Chapter 135 NPD: Sun Wei, that child, is truly pitiful.
The atmosphere at the municipal bureau's case analysis meeting was more somber than ever before.
On the whiteboard, next to Sun Wei's case, Jiang Ling wrote the words "NPD" and "Flying Monkey" in red pen and drew heavy double lines under them.
"Comrades," Jiang Ling's voice was clear and serious as his gaze swept over all the core members present, including Lei Xiao, Fan Wei, and Zheng Yu, "The key to the Sun Wei case lies not only in capturing Zhou Mingyuan, the external mind controller, but also in the fact that we must confront a long-standing, yet more insidious and destructive, internal family crime environment."
Jiang Ling's words, as well as the two words on the whiteboard, were completely unfamiliar to everyone.
It's important to understand that this was the 1990s, and Chinese people didn't pay much attention to mental health issues. Their understanding of NPD was far less widespread than it is today, and the term "family crime environment" was being used for the first time.
Zheng Yu raised her hand and asked, "Jiang Ling, can you explain to us what NPD is and what flying monkey is?"
Jiang Ling nodded, walked to the whiteboard, and began an impromptu psychology lecture.
“NPD, Narcissistic Personality Disorder. This is not just ordinary selfishness or bad temper, but a serious personality defect and mental disorder. Sun Guodong is a typical example of NPD.”
Although I didn't quite understand, the words "mental disorder" successfully sparked a buzz of discussion among the audience.
Zheng Yu: "I feel that Sun Guodong is not a normal father. After Sun Wei was rescued, she was so scared when she saw him that she kept hiding behind me, which was very abnormal. It turns out that Sun Guodong is sick!"
Fan Wei: "No wonder Zhou Mingyuan said he wanted to help Sun Wei get rid of the poison of her original family. It turns out that Sun Guodong is a mental patient."
Lei Xiao: "I mean, why are you preventing Sun Wei from contacting Sun Guodong? Director Jiang is really something else, she's good at psychology. I've never even heard of this NPD thing."
Jiang Ling waited a while until everyone had finished expressing their feelings before continuing, "I didn't invent the term NPD. It's a type of personality disorder that was established in the diagnostic criteria for mental illness in the United States in the 1960s and 70s."
Everyone listened attentively to the new knowledge and new field. Liu Haoran, in particular, who was most interested in psychology, listened intently to every word Jiang Ling spoke.
“There are five core characteristics of NPD. First, extreme egocentrism and ego exaggeration. In the world of NPD, he is the center of the universe, and everything and everyone must revolve around his needs and feelings.”
Hearing this, Zheng Yu, who was in charge of the family visits, had the most to say: "That's right. During my investigation, I found that Sun Guodong wasn't actually that capable. He was just a workshop director at the machinery factory, but he was very confident and thought he was omnipotent. When others said that Sun Wei had good grades, he would boast that it was because of his good genes and good parenting; if Sun Wei did poorly on a test, it would be a disgrace to him and a betrayal of his efforts. In fact, how much effort did he put in? He hardly cared about Sun Wei at all."
Jiang Ling said, "The second characteristic, and the most core harm, is the inability to empathize. They cannot truly understand or care about the feelings and needs of others. Sun Wei's pain, fear, and despair are not emotions that need to be comforted in his eyes, but rather immature, pretentious, and deliberately offensive to him."
Zheng Yu suddenly realized: "No wonder! No wonder he looked so bad when he saw Sun Wei, without offering a single word of comfort or showing any concern."
Jiang Ling: "Yes, Sun Guodong is a very typical NPD. The third characteristic of NPD is that he is completely unable to establish a true self and needs to obtain affirmation from external reactions. He will continuously draw intense emotions such as worship, obedience, and fear from others to maintain his fragile self-esteem. Once the supply is insufficient or there are flaws, it will trigger his narcissistic rage and carry out crazy suppression."
Fan Wei frowned and said, "Zhou Mingyuan mentioned something: when Sun Wei was in junior high, she received a note from a boy, which enraged Sun Guodong, who then whipped her with a belt. This is..."
Jiang Ling sighed: "That's right. For Sun Guodong, his daughter Sun Wei is a blood vessel that constantly provides him with emotional feedback. She must be innocent, obedient, excellent, and compliant, and absolutely cannot have any imperfections. Scolding her, beating her, controlling her, watching her angry, aggrieved, and crying, Sun Guodong will not only not feel sorry for her, but will also feel smug, because her intense reactions and emotions can satisfy his ego and narcissism, making him feel that he can control everything and that everyone revolves around him."
