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

Chapter 225 Unbridled
If we're going to inject desire, what should we inject first?
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, human needs, from lowest to highest, are: physiological needs, safety needs, belonging and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.

Generally speaking, the more basic and fundamental a need is, the more it motivates people to seek to satisfy it.

The first choice, naturally, should be the one that is easiest to stimulate—

Nan Zhuren cleared his throat: "Speaking of which, I met with the director of your college a few days ago. When we talked about you, he asked me to ask you something."

He pretended to recall something: "I originally planned to tell you this during this consultation, but now it seems that if I don't ask now, I might not have the chance later."

This topic is quite unconventional, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it wildly imaginative.

Moreover, it's riddled with errors. How could a counselor possibly discuss the specific details of their client with others? The director of the art academy wanted to ask Li Minglu why he had asked Nan Zhuren for help.
But given Li Minglu's sluggish mind at this moment, he couldn't find any loopholes at all.

On the contrary, because of the brain that had been activated by Nan Zhuren, he subconsciously began to pay attention to what question the director had asked Nan Zhuren to ask.
“We were talking about it in the coffee shop downstairs from your art academy. Speaking of which, I always envied your art academy when I was a graduate student. It was so rich that you could open a whole floor of coffee shop on the first floor of your own academy.”

Nan Zhuren meticulously refined the details of the matter, then abruptly changed the subject.

Do you know what we ate that day?

The topics kept jumping around wildly, as fast as someone with a schizophrenic disorder whose thoughts were overflowing.

"I ordered a small strawberry mille-feuille. You know—sweets always make people happy."

Nan Zhuren spoke slowly and gently, her expression filled with nostalgia and longing, even a touch of sentimentality: "I don't know if you've ever tried it, but it's a layered sweetness that's not cloying. When you bite into it, the first thing you taste is the slight tartness of the strawberry, followed by the aroma of the evaporated milk. Paired with a latte, it truly melts on your tongue."

"Your director ordered a cheese tuna and egg bagel. It wasn't a dessert, and I was always curious why something as small as a sandwich was so expensive. Later, one of the girls in our counseling center really liked it, so I sneaked a taste. It was savory and salty, but with the sweetness of cheese. The bagel shell was also very fragrant, with a strong wheat flavor, and it was chewy."

At this point, Nan Zhuren couldn't help but click his tongue.

That overflowing emotion was practically drilling straight into Li Minglu's mind.

Of course, no matter how detailed Nan Zhuren's description is, there won't be any smell of food in the air; this isn't a gourmet anime.

But Nan Zhuren's craving for food evoked memories for Li Minglu, an art student, of the coffee shop downstairs he had frequented for four years, and at the same time—he actually felt a bit hungry for it.

"Of course, these desserts weren't enough to fill us up. Later, we went to a Hui Muslim barbecue restaurant behind the West Gate and ordered whole roasted lamb chops, the kind with a golden-brown exterior but tender, juicy meat." Nan Zhuren said, rubbing his hands together. "Paired with their homemade chili powder, we gnawed on the ribs directly—it was unbeatable."

And don't even think about why a psychology graduate student who was expelled and the director of the art academy would end up having coffee together and then go off to eat lamb chops.

What matters is not the story's background, but the specific events themselves.

As she spoke, Nan Zhuren looked up and suddenly said to Li Minglu, "That restaurant is newly opened. You probably haven't eaten there before. Would you like to try it? It's on me."

Li Minglu pursed his lips, and unconsciously, his tongue and throat moved.

——Gulu.

Nan Zhuren stared intently at the air in front of him, taking in everything out of the corner of his eye.

[First level of desire, successfully activated.]

"Continue. "After dinner, your director took me to your college. He said he wanted to show me some paintings."

The movement was quite strange—meaning that Nan Zhuren and his friends first ate dessert in the cafe on the first floor of the academy, then went outside to eat roasted lamb chops, and finally ran back to the academy to look at the paintings.

"But before we could even see your college's collection room, I ran into your college's cat—Is it called 'Captain'?"

"This is another thing I envied about your art academy when I was a student. The leaders have a lot of leisure time. They even set up a stray cat shelter in the academy and managed to raise stray cats as the academy's pets."

Nan Zhuren made a recollection expression: "'Captain'... I remember he was an orange cat, right? He wasn't afraid of people, had long, layered fur, and sometimes he would even rub his head against my hand."

As he spoke, Nan Zhuren wiped his fingers: "It is often taken out to bathe by female students, so it is very clean. You can bury your face in it and get it clean."

“When I met it, it had been lazily sunbathing for most of the day. I buried my nose in the fur on its neck and took a deep breath, mmm—” Nan Zhuren squinted his eyes, “—that’s awesome.”

Not to mention the almost exaggerated, perverted expression on Nan Zhuren's face at this moment.

He suddenly turned his head and said, "When you were in school, you must have had these stray pet carriers, right? Are the cats you fed back then still around?"

Li Minglu suddenly sniffed.

His face had been pressed against the windowsill, but now he pressed his cheek even further against the cold, rough plastic and metal.

—It gently rubbed against me.

His fingers, gripping the windowsill, involuntarily tightened slightly.

[Second level of desire, activated.]

“Where were we? Oh right.” Nan Zhuren suddenly slapped his forehead, stood up and paced back and forth a couple of times, inadvertently moving closer to Li Minglu.

"—Your director asked me to ask you this question."

Nan Zhuren tapped his left palm with his right hand, as if after rambling on about a long digression, he had finally remembered the important matter.

"Those designs, collections, and most importantly, your graduation project that you did during your student years. I heard that we went to the graduation exhibition together back then."

Nan Zhuren didn't even blink: "But it seems your art academy's warehouse is full right now, so they want to clear out a batch of past designs, including yours."

“Originally, those works were supposed to be disposed of as waste,” Nan Zhuren said regretfully. “After all, you know, besides you Chinese painting and oil painting majors, there are also sculptors at the art academy. Those students also like to use plastic, sheet metal and other materials to create experimental art.”

"Those things could be sold for a lot of money just from the materials alone."

Li Minglu's grip on the windowsill suddenly tightened.

　Secondly, don't imitate the protagonist.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)