After Marrying the Villain with Seven Personalities [Transmigration into a Book]) - Chapter 22

The pleasant weather was perfect for outdoor activities, and the burger shop began to quiet down as guests left. However, the sudden bang of Yi Chen-cheng (Orange) slamming her hand onto the table drew several curious glances.

Shi Ji quietly pulled up her mask. Meeting those eyes—which seemed capable of seeing through everything—she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness.

Beside her, Yi Yanbai was also stunned, her heart surging with an ethereal joy caused by that single word: “Girlfriend.”

Xu Linqiu blinked and stared intently at Xiao Cheng. She watched as the woman’s lips curled into a mocking smirk, followed by a slight glazing over of her eyes.

“Very well. I shall wait for the day you marry into our family.”

Xiao Cheng forced out these final words before her eyelids slowly closed, and her body suddenly went limp.

Linqiu was the first to react, standing up quickly to catch her.

“Mommy!”

Seeing Yi Hehe stand up with eyes full of worry, Linqiu moved a chair closer to support the original Yi Chenqing. She eased her into a sitting position and comforted the child: “Mommy is just too tired and fell asleep. She’s fine.”

“Okay.” Only then did Hehe sit back down.

The abrupt change left Shi Ji bewildered. Realizing what had happened, she nudged Yi Yanbai with her shoulder and whispered: “See that? I made her so mad she fainted. That sentence just now counts as one favor. Now you only owe me one.”

Yi Yanbai suppressed her disappointment and nodded slightly. She frowned as she looked at her sister slumped in Linqiu’s arms and began to explain: “My sister, she…”

“The child is right here,” Linqiu interrupted.

Yi Hehe, who had resumed eating her fries, knitted her small brows. She raised a tiny hand. “I know. Mommy is having an ‘episode’ again.” She pouted slightly. “Mommy won’t wake up and bite me, will she?”

“She won’t.” Linqiu was charmed by the girl’s expression, then looked toward Yanbai.

A hint of warmth appeared in Yi Yanbai’s eyes as she ruffled Hehe’s hair. “Grandpa told her that ‘Yi Chen-cheng’ is the main personality, and that when my sister is ‘sick,’ she might bite Hehe if the girl gets too close…”

Hehe blinked, not quite understanding the logic, but she nodded.

Of course, Linqiu thought. Nobody would explain the complexities of Dissociative Identity Disorder to such a young girl. Instead, to hide the truth and keep her away from the original Chenqing, they had told a simplified, exaggerated lie.

Actually, since Hehe was adopted in the Old Master’s name, they could have just told Chenqing the truth. Linqiu felt a pang of sadness, but she kept her voice light as she smiled at Hehe. “Hehe, do you know where you came from?”

“I do,” Hehe nodded. “Mommy adopted me. I’ve lived at Great-Grandpa’s house for two years.”

She could never forget the way Mommy had hugged her at the orphanage and refused to let go. But Great-Grandpa said Mommy was sick, which was why she rarely came to visit. Though there was a trace of loneliness in her eyes, they quickly brightened again. “Mommy said that once she and Mami make up, we can finally be a whole family~”

The light in the child’s eyes was pure and full of hope—yet she was far too mature for her age. Linqiu looked away, feeling the weight of the unconscious Yi Chenqing in her arms grow heavier.

Shi Ji couldn’t stand this heavy atmosphere. She nudged Yi Yanbai to say something.

But Yanbai seemed completely immune to the sentimentality. When she opened her mouth, it was strictly about Chenqing’s condition. “Sister Linqiu, I think I need to tell you about my sister’s current situation.”

The shadow of a nearby plant draped over them. In the burger shop, only the scattered voices from the front counter could be heard. Yanbai lowered her voice, capturing the full attention of the other three. “It isn’t very optimistic.”

“In recent years, as long as my sister experiences emotional fluctuations, the other personalities are likely to emerge. As these occurrences become more frequent, I’ve looked into similar cases.”

“Right now, the sub-personalities still retain a subconscious sense of self. But if we don’t find the root cause soon and improve her condition, she will lose her original self. She’ll be consumed by the other personalities and become… unpredictable.”

In other words—Blackened.

The more Shi Ji listened, the more terrified she became. Even if the target wasn’t Lin-zi, being “consumed by personalities” was the definition of blackening!

Xu Linqiu frowned slightly, tightening her hold on the woman in her arms. “Among those similar cases, were there any successful cures? What happened to them?”

“There have been cases of successful recovery, but those involved successfully identifying the cause, supplemented by psychological medication. As for the unsuccessful ones…”

“The most typical is Inmate 1064 in Qingshan Prison…”

“Stop.” Shi Ji suddenly cut her off, her expression deadly serious and laced with anger.

Shouldn’t this have been disclosed the moment they announced they were dating? This is too dangerous. She stood up, grabbed Linqiu’s arm, and tried to pull her away.

Hehe didn’t understand the medical talk, but she sensed something bad was happening. Seeing Shi Ji trying to pull Linqiu away, she panicked: “Mami, Mommy is very sick, isn’t she? Let’s go to the hospital, okay?”

“Sweetie, it’s fine.” Linqiu comforted her with a smile, then looked at Shi Ji. Realizing they truly needed a private talk, she helped straighten Chenqing’s posture.

Just as she leaned Chenqing against the back of the chair, those narrow, elegant eyes slowly fluttered open. The mole beneath her eye added a natural allure to her gaze, but her eyes were currently filled with a cold, dazed confusion.

Xu Linqiu hadn’t expected her to wake up so soon. Everything caught them off guard.

Yi Chenqing sat up straight. Her gaze swept over the three adults, her brows furrowing before her eyes finally locked onto the small, bright-eyed girl beside her.

Yi Yanbai quickly made up an excuse: “Sister, you said you and Sister Linqiu were on a date, but then you ran off to Grandpa’s house and changed into a dress. I figured you might be sleepwalking again, so I followed you. Sure enough, you fell asleep the moment you got here.”

Shi Ji gave her a shocked look that clearly said: And she’s actually buying this?!

“Then this child is…?” Chenqing rubbed the bridge of her nose to ease the fatigue. Her focus was entirely on the little girl.

Yi Hehe didn’t dare look at her. She shrank back, casting a pleading look toward Xu Linqiu. Consequently, Chenqing’s gaze followed, landing on Linqiu.

Xu Linqiu couldn’t bear to see the child look at her like that. She sighed inwardly, turned slightly, and adopted a serious tone:

“Hehe had a very hard life at the orphanage. You know I’m not married and haven’t reached the legal age to adopt, and my parents wouldn’t agree. So, I asked Grandpa Yi to adopt her in his name. Your aunt and the others haven’t had a chance to tell you yet. I brought Hehe here today because I wanted to tell you this, and to see how you feel about it.”

Yi Chenqing’s brow gradually unfurled. Across from them, Yi Yanbai was stunned, her jaw nearly dropping in surprise.

Shi Ji, frustrated by Linqiu’s “hopeless” kindness, gripped her arm tighter. “We need to go to the bathroom.”

“Okay.” Linqiu also wanted a moment to breathe. She stood up and gestured. “Excuse me for a moment.”

She followed Shi Ji toward the restrooms.

Once they were out of sight, Yi Chenqing said nothing. she opened the bag hanging on the back of the chair and pulled out her phone. Yi Yanbai watched her closely.

Chenqing opened her browser and slowly typed in a search: “A woman brings a child to your first date.”

She clicked on a similar question, where one answer stood out vividly:

“She’s trying to make you the ‘backup’ provider (Mr. Honest)! Run, you fool!”