Chapter 51

This was something Xie Lingluo hadn't anticipated.0

Maturity is closely related to a person's experiences. The more one experiences, the more comprehensive their perspective becomes, and the more adept they become at handling situations. It's at times like these that people praise you for being mature.0

Five-year-old Huo Guining had endured more than her peers. Xie Lingluo could understand that in certain aspects, she was more sensitive and mature than others her age, naturally thinking more deeply about things.0

When Xie Lingluo first began working with her, the treatment goal was to help her become a child appropriate for her age, enjoying the happiness of childhood. Now, it seemed there was still a long way to go to reach that goal.0

But the immediate concern wasn't to lament this fact.0

After a brief moment of reflection, Xie Lingluo didn't rush to dismiss Huo Guining's feelings. Instead, she asked, "What's your standard for being useful?"0

Huo Guining looked puzzled. "Standard?"0

Xie Lingluo rephrased her question: "In your opinion, what would make someone useful in a kidnapping situation?"0

Huo Guining replied dejectedly, "Like my brother - brave, bold, and strong. That's very useful."0

Huo Xiaozheng had already briefed Xie Lingluo on what had happened, so she knew who Huo Guining meant by "brother."0

"Did you know that your brother actually had a chance to borrow a phone and call for help directly?"0

Huo Guining was clearly unaware of this. She shook her head in shock. "If my brother had made that call, would he not have been hurt so badly?"0

Xie Lingluo smiled gently. "That's possible."0

After a pause, she asked, "Given your brother made this mistake, do you think he's useless?"0

Huo Guining immediately denied this.0

"No, my brother was already very brave! He must have been too anxious, so..."0

Her voice trailed off under Xie Lingluo's gentle gaze.0

"You're very clever," Xie Lingluo praised sincerely. "I believe you've realized it now? You easily understood your brother and forgave his mistake."0

"So what about yourself, Ning?"0

Huo Guining's heart skipped a beat.0

This was a question she had never considered before.0

"Ning, you did great too. If something that big happened to me, I'd probably be crying my eyes out, not knowing what to do."0

"But you were brave enough to tear off the tape, and after your brother fell, you protected him, didn't you?"0

Huo Guining's eyes began to water. This urge to cry wasn't just because of Xie Lingluo's words, but also because of her past life.0

At 15, she had been diagnosed with cancer.0

Before that, she had been trained as a dance prodigy, with her parents hoping she would enter a dance academy in the future.0

Her mother had always been in poor health, and her father was often away on business trips.0

Her childhood, even her early teens, lacked warmth.0

Her father loved her mother deeply, reserving all his affection for her.0

When you're sad, the last thing you want is someone comforting you.0

Huo Guining was no exception.0

Hearing Xie Lingluo's words, she covered her face with her hands and burst into tears.0

In a corner where Huo Guining couldn't see, Xie Lingluo's expression was complex.0

After the intense crying session, Huo Guining, as usual, fell asleep from exhaustion.0

Xie Lingluo opened the door to the adjacent room and sat down in front of Huo Xiaozheng.0

Seeing her serious expression, Huo Xiaozheng sat up straight: "What's wrong? Is Ning's condition very serious?"0

Xie Lingluo shook her head with a smile: "No, not at all."0

Huo Xiaozheng looked puzzled.0

"Earlier, Shen Shiyan mentioned that Ning might have schizophrenia. You're aware of this, right?"0

Huo Xiaozheng nodded.0

"In future treatments, I might need to use hypnotherapy on her."0

"Hypnotherapy?"0

Xie Lingluo nodded: "Ning's defenses are incredibly strong. So far, she's never voluntarily mentioned anything about her past."0

"Whenever she does speak of it, it's always vague."0

"Without a thorough understanding of her past, we can't guide her to unravel her emotional knots."0

Huo Xiaozheng furrowed his brow: "Is hypnotherapy absolutely necessary?"0

Xie Lingluo smiled: "Of course not."0

"If you can help her lower her defenses, we won't need hypnotherapy at all."0

On the way back, Huo Xiaozheng kept replaying Xie Lingluo's words in his mind, so much so that he didn't notice when Huo Guining woke up.0

"Dad? Are we back?" Huo Guining called out to him several times.0

Huo Xiaozheng snapped back to reality and carried her into Huo Yueze's hospital room: "Yes."0

Huo Yueze was half-sitting up in bed, his complexion now rosy.0

Seeing his sister, he happily waved his hand.0

Huo Guining was still a bit listless, but she mustered up the energy to greet Huo Yueze.0

Huo Xiaozheng, however, handed Huo Yueze a set of keys.0

"What's this?"0

Huo Xiaozheng replied concisely: "Heard you've always wanted this supercar model. Saw it, so I bought it for you."0

Huo Yueze let out a high-pitched squeal of delight.0