After Marrying the Villain with Seven Personalities [Transmigration into a Book]) - Chapter 20

“Listen to me, let me explain… I had my reasons…”

When a personality is convinced of something, even if you point out it’s false, they will stubbornly believe their own version of reality. They are entirely self-centered.

Xu Linqiu had no choice but to go along with her, hoping to subtly influence her through indirect questioning.

After thinking for a long time, Linqiu finally squeezed out that sentence, hoping to salvage some of her “scumbag” image. Yet, the more she thought about it, the more it sounded like a weak cover-up. She could only summarize:

“So, you’re saying you developed this illness because I was with another woman and abandoned you both?”

“That’s right~ my dear ex-wife.” Yi Chen-cheng (Orange) curled her lips, her eyes sweeping over Linqiu’s dazed expression with an unreadable look. She then turned and led Yi Hehe forward. “Of course, I’ll give you a chance to explain.”

But the cause of the illness doesn’t make sense at all, Linqiu thought, because all of this is a fantasy created by Xiao Cheng.

Xu Linqiu frowned and followed slowly, suddenly feeling a slight chill down her spine. A resentful gaze was fixed on her back.

Shi Ji stood a short distance away, wearing a baseball cap and a mask, feeling utterly miserable. If she weren’t worried about Lin-zi’s safety, she wouldn’t have come here to torture herself like this.

She had spent the entire previous night plagued by nightmares. She dreamed that the big villain, Yi Chenqing, had split into a psychopathic killer who smirked while caressing a tied-up Xu Linqiu’s cheek with a chainsaw. She had woken up in a cold sweat.

Dissociative Identity Disorder is too terrifying.

But wait—it’s supposed to be a date for two. Why did she bring a kid? Is it related to the personalities?

Filled with questions, Shi Ji thought for a moment. If only I had an expert right now.

In an instant, Yi Yanbai’s cold face appeared in her mind. She gritted her teeth. The plot was already a mess anyway; a little more interaction with the protagonist wouldn’t hurt. After a few seconds of hesitation, she found Yi Yanbai in the “Era Flowers” group chat and added her.

The request was accepted almost immediately. Shi Ji typed furiously.

[Are you busy?] [Not busy.] [You said you owed me a favor, right? Then can you come to Yuntao Amusement Park right now? I’ll send you the location.] [△ Location] [Okay.]

“Would you like to purchase a family pass?”

“Yes.”

Xu Linqiu rushed to pay first, then walked into the park with the other two. She tried to probe further with a smile: “See? I’m not bankrupt. As for the claim that I’m approaching you again for money, that’s completely groundless.”

“Is it?” Xiao Cheng cast a mocking glance at her. “But I just accidentally caught a glimpse of your balance. It was only twenty-five yuan.”

Xu Linqiu: “…” “All my money is in the bank.” “Oh.”

That single “Oh” was agonizing for Linqiu. She had no idea how to save her reputation.

Yi Hehe let go of Xiao Cheng’s hand, ran into the middle to hold both their hands, and looked up at Linqiu with a beaming face. “It’s okay, Mami! Mommy can afford to support you.”

“Mami really isn’t bankrupt,” Linqiu promised, though she felt incredibly guilty. She quickly changed the subject with a smile. “Do you want to ride the carousel?”

Hehe: “Yay!~”

The carousel was located to the left of the entrance. It featured a castle-style platform with wooden horses and carriages of various shapes and sizes. As they walked over, a new round was just beginning, but it was already nearly full.

They finally found one empty spot. Xiao Cheng placed Hehe in a carriage and stroked her hair with a smile. “Mommy will watch you from out here and take pictures.”

“Okay!~”

Stepping outside the barrier, Xiao Cheng opened her phone’s camera. In the frame, Hehe looked toward them, her round face lit up with a deep dimple on one cheek as she laughed—utterly precious.

A gentle curve touched the corners of Xiao Cheng’s eyes, and a misty look of reminiscence appeared.

“Ours was an arranged marriage, but I actually liked you very much back then. I even agreed to your request to adopt Hehe right after we married. You told me the child represented the eternal bond between us, and you placed the wedding ring on my finger with so much affection.”

