Chapter 3 

Six thousand yuan might get you a minuscule room in Beijing or Shanghai, but in a smaller city like hers, Chen Linyao’s six-thousand-yuan rent afforded her a 42-square-meter apartment. 

Still, the room had only one bed, and she had been worried about how to share the space. 

It seemed, however, that she wouldn’t need to worry for long. At that moment, Chen Linyao found herself lying flat on the bed, arms pinned above her head. Towering over her was a physically fit young man, half-reclining, staring directly at her. One of his knees was pressed against her waist, while the other, well, let’s just say its position was too compromising to describe politely. 

Worse, in his hand was Chen Linyao's neck, gripped tightly.

Chen Linyao struggled against him, but with both her hands restrained, she was no match for his strength. Moreover, the harder she struggled, the tighter his grip became. Pain and dizziness overtook her until, at last, he loosened his hands slightly. Gasping for breath, she seized the chance to clear her mind. But even with his grip relaxed, his hands remained on her throat, keeping her from crying out for help. 

From the look in his eyes, she knew he wasn’t bluffing. His cold, unfeeling gaze sent chills down her spine, as if he wouldn’t hesitate to strangle her to death if she defied him. 

“Answer my question.” 

There was no compromise in his voice, no offer of negotiation—just a command delivered with chilling authority. With her life literally in his hands, Chen Linyao could only nod frantically. 

“Who are you?” 

“I, uh, I’m Chen Linyao.” 

Seeing his displeasure at her answer, she quickly elaborated. “I’m 24 years old. I work in sales at Yebin Corporation. I graduated from a university in H City. Uh, my hobbies include watching dramas, cooking, browsing Weibo, and Youku.” Seeing his continued displeasure, she reluctantly continued, “I—I also stream games sometimes, but not many people watch.” 

“Enough!” 

His once pale face turned a deep shade of red, bordering on black, his anger evident. 

The other party took a deep breath to calm himself before asking his next question. 

“How did we get here?” 

Chen Linyao’s eyes widened in shock. He had ridden in her car back to her apartment just minutes ago—how could he have forgotten already? Was his mind deteriorating further? 

This was bad. She didn’t have the money to pay for his treatment anymore. Selling all her belongings wouldn’t even cover the cost.

“I’m asking you!”

“U-um, you just came back with me in the car. Don’t you remember?” Chen Linyao quickly replied, terrified he might lose control again. For now, she had to focus on surviving. 

“That’s not what I meant. I’m asking how I ended up in this city.” 

How was she supposed to know that?! Chen Linyao groaned inwardly, unwilling to voice her frustration. Instead, she answered,

“I—I don’t know. Weren’t you already here before?” 

“Don’t lie to me!” 

“I’m not lying!” 

That man fell silent for a moment before finally speaking again. 

“When I was being treated, I asked the people around me who were caring for me, and they all said it was you who hurt me and brought me there.”

“Cough, cough,” Chen Linyao imagined herself coughing up blood. It wasn’t a false accusation—they were only recounting the truth. Still, hearing it from him made it sound distorted somehow.

“Besides the people in white clothes, there was also a woman in a blue uniform wearing a black hat who came to ask about me later. When I questioned her, she also said that you were the one who harmed me.”

Chen Linyao felt like crying but couldn’t shed a single tear. That woman must have been the police officer handling the case. It turned out she had questioned the injured man while Chen Linyao wasn’t around.

“I honestly didn’t know what happened. It was an accident. Before I knew it, I had hit you with my car on that road.”

The man raised an eyebrow slightly and began tightening his grip on her throat, slowly but steadily. 

Tears streamed down her cheeks as Chen Linyao shook her head repeatedly, trying to convey that she didn’t know anything. However, the man showed no sign of easing up.

After that, everything turned white. She felt as if her spirit were leaving her body, freed from all suffering. It was like she was floating through the air, seeing her parents in an imagined vision, waving her over from the other side.

Her upturned eyes, almost devoid of life, twitched a few times before the white scene in her mind gradually gave way to the familiar ceiling of her own room.

Two minutes passed before Chen Linyao fully regained her senses. Her body felt lighter than ever, though her heart continued to race uncontrollably. She had truly just brushed against death.

“So, you really didn’t know.”

The man muttered, sighing as he finally released his grip.

The terror had already been planted in Chen Linyao. She didn’t dare scream for help. He was too close—no one would be able to save her in time. If she provoked him further, she might very well end up meeting the grim reaper for real. 

“Do you not remember anything?” 

After a long silence, Chen Linyao forced herself to ask. It wasn’t out of sympathy but rather self-preservation. If she couldn’t help him resolve his issues, she had no idea how much longer she’d have to coexist with this man. Running away wasn’t an option either. If the police caught wind of it, she’d end up in even more trouble. 

“I remember almost everything.”

Chen Linyao froze. If you remember everything, then why are you asking me?

“The place I lived before isn’t like this. At that time... I encountered certain problems. I lost consciousness, and when I woke up, I was here.”

“So, where were you before this? Maybe I can help you.”

“I lived most of my time in the imperial palace.”

The imperial palace? 

“Recently, the imperial consorts and my imperial father have been causing a lot of problems. Some consorts who’ve fallen out of favor started throwing flirtatious glances my way.”

Consorts? Throwing flirtatious glances at you? 

“That wasn’t the worst of it. The eunuchs and palace maids started spreading false rumors, making me so uncomfortable that I didn’t want to interact with anyone for a while.”

Eunuchs? Palace maids? Rumors? 

“After that, I left the palace to explore newly discovered ancient ruins in search of a magical artifact. I vaguely remember being inside the ruins, then losing consciousness. When I woke up, I was here.”

“…”

Are you sure you remember anything at all? 

Are you sure this isn’t just the plot of a drama you’re acting in?