It was the end of March, and the weather in the north had only just begun to warm up. This year’s bitter cold had lasted longer than usual. Temperatures had plunged, and it had been cold enough to make people shiver.
Ai Xuan was vacationing by the sea. Beneath the brim of her white sun hat was a beautiful, delicate face that tapered to a narrow chin. She had dark brows, an elegant, straight nose, and soft, glossy pink lips.
She wore a smoky blue dress with faux spaghetti straps that hugged her slender figure. The sun blazed overhead in a cloudless sky, and the sea in the distance was a deep blue. Her slender, fair feet left one footprint after another in the soft, fine sand.
The sea breeze drove wave after wave up the beach, washing over her ankles and smoothing away her footprints.
She lifted her head and looked out over the endless sea. Emotions churned in her lovely almond-shaped eyes like turbulent currents beneath the calm surface of the water, mingled with confusion and doubt.
After the car accident, the doctor had told her that the blow to her head had stimulated her nerves and could disrupt her memory. As a result, her recollections were often inaccurate, and she frequently mixed up people and events. But starting last night, on top of the confusion, new memories had begun to surface. Things from the “future” had somehow slipped into her mind, with plot twists worthy of a TV drama or a movie.
In those memories, “she” was the heroine of a novel called The Best Actress’s Secret Marriage into a Wealthy Family. In the author’s words, she was born captivatingly beautiful, had made a name for herself in the entertainment industry at a young age, had legions of fans, and was offered more scripts than she could handle. She was the kind of person who was born for the stage.
At nineteen, “she” had shot to fame with a single film and won her first Best Actress award. After that, she became a household name, won more awards of every kind than she could keep track of, and gained over seventy million followers on Weibo. She was only twenty-three this year.
By then, “she” was also secretly dating the president of her company. His name was Jin Yan, and he was the eldest young master of the Jin family. He was composed and rational, aloof and coldhearted, and every bit as handsome as the male stars in the industry. He was practically the textbook domineering president.
A Cinderella marrying into a wealthy family always had to overcome countless obstacles. These included a tumultuous love-hate relationship with the president, a vicious feud with his fiancée, and the contempt and rejection of her mother-in-law. “She” went through one harrowing ordeal after another, including a miscarriage, nearly being drugged and taken advantage of in a private karaoke room, being kidnapped, and almost bleeding to death during childbirth…
After putting “her” through one ordeal after another, the author left readers crying for her and begging for mercy in the comments. Through all those hardships, Jin Yan and the heroine developed a love that would endure until death, and their devotion to each other only grew stronger.
The novel had a perfect ending. Jin Yan married “her” into the Jin family, and she became the First Lady of City A and one of the entertainment industry’s biggest stars, a Best Actress at the very top of her field. Her fans even called theirs a love without equal.
…
“Xiao Xuan.”
A soft call from behind interrupted Ai Xuan’s thoughts. The man who had called out caught up with her in long strides and said gently, “The sun’s about to set. It gets cold by the sea in the evening. Let’s head back.”
“Mm.” Ai Xuan stopped and nodded, going no farther.
Gu Heng took the jacket and draped it over her shoulders. His voice was warm and gentle. “We can come out again tomorrow. It’s getting colder.”
Caught off guard, she met his deep, clear gaze. With his refined, striking face so close to hers, she froze for a moment. To hide her reaction, she lowered her head so the brim of her hat concealed her face. “Okay.”
With that, she turned and headed back. As she walked, she furrowed her fine brows. Had looking at Gu Heng’s handsome face every day put some improper ideas in her head? Had she made up a whole novel in her mind?
Gu Heng stayed where he was for a moment. He watched her walk away, his gaze full of fascination and tender longing, unwilling to look away for even a second.
It was a private beach. Rows of pines and coconut palms lined both sides, leaving a single entrance and shielding the nearby villa from the sea breeze.
Ai Xuan reached the steps, slipped on her sandals, and glanced back. Gu Heng was already beside her. He lowered his gaze to her sand-covered feet and reminded her with a faint smile, “The seawater’s salty. Rinse your feet first.”
Ahead stood a small, unusually shaped artificial rockery made of stacked stones. A faucet and a showerhead had been fitted into the side, both designed to look like stone. It was a distinctive, carefully considered touch.
Gu Heng bent down, turned on the faucet, and tested the water with his hand.
“Do you think they keep the water at a set temperature out here?” she asked with a smile. She lifted her skirt and came closer, and he stepped aside. Ai Xuan held a foot under the stream and turned back to him in delighted surprise. “It really is warm.”
She had lovely almond-shaped eyes. When she smiled, her eyes and brows curved like soft crescent moons. Her bright, enchanting eyes seemed to hold a whole galaxy of stars and were so expressive they could almost speak.
