After Marrying the Villain with Seven Personalities [Transmigration into a Book]) - Chapter 12

Qingshan Prison.

This was the facility where mentally ill criminals from all over the country were sent to be incarcerated.

On this particular afternoon, the usual silence of the two opposing rows of Class-A cells was shattered. The sound of slamming cell doors, mingled with the eerie laughter of the inmates, created a bone-chilling, deafening cacophony.

“1064, 1064! Hahaha, she’s here, she’s here!”

“It was worth keeping these beautiful ears of mine after all~ Hahaha~”

“1064, you’d better have a good long chat with her~”

Yi Yanbai stopped at the entrance to the cell block, habitually letting the noise drift past her ears like the wind.

The guard beside her explained nervously, “It’s the matter we contacted you about over the phone. A few days ago, Inmate 1064 nearly bit off an ear from Inmate 987. Then, this morning, she said that if she didn’t see you, she would bite off one of her own fingers.”

Through the iron bars of the entrance, Yi Yanbai saw Inmate 1064. Her hair was disheveled as she clung to the bars of her cell door. The moment Yanbai appeared, the inmate’s eyes lit up as if reflecting glaze and agate, her face splitting into a wide, jagged grin.

1064 had once been a highly gifted musician. However, she had repeatedly lured fans to the outskirts of the city to perform brutal acts of dismemberment using guitar strings. Most importantly, she suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder—except all of her personalities had already spiraled into irreversible extremes.

In the adjacent cell, 987, whose ear was heavily bandaged, shook her cell door with an expression of pure excitement.

Yi Yanbai withdrew her gaze and turned toward the interrogation room. She glanced at the guard. “Report to the Warden first. I’ll be waiting in the interrogation room.”

“Understood, Doctor.”

While waiting, Yi Yanbai received a call from her mentor. The moment she answered, an exasperated voice erupted from the speaker.

“Didn’t I warn you earlier? Do not take on those difficult inmates! Isn’t it better to do your research remotely? If you keep having direct contact with them, what happens if you get influenced? You know exactly what happened to the doctors before you. What are you trying to prove!”

Yi Yanbai waited for the silence on the other end before replying calmly, “I just want to cure them, and then have them sent to the firing squad.”

“You…”

“That’s enough, Mentor. The patient is here.”

Yi Yanbai hung up and sat in silence for a moment. Truthfully, there was another reason: based on the information she had gathered from her conversations with 1064 over the past six months, she realized that 1064’s condition was strikingly similar to Yi Chenqing’s. She couldn’t pass up such a perfect research opportunity.

“My, my, Dr. Bai, what are you thinking about?”

A playful female voice rang out. Yi Yanbai looked up to see 1064 already perched obediently on the opposite chair, her hands and feet shackled. Due to a previous tragedy where a doctor was harmed in this room, a thick layer of reinforced glass now separated them.

“You haven’t visited me in so long. I missed you so much I had to resort to this.” 1064 lowered her head, looking dejected. Then, she suddenly looked up, pressing her hands against the glass as she stood. She smiled. “Are you really not going to consider dating me? After all, you look so much like my lover. If you want to cure me, that’s the best method~”

“Pah!” The guard at the door rolled his eyes. Every one of those victims had been fans she carefully selected because they resembled her lover. The woman was utterly depraved.

Yi Yanbai tapped the glass, her expression cold as she spoke through thin lips: “I believe what you need right now is medication. Or perhaps… electroconvulsive therapy?” Her phoenix-like eyes swept toward 1064’s feet, which were beginning to climb onto the table, with a chilling gaze.

“Fine, fine.” 1064 immediately squatted back down on the chair. She suddenly laughed. “Dr. Bai, are you heartbroken? Or is your love life hitting a snag?”

