The room was immaculate. A thick carpet covered the floor, and the edges of the tables and cabinets were all padded with heavy cloth. A fruit platter sat on the coffee table, but there were no knives or sharp objects anywhere in sight.
"Dr. Gao, please come in." A woman in a white blouse welcomed Dr. Gao and Chen Ge into the apartment. She looked around forty, well-maintained.
"Has Wang Xin's condition improved at all?"
"She's taking the sleeping pills and the two antidepressants you prescribed, but the effects have been terrible." The woman smiled bitterly. "There hasn't been much improvement — if anything, the side effects are getting obvious. Nausea, trembling hands, cold sweats. At lunch today she couldn't even hold her chopsticks steady; the food kept dropping all over the floor. Dr. Gao, tell me — is Wang Xin going to get better?"
"Trust me, she will."
"Mm." Only then did the woman notice Chen Ge standing behind. "And this is…?"
"My name is Chen Ge." Chen Ge didn't want to waste time standing in the doorway. "Could I see your daughter?"
"Well…" The woman turned to glance at Dr. Gao, seemingly seeking his approval.
"I'll go in with him."
Only after Dr. Gao nodded did the woman reluctantly let Chen Ge in. "She's in the bedroom. She barely touched lunch, and then she started crying again."
The woman walked to a door at the back of the apartment and knocked gently. After a long silence with no response, she turned the handle and pushed the door open a crack.
Without a word, she sighed and stepped aside.
"Let's go in." Dr. Gao looked at Chen Ge. "Under no circumstances should you agitate the patient. Discuss everything with me before you attempt anything."
"Understood." Chen Ge gave his assurances several times before following Dr. Gao into Wang Xin's room.
The carpet had been made even thicker. The sharp corners of the wardrobe and desk had all been filed down. There was nothing pointy anywhere in the room, and the windows were fitted with security grilles.
There was no bed — just two thick mattresses stacked on top of each other. All the decorations were solid colors, without any elaborate patterns.
Dr. Gao shifted to the side, and only then did Chen Ge see the person he had come to find.
A slender girl lay on the mattresses. She wore a loose white crew-neck top and a pair of light blue shorts.
Her skin was very pale. Her limbs lay limp and sprawled, giving the impression that one careless touch might snap them.
Sensing someone enter, the girl slowly sat up on the mattress. She looked nothing like what Chen Ge had imagined — she appeared perfectly normal, just a little quiet.
"Wang Xin, does your head still hurt?" Dr. Gao, tall and straight-backed, crouched gently beside the mattress, lowering himself below her line of sight.
The girl shook her head, glanced at Chen Ge, then quickly looked away.
"Can you sleep now?" Dr. Gao continued. This time the girl's reaction was much more intense. She reached up and grabbed a fistful of her own hair, pulling hard. When she lowered her hand, clumps of black hair were caught between her fingers — torn right out.
"Still can't sleep." Dr. Gao stood, his brow furrowed. "Neither medication is working?"
"Dr. Gao, could I say a few words to her?"
"Her condition is relatively stable at the moment. Go ahead and say what you need to say."