Chapter 38 They're in my mind
"The college entrance exam is just around the corner, why would you suddenly think of asking for leave?"
Old Xu put down his work and looked at Zhou Xiaoming with some surprise.
Zhou Xiaoming lowered his eyes, his fingers trembling slightly as he gripped the hem of his clothes, and his voice seemed to be squeezed out from deep in his throat: "I...I think I'm sick."
Old Xu reached out and touched Zhou Xiaoming's forehead: "No fever...you child..."
"No...it's not a cold," Zhou Xiaoming stammered.
"What is the reason?" Old Xu pressed.
Zhou Xiaoming took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and looked directly at his teacher, Ms. Xu: "Ms. Xu, do you believe in ghosts?"
Old Xu was clearly taken aback when he heard this.
All the teachers around turned to look at them.
Old Xu gave the teachers around him an awkward smile.
Then he turned to look at Zhou Xiaoming, not answering the question directly, but instead asking him, "What do you think?"
Zhou Xiaoming nodded, his voice filled with seriousness and certainty: "I believe it!"
Old Xu looked at Zhou Xiaoming in silence for a moment, then suddenly said, "Have you been under too much academic pressure lately?"
Zhou Xiaoming shook his head: "No, I really encountered ghosts. They are in my mind. Sometimes it is a male voice, and sometimes it is a female voice. They keep making noise, and I feel like I'm going crazy."
Old Xu frowned slightly.
Although Zhou Xiaoming is usually quiet, he has always been a well-behaved and sensible student. But ever since he was frightened at the birthday party last night, he seems to have become a different person.
He was silent for a moment, then comforted him, "Xiaoming, what happened last night was just an accident. Don't overthink it. I'm telling you responsibly, there are no ghosts or anything like that in this world."
Zhou Xiaoming shook his head frantically: "No, it's impossible, Teacher Xu, you have to believe me, I'm not lying to you, they're right in my ears, I can hear them very clearly! They keep making noise and they're talking to me."
Old Xu's brows furrowed even deeper.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Can you tell the teacher what they're saying?"
“They…they…” Zhou Xiaoming suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Old Man Xu: “They told me to kill you…”
Old Xu froze instantly.
He was stunned for a long time.
To be honest, Zhou Xiaoming's condition made him feel uneasy; things had far exceeded his expectations.
After thinking for a long time, Old Xu tentatively asked, "Have you mentioned this to your parents?"
Zhou Xiaoming subconsciously took two steps back, squatted in the corner, and covered his head. A trace of panic flashed in his eyes, and his voice trembled slightly: "I don't dare to tell my dad. He'll just beat me."
Looking at Zhou Xiaoming's appearance, Old Xu felt increasingly uneasy.
He thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll ask you to take a week off so you can see a psychologist. I happen to have a student at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital who works in the psychiatry department. I'll contact him and have him accompany you for the checkup. Don't worry about the cost; I'll pay for it for you in advance."
Upon hearing this, a hint of gratitude flashed in Zhou Xiaoming's eyes. He nodded, his voice slightly choked, "Thank you, Teacher Xu."
Old Xu patted him on the shoulder, trying to keep his tone gentle: "Don't think too much, get some rest. The college entrance exam is important, but your health is the most important thing. At worst, your teacher can help you repeat the year."
Zhou Xiaoming took the leave slip and held it tightly.
He bowed deeply to Old Man Xu, then turned and walked out of the office.
Old Xu watched his retreating figure, his heart filled with worry.
He sighed, picked up the phone, and dialed Zhou Xiaoming's parents' number. He decided to tell his father about the situation, hoping he would pay more attention to the child.
...
The hospital corridor lights were cold and glaring.
The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant.
Zhou Xiaoming sat on the bench by the door, his fingers unconsciously stroking the fabric of his jeans on his knees, his knuckles turning slightly white.
"Zhou Xiaoming?"
At this moment, a young doctor in a white coat walked over, holding a medical record in his hand, and asked the boy in front of him.
