For several days in a row, Shang Jie carried a stifling aura of gloom. At the office, countless employees fell victim to his bad mood, emerging from the president’s office looking utterly defeated after harsh scolding.
Even Lin Chuan, who had grown up alongside Shang Jie, couldn’t escape being nitpicked over minor matters.
This tension put everyone in the company on edge, making them tread carefully to avoid provoking the moody president.
At home, the servants and Jiang Xingxing were just as quick to notice the household master’s foul mood. The servants kept to themselves, completing their tasks as quietly as possible before disappearing without a trace.
Jiang Xingxing, meanwhile, found herself under tremendous pressure, forced to share meals and live alongside this human iceberg.
Even the slightest misstep earned her a frosty glare that sent chills down her spine.
Sometimes, she tried to lighten the atmosphere with lame jokes, but he would just stare at her like she was an idiot. After a few awkward chuckles, she eventually gave up.
Sensing his bad mood, Jiang Xingxing refrained from acting spoiled around him. She even stopped sneaking into his bed at night, opting instead to stay obediently in her own room, practically invisible.
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Kkydt Dkdtmkdt psqvzu alxkdele bkx, “Ya. Fbydt, usw esd’v pxsjl. Rv’p—”
Jlqsal pbl nswze qkdkpb pyukdt, “cye qsa uswa blyzvb,” bl nwv bla sqq pbyarzu. “Pked’v usw wple vs zkjl kv? Ebyv, kp kv psxlvbkdt ‘bl’ nyd es cwv R nyd’v?”
Kkydt Dkdtmkdt: …
‘Tl, xl…’ Rv’p yzz vbl pyxl rlapsd! Ebu kp bl qktbvkdt okvb bkxplzq?
Ekvbswv ydsvbla osae, pbl alvalyvle vs bla assx.
Fbydt Kkl pvwccle swv vbl byzq-pxsjle nktyalvvl kd vbl ypbvayu okvb wddlnlppyau qsanl, qllzkdt kdlmrzknyczu kaakvyvle.
A few minutes later, Jiang Xingxing came downstairs in a white bathrobe, intending to soak in the hot spring in the backyard.
“It’s not good for your body to enter the water right after eating,” Shang Jie said flatly.
“Oh,” she replied but still turned and headed to the backyard, ignoring his warning.
Shang Jie stood in silence for a moment before striding after her, his long legs quickly catching up.
The servants watched nervously.
It was rare to see Shang Jie this angry.
The temperature in the yard was much cooler than indoors. Jiang Xingxing removed her bathrobe and sat by the edge of the hot spring, her slender legs dipping into the water and creating ripples.
Amid the misty steam, she tossed her robe aside, revealing a black two-piece swimsuit.
Her toned stomach was perfectly flat, her delicate shoulders draped with the thin straps of her swimsuit. The sparse fabric barely covered her ample curves.
Shang Jie’s steps faltered. He glanced at her once before immediately looking away, his expression subtly stiffening.
“I told you, don’t get in the water right after eating,” he said, his voice as deep and steady as ever. “Wait half an hour before soaking.”
“Oh,” Jiang Xingxing replied, still ignoring him. She braced herself and slid into the hot spring.
So this was her way of rebelling against his days of “cold violence.”
He walked to the edge of the pool, towering over her. Her damp hair clung to her delicate shoulders, and from his angle, he could see the deep valley of her cleavage.
Shang Jie averted his gaze like a gentleman but said, “Are you determined to defy me today?”
“No,” Jiang Xingxing replied calmly. “It’s just that you never used to care about me.”
Her words were like a sharp thorn piercing his heart, drawing a bead of blood.
Shang Jie clenched his fists, the veins on his pale forearm faintly visible beneath his rolled-up sleeve.
“So, the reason you stay by my side… is that you’re waiting for something, isn’t it?”
You’re hoping that one day, I’ll disappear. You’re hoping that the man who better fits your desires will come back, aren’t you?
Lowering her head, Jiang Xingxing replied softly, “Mr. Shang, I’m not waiting for anything.”
“Lies.”
“It’s not a lie,” Jiang Xingxing insisted stubbornly. “The reason I don’t want to leave you is simply because I can’t bear to. That’s all.”
“What can’t you bear?” Shang Jie squatted down and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “You can’t bear his indefinite sentence, so you want to stay with him? Every time you kiss me, you’re also kissing him.”
His tone was calm, as though he were recounting a matter that had nothing to do with him.
