressed young man, holding a few books, leisurely strolling on the other side of the road...
That guy, does he look a bit like that kid?
A bit...
Huh?
Zhao Kongcheng was stunned, blinked his eyes vigorously.
Damn!
Whoosh!
Without saying a word, Zhao Kongcheng, like a gust of wind, sprinted directly towards the young man, his eyes bloodshot, exuding a fierce and wicked appearance!
However, when he was about twenty meters away from the young man, the young man seemed to sense something, trembled all over, and immediately started running!
The two of them began a mad dash on the street
—one in front, one behind!
At this moment, Lin Qiyue truly wished he could slap himself. Why did he have to choose this route, out of all the streets!?
Now, he had stood up the guy just yesterday, and now he's literally chasing after him!
Although Lin Qiyue's speed wasn't slow, compared to Zhao Kongcheng, he was still far behind. In a matter of seconds, Zhao Kongcheng caught up.
Zhao Kongcheng grabbed Lin Qiyue's shoulder, sneered twice.
"Kid, we meet again!"
Lin Qiyue turned his head stiffly, tilting his head.
"Who are you?"
