After lunch, Shen Yu visited Qi Fang’s temporary private hospital room and left promptly before his two o’clock class to return to school.
Qi Fang, who had been playing the mummy role in bed, suddenly sat up as soon as Shen Yu left the hospital. He turned to Chen Ke beside Li Congming and asked, “How is it?”
The moment Shen Yu closed the door, Chen Ke pulled out several sheets of paper from her coat pocket. She was now intently ticking off each item on a clipboard.
After completing her checklist, Chen Ke closed the papers. The faint smile that usually graced her face faded as she grew serious. “It’s not very optimistic.”
Qi Fang’s heart tightened.
Li Congming voiced the question for him, “What do you mean by ‘not very optimistic’?”
Chen Ke set the clipboard aside and gathered her thoughts before explaining slowly, “Let me break it down for you.”
“From what I observed today, we can see that Professor Shen is a very independent person who prioritizes work and career.”
Li Congming grew impatient. “So? Why does Shen Yu still believe Qi Fang has a fracture when he’s perfectly fine?”
Qi Fang remained silent, seemingly aware of what Chen Ke was about to say.
Chen Ke patted Li Congming’s shoulder, gesturing for him to calm down. “Professor Shen is so focused on his work, yet he’s still made time in his busy schedule to visit the ‘fractured’ Qi Fang in the hospital these past few days.”
“This means it’s not a temporary misunderstanding about Qi Fang’s fracture, but a firm belief,” Chen Ke said. “Even without any medical proof from the hospital, even after we explained the truth to him today.”
Earlier that day, when Shen Yu heard Chen Ke’s explanation, he responded without hesitation, “Impossible.”
“If there wasn’t a fracture, Qi Fang wouldn’t be hospitalized,” Shen Yu had said calmly.
Li Congming paced back and forth in the hospital room, utterly perplexed. “Could it be because Qi Fang was slightly injured in the car accident and hospitalized, so Shen Yu thought…?”
“The car accident you mentioned is one factor,” Chen Ke said. “But Shen Yu’s firm belief in the fracture is the result.”
She continued, “There isn’t necessarily a direct, one-way connection between this cause and effect. To put it simply, would a normal person develop such a notion out of thin air because of a minor accident?”
Li Congming fell silent.
Qi Fang leaned against the headboard and finally spoke, “So, there must be another, more direct cause for Shen Yu’s…”
Chen Ke nodded, “That’s my current understanding. But as for the specific aspect, I’m inclined to believe it’s psychological or mental. We can’t rule out the possibility of neurological organ dysfunction. You should have Shen Yu undergo a full body examination to be certain.”
Qi Fang looked at her and suddenly asked, “Do you already have a direction in mind?”
Chen Ke paused for a moment, then nodded, “Professor Shen’s symptoms remind me of a rare condition I read about in a journal a long time ago.”
“What condition?” Qi Fang pressed.
Chen Ke replied, “Have you ever heard of ‘White Knight Syndrome’?”
*
Li Congming: “Never heard of it.”
Qi Fang: “No idea.”
Chen Ke pondered for a moment before explaining, “In medicine, there’s a rare psychological disorder called Munchausen’s Syndrome. Patients seek attention or care by imagining or faking illnesses, sometimes even deliberately injuring themselves.”
Li Congming clicked his tongue and glanced at Qi Fang. “No wonder you used to fake illness to skip classes back in school. Did you have this Munchausen’s thing?”
Qi Fang: “??”
Chen Ke sighed, “People with actual Munchausen’s Syndrome firmly believe they have a certain illness. They might even feel excited when taking medication or being hospitalized. Being aware that you’re not sick and deliberately faking illness to skip class doesn’t fall under Munchausen’s Syndrome.”
“Whether one psychologically accepts the illness or not is a crucial criterion for our diagnosis,” Chen Ke explained.
“There’s a derivative branch called Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP)1This is in English., also known as Proxy Munchausen’s Syndrome2This is the same but in Chinese. So, I just rephrased i. The ‘White Knight Syndrome’ circulating online is actually an overgeneralized product extracted from MSBP’s symptoms.”
