Time, 15:42 in the afternoon.
Once again, footsteps were heard at the entrance of the Jiang University Psychological Center.
This time, Chen Ting and Xia Tian were not on high alert, because the sound that rang out was the "clack, clack" of high heels.
Among university students, even if female students often wear high heels, the sound their shoes make on the ground is different from that of the teachers; thus, whether it’s the sound of high heels from a teacher or a student, it can be easily distinguished. The underlying principle behind this, Xia Tian and Chen Ting have never figured out.
Sure enough, the next moment, the person who appeared in their field of vision was one of the adjunct teachers at the psychological center.
Xia Tian checked the schedule on the desk: "Mr. Bai, you don’t have any consultations scheduled today, right?"
"Hello to you too, Xia, Chen."
Teacher Bai stopped, her eyes lingered on Xia Tian’s face for a few moments, then she revealed a smile of improved mood: "We have a case today to discuss with other teachers, and they might come over later as well."
Saying that, she clacked forward a few steps and craned her neck to take a look at the schedule on Xia Tian’s desk.
Although the curve of her smile didn’t change, Xia Tian and Chen Ting could tell that Teacher Bai’s expression seemed frozen.
Then, they saw Teacher Bai silently slip into the office.
"Big trouble!" Teacher Bai suppressed her voice, but there was unmistakable urgency, "Nan Zhubin really took on all of today’s consultations!"
The only two people inside the office immediately turned to look at her.
Teacher Xue quickly gave a look, while the center’s supervising teacher was full of surprise: "Teacher Bai, you’re aware of this too?"
Teacher Bai immediately managed her expression: "Yes, I heard about it the other day when I was chatting with Xia and Chen, but I didn’t think it was actually true."
The center’s supervising teacher was very surprised: "Didn’t expect Teacher Bai to know so early, I only found out today!"
Teacher Bai moved unflinchingly to her workstation: "You should communicate more with the students regularly."
The center’s supervising teacher showed an expression of being taught.
Although the center’s supervising teacher is currently the nominal head of the Jiang University Psychological Center, he is not actually the most senior figure at the center.
The titles within the university are set up somewhat peculiarly; some teachers might have titles like "head" or "director," but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are the top authority. For instance, department heads in certain colleges may be newly appointed professors or associate professors, while more senior professors and teachers may not be willing to take that position.
The center’s supervising teacher is in such a position; although he is the current head of the Jiang University Psychological Center, and there are indeed some newly recruited young master’s graduates as consultation teachers, he is not the most senior or authoritative figure in the center.
For example, Teacher Bai, who is superior in experience and seniority, among other aspects.
Of course, the teachers are all empathetic people; since a colleague has that title, the senior teachers will often follow the direction set by the young leader as long as it doesn’t infringe on professional stances or personal boundaries.
On a side note—if you were to calculate it this way, Nan Zhubin, who is doing an internship at the Jiang University Psychological Center during his master’s studies, is theoretically the youngest among all the teachers.
"Since you’re already aware, Teacher Bai." The center’s supervising teacher showed a worried expression, "I think there’s a bit of a problem with Nan Zhubin taking on so much, but I can’t be certain. Now that you’re here, I’d like your advice on this."
Teacher Bai nodded repeatedly, saying it was no problem, and then sat down at her workstation, typing away at her phone.
[Teacher Xue: Teacher Bai is here.]
[Teacher Li: It’s nice not having classes... Why is it that after becoming a teacher, we can’t skip classes anymore?]
[Teacher Ye: We’re supposed to be doing consultations, but every day we’re having unrelated classes... What’s Teacher Li’s class?]
[Teacher Li: "Military Theory."]
[Teacher Ye: I’m teaching "College Students’ Career Planning"...]
[Teacher Bai: It’s just teaching assignments, everyone understands. I’ll check the current situation with Mr. Nan.]
[Teacher Xue: Wait a moment... the visitor is out, it ended quickly!]
Because there were two people in the office at the same time, both Teacher Xue and Teacher Bai turned off vibration and sound on their phones.
The center’s supervising teacher did not focus on them but looked outside instead.
The visitor opened the consulting room door and walked out, her face radiant, her steps brisk.
She immediately headed toward Xia Tian and Chen Ting at the front desk: "Hello, can I still make an appointment for Mr. Nan’s consultation?"
The office door was open, allowing the teachers to hear the conversation at the front desk and, from certain angles, to even see what was happening there.
Upon hearing the visitor’s words, the three teachers present all focused their gaze intently.
Xia Tian maintained a smile: "Sorry, the policy here is that a teacher can only be booked once a week. Mr. Nan’s schedule for next week isn’t out yet."
"When will it be available?"
"Probably not until the weekend, Mr. Nan is quite busy~"
The visitor nodded: "Alright then..."
Then she walked out, looking back every few steps.
Teacher Bai carefully observed the visitor and after a while commented: "Possibly some [transference]."
Teacher Xue wasn’t surprised: "Isn’t transference towards Nan Zhubin quite normal? It’s happened often before."
Teacher Bai nodded in agreement, feeling a sense of familiarity returning.
"What was the visitor’s condition when she arrived?"
Teacher Bai asked, implying she wanted to compare the visitor’s condition before and after the consultation to assess Nan Zhubin’s consultation quality.
Teacher Xue thought for a moment: "Not one of those deeply troubled visitors—Mr. Nan is out, why don’t you ask him directly?"
Because the school’s psychological consultations don’t have the process of inviting assistants to discuss extended consultations after the end of a session, the visitor always leaves before the consultation teacher.
Nan Zhubin had deliberately stayed in the consulting room for an extra minute, seemingly waiting for the visitor to completely disappear.
"Mr. Nan, water!" Xia Tian immediately handed over a glass.
Nan Zhubin smiled and nodded as he took it. After a full consultation, beyond the psychological aspects, there is indeed a lot of physical fatigue, with thirst being a primary symptom.
He quietly sipped at the perfectly balanced mix of warm and cold water, while holding a stack of documents, and walked into the office.
[Teacher Xue: Mr. Nan’s complexion doesn’t look too good.]
[Teacher Bai: Although he’s soothing himself with the water, his brows are furrowed continuously.]
[Teacher Li: It seems that doing two consultations in a row really isn’t easy.]
[Teacher Ye: In this state, there’s no way he can finish today’s consultations, shouldn’t Teacher Bai intervene?]
[Teacher Bai: Alright, I’ll check with him.]
As soon as he entered the office, Nan Zhubin could feel three pairs of eyes on him.
It was somewhat unexpected.
When he entered the consulting room, there had been only one teacher present.
Particularly now, from the faces of the other two teachers, Nan Zhubin read expressions akin to "it’s been a while" from his first meeting with the center’s supervising teacher.
So, Nan Zhubin carefully revealed a socially polite smile: "You’re all here, when did you arrive?"