Chapter 142 - Hypnotherapy
"Your identification please."
"Right here."
Lu Chen handed over the two identification cards with him. It was his and Xiu Mei"s. After dropping off Lu Qiang to his mother-in-law"s place, the two of them went straight to the military barracks where Doctor Lee is currently stationed.
It was pretty far from their place as it took them eight hours to arrive at the place. Depending on how long it will take, they might have to spend the night here in this place.
"You may go."
The heavy cement block in front of the vehicle was moved to the side allowing them to enter.
"We need to turn left right here and go straight for about five minutes to see the headquarters." Xiu Mei dictated to him the directions, pointing out where to turn and where he should avoid.
She was pretty familiar with the basic strategic layout of the barracks so even if she hadn"t gone here before, she knew the places which to avoid and the right direction to go.
They parked just beside a building, their vehicle standing out from a couple of military jeeps parked beside them.
Lu Chen felt somewhat unfamiliar yet familiar with the atmosphere and environment. It was pretty similar to the training ground back in the underground city. The only difference would be the heavy emphasis on the strictness and discipline he could feel in the atmosphere here.
Someone was already waiting for them by the entrance of the building. He quickly brought them to Doctor Lee"s office.
"Sir, I"ve brought them here." The soldier announced after opening the door.
After bringing them in, he saluted then exited the room. Xiu Mei turned towards the white-coated person who was looking out at the window. He seemed so solemn, along with the slightly dry atmosphere in the room, Xiu Mei felt slightly suffocated.
"Doctor Lee, it"s been a long time." Xiu Mei opened her mouth first, greeting him. The man turned his head towards her direction. Recognizing that familiar figure, the indifference in his face vanished and was replaced with a tender smile.
Approaching her, he opened his arms wide signaling her to hug him.
"Little Princess, it"s been so long! You"ve grown up really well." He exclaimed. Xiu Mei didn"t hesitate and dived in his arms, hugging him.
Doctor Lee is the oldest brother of her first love, Brother Lee. Both of them chose the military path but different tracks. While Brother Lee followed her Brother Xiu Min as an army soldier, Doctor Lee chose to be a military doctor.
He was also one of her doctors who would often visit her back then when she had her treatment at the military hospital. Since she stopped her treatment, she hasn"t dropped by at the military hospital even once at all.
After hugging the little princess tightly, Doctor Lee"s sight transferred to the male she came in with. He didn"t glare at him but he wasn"t exactly happy seeing the guy either. His senses were telling him that this guy isn"t as simple as he looks.
At first glance, he was able to recognize who this guy was. This man was Lu Chen, the president of the Lu Corporation where their little princess is working in. And he also knows that he is the guy she is currently dating.
After they separated, Xiu Mei introduced Lu Chen next. After a short conversation and check-up, he brought them to the next room that was connected to his office.
In contrast with the dreary office she saw, the room next door was somehow similar to the ones at their office. She felt comfortable and calm seeing the room with various calming colors and pleasing to the eyes.
Doctor Lee instructed her to sit on the single grey upholstery chair that was just across from him while he told Lu Chen to sit on the long couch at the corner of the room.
She was already familiar with the treatment since she used to undergo hypnotherapy back when her PTSD was too severe. But this time, instead of repressing her memories, Doctor Lee will be using hypnosis to make her remember her suppressed memories again.
A few minutes later, Doctor Lee started the treatment. Listening to his calming voice as he tells her something, she slowly fell into the dark abyss.
Xiu Mei wasn"t sure how long she was out for but she didn"t feel that it was long. It felt like she only blinked for a second when she was put into sleep.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Doctor Lee sitting beside her holding a sketchbook while Lu Chen was grasping her hand firmly. He was even wiping off the sweat on her face while looking at her worriedly.
She was still completely disoriented, unsure whether it was the effect of the hypnosis or if it because she had just woken up from slumber.
"What happened?" She stopped Lu Chen"s hand that was on her face and asked him.
On his face is a troubled expression as she examined his face. She knew that something was up after seeing him looking at her like that.
"You cried." He uttered. Then he pressed the tissue at the corner of her eyes again before adding, "You were crying so hard a minute ago so I"m wiping your tears away."
She blinked. Her hand was still trembling a little bit but she raised her hand to touch her face. And just like what he said, what she thought was sweat was in fact, her tears. She almost thought that it was just her tearing up a little bit after waking up.
"Don"t worry, Mei Mei. It"s quite normal for you to cry when you tried to remember your suppressed memories. You"ve actually become better. Before, you would often thrash out even while under hypnosis so we had to stop your treatment multiple times before."
Doctor Lee explained without looking up from the sketchbook. He was still sketching something with the charcoal pencil he was holding.
"What is that?" She asked curiously.
"It"s the sketch of the man you told me."
"The man...you mean..?"
After a few more strokes, Doctor Lee stopped. Placing the charcoal pencil down on the table beside him, he met her gaze. He looked very solemn when talking with her so she unconsciously reached out and grasped Lu Chen"s hand in an attempt to lessen the nervousness she was feeling.
"Just like what Lieutenant General Yu requested, I recorded our whole conversation during your hypnosis. And for the man you described while you were asleep, I took the liberty of sketching it." Doctor Lee tore off the page he just finished drawing on and folded it into something small.
"Do you want to see it? Or should I send it first to the Lt. General?"
Xiu Mei"s eyes were glued on the folded paper on his hands.
...should she take a look at it and see if she could recognize that person?
"Why can"t I remember him though? We unsuppressed my memories but when I woke up, I couldn"t remember anything at all. Was it suppressed again?"
Doctor Lee helpless shook his head. "That would be very dangerous for you if I remove my previous suggestion and repress your memories in such a short time. That"s why I was originally very against the goal of this hypnosis when the Lt. General brought it up."
Her eyes widened. "Then do you mean I…"
He nodded his head to her as if confirming what is running on her mind. "Yes, right now, you are supposed to remember it. But seeing that you still can"t recall anything, then it must mean that this time, without my suggestion, you are suppressing the memory on your own."
She unconsciously squeezed the hand that she was holding while Lu Chen covered the back of her hand with his other hand, soothing her. He turned towards Doctor Lee and asked.
"Are there any after-effects that we"d have to be careful for after removing the suppression on her memories?"
"Normally, the patient would wake up and become too overwhelmed by the emotions that were suddenly dug up within her. It would"ve been very difficult to calm her down at first but looking at Xiu Mei, she doesn"t seem to have any memories at all. So we can somehow a.s.sume that even after removing the shackles on her memory, she is now able to suppress it on her own without using my suggestions. However, it also meant that the possibility of her remembering it suddenly would be unpredictable. She may remember it clearly tomorrow, or next week, or even a few years."
"Is it bad if she remembers the contents of your conversation?"
"Hmm, that will depend on how the patient will take it in. If she reacts just like how she did when she was asleep, then it would be a bit difficult. But if she"s able to receive it calmly or if she can somehow control her emotions, then it wouldn"t be something to worry about. After all, Xiu Mei was always able to remember most of her traumatic memories."