Lin Xiaocan saw Shen Jingqi's pale face and couldn't help but ask with concern, "Brother Jing, what's wrong? You don't look well."
Shen Jingqi raised his head, looking at Lin Xiaocan's concerned eyes, and felt a warm current in his heart. He forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, I'm just a bit tired."
Lin Xiaocan walked over to Shen Jingqi and sat down. She looked into his eyes and earnestly asked, "Who is Qin Si?"
Shen Jingqi looked at Lin Xiaocan, "Qin Si is a nurse at Shen University. We both participated in the 'Sensory Paradise' testing team... I was caught in delusions and hallucinations before, and I just discovered in the WeChat group that she is also a colleague on our testing team."
Shen Jingqi's gaze was sometimes heavy, sometimes confused.
As a psychiatrist, he was well aware of the various manifestations of delusion and hallucination, but this time, he found himself becoming a "patient" with these psychological conditions.
"The first delusion was at 5 PM yesterday, during the test with the subject." Shen Jingqi muttered to himself, his pen writing rapidly on the paper.
The tip of Shen Jingqi's pen paused for a moment.
"The second delusion occurred after I realized Qin Si was a colleague." Shen Jingqi's voice was low and powerful, "I began to construct a complex story about her, a world filled with suspense and danger. In this world, she was a double agent."
Shen Jingqi shook his head with a wry smile. He understood that it was all just a dream he had woven himself. He put down his pen, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
"I must return to reality, face the real me." Shen Jingqi silently recited in his heart. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt
The next second, Shen Jingqi was standing on a bustling street, his eyes confused and vigilant. He looked around, feeling as if everyone was staring at him, every movement laden with threat. His heart raced, his palms slightly sweating, a nameless fear spreading in his heart.
"This is all an illusion. I must stay calm." Shen Jingqi silently recited in his heart, trying to convince himself. However, his brain seemed to be under control by some mysterious force, with the hallucinations surging like tides, making it impossible to extricate himself.
He remembered that he used to be a rational, calm psychiatrist, but now he was like a child lost in the fog, unable to find the way home. He tried to grasp a thread of lucidity, but those hallucinations were like invisible hands, gripping his throat.
"Dr. Shen, be careful." A familiar voice sounded in Shen Jingqi's ears; it was Uncle Li's voice. Shen Jingqi turned his head sharply, but only saw the bustling crowd with no sign of Uncle Li.
"Is this a hallucination too?" Shen Jingqi murmured to himself, his eyes becoming more bewildered.
"No, I cannot be controlled by these illusions." Shen Jingqi took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down. He began to observe the surrounding crowd, trying to find clues to prove these were all hallucinations.
However, everything he saw only made him more confused. Some people were secretly discussing him, others were pointing at him, and some were even secretly following him. All of this filled Shen Jingqi with unprecedented fear and unease.
"I must leave this place." A strong impulse surged in Shen Jingqi's heart, and he wanted to escape from this world filled with threats and dangers. He started walking quickly forward, trying to free himself from the entanglement of those hallucinations.
However, the faster he walked, the more those illusions followed him like a shadow. He felt as if he were being swept into an endless vortex, unable to escape. His heartbeat quickened, his breathing became more rapid, and he felt as if he were on the verge of suffocating.
"Help me..." Shen Jingqi shouted in his heart, but his voice was drowned in the bustling crowd. He felt an unprecedented sense of despair and loneliness, as if the whole world had abandoned him.
Just then, a melodious piano sound suddenly began, like a clear spring cleansing Shen Jingqi's soul. It was Lin Xiaocan playing the piano, her fingers dancing across the black and white keys.
Shen Jingqi stood up, walked to the window, and looked at Lin Xiaocan's focused figure. Her long hair floated with the wind, intertwined with the piano sound to form a moving picture. Shen Jingqi felt a wave of inexplicable emotion rising in his heart, a yearning for reality, a pursuit of truth.
Lin Xiaocan suddenly spoke, her voice clear and melodious like the sound of nature. She began to sing that song "Silver Light" again, her voice full of power and hope.
Shen Jingqi listened quietly, his eyes gradually becoming clear. He seemed to see the fog in his mind being dispelled by the song, those delusions and hallucinations dissipating like morning mist under the sun.
"Silver Light, lighting up my path..." Lin Xiaocan's voice echoed in Shen Jingqi's ears like a spell. He felt his spirit was being drawn by some force, moving towards light and truth.
At that moment, Lin Xiaocan's piano sound suddenly stopped. She stood up, looked at Shen Jingqi and Qin Si outside the window, with a satisfied smile on her face. She knew her song had successfully helped Shen Jingqi return to reality.
Shen Jingqi turned around, looked at Lin Xiaocan, filled with gratitude in his heart. He said, "Xiaoxiao, thank you. Your song let me see the real world, bringing me back to reality."
Lin Xiaocan smiled and shook her head, saying, "No need to thank me, Brother Jing. It was your own inner strength that brought you back to reality. I was just an observer."
Shen Jingqi took a deep breath, feeling the peace and tranquility in his heart. He understood that even though this experience had made him fall into delusions and hallucinations, it also deepened his understanding of the importance of reality.
At this moment, he finally understood Li Baiyu's sentiments.
Being deeply trapped in illusions, unable to distinguish between falsehood and reality, is indeed painful and maddening.
Shen Jingqi closed his eyes, taking deep breaths.
This time, the breathing was long and distant.
It lasted about 5 minutes.
Shen Jingqi opened his eyes again.
This is the real world, with the silver-shaded cat Tuantuan playing in the living room, its silvery fur shimmering in the air.
That night, it was exactly upon seeing its silver fur, with Lin Xiaocan playing her music, that "Silver Light" blurted out.
"Brother Jing, I need to go out this afternoon. This time, the 'Silver Light' single will officially go online. As my music producer, please join me in the album design matters."
"What exactly needs to be done?"
"Final recording in the studio, shooting the cover, etc."
Shen Jingqi was somewhat expectant; he had always had a dream of music, and this time, he could get to broaden his horizons.