A Lunatic Says He Loves Me: Chapter 40

Chapter 40: The Divine Comedy 5

After confirming that Han Rong would not act recklessly, he put down the fruit knife and glanced casually at the dining room. Noticing the cold, untouched dishes on the table, he said with a slight mockery, “No need to cook anymore. Only that naive fool would eat whatever you’ve added to the food without a second thought. Don’t bother trying to treat me; it won’t work.”

Ji Yan calmly countered, “There were no additives.”

Han Rong laughed dismissively and entered the bedroom. After taking a shower and climbing into bed, he picked up a book by Ge Jiaqi from the nightstand and began flipping through it casually. The window was slightly open, and the blue flowers on the windowsill swayed in the breeze. A faint fragrance permeated the air, like a spring breeze brushing past willow trees, gradually relaxing his nerves. Han Rong yawned, put down the book, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

Han Rong found himself again in the vast palace of memories, standing in the long corridor of time. He held a bunch of keys, casually selecting one to insert into a nearby door lock. With a click, the door opened, revealing a luxurious single patient room inside.

Han Rong, dressed in a hospital gown, sat on the bed. A tall, burly, bald man entered through the door, looking surprised upon seeing him. He took a step forward and said, “Han Rong, how are you?”

The person on the bed remained indifferent, like a statue, silent and unmoving.

Ling Feng continued, “Don’t you recognize me? It’s true that I’ve changed a lot since college. I used to have hair. My name is Ling Feng; do you remember?”

No matter what Ling Feng rambled on about, Han Rong remained silent and unresponsive. Ling Feng, feeling defeated, left the patient room and spoke with Ji Yan outside the door.

“How did he become like this?”

“The sudden death of his mother was a huge blow to him, causing him to lose some of his memories. Moreover, he has significant mental issues.”

“Does he still remember the criminal investigation knowledge he once mastered?”

“Sorry, I’m not sure. It might be affected.”

Ling Feng said, “How is that possible? The news I’ve heard is that after his breakdown, his sense of crime became sharper, and his efficiency in solving cases improved. Let me talk to him for a while longer.”

After receiving approval from the hospital authorities, Ling Feng entered the room again. Before he could start greeting Han Rong, Han Rong turned his head to look at him and asked with a smile, “Can you unlock my handcuffs and leg cuffs?”

Ling Feng stared in astonishment at Han Rong’s empty wrists and ankles.

“Of course.” Ji Yan responded sincerely, crouching in front of Han Rong and making unlocking gestures, then looking up and asking, “It’s unlocked now. You can get out of bed and move around. Do you need me to help you?”

“Thank you.” Han Rong placed his hand in Ji Yan’s palm.

Ling Feng seemed unable to accept this reality and left with his head in his hands. After a while, Ji Yan approached him and said in a detached tone, “You saw it. He’s experiencing unrealistic delusions, believing that he’s imprisoned in a narrow room.”

“Director Ji, I think you’re aware that I’m here with a mission from higher-ups to take him away. Whether he’s demented or incapacitated, I need to discharge him. At the very least, our team’s leaders need to know if Han Rong can still solve cases.”

Ji Yan replied, “He can participate in investigations, but you must not attempt to guide him toward perceiving the real world. This could cause a collapse in his mental state, leading to a complete breakdown.”

“So you’re saying I can’t tell him that he’s delusional and have to play along with his delusions?”

“Yes.”

Ling Feng looked at Ji Yan with a half-smile, “Director Ji, have you ever heard the phrase ‘playing along until it becomes real’? What if we play along so well that he actually believes this imaginary world is real? What if he gets lost in this fictional world and can’t escape?”

“I will cure him.”

“I’ve heard that you’re the only doctor who managed to get close to Han Rong during his episodes and come out unscathed. I’ll take your word for it. Let’s cooperate smoothly.”

Ling Feng extended his hand towards Ji Yan, who lowered his gaze and responded faintly without returning the handshake.

****

Ling Feng was asleep at his desk when his body jolted, causing him to slide off his chair with a loud clatter and fall to the ground. Bai Xinhuai, hearing the noise, rushed out of the lab to find Ling Feng rubbing his bruised head, with an open copy of *The 24 Methods of Hypnosis* on his knee. Ling Feng muttered to himself, “I just dreamt of something from long ago. After being transferred to the Serious Crimes Unit, I received orders to discharge Han Rong.”

