Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 52

“Family member of the patient, please come over and sign here.” A nurse, holding a list of medications, stood quietly at the door of the ward.

Qiao Bo’er, who had been leaning against the wall, reacted intensely, practically sprinting past Xiao Mo to rush to the nurse. Her voice, choked with anxiety and a catch in her heart, asked, “Nurse, why hasn’t she woken up even though the IV has been started?”

“The doctor needs to look at the scans to know exactly what’s going on. Please sign the form first and wait patiently.”

“Okay.” Qiao Bo’er took the pen and scribbled a few strokes on the form before rushing back into the ward.

Ling Xi lay with her eyes tightly shut, her face ashen. The cold beeping sound from the vital signs monitor on the bedside table, mixed with the smell of disinfectant, gave the spacious, silent ward a faint hint of life.

Qiao Bo’er knelt by the bedside, tightly holding Ling Xi’s hand. The icy touch struck her heart, leaving her with nothing but profound heartache.

“It shouldn’t be like this, it shouldn’t…”

Qiao Bo’er muttered to herself in a daze, her self-reproachful tone reaching Xiao Mo’s ears.

Xiao Mo stared at the lonely figure in silence. After a long moment, he finally asked, “Qiao Bo’er, have you known Ling Xi for a long time?”

Su Yunjin, who had just paid the medical fees, happened to enter the ward as well. Hearing Xiao Mo’s question, she simply walked over and sat down on the accompanying chair, seeming to wait for a reasonable answer herself.

Qiao Bo’er got up and looked at the two of them. “So what if I have, and so what if I haven’t? Does the result matter?”

Faced with Qiao Bo’er’s outrageously hostile counter-question, Xiao Mo was infuriated. He maintained his last shred of masculine composure, gritting his teeth after a moment of forbearance and attributing all the blame to her.

“If it weren’t for your unrestrained provocation, Ling Xi wouldn’t have fainted. You keep claiming to like her, but what have you done to her? How much do you even know about her? You don’t even know that her emotions cannot withstand any stimulation!”

Xiao Mo’s angry voice echoed in the ward. Fortunately, Su Yunjin stopped his rebuke in time: “Xiao Mo, say no more.”

Turning to look at Qiao Bo’er, Su Yunjin fell silent again, seemingly struggling with a decision. Finally, she directed her gaze at Xiao Mo, signaling her readiness to reveal everything about Ling Xi’s condition: “Qiao Bo’er, your appearance and everything you’ve done has perplexed us. But since we are all here today, let’s be completely frank. This might also help you give up.”

“Give up? What do you mean?”

This was not the first time the two had clashed. Qiao Bo’er countered coldly but also agreed with Su Yunjin’s statement—she did indeed want to learn about the past she didn’t know through these two people.

However, Su Yunjin’s subsequent words brutally dragged Qiao Bo’er into the abyss of suffering.

“Those scattered events happened almost five years ago. Ling Xi had a deeply memorable romance while studying abroad. The outcome was unsatisfactory. While she was recovering from the heartbreak, she received the devastating news that both her parents had been killed in an archaeological accident overseas.

Under the double blow of love and family tragedy, she unfortunately developed severe depression. She couldn’t bear it anymore and attempted suicide once, but Xiao Mo and I saved her.

We tried many methods to help her with treatment, but the results were mediocre. Based on a doctor’s recommendation, we put all our hopes into MECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy).

Her emotions were erratic—crying hysterically, sometimes shouting and making a scene, and other times completely listless. The Ling Xi you see today is not her original self. She used to be well-educated, diligent, and possessed innate talent in her field.

She was the only outstanding talent at Xuan Yi University that the school was willing to invest heavily in nurturing, from her student days right through her teaching career.

A person this excellent suffered from the torment of depression. Other patients see significant improvement after six MECT sessions, but she underwent a full 24 sessions. Do you know what that means?

She went through 24 near-death experiences. The side effects of the treatment made her forget many people and many things. She has unpredictable mood swings and is accompanied by the laziness and sloppiness that makes self-care difficult. But she no longer feels pain; she no longer thinks about dying.

Perhaps you were just momentarily interested, thinking she was fun because she was so loud and expressive. That’s because the illness dragged her down from the clouds and made her more fragile than an ordinary person.

