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

Chapter 340 Turning Point

In the cultural context of Chinese people, "red" is often considered an unlucky color.

They usually mean negative information such as "warning", "problem", or "error".

Using this color to mark the "body map" actually means marking out areas with problems in the body.

From Nan Zhuren's perspective, during Li Mingchen's accidental fall, besides his confused mind, another problem he must have had was his weakened body due to long-term dieting.

To be more precise, it's the "stomach".

If Li Mingchen can apply red to his stomach at this time, then everything will go smoothly, indicating that Li Mingchen's cognition has grown during the period when he did not meet with Nan Zhuren, and he has realized his own problems.

Based on this, Nan Zhuren even felt that they could finish the conversation in forty minutes today.

But since it wasn't colored red, that was expected; we just need to continue with the process.

After the blue and red pens, Nan Zhuren handed over the green pen.

"Okay, next, we'll color the 'healthy' parts of your body that you think will 'not cause any problems' green."

Li Mingchen took the green colored pencil, thought for a moment, and then colored in the areas on his right hand and left leg.

This time, he carefully filled in all the blank areas within the border, turning his entire right hand and left leg green.

After finishing coloring those two areas, Li Mingchen put down the colored pencils.

As he made this gesture, Nan Zhuren's gaze sharpened.

……

The turning point in the consultation seemed to come too quickly.

First, Li Mingchen's choice of application method this time was completely different from the previous two times. Previously, for the blue "excellent" parts and the red "problem" parts, Li Mingchen only applied the application to a portion of the "arms" and "head".

At this moment, his right hand and left leg were completely painted green.

The subtext of the former is "excellent but not so excellent" and "problematic but not so problematic"—neither of which is straightforward and ambiguous.
The latter represents "complete health"—simple, direct, and affirmative.

Why is there such a difference?

This is the first question.

Secondly, this time Li Mingchen only painted green, symbolizing "health," on his right hand and left foot.

His left hand and right foot were still wrapped in gauze, so it's understandable that they weren't painted green.

And what about the torso?
Nan Zhuren's gaze moved upwards—to the torso of the little figure drawn on the map, which was still blank at the moment.

There is no blue, no red, and no green.

This phenomenon indicates that Li Mingchen believes that even if his body is "not unhealthy" at this moment, it is "not healthy".

It's a bit convoluted, so let me rephrase it—at this moment, Li Mingchen neither believed that his torso was "unhealthy" nor that it was "healthy."

The general understanding of anorexia nervosa is not that simple.

They would not hesitate to paint their torsos green as a sign of "health".

Li Mingchen's reaction at this moment represents a major breakthrough in consulting, a consulting milestone that can immediately lead to a completely new and in-depth direction!
According to the normal procedure, Nan Zhuren should continue to guide the [Body Map] technology at this moment.

But now, Nan Zhuren has made a decisive move and no longer adheres to any of the established procedures.

Let's immediately engage in a standoff!
……

Nan Zhuren placed three colored watercolor pens in front of Li Mingchen in one go. "Next, we need to fill in all the blank spaces in the portrait in front of you."

“You are free to choose the colors of the watercolor pens and fill in the areas as you like,” Nan Zhuren said deliberately, carefully observing Li Mingchen’s expression.

[Pressing her lips, frowning.]

[Eyes unfocused, staring blankly.]

As expected, there were contradictions and dilemmas.

Li Mingchen hesitated for a while before picking up the green watercolor pen and filling in the blank space around the little figure's head, then paused his action.

Nan Zhuren pointed to the area around his head: "Why is this area painted green?"

Li Mingchen thought for a moment: "When the accident happened, I was very dizzy, so there is a small red patch here. But now I feel that my mind is relatively clear and I am 'healthy,' so I have it painted green."

This question is just a prelude.

Nan Zhuren pointed incessantly to the torso: "What about here? I see you've been hesitating for a long time. Have you thought about what color to paint here?"

This is the question that Nan Zhuren really wanted to ask.

Li Mingchen opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Nan Zhuren then asked, "Let me rephrase the question—is your torso 'healthy'?"

Li Mingchen remained silent.

Nan Zhuren changed his question again: "Then, is your torso 'unhealthy'?"

This time, Li Mingchen answered, but not the direct question Nan Zhuren had asked: "Teacher Nan, are you referring to the situation where I don't eat?"

A clear example of avoidance defense.

Li Mingchen said, "My mom told me about the assessment report you gave me before. It's like... in your eyes, you might really think that eating less is a problem. But for us athletes who need to control our weight, it's not like that. We 'have' to diet."

"Teacher Nan, you know about boxers, right? Professional boxers are sometimes required to abstain from water for several days before going into the ring in order to control their weight. To outsiders, this behavior is practically suicide, but it's normal in competitive sports..."

Li Mingchen's narration remained remarkably fluent, as if he had recited a prepared script beforehand.

but--

Frequent blinking and shifty gaze.

[The corner of the mouth descends on one side only, resulting in asymmetrical mouth movements.]

The repeated licking of lips and swallowing motions caused pauses in the narration.

He lacked confidence in what he was saying.

After obtaining information through micro-expressions, Nan Zhuren immediately initiated a confrontation.

"But as far as I know, boxers diet before the ring just to control their weight class, right? They quickly replenish their energy and weight after the weigh-in to maintain their competitive condition."

"In other words, their situation is not a 'normal' thing to learn from. In fact, many boxers have publicly admitted that this kind of rapid weight loss is 'suicide'—and this is not just an 'outsider's opinion'."

“And—” Nan Zhuren pointed to the door, “When I did your evaluation last time, you saw my companion, right? What did you think of his physique?”

This sentence refers to Chonghui.

Li Mingchen fell silent. With Chonghui's physique, even a suit and tie could exude a sense of power; and with the semi-professional eye of a sports student, one could even automatically fill in the gaps in Chonghui's mind with the muscles and lines covered by the fabric.

(End of this chapter)