Lin Yitian, The Mentally Ill CEO (1)

"I'm home!"

After a busy day at the company, Lin Yitian went home, bringing a box of pastries and a bouquet of tulips. He barely stepped inside the living room when the sound of footsteps was heard, 'don, don, don,' and a small and chubby figure launched himself at his legs.

"Dada!"

Lin Yitian laughed. He picked up Baby Lin by the armpits and lifted the small toddler up.

The two people stared at each other, one small and one big, their eyes curved into crescents.

Baby Lin was only wearing a diaper. He kicked his chubby legs and pursed his lips. Lin Yitian kissed his cheek before dumping him back on the ground and tousling his hair.

Baby Lin saw the box of donuts. Immediately his hands reached for them, but Lin Yitian stopped his wrists.

"Did you wash your hands?" he asked him with an extremely serious look.

Baby Lin thought about it and shook his head. He scampered away, his butt shaking, towards the kitchen. He barrelled into Song Jia and lifted his arms, "Wash hands, wash hands!"

The words were unintelligible, but Song Jia understood.

Lin Yitian watched as Song Jia shook her head and lifted Baby Lin to sit on the sink. She patiently taught him how to wash his hands, playfully sprinkling him with water on the face afterwards. Their laughter floated towards the living room, where Lin Yitian waited for them. The corners of his lips curled upwards.

Song Jia wiped their hands dry with a hand towel and came towards him. "You're back?"

Lin Yitian nodded his head, a barely 'hmm-mm' coming out of his lips. He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Jia, I'm back. Did you miss me?"

Song Jia smacked him. "Who did you say missed you? You barely go to the company, always sticking by my side. Do you think I have nothing else to do but think about you all day? Xiao Hua is already handful, and Little Melon is always doing something troublesome!"

Little Melon, also known as Baby Lin, was digging into the box of donuts and had already chomped into two of them when he heard his name. He blinked his eyes at his mother. Because he didn't have a full set of baby teeth yet, the donuts were still intact. His tender mouth was coated with crumbs and sugar.

"Just look at him!" With a sigh of exasperation and amusement, Song Jia wiped away Baby Lin's mouth. She picked him up, taking away the donuts from his hands.

Baby Lin saw that there was nothing to chew on, and his little face scrunched up immediately. His small hands squeezed into fists, saliva dribbled out of his mouth, and his tender cheeks puffed up. But Baby Lin didn't cry. He only kicked his chubby legs excitedly, wriggling his small body in Song Jia's embrace.

Lin Yitian laughed as he watched them. He took away Baby Lin and asked, "Where's Xiao Hua?"

His little daughter was already four years old, and she was going to attend kindergarten soon. Lin Yitian actually wanted her to be homeschooled, as he didn't want his daughter to stay too much outside the house. But Song Jia overruled him, saying that he was being a tiger mom [1].

Lin Yitian, "..."

"In her room, playing with her dolls. She applied make-up on Baby Lin earlier, I snapped a picture of it on my phone."

Song Jia giggled and showed Lin Yitian her phone, on which a picture of Baby Lin sitting on his buttocks was seen. His large eyes looked dazed and confused, and his face was painted with different colors. There was even a yellow wig on top of his head. His powerful little hand was grabbing a colored pencil and was waving it in the air, like a sword.

With a 'puchi,' Lin Yitian started laughing. Baby Lin blankly gazed at his father who was holding his stomach. Although Baby Lin didn't know what was funny, his eyes sparkled and he also laughed, spitting bubbles. Song Jia looked at his son who was copying his father and her lips had an upward tilt.

The laughter of the happy family echoed within the house, and was carried on by the wind, drifting outside with a trace of warmth before it slowly dissipated in the air.

...

"Hey, that patient there. Who is he? He's very handsome."

The nurse whispered to her older colleague, her eyes fixated on the tall man wearing pajamas and was staring at a cluster of tulips in the hospital garden.

"Oh, that's CEO Lin. Don't you know him? He's the second young master of the Lin family who was diagnosed with autism. I heard from the other nurses that he hasn't been eating and drinking for a day ever since he had been admitted."

"Does no one visit him?"

"I think his mother does, and sometimes a middle-aged uncle also comes, calling him 'second young master'. I've never seen his father and older brother come to visit though. But you couldn't blame them for this, that patient has never responded to any of their questions. He has totally closed himself in his own world."

The other nurse smiled wistfully. "He always had a constant smile in his face. I think in his world, he must be very happy."

"Whether or not he's happy, it's a bit pitiful seeing him like this. He's so young. I also heard that he was very rich. Can't the doctors treat him? Wasn't there a renowned psychiatrist who joined our hospital recently?"

"Why do you think he joined us? Of course, it was to treat CEO Lin. But CEO Lin doesn't seem willing to come back to reality. I heard that he had a fiancée he loved very much. When she died, it was as if the mental pillar that supported him also collapsed. The moment she died, he became like this."

[1] Ch. idiom for a strict disciplinarian mother who demands high achievement from her children and maintains control of their activities