Chapter 11 Chapter 11

After leaving his uncle's house, Bai He encountered several waves of villagers on his way. It was busy farming season, with everyone busy harvesting and drying grain, making the village busier than usual. Some greeted Bai He, while others avoided him from a distance with a look of fear, as if they were seeing some virus. Some mischievous children, picking up rocks from the ground, eagerly watched Bai He, but before they could unleash their malicious intent, they scattered under Bai He's fierce gaze.

Bai He used to care a lot about other people’s strange looks, but now he has learned not to care.

To be honest, Bai He was not in a good mood when driving towards Gaolin City Second Hospital.

As a child, Bai He was, quite literally, the dream child of countless parents. He was adorable, brilliant, and a recipient of countless awards and medals. And yet, he wasn't a bookworm. He loved to play and had a strong curiosity and thirst for knowledge. He often tore apart the appliances at home and rummaged through every book in school, yet he never once asked anyone for advice.

The only bad thing is that his parents are not with him. Although he has been fostered in Bai He's uncle's house for a long time, Bai He is not lacking in love. His grandparents love him, and his uncle and aunt treat him as their own son. Since he was a child, he has never missed out on anything his cousins ​​have. Although he is fostered, Bai He feels as comfortable in his uncle's house as in his own home.

So when Bai He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the hospital, his mind was completely blank. He felt as if he was sunk into the deep sea, and the surroundings were terribly dark.

Mental illness is a taboo everywhere, let alone schizophrenia, a serious mental illness.

There is no history of genetic diseases in his family, and he has never suffered a major trauma, so how could he get this disease?

Bai He, a second-year junior high student, reacted violently. He couldn't accept the reality of his situation. He refused to go to the hospital and buried all the medicine the doctor prescribed in the ground. During that time, he completely changed his usual routine, focusing all his energy on studying and constantly participating in competitions. He wanted to use his excellence to prove to everyone that he couldn't be a psychopath.

At the time, the Bai family had a very limited understanding of mental illness. Their conception of mental illness was that of someone who was mad, unrecognizable, and unable to care for themselves. Bai He, aside from a short temper, appeared completely normal. Not only could he live and study independently, he also defeated countless peers and won various awards in competitions. He was clearly superior to the average child, so how could he be mentally ill? The Bai family also believed the doctor's diagnosis was inaccurate. Furthermore, at Bai He's insistence, they didn't take him for a follow-up visit.

Everyone forgets that mental illness is not so serious at the beginning. Any disease has a process from mild to severe. Even if Bai He is unwilling to accept it, his condition will not change according to his will. With more and more frequent auditory hallucinations, he became suspicious and showed symptoms of persecution. He lived in fear and treading on thin ice every day. He would think that his classmates were saying bad things about him when they talked to him. His body would tense up when his classmates looked at him unconsciously, and he would wonder if someone had discovered something wrong with him. Once a classmate jokingly called him a psycho, and Bai He's tense nerves broke instantly. He rushed over without caring about anything, and he could no longer remember what happened. When Bai He woke up, he was pinned to the ground by several classmates like a dead dog, unable to move.

"Bai He was so scary just now. He was just desperate. Several people in the class couldn't stop him."

"Cheng Yao was beaten so badly."

"Something's wrong with him lately..."

…

The pointing and strange looks from his classmates were like knives cutting into his sensitive heart.

The fear of his secret being exposed at any moment made Bai He feel as if he were trapped in an icy cellar. He trembled uncontrollably, his teeth clenched, and his body convulsed. The abnormal changes in his body made Bai He realize that something was wrong with him, and at the same time, something in his heart quietly shattered.

His head was buzzing, as if countless people were talking about him. He knew these malicious and even insulting words were not something his classmates would say, but it was hard not to be affected by them. His eyes uncontrollably searched around for the person who was talking.

The world was so noisy that day that he completely broke down.

Later, Bai He was taken back by his family.

Thanks to the timely intervention of his classmates, Bai He didn't suffer any serious injuries this time. The classmate only suffered some minor skin injuries that healed with a simple rubdown. Afterwards, Bai He bought several large bags of snacks to apologize to the classmate. Although he was embarrassed a few times, the classmate finally forgave Bai He after he had gotten his revenge.

