Neverland

"My lord—" Kelin said in panic, "No, master... did I displease you?"

"I just hate making my own decisions," Yan Cen said.

His voice was extremely arrogant. Song Yan could clearly hear the scene and conversation in the room from the window sill a few steps away. Through the outline on the curtain, she saw Yan Cen raised his hand and picked it up with the bottom of his walking stick. Klein's face rose.

The sharp piece of iron scratched the skin of Kelin's chin. Yan Cen squinted his eyes and looked at him for a while before cursing boredly: "Get out."

Kelin gave him a worried look, then bent over and kissed his cane, then stood up with difficulty while supporting his shoulders, and exited the bedroom.

Song Yan immediately jumped down from the window sill, strode up to Yan Cen, and grabbed his collar angrily.

"Yan Cen!" Song Yan scolded: "What are you doing - was that Robert's emotion just now?"

"What's wrong with me?" Yan Cen glanced at her hand and asked, "I'm not normal."

"You fart." Song Yan sneered: "You don't do this, what did you just do - Yan Cen, should I recite the work regulations for cleaning the system to you, what is the first one? It is not allowed to use of any nature—"

Yan Cen brushed her hand away impatiently, and said in a choked voice, "You can't even memorize the work regulations of the guidance system, so don't bother."

Song Yan was speechless: "You—"

"I know it well," Yan Cen said.

"...I would like to advise you." Song Yan said tiredly: "I know you are sure you can control it, but no matter how you were before, if you step on the edge of the bottom line and do things, this is best the last time."

Of course this is the last time, Yan Cenxin said, not only is this the last time, but also the first time.

If it wasn't for Xu Muzhou's sudden loss, he wouldn't be in such a hurry.

but--

"I'm not impulsive." Yan Cen said: "I want to confirm one thing."

"What's the matter?" Song Yan said angrily, "Quick, I'll give you time to make up a reason."

"I suspect that Catherine's poor health has something to do with Robert." Yan Cen stroked the cane on his knee, and said: "...When Catherine came here just now, she accidentally exposed the wound on her arm, which was bruised and purple. It is long and deep. Looking at the distribution of bruises on the wound, it seems to be caused by an external blow. And the shape of the wound is very similar to this cane."

"...Do you suspect that Robert domestically abused Catherine?" Song Yan asked.

"You don't seem surprised." Yan Cen said.

"Half and half." Song Yan took a few steps back, leaning on the window sill with her arms folded, and said: "From what I know about Robert, I'm not surprised that he did such a thing. But based on Robert's understanding of Catherine I find it very strange. And, if Catherine is really controlled by Robert’s domestic violence all the year round, how can she have no resentment towards Robert.”

"That's the problem." Yan Cen said: "From the short experiment just now, it can be seen that he beat or scolded Kelin, and Kelin is obviously used to being treated like this, and even feels grateful."

"This is Robert's character." Yan Cen said: "He treats everyone the same. This is the normal state of his life. Catherine may not be able to accept and understand it in the early stage, but after a long time, what do you think she will do."

"I will get used to it." Song Yan said: "Especially when everyone in the surrounding environment is used to it and doesn't feel that there is anything wrong."

"On this basis, Robert still loves Catherine." Yan Cen said: "This is what makes Catherine special."

"You want to say that love is real, and domestic violence is also real?" Song Yan asked.

"Yes, this kind of behavior is caused by part of Robert's personality. He can't control himself." Yan Cen said: "But at the same time, he really loves Catherine."

This is also the reason why Robert put Catherine in a high position in his diary, Yan Cen thought.

Robert couldn't control his temper and behavior, but he knew that this kind of behavior was definitely not the way for a normal couple to get along.So after he finished venting, he would naturally be grateful to Catherine who "forgave him".

Domestic violence has always been like this.

They are furious, but cowardly at the same time.As long as they vent, they will start to regret what they did, but after being forgiven, they will still go back to their old ways again and again.

This kind of mentality is not difficult to understand. For Robert, Catherine, who accepts all this and forgives his "mistakes", is of course like an angel.

"Endure suffering, obey fate, and face life positively." Song Yan sneered: "Co-authoring is such a life."

"Catherine was restricted from coming in and out by Robert, and her social interaction was also restricted. Her vision was locked in this small manor where Robert has absolute status." Yan Cen said: "So as time goes by, her mentality will naturally change."

"Song Yan." Yan Cen said: "You have to know that people can be domesticated."

"Stockholm Syndrome." Song Yan said, "Very typical symptoms."

