Chapter 185: Paige: You're Batman, So I'm Robin?
"Did I cross the line?"
Paige's expression grew even more excited upon hearing this. "Where did I cross the line?"
"Hypnotizing Monica,"
Chuck explained.
"So she asked that question?"
Paige chuckled. "How did you answer?"
"I don't need to answer,"
Chuck said calmly. "Why did you do it?"
"I don't think I need to answer that question either,"
Paige said with a smile.
Chuck remained silent.
"I'm really looking forward to hearing the details of tonight,"
Paige said, looking at Chuck.
"Stop hypnotizing Monica,"
Chuck said.
"Actually, this isn't hypnosis at all,"
Paige said with a casual smile. "It's just psychological counseling, and hypnosis can't distort a person's will. It only works when the other person is receptive. I just learned about hypnosis from Sheldon's philosophy professor. You don't think I really did anything harmful to Monica with hypnosis, do you?"
"Stop hypnotizing Monica,"
Chuck said slowly.
"Isn't this better?"
Paige imitated Chuck, leaning back in her chair and meeting his gaze. "Monica won't suffer because of your relationships anymore, and you won't have to waste time trying to manage her emotions. Everyone wins.
If possible, I'd really like to help you handle Amazing Amy with hypnosis, but unfortunately, hypnosis has many limitations. Not only can it only guide existing feelings, but it also requires the target to be vulnerable.
Amazing Amy may be difficult, but she's top-tier difficult, with an incredibly strong will.
Monica, on the other hand, isn't weak-willed, in a sense. After all, she has OCD. If her willpower was weak, she would have been cured long ago. But
I, a novice hypnotist, successfully hypnotized her. What do you think this means?"
Seeing Chuck silent, Paige's left lip curled up. "Am I really that powerful? Or has the gossip about you, Amazing Amy, and Dr. Bones been so widespread that it's dealt Monica a severe psychological blow, causing psychological issues and weakening her willpower to the extreme?"
Chuck stepped out of the shadows and looked Paige in the eye. "I don't want to say it a third time."
"Okay, okay."
Seeing Chuck's reaction, Paige pouted. "I get it. Seriously, who am I doing all this for?"
"I don't need those kinds of tactics."
Chuck met her eyes and said calmly, "At least, they won't be tolerated within my circle."
"Ha!"
Paige's eyes lit up, and she grinned. "I get it. You really do understand me and care about me."
Any other person would have directly told her not to do that to anyone again.
But such words betrayed their ignorance of her. Her personality and values had already matured. Simply demanding changes was wishful thinking; it could only be guided gradually, like hypnosis itself.
Chuck's added specification clearly showed that, having understood her nature, he wasn't going to try to fundamentally change her perspective and personality.
This also reinforced his commitment to protecting his circle; she was part of that circle after all.
As for those who weren't in his circle, as long as she had the ability, she could do whatever she pleased.
At that moment, countless thoughts raced through her mind. She thought, "Although Amazing Amy is strong-willed, if I use the right approach and give it enough time, I can definitely make her stop being a threat to Chuck and become one of us."
"How are things with you and Amazing Amy?"
Paige asked curiously. "Is there something wrong with her?"
"Yes,"
Chuck adjusted his glasses. "But it's nothing serious."
"I knew it,"
Paige said happily. "She definitely has issues! So you're playing a game with her?"
Chuck glanced at her.
"I know, I know. We can't talk about this anymore."
Paige immediately understood. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone and mess up your game."
At this point, she shook her head. "It's a shame you won't let me help you. Otherwise, it would be more fun if we worked together."
"There may be a chance,"
Chuck didn't rule out the possibility, but reminded her, "Sheldon Cooper is also in this circle."
"He's in it too?"
Paige smiled mischievously.
"He's in it!"
Chuck emphasized.
Paige's genius is undeniable. Having learned hypnosis from Sheldon's professor, she's immediately grasped its essence. Not only has she hypnotized Monica, but she's done it so thoroughly that she practically treats her like a puppet.
This is extremely dangerous.
Little Sheldon is a crucial source of energy points in Chuck's system, and he doesn't want Paige to manipulate him.
"Okay, okay,"
Paige said with a smile. "He's one of us, and he's quite entertaining. I won't do anything to him."
"And then there are the good people among ordinary people,"
Chuck added.
