Chapter 33 Being Praised: My feet were a little unsteady, and I couldn't stand very steadily.
He Meina is pregnant, but the child is not Chen Anping's.
This is huge news!
Humans love gossip; it's in their nature.
The police officers at Jinwu Road Police Station were no exception.
Li Zhenliang involuntarily perked up, leaned forward, and his eyes sparkled: "Really?"
Liu Haoran also expressed great interest: "Really? If that's the case, then..."
Zhou Wei quickly chimed in: "Then Chen Anping might really go crazy."
Jiang Ling looked at her three companions, whose eyes were several shades brighter than usual, and couldn't help but want to laugh.
She suppressed a laugh and said seriously, "We are discussing Chen Anping's tendency to commit violent crimes." We're all professional police officers; can't we stop acting like old men and women squatting on street corners sunbathing?
Because of Jiang Ling's serious attitude, the three of them finally adjusted their mindset and began to seriously discuss the topic they had just discussed.
"Chen Anping is an honest man, but once an honest man gets angry, even gods and Buddhas can't stop him."
“Being honest doesn’t mean you don’t have a temper. Xiao Jiang just said that Chen Anping has been subjected to long-term PUA, and his self-esteem has been suppressed to almost nothing. But once this suppression crosses his psychological bottom line, it can really explode very violently.”
"Now that you mention it, Chen Anping might indeed have a tendency toward violent crimes."
Jiang Ling nodded slightly: "Yes. Although violent assault is suspected of constituting intentional injury, we must also investigate the reasons and motives behind the assault. The reason why Chen Anping has violent criminal tendencies is because he usually has no channel to vent his anger. His inner grievances have been suppressed for a long time. Once he finds an outlet, it may lead to an irreversible outcome."
Li Zhenliang was kind-hearted, and upon hearing this, his sympathy outweighed his gossip. He said somewhat eagerly, "Then, let's help Chen Anping."
Liu Haoran also said, "That's right. Don't let a perfectly honest person be driven to the point of taking a knife and hurting someone, resulting in mutual destruction."
Having dealt with Jiang Ling many times, Zhou Wei knew she was a confident person, so he took out his notebook, ready to take notes at any time: "Xiao Jiang, what do you think we should do?"
Jiang Ling looked at everyone and said, "I want to help Chen Anping get rid of the oppression from Zhao Hongxia and He Meina, but I need everyone's cooperation."
Li Zhenliang and the other two responded in unison: "No problem!"
"A hero needs three helpers," this feeling is quite good. Jiang Ling carefully recalled the psychological research findings on PUA and began to discuss the next steps with everyone.
"To truly help Chen Anping, the first step is to establish a relationship of trust."
As soon as Jiang Ling finished speaking, Li Zhenliang immediately raised his hand: "No problem, there's nothing a little drink can't solve. I'll go have a drink and chat with Chen Anping after get off work."
Upon hearing this, Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei were no longer willing to lag behind.
"Liangzi, I think you're just craving alcohol. If you're going to treat everyone to drinks, invite me too."
"That's right, let's have drinks, food, and chat together, let's all go together."
Jiang Ling could no longer hold back, and a smile crept onto her face.
Although the spring chill was still in the air, having these three adorable companions made it a truly warm day.
Jiang Ling smiled, and Li Zhenliang and the other two immediately became a little crazy, each of them rushing to express their loyalty as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
"I have a bottle of good wine at home, I'll bring it with me when I eat."
"Don't worry, Xiao Jiang, I have a good alcohol tolerance. I'll make sure Chen Anping is completely drunk."
"Isn't it just about building trust? Easy! Just treat Chen Anping like your own brother, right?"
Jiang Ling stopped laughing and raised her hand to silence their words.