He pointed to the word “Dream Maker” in the book and asked, “Do you think these mental health professionals create pleasant dreams or nightmares for their patients? They build a new world in the patients’ dreams, allowing them to immerse themselves and never wake up. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? You mentioned that the original intent of dream control hypnosis is not to treat but to change. So, is the true intention of these Dream Makers to transform patients into what they want? Are their motives not entirely pure?”

“Your speculation is not without merit,” Bai Xinhuai replied. “In a foreign psychiatric hospital, there was a case where a doctor fell in love with a patient and used ‘dream control’ hypnosis to make the patient abandon their family. Since the blue wind grass used to induce deep sleep directly affects the nervous system, and there’s no authoritative report proving this herb to be completely safe for humans, this method of treatment has yet to be developed further. If you’re interested in ‘dream control hypnosis,’ you might want to read Ji Yan’s paper [Feasibility of Dream Control]. His theory is quite mature, and in my view, it only lacks practical application.”

Ling Feng did indeed go on to find the paper, not to analyze theoretical knowledge, but to investigate the background before and after the publication. When [Feasibility of Dream Control] was published, Ji Yan was still a sophomore. He used the story of “Zhuangzi’s Butterfly Dream” for the final explanation.

“Undoubtedly, the butterfly is Zhuangzi’s beautiful dream, creating a beautiful imaginary world for Zhuangzi with all its might. Conversely, it could be said that Zhuangzi also realized the butterfly’s dream of dream-making. Therefore, ‘dream making’ is a double-edged sword; a single misstep can lead to a bottomless abyss, resulting in mutual destruction. This method should not be used unless there are no other options left.”

After the paper was published, Ji Yan, as an excellent exchange student, was sent abroad to study at a prestigious university. He returned to China two years ahead of schedule. After graduation, he gave up a broader future and actively requested to be transferred to 717.

The first patient he took on was Han Rong.

Ling Feng’s heart skipped a beat, and he forced a light-hearted smile, “I hope my intuition is wrong.”

“Captain Ling, Han Rong has arrived.” The voice of the gatekeeper came through the earpiece.

“Received. Let him in.” Ling Feng glanced at the wall clock, which read eight in the morning. “What does he want? It’s bad enough he doesn’t help with capturing Ge Jiaqi, but he reports to the police station every day!”

Bai Xinhuai casually said, “Maybe he needs something from you but is too embarrassed to ask.”

“Too embarrassed? The sun must be rising in the west!”

“Good morning, Officer Ling. You still look charming as ever today,” Han Rong said with a smile, his eyes full of affection, as he walked into the office.

“Mr. Han, what do you want? Let’s get straight to the point.”

Han Rong sat on the sofa and said, “Let me tell you a story.”

“Once upon a time, there were two sorcerers. The first built a castle and locked up all the disobedient princes in rooms. The first sorcerer made many keys, hoping to release the disobedient ones. One day, a clever prince escaped, but was soon caught again by the evil sorcerer. The prince asked why. The evil sorcerer, while stabbing him in the chest with a dagger, said it was because he loved him. The prince, before dying, yelled at him, ‘Are you crazy!’”

After telling the story briefly, he looked at Ling Feng and asked, “Is it funny?” Without waiting for a response, he added, “It’s funny, isn’t it?”

Ling Feng looked at him as if he were insane and asked incredulously, “You came all this way just to tell me a dark fairy tale?”

Han Rong said, “Do you want to hear the ending?”

Ling Feng replied, “There’s no point in telling only half the story. Continue, don’t stop halfway.”

Han Rong continued, “Another prince who knew the truth escaped with the help of the second sorcerer. He carried the wishes of all the slain princes and was determined to eliminate the first evil sorcerer…”

Ling Feng interrupted, “Wait a moment. You said the princes locked up by the evil sorcerer were all ‘bad,’ so the princes released by the good sorcerer must also be ‘bad.’ Therefore, the prince who eventually escaped and wants to eliminate the evil sorcerer is ‘bad’ as well. Aren’t they all the same? Oh no, none of these three are good. The first sorcerer committed illegal detention, the second sorcerer aided the evil deeds, and the third prince has criminal tendencies.”

“You’re right,” Han Rong said with a chilling smile, “but justice comes too late. He can only take revenge in his own way.”

Ling Feng said sternly, “Justice may be delayed, but it will never be denied! Comrade Han Rong, are you facing some difficulties? You can tell me directly.”

“I ate too much for breakfast and came here to digest. I’m heading back now. See you tomorrow.”

Han Rong evaded the question and left.

“I believe you now. He is indeed hiding something from us,” Ling Feng muttered to himself, then picked up his phone and called Yuan Fei. “When you have time, check into a person for me—everything from their birth to the present. I want it all clear and detailed.”

