Chapter Forty: Dual Personalities

"I clearly warned you not to come."
In the darkness, the shadow's eyes glowed with a faint red light, staring at Cheng Feng who lay unconscious in sleep, and swung the blade down.
The fruit knife traced a chilling arc through the air, stabbing toward Cheng Feng.
At the critical moment, a hand suddenly reached out, gripping the shadow's wrist. The sharp tip of the fruit knife hovered in midair, just a few centimeters from piercing Cheng Feng's abdomen.
Startled, she had no time to withdraw her arm. Her abdomen was struck, and Cheng Feng kicked her away, while the fruit knife flew from her grasp.
Cheng Feng rolled off the sofa, catching the fruit knife in his hand.
He gazed at the shadow in the dark living room. As a half-vampire, his night vision was unusually sharp.
Thus, he recognized the shadow's face—it was Lin Xiaoqin!
Fortunately, he'd been prepared tonight, or he might have fallen prey to her attack.
Earlier, Lin Xiaoqin had spoken before assaulting him, and she appeared lucid. This meant she wasn't sleepwalking, nor was she under some evil spell.
Therefore, there were only two possibilities for her midnight attack.
Either she'd been pretending all day, and this was her true nature.
Or she was possessed by some monster, only acting out at night.
Cheng Feng favored the latter explanation.
He didn't waste the chance to seize her. Before she could rise, he strode swiftly toward her.
Lin Xiaoqin had only managed to get halfway up, unable to lift her gaze before Cheng Feng tackled her to the ground.
"The nightmares Lin Xiaoqin has been having these past days, and all those supernatural incidents—they're your doing, aren't they?"
Cheng Feng pinned her firmly beneath him, towering over her with a harsh gaze. "Whether you're a ghost or some other demon, get out of her body now."
Lin Xiaoqin struggled desperately. At barely one meter sixty and less than a hundred pounds, she was no match for a man's strength.
Her body was frail to begin with, and Cheng Feng's restraint left her utterly powerless.
Cheng Feng had expected her to possess the supernatural strength of a possessed person, but she was pitifully weak.
This made things easier. He pressed the fruit knife against her pale neck, warning again, "I'll say it once more—get out of her body."

Feeling the cold blade against her throat, Lin Xiaoqin stopped struggling and spoke in a careless tone, "Go ahead, do it. You're only hurting this girl's body, do whatever you want."
"You think I won't? If I really act, the monster possessing her will get hurt too, won't it?"
Cheng Feng threatened coldly, "Want to bet?"
Lin Xiaoqin hesitated visibly, still trying to maintain composure. "I told you, do whatever you want. Even if you want to have your way with this body, it's up to you."
"I'm not that depraved. But I can tie you up and hand you over to the Disaster Association's branch tomorrow, let the demon hunters deal with you."
Cheng Feng's voice was icy. "How does that sound, Hei Yin?"
Lin Xiaoqin froze, her tone suddenly stiff. "Hei Yin? I don't understand what you're talking about."
"No need to pretend. The words you spoke before you attacked already gave you away."
Cheng Feng looked down at the girl beneath him. "I didn't expect you to be a monster possessing Lin Xiaoqin. I'm curious—yesterday you clearly warned me not to come to her house, and now you want to kill me. What are you up to?"
She glared fiercely at Cheng Feng and began struggling again. "I don't know what you're talking about. Let me go!"
"Is there any point in keeping up the act?"
Cheng Feng easily restrained her, his tone indifferent. "Once I hand you over to the Disaster Association tomorrow, it's a dead end for you. There's no point in hiding the truth now."
As expected, Lin Xiaoqin fell silent.
"Tch!"
After a long pause, she clicked her tongue in annoyance and finally quieted down. "I'm not a monster, nor am I possessing this woman. Don't use such vulgar words to describe me."
"You're not a monster?"
Cheng Feng blinked, surprised, and a bold guess flashed through his mind.
Lin Xiaoqin gave the real answer. "My name is Lin Xiaoyin. I'm the other personality in this body."
Cheng Feng's eyes widened in astonishment as he studied her. "Split personality?"
"It's another personality! Don't use words like 'lunatic' to describe me."
Lin Xiaoyin repeated angrily, "Haven't you heard of dissociative identity disorder?"
Cheng Feng nodded in realization. Indeed, the girl's appearance was identical to Lin Xiaoqin.

But her gestures, speech, and expression were entirely different from the real Lin Xiaoqin.
If not for their shared appearance, it would be hard to believe they were the same person.
He'd lived through two lives, yet this was the first time he'd seen dissociative identity disorder in reality, and he couldn't help but marvel.
"If you could, would you let me go now?"
Now that the truth was out, Lin Xiaoyin's tone was calm. "You know I'm not a monster, yet you still have me pinned. How long do you intend to take advantage of me? I didn't expect you to be this kind of person."
Cheng Feng thought for a moment, then released her.
After all, her strength was negligible, no threat at all. Since she wasn't a monster, there was no need for excessive caution.
"Since you're Lin Xiaoqin's other personality, why did you create those supernatural events to frighten her?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"If you don't, I'll tell Lin Xiaoqin tomorrow about your attempt to kill me."
Lin Xiaoyin's expression stiffened. After a moment's silence, she spoke softly, "I was only recently formed, because the primary personality suffered intense trauma."
"Trauma?"
Lin Xiaoyin bit her lip. "I clearly warned you not to come. Ever since she was captured by the vampire, the primary personality's mind has been unstable."
Cheng Feng was puzzled. "Unstable?"
"The primary personality's family was never harmonious. There was frequent domestic violence, the parents divorced, and her mother supports her now."
Her voice was low. "Her mental state was poor from childhood. The day after you rescued her, I split off as a new personality.
She suddenly became ill, plagued by nightmares. I need to protect the primary personality, keep her away from the outside world. Only then does her condition improve..."
She paused for a moment. "She probably likes you. Contact with you worsens her condition. She's been mentally unstable lately, so I wanted you to stay away from her."
"So you want to kill me?"
"I didn't really intend to kill you. I just wanted to hurt you, so you wouldn't come back." She lowered her gaze in apology. "I'm sorry. As a newly formed personality, I didn't have many ideas in my mind, so I resorted to such desperate measures."