That repeated musical scale, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, stirred ripples that lingered in the hearts of both Xie Chen (the main personality) and A Chen. For the next few days, the apartment maintained a superficial calm, but beneath that calm, undercurrents surged.
Xie Chen became more silent and sensitive than ever before. He would often sit alone at the piano, his fingers hovering over the keys, hesitant to touch them, as if afraid of triggering that melody that terrified him again. His eyes were often vacant, filled with a kind of dazed pain, clearly still troubled by the fragmented memories stirred up by that day.
Su Nian didn't rush into further in-depth guidance. She knew that trauma healing takes time, and forcing it would only backfire. She focused more on companionship, providing Xie Chen with a sense of security through daily, stable interactions, while closely monitoring his mental state.
Ah Chen, however, fell into a strange silence. He stopped being sarcastic and rarely appeared in the living room, spending most of his time locked in the master bedroom. But Su Nian could sense that his omnipresent "gaze" hadn't disappeared; it had only become more subtle and...complex. He seemed to be engaged in a fierce internal struggle, about the past, about Su Nian, and about the meaning of his own existence.
"Host, the secondary personality's mental fluctuations are very active, but tend towards internal conflict, as if it's reorganizing certain information," 088 analyzed. "The primary personality, on the other hand, is in a post-traumatic stress state and needs careful nurturing."
That afternoon, Su Nian was preparing some simple refreshments in the kitchen, trying to dispel the dullness in the apartment with the warmth of the food. Xie Chen sat on the sofa in the living room, holding a sheet of music, but his eyes were not focused on it.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
The crisp sound of the bell broke the silence in the room, startling Xie Chen so much that he almost dropped the sheet music in his hand. He looked at the door in horror, his face turning pale instantly.
Su Nian wiped her hands and walked to the intercom. The screen still showed her manager Yang Li's face, which was exquisitely made up but couldn't hide her fatigue and impatience.
"Open the door, Assistant Su. I know Xie Chen is home." Yang Li's tone was authoritative. "I need to talk to him in person about the follow-up to the last interview and his upcoming work arrangements."
Su Nian frowned slightly. Yang Li's appearance at this moment would undoubtedly bring additional pressure to Xie Chen, whose condition was already unstable.
“Ms. Yang, Mr. Xie has been feeling unwell recently and needs to rest…” Su Nian tried to politely decline.
"Rest?" Yang Li interrupted her, her voice rising slightly, filled with obvious dissatisfaction and anxiety. "He's been 'resting' for several days now! Do you know how much trouble that canceling the interview has caused us? We need to appease the media, and we need to explain to our partners! He's not a child anymore; he can't always act on his whims! Assistant Su, I hope you understand that your responsibility is to assist him in his work, not to run away with him!"
Her tone was sharp, carrying the realism and ruthlessness of a professional agent.
Su Nian could feel Xie Chen's breathing becoming more rapid with fear behind her. She knew that if she didn't open the door today, Yang Li would likely keep ringing the doorbell, or even take more drastic measures, which would be even more stimulating for Xie Chen.
She took a deep breath and said into the walkie-talkie, "Please wait a moment."
She turned and walked to Xie Chen's side, crouching down to meet his panicked eyes. She tried to keep her voice calm: "Mr. Xie, it's Manager Yang. She needs to talk to you about work. I know you don't want to face it, but running away might only complicate things. I'll always be there for you, okay?"
Xie Chen gripped Su Nian's sleeve tightly, as if grasping at a lifeline, tears welling in his eyes, shaking his head desperately: "No... I don't want to see her... Assistant Su, please let her go... Please..."
Seeing him so vulnerable and helpless, Su Nian felt sorry for him, but she also understood that it was unrealistic to completely isolate Xie Chen from the outside world, as this would only deepen his pathological dependence and social anxiety.
"It's just a talk. If you feel uncomfortable, we can end it anytime," Su Nian patiently reassured her, while secretly instructing 088 to prepare a calming plan just in case.
Just then, the door to the master bedroom opened silently a crack. Ah Chen stood in the shadows of the crack, coldly watching the scene in the living room, his eyes mocking, but he didn't utter a sarcastic remark as usual.
Finally, after Su Nian's repeated reassurances and assurances, Xie Chen reluctantly nodded, as if going to his execution.
Su Nian opened the apartment door.
Yang Li strode in, her high heels catching the breeze with her. She first gave Xie Chen, who was huddled on the sofa, avoiding her gaze, her brows furrowing. Then she turned her attention to Su Nian, her gaze filled with scrutiny and a hint of barely perceptible resentment.
“Assistant Su, I hope you understand the seriousness of the matter.” Yang Li did not sit down, but looked down at Su Nian. “Xie Chen is not an ordinary artist. His image and his commercial value are the result of the hard work of the entire team! I cannot allow him to ruin everyone’s hard work because of some… ‘personal emotional issues’!” She deliberately emphasized the words “personal emotional issues”, obviously knowing Xie Chen’s situation, but choosing to view it from the most utilitarian perspective.