Upon hearing this, all members of the psychological profiling team began to shake their heads.
"Having a father like that is truly a tragedy!"
"It seems that in the eyes of Sun Guodong, the NPD, Sun Wei is not an independent individual at all, but his appendage and extension, a tool for him to show off, retire in, and vent his emotions."
"This seems somewhat similar to PUA. Sun Wei was lured away from home by Zhou Mingyuan, which to some extent is also a manifestation of pursuing independence. However, this is a challenge to Sun Guodong's sense of authority. Believe it or not, if Sun Wei returns to the family, Sun Guodong will subject her to crazy belittling and suppression in order to ensure his control."
Everyone's points are valid. Jiang Ling concluded, "Sun Guodong's treatment of Sun Wei wasn't about hoping she'd become a success or being strict; it was a continuous process of mental control and energy plunder. To Sun Guodong, Sun Wei was simply a 'blood bag.' His goal wasn't to raise a successful daughter, but to mold her into an absolutely obedient slave who could endlessly satisfy his narcissistic needs. This kind of harm is more insidious than simple violence because it destroys a person's core self and sense of worth, making the victim believe deep down that they are worthless, unworthy of love, and thus unable to escape."
Everyone gasped in shock.
"Damn it, being his daughter is the worst luck imaginable!"
“This Sun Guodong is even more terrifying than Zhou Mingyuan. Zhou Mingyuan is a stranger who abducted and imprisoned Sun Wei, and we can bring him to justice. But Sun Guodong is Sun Wei’s father and a blood relative. We can’t stop them from contacting each other forever.”
Thinking of the suffering Sun Wei had endured, Zheng Yu looked up at Jiang Ling: "I don't understand. As Sun Wei's mother, why didn't Li Shufen protect her? Why did she let her be tortured like this by Sun Guodong?"
Jiang Ling pointed to the word "flying monkey" on the whiteboard.
"The concept of 'flying monkey' originates from 'The Wizard of Oz,' referring to the monkey that serves the evil witch and persecutes Dorothy. In psychology, it specifically refers to an accomplice who serves the NPD (Necromantic Disorder) subject, assisting in controlling, suppressing, and isolating the victim. In this case, it is Li Shufen."
Thinking of Li Shufen, who was constantly being scolded by Sun Guodong, Zheng Yu couldn't help but shudder: "She, she always blamed herself and cried, and showed great concern for Sun Wei's disappearance. I thought she at least truly loved her daughter, but I never expected... she was actually an accomplice!"
Jiang Ling shook her head: "Flying monkeys are usually victims of NPD themselves, but in order to protect themselves, gain temporary recognition from NPD, or avoid becoming the next target, they will choose to ally with NPD and turn their guns on weaker victims."
At this point, Jiang Ling paused for a moment and looked at Zheng Yu: "The things you saw Li Shufen do, such as silently crying, cowardly obedience, and shrinking back and yielding when Sun Guodong committed violence, seem pitiful. But in that family, she used her weakness and silence to provide silent support for Sun Guodong's violence and personally extinguished the last glimmer of hope that Sun Wei might get from her mother."
Zheng Yu looked frustrated: "My God, there are mothers like this in the world! No wonder when Sun Wei saw her mother, her first reaction was not to rush over for comfort and help, but to hide behind me and not say a word."
Li Zhenliang looked sympathetic: "Sun Wei is such a pitiful child."
Jiang Ling said, "The harm of flying monkeys lies in their blurring of the lines between good and evil, plunging victims into deeper isolation and cognitive confusion, greatly increasing the difficulty of rescue. Sun Wei might think: 'Even my mother thinks it's all my fault, so I must be really bad.' Even with the intervention of a psychologist, it would be difficult to help her rebuild herself in a short time. This rebuilding process actually requires her to sever the emotional connection with her parents, especially her mother, which is extremely painful for a child who has been raised by her parents since childhood and is deeply attached to their love."
Jiang Ling's gaze swept over every police officer in the room: "We must fully recognize that individuals with NPD, especially when they form a symbiotic structure with the flying monkey, cause continuous and powerful psychological damage to the 'blood pack.' This damage does not leave visible scars, but it is enough to destroy a person's will to live. Sun Wei's current predicament, on the surface, is due to Zhou Mingyuan's abduction, but at its deepest level, the problem stems from within her family."
Her tone was heavy: "This case serves as a wake-up call for us. When dealing with family disputes, juvenile issues, and missing persons, we must include the presence of NPD traits and flying monkey behavior in the assessment. This is not an ordinary family conflict, but a high-risk hazard that requires high vigilance from the police and early intervention from psychological intervention and community forces. Prevention means that we must be able to identify this kind of psychological abuse and intervene psychologically in time before the tragedy occurs."
