At Darren's suggestion, Yu Tang has been working from home these days.
He didn't know exactly what had happened, but seeing the overly concerned looks from his colleagues and employees at W&P, he vaguely realized that something big might be happening outside that was closely related to him.
Yu Tang had no intention of figuring out the matter.
During the psychotherapy, after fully confirming Yu Tang's ability to bear it, the psychological counselor actually had two in-depth conversations with him.
The psychological counselor told Yu Tang that during this treatment, many people spent a lot of time and effort on him and did a lot for him.
If Yu Tang wanted to be worthy of these people and the kindness shown to him, what he should do was to stop looking back.
Don't look back, don't explore your own memories, and don't let yourself sink back into that kind of life.
Yu Tang got up very early today, made fried eggs, thick toast and fried sausages, and cooked a bowl of supreme instant noodles with crab sticks, rice cakes, tofu, luncheon meat, vegetables and cheese.
He was not used to being idle, but he really had nothing to do. After finishing a remote video conference with his colleagues in the department, he took a nap in the sunshine on the thick carpet.
The air was very good at night. Yu Tang checked the refrigerator, reported to Darren, and went to the supermarket to stock up on food for the next few days.
The vegetables and fruits in the discount area are also good and very fresh. They are just a little bumped during transportation, but they can still be used in dishes after peeling them, and the prices are much cheaper.
Yu Tang was pushing the cart, hesitating in front of a bag of potatoes and three tomatoes. When he was about to pick one to take away, he suddenly noticed a figure walking in front of him.
Yu Tang raised his head.
He couldn't see the person clearly, and he stopped him by braking his shopping cart with one hand.
"Assistant Yu."
The man stopped him and wouldn't let him go forward: "Long time no see, do you want to go to the cafe next door and chat?"
"… system."
Yu Tang thought to himself, "Can't I just settle the bill before I leave? That bag of potatoes is in great condition, and I saw someone else take it away."
According to the new exemption part deduced from the character setting, he could have kept the psychiatrist's instructions in mind and not let the other party turn around and leave.
But the visitor was obviously well prepared. As soon as he noticed Yu Tang's resistance, he took out a list.
The system was reluctant, flashing a small red light and adding background music to the long shot of the bag of potatoes: "It will be OOC, host."
That list was made by Yu Tang himself.
Even though he had completely forgotten why he made such a list, what the purpose of this list was, and couldn't remember what any of the people on it looked like... he still remembered.
The first person on the list had a wife who was in poor health and a child who was in his third year of high school. He was an art student, studying fine arts. His grades were outstanding and his paintings won many awards, but the paint was ridiculously expensive, and the price he quoted made these laymen stare in amazement.
The second one has parents to support, and their parents' parents are also around. The old man is in good health, but he is too old and his mind is not very clear. He always goes out alone and needs someone to take care of him all year round. All the expenses are borne by one person.
The third one is a little girl, from an ordinary family. She has a younger brother who was sent to live with relatives when she was young. When she grew up, she came to the capital to work hard. She works very hard, and she hopes that she will no longer have to live in the basement and can rent a single room with a window.
…
These are all very ordinary people. Their fate is neither too good nor too bad. Their life is not so miserable that they cannot endure it, and they can still move forward.
But just a little unexpected twist can destroy all the peace in their lives.
The man asked him, "Do you remember these people?"
"These people are going to be fired, and not just them, but the entire studio will be disbanded. The studio they work for has had problems, and no one will want to hire them."
The man whispered in his ear, "It's because of you..."
Yu Tang took the order form, put down the shopping cart, and followed him out of the supermarket.
…
In an inconspicuous corner of the coffee shop, in an exceptionally quiet booth, three cups of slightly cold coffee were placed on the table.
Sit with another person.
He was wrapped tightly, wearing sunglasses and a mask, with his collar turned up, and it was almost impossible to make out any facial features.
"Host, it's Ke Ming!"
The system first analyzed the man's appearance, and the red light flashed in astonishment: "Why would Ke Ming come to us on his own? Isn't he afraid of being exposed?"
Yu Tang said: "He is afraid, but he can only do it himself."
The system is puzzled: "Why?"
Yu Tang searched out a document and clicked on the underlined part.
The psychological suggestion given to him by the psychologist caused the forgetting curve to be opposite to the normal forgetting curve. Memories are sealed in the subconscious mind. The more recent and impressive they are, the more completely they will be forgotten. The older and more vague the memories are, the more likely they are to be used as the key to reopen the subconscious mind.
