Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 68 - 64 Schizophrenia

"So..." Wang Jian nodded in agreement but still asked one more question. "What do you need me to do?"

"It’s actually quite simple," Cai Qiong smiled. "I might stay with you for a few days, closely observing your daily routine. When necessary, I’ll need you to chat with me and answer some questions, and that’s all."

"Simple, isn’t it?"

There was an indescribable look in Cai Qiong’s eyes, like a predator sizing up its prey. Wang Jian had a feeling it wouldn’t be that simple. This made him uneasy, but since he was the one asking for help, he could only agree for now. Besides, he had no secrets to hide. Being a research subject was no skin off his back; it was no big deal.

With Wang Jian’s consent, Cai Qiong’s spirits lifted considerably, and she proactively began explaining her treatment plan. Cai Qiong was a professional; there was no doubt about that. As she spoke, Wang Jian found her explanation to be clear and precise. It included methods for analyzing the condition, a step-by-step improvement plan, emergency measures, and very specific things to avoid. Wang Jian greatly admired the doctor’s professionalism. Not only was she beautiful with an alluring figure, but her personal strength and family background were equally formidable. It seemed that aside from her somewhat strange personality, she was flawless. After listening to Cai Qiong’s treatment plan, Wang Jian’s confidence in her grew even stronger.

While they were talking, Wang Xiang woke up in the next room. He didn’t show any of his previous mania. Instead, he just lay on the bed, dazed and forlorn, looking almost like a normal person.

Before starting the treatment, Wang Jian had to speak with Wang Xiang, as Cai Qiong had requested. He followed Cai Qiong to the door of the adjacent room. Just as Wang Jian was about to open it, Cai Qiong suddenly said, "I gave Wang Xiang some medication to stabilize his mood earlier. His symptoms should be much better, and his thinking will be more like it was before. You can explain the situation to him first. This will also give me a chance to observe his condition more closely before I conduct some experiments to confirm the diagnosis."

"If we can get the patient to actively cooperate with the treatment, the effects will be twice as good."

"Alright. I have some things I want to talk to him about anyway."

Wang Jian nodded, pushed the door open, and was met by Wang Xiang’s gaze. Their eyes met, and each saw guilt in the other. The Wang Xiang of this moment was completely different from the homicidal man he had been. Before, he felt like a tempest; now, he was a gentle breeze.

A subtle atmosphere filled the room. Cai Qiong wisely kept her distance. Seeing Wang Jian walk to the bedside, she stopped just inside the doorway. She came no closer, leaving the space to the two brothers.

"Brother..."

"Xiao Jian."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Wang Xiang was very calm. The brothers hadn’t seen each other in a long time, yet they found little to say. Wang Xiang asked first, "You must have suffered a lot all these years on your own, haven’t you?"

"It was okay, actually. I found a master who took good care of me, so everything’s been fine."

Wang Jian sat on the stool by the bed. He felt a pang of sadness hearing that his brother’s first concern was for him. He sighed and said, "If I had just kept in touch with you all more often over the years, things wouldn’t have gotten to this point. It’s all my fault."

"What are you talking about?" Hearing this, Wang Xiang gave a bitter smile. "What nonsense. Was it you who almost killed Xu Qian?"

"No... I..."

Wang Jian wanted to say he had studied medicine specifically to prevent such things, but Wang Xiang raised a hand, cutting him off. "Even if you had kept in touch, what difference would it have made? What could you have changed?"

Wang Jian was at a loss for words. Indeed, his brother was right. With Wang Xiang’s personality, he would never talk about his problems. He would bear what he could, and if he couldn’t, he would be even less likely to burden his family. Even if Wang Jian had called, Wang Xiang probably would have said nothing, keeping it all bottled up. Unexpectedly, it was this very mentality of not wanting to burden his family that had added so much to his own mental strain, which in the end was the real cause of all his problems.

After they exchanged a few more pleasantries, Wang Xiang suddenly said, "I let her down."

"What?" Wang Jian asked, but he quickly realized his brother was talking about his sister-in-law. With that, the two of them fell silent once more.

Seeing Wang Xiang begin to reflect on his actions, Cai Qiong’s eyes lit up. She knew this was a good sign and gave a subtle reminder.

Only when Cai Qiong coughed softly behind him did Wang Jian remember the real reason he had come in. He finally spoke up. "Brother, actually... the reason you’ve changed so much over the years is because you have an illness."

Wang Xiang’s expression changed. "What kind of illness?"

"A mental illness."

Wang Jian explained, "A few years ago, after your business ran into trouble, you retreated into a world of your own making where you believed people were trying to harm you. Around that same time, you heard some gossip and focused your suspicions on your sister-in-law. All these years, you’ve been having delusions that she was trying to hurt you."

"..."

Wang Xiang looked stunned. Isn’t that just being insane? His thoughts were relatively clear now, and based on scattered memories, he had a vague sense that Wang Jian was right. In his mind, ’mental illness’ was the same as being ’insane,’ and to him, ’insane’ was a label that brought shame upon the entire family. Although the two concepts weren’t the same thing at all, they were easily confused.

