After Marrying the Villain with Seven Personalities [Transmigration into a Book]) - Chapter 40

Even though she was mentally prepared, the words still caused Xu Linqiu’s heart to twitch with an unavoidable, sharp pain.

She had thought she didn’t like her that much. She had thought that even if she failed, even if Yi Chenqing recovered her memory and still couldn’t forget her first love, she would be able to walk away unscathed.

But in reality, from the moment she first agreed to date her, everything had been predestined. The scales in her heart had long since tilted. It was like a karmic bond, a lingering emotion from a past life that had carried over into this one—invisible but unbreakable.

It wasn’t as burning as love at first sight, and it went far beyond affection built over time. It was a complex web of emotions that, by the time she realized it, she could no longer let go.

And now, she couldn’t release her hand.

Xu Linqiu masked the fierce possessiveness surging in her eyes, replacing it with a crestfallen, hollow smile. She stared blankly at the woman. “I just wanted to stay by your side. Is even that not allowed?”

The hand clamping down on her wrist didn’t loosen; if anything, it tightened. The woman’s eyes turned darker, staring at Xu’s helpless and dejected state in silence. For a moment, this scene overlapped with the memories of their past arguments.

The one she loved deeply in her memories.

Yi Chenlan (Blue) let out a gloomy smile. Her voice was so cold it seemed to chill one’s very bones. “No. You have crossed my bottom line. Leave while you still can. Don’t think you can sneak in through my other personalities; that will only make me loathe you more.”

“Loathe me?” Xu Linqiu suddenly laughed. A suffocating tightness gripped her heart—a feeling she had never experienced before.

Even the nine years of solitude she had endured, day after day, year after year, rackeing her brains in front of an easel, couldn’t compare to the raw, immersive agony of this moment. This was a painting of melancholic weeping; every stroke of this masterpiece was a broken heart.

She tried to hypnotize herself, telling herself not to jump to conclusions before understanding this personality’s background, but she found she couldn’t say a word.

The woman on top of her let go of her hands. With the detached air of someone turning their back after a casual encounter, she stood up, wrapped herself in a towel, and walked to the suitcase near the door to rummage for clothes.

She returned and tossed a few garments indifferently beside Xu. “Get dressed, then get out.”

Xu Linqiu watched her, looking as though the cold light in the woman’s eyes had shattered her into pieces. She lowered her gaze, her long lashes casting a shadow over her lower lids. She remained silent for a few seconds, then stood up. She didn’t cover herself, nor did she reach for the clothes. Instead, she walked to the basket containing the bathrobes, squatted down slowly, and drank several gulps of water—drinking it as if she were trying to get drunk on it.

Under the room’s lights, every move she made was exceptionally captivating.

Yi Chenlan looked away and sat on the edge of the bed, frowning as she clutched her aching chest. Her mind involuntarily flickered back to the scenes in the hot spring pool. Sharing the five senses is truly infuriating.

A shadow suddenly blocked the light in front of her, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up, only to be instantly pulled into a tight embrace.

Xu Linqiu sat on her lap. Before the woman could resist, Xu grabbed her hands and pinned her to the mattress. Her strength was unexpectedly immense. She forced the woman’s hands above her head and, in a few swift motions, tied them together with the sash from the bathrobe she had grabbed earlier.

“What are you trying to do?” The woman looked at her coldly and sneered. “Can’t bear to leave my money? So you’re making one last desperate struggle?”

“Let me tell you, even if you do this, the only thing I’ll do once I get out is speed up the divorce papers. If you let me go now, I might still give you a sum of money to ensure you leave smoothly.”

Xu Linqiu tossed aside her towel. With one hand easily pinning the woman’s wrists, she looked at the fire in her eyes and suddenly laughed radiantly—her whole body was even trembling slightly.

“Then let me tell you this.” She stopped laughing and ran her tongue over her lips, adding a layer of decadent charm, then looked into her eyes. “I’m not after your money. I’m after your body.”

The woman’s teeth clenched in what seemed like humiliated rage. “You think I’ll let you have your way?”

“Am I not a substitute?” Xu Linqiu’s lips curled. Her other hand slowly picked up a towel and draped it over her own back, tucking her hands underneath as she spoke in a slow, lingering drawl: “You might not know this, but as a substitute, my favorite hobby is recording videos. I might have recorded many… interesting videos without you knowing~”

“I don’t know when your ‘sweetheart’ is coming back, but if you don’t play along, I’ll package them all and send them to her. Besides, we’re filming a variety show. I wouldn’t mind letting the whole country know we’re married.”

“Think about it. Your sweetheart surely doesn’t know you’re married. If she finds out you’re not only married but pinned under someone else every night… what kind of expression do you think she’ll have?~”

“You’re threatening me.” Yi Chenlan narrowed her eyes, staring fixedly at her.

Xu Linqiu looked back at her with lingering obsession and lightly bit her lower lip. “I suppose I am.”

She looked as if she were about to devour the woman whole. Her hot breath fanned against Yi’s lips; her skin was warm as jade, and the way she looked down was full of treacherous affection.

Yi Chenlan’s heart rate quickened without warning. She tried to struggle with all her might, but she couldn’t move an inch. She could only repeat: “What exactly do you want?”

