Externalizing Disorders
In the end, the boss knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't charge any money and gave away a starfish for free, along with two small cutlassfish.
After leaving the stall, Shang Jingyan said, "Thank you for your help."
"You're welcome. I should be thanking Director Shang." The young man laughed.
——He called him Director Shang directly, and it seemed that he had guessed Shang Jingyan’s identity.
"I printed out the photo you took with me last time you came to my shop and hung it on the message wall. As a result, several customers who passed by this month curiously asked if the 'Jingyan' in the signature on the photo was the new dream builder 'Shang Jingyan' who appeared recently——"
Shang Jingyan was not too surprised, as she had already expected it when she signed.
The young man blinked his eyes playfully. "I always answered that I didn't know and didn't understand. However, these customers finally took care of my business. I originally thought that the teahouse could not be opened, but now it seems that maybe there is still some hope with Director Shang."
"By the way, I haven't introduced my name yet. My name is Pei Yi, which means meaning."
Pei Yi continued, "I was just thinking about thanking you next time you come to the teahouse. I didn't expect to meet you by chance at the seafood market... Director Shang, do you want to buy seafood and cook it yourself? If so, I'm familiar with this area and can be your advisor."
Pei Yi's speaking rhythm was very comfortable, and he expressed gratitude in a measured and appropriate way.
Shang Jingyan was in need of an expert in the local vegetable market, so he readily accepted the offer: "I really want to do it myself, so I'll trouble you."
Pei Yi had bought a lot of things before, so he rented a lifting robot. The small robot carried the bags and followed the two of them.
When he heard that Shang Jingyan was going to prepare a feast to reward the investors, he simply said, "Why don't you just come to my teahouse? I'll let you use the kitchen. Some of the seafood you bought require tools that ordinary people may not have. I can also help you prepare some dishes. Anyway, the teahouse doesn't have much business on weekdays, so it won't interfere with your business."
Shang Jingyan thought about it and said, "That makes sense."
She saw that Sister Cui didn't seem to be able to cook, and maybe there weren't enough pots and pans at home. She had originally thought of buying some there.
Maybe some people are born to make friends easily, so, after a moment.
"Wow, you really bought so much!"
Sister Cui’s residence was not far from the teahouse. She came over wearing a pair of cotton slippers and saw a huge aquarium as soon as she entered the door.
Shang Jingyan was using a small knife to peel shrimp shells. His movements were skillful and his knife danced like flying, even faster than the robot next to him.
Sister Cui touched her chin in disbelief: "Xiaoyan, why didn't I know you had this ability before?... It's true that each generation is better than the last. You are even better than your mother."
Shang Jingyan rarely heard Sister Cui mention her original mother.
In the original body's memory, her mother Shang Song had always brought her to live in the house rented under Sister Cui's name. After Shang Song left, the original body continued to live there.
But it seems that Shang Song and Sister Cui are not just in a tenant and landlord relationship, but they had other relationships before that.
It was precisely because of this friendship that Sister Cui rented the house to the mother and daughter at a relatively low price, and continued to rent it to the original owner and even lent her money.
Sister Cui has a very chivalrous spirit, and there is a more appropriate word to describe her behavior: loyalty.
Shang Jingyan had heard in Exile Galaxy that "the lady frying dough sticks downstairs might have been a gang leader", and he couldn't help but make an association: Could it be that Shang Song and Sister Cui were once gang colleagues?
A sign saying "Temporarily closed" was hung in the teahouse, but the kitchen was still lit and busy figures were reflected in the doors and windows.
Gradually, the aroma of seafood began to waft out from the open window and drifted to the street outside with the cold wind.
Today's main dish is seafood hotpot. Shang Jingyan sat down first to pour wine for Sister Cui, while Pei Yi went to get the condiment plate.
Suddenly, a small white shadow rushed over from somewhere and dived into the hot pot.
Shang Jingyan: “?”
The little thing popped its head out of the bubbling hot pot, and it turned out to be... a rabbit.
But it is not a real rabbit. It carries the fluctuation characteristics of spiritual power and will not affect real objects. The hot pot soup did not stain its long fur at all.
But the scene of a snow-white rabbit head floating in the seafood hot pot was still a little scary. Sister Cui was a little dumbfounded: "This?"
"Ah... sorry." Pei Yi noticed this and showed an embarrassed expression. He quickly walked over and said, "Why did you come out again?"
