Volume 1 Chapter 4: Paranoid Schizophrenia  

Shi Jianchuan crossed his hands, his voice calm. “My condition has worsened.”  

“Since yesterday, I’ve been experiencing visual hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, and tactile hallucinations intermittently.”  

Gu Hezheng straightened up. “Describe it in detail. Under what circumstances did they occur? How long did they last? What were the intervals?”  

Shi Jianchuan’s expression remained composed. “The woman in my visual hallucinations doesn’t want to divorce me.”  

“And?”  

“She’s very obedient, very compliant.”  

“How long did it last?”  

“I don’t remember.”  

“Do you want to keep her by your side forever?”  

“Yes.”  

The corner of Shi Jianchuan’s mouth twitched slightly. He truly, desperately wanted it.  

“Can you control these hallucinations with your own will?”  

Shi Jianchuan seemed to catch the faint scent of Qin Ya’s perfume again.  

“No control.”  

If he could control it…  

The darkness in Shi Jianchuan’s mind nearly exploded exponentially. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and the veins on his arms bulged.  

“If I recall correctly, your first visual hallucination appeared over a year ago. In just one year, the progression of your illness has accelerated.”  

Gu Hezheng felt his head about to burst as he scribbled in the medical record.  

Shi Jianchuan was the most challenging patient he had ever taken on. He knew he was ill and actively cooperated with treatment.  

Yet, to this day, Gu Hezheng still couldn’t break through Shi Jianchuan’s psychological defenses.  

In other words, everything he knew about Shi Jianchuan’s condition was what Shi Jianchuan wanted him to know.  

Gu Hezheng wrote in his notes: Paranoid schizophrenia?  

If visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations were indeed occurring, the illness had undoubtedly worsened.  

Gu Hezheng asked, “Have you considered inviting her here to talk properly?”  

“Impossible.”  

Shi Jianchuan refused without hesitation.  

Gu Hezheng asked a few more questions, but Shi Jianchuan evaded them all. Gu Hezheng knew there would be no progress today.  

He prescribed Shi Jianchuan some medication. “Remember to take your medicine on time. And, Shi Jianchuan, as your attending physician, I must remind you—what’s fake will always be fake. You must return to reality.”  

He was genuinely afraid.  

Judging by Shi Jianchuan’s psychological state, he was immersed in the illusionary world, even though he clearly knew it was all a hallucination.  

Gu Hezheng feared that one day, Shi Jianchuan would sink so deep into the illusion that he’d never want to wake up again.  

Shi Jianchuan took the medicine. “Understood. I’ll take it.”  

Gu Hezheng hesitated. “I hope you truly will.”  

This kind of patient was truly difficult.  

Shi Jianchuan casually placed the medicine in the passenger seat.  

Hesitating for a moment, he picked up his phone and unlocked it.  

Amid the flood of messages, his eyes immediately locked onto Qin Ya’s profile picture—a golden fallen leaf.  

Before his mind could react, his fingers had already tapped on her chat window.  

Nearly ten messages crowded the screen.  

Shi Jianchuan’s fingers brushed lightly over the screen, his gaze flickering.  

The phone vibrated—Qin Ya was calling via video.  

He listened to the ringtone, answering only when it was about to hang up.  

Qin Ya’s face appeared on the screen. Wearing a hospital gown, she looked at him with a pout.  

“I’m hungry. The hospital food is terrible.”  

“Husband, everyone else has someone with them. I’m all alone.”  

“Look at my stomach—it’s completely flat from hunger.”  

Qin Ya curled up on the hospital bed, the blue-and-white-striped hospital gown hanging loosely on her petite frame.  

Her waist was so slender it seemed it might snap with the slightest pressure.

The deer-like eyes looked a bit listless as they gazed toward Shi Jianchuan on the other side of the screen.

“Can you bring me some food? I’m really hungry.”

Shi Jianchuan clearly heard himself nod and say, “Alright.”

While driving, the medicine fell under the passenger seat. He didn’t pay it any mind—or perhaps he had already made up his mind from the start.

After hanging up the phone, Qin Ya flashed a victory sign at her reflection in the mirror.

She knew it.

As expected of her!

Shi Jianchuan was such a good person. Even if he didn’t like her, he wouldn’t let her starve to death.

So, during this time, she could use the “sympathy card” to cling to Shi Jianchuan.

In high spirits, Qin Ya hummed a little tune and obediently sat on the bed, waiting for Shi Jianchuan.

About an hour later, Shi Jianchuan walked in carrying a four-tiered lunchbox.

The moment Qin Ya saw him, her eyes immediately lit up.

She got out of bed and trotted over. “Hubby, you’re here.”

“I’m all alone in the hospital, and I’m a little scared.”

Qin Ya looped her arm through Shi Jianchuan’s, her eyes curving into crescents. “Wow, it smells amazing! I can even smell it through the lunchbox.”

Shi Jianchuan laid out the dishes.

A plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes, a plate of stir-fried water spinach, and a bowl of soft, glutinous pork and cabbage porridge.

Simple home-cooked dishes, but the aroma alone was enough to make Qin Ya’s mouth water.

“Wow! This looks so delicious. Thank you, hubby.”

“Did you make all this yourself? You’re amazing.”

Qin Ya showered him with praise before digging into her patient’s meal.

At first, she had just casually complimented him, but after tasting the food, she was genuinely impressed. The simpler the dish, the more skill it required.

“This is incredible. I had no idea you were such a good cook, hubby.”

Qin Ya continued her routine of lavish praise.

Shi Jianchuan replied, “You learn after making it enough times.”

It was then that Qin Ya suddenly remembered—Shi Jianchuan had a rough childhood. If it weren’t for Qin Corporation’s sponsorship, he wouldn’t even have had the chance to attend school.

Her voice softened slightly. “But it still takes talent. I think this is the best food I’ve ever had.”

Not that she could remember anything else she’d eaten before (ˉˉ).

Eagerly, Qin Ya tried to serve Shi Jianchuan a bowl as well. “Eat with me. There’s no way I can finish all this by myself.”

Shi Jianchuan declined. “No need. I’ve already eaten.”

“Alright then, more for me!”

Qin Ya ate heartily—partly because she was hungry, but also because the food suited her taste perfectly.

It was so delicious. How could someone be this good-looking and such a skilled cook?

As expected of her! She had set her sights on Shi Jianchuan early on.

Silently, Qin Ya apologized to Shi Jianchuan, then grew even more determined not to divorce.

How could anyone not like Ya-ya when she was this adorable?

As Qin Ya ate, Shi Jianchuan watched her quietly from the side, his fingers tracing restless circles on his watch face.

His gaze held an undisguised, morbid intensity.

Like maggots burrowing into bone.

The moment Qin Ya looked up, he returned to normal, his long, raven-black lashes veiling the emotions in his eyes.

Even in his hallucinations, he didn’t want Qin Ya to see that side of him.

He picked up his teacup and took slow, deliberate sips.

One after another, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.

Once she was full and satisfied, Qin Ya began testing Shi Jianchuan’s limits again. “I should be able to leave the hospital tomorrow. Will you come pick me up?”

“It’s such a hassle to check out alone, and no one’s coming to get me. I don’t have any family left, or any friends either.”

Qin Ya’s eyes welled up with tears, her doe-like gaze misty as she looked at Shi Jianchuan.