Chapter 2: Contract

“First question. In front of you is a man who is suffering from a disease. There is no medicine to cure him, so his only option is to wait for his death while in pain. If you had a gun in your hand, would you…

“A: Try to communicate with him so he regains the will to live on,

“B: Call the police and let someone handle this matter,

“C: End his pain with the gun and yourself in, or

“D: End his pain and cover up the crime?”

Obviously, it was just an ordinary psychological test. What followed next would be a series of similar questions, with each option corresponding to a score. The scores would then be added or subtracted to roughly measure a person’s psychological condition.

However, this kind of test was too general and inaccurate. There was no way it could be used as a psychological assessment for a mentally ill person…

‘In other words, this isn’t a test to decide whether I get to leave this hospital or not,’ thought Chen Xiao.

When he reached that conclusion, he was still thinking about the question raised by Ms. Liu. It was as if he could think about many things at the same time without them interfering with each other.

First, he naturally knew what the four options represented. Putting aside the options, what would his real self do? Would he kill the man, try to save him, or call the police? Maybe he would look at the man in pain. Maybe he would whisper in the man’s ear about how awful this disease was and see how long it took to drive him crazy. Maybe…

A myriad of possibilities appeared in Chen Xiao’s head at once, but what surprised him was that he did not know what he would do.

It was a very strange feeling. Every person should have a subconscious projection of themselves, such as knowing they are afraid of spiders, that they would be hurt if scalded by boiling water, or that their wives would be angry if they found out about an affair. It was an instinctive kind of awareness.

However, Chen Xiao did not seem to have this ability. The countless possibilities were like a large spinning wheel. He could not know what he would do until the wheel came to a stop.

This very strange feeling made Chen Xiao feel… fascinated! He even felt like laughing about it.

Of course, he would not really laugh out loud. This lack of self-control could be classified as madness, but not stupidity. Chen Xiao knew his situation very well.

It took him less than a tenth of a second to think about all the above questions, then he took nine-tenths of a second to glance at the window on the right side of the room. He sniffed the air, blinked, and said in a firm and articulate tone, “B!”

Ms. Liu drew a few strokes on the file and went on to ask the next question.

…

The following questions were pretty much the same, asking about compassion, values, respect for human life, and so on. Furthermore, most of them were very simple, so anyone would know which option to choose as soon as they heard them. It was so easy that Chen Xiao began to feel a little bored.

Thus, his mind started to wander again. He answered the questions while looking around the room.

‘Hm… The walls were painted not long ago, and the decor isn’t bad. There’s a water dispenser and air conditioning. Although there are many books on the bookshelves, they’re obviously not needed for office work, so she probably doesn’t have much work to deal with. Even if there’s work, it wouldn’t be about the patients. Although the chair isn’t large, it’s obviously comfortable enough that a person wouldn’t feel uncomfortable if they were to fall asleep in it. A hospital wouldn’t give an ordinary doctor a room like this. In other words, there’s a high chance that this woman is a senior figure in this hospital, which can also explain why she doesn’t wear a badge. However, from her behavior and demeanor, she also seems like a person who has been running on the front line of work for a long time.’

Just then, Chen Xiao’s eyes were attracted by some trinkets on the top of the bookshelf. There were pens, some books, and a very thick insulated cup. The cup was transparent and did not have a handle, and he could see that it was half-filled with tea.

Chen Xiao turned his attention to the office desk and swiftly came to a conclusion.

This office did not belong to Ms. Liu. She only temporarily borrowed it. How Chen Xiao figured it out was like this: He could not find an ashtray, and he could guess that the owner of that large cup was most likely a man. Furthermore, that person was very respectful or fearful of Ms. Liu, and the desk was cleaned up so not just out of courtesy. Although Chen Xiao was not completely sure, the reasoning could more or less explain some of the doubts he had before.

Then, another question emerged. Was Ms. Liu really from this hospital? Otherwise, why would she need to borrow an office, let alone conduct this simple and meaningless psychological test? Was she a staff member of another unit or organization? Even if she was, she must be a junior staff member. Otherwise, she would not be sent to this kind of place in the middle of the night.

Oh, yes, Chen Xiao knew that it was nighttime. After all, he glanced out the window earlier the second between when Ms. Liu finished asking the first question and he gave his answer. He saw that there was no light outside the window. The room was not cold either. Although he could not tell what season it was in terms of temperature, he could be sure that there was no artificial heating. There was no frost on the window, so it was not late autumn or winter. Of course, that did not exclude the possibility that he was in a tropical area. He was not sleepy at all, so maybe he was a night owl. The largest possibility was that it was not too late now. Assuming it was spring, it was most likely 8 pm-12 am currently. It was quiet outside the window without the sound of any cars, water, or wind, so this must be a remote place.