He stretched out his hand, and the long-haired rabbit jumped onto the back of his hand, crawled along his sleeve, and squatted on his shoulder.
Pei Yi met the gazes of Shang Jingyan and the others, tapped his solar plexus, and said helplessly: "My core spiritual body... well, there is something wrong."
This is a branch of cavitation syndrome, usually called "externalization syndrome." The most typical manifestation is that the patient's core spiritual experience cannot be controlled and runs out, materializing in reality.
The spiritual body of a normal person stays in the mental picture, but the mental picture of a patient with externalizing disorder is atrophied and filled with darkness.
They cannot enter the "Inner Star Network" and can only use the screen to browse the "Outer Star Network".
This means that they have lost a considerable part of the fun in this era, and are living like netizens from the last star calendar: they cannot use holographic warehouses, cannot experience empathetic film and television dramas, cannot "meet" with relatives and friends on the star network... and they will never have the chance to become dream builders in their lifetime.
There are very few patients with externalizing disorder, accounting for only 0.0012% of synovial syndrome patients. However, they often appear in various literary and artistic works, being entertained and mystified, probably just like how people in the Shang Jingyan era were fond of filming schizophrenia patients.
No wonder he has never commented on Shang Jingyan's works. He probably just assumed that he couldn't read them.
"Is your spirit body an Angora rabbit? It's quite cute." Sister Cui scratched her head and changed the subject.
"Yeah." Pei Yi nodded and answered softly. He stroked the fur of the spirit body again and again, and the latter gradually fell asleep, dissipating into a ball of light and sinking into his skin.
Shang Jingyan thought of a theory: Why do the spirits of patients with externalization disorder always want to escape? Perhaps they feel lonely in the dark mental landscape.
The treatment for externalizing disorders is the same as for synovial disorders, but because of their pathological characteristics, many works cannot be read, and the Dream Builder's works are of limited use to them.
Shang Jingyan noticed that there was a sweater chain hanging on Pei Yi's white sweater, and the pendant at the end was a bright blue Dream Source Crystal.
"Manager Pei, have you ever seen my short plays?" Shang Jingyan asked, "My first two works can be watched on Biaoxing.com, you can try it."
Pei Yi was stunned.
Sister Cui tapped her palms and said, "That's right! Xiaoyan's style...haha, it's different from other dream builders. You'll know once you see it! Who knows, it might really work wonders."
Shang Jingyan didn’t know whether horror movies were better than romance movies… However, audiences in their previous lives could only watch horror movies on mobile phones, computers, and in movie theaters, and they were frightened a lot. It should be no different for Pei Yi, right?
Friday, midnight.
When the second episode of "Rouge Comb" was broadcast, Shang Jingyan herself had already left V059 and traveled to a planet in the Exile Galaxy.
This planet is rich in flowers and is known as the "Heart of the Rose". When you look down when approaching the atmosphere, you will see a romantic red cloud outside the window of the aircraft.
"The first attraction we are going to visit today was newly built in the last few months and has been very well received..."
The tour guide on the aircraft introduced.
Then... when he could see the buildings on the ground clearly, Shang Jingyan saw something familiar.
Shang Jingyan: “?”
This layout looks like the castle and rose garden in "Cthulhu"!
It’s not exactly the same—after all, it certainly wasn’t copyrighted and can’t be reproduced one-to-one—but the eerie quality is easy to associate with it.
Shang Jingyan was a little amused and confused. After getting off the aircraft, a strong wind blew, blowing up a large piece of rose petals and splashing them on the tourists' faces.
The dark-colored castle stands in the sun. Unlike the one in "Cthulhu", outside its rose garden is a larger sea of roses that surrounds the entire castle. Visitors can only enter through the central avenue.
"Wow, what a romantic castle!"
"Honey, take a picture for me!"
"We really chose the right place for our honeymoon, but dear, why did you say you wanted to take me here to watch a movie and told me not to be scared?"
Tourists chattered at the start of the road.
Shang Jingyan: “…”
No, is this really a good place to choose for your honeymoon?
A tour guide robot dressed as a butler and wearing a white wig came forward and spoke to Shang Jingyan in a staccato voice:
"Hello, guest. Our castle room package provides movie-watching service. May I ask if you would like to..."
It perfectly reproduces the essence of the castle butler in "Cthulhu".
Shang Jingyan: “.”
She finally knew who bought the copyrights of those "commercial broadcasts" in the background...
Who is the boss here? He is such a talent, she wants to meet him!
