sbdcsierra Chapter 14 Awakening from a Dream
Chapter 14 Awakening from a Dream
The first thing Chu Kong did when he got home was to go back into the bathroom.
The reason is simple: Freud put too much pressure on him.
He scooped up two handfuls of cold water and splashed them on his face.
Even though Teacher Zhou had already told me about the possibility that Freud might have been personally involved in the script, why was I still so oblivious?
But what's done is done, and there's no going back. Chu Kong could only repeatedly warn himself to be careful in the future and never make the same mistake again.
After calming himself down a bit, he dialed Zhou Huaijin's number.
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A short while later, Chu Kong came out of the bathroom and lay down on the bed.
The warm water couldn't dispel the chill that seeped into his bones, and Chu Kong inexplicably felt a bit cold.
This phone call still left Chu Kong at a loss.
What surprised Chu Kong the most was that Ji Ran, Li Fan, and the most special Shu Wenxue were all shallow participants outside the control of the program team.
Being a casual participant means that Ji Ran was really just talking nonsense, that Li Fan was really just an enthusiastic student, and that Shu Wenxue's philosophical metaphors were just the independent thinking of a clever young girl.
There was no script, no instructions.
Chu Kong couldn't even find a target for a moment.
After recalling it again, Chu Kong was almost certain that apart from Freud, the instigator, he had not encountered anything strange.
Is it a blind spot in my thinking?
Chu Kong thought and thought, but still came to no conclusion. In his worry and anxiety, he drifted off to sleep.
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The next day, Chu Kong was on edge, measuring everything he saw like a precision instrument.
He scrutinized every word and action of everyone, questioning the underlying logic behind each move.
Nothing happened.
On the third day, he dabbled in all social interactions, and almost every word he uttered was watertight.
He avoided everyone and always stayed away from the group.
Nothing happened.
On the fourth day, Chu Kong felt utterly exhausted, but he still kept a close watch on the slightest disturbance, even pricking his thigh with the tip of his pen.
Nothing happened.
Day 5, Day 6, Day 7.
as always.
No one caused trouble, no incidents occurred, and everything was as calm as the Dead Sea.
Every day, Chu Kong would frantically ask Zhou Huaijin for name after name, but without exception, they were all people who had only been involved in the project superficially.
He began to become anxious, irritable, and even hallucinated.
But Chu Kong disguised himself well; he simply became more and more taciturn and looked haggard every day.
His classmates just thought he had a cold.
It's like an opponent on a chessboard suddenly placing a piece and choosing "pass, move."
But this is clearly the opposite of what the producers intended.
So, where did the problem lie?
After much thought, Chu Kong came to the only conclusion that the other party was also observing.
In the original plan, since the other party's goal was to break down his psychological defenses, the simplest way was to make Chu Kong isolated and helpless.
That's why Chu Kong felt he needed to be extremely careful during the initial integration into the new group.
Li Lingchuang's provocation proved that Chu Kong's idea was correct.
But now, the production company has given up.
So, once you've built a good friendship with your classmates, how does the "breakdown" happen?
Did the production team really think that Ning Wantang alone could easily defeat Chu Kong?
Chu Kong didn't think so.
But if their goal isn't to prevent me from integrating into the group, then what is it?
Has that script been abandoned?
He recalled Freud's gentle smile, the casual conversation, and the braised duck leg.
I recalled Freud's scrutinizing expression when he introduced himself.
The production company must have a deeper plan, but they just haven't discovered it yet.
There must be.
So how should I deal with this?
Chu Kong rubbed his sore eyes.
After much thought, Chu Kong was still at a loss.
On the one hand, the other party is ubiquitous and doesn't need to worry about the cost of failure.
On the other hand, no one can maintain a high level of tension for an extended period. If Chu Kong continues to force himself like this, he will inevitably face a nervous breakdown and become paranoid.
Now, he is actually closer to the other party's goal.
Chu Kong couldn't help but find it laughable.
The other party did nothing, yet I am on the verge of collapse.
Chu Kong even felt that his current confusion, anxiety, and fear of the unknown were also controlled by Freud.
The feeling of powerlessness is like a shadow in the night, gradually lengthened by the fading light.
Chu Kong stood up and went to the window. The evening breeze brought the damp coolness unique to a southern winter, but it couldn't dispel the restlessness in Chu Kong's heart.
On the street downstairs, several students returning home late walked by, chatting and laughing, their smiles genuine and their laughter heartfelt.
But Chu Kong knew that as soon as he went downstairs and joined the commotion, the production company would get involved very quickly.
It might be a neighbor passing by, or it might be a wrong number.
It's infuriating, it makes you want to destroy everything.
Everything that can be touched as reality is not reality itself.
unless……
In a flash, Chu Kong suddenly realized his blind spot.
He suddenly recalled the words in his sponsor's letter: "I want to test whether a person can find happiness when they control their destiny, whether they can break free from their shackles, or whether loneliness is human nature's fate?"
He has always viewed the production company as his enemy and the script's arrangements as a fate he must defy.
But he forgot that the answer might be written on the surface of the riddle itself.
The production company didn't care whether he integrated into the group.
It doesn't matter whether he's popular or ostracized at school.
They didn't even care whether the play scheduled for March would be successful.
All they care about is: what will a person become when they take control of their own life?
Will he become addicted to power? Will he crumble under the weight of doubt? Will he succumb to emptiness?
However, his own actions deviated from this theme.
Chu Kong leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.
He felt a strange clarity, accompanied by a deep weariness.
It's like someone who has been groping in the dark for a long time finally seeing the whole maze—the maze has no exit, and the only way out is to climb over the wall.
Chu Kong laughed self-deprecatingly.
Whether it's unprovoked malice, a trap set for oneself, or any other setup designed to "break one down."
These seemingly logical arrangements happen to everyone in a way that is completely illogical.
People call it an undeserved disaster.
Although it's a drama, it's also based on reality.
Because "the plot cannot appear illogical".
What am I afraid of?
A long-lost sense of relaxation spread throughout my body.