Chapter 1078 - 810: Basis_2
Then she asked back in a calm tone, "Who told you that?"
The girl was startled.
"Who told you that graduating from school guarantees a desk job?" Director He’s body leaned slightly forward, "You think going to college guarantees stability, right?"
As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head towards the row of auditing students in the back.
"Look at them," Director He gestured in Nan Zhubin’s direction casually, "Those sitting in the back—"
The girl instinctively turned her head too.
"...???" Nan Zhubin and the others instinctively tensed up.
"—they all have graduate degrees," Director He’s voice was confident, "They’re seven or eight years, or even ten years older than you. If you withdraw now and replan your life, ten years later when you’re their age—"
She paused, as if weighing the importance of her next words.
"—who’s to say your job won’t be easier, or your salary higher than theirs."
"Maybe when they graduate, they’ll end up working for you."
There was a moment of silence in the consultation room.
The girl’s lips pressed tightly together, and the strained expression on her face relaxed a bit.
Director He did not smile.
"I’m not joking with you," she said.
"Maybe you’ve heard this from others, maybe someone told you this is wrong, but I’m speaking very seriously now—"
Director He looked into the girl’s eyes: "Education is not the only path."
"I’ve been a doctor for decades, and I’m still your attending physician, and I’m putting my career on the line with this statement."
Director He’s tone was indescribably serious: "Your life won’t be ruined just because you don’t have a high school diploma. What will truly ruin you—is pushing through at a place where you feel uncomfortable every day for two, three, even four years."
"Push until your body collapses, and you end up doing nothing, having tried nothing."
"I’ve seen children like that, and I don’t want you to become like them."
Nan Zhubin blinked and looked at Director He.
This director... is she always so straightforward?
...
Director He took a sip from her water cup.
Seeing the girl still with her head down, Director He sighed and softened her expression.
She spoke more earnestly: "You’ve already tried. Three years, you’ve tried everything. Medication, psychological consultation, forcibly attending classes, intermittently taking leave for rest—You’ve tried everything, haven’t you?"
The girl neither nodded nor shook her head.
"What were the results?" Director He asked.
Gentle words can sometimes be more overwhelming than harsh criticism.
In Nan Zhubin’s view, the little girl finally began to shake like a leaf.
"I’m not—!" She suddenly let her voice go, but as if those three words consumed all her energy, her voice quickly fell off a cliff, "I didn’t... intentionally want to feel this way..."
"I didn’t intentionally want to feel this way... I’m sorry... boo hoo hoo hoo... "
After saying this, it seemed as if all her strength was drained. A sob that had been suppressed for a long time, finally erupted, spreading from her direction to the surroundings.
She clumsily wiped her face with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more the tears flowed, eventually giving up the gesture, she just lowered her head and let the tears fall.
Director He pulled a few tissues from the desk and handed them over.
"No one’s blaming you."
...
"Dr. He..."
The girl’s mother had remained silent since entering the consultation room, having only spoken once until now. Finally, she spoke for the second time.
She leaned slightly forward.
"... Thank you, Dr. He."
The mother’s accent was strong, but the content of what she said made Nan Zhubin and the others puzzled again.
"We’ve been waiting for you to say that."
Nan Zhubin heard the mother say, "We’ve long since wanted her to stop studying like this. She’s struggling, and our whole family is struggling."
"But no matter how we told her, she wouldn’t listen. It had to be you saying it, this had to come from you."
Director He didn’t respond to these words, just looked at her.
Then Director He turned her attention back to the girl, watching her cry, watching her tremble, watching those movements gradually calm down.
After a good while, the girl finally lifted her head.
"Then I..." Her voice was small, "Then what do I do after dropping out?"
"Go home first." Director He replied, "Rest well for a while. Don’t think about the future right now, you need to leave that environment that’s making you uncomfortable. Once you’re relieved, you can think slowly."
"What if I can’t think of anything?"
"Then think about it slowly." Director He’s tone was calm, "You’re only sixteen, it’s normal not to be able to figure things out."
"Do you think your classmates still in school know what they want to do in the future? They don’t know either, the difference is just that they’re clueless in the classroom, while you’re clueless at home. Which do you think is more comfortable?"
The girl remained silent, her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to smile but couldn’t.
"... Staying at home is more comfortable." After a while, she lowered her head and said.
"Exactly!" Director He leaned back in the chair, "Besides, even if you drop out, it’s not the end of the path if you want to continue studying later. There are adult education tests, self-exams, vocational skills training, countless paths. You’re not without a path; it’s just that the current path isn’t working for you, so you’re changing it."
The girl didn’t refute anymore.
She sat there, clutching the soaked tissues, bowing her head as if deep in thought.
After a long time, she gently sniffed: "Got it."
Things seemed to be settled.
The patient and her family stood up and walked out, this time without looking back.
Before leaving, the girl’s mother turned back: "Dr. He, thank you..."
Director He waved a hand: "Hurry up and take her home to rest. Handling the dropout procedures can take its time, no rush. Come back if there’s any issue."
Click—
The door closed, and the consultation room fell into silence again.
...
Director He didn’t immediately call the next number.
She leaned back in the chair, finished her thermal cup of water in one go, and then slowly went outside for a refill.
Upon returning, she swept her gaze over the auditing students at the back, as expected seeing the conflict on everyone’s face.
This consultation with the patient left a strong impact.
"Let’s hear it, any thoughts?"
The familiar senior listening from the back had been holding it in for a while.
He immediately raised his hand and then lowered it: "Director He, were you serious just now? Like, telling her to drop out directly?"
Director He chuckled softly.
Her intention was for these auditing students to analyze the patient’s situation, recount her consultation process, and analyze its logic.
But...
"Of course." Director He leaned in the chair, "Do you think I’m joking?"
"No, it’s just..." The familiar senior scratched his head, "The decision is quite significant. If she regrets it later, won’t she blame the doctor for persuading her to make that decision?"
This was the question everyone’s mind was grappling with.
No matter how correct the final advice is, in a typical hospital, the doctor’s words are usually ambiguous.
In daily work with psychological consultants, "not giving advice," "not deciding for the visitor," is even written into consultation ethics, holding almost the same status as "confidentiality" and "absolute sincerity."
But Director He’s approach operates on another dimension.
"Regret is another matter entirely." Director He said, "The decision she’s making now is based on her most authentic current condition. Over three years of repeated consultations, always the same complaint, no noticeable effect from medication adjustments, psychological consultation attempted—"
Director He provided an explanation unexpected by the group.
"We’ve considered all the possible solutions."
"In circumstances like this, considering the ’patient’s future life’ trumps ’curing the illness.’
In other words,
No more options.