Upon hearing the words "dissociative identity disorder," both Jiang Mianmian and Huo Junyu were incredulous.
Especially Huo Junyu, who often played in the study where Grandpa Pan worked when he was a child. Pan Dafu was a suspense novelist, and a recurring theme in his works was dissociative identity disorder.
He was young at the time and didn't understand what was going on, so Grandpa Pan patiently told him: "This is a mental illness. A person will fantasize that he or she has become another person or several people. His personality will change drastically and he will do things that are incomprehensible."
Huo Junyu believed that this kind of illness only existed in novels.
Unexpectedly...
He frowned, suddenly recalling the night He Zhengsong kidnapped his grandmother. In the Huo family, with its powerful security system, how could He Zhengsong have managed to sneak in with a gun?
It was later discovered that an insider was behind it.
The surveillance footage also showed that a thin woman was acting suspiciously on the day of the banquet, but she was wearing a hoodie and a hat, so her face was mostly covered and it was impossible to tell who she was.
Based on her figure, they deduced that it was Cheng Suyue, but they dared not confirm it. After all, Huo Junyang and Lu Ran were still engaged, and they were afraid of hurting their relationship by suspecting her without cause.
Now it seems that the person was undoubtedly Cheng Suyue.
Or rather, it is another personality of Cheng Suyue.
*
Early in the morning, Pei Nian was already pacing back and forth in the courtyard.
Even while recovering from her injury, she never stopped exercising. She firmly believed that life lies in movement, and the more she moved, the faster she would recover.
Huo Jingnan found this theory both laughable and exasperating.
Strangely enough, this theory actually works quite well on Pei Nian!
Now, Pei Nian can walk steadily without the aid of crutches.
As the first rays of dawn shone upon the earth, Pei Nian walked to the courtyard gate, looked back, and saw that Huo Jingnan was probably still fast asleep.
She lowered her head and pursed her lips, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes.
Then she left the small courtyard house.
Hearing her leave, Huo Jingnan was jolted awake from his dream. He hastily threw on some clothes and chased after her.
Fortunately, Pei Nian couldn't walk fast, and he caught up with her after a while, but he was afraid of being discovered, so he followed her from a distance.
At first, he worried that she would leave without saying goodbye, because Pei Nian had been insisting on returning to Yangcheng these past few days to protect "the person she wanted to protect." Huo Jingnan always refused, citing her injuries not yet fully healed, though he also had his own selfish motives.
She was even a little jealous of Jiang Mianmian.
However, it seems that Pei Nian is empty-handed and has not taken anything, which does not look like someone who is going on a long trip.
Moreover, the central city is in the east, but Pei Nian is heading north.
Huo Jingnan's heart tightened, and he dared not relax for a moment.
The further north they went, the fewer people they saw. Huo Jingnan was wondering when he suddenly saw Pei Nian find an open space, face north, kneel down with a thud, and kowtow!
Huo Jingnan hid behind a tree, his eyes wide open.
Pei Nian looked at the distant sky, tears streaming down her face.
She started by shedding silent tears, then began to sob softly, and finally collapsed to the ground, wailing uncontrollably…
Huo Jingnan's heart ached with every clench. A girl who never cried, a girl who stubbornly refused to shed a tear even when seriously injured, a girl so aloof that even her eyes kept people at arm's length, had broken down at this moment.
He didn't know what had happened.
In his memory, they chatted and laughed and got along very well during their time in the village!
Huo Jingnan stopped hiding his intentions and ran over to support her shoulders. Pei Nian was startled, looked up to meet his warm eyes, moved her lips, but said nothing.
"Why are you crying here all by yourself?" Huo Jingnan asked in a low voice. "What happened?"
Pei Nian lowered her eyes, sobbing.
“Pei Nian…” He paused, “I don’t want you to keep everything bottled up inside and bear it all alone. I…”
Before the words were finished, Pei Nian's mournful voice could be heard:
"From today onwards, I really don't have a mother anymore."
Huo Jingnan's heart skipped a beat. "What?"
Pei Nian closed her eyes, and large tears fell down her cheeks.
Later, Huo Jingnan learned that it was the day Pei Nian's mother, Pei Hong, was executed.
Her mother was a human trafficker, also known as Sister Hong, a notorious figure in the underworld, whose misdeeds were too numerous to count.
But no matter how bad she was, in Pei Nian's eyes, she was still the only mother in the world.
Huo Jingnan couldn't help but hug her and gently stroke her hair.
“I don’t have a mother anymore,” Pei Nian murmured. “I will never have a mother again.”
"I couldn't even see her one last time."
"She should be gone by now..."
"Pei Nian." Huo Jingnan felt an indescribable pain in his heart. "Even without your mother, you still have me."
Pei Nian paused for a moment, then suddenly came to her senses.
She then realized that she was being held in this man's arms... Her momentary vulnerability had made her crave his embrace, his sweet scent, and the feeling of being with him...
Pei Nian felt scared. She pushed him away forcefully and struggled to stand up.
"No, I don't want you!"
"Pei Nian?"
"I don't need you!" Pei Nian didn't dare look him in the eye. "I can manage on my own, I don't need you!"
However, the more she acted this way, the more Huo Jingnan wanted to get closer to her.
His approach only plunged her into deeper feelings of inferiority.
She kept reminding herself that they were from two different worlds and that she was not good enough for him.
Now that he knows her mother is a death row inmate, he should understand that they will never be together!
"Pei Nian, don't be stubborn..."
"I didn't!" Pei Nian gritted her teeth. "Huo Jingnan, let's make things clear! I'm very grateful to you for saving me, and I'm also very grateful for the care you've given me during this time. From now on, my life belongs to you. If anything happens to you, I will do everything in my power to help you!"
"But... but our relationship ends here!"
Huo Jingnan stood there, his mind blank, while Pei Nian turned and ran after saying those words.
The morning sunlight grew stronger, and when he touched his eyes, they were slightly moist.
It's probably because the sunlight is too bright...
Huo Jingnan smiled wryly, turned around, and slowly walked back along the same path.
*
Jiang Mianmian and Huo Junyu walked out of Adam's office, both looking preoccupied.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Jiang Mianmian spoke first, saying, "Jun Yang should know about this as soon as possible."
"But it seems that Yangyang doesn't know this yet; it's obvious that Lu Ran didn't tell him."
Huo Junyu remained silent, the depth in his eyes becoming even more pronounced.
“I can understand Ranran,” Jiang Mianmian frowned. “She doesn’t want everyone to know about her mother’s illness. But this is no small matter!”
“Moreover,” she looked at him, “it would be best if Junyang learned about this from Ranran herself, rather than from someone else. Otherwise, a crisis of trust will arise between them.”
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