"Good people among ordinary people?"
Paige said with a frown. "Are you done with the restrictions? And how do I know who you consider good and bad?"
"I'll teach you,"
Chuck said, looking at her.
It's indeed difficult for sociopaths to distinguish between good and bad in the eyes of ordinary people, because for them, there's no such distinction.
Since Paige has already shown her darker tendencies, and she's capable of doing something extremely dangerous, guiding her through this process is for everyone's benefit.
At the very least, it's important to keep her from harming innocent people.
"You'll teach me?"
Paige's sullen expression instantly changed, and she smiled brightly. "According to Sheldon, you are Batman, so does that make me your Robin?"
"If that's how you want to see it,"
Chuck said calmly.
"If that's how I want to see it..."
Paige muttered, her left lip curling up. "Actually, compared to Robin, I'd rather be Talia al Ghul."
Chuck remained silent.
Talia al Ghul was the daughter of Ra's al Ghul, leader of the League of Assassins—evil, cold, and ruthless, but also possessed a hint of compassion, though that compassion was limited to her love interest, Batman.
"Monica could be Catwoman. Did you see Monica cosplaying as Catwoman last Halloween?"
Paige asked.
"Yes,"
Chuck nodded.
Catwoman is one of Batman's love interests, a character of moral ambiguity. However, compared to the more villainous Talia al Ghul, Catwoman is arguably more of a reformed anti-hero.
In some rebooted comics, Talia al Ghul has replaced Catwoman as Batman's primary romantic interest.
Monica did cosplay as Catwoman for Halloween, and indeed, many confident women have done so,
like Penny from The Big Bang Theory.
But compared to Monica's authentic DC Comics Catwoman, who wore a tight leather catsuit, Penny wore a short skirt version with an actual cat tail attached, literally cosplaying a cat-woman.
"Do you think it looked good?"
Paige asked with interest.
"You're still young. It's not time to discuss this."
Chuck shook his head.
Paige looked down at herself and said unconvincingly, "I'm already 12. Most girls start developing around that age. Maybe I'll be completely different by the time you see me tomorrow. Just wait and see!"
"Don't grow up ugly,"
Chuck said bluntly. "Most girls who were incredibly cute when they were little end up changing dramatically in the blink of an eye."
"..."
Paige glared at Chuck furiously. Seeing Chuck's lack of reaction, her expression suddenly changed. "So you're saying I'm incredibly cute now?"
"You're an Adler."
Chuck adjusted his glasses, but didn't answer directly. He glanced at Paige and turned to walk toward the door.
"You keep mentioning Adler bloodline. Do you know any other Adlers?"
Paige called after Chuck.
Chuck didn't answer, disappearing into the night.
"Incredibly cute, no, incredibly beautiful,"
Paige muttered to herself as she sat in her chair, then burst into delighted laughter and spun around in her seat.
New Hampshire
The Sanctuary
Anna, the girl in white, watched the girl on the screen spinning in her chair. As she listened to the clear, melodious laughter, the corners of her mouth twitched. She raised her hands with difficulty, her whole body trembling and twitching, before finally lowering them and regaining her composure.
The next day, Monica went to Paige's apartment in a good mood.
"You're in a good mood, Monica?"
Paige looked at Monica and smiled knowingly.
"You seem happy too,"
Monica said with a smile as she cleaned.
"Come here and tell me about it."
Paige waved at Monica.
"There's nothing much to tell,"
Monica said, but her body involuntarily walked over.
"I want to hear it, I like hearing about it, just tell me."
Paige pulled Monica's arm and acted playful.
"Well..."
Monica's eyes showed internal conflict, but she soon revealed what happened last night in a daze, her first-person perspective rich in detail.
"Hmph! Useless!"
Paige snorted softly when she heard Chuck hadn't answered Monica's question. Glancing at Monica, who stood there in a daze, she thought of Chuck's words and pouted. She patted Monica's arm and said, "Okay, Catwoman, you're done here."
Monica's eyes drifted, and she looked around in confusion.
"Monica, what's wrong with you?"
Paige looked at her curiously.
"Nothing, nothing."
Monica glanced at the cleaning cloth in her hand and instinctively continued cleaning, completely unaware that she had been hypnotized.
Haven, Connecticut
AC Consulting Company
"Dr. Wolfe, how long has it been since you've been here?"
