Chen Xuanqiu descended into the living room. To her surprise, both her parents were present, and she couldn’t tell if it was a coincidence or if they had deliberately waited for her.
“Qiu, you’re awake? Are you hungry?”
Melissa approached, asking happily. Clad in a floral maxi dress, she looked every bit like a foreign princess from a news report, with golden hair, blue eyes, elegant and beautiful.
“I’m fine.”
Chen Xuanqiu offered a distracted smile. Her mind was busy contemplating how to broach the topic she needed to discuss.
Melissa affectionately stroked her ‘son’s’ head. She then instructed Li Auntie to reheat breakfast.
“Qiu, how are you feeling now?”
Melissa took her ‘son’s’ hand and settled onto the sofa.
“I’m perfectly fine now.”
Chen Xuanqiu quickly replied. She knew that only by appearing calm and composed would her parents finally be at ease.
“Mmm, that’s wonderful.”
Melissa responded rather stiffly. Her eyes then flickered towards her husband, a silent plea for help.
“Xiao Qiu, after you’ve eaten, we’re taking you to the hospital for a check-up.”
Father Chen hesitated, then spoke with visible difficulty.
“There’s no need. I’m already fine.”
Chen Xuanqiu reiterated firmly.
“You absolutely must go to the hospital; otherwise, we won’t be able to rest easy.”
Father Chen’s tone grew serious.
“You… you’re planning to take me to the Fourth Hospital, aren’t you?”
Chen Xuanqiu realized there was no avoiding it. She decided there was no point in hiding the truth any longer.
“How did you know?”
Melissa’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I overheard your conversation in the car last night.”
Chen Xuanqiu explained calmly.
“Yes, I asked your Uncle Zhou, and he suggested we take you to the Fourth Hospital for a check-up.”
Father Chen’s reply was deliberately vague. He clearly didn’t want to alarm his son.
“You still think I’m mentally ill, don’t you?”
Chen Xuanqiu challenged them.
Father Chen exchanged a glance with his wife. Both their faces were etched with helplessness.
“I’ve told you before,” Chen Xuanqiu began, “I can now see things that ordinary people cannot. It was like that at Dengtai Central Hospital, and it’s like that again this time.”
To convince her parents, Chen Xuanqiu recounted everything that had happened last night, down to the last detail.
Upon hearing her bizarre account, her parents’ expressions grew complex. For a moment, they were utterly speechless.
“Qiu,” Melissa asked softly after a long pause, “we respect your opinion, so what do you think we should do now?”
Chen Xuanqiu was stumped by the question. Could she really tell her parents to simply ignore everything?
“Xiao Qiu, you must understand,” Father Chen said, taking a deep drag from his cigarette, “your mother and I are just ordinary people. We can’t deal with supernatural or ghostly matters. As your parents, all we can do is take you to a doctor.”
“Perhaps you could take me to see a Taoist priest or a pastor,” Chen Xuanqiu suggested after a moment of silence. She knew her current condition defied scientific explanation and might only find answers in theology.
“Darling, how about we take him to a church or a Taoist temple?” Melissa proposed, her heart softening.
“Xiao Qiu, to be honest with you,” Father Chen began, “as a member of a civilized society, I place more faith in science than in spirits or ghosts.”
Having first stated his view, he continued, “I believe in science, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe you. How about this…”
Father Chen weighed his words carefully. “You come with us to the hospital first. If your condition hasn’t improved within a month, then we’ll take you to a Taoist priest or a pastor, or someone similar.”
“This…”
Chen Xuanqiu found herself in a difficult predicament. She knew her father had already made a significant concession, yet she harbored an unspeakable secret. Going to the hospital would mean losing control of her situation. A head examination would be fine, but a full body check-up…
A shiver ran down Chen Xuanqiu’s spine at the thought. Exposing her gender transition to her family was one thing, but if the hospital staff found out, she’d likely end up confined to a laboratory within three days.
