Chapter 145: Helping You Face Your Emotional Troubles and Resolve Life's Anxiety
"Chuck, stop it! This is too much."
Monica felt a little sorry for her brother, but also a bit frustrated.
This wasn't the first time.
When they first met at the farm, she noticed that her brother and Chuck weren't getting along, and she had advised Ross not to antagonize him.
Later, as she and Chuck grew closer, she realized that Chuck was vindictive. Whenever her brother provoked him, Chuck would retaliate with waves of cutting remarks, leaving her brother humiliated. She had advised Ross again.
Don't keep picking fights you can't win!
"Ross is not a psychopath."
"I didn't say he was. You misunderstood."
Chuck shook his head.
"Ross, did you hear that? This is all a misunderstanding!"
Monica immediately tried to smooth things over with a forced smile.
Unfortunately, all she got in response was Ross's angry glare.
He wouldn't dare direct that anger at Chuck, so would he be afraid to be angry with his own sister?
And if his sister hadn't been so self-deprecating, insisting on dating this guy, why would this annoying person keep appearing in front of him, making him feel so uncomfortable?
"It's not at the level of criminal psychopathy."
Chuck glanced at Ross. "If that were the case, I wouldn't have recommended Dr. Beverly Hofstadter. I'd recommend you read the books by Jason Gideon. He's an expert in serial killers."
"..."
Everyone was speechless.
Okay.
This is what Chuck calls a "misunderstanding."
"Ross and your little cousin don't have the nerve for actual crime."
Chuck ignored everyone's expressions and continued, "So this dysfunction is usually just perverted and inappropriate behavior, not criminal."
"I'm not perverted!"
Ross roared. "I wouldn't be a bad influence!"
"Yeah."
Rachel, who knew from high school that her best friend Monica's brother had a crush on her, was a little skeptical. "Ross may be a little weird, but he's infatuated, not perverted."
Phoebe couldn't help but smile, immediately attracting everyone's attention.
"What's wrong?"
Rachel looked at Phoebe in confusion. "Am I wrong?"
"Oh, yes, yes,"
Phoebe said, stifling a laugh.
Last year, when Ross discovered his wife's affair, she had tried to comfort him at the bar downstairs, which wasn't even Central Perk at the time. They'd nearly had an inappropriate moment on the pool table.
She hadn't thought much of it before, but now, looking back at Chuck's analysis, Ross was still married at the time—he'd just found out about his wife's infidelity, and when she tried to comfort him, he'd become aroused. Now, thinking about it, it did seem a little off.
Especially when Rachel said Ross was being "infatuated," she felt a strange urge to laugh.
"Monica, does your little cousin like comic books?"
Chuck ignored Ross's impotent rage and simply looked at Monica, asking a pointed question: "Does he like superhero comics?"
"..."
Monica's mouth twitched, speechless.
How could he not like those?
Her brother Ross seemed to love those things, too.
"That's not me influencing him!"
Ross frantically exclaimed. "His dad has all sorts of comic books and magazines..."
He trailed off, but everyone was looking at him strangely. Chuck calmly asked the crucial question: "So how do you know?"
How could you know if you haven't seen them? If you've seen them, and then become what you are now, secretly renting adult films at video stores, even having inappropriate thoughts and actions towards situations involving your cousin, then that just proves Chuck's point: Due to environmental influences, exposure to these materials from a young age constantly raises the threshold for stimulation, further separating you from normal behavior.
Ross was speechless.
He had indeed visited his cousin's house as a child, discovered his uncle's collection there, and that opened up a new world... but he wasn't a pervert!
"Don't worry,"
Chuck said seriously. "Your situation isn't severe. Go see Dr. Beverly Hofstadter. She'll help you address your emotional struggles and resolve the anxieties in your life."
"..."
Monica's mouth twitched.
Because of the relationship between Paige and little Sheldon, she knew Beverly. Beverly was cold and clinical, and she would help you face your emotional troubles and relieve life's anxieties?
She was afraid that once Ross saw her, he would be even more troubled and depressed.
She finally realized that Chuck was really ruthless when he went after people. Ross was really her brother. Why did he have to mess with Chuck!
The gathering ended abruptly with Ross's face livid.
Monica secretly decided that in the future, when she organized get-togethers, she would not invite Ross when Chuck was there, and vice versa, she would not invite Chuck when Ross was there, so that her brother might live a few more years.
Two days later.
Chuck's mountainside villa.
Monica came to spend the night and said to Chuck: "Tomorrow is New Year's Day. Come and wait for the midnight countdown with us?"
"No!"
Chuck shook his head: "I don't like parties, there are too many people."
"Not many people..."
Monica tried to downplay it, but when she met Chuck's gaze, she couldn't continue.
