Su Nian woke up in a warm yet tightly confined feeling.

Morning light streamed through the gaps in the heavy curtains, casting a thin band of light into the dimly lit bedroom. She found herself still tightly held in Ah Chen's arms, his arms wrapped around her waist, his grip unwavering, as if even in her sleep, he feared she might disappear. His cheek rested against the top of her head, his breathing steady and long, carrying the warmth unique to sleep, brushing against her forehead.

As the night passed, the chilling despair and deathly stillness emanating from him seemed to have dissipated somewhat, but it was replaced by a deeper, almost obsessive dependence. Su Nian stirred slightly, trying to get up, but the arm around her waist immediately tightened.

"Don't move." Ah Chen's sleepy, hoarse voice sounded above her head. He didn't open his eyes, but buried his face deeper into her hair, like a large canine unwilling to leave its warm nest.

This sleepy, undisguised dependence contrasted sharply with his manic and obsessive state when he was awake, causing Su Nian's heart to soften slightly. She didn't struggle anymore, but simply lay quietly in his arms, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest and the warmth of his body through the thin fabric.

[Host, the secondary personality's dependence on and trust in you remains high even while asleep! This physical contact seems to effectively soothe his subconscious unease.] 088 analyzed, [However, when the primary personality wakes up and finds you not in the guest room... this system foresees a storm is brewing.]

Su Nian naturally thought of this as well. Balancing these two completely different yet equally intense emotions was like walking on a knife's edge.

After a few more moments, Ah Chen seemed to be fully awake. He slowly raised his head, his dark eyes no longer appearing so cold and piercing in the dim morning light, but instead carrying a hint of languor and confusion from just waking up. He looked down at Su Nian in his arms, his eyes flickering with complex emotions before regaining their usual, slightly awkward, assertive demeanor.

"Good morning." He uttered a single word in a low, husky voice, but his arm did not loosen its grip. Instead, he unconsciously twirled a strand of her hair with his fingertips, playing with it with a secret intimacy.

"Good morning," Su Nian replied, trying to get up again. "I should go see Mr. Xie."

Upon hearing the words "Mr. Xie," Ah Chen's eyes instantly turned cold, and he stopped playing with her hair. He snorted, his tone clearly displeased: "What's so interesting about that good-for-nothing? He sleeps like a pig."

Even so, he reluctantly released his arm, allowing Su Nian to get up. However, his gaze remained fixed on her, filled with intense dissatisfaction and possessiveness.

Su Nian straightened her slightly wrinkled clothes and walked out of the master bedroom. She first gently pushed open the door to the guest bedroom, wanting to check on Xie Chen's (the main personality) condition.

Xie Chen was already awake in bed. He sat on the bed, hugging his knees, staring blankly out the window, his face still somewhat pale. Hearing the door open, he turned his head sharply. When he saw Su Nian, his eyes instantly lit up with a bright light and a great sense of relief, but then that light quickly dimmed, replaced by a feeling of grievance and unease.

“Assistant Su…” he called softly, his voice soft and sleepy, with a barely perceptible sob, “You…you last night…”

He clearly noticed that Su Nian came from the direction of the master bedroom, and that she was wearing yesterday's clothes. A sense of panic and sadness at being "abandoned" was clearly written on his face.

Su Nian walked to the bedside and sat down, her tone gentle: "I stayed in the apartment all night. How are you feeling? Are you still scared?"

Xie Chen didn't answer her question. Instead, he timidly reached out and carefully grasped Su Nian's sleeve, looking up at her with slightly reddened eyes: "You...you slept with him...?"

His question was direct and simple, carrying a childlike sense of grievance and a desire for confirmation.

Looking into his wet, uneasy eyes, Su Nian knew she couldn't give him a perfunctory answer. She gently grasped his slightly cool hand and said honestly, "Yes, A-Chen was very emotionally unstable last night and needed someone to be with him. Just like you need someone to be with you when you're scared."

The analogy startled Xie Chen. He lowered his head, looking at their clasped hands, his lips trembling as he murmured, "But...but I need you more..." His voice trailed off, filled with deep disappointment and a hint of...jealousy?

Just then, the door to the master bedroom was suddenly pulled open.

Ah Chen leaned against the door frame, having already changed his clothes. His hair was still a little messy. His cold gaze swept over the two people "holding hands and looking at each other" in the guest room, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

“Tsk,” he uttered an impatient syllable, “sticky and disgusting first thing in the morning.”

His appearance startled Xie Chen, who immediately released his grip on Su Nian's hand and shrank back onto the bed like a frightened rabbit, covering his head with the blanket and only peeking out with terrified eyes at the door.

