Chapter 42 – Wait For You To Jump Over The Wall In Desperation

This affair was so simple that Hao Ritian could figure out who'd been behind it without much thought. Who else besides Yu Hao's aunt and uncle would know that Yu Hao was haunted by the colour red and traffic accidents? Who else could put forward a plan to have the three people masquerading as patients purposefully act like this in his presence to provoke him?

Zheng Yue was a conspirator.

Every patient in this finely-established psychiatric hospital wore a blue-and-white striped uniform with no pockets. If Zheng Yue wasn't a conspirator, then from where did that patient get a red handkerchief when there was basically no place else he could've gotten it?

Red was such an overly bright colour, and who knew when it might inadvertently stimulate the patients? Not to mention, the effect that the colour red had on Yu Hao should've been clearly noted down in his records during the comprehensive consultation of his situation when he was admitted into the hospital. Under such circumstances, how could the hospital deliberately use the colour red to provoke him?

Hao Ritian assessed his body and found nothing wrong. His mind was also much clearer. His lack of control on being provoked must've been this body's conditioned response, and since only a short time had passed since he'd crossed over into this body, he wasn't yet able to completely control this mental incitation, which was why he'd fallen for the trap.

They're pretty capable. They'd actually caused him to have such a big fall. Hao Ritian smiled chillingly.

On the flip side though, Zheng Yue had become unstable because of his repeated goading and disdain, as evidenced by Zheng Yue's eagerness to take action against him. Furthermore, that trio of fake patients could no longer stay with him in accordance with the plan, and they had instead been separated and placed into different wards. Judging from their downcast mental states today, he could see they'd been tormented all night long. Under such severe mental pressure, it was unsurprising that they'd so rashly and impatiently take action.

To Hao Ritian, this was also, to a certain extent, a success.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching the door. Hao Ritian recalled that he'd seen a nurse run out to call someone when he opened his eyes moments ago. Realising that someone was coming, he didn't feign sleep and just vacantly watched the door.

The door hadn't been locked and was only loosely shut. Followed by hushed voices in conversation, the door opened and two people entered—Li Yi and Tan Xi. Hao Ritian's blank expression didn't change, but a thought soon entered his mind: This incident isn't all bad.

At the very least, Li Yi, who'd been suspicious of him this morning, should've now thoroughly dismissed any doubts. After all, he himself had never expected that he'd go mad during an uncontrollable situation. The benefit gained from this situation comforted him.

In Hao Ritian's opinion, besides receiving a slight blow to his psyche, he didn't mind the fact that he'd gone hysterical. In any case, when he went crazy, it was Hao Ritian who'd done the beating, and for him, that was enough.

When he saw Hao Ritian blankly staring at the door, Tan Xi's expression relaxed. It's good that he's awake. As it turned out, before he could speak, Hao Ritian mumbled with disappointment, "Why didn't my mom and dad come? Didn't they say they would come see me?"

Tan Xi's originally relaxed face instantly tensed up. Compared to Hao Ritian's headache-inducing yet humorous emperor act this morning, his seemingly 'normal' behaviour was much more concerning to him instead.

Evidently, his consciousness had been thrown into confusion after being provoked.

He forced a smile, and when he noticed Hao Ritian struggle to sit up, he stepped forward to help him lean against the headboard. He comforted him softly, "Your parents are just busy. They'll come see you when they're free."

Although Tan Xi didn't want to lie to him, what was currently more important was the patient's mental state. He couldn't be stimulated any further.

Hao Ritian didn't answer, but his eyes seemed to lose their lustre. When his arm jerked, nearly removing the needle, Li Yi swiftly held it down and took the opportunity to sit on his bedside. His gaze held Hao Ritian's, but it wasn't oppressive anymore. Rather, it was steady and benign. His calm voice carried a compelling tone as he asked, "Do you remember me?"

Hao Ritian shot a glance up at him, looked away, then did a double take. He spoke with a look of sudden realisation, "You're that… big idiot who lives next door?"

He found that deliberately poking fun at this guy brightened his mood.

In any case, he was currently a patient who'd just woken up after a distressing experience. Wasn't anything he said unsurprising?

Li Yi pursed his lips but didn't argue on this issue, though he did reach out to rub Hao Ritian's head. All of a sudden, he apologised, "I'm sorry."

