I set you up on a blind date, and you've managed to overcome all the weirdness?

Teacher Chen was wearing a name tag around her neck; it turned out her real name was Chen Qing.

Lin Yan had been observing Chen Qing's reaction the whole time.

When Su Hong made the step back, Chen Qing did not show any embarrassment or anger.

This immediately made Lin Yan realize that his skill level was not low.

Seeing that Su Hong did not respond, Chen Qing withdrew his hand and smiled magnanimously, as if he were a magnanimous person who would not hold a grudge.

There weren't many students around, yet he handled the small details flawlessly.

"It's okay, I know you have reservations."

Chen Qing spoke gently, deliberately slowing down his pace.

I don't blame you.

"In this school, besides the teachers, no one else is willing to spend so much time listening to you, right?"

Tsk tsk tsk, can't you wait that long?

Lin Yan was still observing; he wanted to see Chen Qing's skill level further.

Chen Qing was so eager to cut off Su Hong's last escape route that he emphasized one thing: here, you only have me.

"Think about your parents. It wasn't easy for them to send you here to study."

"If they knew you couldn't even handle normal relationships with your classmates, and were even isolated in your dorm..."

Chen Qing sighed softly.

How disappointed will they be?

"No..."

Su Hong spoke in a whisper, as if afraid that if she raised her voice even slightly, she would scare a mosquito to death.

Lin Yan always found it difficult to connect this Su Hong with the senior she would meet 30 years later.

Su Hong thought those so-called "good roommates" were strange; they would light green candles in the middle of the night and recite words she couldn't understand.

I wanted to say that her textbooks were always inexplicably torn up.

I feel like I'm always being watched.

But the words caught in her throat.

How should I say it?

If I told anyone, who would believe me?

Xiaoya and her classmates are always so well-behaved and sensible in front of their teachers, and they always have excellent grades.

She was just a weirdo with a withdrawn personality and a constant sense of suspicion.

"Not what?"

Chen Qing bent down slightly and looked Su Hong straight in the eyes.

"Su Hong, you need to learn to look for the reasons within yourself."

"If you truly are a pure and flawless swan, why does everyone ostracize you?"

"It's not shameful to admit your imperfections or that you need help."

"Your teacher will always be with you."

"As long as you're willing to open your heart, do what the teacher teaches you, accept Xiaoya and the others' kindness, and attend tonight's after-school tutoring session in the music room..."

Now you're showing your fangs, how impatient are you?

Lin Yan shook his head, indicating his disapproval; it was crude, hasty, and utterly devoid of any aesthetic appeal.

Although he had abandoned this kind of PUA tactic for many years, he could still see through the teacher's thoughts at a glance.

What Chen Qing is doing now is stripping Su Hong of her remaining self-awareness and self-esteem.

It may not feel like much to say, but only by putting yourself in Su Hong's shoes can you understand the despair she felt.

This is the highest level of mind control.

He doesn't need to hit you or swear at you.

He only needs to stand on moral high ground and use a little rhetoric to appear to be considering your interests, but in reality, he just wants to isolate you from the world.

If it didn't work the first time, he would try again. He also had three "good roommates" to help him reinforce and repeat the process.

Until you fall into self-doubt, until you feel that you really are as he says, that you really feel like... you're wrong.

Then comes a lot of boring, repetitive work that keeps you under psychological pressure.

An average person can endure it for about a week, but the longest Lin Yan ever endured was three months, which almost led to a mental breakdown.

Then, he descended again as the sole savior.

He makes you willingly, even gratefully, strip yourself bare and clean, and voluntarily step onto the stage he has carefully prepared for you.

To kill without shedding blood, to destroy someone's spirit, is simply too immoral; Lin Yan has long since retired from this life.

Now, seeing his former colleagues again, his long-dormant dark side is starting to stir.

Watching Su Hong's face gradually lose color and her eyes begin to glaze over, it was as if her soul was being drained away.

Chen Qing finally revealed a flaw; this work was simply...

It was absolutely delightful!

First, sculpt a perfect work of art with your own hands, and then experience the beauty of its brokenness as it is about to collapse.

This is the meaning of life!

"What a perfect container..." Chen Qing sighed silently.

Right here in this corridor, where even the sunlight seemed to be frozen.

Just as Su Hong was about to close her eyes and give in to this false tenderness.

"Holy crap!"

"Where did this stale green tea come from so early in the morning? It's making my eyes water."

Chen Qing's gentle mask froze for a moment. He turned his head, his eyes behind his glasses turning slightly gloomy.

A young man in a school janitor's uniform was yawning as he slowly walked out from around the corner.

Lin Yan walked up to the two of them, not even glancing at Chen Qing, and forcefully stepped between them, shielding Su Hong behind him.

"A new school janitor?"

Chen Qing quickly resumed his gentle and refined demeanor, his brows furrowed slightly, showing a hint of displeasure at being offended.

"I'm teaching my students, what are you doing?"

"teach?"

Lin Yan gave a disdainful sneer.

He turned around, took a step forward, and stared directly into Chen Qing's eyes:

"You're Teacher Chen Qing, right?"

"Your method of undermining self-confidence, creating anxiety, and then pretending to be a savior is indeed very skillful."

"However, using such low-down tricks that I wouldn't even stoop to when picking up freshmen girls to bully a naive young girl."

"You, a teacher, look quite respectable, but could it be that you're hiding a filthy, depraved pervert under that facade?"

The corridor suddenly fell silent.

Several students passing by stopped and covered their mouths, seemingly unable to believe that someone would speak to Teacher Chen like that.

Chen Qing's eyes twitched twice.

His perfect facade, which he always prided himself on being able to control people's hearts, was torn off right in front of the students by a low-level school janitor!

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Chen Qing quickly calmed down and tried his best to maintain the dignity of a teacher.

"I was just helping Su Hong integrate into the group. You're a school janitor who hasn't even had much schooling, do you even know what psychological counseling is?"

"I don't understand psychological counseling, but I do know what a beast is."

Lin Yan didn't back down at all, and provocatively took another step forward, forcing Chen Qing to retreat repeatedly.

He deliberately raised his voice to make sure everyone in the corridor could hear him:

"You keep saying she's unsociable, that's her problem, then let me ask you this!"

"Where was your model student Xiaoya when her desk was piled high with other people's trash?!"

"Where were you, the responsible and good teacher, when she was kept awake at night by your 'good student's' candle ritual?!"