"Tingting, how are you feeling today?"
"...Not very well, Mom."
"But it's better than the previous times, right?"
Chen Ting hesitated for a moment: "…Yes."
"You've already changed consultants three times now, and if you keep this up, your mother will be in a tough spot too."
"I'm just feeling really bad."
"I know, I know." The middle-aged woman held her daughter's hand, "But you don't really want to take a leave from school, do you? You worked so hard to get into Jiang University, and you're in the law program. You're meant to become a lawyer, or even take the civil service exams. This is only your first semester, how could you get this illness now? Tingting, how about we continue with therapy but also go back to school and attend classes, would that be okay?"
"But I've already discussed it with the school; the advisor thinks we should take serious action and suggested a leave..."
"What do you think?"
Chen Ting opened her mouth but eventually lowered her head: "I don't know either."
Chen Ting's mother frowned at Chen Ting's expression, wanting to say something more, but suddenly heard a strange sound coming from Chen Ting's stomach.
—Gurgle~
The woman frowned: "Hungry? Didn't you just have breakfast?"
"...I ate very little."
"Were you full at the time?"
"I was full."
The woman pursed her lips, said nothing more, and finally took her daughter's hand to step through the door of the Consultation Center ahead.
Once inside, the eight artistic letters of "Yan Nuo Psychological Consultation Center" came into view.
Lu Jia, the wavy-haired receptionist, faced the two females, large and small, and reined in her curves, skillfully displaying a flawless eight-tooth smile.
"We have an appointment for a nine o'clock consultation." Chen Ting's mother was succinct.
Lu Jia maintained her smile: "One moment, please."
She expertly verified Chen Ting's mother's phone number, then handed over two cups of hot tea, guiding the mother and daughter to sit on the sofa in the reception hall.
Then she took out an Informed Consent Form: "These are the visitor's guidelines, informing you of your visitor rights and obligations; at the back is the confidentiality agreement, and if there's no issue, we also ask the visitor to sign."
Chen Ting's mother naturally picked up the pen: "Okay."
Lu Jia suddenly interrupted Chen's mother's action: "If the visitor is an adult, it's best if the visitor signs themselves."
Chen Ting's mother frowned: "The previous centers let me sign."
Lu Jia skillfully stepped back: "Then it's best for both you and the visitor to sign."
This procedure was routine, and Lu Jia, not just young and beautiful, also possessed commendable professional skills. As for the pre-consultation procedures, there couldn't possibly be any issues here with her.
She unobtrusively received the signed agreement, skillfully filing it into the pre-prepared visitor archive.
"Then next, please wait outside while I take the visitor to meet the consultant." Lu Jia maintained her composed smile.
Chen Ting's mother nodded in acknowledgment.
Seeing her daughter stand up, she quickly added, "Tingting, make the most of the consultation!"
The young girl lowered her head: "…Okay."
Lu Jia wasn't fazed by the mother-daughter interaction; she was experienced with all types of visitors and their guardians, remaining unperturbed.
She maintained her impeccable smile, leading the little girl through the consulting rooms directly toward the consulting suite.
The office, being a private part of the Consultation Center, was generally not for display and not accessible to visitors.
So Lu Jia didn't see the poised Bald Yang Consultant inside the office or know what had just transpired.
As she opened the door, she saw Nan Zhubin sitting upright.
...
Lu Jia's heart skipped a beat, and she could no longer maintain her composed demeanor.
There was a problem.
She closely examined Nan Zhubin, her gaze no longer lingering on those enticing deep eyes but rather focusing on their target.
Nan Zhubin was hurriedly reviewing Chen Ting's file, apparently having barely finished before Lu Jia brought them in.
There was a major issue.
Lu Jia's expression management rivaled that of a psychological consultant, knowing now wasn't the time to show anything unusual in front of a visitor.
She discreetly closed the door, then took long strides, clattering her heels as she rushed towards the office.
But Lu Jia soon stopped again. After a few quick thoughts, she abruptly turned, pretending nothing had happened, and returned to the reception hall.
She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed a number: "Hello, Sister Pingting?"
"You need to come quickly; something happened at the Center!"
---------------
The consultation room was about twenty square meters and adorned with green wallpaper.
In the center of the room, slightly towards the window, was a gray sofa set and a matching single armchair; a round table sat between them, with a pack of tissues on it.
From Nan Zhubin's perspective, he could also see the clock on the wall, its second hand moving steadily.
