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

Chapter 502 The Unending Phone Calls

The mechanical telephone was still ringing, but Nan Zhihao didn't move.

Once, twice, three times.

The call ended because no one answered.

Nan Zhihao breathed a sigh of relief and then took further action.

He opened his wardrobe and chose a dark-colored top and trousers. After thinking for a moment, he added a sun-protective jacket and a black hat.

He hesitated for two seconds before slowly lowering his hand when he reached out to touch the mask.

"Let's leave it at that for now," Nan Zhihao muttered to himself.

Nan Zhihao carefully straightened the slightly crooked brim of his hat and checked his appearance in the mirror.

Just as he was about to leave.

Buzz-buzz-

The phone, which had been put on silent, started vibrating again.

Looking at the caller ID, Nan Zhihao took a deep breath.

He knew that if he didn't answer the call today, the other party would definitely call back repeatedly.

"Hello, Attorney Zhan." Nan Zhihao put the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Zhihao." A steady yet warm voice came from the other end of the phone. "Yes, it's me."

“I’ve been busy with the case these past few days, and I’ve visited many more victims, several of whom are your former comrades. This kind of gang is truly despicable, don’t you think?”

Nan Zhihao paused for a moment.

He then nodded: "Mm."

“I sympathize with your situation very much. As I mentioned before, I wanted to gather all your evidence and appeal together, so I wanted to come and talk to you again.”

"Furthermore, I've heard that there have been some lingering consequences for you, causing ongoing losses and harm. If we resolve all the issues at once, we can secure the best compensation for you, and any other problems can be clarified as well, right?"

Attorney Zhan spoke at length, while Nan Zhihao remained silent.

"I heard the court has been contacting your therapist recently. I visited her a couple of days ago to discuss your situation..."

Upon hearing this, Nan Zhihao's heart tightened, and he could no longer remain silent: "You went to see Teacher Nan? What... did he say?"

"He still respects your opinion, and I agree with that. That's why I'm contacting you again."

Hearing this answer, Nan Zhihao breathed a sigh of relief. Attorney Zhan then launched into a long speech of persuasion on the phone, which Nan Zhihao seemed to be listening to, yet also seemed not to be listening at all.

Just as he was about to speak, suddenly—

His phone vibrated again.

Buzz-buzz-

Nan Zhihao's heart tightened when he saw the caller ID.

"Attorney Zhan, let me think about it some more. I have a phone call coming in from home, I need to answer it first."

"Oh? Okay..."

Attorney Zhan's short, abrupt voice came to an abrupt end.

……

The dormitory room fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of a phone vibrating.

Buzz-buzz-

Nan Zhihao said he was ending the conversation because of another call, but after hanging up with Attorney Zhan, he didn't answer the next call. Instead, he put his phone back on the table and looked at the caller ID.

Buzz-buzz-

With each vibration, the phone slowly shifted, like a persistent woman banging on the door until she got what she wanted.

Buzz-buzz-

Nan Zhihao took a deep breath, as if he was doing some kind of mental preparation.

After a short pause, he forced a smile and answered the phone in a softer voice: "Hello, Mom?"

"Hey, Hao!" a loud voice came from the other end of the phone. "What are you doing? Why did it take you so long to answer?"

Nan Zhihao paused for a moment and said, "I was just washing up and changing clothes. There's a lecture at our school this morning, and I'm going to volunteer there."

"Oh, participating in an activity? That's great, being a volunteer." The person on the other end of the phone chuckled twice, their voice becoming more cheerful, as if they had heard some good news. "It's good to get out and about more; you seem to be feeling better lately."

Nan Zhihao frowned slightly and took a deep breath.

He forced a smile, as if trying to cheer himself up, before slowly saying, "Yes, I'm much better lately."

After saying this, a fleeting smile appeared on his lips.

For Nan Zhihao, speaking seemed to be very tiring. But the person on the other end of the phone showed no sign of stopping.

"Ah Hao, how's that thing going?" The voice on the other end of the phone lowered slightly as he said this. "When that thing was posted in our family group chat, your dad and I were both shocked."

Nan Zhihao took another deep breath and tried to soften his voice: "Mom, that's fake. I already told you. The teacher clarified it for me, and the police gave me a certificate with an official stamp, which I posted in the group chat. Justice will prevail, and everything is definitely over now—didn't I tell you all that?"

The person on the other end of the phone asked again, "Won't this affect your studies?"

Nan Zhihao took another deep breath: "The teachers are all reasonable people, they know what's going on. Besides, they have already taken the initiative to clarify things for me, so there won't be any problems. Haven't I already said that?"

"Oh dear, don't be so impatient. Mom's worried about you," came the complaint from the other end of the phone.

Nan Zhihao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and forced a fleeting smile onto his face.

Then, the voice on the other end of the phone suddenly lowered: "Ah Hao, so much time has passed, I didn't dare to mention it in front of you before, but now I can ask you—who was it that came to see you that day, and what happened?"

"Mom, that's a scammer. How would I know who it is?"

The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly became furtive: "Do you think it's possible that your comrade is also part of the scammers? I've been searching for news online lately, and some young veterans have run out of money very quickly and then turned to their own people..."

"Mom." Nan Zhihao's smile faltered as he interrupted, "No, how did you come here? No way!"

The person on the other end of the phone retorted, "You can't be sure. There are plenty of cases like that in the news; you might still be getting scammed right now."

“Mom.” Nan Zhihao took another deep breath and gritted his teeth. “The court contacted me a few days ago and said they had caught the swindler.”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone: "Really? That's good, that's good. What did the court tell you? Should you go there now? I saw online that people like you who have been scammed should keep an eye on the police..."

“Mom, no need. You're looking at cases of people being scammed, right? I haven’t.” Nan Zhihao interrupted again. “The court has contacted me; I’ll just follow their instructions.”

"You need to keep a closer eye on them, otherwise they won't be motivated to do their work. I saw online that you can go check on them regularly..."

"mom!"

Nan Zhihao's voice suddenly rose: "No need to go, I said 'no need' to go, and I can't go every day! I specifically asked, and I'm in a hurry too. Do you believe what's online, or do you believe what I asked the people in the court?"

This sudden change in attitude left the person on the other end of the phone speechless for a long time.

After a long while, the person on the other end spoke slowly, sounding startled: "Why are you so impatient? Your mother cares about you."

Nan Zhihao gripped the hourglass pendant on his chest tightly, taking a deep breath as if he were suppressing something.

Then, I heard the person on the other end of the phone casually reply, "Then I won't care about you anymore."

(End of this chapter)