She caught the slight change in Yi Yanbai’s expression and continued with a mock-sad tone: “If the other person doesn’t like you, you can play the victim. Or, you can have more ‘contact’ with her to make her realize how good you are. A little force is fine, too. Just don’t give up—it would be such a pity to miss out~”

“I know a lot about this.” 1064 squinted with a smile, hiding a flash of sudden malice. Doing that would only make the other person loathe you more~ It would be so much fun if Dr. Bai got discouraged and became “assimilated” just like the last doctor.

Unmoved, Yi Yanbai used a fingertip to push up her sliding glasses. “Let’s get to the point. I ask, you answer.”

“Alright. Just being able to talk to Dr. Bai makes me happy~”

By the time Yi Yanbai left Qingshan Prison, it was nearly evening. She made it home just as the family was finishing their preparations.

After tidying herself up and fastening her last button, she followed Yi Chenqing down the stairs. Looking at Yi Chenqing’s smooth, long black hair, she suddenly remarked, “Sister, you could try dating. Perhaps your narcolepsy would improve.”

Yi Chenqing stopped and turned. Her willow-leaf eyes stared at her sister with intense gravity. “Are there any successful case studies?”

Yi Yanbai: “…” Could she really say that 1064 had given her the idea?

The main issue was that the current Yi Chenqing had completely forgotten Linqiu. Asking Linqiu for help was impossible. But perhaps starting a new relationship would be beneficial for her psychological state. As for the night between Yi Chenqing and Linqiu… just like her own situation with Shi Ji, it was better to treat it as a dream.

“Oh, who needs case studies? Case studies are created by people actually trying things out!”

“Come down, quickly!” Xu Yushan, who was waiting downstairs, called out with a smile. “Bai-bai is right. Tonight, Mom will help you scout for a good wife.”

A wife? “Isn’t that a bit fast?” Yi Yanbai asked as she descended the stairs.

Yi Chenqing, however, remained indifferent. She felt the phone in her suit pocket, her thumb grazing the screen, and replied, “It’s not fast, if I like her.”

Yi Yanbai looked at her sister’s serious face and suddenly felt that something was very “off.”

“Are you ready? The Old Master is rushing us.” Yi Yaodu walked out of a room on the first floor while adjusting his tie. He added with a laugh, “Didn’t both you girls say you liked girls when you were younger? You’re finding a wife for Chenqing; what about Bai-bai?”

“I don’t need help. I’ll find my own,” Yi Yanbai countered instantly.

“Try learning from your sister for once,” Xu Yushan teased. Then, remembering something, she turned away to hide a flash of sadness.

Since childhood, Chenqing had been the most obedient—good grades, ambitious, ready to inherit the family business. She never said “no” to them. But perhaps that was exactly why she had suppressed herself into this difficult illness.

Forcing a smile, Xu Yushan waved them out. “Let’s go, let’s go.”

“This is way too beautiful~”

Shi Ji hadn’t expected Xu Linqiu to leave her such a grand parting gift. She looked at the sketch in her hand, liking it more the longer she stared. The eyes were especially vivid, looking as if they might leap off the paper along with the rest of the figure.

She clutched the paper to her chest, her eyes misting over. “I’m so touched. I’m actually your first portrait.”

Xu Linqiu felt a bit sheepish. She brushed her hair back and admitted bluntly, “You’re not.”

“I finished Boss Hong’s, and then I suddenly remembered you.”

Shi Ji’s smile froze. In a fit of mock-pique, she began pushing Linqiu toward the door. “You woman! Bros before hoes—wait, hoes before bros? You’re so perfunctory! If I’m not mistaken, you definitely did an oil painting for Boss Hong.”

“You guessed right~” Linqiu laughed, allowing herself to be pushed. She looked back and added, “I’m giving you this sketch first. Oil paintings take a long time, so when…”

Shi Ji stopped.

Linqiu stepped outside and finished her sentence: “When you get married, I’ll give it to you then.”

“Fine, just go. Auntie Fang is waiting below. I’ll go with my parents later.” Shi Ji narrowed her eyes, pretending to be stern. “Remember those words.”