The corners of his lips curved slightly, and he spoke a little more slowly. “Probably so no one catches a chill.”
“How thoughtful.” Once she had rinsed her feet, she let the hem of her skirt fall and looked up, a smile still lingering at the corners of her eyes. Then she stepped aside to make room for him.
Gu Heng stepped forward, warmth in his eyes, and quickly rinsed off.
They followed the path toward the villa. Ai Xuan walked with a light step and seemed to be in good spirits.
A gentle breeze stirred her flowing skirt. Her bare arms were fair, soft, and slender. She was walking so quickly that her straw hat tipped to one side, and she hurriedly steadied it. Then she glanced sideways at him, her clear eyes lively and her voice rising lightly at the end. “Hurry up!”
Gu Heng chuckled softly. His eyes glinted as he quickened his pace at once, his adoring gaze following her the whole way.
The seaside villa had a minimalist Scandinavian design. Palm trees surrounded it, and there was a swimming pool in the courtyard, with several woven rattan loungers beside it and beautifully landscaped grounds nearby. Every detail showed careful taste.
“Miss Ai.” Sister Wang stepped forward, her tone exceedingly respectful. “Today’s coconuts were picked straight from the tree. The flesh is especially tender and springy. Please have a taste.”
“Thank you, Sister Wang.” Ai Xuan walked inside and saw two round, white “coconut eggs” on the table, served in fine ceramic bowls, with a straw set beside them.
A “coconut egg” was made by peeling away the shell and removing the flesh and water whole, with the fresh, tender flesh still enclosing the coconut water.
The water was sweet, and the flesh was tender, smooth, and springy, like jelly. If you gave it a gentle shake, the flesh and the water wobbled together.
These were unlike any coconuts she’d had before. The flesh she remembered was hard and astringent, making it difficult to eat, while this was smooth. She’d eaten three in one sitting yesterday. Now this was fresh and silky, with a lovely coconut fragrance. It was absolutely delicious.
Ai Xuan sat down, gently pushed the straw into a “coconut egg,” and took a sip of the sweet coconut water. Looking at the green pastries, she asked, “What are these called?”
“Pandan coconut cakes,” he reminded her, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smile.
“Right. I remember now.” She picked up a piece with her chopsticks and took a bite, then looked across at Gu Heng. He had impeccable manners and sat with his back straight, looking elegant and distinguished.
He was handsome, too, with a well-defined face, finely shaped features, and strikingly handsome brows and eyes. There was an easy gentleness about him and a clarity in his gaze. He always smiled when he spoke to her, and he was even-tempered and patient.
Ai Xuan suddenly thought of the novel’s plot again. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t make sense of it.
Under her unbroken stare, Gu Heng began to look uneasy. His loosely curled fingers drew in a little, and he sat more stiffly by the second. Pretending it didn’t bother him, he asked, “What is it?”
“I remembered a few more things today,” Ai Xuan said.
Gu Heng’s breath caught as soon as she said it, and a light sheen of sweat formed on his lowered palm. He kept himself in check as he asked, “What did you remember?”
He watched her, unwilling to miss even the slightest change in her expression. His nerves were stretched as taut as a rope about to snap.
“I think I treated you to a meal once. Didn’t we go to a revolving restaurant together, too? You gave me a present on my birthday.” She pictured the scenes in her memory and went on. “I think I gave you a birthday present, too. It was a little ornament I brought back from abroad. I looked along several streets before I found it. We must’ve been pretty close.”
At first, after she woke up, it hurt whenever she remembered anything, so she never deliberately tried to recall the past. After all, she was lucky to have made it out alive.
Her memories often got jumbled, too. She mixed people up and couldn’t match names to faces. Lately, though, the pieces had begun to fit together more often. She remembered Gu Heng especially well. In her memories, they saw each other frequently.
Gu Heng’s expression stayed composed. Out of her sight, however, a dark look came into his eyes as he fought back the jealousy that threatened to consume him. Beneath the table, he clenched his fist until the veins stood out on the back of his hand.
Someone else had gone to the revolving restaurant with her, and she’d never given Gu Heng a birthday present. The jealousy threatened to drown him. When he met her gaze, he tucked every trace of it away again and unhurriedly picked up a piece of cake for her with his chopsticks. “You’ll give yourself a headache if you keep thinking about it.”
“I’m already starting to remember,” Ai Xuan said. “Doctor Zhang said these memories would come together soon, too.”
To keep her from thinking too much about it, Gu Heng had told her only that they were friends, very good friends, and that he’d stay by her side until she recovered and remembered everything.