But in Jiang Xingxing’s eyes, there was resistance and unwillingness. She enunciated each word, “He ‘is’ you.”
Shang Jie wanted to argue, to say he wasn’t the same, but the words wouldn’t come. His throat tightened, and an unfamiliar pain surged up inside him.
This kind of heartache—he had never felt it before.
His usually composed mind began to heat up, like boiling water, churning and threatening to overflow.
He reached under her arm, lifting her out of the water entirely, then wrapped a towel around her and carried her back to the house.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Jiang Xingxing struggled desperately, but he had already hoisted her over his shoulder, making it impossible for her to resist.
He carried her to his room, slamming the door shut behind them. Without concern for the wet strands of her hair, he placed her roughly on the dark blue, soft bed.
Jiang Xingxing hadn’t expected Shang Jie, usually so composed, to suddenly snap. This was not something this polite, distant gentleman would do.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
She was now in a panic, her breathing shallow, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
He almost immediately reacted, his mind spiraling out of control, losing all rationality. Before she could say anything, he grabbed her slender wrist and pressed his lips to hers.
Jiang Xingxing was taken completely by surprise, her wet toes curling in tension as she stiffened, feeling as if she were facing an adversary.
Shang Jie seemed inexperienced in kissing, lacking any technique. His lips were all hunger and impatience—licking, biting, leaving her no space to breathe. She was quickly finding it hard to catch her breath.
“Shang… Mr. Shang,” she gasped, her voice soft and delicate, which only further fueled the beast within him.
“I’m your husband,” he growled, his breath hot against her skin. “What? Didn’t you want to get into my bed?”
Jiang Xingxing clenched her fist, her wrist turning red from his grip, the skin becoming inflamed.
“Let… let go, you’re hurting me!”
Instinctively, she bent her knee and pushed against his solid abdomen, trying to create distance between them.
“Shang Jie!”
She cried out his name in desperation, and just then, he felt a sharp pain in his temple, as if a needle had pierced his skull. He abruptly released her.
Jiang Xingxing quickly backed away, her heart racing, watching him warily.
His head throbbed as if it were splitting open. He instinctively curled into himself.
Jiang Xingxing, seeing his pain, couldn’t understand what was happening. She hesitated but asked, “Mr. Shang, are you okay?”
Shang Jie shut his eyes, the high-pitched sound of her voice ringing in his ears. It felt like it was coming from the deepest part of the darkness, seizing his very soul…
“Who are you? Who are you really?”
Jiang Xingxing’s trembling hand reached for his face, the heat of his skin seeping into her fingertips.
“Mr. Shang, what’s happening? Don’t scare me!” She tried to support him, helping him sit up. “Where does it hurt?”
He suddenly flung her hand off. “Go, leave me.”
At that moment, Shang Jie’s eyes shifted again, his voice low and forceful as he grabbed her hand tightly. “Don’t go!”
It was as though two souls were tearing him apart, the pain unbearable. He collapsed on the bed, curling up like a wounded animal.
Jiang Xingxing didn’t know what to do. She shakily reached for his phone, wondering if she should call his doctor. But before she could, Shang Jie suddenly reached out, pulling her head close to his.
His eyes were intense, veins visibly standing out on his forehead.
He leaned close to her ear, biting her earlobe hard, breathing heavily. In a deep voice, he said, “Go back to your own room, and lock the door.”
…
That was the first time Jiang Xingxing had seen Shang Jie in the throes of his condition.
Before this, whether it was his first or second personality in control, at least he was still in a relatively normal state—clear-headed, quick-thinking.
But last night, Jiang Xingxing saw another side of Shang Jie, completely losing his sanity.
The agony of switching between personalities looked terrifying, and this was the first time she had been so close to his mental illness.
He seemed so strong, yet so fragile.
Jiang Xingxing didn’t feel anger toward him anymore. Instead, she felt a twinge of sympathy for him.
Two days later, a staff member at the studio told Jiang Xingxing that a very handsome foreign man had come to see her.
When she heard he was foreign, an uneasy feeling rose in her chest.
Sure enough, by the lake not far away, she saw Dr. Lawrence in a well-fitted suit.
No matter the time or place, Lawrence always held himself to strict standards when it came to his appearance, always dressed very formally. Every time Jiang Xingxing saw him, she couldn’t help but feel an indescribable sense of fear.
It was the same feeling she had when he had ordered the removal of Shang Jie’s second personality at the Red House Theater.
This time, she had a vague sense of what he wanted.
