My abstract plant was exposed by my sister.

Today, Dr. Wang, the on-duty doctor at the school hospital, saw more than a dozen students, all of whom had the same symptoms: low mood, crying, self-doubt, and feeling that life was meaningless.

When the first student arrived, Dr. Wang was quite relaxed, but as more and more people came, she began to get nervous, thinking it was some kind of large-scale outbreak of an unknown infectious disease.

So they immediately arranged for various tests, including body temperature, blood pressure, and blood routine tests, and all the results were normal.

So she sat down and carefully asked the student, "What have you eaten recently? Or have you been exposed to anything unusual?"

The student cried, "I hurt Senior Lin..."

Doctor Wang was stunned: "What thorn?"

She's been busy with other things lately and hasn't had time to check her phone at all.

"Citrus trifoliata... that's the one that Senior Lin grew in the lab..."

Upon hearing this, Dr. Wang immediately turned on his computer and began searching.

Live streams, short videos, and even long essays posted by people.

Goodness, I've only been offline for a few days, why does this world feel so unfamiliar?

She quickly glanced through it, confirming it was harmless to humans, and felt slightly relieved. Curious, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel... I don't deserve treatment... I'm wasting medical resources..."

Dr. Wang was silent for a few seconds, then wrote a line on the medical record: The patient is depressed and feels guilty; continued observation is recommended.

The second student arrived. The third, the fourth, the fifth. Soon, the corridors of the school hospital were filled with weeping students.

The cries rose and fell like a mournful chorus, and the nurses were busy running around, some handing out tissues, some pouring water, and some offering comfort.

But comforting them was useless; the student who had been stabbed wouldn't listen at all.

They said, "You're a good person," "I don't deserve your comfort," and "Go away, leave me alone."

The head nurse couldn't take it anymore: "Dr. Wang, could you please have Lin Muyang come over? He has to take responsibility for the mess caused by the plants he planted."

After hanging up the phone, Dr. Wang dialed Fang Jingshan's number again.

Fang Jingshan was reviewing the contract in his office when he heard the school hospital's description and remained silent for a long time: "How many students are there?"

"There are already more than thirty, and the number is still increasing."

Fang Jingshan rubbed his temples: "I'll handle it."

He hung up and dialed Lin Muyang's number. The phone rang once and was answered.

"Teacher Fang."

"Xiaolin, the school clinic has already admitted over thirty students. They're all stuck with thorns from the trifoliate orange tree. Do you have any ideas?"

Lin Muyang's voice was calm: "There's nothing we can do right now; we can only wait for it to metabolize naturally in the body."

"How long will it take?"

"It takes half an hour for the fastest, and an hour for the slowest."

Fang Jingshan took a deep breath: "So, that means the school hospital will be filled with crying like a kindergarten for the next hour?"

"Yes."

Fang Jingshan rubbed his temples again: "Come to the school hospital first and have a good talk with the students."

"it is good."

When Lin Muyang arrived at the school hospital, the crying in the corridor had subsided considerably.

He went inside and saw students crouching in the corner, sitting in chairs, and lying on hospital beds, covering their faces and silently moaning.

Someone saw him and cried out, "Senior! That thorn of yours... it had a really strong aftereffect..."

Lin Muyang said expressionlessly, "You guys did it yourselves."

"I shouldn't have been so impulsive..." "I regret it..." "I'll never do it again..."

Lin Muyang walked to the middle of the corridor and cleared his throat.

"Listen to me, everyone."

The crying subsided a little.

"The low mood caused by the sap of Citrus aurantium is a temporary neurochemical reaction."

The effects will subside naturally within half an hour to an hour. There are no side effects.

It will not affect liver or kidney function, nor will it affect intelligence.

He paused, then said, "But there's nothing I can do about the impact it's already had on my final exam preparation."

A groan erupted from the crowd: "How did you know we were studying?!"

Lin Muyang did not answer.

"Drink more water. Find a quiet place to stay. Don't make any important decisions, because the decisions you make now are most likely to be wrong."

A girl raised her hand: "Teacher Lin, I just sent a message to my ex-boyfriend saying that I still love him..."

Lin Muyang looked at her and said, "Withdraw."

"Two minutes have passed."

Lin Muyang was silent for a moment, then said, "I wish you happiness."

The girl cried even harder.

Dr. Wang came out of the consultation room, holding a stack of medical records, and handed them to Lin Muyang. "These are the medical records from this afternoon. Could you sign them to confirm that these symptoms are related to that plant?"

Lin Muyang took the medical record and looked at it.

"I don't need to sign. The symptom description is very clear: 'The patient reported experiencing depression after contact with the thorns of the bitter orange peel.' That's enough."

Dr. Wang pressed further, "What will we do if more students come in the future?"

Lin Muyang thought for a moment: "Prepare plenty of tissues, and have them drink more hot water to speed up their metabolism."

The crying in the corridor grew louder again.

Lin Muyang turned and walked away, but stopped at the door and said without turning his head, "Good luck on your final exams."

A student's sobbing voice came from behind: "I can't keep going... I'm hopeless..."

Lin Muyang walked out of the school hospital, sunlight shining on his face. He took a deep breath, took out his phone, and sent a message to Xiao Kui:

"Turn off the live stream. Don't mention bitter orange thorns for the next few days."

Xiao Kui replied instantly: "Why? It's already trending on the forum, everyone knows about it, and quite a few people want to pay to buy it."

Lin Muyang replied with a few words: "Because I don't want to go to the school hospital to collect the body."

Xiao Kui replied with "I understand" and a facepalm emoji.

Lin Muyang put his phone in his pocket and rode his bike back to the research institute. As he passed the tree-lined path, he could still see several students squatting by the roadside crying. He didn't stop or slow down.

Back in the lab, Big Orange was squatting by the door waiting for him. The cactus on the windowsill was giving him the middle finger. The mimosa was quiet and still.

Two days after the school-wide emo incident, a ring of barbed wire appeared on the outer wall of the research institute.

This was installed overnight by the school's logistics department.

Lin Muyang originally wanted to put up a fight, but Fang Jingshan called and said, "The principal said that your plants are more effective than the speed bumps at the school gate, but if you don't do something about it, you won't be able to take the final exam."

Upon hearing this, Lin Muyang chose to compromise for the sake of his juniors' future, only lowering the height of the barbed wire fence.

The next morning at nine o'clock, a military green minibus stopped at the gate of the compound.

The car door opened, and the first person to get out was Wu Tao, a twelve-year veteran who had retired from the reconnaissance company.

He was wearing a dark blue overall outfit and training shoes today, his back was ramrod straight, and his expression was very serious.

Five people followed behind, ranging in age from their early twenties to their forties, all with short hair and dark jackets, standing in a row, creating a very imposing atmosphere.

Seeing this, Lin Muyang finally breathed a sigh of relief. With these people around, those reckless college students should be able to settle down a bit.