All she knew was that she’d been behind the wheel when she got into a serious car accident. Worried that she might suffer lasting effects, Gu Heng had brought in specialists to treat her and taken her somewhere she could recuperate.
He really was good to her and cared a great deal about her. Two days ago, she’d mentioned wanting to see the sea, and he’d brought her here the very next day. For a long time after she woke up, she’d been physically weak. She did exercises with her rehabilitation therapist every day and spent most of her time asleep. Everything in her head was a jumble, with a fragment here and another there that didn’t fit together at all. Coming here had lifted her spirits considerably, and he seemed to be in a better mood, too.
“That’s good. There’s no rush,” Gu Heng reassured her.
“What did I do for a living before?” Ai Xuan asked curiously.
It was strange. She could remember bits and pieces about her parents and recall that she had a close friend who ran a cafe. She remembered a few moments with Gu Heng, his secretary, Secretary Pei, and even some trivial little things. The one thing she couldn’t remember was what she did for a living.
She had no clues at all. Whenever she tried to remember, her mind went blank and her head started to bother her. The occasional images that flashed through her mind were gone too quickly for her to catch.
Gu Heng didn’t answer right away.
“Was I an actress?” she blurted out, thinking of those strange memories that felt so real.
“No.” Gu Heng denied it at once, almost by reflex. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, but he masked it perfectly a second later, concern settling on his brow. “You’re pushing yourself again. Stop trying to remember.”
“Okay.” She readily agreed with a smile.
…
The night deepened, and the bright moon was reflected in the sea.
Gu Heng sat in the study. The eyes that had been so gentle whenever he looked at Ai Xuan had turned icy, and a dark air hung about him. He held the phone to his ear, his voice as cold as an ice cellar. “Why is she remembering so soon?!”
These had been the happiest days of his life. The person he thought about day and night was by his side. He could spend time with her and see her whenever he wanted. But her memories were about to come back. When that happened, she would stop relying on him. She might even leave him.
At the thought, Gu Heng gripped the edge of the desk until the pads of his fingers turned white. A violent urge was already stirring inside him, and he couldn’t hold it back.
Trembling, Doctor Zhang steeled himself and answered. “Strictly speaking, Miss Ai hasn’t lost her memory. The impact affected her nerves, and her brain activated its self-protection mechanism. It selectively shut out certain memories, or rather, suppressed them. Given her current condition, the memories she accepts first will gradually connect. As for the ones she doesn’t accept…”
Before he could finish, Gu Heng’s gaze darkened. Doctor Zhang seemed to sense the sudden menace on the other end of the line and didn’t dare finish what he’d been saying. He offered another option instead. “With intervention, it might be possible to suppress the memories she hasn’t recalled. She’s probably resisting them subconsciously as well. We could guide her through hypnosis. If it works, those memories will be sealed away again.”
Gu Heng’s brows remained tightly drawn as he asked another question. “Would it affect her?”
“It would cause some degree of harm, both physically and psychologically,” Doctor Zhang said.
Before Doctor Zhang had finished speaking, Gu Heng hurled the phone aside. It hit the wall with a loud clatter and fell, breaking into pieces. It was ruined on the spot.
Before long, most of what had been on the desk lay scattered across the floor. Gu Heng’s bloodshot eyes fell on the cup of coffee Ai Xuan had just brought in. He took a deep breath and rested his fingertips on the rim. His expression gradually relaxed and softened, and he slowly closed his eyes.
Stay calm. He couldn’t scare her.
He couldn’t smash the cup she’d brought him. She was asleep. He couldn’t wake her.
The bedroom on the right side of the villa’s second floor got the most light. Its large floor-to-ceiling windows offered a 270-degree view of the sea, and beyond them, stars dotted the pitch-black sky.
Inside, Ai Xuan was already fast asleep. Only her head peeked out from beneath the covers. Her little face was fair and delicate, and she looked so sweet and innocent in her sleep that it made him want to dote on her all the more.
Gu Heng sat beside the bed, his deep black eyes full of tenderness and longing. He looked at her gently, his love burning so fiercely that his devotion bordered on obsession. He would willingly go mad for her.
He stroked the soft, silky strands of hair at her forehead, moving his fingertips lightly and slowly for fear of disturbing her dreams.
Ai Xuan felt a slight tickle and reached up to her forehead, brushing his hand in the process. Still sound asleep, she rubbed her forehead with the back of her fair hand, shifted a little, then lowered her hand and slept on.
Gu Heng lowered his eyes to the finger she’d touched. The spot felt burning hot, as though an electric current had passed through it, leaving a tingle that made the tips of his ears warm. He gazed at her fair, unblemished face for a long moment. The corners of his lips lifted, and the love in his eyes deepened. His voice lingered with affection as he murmured, “Good night. Sweet dreams.”