[POI Doujin] In the Perfect World

"Harold, you don't seem to welcome my arrival?" Groves stretched lazily, stroking his long hair with his slender fingers, and smiled charmingly at Finch who was standing blankly at the door.

Finch came back to his senses when he heard the words, walked quickly to the desk and put down the laptop and handouts in his arms, "Ms. Groves, what brought you, a busy person, to our mathematics department? You don't have to go to Barnes & Noble today to attend What's the point of coming to me for a signing event, or a private consultation for some Wall Street bigwig?"

Finch's tone wasn't kind, it was far from his usual gentle and polite way of dealing with people, it could even be called rude, but Groves didn't take it at all.The beautiful female professor raised her eyebrows and put on a pitiful expression, "Harold, I just stopped by to say hello, you don't have to be so repulsive?"

Groves has always preferred to call Finch by his first name, rather than "Mr. Finch" or "Professor Finch" like other colleagues.This familiar intimacy has been like this since the two first met, which makes Finch, who is used to keeping a certain distance from others, very uncomfortable.

However, Finch's strange attitude towards Groves is not only due to this point. Facing this female colleague, Finch always has unreasonable trust and... guard in his heart.

Guard and trust, these two emotions are completely different, but they were born together in Finch's heart when he first met Groves.Even after the two have known each other for many years, they can barely be regarded as friends. Although Finch sometimes seeks some psychological help from Groves, such as Will in the rebellious period, sometimes the help will also extend to certain personal areas, such as Grace Choosing a birthday present, but Finch's secretive wariness towards Groves remains undiminished. Finch attributed this guarding to his dislike of socializing with others, but he still couldn't explain the original origin of trust.Out of this ambivalence, when facing Groves, he will always try to open the distance between the two of them silently with words and attitudes, consciously or unconsciously.Although his efforts are usually defeated by Groves' "offensive" of growing warm and close.

For example, now, knowing that Groves' pitiful expression was just a disguise, the kind-hearted middle-aged professor couldn't help but began to examine whether his tone was too rigid.After all, Nathan was purely out of concern for his friend, and Groves was invited to come out of good intentions, so it was a little unnatural for him to hold back.Thinking of this, he pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose, cleared his throat, and said in a slow tone, "Ms. Groves, please don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for your visit. It's just that your visit was beyond my expectations, surprised The wording below may be inappropriate, please forgive me." The middle-aged professor sat down on the swivel chair behind the desk, leaned forward slightly, put his hands on the table with his elbows clasped, and dealt with the woman directly opposite him with as relaxed an attitude as possible. .

Groves put down his crossed legs, imitated Finch's way and leaned against the desk, leaned close to his face and carefully looked at the colleague in front of him, "Harold, is there anything wrong with your work or life recently?"

"Ms. Groves, I don't know where your worries come from? Of course I'm fine." Finch replied very quickly, and unconsciously straightened his back, with the most sincere expression on his face.After saying these two sentences, he paused for a few seconds, and considered the words in hesitation.The other party is not a rookie psychological counselor who is easy to dismiss. If she blindly avoids her eyes, it is the best policy to reveal part of the truth. "Although I was slightly unwell before, it has been diagnosed by a doctor now. It is just a minor problem, so I don't have any psychological pressure, and it doesn't affect the quality of sleep."

Groves didn't ask any further, but just tilted his head slightly and stared at Finch quietly with his wide and bright eyes, as if trying to get a little bit out of his expression. Finch felt uncomfortable when she saw him, but he didn't want to show weakness, so he forced himself to keep smiling.Fortunately, Groves' scrutiny didn't last too long. The beautiful professor let out a long sigh of relief and leaned back in the chair, muttering softly, "It's fine, Mr. Ingram must be scaring himself again, he always likes to worry about things!" "

"Nathan invited you to see me? Didn't you drop by?" It seems that he has achieved good results in maintaining a happy mood these days, and Finch is quite proud of it. While feeling relieved, he seized the loopholes in his female colleague's words to pretend quipped in surprise.

Groves glanced at the door imperceptibly, curled his lips, "Yesterday, the dean came to our psychology department in his busy schedule, and said that Harold, you may be under a lot of mental stress recently, and you want me to help you. I was very I'm worried, now that I see you, I know that the dean is thinking too much. It seems that the one who needs a psychiatrist is not you, Harold, but Mr. Ingram!"

"Since you found out that I'm here, you don't have to deliberately embarrass me in person, do you? Ms. Groves~" Nathan walked slowly into the room from the door, with a signature smile on his face.After turning to Finch, the smile turned apologetic, "Harold, I have invited Ms. Groves against your will, I hope you will not be offended."

