“OK, OK.” Dr. Watson raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, then said, “Although you came together, according to the rules, we still need to see you separately. Who wants to go first?”
Shen Yu opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Qi Fang eagerly interjected, “Doctor, I’ll go first. I’m seriously ill, and I’m dying.”
Dr. Watson: “?”
Qi Fang promptly followed Dr. Watson into the private consultation room.
“Mr. Qi, your partner Mr. Shen asked me to examine you…” Dr. Watson sat down behind the desk and had barely uttered a few words when Qi Fang quickly interrupted him:
“Hello, doctor. Actually, I’m not sick.”
“Oh,” Dr. Watson said, surprised. “Of course, we don’t think you’re sick. We’re just here to chat and relax. Let’s just consider this making a new friend, alright?”
“…” Qi Fang: “Give me an IQ test.”
Dr. Watson had never encountered a dementia patient who requested an IQ test before.
This illness was truly unusual.
However, his professional ethics allowed him to maintain his composure. He printed out a set of questions and handed them to Qi Fang. Just as he was about to use the time during the test to communicate with this eccentric “patient,” he saw Qi Fang’s pen fly across the paper, completing the test in no time.
“?” Dr. Watson fell into deep thought.
What was the definition of dementia again?
Qi Fang put down the pen, raised the test paper in front of Dr. Watson, and shook it, saying, “See, I’m not demented.”
“The consultation fee is non-refundable,” Dr. Watson said immediately.
Qi Fang: “…”
If it’s non-refundable, so be it. It’s not like they were short on money.
“We came here today to ask you to examine another patient,” Qi Fang said, showing him a screenshot of Chen Ke’s email. “Shen Yu is my partner. We suspect he might have MSBP. We heard you have experience treating such patients, so we made an appointment to see you.”
After a pause, Qi Fang added, “My ‘dementia’ is also something Shen Yu imagined.”
Dr. Watson remembered Chen Ke’s email and said with some surprise, “So it was a misunderstanding. I thought…”
He thought dementia had become contagious, with human-to-human transmission occurring in a short time.
Such a discovery would be an earthquake in the medical field, enough for him to publish a hundred papers.
Dr. Watson coughed, setting aside those distracting thoughts. He furrowed his brow and said, “MSBP? That’s not a common condition. What symptoms led you to this suspicion?”
“If it were just simple memory confusion, it could also lead to mistakenly believing others are sick.”
Qi Fang shook his head and recounted the entire situation from beginning to end, focusing on describing Shen Yu’s words and actions.
Dr. Watson took notes on paper. After listening, he asked:
“Based on your description, the possibility of Mr. Shen having MSBP is indeed extremely high. However, this psychological disorder usually occurs between relatives with a nurturing relationship. Do you have any idea why Mr. Shen might have developed MSBP?”
Nurturing relationship?
Qi Fang thought to himself, could it be that Shen Yu, at twenty-something years old, suddenly developed this condition because he wanted to be a father?
Being a father wasn’t out of the question, but could they perhaps choose a different son to care for? How about Li Congming?
“Sir,” Dr. Watson said, “please try not to let your thoughts wander too much.”
Qi Fang: “…”
He thought for a moment, then briefly summarized to Dr. Watson the recently learned information about Shen Yu’s father’s grave relocation and the divorce agreement.
Dr. Watson nodded, first noting it down, then said, “Please ask Mr. Shen to come in. I’d like to talk with him.”
*
When Shen Yu saw Qi Fang come out, he stood up.
His dark eyes swept over Qi Fang’s entire body, as if checking for any abnormalities, before withdrawing his gaze.
“How did it go?” Qin Xiaosa asked.
“I…” Qi Fang paused, finding an excuse, “He just asked me some simple questions. Um… there were many I couldn’t answer.”
Shen Yu spoke, his voice unusually gentle, “You’re sick, so your memory isn’t good.”
Qin Xiaosa mouthed silently, “That’s how it is when you’re demented.”
