How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

After making arrangements for Jiang Shen, Qingru went back to work.

Because she was quick and efficient, and also had a refined and gentle demeanor, doctors liked to recommend her to their patients, so Qingru was always very busy.

Today she was officially promoted, and she omitted the character "Ru" from her name, saying only that her name was Lü Qing. Everyone assumed that she was her disabled brother who worked to support her.

The doctor who interacted the most with Qingru realized that she was a girl, but due to the harsh times, he did not expose her true identity.

As soon as Qingru entered the hospital that day, Dr. Xu pulled her aside and said, "Xiao Lü, come with me."

Qingru asked in surprise, "Me? Where are you going?"

While packing his things quickly, Dr. Xu said, "We're going to a wealthy family. The Yuan family has a young master who always has a fever and forgets things. I need to go and check on him every few days."

Upon hearing this, Qingru knew who it was, but she awkwardly adjusted her sleeves. Now dressed as a man, Miss Yuan probably wouldn't recognize her.

Pulling her hat brim down a little, Qingru readily agreed, "Okay, it's about the dean's place..."

"I've already told you, so just come with me without worry."

Qingru nodded, slung her medicine box over her shoulder, and followed behind Dr. Xu.

Her official position at the hospital was that of a caregiver, but it was really no different from doing odd jobs; she had to go wherever she was needed to help. She did everything from cleaning to carrying goods, and over the years, her skin became much rougher.

Fortunately, the Yuan family was wealthy and sent a car to invite the doctor, so Qingru and Dr. Xu no longer had to walk back and forth.

Otherwise, even if they rode in a rickshaw, Qingru would definitely not get a turn.

On the way, Dr. Xu didn't forget to check on Qingru, saying, "Don't worry about your brother's leg. I've examined it, and the fluid inside has been cleared. He just needs to apply some medicine regularly. Those wounds look scary, but they didn't actually damage any bones or tendons, which is a stroke of luck."

Qingru looked at the driver nervously, afraid that he would recognize her as one of the two people who had been kicked out of the Yuan family last time. Therefore, she said, "Thank you for your concern, Dr. Xu."

Dr. Xu continued, "You don't need to pay rent anymore. Eating in the cafeteria is cheaper. Use the money you save to buy medicine. We're already acquainted, so you can pay the treatment fee on credit until you've recovered."

The driver suddenly looked up, and Qingru quickly lowered her head. "Yes, thank you, Dr. Xu."

Seeing the driver listening to their conversation, Dr. Xu assumed that Qingru was embarrassed, since being broke does indeed make people lack courage.

Upon arriving at the Yuan family's residence, Qingru became even more discreet.

Wearing a patched baseball cap that lowered his eyebrows and eyes, and dressed as a man, he was hard to tell unless you looked closely.

Fortunately, neither of the two masters of the Yuan family were home today; only Guo Zixing was in the room reading a book.

Upon seeing Dr. Xu arrive, she subconsciously frowned, "Aren't I already better?"

The maidservant hurriedly explained with a smile, "Young master, what are you saying? You've been having nightmares ever since you fell into the water, and Miss is worried about you."

Guo Zixing said unhappily, "We're not married yet, so don't call me son-in-law. It's not good for Miss Yuan's reputation."

The maid smiled ingratiatingly, "Isn't that just a matter of time?" Seeing that Guo Zixing was about to get angry, the maid reluctantly said, "Yes, I won't say anything more."

They merely paid lip service while secretly disobeying, their expressions often showing impatience.

Dr. Xu didn't care about any of that; he took out his stethoscope and other instruments to examine Guo Zixing's body.

As Guo Zixing cooperated, he felt that the caregiver next to Dr. Xu looked very familiar.

Heaven knows how much pain Qingru felt when she found out Guo Zixing was going to marry Yuan Yue'e. Guo Zixing had disappeared not long after he confessed his feelings to her, when their relationship was at its most intense. Now that they met again, everything had changed.

He tried hard not to make any unusual sounds, but the nature of their relationship was still obvious.