Ling Xi’s emotions cannot be stimulated. She must not recall the past that drove her to despair. I beg you, please stop provoking her. Don’t torment her without reason. She can’t withstand any more blows.”

Su Yunjin struggled to hold back her grief, yet her voice gradually became choked and hoarse as she spoke.

Standing nearby, Xiao Mo turned his back to the wall, hands on his hips. A grown man quietly weeping was enough to show that the period of trying to save Ling Xi was also difficult and painful for them. No one wanted to go through that past again.

If Qiao Bo’er didn’t have a strong, unwavering heart deeply in love with Ling Xi, she might have been swayed by Su Yunjin’s plea.

She knelt back down on one knee, lifted Ling Xi’s hand, and gently rubbed it against her face.

Looking at the person who still showed no sign of waking up, she let out a sigh so heavy it was suffocating, then murmured lightly to herself: “Even if you don’t believe me, I truly traveled across mountains and rivers for one purpose: to lead her out of this suffering…”

No one knew the depth of that love, no one empathized with it, which is why her heart bled with pain.

—In a Dream, Returning to the Joys and Sorrows of Five Years Ago—

The midday atmosphere at the University of Siena was remarkably serene. It was as if all the students were moving in slow motion; one couldn’t hear a single noisy laugh on campus.

Ling Xi rested her head on her arms, enjoying a leisurely nap against the concrete platform on the top floor.

This ancient city, with its long history in Western Europe, was unlike the restless, concrete jungle of Xuancheng. The air carried the musty, rusty scent of the Renaissance period.

“You seem to like hiding up here to rest.”

A bright, pleasant voice came from the door of the rooftop exit. That elegant silhouette, accompanied by Chinese that made one feel homesick, easily caught Ling Xi’s attention.

Ling Xi didn’t change her posture, merely turning her gaze to the woman whose features were obscured by the backlighting. She responded with a relaxed, smiling tone: “Stealing a moment of peace from a busy life.”

The woman’s smile was warm. As she approached, she teased with an easy familiarity: “You are really interesting.”

The sun was blinding. Ling Xi could only half-close her eyes, trying to make out the doubled image of the face.

“Here.” From the initial greeting to handing over a cold drink, the woman’s initiative was progressively layered. This suddenness ironically dissolved the awkwardness of unfamiliarity.

The woman stepped out of the haze, leaning slightly forward and shielding Ling Xi from the glaring light.

Her light, elegant makeup perfectly accentuated her features. Beneath her willow-shaped eyebrows were a pair of clear, bright crescent eyes, and her naturally thick, upturned eyelashes, which imprinted themselves in Ling Xi’s vision with every blink.

The woman’s appearance shared a similar classical beauty with Ling Xi. The moment Ling Xi clearly saw her, that face was deeply etched from her eyes into her heart. Especially the deep dimple at the corner of her mouth, which made her unforgettable.

Ling Xi felt self-conscious, her gaze reluctantly shifting from the woman’s face to her hands. The two bottles of iced tea, with beads of condensation, puzzled Ling Xi, suggesting the woman had come prepared.

Fluffy, cotton-candy-shaped clouds drifted across the emerald sky. The wind ruffled Ling Xi’s already messy permed hair and also playfully stirred the woman’s skirt.

Ling Xi hesitated to accept the bottle the woman offered.

This unsolicited act made Ling Xi, a foreigner in a strange country, wonder about her intentions, so she was somewhat guarded: “No need, I’m not thirsty.”

The woman simply placed the bottle on the ground and, not finding the atmosphere awkward, sat down right next to Ling Xi, whispering, “When kindness is overanalyzed into malice, everything loses its romance.”

A hint of complaint was woven into this whisper.

Ling Xi was moved by the words, smiling as she opened the bottle cap and took a generous sip. “Thank you.”

“Every time I come here to rest, I see you. I didn’t want to disturb you when you were sleeping so soundly with your eyes closed. Today, I thought if I ran into you again, I might as well make a friend. And sure enough… here you are.”

The woman naturally explained the origin of the drink. Ling Xi sat up, cross-legged, examining the bottle in her hand, unsure how to respond.

“Hello, my name is Lin Fangwan.” Lin Fangwan’s smile was captivating. She offered her hand in friendship and introduced herself.