Finch looked at Nathan helplessly, what else could he say?Complain about your friends caring too much about you? "Nathan, thank you for your kindness. I'm fine, there's no need to worry about me."

"Harold has a successful career and a happy life. There is nothing to worry about, Mr. Ingram. You worry too much about your chores every day. In contrast, I am even less optimistic about your mental state!" Groves' sharp comment made Nathan quite moved Embarrassed, he rubbed his nose and kept glancing at Finch for help.

Finch saw that his friend was a little embarrassed by being ridiculed, and tried to smooth things over, "Ms. Groves..."

Before he could continue speaking, the female professor stood up and Shi Shiran was about to leave, "As a professional researcher in psychology, I would like to give the two of you one last piece of advice: be content with real life and don't think wildly. There is a Chinese saying There is an old saying in human beings - magic is born from the heart, please remember it."

Although Groves was speaking to two people, it seemed to Finch that Groves kept his eyes on him while speaking, as if the advice was aimed at him specifically.

Groves' "Don't overthink" and Dr. Tillman's "Don't overthink", different experts gave the same advice. Finch sighed secretly, hoping he could do it!

Perhaps it was Dr. Tillman's cervical spine physiotherapy plan that was effective, or perhaps he followed the advice of the two professionals, and Finch lived peacefully for the next few days.There is no depression caused by strange dreams, no troubles caused by hallucinations, it seems that everything has returned to the original happy and stable daily life track.However, the shadow suddenly descended again in this peace, which caught people off guard.

It happened to be the weekend, and the original travel plan of the family of three was disrupted by the unexpected heavy rain. Grace decided to take the opportunity to draw a sketch for the cover of a novel at home. Finch volunteered to go to a nearby supermarket to buy some daily necessities. The daughter insisted on going with him. Finch couldn't hold her back, so he had to agree.

On the way back, it rained harder and harder. The father and daughter had to hold large paper bags full of newly purchased items and hold umbrellas to cover the rain. They were in a panic.Fortunately, they chose to walk through Washington Square Park, and the arched gate in the center of the park became the best place for them to shelter from the rain.The two hurriedly hid under the arch, hastily wiping off the rain on their bodies. Finch took out a handkerchief and handed it to his daughter, wanting her to clean herself first, but the girl took the handkerchief and pulled her father closer, standing on tiptoes to dry his face and hair first.

Finch patted the top of his daughter's head helplessly, the way his daughter put him first at all times was something he, a father, could never get used to.But the girl took this as a matter of course, and calmly cleaned herself up after wiping her father.

The water droplets on the lens were carefully wiped off, and the scene in front of him became clear. Only then did Finch notice that not only the father and daughter were hiding from the rain here, but also a big golden retriever lying on the ground away from them. On the ground a few steps away, he looked at Finch eagerly with his tongue lolling, uh... to be precise, it was the paper bag full of food in Finch's hand.

The big dog didn't look embarrassed. Although the long brown fur on its body was sticky in locks after being wet by the rain, it was not stained with dust. The half-new leather collar on its neck also proved that it was not a stray dog. At least not a long-lost dog.

In fact, Finch still likes animals like dogs, but unfortunately he never had the opportunity to keep one as a pet since he was a child, and he never seemed to please small animals.When walking in parks and other places, I often meet dogs who are led out for a walk by their owners. Finch sometimes tries to tease them, but every time the dogs show his kindness to him, they are almost indifferent.Finch will inevitably feel a little frustrated after more times.But today this golden retriever is obviously hungry, maybe he will treat him better?

Finch rummaged through the paper bag to find the sliced ​​ham he bought just now, tore open the package, took out a slice and spread it in his palm, knelt down and stretched out his hand towards the dog, "Hey, puppy, come here!"

Without any hesitation, the golden retriever quickly stepped forward and lightly touched Finch's finger with the tip of his nose as a greeting first, and then swallowed the ham unceremoniously.The rough and wet dog's tongue rolled away the ham slices in the palm, leaving a numb and soft touch.This feeling was so familiar, as if the same thing had happened countless times before, Finch was in a daze. He had never had a dog before, so why did he feel so familiar?

The big dog was obviously starved, and just a small piece of ham couldn't satisfy its appetite, but it didn't show any intention of pursuing Finch, but sat in front of him, staring at its wet eyes with a completely Looking at him with an innocent expression, he is as cute as a newborn deer.

The sense of trance continued to sweep over Finch, and the golden retriever in front of him gradually transformed into a brown-black medium-sized short-haired dog, with a well-proportioned and smooth shape, a vigorous and sensitive posture, brown eyes, and alert ears that were always erect.At the same time, a deep and magnetic male voice pierced Finch's memory, hitting his nerves hard, "Harold, I can't be by your side all the time, it can protect me when I'm not around you."

