### Chapter 43: Treatment

### Chapter 43: Treatment

Zhou Liao's self-restraint was comical, but Liu Mingzhu couldn't laugh; she only felt terrified.

Why had Zhou Liao become like this?

"Why go to the hospital."

"Why go to the hospital?" Liu Mingzhu took a few deep breaths. "Do you even look human right now?"

Zhou Liao remained silent for a moment, not saying a word.

Liu Mingzhu stepped forward and grabbed his wrist, shaking him violently. "I'm asking you, constantly spacing out, not sleeping at night, talking to yourself, and your trembling leg—do you think you're still normal?"

Zhou Liao felt the pain from her long nails digging into his skin, but his mind seemed numb.

Was he normal?

He had been destroyed long ago.

When no one came looking for him.

"I don't know what you've been through recently, and it doesn't matter if you don't want to talk about it. After the New Year, I won't have time to worry about you." Liu Mingzhu stood by the door. "If that's the case, then let's go to the hospital. You can tell the doctor yourself."

"I'm not sick. Why should I go to the hospital?" Zhou Liao frowned.

"You're not sick? I think you've always been sick. What else do you do besides eating, drinking, and playing? You're the only one in this family who's useless, a complete waste. Fix your brain first before going back to school."

"With your mental state, studying would be pointless."

"Liu Mingzhu, can you stop talking so much at this hour," Zhou Jianlin said after finishing his cigarette, hearing Liu Mingzhu's sharp voice.

"Stop talking? Have you ever cared about your son becoming like this?"

"My son? Isn't he yours too? Did you notice when he disappeared before I did?"

"I had a bunch of conference calls after landing. Did you handle them for me?"

"Do I not have work either? I flew back late last night after working until midnight. Have you contacted him once while you were home?"

"Have you contacted him? Have you done so in all this time?"

"All the money I sent him!"

"That's a joint account. Do you think I earned all the money alone?"

Zhou Jianlin looked at Liu Mingzhu's attitude, and his blood pressure rose. The two ignored Zhou Liao behind them and started arguing over past grievances.

"You earn money, but what else can you do?" Zhou Jianlin sneered. "Your son has become like this because of you. You never cared about him growing up. If you had paid attention to him once, would he hide everything from you today?"

"How many times have you cared for him growing up? How many times have you come back home? Do you think you bear no responsibility as a father?"

Zhou Liao listened quietly to their argument, but his fingers were almost drawing blood from the pressure.

Amidst the shouting, his head throbbed intensely, with intermittent stabs of pain piercing his nerves, making him suffer. At some point, the voices became muffled, replaced by a heavy pressure on his heart, as if a stone were pressing down, nearly stopping his heartbeat.

The images in his mind turned into flashes of white light, repeating incessantly, like another dimension.

The frequency of the white flashes increased, and eventually, his nerves could no longer keep up with his brain's reactions. After a spasm in his stomach, there was a loud "bang."

"Zhou Liao!"

His heavy eyelids flickered several times before his vision finally focused, revealing a white expanse.

Voices seemed distant at first but gradually grew closer.

"He's fine, but the recent stress and chronic anxiety and insomnia have led to mental exhaustion."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, don't worry too much. However, we recommend a psychological evaluation once he wakes up. The CT scan and infrared heat imaging show signs of depression."

"Depression?" Zhou Jianlin glanced at Zhou Liao, frowning. "He usually seems cheerful."

"President Zhou, some forms of depression are unrelated to outward behavior. It's not necessarily depression, but we need more details."

Zhou Jianlin took a deep breath and left the room after a while.

"Saying our son is depressed."

"Impossible."

"I told you, with the way you talk to him, he can't be normal."

"Zhou Jianlin, is he my son alone? He's not normal..."

"Excuse me, please keep your voices down," a passing nurse couldn't help but remind them.

After fully waking up, Zhou Liao ate the liquid food provided by the hospital.

