Who would study psychology unless they had some issues?!
Chapter 198 - 196: What is the most frightening thing during postgraduate studies?

Chapter 198: Chapter 196: What is the most frightening thing during postgraduate studies?

"The family of the visitor is ignored at your place, even criticized. At such times, the previous consultation clinic re-establishes contact, then provides support, Positive Attention, even more unprincipled unconditional care—"

Huang Xin said slowly, "In this situation, what do you think the family of the visitor would react?"

"The family would experience a significant psychological gap, further affecting their life with the visitor. Perhaps she would be more dissatisfied with your consultation, thereby disrupting its efficacy; maybe she would give up consulting at your place, return to the teacher’s clinic, or simply find another institution that can provide her with emotional value."

"The most frightening thing is if she vents this dissatisfaction into her life, or onto the visitor, adding more pressure to someone who is already on the brink."

Huang Xin looked at Nan Zhubin: "You need to pay more attention."

Nan Zhubin solemnly nodded, deep in thought.

Then, immediately took out his phone and started typing rapidly to send a message.

...

Watching Nan Zhubin’s actions.

Huang Xin thought that he might be contacting his assistant now.

Having said everything he wanted to say to Nan Zhubin, Huang Xin shifted his gaze: "That’s all I wanted to say, now that you know..."

He stood up, stomped his feet due to the cold, and turned to leave.

However, the next moment he paused.

"I’m curious." What stopped him was Nan Zhubin’s voice, "Why did you come all this way to tell me this?"

Just moments ago, Huang Xin had walked out of the range of the street lamp; although the light doesn’t provide warmth, the visual sensation intensified the chill of the night, making Huang Xin feel uncomfortable all over.

He turned his back to Nan Zhubin, possibly due to the cold, so he put his hands back into his pockets.

"You helped me, so I help you." Huang Xin replied.

Nan Zhubin shook his head: "But you said I also achieved my purpose through you, so we were already even after the ’first thing’; and you telling me information about Li Minglu counts as ’the second thing’, which is beyond the scope of repayment."

Why so serious?

Huang Xin might still be cold, so he shrank his body again, tucking his neck into the collar of his down jacket.

"Then you owe me one, so I can be at ease that you won’t cause me trouble in the future."

"You trust me that much?"

"Yes."

Nan Zhubin patted the spot beside him: "If you trust me that much, why not turn around?"

...

These words were a bit strange, the actions were also a bit odd.

With Huang Xin turning to leave and Nan Zhubin’s bold invitation, the atmosphere seemed a bit off for a moment.

Huang Xin opened his mouth to speak.

But Nan Zhubin beat him to it: "I think you have another reason."

"I think—"

"You’re sympathizing with Li Minglu."

Nan Zhubin first nodded, then shook his head: "No, saying ’sympathy’ is too unprofessional. It should be—you’re taking moral responsibility as a psychologist for the ’visitors’ group."

...

Huang Xin suddenly shrank his whole body, his muscles tensed instinctively.

He felt uncomfortable because of Nan Zhubin’s words.

Though no one was in front of him, he felt as if he was staring into sharp eyes, instinctively turned his head to hide.

Then—

He turned his head and met Nan Zhubin’s face that had appeared beside him unknowingly.

[...?]

Wasn’t he just sitting? How did he teleport here so suddenly?!

Did this person sneak over from the bench after asking that question, just waiting for him to turn around?

Why does someone who’s usually so serious always do such sneaky things? Thinks he’s a time-stopping person on the stairs in Egypt like DIO?

...Oh, that’s a bad joke, nobody watches JOJO these days.

Nan Zhubin didn’t know, or didn’t care about the turbulence in Huang Xin’s heart at this moment.

He squinted his eyes.

His gaze swept over Huang Xin’s face, then nodded with satisfaction: "I got it right."

Huang Xin’s eyes widened: "You bastard...!"

Nan Zhubin hadn’t stopped, continuing to rattle off: "This morning in the lab, when you saw me hit Liu Pan, you were actually quite pleased, wanted to laugh, right?"

"—Hmm, I got it right."

Huang Xin took a step back: "Nan Zhubin! You..."

"Why don’t you like him? Because of his background, because he can easily get the opportunities you yearn for—partly, but there’s a deeper reason. Discontent with his contempt for the visitors, even contempt towards them?"

"—Very good, I got it right again."

Another step back from Huang Xin: "Enough, you..."

"So you actually do hold onto moral standards. It’s not just Liu Pan, you even disagree with many of Lin Lulin’s views and actions, right?"

"—Yes, great!"

Huang Xin took another step back, wanting to say something, but felt a resistance from behind his knees, tripping him back onto the bench, sitting him back down.

Unknown to him, he had retreated back to the bench, got hooked, and sat back down.

Nan Zhubin wrapped his coat around himself and slid next to Huang Xin with almost face-to-face proximity, slowly saying:

"Since your thinking is like this, why not reconsider my previous proposal, help me find Lin Lulin’s accounts and clinic records?"

...

Huang Xin did not speak.

His expression changed rapidly.

Even though he was forced by Nan Zhubin to retreat repeatedly, nearly falling.

But when his back pressed against the bench, the qualities of a well-qualified psychology master’s student returned.

Huang Xin lowered his head, lost in thought, until after ten breaths, he let out a long sigh.

"Don’t read my expression anymore... Tonight, I’ve helped you out, how could you repay kindness with enmity..."

Nan Zhubin kept staring at Huang Xin, nodded upon hearing this: "Okay, senior, I won’t read it."

Huang Xin paused, showing a conflicted expression that was part crying, part laughing.

After a while, he sighed again: "Nan Zhubin, junior, you and I... are different."

Nan Zhubin blinked, said nothing.

"You know, before the postgraduate entrance exam, I heard a saying." As if truly talking like brethren in the same sect.

Huang Xin’s tone turned wistful, speaking of the past.

"They said, ’If you go to graduate school, either you have connections and can bring your own projects into the group to become the mascot of the research team; or you have abilities and become the inner disciple of the mentor, the real inheritor; otherwise, all you could do is honestly become a research monk, producing academic rubbish, and after graduation continue to be exploited like a workhorse. It might be better to find employment directly after undergraduate studies.’"

Nan Zhubin listened quietly, knowing this conversation would lead to a crucial stage in their talk.

"But, junior, do you know what’s most terrifying about grad school?"

The person before him asked and answered himself with a wistful tone: "Being a workhorse? No, I was mentally prepared for all this, graduate school was just a means to better become a workhorse, I had already accepted my fate."

"In the graduate stage, the most terrifying is—" Huang Xin looked into Nan Zhubin’s eyes, enunciating each word, "the mi, mentor, system."

The mentor system.