Chapter 1076: Father and Son (Part 5) (Patreon)

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Schiller, standing by the window, closed the curtains. A hoarse voice came from behind him, "Doctor, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it seemed like a shooting star just flew by." Schiller shook his head and turned around to face Robert, who was lying on the bed. He said, "Ever since Iron Man appeared, there have been more and more shooting stars in the sky over New York. Hopefully, the young couples in college will never know that the shooting star they long for might just be a failed plane crash."

Robert on the bed seemed to be in better spirits, and he even managed to smile at the joke, although his expression was still a bit stiff due to the sedatives he had taken.

"I'm sorry, Robert, but because of your immense power, sedatives are necessary during the medication process. Otherwise, if you were to go mad, everything here could be destroyed." Schiller held a notebook in his hands and sat down by the bedside.

"Of course, Doctor." Robert lowered his head and looked at his hands. He said, "Ever since I gained this power, I've always been causing trouble. Sometimes, I can't even tell if it's intentional or if my powers have gone out of control..."

"In fact, even before I had this power, I was always getting into trouble." Robert seemed a bit weary, but there were some things he needed to get off his chest. He continued, "Christmas is coming soon, right? I remember the atmosphere in the room before I left home for that Christmas. It wasn't even as good as the atmosphere in this hospital room."

"What happened?" Schiller asked.

"I don't remember anymore." Robert shook his head and said, "But it was just some small things, maybe I didn't fly to the nearest airport to let him pick me up, or maybe I brought back a girlfriend he didn't like..."

"Who is he?"

"My father." Robert clenched the bedsheet with his hands. Schiller looked into his eyes and asked, "You've never mentioned your family to me before. What kind of person is your father?"

"Just like any other father in the world." Robert gave a vague answer, but then he added, "I hope I can do everything according to his wishes, live the successful life he envisions, regardless of whether I truly want to live such a life."

"From your attitude, it seems like you're not willing?" Schiller poured a glass of water for Robert, but Robert shook his head slightly and said, "He's a successful figure recognized by society. There's nothing wrong with that kind of life."

"The only problem is that ever since I was three years old, he wanted me to become like him. Every word, every action, had to conform to the behavior of a successful prosecutor in his childhood."

"It seems like he has put a lot of pressure on you."

"In fact, I never knew what he wanted me to do." Under the influence of the calming medicine, Robert's thoughts became somewhat hazy, but it allowed him to speak his mind. "Maybe even he doesn't know what he wants me to do..."

"He achieved success, so he thinks that as long as I follow the path he has laid out, I will also succeed. But the path he took was not assigned by anyone else, and there are no rules to it."

"So, sometimes he asks me to do things one way, and then a while later, he asks me to do the opposite. The tone of his orders and his serious attitude are the same, but what he wants me to do is completely different, even the opposite."

"He says I shouldn't be lighthearted, that I should be responsible and just, but then he says I should be flexible and adaptable."

"If I can't do it, he says that he did it that way in the past and achieved success through it. If I had truly learned from his behavior, I wouldn't appear so foolish..."

Robert closed his eyes and spoke with a slightly dry voice, "He would often get angry for no reason, asking if I thought he wasn't worthy of being my father, if I preferred my mother because my maternal grandfather was wealthier, if I looked down on him..."

After Robert fell silent, Schiller let out a deep sigh. If he were to judge, Robert's father had a typical personality that could appear in textbooks, and his case of failed education was no different.

"The first thing is, this is not your fault," Schiller looked at Robert, setting the tone for this matter before continuing, "Your father is not educating a child, but rather the failed version of himself."

Just as Robert was about to speak, Schiller nodded and said, "Indeed, from a societal standpoint, he has achieved a relatively high position, but that doesn't mean he isn't a failure."

"Your father behaves as if he is extremely proud of his current accomplishments, emphasizing his success whenever he talks about it with anyone. However, what he doesn't mention is that he still has many unfulfilled desires."

"These desires may be so immense that they are impossible to satisfy, or perhaps speaking about them would tarnish his perfect image, or maybe he is ashamed to admit them morally. However, in reality, he is not as content with his current situation as he portrays himself to be."

"But he can express his desires in another form, through 'educating' you."

"He tries to establish in you the self-esteem he failed to establish in himself and beautifies his unspeakable greed as expectations for you."

Robert turned his head to look at Schiller, who crossed his fingers and placed his hands in front of him before continuing, "And he doesn't do this to others, only to you. It's not because he loves you, but simply because you are a child who cannot resist or even discern."

"He guides you based on what he believes should have been his perfect life and the abilities he thinks are necessary to achieve that life. It is neither correct nor selfless."

"Furthermore, he believes that he hasn't been able to attain a perfect life due to bad luck. He thinks that if he had a chance to start over, he would undoubtedly make up for his regrets and be even more successful."

