Mad Dog

Chapter 49: Healing – Having a boyfriend who spoils her like this

In March, when spring flowers bloomed, Jiang Qi had just completed his first treatment course at the hospital.

Dr. Liu Yong, after assessing Jiang Qi’s recent examination reports and psychological tests from the past few months, smiled at the young man sitting across the table and said, “Congratulations, you can be discharged. Just continue taking your medication.”

To be honest, when Jiang Qi arrived at the hospital, he was classified as suffering from ‘severe depression and bipolar disorder.’ He thought it would take at least two treatment courses for his mood to stabilize, but to his surprise, after just one course, his evaluation report showed he was ready for discharge.

This outcome was not solely due to the hospital’s treatment; the patient’s own mindset played a significant role.

“Jiang Qi, I’m quite curious,” Liu Yong interlaced his fingers, asking with great interest, “Three months ago, your mindset was very irritable, cynical, and even had tendencies for self-harm. Why, in such a short period, have these emotions almost disappeared? May I ask what the turning point was?”

As doctors specializing in neuropsychology, they needed to be concerned and curious about their patients’ daily lives—this information was valuable for future treatments and research.

Jiang Qi thought for a moment and answered seriously, “Was falling in love a turning point?”

His ‘turning point’ was just Zhi Qi.

…

At the same time, Chen Yong suddenly remembered the little girl who often came to find Jiang Qi.

Indeed, he should have thought of that sooner.

The things that can heal a man usually fall into three categories: love, family, and career.

If one of these can be fully satisfied, a person’s state of mind can change drastically.

Chen Yong also knew that this patient had once been a popular star, a rising star, but he felt there were still some things he needed to remind him of.

“After you’re discharged…” Chen Yong hesitated and asked, “What kind of work do you plan to do?”

Jiang Qi didn’t expect the attending physician to chat with him casually, but after a moment of surprise, he answered openly, “I’ll fix cars.”

During his labor in prison, he had to do a lot of heavy work that required no skills, but sometimes he could apply to learn some specialized technical skills to earn a living after being released.

Fixing cars was a ‘skill’ Jiang Qi had learned at that time.

Chen Yong nodded, feeling relieved. In fact, there were things he didn’t explicitly say, but he was glad this young man had a plan.

Given Jiang Qi’s current mental state, returning to the entertainment industry—a place full of intrigue—was clearly not suitable for him.

Although working on cars was hard and tiring, at least it wouldn’t involve so much scheming. He could earn money through his own strength, which would allow him to eat well and sleep soundly.

“Then…” Chen Yong paused and nodded with a smile, “Make sure to take your medication after discharge. I hope that after a while, you won’t need to take any medication at all.”

This could be considered the most sincere blessing a doctor could give a patient.

Zhi Qi’s school had already started at this time. Her major was special, and she was running around with the experimental group in a remote area of Qinghai—reportedly to observe the living habits of Tibetan antelope.

After Jiang Qi sent her a message informing her of his discharge, he returned to his hospital room to pack his ‘luggage’ from this time.

To be honest, at the beginning, he was somewhat reluctant to stay in the hospital as Zhi Qi had suggested.

In Jiang Qi’s understanding, only patients with serious illnesses or lonely elderly people would come to such a rehabilitation center for observation. Why should he be here?

But the doctor’s words had pushed back his dissatisfaction and frustration—

He said, “How do you know you’re not a seriously ill patient?”

Indeed.

He himself was not free from illness, but now it could no longer be considered ‘serious.’

Jiang Qi drove back to his apartment in the East District. The first feeling upon entering a house that had been unoccupied for two months was a ‘heavy dustiness.’ He frowned and cleaned inside and out until the place was bright again, just as Zhi Qi’s phone call came in.

“I just finished here,” the girl sounded tired, her voice languid. “Have you gone home?”

“I’m back.” Jiang Qi paused while holding the mop, softening his tone as much as possible. “Are you very tired?”

He had heard Zhi Qi talk about the process of her school’s group field investigation, which was often arduous and exhausting. Sometimes they even had to climb mountains all day or camp on the grass.

“Super tired.” Zhi Qi’s lazy voice seemed to pout. “But it was also very interesting. We even went to the sheep shed to experience the process of milking. Ugh, that fresh sheep’s milk is really awful, too gamey.”

Since she was a child, she had never liked drinking various types of pure milk—except yogurt, milk tea, and fruit-flavored milk.

Jiang Qi couldn’t help but smile: “So where are you staying tonight?”

“We still have to camp outside, sleeping in sleeping bags.” Zhi Qi’s voice didn’t sound displeased at all; rather, she seemed quite cheerful. “But looking at the stars lying on the grass is especially beautiful. Here, the sky is full of stars, completely different from Lin Lan. I’ll take a picture for you.”

The little girl was impulsive and hung up right after she finished.

Not long after, Jiang Qi received a high-definition photo she took, filled with countless stars that dazzled the eyes.

Jiang Qi replied seriously: [It looks beautiful.]

