William didn’t even bother to pay attention to Dylan, instead he remarked coolly to Alice, “There wasn’t much to clean up in the room, so why don’t you just find a chair and sit down? You’re all jittery and restless. What’s that about?”
“Jittery? Restless?”
Alice was on the brink of exploding with frustration.
She couldn’t understand why, in the first place, she had agreed to become an apprentice to this man. What was even more baffling was that after realizing that William was just a young man, she had still agreed to honor him in the traditional manner of a student bowing before a master. She must’ve lost her mind!
William, appearing younger than Alice, had the audacity to reprimand her like she was some inexperienced child. His words seemed more fitting for an elder speaking to their junior.
Visibly agitated, Alice pointed at Dylan and asked, “Master, given his current condition, how should he be treated?”
Noting Alice’s discontent, William nonchalantly responded, “What do you think should be done?”
Raising an eyebrow, Alice responded, “He seems to have been severely traumatized. I would start by teaching him deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and other relaxation techniques to balance his autonomic nervous system and promote physical relaxation. Additionally, short-term use of anti-anxiety medication or sedatives might be considered to alleviate his symptoms.”
Leisurely sitting up and stretching, William remarked, “Why go through all that fuss? Just give him a good slap across the face. Problem solved.”
Alice’s eyebrow shot up even further, now seriously questioning William’s medical expertise. Cure trauma with a slap? Why not just pray it away?
Dylan, still in shock from the prior events and hearing William’s suggestion, shuddered.
Why had he messed with this oddball in the first place? A mere reprimand had shattered his courage, leaving him feeling utterly powerless. But what if, instead of Alice, William were to slap him? Would one slap from William finish him off? The mere thought terrified him.
“Alice, hit me!” Dylan’s face was contorted with emotion, tears streaming as he nearly begged Alice. “Please, just slap me! I promise I’ll never bother you again.”
Alice was taken aback, suspecting that Dylan might have lost his sanity. Begging for a slap? Moreover, this was the same guy who had been relentless in pursuing her in the past. Now, he’s swearing never to chase after her again? That’s a silver lining if there ever was one.
“You better remember what you said!” Alice rationalized that one slap couldn’t hurt him that much, right? At worst, she could just administer a sedative later. What mattered now was getting Dylan to stop pursuing her.
“If you slap me, I swear on my life that I will never bother you again.” Dylan was almost desperate, fearing that William might suddenly lose his temper and slap him instead.
William sat in his chair, observing silently.
Alice approached, bent down, and gently slapped Dylan. The slap was neither hard nor soft, and Dylan remained on the ground, looking defeated.
“Was that it? Didn’t have breakfast or something?” William finally got up, saying, “Want me to show you how it’s done?”
“No!” Dylan shouted. If he could, he would’ve knelt before Alice, “Please, hit me harder! Use all your strength.”
Alice had never heard such a bizarre request in her life.
But since it had come to this, she lifted her hand and with all her might, delivered a resounding slap.
“Smack!”
That slap was spot on!
The sound of the slap was sharp and resonant.
It left Dylan seeing stars!
However, after the slap, Dylan suddenly felt reinvigorated. He got up and sprinted out of the courtyard.
“My apologies!”
From outside the courtyard, Dylan’s scream echoed. William had scared the living daylights out of him without doing much at all.
Dylan’s reaction left Alice dumbfounded.
Did just one slap cure him?
William chuckled, “Now do you believe what I said?”
She couldn’t deny it. Just moments ago, Dylan was sprawled on the ground like a ragdoll, terrified. But after one slap, he was bursting with energy, running faster than a rabbit. ．𝚌ｏ𝚖
In reality, whether Dylan was slapped or not was irrelevant. If William wanted him to be fine, it was just a matter of thought, no action required.
For a moment, Alice was speechless. She stared at her hand, lost in thought.
Was this merely a coincidence?
Or was Dylan just acting?
The more she thought, the more puzzled she became.
Perhaps, William came from an influential background and her grandfather had arranged for Dylan to play along with William.
In reality, Dylan might not have been startled at all. Everything was a setup to support William’s act.
Thinking this, it seemed the only plausible explanation.
With that thought, William didn’t seem that impressive anymore.
Humph! Just trying to act mysterious.
While William had the ability to easily discern others’ thoughts, he didn’t like to do so.
Life was already mundane enough; if he knew what others were thinking, wouldn’t it be even more monotonous?
“You two know each other, don’t you?” Alice raised an eyebrow and questioned.
Though William didn’t actively probe her thoughts, when she uttered those words, he naturally discerned her musings.
“If you think we know each other, then we do,” William replied, too nonchalant to explain. At this point, Alice was the one wanting to become his disciple. Why should he care about her opinion?
“If I’m to accept you as my master, you should at least demonstrate some real skills,” Alice scoffed. “Are these mysterious antics really necessary?”
William chuckled, amused, “Young lady, let’s get one thing clear – it’s you who wants to acknowledge me as your master, not the other way around. Since we haven’t formalized anything, you’re free to leave whenever. I’m not stopping you.”
“…” Alice felt like talking to this young man was exasperating.
Over the years, she had met countless individuals.
Those men trying to woo her used every trick in the book. William’s antics weren’t particularly clever in comparison.
Playing hard to get, feigning profundity?
“Fine, I’ll leave!” With that, Alice turned on her heel and left the courtyard.
William sauntered back into the house. The water was still heating on the stove. Once it boiled, he could brew a pot of tea. It’d taste just as delightful.
After exiting, Alice immediately called her grandfather.
“Grandpa, who exactly is William? What can someone his age teach me?” Alice complained. “Don’t think I haven’t figured it out. You probably want me to date him, right? I’ve told you before, I can handle my own affairs. There’s no need for you to rush things; I’m not in a hurry.”