“Who is it?”

“Young Master Ji San, Ji Yan.”

****

Han Rong wandered outside until late at night before returning to his apartment. He admitted that he really didn’t want to see Ji Yan, but he had no choice but to come back. On one hand, he feared that Ji Yan might unknowingly hypnotize him again and release the silly sweet Han Rong. On the other hand, apart from this small apartment, he had no other place to go.

He no longer had a mother, and no one would leave a light on for him anymore.

He no longer had a harbor to dock at.

Han Rong suddenly felt a pang of sorrow and tilted his head to let the tears flow back. He stood outside the door, forcing a smile for a long time until it didn’t look so stiff, then opened the door and was met with the loud noise of the television. The male protagonist was shouting hysterically at the female protagonist: “You turned me into this, so why did you leave me?”

He felt an inexplicable irritation, and it grew worse when he saw the neatly arranged dishes on the dining table. He hurriedly walked into the bedroom and shut the door, throwing himself onto the bed and covering his head with the blanket, trying not to think about anything.

This time, he couldn’t fall asleep no matter what.

He suddenly sat up, looking around, feeling that something was off. The air was so clean it was suffocating, and the cold furnishings were detestable. He threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and walked barefoot to open the door and leave the bedroom, pacing back and forth in the kitchen.

Ji Yan turned to him and asked, “Can’t sleep?”

Han Rong irritably asked, “Where are the flowers?”

“What flowers?”

“The potted plant on the windowsill! I feel better when I see it! Where did you put it?”

Ji Yan stood up, walked to the balcony, and brought back a pot of blue flowers, saying, “I took it out to water it this morning and forgot to put it back. Sorry. It won’t happen again.” He placed the pot back on the windowsill and slightly opened a window, letting the fresh breeze fill the room with the scent of flowers.

Han Rong’s eyelids felt heavy, like a puppet he climbed onto the bed and lay down.

“Go to sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, everything will get better.”

A voice in Han Rong’s mind was screaming sharply, “Don’t sleep!” but his eyelids were unusually heavy, his head was foggy, and it felt like all his strength was being slowly drained away.

Ji Yan’s gentle and soothing voice seamlessly penetrated his ears and into his mind.

“Han Rong, I will always be with you. Do you love me?”

Han Rong seemed to hear himself involuntarily respond, “I…”

“Chen Sheng deceived and abandoned you, but I will never do that. Do you love me?”

“I…”

“You are cheerful, intelligent, and independent, and you will never hurt me. Do you love me?”

“I…”

Han Rong was awakened by Ji Yan’s kiss.

Gentle and warm kisses landed one after another on his forehead, eyelids, cheeks, and lips.

He slowly opened his eyes to meet Ji Yan’s cool, narrow phoenix eyes filled with undisguised deep affection.

Han Rong couldn’t help but smile, “Doctor.”

“Yes?”

“Since a long time ago, I’ve woken up every morning to see you by my side. Will it always be like this in the future?”

“Yes.” Ji Yan took Han Rong’s right hand, lightly kissed his ring finger, and made a solemn promise, “Past and future, forever unchanging.”

Han Rong closed his eyes, reached out to embrace Ji Yan’s waist, buried his head in his shoulder, and said with a smile, “Doctor, don’t lie to me.”

****

Hucheng Serious Crimes Unit.

“Sir Ling, Ji Yan’s file is very clean and upright. Why are you investigating him? But speaking of which, his background is quite impressive. Does his family know about his relationship with Brother Han?” Yuan Fei, with a pair of gossiping eyes, leaned closer to Ling Feng and asked, “Do you know any secrets?”

Ling Feng furrowed his brows, looking at the white paper with black text in his hand, and asked, “Is there not even a slight discrepancy?”

Yuan Fei shook his head, “Nope.”

“Wait a minute.” Ling Feng’s sharp eyes caught a line of text, “Attended XX Central Primary School from age 7 to 11, and at age 13 attended… but you ate up those two years between ages 11 and 13!”

Yuan Fei pointed to a note at the bottom of the page, “Doesn’t it say here that because Ji Yan’s health was poor, he took a leave of absence at age 11 to receive treatment at Red Heart Hospital? This hospital no longer exists; it was merged with another hospital in 2000. This current hospital is in Lei City. If you want to check the medical records for those two years, you’ll have to go to Lei City.”

TN:

So…is the doctor also a psycho?! He’s giving Queen Charlotte with that “Do You Love Me!” hypnosis. 

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