Chapter 204 - Wang Wei

Chapter 204 - Wang Wei

When he heard Dr. Hou reveal his identity, Li Huowang immediately turned away and stopped talking. He had no interest in listening to the nonsense of a doctor within the hallucination.

When Dr. Hou saw his patient’s resistance, he did not say much either. He just tapped a few words on his tablet and left the room.

As soon as he stepped out, Li Huowang heard a new pair of footsteps entering the room. “Little buddy, I heard from Dr. Hou that you are awake. Can you go to the restroom by yourself? I’d rather not have to change your catheter bag. Please take some pity on me.”

Even without opening his eyes, Li Huowang recognized this distinctive voice with its characteristic chattering. It belonged to Nurse Wang who had talked to him over the phone.

Suddenly, a warm towel was placed on his face and it began rubbing. “Here, young master, let me wash your face.”

Li Huowang pushed the towel aside and glared at the newcomer. This was a plump man with an unmemorable face. There was a blue nurse’s cap on his head, and he was also wearing a blue nurse’s uniform. The only distinctive feature on his face was a mole on the left side of his chin.

“Ah? Young master, you are awake? Do you need my help with anything?” asked Nurse Wang.

Li Huowang looked at him, annoyed. “Can you stop talking? Do you enjoy chatting with mentally ill patients? Aren’t you afraid that you’ll go insane yourself?”

“Well, mentally ill patients are quite interesting. Yesterday, the patient in bed 89 next door was being quite picky with his food. Do you know why? He said that the eggplants seemed shifty, and that he was afraid they would do something bad to his tummy. Hahaha!” laughed Nurse Wang.

After laughing, Nurse Wang resumed his duties. He picked up the urinary catheter bag and headed to the bathroom to empty it, and then he returned.

The ward’s door opened, and Dr. Hou from before walked in. Then, he bowed and greeted Wang Wei, “Teacher.”

“Did you see that? The patient is still rather sensitive. They only lose self-control when their illness acts up. In stable conditions, they’re just like anyone else; probably even smarter than normal people. So, you must treat patients normally. Don’t treat them like fools just because they are mentally ill,” said Wang Wei. Then, he turned back to Li Huowang. “Let me introduce myself. I am your attending physician, Dr. Wang Wei. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Why pretend to be a nurse?” questioned Li Huowang.

“Because you have a strong aversion to doctors. So I thought of using a different identity to talk to you. But, there’s not much difference between a doctor or a nurse. We’re all here to serve patients,” said Wang Wei.

After uncovering the man's true identity, Li Huowang closed his eyes and stopped interacting with him, quietly waiting for the time to pass. Since he had the time, then he would rather think about how to quickly leave Hou Shu, than to waste time talking nonsense to him.

“Li Huowang, do you really think that it’s possible that I am nothing, and just a figment of your imagination?” asked Wang Wei.

“Hmm?” Li Huowang opened his eyes.

Seeing the patient respond, Wang Wei continued, “I often wonder why our self-perception is so fascinating. If someone believes that they are something, then they will become that thing. Did you know that not all conscious beings work the same way. For example, in the minds of some animals, or even infants, there is no concept of ‘self’. Beings like them can never suffer from mental illnesses. Speaking of which, mental illnesses can be considered to be a more advanced condition.”

“What are you trying to get at? You’re all over the place. Dr. Wang, go and take a break if you can’t do this. Don’t end up having a nervous breakdown of your own in the midst of attempting to treat a patient,” said Li Huowang.

“Let me correct you,” said Wang Wei as he continuously circled around Li Huowang’s bed. “It’s not nervous, but mental. There are many professional diseases amongst doctors, and mental breakdown is one of them. So strictly speaking, you’re not wrong.”

Li Huowang couldn’t be bothered with him, and closed his eyes again.

“Li Huowang, based on my analysis of your previous recorded conversations, it seems that you’ve acquired some sort of an ability there, like a power to displace yourself, right? Did you know that this corresponds quite well with schizophrenia? You’re already quite ill now. You can’t afford to get any more sick. It’s alright if you don’t respond to me. After all, my salary will still be the same. But, your mom will be very saddened. She paid quite a large sum to hire me after all. Oh, and I forgot to tell you. This is a private hospital, and the rates here are quite high. And since it’s private, very little of it is covered by medical insurance. Do you really want to stay here like this for the rest of your life? Have you ever thought about the burden that you’re placing on your family? As the saying goes, there is no dutiful child before the sickbed. It will be the same for your mother and the others. You’re so stubborn, and never cooperate with the treatment. Be it your girlfriend or your mother, they will all eventually leave you. I’ve seen that happen far too many times. Ultimately, you’ll likely be locked up in a cheap hospital, unable to come out your entire life, and grow old in loneliness.”