Xu Linqiu’s heart skipped a beat. Her hand on the railing felt awkward. She couldn’t understand how Xiao Cheng could generate so many specific details. She watched Chen-cheng’s soft profile as the other woman continued sadly.

“Hehe was just a baby when we adopted her, so tiny and thin. I gave up everything to return to the family for her sake—feeding her, coaxing her to sleep, washing your clothes and cooking your meals. I’d even wait up until late at night if I heard you were working overtime.”

“We were once a devoted couple, so intimate… but…” Xiao Cheng suddenly turned, her eyes filled with mockery and a dark shadow. “Everything changed the night I tried to bring you a midnight snack while the baby was asleep.”

“Do you remember? Do you want me to help you recall?” Her smile was desolate. She suddenly placed her hand over Linqiu’s, her fingers pinching Linqiu’s ring finger and rubbing it slowly. She leaned in close to Linqiu’s ear. “That woman was sitting in your lap. You were kissing passionately, half-undressed… you were seconds away from doing it on the sofa right in front of me.”

“In those nights when I was home coaxing our daughter and waiting for you until midnight, you must have been doing it with her every time…”

“It’s been so many years. Even the tan line from the ring on your finger has faded~”

Xu Linqiu: “…”

Where did these details come from?!

So now I’m a heartless scumbag who betrayed a devoted wife, abandoned a daughter, and had an affair right in front of her?

Linqiu felt like she was going crazy. She bit her lip to deny it, but remembering Chenqing’s illness, she could only offer a subtle explanation: “It’s not what you think. You saw it wrong.”

“Oh~ so you were just discussing life goals or company projects with that woman?” Xiao Cheng stepped back, looking at her playfully.

Realizing that denial wouldn’t work, Xu Linqiu calmed down. Her eyes, which naturally curved even when she wasn’t smiling, smoothed out. She replied with total, serious confidence:

“Everything you said is right. I admit I was lured by external temptations and made the mistakes many married people make in a moment of weakness. But after you left, I realized my errors. I’ve reflected deeply and I want to make amends.”

“You really are a textbook scumbag, aren’t you?~”

Xiao Cheng suddenly laughed. She turned back to wave her phone at a smiling Hehe in the carousel carriage, then looked back at Linqiu. Her fingers unconsciously toyed with Linqiu’s ring finger, her eyes shining with a malicious light.

“I came to see you today to give you one more chance. If you truly want to make amends as you say, then how about you marry me?”

“I still want to give Hehe a complete home. But this time, you marry me. You become my subordinate; you wash the clothes, cook the meals, and take care of the kid.”

“I can give you money,” Xiao Cheng stepped closer, taking Linqiu’s hand and interlacing their fingers. Her fair cheek pressed against Linqiu’s, her warm breath tickling Linqiu’s ear. “But if you ever two-time me again, I’ll have to break you into pieces and keep you on my bed like a doll~”

“Weren’t you very happy that night at Hongxun? But I feel like I was cheated on. It makes me very unhappy when you’re with the other personalities. In my eyes, you are mine. You can only do it with me~”

Xiao Cheng’s tone grew dejected and petulant, then suddenly filled with a fantasy-like excitement. “Just think… if you became a doll that couldn’t move, at my total mercy, unable to ever cheat again… I would be so happy~”

“So~ you’d better stay far away from them~” She nuzzled against Linqiu’s cheek.

The cool temperature and the faint fragrance made Xu Linqiu close her eyes, her lashes trembling with her racing heart.

Wait! She opened her eyes.

Am I not a “scumbag”? Why is Xiao Cheng so possessive of me?

Is it because the “cheating” left a trauma, so she can’t stand me seeing other people, or else she’ll…

But I’m dating the original Chenqing! If we get married in the future, how can we not… you know?

And if we do “that,” what will happen if Xiao Cheng comes out afterward?

Linqiu’s heart thudded.

“Have you decided?” Xiao Cheng pulled back slightly, swaying their interlaced hands. She gave a playful smile. “If you want the riches enough to take the risk, then say yes.”

“I even brought the household registration booklet (Hukou).”

Xu Linqiu: “…”