“…” Qi Fang didn’t want to look at his unhelpful friend anymore, so he turned to Shen Yu, adopting a pitiful tone, “The doctor asked me to come out and bring a family member back in with me. Shen Yuyu…”
Shen Yu instinctively stepped forward, holding his hand, “I’m here.”
After a moment’s thought, Shen Yu added, “Don’t be afraid.”
Qin Xiaosa observed for a moment, feeling that Qi Fang’s soul was about to float away from being comforted, and couldn’t help but cough, reminding him to mind the setting.
Shen Yu looked up, seeing Qi Fang first stare blankly, then finally seem to come to his senses after a few seconds, responding sluggishly, “Okay, okay, I’m not afraid, not afraid.”
“Family member, hehe,” Qi Fang couldn’t help but giggle.
Shen Yu: “…”
He sighed inwardly, thinking that Qi Fang’s dementia seemed to have worsened.
Shen Yu tightened his grip on Qi Fang’s hand, leading him toward the consultation room door. Halfway there, he suddenly felt a gentle scratch in his palm. Shen Yu looked back to see Qi Fang flip his hand from being led by Shen Yu to interlocking their fingers.
Shen Yu had never held hands with anyone so intimately before. The few times he had held hands with Qi Fang before, it was either one gripping the other’s fingers. This complete and perfect interlocking was a first.
Shen Yu looked slightly uncomfortable, but surprisingly, he didn’t pull away.
Qin Xiaosa stood behind, watching as the two in front went from normal walking to inching along step by step in just half a minute, then to taking one step forward and two steps back, shuffling on the smooth clinic floor.
Qin Xiaosa: “…?”
Qi Fang turned his face, apologizing, “Oh, Shen Yuyu, my legs suddenly aren’t cooperating. Let’s walk a bit slower.”
Shen Yu: “.”
The consultation room door suddenly opened, and Dr. Watson poked out his chubby, round face, kindly reminding them, “Gentlemen, we have 50 minutes left in our scheduled appointment time.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Fang scooped up Shen Yu around the waist and rushed into the room.
Dr. Watson looked at his swaying consultation room door: “…”
“Please, have a seat,” maintaining his high level of professionalism, Dr. Watson kept his expression unchanged and politely asked Shen Yu and Qi Fang to sit down. He continued, “Mr. Shen, I asked you to come in to learn more about the situation.”
After sitting down, Shen Yu tried to let go of Qi Fang’s hand but was held tightly. He turned his head to meet Qi Fang’s pitiful gaze and, after a moment of silence, had no choice but to let him hold on.
…Perhaps it was the unique insecurity of a dementia patient.
“Mr. Shen, when did you first notice…” Dr. Watson wrote a few words on the paper, asking slowly, “that Mr. Qi’s condition was different from usual?”
Shen Yu didn’t answer immediately, instead asking, “What condition?”
“The state of cognitive impairment,” Dr. Watson said.
“A few days ago.”
“And what about his unhealthy physical state?” Dr. Watson rephrased the question.
Shen Yu thought for a while before answering, “Over a month ago.”
Qi Fang obediently played the role of a suddenly demented patient beside him, pretending not to understand a word.
Dr. Watson: “Mr. Shen, can you describe in detail the reasons for Mr. Qi’s illness? Or rather, how did you discover he was sick?”
Shen Yu nodded, first describing the symptoms of Qi Fang’s occasional coughing when he initially caught the “flu,” and then the “fracture” due to the car accident…
But towards the end, Shen Yu frowned and stopped speaking.
Despite his excellent memory, Professor Shen… couldn’t recall the reasons for Qi Fang’s heart disease and cognitive impairment.
The consultation room was quiet for a moment. Dr. Watson didn’t rush him but instead changed to a new record sheet and spoke again:
“Mr. Shen, you mentioned that your partner, Mr. Qi, has suffered from multiple illnesses. Have all these diseases been cured? Past medical history and current health status affect our planning for his next treatment plan.”
Shen Yu: “…They’re cured.”
Dr. Watson showed just the right amount of surprise. “Fractures can heal relatively quickly, but has Mr. Qi’s heart disease also healed on its own?”
