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

Chapter 341 Feeling guilty about his actions, yet forced to do so
That's a physique that absolutely occupies a high ecological niche in the aesthetics of sports students, and Li Mingchen would find it hard to make up nonsense about it.

“That person is my senior brother,” Nan Zhuren said with a smile. “I consulted my senior brother some time ago. According to him, normal and healthy fat loss requires strict calculation. It is necessary to set an appropriate calorie deficit based on each person’s weight, age, and basal metabolic rate, and there is also a very strict formula.”

"If energy intake remains below the lower limit calculated by the formula for an extended period, it can lead to muscle loss, malnutrition, hormonal imbalances, and so on..."

Nan Zhuren suddenly paused in his speech.

He stared intently at Li Mingchen's sudden micro-expression.

[A brief tightening of the lower lip.]

The eyes quickly turn to one side.

Is it... [agreement]? And a disguised [agreement]?

Is Li Mingchen agreeing with what he's saying now?
"You knew all along." Nan Zhuren's tone was confident, yet somewhat surprised.

Nan Zhuren narrowed her eyes, beginning to recall Li Mingchen's previous words: "You know all this, you know you're excessively dieting, you know you're harming your health. But you still think this behavior is 'necessary'?"

[Suddenly reducing blinking.]

[The eyebrows briefly lifted and then returned to normal.]

[That's also... [I agree].]

Does one agree that dieting can harm the body, yet also agree that dieting is "necessary"?

Nan Zhuren's pupils suddenly dilated as thoughts collided in his mind. Li Mingchen's previous actions began to be arranged and combined in his mind, forming a complete cognitive map.

It wasn't just Li Mingchen who appeared in Nan Zhuren's mind. Xu Pengcheng, Lin Junkai, and other sports students that Nan Zhuren had talked to, even their Coach Wang and Vice Principal Ma, all appeared in Nan Zhuren's mind at this moment.

Nan Zhuren paused for a moment, then looked at Li Mingchen's expression one last time, making her final decision.

"Why is that? You think dieting is bad, but you also think it's necessary?"

"Is it for the physical fitness test? That would have made sense before, but now that you've confirmed you won't take the college entrance exam until next year, and you're currently in the recovery period after your injury, dieting won't do you any good."

So—why?

This was a series of questions, but Nan Zhuren didn't want Li Mingchen to answer them.

Nan Zhuren's powerful micro-expression analysis ability allowed him to multitask, carefully observing the series of micro-expressions Li Mingchen made after hearing his question.

There are memories, there is disgust, there is confusion.

and most importantly -

Eyebrows with an upward-sloping inner corner – a sad eyebrow.

Briefly closing your eyes and taking deep breaths—to suppress emotional outbursts.

[The masseter muscle tightens as the inner lining of the mouth is subjected to friction—like biting the inside of one's lips or even one's tongue.]

[In self-punishment.]

The final key emotions that lead to this are: shame, pain, and self-hatred.

Nan Zhuren remained indifferent.

Now all the information is known.

Nan Zhuren's gaze softened.

"Teacher Nan...I..."

Li Mingchen wanted to say something, but hesitated and couldn't bring himself to say it.

Nan Zhuren waited for two breaths, then raised her hand to signal Li Mingchen.

“A key objective of our consultation today is to explore the underlying causes of your problem. If possible, knowing the real reasons is best.” “I think I already know.”

Li Mingchen suddenly looked up.

Nan Zhuren smiled and said, "At this stage, it is indeed a bit difficult for you to speak. So, I would like to make some bold guesses based on what I just saw. You just need to listen."

"You don't need to correct or express any opinion."

Because your expression will tell me.

Li Mingchen's expression was somewhat blank, as if he didn't quite understand what Nan Zhuren meant.

If you're just guessing, why don't you correct yourself?

Could the teacher in front of me be the kind of person with a strong desire for reasoning?
“When I first came to the school, I saw your training sessions. There were two people with batons chasing a big guy with a buzz cut as he ran laps—to me, who was seeing this for the first time, my first instinct was to feel disgusted.”

"Your vice principal told me that this is because advanced students are motivating struggling students to make rapid progress."

The moment Nan Zhuren spoke, Li Mingchen's breathing quickened. He looked up, but dared not meet Nan Zhuren's gaze.

"Before consulting with you, my senior and I started a project related to 'emotional induction' at your school and talked to many people there."

"Including that student with the buzz cut, I learned that his name is Xu Pengcheng. I also learned that everyone on his team had used the same method to 'urge' him to train."

"That includes Lin Junkai, who just brought you here, and you."

Li Mingchen lowered his head again, seemingly trying to hide his expression.

"But later I talked to Lin Junkai, and he, like you and Xu Pengcheng, believed that this training method was necessary. But he showed a certain emotion during the consultation—[self-blame]."

Nan Zhuren brought the topic back.

He looked at Li Mingchen: "You also have this kind of self-blame, but it's deeper, stronger, and contains an element of self-attack."

“So…” Nan Zhuren took a deep breath and slowly said, “You actually know that your actions towards Xu Pengcheng have exceeded the limits of so-called ‘urging’ and ‘helping,’ and have become harmful, and may even be subject to moral condemnation to some extent.”

"So you're punishing yourself with 'dieting,' right?"

"When I asked you to paint your arm blue, you resisted. You felt you didn't deserve that level of strength. You knew dieting would reduce your strength, but you didn't see it as a problem."

“When you recall falling from the building, there is pain, but this pain is interspersed with a feeling of relief. At first, I thought it was because of academic pressure, but now it seems that you are happy that you can get out of a moral dilemma and therefore feel relaxed.”

"Your anxiety has almost disappeared by now because you know you no longer need to excessively 'urge' your classmates. But you can't let go of your past actions, so you're still dieting excessively and punishing yourself."

"But—there's a problem here."

Nan Zhuren looked at Li Mingchen and met the student's dumbfounded expression.

“All of you have gone too far in your dealings with Xu Pengcheng. You all know that your actions have gone too far, but you cannot control them.”

“You did not stop because you could not stop, which shows that your actions were forced.”

“You cannot resist because the cost of resistance is too high, which means that those who are persecuting you possess something that can significantly influence you.”

“You can’t even escape—or rather, you can’t escape in a regular way, so you choose the convenient excuse of ‘dieting’ to punish yourself, which leads you to inadvertently drop out of the process.”

Nan Zhuren finished speaking, thus concluding the reasoning section.

He threw the question back at Li Mingchen, his eyes filled with encouragement.

"The thing that has such a significant impact on you, I guess, is the college entrance examination, which is also something you feel you can't escape."

"Then, where does this persecution come from, or from whom? Can you tell me?"

(End of this chapter)