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

Chapter 559: As expected, I thought there would be a bloodbath.
Mo Kai was, after all, a new assistant who had just graduated from university with a bachelor's degree, and what he had learned was the most standardized and idealistic knowledge.

Such newcomers will definitely need a period of adjustment between "ideals" and "reality" during their work.

Given Mo Kai's background and social skills, he must have known about this process long ago, so he was mentally prepared and even looking forward to this process that could verify what he had learned.

This was also one of his goals during his internship.

Unfortunately, he ended up working for Nan Zhuren during his time at the company.

Nan Zhuren's work style is too specialized, and he rarely takes Mo Kai to experience these "real-world" things.

As a result, Mo Kai usually either consults with Nan Zhuren or studies case studies.

So now that things have come to this, Mo Kai is wondering for a moment – ​​is Liu Jiahang's behavior "permissible" in the industry?
Even—is it "common"?
As for why Mo Kai kept this matter to himself for over a month until Nan Zhuren finished his exams instead of going to Bai Qinghua, it's actually quite understandable.

After all, he was just a "quasi-entry" disciple of the sect, and his relationship with Bai Qinghua was not close, let alone familiar.

He still held a deep sense of awe and reverence for Bai Qinghua, a professor he rarely saw, and dared not speak much to him.

That's why we've been waiting until now.

Nan Zhuren looked at Mo Kai.

Sure enough, Mo Kai continued, "Senior, I still don't really understand the real relationship between counselors and clients. How should we, how should we grasp that 'degree'?"

“When my former counseling teacher taught us, he told us an example… I’ve always found it very strange.”

Mo Kai's topic had gone a bit off track, but Nan Zhuren listened quietly.

Having kept it all bottled up for a month, this young man must have a lot of random thoughts running through his head. It's time to give him a chance to speak.

From another perspective, this is also a crucial learning phase in Mo Kai's professional career.

It is just as important as learning the first case study.

Then Mo Kai continued, "Our teacher told us that she had a very wealthy client. At one point, she wanted to buy a new house, but she didn't have enough money. She was also worried that someone would take the house away from her. Then she remembered that she had a client who was well-off, so she borrowed two million from that client... I don't understand this at all."

Fortunately, the part you don't understand isn't "why do you need to borrow money to buy a house."

“My teacher told me that her counseling with that client had ended and they no longer had a counseling relationship, but they still maintained a good friendship, so she could lend money to her… But I was thinking, shouldn’t you cut off contact after counseling ends? And don’t most counselors not have clients’ contact information? Even if you’re walking down the street, shouldn’t you pretend you don’t know them?”

"The teacher told us this example to illustrate that she had a good relationship with her client..."

"And she herself is a very capable consultant and supervisor. She goes to other places to give lectures or provide consultations every now and then, so... I get very conflicted at times like this."

Mo Kai looked into Nan Zhuren's eyes: "Such a great teacher, what he says in class shouldn't be obviously wrong, right?"

"And Manager Liu, he's a manager at Teacher Bai's company, so he should be one of the top consultants in the industry, right? So what he does shouldn't be considered anything special, um... uh..."

At this point, Mo Kai hesitated for a few moments, as if racking his brains to find some less harsh words.

……

Nan Zhuren looked at Mo Kai.

"Liu Jiahang is wrong, and very wrong."

Nan Zhuren said this.

Mo Kai suddenly looked up.

In the eyes of his young assistant, Nan Zhuren seemed to see something that had been stagnant and tending to go astray, but in that instant it was corrected and finally began to grow back in its original direction.

Nan Zhuren then added, "You are right."

call--

Now, all the anxiety and confusion that Mo Kai had expressed in his previous words completely disappeared.

People quieted down.

The reason why young people have so many questions is simply because they doubt their own perspective and want to ask someone with a higher level of expertise and a broader vision to give them some guidance.

Once I was certain that I was okay, I felt much better.

As for the idea that "people with strong professional skills are not necessarily more ethical," Mo Kai, at his age, naturally understood that long ago.

Mo Kai smoothly transitioned to the next stage: "Teacher Nan, so what should we do next..."

He gestured.

Nan Zhuren chuckled and said, "This is what we'll do next."