"Let's not play 'Building 18' later, let's watch 'Rouge Comb' together!"
In the live broadcast room, Ao Qingxue logged out of the game and announced it.
"Building 18" has been launched for two days, but no one has figured it out yet, and the fastest progress is only until the start of school.
The strange thing is that after school started, all the strange phenomena mentioned in the previous introduction disappeared, as if ghosts would avoid people.
However, all players know that the seemingly calm lake water in Baishui No. 2 Middle School is just an appearance, and there are secrets hidden beneath the surface, so they are all very cautious.
At midnight, the second episode was updated, and soon some viewers discovered the highlights:
[Gu Lang's actor information has been updated. Good news, the male lead will appear in this episode! ]
[Wait, this is so funny, why is the actress Wu Rui? Is she playing a male role in a cross-dressing role?]
[Seeing her reminds me of the evil god, please don’t come over! .jpg]
At the end of the previous episode, Gao Xiaoyun returned home, and this episode starts from the Gao family's old house.
The noble family has a deep courtyard.
Ao Qingxue increasingly felt that Master Yan was no longer a newcomer. Every detail of this mansion showed the profound skills he possessed.
[When I saw this house, an ancient time-travel romance drama came to my mind...]
[I also think that Director Shang’s style is ancient and quaint. ]
[Such a beautiful scenery, but I just can't think of shooting a horror drama (dog head). ]
After returning from Qingming Festival, Gao Xiaoyun fell seriously ill, perhaps because he caught a cold from the rain and was frightened.
After she disappeared, the fact that she had a lover could no longer be concealed. During this period, the Gao family had already asked the truth from her maid, but fortunately, the maid did not know the specific identity of "Gu Lang" and did not reveal it all.
While Gao Xiaoyun was ill, she learned about the Gao family's actions after she disappeared that day: they did not make it public and even told the noble ladies who were with her at the time that she had returned home early.
In order to avoid being discovered, the Gao family only sent a few servants to look for her secretly, which is why they didn't find Gao Xiaoyun until the next day.
Bringing her back was done quietly, and even the servants who came to look for her that day were silenced.
Gao Xiaoyun's personal maid suddenly "died of a sudden illness in the kitchen" and her body was hastily collected on a straw mat.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
The camera turned to a clump of white pear blossoms, and Gao Xiaoyun appeared in the camera with a sickly look on his face.
She was lying on her sickbed when she heard the news. She spat out blood and looked terrified.
"Gu Lang... Tell me, if I hadn't been found that day, would they have just made up a random excuse and said I 'died of a sudden illness at home', and then made an empty coffin and carved 'Gao's Third Mother' on the tombstone?"
Gao Xiaoyun gasped and clenched the comb under the pillow, saying fearfully.
The comments were all shocked. Just a few minutes into the show, a person died so quickly.
[Why? I can't understand. I can barely understand the logic of not paying attention to the child and not bothering to look for her, but why can't I make it public? ]
[If I understand correctly, the maid was killed? ...Is it because she knew that the heroine was secretly in love with someone and helped her keep it a secret? ]
[This part only has a few words in the dialogue, and there is no exaggerated scene at all. The maid didn't even appear from beginning to end, but why do I feel that it is more terrifying than the supernatural monsters in the first episode! ]
In order to catch up with Rouge Comb, Ao Qingxue also looked for some documents and papers during this period: "It is said that in ancient times, people attached great importance to 'chastity'. I don't quite understand the specific meaning of this word, but I guess they believed that if the heroine had an affair with a man before marriage and slept outside for a night, she would be considered 'unclean' by her future husband's family."
The concept of this word is too far away from the audience of Interstellar.
Just for this reason, you can let your daughter go missing, or even hope she is dead, and thus kill a life.
The so-called “killing without shedding blood” is just this.
Gao Xiaoyun was ill for several months. During this time, strange things began to happen in the Gao family's old house.
First, the positions of small items such as vases and pen holders were always moved, and servants were punished for this. However, no matter how angry the master was, when he opened the door the next day, he would always see that they were in a mess again.
Then there were the night watchmen who claimed to hear strange noises at night, like the sound of dripping water and wet crawling. The wood of the old house might have been eaten by insects, and there were rustling noises.
In addition, there are two other strange things.
One was that a maid was washing clothes when she saw a large amount of black ink suddenly rise up in the pool. She was so scared that she screamed and fell into the pool. But others rescued her and the pool was clearly clean and clear.
