Chapter 594: Wu Cheng

Chapter 594: Wu Cheng

When the girl shouted those words, not only did the people around Li Huowang shift their seats backward a few steps, but even the mentally ill patients in the circle began to distance themselves.

The atmosphere inside the room, which had been relatively normal, gradually grew tense. The murmurs of the patients turned into restless chatter.

Just as Li Huowang felt things might spiral out of control, Wu Cheng stepped forward. "Patients, there's no need to panic. This student Li Huowang indeed made many mistakes unintentionally due to his condition before—but now!"

He paused and walked over to Li Huowang, placing a hand on his shoulder like an old friend and shaking it gently.

"Now his condition has been effectively controlled! He'll probably be discharged soon!"

"You've all seen the news from back then! Look—someone who was completely mad could be cured. What are you afraid of? Can anyone’s illness be worse than his was at that time?"

"Therefore, everyone—look ahead! As long as you're in this hospital, fully cooperate with your doctors and take your medication on schedule! One day, you’ll be able to return to society just like him!"

Seeing the patients’ emotions stabilize under Wu Cheng’s soothing presence, Li Huowang found himself looking at his junior brother from Yi Donglai with newfound respect. His rhetoric really was impressive.

"Student Li Huowang, as a role model, would you like to say a few words to encourage everyone?"

Hearing Wu Cheng’s words, Li Huowang quickly shook his head—he had no interest in giving speeches to psychiatric patients.

Under Wu Cheng’s calming influence, the commotion gradually quieted down. Except for occasional glances from people in other circles toward Li Huowang, nothing else changed.

Li Huowang rubbed his nose. It seemed he'd become thoroughly famous. Perhaps the “no strangers allowed” rule in the White Tower ward would once again follow him closely.

But he didn’t care. All he wanted was to stay quietly here until he was discharged.

"Come on, Li, since you’re new here and don’t know anyone yet, we’ll be in the same group going forward. Why don’t you introduce yourself first?" Wu Cheng said, prompting Li Huowang to look around.

"I’m Zhang Shu'e. You... hello," said the anxious woman.

Seeing no one else responded, the young man with bipolar disorder and a buzz cut spoke next. "Wushi Li."

As they introduced themselves one by one, Li Huowang learned that the depressed girl was named Zhao Ting, and the schizophrenic was Wang Wangshu.

What surprised him most was that the autistic individual, under Wu Cheng’s guidance, used his phone to type out his name: Zhang Jinzhong.

"Doctor Wu, you’re amazing—you can even treat autism."

Wu Cheng smiled and tucked away his phone. "This isn’t treatment—it’s just helping him express himself. For patients like Jinzhong, whose thoughts are fragmented, linear thinking is impossible. To him, one moment might be now, and the next could be an hour later. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to communicate. With proper tools, he can still convey what he means."

"So that’s how it works." Li Huowang nodded understandingly, then looked at the autistic patient beside him. He had to admit, this guy was truly worse off than him. While Li Huowang still had hope of recovery, this man would remain trapped in a fractured mind forever.

Under Wu Cheng’s leadership, the patients began encouraging each other and opening up. They even played simple games to ease their unfamiliarity, making Li Huowang feel somewhat awkward.

Still, it worked—sort of. By the end of the session, although others were still slightly afraid of him, they at least no longer showed it openly and could talk normally.

An entire morning passed quickly, and lunchtime arrived.

Thanks to Li Huowang’s steadily improving condition, he could now go to the cafeteria alone instead of having someone else fetch his food.

Just as he stood up, the depressed girl Zhao Ting, tears streaming down her face, approached him with a pained expression. "I'm sorry—I shouldn't have shouted. I caused everyone to recognize you... I do everything wrong. I'm so useless..."

Seeing her dig her fingernails into her own flesh, Li Huowang immediately realized something was wrong. She was once again spiraling into guilt and self-blame over some trivial matter. If left unchecked, her condition would likely worsen again.

"Sister, you're great. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t hurt me. You should’ve shouted my identity out—it was dangerous for me, and by shouting, you warned everyone. That was a good deed! Remember—you owe nobody anything. No need to blame yourself!"

"Really?" A trace of relief appeared on Zhao Ting’s face.

"Yes. Don’t think too much. Go eat and rest well after lunch. Take your medicine too. Your dosage seems a bit heavy."

After much effort, Li Huowang finally got Zhao Ting to leave. Just as he turned around, he saw Wu Cheng standing behind him, smiling warmly. "Not bad. Have you dealt with depression before?"

"Well, sort of. These patients are often bullied by others, and sometimes I can’t stand watching it happen, so I help them."

"Bullied? Which hospital were you at? No surveillance system? That’s not very professional."

"It’s not what you think. Like stealing a bite of meat or snatching snacks sent home during meals. Do doctors really deal with these kinds of minor issues?"

"Don’t underestimate mental patients—they’re not all bad. Some are just lowlifes, feeling like they’ve struck gold just getting a meal. They target those with depression who can barely speak, but they wouldn’t dare mess with severe manic or psychotic patients."

Wu Cheng nodded, pulling out a notebook to scribble something down. "Thanks. Sometimes, patients understand more about their conditions than we doctors do. I’ll report your observations to the higher-ups."

"What’s the point? Wherever people gather, there’s a hierarchy. Even in a psychiatric ward, small details like this are hard to manage."

Li Huowang chatted casually with him as they reached the cafeteria. He picked up a metal tray and prepared to get his lunch.

When he ordered scallion stir-fried tofu, he heard Wu Cheng’s voice behind him. "After eating, stay in the ward and don’t wander off. Treatment starts in the afternoon."

"Treatment? My illness is cured—why do I need more treatment?" Wu Cheng’s words left Li Huowang utterly confused.

According to Yi Donglai, all he needed to do was stay here long enough to be discharged. Why another round of treatment?

——

Next chapter updates at 11:34 PM.

(End of Chapter)