Shiller carefully analyzed Reed's situation, mentioning some scenarios Reed might encounter in daily life, which strengthened Reed's belief that he could read minds, as he had indeed faced these situations more than once.
Reed also shared his mental journey with Shiller, and because his IQ was very high and he didn't have any pathological mental illnesses, he described it very precisely.
Reed's appearance was actually quite good, not comparable to those famous handsome men of Marvel, but he could still be considered second-tier. He was tall enough at 6 feet 1 inch, not particularly muscular, but still well-proportioned, and he looked like a gifted individual.
However, according to himself, he was unpopular during his school days and even faced bullying. Of course, those who wanted to bully him were dealt with before they could even start.
Still, he often faced silent violence, being isolated by students and treated as if he were invisible in class, with no one speaking to him.
The most bizarre aspect was his excellent grades, always achieving straight A's, and his abstention from smoking, drinking, fighting, and creating trouble; he didn't even date, yet no teacher liked him.
His luck with the opposite sex was even worse. He wasn't waiting until now to date; initially, many girls were interested in him and even pursued him, but for some unknown reason, they quickly left and some even became hostile, worsening his reputation.
At first, Reed thought it was because he was a genius and ordinary people were envious of him, thus they united to ostracize him. How could sparrows understand the aspirations of a swan?
But after entering university, he realized something was amiss. The world actually had many geniuses. At that time, Reed was still learning and didn't know where he stood. When he encountered new things, he found people who were superior to him; he thought he should find kindred spirits at this stage, right?
But no, his lab mates didn't like him, and teachers merely maintained superficial politeness. The revered professors, although acknowledging his research, seemed to always avoid him. Whenever he thought of consulting them, everyone was suddenly ill.
During this period, Reed began to feel perplexed. Was he doomed to be a loner? Why did everyone dislike him?
However, it was fortunate that he was a true genius, for even if people disliked his personality, they had to grudgingly acknowledge his talent. They had to collaborate and recommend him, which prevented him from doubting himself and developing any mental illnesses.
For Reed, the world was a place of strictly formal interactions; everyone maintained a collegial but superficial attitude toward him. Whenever personal friendships were mentioned, everyone shook their head.
Being so intelligent, Reed knew there was a problem. He even consulted a psychiatrist, but no mental illness was diagnosed. Some doctors delicately suggested that perhaps there was an issue with how he handled personal interactions.
This wasn't a case of blaming the victim; if everyone he'd met from childhood until now had the same attitude, it was unlikely that they had all conspired against him. The problem most likely lay with Reed himself.
Having no close friends who would share their true feelings, he could never grasp the subtleties of social interaction and eventually grew accustomed to the isolation.
His academic achievements were unmatched, leading to a lonely existence akin to "the loneliness of the high and mighty", so he didn't feel an urgent need for social interactions and managed to live quite well without them.
But this time was different, as he had developed feelings for a girl. Naturally, he wanted to interact with her, but his previous painful experiences didn't give him much confidence. He feared that Susan, like his female classmates from middle school, might initially be friendly but would soon distance herself.
Although Reed had shown goodwill towards Susan, he dared not get too close. He could see that Susan was also interested in him, but she didn't make any advances either. The two had been in a standoff for some time.
When Shiller asked about what Susan needed most, Reed had already realized where the problem lay, but he hadn't expected that all the tragedies of his interpersonal interactions in life actually originated from the notion of responsibility.
Given the severity of the situation, strong measures were necessary. To help Reed cooperate with the treatment, Shiller simulated what would happen if the two of them were to truly date and even get married.
Reed was very intrigued; he often fantasized about marrying Susan. Forgetting to eat, he sipped coconut milk through a straw while staring intently at Shiller.
"Okay, first question. You two have now established a relationship and are planning your first date after becoming a couple. She asks for your opinion, what would you say?"
Reed, seemingly lost in a beautiful fantasy, cleared his throat and said, "Of course, it's up to you, dear."
"Alright, I think Lady Susan is very cautious about relationships, so for the first date after establishing a relationship, she chooses the rather common activities of shopping and watching a movie. When she tells you her choice, what would you say?"
As soon as the word "shopping" came up, Reed frowned, but he quickly composed himself and said, "Well, you might be interested in those things. Let's go."