Ling Xi couldn’t resist such enthusiasm and had to shake her hand: “Hello, my name is Ling Xi.”

“What a coincidence! Your surname is also Lin?”

“I am the ‘Ling’ from ‘gazing down from the highest peak’ And you?”

Lin Fangwan feigned disappointment, murmuring cutely, “Then it’s not that much of a coincidence. I am the ‘Lin’ from the double-wood radical.”

When a special person suddenly intrudes into one’s world, the moment of encounter is endowed with a filter, magnifying all the beauty in Ling Xi’s memory.

…

Deep winter had arrived. Goose-down snow flew relentlessly. Ling Xi drove her car through the most bustling and noisy part of Siena’s city center.

The harsh weather did not diminish her beautiful mood to head to Shawnee Mountain.

Marilyn Manson’s black metal music filled the car cabin, a stark contrast to her scholarly, reserved demeanor.

At this moment, she wore a wild smile, letting out an excited cheer with the rhythm: “What a great day for skiing!”

Suddenly, a black Maserati cut into her lane without even signaling. Ling Xi held her breath and slammed on the brakes. Yet, she still had a close scrape with the shiny sports car in front of her.

Putting on her hazard lights, Ling Xi’s cheerful mood instantly turned stormy. She unbuckled her seatbelt and flung the door open. She calmly walked to the car of the person who caused the accident and tapped on the window.

When the person in the driver’s seat lowered the window and turned to look at Ling Xi, a lovely arc appeared at the corner of her mouth, complete with that memorable dimple. She didn’t speak, seemingly waiting for Ling Xi to erupt.

Seeing that the other party had no intention of getting out, Ling Xi suppressed her anger but suddenly found herself speechless.

Even though the other person was wearing sunglasses, and even though half a year had passed since that summer encounter, a single glance easily summoned the face carved into her heart.

“Sorry, I was on the phone just now… Ling Xi, long time no see.” How could Lin Fangwan not recognize Ling Xi? But her apologetic explanation only made Ling Xi’s cheeks flush.

“Is being on the phone an excuse? Do you know how dangerous that was?” For some reason, the anger wasn’t about the car accident; it felt sudden and inexplicable. Ling Xi lowered her voice in a huff, complaining, “Appearing so suddenly and then disappearing so suddenly.”

Hearing Ling Xi’s words, the smile on Lin Fangwan’s lips deepened. She took off her sunglasses and looked back at the road, which was already starting to get congested. She instructed, “Let’s pull the cars over to the side first.”

After both of them parked their cars, Ling Xi cautiously walked around her car, then bent down to touch the scratch on the front. Her heart pounded; this should be the other party’s full responsibility, and insurance should cover it, right?

Lin Fangwan leaned her tall body against her car, resting one foot on the door, arms crossed over her chest. She turned her head, admiring Ling Xi’s cautious expression, and instantly saw through her thoughts: “Don’t worry, it’s entirely my fault.”

Hearing Lin Fangwan’s words, Ling Xi sighed in relief, and her expression returned to calmness. What should she say next?

It was truly awkward.

Lin Fangwan’s attention was drawn to the car roof, where a corner of a snowboard strapped to it was visible. Guessing Ling Xi’s destination, she initiated a conversation: “Planning to go skiing over the holiday? But the weather today doesn’t seem great for travel.”

Ling Xi looked up at the incessant snowfall in the sky, shaking her head: “The snow on Shawnee Mountain is already thick. I always feel the need to go skiing once winter hits, or I’ll feel restless.”

Lin Fangwan gladly accepted Ling Xi’s explanation, then snapped her fingers: “No time like the present. Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today? I think that’s basically what you mean, right?”

“Uh… something like that…”

“Let’s go, take me with you.”

“Huh?” Before Ling Xi could react, Lin Fangwan had already walked to her car and tapped on the door. A deeply mischievous smile was on her face: “Don’t just stand there. I’m coming too. Don’t worry about the insurance… Today truly is a case of ‘no time like the present,’ or maybe, ‘no time like the crash-ent’…”

“You really are as reckless as ever.” Hearing Lin Fangwan deliberately prolong the word “crash,” Ling Xi sighed helplessly, yet found herself unable to refuse the woman in front of her. But for some unknown reason, her heart fluttered with joy.

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