"So I came here. And my temper, combined with my perceived imbalance in judgment about food, made my mental state increasingly worse."
"Then Ding Dong appeared. He saved me with a pot that could transform all kinds of food into what I imagined them to be."
"Strictly speaking, this thing is a miracle. My skills can’t yet reach such a level. The food made in this pot... perfectly meets my standards. When I tasted those things, I knew it! There’s nothing wrong with my taste buds!"
"And I realized something else! There’s a divine level beyond the peak! My efforts are still far from enough!"
"Everything I’ve suffered is merely because I lacked the ability to create it! My mind became clear all of a sudden, because Ding Dong used a miracle to show me what I was striving for, proving that it wasn’t me being overly fussy, but that it indeed exists."
Wen Xishu felt a bit of admiration for such a person. Sometimes, when geniuses moderately lower their standards... they become an average genius in the eyes of others.
But if they are too demanding of themselves, they are likely to be seen as monsters by others.
People hate monsters, drive them away, and don’t believe in them.
"To this day, Brother Xiang, do you still not regret your extreme dedication to your career? You could regain everything you once lost if you took a step back."
Xiangyang shook his head:
"How could I regret it? I’m not at the age of dying yet, you can’t say that I can’t reach that level!"
Wen Xishu applauded and praised:
"You have a heart that wishes to reach the summit of your career... no, it’s a heart with supreme passion for your career."
After Wen Xishu finished speaking, Xiangyang was slightly surprised:
"Your words are similar to what Ding Dong once said to me. Airplane, you really are different from before today..."
"Could this be another miracle of Ding Dong?"
Wen Xishu smiled and looked at the last person, Lei Yihong.
"Brother Lei, what about you?"
Lei Yihong sensed that Airplane seemed to have found some pattern, though he couldn’t explain it but was willing to cooperate with him:
"I was under too much pressure. I’m not as legendary as Brother Xiang. I’m just... a useless father. My daughter had cancer, and I was always delivering food to make money."
"I’ve run countless red lights, hoping to be a bit faster, so I could at least take her on a trip before she passed away."
"But..."
Lei Yihong turned his head away:
"But I was too slow, I still couldn’t outrun Death. After my daughter died, I kept thinking, why did it have to be my child?"
"Why couldn’t it be me? During that time, I always saw many distant places... I opened my phone countless times, looking at snowy mountains, deserts, oceans, and grasslands with my daughter..."
"After my daughter died, those scenes kept calling me when I closed my eyes. I seemed to see my daughter’s spirit standing in those places, longing for me to go over."
"But..."
Lei Yihong laughed at himself:
"I’ve never even left Jiangcheng. I’m familiar with every little alley in Jiangcheng. I know which road is the fastest just by looking at the address, but once I leave Jiangcheng, I know nothing."
Why does it have to be me...
In fact, Wen Xishu had also asked himself this question, why are you the one who isn’t loved by your parents?
But in this world, there are many parents who really care deeply about their children. To be exact, those parents are the majority. When something goes wrong with their children, they also think, why is it their child and not themselves?
Lei Yihong said:
"Ding Dong gave me a pair of shoes... these shoes brought me peace. Maybe you won’t believe it, but these shoes took me to those scenes in my dreams, or rather, those hallucinations in my mind."
"Those places felt incredibly real. When I wore the shoes and really stepped on that land, it indeed felt real!"
"I thought Ding Dong was a deity, but Ding Dong told me that those places weren’t exactly real, but not completely fake either."
Wen Xishu believed:
"It seems that it’s a pair of shoes that can take you to where your heart longs for. For others, it might be false, but for you, it is real."
Lei Yihong nodded vigorously: "Airplane! You really seem like a completely different person today!"
Wen Xishu said:
"Brother Lei, if your daughter were still alive, would you be willing to sacrifice everything again?"
"Of course I would! I’m her father! From the moment she was born, I had that awareness and mission!" Lei Yihong was a bit emotional.
He had not let go of his daughter.
Wen Xishu said:
"Thank you, Brother Lei. At least you’ve made me believe that some people in this world are just unlucky. But not everything is non-existent. Your willingness to give everything for family makes me envious."
It wasn’t the right time for him, but for Wen Xishu, it was no longer something worth lamenting. At least, there is spring in this world.
Lei Yihong sighed:
"Ding Dong said the same. When I was at my lowest point, wearing those boots, I wept in the snowfield that should only exist in dreams. At that time, Ding Dong comforted me."
"Now that something has happened to him, I must save him. I already regard him as my family!"
Wen Xishu nodded. He took a step forward and his gaze swept over the five people. This journey to the Desire Tower had brought subtle changes to his mindset.
He felt a strong desire to see Ding Dong.
Because he felt that Ding Dong was very much like himself.
In everyone’s description, Ding Dong had redeemed them, but in a certain sense, they were also completing Ding Dong.
Almost everyone had been asked the same question by Ding Dong—if they could do it over again, would they still do it the same way?
The same as before - continue to love someone, continue to help those who might hurt you, continue to believe in others, maintain passion for your work, and give everything for immediate family...
And everyone’s answer here was that they had never regretted it.
These things, Ding Dong probably did not have, or... was questioning.
Just as Wen Xishu once doubted whether all virtues and happiness in the world were beautifully packaged but rotted candies? Just a means of propaganda, essentially a way to weaken rational thinking.
But unlike himself, Wen Xishu believed that Ding Dong’s base was kind. Unlike himself, a wicked person who killed his foster parents.
Because these five people in the mental hospital were, in a certain sense, utter "losers."
They had fallen to such a state, naturally they were not considered successful. It could even be said that they should be regarded as cautionary tales.
No love, no trust, no help, no responsibility, no nurture... perhaps these were the ways to lessen their pain.
As Granny Wu said, Ding Dong was confused. He might have always been thinking about how he wanted to live his life and what kind of heart he wanted to face the world with.
Finally, he followed the guidance of his created Compass—to a place with five special "hearts of failure."
That is, this mental hospital.
Wen Xishu softly said:
"I think I already know part of the truth, and I can also solve the puzzle that Ding Dong left."
"Everyone, please follow me. Before we find Ding Dong, let’s go to room 4-26 first."
(That’s all for today. Came quite late, got stuck for three hours in the review process, and only found out after I woke up...)