The maid also said that when she fell, she felt someone pulling her feet down.
Second, the second son of the Gao family had been complaining about his headaches recently. His stepmother felt sorry for her son and called a famous doctor, but the doctor didn't work at all after prescribing a lot of prescriptions.
The master of the Gao family believed that there might be an evil spirit in the house, so he decided to invite a fortune teller to exorcise the evil spirit.
This plot goes by very quickly. The camera switches to the withering pear blossoms outside the window. By the time Gao Xiaoyun recovers from his illness, it is already late spring.
On the third day after she was able to walk, her stepmother and father found her and said, "You are old enough to get married."
They couldn't wait to marry off their daughter, as if letting her stay at home for one more day would be "sullying the family."
The marriage partner chosen by the master of the Gao family for Gao Xiaoyun is a young man of equal social status.
"He only said that they were a good match, but he didn't say anything about his character. I'm afraid..."
Gao Xiaoyun looked at the comb with a worried look on her face, "Gu Lang, what do you think I should do after I get married?"
After a serious illness, she was apparently scared and became a little more "obedient", and the hypothesis she was talking about at this time was "after I get married".
The worst thing Gao Xiaoyun could think of was that the man she was going to marry had a bad character and an unattractive appearance.
Until one day, she heard her stepmother's brother clapping his hands and singing -
"Marry a chicken and follow the chicken; marry a dog and follow the dog; marry a skeleton and guard the tombstone! Hahaha... How interesting! My third sister really wants to marry a dead person? Then does she have to die too?"
The children's laughter was innocent and full of life, and he even arrogantly asked the servants and maids to sing along. At first glance, the air was filled with a happy atmosphere.
Gao Xiaoyun felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave. It was impossible for a child to learn these things on his own. He could only be taught by adults.
Even her younger brother, a little kid, knew about it, but she was still kept in the dark.
Hearing my younger brother sing this kind of thing as a funny nursery rhyme makes it seem even more twisted and absurd!
[How horrible! Does a ghost marriage mean the woman will also die? I feel physically sick just thinking about it... (crying)]
[A completely different type of horror from "Cthulhu", so suffocating. 】
[Director Shang, you are really amazing. Even though there hasn't been a single scary scene in this episode, I still get goosebumps! ]
Gao Xiaoyun returned to her courtyard with a pale face. This girl who dared to spend the night alone in a dilapidated temple in the wilderness was trembling with fear in broad daylight.
She didn't dare tell her current personal maid what happened. She just held the comb tightly and murmured: "No, I don't want to... I can't marry like this!"
She tossed and turned, tears streaming down her face again, "But how can I leave?... Gu Lang, ah Gu Lang, come and take me away... Gu Lang, when will you take me away?"
Ao Qingxue had been completely drawn into that suffocating atmosphere, and the barrage of comments began to engage in heated discussions about how to escape from this environment.
However, under limited conditions, all the solutions that Danmu came up with were extremely difficult.
[It seems that only eloping is more feasible. Is Gu Lang reliable? Urgent! ]
[I used to love reading stories that follow the same ancient vernacular scripts, but I never thought they could be so difficult. I’ll be worried every time I read them next time…]
[But I am a little confused. How did Gao Xiaoyun end up dating Gu Lang? The Gao family is well-protected and she cannot see outsiders. Moreover, she does not suspect Gu Lang's weirdness at all.]
Ao Qingxue speculated: "Maybe he is paralyzing himself?"
——Their questions were soon answered.
Gao Xiaoyun was so tired after crying that she fell asleep, leaning on the table with the comb still in her hand.
The moon is on the treetops, and the clock is ringing.
A male voice came from somewhere, humming a song called "Crane Soaring to the Sky", which was mournful and melodious. Gao Xiaoyun woke up rubbing his eyes, and saw that the small courtyard outside the window was filled with fog, and it was dim and hazy.
It’s still fog, but this time the fog is completely different from the fog in the cemetery at the beginning.
Under the moonlight, the hazy mist is like a dream, turning this small courtyard into a fairyland.
Gao Xiaoyun didn't seem surprised at all. He looked happy and walked into the yard.
And beside the clump of Xiangfei bamboo, stood a slender figure.
"Gu Lang!"
He was wearing a green robe and a scholar's hat, with an upright posture. He turned around when he heard Gao Xiaoyun's voice, holding a folding fan in his jade-like hand.
The folding fan covered half of his face, and the fan was slightly transparent under the moonlight. Through the fan, one could vaguely see that the half of the face that was covered was actually a skull!