“I will.”

Once Linqiu turned away with a smile, Shi Ji couldn’t help but grin too. She held her portrait like a treasure, moving around the room to see where it looked best.

Seeing Xu Judong again after nine years left Xu Linqiu feeling a bit dazed. This younger sister, who used to follow her everywhere, had started distancing herself at some point.

Later, knowing how much Judong loved music, Linqiu had encouraged her to be brave and pursue her dreams. But Judong had said: “Sister, you go. If I leave too, Mom and Dad will be even more heartbroken. I’ll stay and look after them; you go chase your dream.”

The little girl’s warm smile had now lost its childishness and become incredibly magnetic. She stood before a car parked in front of the apartment building, wearing a long dress with her hair swept up.

Xu Judong’s looks didn’t quite mirror her parents’; instead, she had the gentle elegance of a “water town” beauty, complete with almond eyes and dimples—though she rarely smiled in front of strangers.

Linqiu’s eyes grew warm. She stepped forward and hugged her sister, teasing with a smile, “Your smile is still as sweet as ever~”

Xu Judong was prone to crying. Years of longing and suppressed emotion caused her tears to fall instantly. “Sister, I missed you so much,” she whispered, her voice thick with sobs.

Linqiu patted her back, but before she could respond, Fang Fengyu reached out from the car window and tugged at Judong’s dress. “Your ‘persona’ is breaking! Quick, get in the car and talk.”

Linqiu chuckled, released Judong, and joined her in the car, handing her a tissue. From the front seat, Fang Fengyu looked in the rearview mirror and smiled. “First, we’re taking you to get changed and styled.”

“Okay.”

As she answered, Linqiu realized she had been gone so long that despite having so much to say to her family, she didn’t know where to start. They drove in silence, but she knew that as long as there was warmth in her heart, it was enough.

By the time their hair, makeup, and outfits were finished, the car pulled into the Yi family estate. The sky was dark, but the massive villa was brilliantly lit. Outside the gates, crowds of people with cameras were being held back by security.

Stepping onto the soft red carpet at the entrance, Linqiu felt a sudden wave of discomfort at the prospect of facing so many people.

Xu Judong stepped up beside her, her eyes crinkling to reveal her dimples. “Sister, take my arm.”

“The ‘persona’ is breaking again,” Linqiu teased. She took her sister’s arm anyway. Judong looked away and suppressed her smile, though the corners of her mouth wouldn’t stay down.

“Let’s go. Your father arrived earlier; he should be with Old Master Yi,” Fang Fengyu said, leading the way to the main doors. After a nod to the security guards, the doors were opened, and the sisters followed her inside.

Linqiu knew that Xu Judong had suffered these past few years. Fang Fengyu often said Judong lacked natural acting talent. To compensate, Judong worked tirelessly. When people criticized her gentle looks as being unfit for the big screen, she decided to learn martial arts and specialized in sharp, fierce film roles. After years of struggle, she had finally proven herself by winning a Best Actress award.

Linqiu straightened her back and walked through the doors with Judong. Behind those doors lay a different world. Elegantly dressed elders and young socialites chatted animatedly over glasses of rich wine. Many guests had arrived early.

Fang Fengyu led them toward the grand spiral staircase at the back of the hall to greet Old Master Yi. After taking just two steps, they saw a large group of people escorting the Old Master down the stairs.

Fang Fengyu stepped back, intending to pull Linqiu forward to meet the elders. She pulled, but Linqiu didn’t move. Confused, she looked back.

Xu Linqiu was staring blankly at the staircase. Her entire focus was captured by the woman standing to the right of the kindly old man.

The woman wore light makeup, her black hair draped gracefully yet casually over a deep blue suit. That deep, sea-blue shade highlighted her cold, aloof, and distant aura.

But her features… those willow-leaf eyes, that beauty mark, and those very “kissable” lips.

That was… clearly Xiao Hong.