II
The main building of the rehabilitation center was a three-story structure with its white exterior paint peeling off like a skin disease. The lobby was dimly lit, and the air smelled of a mixture of disinfectant and… instant noodles.
At the front desk sat a young woman playing on her phone. She wore a crumpled white coat and had her hair tied up casually. She looked more like a patient than staff.
Su Tang walked over and tapped the counter. "Hello, I'm the new director, Su Tang."
The woman looked up, glanced at her, and went back to her phone. "Oh, Director Su. Welcome, welcome. I'm Lin Xiaonuan, the head nurse here."
"Head nurse?" Su Tang glanced at her badge, which read "Intern Nurse."
"Oh, that," Lin Xiaonuan said, noticing her gaze. "We have three nurses total. One's on maternity leave, one quit. So now I'm head nurse. Oh, and we have two doctors. One's sleeping, the other went grocery shopping."
Su Tang nearly lost her composure.
"Grocery shopping?"
"Yeah, we don't have a cafeteria here, so everyone takes turns cooking. Today's Dr. Zhang's turn. He went grocery shopping," Lin Xiaonuan said matter-of-factly.
Su Tang took a deep breath. "What do the patients eat?"
"Dr. Zhang cooks that too. His food's pretty good, actually. He just tends to go heavy on the salt. Patients have complained a few times, but he doesn't listen."
Su Tang felt a vein throbbing at her temple.
"Show me the wards."
Lin Xiaonuan stood up and started walking as she talked. "We have twelve patients right now. With you, that makes fourteen staff members—oh wait, now that you're here, it's thirteen? Actually two haven't shown up for three months, so I don't know if they still count…"
"They don't." Su Tang said flatly.
"Oh. Okay then." Lin Xiaonuan didn't seem bothered and kept walking. "The wards are on the second floor. Third floor has offices and dorms. If you don't have a place to stay, you can take the biggest room on the third floor. It's empty."
Su Tang followed her upstairs. On the second floor corridor, a handwritten "Daily Schedule" was taped to the wall, the characters crooked like a child's handwriting:
6:00 Wake up
6:30 Exercises
7:00 Breakfast
8:00–11:00 Free time
11:30 Lunch
12:00–14:00 Nap
14:00–17:00 Free time
17:30 Dinner
19:00 TV
21:00 Bedtime
Su Tang pointed at the words "Free time." "What kind of treatment is this?"
Lin Xiaonuan thought for a moment. "It means… they can do whatever they want."
"And the exercises? Who leads that?"
"Uncle Wang. He's the 'retired cadre' here. He takes care of everything. Oh, Uncle Wang is the one chasing butterflies."
Su Tang: "..."
She suddenly realized she wasn't here to be a director. She was here to be the director of a loony bin.
III
While Su Tang was touring the wards, a black Maybach slowly pulled up to the rehabilitation center's entrance.
Inside, Qin Lang was making his final pitch.
"Mr. Lu, this rehabilitation center has a great environment. Quiet, surrounded by nature, perfect for rest. I've already coordinated with them. You'll be checking in as 'Mr. Lu.' No one will know you're the head of Lu Corporation…"
"Enough." The man in the back seat cut him off coldly.
Lu Shiyan leaned back in his seat, eyes closed. There were faint dark circles under his eyes. He wore a dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing a set of well-defined wrists. Even in his current state of exhaustion, his presence was so powerful it seemed to thin the air in the car.
"Qin Lang, you tricked me into coming here. You'd better have a good reason."
Qin Lang wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Mr. Lu, the doctors said your insomnia can't be ignored anymore. You've been sleeping only two or three hours a night for a month. If this keeps up…"
"If this keeps up, what?"
"You might… drop dead."
Lu Shiyan opened his eyes and shot him a cold look.
Qin Lang immediately amended, "Of course, that won't happen. You're in great shape. But… you nearly fell asleep at the board meeting last time. Director Wang has asked me about it three times."
Lu Shiyan was silent for three seconds.
Of course he knew his condition was off. For the past three months, his insomnia had been getting worse. Every night when he lay in bed, his mind was full of numbers, contracts, meetings, negotiations… He'd tried sleeping pills, white noise, meditation. Nothing worked.
Qin Lang had found him several psychologists. He hadn't seen any of them.
Until yesterday, when Qin Lang mentioned a rehabilitation center that was "really peaceful, really quiet" and suggested he go for a "short rest." Lu Shiyan had reluctantly agreed. Probably because he was just too tired.
"Fine." He pushed open the car door and stepped out with his long legs.
The sunlight made him squint.
Then he saw the crooked sign.
"Sunshine Rehabilitation Center"—the "Sun" was missing a stroke, and half of "Health" was gone.
Lu Shiyan turned to look at Qin Lang like he was looking at a condemned man.
"This is your idea of 'really peaceful, really quiet'?"
Qin Lang shrank back guiltily. "Mr. Lu, don't judge it by the outside. The inside is actually pretty nice…"
"The inside?"
Lu Shiyan was about to lose it when a shout came from the courtyard: "Aliens are coming! The aliens are coming to take me home!"
A middle-aged man in hospital pajamas rushed out, arms spread wide, shouting at the sky: "I'm here! Take me back to my home planet!"
Lu Shiyan's expression froze.
Qin Lang went pale.
"Mr. Lu, let me explain…"
"No need." Lu Shiyan turned to leave.
"Mr. Lu! Wait!" Qin Lang ran after him. "That patient is an exception. He's not really mentally ill, he just… has a very active imagination…"
"Qin Lang." Lu Shiyan stopped, his voice like ice. "Do you think I'm already crazy, so you're sending me to the madhouse?"
"No, no, absolutely not!" Qin Lang was sweating profusely. "Mr. Lu, hear me out. The director of this hospital is a very good psychologist. She specializes in treating insomnia in high-stress professionals. I've done my research. Her methods are… unconventional, but effective!"
"Unconventional?"
"Creative," Qin Lang said carefully. "And she has solid connections. She's the daughter of the Su Group."
Lu Shiyan snorted. "Su Group? The medical equipment people?"
"Yes, exactly! So even though this hospital looks… well, you know, it's backed by Su Group resources. Just try it for a week. One week. If it doesn't work, I'll come get you immediately."
Lu Shiyan was quiet for a long time.
Finally, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "One week."
"Yes, yes, one week!" Qin Lang sagged with relief. "Should I walk you in?"
"No." Lu Shiyan opened his eyes, his cold mask back in place. "I'll go in myself. You wait out here."
"Yes, sir."
Qin Lang watched Lu Shiyan walk through the rusted gate and silently prayed: Boss, please hang in there. Otherwise, my bonus this month is gone.