Chapter 6 - I Want a Dog...

Wu Yaya shot up from her comfortable position in the chaise. The smile on her pale face melted away, leaving only an alertness that was ready to pounce.

She had been lying for a while, and the hair on the back of her head had become messed up with strands jutting out in random directions. Her look could’ve passed for a threatened animal. 

Crossing her legs and puffing out her chest, she spoke, her voice packing more punch than Flamin’ Hot Doritos, “How dare you say I’m not Lin Xiuzhu?”

The girl had her arms crossed and was breathing heavily. She was stubbornly trying to maintain an air of righteous indignation despite failing to contain her agitation and unease.

On the other hand, Yi Ling’s stiff posture relaxed into his chair. He sat back and fixed his gaze on the girl, speaking at a steady pace. “Lin Xiuzhu wouldn’t speak in such an aggressive tone. She wouldn’t have the gusto to look like she could take a bite out of someone. She certainly wouldn’t sprawl out over a chair in front of a stranger and get her hair tangled into a bird’s nest. This was a state of complete relaxation that she could never achieve.”

Wu Yaya’s aggressive expression grew stiffer with every word that left Yi Ling’s mouth.

Hearing that point, she quickly reached to smooth out her hair. Her attention had shifted from her cover being blown to fixing her outward appearance.

Yi Lin observed her in silence. Even with his immense self-control, his lips still curled visibly.

“I am Lin Xiuzhu!” With her hair straightened, Wu Yaya made her claim with a wide-eyed stare.

“No, you’re not.” Yi Ling refuted calmly.

“Yes, I am!”

“You’re not.”

“I am!”

“You’re not.”

“What proof do you have?”

Yi Ling didn’t know how a proper conversation turned into a children’s squabble. A chuckle left his throat when he realized how ridiculous it was.

“I’m a psychiatrist. My proof is over a decade of professional experience.” He told her, “Your acting isn’t as impeccable as you thought.”

“My acting is bad? Bullsh*t!” Wu Yaya stared her eyes wider, ignoring the fact that it wasn’t doing much for her.

The doctor chuckled again.

It didn’t feel like he was talking with a grown adult, but a little animal with fur standing on its end.

A bright fire lit up in the girl’s jet-black eyes. She was fuming. She was also very guilty. Just when she was reaching out her hand to wipe Yi Ling’s memories, he moved to take off his glasses.

His eyes were a clear amber, with his irises rimmed with a touch of blue. Peering into those eyes was like seeing a spot of azure sky in the midst of a stormy sky. The howling winds swept away his gentle aura in an instant. He now carried the solemnness of a cold front. 

It was a solemnness that spoke of profound insights and absolute mastery of the world.

Under the direct gaze of those piercing eyes, Wu Yaya's fierce expression faded almost instantly.

She couldn’t help but stare into his eyes, tilting her head in rapt fascination.

Yi Ling returned the girl's gaze, his face unreadable. Somewhere inside, though, a sense of familiarity arose. 

Those eyes, that gesture… He must’ve seen it somewhere. But before he could grasp it, the fleeting thought had slipped away.

He gathered himself and said, “I’ve seen my share of dissociative identity disorder.”

“Huh?” Wu Yaya tilted her head back.

Dissociative identity? The gears in her brain were turning, and her stiff body turned as soft as dough. She laid back into the chaise with her head still facing Yi Ling, and spoke as if with abandon, “Alright, I admit it. I’m not Lin Xiuzhu. I’m her alter ego.”

Yi Ling lowered his eyes, then a smirk emerged. “I’m beginning to doubt my diagnosis. Your eyes are telling me, you’re lying.”

Now, that shocked Wu Yaya to her core. His perception was too sharp.

She closed her eyes in a hurry, only to open them wide the next second, careful not to seem guilty.

The doctor shook his head, chuckling again. Kid, can you be any more obvious with your thoughts?

“What am I if not her alter ego? A ghost? A spirit?” The girl pressed him, not daring to take her eyes off of his face for a second.

Yi Ling was a scientific researcher. He didn’t believe in the occult.

Therefore, the girl in front of him couldn’t be any of those. What could she be but an alter ego? That was the most logical answer, so he brushed away his doubts.

Wu Yaya sighed inwardly in relief. She knew that a stupid human could never guess her real identity. They would find all kinds of excuses to cover up a truth that was impossible to them.

“I’m Wu Yaya,” She feigned complete openness, “Wu as in crow (wuya), and Ya as in sprout.”

Daddy Curtain Fig incubated her with his warm leaves after she lost her parents. When she first emerged from her shells, she was still struggling to walk and was afraid of heights. So, she just grabbed tightly onto her dad’s branches. The way she stood on the treetop all derpy made her look like a tender sprout.