Shen Yu fell silent.
Qi Fang’s brows also furrowed, glancing at the pensive Shen Yu from the corner of his eye, somewhat worried that Dr. Watson’s direct questions might overly stimulate Shen Yu again.
The consultation room was silent for over a full minute. Just as Qi Fang was about to tentatively speak, Shen Yu suddenly said, “Doctor, do you think I might also have some kind of cognitive impairment?”
Qi Fang’s movements froze.
Dr. Watson took off his glasses, speaking in a calm tone, “Without examination, we can’t draw accurate conclusions. I’m not questioning you, Mr. Shen.”
“I just wanted to hear your thoughts since you discovered Mr. Qi’s illness.”
Shen Yu lowered his eyelashes, remaining quiet for a long time.
Qi Fang could vaguely sense his agitation. Professor Shen had always been one to keep his emotions in check, but now his furrowed brow, tightly pressed thin lips, and unconsciously curled fingers were clear signs of discomfort.
“Qi Fang, he…” Shen Yu spoke very slowly, his voice soft. “I always feel like he’s been sick.”
“He rarely had physical problems before. It’s always been him taking care of me.”
Shen Yu’s speech was extremely slow, as if expressing these deepest feelings required more effort than his work.
The usually omnipotent Professor Shen now showed rare signs of unease and vulnerability. Qi Fang watched from the side, his heart aching terribly.
Dr. Watson silently listened to Shen Yu’s account – which was actually only a few sentences – then nodded and said, “I understand, Mr. Shen. Could you please wait outside for a moment? We have a few more things to discuss regarding Mr. Qi.”
After Shen Yu left, Dr. Watson’s gaze returned to Qi Fang.
“You don’t need to be so tense,” noticing the strained expression on Qi Fang’s face, Dr. Watson smiled reassuringly. “From my observation, your partner’s symptoms aren’t severe. He still maintains self-doubt, which is a good sign.”
He organized the documents on the desk and continued, “Due to the rare and special nature of this case, I need some time to process it. I have Dr. Chen Ke’s email contact information and will communicate further with her about specific treatment plans.”
“As for Mr. Shen’s condition,” Dr. Watson said, “Compared to the two MSBP patients I’ve encountered before, there’s indeed a high possibility it’s this type of psychological disorder, but the symptoms aren’t entirely typical.”
“For instance, a patient I treated three years ago believed her ten-year-old son had a severe selenium deficiency, so she secretly gave the child various medications, leading to selenium poisoning due to overdose.”
“‘Munchausen syndrome by proxy’ is usually accompanied by compulsive medical treatment behaviors, often causing physical harm to the imagined subject.”
“Mr. Shen hasn’t treated you this way,” Dr. Watson looked at Qi Fang and said, “He’s done well in restraining his pathological impulses.”
Qi Fang strongly agreed.
Since Shen Yu’s illness, although prone to overthinking, his care for Qi Fang had been increasing daily, including but not limited to trying to use a bedpan for him, pushing him in a wheelchair, supervising his teeth brushing and face washing, hanging a dog… nametag around his neck, and so on.
Although the behaviors were peculiar, they were all filled with Shen Yu’s love!
“Based on previous situations, I would recommend separating the patient from the imagined subject for treatment.” Dr. Watson put his glasses back on, pondered for a moment, and said, “But for Mr. Shen… I actually have a bold hypothesis.”
“You also think Shen Yu loves me very much?” Qi Fang asked.
Dr. Watson: “?”
Qi Fang showed him the memo on his phone. “Please continue, I’m listening.”
Dr. Watson: “…”
Wait, what topic just flew by?
Clearing his throat, Dr. Watson returned to the main subject. “In the conversation with Mr. Shen earlier, I noticed he mentioned a keyword.”
“Care.”
“Mr. Shen said that you’ve always been the one taking care of him, and now that you’re sick, he wants to learn how to take care of you.”
Dr. Watson said, “You mentioned earlier that Mr. Shen’s parents are divorced. I think perhaps due to some consideration or inspiration, this led to a change in his thinking.”
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