Chapter 118: The Reason for Washing Hair
Chen Ge couldn't make sense of Dr. Gao's text: "How does washing hair tie into self-protection?"
"The prerequisite for post-traumatic stress disorder is having suffered some kind of harm. Men Nan repeatedly washing his hair in reality is highly likely an attempt to shake off a psychological shadow, possibly linked to his past experiences."
"Past experiences?"
"Exactly. Those past encounters left a strong psychological impact on him. Whenever he recalls them, or encounters similar situations or sees similar things, his body reacts. To alleviate the pain, he instinctively seeks ways to comfort himself. Based on the current situation, that method is washing his hair." Dr. Gao sent another text after a moment: "When he first enrolled, I asked Men Nan why he chose psychology as his major. The kid's answer was that he wanted to cure someone. Think about it—the person he meant was probably himself."
"So the root of the problem lies in Men Nan's childhood experiences. I think we need to talk it through with him. Only by understanding the cause and effect can we help him."
"If my speculation is correct, then we absolutely shouldn't ask him. He's been desperately avoiding that incident. Making him recall it bit by bit now might push him over the edge and completely break him."
"Then let's contact his family. A child suffering like this, and his parents don't even care? That's inexcusable." Chen Ge wanted to snap a photo of Men Nan's current state and send it to his parents to show them.
"I already asked during a phone call a while back. Men Nan has had this strange habit of washing his hair since he was little. His parents are used to it and don't see it as a serious issue."
"Didn't they explain the reason for this habit?"
"No. When Men Nan was very young, his parents took him to see a psychologist, and the diagnosis was obsessive-compulsive disorder. It was extremely rare for his age at the time. Considering he was just a child, they didn't proceed with medication; the doctor only encouraged his parents to spend more time with him."
"Clearly, his parents didn't follow the doctor's advice." Chen Ge replied without a second thought. If Men Nan's parents truly cared about him, they wouldn't be so indifferent.
"Mild OCD doesn't interfere with daily life, so his parents never paid it much attention. Also, after digging deeper, I found out that Men Nan's biological mother was killed when he was about five or six. Later, his father remarried, and Men Nan has a younger brother."
"Biological mother killed? Is that true?" Chen Ge felt a new opening in what had seemed like a dead end.
"His biological parents had a terrible relationship. His father was away most of the time, and his mother raised him alone. One day, a burglar broke into their home. What happened next, Men Nan's current parents don't know either. They only know that a neighbor called the police the next day."
"The next day?" Chen Ge's heart skipped a beat. "Where was Men Nan when it happened?"
"I don't know where Men Nan was during the incident, but I do know that when the neighbor called the police, Men Nan was at the crime scene. He was the first to discover his mother."
Reading Dr. Gao's text, Chen Ge felt a chill creeping up his spine: "So you're saying Men Nan stayed at the crime scene with his mother for an entire day and night? Until the next day when they were found?"
"That's one way to put it. Maybe the attacker spared Men Nan, or maybe he wasn't home at the time. Either way, he narrowly escaped. But seeing that at such a young age must have had a huge psychological impact. I suspect his OCD and his current episode are both tied to that childhood murder. I just can't figure out why he keeps washing his hair. What's the connection between washing hair and the murder?"
The confusion in Dr. Gao's text mirrored what Chen Ge was wondering. He stood in front of the mirror, staring at his own reflection.
"Washing hair? Self-protective behavior?"
A flash of the scene where he mimicked Men Nan earlier crossed his mind. Chen Ge touched the back of his neck and suddenly thought of something: "Water droplets!"
He immediately texted Dr. Gao: "At the crime scene, where was Men Nan's mother's body found?"
"After the attacker accidentally killed Men Nan's mother, he removed the moisture-proof panels from the bathroom ceiling and stuffed her inside. If it weren't for the neighbor's kid, who often went to school with Men Nan and had a close relationship with the family, they wouldn't have noticed so quickly."
"Moisture-proof panels on the bathroom ceiling?" Chen Ge looked up at the bathroom he was in. The apartment had low ceilings, making it feel oppressive: "I think I understand why Men Nan has this OCD about washing his hair."
He pulled out his phone and replied to Dr. Gao: "What if this happened: the burglar entered the house, and both mother and son noticed him. The mother told Men Nan to hide while she secretly called the police, but the burglar caught her."
"That's possible, but what does it have to do with washing hair?"
"Men Nan watched his mother being killed and her body hidden. After the attacker left, he went looking for her. When he reached the bathroom, his mother's blood happened to drip onto the top of his head." As Chen Ge typed these words, he felt a pang of sorrow. "So even now, whenever liquid drips on Men Nan's head, or he recalls that scene, he washes his hair over and over, trying to forget those memories. Dr. Gao, you were right before—this is definitely not just ordinary OCD!"
After sending the message, Chen Ge looked out of the bathroom. Dr. Gao, with a shocked expression, was also staring at Chen Ge from the bedroom. They exchanged a knowing glance.
"We've found the cause!" Dr. Gao put away his phone and walked toward Chen Ge. "I'll take him away now and start corresponding trauma therapy."
"That might not work yet." Chen Ge looked at Men Nan, who was standing still, and shook his head slightly. "In the dream Men Nan keeps having, washing his hair isn't the scary part. What truly terrifies him is the man getting closer and closer. To help Men Nan, we need to uncover everything about that man and drive him out of Men Nan's dream."
"Drive something out of a dream?" Dr. Gao's expression turned strange. He glanced at Chen Ge, then back at Men Nan's eerie posture, feeling like he was back in a mental hospital for the first time. "Are you joking?"
"I already have a rough idea, and I'll verify it tonight!" Chen Ge pieced together all the clues, feeling sixty percent confident. "There really are three 'people' in this room. Two of them I can identify. I just need to find the third one."