“Drinking and chatting is fine, but please remember two principles. First, don’t directly criticize him, as this may trigger Chen Anping’s defensiveness. Don’t accuse him of being too honest, too obedient, or too concerned about Zhao Hongxia and He Meina; try to empathize with him. Second, offer support rather than judgment. You should emphasize that it’s not his fault at all, and don’t blame him for not listening to everyone’s advice.”
Li Zhenliang understood immediately: "Got it! I promise not to criticize him, praise him first, then sympathize with him, and then let him vent his grievances under the influence of alcohol."
Jiang Ling thought back to the days when she received psychological counseling and treatment in her previous life.
In a secluded, quiet, and cozy room, a psychotherapist helps you analyze your situation and guides you to express your inner pain. It looks high-end, but it always gives you a sense of alienation.
Looking back now, wouldn't people like Li Zhenliang also be considered psychotherapists? They chat and drink together, so down-to-earth.
Jiang Ling continued, "Once trust is established, we can move on to the second step: breaking the manipulator's lies. We can ask questions to make them reflect, or we can use facts to point out the contradictions between Zhao Hongxia and He Meina."
"Hahahaha..." Liu Haoran laughed as soon as he said this.
Li Zhenliang looked at him, bewildered: "Are you crazy? Why are you laughing so lewdly?"
Liu Haoran laughed until he started coughing, and it took him a while to stop: "Isn't what Xiao Jiang is talking about the 'pooping bubble' that we call 'jue pao pao' in my hometown?"
"Bubble popping?" Zhou Wei didn't understand. "What's that?"
Liu Haoran still smiled and said, "Where we're from, we compare lies and bragging to bubbles. Popping bubbles means specifically exposing lies and bragging."
You know what, the metaphor of popping bubbles is quite vivid and descriptive.
Liu Haoran continued, "I'm an expert at popping bubbles. Zhao Hongxia and He Meina's lies are easy to expose; it's just that Chen Anping is too insecure to face them. If Zhao Hongxia truly cared for him, why didn't she treat his broken finger? If He Meina truly loved him, why wouldn't she marry him even after getting pregnant? Pah! I hate people like that the most; I'd pop all those bubbles!"
Liu Haoran's hometown is in Hubei Province, but his parents were later transferred to Yancheng for work, so he chose to be assigned to Yancheng after graduating from police academy.
Zhou Wei wasn't very good with words and wasn't as eloquent as Liu Haoran. Hearing this, he raised his hand and patted Liu Haoran on the shoulder: "Okay, brother, we'll have to rely on you for this second step that Xiao Jiang mentioned."
刘浩然一拍胸脯：“没想到，撅泡泡还能在这里派上用场。小时候我最爱干这事，没少被爸妈揍。”
His words successfully steered the conversation off-topic.
Li Zhenliang asked curiously, "Why did your parents beat you?"
Liu Haoran scratched his head sheepishly: "My dad was drinking and bragging to his colleagues that my sister and I got our good grades from him. I said to him, 'Dad, don't brag. My grandma said you were naughty when you were little and always failed your exams. You didn't even get into high school. It was only after my grandpa begged and pleaded with everyone that you got into a vocational school.' My dad immediately slammed his chopstick down on me. If I hadn't dodged quickly, there would have been blood on the spot."
"Ha ha ha ha……"
This time, it was Li Zhenliang and Zhou Wei's turn to burst into laughter.
Jiang Ling also smiled, pursing her lips.
Just imagining my dad bragging and getting exposed by his son, then getting angry and hitting him, makes me want to laugh.
After laughing, everyone continued discussing the assistance plan for Chen Anping.
Jiang Ling said, "After these two steps are completed, we can start the third step, which is to enhance Chen Anping's sense of self-worth. We need to not only help Chen Anping rebuild his confidence, but also teach him to set boundaries, which means learning to say no."
Li Zhenliang shook his head: "I think that's a bit difficult. Chen Anping is used to pleasing everyone around him and is afraid of being abandoned. I doubt he ever refuses anyone."