In other words, if one wants Yu Tang to return to his former self, in addition to familiar people and things, the safest way is to find someone from an orphanage.
The system figured it out: "Ke Ming is the person from the orphanage."
Yu Tang was led to the booth and sat down calmly: "Time is too tight, and he doesn't have time to find someone else."
The system looked at the character's stress level, and a few snowflakes floated worriedly on the screen.
Not only did Ke Ming risk his life to show up, he also brought along Sui Si's former agent, Qian Bin, who had once punished Yu Tang with electric shocks.
Yu Tang couldn't remember these two people for the time being, but his stress level had been rising slowly without a trace and stopped at around 55.
Once it exceeds 60, Yu Tang's state of consciousness is likely to fluctuate again.
Yu Tang: "Give me some bubble gum."
system:"… "
"I'm eating in the sea of consciousness." Yu Tang had already switched back to automatic mode and squatted beside it. "What are you worried about? Not only can I make cards, but I also got an S rating in character programming."
The system picked him a watermelon-flavored bubble gum: "Has the host rewritten Yu Tang's character design again?"
Yu Tang nodded.
Everything the psychological counselor said to Yu Tang was edited into a subconscious program, mixed into Yu Tang's basic data, and became part of the preset.
Everything Yu Tang does, every word he says, and his entire life will be based on this.
No one could drag him back into that nightmare.
"Don't worry." Yu Tang imitated the system's tone and joked, "I've been trained, nothing will go wrong."
The system has always trusted him, so it felt relieved when it heard these words, flashed a small red light, and rubbed his shoulder.
Yu Tang sat down, called up the previous interaction surveillance of the protagonists, and played it in split screen at double speed.
…
In the coffee shop, Yu Tang was silent for about ten minutes after hearing the purpose of the two people's visit.
He lowered his eyes and touched the edge of the tray with his coffee cup.
The delicate white porcelain felt cool against the fingertips, and after a while, it gradually took on the warmth of the fingers.
"You mean."
Yu Tang said softly, "I used to manage a studio, but it was recently revealed that the studio owed me wages, so it is about to be disbanded."
His speech was slightly slow, but it did not affect communication. There was a little bit of hoarseness in his gentle voice: "Before I left, I left a list. Please do not fire these people... Is that right?"
Qian Bin glanced at Ke Ming, then looked away and nodded.
He was Sui Si's former agent. At the beginning, because of the company's arrangement, Sui Si, who wanted to open an independent studio, was deliberately targeted. When dealing with Sui Si's subordinates, Yu Tang was tormented a lot.
Qian Bin had gone too far in his previous career, and he actually felt guilty. Later, seeing Yu Tang doing well under Sui Si, he was afraid of retaliation, so he avoided Yu Tang and never dared to show up again.
According to Yu Tang's connections in the circle, provoking Yu Tang is no different from being banned. Even if Yu Tang doesn't remember anything now and has changed careers to work in another company, he still feels guilty when he faces Yu Tang again.
If Ke Ming hadn't offered a high price and hadn't had evidence of him illegally electrocuting Yu Tang, he wouldn't have been willing to cooperate in this trip.
"Think about it carefully."
Qian Bin was looked at by Ke Ming again. He gritted his teeth and forced a gloomy face: "These people..."
Yu Tang said: "I harmed them."
Qian Bin had a meal.
This was originally what he wanted to say, but before Qian Bin could finish, Yu Tang spoke first: "Do you—do you know what you are saying?"
"I know." Yu Tang nodded. "This is a studio that owes its employees wages. I was wrong to let them stay here."
Qian Bin: “…”
Yu Tang picked up the list, folded it carefully, and put it in his coat pocket: "Thank you for coming to tell me. I still remember some companies... Although I am no longer in this business, those companies may still be willing to do me some favors."
When he said this, he was still gentle and looked down, as if he was very quiet and shy.
Yu Tang just came downstairs to buy groceries. He was wearing an ordinary tweed jacket and framed glasses. His delicate features were hidden by the frames, making him look so ordinary that he would disappear in a flash if thrown into a crowd.
But when Qian Bin looked at him, it was as if he saw the former Special Assistant Yu.
