At last, Chen Qianqing held back his fury and got a room with Lu Zhengfei.
After successfully booking a room, they took the key up. Chen Qianqing directly rushed to the bathroom the moment he entered. That cheap man, Xu Shaoren, actually put such a strong substance into his soup. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps from the restaurant before a certain part of his body reacted.
In this room, frosted glass separated the bathroom and the bed. Chen Qianqing locked the door of the bathroom, then took off his clothes and turned on the hot water.
He lowered the temperature of the water, wanting to suppress the fire in his body.
Wisps of water vapor quickly enveloped the entire narrow space. Chen Qianqing only felt that breathing gradually became difficult. His hand involuntarily touched a certain place, attempting to rub along that part. The bathroom had a few mirrors. Chen Qianqing breathed heavily, staggering to the front of one. He reached out a hand to wipe condensation clean from the surface of the mirror.
Within that mirror, the face that belonged to Chen Qianqing appeared.
Those thin lips pursed into a straight line, and water droplets clung to a tall nose bridge. Chen Qianqing stared at the countenance held within the mirror, suddenly becoming somewhat absent-minded.
Within that mirror, that was his beloved.
The effects of the drugs made Chen Qianqing’s mind descend further into chaos. He felt as if he had transmigrated back to the past, to a point in time when the person he loved was still there. Furthermore, that very person stood before him, silently looking at him.
“Qianqing,” Chen Qianqing called out lowly. He already could not control that org*n that had h*rdened until it radiated pain. He murmured, “I miss you so much… Qianqing.”
I miss you desperately, but I’ve discovered there will not be another opportunity to see you again… I am on the verge of becoming you, but I will never be you.
“Qianqing.” Tears gathered at the rims of his eyes as he said, “What do I do… what do I do…”
No one gave him an answer. The person in the mirror had an expression identical to his at that time, his eyes brimming with tears just the same. That gaze was filled with a desperation and suffering that could drive another’s heart to palpitations.
Chen Qianqing vaguely realized that his current state was not quite right. However, he found he had no strength to correct it. From the time he arrived in this world, he had been suppressing himself. This kind of pressure had reached a boundary point. With the addition of a catalyst, everything exploded.
Because the mirror again fogged up due to water vapor, Chen Qianqing trembled and slowly wiped it clean. The face that he deeply loved became clear again before his eyes.
“Qianqing.” He called the name that had ensnared him for a lifetime, and would soon continue to ensnare him. He slowly, carefully leaned towards the mirror, and then softly, softly pressed his lips on its surface.
The mirror was ice cold and hard. It had not a trace of the softness of lips, but he kissed with such concentration that it was as if the mirror displayed the real Chen Qianqing.
Chen Qianqing’s mind was muddled, so he did not notice that as he kissed the mirror, the originally frosted glass became clear. This hotel’s bathroom was not of frosted glass; it was switchable glass that could convert between clear and frosted.
Lu Zhengfei originally thought he could witness the alluring scene of Chen Qianqing’s “self-study.” He did not expect that he would see an entirely different picture.
Chen Qianqing was definitely comforting himself, but at the same time that he did, he was also kissing the mirror. At this juncture, he looked bewitched. Brilliant red lips softly kissed the mirror, as if Chen Qianqing was kissing himself. This image was captivating, but… it gave off an unspeakably strange feeling. Lu Zhengfei suddenly recalled Chen Qianqing’s words. Chen Qianqing had said to him that in this world, as long as it wasn’t Lu Zhengfei, he could even get h*rd facing himself in the mirror.
Lu Zhengfei originally thought Chen Qianqing was joking. Now that he’d seen such a scene, he actually discovered that not only was Chen Qianqing not joking, he was extremely serious.
Chen Qianqing’s back was very beautiful. Spotlessly white skin, slightly swelling scapula bones, the lovely lines of his buttocks and his two slender legs–everything was perfectly beautiful.
(T/N: scapula bones are referred to as butterfly bones in Chinese. Sounds much prettier.)
Lu Zhengfei stood before the glass and looked at Chen Qianqing, who was engrossed in kissing the mirror. He wanted to laugh, but he could not. Chen Qianqing and Lu Zhengfei were both people who could be coaxed but not coerced. In order for them to interact peacefully, one side had to compromise. Now, Chen Qianqing became the one who compromised, so the atmosphere they shared was much better than before. However, if this kind of compromise was only a false pretense, that was another kind of great blow to Lu Zhengfei.
Chen Qianqing gasped softly in the bathroom. The movement of his hand gradually quickened. Looking at Chen Qianqing, Lu Zhengfei also had a bodily reaction. However, his heart was cold. Now that he’d reached this point, he could definitively conclude that Xu Shaoren did not give him a drug that was as simple as “something to liven things up.”
Chen Qianqing’s legs practically turned soft. His hand continuously softly rubbed at the him in the mirror, while his expression was wholly entranced. From his mouth, he called only one name: “Qianqing.”
Lu Zhengfei did not know what had happened, but when he heard these two syllables, that feeling of strangeness worsened. He heavily patted the glass, “Chen Qianqing, wake up!”
Chen Qianqing could not hear him. He slowly slid to the floor, his gaze somewhat slackened while a soft smile still hung from the corners of his lips. He said, “Qianqing, Chen Qianqing…”
Everything returned to chaos; he sunk into darkness.
After he woke up again, Chen Qianqing was already in the hospital. He did not feel discomfort, and actually thought that his body had become very relaxed.
