Multiple Personalities

"Ahhh, my eyes, what did I just see?!"

Zhao Xin'an watched Li Baiyu and Shen Jingqi leaving the restaurant and couldn't help but shout.

"Quiet, quiet!"

Zheng Lin knocked on the table.

Shen Jingqi escorted Li Baiyu to the VVIP room.

Li Baiyu's phone kept vibrating.

The post she made on her Moments stirred many people.

The comments were numerous.

"Who is this person?"

"This is the person who has been attending lab meetings with you this week!"

"In a relationship?!"

Li Baiyu looked at these comments and smiled without saying a word.

Suddenly, her smile froze.

One comment caught her attention.

"Congratulations, finally someone is with you. You think that with this, I don't need to be by your side anymore, right?"

The commenter was Cong Nanxue.

Li Baiyu's heart started to race.

"You look so happy, have you overcome your inner fears?"

"If you have, why dress like that?"

Li Baiyu exited WeChat and turned her phone face down.

Overwhelmed with emotion, her breathing became rapid.

Feeling the pressure on her chest, Li Baiyu struggled, wanting to open the window.

"Senior, what's wrong?"

Shen Jingqi was pouring water for Li Baiyu and saw her staggering.

"I just saw Cong Nanxue's message, I feel a bit uncomfortable, and want to open the window for some air."

"Let me do it."

Shen Jingqi opened the window, creating a gap of about ten centimeters.

Li Baiyu clutched her chest, tears welling up in her eyes.

She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes.

The cold wind blew in like a fan, billowing Shen Jingqi's clothes.

"Button up your clothes."

Shen Jingqi stepped forward and tightened Li Baiyu's loose clothing.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently patted three times.

"Senior, do you remember, when we went down the slide together, we passed three particularly large turns. In those three turns, we rotated 360 degrees visually; if you opened your eyes, you'd feel dizzy, if you closed them, you'd feel weightless. But, the wind would come from all directions. Those who love you might also hurt you. Your illusions might be real. But, we can coexist with these illusions without being impacted by them. If you don't want to face them, you can deal with them in other ways. It doesn't matter how long it takes. When you don't see it as a burden or fear, it won't truly scare you."

Li Baiyu opened her eyes.

"Your breathing is still rapid. But that's okay, don't blame yourself. Any kind of breathing is fine, slowly it will find its rhythm."

Shen Jingqi's voice was deep and soothing.

"Feel your breath, feel each inhale and exhale, and the small pauses in between."

"Okay, when you're ready, feel the tense areas in your body. Coexist with the tension rather than trying to adjust it."

"You might think about your illusions. It's okay, coexist with your illusions, and you'll realize that illusions don't really pose a real danger. Of course, to reach this point, we'll need to undergo some integration. Your psyche is already used to assigning different sub-personalities to bear certain roles. We can coexist with them, gradually allowing you to truly face your illusions."

Li Baiyu nodded.

"We're currently focusing on your mental and physical state. Your reaction just now was a manifestation of somatization. Once you faint, one of your sub-personalities will emerge to take over some functions."

"What should I do?"

Li Baiyu asked.

"Just like this, focus your attention on your breathing, and coexist with the discomfort in your body. Gradually, these uncomfortable sensations will fade away. Because sensations are emergent, they come on their own and will leave on their own. If you fight against them, you'll get caught up in emotions and cause a vicious cycle. If you don't fight against them, you won't be controlled by them."

With several deep breaths, Li Baiyu's mood had calmed significantly.

She felt the tightness in her chest had disappeared, and her breathing was smooth.

Li Baiyu's hands crossed each other and slowly opened up.

"I'm feeling much better."

She was about to reach out when Shen Jingqi already closed the window.

Li Baiyu smiled knowingly and slowly walked to the table and sat down.

"What is this method called?"

"Mindful breathing. Mindful breathing itself isn't the most important, what's important is awareness, acceptance, and increased endurance."

"That doesn't sound simple."

Li Baiyu said unassumingly.

Shen Jingqi thought to himself, Li Baiyu is truly insightful.

The average person hearing these words would think it's too simple.

But it's not.

Awareness emphasizes precise sensation, which includes sensory parts as well as understanding of the surrounding world and environment.

Many people often ignore their body's sensations, only panicking when the body feels unwell.

And most people, bombarded by various information and pressures, turn a blind eye to the surrounding environment and do not cherish what they have.

Many people's awareness of the world is also partial, easily swayed by emotions, leading to different ways of viewing the world and different reactions.

As for acceptance, everyone's understanding is different.

Some people hear acceptance and start to let themselves go. For instance, not doing homework, not exercising, not managing weight. They're irresponsible for tasks they've set for themselves and don't advance them. Then, they comfort themselves with words like acceptance.

Acceptance doesn't mean doing nothing, it means doing what you can and making changes based on that.

And increasing endurance is about coexisting with your body's sensations.

All fears stem from fear of the unknown and uncertainty.

Shen Jingqi spent five or six minutes introducing some theories about alleviating emotional distress to Li Baiyu.

Checking the time, it was almost two in the afternoon.

Shen Jingqi took out a small bag.

He had picked it up at the restaurant while waiting for food.

"Senior, we can practice integrating mindfulness into life."

"Hmm?"

"Turn on your phone, set a 15-minute alarm. Then, in these 15 minutes, eat two raisins."

"Eat two raisins in 15 minutes?"

Li Baiyu confirmed.

"That's right."

Shen Jingqi picked up his coat.

"Senior, I have to go for testing."

"We can share your feelings in the evening."

Shen Jingqi walked to the door, opened it.

As he was stepping out, Shen Jingqi turned his head, seeing Li Baiyu examining the raisins with a puzzled look, he couldn't help but laugh.

Senior, I really am not trying to trick you!