Chapter 646: Discharge from Hospital

Chapter 646: Discharge

The commotion at Kangning Hospital soon faded.

Qian Fu was imprisoned, and for some time afterward, Li Huo never again encountered needles.

Yet this inadvertently confirmed that the needle in his meals had been placed by him.

Eating, taking medication, watching television, participating in mutual aid groups, group therapy, recreational time, sleeping—these were nearly all the options available in a psychiatric ward.

Before he knew it, two months had passed. Except for a certain dullness, everything else was quite normal.

During that time, both his mother and Yang Na had visited him. Upon learning that he hadn’t suffered another episode, they were both delighted.

One morning, Li Huo Wang sat quietly in his ward, waiting for his instant noodles to soften in the bucket beside him.

Of course, the psychiatric hospital did not provide packaged beef-flavored ramen; it was just something he had casually mentioned during Yang Na’s last visit.

When she came again for a second time, she brought him a box.

Just as Li Huo Wang had waited three minutes and was about to lift the lid, a familiar face appeared at the doorway. “Yi Donglai, you finally came.”

“I have a lot on my plate. I’m only your former attending physician, not your personal nurse.”

“Besides, Wu Di and I will keep in touch regularly. I’ll be informed of any developments regarding your condition.”

“It seems like you’re recovering rather well,” Yi Donglai said, sitting on the edge of the bed as he watched Li Huo Wang eat his noodles with a folding fork.

“Not bad. It’s been three months now. I’ve adapted to most things,” Li Huo Wang sipped from his soup.

“You sounded quite anxious on the phone before. How are you feeling now? Still in a hurry?”

Hearing this, Li Huo Wang swallowed his noodles and thought carefully for a moment, hesitating slightly before saying, “How should I put it? As time passes, those memories are becoming hazy. I can’t tell anymore whether what happened was delusion or reality.”

He had done these things, yet in the real world, they had never occurred. The only possible explanation was that the problem lay within himself.

But Li Huo Wang knew—he wasn’t sick.

Upon hearing this, Yi Donglai nodded approvingly. “Since taking the new medicine, has that situation recurred?”

“No,” Li Huo Wang continued eating his noodles.

Given that it had only happened once, Li Huo Wang decided to observe further. If it didn’t happen again, he wouldn’t pursue it further—just treat it as a bizarre dream.

At that moment, Wu Cheng walked in from outside. He leaned close to Yi Donglai and whispered something, then the two of them stepped out to talk seriously.

They chatted for nearly half an hour, even making several phone calls.

When Yi Donglai returned to the ward, he held a tablet in his hand. “Here, Huo Wang, there are some questions for you to answer.”

“Questions?” Li Huo Wang took the tablet and saw multiple-choice questions.

“I always demand others follow my way of thinking and often get furious when they go against my wishes.”

Yes?

No?

“I always feel uneasy letting others handle tasks and prefer to do them myself.”

Yes?

No?

“I am often troubled by thoughts that intrude into my mind without reason.”

Yes?

No?

Looking at the questions, Li Huo Wang raised his eyes to Yi Donglai and asked excitedly, “Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory? Or SCL-90? Are you testing me with this? Does it mean that if all scales come back normal, I can be discharged?”

Yi Donglai looked surprised at Li Huo Wang. “You know quite a bit about this. Just start, this is only the first test.”

Hearing this, Li Huo Wang focused completely, beginning to answer the questions. His fingers even trembled slightly—he was finally going to leave!

Li Huo Wang filled out the form earnestly. Then followed various tests, including brain scans using machines to check for abnormal electrical discharges.

After all that, they told Li Huo Wang to return to his ward and wait.

The time felt excruciatingly long. Only then did Li Huo Wang truly understand what "a year feels like a day" meant.

Finally, when Wu Cheng entered and unlocked the handcuffs from his wrists, tears welled up in Li Huo Wang’s eyes—he was really leaving.

But just as the handcuffs were removed, a black electronic device was fastened around his left ankle.

“What is this?” Li Huo Wang’s joy dimmed.

“Your previous behavior was so disruptive that we’re only imposing one year of electronic monitoring. You’re lucky.”

“You’re monitoring my location constantly?”

“That’s not all—it’s a restriction. This device is always connected to the network. Once you’re out, you cannot approach any school within five hundred meters—whether kindergarten, elementary, middle, or high school.”

“If you stay near any such place for five seconds, it will immediately alert the nearest station. Even if doctors say you’re fine, it won’t matter,” Yi Donglai explained the restrictions of the device.

“And you can’t remove it. Whether damaged or if your pulse isn’t detected, it will trigger an alarm.”

“Once home, don’t wander off. Strictly speaking, your condition hasn’t fully stabilized yet—you still need two months of home treatment.”

Hearing this, Li Huo Wang nodded understandingly. It seemed his actions had gone too far.

Even after being discharged, there were still so many restrictions.

But as long as he could leave as a normal person, even more restrictions were acceptable. At least he was getting out.

“Li Huo Wang, remember to take your medicine on schedule after discharge. Don’t stop taking anything. Come on, your parents are waiting for you at the entrance.”

“Did Yang Na not come?”

“We only notify immediate family members upon discharge. Hurry up, they’re already here.”

Accompanied by Yi Donglai and Wu Cheng, Li Huo Wang changed out of his blue-and-white hospital gown into regular clothes.

When Li Huo Wang first appeared in civilian clothes before Sun Xiaoqin, she burst into tears with emotion.

Beside her, Li Jiancheng tried to hold himself together, but his trembling hands betrayed his inner feelings.

Seeing Sun Xiaoqin turn toward them, about to kneel before Yi Donglai, the others quickly pulled her back.

“Sister Sun, don’t be so emotional. Please stand up. Please stand up. This is what I should do.”

After a flurry of activity, Li Huo Wang finally left the hospital.

At the moment he stepped out, he looked up at the clouds drifting in the sky. Never had he found the sky so beautiful, nor the air so fresh.

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Next chapter update at 11:32 PM.

(End of Chapter)