Inside the ward.
Lin Fan and Old Man Zhang stood by the one-eyed man's bed, watching as doctors wheeled him away.
They looked at each other.
"I'm so sad." Old Man Zhang hung his head dejectedly, tears welling in his eyes. "He was a good man. I wanted to help him regrow his eye, but on the twelfth needle, I hesitated. I couldn't find the right spot, so I just stuck the needle in randomly. I didn't treat him with care. I regret it so much."
When mentally ill patients feel remorse, they don't hide it.
Instead, they express it openly and emotionally.
Happy is happy.
Sad is sad.
It's all clear, nothing is buried inside.
Lin Fan put his arm around Old Man Zhang, patted his back gently, and comforted him, "Don't be sad. Let's go to sleep."
"Mmm, I'm a little sleepy." Old Man Zhang rubbed his eyes. After being comforted by Lin Fan, his sadness lessened, and sleepiness washed over him. He wanted to sleep. Waking up in the middle of the night was too much for him.
"Sleep!"
"Sleep!"
They lay in bed, covered with blankets, their heads turned, gazing at each other, smiling.
"Goodnight!"
Both closed their eyes and drifted off to dreamland.
The night was quiet.
Zhang Hongmin dared not even breathe loudly. He was afraid of the two sleeping mental patients. Although he knew they were good people, they were still mentally ill.
The red light of the hospital's emergency room remained lit.
The sacred doctors, radiating a holy light, worked to save the one-eyed man inside. Even though it was late and everyone else was asleep, they wouldn't sleep. Saving this patient was more important than sleep.
March 4th!
Morning!
It was drizzling outside!
Dark clouds drifted in the sky. The temperature was cool and slightly damp.
Lin Fan and Old Man Zhang woke up, rubbing their eyes and yawning. They had slept well.
They looked at each other and smiled brightly.
"Good morning!"
A simple exchange, but one that contained their lonely friendship.
Everyone else treated them as mental patients, but they treated each other as best friends.
The one-eyed man had woken up long ago. In the emergency room during the early hours, a group of doctors worked to save him. All his vital signs were stable. What puzzled the doctors was the one-eyed man's erratic brainwaves.
This presented a problem for the director, who had countless times rescued Lin Fan.
With my vast experience, I can't understand what's wrong with this one-eyed man. Why won't he wake up? What's going on with his brain?
Finally, the one-eyed man pulled through himself, forcing his eyes open and saying flatly:
"I'm fine."
The moment the one-eyed man woke up, after a sleepless night staring at the ceiling, he began to ponder why he had to keep antagonizing the mentally ill.
Am I a troll?
Obviously not.
Twice I've been stabbed, and I still haven't learned my lesson. I had to come back for a third time.
That kid brought the wire back to electrocute him. Fortunately, he was strong and could withstand the current. Otherwise, last night, he would have left the emergency room for the morgue.
Then his colleagues from the special department would have taken time out of their busy schedules to visit the funeral home and offer him a bouquet of flowers, then plan their next activity. Maybe take advantage of this opportunity to go karaoke.
Sing a song: Wish you a smooth journey.
Old Man Zhang came to the one-eyed man's side and apologized, "I'm really sorry. It was my mistake last night. I really didn't mean to. I should tell you, it was going to be successful, but on the twelfth needle, I forgot where to stick it. If you give me another chance, I believe I can definitely help you."
"Do you still want to believe me?"
"Just like him, he always believed in me."
Old Man Zhang's expression was sincere. He had deeply understood his mistake, and he hoped the other party would trust him one last time.
Hearing these words, the one-eyed man slowly turned his head. His calm eyes met Old Man Zhang's. He had no expression; not a single emotion could be seen in his eyes.
He just stared quietly.
He didn't want to say a word.
But the meaning was clear.
Please disappear from my sight immediately. Don't ever appear before my eyes again.
I'm afraid I can't help but smash your damn head.
As a leader of the special department, one of the strongest in Yanhai City, I've fallen into your hands three times. You can be proud of yourself.
But you still want to come back?
Do you want to kill me before you're happy?
Lin Fan stood beside Old Man Zhang, looked at the one-eyed man, and said sincerely, "He's telling the truth. I think you can give him a chance."
The one-eyed man looked at the two quietly.
Then he got out of bed. His temporarily paralyzed legs had recovered. He just didn't have a single hair on his head. The doctor had said they were about to perform a craniotomy and had just shaved his head when he woke up. It was a stroke of luck. If he had woken up during the craniotomy, it would have been awkward.
He walked past Lin Fan and Old Man Zhang, opened the window, took a deep breath of the cool, gray, rainy air, and nimbly climbed onto the windowsill. Gripping the edge, he turned back expressionlessly and said:
"You win. Goodbye."
"No… Goodbye forever."
As soon as he finished speaking, the one-eyed man jumped.
Just as he had said, if he trusted them again, he would jump from the building.
Now, he had fulfilled his promise.
It was his own fault. Knowing they were mentally ill, he still wanted to understand them better. He had brought this upon himself.
"Ah!"
The nurse standing at the door saw the one-eyed man jump and collapsed on the floor, her expression turning to terror, her face pale, and she screamed heart-wrenchingly.
"Doctor…"
"The patient jumped!"
Lin Fan and Old Man Zhang leaned out the window, waving.
The one-eyed man landed, slowly got up, looked up at the twelfth-floor window, saw Lin Fan and Old Man Zhang, and extended his middle finger, shaking it, as if to say:
You guys are something. I admit defeat.
Then he took out his phone, sent a message, and disappeared into the gray, drizzling weather.
Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital.
Director Hao looked at the message he had just received.
One-eyed man: You win!
Director Hao sipped his goji berry and red date tea, scratching his head.
How strange.
Forget it, I'd better drink more of this health-boosting tea and nourish my body. Life is so much easier without the patients from Ward 666.
Inside the ward.
Lin Fan and Old Man Zhang looked at each other. They were a little sad.
"He didn't say goodbye to us."
"So, he didn't consider us friends."
"It turns out we've always been alone."
"Let's have some Sprite."
"I want Coke."
They sat on the edge of the bed, dangling their feet, drinking Coke and Sprite, frowning because the taste was wrong, but forcing it down anyway.
Hearing the scream, the doctors rushed over. Seeing that the one-eyed man had vanished, they questioned the shocked Zhang Hongmin, asking where he had gone.
He jumped.
But there's no body downstairs.
When Vice Director Li learned about this, he almost cursed. Someone had actually skipped out on their bill.
The man had been transferred from the psychiatric hospital. He immediately made a call.
"Brother Hao, the one-eyed man we received from your psychiatric hospital ran off after we cured him. When do you think you can settle the medical expenses? You know, our hospital is struggling a bit. I hope you understand."
Although Vice Director Li had blocked Director Hao on his social media, he was still polite on the phone.
After all, he needed to eat.
He still had to play the part.
Director Hao: "Don't know him. Wrong number."
Beep beep beep…
The line went dead.
"Son of a bitch!" Vice Director Li cursed at the phone. "That shameless bastard."