The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

Shen Jingwan's voice was already a little hoarse as she spoke. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and suppressed the trembling in her throat.

An Jianxing, standing next to him, had his head down, his hands clasped together and rubbing them incessantly, as if the memory had already weighed him down so much that he couldn't straighten up.

Ye Shu sat opposite him, his brows furrowed. A heavy, aching weight pressed against his chest. He had guessed what An Suxue must have gone through, but hearing An Suxue's mother recount the events firsthand, he felt as if he were truly seeing a little girl, how she had become so desperate that even her loved ones couldn't approach her.

Just listening to it made him feel suffocated.

"Auntie, what happened next?"

Ye Shufang spoke softly, unable to resist asking the question. Because the An Suxue he knew now, or rather the four of them, were living good lives, he desperately needed a story about how things were developing in a positive direction to ease the pain in his heart.

later......

Shen Jingwan put down her teacup and continued...

Later, An Jianxing and Shen Jingwan had to face the reality that their daughter seemed not to recognize them at all. She knew how to live, eat, dress, and even do housework, but her memories of "parents" and "family" seemed to have been erased from her mind, leaving only a blank.

Is it amnesia? Or is there something wrong with his/her brain?

An Jianxing and his wife took An Suxue to several large hospitals and had all the tests done, but the results all showed that there was no brain damage.

Finally, they were advised to see a psychiatrist.

An Jianxing spent a lot of money to find a psychiatrist. This was an experienced old doctor who, after chatting with An Suxue for a while, asked Shen Jingwan to take An Suxue outside to wait, leaving An Jianxing alone in the consultation room.

After listening to An Jianxing's description of his daughter's changes, the doctor gave a diagnosis that was somewhat unfamiliar to most ordinary people at the time.

"Based on current understanding, this should be 'dissociative identity disorder'."

Seeing An Jianxing's bewildered expression, which suggested it wasn't good news, the doctor offered a more straightforward explanation:

"That is what we usually call 'dissociative identity disorder'."

Split personality?

An Jianxing seemed to have heard about it on the news, so he quickly asked:

"Is it...the schizophrenia we were talking about? Has he gone mad?"

"No, no, Mr. An, there is a fundamental difference between the two."

The doctor quickly waved his hand and explained:

"The schizophrenia you mentioned belongs to the psychotic disorder category. Its main symptoms usually include delusions, auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, confused thinking, and abnormal behavior. Some cases have a strong genetic component."

"Your daughter's condition falls under the category of dissociative disorder. Simply put, under immense stress, her mind may have split into several completely independent personalities or identities, each perhaps unaware of the others' existence. These personalities possess independent memories, thoughts, perceptions, behavioral patterns, and habits. In some cases, even physiological reactions may differ; for example, one personality might be allergic to flowers, while another might be unaffected."

"This is mostly due to severe trauma suffered later in life, especially during childhood, which becomes a psychological self-protective defense mechanism. When one 'me' can no longer bear it, it creates another 'me' to share the burden, or simply to take over and face the things that I cannot face."

An Jianxing's face turned pale. His brain was completely blank, and he couldn't keep up with what the doctor was saying. But keywords like "major trauma," "defense mechanisms," and "several independent personalities" were still imprinted in his mind.

With trembling hands, he pulled a notebook from his coat pocket. This was the notebook An Jianxing had been using to take notes while studying psychology since An Suxue's incident.

"Doctor, please...please speak slowly, I'll write it down, I'll write it down..."

His brain seems to be malfunctioning right now; he can only write it down and digest it slowly.

The doctor sighed and slowly explained what he had just said again. An Jianxing lowered his head, scribbling on the paper, not daring to miss a single word.

Finally, he raised his eyes, the bloodshot veins in them clearly visible, and asked the question he feared most and most wanted to know:

"Then...doctor, can this illness...be cured?"

After a moment of silence in the consultation room, An Jianxing had already learned the answer from the doctor's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mr. An. Dissociative identity disorder is extremely difficult to cure globally to date. Our usual goals are 'integration' and 'functional recovery'."