As Nan Zhuren was speaking, he took out his phone, about to make a call, when he suddenly paused and asked Mo Kai, "When does Liu Jiahang usually consult with that client named Li Lingling?"

"I don't usually know, but the last time was this afternoon, starting at two o'clock," Mo Kai answered confidently, clearly having inquired beforehand.

It seems this child is really concerned about this matter.

Nan Zhuren nodded and then asked, "When is my consultation scheduled for today?"

"It starts at 3 PM and ends at 6 PM," Mo Kai explained. "Because you only told me yesterday at noon that we need to prepare 24 hours in advance, there are no plans for the morning, but for the afternoon..."

Nan Zhuren raised his hand to indicate to his assistant that there was no need for further explanation, and then pressed the dial button on his phone.

"Hello? Teacher, there's something I need to tell you..."

……

It was 1:30 PM.

Liu Jiahang stepped open the company's automatic door. After feeling the warm air inside, he took off his coat, revealing a suit jacket underneath.

He quite likes autumn and winter because these are the seasons when he can dress neatly and presentably; unlike summer, when he easily gets covered in sweat.

Moreover, compared to summer clothes, which are easy to fool, winter clothes are the easiest way to tell someone's salary level and status from their appearance.

Liu Jiahang enjoys this seasonal atmosphere.

"Good afternoon." After nodding to the receptionist while straightening his sleeves, Liu Jiahang slightly raised his chin and walked briskly toward his office.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, stared at the boss's office for two seconds, and waved for his assistant to come over.

Liu Jiahang asked, "Did the boss come today?"

The assistant looked at Liu Jiahang, hesitated, and then nodded.

Liu Jiahang said thoughtfully, "Boss... oh, his little apprentice has also returned to the company these past two days, right? Really..."

After thinking for a moment, he instructed his assistant, "Find out when the boss is free so I can go have some tea with him."

Since being promoted to supervisor, whenever Bai Qinghua comes to the company, Liu Jiahang will go to Bai Qinghua to chat about whatever comes to mind.

It wasn't that he actually liked drinking tea, but as the company's manager, he felt obligated to make social gestures since the top executive rarely came over.

He considered his relationship with Bai Qinghua to have evolved from that of "employee" to something akin to "partners." Bai Qinghua's feedback to him had also been consistently positive.

At the same time, this intimacy with the boss can reinforce the perception among other employees that "the supervisor and the boss have a good relationship," which is beneficial for daily management.

Unexpectedly, after hearing Liu Jiahang's words, the assistant pursed his lips and said, "Manager, the boss is waiting for you. He just told me to have you go see him as soon as you arrive..."

Liu Jiahang raised an eyebrow first, then frowned: "Didn't you tell the boss I had another consultation later?"

Unexpectedly, the assistant replied, "That consultation... the boss said you don't need to do it anymore, go see him first."

Liu Jiahang was taken aback: "Is it such a big deal? You'd rather put your consultation on hold and still come to me for advice..."

Given Bai Qinghua's personality, he always prioritizes consultation.

However, the assistant added, "No... the boss first told you not to do consulting, and then told you to go to him."

The order of these steps is important.

This indicates that it's not about "postponing consultations to discuss matters with the supervisor," but rather "not allowing the supervisor to conduct consultations and conversations."

The difference is enormous; they are even completely opposite concepts.

Liu Jiahang's expression turned serious. He lowered his voice and tentatively asked, "Do you know what it is?"

The assistant shook his head.

Liu Jiahang steadied himself, about to ponder something, when the boss's office door suddenly opened, and Nan Zhuren poked his head out: "Manager Liu is here? The teacher wants to see you~"

It was as if he heard Liu Jiahang arrive while he was still in his office; the transition was extremely fast, giving Liu Jiahang no time to adjust at all.

In the office area, Mo Kai silently put down his phone, which he had just sent a message on.

Liu Jiahang took a deep breath and could only walk straight over, pushing open the slightly ajar door.

Then I saw Bai Qinghua sitting at the table with a faint social smile, two cups of tea in front of him.

Nan Zhuren slowly walked up to Bai Qinghua, took the cup of tea from the outside, sat down on the sofa next to him, and then turned his gaze over.