Zhou Xiaoming raised his head, his eyes somewhat dazed, and his lips moved slightly: "I am."
Luo Peng glanced down at the medical record, then looked up at him again, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly: "Come with me."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the examination room.
Zhou Xiaoming stood up and followed in his footsteps.
The lighting in the consultation room was much softer.
Zhou Xiaoming sat stiffly in the chair, his gaze fixed on the opposite wall, where a framed photograph hung. The photograph showed Luo Peng himself, with a man in a police uniform standing next to him, his eyes sharp as if he could see through everything.
He turned slightly to the side and stood shoulder to shoulder with Luo Peng; the two looked like old friends of many years.
Luo Peng noticed his gaze, glanced back, and then pointed to the man in the photo, saying, "Do you know who he is?"
Zhou Xiaoming shook his head.
Luo Peng explained, "His name is Bai Xiao. He is one of the top psychologists in China, as well as a criminal investigation expert. He has solved many major cases and published numerous articles on mental illness. He is an idol of all psychologists!"
"I heard he can tell a person's height and weight just by their voice. Do you believe it?"
"Anyway, I don't believe it. I've never met him."
Zhou Xiaoming paused for a moment, then asked, "Then this photo is..."
"I photoshopped it," Luo Peng said without batting an eye.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became somewhat subtle.
Zhou Xiaoming's voice carried a hint of doubt and confusion: "Why?"
Luo Peng chuckled, closed the medical record, crossed his legs, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and looked directly at Zhou Xiaoming: "Psychology, to put it bluntly, is playing psychological games. When patients see a photo of me with an expert, they will have a sense of 'reliability,' and this sense of trust will make treatment easier."
Zhou Xiaoming frowned slightly.
I had a vague feeling that this was unreliable.
"Alright, let's get back to the main topic." Luo Peng leaned back in his chair, his gaze leisurely fixed on Zhou Xiaoming. "Teacher Xu has already given me a general overview of your situation. How about this, I'll arrange some tests for you, including a complete blood count, an electrocardiogram, and a head CT scan, to see if there are any problems."
"Oh." Zhou Xiaoming nodded as if he understood, feeling a little uneasy, but he didn't say anything more, took the form and left the room.
After the examination, Zhou Xiaoming returned to the consultation room.
Luo Peng looked at the test report in his hand, remained silent for a while, and then said to him, "The test results did not find any obvious problems. It may be that you have been under too much pressure recently, which has caused some physical discomfort. I will prescribe some medicine for you first. If the situation does not improve, come back for a follow-up examination."
After speaking, Luo Peng quickly typed a few words on the computer and printed out a long prescription.
Zhou Xiaoming took the prescription and looked at the densely packed names of the medicines, which he couldn't understand, but he still followed the doctor's instructions and went to the pharmacy window.
After Zhou Xiaoming left, an intern came in. Seeing the prescription he had written, the intern asked with some confusion, "Brother Luo, why did you prescribe so many medications? Isn't he your teacher's student?"
Luo Peng raised his head, smiled slightly, and said in a relaxed tone, "Anyway, it won't kill anyone, so what's there to be afraid of? How can we meet this month's quota if we don't order more? The dean said in a meeting today that the number of patients admitted to our psychiatry department cannot be less than 5,000. Besides, even if he gets sick from the food, we'll still have our quota for next month, right?"
The intern paused for a moment, but didn't say anything more.
Luo Peng stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said meaningfully, "Xiao Deng, we eat from the same pot, the quotas belong to the collective, and the bonuses belong to the collective. Everyone else is prescribing more medicine, but you don't. Think about what will happen to you?"
The intern lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "Brother Luo, I understand. I'll go back to work now!"
Luo Peng nodded with satisfaction, then turned and sat back down in his chair.
Looking at the photos on the wall, I felt like something was missing.
After thinking for a moment, he took out a banner from the drawer and hung it up—"A Doctor's Benevolent Heart."
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