Fear of food

Chapter 17: Discharged tonight!

Chen Qi still had some dried bread that Xu An'an had given him in his wardrobe, but he only ate a small bite.

If we find another wild food, we can let Sun Xuechao try these two foods.

In fact, Chen Qi knew in his heart that the dried bread was probably just to make up the numbers. Xu An'an herself didn't find it to have any special effects, so what use could it possibly have for Sun Xuechao?

His wild food was the key.

So he didn't rush to give Sun Xuechao the dried bread.

"Dr. Xu, would you like to try my wild food?" Chen Qi asked.

"No!" Xu An'an said disdainfully.

In her and Sun Xuechao's eyes, so-called wild food was nothing more than rotten and spoiled food.

Sun Xuechao is currently at his wit's end, so he's giving it a shot, as if he's done with no other option.

Why would Xu An'an, who has sweet and soft bread to eat every day, choose to eat rotten food?

She's not a scavenger!

Just as Chen Qi couldn't accept dried bread, Xu An'an couldn't accept wild food.

Just then, Nurse Xiaoru walked into the ward. When she saw Xu An'an, she gave Chen Qi a knowing smile and then said:
"Chen Qi, pack your things, we need to move you to a different ward."

Xu An'an became alert and said, "Are you going to transfer him to a closed ward?"

Nurse Xiaoru teased, "You're so concerned? But don't worry, it's just room 423 on this floor."

“This 408 ward is in such a mess that it will take a lot of time to clean it up, so we can only move him to another ward for now.”

"I just can't stand seeing you bully the sick." Xu An'an waved to Chen Qi and the other man. "I'm leaving now."

Watching Xu An'an leave, Chen Qi suddenly remembered something and asked, "Brother Sun, are you moving in with me?"

Nurse Xiaoru shook her head: "Ward 423 is empty now. You will be the only one staying there for the time being. As for Sun Xuechao... Dr. Zhao seems to have other arrangements."

Chen Qi suddenly had a bad feeling. What good thing could Dr. Zhao possibly come up with?
After Nurse Xiaoru came over to inform him, she left first. Chen Qi packed his luggage alone, but he couldn't help feeling uneasy.

"Brother Sun, why don't you contact your family to pick you up from the hospital as soon as possible?" Chen Qi advised.

Sun Xuechao has already consumed the strange food, and Dr. Zhao should not stop him from being discharged from the hospital.

Sun Xuechao remained calm, shaking his head and saying, "You don't need to worry about me. How bad can I be?"

Seeing that Sun Xuechao seemed to have completely given up on treatment, Chen Qi knew he couldn't persuade him, so he said:

"Okay, let me know once you've settled on a ward, and I'll find some wild food and bring it to you."

“Okay.” Sun Xuechao nodded, a hint of barely perceptible expectation in his eyes.

Chen Qi packed his things, said goodbye to Sun Xuechao, and went to ward 423 on his own.

Both beds in the ward were empty, so Chen Qi randomly chose the nearest bed, number one.

Too many things happened today, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.

He lay down on the bed and immediately felt drowsy, but he didn't dare to close his eyes and fall asleep.

After everything that happened today, especially after falling out with Dr. Zhao, he feels completely unsafe in the hospital now.

There was only one thing on his mind: to be discharged from the hospital!
After a while, Nurse Xiaoru entered the ward with a brand new hospital gown and said:
“Your clothes are torn, take them off. And there’s the injury on your back, let me put some medicine on it first, then you can change into these new clothes.”

Chen Qi had several scratches on his back, and his hospital gown was torn into shreds.

He wasn't ashamed at all; he readily took off his tattered hospital gown and lay down on the hospital bed.

However, he took a closer look at the medicine that Nurse Xiaoru brought and only felt relieved after confirming that it was unopened iodine solution.

Nurse Xiaoru said irritably, "Do you have a persecution complex? Would we medical staff harm you?"

Chen Qi didn't say anything. Among the medical staff, Nurse Xiaoru was considered relatively reliable, and he had a good relationship with her. However, at this critical time, it was still necessary to take necessary precautions.

After carefully cleaning Chen Qi's wound, Nurse Xiaoru began to apply iodine solution.

Chen Qi asked, "Has it been decided which ward Sun Xuechao has been transferred to?"

