Chapter 2440: Another Me 09

Returned to the villa.

An oppressive atmosphere permeated the living room.

Qiu Juan sat on the sofa, wiping tears; Li Fendou was nowhere to be seen.

Li Donglai was just coming out of the kitchen, holding a cup of water, and bumped straight into Jin Chen, who had just entered.

When their eyes met, Jin Chen's slightly irritated gaze made Li Donglai's heart skip.

That was definitely not the look his familiar cousin should have!

Li Donglai's alarm bells rang; he steadied himself, trying to regain a sense of control, and called out to the boy heading toward his room.

"Li Chi."

Jin Chen's steps halted, but he didn't turn back, lazily turning half his body away, expressing an indescribable distance and perfunctoriness.

"Speak."

Li Donglai was taken aback by his attitude, suppressing his surprise, his tone probing: "You've been going out to buy books every day these days?"

"What books did you buy? Bring them for me to see."

Jin Chen turned fully, extending his hand: "Sure, then where's your parents' divorce certificate? Bring it for me to see."

Li Donglai: "……"

His hand holding the water cup trembled violently, almost spilling, "Li Chi! What nonsense are you spouting!"

The response was the sound of Jin Chen closing the door.

Li Donglai stood frozen, staring at the tightly shut door, gripping his fists in anger.

No……

No.

How could a person change so much?

Li Chi definitely has a problem!

——

In the room, Jin Chen casually tossed his backpack onto the table.

Li Chi whispered, "Brother, come rest."

Jin Chen stretched lazily and headed straight for the bathroom.

Jin Chen looked at Li Chi's reflection in the mirror, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk, and spoke slowly.

"Xiao Chi, you're sweating, feeling sticky and uncomfortable."

"Brother needs to take a shower."

Li Chi: "Ah?"

He quickly reacted, his panic and embarrassment obvious.

"Brother... I, I'll wash up, you rest..."

Jin Chen looked at the mirror, as if he could see Li Chi's dodging, wet gaze.

He couldn't help laughing, extending a finger to lightly tap the mirror, as if tapping Li Chi's flushed cheek.

"What's the difference?" his tone lazily teasing, "Can't I help you wash?"

Li Chi: "……"

His consciousness fell silent, like a little turtle fully retracting into its hard shell.

After a few seconds, Li Chi's somewhat flustered response came: "Sorry, brother, I'm not used to this yet."

Jin Chen really didn't want to push his wife too far.

A little turtle's shell can't be forced open.

He lightly moved his fingertips, pinching his earlobe.

"Alright," he conceded, softening his tone, "Your turn."

As his words fell, the boy's weary sharpness in the mirror faded, returning to a shy, clear gaze.

Li Chi realized he could control his body, but the heat in his earlobe hadn't faded.

He also touched his own heated earlobe.

The temperature his fingertips touched made him blink slightly, then he pressed his lips together and lifted them slightly.

Jin Chen's voice sounded just in time: "Alright, Xiao Chi can take off his clothes."

Li Chi's fingers lingered at the hem, fingertips slightly curling, slowly taking off his clothes.

He lifted his leg into the small bathtub, and the warm water instantly enveloped him.

The water rippled, rising steam blurring his vision.

Li Chi curled up quietly in the water, drawing his legs up and resting his chin lightly on his knees.

The hot water soaked his skin, his pale shoulders, neck, and cheeks gradually turning pink.

The bathroom was very quiet, only the faint sound of water flow.

"Brother."

Jin Chen seemed to have absorbed the bathroom's warmth as well, "Hmm?"

Li Chi's cheek pressed against his knee, eyes gazing at the shifting light on the water.

After a moment, his voice became softer than usual, carrying a moist warmth from the steam.

"I like brother."

It was a straightforward liking, free of any lust.

A child who had never received love, once being protected and cherished without reservation, would entrust all his naive, fervent feelings entirely to the sole brother who gave him light and warmth.

"Brother also likes Xiao Chi."

In the bathtub, Lai Chi's arms wrapped around his knees tightened further.

He buried himself in that warm water, only his flushed nose tip and wet eyes exposed.

The water shut out the air, muffled outside sounds, and reflected the faint light that had quietly lit up in his eyes.

Lai Chi closed his eyes, feeling the soft touch of the water enveloping his cheeks.

Gradually, a slight sense of suffocation began to rise, and the oxygen in his lungs was dwindling.

Lai Chi let himself linger at this delicate threshold for a few seconds.

"Xiao Chi." Jin Chen reminded.

Splash—

Water droplets slid down his soaked black hair, fell back into the tub's surface, and sent out tiny ripples.

He drew deep breaths of the humid warm air, his chest rising and falling slightly, and lifted a hand to wipe the water traces from his face.

Jin Chen softly coaxed him, "Be good, the water's getting cold—go to sleep."

Lai Chi lifted his face, "Okay."

He dried off his body and returned to the blankets.

Lai Chi lay on his side, curled up, his fingers unconsciously lifting and rubbing his earlobe repeatedly.

As if through this tiny motion he could touch the warmth of another soul.

"Good night, Xiao Chi."

Lai Chi closed his eyes, his breath gradually becoming long and steady.

Elsewhere.

Lai Donglai sat at his spacious, bright bedroom desk.

The room's air conditioner was on, the temperature pleasant, yet it could not dispel the chill and agitation in his heart.

Lai Donglai irritably scratched his head, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the keyboard.

He needed an answer, one that could explain Lai Chi's strange changes.

He opened his browser and quickly typed into the search box:

"The cause of a person's drastic change in temperament."

The page switched, popping up various results.

He clicked them open one by one, then skimmed through them quickly, but felt they were not quite fitting and could not explain that sense of disjunction.

The mouse wheel scrolled down, various information flashing by.

Suddenly, an entry title located in the lower part of the webpage entered his view.

#Dual Personality (Dissociative Identity Disorder)#