Hao Ritian playfully grabbed the large hand on his head and pinched the fingertips and palm, playing with it in a joyful manner. He called someone else a big idiot while simultaneously portraying the image of a second idiot.

Tan Xi silently observed without interjecting.

He knew why the director was apologising. When all was said and done, it was entirely the hospital's fault whenever something happened to a patient. Even now, he trembled in trepidation recalling the chill that had surrounded the director after they'd learned of this incident.

There were people maliciously provoking patients in the hospital on purpose. Let alone the director, even he couldn't tolerate this.

The director had immediately ordered security to seal off the scene, but after a brief investigation, they basically couldn't find anything more – besides that red handkerchief, which could be used as evidence – to use as an investigative lead in so little time.

The origins of the red handkerchief became an overriding concern, yet when the security guards and nurses were questioned, it was discovered that no one had noticed where the patient had found that red handkerchief; it was as if it had instantaneously appeared in his hand. Alright, then ask the patient, one might say. But they simply couldn't ask him the reason, and it went beyond the fact that the man had been beaten up so badly by Hao Ritian that he was bedridden.

As long as someone inquired about the red handkerchief, fear and panic would wash over his face and he would blubber incoherently, even going crazy. After a couple more attempts, no one dared to agitate him further.

Once the situation reached this point, they were at a loss.

It would be strange if Li Yi was in a good mood. Seeing the truth of the matter, he'd already ordered the hospital to be thoroughly secured. After all, though the hospital was something he'd established, he couldn't micromanage it. Besides, he was busy and the time he could spend at the hospital was limited, so general affairs were assigned to various management departments. He only needed to control the general course he wanted the hospital to follow.

However, it seemed apparent that if he waited too long to reorganise the hospital, problems would occur.

Li Yi and Tan Xi gave Hao Ritian a simple examination. Other than discovering that he'd retreated back into his shell after being agitated, everything else was fine. This was the most fortunate part of this misfortune.

As the director of such a large hospital, Li Yi naturally couldn't stay here and, though the situation wasn't progressing for the time being, he couldn't leave it alone. No matter what, Hao Ritian was a victim of this affair and should be given an explanation.

But then, right as he became ready to leave, Hao Ritian gripped his hand and wouldn't let go. He fluttered his eyes, "Where ya going, Big Idiot? Play with me!"

Unfortunately, his face looked vicious and his fluttering eyes weren't cute at all, so he ended up looking like he was trying to kill someone with his eyes instead.

This rapid change in mood clearly denoted that he'd forgotten his disappointment at his parents not visiting. The two doctors present weren't surprised about his state; patients would forget sad and difficult matters as a sort of subconscious defence mechanism.

Even so, this wasn't a good thing. After all, forgetting was an evasive behaviour, and without facing up to these issues, it was impossible to cure them once and for all. This simply proved that the patient was still far from recovery.

Perhaps because of guilt, Li Y's tolerance towards Hao Ritian had increased by a substantial amount all at once. Li Yi, who was already a level-headed man, became so calm that he was likely to accept whatever Hao Ritian said to him. After pondering for a moment, Li Yi was about to tell Hao Ritian to be good and stay here when the patients who'd finished their activities returned to their wards. This naturally included the other three from Ward 502.

As soon as Wei An entered, his eyes locked onto Hao Ritian who was lying on the hospital bed. Immediately, he burst into tears of joy and cheered as he threw himself at the foot of the bed. Half-kneeling and with his eyes watery, he said, "You're finally awake, Your Majesty. Are you alright?"

To be honest, Wei An had been terrified when Hao Ritian went mad and beat someone into a pulp. But now that he'd calmed down, he once again became a successful henchman—I mean, Chief Steward of the Imperial Palace.

However, Hao Ritian appeared to not recognise him. Or rather, his eyes looked at Wei An with unfamiliarity. He asked Li Yi, "Big Idiot, who is this? Is he…"

He pointed at his own head, "Sick up here?"

It was quite comical how a man with a sickness was calling another person sick. If they were somewhere else, it might have drawn a laugh, but they were at a specialised hospital where anything was possible.

Wei An, however, was devastated. "You don't recognise me, Your Majesty? I'm the Chief Steward of your Imperial Palace, Little An Zi!!!"