After the examination, Dr. Xu said, "You have intermittent amnesia, which can also be called rejection amnesia or dissociative amnesia. Generally speaking, it is because you suffered severe psychological trauma, which activated your psychological defense mechanism and caused you to choose to forget some important things. You can also think of it as your body suffering great trauma and separating two personalities, the 'new self' and the 'old self'. The two are not in conflict."

Guo Zixing only vaguely understood this statement. "So, I can still be cured and remember things?"

The maidservant interjected, "Of course. After you and Miss get married, Miss said she will take you to the best hospital abroad for treatment, and she guarantees that you will remember everything."

These suggestive words did not sway Dr. Xu. He continued, "I myself studied medicine abroad and returned home. I can tell you responsibly that if I can't cure you, you can go abroad and do the same. In China, if Western medicine can't cure you, you can still see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. But abroad, you're just waiting to die."

The maid said unhappily, "Dr. Xu, my young lady didn't invite you to talk about these things, did she?"

Dr. Xu slammed his hand on the table. "I'm a doctor. I'll tell you what's wrong. I won't make trouble for no reason, and I certainly won't prevent you from talking about your illness. Besides, have you been calling me Dr. Xu for so long that you've forgotten you used to call me Young Master Xu?"

The maid was taken aback, then gave in, "Young Master Xu, I was wrong, please don't hold it against me."

Dr. Xu arrogantly tossed her head and snorted coldly through her nose, "Aren't you going to prepare tea? You're really getting more and more senile. I've been here for so long and no one has entertained me, not even tea. If this is how you are, then I'll have to go back to the Yuan family's old house and have a word with them."

The maid quickly apologized, "Please don't be offended, I'll go right away. Just now, our young lady instructed that Young Master Guo must not make any mistakes, so I was offended. It was not intentional negligence."

"Go quickly!"

The maid scrambled away, and Guo Zixing finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although Yuan Yue'e treated him well, she kept a close watch on him.

It often made him feel suffocated, as if he were nothing more than a toy kept at home.

Dr. Xu, still fuming, continued, "You don't have any other problems. Although it's traumatic amnesia, it has indeed damaged your brain. This is called the forced activation of protein kinase C, which has damaged your brain's short-term memory and affected the normal function of your prefrontal cortex. However, your condition isn't too severe. If left untreated for a long time, you might gradually forget what you're saying, or become incoherent, and eventually turn into a fool."

Guo Zixing felt a wave of fear wash over him. "What medicine should I take for this illness, and how is it usually treated?"

Dr. Xu rolled her eyes. "There's no medicine. Mild cases usually have a chance of healing on their own, and you might remember one day. However, your symptoms are somewhere between mild and severe. Logically speaking, not remembering your parents should be a serious case, but you haven't forgotten the knowledge and language you learned before, so I think you should be able to get better. You could say this is your second personality."

Guo Zixing frowned. "Is there no cure?"

Dr. Xu said very confidently, "Not for now, but you can ask a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner about acupuncture to see if it helps. Or you could eat some brain-boosting foods, such as soybeans, fish, walnuts, almonds, etc..."

"What almonds?" The maid, carrying tea, overheard the last sentence.

Dr. Xu said with disgust, "I told you to cook more delicious food for him, all kinds of things like fish, shrimp, walnuts, and almonds, to prevent him from becoming an idiot."

It was the truth, but it didn't sound very pleasant, especially since the maid remembered it so seriously, which made Guo Zixing feel like he was turning into a fool.

Seeing that he was alright, Dr. Xu told Qingru to pick up her medicine box and leave.

Guo Zixing quickly stopped him, "Dr. Xu, then I'll come to you for a follow-up examination next time."

Seeing his bewildered expression, Dr. Xu felt a pang of sympathy and nodded. "That's true. You can't stay cooped up at home all the time. And stop taking those sleeping pills. You might end up making yourself stupid."

Guo Zixing felt a wave of fear, mainly because he recognized Qingru and wanted to ask her about her privately, so he agreed.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you for your help."

Seeing that Guo Zixing recognized her and showed no resistance, Qingru finally felt relieved, breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly followed behind Dr. Xu.

There was no car to take me when I left.

Dr. Xu glanced at the Yuan family, then at Qingru, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes.