Chapter 5: You Should Pluck Up That Stretch of Sea_2

Unfortunately, just like parents in old times didn't know to get braces for their children with misaligned teeth, her parents never took her for testing, and she ended up walking the path of a real estate tycoon.

"Don't rush me to leave the hospital," said the real estate tycoon as she entered the door, "I have plenty of money, and in my household, money is just garbage."

During the rounds, she didn't answer any questions, but instead persuaded the six people: "If you don't want to try hard anymore, tell auntie, and I'll give you something even better!"

A nurse nudged a male nurse with her arm, signaling for him to go up—their relationship was obviously good.

The real estate auntie also specifically instructed Gu Ran: "Mr. Gu, compared to these people, auntie offers you another path that could make your life easier."

Gu Ran never knew he could be so handsome!

The two patients on the third floor were even more normal.

The patient in room 301 had undergone psychological surgery; if it could be said that a cure for mental illness was possible, psychological surgery was the only means.

All other therapies could only be said to "control."

The patient in room 302 was a writer who came on his own to seek admittance, claiming he suffered from 'Illusory Smell'—all the major hospitals had checked him out, his body was perfectly fine, but he kept smelling foul odors.

His treatment request was to turn 'Illusory Smell' into 'hallucination,' because it could be used as material for his writing.

Thinking the room was vacant anyway, Zhuang Jing had him taken in, no, admitted.

Although 'Illusory Smell' wasn't cured and hallucinations never appeared, the writer was very satisfied and had no intentions of checking out.

Since everyone here was mentally ill, these people were natural writing material, including some who could see hallucinations.

After finishing the rounds, the patients went to have breakfast, then they would go to the agricultural area to tend to their own planted vegetables, feed small animals, or simply take a stroll.

Su Qing, Gu Ran, and Chen Ke also went for breakfast.

Gu Ran couldn't help but pay attention to Mrs. Duanzhi, it was okay with cockroaches, rats, and the like, but he was afraid she'd chop off her own fingers again.

As for harming others, the possibility was very small.

Generally, when mentally ill patients cause trouble for others, it often leads to a relapse, making them feel worthless and that they should die, let alone causing harm deliberately.

But the real reason he felt at ease eating there was because Zhuang Jing had allowed Mrs. Duanzhi to work in the cafeteria, and he trusted Zhuang Jing's authority.

Breakfast was self-serve, and Gu Ran took seafood porridge, a dish of pickled vegetables fried with soybeans, a piece of fried egg, a corn cob, a banana, and a bottle of milk.

Chen Ke also took seafood porridge, a piece of bread, a roasted steamed bun drizzled with condensed milk, and a cup of coffee.

Su Qing just had bread and coffee.

"Don't you drink coffee?" Su Qing asked Gu Ran.

"Coffee keeps me awake," Gu Ran said.

"Didn't you drink coffee during exams?" Chen Ke couldn't help but ask.

"No," Gu Ran stirred his seafood porridge with his chopsticks, trying to find seafood in it.

Chen Ke's small oval face was full of envy.

Su Qing took a sip of her coffee, feeling bitter from her mouth all the way down to her heart.

To get into Zhuang Jing's clinic, one had to go through a selection process as difficult as crossing a single log bridge, which required much more effort than what's dubbed 'rat race,' and naturally coffee was essential.

Yet, Gu Ran rejected coffee because he was worried about sleeping issues—was his spirit that good, or was it that he had a high IQ?

Su Qing certainly didn't see any signs of high IQ in him.

"Got scammed," Gu Ran sighed, finding no seafood in his seafood porridge.

Chen Ke nodded, totally agreeing.

"Team Leader," Gu Ran looked at Su Qing, "I want to report a situation: there's no seafood in the cafeteria's seafood porridge!"

Chen Ke also stared at Su Qing, hoping for a breath of fresh air to sweep through the cafeteria.

Su Qing casually bit her bread: "You think I haven't reported it before?"

"Isn't the clinic owned by your family?" Chen Ke asked instinctively.

"It's my family's, but not mine," she said.

"No matter whose it is," Gu Ran said, "how can seafood porridge be without seafood, absurd!"

"Absurd?" Su Qing repeated.

"Absurd!"

"Not convinced?" Su Qing asked again.

"Not convinced!" Gu Ran wasn't afraid of her!

Su Qing took out her phone, dialing Zhuang Jing's number.

"Qing?" Zhuang Jing's elegant voice, tinged with a buzz, came from the phone.

Su Qing pressed the speaker button and then pushed the phone towards Gu Ran.

The moment she dialed the number, Gu Ran had already developed a psychological shadow...

"Zhuang Jing," Su Qing said seriously, "Gu Ran has something he wants to report to you."

"Oh?" From the phone, came the sound of Zhuang Jing leaning back, her body resting on the chair, "What is it?"

Su Qing glanced at Gu Ran, signaling him to speak.

Gu Ran glared back with eyes that were already ablaze; if he had learned any internal force, he would definitely smack Su Qing into the sea with a palm strike, soaking her from head to toe!

Chen Ke... She was struggling to hold back her laughter, daring not to make a sound, her face turning red.

What had to come, finally came as Gu Ran looked towards Su Qing's phone.

"Mrs. Jing, I have something to report—the cafeteria's seafood porridge doesn't have any seafood, and I suspect there might be something wrong with the cafeteria, perhaps skimping on the budget for purchasing ingredients."

Su Qing gave a thumbs-up, full of admiration, but couldn't hide her schadenfreude.

"Ha..." Chen Ke couldn't hold it in any longer as a hint of laughter escaped her lips.

She quickly covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

"About that problem..." Zhuang Jing also laughed on the other end, "let Qing talk to me."

"Team Leader!" Gu Ran quickly pushed the phone back.

"Qing, did you tell Gu Ran to report this problem?" Zhuang Jing asked.

"Mom..."

The sound of a pen tapping on a desk came through from the other end: "It's work hours."

"Zhuang Jing," Su Qing corrected herself, "I asked him multiple times, and he insisted on reporting the problem, it has nothing to do with me."

"Is it really Ran?"

"It's really him."

"Hmm, in that case, I'll have someone look into it."