Jiang Ling said, "Then let's start with small refusals. After the other party makes a request, don't agree immediately. Delay it first, for example: 'Let me think about it,' or 'I'm very busy right now, let's talk about it later.'"
Li Zhenliang sighed: "Alright, we'll give it a try then. Finding Chen Anping's strengths and praising him is no problem, but confidence isn't built in a day, nor can it be achieved just by a few of us casually praising him. It's probably a long process."
Liu Haoran asked, "Is there a fourth step?"
Jiang Ling said, "Yes. The fourth step is emotional regulation and psychological decoupling. We need to teach Chen Anping not to be affected by the other party's hot and cold attitude, and we also need to practice cutting off the other party's emotional blackmail. When Zhao Hongxia said that she was very grateful to adopt him when he was a child, and that he was very sad because he was disobedient now, he can calmly reply: Your sadness is your business, I don't need to be responsible for it."
Everyone started shaking their heads: "Difficult! This is too difficult. If Zhao Hongxia uses the debt of gratitude for giving birth to him to emotionally blackmail him, Chen Anping definitely won't be able to handle it. The answer you gave is completely out of character for Chen Anping."
Li Zhenliang blurted out without thinking, "That's more like your style, Xiao Jiang."
Jiang Ling glanced at him.
Liu Haoran punched Li Zhenliang: "What are you saying? Although Xiao Jiang is calm, he has a very kind heart. When Chen Anping was bullied, didn't Xiao Jiang want to help him out?"
Li Zhenliang slapped his mouth, regretting that he had spoken without thinking, and hurriedly explained, "Xiao Jiang, I didn't mean you're cold-hearted. The colder you are to bad people, the better. You've always been warm-hearted and helpful to good people."
Jiang Ling twitched the corner of her mouth.
It's not that he's overly enthusiastic or quick-tempered.
She was actually unwilling to get involved in other people's karma, but because she had been given a second chance at life, she felt that she couldn't waste the opportunity that God had given her and wanted to lend a helping hand to those who deserved her help.
Zhou Wei said, "We welcome friends with good wine and wolves with hunting rifles. Xiao Jiang does this very well."
Li Zhenliang quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! Dawei is right. Um... is there a fifth step?"
Although the change of topic was a bit abrupt, Jiang Ling didn't let him continue with his self-reflection. She had been working with Li Zhenliang for over a year, knew he was a good person, and also approved of him.
His statement, "It's your business if you're sad, I don't need to take responsibility for it," is typical of Jiang Ling, and it's not exactly wrong.
Calm, aloof, and with strong boundaries—this is the shell that Jiang Ling has put on herself.
With this outer shell, a lot of external interference can be reduced.
Jiang Ling naturally picked up where Li Zhenliang left off: "Yes. The fifth step is to rebuild Chen Anping's social support system, so that he can resume his social life and have his own relatives or friends."
Zhou Wei wrote down the five-step method Jiang Ling had described in his notebook. He would use this method to help people who were being manipulated by PUA in the future.
What we need to do now is to have a successful example.
Let's start by saving Chen Anping.
--
Night fell.
On Nanwu Road, opposite the Yanshi Textile Factory, a small restaurant called Hongxia was bustling with activity.
"Boss, I'd like a chicken stir-fried with tea oil."
"Boss, why hasn't our order of chopped chili fish head arrived yet?"
"Yes, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, water spinach with garlic, and vermicelli with scallions—just these three dishes. Hurry up!"
Although Hongxia Restaurant is simply decorated and the tables and chairs are a bit dilapidated, and the owners are not particularly friendly, the chef is an excellent cook of Hunan cuisine. Word spread quickly, and every evening after get off work, the restaurant is packed with customers, keeping the owner's wife constantly urging the kitchen to prepare the food.
"Anping, hurry up, is the stir-fried chicken ready yet?"
"Stir-fried chicken giblets with white chili peppers, stir-fried pork intestines, hurry up!"