“Don’t worry,” Father Chen reassured her, “I’ve thought about it. We’ll try our best to avoid hospitalization. I won’t let you stay in a place like that for long.”
Father Chen offered another calming assurance.
“Qiu, we respect you, and we hope you can respect us too.”
Melissa felt her husband had been more than accommodating, so she patiently tried to persuade her ‘son’.
“Fine, let’s just go and see.”
Chen Xuanqiu knew she couldn’t push her luck, so she reluctantly agreed.
The faces of both elders immediately brightened. After all, no parent truly wishes to force their children into anything.
After breakfast, Chen Xuanqiu followed her parents as they hurried to the Fourth Hospital. Her mind raced, strategizing how to handle the various situations that might arise.
‘No matter what, if they insist on a full body examination, I’ll find a way to escape.’
Chen Xuanqiu prepared for the worst-case scenario. Yet, deep down, she still hoped she could somehow bluff her way through.
Chen Xuanqiu soon arrived at the Fourth Hospital with her parents, feeling a definite sense of trepidation. In movies, such places were depicted as truly terrifying, more like prisons than hospitals, where anyone who entered, sane or not, was never seen again.
Chen Xuanqiu followed her parents into the outpatient building. She quickly realized it was nothing like she’d imagined; it was far quieter than a regular hospital. It was then she understood that movies often sensationalized such places.
Feeling somewhat calmer, Chen Xuanqiu obediently trailed behind her parents.
The Fourth Hospital was Donghui City’s specialized psychiatric institution. Outwardly, it appeared almost as large as the Central Hospital, and its facilities mirrored those of a typical hospital. The sole difference was the scarcity of patients; there was no need to queue at all.
Father Chen and his wife registered, then took their ‘son’ to see the specialist.
The specialist this time was a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties. After listening to Chen Xuanqiu’s explanation of her condition, she didn’t rush to a diagnosis. Instead, she prescribed two examinations: a brain CT scan and an electroencephalogram (EEG).
Chen Xuanqiu breathed a sigh of relief. She went with her parents to complete the two tests and received the results quickly.
“Based solely on these two results, there’s nothing major,” the female specialist stated. “However, to completely rule out organic mental disorders, he will need to undergo some auxiliary examinations.”
Even after reviewing the results, the female specialist refrained from making a definitive diagnosis. She ordered several more tests, including a chest CT, a complete blood count, and even a urinalysis.
“Why do I need chest examinations and other things?”
Chen Xuanqiu’s fears had materialized, and she asked, unwilling to accept it.
“Little sister… ah, *brother*,” the female specialist patiently explained, “you see, hallucinations aren’t always a problem with the brain. They can also be caused by lesions in other parts of the body, which is why auxiliary tests are necessary.”
Chen Xuanqiu found herself utterly unable to refute the explanation. Her only thought was to make a swift escape.
As the family of three exited the consultation room, Chen Xuanqiu immediately began plotting her escape. If treating her perceived mental illness meant exposing her true gender, there was no way she could remain in this hospital.
“Mom, Dad, wait here for me, I need to use the restroom.”
Chen Xuanqiu quickly concocted a crude excuse.
Her parents, completely unsuspecting, simply told ‘him’ to be quick so they could finish the examinations and set their minds at ease.
Chen Xuanqiu claimed she was going to the restroom, but in reality, she bolted as soon as she reached the corner. At this point, she could no longer consider her parents’ feelings.
Chen Xuanqiu rushed out of the hospital entrance, hailed a taxi, and headed straight home. She had nowhere else to go.
Still in the taxi, Chen Xuanqiu’s phone rang. She knew what was coming, so she answered the call.
“Qiu, where did you run off to? We’ve already paid the fees!”
Melissa asked, her voice laced with anxiety.
“Mom, please come back. I don’t want to be examined anymore.”
Chen Xuanqiu spoke with difficulty.
“Qiu, do you even realize what you’re doing? Get back here right now!”
Even the usually gentle Melissa raised her voice.
Chen Xuanqiu had nothing more to say. Hardening her heart, she hung up the phone.