Fighting among students is normal, and classmates and teachers quickly forget about it. But Bai He himself was terrified. This feeling of losing his mind and dignity was too terrifying. At this moment, Bai He realized that this disease was like a landmine buried deep within his body, ready to destroy him at any moment. Bai He compromised and went to the hospital again. This time, he obediently took the prescribed medicine home and took it on time every day.

Indeed, the right medication is no less than a miracle cure for those with mental illness. On the first day of taking the medication, Bai He noticed that the auditory hallucinations that had been plaguing him had lessened, and he could now sleep soundly at night. After a week of taking the medication, his symptoms had essentially disappeared.

Everything seemed to be back to normal. Only Bai He knew he would never be the same again. From the moment he was diagnosed, his entire life was overshadowed. He took medication daily to combat the effects of schizophrenia, but he also had to endure the side effects. After taking the medication, Bai He felt like he was possessed by a sleepyhead. Even ten hours of sleep a day wasn't enough. Even when he tried hard to focus in class, his eyesight slowly faded. Even after intense exercise, his fingers would tremble.

All these side effects made Bai He sensitive. He would wake up for no reason in the middle of the night and often stay awake until dawn.

But the side effects of the medication are generally less harmful than the disease itself. At least with the help of the medication, he can maintain his normal study and daily life.

In his second year of junior high, Bai He underwent a dramatic change, from a cheerful and confident child to a silent and aloof one. He needed to go to the hospital for a checkup every month, and each visit was the darkest day for the whole family. People often harbored deep hostility towards those who were different. This was especially true in the village, where many were uneducated. They were vicious and foolish, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. They bullied the disabled and mentally ill in the village. They gave him offensive nicknames and even deliberately encouraged ignorant children to throw stones and commit obscene acts.

To hide his illness, his family always took him to the hospital secretly. After taking his medicine, his aunt would clean it in the stove, never throwing it away. Bai He himself never dared to stay out overnight, and he didn't even dare to get too close to his classmates or friends.

Fortunately, after taking the medicine for a long time, his body began to adapt to its effects, and the side effects were alleviated to a certain extent. If his family didn't tell him, no one would be able to see his true condition.

His illness was a huge blow to his parents, who were working away from home. They decided to take Bai He with them. So, after graduating from junior high school, Bai He was transferred to Yunshi No. 1 Middle School, where his parents were studying.

No. 1 High School is one of the best high schools in Yun City. If Bai He hadn't been so outstanding in junior high school, his family wouldn't even be able to enter. It was there that he met Su Xingye.

The change of environment was a big help to Bai He. People in different cities were very careful about distance and privacy. People living in the same building might not speak to each other for a whole year. No one would even glance at you, no matter how strange your behavior. Big cities might seem lacking in human touch to others, but for Bai He at that time, it was very comfortable.

After his illness, he became sensitive and suspicious, and he hated socializing. But here, no one knew him, and Bai He could be his true self. He didn't need to socialize, didn't need to worry about his appearance. Even if he behaved badly, no one would doubt him. And his parents were very tolerant of him.

The comfortable environment helped Bai He's condition improve. In high school, Bai He was in very good condition. If he didn't have to take a pill every night, his life would be no different from before.

Even the doctor said: If you can maintain this state, you can consider stopping the medication after the college entrance examination.

It seems that everything is moving in a good direction.

If he hadn't had that car accident in his senior year of high school, if he hadn't seen that disgusting scene, he might have really become an ordinary person.

But there is no if...

He had a relapse, and it was much worse than the first time.

When he first fell ill, he took medicine for nearly five years. During these five years, his father would take him to the hospital for checkups every month, rain or shine. The effort and energy his family put into him, as well as his own efforts, are immeasurable.

But everything was ruined.

The moment he saw that scene, his entire cognition and worldview collapsed. It was so disgusting.

The entire world was filled with stench and filth, and he was buried within it, speechless and unable to move. The bridge between the world and his soul had completely collapsed, and he had lost himself and his dignity as a human being. It was his grandparents, uncles, and mothers who had carefully pieced together and nurtured him that made Bai He what he is today, not some shameless, undignified lunatic on the street.

Baihe is forever grateful to his family.

Even if he regains consciousness, the damage to the brain caused by each episode of mental illness is irreversible. He suffers from partial cognitive impairment, emotional apathy, and low empathy. This time, the doctor's order requires him to be under family supervision and take medication for the rest of his life.

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