These insignificant details were meant to be brushed aside, but they were accidentally written out… It was most definitely not to pad out the word count.

‘Back to the topic, what kind of junior staff would make a senior leader of such a large mental hospital like this be this respectful of her? Furthermore, she said she’ll discharge me, a mentally ill person who’s probably considered very dangerous. What if I leave and endanger society? It’s unlikely that a place with such great authority exists.’

As Chen Xiao contemplated, Ms. Liu’s test seemed to be nearing its end.

“Last question. Um… Do you have anti-social behavior? Yes or no.”

Chen Xiao frowned. Compared to the previous questions, this one was a bit too irresponsible. He looked at Ms. Liu’s expression again, which was permeated with a faint hint of impatience… Just then, Chen Xiao had another guess and immediately confirmed it.

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“Mm…” He grunted with his nose, using a very, very deliberate pronunciation. The sound was so short and quiet that others could not hear it clearly, but they could guess that it sounded a little like ‘mm-hmm’. If this sound was used to answer the question, it would mean ‘yes’. However, since it was too vague, most people would have doubts and try to confirm the answer again. When that happened, Chen Xiao could change his answer to ‘no.’

So why did Chen Xiao do this? It was because he wanted to see Ms. Liu’s reaction.

Sure enough, she did not confirm Chen Xiao’s answer. Instead, she took a long breath like she finally finished a boring scene. After that, she looked much more relaxed as she drew a stroke on the file.

At that moment, Chen Xiao confirmed that the test was actually irrelevant.

‘In other words, the main event is what comes after,’ he thought.

Just as he thought, Ms. Liu turned around, threw the folder onto the desk casually, and picked up a book that resembled a contract. Then, she grabbed something else and returned to Chen Xiao again.

“Congratulations, you’ve passed the psychological assessment. You should feel honored. You now have a chance to work with us.” She spoke slightly faster now. This must be a speech she gave often.

“Our company is working on some new types of products. You don’t need to know what they are for now. All you need to know is that you’ve been selected as a volunteer to test some of their properties. There might be danger during the tests, but you should know that even drinking water carries the risk of choking to death. In short, after you’ve completed all these performance tests, you will be released. All your past crimes, dangerous records, data about your illness, and all things that have adverse effects on you will be erased. You can return to society to start a new life,” Ms. Liu continued methodically. Then, she raised the book in her hand and flipped to the last page.

“All you have to do is press your fingerprint here!” She said, “You have twenty seconds to think about it. Do you want to fight for a chance at freedom or go back to that ward for the rest of your life? Oh, ten seconds left, nine, eight…”

It was a very simple conversation technique. Put two very different options in front of a person, then use time to urge them to quickly make a choice. Almost everyone would hurriedly choose the option that looked better and have no time to think about what was hidden behind it.

However, Chen Xiao was different. He knew very well what both options meant. This contract was a huge trap. People would regret the decision they made when they find out the truth.

Thus, he used barely a moment to think and then said, “I’ll do it!”

Uh… Yes, he agreed.

That was because the other option was unacceptable to him. Chen Xiao could not stand to be tossed back into the ward just like that. No matter what terrible things he would face after signing this contract could be, at least that would be more interesting.

‘Interesting!’ …Chen Xiao suddenly thought of that word. He felt as if he found something so important that he had to pursue it at all costs.

‘Life has to be interesting!’ he thought. He subconsciously stretched the corners of his mouth, wanting to laugh.

“Ugh! That’s really…” Ms. Liu mumbled a sentence in front of him. Chen Xiao knew that the second half of her sentence was the word ‘disgusting’.

‘I’m just smiling. Is it really that disgusting?’

Just then, Ms. Liu frowned and brought an inkpad next to Chen Xiao’s right hand. Then, she said, “Press it.”

Chen Xiao’s wrist was tied very firmly, so it took a lot of effort for him to touch the ink pad. It was sticky and uncomfortable.

Ms. Liu immediately handed the document over.

“Do it,” she said simply.

Chen Xiao once again tried his best and pressed his thumbprint onto the contract with great effort.

Ms. Liu picked up the contract, looked at it, and nodded slightly. She turned around and gathered the documents on the table in her arms again.

Then, she pushed open the door and left.

Chen Xiao heard her speak to the staff who was pushing the flatbed earlier, who was still standing at the door, “Someone will come to pick him up tomorrow.”

“Yes, Ms. Liu!” The man responded.

Then, the sound of high heels got further and further away…

 

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