The Reincarnated OP Protagonist Is Now A 3rd Grade Student (Patreon)

Chapter 36: The Not-So-All-Powerful Wishing Machine

After spending as much carefree time as possible, Chen An encountered Tan Jing on the way home from school.

"Lu Li, you go ahead, I suddenly remembered I have something to do."

Lu Li, who was thinking about where to go for her next duel, was startled. She wanted to say something, but she didn't want to disturb Chen An, so she could only reluctantly nod and go home first.

"I thought you would bring her along," Tan Jing said as she watched Chen An dismiss Lu Li. "After all, she's also involved."

"No matter how justified it is, what we're doing is not something that should be seen in the light of day."

Chen An shook his head. "I certainly don't feel ashamed of what I'm doing, but if I can, I don't want innocent children to get involved."

Tan Jing stared at Chen An in amazement, "When you said that, you didn't realize that you're just a little guy yourself?"

"I'm special, so it's not a problem."

Chen An shook his head. "Sister, let's get back to the point. I'm sure you called me for something related to a 'phone call,' right?"

"Sheesh, You only call me 'Sister' at times like this."

Tan Jing pinched Chen An's exceptionally soft cheek with no mercy, then took out her functional phone.

"He called a few hours ago, but since you weren't around, I couldn't say much. I could only ask him to wait for me to call back. Although he didn't say much, from his tone, it's clear that he was genuinely scared by you."

As she said this, Tan Jing looked seriously at Chen An. This boy's face showed no sign of guilt; instead, he seemed pleased.

"He's scared, huh? That's great."

"Great?"

"Yes, fear is a good thing that can turn a 'person' into a 'wishing machine.'"

Chen An affirmed, "Because of the fear of torture, spies reveal the truth. Because of the fear of being harvested by insurance, leeks grow crazy. Because of the fear of being replaced at the top, bosses ruthlessly persecute their subordinates. To eliminate their own fears, humans are willing to do anything. Isn't that what makes them 'wishing machines' for living?"

"Okay, you've scared me now."

Tan Jing looked at Chen An speechlessly. The experts that she knew of had said that children from single-parent families would have more or less psychological issues, but they hadn't told her that their psychological issues would be so severe.

Shaking her head, Tan Jing took out the microphone again and handed it to Chen An.

"Uh, is this really necessary?"

Chen An looked at Tan Jing helplessly and said, "I'm right here in front of you, and that guy isn't. Can't you just relay what I'm saying directly to him?"

"Let's continue with this role play for now."

Tan Jing shook her head and said, "Even though it's just a comforting illusion, playing this childlike role allows me to continue treating you as a 'child.'"

"As long as you're happy, Sister."

Chen An shrugged and started testing the microphone, while Tan Jing dialed the phone number of Lu Li's father, Lu Yisheng.

In less than a second, the call was answered, and a frantic voice came through the phone.

"Thank goodness, you finally answered!"

Tan Jing was momentarily stunned. Lu Yisheng's anxious tone was like that of a desperate patient seeking a cure.

Facing Lu Yisheng in this state, as long as she didn't make any unreasonable demands, he would probably agree to anything. And this...

Wasn't he just a living "wishing machine"?

Chen An made a hand gesture to signal that Tan Jing could proceed.

"Officer, I followed your advice and tried something with my daughter. I made her drink the soup she dislikes the most, study the English she hates, and even sent her to the dentist to have her teeth pulled. But she... she..."

"She didn't resist your commands at all, did she?"

Tan Jing sighed. "The situation is developing in a way I least expected."

"Her 'resistance' to unreasonable commands has completely disappeared, leaving only unlimited obedience to 'authority.'"

Lu Yisheng's worried words were transmitted through the functional phone to Chen An's ears.

"We are her parents, but we can't watch her every day. If she loses her resistance to authority and is targeted by bad people, what can we do, Officer? You must help me, no matter how much it costs!"

"Your money can't buy back your daughter's resistance to authority."

Tan Jing shook her head. "You repeatedly refused your child's requests, and you forced her to do things she didn't like. This process is the main culprit behind her loss of resistance to authority. First, you need to correct this."

"Yes, I will. I'll buy her the most expensive robot toys she likes... Then what? Will her condition improve?"

Lu Yisheng asked hopefully.

"How could it? You need to take her to a psychologist and accompany her for treatment."

"A psychologist? Okay, I understand."

"No, you understand nothing!"

At Chen An's signal, Tan Jing used an irritated tone to speak into the phone, "Mental illnesses are different from other illnesses; they are wounds to a person's mental state. Ordinary doctors can't even diagnose, let alone treat them. You can look up the Rosenhan experiment to see how ignorant people are about psychological illnesses."

"What... What should I do then?"

Lu Yisheng's voice trembled.

Feeling that the time was right, Chen An decided to reveal the truth and signaled Tan Jing to switch to a gentler tone.

"I can introduce you to a doctor I know. She's in the countryside near our city. You can try your luck with her. The doctor's name is Chen Yonghua, and she's a well-known healer in the area. She might be able to help you with something."

"Thank you! I'll take my daughter to see that doctor!"

Lu Yisheng repeatedly thanked them.

"By the way, you should also buy your daughter some expensive ice cream, like Häagen-Dazs, and various snacks like barbecue."

"Eh?"

Lu Yisheng looked puzzled upon hearing that, "Snacks? But that's not healthy for kids."

"Well, that's true. So, you should buy her lots of White Rabbit milk candies, instant noodles, cat ear snacks, Beijing roast duck, and so on. In short, spoil her. Although it's not very healthy for the body, compared to psychological issues, a little unhealthiness is nothing."

Tan Jing looked at Chen An with a twitching corner of her mouth, and the little one continued to list various snacks from the convenience store, his eyes sparkling.

This child really treats other people's adults as his own 'wish machine.'