The nurses and doctors in the corridor saw Director Hao's serious expression and brisk pace, and immediately knew something had happened. They followed behind, speculating. If their guesses were correct, it definitely had something to do with Ward 666. Time for another learning opportunity.
Soon enough, their guesses were confirmed. Bloodcurdling screams echoed.
"Help! Help!"
"The mental patient is killing someone!"
Chen Xiang clutched his abdomen, blood gushing out. His face was filled with terror, eyes wide as if he'd seen a ghost. The female nurses shrieked at the sight. Bloody scenes always seemed to elicit high-pitched screams from women; it was an unstoppable force.
Inside the room, Lin Fan held a dagger, calmly looking at Chen Xiang. He couldn't understand why the other man was yelling.
A mental patient killing someone?
Where was the mental patient?
"You're bleeding, let me use acupuncture to stop it," Old Zhang, a kind-hearted man, offered, wanting to use his silver needles.
"Stay away! All of you, stay away!" Chen Xiang roared, huddled in the corner, clutching his abdomen. His agitation only accelerated the blood flow.
Director Hao and the others entered the room. Their expressions were complex upon seeing the scene – a mixture of helplessness and disbelief.
"Director, save me!" Chen Xiang cried, reaching for Director Hao as if he were a savior. His expression and demeanor resembled someone pleading, "Ziwei, don't go!"
Director Hao ignored Chen Xiang and spoke gently to Lin Fan, "Lin Fan, don't be impulsive. Put down the dagger."
Lin Fan, holding the dagger, with a smile on his face and confusion in his eyes, extended the dagger towards Director Hao upon hearing his words.
Director Hao sighed inwardly. This situation again.
He cautiously approached Lin Fan, maintaining a safe distance. Last time it was a hammer, this time a dagger. One wrong move could lead to disaster.
"Give me the dagger," Director Hao said gently. He didn't dare say "throw it," fearing Lin Fan might actually throw it and stab him.
Director Hao touched the handle, grasped it firmly, and smiled. "Good boy."
The surrounding nurses and doctors looked at the director with admiration. Only such a brave director would dare face the most dangerous patient in Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital. They wouldn't have the courage. They wanted to cheer for the director, but the current situation didn't seem appropriate.
"Director, save me!" Chen Xiang was drenched in cold sweat. He felt his body growing cold. Am I going to die? Why is this happening? How could my professional knowledge be wrong? He thought. Something must be wrong.
"We've already called an ambulance. Lie still and hold on," Director Hao said. If Chen Xiang wasn't injured, he would have kicked him and angrily demanded to know what he was doing, reminding him that his actions were suicidal.
Lin Fan looked at Chen Xiang, then at Director Hao. "I didn't want to stab him."
"Yes, I believe you. It must have been him who asked you to," Director Hao said soothingly. He was a director who unconditionally sided with his patients.
Lin Fan explained, "That's right. He showed us a cartoon and said that daggers are dangerous. I agreed, daggers are dangerous. Then he said you shouldn't stab people with a dagger, and I agreed with that too."
"But then he told me to stab him with the dagger."
"I said it was dangerous."
"He said, 'You know it's dangerous, that's good, but do you dare to stab me?' I said yes."
"Then he said, 'Then stab me!' So I did."
His words were clear and coherent. It was remarkable for a psychiatric patient to recount events so clearly. Even a normal person might not have such a clear mind.
Director Hao looked at Chen Xiang, his eyes conveying the message, Are you an idiot?
Chen Xiang looked at Director Hao in pain. He saw pity in the director's eyes and knew that the director must have been moved by his actions. After all, providing hands-on teaching for patients was such a noble act. Chen Xiang had gained a deeper understanding of psychiatric patients. He roared internally, You said the dagger was dangerous, and you knew you shouldn't stab, but when I told you to stab, why did you actually stab?
According to his theory, Lin Fan should have dropped the dagger in fear, huddled in a corner, and muttered, "Teacher Chen said not to stab people. Daggers are dangerous."
But unexpectedly, despite saying he shouldn't stab, he stabbed with more force than anyone.
Wee-ooh, wee-ooh, wee-ooh! An ambulance with flashing lights sped into Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital. Doctors and nurses skillfully pushed a stretcher towards the scene.
"Where's the patient?" They were so familiar with Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital that it felt like their own. They wondered if it was that guy again. We miss you, but you can't keep doing this.
Hearing the ambulance siren, Chen Xiang felt relieved. He felt he could live, that he wouldn't die. He admitted his mistake; if he had been more careful, this wouldn't have happened.
The doctors and nurses pushing the stretcher saw Chen Xiang clutching his abdomen and Lin Fan standing there. For some reason, disappointment flickered in their eyes.
It wasn't him.
"Director Hao, is this patient a new arrival?" the doctor asked. If he was a psychiatric patient, they needed to be extra cautious in case he suddenly became violent on the ambulance.
Chen Xiang said, "Doctor, I'm not mentally ill! Save me, I feel cold all over."
The doctor ignored Chen Xiang and looked at Director Hao. Here, only the director's word mattered.
Director Hao didn't answer but nodded slightly.
The doctor's expression turned serious. Indeed, a psychiatric patient. Just as he suspected. Psychiatric patients always claimed they weren't mentally ill. This theory was correct.
While everyone was busy, Lin Fan's gaze landed on the portable gas stove. He winked at Old Zhang, hinting at something. Old Zhang understood and, unnoticed, slipped the stove into his arms. Although his chest bulged, his presence was so unassuming that no one noticed.
"I'm so sleepy," Lin Fan mumbled, walking towards the door.
"Lin Fan," Director Hao said, "don't dwell on what just happened. It has nothing to do with you."
"Yes, I know," Lin Fan replied.
Soon, only Director Hao and the nurses remained in the room. The nurses applauded and looked at the director with admiration. They believed that as long as Director Hao was there, nothing couldn't be solved.
Director Hao remained calm. The nurses' and doctors' praise was just routine for him. He waved them away, telling them to disperse, as if they hadn't seen the world before. There was nothing to make a fuss about.
However, this kind of praise was still quite soothing.