Just as Li Huowang began to exert force with both feet, a phone ringtone interrupted him.
"Pause for a moment." Ba Nanxu pulled out his phone, swiped it, and held it to his ear. "Hello? It's me. Mm, he's right in front of me."
"I'm not going. I'm absolutely not going. I don't know what kind of madness you're having—after agreeing, you suddenly changed your mind again. Are we really looking for this kind of person? Aren't you afraid it'll rub off on us?"
"Fine, then talk to him."
Ba Nanxu tossed the phone toward Li Huowang. "Catch. Zhao Shuangdian wants to talk to you."
Li Huowang caught it and hesitantly held it to his ear. A familiar, pleasant voice rang out from within.
"We know more than Qing Wanglai does. Only by joining us can you truly understand what exactly has happened to you."
"I know what happened to me. The doctor told me. I have a mental illness. You don't need to repeat it."
"Really? Do you truly think you're mentally ill? Then where did your girlfriend's earrings come from? Can mental illness conjure things out of thin air?"
When Li Huowang fell silent, Zhao Shuangdian continued, "You don't need to lie to me, and you don't need to lie to yourself. This was never something mental illness could explain."
"Cast aside all the information others forcibly stuffed into your head. That is merely order and rules trying to correct your discordance."
"But you must understand one thing: you are you. You are your own Li Huowang, not the Li Huowang others want you to become."
This time, Li Huowang finally spoke. "I don't understand. Since you say I'm not mentally ill, show me proof. I want irrefutable evidence! Not evidence from me—from you! I can no longer