"I-It's... It's okay." Chen Yuan didn't know how to comfort her.
This confession had really caught him off guard.
Even if he'd had his suspicions, the confession itself was too sudden.
Their trip together had likely accelerated their relationship's progress. He probably would have figured it out on his own eventually, and his acceptance would have been much better then.
But this... this was like dropping a bomb on him.
"We've spent all these nights together without doing anything more intimate, which made sure that you really like ... But now that you know the truth about my illness, will you still like ?"
As Jiangg Yao spoke, she walked over to the coffee table, pulled a dical report from the drawer beneath, and handed it to Chen Yuan with a trembling hand.
She lifted her face, a tear tracing its path down her cheek at that very mont.
It slid down the soft curve of her face and dripped onto the floor.
Chen Yuan took the dical report and examined it closely. It clearly stated a diagnosis of schizophrenia and anxiety symptoms. The diagnosis was from a few months ago, but the dical history went back several years. The attending physician's surna was Cheng.
"Is this... hereditary or acquired?"
Instead of rushing to say sothing like "Of course I still like you," he asked this question.
"It's hereditary... My mother is a little sick, too." Jiangg Yao said this with a straight face, her own face pale and haggard.
She wasn't entirely lying. Jiangg Ruxue really was sick.
"So you and Ningning... are completely different people? In personality and hobbies? What about your mories?"
"We share the sa mories. And even though our hobbies are different, we both fell for you. That part was pretty surprising," Jiangg Yao began to spin her tale.
"Let ... process this for a second..."
Chen Yuan leaned against a nearby wall, replaying every mont they had spent together over the past six months.
'It all makes sense now.'
His first-ever relationship had started online. His girlfriend was lively, adorable, and endearingly mischievous—a real charr. At first, Chen Yuan thought she was just a cute, sweet girl... but when they t in real life, she was an elegant and sophisticated university lecturer in high heels.
How could he possibly connect that woman with the girl who used that cute, squeaky voice online?
'So it was because of this strange illness!'
'That explains everything!'
Chen Yuan let out a long breath and walked from the living room into the bedroom.
In the bedroom, next to the head of the bed, was a vanity. It was one of those high-tech smart models—a pane of frosted white glass that couldn't be used as a mirror until it was turned on.
It was covered with all sorts of costics, big and small.
And near the windowsill, there was a full-length mirror.
There was a small table next to it as well.
A closer look revealed that the costics on both sides weren't identical, but there were two sets of face masks.
Looking at these two mirrors, Chen Yuan could almost picture the different versions of her on a normal day—standing in different spots to get dressed, do her makeup, and put on a face mask.
One was the adorable Yaoyao.
The other was the cool and distant Jiangg Ning.
A split personality was no joke. Chen Yuan had experienced it firsthand. The difference between the two was just too great. Aside from their looks and figure, they had almost nothing in common.
They spoke differently, acted differently, and even their expressions when they were shy or angry were different.
'You must be in so much pain...'
Chen Yuan lowered his head, his eyes filling with sadness. He couldn't imagine what having a split personality felt like, but he knew that people who were different from the norm often suffered from inner turmoil and pain.
Just then, he heard footsteps behind him.
Jiangg Yao had followed him. She leaned against the doorfra, her eyes wide and panicked like a frightened fawn.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Do you... mind?"
The end of her sentence faded, seemingly filled with imnse disappointnt and sorrow.
"No. I was just thinking, this illness can be cured, right?"
"It should be. At least, my ntal state has been pretty stable since I t you, and the changes are very regular... I just hope you can tell Yaoyao and Ningning apart..."
"Yeah. And even if it can't be cured, I won't abandon you. Trust , Yaoyao, I'll do everything I can to find a way," Chen Yuan said, suddenly walking over and placing his hands on her shoulders, his tone exceptionally serious. "And I'll always be with you! Don't be sad or upset because of this illness."
With that, he pulled Jiangg Yao into a tight hug.
The hug was warm and strong, and combined with his determined tone, it left Jiangg Yao montarily stunned.
Instead of feeling secure, Jiangg Yao instantly lost her composure and began to panic.
Her young boyfriend's promise sounded so sincere, completely genuine.
He had readily believed this absurd story and was prepared to give his all, to sacrifice everything for it.
All for her.
To comfort her and tell her not to be sad, that he was there.
But the thing that had made Chen Yuan give such a significant promise so easily... was just a lie.
Jiangg Yao was suddenly overwheld with guilt. She rested her chin on Chen Yuan's shoulder, her eyes flickering wildly.
'Have I fallen into an abyss? Yes, I have.'
There was no turning back now, not from the mont she wove her first lie to this very second.
Her deception had started with just her, but now she had dragged her sister down with her.
'Love is so selfish and despicable. To possess soone, you'll stop at nothing.'
Jiangg Yao felt true regret, more regret in this single mont than she ever had before.
"I'm not sad... now that I have you..." she said, closing her eyes, her voice trembling.
"I... I'm going to go wash my face."
Chen Yuan's voice had changed, too, thick as if sothing was caught in his throat. He didn't let Jiangg Yao see him as he hurried toward the bathroom.
She watched his back disappear into the bathroom as the door swung shut.
Just as Jiangg Yao was wallowing in her lodrama, the closet door suddenly creaked open a crack! A pair of eyes peered out from within.
"Hey!" a low, magnetic voice called out.
Her younger sister snapped out of it and walked over in a few quick steps.
"It worked! The young master bought it!"
"Then hurry up and get to the ga! What was with that tight hug!" Jiangg Ning rapped her sister on the head, stressing the important part.
"Right, right! I completely forgot until you said sothing."
Jiangg Yao took a deep breath as the closet door swung shut again.
She walked out, carrying her sister's soul along with her. From now on, for both of them, there was no turning back.
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