The meeting room was completely silent, and every experienced detective wore a solemn and thoughtful expression. They had witnessed bloody violence before, but this was the first time they had come to such a systematic understanding of the horror of this silent yet deadly form of "domestic soft violence."
Jiang Ling's words opened a door for them to delve deeper into the field of crime prevention.
Lei Xiao slammed his fist on the table: "Comrade Jiang Ling's analysis is thorough! This kind of soft violence hidden in the family is no less harmful than a criminal with a knife. All brigades, in the future, when dealing with similar situations, you all need to be more vigilant! If you discover any signs, report them in time and contact the data center for assessment. We cannot allow tragedies like Sun Wei's to happen again."
Lei Xiao stroked his chin, his eyes sharp: "Damn it, from now on, when we arrest people, it looks like we'll not only need handcuffs, but also glasses that can detect this N-something D. This isn't over yet; we need to keep an eye on that Sun Guodong!"
Through this professional analysis, the police have gained unprecedented attention to the harmfulness of NPD and its accomplice Flying Monkey, and have formulated a follow-up plan for the Sun Wei case.
After psychological counseling, Sun Wei's emotions gradually stabilized. The school specially arranged a student dormitory for her, allowing her to study in a closed environment on the grounds that she should not be disturbed while preparing for the college entrance examination. Li Shufen visited her daughter at the school several times, each time with tears in her eyes. The homeroom teacher persuaded her to leave, saying that it would affect Sun Wei's college entrance examination.
Because a psychological expert from the municipal public security bureau had made arrangements, the school teachers were very cooperative. Despite being away from her parents, Sun Wei successfully completed her studies and took the college entrance examination in July.
After the college entrance examination, Sun Wei had no reason to stay at school anymore and had to return home.
Zheng Yu, along with police officers from the local police station and community officials, visited Sun Guodong's home to remind him to be mindful of his words and actions. Faced with the assertive police, Sun Guodong backed down, repeatedly promising to treat his daughter well and never to beat or scold her.
Sun Wei remembered what the psychologist had taught her: try to be patient first, and then she could get away from such parents once she went to university.
The Sun family's problem has been temporarily resolved.
However, the depths of the human heart are sometimes more unpredictable than the schemes of any criminal.
In August, the college entrance examination scores were released. Sun Wei achieved a score that most people would envy, but Zhou Mingyuan had a real impact on her mentality, which caused her grades to fall short of the teachers' initial expectations and not reach the admission line for Tsinghua and Peking Universities.
This became the final straw that broke the camel's back, igniting all the malice within Sun Guodong. He could no longer care about his promise to the police, and his temper exploded completely.
My home instantly turned into hell.
The roar nearly lifted the roof off: "Useless trash! Idiot! I spent so much money! I've lost so much face! And all I got is a worthless piece of trash like you! How could you do this to me?! Why don't you just die! It would be so much better if you just died!"
The ear-piercing sound of dishes shattering on the floor filled the air. Li Shufen, the mother, sobbed beside her, occasionally offering weak words of comfort: "Guodong, don't be like this. Weiwei did very well on the exam. The teacher said her score is good enough for her to get into a university in Hunan Province."
Her attempt to persuade him only fueled Sun Guodong's anger: "Good my foot! It's all your fault for spoiling her! She's about to take the college entrance exam, yet she shamelessly ran off with a thirty-year-old man. She was taken away by the police in front of so many people. She may be shameless, but I am! What's the point of studying? With her promiscuous behavior, she might as well get married early to avoid embarrassing herself in the future."
Every insult was like a poisoned dagger, stabbing into Sun Wei's heart again and again.
Countless images flashed before her eyes.
Her father never allowed her to lock the door, even as she grew up and wanted privacy. Once, she locked the door while changing clothes, only to have it kicked open by the enraged Sun Guodong. When she saw the suddenly opened door, half-naked, the shame she felt made her want to die on the spot.
She asked her mother for help, but her mother hugged her and cried, "Your father is only doing this for your own good. From now on, you should change your clothes in the bathroom. You're all grown up now, you need to be careful around your father."
Her grades were a reflection of her father's pride. Good grades would reward her with cookies and snacks; bad grades would bring ridicule: "You're just a girl, useless," "I told you girls don't have the stamina, they're not as good as boys," "Disgrace! What use are you to me?"