Nurse Xiaoru paused slightly, remained silent for a few moments, and then said, "He has been transferred to a closed ward."

Chen Qi suddenly stood up, exclaiming in shock and anger, "Why?!"

"His family members signed their consent," Xiaoru said with a hint of helplessness.

“But…” Chen Qi opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

It was like a swollen pufferfish suddenly being pricked with a needle, causing it to deflate instantly.

In this mental hospital, once doctors and families reach an agreement, they can arbitrarily control the fate of these patients.

Chen Qi once saw a discussion online about how a person can prove they don't have a mental illness.
The conclusion is that it is difficult to prove.

But hospitals have plenty of ways to prove you have a mental illness.

He sighed: "But his condition doesn't warrant transferring him to a closed ward, does it? Why would his family agree to that?"

Nurse Xiaoru shook her head and said, "He was admitted because of severe depression. His family situation is a bit complicated. His half-brother is in charge of the household. He has been depressed for a long time and cannot work normally. He has been regarded as a burden by his family."

“You shouldn’t have dragged him into your nonsense. He’s different from you. When you hurt a security guard, your parents would cover for you, but when he gets into trouble, no one is willing to clean up his mess.”

"He was sent to a closed ward this time because he became your accomplice, helping you smash up the ward and injure the security guards..."

Chen Qi remained silent and did not argue.

But he did not blame himself for it.

Because he knew he hadn't done anything wrong; Sun Xuechao's misfortune was solely the fault of the hospital and his irresponsible family.

Dr. Zhao, in particular, ignored the truth and distorted the facts, portraying himself and Sun Xuechao as madmen who smashed up wards and injured security guards.

However, if he could do something to help Sun Xuechao improve his situation, he was willing to do it.

Sun Xuechao's experience made Chen Qi start to worry about his own situation.

Dr. Zhao clearly stated that he would also be sent to a closed ward, although this required his parents' signature.

In the past, Chen Qi was 100% certain that his parents would not agree, but now... he dared not say it.

Just then, my phone next to my pillow started vibrating repeatedly.

Chen Qi unlocked his phone and saw that it was full of messages from his "Mom".

Mom: Can't you give me a break?!

Mom: I don't ask anything else from you, I just want you to be healthy. Can't you just cooperate with the treatment?
Chen Qi: What did Dr. Zhao say to you again?

Mom: Do I need to say more about what you did? Why did you injure the security guard? Why did you vandalize the hospital room?

Mom: At first I couldn't believe it, but then Dr. Zhao sent me this video and said that this wasn't the first time you'd hurt someone.

Mom: Elevator Surveillance Camera.mp4
This surveillance video recorded Chen Qi eating in an elevator late at night, followed by a physical altercation with the balding doctor. Mom: Mom doesn't know what's wrong with you, doesn't know how my sensible, obedient son could turn out like this.

Mom: Dr. Zhao suggested that I transfer you to a closed ward, but after discussing it with your dad, we still refused.

Mom: We pleaded with Dr. Zhao and got you another chance. Don't let your parents down again!
Chen Qi suddenly felt a little tired and didn't know what to say.

The mother and he saw completely different worlds, and this difference in perception created a huge chasm between them, making it impossible for them to communicate.

Moreover, his mother completely trusted Dr. Zhao and obeyed his every word, which made any of Chen Qi's self-justifications seem like lies.

One more thing: After Sun Xuechao ate the strange food, he gradually became abnormal. Is his mother still normal?

"My parents have been eating strange foods for a long time. If I eat wild food near them, will they react?"

Chen Qi didn't have the chance to verify this, but he no longer trusted his parents completely.

His parents refused to transfer him to a closed ward, which should have been a relief for him, but in reality, he felt even more suffocated.

After giving his mother a few perfunctory replies, Chen Qi opened the Passerby app and found that Momo had replied to his comment.

Momo: Keep that cookie safe. Eat it when you're desperate; it might help you.

Chen Qi quickly pressed on: Do you know what the purpose of these biscuits is?
Two or three minutes later, Momo responded.

Momo: I don't know, but I know what it is. It's hard to explain in a few words, so just listen to me.

momo: Also, I will delete all the comments I left today. You should also delete your comments promptly after you finish communicating in the future.

A few minutes later, Momo deleted all of today's comments.

