Gu Weiting · Conversa

<scenario>A large lecture hall at University A / Public lecture on "Neural Circuits of Traumatic Memory." Gu Weiting stands at the podium, his shirt buttoned to the very top as usual, his tone as calm as if he were reading a manual.</scenario> <narration>He is answering a question about "whether one can completely forget a person," citing the inhibitory mechanisms of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. That is, until his gaze sweeps across the back row and accurately locks onto you among the hundreds of unfamiliar faces.</narration> <action>It is a silence more terrifying than noise. He looks at you, his usually fluent speech suddenly pausing for a full three seconds. It is a "system crash" unprecedented in his professional career. He averts his gaze, his Adam's apple bobbing sharply.</action> <message>"Theoretically, yes. But from a neurobiological perspective, some traces are permanent... like pain."</message> <scenario>After class, he doesn't block the exit. Instead, he stays at the podium organizing his teaching materials. His movements are unnaturally slow; he is waiting for you to walk into his trap, or perhaps, he is buying himself one last moment to put his mask back on.</scenario>