That was how she got her name.

Yi Ling recorded this cute name with vigorous strokes.

“Do you know why you appeared?” He asked a very difficult question.

It was rare for an alter ego to know why they exist. They were forced to bear the primary ego’s memories and trauma, yet they weren’t aware of themselves.

To his surprise, this girl knew.

“I’m here to save Lin Xiuzhu.” She emphasized with a nod.

“How do you plan to do that?” The doctor was intrigued.

“She wants to marry Yu Haowei, otherwise, she has no meaning in life. She would offer her soul for this wish. That’s why I’m here. I need to get them married.” Wu Yaya picked at her nails. The light in her dark orbs were gone, only evil thoughts surged.

Yi Ling’s brows furrowed. He told the girl sternly, “That’s not helping her. That is worse for her. You’re in control over this body now, so you can take her away. Don’t you know full well what kind of person that man is? Marrying him would only destroy both you and Lin Xiuzhu.”

“It’s precisely because I know what kind of person he is that I can’t just let him off.” Wu Yaya sneered.

“What’s the point in staying involved with a person like that? What is there for both of you but more hurt?” Yi Ling looked at the girl with a soft gaze.

Wu Yaya licked her lips as if she had just had a thought. She suppressed the excitement welling up in her and said, “I would get a dog. A dog I could kick and stomp on, beat and curse at. One that will do my every bidding—A dog that’ll come back running even after I toss it aside, with its tail wagging, no less. Wouldn’t that be great?”

His eyes pierced through her, “What are you planning?”

“Not telling!” The girl hopped off the chair and rushed outside after putting on her sandals. Her patience had run out. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore. I want to go home.”

When dealing with a highly antagonistic patient, therapy is useless if they refuse to communicate. There was nothing Yi Ling could do if they were uncooperative. He wasn’t a god. He couldn’t just reach into a patient’s figurative heart and pull out their wounded soul.

He put down his notepad and turned to look.

Lin Xiusong had grabbed her sister, who was dashing out. She asked anxiously, “How did it go?”

“Come in, let’s talk alone.” Yi Ling told her as he put his glasses back on.

Lin Xiusong turned her sister over to the bodyguards and walked into the office.

Lin Xiuzhu’s situation would only get further out of hand without the cooperation of her family. She wasn’t planning to leave Yu Haowei, which is the worst option. That was why Yi Ling had to tell Lin Xiusong his findings.

Twenty minutes later, Lin Xiusong walked out of the office with her eyes a little red. She showed a pained expression when she saw her little sister poking at a potted plant, encircled by bodyguards.

“Zhu,” She called out in a shaky voice. She corrected herself when she realized she was using the wrong name. “Yaya.”

Wu Yaya looked at her with clear eyes.

It was only then that Lin Xiuzhu believed what she had heard from the doctor. Her sister had never looked at her with such a clean gaze. She was always melancholic, and maybe even a little resentful. Her eyes were always cloudy, as if they had too much burden and pain to hide.

The entrepreneur wanted to be there more for her sister, but she had to support them both. She had to earn more money, or her sister wouldn’t have enough for living expenses and tuition. How else would they have money for treatment if her sister ever got sick? Without a good education, what kind of future would her sister have?

She gave her sister everything in the world, all but companionship.

It was her fault.

Lin Xiuzhu liked this version of her sister, whose eyes were as clear as the sky. She strided over and pulled Wu Yaya into her arms.

It only took a second for Wu Yaya to respond to the hug. She patted the older lady’s back, telling her in a whisper, “Don’t cry. It’s okay. Lin Xiuzhu will come back.”

Lin Xiusong shook her head. Her voice was caught in her throat. She loved both versions of her sister, and accepted them as they were. However, she couldn’t accept their decision to marry Haowei. It was a road to the abyss!

“Come on, let's go home. We’ll come back for treatment again at the same time tomorrow.” The older woman gripped her sister's arm tightly, preventing her from running off.

“Let me say goodbye to Yi Ling,” The girl pointed toward the office.

That much was acceptable.

Lin Xiusong released her grip, and Wu Yaya scampered over.

Yi Ling raised his head from his notes when he heard footsteps.

BAM! The girl smacked him right on the forehead and ran off. He had given her quite the scare back there; she had to get him back for that!

Yi Ling: …

Wu Yaya slammed shut the office door, as if to let out her anger. She came and left like a whirlwind. A flame called anger burned in her eyes. They were clear, vibrant.

The doctor stared at the door for quite some time before shaking his head. There was no suppressing his chuckles.

Now, which kindergarten did this child escape from?