Su Nian stood up and stood between Xie Chen and Yang Li, her tone neither humble nor arrogant: "Ms. Yang, Mr. Xie does need psychological adjustment and rest at the moment. As his assistant and psychological observer, my primary responsibility is to ensure his physical and mental health. I believe that forcing him to work when he is in an unstable state is also harmful to him."
"Injury?" Yang Li seemed to have heard a joke. "Who in this industry isn't running with injuries? Recovery? Sure! But not indefinitely! There's an important charity gala next week that he has to attend! It's a contract that was signed a long time ago! I don't want to see any more accidents then!"
Her gaze swept past Su Nian, landing squarely on Xie Chen on the sofa. Her tone carried a final ultimatum: "Xie Chen, did you hear me? You have to go to the banquet next week! Get yourself ready and don't let me down again!"
Xie Chen trembled at her words, buried his head even lower, and began to sob softly.
"He won't go."
A cold, hoarse voice suddenly rang out, breaking the oppressive atmosphere created by Yang Li.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Ah Chen had already fully opened the door to the master bedroom, his arms crossed, leaning against the door frame. He was still wearing that black casual outfit, his face was pale, but his eyes were like icy knives, shooting straight at Yang Li.
Yang Li was clearly not expected to see this "Xie Chen". She was stunned for a moment, and a look of surprise and... fear flashed across her face. She seemed to know something about "this" Xie Chen.
"You..." Yang Li opened her mouth, her tone unconsciously becoming a little cautious, "Next week's banquet is very important..."
“I told you, he won’t go.” Ah Chen interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for negotiation, carrying an almost savage domineering tone, “Are you deaf?”
Yang Li's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. She seemed to want to retort, but under A Chen's extremely imposing and cold gaze, she ultimately swallowed her words. She took a deep breath, turned to Su Nian, and said in a stiff tone, "Assistant Su, I hope you can... communicate well. There is no room for discussion regarding the banquet."
After saying that, she turned around and left the apartment almost in a flustered manner, as if staying for even a second longer would freeze her with the icy atmosphere.
The door closed, and the apartment fell silent once more.
Xie Chen (the main personality) raised his head, his eyes blurry with tears, looking at A Chen standing at the door of the master bedroom. His face was filled with disbelief and a trace of... faint gratitude that even he himself did not notice?
Ah Chen didn't even bother to glance at him; his gaze fell on Su Nian, with a complex scrutiny.
“Just now,” he began, his voice still cold, but less violent than before, and more inquisitive, “you stood in front of him.”
Su Nian looked back at her calmly: "This is my duty."
"Duty?" Ah Chen's lips twitched, but the smile was devoid of warmth. "Or... favoritism?"
Without waiting for Su Nian's reply, he turned his gaze to Xie Chen, who was still shaken on the sofa, and his eyes suddenly became sharp and threatening:
"You piece of trash, listen up."
"If you dare to go to that banquet, I'll show everyone what kind of person Xie Chen, the 'genius pianist,' really is."
"I mean what I say."
His threat was cold and effective. Xie Chen turned pale with fright, shaking his head desperately and pleading in a tearful voice, "I won't go... I won't go... please don't..."
Ah Chen snorted coldly, stopped looking at them, turned around and went back to the master bedroom, slamming the door shut.
In the living room, only Su Nian and the still-shaken Xie Chen remained.
Su Nian walked over to Xie Chen and handed him a tissue. She stared at the closed door of the master bedroom, her mind racing.
Ah Chen's actions just now, while seemingly still about threats and control, were actually quite subtle upon closer examination. His firm refusal of Yang Li's request was, in a way, his way of "protecting" the dominant personality from further pressure, even though this method of protection was so extreme and suffocating.
His final question about "favoritism" revealed his deep-seated unease—he feared that Su Nian's attention and protection would ultimately fall on that "weak" personality.
The relationship between these two personalities, in its conflict and interdependence, seems to be undergoing extremely subtle changes that even they themselves are unaware of.
"Assistant Su..." Xie Chen wiped away his tears and asked softly, with a hint of dependence, "I...I really don't have to go to that banquet?"
"Yes, not for now," Su Nian replied softly, but she knew in her heart that this was only a temporary measure. Yang Li would not give up easily, and the external pressure would always be there.
Internally, Ah Chen's patience was finite. He wanted the truth, he wanted to open that door. If the main personality couldn't face it sooner, no one could predict when this walking volcano would erupt again, dragging everyone into an even deeper vortex.
The search for the key must be expedited.
Caught between external pressures and internal conflicts, Su Nian seems to have less and less time left.
She needs to find an opportunity, one that can soothe both personalities at the same time and delve deeper into the core trauma.
What could be this opportunity?
(End of Chapter 133)
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