Chen Qi followed suit.

They communicated through comments under Chen Qi's posts, meaning that other people could also see their chat content.

Although almost no one reads Chen Qi's posts, it's still not safe enough, and deleting comments in time is indeed necessary.

"Okay, I've applied iodine to the wound. Don't touch it." Nurse Xiaoru stood up. "Later, I'll come over and apply some antibiotics to prevent infection."

After saying that, Nurse Xiaoru packed her things and left.

Chen Qi was left alone in the empty ward, his head buried in the pillow, lost in thought.

A moment later, he got up and went to the bathroom mirror to look at himself.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like he looked a little "sturdier".

"After my body fully recovered, did my weight start to catch up slowly?"

He was quite happy about this discovery, and he didn't want to be a greyhound forever.

Chen Qi's current physical condition is very unscientific. His current physical strength and other data are even stronger than when he was not sick, which is seriously inconsistent with his current physique.

"My body has recovered, which is the biggest reward I've gained from these past few days of hard work."

Chen Qi recalled the events of the past few days...

On September 4th, he hid in the closet and ate an apple.

On September 5th, his mother broke her promise and came to the hospital but didn't visit him. He started trying to save himself, going out to find food late at night.

On September 6th, he met Xu An'an and risked eating in an elevator late at night, which led to a significant recovery in his health.

On September 7th, which is today, he managed to eat a jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) despite being stopped by everyone in the hospital building.

Two days ago, he was a severely malnourished patient, but today he has fully recovered.

Everything he did was in order to be discharged from the hospital.

I thought that once I recovered, being discharged from the hospital would be a natural thing.

But in reality, his health was getting better and better, and his hope of being discharged from the hospital was getting slimmer and slimmer.

During this process, he grew increasingly estranged from his parents and completely broke off relations with Dr. Zhao.

Not only can they not be discharged now, but they could also be transferred to a closed ward at any time.

Although his parents said they had "gone the chance" for him, Chen Qi knew that this opportunity would be used up sooner or later.

As long as he refuses to eat the strange food, a conflict between him and Dr. Zhao is inevitable.

At that time, Dr. Zhao can easily throw a load of crap on his head, and he will get his parents' support and then send him to a closed ward.

Chen Qi has figured it out: he wants to be discharged from the hospital, but not through conventional methods!
It seems highly unlikely that he will be allowed to leave the hospital by the doctor or be picked up by his parents.

The world is no longer normal, so he can no longer use normal thinking to consider things.

"Instead of thinking too much, the simplest way for me to get discharged is to just walk out!"

The simplest and most direct methods are often the most effective.

This would have been impossible before, because his body was too weak, and any security guard could easily subdue him.

But now that he has recovered his physical condition and is even stronger than before, he has the means to force his way through the challenges.

"There are more security guards during the day, so it's more suitable to work late at night."

In the early hours of the morning, with only one security guard on duty downstairs at the hospital building, it was undoubtedly the most suitable time to take action.

Since we've decided to force our way out, the sooner we act, the better.

Otherwise, if you get locked up in a closed ward one day, it will be difficult to get out.

After careful consideration, Chen Qi set a time: "Let's do it today, tonight!"

But before that, he had some things to do.

He wanted to fulfill his promise to Sun Xuechao!
Chen Qi agreed to let Sun Xuechao try wild food. Although he didn't know if wild food would help Sun Xuechao, he had to try it anyway, just in case it worked.
Sun Xuechao entered the closed ward to help him.

Chen Qi was unable to rescue him, but within his own power, he still wanted to do as much as he could for him.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Xu An'an.

Chen Qi: What time do you get off work today?
Xu An'an: Around 5:30, what's wrong?
Chen Qi checked the time; it was not yet 4:30.

Chen Qi: Before you leave, could you come to my ward? I have something I'd like to ask you.

Xu An'an: I will not do anything that violates hospital regulations!

When Chen Qi saw this message, he almost burst out laughing. Xu An'an was probably putting on layers of armor for herself again.

Chen Qi: I understand. I know Dr. Xu is a person of principle.

Xu An'an: Arrived promptly at 5:30.

Chen Qi put down his phone, changed into the new hospital gown that Nurse Xiaoru had brought, and walked out of the room as if nothing had happened...

(End of this chapter)