Huang Lufei ignored Rong Xiao and rushed into the hypnosis room.
The room was exactly as he had left it. He found his laptop under the bookshelf. He turned it on, checked his browsing history—no trace of it. Yet he couldn't believe it; it was as if nothing had ever happened.
He immediately called the property management, claiming that an unidentified person had sneaked into the clinic and stolen valuables, and asked to see the building's security camera footage.
The property management company explained that the surveillance system malfunctioned fifteen minutes prior and had been repaired. However, when Huang Lufei received the footage, he discovered that that specific time period was missing!
What a grand gesture, what a brilliant technique!
Huang Lufei slammed his clenched fist against the wall.
*
The Mercedes-Benz was driving on the highway, with Huo Yunchao driving and Xue Qiandai in the passenger seat.
She has been silent ever since she received the document, her brows like snow-capped peaks, as if they had been covered in ice and snow for thousands of years.
"Dai Dai, let's go back to Yosemite."
"Xianghu Bay." The monotonous, mechanical answer made Xue Qiandai wish Jian Yan were by her side.
Huo Yunchao couldn't bear to go against her wishes, so he drove into the underground parking garage of Xianghu Bay. There was a BMW parked in the garage; Huo Yunchao recognized it—it belonged to Qin Shu.
"Ha, this guy's been staying at your place."
Normally, Xue Qiandai would have responded and teased Qin Shu mercilessly, but at this moment she didn't want to say a word.
The private elevator goes directly to the first floor.
In the kitchen, Jian Yan and Qin Shu were cooking, each wearing an apron. Their peaceful and contented appearance resembled that of a couple who had supported each other through many years.
"Dai Dai, you're back?" Jian Yan wiped her damp fingers on her apron. "I made Shengzhou fried rice cakes, let's eat together in a bit."
She's definitely in love; the meals she cooks are all specialties from her boyfriend's hometown.
Qin Shu chimed in, "Jian Xiaoyan's cooking is absolutely amazing!"
Xue Qiandai lost all interest. "Oh, I'm not hungry. You guys eat."
Huo Yunchao glared at Qin Shu. He had only ever been to the outside of Xianghu Bay before, and this was his first time going inside. The thought that Qin Shu had already been here several times made him very jealous.
"The master is back. Finish your meal and get out of here."
Qin Shu crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at him.
"childish!"
Huo Yunchao followed Xue Qiandai into her room.
It's clear that Xue Qiandai is staying in the master bedroom, which includes a walk-in closet and a bathroom. Next to the large bed, there's a vanity table that combines a dressing table and a computer desk.
Xue Qiandai simply opened the laptop and held out her hand to him, "USB drive."
Huo Yunchao looked deeply into her eyes and placed the USB drive in her palm. "Dai Dai, no matter what the outcome, you still have me. I'll always be here for you."
She hummed in agreement, sat down at the dressing table, and plugged in the USB drive.
There are more than a dozen folders inside, arranged alphabetically: three for "Seasons," one for "Snow," and eight for "Zhao."
Xue Qiandai went straight to the "Xue" folder. The first thing she saw was a photo that looked like an ID photo. She hurriedly opened a drawer and found the photo Li Shen had given her. Comparing the photo to the one on the screen, it was clearly the same face.
He looked at Huo Yunchao, his eyes surging with complex emotions. "This is my mother, my mother."
“Dai Dai.” Huo Yunchao stood beside her, quietly putting his arm around her shoulder.
The other files in the folder are sorted by time. Huang Lufei's earliest contact with them was on May 11, 2000.
"I came across this case through a referral from my professor at the University of Michigan. He had been following up on this patient for many years without any significant results, so he recommended that I give it a try."
"Because this is the same as my major during my graduate studies. When I first hypnotized this patient, she exhibited very typical multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia. The main personality was Ji Jiaying, the secondary personality was Ji Wanying, and the third personality was Zhao Mufei. The client's wish was to let the third personality replace the main personality and the secondary personality, and turn her into the real Zhao Mufei."
"During the hypnosis, I also learned an important piece of information: the patient felt guilty towards someone named Xue Jingnian. She was once Xue Jingnian's wife."
Xue Qiandai stared intently at the screen, her fingers icy cold, her back stiff, her mind almost unable to process anything.
"Beauty, tell me, are Ji Jiaying, Ji Wanying, and Zhao Mufei all the same person, all...my mother?" Her voice was ethereal, as if it came from a ghost world.
Not only was Xue Qiandai incredulous, but Huo Yunchao was also astonished by this bizarre truth. He opened his mouth, leaned down, and firmly grasped Xue Qiandai's hand, speaking in a hoarse voice, "Dai Dai, my understanding is that when a person experiences a major change or finds it difficult to face reality, they will instinctively escape. Perhaps, the secondary personality and the third personality are protections for the primary personality."
There's something Huo Yunchao didn't say: the development of secondary and third personalities is essentially a sign of weariness with the primary personality. Deep down, perhaps she didn't want to be Ji Jiaying.
Xue Qiandai opened another folder containing Huang Lufei's analysis of the alternate personality.
"The patient longed to break free from her established identity, so another personality was born in her subconscious. The identity of twin sisters is quite common in psychology. Ji Jiaying's choice was to imagine herself as her younger sister, Ji Wanying. On the one hand, she accused her sister of infidelity to her brother-in-law; on the other hand, she hid in her own shell, accepting the love of another person to avoid being hurt. She switched between the two identities, and she lived a life of exhaustion."
Xue Qiandai's last shred of hope was shattered.
She always believed that her father loved her mother deeply, which was why he had never married.
However, when she was one year old, her father had another child with another woman.
She thought her mother was a good woman who risked her life to give birth to her.
However, the mother actually loved someone else and only felt guilty towards the father.
Tears streamed down my cheeks; silent weeping is the most heartbreaking.
Huo Yunchao held her in his arms, stroking her hair, kissing her forehead and lips, and wiping away her tears. "Dai Dai, this is just one side of the story told by the psychologist. The truth may not be so simple. Even if your mother wasn't with your father, she still loves you. She lost her memory due to hypnosis, but the moment she saw you, her alter ego was awakened. Being with you makes her happy. She loves you."
Huo Yunchao didn't say that, according to Yu Xue's recollection, during the conversation between Hua Yin and Gao Ruhai on the rooftop, there was someone in the middle who orchestrated Xue Jingnian's downfall, and that person had a grudge against Xue Jingnian for stealing his wife.
But now it seems, who stole whose wife?
A knock sounded at the door, and Huo Yunchao went to open it. He saw Jian Yan carrying a tray with two bowls of Shengzhou fried rice cakes. Although it was called fried rice cakes, it was clearly filled with a lot of soup, and the aroma was irresistible.
"Dai Dai, dinner's ready," he called out.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com