Zhuang Jing didn't mind and just said, "If anything goes wrong later, don't blame me."
"Of course not!" Chen Ke quickly responded.
I didn't know if they meant they wouldn't break up or if they meant they wouldn't blame Zhuang Jing for any issues arising from personnel arrangements.
In the end, Zhuang Jing offered a few pointers:
"About the secret of the [Mind World], there really is no secret."
"If there is one, it's to maintain a youthful mindset, something you can learn from the patients—a 72-year-old lady still loves candied hawthorns and refuses to talk to her 50-year-old son if she can't have them."
"Life is only once, and it is short, live to the fullest, don't take on suffering you can't bear, give up what you cannot endure."
"Within five years, if you have any confusions, you can come to me, I will be your psychologist."
"Thank you, Mrs. Jing (Mrs. Zhuang)," both said their thanks at the same time.
Zhuang Jing was busy with many things, including the clinic's work, courses at Haicheng University, psychology association meetings, and more, so the three didn't want to bother her further and returned to their own office.
Back in the office, Su Qing cheerfully remarked, "Unless something unexpected happens, you're going to spend your whole lives in this little room."
"It doesn't matter," Gu Ran was optimistic, "After I die, I'll have my ashes scattered across the sea, so it's fine if I spend a bit less time visiting places while I'm alive."
Both of them looked at him.
"You're so optimistic," Chen Ke said.
"I hope to have my own [Mind World] one day," Gu Ran took a seat in his office chair.
The chair was premium, ergonomically designed and very comfortable.
"Scatter the ashes a bit farther, I still plan to swim in the sea," Su Qing also took a seat, casually picking up a book titled "Conversational Skills with Idiots."
Gu Ran's feet exerted a gentle force, and his body half-turned: "That worry is completely unnecessary, by the time I'm turned to ashes, even if you're not dead, you'll be too old to swim."
"I'm more optimistic than you," Su Qing had already started reading "Conversational Skills with Idiots" without lifting her head, "By the time you turn to ash, I'll still have 75 years to live."
Chen Ke offered a gentle reminder: "That means, Gu Ran, you would die right after your five-year contract ends, if people could live for a hundred years."
"Hey..."
Before Gu Ran could finish speaking, Su Qing was already turning his chair with her feet under the desk to make him sit properly.
The silly look on his face as he was forced to turn around made Chen Ke unable to hold back her laughter.
To avoid embarrassing Gu Ran further, she brewed coffee at the tea station while changing the subject, "Team leader... "
"Don't call me team leader," Su Qing's eyes were still on the book, "If you call me that, I'll always be conscious of my status as a leader. I'm only twenty, and I don't want to appear as old as a team leader."
"But being a bit more solemn with patients could give them confidence, couldn't it?"
Su Qing looked up, kicking Gu Ran's chair with her long legs—there was quite a distance between them.
"What do you think?"
Despite saying not to act old like a leader, she showed the attitude of a leader bullying a team member.
"Mental patients probably don't care about whether their doctor is young or what kind of character they have, right?" Gu Ran carefully began, "It might be a bit useful for patient's relatives, but I don't think they would reject a positive and optimistic doctor either."
Chen Ke, who was preparing tea, nodded thoughtfully.
When she did her rounds before, she would subconsciously try to project a dependable image.
But just as Gu Ran had said, an autistic child who refuses to communicate, a suicidal depressed woman, a schizophrenic patient who thinks the doctor is a murderer—they wouldn't care if the doctor seems stable.
A youthful mindset might actually be more helpful for patients' conditions.
"It's a pity, no meal for today," Su Qing lamented.
That meant Gu Ran's answer had not disappointed her.
Gu Ran, who felt validated, had his psychological shadows continue to expand.
Chen Ke handed the tea to Gu Ran and the coffee to Su Qing, both said thank you.
"Group... Su Qing, what should we do next?" Chen Ke asked.
"You can visit the residential area, the farming area, the animal zone, the gymnasium, on the condition that your purpose is to interact with patients."
"Other than that, you should stay in the office. You can read files. If you feel up to it, you can also play with your phone or read leisure books."
"It's not actually a rule, just that if you happen to be out of the office, and your patient happens to want to commit suicide, and the nurse happens to not find you, or if you happen to arrive too late, Zhuang Jing will show you her cruel side."
"If your patient also happens to succeed in suicide, congratulations, you can have your ashes scattered in the sea right away."
Of course, it wouldn't be as severe as scattering ashes directly, but leaving without letting the nurse find you is indeed unacceptable, whether for work or on a moral level.
All three stayed in the office.
Su Qing read her book, while Gu Ran and Chen Ke reviewed files.
There they found extremely valuable information—the "Doctor's Diary." {Jinghai Psychological Sanatorium} hadn't been established for a long time, but Zhuang Jing's notes were exceptional, truly a treasure.
It contained the complete process of treating patients, what kind of symptoms were treated, which medicines were used, and what kind of therapy was applied.
Every word and action between the doctor and patient were covered, comprehensively detailed without omitting a thing.
As for entering the psychological shadows and eradicating diseases, it was as thrilling as an adventure novel, and anyone could enjoy it immensely.
————
"Personal Diary":
August 2nd, clear skies, my first entry into the Mind World.
I discovered that women's breasts have a magical power. I think they could serve as a method for psychological treatment. I'll start researching when I get a girlfriend (marked as important).
"Doctor's Diary":
My first entry into the Mind World was hillsides full of flowers. In those flowers, searching for professional cards is like looking for a four-leaf clover among clovers.
Clovers represent happiness, and four-leaf clovers represent luck. I want to plant clovers in the hearts of every psychiatric patient. For this, I need luck's power.
Quote from Zhuang Jing: "Life is short, live it to the fullest, don't take on suffering you can't bear, give up what you cannot endure."