Lu Zhengfei had been sitting by his side the entire time. Seeing him wake up, he hastily asked, “Qianqing, are you all right?”
Chen Qianqing’s thoughts were in somewhat of a disarray. He only remembered that he and Lu Zhengfei had gone to a hotel together. His recollection of the events following his entry into the bathroom was fuzzy. He replied, “Why am I in the hospital?”
Lu Zhengfei’s expression was odd. “You… don’t remember?”
Chen Qianqing answered, “What don’t I remember?”
After a moment of silence, Lu Zhengfei said, “It doesn’t matter, it’s nothing much. Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
Chen Qianqing shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m very well.”
Lu Zhengfei continued, “En, then that’s good. I’m going out to make a call.” He picked up his cellphone and left, dialing a certain main culprit’s number.
Once the call connected, Lu Zhengfei spoke: “Xu Shaoren, you better give me a perfect explanation.”
Xu Shaoren inquired, “Explanation? Where are you? You didn’t get on the bed?”
Lu Zhengfei scolded, “Get on the bed my ass! He directly fainted! Xu Shaoren, what on earth did you give him!”
Xu Shaoren hesitated for a moment. “That’s not right… how could this kind of drug have such a heavy effect. Tell me, what exactly did he do?”
Once the topic of what Chen Qianqing had done was brought up, Lu Zhengfei’s expression darkened. He said, “Don’t worry about what he did. What exactly does that drug of yours do.”
Hearing Lu Zhengfei’s tone, Xu Shaoren knew he was about to lose his temper. He had no choice but to say, “I swear that this drug’s main purpose is to liven things up. There’s also a small side effect that makes a person’s mind relax. I’m a doctor and have also used this drug for a long time. The circumstances you’re talking about have definitely never happened before! Lu Zhengfei, let me put it like this. I suspect Chen Qianqing has serious mental problems.”
Lu Zhengfei questioned, “Mental problems? What mental problems?”
Xu Shaoren replied, “Last time you called me to treat him. I suspect he already prepared… you haven’t thought that his change is too strange?”
The devil must be at work if the situation was abnormal. As a psychiatrist, Xu Shaoren did not believe that the changes Chen Qianqing underwent were normal.
“What do you mean? Speak clearly!” Lu Zhengfei demanded.
Xu Shaoren clarified, “I suspect… he tends towards split personality disorder.”
Lu Zhengfei’s grip on the phone tightened. “You’re sure?”
Xu Shaoren replied, “I’m not sure. When you have time, get him a professional evaluation. Also, even if he doesn’t have split personality disorder, he definitely has a serious mental illness. Otherwise he definitely would not have such an outsized reaction to the drug.”
Split personality disorder. The moment he heard these words, the scene of Chen Qianqing m*sturb*ting in front of the mirror appeared in Lu Zheng Fei’s mind, as well as that strange soliloquy–”Qianqing.” Lu Zhengfei felt that in an instant, even breathing became difficult.
Xu Shaoren’s voice emitted from the phone, “Lu Zhengfei, did he have any other behaviors at that time? Tell me about it. I’ll see if there are any problems.”
Lu Zhengfei hesitated for quite a while, but still could not speak of what he had seen. He sighed, “Forget it. Let’s talk later.”
Xu Shaoren could discern from Lu Zhengfei’s tone that he was still hiding something, but he didn’t question him further. “If anything happens, give me a call.”
Lu Zhengfei let out an “en.”
Chen Qianqing sat in a daze on the bed. Seeing Lu Zhengfei return, he opened his mouth: “What’s wrong with me?”
Lu Zhengfei replied, “You bathed for too long and fainted.” He didn’t know why, but he did not want to tell anyone about what happened to Chen Qianqing. It was as if subconsciously, he knew that if he spoke it out loud he would engender some change.
Chen Qianqing gave an “en,” saying, “Don’t give me those drugs in the future.” Lu Zhengfei nodded. His mood was very complicated right now. Chen Qianqing definitely had problems, but Lu Zhengfei did not want other people to know about these problems.
Though Lu Zhengfei did not speak, Chen Qianqing discovered clues from looking at his face. He asked, “Lu Zhengfei, are you hiding something from me?”
(T/N: “clues”: literal translation would be “spider’s threads and horse’s tracks.”)
Lu Zhengfei shook his head.
Chen Qianqing continued, “What did I do? Did I really faint from bathing too long?”
Lu Zhengfei confirmed, “That’s right, you fainted from bathing.”
Chen Qianqing fell silent for a while. He wanted to recall what happened, but could not no matter how he tried. His memory of that incident was practically a sheet of white. But seeing Lu Zhengfei’s appearance, it did not seem as if nothing had happened. Chen Qianqing said, “Since I don’t have any problems, then I’ll first leave the hospital.”
Lu Zhengfei hesitated, but still agreed. He believed that what Xu Shaoren had speculated was correct. Chen Qianqing had an illness, but it was actually a mental illness. Furthermore, looking at the context, this illness was extremely serious.
Seeing that Chen Qianqing’s gaze was somewhat distracted, Lu Zhengfei decided to find time to give Chen Qianqing a full psychological evaluation.
Lu Zhengfei said, “Let’s go home first.”
Chen Qianqing dressed and then followed behind Lu Zhengfei. The two of them directly travelled home, silent the entire way.
Not sure if I’m actually going to pick “Turns Out I’m Crazy” up, but just throwing out this one update because I wanted to know what happens next.