Facing the flashing [Personal File] and another glowing spot on the computer screen, Nan Zhubin firmly clicked on it.
[View Personal File]
[Name: Nan Zhubin
Position: Intern Psychologist
Consultation Duration: 0 hours
Case Archive: 0
Technique Mastery: None]
Very concise, but at the moment, it seems to be of little use.
Nan Zhubin shifted his gaze, looking at the bottom [Technique Mastery: None].
A competent consultant needs to master various counseling techniques, and mastering each requires several cycles of training.
The long cycles mean the consumption of youth. Many times, when a psychologist undergoes enough training and supervision to grow to the point where they can handle cases independently, they are already over thirty years old.
Therefore, many psychology students joke that they have chosen a late-stage career.
Apart from time, the cost is also a significant barrier to a consultant's growth. Many advanced counseling techniques require over five-figures in tuition fees to learn, and the cost is even higher if one studies abroad.
For many novice consultants, this forms a logical loop: they want to make money, so they become psychologists; but to become a psychologist, they need to spend money and time first.
"Could this dream help me master psychological techniques?"
Nan Zhubin looked at the subtitles in front of him.
[You have a [Psychological Training] waiting to be claimed.]
[Please claim it promptly.]
Nan Zhubin took a deep breath; if so, the value of this golden finger would really be too suitable for his career.
[You have accepted the [Psychological Training]]
[You have mastered the technique [Micro-expression Analysis·Basic]]
At that moment, Nan Zhubin felt as if he had undergone an indescribable change. He couldn't use language to describe this change, after all, it wasn't a change of height increase or muscle expansion.
But he knew something had happened.
"But... is that it?" Nan Zhubin frowned; this was not at all what he had imagined. "I have now mastered [Micro-expression Analysis]? That fast? Even if it's just [Beginner]."
"What should I do if I want to master other techniques? And how do I continue to upgrade [Beginner]?"
As soon as Nan Zhubin finished speaking, a flickering [Monthly Goal] and [Life Development] suddenly appeared underneath the [Personal File].
[Monthly Goal: Complete 'Psychological Consultation' for 10 hours within a month (0/10) and conduct one 'Psychological Ability Training' after completion]
[Life Development: Archive one 'Case Archive' (0/1) and conduct one 'Psychological Skill Deepening' after completion]
-----------------
The clock on the wall stubbornly carried out its mission, with the second and minute hands moving at a visibly fast pace.
Time was gradually reaching the suffocating moment for the working class.
"Little Jia, you're here early again today!"
The sensor door of the consultation center opened, and a middle-aged man walked towards the reception desk.
This seemed to be a very stubborn man; his physique was average, suggesting that his workout efforts effectively curbed middle-age spread. However, some things simply can't be controlled by stubbornness, like baldness.
The bald man's friendly address and his conversations about nothing in particular made Lu Jia involuntarily wear a professional smile, "I come this early every day because I need to organize my daily schedule."
"And your address is too greasy, Teacher Yang."
Although Lu Jia's smile was awkward, it was quite professional, making it clear she was quite offended by the middle-aged man's impolite form of address.
Yang Xudao is a [Psychological Consultant] at the consultation center. At Yan Nuo Consultation Center, a consultant's check-in time is later than that of assistants and other administrative positions. If they are more senior, they don't even need to check in at all, just show up when there's a consultation scheduled.
This is truly a flexible working system.
However, although bald Yang Xudao is a consultant, he arrived so early, and it is naturally not due to love for work but because he has ulterior motives.
The identity of a psychological consultant also means he possesses considerable expression management and emotion management skills, which is why he seemed oblivious to Lu Jia's previous comment.
"But isn't that how the boss and the manager always call you, Little Jia?" Yang Xudao showed what he thought was a warm, middle-aged smile, trying to emanate the unique charm of a mature man.
Lu Jia put away her professional smile: "That's right, it's the boss and Sister Pingting."
Yang Xudao was very persistent, repeatedly trying to intimately address the small receptionist as "Little Jia." However, the sparse hair on this middle-aged man's head clearly couldn't compete with the image of a young, handsome face that was filling the small receptionist's mind.
Suddenly, there was a noise from the consultation room.
This sound surprised Yang Xudao; could there be someone else clocking in at this hour, perhaps a new little receptionist?
At the same time, Yang Xudao noticed Lu Jia's face suddenly brighten: "Mr. Nan, have you finished using the sandbox room?"
With his solid experience as a psychological consultant, Yang Xudao could see that the smile on the little receptionist's face now was absolutely not a professional smile, but one coming from the heart.
...
Nan Zhubin was softly closing the door to the sandbox room.
He walked straight to the reception desk, and his handsome face was instantly in the same view as Yang Xudao's balding head.
When both things appeared in the same sight, a sense of contrast naturally and firmly emerged.
"Hello, I'm Nan Zhubin, starting work today." Nan Zhubin extended his hand politely towards Yang Xudao.
Yang Xudao shook hands in return with great proficiency, appearing unchanged in expression, yet honestly feeling a sense of threat.
However, at his age, he had seen through part of the societal nature, knowing that the comparison of appearances was not always that important: "Mr. Nan? You're the new consultant starting today? Very young."
"No, I'm starting as a consultant assistant."
"Ah, indeed, I did hear the boss mention a few days ago that a new assistant was supposed to start today."
The sparsely haired consultant couldn't help but straighten his waist, feeling he could handle the situation more adeptly.
Bald Yang's eyes swept between Lu Jia and Nan Zhubin, displaying a restrained concern: "Little Nan, learn well. It's not impossible to become a consultant from an assistant; our center's career development plan is still very transparent. But why do you have such dark circles under your eyes—is it a girlfriend issue? If you ask me, young people should..."
Yang Xudao's sentence was left unfinished because Nan Zhubin had no intention of continuing the conversation after the greeting; he had already turned to Lu Jia.
"I couldn't help but fall asleep in the sandbox room, felt a bit dizzy. Could you tell me how long until work starts?"
"Did you fall asleep? Mr. Nan really doesn't look in great spirit." Lu Jia pretended to be indifferent, "Is it really because of a girlfriend?"
"I don't have a girlfriend, it's just about work-related issues."
Hearing this, Lu Jia instantly became coquettish again: "It's already quite late, almost time for work. But if Mr. Nan is too tired, just rest assured; there's not much work on the first day anyway. I'll notify you when the boss arrives!"
"Oh? Then thank you."
Lu Jia lowered her head: "Mr. Nan doesn't need to be so polite when talking to me in the future, colleagues who get along well just call me Little Jia, you can do that too."
Balding Yang, who had been frowning and posing, suddenly froze.
With her ears blushing, Lu Jia lowered her head for a long time but heard no response; she looked up only to see the last shadow of Nan Zhubin disappearing around the corner.
Nan Zhubin walked heavily to his workstation and immediately collapsed onto the seat like a puddle of mud.
He fell asleep straight away.
The heavy and rhythmic breathing quickly echoed; at this moment, the actions of both the small receptionist and bald Yang froze simultaneously.