The master and apprentice had exactly the same look in their eyes. No.
Whether it was due to their mindset or not, Liu Jiahang felt that both of them had a kind of sharpness in their eyes that made him uncomfortable.

This kind of look was something Liu Jiahang hadn't felt since becoming a supervisor. Even when Bai Qinghua was late for a consultation because he was taking on a side job, his gaze wasn't this sharp.

At least Liu Jiahang didn't find it particularly sharp.

"Sit down," Bai Qinghua said.

Swallowing hard, Liu Jiahang forced a smile and approached the seat: "Old Bai, I heard from my assistant that you canceled my afternoon consultation? Why didn't you tell me?"

Nan Zhuren looked at Liu Jiahang's expression.

The corners of her mouth were pulled upwards, but stiffly, and after maintaining a certain position, they started to tremble.

[Prolonged staring, eye twitching.]

[Rapid breathing and abnormal chest rise and fall.]

This person's communication strategy was indeed quite good. Perhaps sensing that something was amiss, they used a mild "accountability" topic to put themselves in a dominant position.

Quite smart.

But not smart enough.

This conversational strategy may indeed give one a bit of strength, but in the eyes of professionals, it also reveals that the person lacks confidence.

"Sit down." Bai Qinghua did not answer the other person's question, but pointed to the seat in front of him.

Liu Jiahang raised an exaggerated eyebrow, looked around, and then, as if he had finally found a topic to talk about, pointed at Zhi Zhuren: "Your disciple..."

They seemed to think that the two were about to discuss something very important that the young people shouldn't know.

"Sit down," Bai Qinghua said for the third time.

Liu Jiahang's expression stiffened, and he finally sat down as instructed, but he still forced himself to take a water glass from the side and pour himself a cup from Bai Qinghua's teapot.

Hua la la la——

The sound of water sounded.

Bai Qinghua's voice rang out: "I didn't cancel your consultation today, I just transferred your consultation to someone else."

Liu Jiahang's hand trembled, and the amber-colored tea splashed onto the table.

There are no beating around the bush, and no other social skills, because they are unnecessary.

Bai Qinghua cut straight to the point: "You and Li Lingling have had private conversations, right?"

Liu Jiahang looked up at Bai Qinghua's eyes, but then couldn't help but lower his gaze, keeping it only at the height of Bai Qinghua's mouth, in order to maintain the minimum communication posture.

He opened his mouth to defend himself.

Bai Qinghua cut off Liu Jiahang's explanation, saying, "Think carefully before you speak. You know I can tell whether you're telling the truth or not."

Liu Jiahang remained motionless with his mouth open.

Bai Qinghua nodded upon seeing this: "I understand. You did have private conversations with her. The information I received is correct."

He said to Liu Jiahang, "I am very disappointed in you."

Nan Zhuren watched this scene with amusement; it was the first time he had ever seen Bai Qinghua display such an aggressive stance.

There was no heated debate, no probing attacks.

He simply delivered a punch, yet it easily destroyed the opponent's defense.

Nan Zhuren was even somewhat disappointed. He had thought he could learn from professors how they used micro-expression analysis to attack their opponents.

However... this makes sense.

Splash splash—plop.

The water glass in front of Liu Jiahang was overflowing.

Bai Qinghua silently took his teapot from Liu Jiahang's hand, then slowly picked up a rag and began wiping the water stains on the table. He didn't speak again, as if he had lost interest in talking to the other person.

After a long pause, Liu Jiahang finally managed to say with difficulty, "Her... and my therapeutic relationship is very stable. Changing to another therapist might cause clients to leave, so I need to do at least two more sessions to wrap things up and ensure she can..."

Nan Zhuren couldn't help but chuckle to himself upon hearing this.

Bai Qinghua interrupted Liu Jiahang: "Her counseling is a hospital-paid psychological intervention, so there's no issue of lost counseling. We have plenty of time to rebuild a counseling relationship with her from scratch. So—"

After tidying up the table, Bai Qinghua folded the rag and put it aside: "—You don't have another chance for 'two consultations.' I will also transfer your other clients to others."

(End of this chapter)