V
Lin Xiaonuan took Lu Shiyan to the second-floor ward. Su Tang stayed at the front desk, staring at the name "Lu Shiyan" on the form.
The richest man in Jiangcheng. Head of Lu Corporation. Cover of Fortune magazine. Business genius worth tens of billions—and he was "resting" in her run-down rehabilitation center?
Either fate was playing a joke, or it was delivering a gift.
Su Tang pulled out her phone and searched for the latest news on Lu Shiyan.
Top result: "Lu Corporation Stock Falls for Third Consecutive Day. Lu Shiyan Absent from Board Meeting, Suspected Health Issues."
The comments speculated: "Has something happened to Lu Shiyan?" "I heard his insomnia is severe. He hasn't been seen at the company for a month." "Maybe it's depression?"
Su Tang put down her phone, thoughtful.
Lu Shiyan's condition was worse than she'd thought. Missing board meetings, falling stock prices—it meant his condition was affecting the company's operations. His coming here meant he recognized the seriousness of the problem—or someone had made him come.
Either way, he was her patient now.
And he was a patient worth billions.
If she could cure him, not only would she revive the hospital, but she'd also prove herself to the Su family. Let her mother say being a director was worthless—curing the richest man in Jiangcheng was worthless?
Su Tang's lips curved slightly as a bold plan began forming in her mind.
But she knew she couldn't rush.
People like Lu Shiyan hated being controlled. She needed to make him "willing" to accept treatment.
Just then, Uncle Wang came in from outside with a palm-leaf fan, waving it leisurely.
"Xiao Su, that new patient, I think he's not simple," Uncle Wang said mysteriously.
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"His aura is strong—nourished by money. But it's scattered, which means his mind isn't at peace." Uncle Wang shook his head sagely. "People like him are hard to treat."
Su Tang smiled. "Uncle Wang, you can see auras now?"
"Of course. I'm a master of the mystic arts." Uncle Wang puffed up with pride. "Want me to do a reading for him?"
"No need." Su Tang stood up. "I already have a plan."
"What plan?"
Su Tang gave a mysterious smile. "You'll see tomorrow."
VI
Lu Shiyan's room was at the end of the second-floor corridor—a private room.
It wasn't large, but it was clean. A single bed, a wardrobe, a table, a chair. The window faced the courtyard, offering a view of the foxtail grass outside.
Lin Xiaonuan handed him the key. "Mr. Lu, here's your key. If you need anything, just find me. I'm usually at the front desk downstairs. Oh, lights out at nine, wake up at six. Don't forget."
"Lights out at nine?" Lu Shiyan's voice cooled.
"Yeah, it's on the schedule." Lin Xiaonuan pointed at the "Daily Schedule" taped to the wall. "Wake up at six, exercises at six-thirty, breakfast at seven…"
"I don't do exercises."
"You have to. Uncle Wang will come get you. He's the 'retired cadre' here. He loves managing people."
Lu Shiyan's expression darkened.
Lin Xiaonuan seemed not to notice and kept talking. "Oh, and we don't have a TV here, so there's not much to do at night. If you get bored, you can chat with Uncle Wang. He knows everything."
"No thanks."
"Well, get some rest." Lin Xiaonuan turned to leave, then looked back. "Oh, Dr. Zhang is making braised pork tonight. It's good. Eat plenty."
The door closed.
Lu Shiyan stood in the room, looking around, feeling like he'd time-traveled to the 1980s.
No TV, no internet, no air conditioning, not even a decent chair.
He pulled out his phone to call Qin Lang and saw he had one bar of signal.
Lu Shiyan took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.
One week. Just one week.
He sat on the bed. The bed frame groaned in protest. He lay back and stared at the water stain on the ceiling, his mind a mess.
Three months. He hadn't had a full night's sleep in three months.
Every night when he lay in bed, his mind was like a machine that wouldn't shut off, running, running, running… until dawn.
He'd tried everything—sleeping pills, meditation, yoga, even hypnosis. Nothing worked.
Doctors said the problem wasn't physical. It was mental.
"You need to relax," they said. "Truly relax. Leave your office, leave your phone, leave everything that makes you anxious. Find a quiet place. Don't think. Don't do anything. Just let yourself go blank."
So Qin Lang had brought him here.
To a mental hospital that couldn't even get its sign right.
Lu Shiyan closed his eyes and thought: If this place doesn't cure my insomnia, the first thing I'll do when I get back is fire Qin Lang.
Just then, music started playing downstairs.
Lu Shiyan frowned and walked to the window.
In the courtyard, Uncle Wang was leading several patients in exercises. They were lined up, moving in unison, chanting slogans:
"One-two-three-four, two-two-three-four, three-two-three-four, do it once more!"
Lu Shiyan's eye twitched.
He closed the window, drew the curtain, and lay back down.
His phone buzzed. Qin Lang's message: "Mr. Lu, settling in okay?"
Lu Shiyan replied with one word: "Scram."
Qin Lang replied instantly: "Yes, sir. Get some rest."
Lu Shiyan tossed the phone aside and closed his eyes.
He expected another sleepless night.
But somehow, in this shabby room, listening to the faint music and chanting from downstairs, his mind slowly began to quiet.
Maybe because he was too tired.
Maybe because the air here was old.
Maybe because… he was finally out of that suffocating office.
Lu Shiyan turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
It was the first time in three months he'd fallen asleep before midnight.