Dr. Ou’s Psychotherapy

Traps and Immorality

The uncontrollable fluttering and elation overwhelmed him, but Yi Zhize still pretended to be indifferent: "Tingyun, if you're doing it because of guilt..."

"It's not guilt, nor is it anything else." Ou Tingyun stepped closer and locked eyes with him, his voice gentle: "What happened yesterday, I've wanted to do for a long time, I just never had the chance."

Yi Zhize coughed softly, "I'm the same as anyone else."

"No, it can only be you."

Ears reddening, Yi Zhize said, "Okay, I get it."

"So, what's your answer?"

"En."

"What does en mean?" Ou Tingyun said against his ear, "Ze Ze?"

Yi Zhize changed the subject and said, "I'm hungry."

"I love you."

"Okay."

Ou Tingyun persisted, "Ze Ze, you need to learn to talk about love."

His rational defences had already been thrown away and Yi Zhize was unable to resist: "Tingyun, please forgive me."

"No, I've confessed so many times and you haven't said anything, you have to make it up to me."

Yi Zhize laughed softly, pulled Ou Tingyun's collar and kissed him on the lips.

Ou Tingyun rubbed his hair, "I tried to make breakfast, lunch actually, it might be hard to eat, but I still want you to try it. Ze Ze, why don't you wash up first and I'll go and warm up some milk. If it's too bad to eat, don't force it, I'll go out and buy it for you."

Unable to stop himself from smiling, Yi Zhize said, "Director Ou is such a virtuous and caring family man, who is as good in the classroom as he is in the kitchen."

"Of course," Ou Tingyun winked at him, "I'd do anything for Ze Ze."

———

After lunch, Yi Zhize borrowed Ou Tingyun's study to attend to his work.

He suspected that the hallucinogen he had been exposed to last night was the same one used by Doctor James, which might help in the case.

The tip was sent back to Officer Zhou, and Victor was then briefly informed on WeChat.

Officer Zhou replied, [Thanks for the information, the bureau will send someone to check it out right away].

Victor, however, owed it to himself to send several messages in a row and kept asking Yi Zhize about his experience with hallucinogenic drugs: 

[Yi, so you have experienced this hallucinogenic drug? I assume it was a wonderful experience?]

[To be frank, I'm curious, was it particularly exciting?]

[Who did you experience it with? No offence, but would you be willing to tell me?]

[I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't be talking about this, I mean, I'm concerned about you, are you okay?]

[If you need help, I can give you a hand, you know, I'm sincere.]

Yi Zhize briefly replied with a smiling emoji and focused on the task at hand.

Earlier in the day, Yi Zhize had eaten the lunch he had made, albeit in an unhurried manner. But using his expertise in psychology, Ou Tingyun was able to deduce from the smallest details that his cooking skills were extremely bad!!!

So he took a day off work to study cooking in the kitchen downstairs.

Naturally, Yi Zhize went along with him, if someone could serve him, why wouldn't he?

The inheritance case that Ou Tingyun had entrusted him with was due to go to court next week.

Yi Zhize was well prepared and had a good chance of winning the case.

He worked until almost five o'clock when his bluetooth mouse ran out of battery.

Yi Zhize sent a message to Ou Tingyun.

Ou Tingyun replied: [There's a spare in the drawer, Ze Ze can get it by yourself.]

After receiving permission, Yi Zhize began to look for it.

The desk had a distinctly Scandinavian look, with only three irregular drawers on the right.

Yi Zhize subconsciously pulled open the first drawer, but found it locked.

Even though there was a hint of curiosity, it passed in a flash.

He was a man with a sense of boundaries and had never been interested in prying into the privacy of others.

Pulling open the second drawer, there were three bluetooth mice lying quietly inside.

They were all silver and white and arranged very neatly.

Yi Zhize smiled, it seemed that this doctor of his might have an obsessive-compulsive disorder that he hadn't even realised yet.

He had just replaced the new mouse when he heard a phone ringing.

Yi Zhize looked at his phone on the table and saw that there was no incoming call.

Following the source of the sound, Yi Zhize pulled open the third drawer and found a cell phone lying inside.

The caller ID read [Psychological Research Institute: Zuo Man].

Yi Zhize thought that since it was a work matter, it would be fine if he helped him answer it and pass it on.

So he pressed the answer button.

On the other side was a pleasant female voice: "Director Ou, how is the experimental data collection going?"

