Chapter 48: You Are the Only Person He Trusts and Relies On

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: You Are the Only Person He Trusts and Relies On

The next day, filming was still suspended.

The station’s director personally accompanied the police to the production set to investigate.

Xu Lin was responsible for receiving them.

He had intended to say a few nice things to build some rapport, but judging by their cold attitude, it probably wouldn’t have any effect.

The station director pulled Xu Lin aside and warned him in a hushed voice:

"Are you sure Nan Zhi didn’t abuse the child? If she’s lying and hiding something, she’ll drag all of us down with her!"

Xu Lin felt helpless.

"Haven’t I already explained it to you? Even Fu Chao admitted it was a misunderstanding!"

The director said, "I know, I know! But I’m worried we’ll get into trouble! The head of the station is about to get promoted. The more critical the time, the more we can’t afford to make a mistake, lest someone finds something to hold against us! Understand?"

Of course, Xu Lin understood.

Although he was appreciated by his superiors at the station and had achieved some success, there was no shortage of people who were jealous of him.

"I guarantee it, Nan Zhi isn’t that kind of person!"

Seeing Xu Lin thumping his chest and swearing on it, the director breathed a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, what the director didn’t know was...

Xu Lin’s own heart was THUMP-THUMP-THUMPING wildly from nervousness!

A little while later, one of the police officers came over and said that the psychologist accompanying them wanted to see Nan Yi.

Xu Lin said, "I’ll have someone get them right away!"

After someone had been sent to fetch them, the director quietly told Xu Lin:

"The police conducted interviews yesterday and didn’t find any issues. So, everything now depends on the psychologist’s assessment of Nan Yi... Hey? Why are you sweating?"

Xu Lin wiped his forehead.

"I’m just worried the psychologist might not be reliable, you know?"

He glanced into the distance—

The psychologist, who was said to be a leading authority, looked very gentle and low-key. With salt-and-pepper hair and gold-rimmed glasses, she had the serene disposition of a literature teacher, a far cry from the public’s image of a psychologist.

The director guessed what Xu Lin was thinking.

"...That’s a child psychologist! Not a criminal psychologist!"

Xu Lin had a sudden realization.

Nan Zhi soon arrived with Nan Yi.

In fact, the officers dispatched by the police had handled many similar domestic abuse cases.

Having seen so many, they could naturally distinguish between normal and abnormal states in a parent-child relationship.

So, they could tell at a glance that while the mother and son, Nan Zhi and Nan Yi, didn’t seem particularly close on the surface, the intimacy and trust that flowed naturally between them were inconsistent with the atmosphere commonly found in families with domestic abuse.

This put them mostly at ease.

However, out of an abundance of caution, the accompanying child psychologist still took Nan Yi into a private room for a one-on-one counseling session.

Nan Zhi waited patiently outside.

About twenty minutes later, the door snapped open.

Unable to wait a moment longer, Nan Yi rushed out with his head down, unerringly found Nan Zhi, and clung to her like a frightened little animal. He gripped the hem of her clothes, not letting go, while occasionally glancing warily back at the room.

Nan Zhi was just wondering what had happened.

Just then, the psychologist walked out.

"Miss Nan, could we speak alone?"

Nan Zhi didn’t nod right away. Instead, she looked at Nan Yi first.

Nan Yi sullenly let go.

He looked at the gently smiling psychologist as if she were an old witch trying to snatch his mother away.

"Come back quickly."

"Don’t worry."

Nan Zhi patted him, vaguely beginning to understand the reason for Nan Yi’s sensitivity and anxiety.

Her subsequent conversation with the psychologist confirmed her suspicions—

"Nan Yi is a very smart child. But because he’s so smart, he’s also very adept at picking up on others’ emotions, observing and judging their intentions, and then precisely putting up his defenses."

At this, the psychologist pushed up her glasses, unable to hide her exasperation.

"Honestly, I’ve rarely met a child with such a high IQ who is also so guarded. He could even understand the purpose behind my questions and evasively fob me off. He almost... He almost pulled the wool right over my eyes."

"I’m sorry."

Nan Zhi rubbed her nose, a little embarrassed.

The psychologist smiled.

"I’m not tattling on him. I’m trying to say that for Nan Yi to be this defensive, he must have suffered a great deal of harm. He has a strong distrust of the world and other people, to the point that at such a young age, he’s already showing signs of mild anxiety and depression."

Nan Zhi’s breath hitched, and her hands, resting on her knees, tightened unconsciously.

She struggled to speak.

"I..."

"If I hadn’t seen how you two interact, I would have most likely thought you were the one who hurt him... Although I don’t know what he’s been through, I hope you, as his parent, will give him more care and attention. This is something only you can do. I can tell you’re the only person he trusts and relies on."

Nan Zhi sat in a daze, her eyes turning red.

"I know... I know."

The police and the psychologist left.

The station director who had accompanied them offered a few words of advice and also left.

Xu Lin felt they had all weathered the storm and wanted to invite all the guests to a celebratory dinner.

Nan Zhi refused.

"I’d like to take a day off with Nan Yi, is that okay?"

"Of- of course you can!"

Watching Nan Zhi lead Nan Yi away by the hand, Xu Lin was a little puzzled.

’Nan Zhi seems... to be in a bad mood?’

Actually, Nan Zhi wasn’t in a bad mood.

Her heart just ached for him, and she felt terrible.

On the way back, Nan Yi held her hand, looking up at her with a confused expression.

"Mommy?"

He suddenly pressed his lips together, his brow furrowed tightly.

"Did that grandma criticize me?"

His small body tensed up. He was both timid and worried, afraid that Nan Zhi would be upset.

Nan Zhi froze in her tracks.

She immediately crouched down in front of Nan Yi.

"Of course not! Why would that grandma criticize you? You didn’t do anything wrong!"

Nan Yi’s little mouth opened, completely bewildered.

It was as if he were asking: ’Do you only get criticized when you do something wrong?’

He was subconsciously invalidating himself.

Realizing this, Nan Zhi changed the subject.

"That grandma praised you for being smart! Didn’t you know?"

"R-really?"

A faint glow spread across Nan Yi’s little face, brightening with delight.

This made Nan Zhi feel even worse.

Her mind was filled with the phrases "mild anxiety and depression" and "you’re the only person he trusts and relies on"...

And so, Nan Zhi said:

"Yiyi, you are wonderful! You’re the most unique and precious treasure in the world! Mommy loves you the most!"

Nan Yi didn’t understand why his mommy was suddenly praising him.

But he was very happy. Hehe.

Nan Zhi really wanted to ask him:

’So you did believe what I said? You believe that the me now isn’t the same person as before, right?’

The words reached her lips, but she felt there was no point in saying them.

The existence of the Tactician was utterly superfluous, doing nothing but disgusting them and causing them grief.

Besides, Nan Zhi didn’t want Nan Yi to remember that woman.

Nan Zhi swallowed her words and instead asked Nan Yi:

"Do you want to go somewhere with Mommy?"

"Okay."

Nan Yi’s unthinking nod made Nan Zhi raise her eyebrows slightly.

Nan Zhi asked, "Aren’t you going to ask where?"

Nan Yi thought for a moment. "Anywhere is fine."

Nan Zhi gently stroked his head, first taking him back to change his clothes.

Then, the mother and son boarded a bus and headed straight for the last stop—

The amusement park.