Love in a Mental Hospital

"Go now."

Gu Ran also said to Chen Ke, "Good luck."

Chen Ke smiled at him, then turned and walked toward the flowers.

When only the two of them were left, Zhuang Jing looked at Gu Ran.

Her lips curved into a smile as she seriously examined him, then reached out to smooth the wrinkles on his clothes caused by the rolling earlier.

A warm feeling arose and flowed into Gu Ran's body like spring water.

"I can't show you any special favoritism at work, partly because of Chen Ke. I must treat you both equally. Moreover, giving you special treatment would actually harm you," Zhuang Jing explained.

"Mrs. Jing, I understand. I want to grow on my own too," Gu Ran replied.

"You've been independent since you were young, and I trust you, but don't be too stubborn when you face difficulties, especially in life, you understand?"

"I actually have a problem."

"Let's hear it."

"Remember how Su Qing introduced a bonus system, and the person with the least points has to treat everyone? Well,"

Zhuang Jing smiled, gave a soft "mm-hmm," and gestured for him to continue.

"But this week, even though it's only two days, I think we should still use the point system, and the person with the least points treat others, don't you think?" Gu Ran said.

It was a trivial issue he brought up just for fun.

Zhuang Jing guessed as much and laughed, "I don't know. These little office matters, you should talk to Su Qing or decide by a vote among the three of you."

"..."

Whether he approached Su Qing or called for a vote, Gu Ran was already sure to lose.

Although it was a joke, he was a bit serious about it; the thought of having Su Qing treat them to a meal made him very eager to eat.

Zhuang Jing added, "The [Profession Card] can only be used in psychological shadows and the Mind World. Our previous training schedule was, Monday for Tong Ling and Wei Hong, Tuesday for Jiang Qi and Su Qing, and in the future you and Chen Ke..."

She paused for a second, murmured to herself, "Chen Ke has a boyfriend, doesn't she?"

"Right," Gu Ran confirmed. "Let me be with Dr. Wei Hong then."

"You want to be with Wei Hong, but he might not agree, as he's pursuing Tong Ling," Zhuang Jing chuckled.

"Oh," Gu Ran realized, "that wouldn't be right. A gentleman always wants to help others find happiness."

"I'm thinking of pairing Chen Ke with Jiang Qi, but if I put you with Su Qing, others might say I'm playing favorites and cooking up special deals for you," Zhuang Jing pondered, "The key point is, if it really were the two of you together, I would certainly make exceptions."

Gu Ran felt that Mrs. Jing had a side that was innocently and charmingly young at heart.

"Then I'll pair up with Jiang Qi," he suggested. "Let Chen Ke be with Su Qing."

Because one person had to be on duty in each group, there could only be pairs of two at most. Otherwise, if a patient had an emergency and there was no doctor available, it would be a major incident.

"No," Zhuang Jing gently shook her head. "Just like Chen Ke, Jiang Qi also has a boyfriend."

Gu Ran smiled wryly, "Mrs. Jing, I don't see a problem with that. Besides, you're here too, right? Three people! Moreover, I'm not the type who gets carried away with lust."

Zhuang Jing laughed, "You might not be, but they could be. Do you think women are immune to lust? What if they take a liking to you first?"

Gu Ran found this quite reasonable.

Throughout his life, he had encountered women of all ages who were not shy about their desires.

"So, what should we do? Should I be in a group by myself? That wouldn't work either; it's too deliberate. Others might think you're planning to give me special treatment, passing on the secret techniques," he said.

Zhuang Jing appeared to be in a dilemma.

After a moment's thought, she made up her mind, "All right, you and Qing will be a team. If they want to talk, let them talk."

Gu Ran smiled and said, "It would be normal for you to give special treatment to Su Qing and me, after all, she is your daughter and I am like a son to you."

"Oh?" Zhuang Jing playfully feigned curiosity, "And in what capacity would you be my son?"

"What capacity?" Gu Ran was taken aback for a moment before he caught on, his face turning slightly red.

"Good luck!" Zhuang Jing said only this, cheering him on.

Gu Ran felt a mix of amusement and helplessness.

Was Zhuang Jing always trying to set him up?

"I'll tell you a secret," Zhuang Jing said.

"What is it?"

"The [Shepherd] has a second dream," Zhuang Jing said softly.

Gu Ran was surprised; he thought Zhuang Jing would reveal a secret about Su Qing, but instead, it was about his [Profession Card], the [Shepherd].

"A [Profession Card] with two dreams?" he confirmed.

Zhuang Jing nodded lightly, very gracefully.

"This [Profession Card] is very valuable. If the outside world knew about it, there would certainly be Mind Thieves lurking near my house, waiting for me to fall asleep to wreak havoc and steal in [Bloom Paradise]."

[Profession Cards] have no effect in reality and can only be used in the psychological shadows or Mind Worlds of seriously ill patients or psychologists.

But that doesn't detract from their value.

Psychologists who could use this [Profession Card] could improve their therapeutic levels and thus attract many patients and make a lot of money.

Should they get lucky and treat influential people, their rise would be meteoric.

"Mrs. Jing..." Gu Ran subconsciously thought about giving the [Shepherd] back to her.

Zhuang Jing glared at him reproachfully, without saying a word, and Gu Ran withdrew his hand.

"It would be a waste to keep it here with me, as I can't use this [Profession Card]," Zhuang Jing said.

Gu Ran nodded and decided to work hard to repay Zhuang Jing's cultivation of him.

"So, what's the second dream?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"'Guard My Flock, Watch Over My Thoughts.' In a psychological shadow, you can dream of a sheep that eats away the infected part like it's grazing," she explained.

Even in the real world, mental illness can affect those around, especially family members. Caring for a mentally ill person day in and day out can lead to depression or even madness.