Forbidden Land – CH 011

In the afternoon, Zhang Chao was still playing in Lin Yi’ang’s dorm room, the door open. After two knocks, Teacher Liu and Student Leader Wu Yu entered. Lin Yi’ang stood up to greet them. “The leaders are here for an inspection. Welcome, welcome!”

Teacher Liu smiled at Zhang Chao and said, “Zhang Chao, the college leaders know what happened to you the other night, so they’ve specially arranged for a psychologist to give you some counseling. How does it sound?”

Zhang Chao had anticipated this and smiled, saying, “Great! I’d like to see what a female Psychology PhD looks like.”

“She looks like me.” A girl walked in. She was a little over 1.6 meters tall, with a good figure, a slightly chubby face, and good skin. She spoke Mandarin with a Zhejiang accent. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, certainly not the kind of girl who would immediately catch the eye like Bai Qiu, but she certainly wasn’t ugly either. You could say she had a good figure and above-average looks.

Lin Yi’ang walked over with a grin, teasing, “I didn’t expect you to be so pretty, senior! And a PhD student at that!”

The girl smiled shyly. Teacher Liu said, “Lin Yi’ang, just stay put. We aren’t looking for you. What are you laughing about?”

Lin Yi’ang sighed helplessly, saying, “Zhang Chao, you’d better keep your composure.” With that, he grinned and went out.

Teacher Liu introduced the girl as Chen Rong, a PhD student in psychology, and instructed Zhang Chao to cooperate, letting the two of them talk alone in Room 123.

Afterwards, Teacher Liu and Wu Yu left.

Upon arriving at Zhang Chao’s room, Chen Rong entered and surprisingly closed the door herself. Zhang Chao felt a little embarrassed and said, “Senior, let’s leave the door open. Otherwise, Lin Yi’ang will make fun of me again.”

Chen Rong pulled up a chair and sat down, gesturing for Zhang Chao to sit, and smiled, “I’m not afraid; why are you?”

Thinking about it, Zhang Chao thought to himself, “Yeah, if she, a girl, isn’t afraid, what do I have to be embarrassed about?” So he sat down confidently and said, “Senior, let’s be honest. I don’t have any psychological problems, and you’re just going through the motions, so let’s get this over with quickly. You can just give me a perfunctory answer.”

Chen Rong shook her head slightly: “Just call me by my name. Even though it’s routine, I still need to be responsible. Besides, psychological counseling is usually done in many sessions; one day isn’t very effective.”

Zhang Chao’s mouth dropped open: “One day isn’t enough?”

Chen Rong nodded: “It depends on your psychological situation.”

Zhang Chao lamented, “Senior, even if I have some psychological problems, you’re a great master; you could just enlighten me with a single sentence. Why go through all this trouble?”

Chen Rong said, “Then what do you want?”

Zhang Chao said, “You’re just going through the motions, and I don’t need anything like that. Let’s part amicably and just chat for a bit.”

Chen Rong shook her head firmly. “That won’t do. You witnessed a ‘suicide’ the night before, and the person who committed it was your roommate. You should know that behavior is contagious. What if you… Well, of course, nobody wants that ‘what if,’ but if it happens, wouldn’t it be a failure for me to be your counselor? Maybe I won’t even get my PhD.”

Zhang Chao said, “Chen Rong, you’re too selfish. Are you willing to poison your junior for your own degree? Please, sister, leave me alone. I don’t look like I have a mental illness at all!”

Chen Rong didn’t let him continue, saying directly, “Alright, let’s begin. I heard you’re from Ningbo, and your family is very wealthy. Are you a rich second-generation?”

Zhang Chao cursed, “Which bastard is spouting nonsense? My family is in business, but we aren’t exactly rich, let alone a rich second-generation.”

Chen Rong smiled and said, “If you weren’t a rich second-generation student, would you own a car? I heard you drive a Hyundai?”

Zhang Chao said, “Big Sister, you’re too nosy! You even found out about this. It’s not like it’s a fancy car; it’s a used one my family doesn’t want anymore. I’ve been parking it in the little shed behind Baisha, only driving it occasionally. What’s the problem?”

Chen Rong smiled and said, “No problem at all. I was just asking casually. You seem quite agitated?”

Zhang Chao deliberately let out a long sigh and said, “Not at all! If I got agitated, you, the psychology expert, would say I was traumatized by what happened the other day. I’m calm, completely calm!”