He was a quiet, silent, and almost dull person, but he suppressed a group of professional and experienced agents and easily got the resources that made them jealous.
When Yu Tang got those resources and told the studio staff to do it, he made the arrangements casually, as if he had no idea how valuable these resources were and how much the agent had tried so hard to get them.
"Yu Tang." Ke Ming suddenly asked, "You don't remember anything?"
Yu Tang raised his eyes.
His eyelashes flickered slightly, and his fingertips trembled imperceptibly.
He was wearing a bracelet that monitored his vital signs, and before the indicator light flashed, Yu Tang fumbled and pressed a button on the side.
"Don't you love Sui Si to death?"
Ke Ming saw the flashing red light. He guessed that it was a warning of fluctuations in vital signs. He lowered his voice and stared at Yu Tang: "You have been in a fake marriage with him for almost three years, and you haven't divorced yet, just to help him act. You are willing to be his dog, and you don't care about money or your life for him. You know very well that he likes me."
"Do you think that after all these years, I didn't know that the gifts he gave me were all bought with your help? Sui Si was afraid that I would refuse to accept them after I knew about it... Why didn't I accept them?"
Ke Ming looked at him, his eyes gradually revealing undisguised malice: "You sent him to the hotel to date me, and you stayed outside to keep watch, sitting there with a fever all night, and came up the next morning to help us clean up..."
Ke Ming originally just wanted to say something to provoke Yu Tang, but for some reason, he couldn't stop once he started.
He firmly believed that it was Yu Tang's fault.
If Yu Tang had not occupied that position, and had been showing affection with Sui Si in front of the camera for almost three years in front of him, he would have been able to put aside those distractions and love Sui Si wholeheartedly.
But during those three years, when he saw Yu Tang beside Sui Si, the darkness gradually grew...
"No." Yu Tang said, "You are lying."
Ke Ming's voice suddenly stopped.
The words that he didn't finish in time seemed to have turned into sharp thorns, all stuck in his throat, making his delicate features look a little strange: "What did you say?"
"I don't remember any of that."
Yu Tang: "But if what you said is true, and you two truly love each other, you also like him."
"If that's the case," Yu Tang said, "then I would be in pain every time I see you... I should have forgotten you by now."
Yu Tang looked at him and said, "But I remember you."
Ke Ming's body stiffened.
"You are the one who gave me candy in the orphanage and asked me to change the word "" after you on the form for receiving financial assistance."
Yu Tang said, "Candy tastes good, so I am not sad about this."
He will only forget those things that are too sad.
He still remembered what Ke Ming did to him: "I remember that I was punished with an electric shock device, and you told me that if I kept it a secret and didn't tell anyone that you were also from an orphanage, you would turn off the electric shock device for me, and you promised to give me one million."
Yu Tang asked him: "Can I still take it now? I want to do charity work. Many people don't have books to read. I want them to read..."
Ke Ming was afraid of attracting attention, so he shouted in a low voice, "Yu Tang!"
Yu Tang stopped talking.
He said nothing, his eyelashes drooped, and he sat properly with his hands on his legs, his shoulders and back straight.
This is a common request made to patients when they attend psychology lectures in the hospital.
His features were always gentle, and he would never get angry no matter how someone scolded him. But when he sat like this, he revealed a hint of coldness that he had never had before.
Ke Ming suddenly noticed the cold sweat between Yu Tang's brows.
Yu Tang sat down, his dark eyelashes soaked with cold sweat. He didn't know when his face started to turn pale and transparent, just like in the past when he was exhausted and under great pressure both physically and mentally.
This discovery made Ke Ming feel at ease. He sneered with disdain, looking at Yu Tang who was resisting stubbornly, and lowered his voice to his ear, enunciating each word.
"Assistant Yu, do you really not remember your teacher Sui at all?"
Yu Tang raised his eyes.
Ke Ming threw a box that he had prepared earlier on the table.
He found it in Sui Si's suitcase when he was packing for Sui Si a few days ago.
He didn't know the specific origins of the two inconspicuous lucky bags, but he knew that once these things were taken out, they could cost Yu Tang his life.
Ke Ming put it away and always carried it with him without taking it out.
At this point, it is impossible to figure out what he wants from Sui Si... But one thing is certain: Yu Tang must disappear.
As long as Yu Tang is around, Sui Si will no longer have the daydream of making a comeback.
Yu Tang sat still, then reached out his hand and opened the box.