"He believes that you are his opportunity for a fresh start and firmly believes that he already holds the answers to the test of life, expecting you to fill in the blanks according to his answers. If you don't comply, he thinks you are ungrateful."

"But in reality, if he truly had the ability to answer every question correctly, he would have already lived the life he desired."

"The answers he provides are actually derived from his mediocre life. These experiences aren't the correct answers, and even if you followed them meticulously, you wouldn't score high."

"Yet, he won't believe any of this." Schiller shook his head and said, "He will only become more dissatisfied with you, thinking that you are useless because you couldn't provide the correct answers despite having them."

"Even if you were a completely emotionless robot and followed his every step meticulously, when you ultimately fail to achieve the success he desires, he will only say one thing: 'Why didn't you have your own opinion at that time?'"

"He hands you a test paper with a score of 60, demanding that you score a perfect 60 without a single mistake. Ideally, he expects you to even surpass that score within the framework of a 60-point education, coming up with inspired ideas to help him reach a score of 90. If you can't do it, he will think you are useless."

Robert stared at Schiller in a daze. Then, feeling somewhat embarrassed, he wiped the corner of his lips and lowered his head, clutching the blanket tightly, and said, "This is simply magic..."

Afterward, he suddenly lifted his head again, staring wide-eyed at Schiller and asked, "Doctor, regarding my father, my mind is often filled with fragments that I can't integrate at all..."

"But your words just now, as if by some miracle, managed to piece together these fragments flawlessly, even expressing them more concisely and accurately. Is this your superpower?"

"It's just psychology," Schiller lowered his head and glanced at his notebook, saying, "And the second thing I want to tell you is that your family's educational situation is not unique. It is such a typical case that it could be written into textbooks. Many people are in the same situation as you."

Robert opened his mouth wide and after a long while, he slowly said, "Is it really not just my bad luck?"

"Your luck is indeed not very good," Schiller pushed his glasses up and looked at him, saying, "Your father's behavior is more extreme, but many parents exhibit similar symptoms. It's just that they are not as apparent as your father's."

"...Symptoms?" Robert repeated the word.

"Correct. This is actually a typical psychological issue. It's not as simple as the saying 'wishing for the child to become a dragon' or 'hoping children take the right path.' It requires understanding and treatment," Schiller explained.

"But now, I'm the one lying in the hospital..."

"Just because there aren't enough patients seeking treatment for this condition doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously," Schiller shook his head. "The reason it hasn't received much attention is because the victims are children, and they have almost no voice."

"When your father becomes unpredictable and pours his controlling desires onto you, can you go to the hospital and tell a psychiatrist, 'My father might be sick, please treat him'?"

"Even if the doctor believes you, nobody else will because he is an adult, and you are a child."

"Simply put, education has its requirements. It needs patience, perseverance, knowledge of education, an understanding of children's psychology, and consistent and integrated thoughts and actions. But it doesn't require bullying the weak, only a lack of manners."

Robert clenched his fists and exclaimed with excitement, "That's exactly what I wanted to say!"

"When I was young, every time I didn't do as my father said, and he blamed me for it, I didn't even have a place to explain. The things he asked me to do were impossible to accomplish, or he didn't make it clear, and nobody would listen to my explanations..."

"Over time, I started to feel that it was truly my fault. I thought, since I couldn't become a successful person like him anyway, I might as well become a rotten person, to the point where he would get angry and disappointed. I found joy in revenge against him."

"But then the people around me turned around and blamed me, saying that I had such a successful father, yet I didn't study well. They said I didn't appreciate it, and there were many people who didn't have a dignified background..."

"Alright, calm down, Robert," Schiller began to console Robert, whose speech had become increasingly faster. He said, "Do you remember the two points I told you? First, it's not your fault, and second, you're not the only victim."

Upon hearing Schiller's last sentence, Robert gradually calmed down. After a moment, he spoke slowly, "What about the others?"

Schiller looked at him silently, waiting for him to clarify the direction of this question. To his surprise, Robert asked, "Have you told these things to others? Do they know these two points?"

"Sadly, no," Schiller shook his head. "So far, you're the only case I've come across, but tragedies in family education are all too common."

"Then why don't you let more people know?" Robert asked.

"I have only analyzed the root causes of your issues. As an excellent psychologist, I should provide methods to deal with them," Schiller said as he stood up and walked to his desk. He opened a drawer and took out a book, handing it to Robert, saying, "This is a book I wrote. The content is not important. What's important is the title."

Following his words, Robert looked at the cover of the book. The book cover was designed very simply, even a bit too simple. The beige cover only had a few words written on it.

Robert read those words aloud, "Learn to Speak Well?"

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1077: Father and Son (Part Six)