The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 384 Reasons
Chen Guifen looked at Zhao Xiaochui, feeling quite gratified. The fact that this young man had such thoughts proved she hadn't misjudged him.

"While it's heartbreaking that Linglan was injured, it wasn't entirely meaningless." She put down her chopsticks and patiently analyzed the situation for Zhao Xiaochui:
"First, this incident serves as a wake-up call for everyone, showing them firsthand the power of this skill and the severity of the consequences of reckless behavior."

"Secondly, the higher-ups have generously compensated us this time, setting a benchmark. If anyone is foolish enough to act recklessly again, the cleanup won't be so favorable—no one will be able to evade responsibility, and no one will step in to cover for them."

Chen Guifen's guidance to Zhao Xiaochui, which aimed to help him see the good in bad situations, was very thoughtful. It aimed to improve his cognitive abilities and help him see the duality of things so that he could cope with all situations in the increasingly complex environment of the future.

Chen Guifen looked at Zhao Xiaochui with an unusual seriousness in her eyes.

I will be leaving soon, but this child has a long road ahead. His talent is destined to be revealed, and he will face increasingly complex people and situations in the future.

She wanted to take advantage of this last bit of time to break things down and teach him step by step, so that he would understand that everything has two sides, that if you suffer a loss, you should see the underlying reasons, and that if you gain an advantage, you should know how to exercise restraint.

Only by broadening our horizons and sharpening our minds can we remain steadfast and go far, no matter what situation we encounter in the future.

Zhao Xiaochui seemed to understand something from her words, looked up at Chen Guifen, and asked with reluctance in his voice, "Are you... leaving?"

Chen Guifen smiled gently: "If you don't get some exercise after you've recovered, these old bones will really rust."

"Going to work is fine," Zhao Xiaochui grumbled, "but why do we have to go abroad?"

Chen Guifen rolled her eyes at him: "Thanks to you, you managed to tear a huge hole over there. The situation is great now. If I don't go, the biggest credit and benefits will be snatched away by someone else."

"Huh? What does this have to do with me?" Zhao Xiaochui looked completely bewildered.

“Remember Richard Keaton?” Chen Guifen pointed at him with her finger. “That old bastard transferred all his most capable henchmen from the Middle East to South America in order to deal with you.”

Zhao Xiaochui immediately recalled the office building riddled with blood and gore.

"Because of you, a large portion of the CIA's core forces in the Middle East have disappeared."

Zhao Xiaochui: "..."

Seeing Zhao Xiaochui lost in his memories, Chen Guifen finished the last sip of soup and gave Liu Li a wink.

The kind-hearted girl immediately understood, and pulled Yangyang along to quickly clear away the dishes and chopsticks before heading into the kitchen together.

“So, it’s the most legitimate reason for me to take over now. Because you’re behind me, I can truly distribute the credit to the frontline brothers who actually get things done.” She looked at Zhao Xiaochui, her gaze deep. “Do you understand now?”

Chen Guifen had originally planned to enlighten the boy on some things before leaving, so that he wouldn't be so foolish as to not know how many people his casual actions affected, and wouldn't just confront things head-on.

"And then there's Old Man Lou's matter," she continued, seeing Zhao Xiaochui come to his senses. "He implicated so many people back then, and now just as many people are benefiting from it. In a way, these people all owe you a favor."

"I don't care if they owe me anything!" Zhao Xiaochui muttered softly.

"They didn't intend for you to know!" Chen Guifen pinched his arm in annoyance. "You just need to understand that you don't need to personally get involved and risk your life for this. As long as you show an attitude of pursuing the matter to the end, those two people will not just be fired and have their company shut down."

Zhao Xiaochui: "..."

"Do you know why prisoners crave a quick death under torture?" the chubby receptionist earnestly instructed. "Because the slow, gentle torture is the most agonizing!"

Chen Guifen's words were packed with information, leaving Zhao Xiaochui's head buzzing. He stared blankly at the table for a long time before muttering to himself, "The adult world... is so damn complicated."

Chen Guifen looked at him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation: "You're a nineteen-year-old young man, can you please stop being so pretentious when you do and say things?"

Zhao Xiaochui raised his head, his eyes no longer showing the confusion from before, but instead revealing an unusual calm:

"Yes, I'm nineteen." He paused, his voice soft yet sharp as a needle, "Sister Pang, may I ask—what's the record for the most enemy kills among your company, the military, or other frontline combat personnel in the country?"

These words struck Chen Guifen like a bolt of lightning, causing her heart to clench and her smile to freeze instantly.

The thing she and her company had been worried about for so long has finally come to light...

PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder.

The child had been behaving normally since returning to China, and she thought everything was fine. Now, she finally understood why Zhao Xiaochui had stayed in America for an extra month.

"I only went along with Jiang Ying and came back after I was sure that I wouldn't lose control and hurt the people around me."

As expected, Zhao Xiaochui's words confirmed Chen Guifen's worries. She reached out with trembling hands and tightly grasped Zhao Xiaochui's cold hand.

"I only stop thinking nonsense when I'm working..." Zhao Xiaochui looked at Chen Guifen and said bitterly, "Sister Pang, it's not that I'm being dramatic, it's just that I really can't take any more stress. If you hadn't come in time today, none of the people there would be alive."

Chen Guifen looked at him with heartache, her voice trembling slightly: "Then why don't you stay in America a little longer? The psychological intervention system there is much more mature than in China, and the treatment of PTSD is much more professional..."

"If I stay any longer, will the girls be devoured by those people? What happened to Linglan today... if I hadn't been there, would it have happened sooner?"

Chen Guifen couldn't answer this question, just as she would never overestimate willfulness.

Holding Zhao Xiaochui's hand tightly and gazing intently into his eyes, Chen Guifen finally noticed Zhao Xiaochui's unusual behavior.

A deep wariness in his eyes, a rapid trembling of his little finger, and the instant tension in his shoulder and back muscles when the sound of dishes clattering came from the kitchen…

Chen Guifen suddenly remembered something and eagerly grabbed Zhao Xiaochui's hand: "That's right! Your eye exercises, those calming acupressure massages, you cured that big star and Jiang Ying's depression. Xiaochui, you've helped so many people, why don't you try it on yourself?"

"Because those are depressions caused by physical reasons..."

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Zhao Xiaochui's lips:

“I’ve tried it on myself… Every time I press it, all the images of that battle in South America come flooding back.”

His eyes were somewhat vacant, and his voice was low and hoarse.

"The sight of those ruthless bandits' arms being twisted, the bone fragments piercing their flesh... and their eyeballs, blown out at close range, hanging precariously from their sockets..."

He abruptly closed his eyes and shook his head, as if trying to dispel the images:
"The more you press it, the clearer you remember it."

(End of this chapter)