They asked him to cooperate with various tests, including blood tests, psychological assessments, special EEGs, evoked potential maps, and near-infrared thermal imaging. They also had him fill out a symptom self-assessment form.

He sat calmly on the bed waiting for the results, with Zhou Jianlin and Liu Mingzhu accompanying him, occasionally stepping out to take work calls.

The next day, five abnormalities appeared in the EEG results, leaving Liu Mingzhu momentarily stunned.

"The patient may have borderline personality disorder. We can see reduced volume in the hippocampus and amygdala, leading to unstable emotions and impulsive behaviors such as self-identification issues. Additionally, there are compulsive behaviors, difficulty regulating thoughts and actions, sleep disorders, and psychological pain disorders."

"Why is this happening? He was fine before." Zhou Jianlin frowned.

"So mental health is also very important. Has Zhou Liao ever suffered from emotional abuse, or been overly protected and isolated?"

"No, everything is fine." Zhou Jianlin answered hastily from the side.

"This needs to be said by the patient himself. For more specific details, I might need to talk to Zhou Liao alone."

"Can't we listen?"

"Psychological counseling is usually a private one-on-one session. It's not advisable to have others present; the patient might be unwilling to communicate."

Zhou Jianlin glanced at Zhou Liao: "What do you think?"

After a moment, Zhou Liao spoke: "Go out."

Liu Mingzhu and Zhou Jianlin reluctantly left and closed the door. The elderly female doctor looked gentle, with dimples when she smiled, and her voice was soft and patient.

"Zhou Liao, did you have any other symptoms before?"

"No."

"Don't lie to the doctor. Your EEG shows that you have Balvey Syndrome, which means you experience dissociative hallucinations and often feel confused."

"..."

"Just consider me someone to talk to. Say whatever you want, take your time."

"I don't want to be treated."

"This affects your daily life. You've already fainted once. If this happens in public, it could be dangerous."

"I know, but I don't want to be treated."

"Not treating it will cause a lot of pain." The doctor gently held Zhou Liao's hand and began guiding him, "Don't be hostile towards treatment. Take deep breaths, relax, and let your nerves calm down."

Perhaps due to the doctor's soft voice, Zhou Liao's resistance gradually eased after several deep breaths under her guidance.

"Let's not talk about what happened yet. Let's discuss your condition. What discomfort do you usually feel?"

"Insomnia, headaches, anxiety, and sometimes stomach pain." Zhou Liao looked into her eyes, "I easily have hallucinations."

"Is the insomnia just difficulty sleeping, or is it because of thoughts?"

"Just difficulty sleeping."

"When does it get better?"

"...when he's around." Zhou Liao lowered his gaze.

The doctor didn't immediately ask who "he" was, fearing that Zhou Liao's just-relaxed nerves would become a guarded wall again.

"Hmm, what kind of hallucinations do you usually have?"

"All kinds."

"Can you describe them specifically?"

"...both inside and outside."

"Inside and outside, what does 'inside' mean?"

Zhou Liao swallowed and suddenly started shaking all over: "Nothing, I made a mistake."

"Calm down. Say whatever you want; I'm listening."

Unexpectedly, Zhou Liao suddenly hunched over and hugged his head, protecting the name Qin Zhan: "Nothing, nothing inside."

The first psychological therapy session ended abruptly due to Zhou Liao's extreme resistance. No matter how much guidance was given afterward, he wouldn't say another word. In the end, the doctor had to swear not to tell his parents.

In the following days, although Zhou Liao continued taking psychiatric medication, he remained extremely negative, insisting he had no problems and refusing to discuss any details of his condition with the doctor. He only spoke when talking about his belongings.

Due to Zhou Liao's excessive resistance and unstable emotions, which interfered with subsequent treatments, the family agreed to a semi-forced electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) a week later to restart his brain.

ECT is used to adjust neural activity and neuroendocrine balance. After administering anesthetics to induce relaxation, it reduces the harm caused by convulsions. From the end of the treatment until regaining consciousness, patients unconsciously uncover their most painful memories.

