In the quiet office, ti seed to stand still.
Chen Yuan was frozen like a statue, dazed. He had been holding this position for over an hour without so much as moving his legs.
He had been like this ever since seeing Professor Fu off.
As for how he had managed to see the professor out, Chen Yuan couldn’t recall the specific details. He only knew that he felt dazed, as if the fatigue from staying up all night yesterday had finally caught up to him.
After seeing Professor Fu off and returning, he felt like he was floating as he walked the few dozen steps down the corridor.
It was as if every step landed on cotton.
’In summary, this is a prank...’
’Acceptance only exists in the early blank period, the first stage that gives rise to the host... before forming its own unique and stable social system.’
’From a dical perspective, this doesn’t exist.’
...
Those words that had left him stunned, the unequivocal tone, the detailed and thorough professional explanation.
Chen Yuan wanted to doubt him, but he couldn’t even find a reason to lie to himself and refute the claims. They were practically strangers; Professor Fu had no motive to deceive him.
But what Chen Yuan found even more impossible to believe was this: Jiangg was really tricking him with a prank.
This whole multiple personality thing was, from start to finish, just an absurd joke—a crude lie you’d use to fool a naive child.
It couldn’t stand up to the slightest bit of professional scrutiny.
Chen Yuan didn’t believe it. Or rather, he didn’t dare to believe such a thing.
He didn’t even dare to entertain the possibility.
Jiangg was so wonderful. From their online romance to now, they were so in love, so inseparable, they had barely even argued. Whether it was their worldviews, life goals, personalities, values, ideals, or even their very character.
Chen Yuan felt it was impossible to find anyone else so similar.
Even if there were thousands upon thousands of wonderful won in the world, a connection like this—a match made in heaven...
...was sothing others could only dream of their entire lives and never find.
Ningning was so considerate and polite.
Yaoyao was so lively and cute.
Just being with her made you believe that all good things would eventually co to pass. It made you look forward to a future with her. This period of their relationship was the most breathtaking ti in his relatively inexperienced life.
Their coincidental eting, the wondrous rendezvous after traveling a thousand miles, the drama of ending up in the sa city.
From the first ti he saw her in the lecture hall to the joy of holding her in his arms.
「In the blink of an eye.」
Sumr, fall, winter. The two of them had almost made it through a full four seasons.
’How could Jiangg possibly lie to ?’
’She’s so wonderful, so kind. How could she have the heart to drag into such a trashy charade, making trust her, worry about her, even lose my appetite over it?’
’Is that sothing a person with a conscience would do?’
’Why did she have to lie to the person who trusted her most, liked her most, the one who lay in bed every day fantasizing about them spending the rest of their lives together?’
’Is this... fun?’
Chen Yuan scratched his hair in agony, his face contorting. He felt a fire in his heart trying to burst from his chest, but it had no escape, scorching his insides until he felt shriveled up.
His full and vibrant heart was withering to the point where not a single drop of blood could be squeezed from it.
’A lack of attention?’
’How is that possible?’
Jiangg was constantly the center of attention. At school, she was a professor in the lilight, highly respected. On the street, she was a stunning beauty who drew envious gazes, with passersby unable to tear their eyes away. She had a good family background and a dazzling education.
’How could she possibly lack attention?’
Even soone like Chen Yuan, who wasn’t lovesick in the slightest, would normally give her more of his focus, hoping that greater mutual understanding would foster a good relationship and prepare them to face the unknown future together.
’Why would she lie?’
Chen Yuan hated being lied to more than anything, especially after giving soone his absolute trust.
He felt betrayed. It was like he had cut out his own heart and handed it over, only for her to turn around and toss it to the dogs.
His devotion had beco worthless. His sincerity was now as cheap as dirt!
In the past hour, he had gone from despair to anger, so frustrated that he wanted to flip over and smash everything in front of him just to release the pent-up rage.
But Chen Yuan wasn’t that irrational. Clenching his fists tightly and taking countless deep breaths, he managed to calm down slightly.
He pulled his phone from his pocket, imdiately wanting to call her and ask.
’Is Professor Fu right or not?’
’If Jiangg really did lie to , what was her reason?’
’Why would she disregard soone’s trust? Were all those sincere words he’d spoken to her, every last one of them, just like an empty can on the ground? Sothing anyone could co along and kick away, not worth a second thought?’
Chen Yuan’s hand trembled as he opened the call screen, veins popping on his fingers.
Two seconds after he pressed the call button, he instantly hung up.
He SLAMD the phone onto the desk.
’No... I absolutely can’t just ask her like this!’
A sliver of reason returned to Chen Yuan’s mind. If he rashly asked her now, what if she denied it? He had no proof, only Professor Fu’s verbal assessnt.
Besides, if it wasn’t a lie, his sudden suspicion would definitely lead to an even bigger fight.
That wasn’t sothing a mature man should do.
’Maybe Jiangg isn’t lying to . Maybe there’s sothing else hidden behind all this!’
At this thought, Chen Yuan suddenly cald down.
Thinking it over carefully, many things had seed confusing since they started dating—from Jiangg’s family and her personality changes, to his unruly and flippant mother-in-law, Jiangg Ruxue. He’d also never heard Jiangg explain in detail why she had so suddenly wanted to get back together after their breakup. She had just kept saying she regretted it and brought up the issue of their teacher-student relationship.
Perhaps he had never really tried to understand Jiangg.
’Her family, her hardships, the lie hidden behind it all... what is the real story?’
He had originally just thought they should take things slow, rely on the power of ti, and not be too hasty. He believed they would eventually co to understand each other naturally...
’The dical records...’
’Right!’
Chen Yuan shot up from his chair. That was the one piece of definitive proof that could tell him if Jiangg was lying!
If he could find the dical records, he could find the attending physician who made the diagnosis.
It was also possible that Jiangg wasn’t lying to him but had been misled by that doctor!
Chen Yuan’s eyes lit up. It was as if he had suddenly walked out of a dense fog and seen the only way out.
He grabbed his jacket from where it was hanging, hastily pushed open the door, left the office, went downstairs, and drove all the way to Fengting District, finally stopping in front of a hardware store.
"Boss, you got any hamrs?"
"Yeah," the owner, busy cutting a PVC pipe, looked up. "You want a big one or a small one?"
"Give the kind you’d normally use to hamr nails at ho!"
"Eight yuan."
"Sent the paynt." Chen Yuan weighed the hamr in his hand and narrowed his eyes.
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