Honestly, Xue Jinxu wasn't manifesting signs of pregnancy yet, except for her eating disorder.  Her appet.i.te had been acting up strangely the past days and at times she had been craving a certain food.  She wasn't like that before.  Of course, as a consequence, her figure had been getting rounder starting from the tummy and hip area towards her limbs - thighs and extremities alike. 

Other than that, the usual manifestations or symptoms of pregnancy such as morning sickness or drowsiness were still not present.  Having observed thus, Chen Linyun wanted to protect both of his and his wife's hearts for any possible disappointment.  The likelihood to hear such was quite high.  Perhaps the uneasiness was brought about by this humungous possibility.  Perhaps, due to their excitement and thrill, they had acted prematurely that morning.  Nevertheless, it's better to confront the issue head-on and validate it early rather than keep on guessing.

His contemplation was cut short when Xue Jinxu emerged from the private hospital room.  Chen Linyun stood up to meet the wife, and shortly after, they left that section.

When they were supposed to head over to the exit, a glimpse of a familiar silhouette of a man caught Chen Linyun's eye in his peripheral view.  Even so, he did not change his pace nor put too much attention to it, so as not to alert the wife.  If Xue Jinxu was really already pregnant, then he would be the very first person that would withdraw her any threatening environment or anywhere near any source of harm. 

He instructed Xue Jinxu to head to the car first and wait for him inside as he wanted to check on something, or rather someone in the hospital.   When asked what or who, Chen Linyun remembered that w.a.n.g Xi Fu, the previous aggressor who turned to be the beggar that hara.s.sed the kids just recently, was admitted into the hospital again in the psychiatry department.  He told her he would check on him shortly.  It was just an excuse, though, but Chen Linyun made sure he visited the old man in his ward so as not to lie to the wife.

Xue Jinxu obliged, seeing the golden opportunity of already being there at the place.  She unsuspectingly complied and went ahead.  She, too, was being careful enough not to engage in anything that could potentially bring her to harm's way.  Although nothing's sure yet, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious. 

The two had certainly learned a lot from their past mistakes.  Never again will they succ.u.mb to the same pressing circ.u.mstances that would lead to distress or sorrow brought about by the unnecessary loss of a child.

When Xue Jinxu was safely seated in the pa.s.senger seat of their car, all buckled up, Chen Linyun went back specifically to the hallway where he had seen the silhouette of a man.  Unfortunately, when he got there, the hallway was empty devoid of any humans except him. 

He shook his head, trying to convince himself that perhaps it was just a figment of his imagination, and decided to proceed to the psychiatric ward to check on w.a.n.g Xi Fu. 

In front of the gla.s.s windows overlooking the patient, he discussed with the doctor w.a.n.g Xi Fu's condition and he learned that the harrowing experience the previous Marketing Director had endured before he was rescued, and the severity of his injuries brought trauma to his system.  Fear of the gang, resentment of his past sins, and perhaps the anxiety from lack of hope all added up to his stress.  Finally, the last straw eventually broke, as he transformed into a mentally deranged human being.

'If I had not gone into therapy, would I have lost my sanity as well?' Chen Linyun pondered as he listened to the doctor's explanation.  He shuddered and internally renewed his commitment to complete the series of his therapy sessions.

"His will is weak.  Had he been a little bit stronger, he could have fought against it.  As I see it, he entered into this never-ending loop of being anxious without ever finding out why he's been anxious.  There are moments when he relives the last torturous moments that he endured during his sleep.  He screams at the top of his lungs, thrashed his limbs and just squirm as if in pain.  Of course, the pain wasn't there, but subconsciously, he's trapped at that moment."

"I heard he was scalded with boiling water after getting beaten black and blue."

"Yes, that's right."

"Can I ask him questions?"

The doctor ma.s.saged his chin before answering.  "We can try.  But I cannot guarantee that he will give a sound answer."

"Better give it a try, then."