Zhi Qi replied: [It would be great if I could watch the stars with you.]

The little girl was a master of sweet talk, effortlessly making the boy’s heart ripple.

Why… couldn’t they watch together?

In any case, he had just been discharged, and the ‘parole period’ after being released from prison was over a year ago. He was now in a state where he could go wherever he wanted.

Thus, he could naturally go to Qinghai to find Zhi Qi.

Although after undergoing a treatment course and settling various compensations, there was hardly any money left in his bank card, Jiang Qi was inherently a carefree person. He was spontaneous and decided to book a ticket to Qinghai immediately.

He would figure out how to make money later.

After booking the flight to Qinghai for the next morning, Jiang Qi texted Zhi Qi: [Zhi Qi, send me your location.]

After a while, Zhi Qi sent him a location address and then asked: [What do you need this for? Don’t worry about me.]

Jiang Qi smiled and replied: [I want to come find you.]

…

After a moment of silence on her end, a few rows of question marks came back.

Jiang Qi was immediately confused. He wasn’t sure if the girl was upset by her response and after a while, could only reply with a ‘?’.

Then Zhi Qi called him, sounding both amused and helpless: “Why are you coming here? We can go back the day after tomorrow.”

“It’s nothing.” Jiang Qi wasn’t afraid of trouble and replied earnestly: “I want to watch the stars with you.”

Zhi Qi on the other end suddenly didn’t know what to say. Had she known Jiang Qi would so unconditionally accommodate her and even buy a ticket just because of a casual joke, she wouldn’t have thought of saying anything.

But saying something she shouldn’t have, having such a boyfriend who indulged her to the heavens was truly… incredibly nice.

So Zhi Qi hesitated for only a minute before laughing and letting it go.

“You’re right, we can watch together, and we can also have a couple more days of fun in Qinghai.” Zhi Qi made a childish ‘mua’ sound into the phone: “I’ll wait for you!”

After the surprise this morning, Zhi Qi continued to be sweet with Jiang Qi for a while before hanging up.

The other girls in the tent watched Zhi Qi smiling sweetly and teased her knowingly, “Are you on the phone with your boyfriend?”

“Yeah.” After falling in love, Zhi Qi began to understand the mindset of those who liked to show off their affection. For instance, at that moment, she couldn’t help but boast: “He said he’s coming to Qinghai tomorrow.”

“Hehe.” The girl smiled meaningfully upon hearing this. “What’s he coming to find you for?”

“I told him that the stars in Qinghai are abundant.” Zhi Qi looked up at the transparent top of the tent, her dark eyes filled with starlight, leaning innocently against her shoulder. “He said he wants to watch the stars with me.”

“Seriously, do you really believe that?” The girl laughed so hard that she nearly fell over, doubling over in laughter. “Baby, how can you be so naive?”

…

Zhi Qi completely didn’t understand what she meant, her big eyes filled with confusion.

“Ah, really.” The girl seemed a little embarrassed to say more, only raising an eyebrow playfully. “When I leave tomorrow, I’ll let you two have the tent.”

If Zhi Qi still didn’t understand what she was hinting at, she would be a fool.

The little girl froze for a moment, her face suddenly flushed, looking at the girl with watery eyes as she stammered, “Ying… Yingying, what nonsense are you talking about?”

“Where am I talking nonsense? We’re all adults here.” Wu Ying shrugged and smiled at her with narrowed eyes. “Honestly, how far have you and your boyfriend gone?”

“What are you talking about?” Zhi Qi

couldn’t help but retort, feigning annoyance. “Don’t say that!”

“Hey, why are you so shy?” Wu Ying was very gossipy, her shoulder constantly shaking with laughter. “Come on, just say it.”

“Uh, um…” Zhi Qi dodged her gaze, her voice barely audible, “We’ve just kissed.”

“Seriously?!” Wu Ying’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You haven’t done anything else?”

Boys in their early twenties are usually the most sexually active, and especially when the girlfriend is as beautiful and well-endowed as Zhi Qi. Just looking at Zhi Qi’s slender waist made Wu Ying feel a little weak; how could her boyfriend possibly resist?

Zhi Qi pouted: “Why would I lie to you?”

“Not that, I’m just curious how your boyfriend can resist…” Wu Ying said candidly. “My boyfriend can’t help but touch me whenever he sees me, looks like not all guys are like that. Your boyfriend treats you really well! I have to tell you, that kind of thing is actually quite nice; it’s a completely different feeling.”

“Ah.” Zhi Qi covered her ears, curling up like a snail, unwilling to continue discussing the topic. “Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

But her fair cheeks were still somewhat flushed.

Wu Ying’s earlier words made the innocent girl, who had never considered such matters, feel a bit restless.

With Jiang Qi, that, that? Oh my god, just thinking about it felt overwhelming.

Zhi Qi was not a pretentious girl; it was just that after so many years of being single, she had never even watched a little H film, making it hard for her to imagine that kind of thing.

The little girl felt both shy and embarrassed, unable to help but pull her sleeping bag over her head.