The Psychologist Episode 18 Recap
> The Psychologist Recap
Mo Yu finally arrived at his colleagues' dinner party, but the meal was already over, and everyone was deep into drinking. His colleagues immediately began urging him to drink, introducing him to Mr. Xu, an important client. They praised Mo's work ethic and capability, claiming he could handle any tough job overnight. They pressed him to make a toast to Mr. Xu and drink as a "punishment" for being late.
Despite Mo's protests of being unable to drink more, they forced him to drink three glasses. Mr. Xu commented on Mo's drinking capacity and then toasted him, with colleagues continuing to push Mo to drink. Eventually, they made Mo spin around ten times as a new "punishment," making him dizzy and disoriented, all while mocking him. Later that night, Mo Yu awoke alone in the restaurant.
A waiter informed him of the bill, 7,488 yuan, prompting Mo to realize that his colleagues had left him with the entire tab, confirming he had been deliberately embarrassed and played for a fool. Meanwhile, Lili woke up in Mr. Fang's villa. He called her "Baby" and gently woke her, telling her he had prepared a delicious breakfast downstairs.
Lili went down to find a table laden with famous Southwestern Chinese dishes, including Green Pepper Chicken, Fried Crispy Pork, Dongpo Pig Knuckle, and Steamed Longsnout Catfish, which Mr. Fang had learned to cook for her. Lili, touched, confessed that she had spent her life caring for others and this was the first time she was truly cared for. While she expressed her happiness about meeting him, she also worried that this perfect situation might just be a fleeting mirage.
Mr. Fang promised to make Northern Chinese dishes next time. Mo Yu, clearly distressed, returned to He Dun's studio, lamenting, "Ms. He, am I screwed?" He confessed to offending his colleagues and felt they hated him for refusing to help with a presentation. He believed they intentionally set up the recent dinner party to embarrass him with excessive drinking. He Dun gently urged him to explain what happened.
Mo regretfully stated he should have helped them and shouldn't have refused, now feeling his life was "about to collapse." He Dun used a "belief scale," where Mo rated 90 out of 100 for the statement, "If other people hate you, your life will become terrible." He Dun reviewed Mo's past homework, noting that out of many rejections, only one had resulted in bad feedback, yet this single instance caused his current severe distress.
Mo feared that if his three colleagues—Lu, Huahua, and Yu—hated him, everyone in the company would too. He revealed a lifelong struggle with constantly seeking others' approval, meticulously analyzing their expressions and replies in conversations and texts. He explained his desperate need to be liked to prevent his world from crumbling, a fear stemming from past isolation.
He shared a childhood memory where his "friends" asked him to clean the classroom, and when he refused, they started avoiding and teasing him. His parents, busy, dismissed his concerns, advising him to "bite the bullet" and find reasons within himself if people didn't like him. They told him to stay away from bullies and that being "well-behaved" was the way to make friends.
This taught him to tolerate mistreatment and blame himself, leading him to believe he was "not good enough" and "not worthy of being liked." He Dun reassured Mo Yu that his feelings were valid and that his isolation was not his fault. She explained that his kindness led him to internalize all blame, making him feel his true self was unworthy of affection. This fear drove him to accept all requests, good or bad, hoping to gain acceptance.
Mo agreed with He Dun's assessment, and she concluded the session by telling him that only by first accepting and liking his true self could he truly be liked by others for who he is. After her session with Mo Yu, He Dun received a call from Lili’s mother. Lili's mother, struggling to pay an electricity bill for a shop, revealed that Lili had rented a storefront for her to open a grocery store.
She also expressed surprise at where Lili got so much money. He Dun, remembering Ye Jiahui's earlier remarks, tried to deflect, saying Lili had a new job with a good pay raise. Lili's mother then said that Lili just called her back and invited He Dun to visit the store. This news intensified He Dun's concern for Lili. Qian Kaiyi met Lili for coffee, ostensibly for a casual chat, but pressed her for information about He Dun's feelings.
Lili playfully teased him before admitting that He Dun might like him "a little bit." Qian Kaiyi then passionately confessed his deep feelings for He Dun, explaining how he fell for her because of her bravery, his anxiety when she was in danger, and his jealousy of Ye Jiahui. He asked Lili how to win He Dun's heart.