"Can you hurry up? The customer keeps rushing us. Honestly! You're so clumsy, you can't do anything right!"
Chen Anping had a towel around his neck and kept wiping the sweat from his forehead.
The kitchen was steaming hot, and the fire in the stove made his cheeks flushed and his mouth dry, but he dared not stop what he was doing, and kept saying, "Okay, okay, almost done."
This is the scene that Li Zhenliang, Liu Haoran, and Zhou Wei were faced when they arrived at the restaurant.
After finally getting a table to sit down, a middle-aged woman wearing a knitted sweater and a plaid apron walked over with a smile: "Three of you? What would you like to eat?"
Li Zhenliang sized up the proprietress in front of him.
He was chubby, with a large face, sparse eyebrows, and triangular eyes. Although he greeted people with a smile and was very attentive, he didn't look like a good person at all.
This is Zhao Hongxia, the caregiver who abused Jiang Ling.
Thinking of the hardships Jiang Ling suffered as a child, Li Zhenliang's expression darkened, and he asked impatiently, "What good food do you have here?"
Zhou Wei raised his eyebrows, ran his hand across the table, and looked at the dark grease on his fingertips: "Is this the level of hygiene?"
Seeing the unfriendly expressions on the two men's faces, Zhao Hongxia felt a chill run down her spine—were they here to cause trouble?
Zhao Hongxia was the type of person who bullied the weak and feared the strong. She quickly grabbed a clean cloth and carefully wiped the table. Then she handed the menu to Li Zhenliang and said, "We are a small shop with good quality and low prices. Our conditions are limited, so please don't mind, bosses."
Liu Haoran smoothed things over, took the menu, glanced at it, and tossed it back: "Just make three dishes and a soup, home-style cooking will do."
"Okay." Zhao Hongxia didn't dare to linger any longer, put down three sets of bowls and chopsticks, and left.
After walking up to her husband He Gaoliang, Zhao Hongxia lowered her voice and said, "Those three, did you see them? They have a bit of a temper, so keep an eye on them."
He Gaoliang was short and stout, but his features were fairly neat. He shrank his neck and said, "A good man doesn't fight with a woman. If anything happens, you should handle it."
Zhao Hongxia gritted her teeth and pinched He Gaoliang's waist hard: "What use is a man like you to me? You shrink back when something happens. Where is your manhood? Look at other families, the man is in charge of external affairs and the woman is in charge of internal affairs. Only I am unlucky. Having a man is like not having one. I have to worry about everything!"
"You old hag!" He Gaoliang winced in pain, but dared not fight back. With nowhere to vent his anger, he simply squatted down by the door to smoke.
Li Zhenliang gestured with his eyes to Zhao Hongxia's side of the commotion, raising an eyebrow: "See that? This Zhao Hongxia is quite domineering."
Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei nodded in unison: "This kind of woman! She's always manipulating others. Marrying her would be a disaster."
It must be said that, under Jiang Ling's training, these three people's knowledge of psychology has far surpassed that of others.
Zhao Hongxia didn't dare to neglect their table, so she ordered braised pork, steamed assorted preserved meats, stir-fried eggs with vegetables, and a seaweed and pork rib soup for them.
As soon as the dishes were served, Li Zhenliang couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks, grab a piece of braised pork, and put it in his mouth.
Liu Haoran looked at him seriously: "How is it?"
Li Zhenliang waved his hand without saying a word, then picked up a thin slice of almost translucent cured meat and put it in his mouth, his mouth full of oil.
Seeing how hungry he looked, Liu Haoran knew the food tasted good and quickly started eating.
The moment the cured meat touched his lips, Liu Haoran's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "Mmm...delicious!"
Not long after the Spring Festival, cured meat is at its most fatty and fragrant.
Thinly sliced cured pork and pieces of marinated cured fish are steamed together, topped with plenty of black fermented soybeans and dried chili peppers—it's simply a delicacy.