Gu Lang's eyes curved, he closed his folding fan, and the lower half of his bony mouth began to laugh: "Ayun."
The blue-faced man and his withered bones appeared on the same face at the same time, like a nightmare shining into reality, beautiful yet weird.
Ao Qingxue opened her eyes wide. She couldn't even tell for a moment whether her slower breathing and faster heartbeat were due to shock or amazement.
[Oh my god... this scene is so amazing...]
[So that's it! "Gu Lang" is actually "Gu Lang"?! ]
[Ahhh, no wonder Gao Xiaoyun wasn't afraid, she always knew that Gu Lang was not a human being! ]
[Director Shang is really good at photographing beauties, Wu Rui has reached a new level of beauty! ]
[It's hard to tell whether it's male or female, neither human nor ghost... Too beautiful, I'm done for, Director Shang, you tricked me into falling in love with the White Bone Demon again. ]
[This cross-dressing role is so suitable! ]
Gao Xiaoyun threw herself into Gu Lang's arms, sobbing bitterly, and told him that she was going to get married.
One of Gu Lang's hands was also made of bones. He used his human hand to gently stroke Gao Xiaoyun's hair.
"Don't worry. They'll be too late to take care of it soon."
The camera pulls away, and the figures of a man and a ghost embracing each other look like flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water.
This meeting was like night dew, evaporating during the day without leaving any trace.
Gao Xiaoyun didn't know how Gu Lang was going to help her, but she felt much better.
She was in a good mood the whole day, but in the evening, the maid came running in: "Miss Third, something bad has happened. The Second Young Master's headache has suddenly worsened, and the Master is calling everyone over."
Gao Xiaoyun dropped something in her hand to the ground. She was stunned and said, "Call everyone over here." This was a cryptic statement, which actually meant that her second brother might not be well, and she had to go see him for the last time.
She stood up immediately, but the house was too big. Halfway through the walk, she and her maid felt something was wrong. Why was there no one around?
Through a door, there was a faint sound of running and noise coming from the front, as if everyone had gathered there.
The camera slowly focused on the carved door in the atrium.
[Ahhh, are you preparing to scare people? 】
[Breathing oxygen, my heart is lifted. 】
[Fully armed and ready to face the door-opening killing! 】
The audience more or less understood some of the horror movie routines and all held their breath.
Gao Xiaoyun opened the door, and a loud noise poured out. At the same time, a dark, silk-like thing flew towards him, with a ghost face only the size of a palm hidden in it!
"Ah!!" She quickly dodged and took a few steps back, but saw that the thing had no intention of chasing her. It bounced a few times on the ground, then returned and swung high onto the beam.
The main hall was in chaos. Gao Xiaoyun's pupils constricted as she saw her second brother running for his life on the second floor, with the ghost-faced hair chasing after him. People upstairs and downstairs were frantically trying to help him.
"Come down quickly, come down quickly!"
"Where's the Taoist priest?! Protect my son!"
The gorgeous clothes with wide sleeves were not suitable for walking at all. The second young master was not careful for a moment and fell directly down the stairs. He rolled onto the platform between two stairs and stopped moving. There was blood on his forehead and it was obvious that he fainted.
"Second Young Master!"
"My poor child—"
“Second brother!!”
No one dared to step forward because the ball of hair that had just been chasing the Second Young Master had disappeared.
The BGM came to a halt, becoming eerily quiet.
Ao Qingxue swallowed fearfully and commented cautiously:
[Is this... a fall to death? ]
[Is the scary scene over? Can I put my hands down? QAQ]
[The progress bar is making me panic...! ]
Just when everyone was at a loss, suddenly, a slight sound was heard from the staircase platform.
“Click.”
Master Gao's eyes widened with fear.
The second young master was originally lying on his back, but in full view of everyone, his body was actually propped up little by little in this position.
Crack, crack, that was the sound of his bones and joints being broken when they were bent hard!
"Oh my God!——" the lady screamed and fainted from fright.
【Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! 】
[Help! I’m having a nightmare! ! ]
[My heart can’t take it anymore! ]
The second young master finally stood up completely, like an animal that had grown up backwards, crawling down the stairs little by little on all fours.
A tribute to a classic scene from "The Exorcist", hehe.
I will be on hiatus tomorrow, so I will stop updating for a day. The next update will be at 12 noon on the 19th~ It’s the time to return to the world of the living (dog head)
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