Love in a Mental Hospital

The cafeteria is located between the residential area and the office building, not difficult to find.

To the right comes the sound of rushing water. Glancing over, I see it's the gymnasium. It must be the sound coming from the swimming pool, but the sound is too loud, as if someone is struggling for their life before drowning.

A psychological hospital must have caretakers, but Gu Ran hesitated for a moment before deciding to take a look.

The gate is ajar, and pushing it open makes the splashing noise even louder.

Gu Ran looks up to see an old man swimming in the pool, making a surprising amount of noise, like a whale gliding through the water.

The splashes are so large, they resemble the deluge Bai Suzhen summoned to flood Jinshan Temple.

The old man looks focused, constantly churning the pool water with his body, sending waves crashing against the walls of the gymnasium, like a powerful water mage.

At the edge of the pool, a leisurely caretaker watches over everything, occasionally glancing at the old man in the pool who is swimming with the determination of someone repairing the Great Wall.

Gu Ran quietly steps back, pondering what specific issues the old man in the pool might have. In his case, the psychological shadows seem to be dissipating, slowly but surely, which means he must have had surgery.

Coming back to reality, the office building is right in front of him, and from afar, he can hear some kind of animal noise.

Upon entering the office building, Gu Ran explains his purpose to the receptionist.

"You must be Gu Ran, right?" The receptionist is also a nurse, with short hair and a cute apple-shaped face, her smile scoring full marks.

"I am Gu Ran."

"Hello Mr. Gu, the director mentioned that if any new doctors arrive, they should go directly to the third-floor conference room. The other person has already arrived."

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome. Oh, by the way, leave your luggage here for the time being. I'll keep an eye on it for you."

Gu Ran thanks her again.

As he turns into the stairwell, he notices a man sitting in the lobby resting area.

Who knows what kind of mental illness he has.

After entering the elevator, Gu Ran adjusts his clothes and takes out his mobile phone to quickly check his hairstyle and teeth in the front-facing camera, making sure his hair is neat and there's no leftover lunch on his teeth.

When the elevator reaches the third floor and slowly opens, he takes a deep breath and steps out.

The third floor is full of consultation rooms, and the meeting room is at the very end, with one on each side. No one is in the left room, but the right room has a sign saying [In Use].

Gu Ran hesitates for a moment before knocking on the door.

"Come in." The voice inside is calm and graceful.

Gu Ran pushes the door open and enters. All the people inside are looking at him.

There are six people sitting around an oval office table, four in white lab coats and two in casual clothes, one of which is the delicately beautiful Su Qing.

Gu Ran does not look closely around, but instead turns his attention to the woman sitting at the head of the table.

"Mrs. Jing." His tone is cordial and respectful.

The attractive young woman Zhuang Jing smiles and points to an open seat with the pen in her hand: "Sit."

Gu Ran nods and walks quickly to the indicated chair and sits down.

The other woman in casual clothes has been sizing him up the whole time. When Gu Ran looks in her direction, she gives him a friendly smile.

Gu Ran returns the smile.

"Let's continue." Zhuang Jing says.

A young man in a lab coat speaks: "Last night, Lv Lu suffered an episode, she ate a bedsheet. When I did rounds this morning, her condition severely worsened. I estimate that in a week's time, the psychological shadow area will reach the minimal threshold for intervention."

"Prepare for surgery."

"Yes." The man in the lab coat looks solemn.

"Don't be nervous." Zhuang Jing appears relaxed, "Give [Bonfire] a try this time. If you can handle it, you'll be in charge of it from now on."

"Thank you, Director!" The man in the lab coat visibly perks up.

Zhuang Jing turns to the next person, a young woman in a lab coat.

The young woman in the lab coat says: "Last night, Wang Ruihan didn't have an episode and his rage disorder has eased. Director, I suggest we transfer him to the convalescent building for recovery."

Zhuang Jing shakes her head.

"He's only fourteen years old, about to enter high school. If we use convalescence as a treatment, even if we can make his symptoms almost completely disappear before school starts, there's a high probability of lingering effects: reduced physical strength compared to before the episodes, a decrease in concentration, and a lower ability to deal with stress. This would not be conducive for the crucial learning period in high school — inform Wang Ruihan's family to come for a consultation at the clinic, let them know the sanatorium's decision for surgery, and see what the family thinks."

"Yes." The young woman in the lab coat quickly jots down notes.

"Okay, let's adjourn the meeting."

Everyone stands up to leave.

Meetings like this summary of the wards should really be held in the morning, but Zhuang Jing was busy then, which was also why she arranged for Su Qing to pick up Gu Ran.

Three of the four people in lab coats leave, leaving only Zhuang Jing behind.

"It must have been a long journey for you, " Zhuang Jing says to Gu Ran and the other new doctor.

"Not at all!" The new doctor quickly replies.

"This is Chen Ke." Zhuang Jing introduces him to Gu Ran and introduces Gu Ran to Chen Ke, "This is Gu Ran. Welcome to Jinghai Psychological Sanatorium."

She then looks at Su Qing: "Qing, take them with you. You three will form a team for now and start taking responsibility for patients individually in the future."

"Okay." Su Qing nods.

Zhuang Jing casts a glance at Gu Ran with her beautiful eyes and asks her daughter with a light smile: "What do you think of Gu Ran, since you went to pick him up?"

Gu Ran maintains a calm demeanor.

He's already mentally prepared, having built an impregnable psychological defense.

"Not bad, " Su Qing says, "He has an outstanding memory, pays attention to detail, has the courage to delve into the depths of a target's heart, and the determination to keep trying in the face of failure."

"....."

Outstanding memory, attention to detail, is she referring to him remembering her at McDonald's?

The courage to delve into the depths of a target's heart, does that mean daring to bring up the fact that she used a McDonald's bag as a hat?

The determination to keep trying in the face of failure, is that his stubbornness, refusing to say 'Thank you, Ms. Su'?

"It seems like a lot has happened." Zhuang Jing lets out a laugh, her mature composure fully on display.

She is graceful, and the clothes under her white lab coat are both exquisite and elegant.