Chapter 9 - Hurt by Beauty

Su Qing signed the paperwork, and the suspected person claiming to have Peeping Disorder was taken away; the bill would be sent to the police station by the accounting department.

"If this pervert comes out, and his illness hasn't improved, I'll leave him to you," Su Qing said to Gu Ran, "you have experience in this area."

Chen Ke looked at Gu Ran in astonishment.

Gu Ran warned, "Based on my years of hunting down patients, if I chase after them now, I could still catch up with the police. I advise you to speak more cautiously. "

Su Qing smiled, took out her mobile phone, her slender fingers tapping away rapidly as she typed a text.

With a distinct clicking send motion, Gu Ran's phone rang.

He took it out, facial recognition already passed, and the message content appeared.

[Qing: Should I be more cautious, or should I just mention how you were staring at my behind? Just so everyone doesn't think I have no evidence?]

Gu Ran put away his phone, his expression unchanged.

"Team leader, don't worry, if you hand this person over to me, I will definitely cure him," he promised.

Chen Ke gave Su Qing a thumbs up, thought for a moment, and then extended her thumb to Gu Ran as well.

"Go!" Gu Ran, annoyed and embarrassed, motioned to Chen Ke to 'cut out the fuss.'

Chen Ke found it amusing.

Su Qing also smiled brightly: "As a psychotherapist, I've always believed in the power of human self-growth. Mr. Gu, you have once again proven how correct my view is."

"Enough already," he said.

Giving him face, Su Qing turned to the nurses and ordered, "Airtime is over, organize the patients for light therapy."

"Yes!" the nurses nodded.

Su Qing, followed by the two new doctors, accompanied the six patients who were taken by the nurses to a special room equipped with light boxes where the patients needed to sit for more than 30 minutes.

No need for light boxes, bright morning light would suffice.

Light therapy has been remarkably effective in treating depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder, and postpartum depression.

When doing nothing but basking in the sun, the layers of trauma accumulated over the years seemed to melt away like the sludge wrapping around the soul.

Getting up early for some exercise and half an hour in the sunshine can help prevent and treat mild depression, and the effect is sometimes better than medication.

After light therapy, Gu Ran and Chen Ke meticulously inquired about each patient's condition under Su Qing's lead.

How they felt that day, when they felt uncomfortable, and when they felt relaxed.

Chatting with psychiatric patients is a meticulous and patient task. Most of the time, the inpatients are no different from normal people, but they can suddenly have an episode.

In milder cases, they could respond with a 'hmm,' an 'oh,' or not speak at all.

In more serious cases, they might have an emotional breakdown, crying uncontrollably like a child, or fall into a severe state of self-denial, more intense than a drunk person, and impossible to console.

That day, no patients had any incidents.

As the three came out from the inpatient area, it was already time to go straight to dinner.

Walking on the path, Chen Ke suddenly stopped and gazed at the distant sky.

The sun had vanished, but the glow of the sunset was still there, its brilliant radiance painting the sky red, like flowing, magnificent ribbons.

Chen Ke took out her mobile phone to take a photo, with Su Qing and Gu Ran standing behind her, a moment of tranquil time.

Upon arriving at the cafeteria and just sitting down, Chen Ke received a call from her boyfriend and had to step outside to speak.

"He's checking in," Su Qing said.

"Why couldn't it be yearning?" Gu Ran asked.

"Bet on tonight's midnight snack? If you lose, you order doughnut delivery during your night shift. Three of them."

"And if you lose?"

"I'll buy."

"Three as well?"

"Three."

"Today, you'll find out what it means to bet with a doctor!"

When Chen Ke returned, Su Qing asked her, "A call from your boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Chen Ke nodded, picking up her chopsticks and eating modestly.

"Was the call out of yearning, or was it a check-in?" Gu Ran asked.

"Huh?" Chen Ke was puzzled.

"Go with your gut," Su Qing said, "Do you feel there's more yearning, or does it lean more towards checking in?"

Chen Ke laughed, looking curiously at the two, "What's going on?"

"You first," Su Qing said.

"Well—" Chen Ke bit her chopsticks lightly, "He said he missed me, and I felt that he did too, but... there's also a sense of checking in, I suppose, half and half."

Gu Ran and Su Qing exchanged looks.

"What now?" Gu Ran asked.

Su Qing told Chen Ke, "Choose one of three: yearning, checking in, yearning while checking in."

Having spent the day together and being of similar age, Chen Ke no longer felt intimidated by the leader and playfully said, "I choose yearning plus checking in."

"Are you sure?" Su Qing asked again.

Chen Ke hesitated a bit, instinctively glancing at Gu Ran.

Sitting across from the two, Gu Ran signaled to Chen Ke with one finger cast in the shadow of his plate.

1?

"Yearning, if I think about it, there's more yearning," Chen Ke answered with a serious tone of reflection.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Ah~" Su Qing let out her first sigh since they'd met.

"Can you explain what this is all about now?" Chen Ke asked, amused.

Triumphant, Gu Ran cheerfully recounted the doughnut bet to her and then extended his fist for a fist bump.

This was the first intuitive collaboration between the same batch of doctors.

Chen Ke laughed and put out her little fist as well.

Compared to Gu Ran's manly hand, hers was really small, and even when clenched into a fist, it seemed soft.

After the fist bump, the warm, tender feeling lingered, and that's when Gu Ran realized his thoughtlessness.

After all, Chen Ke had a boyfriend; how could he have physical contact with her?

He could tell Chen Ke was also belatedly embarrassed by the contact.