Forbidden Land – CH 017

Zhang Chao sped back to his dorm on his bicycle, rushing into Room 121 next door. Chen Rong and Lin Yi’ang were there, talking.

Upon seeing him, Lin Yi’ang pulled Zhang Chao aside before he could speak, glanced at the other roommates, and whispered, “Let’s talk in your room.”

Zhang Chao, anxious, quickly opened the door and went in. Chen Rong, following behind, closed the door behind her.

Zhang Chao cried out, “What happened?!”

Chen Rong gave a weak smile and said, “Sit down first; don’t be nervous. This didn’t just happen tonight.”

“Ah,” Zhang Chao’s heart pounded, and he sat down, saying, “Tell me quickly!”

Lin Yi’ang looked at Chen Rong, then turned to Zhang Chao, saying, “Brother, don’t be so hasty.”

“Damn it, you guys are so indecisive; how can I not be anxious!” Zhang Chao cursed.

Chen Rong said, “Bai Qiu is sick.”

Zhang Chao asked, “What kind of illness?”

Chen Rong hesitated, but finally Lin Yi’ang spoke up: “Mental illness.”

“You’re the one who’s mentally ill!” Zhang Chao couldn’t help but curse.

Chen Rong nodded. “That’s right, I’m not lying to you; Bai Qiu really has a mental illness, and a very serious one at that.”

Zhang Chao saw that her eyes didn’t seem to be lying to him and asked, “What kind of mental illness?”

Chen Rong looked at him and slowly said, “Don’t rush; think back. Has Bai Qiu done anything unusual lately?”

Zhang Chao gradually calmed down, recalling Bai Qiu’s recent words and actions. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something strange about her. After a moment, he said, “It seems a bit abnormal. By the way, her biggest abnormality is that she refuses to buy a new phone and doesn’t want me to contact her, saying she’ll contact me herself.”

Chen Rong said, “Has she been repeating a phrase or expressing a meaning frequently lately?”

Zhang Chao thought for a moment and said, “She won’t tell me anything I ask her, but…but she always tells me not to go to the School of Medicine.”

“School of Medicine!” Chen Rong and Lin Yi’ang’s faces turned deathly pale.

Seeing their expressions, Zhang Chao knew something was wrong and asked, “What illness does Bai Qiu have?”

Chen Rong said, “Dissociative identity disorder, and the most severe kind.”

Zhang Chao said, “But she came to see me last night; I didn’t see any signs of dissociative identity disorder!”

Chen Rong said, “One of my senior classmates is currently providing her with psychological counseling and slowly treating her. I only found out today.”

Zhang Chao looked up and glared coldly at Lin Yi’ang, saying, “And what about you?”

Lin Yi’ang lowered his head, avoiding his gaze, and said, “I…I knew a long time ago.”

Zhang Chao angrily said, “Then why didn’t you tell me!”

Lin Yi’ang said, “It was all for your own good. You were unconscious for a week last week. I was afraid you couldn’t handle it, so I wanted to tell you later. But Chen Rong told me today that she heard you and Bai Qiu were studying together, and she’s worried that some of the things you said might upset her and worsen her condition.”

Zhang Chao asked, “When did Bai Qiu suddenly get sick? How come I didn’t notice?”

Lin Yi’ang said, “It was last week when you suddenly collapsed and were hospitalized.”

Zhang Chao asked, “How could she suddenly have a split personality?”

Lin Yi’ang hesitated. Chen Rong thought for a moment before telling him, “Her roommate said that before Bai Qiu started acting strangely, she went to the School of Medicine library to study that night.”

The School of Medicine library! Those words exploded in Zhang Chao’s mind like a thunderbolt.

Zhang Chao slowly said, “No wonder Bai Qiu acted strangely when she came to see me those nights last week when I was hospitalized. By the way, if she was sick, why didn’t she go to the hospital for treatment and instead continued to stay at school?”

Chen Rong said, “Her illness was personally handled by my supervisor and a senior student. They are very experienced and, after research, believe that her type of dissociative identity disorder is very special and extremely difficult to treat. There are periods each day when her thinking is completely normal, and her intelligence shows no decline. But at other times, although her intelligence remains normal, her perspective and thought patterns change.”

Zhang Chao asked, “What kind of changes?”

Chen Rong said, “Sometimes she becomes very sensitive and thinks about problems from a completely different angle. Simply put, she becomes someone else with a completely different personality. So, considering all factors, my supervisor and senior student believe that her situation is very special. She herself is unaware of her illness, and we can’t send her to a mental hospital for treatment. Instead, it’s best not to change her living environment and gradually improve her symptoms.”

“Furthermore, my supervisor and senior have thoroughly analyzed the situation and concluded that her condition won’t affect the safety of those around her. Therefore, after applying, the school agreed to let her continue treatment. However, her three roommates didn’t want to live with her and have all moved to other dorm rooms. Now she’s the only one living in their room.”

Zhang Chao suddenly realized why Zhu Xiaoyu was surprised when he first called her and why she hung up so abruptly tonight—they weren’t living together anymore.

Zhang Chao asked, “Does Bai Qiu’s family know about this?”

Lin Yi’ang said, “Her aunt and uncle already know, but now they can only let her receive treatment at school.”

Zhang Chao asked again, “Can Bai Qiu be cured?”

Chen Rong nodded. “The professor said there’s a 90% chance of a cure, but her situation is special, so it might take a while.”

Zhang Chao nodded. “If she can be cured, that’s good.” He lowered his head helplessly. After thinking about everything, he had to admit that Bai Qiu did indeed have a mental illness.

Chen Rong added, “You’re her boyfriend; you should know some things better than I do. She’s sick now, but she doesn’t think she’s sick, so when you talk to her, never mention this. And when you talk to her, you need to think carefully. You’re talking to a patient; you have to consider what words might upset her.”

Zhang Chao nodded; he understood that, of course.

Chen Rong stood up and said, “Alright, I believe it’ll take you some time to process this. With so many things happening around you lately, if you need anything, just call me. That’s all for today; I’m going back.”

Zhang Chao nodded silently, then suddenly looked up and said, “Bai Qiu also became like this after studying in the School of Medicine library, and so did Li Weihao. Is there really something strange about that?”

Lin Yi’ang said, “Don’t think about it too much. If you ask me, it’s just a coincidence. I know what you’re trying to say; do we science students believe that kind of thing?”

Zhang Chao took a deep breath, knowing that Lin Yi’ang wouldn’t believe him.

Chen Rong turned to him and said, “If you want to investigate, I’ll go with you.”

Zhang Chao’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Chen Rong nodded firmly: “Really. Don’t think about it too much today; go to sleep early.”

“Okay.” Zhang Chao saw Chen Rong and Lin Yi’ang out the door. Alone in his dorm, he washed up, climbed into bed, his mind filled with too many thoughts, and, having not slept well for several days, he fell asleep quickly tonight.

The night passed uneventfully.