By the time they arrived, most hospital departments had already closed for the day. The cavernous outpatient hall felt desolate and unnervingly quiet. The moment Lingyun stepped inside, she was hit by a palpable chill in the air mixed with the pungent sting of disinfectant, causing a slight psychological discomfort.
The two tall men naturally took longer strides, quickly outpacing her. Left trailing behind in the echoing space, the inevitable urban legends whispered about haunted hospitals surfaced in her mind. The eerie atmosphere pricked at her nerves, sending a shiver of apprehension down her spine.
Gao Muyang, perceptive as ever, noticed her lagging and the subtle tension in her posture. He deliberately slowed his pace, pausing ahead to wait for her to catch up so they could walk side-by-side. Ye Tianzong shot them a look brimming with amused speculation before striding ahead to his consultation room door. He pulled out a set of cold, hard keys and unlocked it.
Chu Lingyun paused, her gaze lifting to the bold characters above the doorframe: "Psychiatry Department." A flicker of hesitation crossed her face, but she steeled herself and followed them inside. Hyper-vigilance was practically an occupational hazard for detectives; her brief pause didn't escape Gao Muyang's notice, and his mind instantly began dissecting it, searching for hidden meanings.
Once Lingyun settled onto the cool, smooth leather couch, Ye Tianzong dimmed the glaring overhead fluorescent lights. He then held up a pendulum watch, its rhythmic *tick-tock, tick-tock* filling the room, providing a steady, hypnotic background cadence.
Ye Tianzong began speaking in a voice meticulously calibrated for calmness and reassurance, a tone honed to perfection. He guided Lingyun through the process, encouraging her agitated and fearful mind to gradually unwind. Then, methodically, he instructed her to tense and then release each part of her body, starting from her toes upwards, promoting deeper levels of relaxation.
This technique was standard for hypnosis and treating insomnia, but Ye Tianzong wielded it like a virtuoso musician. His execution was flawless, an artistic performance of psychological influence. Under his masterful guidance, the hypnotic effect should have been profound and immediate.
As time dripped by, someone did indeed slip into a deep sleep. Unfortunately, it wasn't Chu Lingyun. It was Gao Muyang, who had been sitting quietly on a row of chairs nearby, waiting patiently. The cumulative fatigue from the arson investigation, combined with the insidious pressure of Ye Tianzong's expert hypnosis, proved overwhelming. His heavy body slumped gradually against the smooth metal frame of the chair.
Then, with a sudden, resounding **THUD**, his unconscious form slid completely off the chair and crashed heavily onto the floor. The violent noise and shock jolted Chu Lingyun. Her eyes snapped wide open instantly. The meticulously crafted hypnosis session was shattered, an utter failure!
This unforeseen calamity visibly stunned the esteemed psychiatrist. In his illustrious career at this top-tier hospital, no patient had ever resisted his potent hypnotic induction for more than ten minutes. Chu Lingyun was unprecedented. She was the first.
Even Gao Muyang, a trained detective conditioned to maintain constant alertness, had succumbed. Yet Lingyun seemed utterly immune, maintaining a clear-headed awareness throughout. It was genuinely bizarre, a medical anomaly.
Ye Tianzong hailed from a prestigious medical dynasty, steeped in generations of knowledge. He was tall, strikingly handsome, undeniably wealthy, and his medical skills were nothing short of exceptional. Both he and the cases he handled were treated like meticulously crafted, unparalleled works of art.
A graduate of the most elite medical school, his academic credentials were impeccable. Barely into his thirties, he had already risen to become an Associate Chief Physician at a top-tier hospital, the youngest medical prodigy in the institution's history.
His name, "Tianzong," truly reflected his essence – signifying both a "heaven-sent genius" and a "natural charmer." Yet, who could have predicted that today, he would encounter the most humiliating defeat of his career – a spectacular failure delivered by none other than Chu Lingyun.
Rubbing her eyes, Lingyun delivered the final, casual blow: "Huh? That didn't work at all! I was wide awake the whole time. Didn't feel sleepy for a second!" Her offhand remark struck Ye Tianzong like a physical blow. He nearly choked, a phantom taste of blood in his mouth. *'Cough up blood' indeed.*
Gao Muyang, meanwhile, was picking himself up off the floor, dazed and rubbing his sore arm. "What the hell just happened, Tianzong? You were supposed to hypnotize *her*, not me! And you call yourself a renowned doctor?!" His grumbled complaint, oblivious to his friend's rapidly darkening expression, was pure salt rubbed deep into Ye Tianzong's wounded professional pride. Tianzong thought bitterly: *I should never have taken this case. This is pure self-sabotage. My reputation! And as a man, I can't even admit incompetence. These two are my personal karmic retribution. Absolutely infuriating!* Fuming, chilled, trembling with frustration.
Simultaneously, a fierce, competitive spark ignited within him. This woman was extraordinary. To remain so lucid and calm under deep hypnosis… he found himself intensely curious about the very structure of her mind. Unwittingly, she had become his newest professional challenge, an unconquered peak he felt compelled to scale. His gaze fixed on the girl as she rose from the medical couch. Something deep and unfathomable stirred in his eyes, and a dangerous, barely perceptible curve touched the corner of his lips. He thrived on complex, difficult challenges. Because they were… *interesting*.
