Kangning

Although Li Huowang was a key visitation target for the neighborhood committee, normally he wasn’t allowed to leave the residential complex.

But a mental patient going back to the psychiatric hospital for a follow-up—that was a perfectly reasonable excuse. There was no grounds to refuse. After all, if they didn’t let him get checked out and he had another episode, that would be a real headache.

“Why didn’t you just say it was a checkup? Come on, fill out this form. Miss, you’re his escort? What’s your relation to him?”

After Li Huowang finished filling out several forms under Auntie Qi’s supervision, a rideshare car was already waiting at the complex gate.

Before Li Huowang and the others could even get in, Auntie Qi had already stuck her head into the passenger window, lecturing the driver. “Xiao Wang! Did you fill the tank all the way? Remember, only stop at Kangning Hospital. Don’t stop anywhere in the middle, and keep your phone on the whole time!”

“I still need to make a stop at the fruit stand. Buy a few things,” Li Huowang cut in.

“Aren’t you going for a checkup? What fruit do you need to buy at a mental hospital?!” Auntie Qi’s eyes were full of suspicion, as if she were afraid Li Huowang might take the chance to run off.

“I made some friends there. Is it against the rules to visit them while I’m getting my checkup?”

“Friends you made in a mental hospital? You mean other mental patients?”

This caused another round of hassle, which was finally resolved by Yang Na going to the supermarket in the complex to buy the fruit.

Although the rideshare driver looked vaguely similar to the cop from earlier, Li Huowang didn’t think much of it. Whether it was surveillance or protection, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t about to cause any trouble on the road anyway.

When Li Huowang and Yang Na got in, the rideshare turned and merged into the traffic lane. As the car picked up speed, he rested his head against the window, staring blankly at the scenery outside, his brow furrowed as he thought about everything he had been through.

Who were those people? What did they want with me? What do I even have on me that they’re so desperate to get their hands on?

There was no answer to these questions from anyone else. Even calling the police wouldn’t help. Besides, they didn’t trust him anyway. His only lead now was Qian Fu at Kangning Hospital.

Since they could alter the surveillance footage, chances were high that they were also the ones who put the needle in his food.

But… why? If they wanted to kill me, they could have just put poison in my food. Why specifically a needle?

A needle doesn’t do anything except make me hurt for a second. Wait… could it be, just like Qian Fu said, that they were trying to drive a wedge between me and him? Get me to suspect him and push him away?

Putting it all together like that only made Li Huowang more determined to see Qian Fu again.

Feeling the shift in his emotions, Yang Na reached out and laced her fingers through his, holding tight in silent comfort.

Li Huowang turned to her and forced a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. I’m just heading back to the hospital to ask about a few things. Once I’m done, I’ll come straight home.”

“Mm. From now on, no matter what happens, don’t carry it all alone. You’ve got me.”

“Mm.” Li Huowang closed his eyes and gently pulled her close, just like that night on the rooftop.

The car sped down the road. Time ticked by. As Kangning Hospital drew nearer and nearer, Li Huowang’s heart grew more and more restless.

After a long while, the car finally stopped. Li Huowang led Yang Na toward the Kangning Hospital with its white walls and green windows.

Waiting to greet Li Huowang was his usual attending physician, Wu Cheng. Compared to his previous treatment as a patient, his status was noticeably better now.

Inside Wu Cheng’s office, Li Huowang sat with a disposable cup in hand, chatting with him in a relaxed tone.

“I heard you were kidnapped?” Wu Cheng asked, holding his own teacup.

“That wasn’t me having an episode. Someone really tried to take me,” Li Huowang explained.

“Of course. Don’t worry, I’m not saying you relapsed. Since you left two finger stubs behind, it must have been real. What did the police say?”

“They told me to wait. They even installed something on me. Now I can’t even leave my complex without a hassle.” Li Huowang lifted his left foot slightly.

“Heh, don’t worry. There are plenty of surveillance cameras. They’ll find something eventually. So, what brings you back here?”

“Nothing special. Just wanted a follow-up. See if there’s been any change in my condition.” Li Huowang naturally didn’t tell the truth—that he was here to see Qian Fu.

“Heh. The fact that you can recognize that is pretty good proof that your illness is probably fine. Since you’re here anyway, let’s run a few tests.”

When he picked up the tablet and saw the test questions on the screen, Li Huowang’s heart clenched with tension. Perhaps, without even realizing it, he harbored a sliver of self-doubt—a fear that everything he had been through was just him going crazy.

Too much had happened. Sometimes, Li Huowang couldn’t quite trust his own senses anymore.

One question after another. Li Huowang focused all his attention.

After he finished all the tests and patiently talked things through with the doctor, he saw the relaxed expression on Wu Cheng’s face. Li Huowang let out a long breath. That’s right. I’m not crazy. It was all real. None of it was a hallucination caused by my illness.

“Don’t be so tense. Trust me, if there was really something wrong, we wouldn’t have discharged you. When you get home, relax and take your medication on time.”

Hearing that, Li Huowang knew his follow-up was over. According to procedure, he should be heading home now. But he still had something to do.

Li Huowang stood up and glanced toward the inpatient wing, his expression hesitant. “By the way, Doctor, can I visit other people? I spent quite a bit of time here in this hospital, and I made some friends along the way.”

“Oh, sure. Go ahead. You know the hospital well enough anyway, so I won’t escort you. Everyone else is still here.”

When he stepped into the visitation room, Li Huowang felt a strange sensation. In the past, he had always come out through the inner door. Going in through the outer door was a first.

He couldn’t just go straight to Qian Fu—that would be too obvious. So he visited everyone he had gotten to know reasonably well in the hospital first. The bags of fruit he bought at the complex gate were for them.

Everyone else was fine, but as soon as he stepped out with Zhao Ting, who was suffering from depression, Li Huowang immediately felt a resentful stare boring into his back.

Li Huowang reached out and gently patted her on the back. “There’s nothing between me and her. I’ll explain when we get home. Just one more friend left.”

Li Huowang took a deep breath and waited anxiously for Qian Fu’s arrival. He waited and waited, but Qian Fu never showed. In the end, he received some very bad news. “Qian Fu had an episode. He’s been sedated and put in the suppression room. Try again next time.”

At those words, Li Huowang’s heart sank. A terrible premonition rose in his chest.

What happened? Did I come too late? Did they get to him?