The Yao Family
Zijing Villa, West City, Villa 72.
Although many people knew that Riverside Avenue in BJ, where housing prices were exorbitant, was a wealthy neighborhood, the Zijing Villa community in XC was where the true elite lived.
A Feng Shui Master had laid out the 72 mansions, each occupying its own auspicious site. There was also an unwritten rule: unless every homeowner in the community agreed, no amount of money could get you in.
That rule alone kept the community from becoming a mixed bag.
After passing the security checkpoint at the entrance, three Mercedes-Benz cars drove straight to Villa 69 in Zijing Villa.
A beautiful middle-aged woman hurried out of the villa to greet the young man stepping out of one of the cars.
"Bing Bing, you're finally home. Aunt Qing, go run a hot bath and toss in some pomelo leaves so Bing Bing can wash away the bad luck. Then bring him a bowl of pork trotter noodles." She had been watching from behind the villa's floor-to-ceiling windows for a long time, waiting for the Mercedes-Benz that would bring her son home from the detention center.
Aunt Qing, the housekeeper, promptly went to make the arrangements.
Yao Donghu had left the Dongling Auto Company's business behind and returned home. When he saw the mother and son come in, he put down his newspaper with a thump and snorted. "A doting mother spoils her child. Xuan Jing, you can't let Bing Bing keep acting recklessly. He's done it time and again. One day, we won't be able to cover it up. I'm sending him to Canada next month. He can forget about coming back before he's spent at least two years there."
Yao Bing's father, Yao Donghu, had received the news ahead of time: the Seventh People's Hospital had issued a report confirming a mental illness, finally letting him breathe a sigh of relief.
That meant his son could use the pretense of mental illness to escape legal punishment. All that remained was to pay some compensation.
"Heisha, thanks for all your hard work!"
Yao Donghu nodded at the bodyguard captain, who had escorted his son to the hospital and back.
The lawyer had come up with the idea of having Yao Bing pretend to be mentally ill, but these bodyguards had been the ones to arrange the details.
Xie Heisha showed no sign of taking credit. He replied respectfully, "Young Master Bing did very well. We hardly had to do anything."
"That kid can still pull it together when it counts." Yao Bing's Mother smiled fondly at her son. "Killing someone while mentally ill isn't a crime. At least he's escaped this time."
Patients with polio, meningitis, and other neurological illnesses had all taken an undeserved hit!
After getting out of the car, Yao Bing remained expressionless, letting his mother, Xuan Jing, lead him along.
Seeing her son still playing dumb, Yao Donghu frowned, his face hardening. "We're home now. Why are you still pretending? Who are you trying to fool? I had to throw away my dignity and let people trample all over me just to save your hide."
Some people had once brazenly declared that the law was made to be trampled on.
But those who said such things were soon taught how to behave.
The Yao Family had paid a huge price to exploit a loophole in the law, and had barely managed to secure this chance for a psychiatric evaluation.
Yet Yao Bing acted as if nothing had happened, infuriating his father.
"Bing Bing, apologize to your dad. You have to behave from now on, understand?"
Xuan Jing patted her son on the back.
Yao Bing merely glanced at Yao Donghu and didn't respond.
"What? You still refuse to admit you're wrong?"
Yao Donghu glared. Angry that his son was defying his authority, he was about to scold him harshly.
The bodyguard captain, Xie Heisha, changed expression as if he'd noticed something was off, and went over to Yao Bing.
"Young Master Bing! Young Master Bing!"
On the way from the Seventh People's Hospital to Zijing Villa in West City, Xie Heisha had already sensed that something was wrong with Yao Bing. He had been silent the entire time, like a wooden doll.
At first, Xie Heisha had thought the young master was simply deep in thought and careful not to give anything away. But now that they were home and Yao Bing was still acting the same, it was hard not to become suspicious.
Xie Heisha called out more than a dozen times, but Yao Bing barely reacted and wouldn't even open his mouth. His parents, Yao Donghu and Xuan Jing, noticed something was wrong too.
"Bing Bing, say something. What's wrong?"
Xuan Jing began to panic. She would rather have her son talk back and argue stubbornly than see him so dazed and lost.
Suddenly, Yao Bing jolted and screamed in terror.
"A snake! A huge green snake! Help! Help!"
In his eyes, giant green scales appeared in every nook and cranny. The terrifying serpent was hiding somewhere nearby.
Yao Bing stumbled over a chair and fell flat on his face. He seemed not to feel any pain, struggling to his feet and scrambling toward the villa's front door.
"Stop him!"
Yao Donghu finally couldn't stand it any longer. The bodyguards swarmed in and restrained the shouting Young Master Yao.
"Doctor! Get a doctor!"
After staring in stunned disbelief, Xuan Jing finally came to her senses.
Half an hour later, Yao Bing was tightly bound in bedsheets, writhing and screaming on the bed like a worm.
After an initial examination, the Community Doctor, summoned in an emergency, shook his head and said, "Young Master Yao has suffered severe psychological trauma. He'll probably need long-term treatment."
The Community Doctors stationed in shifts at Zijing Villa all came from top provincial hospitals. Their words carried just as much authority. Though this wasn't a specialist in psychology, anyone could tell something was wrong with Yao Bing's current state.
"Bing Bing, how could this happen?"
Xuan Jing wiped away her tears. She was certain her son had always been fine. How could he suddenly go mad?
Psychological trauma wasn't easy to treat. Even if it was cured for a time, it could still recur.
How was that any different from mental illness?
They had only pretended he was mentally ill to help him escape legal punishment, but they had never expected the act to become real and drive their perfectly healthy son insane.
Taking into account how loyal the bodyguard captain, Xie Heisha, had been over the years, Yao Donghu suppressed his anger and asked, "Heisha, what exactly happened to Bing Bing? What did he go through? How did he suffer psychological trauma?"
Though his employer hadn't raised his voice, Xie Heisha still felt a chill. He said solemnly, "Boss, Young Master Bing was fine when he left the detention center. It wasn't until the hospital..."
Xie Heisha suddenly seemed to remember something, and his face changed.
"What happened at the hospital?"
The bodyguard captain's change in expression did not escape Yao Donghu's notice. His voice carried an invisible pressure.
"At the hospital, Young Master Bing shouted like this once, but he returned to normal soon afterward. I thought..."
Xie Heisha regretted it. Young Master Bing had acted strangely then, but he hadn't taken it seriously, and now the symptoms had returned.
"Get the evaluation report. I want the detailed version."
Yao Donghu didn't take his anger out on the bodyguard captain over his son's condition. He knew Xie Heisha didn't have the means to do something like this, nor could he have joined forces with outsiders to harm Yao Bing. Anyone who offended the Yao Family would find there was nowhere to hide, even at the ends of the earth.
Something unknown must have happened to Yao Bing to make him this way.
"Yes, Boss!"
Xie Heisha knew this was a chance to make up for his mistake, and hurried off to arrange it.
Fifteen minutes later, a printed copy of the detailed electronic evaluation report, a graph of fluctuations in the patient's vital signs, and a recording of the entire diagnosis were brought to Yao Donghu.
"Have a seat. Relax. Just think of this as a casual chat."
"There's a million yuan on this card. It's yours if you write a few words."
"So much money!"
"If you don't write this report for me, I—I..."
"Snake! Snake! A giant snake!"
"There's no snake!"
"You're at home, lying in bed, dreaming..."