Then he would turn and berate his mother: "You useless thing! My mother said that if you gave birth to a daughter, you would send her to the countryside, and we would have another one, but you refused. Now look what happened, you can't even study well, what will you do in the future? Beg on the streets!"
And what about her mother? She was still crying, and whispered to Sun Wei, "Weiwei, you must study hard. If you work harder and get good grades, I will have face. We have to prove to your father and grandmother that girls can also get into good universities and find good jobs."
Day after day, Sun Wei felt like she couldn't breathe.
She tried to vent her emotions in her diary, but she discovered that her parents would secretly read it. Her room and drawers were unlocked; she had no secrets at all.
She wanted to confide in her friends, but she was sensitive and introverted by nature and didn't have any close friends. Besides, she had always heard the saying, "Parents are never wrong," so how could she speak ill of her parents to others?
The world lost its color before her eyes, leaving only a suffocating gray. It turned out that even though she had escaped Zhou Mingyuan's imprisonment, she could not escape this mental oppression "in the name of love."
A vast emptiness and despair overwhelmed her like an icy tide. She staggered, pushed open the door, and rushed to the rooftop. The night wind howled, and the neon lights of the city below became blurry and distant, like a mockery from another world.
Her father's curses and her mother's pleas still echoed in her ears.
"Let her go! She ran away from home once, and now she's got some nerve? If she dares to step out of this door today, she should never come back! With grades like these, does she even have the nerve to talk back? What's the point of keeping such an ingrate?"
"Weiwei, don't be willful. Your parents are doing this for your own good. Why don't you repeat a year? You have a good foundation, and you'll definitely get into Tsinghua or Peking University if you repeat a year."
Why? Why, despite her hard work, does she still not receive a single word of affirmation from her parents?
Why? Her grades are high enough for a top-tier university, so why did she have to repeat a year?
I'm sorry, I'm really tired!
One foot stepped over the cold metal railing. The body swayed precariously in the wind.
"Sun Wei! No—" Two shouts pierced the night sky!
Zheng Yu and Jiang Ling moved with incredible speed, rushing up to the rooftop!
After receiving a call from Sun Wei's homeroom teacher informing them of Sun Wei's grades, the data center went on a red alert.
This timing is crucial.
Jiang Ling and Zheng Yu immediately set off for the Sun family.
However, they were still too late.
Sun Wei was already standing on the low wall of the rooftop. If she tilted her body even slightly, she would fall immediately!
Seeing that frail figure teetering on the edge of life and death, Jiang Ling's heart almost stopped for a second! But her strong professionalism allowed her to quickly calm down, grabbing Zheng Yu who wanted to rush over recklessly and stopping her impulsiveness with a sharp look.
Under such provocation, any rash approach could cause Sun Wei to jump down instantly!
“Sun Wei!” Jiang Ling’s voice suddenly rose, clear and calm. “Look at me! I know you feel like everything is over, that this is the only way to free yourself and get revenge on him, right?”
Sun Wei's body trembled violently, and her unfocused gaze seemed to regain some focus, slowly turning towards the source of the sound.
"But let me tell you, you're wrong!" Jiang Ling's voice was resolute, shattering Sun Wei's false illusions. "This isn't liberation, it's surrender. Have you forgotten? Your father, Sun Guodong, is an NPD. There's no love in his world, only plunder. He belittles you, suppresses you, and makes you suffer, not because you're not good enough, but because you're too outstanding—so outstanding that his pitiful self-esteem pales in comparison. He needs to suppress you to maintain his false, inflated ego. To him, you've never been a daughter, just a blood bag, a tool to demonstrate his own worth!"
Although I've heard the term NPD from psychologists and have undergone several counseling sessions, what child doesn't love their parents? Especially for children who have experienced long-term suppression, their longing for their parents' love becomes even stronger.
Ultimately, it's blood ties that can't be severed or separated. Sun Wei desperately longs for her parents' approval, even if it's just a smile or a touch.
However, when this longing was ruthlessly rejected, when she heard her father's almost humiliating words, and when she heard her mother tearfully urging her to continue studying as her father had arranged, Sun Wei's heart instantly collapsed. She wanted to use death to prove herself! She wanted to sacrifice her life to make her parents regret it and let them know that treating their child this way was wrong.
"Your death won't make him feel the slightest bit guilty. Do you know that when you jump, when everyone gathers around to look at your body, your father won't feel any pain at all? He'll only angrily rebuke you for not cherishing your life and for betraying your parents' hard work? Do you really want to use your only, precious life to fulfill his morbidly narcissistic desires?"