Within the hospital, he was accustomed to adoration. Numerous nurses and junior doctors harbored crushes, some even pursuing him openly. He basked in the adulation, yet he found them invariably dull, vapid – utterly incapable of sparking his interest.
But this encounter with Lingyun felt different. This renowned, seemingly untouchable "high-altitude flower" felt an unexpected tremor. His long-dormant heart gave a sudden, violent thump, a sensation so alien it startled even him. *Is this… defeat?* he wondered sardonically. He quickly informed them the session was a bust. He didn't know why, but Chu Lingyun seemed fundamentally immune to hypnosis. She simply couldn't enter the required state. Perhaps they just had to wait for a natural dream cycle and try to interpret the information then.
With hypnosis failing yet again, the atmosphere in the room thickened, becoming heavy with unspoken tension and frustration. Lingyun, adept at reading subtle shifts, sensed the change immediately. She snapped her mouth shut, looking abashed, and silently bent down to put her shoes back on, preparing to leave and go home.
Ye Tianzong watched her movements intently, his gaze inscrutable and profound, harboring emotions too complex and elusive to decipher.
Gao Muyang leaned casually against the doorframe, the posture accentuating his long legs and well-defined silhouette. As Lingyun finished tying her laces and looked up, his tall, imposing figure filled her vision. Her heart skipped a beat. Immediately, she chastised herself internally: *You hopeless girl! Getting distracted again? Led astray by good looks! Pathetic!* It was true; Muyang's undeniable attractiveness was a significant, unspoken factor in her willingness to help him so readily. Exhausted as she was, at least she'd gotten her fill of handsome scenery today.
Gao Muyang, for his part, was thinking the case was stalled for the day. They'd have to regroup tomorrow. Besides, both Lingyun and Tianzong had put in considerable effort; he really ought to show some appreciation.
He proposed treating them to a late-night snack, a small token for their trouble. Ye Tianzong, however, declined without hesitation. He was thoroughly aggravated, his mood soured beyond repair. The only thing he craved was the oblivion of sleep in his own bed.
Gao Muyang respected his decision and didn't press. He decided to take just Lingyun out for barbecue (*shaokao*). Partly, he still hoped to gently coax more information from her about her dreams or resistance. More pressingly, with the night deepening, the thought of her walking home alone through the dark streets filled him with genuine unease.
So, Muyang and Lingyun parted ways with Ye Tianzong.
As they left, Lingyun couldn't shake the distinct sensation of a pair of intense eyes burning into her back. Yet, when she glanced over her shoulder, she only saw Dr. Ye busily tidying medication bottles, seemingly absorbed in his task. Lingyun shook her head slightly, perplexed. *Was it just my overactive imagination playing tricks?*
But she couldn't dwell on it. Her mind was now utterly consumed by visions of the vibrant, smoky, deliciously greasy world of the street barbecue stall. She vowed silently: *Tonight, I will eat like a force of nature. I will devour everything in sight. I will eat until the sky falls and the earth cracks!...* She was determined to bankrupt Gao Muyang, to make his wallet hemorrhage copiously. It was the only fitting revenge for putting her through this ordeal! He *deserved* to pay.
Just imagining the skewers sizzling and turning golden-brown over the coals, the fat crackling and hissing as it dripped onto the flames, sending up sparks amidst the intoxicating mingling of charcoal smoke and roasted meat aroma… it was enough to make Chu Lingyun's mouth water uncontrollably. She was practically vibrating with anticipation, ready to descend upon the feast and indulge in a glorious, unrestrained carnivore's banquet.
The next moment, they arrived. They ordered a table groaning under the weight of dishes. The warm, yellow glow of the stall's lights cast a rosy hue on Lingyun's cheeks, while shifting shadows danced playfully across her face.
Gao Muyang found himself momentarily captivated. She looked utterly adorable, attacking the skewers with gusto, her cheeks puffed out like a well-stuffed hamster, her eyes shining with pure, unadulterated food lust.
He felt an almost irresistible urge to poke her cheek or pinch the plumpness, but he didn't dare act on it. Instead, he resorted to repeatedly snatching skewers from the pile accumulating in front of Lingyun, deliberately provoking her, enjoying the spark of annoyance he ignited.
Predictably, even a hamster will bite when its food is threatened. "Hey!" Lingyun protested, her mouth still full, munching furiously. "What are you doing? These are *mine*! I ordered them! If you want some, order your own! Stop stealing mine!" She frowned, pouted, and protectively spread her arms over her precious skewers, the very picture of a small creature fiercely guarding its meal. The sight melted something inside Gao Muyang.
His eyes brimmed with laughter as he retorted, "Tell me, which single skewer on this table *didn't* I pay for? And yet you won't let me eat *any*, while you're busy stuffing your face and eyeing up the rest?" He gestured towards the skewers still cooking over the coals.