As she slipped into another daze, her brain started to compute the end of the periodic table.
Her eyes popped open.
There was one thing she had been talented in ever since she was young. It was something that did not require much effort from her, and was as easy and natural as breathing.
I can study.
She ran into the study room excitedly and typed in the password the other Ji Fanyin had set to unlock the computer. Within a few minutes, she was preparing the materials to apply for a phD program.
Since she had graduated less than a year ago, it was not hard for her to find a job.
But the question was, what kind of job should she find, and in which industry?
She had too many choices to choose from.
With both the cash and the brains, she had an endless list of possibilities.
By the time she switched off the computer, it was already past midnight. She took a look at her phone. There were so many missed calls and messages. For a social recluse like this, the mere look of that was enough to send her into a moment of panic.
Ji Fanyin: “...” I almost forgot the other Ji Fanyin was a social butterfly.
Despite sharing the same name, they were polar opposites in terms of their social skills.
She held her phone in her hands like a hot potato. Which message or call should she start from? And what should she say?
She had watched the other Ji Fanyin do it so many times over the past year, but it was not a skill she had managed to pick up.
While she was battling her inner demons, the silent phone jumped into action, causing Ji Fanyin to jump in shock, nearly losing her grip on her phone and dropping it on her laptop. There was an incoming call.
Especially since there were 15 missed calls from this number. The caller ID showed Ji Xinxin.
She contemplated picking up the phone for a few seconds, and eventually decided to do so.
Avoiding this was not a solution. That was something she had learnt from the other Ji Fanyin.
“Hello?” Ji Fanyin greeted Ji Xinxin quietly.
There was a short pause, as though Ji Xinxin had not expected her call to go through, before she asked in an eerily cold tone, “I’m sure you’ve heard the news. Now that I have nothing left, are you satisfied?”
Ji Fanyin closed her eyes and clenched her fist to muster some courage.
“Staying silent? Feeling guilty?” Ji Xinxin pressed on aggressively.
Ji Fanyin: “You’ve just been through a miscarriage. Is your stomach still hurting? It would not do you good to be angry.”
Ji Xinxin: “...”
Ji Fanyin cleared her throat. “Xinxin, she has already gone back. I’m back.”
This time, there was an even longer pause. It extended longer and longer, to the point Ji Fanyin started to suspect whether the call had been cut off due to signal loss. She removed the phone from her face to check.
But the call time was still increasing, second after second.
“Hello?” Ji Fanyin called out in confusion.
“... Sister?” Within her surprise and disbelief, there was also an element of fear. “She allowed you to come back? You are not dead?”
Ji Fanyin did not know how to explain the matter to her. In the end, she settled for a simple “En.”
Ji Xinxin’s breathing got more and more erratic. After god knows how long, she let out a blood curdling scream. “That’s not possible! Ji Fanyin, you are just trying to trick me! Aren’t you already dead? How can you not be dead?!”
Her questioning was followed by a series of muffled sounds. Next, the call was taken over by another person.
This time, the female on the other end was much calmer. “Ji Fanyin?”
Ji Fanyin recognised her voice. She swallowed nervously. In a soft and polite tone, she greeted the respectable career woman, “Hello, Ms. Li.”
“...” Li Mingyue was speechless. She asked, “You have switched back to your original personality?”
“It’s not a personality switch…”
“They mean the same thing,” Li Mingyue said, “It’s rather interesting to hear you speak in this tone. The doctor just injected her with some sedatives, she will not be harassing you for the time being. I will get someone to hold on to her phone so you can have a good rest.”
“... Right, do you have plans to contact Cheng Lin?”
Ji Fanyin pulled in her shoulders reflexively. In a tiny voice, she said, “I’ll think about it. I’m afraid she will cry when she sees me.”
As though it was just a passing remark, Li Mingyue asked, “En. One more thing, if it was your other personality, I would not bother asking but since it’s you, I’ll just ask. Your parents are on their way here to care for Ji Xinxin. Do you plan to visit her too?”
Ji Fanyin took a moment to think about it before replying, “Ok, please send me the address.”
Jokingly, Li Mingyue said, “I know you have a totally different personality as compared to your alter ego. I’ll assign a bodyguard to you when you’re here so don’t worry.”
Once again, Ji Fanyin corrected her, “Thank you… But she’s not my alter ego…”
Li Mingyue smiled. “En, they mean the same thing.”