Confronted with Hao Ritian's continued alienated gaze, Wei An suddenly jumped high into the air and started pounding Wei Jing's chest with his tiny fists. He wailed as he hit him, "It's all your fault, it's all your fault! You didn't protect His Majesty well and now His Majesty doesn't recognise me. Wuuu…"

Compared to how big and tall Wei Jing was, his fists really were tiny. His unexpected wailing shocked Wei Jing, and once his shock faded, Wei – overbearing CEO – Jing came online.

His originally lost and glazed expression swiftly turned devilishly charming. One of his arms, which he had raised midair in bewilderment, wrapped around Wei An's waist while the other hand lifted Wei An's chin. He gazed at his tearful face and smirked wickedly. "Baby, you're so beautiful when you cry!"

Saying so, he actually leaned down to lick Wei An's tears. He narrowed his eyes with pleasure. "Sweet!"

Wei An, "Waahh… hiccup… hiccup…"

Wei An became so frightened that he began to hiccup and couldn't stop.

At that moment, Hao Ritian had the sudden urge to bow to their superior skills. These two had him beat. Now, they were the real drama queens. In contrast, Tang Bao was honestly adorable.

Tan Xi looked as if his teeth were aching. Hearing about the case from the on-call doctor and seeing it himself was worlds apart and the impact hit differently. How did he never realise Wei Jing and Wei An were in such a situation before now? It seemed to have started after Yu Hao suddenly led his fellow patients into performing an 'imperial court' drama, hadn't it?

When he considered it that way, Yu Hao was the 'main culprit'!

To say Ward 502 housed a room full of drama queens wasn't an unjust claim!

No matter how helpless he felt, Tan Xi still had to settle this problem—at the very least, he couldn't let Wei An actually be taken advantage of!

He stepped forward to separate Wei Jing and Wei An. However, Wei Jing wasn't easy to deal with in this state, and with this being Tan Xi's first time going up against him, he still hadn't mastered the rules or ways of smoothening his ruffled feathers. He tried for a long time to no effect and had instead caused Wei Jing to treat him like a love rival who wanted to snatch away Wei An.

Li Yi observed them for a while. When Tan Xi was ready to try again, he simply and straightforwardly said to Wei Jing, "Keep making a ruckus and I'll make you live in separate wards." His tone was calm and sure, as if he was merely stating an established fact.

Wei Jing froze, then swung his head towards Li Yi. He held Li Yi's gaze for a brief moment before backing down. His sharp intuition told him that this was a difficult man to deal with, he grudgingly thought.

However, before he could compromise, Tang Bao – who looked like he didn't know what was going on – finally acted. He stepped forward to grab Wei Jing and stupidly said, "How can you be so disrespectful to the chief steward? Quickly apologise to him!"

Tang Bao remained deeply entrenched in the 'imperial court' drama and his reactions were half a beat late. It was so embarrassingly slow that he'd stood on the sidelines for a while before finally reacting.

Bearing in mind Li Yi's threat, Wei Jing intended to slip away, but before disconsolately releasing Wei An, he nipped at Wei An's cheek in an unreconciled manner.

Covering his cheek, Wei An sobbed and ran to Hao Ritian again, wanting to hide behind his back. However, Hao Ritian was sitting against the headboard and there was no way for Wei An to hide behind him. Wei An's only choice was to hunch over the bedside with grievance, as if he could be safer this way.

All of a sudden, Hao Ritian realised that it was better to be an emperor. If he wasn't an emperor, he wouldn't be able to control these knuckleheads and put them to use, and that wouldn't be conducive to his upcoming plan.

At that thought, he didn't bother Li Yi anymore and allowed him to leave without any trouble.

The night passed peacefully, and the next day, before Hao Ritian had the chance to announce his return as an emperor, news arrived from the reception office that Yu Hao's maternal aunt and uncle had come to visit him.

Though Yu Hao's only two relatives visited him every week, they usually rotated between themselves. This time, however, they came together. Hao Ritian smiled with interest: Have they come to appraise the results?

In that case, how can he not give them a surprise?

