"Hot food will be ready soon, just wait a moment."
The female caregiver, Ding Ye, offered a gentle smile, soothing Lin Fan's eager anticipation for a meal. She knew that this man, along with the one across from him, were the most dangerous patients in Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital.
Their track records were…illustrious.
One couldn't be fooled by their harmless appearances.
Their self-destructive tendencies went far beyond the typical boundaries of mental illness.
She had once read a book and found a personality type that seemed to fit:
'Socially harmless, latent self-harm personality.'
Soon, the fragrant aroma of food wafted through the air.
"Everyone has been very good, so today everyone gets a chicken leg as a reward," Ding Ye said gently.
A trick. It was a blatant trick.
The chicken legs were already part of the meal, yet they were presented as an extra reward.
Looking at the fragrant food, Lin Fan wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.
Why was he drooling? Because he was so hungry.
The patients' desire for food fluctuated with their moods.
Lin Fan could no longer bear the hunger. He grabbed a chicken leg and tore into it, even crunching and swallowing the bones. He devoured the food on his plate in a blink of an eye, wolfing it down.
Not a single grain of rice remained.
Old Man Zhang gaped, watching Lin Fan. Seeing him so hungry made his heart ache. What had happened to make him this hungry?
"You can have mine," he offered, pushing his food towards Lin Fan. "I'll give you mine. You can't starve."
Lin Fan shook his head. "You're hungry too. You eat it."
"I'm not hungry."
Old Man Zhang's mouth watered at the sight of the chicken leg.
But Lin Fan was his good friend. Even if he had to go hungry, he couldn't let his good friend starve.
Nurse Ding Ye was very satisfied with the current situation. Every patient was stable and enjoying their meal. However, when she saw Lin Fan's spotless plate, her expression turned to surprise. She bent down to check the floor, wondering if he had dropped the food.
The floor was clean. Not a single grain of rice.
Unbelievable.
Where had all the food gone?
"Wonderful! You ate so cleanly."
Ding Ye wanted to ask Lin Fan where the food had gone, but remembering that his thought processes were different, she couldn't ask so directly. Instead, she opted for praise as a way to inquire.
"Hungry," Lin Fan said, holding out his empty plate to Ding Ye.
Ding Ye froze for a moment, then smiled. "Then I'll get you another serving. Sit here and wait obediently, okay?"
"Okay!"
Lin Fan sat quietly, staring down at the stainless steel tabletop. He swallowed, the smooth, shiny surface looking almost…edible.
If he could…
He opened his mouth, wanting to take a bite to see how it tasted. He was so hungry, the hunger was unbearable.
His Qigong cultivation method absorbed free energy particles from the world around him, fully utilizing every cell. When every cell was brimming with energy, his body's consumption rate increased dramatically.
His hunger was dozens of times stronger than an ordinary person's.
"Such a good boy! Here's another delicious meal."
Ding Ye placed the food container down, adding an extra chicken leg.
"Since you've been so good, here's an extra chicken leg for you."
Lin Fan continued to devour the food, his hunger growing with each bite. His stomach felt like a bottomless pit, greedily consuming everything in front of him.
Crack!
The plastic spoon shattered between his teeth. He paid it no mind, swallowing the plastic fragments. Still not satisfied, he ate the rest of the spoon in his hand.
Old Man Zhang patted Lin Fan's hand gently. "Let's eat slowly, or we'll choke."
"Mm." Lin Fan slowed down, but the food container was already empty.
Ding Ye, standing beside Lin Fan, had witnessed his eating speed with wide, disbelieving eyes. She couldn't believe someone could be so hungry.
Even with her extensive experience working in the psychiatric hospital, she had never seen anything like this.
"I'm still hungry."
Lin Fan presented the empty container to Ding Ye, smiling meekly.
Ding Ye was stunned. "That was already two servings."
"Mm, mm." Lin Fan nodded obediently, his meaning clear: I'm still hungry. I want more. A lot more.
She wanted to tell him that he couldn't eat too much, that it would be bad for his stomach. But while that might work for ordinary people, it wouldn't work for a psychiatric patient.
"Be good, you can't eat anymore. Be obedient, okay?" Ding Ye spoke softly.
If I speak softly to you, you won't have an episode and hurt me, right?
Lin Fan lowered his head and rubbed his stomach. He was so hungry.
"Okay."
Not long after, Lin Fan quietly got up, pretending to exercise, but all the while keeping a close eye on the caregivers.
These people are so mean.
Old Man Zhang watched Lin Fan curiously. What was he doing?
It seemed like he was trying to avoid the caregivers' attention.
As Lin Fan's best friend, he felt obligated to help. He ate the chicken leg from his own container and then banged his head against the table.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The stainless steel table clanged loudly.
"Someone come quickly! He's having an episode!" Ding Ye shouted urgently. The other caregivers rushed over to help.
Old Man Zhang glanced at Lin Fan, seeing that he was safe and had returned to normal.
"I want to eat."
He pulled his food container closer and continued eating, then looked up, grinning. "So delicious!"
The caregivers exchanged bewildered glances.
They were professionally trained and had procedures for these kinds of situations, but they couldn't figure out the cause of Old Man Zhang's strange behavior.
In the kitchen, the cooks were eating their meals. They were highly paid chefs, skilled in their craft.
Director Hao had said:
Food is the universal language.
Whether mentally ill or healthy, everyone needs food and has the same taste buds.
Ordinary people might tolerate a bad meal, simply choosing not to eat there again.
But psychiatric patients would directly express their dissatisfaction.
Flipping tables was a light reaction.
Therefore, the food couldn't be careless. It had to be at least palatable.
Suddenly, the cooks noticed someone approaching. They turned to see…the clothes…of a patient.
"Shh!"
Lin Fan put a finger to his lips, flashing a bright smile. "I'm so hungry. I want to eat."
Clatter!
The cooks' hands trembled, their spoons clattering against their plates.
Lin Fan's smile sent chills down their spines.
Hungry?
Was this patient going to eat them?
Where were the caregivers?
Director Hao had promised that they wouldn't have to interact with the patients. They were afraid. One wrong word and a patient might attack them with a knife.
It was truly terrifying.
Lin Fan's eyes lit up as he saw the abundance of food. He walked over and began stuffing it into his mouth.
So much food!