Love in a Mental Hospital

```

Gu Ran welcomed his first Saturday in Haicheng.

He didn't have to work today, but instead of sleeping in, he went running along the coconut tree-lined beachfront.

The sky was still early, and the darkness before dawn was tenacious, like the hands of a person clinging to a cliff after falling.

The air was slightly cool, and the waves gently caressed the beach, blowing Gu Ran's black hair.

There were a lot of people by the sea, as Chunhai District had a beach famous for its sunrise, where jagged rocks dominated the landscape and crowds gathered at this time.

Not everyone can get up early to see the sunrise every day, but there are always some who do, so this place was almost never empty.

Gu Ran had no chance of snagging a good spot, so he stood in the distance and watched; to him, the sunrise really wasn't a big deal.

He took a photo, posted it to his moments, then turned to go have breakfast.

He had intended to try the special Haicheng breakfast but, sadly, the Globalization Era meant breakfast was the same everywhere, either Chinese food, or bread, milk, and bacon.

As Gu Ran ate his fried dough sticks and soaked soy milk, he felt that so long as he remained himself, even if he entered the Interstellar Civilization Era, breakfast probably wouldn't change much.

He ate while playing with his phone—this probably wouldn't change either, at most the "phone" would transform into a "brain machine" or some other kind of device.

He clicked into WeChat, and six out of the seven people from last night's dinner had posted to their moments.

Tong Ling—Another year, a new junior joins us. Welcome (^_−)☆ (A total of nine photos, eight of food, and one group shot in the middle—Tong Ling's shooting angle)

Six people liked it.

Gu Ran followed with a like.

Jiang Qi—There's fortune in old company when a new person arrives. Welcome (^_−)☆ (A total of nine photos, eight of food, and one group shot in the middle—Jiang Qi's shooting angle)

Six people liked it.

Gu Ran followed with a like.

Wei Hong—Our junior sister is so beautiful, even our junior brother is only a teeny weeny bit less handsome than me (single), and we had another feast! (A photo of food, a landscape photo, and a close-up selfie of Wei Hong)

Six people liked it.

Gu Ran followed with a like.

Tong Ling commented: Should've donated those useless eyes.

Wei Hong replied: Junior sister not pretty?

Tong Ling replied: You think you're as handsome as your junior brother?

Wei Hong replied: As for looks, he can't beat me.

Jiang Qi replied to Wei Hong: (vomiting)

Gu Ran commented: I'll strive to catch up to senior brother soon. (fist bump)

Su Qing—Entourage count +2 (A photo of three people, a group photo of seven, and a photo of Su Qing hugging a small white dog)

Six people liked it.

Tong Ling commented: Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! (drooling)

Jiang Qi commented: Su Su! I'm enamored! (pervert)

Wei Hong replied to Jiang Qi: Holy cow, revealing your true self just like that?

Chen Ke commented: So beautiful, such a cute little dog, and such a beautiful person! (lecherous)

Gu Ran's hand, holding a fried dough stick, paused, shocked by Jiang Qi's comment.

No wonder she was talented enough to enter Jinghai; she truly had the potential to awaken [Spiritual World].

He put down the fried dough stick, picked up his chopsticks, clutched a pan-fried dumpling, dipped it in chili oil, and ate it, while with his other hand, he opened the third photo.

He enlarged the photo of the dog, scrutinized the fur closely, and confirmed that it really was that little rascal.

He clicked the 'comment' button and typed: Introduce me to the little dog sometime. (grinning with teeth showing)

Gu Ran didn't give her a like!

Chen Ke—Haicheng, Jinghai, the people of Jinghai, are already beyond my ability to describe with words!! (A group photo of seven, a photo of three, a sunset photo, two office photos, and a personal photo)

Six people liked it.

Tong Ling commented: Welcome!

Jiang Qi commented: The junior sister is so cute! (licking)

Wei Hong commented: Welcome junior sister.

Su Qing commented: Welcome!

Gu Ran followed with a like and commented: Welcome junior sister. (laughing foolishly)

Zhuang Jing—I am their teacher, and these young, spirited individuals are also like my therapists. (A group photo of seven)

Six people liked it.

Tong Ling commented: The teacher is the most beautiful, no objections accepted! (screaming madly)

Jiang Qi commented: The teacher is so beautiful! (hugs and hugs)

Wei Hong commented: Every word and action from the teacher is beneficial. A true leader!

Chen Ke commented: Thank you, teacher! The teacher is the most beautiful! (roses)

Gu Ran followed with a like and commented: No one can match the teacher's elegance! (roses)

Apart from his clinic colleagues, there were posts from old classmates, mostly photos from trips taken advantage of the summer break.

If he found the posts pleasing, Gu Ran also liked them.

He wasn't the type to like others' posts blindly; he only gave likes when he genuinely found them to be pretty good.

After browsing through the latest updates, his system showed three new messages from his moments.

The first was from Su Qing.

Su Qing replied to Gu Ran: Where are you?

So fierce? Looking for an offline showdown? Since the opponent, one man and his dog, had the combat strength of Erlang God, not even Sun Wukong could have been a match back then, Gu Ran wouldn't take such a loss and acted as if he saw nothing.

The second was from Chen Ke.

Chen Ke replied to Gu Ran: Junior sister?

The third was from Zhuang Jing.

Zhuang Jing replied to Gu Ran: (covering mouth laugh)

Gu Ran didn't reply to any of them, finished the last dumpling, drank the last mouthful of soy milk, and left the breakfast shop after paying.

He ran back home and, although the sun had just risen not long ago, it was already shining as bright as noon.

After showering, Gu Ran started doing laundry.

His newly bought laundry pods were excellent, leaving his clothes smelling fresh.

"Hm?" He hadn't noticed the past couple of days, but today he saw that one box of laundry pods only contained 18 pods.

The key was that these laundry pods were expensive too.

He bathed every day, and each time only washed two or three light summer garments; it was too wasteful, and he immediately felt distressed.

Closing the lid, he decided to reserve the laundry pods for washing pillowcases, duvets, and bedsheets.

He planned to buy a bottle of cheap detergent for regular laundry later; he'd indulge in luxury one last time today.

Actually, three boxes of laundry pods cost just 90 yuan and were enough to last 54 days. If he were to treat someone to a meal, it wouldn't even be enough to cover that, but he still couldn't bring himself to use them.

```