Hao Ritian spotted the people who, in Yu Hao's memory bank, were his aunt and uncle the second he arrived at the reception office. Yu Hao's uncle, Yu Dahai, was a tall man, but due to his weight, appeared quite bloated. Nevertheless, his Maitreya-like expression made him look amiable and weakened the intimidating air caused by his tall stature.

As for Yu Hao's aunt, Yu Li, she possessed a similarly round body figure, but compared to his uncle's friendly appearance, she gave off the typical shrewdness displayed in middle-aged women. She didn't seem easy to talk to.

In contrast to them, the capable and stunning Mother Yu was practically a phoenix who'd soared out of a nest of chickens, she stood out so much.

However, Hao Ritian knew their morality, and compared to the seemingly unfriendly aunt, it was actually the amiable uncle who was difficult to deal with, and the one who was the decision-maker of the pair. It was precisely this amiable uncle who'd came up with the idea to embezzle his sister and brother-in-law's settlement, admit their only son to a psychiatric hospital and, still worried, find people to take care of his nephew so he couldn't make a comeback. The aunt was merely a co-conspirator.

Seeing Hao Ritian appear, the two simultaneously plastered on a loving smile. The uncle beckoned Hao Ritian, "Haohao, come here, tell Uncle how have you been at the hospital?"

He didn't seem in any way disgusted with the fact that his nephew was mentally ill. The heartache on his face made it clear to everyone how much he loved his nephew.

Standing next to him, Yu Hao's aunt added, "Yes, come here. It's no wonder I miss you. It's been so long since we've seen each other. Come and let Auntie have a look at you."

However, it was as though Hao Ritian didn't recognise them, his face looking puzzled. Yu Hao's aunt and uncle inconspicuously exchanged looks, extremely gratified with this situation.

But to their surprise, Hao Ritian tilted his head and regarded them intensely. His eyes were frightening and evoked a sense of foreboding in their hearts. This premonition came true the following minute.

A look of realisation came over his face, one that said 'I finally remember'. He quickened to them with traces of joy on his face, and spoke excitedly, "Uncle, Aunt, you came to see me?!"

Their hearts galloped. Weren't they told Yu Hao had experienced a distressing situation yesterday and his condition should have deteriorated? Why did he seem clear-headed instead?

Unaware, Hao Ritian continued to ask expectantly, "Why didn't Mom and Dad come with you?"

The pair whose hearts had been in their throats could finally release their pent-up breaths. Good, good, his brain still has a problem. Their hearts really couldn't take any more excitement.

They'd known for a long time that their sister and brother-in-law were wealthy, but never did they expect their total assets to be worth tens of millions, nearing 100 million dollars. Disregarding their brother-in-law's assets, the market value of their sister's stores alone was worth tens of millions. Currently, they couldn't get hold of the entirety of wealth yet since liquidating all those storefronts required a lot of work.

They didn't have the skills to run those businesses and only wanted to obtain money so that they could make merry however they wanted. There was enough money for them to spend for a lifetime. Just thinking about it made them giddy.

Therefore, they absolutely couldn't allow their nephew to be discharged from the hospital at this critical juncture, and it didn't matter to them if they achieved this by hook or crook.

The gears in Yu Dahai's mind turned and he recalled that shortly after his sister and brother-in-law died, though still before his nephew was admitted into the hospital, his nephew would scream and go into hysterics at the slightest mention of his parents' deaths, trashing items and even self-harming. Wisps of tenderness quickly flittered over his eyes as he spoke in a mournful tone, "Haohao, did you forget? Your parents…"

Seeming agonised, he nevertheless continued with difficulty, "Your parents died in that traffic accident to protect you. No matter your sadness, you must accept the reality of it."

Yu Li quickly understood Yu Dahai's intent after he uttered those words. They had, after all, raised their nephew for a period of time before admitting him to the hospital and thus had an excellent understanding of his condition.

In reaction to Yu Dahai's words, she pretended to wipe the corner of her eyes. "That's right, Haohao, people must look forward despite the sadness. Do your best to get better and once you're well, Auntie will pick you up. It doesn't matter that your parents are no longer here, you still have your aunt and uncle!"

Hao Ritian's expression completely hardened, and while hiding at the back, Tan Xi's expression swiftly turned unpleasant. Because of patient responsibility, generally, during family visits, he as the patient's attending doctor had to secretly pay attention to the patient's condition in case a family member accidentally irritated the patient.