Chen Rong smiled and continued, “How was your relationship with Li Weihao?”

Zhang Chao said, “So-so. Although we lived in the same dorm, he was rather introverted, so we didn’t talk much. But I was still heartbroken by his sudden departure. But it wasn’t to the point of being traumatized, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

Chen Rong continued, “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Zhang Chao said, “What does that have to do with anything?”

Chen Rong said, “I was just asking casually.”

Zhang Chao said, “Yes, you’re disappointed?”

Chen Rong shook her head and smiled. “How’s your relationship with your girlfriend?”

Zhang Chao said, “What do you mean, physical or emotional? But I’d better not talk about such a sensitive topic; it has nothing to do with Weihao’s matter anyway.”

Chen Rong smiled. “I was just asking casually. Is your girlfriend pretty?”

Zhang Chao looked smug. “She’s extremely beautiful. Everyone here knows she’s a great beauty from Baisha and the most beautiful girl in the Economics Department.”

Chen Rong said, “So, do you think your girlfriend likes you because you’re a rich second-generation, or for some other reason?”

Zhang Chao was about to shout, “Sister, I’m not a rich second-generation!”

Chen Rong laughed, covering her mouth, and said, “Then I don’t think you’re handsome either. Why would the most beautiful girl in the department like you?”

Zhang Chao said helplessly, “If you’re so frank, you might upset me, and I’ll die. You’ll be responsible!”

Chen Rong smiled and said, “Okay, let’s not talk about this anymore. Do you feel a lot of pressure lately?”

Zhang Chao asked, “Besides the makeup exam, what kind of pressure could there be?”

Chen Rong carefully asked, “Think again; are you really not under any other pressure?” She seemed to be implying something else.

Zhang Chao pondered for a long time, then suddenly his eyes flashed, and he said fiercely, “Could it be that you sent the coffin?”

“What coffin?” Chen Rong seemed completely bewildered.

Zhang Chao realized he’d let something slip and quickly said, “It’s nothing.”

Chen Rong slightly curled her fleshy lips, a hint of sensuality in her expression, and asked, “Where’s the coffin you mentioned?”

Thinking it wouldn’t hurt to scare her a little—after all, he wasn’t going to be the one being “psychologically manipulated”—Zhang Chao pulled out a small coffin, no bigger than his palm, from his drawer and said, “Someone put it by the window last night.”

Chen Rong’s face showed a slight surprise. She took the small coffin, examined it carefully for a moment, and then laughed, “The workmanship is quite exquisite.”

Zhang Chao was about to curse: “How could you say the same thing as that beast Lin Yi’ang?!”

“Haha, really?” Chen Rong smiled triumphantly, saying, “Maybe someone was joking with you, but this joke went a little… a little too far.”

The two chatted for a while longer, and finally, Chen Rong said, “I heard you’ve been studying a lot lately. How about we go together sometime?”

Zhang Chao flatly refused: “No way! If someone sees me and tells my girlfriend, Bai Qiu, I’m dead. She’s always been petty.”

Chen Rong laughed: “Which dorm does she live in?”

Zhang Chao replied, “Building 3, Room 216, Baisha.”

Chen Rong said, “Okay, then I’ll talk to her about it. It’s a requirement from the college; they need to keep an eye on you, at least for the time being. Alright, it’s settled then. I’ll go to study with you tonight.”

Zhang Chao started acting like a rogue: “Who said I’m going to study tonight? I’ll stay in the dorm. Anyway, no one’s in the dorm now; it’s no different from a study room.”

Chen Rong said firmly, “If studying in the dorm was as effective as studying in the library, you wouldn’t have gone to study with Li Weihao. It’s settled then. I’ll come find you after dinner. What’s your phone number?”

Before Zhang Chao could speak, Chen Rong picked up his phone from the table, dialed a number, and said, “The college leaders and your Teacher Liu have entrusted you to me. If you have any objections, you can talk to the college leaders. Okay, that’s enough for this afternoon.”

Zhang Chao hesitated for a moment and said, “I might be a little late tonight.”

Chen Rong asked, “Where are you going?”

Zhang Chao replied, “I’m going to buy a high-powered flashlight and some other equipment, hehe.” He smiled mysteriously, without revealing the reason.