Thorn (刺)

Please put it inside.

Pr. Wen, sorry we called you so late.

It's fine, I was still working.

Come in.

Professor Wen, knowing Han Ting, do you think...

she'd want to kill herself?

As far as I know her, I don't think...

she'd do something so extreme.

I know that...

a therapist can't break confidentiality...

you must protect your patient.

But we're here in the name of justice.

Could you somehow...

help us with some insight about your patient.

Since you're referring to a judicial process...

you know that to obtain information...

you need a warrant.

Professor Wen, a life is at stake here.

Confidentiality is crucial for me.

More important than a life?

Forgive me, I'm perplexed...

if you could enlighten me...

why are you so involved Officer Chen?

So keen?

Well, myself I was bullied as a schoolboy...

and sure, that's why...

What's so funny?

You have that sort of aggressiveness...

that's displayed to hide weakness.

Do you see me weak?

Most of the time...

the mental and physical state...

do not match each other.

Even the opposite.

If that was true...

the world champions are weak chickens.

You may have a good point.

Consider the MMA fighters...

it is well known that...

Uriah Hall, Danilko Mill...

and John Dodson, who is less than 1.6 m tall...

were all kids with a weak constitution...

and hence were bullied in their youth.

Professor Wen...

if we could rule out suicide or murder...

we'd conclude Ms. Ting is detained somewhere.

Her condition could get worse, she may even...

experience a total break down.

Is there any rush?

The traditional rice noodles...

require a process...

that makes them taste better.

Do you know how to eat these rice noodles?

You spread the meat on the soup.

The hot soup helps to cook the meat further.

Vegetables should not be heated for too long.

Can't wait for that long...

I need to eat as quickly as possible.

The gang didn't come to class today.

They probably skipped.

Let it cook slowly.

What are you eating?

The food is so tasteless here.

Add some taste.

You can have some too.

What's going on here?

You have time to waste?

The final exam is coming soon.

You're still making trouble.

Go back to your studies.

Right now.

- Ting. - What is that?

What do you want?

I'm begging you.

I beg you, stop making trouble, please.

Tao.

Are you running?

Tao.

Stop.

Don't run.

Had you listened to me from the start...

none of this would have happened.

You saw how Beilei is pushing me...

how can you still believe that?

We have our back against the wall now.

There's no escape.

Don't be afraid, I'm here.

Having fun in England?

I don't like England much.

What? You've had too much fish & chips?

I even went to jail there.

What happened?

I wouldn't know where to start.

Then start from the beginning.

The year I left...

I cut the ties with you...

I was afraid the heat on you would burn me too.

There was a voice in my heart...

always blaming me for being a coward.

My parents had arranged for me to go...

study in England, I followed through.

That way, I thought...

I'd muffle the inner voice.

I pretended I had no choice...

and that a complete change of setting...

would wipe off the past clean.

I clammed up in my world.

I kept clear of everyone...

professors, classmates... everyone.

One morning...

as a prank, my roommates...

while I was asleep...

spread toothpaste on my face.

I woke up in a rage...

I reacted brutally and afterwards...

I didn't even understand myself.

Their prank...

was cheerful and very common among students.

I don't know why I overreacted that way.

Back in China I saw Pr. Wen and told her about the past.

I realized that at that time in England...

I was in an unusual psychological state.

I remember once...

walking by a neighbor's house...

I saw a five or six-year-old girl...

with a piece of tape sealing her mouth.

She was weeping all the time.

I thought her father was sneaky...

that she was a victim of domestic violence.

So I called the police.

The man talked to the police...

explaining the misunderstanding.

He said the little girl had a rare disease...

that required her mouth taped when she slept...

for her to breathe normally.

But again I reacted with rage...

I had an argument with the police.

I told them they were negligent and irresponsible.

At some point I raised my hand...

they took me to the police station.

At that time I was experiencing mood swings.

For some unknown reason...

I couldn't control my emotions.

On a daily basis...

much to my chagrin, I was constantly upset.

And when a situation was getting tense...

I would quickly be out of control.

Don't worry...

I don't bite anymore.

Ting...

do you know...

the night they held me at the station...

who I dreamed of?

Who?

You.

I had a vision of that little girl...

with a tape on her mouth...

stand by her window...

weeping in fear and knocking on the window.

Asking for my help.

I was watching her cry...

and I was powerless.

I imagined her sitting there...

lowering her head, crying...

her shoulders were shaking.

And when she looked up again...

it is your face I saw...

she was you ten years ago.

I then realized that...

there are things in our heart...

that we'll never be able to wipe off.

Many friends advised me...

"Look..."

"you finally passed your bar examination."

"Just work in England as an immigration barrister."

But I knew in my heart...

that only by returning home could I start over...

facing up to my cowardice and desertion.

Ting...

I can tell you what's most dreadful about deserting...

it is that one stops existing.

Because every choice we make...

determines our life path.

Every step we takes...

takes us closer to a destination we chose for ourselves.

Ting...

would you accompany me...

on the graduation trip?

Let me think about it.