Secretary Helen complained.
"I've been busy,"
Chuck said succinctly. He walked in and surveyed his office, which he hadn't been in for a long time. It was still spotless. Knowing that Helen hadn't lowered her standards in his absence, he nodded with satisfaction.
"I know you're busy,"
Secretary Helen said pointedly. "Jane and I have discussed this. She doesn't want to be in Las Vegas anymore. Is there any way you can transfer her here?"
"She didn't tell me,"
Chuck said, ignoring Helen's tone as Jane's aunt. After putting down his briefcase, he settled into his desk chair.
"She's embarrassed to ask you directly,"
Secretary Helen persisted. "I don't think she has a future in the FBI. How about having her resign and become your detective assistant? She has experience as an FBI agent, so she'd be more suitable than Chandler Bing."
That was what she wanted to say most.
As Jane's aunt, she had always hated her niece's decision to become an FBI agent, especially in lawless Las Vegas. Look at all the bodies turning up in Lake Mead, the largest reservoir there. It's terrifying. Who knows if her righteous, beautiful niece, who's constantly involved in dangerous cases, will one day become one of them?
The niece was clearly attracted to her boss, so it was natural to strike while the iron was hot and establish a solid relationship to keep those other women at bay.
Now one was away constantly on cases, while the other was in faraway Las Vegas, barely seeing each other twice a year. How could this work?
It would be best if the niece resigned and became a detective assistant for the boss. That way, they could work together every day and develop their relationship.
She knew that even though her boss seemed to be a ladies' man, once they established a solid relationship and got used to being together, everything would work out.
"I don't care what you think, I care what she thinks."
Chuck looked at her. "If she tells me, I'll consider it."
Whether Chandler or Jane was the detective assistant was irrelevant to Chuck. To him, it was just a change of pace, dispensable, and entirely dependent on circumstance.
"She'll tell you!"
Secretary Helen immediately resolved to have a serious talk with her niece and let her make the decision herself.
"What else is going on?"
Chuck began to look through the papers piling up on his desk.
"Nothing particularly important,"
Secretary Helen reported. "They're just some women who want to hire you as their accountant or detective. Whatever they can think of as an excuse to make contact is fine with them."
At this point, she couldn't help but purse her lips. "These are all just calls that came in after all those gossip stories came out. I already told you about them on the phone, and you said they weren't important and didn't need follow-up."
"Then why are you bringing them up again?"
Chuck frowned at her.
This was why he had previously rejected Secretary Helen's matchmaking efforts. Once involved, it went from a simple work relationship to something more complicated.
"Sorry, I thought you wanted to know."
Secretary Helen was startled by Chuck's look, but she quickly suppressed her 'matchmaker mentality' and said, "Not all of them are like that. One of them, Mrs. Heather, lost her daughter in a car accident recently, and she's devastated."
"She came here?"
Chuck asked. "Looking into her daughter's car accident?"
"Oh, no,"
Secretary Helen shook her head. "She hasn't been here. It's just that this is Haven, where nothing much happens. You asked if anything's happened recently, and I thought you might want to know."
"Who was responsible?"
Chuck asked, immediately starting an online search.
"She crashed her car into a tree,"
Secretary Helen explained. "I heard she was drunk, maybe high too. You know, none of these kids are good these days. Poor Mrs. Heather, such a good person, after enduring the pain of losing her husband, now has to deal with the pain of losing her daughter alone."
Chuck remained silent.
Haven is called "haven" for a reason, and that's why Chuck settled there, but everything is relative.
Compared to other chaotic and crime-ridden places, it is indeed safer.
But even so, it's still America, so naturally, some tragic incidents are inevitable.
The opioid crisis's reach certainly hasn't spared this place. With failing schools and peer pressure, it's not surprising that young people are exposed to these things too early.
In the past few years, only such a tragedy has happened here. That's actually fortunate.
Secretary Helen saw that Chuck didn't say anything else, so she tactfully withdrew and began to contact her niece Jane.
Chuck wasn't well-known among the general public before, but he had already attracted attention from certain circles. Now that he's become famous, look at how eager those women are. They're really shameless!
Based on her understanding of Chuck, she wasn't really worried about these opportunists. However, although these women were shameless, some of them were quite attractive, not inferior to her niece.
No matter how exceptional Chuck is, he's still a man.
(End of Chapter)
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