After the couple left, Zhou Xiaoruo confidently walked into Chu Yuxuan's home.
Although Lao Si (the Fourth Brother) was extremely reluctant, he couldn't go against his brother's arrangement, so he had to bear it, thinking that his brother probably didn't want the bright and shiny "lightbulb" to be an eyesore, so he threw her to him.
Unlike the last time, Zhou Xiaoruo wasn't fangirling; instead, she was very serious.
"Mr. Park, I think it's necessary to formally reintroduce myself to you. My name is Zhou Xiaoruo, I'm your psychologist. I'm 25 years old, 164 cm tall, and weigh 105 pounds. My measurements... uh, cough cough. To better manage your condition, please add me on WeChat… Don't get any wrong ideas; it's just for the convenience of following up on your condition. Hurry up, take out your phone."
Lao Si sat upright and motionless.
Zhou Xiaoruo pouted, "President Chu has entrusted you to me, so I must take responsibility. As a patient, how can you not listen to the doctor? Be good, add me now."
Lao Si, speechless, reluctantly added her on WeChat.
Zhou Xiaoruo vaguely sensed that this expressionless Korean oppa never paid attention to what she said, but whenever she mentioned Chu Yuxuan, he would immediately cooperate. It was the same yesterday; initially, he ignored her, but as soon as she brought up Chu Yuxuan, he became quite cooperative.
Now that she had identified the key, the work would naturally go more smoothly. After all, they paid a hefty sum of 500,000 for the treatment; she couldn't just slack off like she did yesterday, being starstruck and lazy.
At first, Zhou Xiaoruo asked some harmless questions. Out of respect for Chu Yuxuan, Lao Si responded half-heartedly. But as the questions became more probing and personal, he gradually stopped talking.
Zhou Xiaoruo keenly noticed that the oppa in front of her seemed to have a dark personality, with many secrets hidden in his heart. However, for treatment to be effective, she needed to peek into his true inner self. After thinking for a while, she asked a simple psychological test question: "If a puppy were seriously injured, and even if you saved it, it would only live in pain for the rest of its life, would you choose to save it?"
Lao Si blinked calmly and said, "Why not kill it and relieve its suffering?"
Zhou Xiaoruo was stunned for several seconds. Normally, people would choose to either save or not save, but he… calmly chose to relieve its suffering?
Only a psychopath would answer like that!
"I need to know what your previous profession was. Please answer truthfully."
Lao Si pressed his thin lips together, seemingly unwilling to respond.
"If you keep this up, I can't report back to President Chu… At least let me know what kind of condition you have… Hey, can't you cooperate?"
Lao Si remained silent.
Zhou Xiaoruo was at a loss. After thinking for a while, she decided to try hypnosis therapy, so she got up to make a cup of coffee.
During this time, Chu Yuxuan sent a WeChat message to Lao Si: "Accept the treatment properly. For your PTSD, say what you can. Don't make it difficult for Dr. Zhou… Lao Si, it's time for a change. If you continue like this, I'll be very worried."
Lao Si held his phone for a long time before replying with a simple "Okay." Just as he put away his phone, Zhou Xiaoruo returned and sat opposite him. "Oppa, relax, have a sip of coffee first."
Zhou Xiaoruo handed the cup of coffee to Lao Si with her right hand, then retracted her hand and gently stirred her own coffee with a spoon, the utensil scraping against the cup's edge, producing a faint, sharp sound.
Lao Si blinked, seemingly familiar with this technique, and said softly, "Hypnosis doesn't work on me."
Zhou Xiaoruo felt a sense of defeat. Just as she was considering other methods, she heard Lao Si continue, "I joined the army at 18, was recruited into a top-secret special forces team at 19, and was selected as an elimination operative—in layman's terms, a professional assassin within the special forces, responsible for carrying out assassination missions… To maintain confidentiality, the initial training in the special forces involved building resistance to drugs and various forms of psychological attacks, especially hypnosis. So, your hypnosis therapy is completely ineffective on me."
When Zhou Xiaoruo heard the words "professional assassin," she was completely petrified.
If he had just been a soldier, or even killed someone during a military operation, she could accept that—after all, South Korea has a mandatory conscription law that every able-bodied male must comply with.
But this guy was a special agent! And a special agent specializing in assassination missions! In other words, a licensed killer?
How could she, a small-time psychologist who usually dealt with patients suffering from depression, remain calm?
Lao Si's expression remained unchanged, and he wasn't surprised by Zhou Xiaoruo's reaction. Seeing the fear and panic in her eyes, he calmly said, "Dr. Zhou, you probably can't help me, so let's end the treatment."
It took Zhou Xiaoruo a full half minute to regain her composure, her heart pounding wildly. Summoning some unknown courage, she said, "How do you know it won't work unless you try… I have other methods!"
Lao Si blinked, looking as innocent as a harmless model student. "Are you worried about the cost? President Chu has plenty of money; if he doesn't mind, I don't see why I should, so I'll have him pay you."
"No, no, no…" Zhou Xiaoruo quickly waved her hands, still trembling but unwilling to back down. "I really just want to cure you."
Lao Si sighed, "I'm someone kissed by the devil, who came from hell and will eventually return there. Stay away from me; it's for your own good."
Zhou Xiaoruo suddenly felt a cold, eerie chill sweep over her, sending shivers down her spine and making it hard to breathe. She didn't even dare to look Lao Si in the eye.
After sitting uneasily for a moment, Zhou Xiaoruo got up and hurried to the balcony, taking deep breaths.
She really hadn't expected that this quiet man would turn out to be a killer!
So, is Chu Yuxuan paying him a high price to be his bodyguard?
Lao Si watched her run to the balcony, then calmly picked up the coffee cup and took a sip.
In fact, since he developed PTSD, Chu Yuxuan had found several psychologists for him, but none of them could break through his psychological defenses.
It was no surprise that Zhou Xiaoruo was afraid of him. It would actually be a relief if she distanced herself from him.
However, a minute later, Zhou Xiaoruo returned, sat down properly in front of him, and seriously declared, "I've made up my mind; I'm going to cure you! From now on, I'll ask and you'll answer. Please cooperate with me!"
Lao Si was a bit surprised, but he neither accepted nor rejected, only silently watching her.
"First question: How do you feel after killing someone?" Zhou Xiaoruo tried to stay calm, even though she thought Lao Si might have only killed people during his time as a special agent. But still, being in such a dangerous occupation made her nervous and terrified.
Lao Si was silent for a moment, then leaned back on the sofa, relaxing as he calmly replied, "Nothing. It's just like doing any ordinary task… I have no reverence for life; it was just my job."
Zhou Xiaoruo involuntarily swallowed and continued, "Do you feel guilty?"
"I do, late at night. I've gotten used to reading the Bible."
"Insomnia?"
"You could say that."
Zhou Xiaoruo took a deep breath, "Do you ever wake up from nightmares, unable to distinguish between dream and reality?"
Lao Si gently nodded.
"What's the most unforgettable scene or the recurring nightmare you often dream about?"
Lao Si's eyelids suddenly twitched, and he replied in a low voice, "Mexico."
Zhou Xiaoruo hesitated, then gathered her courage to hold his hand. "What happened?"
Lao Si stared into her eyes for a while, then withdrew his hand. "You'll have nightmares."
Zhou Xiaoruo could see the deep resistance in his eyes. After some thought, she decided to take things step by step to avoid further upsetting him.
But at the same time, she had a general idea of what was going on—PTSD, a common psychological disorder among veterans!