Because as an enthusiastic hostess and someone with perfectionist tendencies, she throws a New Year's party in her apartment every year. Everyone enjoys her parties, so there are always a lot of people coming.
This is a habit she has developed over the years, and it is difficult for her to change.
But she really wants to wait for the midnight countdown with Chuck, because there is a traditional custom that after the ball drops, you have to kiss the person you love next to you.
"Have you forgotten what Ross and I discussed?"
Chuck saw what Monica was thinking and reminded her.
"Which part?"
Monica was puzzled.
"Excessive exposure to adult situations can negatively impact a child's normal psychological development,"
Chuck said. "This is true of magazines, movies, and books, and the same goes for public displays of affection. It might not seem like a big deal to adults, but for children who imitate everything from adults, it's a form of behavioral modeling. If they're exposed too early, it will escalate and become problematic. Haven't you noticed that American children are generally becoming more precocious? Dysfunction is even more prevalent nationwide. Serial killers, once apprehended, are treated like celebrities. The more disturbed they are, the more sought after they are. Some obsessed fans want them to have children who might inherit their antisocial traits. These fans are the product of a twisted society."
"..."
Monica glanced at Chuck and couldn't help but think of Paige, who kept making disturbing observations. She didn't know what expression to make.
Strictly speaking, she seemed to have issues, too.
"Don't even mention Ross."
Chuck didn't continue to help her face her emotional struggles, concluding, "Chandler is the perfect example."
Look what a child becomes, warped by his dysfunctional family and irresponsible parents. He's so emotionally stunted he can't speak without self-deprecating humor. He can't maintain a normal relationship, and he finds all sorts of excuses to avoid any relationship that gets close. If he wasn't naturally funny, he'd be just another broken person.
"Speaking of Chandler,"
Monica suppressed her inner irritation and complained, "He's obsessed with the idea that Mr. Heckles represents his future self, and nothing we say will snap him out of it."
"That's easy,"
Chuck said. "Leave it to me."
"You're not going to recommend Beverly to him again, are you?"
Monica said, a little worried.
Chandler was already depressed enough. If Beverly were to help him face his emotional struggles and deal with his life anxieties, she was worried Chandler would end up in a psychiatric ward.
"No need,"
Chuck shook his head.
"Then tell me your plan first."
Monica thought of Chandler being often targeted by Chuck, and she was really worried: "Chandler really can't handle much more teasing right now. You know, on the day Mr. Heckles died, we went upstairs first, and he stayed in that apartment alone for hours. When Joey found him, we went back and he told us that he had been going through everything about Mr. Heckles all day, and he found that they were so much alike. He really didn't want to die alone in an apartment like Mr. Heckles, and he said he wanted to get pets, so that when he died, they would be there and it wouldn't be so lonely."
Seeing that Chuck had no reaction, Monica took a deep breath and said slowly: "That's not the scariest part. The scariest thing is that to avoid this possible future, he actually picked up the phone and called Janice. O~M~G~!"
At the end, she had to imitate Chandler's famous ex-girlfriend Janice and make an exaggerated and classic exclamation.
Chandler's ex-girlfriend, Janice, was known for her grating laugh and exaggerated "OMG" exclamations, making her a deeply disliked figure among his friends.
Well, except for Ross, who found her tolerable.
Every time Chandler dumped Janice, everyone was relieved. Every time they got back together, they'd smile politely in front of Janice, but secretly cringe.
"That's normal,"
Chuck said calmly. "Without new options, it's normal to reconnect with an ex."
"...The scary part is, Janice came to see him pregnant."
Monica paused, then continued, sighing, "That completely devastated Chandler. He actually disliked Janice, otherwise he wouldn't have broken up with her so many times. But Janice was his safety net. Whenever he needed someone to be with him, he'd turn to Janice, and she was always available. And this time, Janice was not only pregnant, but also married to someone else. This was a crushing blow to Chandler, who already thought he was destined to become Mr. Heckles. So, you must stop teasing Chandler now. Tell me your plan."
Chuck laid out his idea.
"No!"
Monica looked at him with astonishment and shook her head firmly. "If you do that, Chandler's going to end up in a psychiatric hospital."
"Don't worry,"
Chuck said calmly. "Although most people's defenses break down quickly under pressure, some are special. They're natural comedians. No matter what setbacks they face, they always find a way to make light of it. They're resilient through humor."
"You overestimate Chandler."
Monica continued to shake her head. She felt that Chuck was just trying to make excuses to keep targeting Chandler.
"I'm talking about Leonard Sr.,"
Chuck said. "He's a real comedian, but Chandler's not bad either. After the initial shock, he'll just laugh it off."
"Really?"
Monica looked at him uncertainly.
"Trust me,"
Chuck said seriously. "I'll help him face his emotional troubles and relieve his life anxieties. I'm a professional, too."
Monica: "..."
(End of Chapter)
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