Free Web NovelChapter 348: Chapter 346: They Are the People Who Are Best to You
"I’m really sick,"
Mia Grant said.
Dr. Quinlan looked at her. "Let’s not jump to any conclusions."
"Don’t think of this as a therapy session. There’s no pressure."
"This is just a simple, heart-to-heart chat. You can think of me as a close friend."
"You don’t have to force yourself to talk about anything you don’t want to."
"Why not think of it like one of those late-night talks girls have in their dorm room after lights out? Something completely ordinary."
"See?" Dr. Quinlan raised his hands in a mock surrender. "I haven’t prepared a thing."
It was true. He didn’t seem to be planning on taking notes.
He was just here to chat with her.
Mia Grant watched him, her detached eyes seeming to see through everything.
Dr. Quinlan met her gaze openly, calling her out. "You’re very guarded around me. That’s normal."
"In fact, it’s not just me. You’re the same way with the two people outside."
"Perhaps, I think, it’s not just them. You’re like this with many people. And deep down, you’re even guarded against yourself."
"Why is that?"
Mia Grant didn’t try to evade the question. She considered his words seriously, mulling them over before answering, "I don’t know."
"Do you hate yourself?"
Mia Grant shook her head. "Doctor, I have no suicidal thoughts. Quite the opposite, I have a very strong will to live."
"Anyone can die, but not me."
Dr. Quinlan picked up on the fact that she wasn’t averse to discussing life and death, and came to a conclusion. "In your subconscious, you believe your environment isn’t safe. And it’s not just you; you feel that many people around you are associated with danger."
Mia Grant sighed. "Are we getting off-topic?"
Dr. Quinlan chuckled. "A chat isn’t a college entrance exam essay. There’s no such thing as going off-topic. Hey, have you graduated from high school? What did you get on your college entrance exam essay?"
"..."
Mia Grant was silent for a moment, then sat up.
"My name is Mia Grant. I’m nineteen. My total score on the college entrance exam was 708, and I’m currently in the mathematics department at Jynsia University."
"Mia Grant..." Dr. Quinlan wore that same look of sudden realization again. "I’ve heard of you."
Mia Grant’s reaction was flat.
Dr. Quinlan said, "My little niece was in your year, also a student from Jynsia. She told me there was a girl named Mia Grant who got a perfect score in math that year. That was you, right?"
"..." Mia Grant’s eyes widened in surprise.
Seeing her reaction, Dr. Quinlan let out a soft "eh?" "Did I remember that wrong?"
"Y-Yes, that was me."
"I just... I didn’t even remember it myself."
She had assumed he knew her because of Yates Donovan, Silas Grant, or someone of that circle.
She never expected that he knew of her simply for being Mia Grant.
"But you remember your total score."
"With a score like that, it’s hard to forget."
Her words made Dr. Quinlan laugh. "You’re right about that."
"I really envy you, having such good grades. I wasn’t great in school, always bringing up the rear. It was a huge headache for my parents. They were even getting ready to send me abroad."
"And then?"
"And then I really did go abroad."
"..."
Dr. Quinlan turned and plucked a business card from the desk behind him, handing it to her.
Mia Grant took it.
It had his name on it.
On the back was a brief bio, including the university he graduated from.
Mia Grant raised an eyebrow. "This isn’t the kind of school you can get into just by having money, is it?"
It didn’t look like the sort of place you go just to get a fancy degree for show.
"I did my master’s there and picked up a doctorate along the way."
He said it casually, but Mia Grant knew his path to where he was today couldn’t have been that easy.
"Are you from Jynsia?"
"No," Dr. Quinlan said. "I’m from Adjacen, right next door."
"Oh, no wonder you were almost late today."
"Yeah, the traffic on a weekend is brutal."
"You really went through a lot to get here."
"It’s no big deal. After all, that Donovan fellow outside is very generous."
"Did you know him before this?"
"We were classmates, I guess."
"You guess?"
"We were roommates in high school."
"Aren’t you from Adjacen?"
"I am. I went to high school in Jynsia. You know, thinking it might be easier to get into college from there."
Mia Grant finally began to properly size up the man before her.
He wasn’t wearing a white coat. His windbreaker was draped over a coat rack, and he wore a simple, clean white shirt and trousers.
It fit the image of a successful professional perfectly.
"See anything interesting?" Dr. Quinlan didn’t shy away from her scrutiny.
"They always say psychologists who open their own practices like this are rich. I didn’t believe it before."
Mia Grant’s gaze shifted away from his watch and belt.
"My family runs a small business, but we’re not as loaded as the Donovans."
"Still not bad, considering you could afford to attend the same international school as him."
Rumor had it that only the rich and powerful could afford that school.
Half the students were from wealthy families, the other half from families of high-ranking officials.
"It’s alright, it’s alright." His humility was tinged with a hint of self-mockery. "But it’s true a lot of nouveau riche families were scrambling to get their kids in. They were just hoping to use their children to expand their social networks."
Mia Grant asked, "Were you one of them?"
"No."
Mia Grant watched him, and a second later, he added, "My older sister sent me."
"..."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Mia Grant averted her gaze and nodded. "I see. Physician, heal thyself."
She didn’t lower her voice, clearly not caring if he heard.
The implication was obvious: he was a nutcase.
’Just as expected of someone who roomed with Yates Donovan.’
’They’re both nuts.’
Dr. Quinlan caught her hidden meaning but didn’t get angry.
For some reason, the atmosphere eased.
The eternal glacier was beginning to thaw. If one listened closely, they could hear the sound of water flowing slowly beneath the ice, of a thousand tiny streams slowly converging into a vast ocean.
"Do you dream often?"
"Did Yates Donovan tell you that?"
"No. It was a guess." Dr. Quinlan pointed to his own eyes. "You look like you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time."
"Are they nightmares?"
"Not really. It’s a bit of everything, just a jumbled mess."
"So that’s why you said earlier that your memories are like fragments. A trigger makes you remember certain things."
"I just dreamed about them. I’m not sure if they’re my memories or just dreams."
"Then what are these dreams generally about? Tell me about one that left a strong impression on you."
"Of course, if it’s uncomfortable..."
Before he could finish, the girl across from him spoke softly. "I always thought I knew myself well, that I had a clear picture of my past life."
"But after having these dreams, I’ve realized... I’ve never truly paid attention to myself."
"I always believed that my past self was living a positive life, that even under those circumstances, I never chose to give up on myself."
"But after experiencing these dreams, I’ve faintly realized... that I might have been in a constant state of listless decline."
"I lived each day numbly, without passion, without dreams, knowing my future held no breakthroughs. Because of that, I never paid attention to the people around me."
"Only in my dreams did their faces slowly become clear."
"But I’m still not sure if it’s real. Or if I’m just recalling the past in my dreams and projecting their faces onto the people there."
"Why would you think you’re projecting them?"
"Because I believe they..."
Suddenly, she stopped short.
After a long silence, Dr. Quinlan finished for her: "Because they would never hurt you. You believe they’re the people who are kindest to you."
