Half an hour later, the ever-changing expressions on Zhou Wang’s face finally came to a halt, and he solemnly said:
"I thought this kind of scenario only existed in movies, but I didn’t expect such an illness to exist in reality..."
Qi Jiayi always felt something was amiss.
Although Zhou Wang’s reactions were all logical, displaying disbelief, shock, confusion, curiosity, and other emotions during her explanation, yet...
If Zhou Wang could stop eating with his chopsticks, it might seem a bit more normal.
But regardless, Zhou Wang, now full and satisfied, finally began to accept the reality she presented.
"So you have five different personalities, and the one from last night who did... things with me, was your fifth personality. She’s a rare XY patient, which is why she was so proactive with me. Is that what you meant?"
"Hmm..."
Qi Jiayi nodded, looking somewhat unnatural.
"I have one last question. Among you all, do you really not share memories?"
This time Zhou Wang asked with a blend of seriousness and curiosity, "Are you completely unaware of what she or they do?"
"How should I put it... It’s not that I’m entirely unaware. The feeling is hard to describe. It’s like a vague perception, but there’s always something blocking it, not very clear."
Qi Jiayi thought for a moment and described, "Or it’s like how we dream. Even if your dream is vivid, when you wake up, you’ve already forgotten most of it..."
"Then your fifth personality, given that nature... ahem, you know what I mean, doesn’t that make your private life...?"
Zhou Wang glanced at Qi Jiayi, with a look that said "you know."
Qi Jiayi was momentarily stunned but then realized what Zhou Wang was implying. Her chest heaved with anger, and she almost erupted on the spot.
"Don’t get me wrong, I’m not questioning your character. It’s just that you might not have seen how you looked like that; it really... kind of went overboard."
"I’ve seen it."
Qi Jiayi coldly replied at this moment.
"Ah?"
Zhou Wang was dumbfounded.
Perhaps to prove something, or maybe because Zhou Wang had already seen her "worst" side, hiding it seemed pointless. After taking a deep breath, Qi Jiayi spoke plainly:
"Do you know how I discovered the existence of this personality?"
"How did you find out?"
"Give me a cigarette."
Qi Jiayi stretched her hand towards Zhou Wang, and Zhou Wang, of course, wouldn’t refuse. He even took the opportunity to sit beside her while lighting the cigarette for her.
Seeing Zhou Wang suddenly so much closer, Qi Jiayi shifted uncomfortably but held her composure, took a drag, and continued:
"Since I was very young, I knew I had an illness. I would frequently experience memory loss or sometimes open my eyes and find myself inexplicably in another place."
"But back then in the orphanage, maybe because my symptoms weren’t very apparent, no one paid much attention to these things..."
Qi Jiayi chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"It wasn’t until I was adopted by my step-parents abroad. My step-father was very busy, so I spent most of my time with my step-mother. She gradually noticed my oddities... Why does she expect a girl who never had a complete upbringing to understand what she’s doing?"
Zhou Wang recalled the part of the report about "Qi Jiayi being abused by her step-mother" and understood something, falling silent for a moment.
A clear cause exists for each personality split. According to medical records, Qi Jiayi has a "little girl" personality representing her innocent childhood before her parents passed, which embodies the most beautiful time of her life, manifesting externally as "innocent and pure."
Also, she has a short-tempered "warrior" personality, a self-protective persona split during her turbulent growth — the one who often drove her ex-husband out.
As Zhou Wang pondered these, Qi Jiayi, now appearing a bit dazed, continued:
"It wasn’t until I returned to China for college that I slowly began to understand some things. I realized what those search records on my phone meant and those websites that made me nauseous just by looking at them..."
"Were all those done by her?"
Zhou Wang clicked his tongue in astonishment.
Thinking back, even for an addictive patient, it seems they aren’t innately knowledgeable, still requiring a learning and receiving process...
"I wasn’t too sure at first because this personality appeared the least frequently. Until later, when I realized what illness I had, under the doctor’s guidance, I began recording my life points in certain ways."
Qi Jiayi’s tone became hesitant here, "I, I installed cameras in the apartment I rented. One day I woke up and found myself naked, and my body felt strange, so I checked the surveillance..."
"What did you see then?"
"You, stay there, don’t come so close!"
Qi Jiayi gently pushed Zhou Wang away, turning her head, her cheeks flushed, speaking in a barely audible voice:
"I, I was... at the table corner... Anyway, you understand. From that day, I knew I had another shameless personality that I couldn’t disclose to anyone, not even the primary physician I consulted abroad."