A normal patient file didn't have many places to fill in, but Chen Ge's file was the exception — it spanned several pages, and the content on each page seemed to differ entirely.
Doctor Gao made entries every day. He seemed to notice Chen Ge's inquisitive gaze and set the file down without a trace of awkwardness. "Chen Ge, I recall you told me a few days ago that you despise fear — that whenever you're immersed in fear, you feel extremely anxious?"
"That's right."
"From my observations, your second personality likely emerged to help you bear that fear. You lived for a long time inside the horror stories you fabricated, where everyone besides yourself was fictional. Deep down, you understood this, and to alleviate the anxiety and suffering, another version of you was born in your mind — Xu Yin." Doctor Gao sat beside Chen Ge's bed, his facial expression betraying nothing of what he truly felt. "When you were lost in nightmares, living inside your delusions, Xu Yin protected you and kept you from harm. But now that you've returned to reality and your condition is improving, your second personality — Xu Yin — has become the biggest obstacle to your recovery."
"He's an obstacle to my recovery?"
"Under our treatment, you've learned to roughly distinguish between reality and illusion. But Xu Yin has no such concept. He exists because of your delusions — your delusions are his entire world." Every sentence Doctor Gao spoke was carefully guiding Chen Ge. "When he tries to escape the world of delusion, he will cling to you desperately, refusing to let go. Perhaps he sees it as protection, but in truth, he's only hurting you."
"Then what should I do?"
"Break free of his grip. Leave the imagined world to him, and embrace the sunlight of reality yourself." Doctor Gao stared at Chen Ge, a hint of fatigue in his gaze, but deep within his eyes, Chen Ge caught a very complex emotion.
That emotion felt alien to Chen Ge. The Doctor Gao in his memories would never have shown such a thing.
"He only ever appears when I'm unconscious. I can't communicate with him."
"That's fine. We can create a special scenario that lets you draw him out of your mind while remaining fully conscious. It's extremely dangerous, so we'll need your complete cooperation." The hospital seemed to have been through a great deal these past few days, and it had given Doctor Gao a sense of urgency. He wanted to stabilize Chen Ge's condition as quickly as possible — at the very least, deal with the second personality.
"I can cooperate. To be honest, I'd like to meet my second personality too." The moment Chen Ge finished speaking, Doctor Gao shook his head emphatically.
"Don't be curious about him, and don't believe a word he says. You've finally clawed your way out of the delusions — you absolutely cannot sink back in." Doctor Gao's tone was extremely stern. "Nearly a year of treatment, and we're on the verge of results. This is the most critical moment. If you waver, everything will have been for nothing."
"I understand. But how exactly do I cooperate?"
"When the time comes, you only need to do one thing — reject him from the bottom of your heart. Remember, you must sincerely tell him that you no longer need his help, that you refuse to be dragged back into that black ocean of despair." Doctor Gao gathered the file and stood up. "If his existence was only meant to protect you, then he should understand that his mission is complete — you no longer need him."
Chen Ge nodded silently.
"The treatment will take place after midnight tonight. I'll come to the ward to pick you up." Doctor Gao produced a pill bottle and fed Chen Ge three tablets. "Get some rest. Tonight should be the most important night of your life."
He pushed the door open and left. Chen Ge lay on the bed, Doctor Gao's words echoing in his mind.
"They've suddenly adopted such an aggressive treatment approach — something unexpected must have happened."
"The hospital wants me to willingly cooperate in destroying the second personality. That means, on their own, they apparently can't eliminate the second personality in the short term. What exactly is Xu Yin?"
"The last time I was unconscious, I saw someone standing with his back to me. He bore the brunt of the curses and the pain. How could someone like that possibly harm me?"
Chen Ge already knew what he had to do. "Tonight really is the most critical night for me."
He sat up from the edge of the bed, glanced out the window, and after greeting Doctor Fang, made his way to the cafeteria on crutches.
After a comfortable meal, Chen Ge headed to the garden outside the hospital ward.
Once he confirmed no one was watching, he began strolling through the garden. When he reached the bench he usually sat on, he found Zuo Han already there, as though he had been waiting.
"You read the note?"
"Mm."
"What's your plan going forward?"
"Find Zhang Wenyu outside the hospital. They may have preserved unaltered memories."
"Need my help?"
"Doctor Gao is treating me after midnight tonight. If something goes wrong, you should flee the hospital first." Chen Ge wore a smile on his face — his tone alone gave no hint of the danger he would be facing tonight.
"I flee on my own?"
"Mm. Protect yourself first. There will be other chances down the road."
"How's your new roommate? Can you be friends with him?" Zuo Han asked carefully.
Chen Ge shook his head. "He fantasizes that there are things inside his body — syringes, snails. I looked into his throat and found a face in his mouth — his own face."
"There's a face in his mouth?" Zuo Han drew a sharp breath.
Both Chen Ge and Zuo Han spoke very quickly. In less than a minute their conversation was done. Zuo Han didn't linger and left immediately.
Chen Ge sat on the bench for nearly an hour before he noticed movement in the flower bushes.
He made his way over on his crutches and spotted the adorable white cat's head peeking out from the foliage. "You look like you've put on weight? I swear you've gotten bigger."
Having not seen Chen Ge for two days, the white cat meowed repeatedly, its mismatched eyes full of worry.
It rubbed against Chen Ge's leg and led him toward the garden fence.
From several meters away, Chen Ge saw Zhang Ya standing on the other side of the fence. Dressed in red, Zhang Ya gave him an inexplicable sense of warmth.
"Didn't you say you'd come every morning?" There was no reproach in Zhang Ya's voice — only worry. Even she herself didn't understand why she would worry about a stranger.
"I thought you might not show up." Chen Ge walked up to the fence and gripped the rusted iron bars with both hands. "Zhang Ya, I need to ask you for a favor."
"What favor?"
"Help me find a person named Zhang Wenyu in this city." Chen Ge's voice was low. "They're being hunted. The hospital has labeled them as escaped psychiatric patients, but they're not actually sick."
Looking at Chen Ge in his hospital gown, Zhang Ya hesitated. It would be difficult for any sane person to accept such a request.
After all, from a normal person's perspective, one would naturally trust the hospital — not a psychiatric patient.