Li Congming and Qi Fang fell silent. Li Congming lowered his head to search for these conditions on his phone, while Qi Fang bowed his head slightly in thought.
After a moment, Qi Fang asked, “Is Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy the opposite of Munchausen’s, where patients imagine their target has an illness to satisfy their psychological need or even excitement through caregiving?”
Chen Ke nodded approvingly, “That’s correct.”
Qi Fang remained silent, knowing Chen Ke wouldn’t have explained the illness at such length unless it was related to Shen Yu’s behavior.
“Actually, MBSP3I will use the acronym from now on because I’m too lazy to type out the entire phrase. isn’t as simple as it might seem,” Chen Ke continued after a pause. “Patients usually have an extreme need for control. They might try to prescribe medication or give injections to their care targets. In severe cases, they might even harm the person they’re caring for to satisfy their caregiving obsession.”
“Um…” Li Congming spoke up hesitantly, “Qi Fang… I think I saw Shen Yu reading medical literature about orthopedic surgery on his phone earlier…”
Qi Fang calmly replied, “Shen Yuyu won’t harm me.”
Li Congming persisted, “But Shen Yu might have this Proxy whatever…”
Qi Fang shook his head, his tone even, “He won’t harm me.”
“Professor Shen’s symptoms aren’t clear-cut yet, so we can’t jump to conclusions,” Chen Ke interjected. “However, MBSP cases are extremely rare, and if it’s indeed diagnosed, there’s no well-established treatment plan.”
She then asked, “Before believing you had a fracture, did Professor Shen ever misdiagnose any other illnesses?”
Qi Fang thought for a moment, then nodded, “After he returned from his business trip, he thought I had the flu and insisted I wear a mask all the time.”
Chen Ke inquired, “Has Professor Shen mentioned anything about the flu since he started believing you had a fracture?”
Qi Fang shook his head, “No.”
Chen Ke jotted down notes as she asked, “What about even earlier?”
Qi Fang replied, “Nothing before that.”
Chen Ke tapped her pen cap against her chin and thought for a while, “Psychological disorders always have a trigger. According to you, Professor Shen only started exhibiting these symptoms after his recent business trip. Could something have happened during that trip to trigger this condition?”
Li Congming had a sudden flash of inspiration. “Could Shen Yu have been poisoned?”
Qi Fang retorted, “Li Fathead, have you been watching too many TV dramas?”
Li Congming erupted in anger. “Who are you calling Li Fathead, you Qi-dog?!”
Chen Ke rubbed her temples. “Please stop arguing…”
“I can’t recall all the symptoms and cases of Munchausen’s right now. I’ll need to look it up when I get back,” Chen Ke said as she gathered her things. She beckoned Li Congming to leave and told Qi Fang, “I should be able to get back to you with the compiled information in a couple of days. In the meantime, try to find a way to get Professor Shen to undergo a full body examination.”
As soon as they left the hospital room, Li Congming’s face fell. He lowered his voice and asked Chen Ke, “Does Shen Yu really have that condition?”
Walking towards the elevator with him, Chen Ke replied, “The symptoms are quite evident. If it’s a psychological disorder, it’s almost certainly that.”
“Ah,” Li Congming sighed heavily. “Fang-zi didn’t look too good. He didn’t even laugh at my jokes. If Shen Yu is really sick, then Fang-zi…”
Li Congming couldn’t bear to think about how Qi Fang would react.
As a long-time friend, Li Congming knew that Qi Fang’s greatest fear was Shen Yu falling ill.
Shen Yu was now a workaholic, but back in school, he had been a study fanatic.
While others were still learning basic physics, chemistry, and biology, Shen Yu had already transcended to reading English academic journals. Once he started studying, he’d forget to eat or sleep, oblivious to the passage of time. His longest record was studying for 48 hours straight when Qi Fang had gone back to his hometown. Shen Yu ended up fainting from low blood sugar in the school library, nearly giving the patrolling disciplinary teacher a heart attack.
After that incident, Qi Fang never dared to leave Shen Yu alone. He’d check on him three times a day for meals. Before WeChat became popular, he’d spend hundreds of yuan monthly on phone calls and text messages.