After a brief and polite exchange, Lawrence got straight to the point. “I hope you’ll leave him. It’s for your own good, and mostly for his as well.”
Jiang Xingxing’s heart tightened at his words, and she instinctively showed hostility toward him. “Does my husband know that you’re looking for me?”
“Mr. Shang doesn’t know,” Lawrence replied. “I came to find you of my own accord. You have a deep emotional connection with his second personality. As long as you stay by his side, it will hinder his treatment, and all our previous efforts will be in vain.”
“How would I affect his treatment…”
“Miss Jiang, mental health treatment is very complex. I’m afraid it’s difficult for me to explain it fully, but you only need to know that if you stay by Mr. Shang’s side, our treatment will be greatly reduced in effectiveness. The emotional experiences between the two personalities are interconnected. Your presence will cause Mr. Shang to remain indecisive and unable to make a firm decision.”
Jiang Xingxing suddenly looked at him. “What decision does he need to make?”
“To kill the second personality,” Lawrence said coldly, articulating the words with chilling precision.
Jiang Xingxing felt her breath catch in her throat, her heart aching. “If emotions and feelings are interconnected, then… how could you kill one of them? If you kill one, won’t the other suffer?”
Lawrence shook his head, unable to explain his professional matters to an outsider. He only said, “Mental treatment is inherently cruel, but Mr. Shang wants to become a normal person. This is his life, and no one has the right to interfere.”
With that, Lawrence turned and left.
Jiang Xingxing stood frozen, her mind empty, completely blank.
No matter how much she wanted to hold on, Lawrence’s final words persuaded her.
This was Shang Jie’s life, and others had no right to interfere.
…
The next morning, Jiang Xingxing cautiously cracked open the door, checking to make sure there was no movement outside. Then, quietly, she gathered her luggage and tiptoed downstairs.
The maid saw her carrying a suitcase and widened her eyes in surprise. “Madam!”
Jiang Xingxing quickly gestured for her to be quiet. “Shh, I’m leaving.”
The maid quickly lowered her voice. “But, Mr. Shang…”
Jiang Xingxing immediately reassured her, “It’s his decision.”
“Is it?”
The maid seemed doubtful. Although Mr. Shang had been distant recently, everyone could tell he still had feelings for Madam.
“Are you really leaving?”
“Thank you for taking care of me all this time.”
Jiang Xingxing didn’t have time for a proper goodbye. She was worried that if she ran into Shang Jie, she wouldn’t know how to explain herself.
“Madam, if you don’t mind waiting a bit, Young Master…”
“I’m not waiting. I have to go anyway.”
She had just stepped outside when she ran into Shang Jie, who was returning from his morning jog with the dog.
He was dressed in white athletic gear, his muscular forearm exposed with beads of sweat glistening on his skin. A white sweatband hung around his neck.
Shang Jie’s fair complexion made him appear younger in this casual outfit, looking like a young man on a university basketball court, carefree and full of energy.
He was holding the dog’s leash, his hesitant gaze falling on the suitcase in Jiang Xingxing’s hand.
In his deep brown eyes, there was a flicker of something.
Jiang Xingxing: …
Now she understood why the maid had hesitated to speak.
“Mr. Shang,” she called out nervously.
Shang Jie’s expression darkened, and he asked, his tone neutral, “Are you leaving?”
“Yes, I’ve troubled you for so long. I think… I should go back,” Jiang Xingxing said, unable to meet his eyes.
“Go back where?”
“To my own home.”
Shang Jie walked toward the yard, tying the golden retriever to a wooden stake next to the doghouse.
“If you’re willing, you can stay.”
As he said this, he patted the dog’s head but didn’t turn around, perhaps not wanting her to see the reluctance in his eyes.
“The house is big, one more person won’t matter.” His tone remained unchanged, but it was his final compromise.
Since Jiang Xingxing had already made up her mind, she would not easily change it. She said softly, “Thank you, Mr. Shang.”
Words of rejection can sometimes wound the heart.
He snorted coldly and turned to return to his room, no longer paying attention to her.
As Jiang Xingxing left, she looked up at the golden retriever. “Damao, Mommy is leaving. You stay here, and Daddy will take good care of you.”
The golden retriever seemed to sense that something was wrong. It barked furiously at her retreating figure, and Jiang Xingxing suppressed the sour feeling in her heart, walking away without turning back.
On the second floor, by the floor-to-ceiling window, Shang Jie clenched his fist.