His face filled with guilt, Wang Xiang frowned and said, "I don’t know why I’m like this... I didn’t want this to happen..."

Seeing him start to reminisce, Wang Jian seized the opportunity. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Not much, really," Wang Xiang recalled. "The clearest memory is of yesterday, but I only remember the moment I brought the knife down. Other than that, it’s just fragmented images..."

Wang Xiang wasn’t very detailed, but the gist was that he couldn’t recall the specifics. It was as if he had been living in a fog for years, sometimes clear, sometimes hazy.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Xiang suddenly clutched his head with both hands and began to struggle on the bed. A grim smile spread across his face, which then twisted into an expression of immense pain.

"Hahaha, kill her! She’s trying to harm me!"

"No, I can’t do this."

Seeing Wang Xiang in this state, Wang Jian shot to his feet and restrained him.

By the time Wang Jian left Cai’s Hospital, it was already afternoon. He held a photocopy of a medical report in his hand. Schizophrenia. That was the diagnosis Cai Qiong had confirmed on the report. There was more information, but Wang Jian didn’t read it. Although this proved his brother had done all those terrible things over the years because of an illness, it was by no means good news. The disease was difficult to treat, and he might never fully recover.

Cai Xing had been present for the whole thing and knew Wang Xiang’s situation. There was little he could do but console Wang Jian. "Don’t overthink it. Cai Qiong is very experienced in this area. Your brother will definitely be fine."

"And don’t worry about the treatment fees. It’s our own hospital, so there’s no charge."

"Ah," Cai Xing chuckled. "Don’t be so quick to refuse. It’s not entirely free, you know."

Now that made more sense. Wang Jian nodded and said, "Just tell me, Uncle Cai."

"In a little while, I’d like you to accompany me on a trip to Beijing. There’s a patient there, an old friend of mine, who only trusts Chinese medicine. I was hoping you could take a look at him."

"Beijing?"

Wang Jian was taken aback. For Cai Xing to personally make such a request, for someone in Beijing no less, suggested this was no simple matter. But now he was indebted to them and couldn’t really refuse. He didn’t have to think for long before nodding in agreement.

"Rest assured, Chairman Cai. As long as it’s an illness I can treat, I will do my utmost."

Hearing this, Cai Xing clapped Wang Jian on the shoulder and smiled. "Good. I’ll contact you beforehand. I’ll be with you for the entire trip to make sure nothing unexpected happens. You can relax."

Unexpected? What could possibly be unexpected about treating a patient? Wang Jian was completely puzzled. Has being a doctor really become this risky these days?

Cai Xing didn’t elaborate. He just patted him on the shoulder again, had a car brought around, and arranged for it to take Wang Jian to the other hospital to pick up Xu Qian before driving them both back to Paigou Village.

The car was an Audi A6, and the driver, an older man, looked like an extremely skilled professional. And so he proved to be. The man drove exceptionally smoothly, never speaking or doing anything to disturb Wang Jian.

Wang Jian had barely been in the car for a few minutes before he started to doze off. This was partly due to the exhaustion from the day’s events, and partly because the ride was so stable that he could barely feel any turns or bumps.

However, as they entered the city, the car suddenly stopped.

Wang Jian had been resting with his eyes closed, but the sound of numerous voices outside made him open them. Not far away, a crowd had gathered in several circles, causing a traffic backup. The onlookers were talking so loudly that he could hear them even through the car’s excellent sound insulation. It seemed someone was arguing.

"My apologies, Doctor Wang," the veteran driver said, speaking for the first time. "There’s a jam up ahead. If you’re in a hurry, I can find another route."

Wang Jian shook his head. "It’s fine, I’m not in a rush. It looks like something happened over there."

From the crowd’s chatter, Wang Jian gathered there had been a car accident, but some people were also talking about a scammer. The conflicting stories confused him, though it explained why so many people had gathered to watch.

But just a couple of minutes after their car stopped, a gasp rippled through the onlookers. The tight knot of people suddenly expanded outward.

Through the glass, Wang Jian made out a cry: "Someone fainted!"

Startled, Wang Jian pushed the door open and rushed into the crowd. When he broke through the circle and saw the scene within, he froze again.

Why are there two fainted people?

Two people were collapsed on the ground. One lay face-up, foaming at the mouth. The other was face-down with limbs splayed out. Both were unconscious.

Wang Jian noticed a young traffic police officer in the middle of it all. She couldn’t have been much older than twenty, probably a new recruit. Not only had she failed to maintain order, but she also looked completely stunned by the sight of two people collapsing in front of her.

"I’m a doctor! What happened here?" Wang Jian was already kneeling to check on the victims as he asked for information.

"Huh?" As he turned over the first person who had fainted, Wang Jian paused. No wonder the taxi nearby looked familiar. The patient was the very same driver who had swindled him.

This really was poetic justice...

"They were in a car accident," the female officer finally said, snapping out of her daze. "The one in front of you is the driver. The other was the one he hit."

"The driver kept insisting he was being scammed, but several bystanders identified him as an unlicensed taxi driver who often overcharges and takes detours. They said he was just trying to dodge responsibility by slandering the other person. He only managed a few words of explanation before he fainted..."