Because for Catherine, there is a class status in this castle.Robert took life and death from his servants, saying that he could do it if he chopped them up to make flower fertilizer, and beat or scolded Klin, so in comparison, Catherine's life was better than other people in the same environment.

What's more, after beating her, Robert may also repent, apologize, and love her more deeply.

He would even briefly defy his instincts by setting up a safe house for Catherine in the castle, giving her some personal space.

——From Catherine's point of view, Robert really loves her enough.

So her mentality will start to change, from habit to satisfaction, and then to a subtle joy, and finally take this violence for granted, and then draw from Robert the special feeling that only occurs to her.

The two of them guarded this completely deformed love and reached a wonderful balance.

"Catherine, it's hard for me to define her nature." Song Yan looked out of the window and said calmly: "She is also a victim herself."

Maybe Catherine was originally a normal girl, but she developed this kind of morbid attachment to Robert little by little over a long period of time—after all, this is the person who can control all her emotions and body.

Yan Cen didn't speak.

He rolled up the sleeves on his hands, revealing the hydrangea pendant on his wrist.

The progress bar, which had been stingy before, dropped half generously, and the petals broke free from the silt, and rolled into Yan Cen's palm, like a seed that had seen the sun again.

"Only half." Song Yan said.

"The remaining half will be handed over to time." Yan Cen said.

"You seem to have a good idea." Song Yan said.

"Probably." Yan Cen didn't say anything dead: "I have to thank Xu Muzhou, he found the last link of Catherine's obsession."

Yan Cen put away the hydrangeas as he said, and turned the wheelchair around, looking like he was about to go out.

Song Yan jumped down from the window sill, took a few steps to keep up with him, and asked, "What is it?"

"Mockingbird." Yan Cen said.

It was already the rest time, the castle was quiet, and the servants waiting for orders in the corridor had all returned to the servants' room, leaving only the newly replaced candles in the corridor glowing faintly.

Yan Cen turned his wheelchair and walked towards the study on the other side of the corridor. Song Yan followed him with her hands in her pockets, not intending to help.

"Where are you going?" Song Yan asked.

"Look for Xu Muzhou." Yan Cen said, "It's only been two hours since he lost it until I found out about it. Kelin has neither the time nor the condition to take such a big living person out of the castle."

"But this castle is very difficult to hide people." Song Yan said: "I went through the terrain alone before, and the construction method of this castle is very retro, and it is a nearly symmetrical structure - except for the small bell tower on the right side of the castle, but that It’s an open-air one, and it’s completely impossible to hide so many people.”

This castle is so big, you can walk to the end in a few steps, Yan Cen led Song Yan to push open the door of his exclusive passage, and maneuvered the wheelchair down carefully.

"——This design is quite exquisite." Song Yan followed behind Yan Cen, touched the brick wall next to her, and said in admiration: "I went around the castle several times before, but I didn't find there is a secret passage here. You can’t really tell from the outside.”

After Song Yan finished speaking, she thought of something first, and kicked Yan Cen's wheelchair with her toe.

"I seem to know where Xiaomuzhou is—" Song Yan said suddenly.

Robert's castle is symmetrical left and right, divided by the central axis. The first floor is the leisure and practical area, the second floor is the guest room, and the third floor is on both sides of Robert's study and bedroom.

On the top of Robert's bedroom is Catherine's piano room, and above the study is a tower with a bronze bell.

This is an extremely normal building layout, and the distance between the corridors on the left and right sides should be equal—but the problem is that there is a two-meter-wide downward spiral corridor under Robert's study, so the extra distances are gone. where.

Song Yan turned her head and looked at Yan Cen.

"Let's go." Yan Cen made a decisive decision.

The end of Robert's exclusive passage leads directly to the outside of the castle. Yan Cen kept turning his wheelchair and walked towards the diagonal direction. He searched around the outer wall of the castle on the other side according to the location, but found no similar one. Secret door.

"This is Robert's own territory." Yan Cen said, "He won't bother to make a very hidden entrance and exit—because there is no need for it."

"The left and right corridors on the first floor are also at the same distance, which means that the walls of this space are also sealed." Song Yan said: "The first floor is a restaurant, and there is no secret door."

Yan Cen rubbed his forehead with a headache.

He made a big circle around the outer wall just now, at least there is no ventilation hole in the outer wall of the first floor.This kind of castle is built with bricks as the main body. If a certain ventilation channel is not reserved, the closed space alone can easily suffocate people, and it is impossible to detain a bunch of living people as a prison for a long time.

After a while, Yan Cen made up his mind and said, "Go to the second floor and have a look."