When Zhou Liao woke up, the first thing he did was curl up and cry hysterically, a man nearly six feet tall crying like a small child, shouting, "Mom, don't go."

The doctor recorded this and waited for Zhou Liao's emotions to stabilize and his mental state to return to normal before scheduling another conversation.

This time, the conversation went much smoother. Zhou Liao was less resistant and more honest about his condition, but whenever sensitive topics were mentioned, he would automatically form a protective mechanism.

"How long will this treatment last?"

"Psychological treatment is a long process; it can't be measured by a specific timeframe."

Liu Mingzhu was somewhat impatient: "So we still don't know what he went through?"

"We don't actively guide patients to recall traumatic events; we focus on helping them live more positively in the future."

"How can you treat him if you don't know what happened?" Liu Mingzhu glanced at her phone, "I leave in two days. What if he can't be cured? He still has school."

"Ms. Liu, I understand your concern for your son, but psychological treatment isn't something that can be cured with a set timeline. As for school, I suggest a temporary leave. Zhou Liao's current condition significantly impacts his life, making it difficult to concentrate on studies."

"Another leave." Liu Mingzhu felt a headache coming on, but work kept her busy, "Can't we just control his emotions with medication, like using sedatives at night?"

"Ms. Liu," the doctor hesitated, "Actually, you can also communicate more with him and spend more time with him. After today's ECT, he kept calling for his mother and crying. When I talked to him, he revealed that it reminded him of childhood memories."

"You?" Liu Mingzhu paused, "We've always had this relationship. Why am I the reason he got sick?"

"It might just be a long-term underlying factor. Mental illnesses are complex. Something might have happened later that triggered past traumas, possibly due to lack of love and companionship, or perhaps constant cold scrutiny at home..." The doctor did not elaborate further.

"Now kids are so fragile? Just like this and they have mental issues? When I was young, my parents weren’t around much either, and I didn’t turn out..."

"Ms. Liu," the doctor interrupted her, "everyone’s psychological endurance is different. I believe you also blame past events at times; it’s the same for Zhou Liao."

Liu Mingzhu recalled those past events, fell silent for a moment, and when she spoke again, her attitude was no longer as aggressive: "So... can’t we let him do more MECT sessions? He talked a lot today, didn’t he?"

"I don’t recommend it. MECT is generally used for severely depressed individuals with suicidal tendencies. It has a significant impact on physical functions, especially memory. Zhou Liao hasn’t reached that stage yet. We only hoped to get him to speak through this method." The doctor spoke in a professional tone, "Of course, as a doctor, I’m just giving advice. The final decision is up to the parents."

Liu Mingzhu felt a pang of pain: "...Alright, proceed as you see fit. If there are any issues, contact me anytime."

Days passed by, and due to work reasons, Liu Mingzhu and Zhou Jianlin couldn’t stay long and left one after another. This might have been the longest time they had ever spent with Zhou Liao. Even their work-related matters were handled at this private hospital.

They paid the highest price to hire the best psychological therapy team for Zhou Liao, who mostly stayed in the hospital. After learning about his situation, Chen Xian occasionally came to visit him, pretending that the unpleasant conversation they had before never happened.

Chen Xian consciously avoided asking Zhou Liao about his past experiences. They mostly played games together. When playing games, Chen Xian felt as if he saw glimpses of the old Zhou Liao.

Under medication and various therapeutic methods, Zhou Liao began to show subtle changes. Chen Xian, being the most familiar with Zhou Liao, could directly sense these changes. He felt that Zhou Liao’s eyes regained their former sharpness, and his smile became bold again, no longer carrying that oppressive detachment.

One night, Zhou Liao woke up from a nightmare, screaming wildly. Soon, the staff on duty heard and pressed the alarm. He sat on the bed, taking deep breaths to regulate his stiff body, but the panic attack made even his bones ache.

