Chapter 2: Dreamland (15)
==============================
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing in broad daylight?! What do you want from me?!”
Lin Nan had never encountered anything like this in his life. When he saw the group of people in white protective suits surrounding him, he couldn’t help but yell at the top of his lungs, hoping to attract the attention of bystanders.
“Patient 233, you’re not getting away today.”
“You’ve got the wrong person! I’m the famous writer Lin Nan!”
“Hah, today, even if you’re the President of the United States, we’re still taking you back.”
“Kidnapping! This is kidnapping! Help! Help!”
Lin Nan shouted towards the police station not far away, as if yelling loudly enough would summon the guards to come to his rescue.
The crowd around them was growing, most of them looking intrigued and eager to see some chaos.
The people in white didn’t give Lin Nan much time to struggle. Within seconds, they had his arms pinned behind his back and shoved him into the van.
He flailed about, but before long, a piece of rag was shoved into his mouth, silencing his cries.
For the first time, a deep-seated terror rose within him, and he suddenly felt a very bad premonition.
“Everyone disperse! Disperse! He’s a patient who escaped from Nanshan Psychiatric Hospital and caused us trouble. My apologies!”
The leader of the white-clad group bowed to the onlookers before casually entering the van.
“Let’s go, we’re heading back.”
The van sped off, leaving the city center and driving into the suburbs, then snaking its way through the mountains for what felt like an eternity before finally reaching its destination.
Looking out the window, Lin Nan saw long, grim, and slightly dilapidated walls surrounding a large area.
The van rolled for about five minutes before coming to a gentle stop in front of a small three-story building.
Lin Nan had given up on struggling.
How ridiculous, truly ridiculous.
Moments ago, he had been questioning why the police were so indifferent, desperately trying to understand the limits of this world.
But before he knew it, he’d been forcefully dragged here by a group of psychiatric hospital staff.
Is this what they call “asking for trouble”?
Even at this moment, he clung to a sliver of hope.
Maybe they made a mistake! If he calmly explained his identity and got them to contact Wang Xue, everything would surely be cleared up.
Once out of the van, the rag was pulled from his mouth.
Lin Nan cleverly chose not to scream anymore; this was their turf. A slight misstep could lead to ruthless beatings.
He was led up to the second floor, passing several iron doors equipped with electronic locks.
Without any of the inquiries he had imagined, he was taken straight to the door of room 233.
“Go in!”
He was released from his bindings and unsteadily pushed into the room.
“Clang!”
The heavy iron door slammed shut, leaving Lin Nan standing in a room with just a bed, feeling as if everything he experienced had been a crazy dream.
……
“I’m telling you, I really am Lin Nan, the author of dozens of bestsellers! Ouch! That hurts!”
“Can I at least make a call to my family? Just one minute. Ah! Stop it! Please, stop!”
“Trust me, there must be news on TV about Lin Nan missing. Can someone please check? Help! Help!”
……
“What’s your name?”
“233.”
“Why are you in the psychiatric hospital?”
“Schizophrenia.”
“Good. Since you performed well today, I’ll give you an extra scoop of rice for dinner.”
“Thank you.”
……
This was Lin Nan’s tenth day in the psychiatric hospital.
Here, he had learned one thing: don’t yell, don’t get emotional.
Otherwise, all you have to look forward to is a dose of punches and a hefty injection of sedatives.
No one believed anything he said, and it was simple—he was a mental patient.
If you were in his position, would you believe what a crazy person says?
Fifteenth day.
His door swung open.
“Patient 233, you have visitors.”
Lin Nan jumped up from his bed like a spring.
They finally came!
After waiting this long, all he wanted was for Wang Xue to find him.
He couldn’t stand being in this hellish psychiatric hospital for another second.
“Patient 233, look at you, full of energy! Seems like today’s dose of sedatives wasn’t enough!”
Lin Nan immediately lowered his head, not daring to argue.
Last time, he had slept for two days straight, and for days afterward, his head felt fuzzy like his brain had completely shut down. That’s the side effect of the sedatives; too much, and you risk turning into a complete idiot.
This was how psychiatric hospitals dealt with most patients: no thinking, no trouble.
As he entered the visiting room, Lin Nan finally beamed with joy.
Especially when he saw Wang Xue and Lin Xiao on the other side of the glass, he couldn’t imagine how immense his happiness was.
“Wife! Daughter! You’re here!”
Lin Nan choked up.
Upon seeing him, Lin Xiao burst into tears immediately.
Wang Xue wiped her eyes beside her.
Before any of them could say a word, they were all in tears.
After a long while, they finally composed themselves.
“Honey, you’ve lost weight,” Wang Xue said, her face filled with concern. “But the treatment will continue for a while. You must cooperate with the doctors. Lin Xiao and I will wait for you—wait for you to get better and come home.”
Through sobs, Lin Xiao said, “Dad, you have to stay strong. I’ll come to see you whenever I can.”
Lin Nan was stunned.
“What do you mean by this? I’m not sick! Get me out of here, quick! I’ve been waiting for you for days! Hurry! Wang Xue, find out how much they want, I’ll pay whatever it takes to get out of this hellhole! Hurry up!”
Lin Nan’s voice grew louder.
Wang Xue’s eyes turned red, and with tears streaming down her face, she said, “Honey, please don’t act like this. You need to rest and keep your emotions in check.”
“Wang Xue, hurry up and find someone! Can’t you see I’m not sick?!”
“Honey, we need to listen to the doctors about whether you’re sick or not. Right now, you need to rest. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of our daughter. We will wait for you to be released.”
Lin Nan suddenly felt as if the world around him was no longer the world he knew.
Wang Xue’s face seemed so foreign; her crying visage looked like it wore a clumsy mask.
“Ha! Wang Xue, it’s you! Isn’t it? You’re the one who sent me here, right?!”
Lin Nan roared, banging on the glass, the sound resonating like thunder.
Lin Xiao, terrified, hid behind Wang Xue, her tears flooding out again.
Two burly staff members burst in, pinning Lin Nan to the ground while a nurse stepped up to give him an injection of sedative.
In an instant, the world spun around him. As darkness enveloped him in those final moments of consciousness, the faces of his wife and daughter, crying like they were having a twisted laugh, haunted him.
