Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 452 Psychological Defense Mechanisms
But the next moment, with a thud, the flute player's body went limp and he suddenly collapsed to the ground.

No success.

Lin Zhiqing felt slightly disappointed.

Lin Yangyang frowned and stepped forward quickly, but was soon stopped by Lin Zhiqing.

Lin Zhiqing spoke softly, "Don't move yet, it's dangerous."

The flute player's condition is currently unstable, but it is certain that he has not yet fallen into a deep sleep.

In that case, he would be in danger.

Lin Zhiqing slowly stopped playing the flute and picked up the jade ring he had been holding in his hand again.

Just like at the beginning, she gently shook the jade ring, and then spoke:
"Relax, look at the circle, go back to where you were, go back, go back."

After saying these words, the flute player struggled for a moment, then got up in a rather stiff posture and returned to his position.

Seeing this, Lin Yangyang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Zhiqing then stepped forward to examine it.

After a long while, once he was sure the flute player had returned to a deep sleep, Lin Zhiqing waved to Lin Yangyang.

As Lin Yangyang approached, she couldn't wait to ask:

"Qing-meimei, what do you think? Have you noticed anything?"

Lin Zhi washed his hands, then shook his head: "His family must have been very happy before."

"Let's ask Grandfather to help us check with the military."

Most of the flute players were captured by the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion when they were very young, and later met Liu Mang, which is why they became a mindless shell.

This practice would have been considered extremely unethical in Lin Zhiqing's previous world.

The flute player is in a very bad situation; his consciousness is trapped and he cannot break free.

This is also a difficult problem for Lin Zhiqing.

She took a deep breath: "If it were just instant hypnosis, a person would never become like this."

"This is mostly because Liu Mang has been reinforcing the hypnotic effect on the flute player. The flute player's psychological consciousness is completely sealed, which is also a means of self-protection for him."

Lin Yangyang was a little dizzy from listening:
"Qing-meimei, I recognize every single word you said, but why does it sound so unfamiliar when put together?"

This is not surprising.

Lin Zhiqing patiently explained:

"When people face mental anguish, they unconsciously engage in self-protection."

This may sound complicated, but it's actually quite simple when it comes to common types of psychological defense mechanisms.

First and foremost, there is repression.

Suppressing thoughts, emotions, and impulses that cannot be accepted by the conscious mind into the subconscious is a psychological defense mechanism.

The same applies to denial.

Refusing to acknowledge events that cause anxiety and distress as if they never happened.

These are some basic psychological defense mechanisms.

For a more advanced approach, there's projection.

Sometimes people subconsciously project their own negative qualities onto others, just as a selfish person often thinks that others are also selfish.

Regression, for example, is when an adult encounters immense stress, they might cry and throw a tantrum like a child.

These all fall under the category of expressions of psychological defense mechanisms.

The current situation of the flute player leans more towards "denial".

Perhaps when he tried to resist but failed, he was unwilling to let his consciousness break free from its slumber in order to protect himself.

Because even after breaking free, you may still face harm and failure.

"I understand what you mean." Lin Yangyang said thoughtfully.
"Is he now like I was when I first injured my hand, unwilling to face the truth?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean." Lin Zhiqing nodded. Everyone's self-defense mechanisms manifest differently.

Lin Yangyang sighed:

"Then how can we help the flute player?"

“My condition wasn’t as serious as his back then. You guys often comforted me and played with me.”

"But the flute player can't even wake up, how can we comfort him?"

Lin Zhiqing shook her head: "Talk to him more when you have nothing to do, but the probability of him waking up is extremely low."

"I suspect that finding something he cares about might awaken him."

"Just like the last time he saw Jiang Yunhe, he was stimulated and briefly regained his senses."

Of course, this is just Lin Zhiqing's guess.

She took a deep breath, because she had never encountered such a difficult situation before.

She is also constantly exploring the field of mind-reading.

After experiencing the Jiang family incident, he sometimes clearly felt powerless.

If every time something happens, she has to jump off a cliff like before, the price would be too high, and the process is not something Lin Zhiqing can control at will.

Moreover, she had previously been caught up in the Great Prosperity, which inevitably led to some extreme thoughts.

These are all problems she urgently needs to solve, or to use a more accurate term, she is in a bottleneck period.

Healing the flute player could very well be the opportunity to break through this bottleneck.

Therefore, Lin Zhiqing wanted to give it a try.

However, today's results can be considered a breakthrough.

Lin Zhiqing and Lin Yangyang carried the people into the house and then returned to Shuqing Pavilion.

Aside from the flute player, Lin Zhiqing's biggest concern was managing the Lin family's household affairs.

The Lin family is still operating according to her previous reward and punishment system.

Since its implementation, there haven't been any major problems.

"Miss." The thought had barely formed in her mind when Asagao entered, looking worried.
"I overheard some gossip outside just now, and I wanted to tell you about it."

Asagao frowned, her eyes were raised at the corners, and she kept pouting.

"Who made our Chaoyan angry? Tell me, and I'll teach them a lesson for you!" Lin Yangyang tapped the table.

"Thank you, Miss Yangyang. It's just some old women gossiping outside; it's nothing serious." Asagao closed the door behind her.

"Gossiping? What gossip?" Lin Zhiqing asked, somewhat curious.

Have the servants of the Lin family been living too comfortably? They're about to start causing trouble again.

"Winter is almost here, and as Miss instructed, the east kitchen is preparing ginger soup daily according to the number of people," Asagao said.
"When I went to get the ginger soup today, I happened to see the old woman from the other side of the garden arguing with the kitchen staff."

"Noisy? What's all the noise about?" Lin Yangyang frowned. "That ginger soup is so spicy, I don't usually like to drink it."

"But since this is supposed to be a benefit, why are there still people dissatisfied?"

Lin Zhiqing remained silent.

Asagao sighed, "My young lady instructed the kitchen staff to do this because many people have caught colds recently."

"The young lady doesn't like to drink it either; the servants usually drink it."

“The same thing happens in other hospitals, but that’s where the problem lies.”

Lin Zhiqing had already guessed what Asagao had said.

However, Lin Yangyang didn't understand: "What does this mean?"

Asagao sighed:

"The masters don't like to drink, so the extra portions are usually given to others. But if they don't share it evenly, problems will arise."