After Marrying the Villain with Seven Personalities [Transmigration into a Book]) - Chapter 19

[Dissociative Identity Disorder occurs when a patient dissociates conscious activities or memories that cause internal psychological pain from their overall mental state as a means of self-protection. However, this results in the loss of the integrity of the self.]

Xu Linqiu stared at the Baidu search results on her phone screen. Even though she had spent the entire previous day researching related topics, she still only half-understood this explanation.

In short, it likely meant that Yi Chenqing had encountered something painful—a blow so severe that she instinctively birthed these vastly different personalities to protect her original self.

At this thought, Linqiu’s heart softened further. She stepped out of her car, placed her phone inside a paper bag, and walked toward the entrance of the amusement park.

Yuntao Amusement Park was the largest in City A, catering to both children and adults. She scanned the area and noticed that most visitors were already lining up; there was no sign of Yi Chenqing.

The only person of note was a young mother sitting on a bench outside the gates. Her long hair partially obscured her face as she sat in a long dress, head bowed, talking to the little girl beside her.

Xu Linqiu walked over slowly and took a seat at the far end of the same bench. Just as she sat down, her phone began to ring with a soothing melody. The caller ID read: Auntie Xu.

She was about to answer when a familiar voice drifted from beside her.

“Long time no see.”

Turning toward the voice, Linqiu saw the young mother look up. It was indeed Yi Chenqing’s cold, elegant face, though her makeup today softened her features, and a moist orange lipstick gave her a more gentle, maternal glow.

She wore a simple, pale orange maxi dress with her long hair flowing freely. However, the faint trace of hostility in her eyes left Linqiu momentarily stunned.

Linqiu’s gaze then shifted downward, meeting the eyes of the little girl peeking out from beside the woman. The girl had beautiful, curved eyes and a lively, polite aura. The moment their eyes met, the girl called out in a soft, sweet voice:

“Hello, Mami~”

“!!!”

For the first time, Xu Linqiu lost her composure. With a hint of panic in her eyes, she waved her phone slightly. “I… I need to take this call.”

Dressed in a white inner shirt, white wide-leg trousers, and a gray knit cardigan with her hair in a low ponytail, Linqiu exuded an air of refined grace.

Yi Chen-cheng (the ‘Orange’ personality) looked her up and down. She tilted her head slightly, watching Linqiu hurriedly walk a short distance away to answer the phone. A mocking curve touched the corner of her lips as she turned to the little girl, Yi Hehe, and said dejectedly:

“See? I told you. Your Mami has no intention of taking responsibility at all.”

“She will,” Hehe comforted her in a milky voice, her eyes fixed longingly on the woman’s retreating back.

As soon as the call connected, an anxious voice came through.

“Linqiu? Is Chenqing with you?”

“She is,” Linqiu replied, hesitating before asking, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Yushan let out a sigh of relief. “Grandpa just called saying Chenqing secretly took Hehe out. I was worried something might happen, but thank goodness she’s with you.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you—shortly after Chenqing graduated high school, she developed a personality named ‘Xiao Hong’ (Red). Later, several other messier personalities appeared one after another.”

“For instance, there’s this one named ‘Xiao Cheng’ (Orange). When she first split off, she rushed to an orphanage in a state of utter grief, claiming we had given her child away. Later, when she saw Hehe—the skinniest child among the group—she burst into tears and hugged her, refusing to let go.”

Recalling the past, Xu Yushan actually felt like laughing amidst her sadness. Her daughter was such a “drama queen” that it seemed a waste of talent not to be an actress. But then again, this wasn’t acting; it was her illness.

“We had no choice but to adopt Hehe in the Old Master’s name,” Xu Yushan continued. “We only found out later that this personality’s ‘backstory’ is that she was cheated on by her wife and forced to leave home with nothing but her child.”

“I’m sorry to trouble you, Linqiu. You’ll need to prepare yourself mentally before talking to her. Try to go along with whatever she says as much as possible.”

“I understand, Auntie.”

Hearing this explanation, Linqiu finally breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t great at handling sudden, bizarre situations. The moment that little girl happily called her “Mami,” she had even wondered for a split second if she really had given birth to her.

She shook her head with a self-deprecating smile, hung up the phone, and looked back at the mother and daughter. She walked back quickly.

“Let’s go play.”

She stopped in front of the bench, looking down at “Xiao Cheng” with a smile.

Xiao Cheng gave her a surprised look before taking Hehe’s hand and standing up. As Linqiu fell into step beside them, she saw the little girl looking up at her with pure anticipation. Linqiu reached out a hand.

Hehe happily grabbed her hand as they walked toward the gates. Xiao Cheng followed closely.

“That was my mother calling to ask us to remarry, wasn’t it?”

“Mhm,” Linqiu agreed with a smile, her brain working at high speed. So Xiao Cheng thinks I’m that ‘wife’? Makes sense—since the ‘wife’ never existed to begin with.

As they reached the back of the ticket line, Xiao Cheng noticed the paper bag in Linqiu’s hand. She tilted her head and asked, “Those are my clothes, aren’t they?”

Yi Chenqing (the ‘original’ personality) always liked to throw the clothes and underwear Xiao Cheng bought into the recycling bin. Out of spite, Xiao Cheng had once thrown away all of Chenqing’s underwear and drawn a ghost face on a note to mock her. She hadn’t expected Chenqing to actually give her clothes to Xu Linqiu to wear.

“Yes,” Linqiu nodded, still playing along.

She deduced a vital piece of information: Xiao Cheng knew what Chenqing did in her daily life. Or rather, all the other personalities knew what was happening, while only the “main” Chenqing remained in the dark.

This meant the other personalities might also know why she developed the disorder. She wanted to ask directly, but considering there was a child present, she remained silent for the moment.

Xiao Cheng seemed to sense her hesitation. She gently squeezed Hehe’s hand and said with a smile, “Hehe, come to Mommy’s other side. Mommy wants to share some secrets with Mami.”

“Okay~” Hehe obediently ran to her right side and used one hand to cover her ear. “Go ahead, Mommy!”

Linqiu almost laughed, her eyes crinkling. But the moment Xiao Cheng turned to her, the maternal warmth vanished, replaced by cold indifference. “Ask,” she commanded.

Steeling herself, Linqiu leaned into her ear and asked with total sincerity: “Why did you develop this illness?” Fearing she wasn’t clear, she added, “The personality disorder.”

“So you know~” Xiao Cheng laughed, a trace of desolation in her eyes. “Because of you.”

Xu Linqiu froze. Xiao Cheng tilted her head slightly, the faint scent of oranges drifting over. Her soft lips brushed against Linqiu’s cheek before she pulled back just enough to whisper in a voice full of malicious intent:

“Back then, when Hehe was only a year old, you fell in love with that woman. You even threw a divorce agreement at me for her sake, forcing me to leave with nothing. What, did you forget so soon?”

“You once drove me into the depths of despair. If it weren’t for Hehe, I wouldn’t have survived at all, let alone developed such a sickness~”

“And now that your company has gone bankrupt, you realize how powerful the Yi family is? So you abandoned that woman and plan to make a move on me again to get my money?”

“You probably chose to target my sub-personalities first because you knew about my condition. How did it feel that night at Hongxun? Did you like it? Did it feel just like how we used to be in bed? Hmm?~”

The warm breath and the seductive, accusing words brushed against Linqiu’s ear. Her gaze drifted, her heart hammered against her ribs, and her mind fell into utter chaos.

This is bad. The information overload is too much. Am I still supposed to ‘go along with it’ and say ‘Mhm’? If I agree, doesn’t that confirm I’m a total scumbag?