Chapter 8

PS: It's not easy for a new writer to start a new book, so I humbly request that you collect and recommend it.

Old Han had disappeared again, and Zhang Da didn't bother to look for him. After all, this old man would pop up from some corner at some point. Zhang Da didn't have the time to deal with him now; what he was interested in was what "Emperor of Shadows" was planning to do. A mental patient pretending to be a doctor is a common trope in movies and literary works. But to be honest, after being at the Seventh Hospital for some years, Zhang Da had never encountered such a scene.

"Art does indeed come from life! Is there really such a thing in this world? I wonder which fool he's targeting!" Zhang Da was pondering this matter. He also admired how well "Emperor of Shadows" had timed it, just when Dr. Chen had committed suicide, making the hospital much more chaotic than usual. Otherwise, just stealing a white coat would be no easy task. Even a seasoned hand like Zhang Da would be driven away if he got too close to the doctors' rest room or office, let alone a troublemaker like "Emperor of Shadows."

"Emperor of Shadows" was wearing a white coat, a stethoscope around his neck, and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses he had stolen from somewhere. His hair was slicked back. At first glance, Zhang Da almost didn't recognize him. This appearance really did look like a doctor. In the Seventh Hospital, patients couldn't get their hands on gel or similar products, as the doctors were afraid they might eat them and cause serious problems.

Even the doctors rarely used styling products. "Emperor of Shadows" must have rummaged through someone's cabinet to get this look. If it weren't for someone familiar, they might really be mistaken. Now he was pretending to examine patients, listening to heartbeats and lifting eyelids. From the looks of it, no other patients had noticed yet.

Zhang Da was quite impressed. "Emperor of Shadows" really had a professional air, and his examination movements were quite standard. After a while, "Emperor of Shadows" wandered around and came to Zhang Da. Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Da preempted him: "Hmm, you're a method actor! Your performance was good, but the next scene is coming up! Change the scene!"

"Emperor of Shadows" was taken aback and said to Zhang Da, "So you're the director! Did I pass the audition?"

Zhang Da nodded and said, "Your performance was decent, but we still need to see! Other actors also did well."

"Emperor of Shadows" nodded repeatedly and said, "You'll see! I'll do another scene." With that, he left the activity room. Zhang Da hurriedly followed, muttering, "Fool! This is going to be entertaining!"

Following "Emperor of Shadows" out of the room, Zhang Da realized that the hospital was indeed quite chaotic today. Zhang Da and "Emperor of Shadows" boldly entered the elevator next to the nurses' station and went out of Building 3 without anyone stopping them. This would be impossible under normal circumstances, even though "Emperor of Shadows" was quite convincing, he was still a stranger. Normally, he wouldn't even be able to steal the clothes and glasses.

After all, "Emperor of Shadows" was a bit of a troublemaker, though he wouldn't hurt anyone, he had scared quite a few visiting family members of patients.

The two left Building 3, and "Emperor of Shadows" headed towards the outpatient department as if Zhang Da wasn't there. Zhang Da followed behind, and on the way, they met a familiar doctor who nodded at "Emperor of Shadows" and said to Zhang Da, "What did you do? You're going to the administrative building? You're not having a quiet day today? This is quite a mess, isn't it?"

The doctor chattered on and left. Zhang Da cursed, "Idiot!"

As soon as these words were out, "Emperor of Shadows" turned around and sternly said, "What are you standing there for? Follow me!" It seemed "Emperor of Shadows" was still in character, transitioning from a method actor to an experiential one.

Zhang Da shook his head and followed "Emperor of Shadows" into the outpatient building. "Emperor of Shadows" then did something that surprised Zhang Da. He was very familiar with the outpatient building and made his way to the laboratory entrance. He knocked on the door and entered directly, while Zhang Da waited at the door.

After a while, "Emperor of Shadows" came out with a stack of test results and led Zhang Da to the small window where patients wait for their results. He called out to the crowd, "Wang Hao, who is Wang Hao?"

A middle-aged man, drenched in sweat, accompanied by a middle-aged woman and a young boy, pushed through the crowd. The Seventh Hospital was different from other hospitals; it was rarely overcrowded. Although the inpatient department was often full, this was due to the long-term hospitalization of many mental patients. Today's crowd was due to Dr. Chen's suicide, which caused a significant disturbance.

Zhang Da watched from the side. The man was simply dressed in a white shirt, black trousers, and black shoes, and was quite fat with a protruding belly. The woman was wearing a black dress, with light makeup and some jade jewelry. Zhang Da's eyes lit up, and he thought, "Fat sheep!"

The couple and the young boy approached "Emperor of Shadows" and nodded, saying, "Doctor, we, we!"

"Emperor of Shadows" glanced at the man and said, "Are you Wang Hao? That doesn't seem right. Are you fourteen? Forty, perhaps?"

The woman quickly pushed the man to the back and pulled the young boy to the front, saying, "Doctor, doctor. Our child is Wang Hao."

"Oh~" "Emperor of Shadows" drew out the word and waved the stack of papers, "Follow me!"

He led the three of them up the stairs, and the crowd parted to let the doctor through. Zhang Da's eyes lit up, and he followed. "Emperor of Shadows" led them directly to an office. The office was indeed empty. Zhang Da was surprised and looked at the sign on the door, realizing it was an office of the Psychological Consultation Department, and the staff were probably dealing with Dr. Chen's issue.

Zhang Da followed the group into the office, and the couple gave him a curious look. "Emperor of Shadows" immediately said to Zhang Da, "Sit over there for a moment. I'll deal with you later!"

Zhang Da nodded and sat down, waiting to see what would happen. "Emperor of Shadows" then said, "Tell me your situation first."

The couple exchanged a glance, and the man spoke, "It's like this. Our child is having trouble fitting in at school. We only found out about it from the teacher." The man glanced at Zhang Da.

This glance made Zhang Da's curiosity spike, and he thought, "There's something going on here! This time, I've hit the jackpot! There's a secret here!"

"Emperor of Shadows" followed up, "Just speak plainly. He has amnesia and can even forget his own name. That's why he's with us. We're afraid he might get lost!" Anyone who knew the situation wouldn't believe this, as amnesia wasn't treated at the Seventh Hospital. However, the couple clearly didn't know this and seemed to relax a bit after hearing "Emperor of Shadows."

"Ah, what a sin!" The middle-aged man sighed, raised his hand, and hit the boy hard, about to reveal the truth!