Chapter 1

The ceiling was receding at a steady pace, and every few seconds, a light bulb would enter his field of vision, emitting a dim yellow light, before disappearing at the other end.

He wriggled his body, confirming again that his hands, feet, and even his head were securely tied to the gurney, unable to move at all. He wanted to speak, but his eyes and below were tightly covered by a mask of unknown material, his jaw unable to open even a little, with only a few small holes for breathing.

He lifted his eyes slightly, and at the edge of his vision, he could see a person's nostrils, filled with thick nasal hair... and a chin covered in stubble, probably in his forties.

The person was wearing white, but due to the angle, he couldn't see the style of the clothing.

A man! That was the only conclusion he could draw.

Then, he turned his eyes as far as he could to one side, and with his peripheral vision, he could barely see the wall where it met the ceiling, about two meters away. The surface was peeling, revealing the moldy wall underneath. A few pipes were exposed, dripping water with a steady drip-drip sound.

This was a corridor, but with his limited field of vision, he couldn't tell if there were windows, rooms, or doors on either side.

It had been about five minutes since he woke up, and they hadn't even turned a corner yet. Though he couldn't be entirely sure, he was likely in a large, old building.

He sniffed the air; it wasn't fresh, but there was no strange smell, suggesting that someone cleaned the place.

Should he try to make some loud grunts to see if the man would look down, so he could see his face? But he immediately dismissed the idea.

It was best to do nothing until he understood what was happening.

...

...

The person lying on the gurney was peculiar.

First, he had no memory of why he was here. He just opened his eyes and found himself tied to this movable gurney.

Most people, upon waking up tied up in a completely unfamiliar environment and being pushed around, would likely scream in terror, but this person was very quiet and habitually observed his surroundings.

Second, he had no idea who he was, not even a clue. He didn't know his appearance, age, nationality, or any childhood memories. He even tried saying a few words in his mind to determine his nationality, but to his surprise, he could speak many languages and couldn't tell which was his native tongue.

...

"Clang!" A slight sound came from his feet.

The gurney seemed to have hit something, followed by a "squeak" as a door was pushed open.

Sure enough, a door frame appeared in his field of vision, with a sign on it, but he couldn't see what it said.

The gurney turned a corner and continued forward, stopping after about two minutes. The back of the man pushing the gurney came into view, wearing a white coat with yellowed corners, clearly unwashed for a long time.

"Doctor?" he wondered, "Probably not. Doctors wouldn't be this unkempt. Even if they don't wash their work clothes, they should at least trim their nose hair."

"Squeak"

Another door was pushed open, and a male voice spoke, clearly the man pushing the gurney. "Ms. Liu, he's here!"

Mandarin! The tone was respectful...

"Can't tell the gender from Mandarin," he thought, slightly disappointed.

Then, a female voice came through.

"Bring him in."

...

As soon as she spoke, the gurney started moving forward, presumably pulled from the feet end.

The top of a door appeared in his field of vision, followed by the ceiling of a room, wooden and clearly better decorated than the corridor.

"Raise the bed!" the female voice said again, followed by the sound of papers rustling.

Then, the gurney's wheels made a creaking noise.

His field of vision shifted...

This was a decent-looking single office, not too large, with wooden bookshelves along the walls, filled with books. In front of him was a desk, and behind it sat a woman with black hair in a bun, her face hidden. Despite the white coat, he could tell she had a good figure and was currently fiddling with a stack of papers.

"Take off his mask!" she said without looking up.

At this moment, the man pushing the gurney's face finally came into view. His hair was messy, and he seemed to have a strange odor. His cheeks were flushed, probably from frequent drinking. The collar of his white coat was filthy. If there was anything special about him, it was that he was slightly more muscular than average. If this were a hospital, why would they have such a disheveled medical worker?

...

A mental hospital!

He almost immediately came to this conclusion, which also explained why he hadn't smelled disinfectant on the way in. After all, mental hospitals don't have much foot traffic, and the medications are limited.

"So, I must be a mental patient!" he thought.

The mask was tightly tied, and it took about a minute to remove it completely. He opened his mouth and made a "Uh!" sound, feeling much more relaxed.

But this simple sound led him to several conclusions:

First, from the sound, he was probably in his twenties and male.

Second, the muscles controlling his jaw weren't too stiff, indicating the mask hadn't been on for long, probably just before he woke up.

Third, he tried to see if his voice was unusual, but it wasn't. So why, if his hands and feet were already securely tied, did they need a mask that even restricted his mouth? Was he a patient who liked to bite?

At this moment, the woman in front of him seemed to finish with her papers.

"You can go out now," she said, gathering the papers and placing them on the corner of the desk.