"Is there...isn't there any effective medicine?"

An Jianxing was still a little unwilling to give up. He looked at the doctor, thinking that as long as the doctor mentioned a name, he would sell everything he owned to buy it.

But the doctor still shook his head:

"Medication can only play a supporting role, mainly controlling possible accompanying depression, anxiety, or sleep problems, but it cannot eliminate the different personalities. The most important thing is still psychotherapy. This is a rather long process. You can find an experienced therapy center to help your child cope with the trauma, promote understanding between the different personalities, and ultimately achieve a certain degree of integration, or at least allow the different personalities to coexist peacefully and reduce interference with daily life."

"But this will take a long time, perhaps even... a lifetime."

As An Jianxing walked out of the consultation room, the corridor lights made him feel dizzy. He clutched the densely written notebook in his hand.

He could no longer understand most of the words on the paper, but their meaning was like a mountain pressing down on the shoulders of the couple, and also on the future path of their daughter.

Shen Jingwan and An Suxue sat on a bench in the corridor. Shen Jingwan held An Suxue's hand, gently stroking it. An Suxue remained quiet, a polite smile on her face. But deep in her eyes, there was still a sense of distance between them and strangers.

An Jianxing walked up to his wife and daughter, looked at his wife's haggard but composed face, then at his daughter's familiar yet unfamiliar little face. After a long pause, he uttered only two words:

"go home."

Later, An Jianxing still refused to believe in the superstition, or rather, he couldn't accept the outcome that he could never be cured. He used his connections and spared no expense to bring back a highly accomplished psychologist from overseas.

This doctor is said to have cured many patients, bringing their lives back on track. However, his infamous condition is his exorbitantly high fees.

An Jianxing didn't even blink. As long as there was a sliver of hope that his daughter could come back, none of this mattered.

The treatment process is lengthy, requiring several sessions per week.

Initially, only the polite personality that first awoke was willing to engage in limited communication; the other personalities remained hidden or were full of hostility.

During therapy, new personalities may occasionally appear and then quietly disappear.

As An Jianxing and his wife watched their daughter constantly changing positions outside the treatment room window, they felt both heartache and a sense of unease.

This doctor is highly skilled. As the treatment progressed, the sounds in the treatment room gradually increased.

Some were chatting quietly, some were silent, some were screaming and crying, and some were smashing things...

Finally, after a relatively long period of calm, the doctors told them that the internal situation had temporarily stabilized.

Currently, there are four relatively complete, stable identity states that are capable of some external communication. Each person has their own unique characteristics, memories, and coping mechanisms.

One of them carries most of the traumatic memories and core emotions, making it extremely vulnerable.

The other three took on managerial roles related to different aspects of daily life, social interactions, and learning in the valley.

These four are the ones Ye Shu knows: An Suxue, the original body bearing the trauma; Zhi Qiu, the mature and gentle manager; Xia Qing, the strong-willed and forthright guardian; and Xiao Nuan, the always cold and single-minded observer.

An Jianxing and Shen Jingwan went from initial breakdown, resistance, and incomprehension to being forced to accept it, and finally to resigning themselves to their fate.

What else can I do? Just because my daughter is cracked, does that mean she's no longer my daughter?

No, each one grew out of their little Xue, each one carries a part of little Xue, they are all their daughters.

They began to learn to recognize their different daughters and gave them names.

Because her daughter's name is Xiaoxue, which carries the passion of summer, and Xiaqing, which has the calm and thoughtfulness of autumn.

As for the child who had little expression and always coldly observed everything, she was named Xiao Nuan (Little Warmth), in the hope that her cold heart would one day feel warmth.

And that most vulnerable daughter, who bore all the pain, will always be their Xiaoxue.

Life went on in this cautious, constantly shifting pattern. Besides An Suxue, the other three personalities, under the meticulous care of An Jianxing and Shen Jingwan, also called An Jianxing and Shen Jingwan "Dad and Mom".

But they knew they were not her biological daughters.

An Jianxing and Shen Jingwan also knew that they had lost their only daughter, but gained a group of special daughters who needed their love.