Lili, despite her earlier reservations, said she was optimistic about him but clarified that he wasn't He Dun's "type," which she described as "intricate and calm," implicitly referring to Ye Jiahui. Qian Kaiyi immediately questioned if she meant Ye Jiahui. Lili then reminisced about high school, saying He Dun used to chase Qian Kaiyi, highlighting how "things will change." Qian Kaiyi, suddenly realizing the implication, asked her to repeat her last statement.
Lili, after a brief hesitation, confirmed that "Guy Number-Nine" (referring to Qian Kaiyi) was the one He Dun used to like. Realizing the magnitude of her accidental revelation, Lili immediately swore him to secrecy. Qian Kaiyi, overjoyed by the news, profusely thanked Lili. He Dun sat in her studio, looking through her old middle school diary. Inside, she found a drawing of Qian Kaiyi playing basketball, a vivid memory of his spirited youth that she still cherished.
Later, on a street, Ye Jiahui "accidentally" bumped into Mo Yu. Pretending to recognize him from his dropped work permit, Ye Jiahui smoothly introduced himself and discussed media placement and channel issues related to advertising planning, offering to exchange contact information. He remarked that He Dun had good taste in people. He Dun dozed off over her diary and was plunged into another vivid nightmare about Junjun.
In the dream, Junjun cheerfully asked why she was crying, offering to "kick those bullies' asses" and invent a sweet, candy-like medicine to make her and everyone else happy. He Dun, overcome with emotion, cried and apologized, begging him not to leave her, promising never to argue again, and vowing to buy him his favorite beef jerky and cupcakes, even practice ninjutsu with him.
But suddenly, Junjun vanished into a mirror, reappearing to point an accusing finger at her, saying, "It's all your fault! I blame you! I don't want to see you again!" He Dun woke up in a panic. While He Dun was still shaken from her nightmare, Qian Kaiyi arrived at her door with a bouquet of roses. He had intended to confess his feelings, but seeing her distressed, he hesitated and accidentally kicked the roses.
He quickly covered by claiming he was just delivering a high school group photo that he and Yuan found. He Dun noticed the scattered rose petals and commented on his black attire, asking why he was imitating Ye Jiahui. Qian Kaiyi admitted he thought she might like the more mature look. He Dun chuckled, telling him his usual floral shirts suited him better, and expressed her appreciation for the shared high school photo.
Later that night, Ye Jiahui, using the alias Fei, spent time with Mo Yu. Mo offered to discuss business, mentioning his company's advertising channels, but Fei gently steered the conversation away from work. Mo expressed his feelings of being a "nobody" at work, ignored by colleagues, and feeling unworthy of friendship. Fei, feigning understanding and empathy, shared that he too sought a "true friend" beyond mere "work partners" and "interest's sake" connections.
He reassured Mo that making friends simply required a "sincere heart." Mo, touched by Fei's words, then confessed that he had lied, admitting his desire to be a good employee and colleague, but lamenting that no matter how much he did for his coworkers, they still didn't like or trust him. Fei comforted Mo, telling him it wasn't his fault and that not everyone needs to "fit in."
He stressed that being "strong enough" meant not needing external validation to live a good life, citing his own solitary lifestyle. Inspired, Mo asked if he could become as strong as Fei, to which Fei readily promised his help. The next day, during a company meeting, Mo Yu sat actively at the front. The director praised Lin for the successful cosmetics project, which pleased the client and secured a potential framework agreement for the entire year.
Lin modestly attributed the success to everyone's efforts, but the director pressed him to share his experience, especially given his deep understanding of an unfamiliar field. Another colleague joked that Lin gained insights by discussing cosmetics with his girlfriend after work, making light of his supposed efforts. This sparked Mo's suppressed anger. When the director reiterated his commitment to giving credit where it was due, Mo finally burst out.
He angrily declared that he had written every single word of the marketing plan himself, including the consumer group, promotion direction, market analysis, and channel plans. He accused Lin of taking his work, reminding him that he had also done Lin's previous presentation. Mo challenged his colleagues, asking if they would have obtained such detailed data without his efforts of adding people on WeChat and distributing questionnaires, dismissing their claims of simple research.
He then explicitly asked if they remembered that the entire plan was his work. Later that night, Ye Jiahui's father arrived at his son's apartment, having been unable to reach him by phone or message. Ye Jiahui tried to defer the conversation, suggesting his father return another day due to the late hour. His father acknowledged the point, and Ye Jiahui then meekly asked for more time to "handle the thing about He Dun."