Xu Linqiu glanced at the woman’s bright red earlobes, released her lip, and licked it instead. She got straight to the point: “Tell me who your sweetheart is. What happened between you two? And… is your name Yi Chenlan?”

Based on the order of colors, it was a safe bet.

“What do you think?” The woman stared at her defiantly, but within seconds, her face flushed and her eyes grew misty.

She looks much better this way, Xu thought.

Xu Linqiu couldn’t resist kissing her lips again, pressing further: “Are you going to tell me or not?”

Yi Chenlan stared at her in fury. She no longer had the strength to resist, falling instead into a state of forced endurance. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.

After a long while, she finally opened them, her gaze blurred with passion as she exhaled a hot breath: “I… I’ve forgotten what she looks like. But you look very much like her.”

“Why did you forget?” Xu Linqiu pressed the advantage.

The woman bit her lip in suppression. “Stop… and I’ll tell you.”

“If you don’t tell me, I don’t mind sending those ‘little videos’ to every woman who looks like me.”

Xu Linqiu continued to smile at her. If one couldn’t see the actions beneath that gentle smile, one might think she was being tender. But Yi Chenlan clearly couldn’t take it; her body shivered, and tears uncontrollably escaped the corners of her eyes.

She felt humiliated. Her eyes were cold, yet they couldn’t stop the rising mist.

Aching for her, Xu Linqiu kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes and the beauty mark beneath them, her tongue lightly licking the skin.

Yi Chenlan’s long lashes trembled, her face flushed as she finally spoke: “We were high school sweethearts. We were very close, but we had a fight after the college entrance exams and broke up. After we parted, I fell seriously ill and forgot her specific appearance.”

“But all these years, I haven’t stopped thinking about her for a single moment. I even became depressed.”

“I wrote many songs for her, hoping she would hear them and come back to find me.”

“But she didn’t. I couldn’t wait for her. Instead, I saw you and felt an instant sense of familiarity. But you aren’t her. She was conservative… you are very ‘sao’ (slutty/provocative). You just look like her, which is why I offered to keep you as my mistress.”

“I’m ‘sao’?” Xu Linqiu paused. The stifling feeling in her heart was replaced by an urge to laugh out of sheer exasperation.

Between the two of them, who was the provocative one? Who was the one wearing her pajamas and constantly pestering her for more?

“Are you not?” Yi Chenlan looked at her with a cold, provocative glare, letting out a gasp she tried to choke back.

“Fine.” Xu Linqiu revealed a brilliant smile, then licked her lips and leaned down to kiss her. “I’ll show you just how ‘sao’ I can be.”

She forced her way past the woman’s teeth, being more forceful than usual. She sucked on her lips passionately, only letting her go when she was breathless, then moved down to her neck, lightly biting and sucking.

The towel draped loosely over the two of them. The fluttering bed curtains shielded the scene of lingering passion. Yi Chenlan’s eyes overflowed with uncontrollable tears. All her icy armor vanished, replaced by a deep crimson flush as she cried out in shame: “Stop it! …I beg you.”

The woman remained unmoved, making Yi Chenlan begin to regret ever provoking such a person—someone who responded to neither the carrot nor the stick. Could she ever truly drive her away?

“Sister Shi Ji, are you ever getting in?” Yu Shu had been soaking for a long time. The steaming spring water made her incredibly comfortable. She squinted at Shi Ji, who had been squatting behind the rockery with her ear pressed against the wall, listening to the movement next door as if she could actually hear something.

“The soundproofing here is quite good,” Yu Shu added with interest. “Even if something happens, we shouldn’t be able to hear it.”

In reality, Xu Judong was so dim-witted that nothing “scandalous” could happen; she was likely just asking Yi Yanbai for medical advice. Yu Shu had been suffering from insomnia; though her depression had improved, she was still worried. She was afraid of death; she wanted to stay by the side of the person she loved forever.

At that thought, Yu Shu’s mood darkened slightly.

On the other hand, Shi Ji couldn’t take it anymore. The steam in the room was making her restless. She had been looking forward to the hot spring, but now she felt like an ant on a hot stove. She couldn’t focus at all, especially after hearing Yu Shu’s words.

If something happens, we won’t hear it…

No, I have to go check. Shi Ji rushed out, leaving behind a weary Yu Shu who had closed her eyes.

“It’s nothing, just a mild case. Your condition has been well-controlled over the years,” Yi Yanbai said to Xu Judong. “Someone must have been guiding you through it, right?”

Guiding…

I guess venting counts, Judong thought. Whenever she was in a bad mood, Yu Shu would always appear at the right time to oppose her, making her rack her brains to trip Yu Shu up. Although, whenever she successfully got her revenge, Yu Shu would appear before the public looking pitiful. She didn’t know if she was venting or just getting more frustrated.

“Yes,” Xu Judong nodded.

Yi Yanbai felt relieved and instructed her: “Based on what you said, the insomnia is likely due to something unhappy that happened recently. Try to be more open-minded. Do some exercise before bed, listen to music, and force yourself to stop thinking. Clear your mind. Also, take the medicine I prescribed on time.”

“Understood.”

As she agreed, Yi Yanbai stood up from the bed and walked toward the pool. Just as she reached the edge, a sudden, urgent knocking sounded at the door.