Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 172 Too Clear to Be Overlooked
When ordinary people first start learning psychology, they find that a vast world opens up for them.

At first, they will be confused about everything around them, feeling as if they don't understand anything.

When they eagerly study the knowledge inside, after a period of time, they will feel as if they "seem" to know everything.

And thus, psychology is widely applied to life.

This is what is known as "a half-full bucket makes a loud noise".

But as a person delves deeper into the field of psychology, they may regress to a state as if they have just come into contact with psychology—feeling as if they know nothing at all.

The more I learn, the more I realize how ignorant I am.

Nan Zhuren originally thought he should be a rather humble person in the field of psychology.

But I never expected that I would still make the mistake of relying on empiricism.

Nan Zhuren followed Huang Xin's gaze back and saw the junior brother with the big nose.

"It was him? He was in charge of organizing Li Minglu's file?"

Nan Zhuren asked Huang Xin.

Huang Xin nodded.

……

Nan Zhuren began to recall the few times he had seen this big-nosed junior brother.

This is a first-year master's student, whose eyes basically reflect the innocent and naive look of an ivory tower student.

When they first met, he didn't act as if he knew him; and after hearing his name, he didn't show any hostility towards him like Huang Xin did.

This suggests that the other party probably did not recognize him at the time.

In addition, Lin Lilin's strict selection criteria meant that even the more capable Huang Xin had to endure more than a year and only under special circumstances could he be involved in the affairs of "Liu Lin Psychological Clinic".

This led Nan Zhuren to subconsciously categorize his junior brother with the big nose as an "outsider" at the beginning.

Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. Nan Zhuren knew that just because someone wasn't Lin Lilin's student didn't necessarily mean they were involved with "Liu Lin Psychological Clinic," so he didn't pay much attention to his big-nosed junior brother at first.

But now it seems the reality is not so simple.

What went wrong?

Could someone like that possibly have access to such a secretive project as Lin Lilin's?

Information obtained through micro-expression analysis, combined with existing information, leads to a conclusion that is clearly negative.

Unless there was some information gap that caused my misjudgment...

[Emotional readjustment]

A slight feeling of fatigue washed over him, but it also brought Nan Zhuren to his calmest state of mind.

Nan Zhuren began to deconstruct all the information at hand.

Suddenly, he rushed forward and grabbed the arm of his junior brother with the big nose.

"What's your name?"

No response was needed from the other party, nor did Nan Zhuren need to verify it himself.

As if following the inertia of his thinking, Huang Xin slowly gave the answer from behind Nan Zhuren.

"You didn't know? Oh right... he joined the crew after you left."

"His name is Liu Pan. 'Liu Lin Psychological Clinic' is a joint venture between our teacher and his father..."

"I only found out about this while organizing the materials for the psychology clinic for my teacher these past two days..."

Nan Zhuren glanced at Huang Xin's expression.

【The truth.】

This is a mistake caused by double-blinding in a certain sense.

Nan Zhuren sighed inwardly.

He had previously used micro-expression analysis to extract information from Huang Xin, but Huang Xin obviously wouldn't reveal information he didn't know to Nan Zhuren.

It's likely that Huang Xin was utterly astonished to learn that Liu Pan had been involved in the psychological clinic's affairs so early on, and specifically in the crucial case of Li Minglu. While unexpected, it was nonetheless perfectly logical.

It was because Nan Zhuren had prejudicially labeled Liu Pan with terms like "doesn't recognize himself," "a clear-headed but foolish first-year graduate student," and "unaware of his own accident," that she assumed he was an "irrelevant person," thus missing out on a lot of information.

Although it doesn't seem like a loss now, and there were even unexpected gains, it has to be admitted that this was a mistake by Nan Zhuren.

After all, cognitive resources are limited, and Nan Zhuren's abilities have not yet reached the point where he can concentrate on collecting micro-expression information from everyone around him.

Fortunately, it's not too late to pay attention now.

To Nan Zhuren's surprise, when he turned his attention to Liu Pan, Liu Pan actually gave a positive response.

Nan Zhuren quickly noticed this reaction.

[A slight upturn at the corners of the mouth, and a forward lean.]

Are you pleased to have been noticed?

[At the same time, he's actively trying to get closer to me—what does he want to achieve through me?]

[The nostrils flare, the person takes a deep breath, and their pupils dilate slightly.]

[Very excited, and looking forward to what's to come?]

Nan Zhuren raised an eyebrow.

……

"Senior brother, it's alright." Nan Zhuren then heard his big-nosed junior brother say to Huang Xin.

Liu Pan gave Huang Xin, who was almost slumped in his chair, a relieved smile.

"Let me have a chat with Senior Brother Nan."

Huang Xin hesitated, but ultimately did not call for a halt.

Liu Pan then turned to look at Nan Zhuren.

“Senior Brother Nan, this is the first time we’ve had such a formal conversation, isn’t it? I’ve heard so much about you during my year at school and have long admired you.”

His way of speaking had a very deliberate, formal, and overly formal feel, with an excessive amount of social etiquette.

In layman's terms, he's inexplicably a bit aloof.

However, this "stiffness" isn't necessarily arrogance; it could also be nervousness.

His eyes were now fixed on me, an almost frozen gaze; he seemed to have completely lost focus on Huang Xin behind him.

[His gaze was direct but not aggressive, and his body language was somewhat stiff.]

[Are you really nervous?]

Because of his previous neglect, Nan Zhuren is now taking any changes with Liu Pan very seriously.

Out of caution, and also considering the social characteristics the other party is exhibiting at this moment.

Nan Zhuren quickly came up with a plan in his mind.

He thought for two seconds, then, instead of responding to Liu Pan, asked himself:

"Your name is Liu Pan? Your father works in the psychiatry department of Jiangnan University Affiliated Hospital. Is he the one who opened the psychological clinic with 'Teacher'?"

Liu Pan subconsciously replied, "...Yes. I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself to you yet, Nan Zhuren, because..."

Nan Zhuren interrupted her directly: "You enrolled after I left?"

Liu Pan's speech and breathing became erratic, his smile stiffened, and he paused, not answering directly: "Didn't you already know all of this, senior brother? Why do you need to ask again?"

Nan Zhuren observed the change in the other person's expression and asked one last question: "You said you were involved in Li Minglu's case?"

Liu Pan thought for a moment and then replied after a two-breath pause, "Yes, that's why I wanted to have a good talk with my senior brother."

Nan Zhuren understood.

[Initiating the establishment of facial expression baselines.]

(End of this chapter)