The two single chairs weren't directly facing each other but were angled towards each other. Nan Zhubin sat on the left single chair, allowing him to face the visitor with his right side.
Nan Zhubin watched as Chen Ting curled herself into the sofa immediately after entering the room. Choosing a small middle section meant for three, slightly to the right, she positioned herself a bit farther from Nan Zhubin.
Then she lowered her head, falling silent.
After silently counting three or four seconds and observing that the visitor had no intention of speaking, Nan Zhubin made up his mind.
"Good morning—Chen Ting, right? I'm your psychological consultant; you can call me Mr. Nan." Nan Zhubin introduced himself.
Following was a warm-up: "Your red sweater is very pretty, complements your hair well."
He didn't dive directly into the subject but instead tried to create a relaxed environment for the tense young girl in front of him.
Judging by the visitor information in the records, Nan Zhubin was confident in handling this consultation.
Before being fatally stabbed by that person with antisocial personality disorder, Nan Zhubin had been navigating this convoluted industry for several years. Depression wasn't unfamiliar to him.
Nan Zhubin didn't just take on this case to increase his hard-earned [consulting hours]; he was also confident he could avoid causing any negative impact on the visitor.
However, things went amiss faster than anticipated, and Nan Zhubin quickly noticed something unusual.
It wasn't a negative incident but a "breakthrough" during the consultation.
In his past life as an independent professional consultant, Nan Zhubin developed the ability to multitask.
For instance, right now, he was recalling Chen Ting's record while choosing an appropriate opening line for himself, simultaneously observing Chen Ting's reactions to form an impression of the visitor.
[Something's off, she's very tense. Considering her depression diagnosis and the fact that we haven't established a consulting relationship yet, this "should" be normal.]
[But why did her tension increase after I spoke?]
As Nan Zhubin pondered, his thoughts collided violently in his mind.
—Lowered head, evasive gaze, and withdrawn body clearly indicated tension.
But hidden within this tension, some subtler information began to be collected by Nan Zhubin.
[Micro-expression Analysis·Basic]
Started to take effect.
In psychology, "expression" isn't just limited to "facial expressions."
Language also has "expressions," with speed and tone conveying inner feelings; body language, needless to say, sometimes surpasses facial expressions in its expressive capacity.
Now, Chen Ting's body was continuously expressing her owner's emotions to Nan Zhubin.
[It's not tension; it's another negative emotion. And after I spoke, this emotion was further intensified—what is this emotion? And why was it reinforced?]
The basic [Micro-expression Analysis] only indicated to Nan Zhubin that "something is off" without directly telling him "what specifically is wrong" or "what the right answer is."
The answer needed to be found by Nan Zhubin himself.
"Thank you, this sweater was bought by my mom." Chen Ting quietly responded to Nan Zhubin's earlier compliment, being very polite.
[That emotion is back, it's the same emotion, somewhat diminished but still present.]
And at this moment, Nan Zhubin noticed another point.
He found that the visitor's reactions were seemingly quite fast.
Just now, when she came in, she had a mix of tension and another emotion. This emotion was amplified after Nan Zhubin spoke, then calmed a bit after some adjustment, only to rise again after the young girl responded to him.
Responses to external stimuli were quick, and emotional fluctuations were rapid.
And such frequent mood swings seem a bit inconsistent with the symptoms of [depression].
"So, are you here for counseling by your choice or your mom's?"
"My mom's." Chen Ting barely noticeably swallowed.
[That emotion is here again.]
After this answer, Chen Ting said nothing more.
Nan Zhubin silently counted to three again, and finding that the visitor didn't intend to continue, he smiled.
"I completely understand your current state, and I also know you haven't wished to accept counseling intervention and are here at your mother's request."
"I want to say: your presence here takes great courage and is truly commendable."
Chen Ting didn't acknowledge or deny this.
Nan Zhubin continued to smile, then looked down at the file in his hand: "Your main complaint to the consultants has always been 'feeling uncomfortable and not getting any help from the consultations,' right?"
Chen Ting nodded.
"So you've repeatedly switched consultants several times."
Nan Zhubin maintained a calm expression, his gaze gently observing and imprinting every expression of the girl opposite him.
"Did they give you scale tests during each consultation? How did you feel about them?"
Chen Ting lowered her head: "No particular feeling, just very annoying."
Nan Zhubin agreed: "I also find forms and choice questions annoying, so I hope this time around feels different for you."
"This time we'll also start with a psychological test, but not a scale one."