This was something Xie Lingluo hadn't anticipated.
Maturity is closely related to a person's experiences. The more one experiences, the more comprehensive their perspective becomes, and the more adept they become at handling situations. It's at times like these that people praise you for being mature.
Five-year-old Huo Guining had endured more than her peers. Xie Lingluo could understand that in certain aspects, she was more sensitive and mature than others her age, naturally thinking more deeply about things.
When Xie Lingluo first began working with her, the treatment goal was to help her become a child appropriate for her age, enjoying the happiness of childhood. Now, it seemed there was still a long way to go to reach that goal.
But the immediate concern wasn't to lament this fact.
After a brief moment of reflection, Xie Lingluo didn't rush to dismiss Huo Guining's feelings. Instead, she asked, "What's your standard for being useful?"
Huo Guining looked puzzled. "Standard?"
Xie Lingluo rephrased her question: "In your opinion, what would make someone useful in a kidnapping situation?"
Huo Guining replied dejectedly, "Like my brother - brave, bold, and strong. That's very useful."
Huo Xiaozheng had already briefed Xie Lingluo on what had happened, so she knew who Huo Guining meant by "brother."
"Did you know that your brother actually had a chance to borrow a phone and call for help directly?"
Huo Guining was clearly unaware of this. She shook her head in shock. "If my brother had made that call, would he not have been hurt so badly?"
Xie Lingluo smiled gently. "That's possible."
After a pause, she asked, "Given your brother made this mistake, do you think he's useless?"
Huo Guining immediately denied this.
"No, my brother was already very brave! He must have been too anxious, so..."
Her voice trailed off under Xie Lingluo's gentle gaze.
"You're very clever," Xie Lingluo praised sincerely. "I believe you've realized it now? You easily understood your brother and forgave his mistake."
"So what about yourself, Ning?"
Huo Guining's heart skipped a beat.
This was a question she had never considered before.
"Ning, you did great too. If something that big happened to me, I'd probably be crying my eyes out, not knowing what to do."
"But you were brave enough to tear off the tape, and after your brother fell, you protected him, didn't you?"
Huo Guining's eyes began to water. This urge to cry wasn't just because of Xie Lingluo's words, but also because of her past life.
At 15, she had been diagnosed with cancer.
Before that, she had been trained as a dance prodigy, with her parents hoping she would enter a dance academy in the future.
Her mother had always been in poor health, and her father was often away on business trips.
Her childhood, even her early teens, lacked warmth.
Her father loved her mother deeply, reserving all his affection for her.
As a child, she had craved her father's closeness.
But after giving birth to her, her mother's health deteriorated. Her father repeatedly taught her to be quiet and well-behaved, to avoid disturbing her mother.
By the time her mother recovered, she had outgrown the age of seeking hugs from her father.
While her family wasn't poor, she learned to be independent early on.
Washing up, preparing simple meals, going to and from school alone, traveling to other cities for exams...
Over time, she became the capable daughter her father envisioned.
Or rather, she became a daughter who at least wouldn't trouble her mother.
After her cancer diagnosis, the pain broke down her emotional defenses.
Her mother often stayed with her, but remembering her father's teachings, she didn't dare show her suffering in front of her mother, not wanting to worry her.
As for her father...
Once, when her chemotherapy side effects were particularly severe, vomiting left her emotionally devastated.
Tears streaming down her face, she longed for her father to hug her.
She was eighteen then.
A daughter as good as an adult, and a stern father.
It was difficult to bridge the gap of time and perform such an intimate yet unfamiliar gesture.
That day, the sound of medical equipment seemed to shatter her eardrums.
Her father reached out and patted her shoulder, saying, "This too shall pass."
Her father's subtle rejection felt like a slap in the face.
In that moment, she felt not only shame but also pain and hatred.
She hated that she couldn't die, hated her terrible luck, wondering why, out of all people, she had to be the one with cancer.
Looking back now, her past life had been nothing but a struggle to endure.
"Parents are true love, children are accidents."
This joke from the internet was almost a disaster in her reality.
She had grown accustomed to reading people's expressions, weighing pros and cons, making decisions that would please her father.
Her father wanted her to be independent, self-reliant, and poised, so she strived to become independent, self-reliant, and poised.
She had forgotten how to ask for help, let alone how to love herself.
Huo Guining struggled to control her body's trembling. At this moment, she wasn't the "Huo Guining" from the novel.
Xie Lingluo remained silent, quietly watching Huo Guining cry, offering tissues when appropriate.
Huo Guining, fighting back sobs, managed a apologetic smile: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... but..."
Xie Lingluo clasped Huo Guining's hands in hers: "Don't worry about what I think. You can cry if you need to."
When you're sad, the last thing you want is someone comforting you.
Huo Guining was no exception.
Hearing Xie Lingluo's words, she covered her face with her hands and burst into tears.
In a corner where Huo Guining couldn't see, Xie Lingluo's expression was complex.
After the intense crying session, Huo Guining, as usual, fell asleep from exhaustion.
Xie Lingluo opened the door to the adjacent room and sat down in front of Huo Xiaozheng.
Seeing her serious expression, Huo Xiaozheng sat up straight: "What's wrong? Is Ning's condition very serious?"
Xie Lingluo shook her head with a smile: "No, not at all."
Huo Xiaozheng looked puzzled.
"Earlier, Shen Shiyan mentioned that Ning might have schizophrenia. You're aware of this, right?"
Huo Xiaozheng nodded.
"In future treatments, I might need to use hypnotherapy on her."
"Hypnotherapy?"
Xie Lingluo nodded: "Ning's defenses are incredibly strong. So far, she's never voluntarily mentioned anything about her past."
"Whenever she does speak of it, it's always vague."
"Without a thorough understanding of her past, we can't guide her to unravel her emotional knots."
Huo Xiaozheng furrowed his brow: "Is hypnotherapy absolutely necessary?"
Xie Lingluo smiled: "Of course not."
"If you can help her lower her defenses, we won't need hypnotherapy at all."
On the way back, Huo Xiaozheng kept replaying Xie Lingluo's words in his mind, so much so that he didn't notice when Huo Guining woke up.
"Dad? Are we back?" Huo Guining called out to him several times.
Huo Xiaozheng snapped back to reality and carried her into Huo Yueze's hospital room: "Yes."
Huo Yueze was half-sitting up in bed, his complexion now rosy.
Seeing his sister, he happily waved his hand.
Huo Guining was still a bit listless, but she mustered up the energy to greet Huo Yueze.
Huo Xiaozheng, however, handed Huo Yueze a set of keys.
"What's this?"
Huo Xiaozheng replied concisely: "Heard you've always wanted this supercar model. Saw it, so I bought it for you."
Huo Yueze let out a high-pitched squeal of delight.
