Shiller began to laugh. His laughter had always carried a certain chill in the past, but this time it was deep, filled with genuine, heartfelt joy.
"I'm lucky that I've been able to identify certain patterns in the professor's behavior during the years we've known each other."
"He has almost no conventional moral or honor sense. When he sets out to do something, he doesn't care whether it goes against societal norms or shocks the world."
"However, there's one thing that can make him feel ashamed—that is if his academic skills are called into question."
"I knew that as soon as Angela announced that she was going to circulate the paper I had written, Shiller would intervene immediately to stop this from happening. The professor cannot let his pride take a fall."
"During this process, he wouldn't even consider whether it would get him into trouble. He just wants to prevent this terrible event from happening as quickly as possible. Thus, he confessed."
"You indeed deceived the Arrogant and succeeded in this test. What do you think was the main reason you were able to pass the exam?"
Shiller asked again, but quickly added: "What was the most pivotal factor you leveraged?"
"The difference in status with Professor Shiller," Bruce replied immediately. "I'm a student, he's a teacher."
"For a student not to study, commit errors or have minor flaws in their paper is forgivable in the eyes of the public. I'm just an undergraduate, and it's completely normal that I can't write good papers."
"Even for the public, if a playboy who is not academically inclined or has exaggerated behavior hands in a paper that is above average, it's a pleasant surprise."
"And even if I simply complete the paper step by step, people would think that the playboy in me is reforming and that would become an advantage because, after all, it's not necessary for an heir of Wayne Enterprises to do well in college. But I tried my best anyway, proving that I hold my teachers in high regard and have great attention to detail."
Bruce shook his head gently, "But this isn't the case for Shiller. He is a professor, a famous psychologist. No matter how excellent a paper his students write, people would still think it to be a given."
"And if there are minor flaws in the students' papers, people might consider this great scholar as not living up to his reputation or that he isn't truly devoted to educating his students and isn't a good teacher."
"Professor Shiller has always held his academic reputation and educational quality in high regard. He cannot tolerate any doubts in these areas. But the higher he stands, the higher people's expectations become. Any flaw would be picked out and magnified, delivering devastating blows to a perfectionist."
Bruce shifted his position in the chair and clasped his hands, saying, "After some intense reflection on my past mistakes, I realized my biggest problem was my unyielding belief that only those with power hold the upper hand."
"I must control everything and triumph over everything. Show everyone my invincibility so they'd cower in fear and submit. If I show any signs of weakness, how can I curb these outrageous acts?"
"In the past incident, despite knowing I had no good ways around you, I still bluffed with all my might."
"I didn't confront you not because I was sure I could beat you, but I was terrified that any slips would put me at a disadvantage and render me powerless... I didn't dare to risk it."
"I stayed back in your office to deal with those serial killers because I knew I could defeat them and I'd use them to assert my dominance and intimidate you."
"But my true upper hand during this incident came when Lucifer and Gordon stormed into this room."
"At the time, I'd seem to have lost over 1000 milliliters of blood, virtually unable to move, extremely vulnerable. But that's when I gained the most, even enough to turn the tables if I persisted. It's called 'sympathy'."
"Every being with a sense of humanity instinctively feels fear and disdain towards excessive power. Fear rises when power is exerted on oneself, while disdain surfaces when it's not directed at oneself."
"When the majority consists of those who detest such power, those who are meek out of fear will have the courage to voice out and resist the power."
"Lucifer, Gordon, even Falcone felt you'd gone too far. They didn't hate you, just your overpowering dominance. And I, being the weaker party, was like holding a sword. I could leverage this antagonism, harness people's sympathy to fight against you."
As Bruce's words settled, Shiller fell silent for a moment. He then clapped lightly with his handcuffed hands. Looking at Bruce, he said:
"You surprise me a lot. I don't think this is entirely the result of Arrogant's guidance. You have a keen intellect, which is astonishing."
Bruce turned his head away, seemingly unaccustomed to Shiller's praises. Shiller continued: "But you've also overlooked a small issue. Would they detest this as much if you and I were strangers?"