Ah Chen scoffed at Xie Chen's reaction. His gaze returned to Su Nian, and he said in a commanding tone, "I'm hungry. Go make breakfast." He paused, then added, glancing meaningfully at the huddled Xie Chen, "Just make my portion. That good-for-nothing doesn't deserve to eat your cooking."

Breakfast was served in an extremely eerie atmosphere.

Su Nian ultimately made a simple breakfast for three people—fried eggs, toast, and milk. Ah Chen was extremely dissatisfied with this, his face dark the whole time, but unexpectedly, he didn't lash out again. He just used his knife and fork to cut the food on his plate fiercely, as if the food was a substitute for someone who was an eyesore.

Xie Chen (the main personality) sat at the other end of the table, furthest from A Chen, eating the breakfast Su Nian pushed in front of him in small bites. He was very careful and barely dared to make a sound. His eyes would occasionally steal glances at Su Nian with a hint of dependence and a little bit of flattery, before quickly avoiding A Chen's cold gaze.

Su Nian sat between the two, feeling like a kindergarten teacher taking care of two large, problem children who were hostile to each other and had very different personalities.

After the meal, Ah Chen put down his cutlery and announced to Su Nian, "Your time is mine today." He glanced at Xie Chen, whose face had turned pale instantly, and smiled maliciously, "I need you to help me organize the sheet music."

This is clearly an excuse. Most of those sheet music belong to Xie Chen (the main personality), and A-Chen has always disdained them.

Upon hearing this, Xie Chen's eyes immediately welled up with tears. He looked at Su Nian for help, his lips trembling, but he dared not utter a word of objection.

Su Nian knew that Ah Chen was using this method to vie for her attention, retaliating for her "accompanying" the main personality last night (even though it was at his request), and for her interaction with the main personality this morning. If she completely complied, it would only embolden him and deeply hurt the fragile main personality.

She put down her milk glass and looked calmly at Ah Chen: "Ah Chen, I have my work schedule. This morning I need to do some relaxation exercises with Mr. Xie, which is part of the rehabilitation plan developed by Dr. Chen."

She then turned to Xie Chen, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and said in a gentle but firm tone, "Mr. Xie, let's practice in the sunroom later; it's quieter there."

She tries to allocate her time and attention in a fair way, based on "work" and "recovery," to avoid getting caught in a childish battle between two personalities.

Ah Chen's face instantly darkened. He abruptly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a harsh sound. He stared intently at Su Nian, his eyes dangerous: "You rejected me for that good-for-nothing?"

“This is not a rejection, it’s a work arrangement,” Su Nian reiterated.

"Fine, very well." Ah Chen laughed in extreme anger, a laugh that sent chills down one's spine. He didn't pursue the matter further, but turned and strode towards the second floor, disappearing around the corner of the stairs.

Xie Chen visibly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ah Chen leave, and his gaze toward Su Nian was filled with even more gratitude and dependence.

The sunroom was warm and quiet in the morning. Su Nian guided Xie Chen through some simple muscle relaxation and mindfulness breathing exercises. Without A-Chen watching him closely, Xie Chen was noticeably more relaxed. Although he was still sensitive, he was at least able to cooperate and complete the exercises.

After practice, he even mustered up the courage to sit down in front of the unused electronic keyboard in the corner of the sunroom. He didn't play any complicated pieces; he just used one finger to carefully and intermittently press out a few single notes, as if he were testing the waters or trying to recall something.

Su Nian didn't disturb him, but just sat quietly watching from a distance.

Just then, her phone vibrated; it was a message from Yang Li. The message was brief, but it made Su Nian's heart sink:

"Assistant Su, Mr. Xie hopes that Xie Chen can attend the family business's anniversary celebration next week and perform in public. This is his father's wish, and there is no room for negotiation. Please make preparations in advance."

A family celebration? A public performance?

After experiencing such a devastating blow yesterday? And with Xie Chen even showing extreme fear when facing unfamiliar environments?

This is practically driving him to the brink of despair!

Su Nian gripped her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white. She could almost imagine what would happen if Xie Chen (the main personality) were forced to appear in that kind of situation, facing numerous gazes and pressure from Xie's father—either a complete breakdown, or… what unpredictable things A-Chen might do when pushed to the limit.

At this moment, the upstairs was unusually quiet.

What is Ah Chen doing? Does he also know about this news? Given his personality, how will he react?

Su Nian raised her head and looked towards the second floor, her heart filled with an ominous premonition.

The situation, which had just begun to ease, was once again pushed to the brink of collapse due to Xie's father's unquestionable order.

This time, she will have to face both external pressure and potentially more intense internal conflicts.

(End of Chapter 138)