“Melissa, what happened?”
On the other end of the line, Father Chen, seeing his wife’s agitated state, quickly inquired.
“He said he didn’t want the examination, so he ran back home,” Melissa sighed.
“What? Is he joking? Didn’t we already agree on this? Why did he sneak off halfway?”
Father Chen also exclaimed, losing his composure.
“Darling, don’t be angry,” Melissa quickly interjected, trying to smooth things over. “He’s just a child; he probably got scared once he arrived at the hospital and changed his mind.”
“A child? He’s sixteen years old already! Xuanzhu is the same age as him. Look at Xuanzhu, then look at him!” Father Chen scoffed. “And he’s a boy! I thought he’d matured a lot after everything that happened before, but it turns out he’s still so senseless.”
Father Chen spoke with a tone of deep disappointment.
“Let’s just go back and try to talk to him,” Melissa suggested. “We can’t force him into this.”
“Alright,” Father Chen said, trying to calm himself. “I just hope he understands that we’re doing this for his own good.”
****
Upon returning home, Chen Xuanqiu immediately locked her bedroom door from the inside. She swore that not even a deity could ever make her go back to a psychiatric hospital again.
Not long after, her parents returned, and Melissa came to knock on her door.
Chen Xuanqiu, fearing she would be forcibly taken back to the psychiatric hospital, dared not open the door.
After calling for a long time with no response, Melissa quietly went back downstairs.
Chen Xuanzhu had just arrived home for lunch. Upon learning what had transpired, she stormed upstairs in a fit of anger.
“Xiao Qiu, open this door!”
Chen Xuanqiu hadn’t even had a moment to relax when her younger sister’s voice echoed from outside the door.
Chen Xuanqiu instantly tensed. She knew her sister’s fiery temper, and this door wouldn’t hold her back.
“You’re not opening it, are you? Fine, I’ll just get Captain Bao to smash the door down!”
Chen Xuanzhu threatened, utterly exasperated.
Having no other choice, Chen Xuanqiu reluctantly stood up and hesitantly opened the door.
“What do you think you’re doing today?”
Chen Xuanzhu stormed in, immediately barraging her with questions.
“I…”
Chen Xuanqiu didn’t know how to explain herself and could only weakly lower her head.
Without another word, Chen Xuanzhu reached out and gave her ‘brother’s’ back a pat.
Chen Xuanqiu’s body stiffened. She looked at her sister, puzzled, but as memories of last night flooded back, a blush crept onto her face. ‘That was my first kiss,’ she thought.
“Tell me,” Chen Xuanzhu demanded, “did you run off halfway through the examination because you were wearing women’s clothes?”
“Ah? Yes, yes, yes!”
Chen Xuanqiu was momentarily stunned. Then, she started nodding vigorously like a pecking chick, genuinely surprised her sister had offered an excuse for her.
“Just as I thought. Now, take off that women’s undershirt you’re wearing and give it to me. You’re not allowed to wear it again.”
Chen Xuanzhu spoke in a commanding tone.
“I won’t.”
Chen Xuanqiu stubbornly refused.
“You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, do you? It seems I’ll have to do this myself.”
Chen Xuanzhu’s beautiful eyes narrowed, and she lunged fiercely at her ‘brother’. While she respected her ‘brother’s’ hobbies, she absolutely wouldn’t allow ‘him’ to delay medical treatment because of them.
Chen Xuanqiu was once again tackled onto the bed. In this critical moment, she didn’t just lie there passively, instead fiercely resisting her sister’s hands.
Thus, the two ‘siblings’ wrestled on the bed, their entangled positions hardly more graceful than a street brawl between two shrews.
Chen Xuanqiu fought desperately, but being the weaker of the two, she quickly found herself at a disadvantage. Her clothes were pulled up, revealing the faint edges of her chest binder.
“That’s not a women’s undershirt! What in the world are you binding yourself with?”
Chen Xuanzhu was utterly dumbfounded.