Rhodes Island's Psychologist

Ch 73: Deep Sleep

Chen is really surprised by her sudden sleepiness.

How did he do it?

He only held her hand for about five seconds, and she felt sleepy already?!

What is this?! If I fall asleep... No... I ca...n't. I ab...so...lu...tely... can't!

Chen bites down on her tongue to fight sleepiness with pain. Lin Yie doesn't know that. He is still thinking about how to make her sleep. After all, he is representing Rhodes Island right now. If possible, he would hit her with a hammer to make her "sleep," but of course, that's just a thought. He doesn't actually think he can beat her in a fight.

"Chen, Madam Chen? Why are you spitting blood?"

Chen pretends to be calm, "Oh, that's nothing. I have had some inflammation recently."

She pulls her hand away from Lin Yie's to wipe the blood off her mouth.

Lin Yie tries to leave a favorable impression, "Madam Chen, if you have inflammation, remember to drink more water."

"Um. I will remember that." Chen answers, but she doesn't know her tone is getting softer, "Can we continue?"

Lin Yie certainly doesn't want to continue. He is a psychologist in name only. He doesn't have any relevant experiences. Even though he has two patients right now, those two are exceptions. 

Chen is the first normal patient he has met so far. Other than recommending water, he has nothing to say.

While Lin Yie tries to come up with something, Chen is preparing her last line of defense. She already believes Kal'tsit's words now. That's why she pulled her hand away from him, but even when there is no physical contact, she is still sleepy. 

It is not that she has not seen any psychologists before. After all, insomnia has troubled her for a very long time, but nobody had been able to solve this problem before Lin Yie. Doctors told her that therapy requires the patient to voluntarily reveal their inner self, but Chen is trying to hide it. 

That's why the other doctors could only resort to medication, but now, Lin Yie is going to succeed. Chen doesn't want that to happen. Going by her past experiences, Lin Yie will definitely try to open her heart next!

Chen knows Lin Yie is doing this for her own sake, but she still doesn't want others to know her deepest secrets, even if that means she will never be able to sleep. She keeps her fighting spirit up despite her sleepiness.

"Uh..." Lin Yie comes up with a topic and asks, "Do you know what advanced math is?"

Chen asks, "What is advanced math?"

*Cough* Lin Yie clears his throat, "Since we have time, let me explain."

He then has a serious face on him.

"It's like a fairytale."

Chen nods. Using fairytales to start conversations is not a new tactic. Many doctors used it before, but too bad, it is overused by now.

"Uhm. Tell me." Chen nods, "I'm listening."

"Alright." Lin Yie begins to imitate his college math teacher, "Chapter 1, Section 1, Paragraph 1..."

Chen realizes that she is still too naive.

No, the opponent is just too cunning.

Damn it! What the fuck is he even talking about?! What fairytale is this?! Where are the characters?! What about the plot?! What is it trying to say?! What is a derivative?! Is that some sort of treasure?! What a function?! What are speed and acceleration even mean?!

And why do these things make her feel so sleepy?!

Chen pinches herself to stay awake, but she still can't suppress her urge to sleep. The more she focuses, the more clearly she hears Lin Yie's words, and the more tired she gets by it.

After about 15 minutes, Lin Yie stops talking about math. It is not that he doesn't remember the rest. He just thinks it would break his character if he continued.

"Chen, Madam  Chen." Lin Yie can't help but ask, "You are spitting blood again."

"Uhm. There is too much inflammation in my body."

"Do you have tissues?"

"No, I didn't bring any."

"Oh. I have some." Lin Yie takes out some tissues from his pocket and hands them over to her, "Here."

Chen struggles to lift her hand up while trying to avoid touching his hand, but Lin Yie just shoves the tissues inside her hand. Chen is shocked.

The moment their hand touch, the last barrier in Chen's mind finally breaks down. Tissues slip out of her hand, as her eyes slowly close until all that remains is silence.

Translator's Notes

When Lin Yie asked Chen why she was spitting blood, Chen said she was "上火," which is related to Chinese medicine. "Inflammation" is not exactly wrong, but it is not accurate.

The last sentence doesn't really make sense, but it sounds nice. :P