"Sure, ma'am... I'll be right outside the door. If anything seems off, you can call me immediately," the man said, leaving the room and closing the door.

Calling her "ma'am" twice, not "doctor" or "physician"? Was it a personal habit? Or perhaps she wasn't a doctor. Could this place not be a mental hospital? Clearly, these questions couldn't be answered immediately.

Honestly, he could barely move anything but his mouth and eyes. But why did the man's tone suggest that the place was dangerous, requiring him to be on high alert outside the door, ready to rush in at any moment?

The person tied to the gurney continued to think, his mind working quickly, observing, analyzing, and associating, and... he couldn't stop!

At this moment, the woman in front of him lifted her head, and he immediately focused his attention on her. This quick shift to full attention didn't cause him any discomfort.

Over 30, with light professional makeup, her eyes full of the confidence of a successful woman. The wrinkles at the corners of her mouth and eyes were shallow, suggesting she didn't smile much or took good care of herself. There was a faint mark on her lipstick, from biting a pen? Chewing her fingers? No, smoking! Her earrings looked ordinary but were undoubtedly expensive, indicating a woman of taste and wealth, but not ostentatious.

Her white coat was spotless, every corner meticulously maintained. Yes, she was a strong woman. She didn't wear a name tag, but even if she did, he couldn't read it from this distance. However, he could guess which hand she favored. Surprisingly, this accomplished woman had no ring on her fingers.

Whether useful or not, all this information flooded his mind in an instant.

...

At this moment, the woman began to speak.

"Hi..."

The person on the gurney didn't respond. From her "hi," he didn't get any useful information, so he chose to remain silent, waiting to see what she would say next.

The woman, seeing his silence, showed no confusion or displeasure, just naturally flipped open a file in front of her.

"Chen Xiao?" she asked.

"Oh, Chen Xiao, or Chen Xiao!" He knew this was his name, then frowned, "No, no, it's Chen Xiao!"

Although he only heard the pronunciation, for some reason, he felt he should be called Chen Xiao, even though the name was a bit unusual.

Xiao! This word was appealing. He thought, seemingly satisfied with having "Xiao" in his name.

Then, he smiled, surprised to find his mouth could stretch wide.

The woman frowned, as if she had seen something disgusting.

"Hmm... I guess my smile isn't very attractive," Chen Xiao thought, but he didn't mind, even sticking out his tongue to lick his lips.

Not speaking for long wasn't a good idea, so he said in a very low voice, "Hi, hello!"

He paused, surprised.

Because he had only made a sound earlier, but now, speaking clearly, he found his voice was high and somewhat grating.

"What?" Ms. Liu frowned again, clearly not hearing him.

This was because Chen Xiao had deliberately lowered his voice.

"Cough! Cough!... I said hi! Hello!" He cleared his throat, pretending to try to speak louder, but actually speaking even more softly.

Ms. Liu sighed, then picked up the file on the desk and walked over.

This was exactly what Chen Xiao wanted.

She was about 168 cm tall, possibly a bit slim. The bottom of her white coat was unremarkable, black trousers, and high heels? So her height was probably 165 cm or even shorter?

Would a doctor wear such shoes? But this didn't mean much.

Ms. Liu stopped about half a meter from Chen Xiao, probably because she thought this distance was enough to hear him, but more likely... she didn't want to get too close.

"What's wrong with your throat?" she asked, frowning.

"Cough, cough!" This time, Chen Xiao pretended to clear his throat again, then answered in a normal volume, "Nothing."

Ms. Liu shrugged, looked down at the file in her hand, and said, "It seems we can communicate normally. From now on, I'll ask questions, and you'll answer. If you cooperate, you might earn a chance to be discharged. If you don't, you'll be sent back to the isolation room, and given your danger, you'll likely be kept there until you die." She paused, looking into Chen Xiao's eyes, and continued, "Do you understand?"

"...So, this is indeed a mental hospital, and I am indeed a very dangerous mental patient. My danger is so severe that I must be kept in an isolation room and will never be released?" Chen Xiao quietly moved his tied arms... "Okay, I guess I am very dangerous."

But then, the question was, this woman said I could earn a chance to be discharged. Logically, a patient like me would never be discharged. Could it be that my mental state has improved to the point where I meet the discharge criteria, and I'm being tested before discharge?

No, if I were that dangerous, no one would risk letting me out. They would keep me locked up forever.

So, what does she mean by "cooperate well"?

Chen Xiao thought, knowing the answers would come soon, but he couldn't stop thinking.

"Okay, ma'am," Chen Xiao said, trying to give a polite smile.

Ms. Liu frowned again, as if repulsed by the smile.

Chen Xiao couldn't help but feel a bit depressed: "Is my smile really that repulsive?"