Chapter 18. Dr. Xu
Across the ocean, morning in New York City.
A man was standing in front of a row of floor-to-ceiling windows. He was wearing a beige thin sweater and khaki casual trousers, and his back looked soft and gentle.
Behind him is a comfortably and warmly decorated office. The well-lit space is dotted with several pots of vibrant green plants with large leaves, and several blue decorative paintings are hung on the wall in an orderly manner.
Suddenly, there were two knocks on the door, and the man standing in front of the window slowly turned around.
He was in his early thirties, with delicate features and clean-cut eyebrows. He had the gentle lines of a typical East Asian, but his hair and eyes were light-colored. When his eyes met the visitor's, they were tolerant and calm, like a still lake, capable of subconsciously lowering one's guard.
The blonde assistant was leaning against the doorway with a smile on her face, her right hand raised and the knuckles slightly bent.
"Dr. Xu, you have an unread email from the ount you've specially flagged. "
(Dr. Xu, you have an email from an account that you are particularly interested in.)
"Thanks Ba, I'll check it right now."
(Thank you, I'll check it now.)
Xu Yichen smiled at her gently. The morning light shone on his wheat-colored skin, and his smile was dazzling.
Turning back to the desk, I heard Ba say half-jokingly:
"Doctor Xu, you need to stop smiling like that. You don't know how many patients I have today are asking for your personal contact information."
He just thought it was a joke and without any hesitation, he half-leaned his long arms to the table and turned on the computer, revealing a muscular wrist from his slightly rolled-up sleeves.
The latest email comes from kf504415N001451E.
He clicked it, read it quickly, and then checked the attached photos.
It's a medicine bottle.
Zooming in and checking the name of the medicine on the bottle, Xu Yichen's brows slowly furrowed.
Ba couldn't help but ask, "Has this email been contacting you frequently in the past few months, and is it still about the Chinese patient with ESRD?"
ESRD, Emotional Suppression Response Disorder.
Emotional blockade stress disorder.
It is a complex emotional blocking disorder, and common triggers include sudden major emotional trauma such as the breakdown of intimate relationships and the death of loved ones.
The specific manifestation is that the patient isolates himself for a long time, gradually loses the natural outlet of emotions, and suppresses emotions such as sadness, anger, and longing, so it is also called emotional closure.
The patient may appear indifferent and emotionally numb on the surface, but there is a huge undercurrent of emotions tearing at his heart. What's worse, he may have severe self-attack and self-destructive tendencies.
"Hmm..." Xu Yichen nodded solemnly, "It's him. And the bad news is, according to the latest description sent by our partner and the medication he's taking, his ESRD has now entered a more serious stage."
"Ba, could you get me his file? It's in the bookshelf drawer, probably on the top shelf."
"Of course."
The assistant brought a brown paper bag and placed it on his desk.
On the bag was written the name, date, and number in black ink.
Leo Yi/ 15.11.2019/ REF0001.
Xu Yichen took out all the information in the file bag, which was a thick stack of papers, some new and some old.
Some of the ink on the bottom paper has faded and started to turn yellow, while the top paper is brand new white.
There were two photos tucked into the top sheet of paper.
One was a boy's school ID photo. The boy in the photo had handsome features, round, smiling eyes staring directly at the camera, and a deep dimple on the right side. His hair was combed upwards from his forehead, and his features were strikingly reminiscent of a handsome young man from the golden age of Hong Kong films.
He held the other one in his hand.
Ba was somewhat surprised to find a flash of tenderness between her boss's usually calm brows. She blinked and looked again, but it seemed to have disappeared again.
*
The first time Xu Yichen saw the boy was in the bleak late autumn six years ago.
In November in New York City, the sky is often gray, and golden, orange and red fallen leaves cover the streets and fall on red brick buildings and wrought iron stairs. The whole city looks like a solemn oil painting.
Xu Yichen, wearing a long black windbreaker, was walking hurriedly across Central Park on his way to the psychological clinic on the A University campus.
Two days ago, he received a call from his senior who was a campus counselor at University A:
"Ethan, we have a difficult case here. It's a Chinese student who just enrolled this year. His symptoms are quite severe and he's very resistant to communication. We think using his native language might be helpful. Are you willing to take this case?"
Xu Yichen thought about it for a moment and agreed.
He is a graduate student in the Department of Psychology and is in his final year of studies. The professors encourage them to participate in more practical diagnosis and treatment projects, so there should be no problem on the school's side.
Another point is his little selfishness.
At the age of three, his parents brought him to the United States, where his life changed dramatically. Through all the ups and downs, good and bad, he was always curious about the possibilities of life.
What are children who grew up in China like? What would it be like if I grew up in China?
Taking a closer look at the life of this Chinese student may give you an answer.
He agreed, and the senior on the other end of the phone was visibly relieved.
“Thanks a lot Ethan, you saved my ass! I’ll give you his resume.”
After hanging up the phone, Xu Yichen opened the PDF sent by his senior.
The sunny ID photo in the upper left corner immediately caught his attention.
But when they met, the person who pushed open the door of the psychological clinic of University A was a pale boy who was so thin that his eyes were almost sunken. He looked almost nothing like the person in the photo.
*
The first consultation did not go well.
Only when he started speaking Chinese did the boy's eyes flash slightly.
"Hello Leo, my name is Ethan, and my Chinese name is Xu Yichen. From today on, I will be your psychological counselor."
"Hello, I'm Yi Lingjia."
The rest of the time, the other party returned to silence.
He locked himself in a solid shell, not even making eye contact with others.
Very typical ESRD symptoms, consistent with the description of Yi Lingjia's psychological test form sent to him by his senior.
Yi Lingjia sat quietly on the gray sofa in the clinic. His thin shoulders could not support the clothes on his body. He was almost completely sunken into the soft sofa, like a lifeless and still picture, with only a cup of hot tea in his hand emitting a wisp of steam.
He stroked a black rubber band on his wrist, which had a red and white lighthouse pendant on it.
Xu Yichen tried to talk to him several times:
"Would you like to talk to me about your recent sleep disturbances?" This was what was mentioned on his test form.
"Do you have any songs you like to listen to?" Music therapy is also a common method used by psychology to help patients open up their hearts.
No answer was received.
Xu Yichen put down the pen and the notebook he was about to take notes in, and sat quietly with him.
I don't know when it started to drizzle outside the window, and golden leaves fell slowly mixed with rain.
The sky turned from gray to dark, and the whole city was filled with autumn atmosphere, cold and bleak, just like the pale and silent boy sitting on the gray sofa at this moment.
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