But with such intense study habits, Shen Yu’s physical condition was obviously poor. He always ranked last in physical tests. The P.E. teacher didn’t dare scold him when he saw Shen Yu lagging far behind in the 1000-meter run while stubbornly reciting vocabulary.
Shen Yu was prone to falling ill during seasonal changes or when temperatures fluctuated.
Li Congming had witnessed Qi Fang’s dedication – from personally making soup to climbing over the dormitory wall at midnight just to cover Shen Yu with a blanket, to closely monitoring Shen Yu’s medication three times a day. He was omnipresent, like a ghost.
In Li Congming’s memory, the worst illness Shen Yu had ever had was acute gastroenteritis from eating ice cream bought by a classmate. He was hospitalized and put on an IV drip for half a day, and Qi Fang had been beside himself with worry…
Now that Shen Yu might have this bizarre Munchausen’s syndrome, Li Congming was also extremely anxious. He feared Qi Fang might blame himself for not taking good care of Shen Yu.
Ah, Li Congming thought, what a mess this is.
*
Shen Yu finished reviewing the initial drafts of papers on the latest experimental results submitted by his students. After annotating each one and sending them back via email, he frowned, feeling like he was missing someone.
After quickly scanning through the recipient list, Shen Yu remembered that it was the first-year graduate student named Zhao Minqing who hadn’t submitted yet.
Actually, it was normal for first-year graduate students to struggle with such intense experiments and paper writing. If they really couldn’t write it, they could just tell Shen Yu and submit a data report instead.
But Zhao Minqing was different. He hadn’t contacted Shen Yu at all before the submission deadline.
Shen Yu’s expression remained neutral as he opened WeChat and resent the previous notification to Zhao Minqing, adding a single “?”.
Zhao Minqing seemed to be on his phone and replied instantly: “I’m sorry, Professor Shen! I’ve written it, but I’m still revising. I’ll send it to you once it’s complete.”
Shen Yu: “.”
Zhao Minqing, seemingly without guilt, even added: “Professor, are you still in your office? I just bought some delicious snacks from off-campus. Can I bring them for you to try?”
Shen Yu couldn’t be bothered to reply and simply deleted Zhao Minqing’s chat window.
Annoying.
Unexpectedly, half an hour later, Shen Yu’s office door was knocked on, and Zhao Minqing actually showed up with a bag of desserts.
Shen Yu stopped typing on his computer and looked up at him coldly.
Zhao Minqing wasn’t afraid of this coldness. In fact, it was Shen Yu’s icy demeanor that had initially attracted him.
——A fair and delicate face, brows slightly furrowed, almond-shaped eyes that were sharp and clear when looking at people, and when not, long lashes lowered, presenting a different kind of touching beauty.
Zhao Minqing couldn’t help but step closer, saying, “Professor, I brought you some cake… It’s delicious.”
Shen Yu’s gaze briefly swept over the exquisite cake box before withdrawing. He said coolly, “Submit the first draft of your paper to me within three days.”
Zhao Minqing was taken aback. “Ah? Okay…”
Didn’t Shen Yu like sweets? Why wasn’t there any reaction?
He had specifically inquired and heard that Shen Yu often drank glucose water because he liked sweet things.
Disturbed by him, Shen Yu glanced at the time and lost interest in continuing work. He turned off his computer and stood up to leave.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Minqing followed him step by step, chattering incessantly about trivial matters, such as inquiring about Qi Fang’s condition and probing Shen Yu’s relationship status…
Shen Yu glanced at him sideways, not even bothering to respond, treating this unnecessary person as if he were air.
At the hospital entrance, Shen Yu encountered an unexpected person, Qin Xiaosa.
Dressed in a black suit, Qin Xiaosa greeted Shen Yu, “Off work so early?”
Shen Yu didn’t speak, looking at him with slight confusion.
“I came to see Fang-zi,” Qin Xiaosa said. “Someone said he had a fracture? Is it serious?”
Shen Yu: “His leg is still there.”
“…” Qin Xiaosa: “Oh, that’s good then.”
Qin Xiaosa’s gaze shifted to the young man following Shen Yu. “And who might this be?”