Zhou Wei is from Hunan Province, and he felt extremely happy eating this authentic hometown dish. He is a man of few words and doesn't like to express his appreciation for food with words, but rather with actions.
—He eats with lightning speed, devouring food like a whirlwind.
The three of them quickly finished all the three dishes and soup.
After finishing his meal, Li Zhenliang let out a satisfied burp, patted his belly, and paid the bill without hesitation.
Zhao Hongxia breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the three paid politely. But her relief was short-lived, as she was immediately stunned by the conditions proposed by Li Zhenliang.
"Which one is the chef? Have him come over here."
Zhao Hongxia said with a bitter face, "He... he was busy cooking in the kitchen and then he disappeared, right?"
Li Zhenliang slammed his hand on the table: "What? We can't even invite him for a drink? Do you think we're not qualified to know your chef?"
Zhao Hongxia had no choice but to go to the kitchen and call Chen Anping: "Someone wants to see you. Quickly send them away so as not to affect our business."
Chen Anping was so busy he barely had time to breathe, how could he possibly find the time to meet anyone? But he always obeyed Zhao Hongxia's every word, so he could only put down the spatula, give a word of advice to the kitchen helper beside him, wipe his hands on his apron, wipe the sweat off his face with a towel, and then walk to the front hall.
Upon seeing Li Zhenliang, Chen Anping panicked.
Why are the police from the local police station here?
Under Zhao Hongxia's watchful gaze, Chen Anping lingered before Li Zhenliang and the others, asking in a low voice, "Officer Li, what brings you here?"
"Officer?" Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongxia became alert and pricked up her ears to listen to their conversation.
Li Zhenliang smiled and pointed to the clean plate on the table: "Your cooking skills are pretty good. I didn't expect your dishes to taste so good."
Chen Anping was a little flustered by the praise. His face, which had been flushed from the fire, turned bright red again after it had just started to fade. "Um... thank you."
Liu Haoran also launched into a praise tirade: "Honestly, your cooking is exceptionally delicious. With this skill alone, you could work as a chef in a high-end restaurant and earn at least 500 yuan a month."
Zhou Wei stood up and patted Chen Anping on the shoulder: "Craftsmen can always make a living. If you want to switch jobs, just let me know. I know the people at Heshun Hotel very well and can help you make connections."
Li Zhenliang kept in mind what Jiang Ling had said: The first step is to build a relationship of trust, praise him first and then sympathize with him, and in short, never criticize him.
"Chen Anping, I saw He Meina throw away the food you made before, and I thought you weren't a good cook. But I never expected that your cooking is absolutely amazing!"
Li Zhenliang gave him a thumbs up: "You can slice the cured pork so thinly, your knife skills are excellent; the braised pork is tender, savory and slightly sweet; and the stir-fried eggs with vegetables from Grandma's are the best with rice, I ate two big bowls of rice in one go!"
This was the first time someone had praised his cooking skills so enthusiastically up close, and Chen Anping felt both delighted and apprehensive.
From childhood to adulthood, he had heard mostly criticism and blame; no matter how hard he tried, he rarely received a word of affirmation. But today, for the first time, he heard so many people praising him in various ways, and he didn't know how to feel.
My feet were wobbling, and I couldn't stand steadily.
I didn't know where to put my hands, but my heart was filled with warmth.
Zhao Hongxia, however, sensed that something was very wrong.
Are these police officers just bored and looking for trouble?
Zhao Hongxia knew perfectly well that without Chen Anping, her restaurant simply couldn't stay afloat.
Where can you find a chef with excellent cooking skills who doesn't ask for a salary?
Although she curses Chen Anping all day long, isn't it because only in this way can she make him willingly make money for her?
Thinking about the ever-increasing number in her savings account, and looking at Chen Anping who was clearly beaming with pride after being praised, Zhao Hongxia felt a prickling sensation in her heart, as if a cat had scratched at it.
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