This voice sounded very much like the one that he had met in the western restaurant last time.

Yi Zhize politely replied, "Hello, Dr. Ou is busy at the moment, I'll have him call you back later."

There was a long pause: "If I may have the liberty to ask, you are?"

Yi Zhize didn't know how to describe his relationship with him, so he covered it up and said, "A friend of his."

Knowing Ou Tingyun, Zuo Man knew that it was impossible for a normal friend to answer the phone for him, and this was not a hospital landline. A suspicion suddenly burst into her mind and Zuo Man asked, "Are you Mr. Yi Zhize?"

Yi Zhize was surprised and calmly said, "Yes."

Zuo Man's emotions were a little excited: "Okay, I understand, I'm sorry to bother you." She then immediately hung up the phone.

Yi Zhize took the phone downstairs and said to the doctor who was busy in the kitchen, "Tingyun, you just had a call."

"Okay." Ou Tingyun took off his gloves and took the phone, "This is my work phone, I usually only use it to contact my colleagues at the institute."

"Zuo Man," Yi Zhize asked, "why does she know about me?"

Ou Tingyun explained, "Ze Ze, I once discussed your condition with her. In the psychology circles of A City, she's quite a figure, it was an academic exchange."

Yi Zhize didn't press the issue.

Ou Tingyun said, "Ze Ze, I've ruined this dish again, wait a little longer."

"I can't," said Yi Zhize, "I have to go to the office."

"It's almost six o'clock and you're going to work?"

"Mhmm."

"No, I don't agree!" Ou Tingyun said, "You'll have dinner with me and then we'll watch a movie together. I'll help hypnotise you in the evening and we can do other fun things."

Yi Zhize coughed uncomfortably, "I'm going to get some papers."

"Okay, I'll wait for you then." Ou Tingyun smiled gently, "Go early and come back early."

As soon as Yi Zhize had left the building, Ou Tingyun called Zuo Man back.

When he got through, Ou Tingyun's tone was unpleasant: "Dr. Zuo, why are you disturbing my patient?"

Zuo Man was not happy either: "It's a working day! Who knew your phone would be with a patient! Let me guess, you didn't go to work today, did you?"

"I don't need to report to you whether I went to work or not."

"Director Ou, if I'm not mistaken, you're at home and Mr. Yi Zhize is at your house, right?"

"That's why I hate psychiatrists," Ou Tingyun said impatiently, "If you have anything to say, say it quickly."

"I was going to ask about the experimental data, but now, apparently, there's a more serious problem." Zuo Man said seriously, "With all due respect, I don't think I've ever asked you if Mr. Yi Zhize has any knowledge of this?"

"It doesn't matter, he doesn't trust people easily, it's probably better not to know."

"With all due respect!" Zuo Man was agitated: "Do you realise that you have violated the principle of informed consent in the ethics of psychotherapy?"

Ou Tingyun indifferently said, "That principle is irrelevant, I will naturally tell him after he has recovered."

"Mr. Yi is your experimental subject, have you maintained clear and objective limits on your feelings for him?"

There was a long and obvious pause before Ou Tingyun slowly said, "Of course."

"And what about Mr. Yi?"

"That's none of your business, is it?"

"It's not fair, and if the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship are violated, the results will be disastrous for the patient!"

"None of that matters as long as he's cured, does it?"

"Are you sure, Director Ou, that you have maintained a proper distance from him in terms of doctor-patient ethics?"

"I will repeat it," Ou Tingyun said with a hint of chill in his tone, "it is none of your business."

"Director Ou, if your subject develops romantic feelings for you, can you be held responsible for that?"

"I don't need to be responsible."

"Any affection outside the doctor-patient relationship is not recognised in psychological experiments." Zuo Man argued, "The study of human nature is your topic, does that make it okay to leave morality behind?"

"Morality is just self-promotion," Ou Tingyun smiled, "and by the way, our collaboration is over."

In the way.

Too much of a nuisance.

People who get in the way shouldn't exist.

Visions of killing couldn't stop coming to mind.

Kill her.

Make her disappear.

Then she'll shut up, right?

With a deep breath, he hung up the phone.

Ou Tingyun threw the phone into the sink.

And then, as if it didn't feel right, he picked it up again and threw it in the trash.

After doing so, he sent a text message to Yi Zhize: [Ze Ze, when are you coming back? I miss you.]