Zhao Minqing introduced himself, “Hello, I’m Professor Shen’s student. I’m accompanying him to visit Mr. Qi.”
Qin Xiaosa, being who he was, immediately saw through this Zhao fellow’s ill intentions, but since Shen Yu showed no reaction, Qin Xiaosa rubbed his nose and said nothing.
They all headed towards the inpatient department of the hospital.
Before they reached the elevator, Qin Xiaosa received a phone call. He glanced down to see the caller ID displayed as “Qi Fang.”
“?” Qin Xiaosa answered the call. “Hello? I’m already downstairs, what’s…”
While waiting for the elevator, Shen Yu stood by the doors, catching Qin Xiaosa’s slightly surprised expression on the smooth, mirrored surface.
“Mm… are you sure?” Qin Xiaosa glanced sideways. “Shen Yu is right beside me.”
“Alright, alright.” He said a couple more sentences before hanging up. Turning to meet Shen Yu’s gaze, he smiled and betrayed his friend without mercy.
“Qi Fang says he’s about to die and told me to start wailing as soon as I enter the room,” Qin Xiaosa said. “Oh, and he said not to tell you, afraid you’d cry along, and it would break his heart to see you upset.”
Shen Yu: “?”
Zhao Minqing, who had been playing with his phone, was also stunned.
What? About to die?
He hadn’t even done anything yet, and Shen Yu’s Qi-whatever was going to die?
This… wouldn’t that make Shen Yu a widower? Did that mean he might have a chance?
Confused, Zhao Minqing followed Shen Yu and Qin Xiaosa to the hospital room. As soon as the door was pushed open, they saw a white figure flop onto the bed and start fake-wailing. “Ahhh… Ahhhh Fang-zi…”
Shen Yu: “…”
Qin Xiaosa: “Nice.”
After wailing for a while without hearing any response from the doorway, Li Congming sneakily looked up, only to find Shen Yu standing expressionlessly at the door, Qin Xiaosa with a complex expression beside him, and a tall young male student behind them.
Li Congming looked away and asked the bedridden Qi Fang in a lowered voice, “There are quite a few people here. Should I continue acting?”
Qi Fang replied in the same volume, “I’ll take it from here.”
He slowly half-opened his eyes and addressed the doorway in a weak voice. “Shen Yuyu…”
Shen Yu stepped forward to the bedside, looking down at him with lowered lashes.
“I feel like I’m not going to make it,” Qi Fang cleared his throat. “Shen Yuyu, I didn’t expect my condition to worsen so quickly. I’m very worried about you. Your health isn’t good either, so why don’t you take this opportunity to get a detailed full-body checkup? That way, I can die in peace…”
Shen Yu: “.”
“I’ve already made the appointment for your full-body checkup…”
Qi Fang solemnly pulled out his ‘legacy’ from under the blanket and handed it to Shen Yu. “Shen Yuyu, tomorrow at 9 a.m. sharp, second floor of the hospital, Physical Examination Department. Remember to fast, don’t eat breakfast. If you feel dizzy, tell the nurse immediately…”
Shen Yu accepted the examination appointment slip.
Qi Fang thought to himself that his performance must have been quite convincing. Given Shen Yu’s personality, accepting the slip meant he agreed.
“So…” Qi Fang said, “Shen Yuyu, is there anything you want to say to me— Who’s this person?”
He fully opened his eyes, finally noticing the familiar young man standing beside Qin Xiaosa at the door.
Shen Yu glanced back and said, “A student.”
Qin Xiaosa, with a half-smile, looked at Zhao Minqing and said, “A student… You quite like your Professor Shen, don’t you?”
Zhao Minqing hesitated: “I—”
Qi Fang: “…………”
The next moment, everyone in the room watched as Qi Fang suddenly sat bolt upright like a carp flipping out of water. His eyes were no longer half-closed, he wasn’t gasping for air anymore. His complexion was rosy, his gaze sharp. He glanced at Zhao Minqing with eyes like daggers and asked:
“Wait a second, who likes who?”
TL Notes
- 1This is in English.
- 2This is the same but in Chinese. So, I just rephrased i
- 3I will use the acronym from now on because I’m too lazy to type out the entire phrase.
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