Peach-Orange! – Chapter 224 – Second Diagnosis

Her head felt heavy and muddled, as if she were about to fall asleep, yet the moment she opened her eyes, her thoughts were startlingly clear.

Su Tao wasn’t sure how she had made it to morning.

The sky outside remained gloomy and gray due to the relentless thunderstorms and dark clouds. If not for a message from a nurse at the hospital, she wouldn’t have even realized morning had arrived.

The room, with its curtains drawn tight, was pitch black.

Exhausted, Su Tao sat up, rubbing her aching eyes, only to notice that it was already 9:30.

Professor Su was busy; she couldn’t keep pestering him for updates on Chi Xiaocheng’s condition.

So, she had added a nurse to her contacts, asking her to keep an eye on things.

Now….

Su Tao glanced at the message and immediately widened her eyes.

“They’re starting psychological treatment for Xiaocheng already?”

She quickly threw off the covers, got up, washed up, grabbed a piece of bread and a carton of milk, and rushed out the door.

Meanwhile, in the hospital room, Professor Su was holding a small notebook and speaking to Chi Xiaocheng.

“Miss Chi, your body has been confirmed to be in stable condition. There are some minor abnormalities in your nerves, but they aren’t significant at this stage.

“We can remove the monitoring equipment by your bed for now. However, regarding your diet, it’s best to stick to nutrient-rich porridge for the time being. We’re still unsure if your digestive system might present other issues.

“If you feel like your legs can bear weight, let me know, and I’ll arrange some simple rehabilitation exercises for you. After all, you haven’t gotten out of bed for a month. Your body needs time to readjust.”

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Listening to Professor Su’s caring words, Chi Xiaocheng nodded obediently.

“I understand. Thank you, Dr. Su.”

Hearing the slightly distant address of “Dr. Su,” Professor Su could only sigh inwardly.

He continued, “However, there’s one more diagnosis scheduled for today. We also need to assess your psychological state. Two psychologists will be asking you some questions about your daily life later. Just answer them casually.”

“Okay~”

Professor Su gave a small nod and left the room.

This joint diagnosis by the two psychologists wasn’t just about confirming whether Chi Xiaocheng had psychological issues. Their main task was to use casual conversation to determine the exact nature of her scrambled memories.

Which memories had she lost? Which ones had been altered?

One thing was certain: the timeline of the memory disruption was definitely after she started university, up until last month when she was shot.

Only the memories from this semester were affected.

As for her emotional numbness and detachment, those would require further analysis after the diagnosis.

The first to enter was Dr. Chen, who specialized in using seemingly mundane conversations to gradually guide the topic while observing the patient’s expressions, tone, micro-expressions, and subconscious movements to assess their true condition.

Was she lying? Were there any unusual symptoms?

So, the moment he stepped into the room, Dr. Chen wore a warm, spring-like smile. He closed the door and the window but left the curtains open. The thunder was muffled, and the sound of rain pattering against the glass was soothing and pleasant.

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By creating a private space for just the two of them, he aimed to increase her sense of security while lowering her subconscious guard.

Most people instinctively disliked psychologists.

No one wanted to admit they had psychological issues.

The mere fact that someone needed to see a psychologist was enough to plant that seed of doubt in their mind.

After setting the stage, Dr. Chen pulled up a chair and sat by Chi Xiaocheng’s bed.

“Nice to see you again, Miss Chi. Do you remember me? We met at the university.”

“Of course I remember,” Chi Xiaocheng replied smoothly. “During the school’s mental health event, you and Dr. Lin were the ones who evaluated me.”

Dr. Chen laughed heartily, as if reminiscing.

“Ah, yes. After evaluating student after student, I was genuinely surprised when it was your turn. Despite our age difference, you ended up being the person I could chat with most comfortably.”

But then, he noticed Chi Xiaocheng blinking in confusion.

“That’s not right, Dr. Chen. I actually cut in line to get evaluated by you. Dongfang Yang was the one who let me skip ahead.”

Dr. Chen rubbed his temples in mild frustration.

“Was that how it happened? I must be getting forgetful in my old age.”

“Nonsense! You’re not old at all, Dr. Chen. You’re still young!”

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“Haha, thank you. By the way, Miss Chi, do you remember what I told you last time? I mentioned I’d found out what happened afterward, and it was hilarious.…”

Time passed slowly as Dr. Chen deftly steered the conversation.

From that “hilarious follow-up,” he gradually linked the discussion to various events in Chi Xiaocheng’s life. Soon, he transitioned from storyteller to listener.

Every time Chi Xiaocheng shared something, he provided ample emotional validation and feedback before casually probing for more details.

He listened to her talk about happy memories, frustrations, and little by little, extracted her recollections in the form of casual chatter.

Throughout the entire process, Chi Xiaocheng never sensed anything amiss.

It felt like two old friends catching up after a long time.

No alcohol was involved, but the mutual griping about life never stopped.

Dr. Chen kept perfect track of time. After exactly an hour, once Chi Xiaocheng started sounding tired, he smoothly wrapped up the conversation.

“Rest for now. We can continue this later. I should go and ‘humor’ the other doctors for a bit.”

With that playful remark, Dr. Chen left the room.

By not overstaying his welcome and maintaining a slight distance, he ensured that future sessions would feel fresh and effortless.

Thirty minutes later, Dr. Lin took over.

Her approach was more direct. Though still pleasant, she carried herself more like a doctor than a friend.

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She guided, questioned, and occasionally threw in abrupt topics to catch Chi Xiaocheng off guard.

At one point, she even played a game of “answer without thinking” with her.

The rule was simple: when asked a question, you had to respond within three seconds without hesitation. The loser had to draw two turtles on Si Chen’s face with a marker.

Naturally, Dr. Lin “lost” in the end.

But thanks to the games and conversations, the two doctors slowly pieced together the fragments of Chi Xiaocheng’s scrambled memories.

By noon, when Su Tao arrived at the hospital, the two were still in the office, comparing notes and synthesizing their findings.

They told Professor Su they’d wait until Si Chen arrived in the afternoon before discussing the results together.

Another agonizing wait.

Su Tao had already waited a full day and night. She was desperate to know what was really going on with Chi Xiaocheng.

She wanted to understand how to treat her.

She wanted to know… whether Chi Xiaocheng truly hated her now.

Even though they were in the same hospital, just an elevator ride and a few floors apart, she was told it was better to avoid seeing her for the sake of her emotional state.

‘But I waited for a month!’

‘Through her death and resurrection, through all that longing, I just want to see her!’