Chapter 11

 Yan Ge sat down, interlocking his fingers and placing his hands flat on the table, his face handsome and serene. Across from him, Li You adopted the same posture, hands clasped and resting on the table, as if they were mirror images of each other.

When Yan Ge played the role of a doctor, he was always the one to speak first, "Dr. Xu said you have something to tell me."

"Yeah, I've made progress in my mental research lately. But they won't understand." Li You had a face with extremely distinct features, especially his eyes, deep and dark. His tone was lightly mocking as he spoke.

"Do you think I'm willing to listen?"

"Of course." Li You smiled.

"Then I'll try to listen."

"Yan Ge, time is static, it's people that flow."

"Why do you say that?"

"The concept of time didn't exist in the world originally; it was created by humans. Saying time doesn't exist, isn't that easy to understand?"

"Um."

"As for people, as long as they're alive, they keep moving—going from home to the subway station, from the subway to work, from work to a restaurant. They're always in motion. If a camera is pointed at a person and takes continuous photos, and these photos are strung together, what do you get?"

Yan Ge fully understood his words, "The person's silhouette traverses every place they've been to, like..."

"This person is like a river." Li You's lips lifted, "They're a flowing river, and everyone is like that. Intersecting and communicating with each other."

"What does this have to do with your theory of mental space?" Yan Ge asked.

"A person is in motion, and so is their mental world. Each person's mind can be seen as an independent space." Li You's fingers were fair and he rhythmically tapped his knuckles.

"When a person's mental strength becomes powerful enough to exert pressure on others, others unconsciously accept their thoughts and are influenced by their minds. This situation isn't uncommon in real life, right?"

"Indeed." Yan Ge calmly replied, waiting for him to continue.

"I analyzed the influence between people's mental levels from the perspective of quantum physics and space. When a stronger individual's mental strength presses upon the mental space of another person, if the force is strong enough, it can cause spatial curvature." Li You leaned back in his chair, his expression easing into a half-smile as he looked at Yan Ge.

"Oh," Yan Ge responded, appearing disinterested.

But Li You's story was building up to its climax and, of course, he wouldn't skip the final curtain call, "The result proves my theory of mental space: a person's mind and thoughts can penetrate and invade another person's mind. When the strength is sufficient, they can even dominate and control them. This is why education exists, including religions, cults, everything."

"I’m no impressed." Yan Ge casually replied, seeming somewhat disappointed.

Li You narrowed his eyes at Yan Ge's reaction, "I'll prove it to you. Is that newcomer, Wu Zhe, still not talking? Let me talk to him, I can make him speak."

"In fact, he's already spoken," Yan Ge stared straight at him.

Li You looked at him, trying to discern something.

Yan Ge said, "Did you manipulate him?"

"I haven't interacted with him for a month. How could I have talked to him?" Li You smiled.

"What about your theory of mental space from earlier?"

Li You's smile widened, "So, you believe in my theory now."

"Of course I don't," Yan Ge pursed his lips, pulled his hands out of his pockets, stood up, and said, "I'm just making sure you haven't contacted him. Goodbye."

Li You's face changed, as if a brick had lodged in his chest. He watched Yan Ge leave without turning around and unexpectedly saw a girl on the other side of the glass door. She shrank her neck, embarrassedly stuck her tongue out at Yan Ge, and kept touching her forehead with her right hand in an apologetic gesture.

Yan Ge's expression probably wasn't too good in the face of her antics.

Yan Ge walked to the door, took out the key, only to hear Li You say, "She's your ex-girlfriend."

Yan Ge paused for a moment, inserted the key into the lock, then heard Li You say again, "You want to get close to her... but, this doesn't seem like your style. Why are you so bothered?"

"Yan Ge, whether you believe it or not, I can make her..."

 Zhen Yi on this side of the door felt something was off. 

She had been pacing around by the door, never leaving. Yan Ge had seen her as soon as he stood up, his gaze somewhat colder than usual.  Zhen Yi was well aware that he was usually indifferent; he wouldn't be happy or angry, and even if something annoyed him, he'd handle it with indifference.

He wasn't warm, but he wasn't cruel either.

So, when she saw that shallow chill in his eyes for the first time, she knew she shouldn't have appeared there. She must have violated the hospital's rules, so she quickly apologized.

Wu Zhe was here, and she was going to come back; she didn't want to upset him.

Strangely, Yan Ge's door remained open for a while, the key still stuck in the lock, his movements paused. For several seconds, he didn't move at all.

He stood tall in front of her, separated by two sets of glass doors, his eyes deep and unfathomable. He looked at her face but seemed to not really see her.

Not far away, that man indeed looked handsome. He was saying something, but  Zhen Yi couldn't hear. He appeared proud, in control of everything, yet also like a gentleman. In a split second, his dark eyes met hers for a second. He slightly pursed his lips, gallantly nodded to her in greeting.

 Zhen Yi was inexplicably stunned. In the next second, Yan Ge's figure overshadowed her vision.

He opened the door, came out, and closed it. His tone was more like an interrogation, "What are you doing here?"

"I went the wrong way,"  Zhen Yi quickly retreated, as if afraid he would come up and hit her.

