I Have a Friend
1035 Words
Knock, knock, knock!
"Come in."
Lin Qiye pushed open the door and walked into the consultation room.
On the other side of the desk sat a middle-aged doctor, wearing a white coat, with a sparse Mediterranean hairline—a clear sign of intelligence.
Lin Qiye took a seat, and the doctor spoke slowly:
"Tell me, what seems to be the problem?"
"I don't have any problems."
"Then why are you here?"
"I don't have problems, but I have a friend… who has a severe mental illness."
The doctor raised an eyebrow, smiling as he ran his hand over the few strands of hair on his head.
"That friend… isn't by any chance you yourself, is it?"
Lin Qiye replied seriously:
"No, it's really a friend."
"Alright, then tell me… what illness does your friend have? What are the specific symptoms?"
Lin Qiye hesitated for a moment.
"This might be a bit hard to describe…"
The doctor laughed.
"Then just act it out for me as if you were that friend."
Lin Qiye gave the doctor a strange look, hesitated briefly, then reluctantly nodded.
He slowly stood up from his chair,
and under the doctor's gaze, walked straight to him.
He reached out,
pulled the middle-aged doctor's head into his embrace,
and gently stroked the few strands of hair left on the doctor's head,
his eyes full of kindness,
softly saying:
"My dear eldest son, Dad has finally found you!"
Doctor: "..."
For the next ten minutes, Lin Qiye used all his persuasive skills, speaking passionately and insistently to convince the doctor that he was not the patient, avoiding being forcibly admitted.
"So, your friend sees everything as if seeing her child?"
"Yes!"
"And cries for a long time?"
"She cries constantly."
"Likes to sit in the courtyard and tell stories to vases and stools?"
"Exactly."
"What about sleep?"
"She doesn't sleep."
"…"
The doctor frowned.
"Your friend is seriously ill! I strongly recommend bringing her to our hospital for inpatient treatment."
"Her situation is special; she can't be admitted." Lin Qiye replied helplessly.
Of course, he couldn't tell the truth. If he revealed that the patient was the Black Night Goddess Nyx, and that she resided in his mind's psychiatric hospital, he'd immediately get an admission notice.
The doctor pondered, then began typing on the keyboard.
"If she can't be admitted, then the only option is medication for now. I'll prescribe a few doses; you give them to her. If there's no improvement, she must come to the hospital."
Lin Qiye looked a bit troubled.
Could real-world medicine work in the mind of a goddess?
He wasn't sure, but even if he could take it there, mortal medicine might not affect a god.
"Doctor, besides medication, is there any other way to treat her?"
The doctor thought for a moment and spoke slowly:
"Your friend's symptoms are severe delusions. I've seen many patients like this. Once there was a man who loved his wife deeply. After she died in a car accident, he constantly spoke to the air, imagining she was still by his side."
"This kind of illness often comes from a deep psychological trauma. The subconscious rejects reality and constructs a false perception of 'she's still here'."
"If treatment targets the cause of the illness and provides psychological guidance, there's a chance of improvement. But without medication, it's extremely difficult."
"Medication and psychotherapy complement each other. Do you understand what I mean?"
Lin Qiye nodded thoughtfully.
Approach the illness from its origin… but he knew nothing about Nyx's past. He had no starting point. Clearly, he needed more preparation.
Lin Qiye took the prescription but didn't pay for the medicine. Since real-world drugs couldn't affect a god inside his mind, spending money was pointless.
Besides… the medicine was expensive!
After leaving the psychiatric hospital, Lin Qiye took the bus home.
The trip was worthwhile; at least it gave him a breakthrough—
To guide Nyx psychologically, he had to understand her thoroughly.
So, he got off at a stop and entered the Cangnan City Library.
…
At Second High, the school gate.
"Hey, who's that man?"
"Don't know, maybe a parent."
"I saw him at the gate around 7 a.m."
"Me too. He wore sunglasses, a shirt, holding a coffee, leaning against the wall. Thought he looked cool."
"Now he looks like a beggar. His eyes are red."
"Do you think he's been there since morning?"
"No way, it's almost ten."
"Who knows… Oh, did you hear? Last night two students were attacked on the way home!"
"Really?!"
"Of course, I heard…"
Across the road, a lonely man sat quietly among cigarette butts under the streetlight, his shadow full of sorrow.
Zhao Kongcheng flicked the cigarette in his hand, unable to figure out what went wrong.
He had been waiting from six in the morning till ten at night, sun-baked, but never saw the kid.
He clearly wore Second High's uniform last night!
Could the kid have guessed he would come and simply not shown up?
Damn it… his butt hurts from sitting.
Zhao Kongcheng pushed off the ground, slowly stood up, casually brushed dust off his pants, and started stretching.
At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw on the other side of the street a boy in casual clothes strolling leisurely with some books…
That kid looked somewhat like the one he was after…
Somewhat…
Hmm?
Zhao Kongcheng blinked hard.
Damn!
Whoosh—!
Without thinking, Zhao Kongcheng bolted toward the boy like a gust of wind, eyes red, looking terrifying.
But when he was about twenty meters away, the boy seemed to notice something. His body shivered, and he took off running too!
And so they sprinted down the street, one chasing the other!
Lin Qiye wanted to slap himself—why choose this route of all streets!?
Yesterday he ditched the kid, and now the kid is chasing him!
Lin Qiye's speed wasn't slow, but compared to Zhao Kongcheng, it was much less. Within seconds, Zhao Kongcheng caught up, grabbing Lin Qiye's shoulder fiercely, a cold smirk on his face.
"Kid, we meet again!"
Lin Qiye stiffly turned his head, tilting it:
"Who are you?"
- Writer
