Jiang Shiyan always thought that he was treating Chi Xingyuan's PTSD.
He took him to see the best psychiatrist, gave him the most patient companionship, and spent ten years repairing the six-year-old child who was broken in the car accident.
Until the psychiatrist said: "Mr. Jiang, his trauma symptoms are reducing, but his 'withdrawal reaction' to you is getting worse."
"What do you mean?"
"He is replacing his fear of trauma with a pathological dependence on you. You are his drug - and now, he is addicted to it."
Chi Xingyuan is indeed a "good patient."
The doctor asked him to "establish a secure attachment", and he only attached himself to Jiang Shiyan.
The doctor said he "needs stable companionship", so he used various methods to force Jiang Shiyan to accompany him.
When Jiang Shiyan came home late, he would "accidentally" break the glass.
Jiang Shiyan was going on a business trip, and he would "happen" to have a fever before departure.
Every "accident" is just right, and every scar is the right weight.
He used the most precise dosage to prepare a prescription that Jiang Shiyan could not quit.
"Uncle," the young man shrank into his arms after another "nightmare awakening", his voice had a soft tremor, "I seem to be able to breathe only when I am by your side."
Jiang Shiyan hugged him and suddenly remembered the doctor's words:
"He's feeding himself off of your guilt. Every heartache you give him is worsening his addiction."
The person in his arms was trembling, but he couldn't tell--
It's the aftershock of trauma, or the perfect show for addiction.
"Progress report: It has been 72 hours since he last saw me. My body thinks 'he doesn't want me anymore' and is executing a self-destruct program."
Purpose: Core Purpose:
Explore the twisted self-rescue of trauma survivors between love and injury, showing that real salvation is not to replace dependence, but to help the other person find the strength to stand without dependence in pain.
This is a novel about "withdrawal" - what is quitted is not love, but the survival mode of exchanging pain for love; what is quitted is not dependence, but the wrong belief that only those who are disabled deserve to be loved.