Yan Ge's mood was indeed not good, but he rarely showed any fluctuations. So, even though  Zhen Yi nervously walked for a while, she noticed that his expression had returned to calm. She immediately shifted to curiosity mode and went up to him to ask, "Is that guy a patient?"

"Yeah," he mumbled something indistinct in his throat.

"He doesn't look like one."

"Don't make conclusions lightly. Don't judge things you don't understand," he answered matter-of-factly, sounding like he was giving advice. "Moreover, often what you think you understand is just your own assumption."

The philosophizing mental health doctor really was...

 Zhen Yi didn't dislike it; in fact, she found it humble and cute, "I know, and besides, appearances can be deceiving."

She had never been this obedient before... Yan Ge's gaze fell on her face, "Do you need my help with something?"

"Well... yeah."

He looked at her, his eyes clear and deep.

 Zhen Yi immediately started talking, "Although the hospital has strict hardware management, if a patient is smart and clear-headed at a certain time, could they sneak out secretly and then come back? Like in a prison break on TV?"

Saying this, she herself felt it was far-fetched, but Yan Ge said, "I can't 100% deny that possibility."

"Then have you ever encountered a man's personality appearing in a woman's mind?"

"Yes, very rarely. But what are you trying to say?"

"Could Wu Zhe's mind have split off and created a personality of Tang Shang?"

"Let me put it this way." Yan Ge walked through one door, held onto the door frame, waiting for her to catch up, and then calmly closed it, "You're overthinking."

"Huh?"

"Multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia are two completely different concepts. Multiple personality disorder is often seen in novels but rare in clinical settings. The patient is able to live a normal life, and at first glance or for a short period of time, no abnormalities can be seen; whereas the split in schizophrenia does not refer to the personality, but to the patient's feelings and perceptions being severely damaged. They can't take care of themselves, they're mad and delusional most of the time. It's a type of 'insanity' as we commonly say."

His voice was low, soothing, and steady. He probably feared that she wouldn't understand, so his tone was especially patient and slow. After explaining, he added, "To put it in simple terms, multiple personality disorder is like a body that houses many people, while schizophrenia is like a body that houses someone who never stops dreaming and having delusions."

Zhen Yi stared straight at him.

"What?" He looked away somewhat uncomfortably.

She had looked at him with that kind of gaze countless times, but he still hadn't grown accustomed to it.

 Zhen Yi lowered her voice, unnaturally: "It seems like this is the first time you've spoken more than a few sentences to me at once."

Yan Ge fell silent.

 Zhen Yi picked up the topic again, "So, Wu Zhe's condition isn't multiple personality disorder, and it doesn't seem like it’s schizophrenia either."

"PTSD."

"What does that mean?"

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

 Zhen Yi looked skeptical, an expression that said she didn't believe it, " Didn’t you say that you haven't given him a diagnosis yet?"

"Diagnosing is one thing, experience is another," he said casually.

"..."

This person who could stay calm and collected while being overbearing wasn't even aware of it...

"So, what are the symptoms of PTSD?"

"Clinically, the patient mechanically re-lives the symptoms, constantly recalling the situation and the feelings they had at the time..."

"Oh, the way you put it sounds so sad,"  Zhen Yi's voice trailed off, thinking of the terrifying recurring nightmare Wu Zhe had described, dark, despairing, cold, and damp.

"...Accompanied by avoidance symptoms, they don't want others to mention the incident, and in severe cases, they'll develop selective amnesia."

Wu Zhe indeed didn't remember that Tang Shang was already dead.

"High vigilance, difficulty concentrating, and weak short-term memory."

Wu Zhe didn't let others get close, and when  Zhen Yi got closer and they were in the middle of a conversation, he acted as if she didn't exist and left without saying a word.

After listening to Yan Ge's analysis, Zhen Yi sighed in her heart: he's really amazing.

They had reached the entrance of the building. Yan Ge still went out first, pulled the glass door open, and waited for her to come out.  Zhen Yi looked up and saw the sunlight falling just right on him and the glass, sparkling, like a world of diamonds, transparent and clean.

His elegant face wasn't diminished at all in the radiant sunlight. His fair complexion melded into the light, but his pair of eyes were particularly clear, serene, and transparent, exuding a tranquility that made people want to sink into it and fall asleep.

 Zhen Yi found herself holding her breath, unable to exhale. She walked out with her head down. She waited for him to take a step back and gently close the door before she finally let out the breath she had been holding in her chest and continued;

 "The police must have asked, is Wu Zhe capable of murder now?"

Yan Ge lowered his gaze and thought for a moment, "I can only say that his condition is quite severe, and he's lost self-awareness. No matter what he does, he doesn't know what he's doing."

 Zhen Yi looked at the cheerful patients on the other side of the plastic mesh, feeling somewhat disappointed, "So, he might be capable of murder."

"Rather than murder, I'd lean more towards using the word 'self-defense' for him," he said, his figure tall and straight, his pristine white coat, fluttering in the wind.

"So, you mean he would only react when someone poses a threat to him?"  Zhen Yi's spirits were lifted again, as if subconsciously she wanted to separate Wu Zhe from the case.

"But..." Yan Ge's paused for a moment as he said, "Even the most normal actions of an ordinary person might be perceived as a threat by him... That's why he is a major suspect to the police."