"I think this way, Lin Xian."
High Yang insisted, "Actually, in the field of psychology, I'm just a layman. Everything I told you before was from what I saw in the social circle of my friend who is a psychiatrist."
"Do you remember that psychiatrist? She's a client of mine from when I used to sell cars. I showed you her social circle before..."
With that, High Yang took out his phone, opened WeChat, and showed Lin Xian.
Lin Xian had seen the photos on the screen before; it was a middle-aged woman wearing a white coat. Her gentle smile, graying hair, and neat appearance made her look very approachable and comfortable.
"So, you mean..." Lin Xian blinked, "You intend to take me to see the psychiatrist?"
"That's right!"
"It's not that serious... I really don't have any mental issues, so you don't need to worry," Lin Xian waved his hand in refusal.
Perhaps from High Yang's perspective, he had some serious condition. But Lin Xian knew his situation well.
"Oh, come on, just give it a try! Dr. Liu is a professional!" High Yang immediately opened a webpage, searched for Dr. Liu's name, and showed Lin Xian her resume.
"Look! Dr. Liu's expertise lies in the research of subconscious, dreams, and cognition. Instead of us pondering over it every day here... it's much better to have an expert explain it to you in a few words!"
"Believe in science and authority! Dr. Liu charges 3000 yuan per hour for consultation, which is a symbol of her expertise and authority!"
"3000 yuan per hour?" Lin Xian stood up directly. "Why not just go rob a bank?"
"Oh, are you still worried about money?!" High Yang pulled Lin Xian back into the seat. "I'll pay for it! With the money we'll earn from the World Cup thanks to you, we can't skimp on your mental health!"
"I've already scheduled the appointment for you. Let's go!"
...
An hour later.
High Yang forcefully brought Lin Xian to the psychologist's clinic.
Though it was called a clinic, it was actually a very quiet lakeside villa, located not far from the university campus in a natural scenic area.
"I heard these detached villas here cost about 100 million each," High Yang whispered to Lin Xian. "Psychologists make good money!"
"Yeah, especially when there are people like you lining up to give them money," Lin Xian said with some exasperation.
Though he knew High Yang meant well, making such a big fuss was really unnecessary...
"Since we're already here, Lin Xian, and I've paid the money, let's just go in and listen!" High Yang knocked on the door.
The door was open, so the two walked in directly.
The villa's interior was decorated in European style, with wooden furniture and a neatly arranged fireplace burning firewood, adding to the ambience.
"Is that Mr. High Yang? Please come to this room," a gentle and elegant voice came from the adjacent room, sounding very comforting, like the flowing of a stream.
The two pushed open the door to the adjacent room.
It was also a large room, with a wooden reclining chair placed in the middle and several wooden chairs neatly arranged in the corner.
Sunlight streamed through the large windows, warming up the room, making even breathing slow down.
In front of the window was a rosewood desk, and Dr. Liu smiled as she sat on the chair, looking at Lin Xian and High Yang.
Lin Xian observed Dr. Liu... She seemed even more kind and approachable than in the photo, like a caring grandmother, her eyes full of love and tenderness.
"Mr. Lin, please lie down on the reclining chair and relax your body and mind. Let's start with a simple chat," Dr. Liu said gently.
Lin Xian followed Dr. Liu's instructions and lay down on the reclining chair...
He closed his eyes...
Took deep breaths to relax his body...
And then began a simple question-and-answer session, mostly chatting about basic information.
His age, job, family status, relationship status, and so on.
Lin Xian answered truthfully, as there was no need for concealment.
But when it came to asking about his confusion with dreams... Lin Xian didn't fully disclose everything. Because he felt that some things weren't necessary to talk about, and he didn't believe a psychologist could solve his problems.
Dr. Liu chatted with Lin Xian while jotting down notes.
Eventually...
The conversation between the two ended, and Dr. Liu looked at Lin Xian and asked, "Mr. Lin, are you sure you can distinguish between reality and dreams?"
Lin Xian nodded. "I have absolutely no problem, Dr. Liu. I never confuse dreams with reality."
"How do you determine and differentiate between the two?"
Lin Xian was taken aback by this question.
Who wouldn't be able to distinguish between dreams and reality?
You sleep, you dream, you wake up; that's reality, right? What more criteria do you need?
He opened his eyes and said slowly, "To be honest, Dr. Liu, I've never seriously considered this question. I instinctively believe... that the time after waking up is definitely the real world. Isn't that common sense?"
Dr. Liu smiled, "Don't underestimate this question. Even today, there is no complete theoretical method to accurately distinguish between reality and dreams. Most of the cognition and judgment actually comes from human intuition."
"Especially in dreams, almost everyone is unaware that they are dreaming. Only a very few people, in very few situations... might become aware that they are dreaming. In psychology, we call this lucid dreaming."
...
Unaware that you're dreaming?
Lin Xian had never experienced such a feeling... he was very clear about when he was dreaming.
Because his dreams were so distinctive, repeating the same day infinitely, whenever he stood in that square, he knew he was dreaming.
Lin Xian looked at High Yang. "You never realize you're dreaming?"
"Of course not!"
High Yang replied without hesitation.
"I'm different from you; I'm a normal person! Normal people don't realize they're dreaming, unless they wake up."
"To be honest, sometimes the content of my dreams is quite absurd; like going back to high school, or being chased by dinosaurs... but even if it's ridiculously absurd, I still don't realize I'm in a dream. Only when I wake up in the middle of the night do I realize that I was dreaming just now."
Dr. Liu nodded while jotting down notes, and said, "High Yang is right. Most people's dreams are very absurd, like chaotic shadows. But even so, most people still don't realize they're dreaming."
"But Mr. Lin, your situation is extremely special. Not only can you realize that you're dreaming every time, but you can also clearly remember how the dream started every day. Moreover, the content of the dreams is not absurd; it's almost indistinguishable from reality."
Dr. Liu paused, looked at Lin Xian, and asked, "This is a very dangerous signal. Because both worlds seem very real to you, if one day you lose the reference point to distinguish between reality and dreams... do you know what will happen?"
"At that point, you won't be able to distinguish between reality and dreams at all."