As it was, Yu Hao's aunt and uncle, whether intentionally or not, were speaking of very provocative matters to Yu Hao. Yu Hao had suffered stimulation yesterday for precisely this same reason—were the two of them doing this on purpose?

Tan Xi watched Hao Ritian like a hawk, prepared to take emergency intervention the instant there was a problem. To his surprise, Hao Ritian maintained a lifeless expression for a long time, then looked at everyone and muttered in a daze, "Mom and Dad are dead? They died to save me?"

Not waiting for a reply, he answered himself, turning around in circles on the spot, as if on edge, "That's right, Mom and Dad are dead."

Murmuring again, he stopped in place without warning and stared brightly at Yu Dahai and Yu Li. He then spoke powerfully, "Uncle, Aunt, help me handle the hospital procedures. I want to wear mourning for my parents and keep vigil beside them."

It was Yu Dahai and Yu Li's turn to stiffen. Their faces twitched and uncontainable fear rose inside them, afraid that their nephew had recovered. If they'd known this would happen, would they have let their mouths run to provoke him?

Tan Xi, on the other hand, was delightfully surprised. One of the treatments for mental illnesses was aversion therapy. The degree of stimulation was difficult to control, but if handled well, the patient could recover after undergoing the stimulation. Had Yu Hao conversely regained his senses after experiencing this provocation?

This would be simply wonderful if it were the case.

While Yu Dahai and Yu Li were in the midst of panicking and Tan Xi was overjoyed, Hao Ritian had just finished speaking when he gave a start. His eyes blanked for a second before he spoke in surprise, "Why is Zhen here?"

He turned around, and upon seeing Tan Xi, raised his hand reservedly. "Come, my beloved concubine, help Zhen return to his palace."

Yu Dahai and Yu Li's high-strung nerves immediately relaxed, their backs feeling drenched.

Tan Xi, however, became a tad disappointed. Was his normal behaviour a moment ago after being provoked just a flash in the pan? What a pity.

In spite of his thoughts, he complied with Hao Ritian, walking to him and answering, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Of course, before he led Hao Ritian away, he said to Yu Dahai and Yu Li in a half-comfort and half-warning way, "The patient's condition isn't very stable at present. As his relatives, you must take care to avoid mentioning topics that will stimulate him so as to help stabilise his condition, understand?"

Yu Dahai wiped sweat off his face and nodded. "I understand, Doctor. This is our mistake, we'll be sure to take care next time. Is Haohao alright?"

Impatient, Hao Ritian urged Tan Xi, "Hurry up, what nonsense are talking about with those low-class plebeians?"

Yu Dahai and Yu Li awkwardly smiled and expressed that they didn't mind.

Urged ahead by Hao Ritian, Tan Xi didn't dare dally, afraid that Hao Ritian would do something over-the-top the next second. He said to Yu Dahai and Yu Li in a rush, "He's alright. We will do our best to help him recover quickly so that he can be discharged as soon as possible."

After dropping that line, he departed with Hao Ritian.

Left behind at the reception office, Yu Dahai and Yu Li exchanged looks, both able to see the caution and determination in the other's eyes. It seemed they had to speed up their plans. To be honest, Yu Hao's earlier clearheadedness had intimidated them greatly. Since he could become clear-headed for a short moment, then it was possible that he could completely recover later on.

They had to nip this possibility in the bud.

Hao Ritian, who'd already stepped out of the reception office, suddenly smiled. He could easily see Yu Dahai and Yu Li's intentions. He reckoned his earlier behaviour had given them a strong stimulus. Next, all he needed to do was wait for them to jump over the wall in desperation and voluntarily hand over information to use against them.

It looked like it wouldn't be long before he could leave the hospital. Until then, he had to work hard and cooperate with the doctors to treat the little problems in this body as soon as possible, conveniently completing the branch task of 'treating the target person's mental illness' while he was at it.

Hao Ritian abruptly burst into laughter, leading Tan Xi to glance at him in bemusement, failing to understand what he was laughing at. Still, he didn't ask. After all, His Majesty's mood fluctuated too quickly and he couldn't completely master the rules of it.

Even so, the patient's earlier moment of clear headedness had given him a sudden, greater confidence in this patient's recovery. He would definitely cure him.