Chapter 634
Chapter 634
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 634
>Chapter Title: In the Courtyard
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>In the pristine white hospital room, Li Huowang held up a plastic cup filled with water and shook it in front of Wu Cheng. Then he raised the handful of yellow and green pills and displayed them before him.
He placed the pills one by one into his mouth, then lifted the plastic cup and washed them down with the water.
And that wasn’t all. Li Huowang opened his mouth wide, sticking out his tongue and moving it up and down to show he hadn’t hidden any.
Once Wu Cheng had finished his inspection and was about to leave, Li Huowang spoke up. “Are these meds I’m taking expensive?”
“I can take more psych meds for you and Yi Donglai’s peace of mind, but that doesn’t mean you can prescribe pricier ones and treat my family like ATMs for your kickbacks.”
“Heh.” Wu Cheng chuckled without replying.
“I’m not joking. I know all about this stuff. I’ve seen plenty of shady private hospitals.”
“Nothing much to do normally? Don’t stay cooped up alone—go out for walks, get some sun, make new friends. That might help you get discharged sooner.”
After Wu Cheng finished speaking, he pulled a key from the pocket of his white coat, bent down, and unlocked the shackles on Li Huowang’s ankles.
Feeling freedom return to his legs, Li Huowang’s expression softened a bit. This was proof he was one step closer to discharge.
Once Wu Cheng left, Li Huowang stepped out of his room as well.
He didn’t really want to follow Wu Cheng’s advice, but aside from the bed, there was nothing else in a single-occupancy psych ward room.
If he stayed put, he’d be left choosing between staring at the walls or sleeping.
Stepping into the hallway, things felt much livelier. Plenty of patients still steered clear of Li Huowang due to his “reputation,” but it was a big improvement from before.
His mutual support group mates could now greet him naturally.
“Hey, bro! Coming to the lounge for TV? Titanic’s on—titty scene’s about to drop!” Wei Shili, the buzz-cut youth with bipolar, shouted excitedly at Li Huowang.
“Nah, I’m going out for some sun.”
Li Huowang understood why everyone was so upbeat lately—his condition had stabilized, and discharge was imminent.
In a psych hospital, only two things mattered: family visits and getting out.
Li Huowang reached the small garden behind the hospital, sat on the green tiles with eyes half-closed, and quietly savored the warm sunlight bathing his body.
He silently relished this fleeting peace. Truth was, he didn’t want to endure all that despair and madness either. He wanted to enjoy the world’s simple joys too.
But back then, the world seemed dead set against him. One crisis after another crashed down without respite or escape. Good thing it was all behind him now.
As he soaked in the calm, a commotion broke out. He opened his eyes and looked over to see several patients in blue-and-white gowns tussling over something.
Li Huowang walked up and saw a sharp-featured skinny woman and a teen boy yanking an apple away from someone.
“Mine! Mine!” The drooling man struggled desperately. Li Huowang knew him—the moderate intellectual disability case others gossiped about.
The teen wrenched the apple free with a hard yank and excitedly headed inside with the skinny woman. But Li Huowang blocked their path. “Give me the apple.”
Seeing Li Huowang’s hands in silver cuffs, the teen froze in fear. He remembered this guy—he’d actually killed someone.
“Here! Take it!” The terrified teen chucked the apple into Li Huowang’s arms and bolted, abandoning his companion.
Li Huowang caught the apple steadily and glanced at the name on it, learning the man’s name was Gao Jinyun.
He walked over to the idiot sobbing face-down on the ground and held out the apple.
“Thank you, big brother!”
Gao Jinyun was simple-minded; the moment he had his apple back, the tears stopped. He sat there gazing gratefully at Li Huowang.
“Next time you get food, if you don’t want it stolen, rub your spit on it first. Got it?”
Seeing the eager nods, Li Huowang stood and headed inside, nearly bumping into Zhao Ting, who had depression. She’d clearly seen the whole thing.
“Thanks for sticking up for him. Lots of folks think he’s an idiot and bully him behind his back.”
“It’s not pity. Locking a retard in a private hospital for life? His family’s probably richer than mine. I just can’t stand bullies.”
“This retard’s family is loaded? Then why don’t they ever visit?” Zhao Ting quickened her pace to match Li Huowang’s.
Others feared him, but after talking, she found him pretty decent.
“Heh, how different are retards from lunatics? Idiots get ranked too—rich ones go private, poorer ones public. If the family’s broke or cheap, the responsible ones chain ’em up at home, the rest get dumped on the street to scavenge and fend for themselves.”
Zhao Ting paused, lost in pained thought as Li Huowang’s words sparked some memory.
Li Huowang didn’t notice and kept walking. He skipped the lounge—probably packed by now.
He wandered the halls, floor by floor, meticulously measuring the entire hospital with his feet, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.
Other rooms and bathrooms held no interest, and the kitchen and doctors’ office were off-limits. Wandering led him to the severe restraint ward.
The severe ward wasn’t huge, but the hallway felt oppressively empty, like a prison block.
Approaching a thick door, Li Huowang peered cautiously through the glass out of curiosity.
But after a tense look around, he was embarrassed to find the room completely empty.
He checked the next severe restraint room—also empty.
“What’s going on? Does Kangding only take mild and moderate cases? Easy money then.”
As Li Huowang turned to head back, a faint banging echoed from a room at the far end.
“Hm? Someone’s there?” Surprised, Li Huowang slowed and approached. The impacts grew louder.
“Thud! Thud!! THUD!!!”