Forbidden Land – CH 060

When Zhang Chao woke up for the second time, Chen Rong was sitting next to him. Upon seeing her, Zhang Chao was about to unleash a torrent of abuse when Chen Rong said urgently in a low voice, “Don’t speak. I know you’re not crazy. Sending you to the Seventh Hospital wasn’t my decision. If you keep swearing, everyone will treat you like a seriously ill patient and put you under long-term care. Do you want that?”

Zhang Chao took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and asked, “Who sent me here?”

Chen Rong said, “Your parents.”

“I fucking—” He was about to curse when he stopped, looking surprised, and said, “My parents?”

Chen Rong nodded. “Who else could have sent you here besides your parents? Do you think the Seventh Hospital is a charity that only accepts mental patients? If your parents hadn’t paid to send you here, who would have taken you in?”

Zhang Chao exclaimed in horror, “My parents, they—why did they send me to this mental hospital?”

Chen Rong said, “Do you remember what happened before you fainted? Do you know what you were doing then? Do you know who saved you?”

Zhang Chao said, “I remember clearly; the people who saved me were a couple, right?”

Chen Rong smiled. “Looks like you’re normal this time, no amnesia. It was that couple. They said you were about to jump into the lake to ‘commit suicide,’ and after they rescued you, you fell unconscious. Your classmates, teachers, and parents were all very worried about your actions. They were afraid that if you stayed at school, you might continue to ‘commit suicide,’ so after discussion, your parents decided to put you here.”

Zhang Chao asked, “When will you let me out?”

Chen Rong said, “I know you aren’t crazy, and I want you to leave, but this isn’t something I can decide.”

Zhang Chao asked, “Then what should I do?”

Chen Rong said, “Everyone thinks you’re mentally ill. Don’t try to explain to anyone that you aren’t sick, because no one believes that talking to thin air is normal behavior. From now on, you can only leave if you prove that you’re cured, that you’ve returned to being a normal person.”

Zhang Chao thought for a moment and said, “Then tell me, how can I prove that I’m cured?”

Chen Rong said, “Stop shouting and swearing.”

Zhang Chao said, “So I’m just supposed to stay silent?”

Chen Rong shook her head. “If you don’t say anything, everyone’ll think your illness is getting worse. It’s best if you recover to your old self. Even if you see or hear anything strange again, don’t tell anyone except me.”

“Tell you?” Zhang Chao sneered. “Is this another new treatment plan? You’re pretending to only tell you, but you’re actually recording my words and actions to continue analyzing my symptoms, aren’t you?”

Chen Rong fell silent, her eyes slightly reddening.

Zhang Chao seemed somewhat guilty. After a long silence, he finally said, “Alright, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Chen Rong smiled faintly. “I know it’s hard for you to trust me now. I…” She choked up, unable to continue.

Zhang Chao sighed, “I can’t get out of here now if I don’t trust you. This isn’t some other hospital where I can just leave whenever I want. But you have to take off these handcuffs first; otherwise, I can’t move at all.”

Chen Rong smiled. “No problem.”

Zhang Chao asked, “What’s your status in the hospital?”

Chen Rong looked blankly at him. “A doctor—what other status could I have?”

Zhang Chao asked, “Do the nurses listen to you?”

Chen Rong understood and laughed, “You don’t want male nurses to take your pants off and let you relieve yourself again, right?”

Zhang Chao blushed and said, “Also, please don’t give me any more injections. I heard that sedative injections make people stupid.”

Chen Rong said, “Looks like you aren’t stupid at all.”

Zhang Chao smiled and said, “Now, only you know I’m not crazy.”

Chen Rong hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Then…then why did you attempt suicide three days ago?”