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Despite my unease,I went back to my normal routine.I realized that since I broke up with Ethan,my life had become much more colorful.I no longer had to worry about his sleep at night or pay attention to what role Emily played in his dreams.For the first time,I felt truly relaxed.
The next day at work,while chatting with a colleague,her eyes sparkled with gossip.“Do you remember that guy I told you about years ago,the one who was offering a high salary for a sleep therapist?”
“Ethan Thompson?”I asked with suspicion and received a nod from my colleague.
“That’s him.His insomnia couldn’t be cured before.Some mysterious person fixed it,but now it’s come back,”she said.
I gave a bitter smile.“Some create their own misery.”
“He’s supposed to come to our hospital today.Let’s see who has the skills to land that high-paying job.”
I took a sip of coffee.In the eight years I knew Ethan,he only paid me for the six months when I was his official therapist.During the seven and a half years when I was his girlfriend,he took my efforts for granted,seeing them as normal help from a girlfriend.I gave him seven and a half years of free dream-weaving.
Ethan Thompson’s case proved hopeless.Our sleep specialists all declined after reviewing his file.Eventually,they had no choice but to bring him to my consultation room.
Ethan had been brought to me like this before,but now his eyes were bloodshot.When he saw me,he sat down with a pleading look.
“Momo,I’m begging you.I’ve only slept for a total of ten hours in the past three days,”he begged.“Save me,or I’ll die.”
I looked at his pale face and smiled coldly.“Ethan Thompson,you know what?If you really died,you could sleep for hundreds of years.”
.My day off vanished under a barrage of calls.To my surprise,it was the hospital director.I quickly grabbed the phone and answered.His anxious voice came through the receiver.
“Doctor Shi,something’s happened.Check the internet,”he said.“The hospital believes in you,but if this isn’t handled properly,we’re in a tough spot.We have to suspend you for now.I hope you understand.”
The word“suspension”jolted me awake.After a brief conversation,I immediately opened Weibo.I had been mentioned over 99 times.The headline screamed,“Unscrupulous Doctor Ruins Patient,Lacks Medical Ethics.”
The post erased years of my care while magnifying my current refusal.It accused me of having medical skills but no medical ethics,and spent 400 out of 500 words attacking me.It condemned me for ignoring a patient at his wit’s end and claimed that I used my influence among doctors to prevent Ethan from getting treatment.
It even attached an audio clip of someone sobbing.In the recording,the person,with a runny nose and a crying voice,begged everyone to punish me,the“unscrupulous doctor.”The post revealed nothing about Ethan and Emily but,through a series of partial mosaics,subtly disclosed my name,and even the hospital where I worked was shown with just enough of a glimpse to be recognizable.
The venomous prose grew increasingly recognizable.Sure enough,when I checked the poster’s ID,it was Emily Taylor.