"Host!" The system couldn't bear to watch any longer. It saw that the stress value had reached 58, and it was pounding in the entire sea of consciousness. "We can't go on like this! This kind of unbuffered emotional collapse will directly backfire on the host!"
Yu Tang was in the sea of consciousness, and he stretched out his hand to suppress the system: "Don't worry, let's wait and see."
"Urgent!" The system was so anxious that it played "Pirates of the Caribbean" loudly, "Pour the coffee on their heads, flip the table and leave! OOC is OOC, let them electrocute me first, let them electrocute me, host—"
Yu Tang turned off the system's stereo speakers.
He almost made a PUA skill card that day, but destroyed it halfway. Inspired by the suggestive therapy of a psychological counselor, he suddenly realized that he could make an anti-PUA hacking skill card.
If Yu Tang can make it through today on his own, it means that the basic function test of this skill card has passed.
Yu Tang knew what was going on. He would not risk the mission and himself. He kept a distracted eye on the pressure value, ready to take back control, flip the table and run away when it broke through 59.
…
The next moment, the entire sea of consciousness suddenly became quiet.
The pressure value dropped sharply, rapidly falling by 50, and Yu Tang's abnormal reaction also disappeared, leaving only a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.
Ke Ming's stunned expression froze on his face.
Qian Bin glanced at the contents of the box, his face changed drastically, and he stood up suddenly.
"… System." Yu Tang turned on the system's speaker. "What's up? According to the plot, isn't this a lucky bag?"
Yu Tang just played the video, and saw Ke Ming put the lucky bag in it with his own eyes: "Why did it become a stun gun?"
"We have already sold the lucky bags, host."
The system whispered, "On the day of selling lucky bags, a temporary cleaner came to clean up Ke Ming's room..."
"Because I didn't understand the situation, I thought the lucky bag was gone." Yu Tang already understood the system's routine, "But why did it turn into an electric shock device?"
The system didn't know either, and flipped through the exchange form: "The electric shock device was returned. Among the real items that the host exchanges 1:1, items that seriously affect personal safety or harm personal health are prohibited. After the review fails and the item is returned, a temporary cleaner will be randomly generated..."
Yu Tang: “…”
system:"… "
Yu Tang was not in the mood to discuss the rigid problems in all aspects of the Chuanshuju for the time being. He knocked his forehead hard and quickly regained control of his body: "It's over."
The system was startled: "What's wrong?"
Yu Tang took a deep breath.
When the psychological counselor was consulting Yu Tang, he learned that Yu Tang had been punished with electric shocks several times, and he found it extremely unbelievable.
In order to enhance Yu Tang's self-protection awareness, the counselor added a little more hint when giving Yu Tang psychological advice: "When encountering personal threats and harm, you should have the courage to seek help from the police in a timely manner."
Yu Tang thought this item made sense, so he included it when writing the program.
This level of program is equivalent to psychological suggestion, which will produce conditioned reflex. Once a triggering scene is encountered, it will automatically run first, and accordingly, the stress value will drop instantly due to the release of stress.
…
"The system," Yu Tang said, "advised me not to."
system:"… "
System: "Host, no."
Yu Tang's program has its own ideas.
He ended the recording function of the bracelet, lowered his eyelashes, looked at the defibrillator, and pressed the alarm button.
The bracelet's distress alarm rang instantly.
This is a bracelet specially distributed by the federal government to vulnerable groups. When everyone hears the alarm, they must provide help, protect the person calling for help, and temporarily control the suspected perpetrator.
Ke Ming and Qian Bin's expressions changed completely.
None of them knew how the lucky bag turned into an electric shock device, and they never expected Yu Tang to do such a thing. They stood up in a hurry, but were blocked by someone.
"Sorry, gentlemen." The owner of the cafe stopped Ke Ming and said, "Please cooperate with us to understand the situation."
"It has nothing to do with me!" Ke Ming said in a deep voice, "Get out of the way, I—"
"Hello." Yu Tang said.
Ke Ming's eyes widened, his face turned pale, and he turned his head to look at Yu Tang.
He had planned for all possibilities and had never expected such a bizarre development.
Yu Tang lowered his eyes and held the phone in one hand.
The gentleness and coldness just now disappeared, and he stood quietly, like an insensitive robot: "I received a personal threat related to the electric shock device. I am very scared and want to seek help from the police."