Who is that?The gentle words echoed in his mind like thunder, and Finch searched all over his memory but still couldn't find the corresponding face.The heart was tightly held by invisible hands, grief and sorrow, intense emotions poured into the torrent, and finally settled into the deepest nostalgia.

Who is he missing? Finch was at a loss for what to do.Is it an illusion again?Even Finch himself faintly felt that this reason was too weak.Strong emotions entangled in the bottom of my heart, heavy and clear, irrefutable.

"Father! What's wrong with you?" His daughter's call brought Finch back to reality, and he turned to see the girl looking at him in a panic, her slender hands tightly holding his arm, her eyes even a little red.

"Baby, I'm fine, I just suddenly thought of something at work and lost my mind." Finch patted his daughter's hand as a comfort, divided the remaining half of the ham on the ground and stood up, watching the golden retriever focus on Attack with food.

"The rain has lightened a lot. Father, let's go home quickly. Mother must be in a hurry." The girl kept urging by her side, with anxiety that could not be concealed in her voice.

The rain outside was obviously a lot thinner than before, Finch glanced at the sky, the gloomy dense clouds still enveloped the whole city, and this gloom also fell into his eyes. Finch was silent for a moment, and said to his daughter in a negotiating tone, "Machine, this dog is very poor, let's take it back and adopt it."

The girl lowered her head, her long and thick eyelashes covered her eyes properly, preventing Finch from noticing the fear and annoyance in her eyes.But when she raised her head again, her face had returned to calm.

"Father, I like this dog very much." The girl pursed her lips with a regretful expression, "but mother probably won't be happy that we took it home. She is allergic to cat and dog fur."

Finch lowered his eyes and let out a "huh".It's not that he doesn't remember this, it's also the only reason why he didn't keep pets after he got married, most of the words that he wanted to adopt a golden retriever just now came from impulse.The dog and the man that suddenly appeared in his memory were inexplicably familiar and nostalgic, and Finch couldn't believe that it was just his fantasy.Perhaps, bringing the golden retriever home can give me the opportunity to slowly recall more?He couldn't help but have such expectations.It's a pity that the reality is in front of him, he can't do anything that will hurt Grace.

Finch stroked the big dog's fur for the last time, left the remaining slices of ham in front of it, turned around and took his daughter away.The rain hit the umbrella surface with a dull rhythm, which disturbed Finch's already confused mood.He couldn't help but look back at the arch, only to find that the golden retriever had disappeared.

"I hope it can be reunited with its owner~" Finch silently prayed in his heart.

Hallucinations refer to the sensory experience that occurs when the sensory organs are not receiving corresponding objective stimuli. Finch has studied related books and knows a thing or two about it.Because of this, he had considerable doubts about the "visual and auditory hallucinations" he encountered in the park in the afternoon.Unlike the hallucinations that had happened in the hospital, the nostalgia and concern that suddenly appeared in his heart were something he could neither ignore nor mistake.

If it is not a hallucination, do you really have a lost memory?Have you really forgotten a very important person or thing? Finch was terrified, but he was afraid that his wife and daughter would worry if they found out, so he had to force a smile.Being restless, he naturally failed to notice the worried look in Machine's eyes from now on.

After dinner, Finch hurriedly hid in the study under the pretext of needing to write an academic paper. The only clearly identifiable thing in the "illusion" is the brown-black short-haired dog, which he decided to use as a breakthrough to find clues.

Finch quickly identified the breed of dog from a pet website. It was a Malinois, originally from Belgium.He stared at the picture of the horse dog on the webpage, trying to compare it with the one in his mind, and the image of the horse dog in his memory became more and more vivid.Loyal, brave, docile, and alert, Finch can use these words to describe the horse dog in his memory, but he can't find any details between himself and it in his memory, and he can't remember when he raised it, or even Can't even remember its name.

After repeatedly sorting out his thoughts, he couldn't find a clue, so Finch had no choice but to continue searching for information about horses and dogs.There is a vast amount of information on the Internet, but the introductions about dogs are all the same. He checked for a long time but did not get any more useful information.It’s just that on an inconspicuous webpage, he found that this kind of horse dog is often domesticated as a military dog, and one of the three most famous trainers in the world is specialized in training horse dogs in Dutch.

"Dutch..." Finch muttered to himself, there seemed to be a flash of inspiration in his heart but it was fleeting, and he tried to settle down to figure it out carefully, but it was in vain.

It was late at night, and the middle-aged professor was still busy in front of the computer in the study.The orange light of the table lamp cast his figure on the wall, intertwined with the street light outside the window, deep and shallow.

The brown-haired Machine stood silently outside the study door, watching quietly through the door, his immature face was gloomy beyond his age.

TBC