He entered the room where w.a.n.g Xi Fu stayed.  He was seated in a wheelchair, limbs wrapped in a straitjacket.  A male nurse stood by at the base of the wheelchair and maneuvered it so that the patient would be facing his guest.

Chen Linyun asked away the usual questions after he inquired about trivial opening ice-breaker lines such as 'How are you today?' and 'Isn't the weather nice?'

However, w.a.n.g Xi Fu stayed silent all throughout the whole ordeal. 

"There's no trigger." The male nurse voiced out.

"Pardon?"

"You aren't the first person to ask him questions.  A hundred percent, my patient did not answer because there's no trigger, no connection to his memories or his awareness."

"He attacked people we know recently.  Does that mean that those kids triggered him in some way?"

"Most likely."

"I see."

'But why?  Both of them triggered him.' Chen Linyun rewatched the video of that incident.  It was captured through the hidden security camera at the breast pocket of a bodyguard a.s.signed to protect Kang Sola and Xue Guangxi.  Its sole purpose was to provide surveillance, and the two kids knew about it as well.

It was mind-boggling, but Chen Linyun figured that he won't be getting answers from the man that day so he bid his farewell, after offering collaboration with the male nurse. 

"Please let us know if anything extraordinary happens to the patient." He handed the male nurse his and Butler Lee's contact details.

On his way to the hospital's exit, he saw from his periphery the same intriguing silhouette of the man he earlier perceived.  The man went around the corner.  He followed suit.

Alas, he lost the man again.  Never giving up, he retraced his steps until he arrived in a hallway where the familiar man most probably had come from.  It was a secluded hallway with only one room.  The signages that were hanged at the corridors indicated that the hallway was still part of the psychiatry department. 

He peeped into the only room's gla.s.s window attached to the sliding door and saw a lady of around fifty years in a wheelchair.  She was not wearing a straitjacket, unlike w.a.n.g Xi Fu.  Perhaps, she did not pose the same threat as w.a.n.g Xi Fu.  Perhaps, she was a docile one.

Seeing that she was alone, Chen Linyun slid himself clandestinely into the room and approached the wheelchair.

'What am I doing?  I must have lost my mind, too.  I'm invading someone else's privacy.'

Nevertheless, he continued walking. 

One step.

Two steps.

Until he was just arm's length from the lady whose back was turned against him.  He circled the wheelchair to get a better glance at the woman's visage. 

Her long hair was fixed into a low bun at the back of her head.  Some of the strands had turned silver and white, while most were still silky black.  Her face, though lined with wrinkles, still had remnants of beauty that seemed to have faded with time.

The old lady's countenance was rueful and grim, and it looked as if it was withered by all the sins in the world.  Suddenly, Chen Linyun felt sorry for her.

That room was stuffy.  Chen Linyun felt heavy as if a significant weight was put on his shoulders.  He decided not to stay long in that room.

He knelt, looked the lady in the eye, which by the way, had been gazing at a distance despondently all this while. 

"I will pray for your recovery." He mumbled with all the sincerity he could muster.

Up close, he could make out scars of her own battles around her neck, and several horizontal lines on both wrists.  Chen Linyun's heart sank. 

'No matter how much suffering there is in this world, what can make a person want to take her own life multiple times, never quitting from the pain of the first unsuccessful attempts?  In the end, she might not have lost her vitality, but her consciousness had left her.  Is that what she would have wanted to achieve?  Or is it not so different from the failed attempts like the ones preceding it?'

'Why would anyone choose to live in such a manner here on earth?'

He left the room and the lady but checked the patient's name first.  Han Lan was what the nameplate outside the room's wall revealed. 

'She has a beautiful name.  Lan means orchid.'

He pulled up the rim of his eyegla.s.ses towards his nose bridge.  With one last glance, he wished Miss Han Lan all the good wishes there were on the planet, then took his stroll outside to where the missus was waiting for him.