He dreamed that Qin Zhan had committed suicide by jumping into a river, and someone told him about it much later.

But since coming here, he hadn’t thought about Qin Zhan for a long time.

After receiving a sedative injection, Zhou Liao gradually calmed down. The next day, there was another consultation session.

The woman smiled kindly and gently, starting the conversation with the beautiful sunshine outside, asking Zhou Liao what he had eaten for breakfast, as if chatting with a friend.

After a while, she asked him how he slept last night.

"...Not well."

"I also didn’t sleep well last night. My youngest daughter was anxious about an exam, which kept me awake all night."

"You get anxious too?"

"Of course, psychologists are human too."

"I thought you could heal yourselves."

"No, everyone has their issues, but we try to manage them as much as possible." The woman smiled warmly, "So, you haven’t told me why you didn’t sleep well last night."

"I had a nightmare."

"Oh, no wonder." The woman did not ask about the content of the dream, "Having nightmares is really tough. When I was in high school, watching horror movies at a friend’s house would give me nightmares."

"Yes," Zhou Liao laughed, "You watched horror movies?"

"Absolutely, we went through student life too. Back then, we watched VHS tapes, which made it very immersive. So, ‘The Ring’ was on a VHS tape." The doctor took a sip of water and slowed her voice, "Okay, we’ll talk about horror movies later. Today, we’re doing a new treatment called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). You just need to follow me and relax. Afterward, you’ll feel very relaxed and happy."

"Okay."

"Now, look into my eyes, and let’s recall the previous discussions about your condition."

...

The doctor continuously guided the conversation, pausing periodically to use different relaxation techniques.

Zhou Liao’s gaze followed the doctor’s moving fingers. After a minute, the stimulation from the directional movement created two spaces in his mind, making the past trauma suddenly seem manageable. He gradually felt able to detach from his emotions and self-reflect.

"Last night, I dreamed he committed suicide. I was terrified."

"Because he was always good to me. Even though I knew how tired he was outside, he still treated me well when he came home. He never let me go hungry or cold, nor did he make me do extra work. I gradually became more dependent on him. With him, I felt something I had never experienced before."

"True care, unlike anyone else in the past... I felt everything I missed in him."

"I started fearing his departure, feeling like living each day was just waiting for him to come back. If he left, it felt like I would die."

Zhou Liao’s emotions suddenly became agitated, and the doctor instructed him to use the butterfly hug technique to tap his shoulders. After a while, he calmed down again.

"I know everyone thinks I’m crazy, but I’m not. I just found what I always wanted in him, something they couldn’t give me."

"Especially when I saw them, I wondered why I wasn’t in my real ‘home.’”

"I miss him... I miss him and hate him, hating him for turning me into this and leaving me behind."

"But I know I was the one who harmed him, just because his eyes reminded me of my mother. I knew I couldn’t resist my mother, so I cruelly tried to tame those eyes."

"So, you actually resent your mother, because accepting that she doesn’t love you is painful. But you felt loved with him, so you became dependent."

"Yes... I always saw her through him, even though my father wasn’t great either, she was colder and cared less. Her words often hurt me, even though I knew why—she wasn’t happy herself."

"I understand."

"But now... I feel like I’ve changed."

The doctor nodded and handed Zhou Liao a device with a mild electric current: "Why do you think you’ve changed?"

"I feel that every time we talk, something new breaks through me."

"What kind of new thing?"

"I don’t know, it’s very fragmented, like my old hobbies and habits are coming back... my brain feels split in two. Yesterday, I asked Chen Xian for a cigarette. When the nicotine hit my lungs, I felt a sense of nostalgia."

The doctor smiled gently, "Smoking is bad for your lungs. So, after two months, do you miss the taste of cigarettes more, or him?"

Zhou Liao was silent for a long time, and the doctor patiently waited for his answer.

After a while, he looked up at her, his eyes filled with emotions entirely different from before.

“Perhaps it is...”