…
That afternoon, in Lawrence’s office, a valuable blue-and-white porcelain vase shattered.
Lawrence was a serious antique enthusiast, but unfortunately, he had poor eyesight when it came to identifying genuine antiques. Of all the items he had purchased at a high price, 99% were fakes, except for this one genuine blue-and-white porcelain vase, a true product from the Yuan Dynasty’s Jingdezhen, a real piece of Yuan porcelain.
When it broke, Lawrence also heard the sound of his own fragile heart shattering.
“Who gave you the right to go find her on your own?”
Although Shang Jie had taken a calming capsule before arriving, it was difficult for him to calm the rage burning inside him.
His eyes were filled with a cold chill. “You’ve crossed a line, Lawrence.”
Lawrence did not respond immediately. Instead, he crouched down to carefully pick up the broken pieces of the vase, shaking his head and sighing. “Louis, as your psychiatrist, nothing I do is overstepping. Do you remember? This is the authority you gave me.”
Louis was the English name Shang Jie used during his university years.
“My authority is limited to when the second personality is present,” Shang Jie said coldly, his dark eyes locking on Lawrence’s. “Now, it’s me. I don’t like others interfering in my life.”
“But that woman… she doesn’t belong in your current life,” Lawrence continued, carefully gathering the pieces of the vase and turning to him. “She belongs to the past, to your second personality.”
Shang Jie stubbornly retorted, “She’s my legal wife.”
The moment he started calling her “Madam” instead of “Miss Jiang,” he had already acknowledged their relationship.
Lawrence was shocked by Shang Jie’s obsession with this matter. “Louis, the old you wouldn’t have said such a thing.”
The old Shang Jie was a lone wolf, his mind focused solely on pushing the Shang Group to an unreachable peak, and nothing else in his life mattered.
“It seems he really has affected you,” Lawrence observed.
Shang Jie spoke in a low voice, “He is me.”
“No, he’s not. He’s a beast lurking in the darkness, ready to seize your body at any moment. What I must do is stop him. Louis, isn’t this what you want?”
Is this what he wanted?
Who wouldn’t want to live a normal life? Who wouldn’t want to be the master of their own life? In the past, he always tried to separate himself from his second personality, unwilling to acknowledge him.
And now, he had made the complete opposite choice.
If he acknowledged it, would the one that woman loved be him?
This realization was like a poisonous apple, its irresistible allure tempting him to stray further down a path of confusion.
“Louis, once you’re healed, you can do anything you want. You can pursue her. With your charm, why would you worry about not being able to win over a woman? But for now, you must overcome the influence of your second personality.”
Shang Jie sat in his swivel chair, his face darkened. “From now on, without my permission, you cannot see her privately.”
Lawrence looked at Shang Jie, his expression filled with confusion. “Louis, have you fallen in love with her?”
At the mention of this, Shang Jie’s eye muscles twitched. He then said indifferently, “As you said, it’s just the second personality’s emotional influence on me.”
“I hope so.” Lawrence, relieved that Shang Jie had finally calmed down, sighed in relief. “Any emotional attachment will hinder our treatment. Now, you must put those feelings aside.”
As Shang Jie was leaving, Lawrence suddenly called out to him. “You don’t look well. Haven’t you been sleeping lately?”
Shang Jie gave him a cold glance. “You’ve already convinced my wife to leave. What do you expect me to sleep well for?”
Lawrence smiled faintly. “You’re starting to joke now.”
“Actually, I’ve been having frequent dreams lately. I dream about the same person.”
“Oh? What’s the content of the dream?”
“A little girl, her face is unclear, her hair is very long, and her skin is very pale.”
“Sounds like a nightmare,” Lawrence shuddered. “Did you watch ‘The Grudge’ recently?”
Shang Jie didn’t respond to his joke. His gaze grew more somber. “She’s always standing from far away, doing the same gesture to me.”
He extended his left hand and curved his ring finger. “Always like this.”
Lawrence furrowed his brows slightly. “This seems to be a subconscious action from the second personality. We still don’t understand why he keeps doing it.”
“Perhaps this little girl is connected to my condition,” Shang Jie said. “But I can’t see her face.”
Lawrence said, “It’s too late today. Next time you come in, we’ll do some hypnosis therapy. Maybe we can uncover more clues.”
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Noooooo ça se termine comme ça!. I need to know
I swear Lawrence sounds like a quack!!! Marking his 2nd personality as evil when he clearly appeared because of the trauma he went through as a kid!!! He’s
My thoughts exactly.