With Anxiety-Induced Physical Symptoms, I Ship Couples in the Hospital

Illustrator Su Xiao had been plagued by panic and pain for years. After an episode that made her feel she was about to die, she walked into a psychiatric hospital of her own accord. She expected a dull, oppressive place, but instead stumbled into a hilarious microcosm of a world. She met a bipolar roommate who held concerts during manic episodes and buried herself under the covers when depressed, a boy who insisted on sending “signals to his home planet,” and Lu Shi Yan, a top student who was both aloof and gentle. In this place where romance was forbidden, Su Xiao and Lu Shi Yan nevertheless developed a pure affection for each other, wanting to reach out and then drawing their hands back. They shared secrets at support group meetings and poured their hearts out to each other in the hallway late at night. After they leave the hospital, can they return to the world with both their love and their symptoms? This is a story about two “patients” learning to see each other, dedicated to everyone who gazes up at the stars from the depths of an emotional abyss.