Jiang Ling's questions grew louder and louder, striking straight into the depths of Sun Wei's soul.
Zheng Yu interjected at the opportune moment, her voice trembling with fear and lingering dread, yet filled with burning sincerity: "Weiwei, come down. Officer Jiang is right, it wasn't your fault. Opening your heart doesn't mean you have to forgive him, it means you have to stay away from such pathological parents, it means you have to let go of yourself. Stop begging for your parents' love, they only love themselves! Your life is your own, it shines brightly. In our eyes, you are unique and incomparably precious! Live for us! Live for all those who truly care about you and see your value!"
“Think about your future.” Jiang Ling pressed her advantage, softening her tone as she painted a captivating picture of the future. “Leave here, go to university, go to a city without them. In your new school, breathe the air of freedom, make friends who truly appreciate you, and learn what you genuinely love. Escaping this dysfunctional family isn't just about physical separation; it also requires mental independence. You must wrest back the power to define and control your life from them, and live a completely different life—a vibrant and fulfilling life that belongs solely to you!”
“Live for us, Sun Wei!” Zheng Yu reached out her hands, her eyes glistening with tears, yet her resolve unwavering. “Your parents are mentally unstable. We can’t change them, but at least we can ignore them, we can stay away from them, right? Come on, take my hand. Don’t give up your most precious life for people who aren’t worth it!”
Sun Wei stared blankly at the illusory flowing light downstairs, then turned back to look at the two figures at the entrance of the rooftop, who were anxiously calling out for her.
The father's vicious roars, the mother's hypocritical tears, Jiang Ling's professional analysis and support, and Zheng Yu's warm and powerful calls were all clashing wildly in my mind.
For some reason, Sun Wei suddenly recalled the scene of her being imprisoned in Chenxi Garden by Zhou Mingyuan.
Special police officers suddenly burst in, lowered their guns when they saw her, and told her that she was safe now;
Zheng Yu rushed over, anxiously asking if she was alright;
When she got downstairs, Zheng Yu blocked her parents from getting close.
When she was getting into the ambulance, Zheng Yu draped a thin blanket over her.
...
A large crowd had gathered, and all eyes were on her. They were worried about her safety, worried that Zhou Mingyuan might harm her, and worried that she might be traumatized.
From beginning to end, not a single person complained.
She was someone who was considered worthless in her parents' eyes, yet so many people still cared about her.
Perhaps, she isn't so bad.
If she dies, all those police officers who stayed up all night working for her will surely be very disappointed, right?
Sun Wei slowly withdrew her foot, her body collapsing limply onto the cold cement floor as if all her strength had left her.
Jiang Ling and Zheng Yu immediately rushed forward and tightly embraced the girl who had been snatched back from the brink of hell.
Feeling Jiang Ling and Zheng Yu's trembling hands and warm embrace, Sun Wei began to sob uncontrollably. Her cries contained long-suppressed grievances, anger at being deceived, and the fear of impending death.
Her parents didn't love her at all. When she ran out of the house, they weren't worried at all that she might impulsively try to kill herself; they were only concerned with venting their anger at her poor grades.
But Zheng Yu and Jiang Ling appeared as if by divine intervention, arriving at the first opportunity. They must have known about her grades and were afraid she would be upset, which is why they dropped everything and rushed over.
Sun Wei still refused to accept the cruel fact that "her parents do not love her," but at this moment, another force was growing in her heart.
—At least, in the eyes of the police, her safety and life are precious!
Holding the weeping Sun Wei in his arms, Jiang Ling gently patted Sun Wei's trembling back, his gaze deep and resolute.
She knew that getting rid of NPD parents would be a difficult process. But tonight, they at least pulled Sun Wei back, giving her a chance to move towards a future and towards a brighter future.
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There are many discussions about NPD online, some of which are sourced from the internet, and some references are provided below. NPD patients have abnormalities in brain structure and function, particularly in the prefrontal cortex. These abnormalities may be related to factors such as neurotransmitters, hormones, and metabolism. Therefore, NPD is a disease that is difficult to treat. If you encounter someone with NPD, please stay away as soon as possible.
[1] Zhang Maoyun. Demystifying the legendary NPD. Popular Medicine, 2025, 7
[2] NPD personality disorder sparks heated discussion: What are its symptoms? Southern Workers' Daily, 2024, 11.4
[3] What is NPD? What should I do if someone around me has NPD? A psychological expert from the Fifth People's Hospital teaches you two ways to cope: A variety show sparks NPD discussion. Taizhou Evening News, December 11, 2024.
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