“Do we know each other?” Duan Wujiu asked.
Liu Zhiheng looked as if she were about to cry, wiping away nonexistent tears with a pitiful expression. “Oh heavens, you don’t even remember me…”
“Should… should I remember you?”
Duan Wujiu desperately wanted to recall the girl before him, but every attempt to remember sent sharp pains through his head, forcing him to stop.
Seeing the beauty in such distress, Liu Zhiheng quickly reassured him, “If you can’t remember, don’t force it. Yesterday, you fell down the mountain and hit your head.”
Duan Wujiu lowered his gaze to the bandages wrapped around his body. The wounds still ached. So, he had been injured after tumbling down the mountain…
“Why was I on the mountain?”
“Because our family are hunters.”
Hunters?
Duan Wujiu wondered, was he a hunter?
Liu Zhiheng comforted him further, “Memory loss can happen in situations like yours. Don’t worry. Maybe if you bump your head again someday, you’ll remember everything.”
Duan Wujiu nodded, deciding not to dwell on it. The pain was too much to bear.
He turned his attention back to the girl before him. Her bright eyes sparkled, like a clear, spring-filled pond. Despite her disheveled hair, sleepy eyes, and somewhat unkempt appearance, every smile and frown radiated a lively, charming energy. Just looking at her brought him joy.
Especially the faint, refreshing scent that lingered around her—it seemed to have a soothing effect on his emotions. Simply sitting beside her made him feel calmer.
“Then who are you?” Duan Wujiu asked.
His gaze was as gentle as water, his voice smooth as silk. He leaned closer to Liu Zhiheng, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips, enchanting as a seductive spirit.
“Are you my wife?” he asked.
The sudden closeness startled Liu Zhiheng. His face was so breathtakingly handsome that she instinctively leaned back, waving her hands in denial. “No, no!”
Liu Zhiheng recalled that in the original story, when Xie Tinglan found Duan Wujiu, the first thing he said upon waking was, “Are you my younger brother?”
This antagonist seemed to crave family—first wanting a brother, now a wife.
Hearing Liu Zhiheng’s denial, disappointment immediately washed over Duan Wujiu’s face.
“No… how disappointing…” His long lashes trembled slightly, and the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye made him look even more pitiful and alluring. “You’re so beautiful. Just one glance filled my heart with joy, and you were sleeping beside me. I thought you were my wife…”
Liu Zhiheng had originally planned to propose becoming sworn siblings with Duan Wujiu, but seeing him like this, she changed her mind.
After all, in two months, Duan Wujiu would lose his memory again, forgetting everything about her and this little cabin.
For these two months, she could do as she pleased. What harm was there in treating him as her husband? She wasn’t forcing him, and she wasn’t losing anything either.
After a moment of thought, Liu Zhiheng leaned closer to Duan Wujiu, reaching out to lift his chin so he would look at her.
Her expression was as warm and inviting as a spring mountain, melting away the disappointment in Duan Wujiu’s heart.
With a bright smile, Liu Zhiheng said, “Don’t be disappointed. You’re not my husband—because you’re the child groom I bought! But we haven’t married yet, so you can’t call me your wife.”
Child groom?
To Duan Wujiu, Liu Zhiheng’s words sounded like the most beautiful thing in the world.He smiled, a smile so dazzling it seemed to steal the brilliance from the swirling snowstorm outside the window.
“What should I call you then?”
“My name is Liu Zhiheng. You can call me A Heng.”
Duan Wujiu propped himself up on the bed, leaning closer to her. The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly, and his lips curved as he called out, “A Heng…”
Liu Zhiheng felt goosebumps rise under Duan Wujiu’s gaze. How could their first meeting feel so intimate and lingering? She quickly pulled Duan Wujiu back down to lie on the bed.
“You’re injured and had a fever last night. You should keep resting.”
After lying down, Duan Wujiu continued to gaze obediently at Liu Zhiheng, like a well-behaved puppy.
“A Heng…”
“What now?”
“What’s my name? A Heng hasn’t told me yet…”
Liu Zhiheng thought for a moment and decided it was best not to reveal his real name for now. Glancing at the heavy snow outside, she casually gave Duan Wujiu a new name.
“Your surname is Duan, and your given name is Xuelang, because on the day you came to my home, it was snowing just as heavily.”
“Did A Heng give me this name?”
“Yes, my child groom’s name should naturally be chosen by me, right? What, don’t you like it?”
“I like it. I’ll like any name A Heng gives me.”
Duan Wujiu smiled innocently, a smile as bright as spring breeze melting snow, making Liu Zhiheng’s heart skip a beat.
What should I do? He’s so obedient…
Meeting Duan Wujiu’s pure gaze, Liu Zhiheng felt uneasy. She had no qualms about deceiving a ruthless villain, but lying to an innocent puppy weighed heavily on her conscience.
Liu Zhiheng couldn’t help but wonder: Was this villain truly a villain? Or had his personality changed after losing his memory?
Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, she quickly stood up and said gently, “You must be hungry. I’ll go make you something to eat!”
With that, Liu Zhiheng headed to the kitchen to start a fire.
As soon as Liu Zhiheng left the room, Duan Wujiu sat up and got out of bed.
He surveyed the entire cabin. When this small wooden house was built, no expense had been spared on materials—the wood was of the finest quality, making it exceptionally warm. Despite the heavy snow outside, the interior remained cozy.
The furnishings inside were also complete. Even though there was already a heated kang bed, there was also a carved luohan bed. The wardrobe and dressing table were both made of high-quality red pinewood.
On the eight immortals table in the center of the room sat a tea set. The teapot was a purple clay teapot from the Yixing kiln, engraved with the seal of a renowned master.
Duan Wujiu walked over to the window, where a solid wood desk stood, fully equipped with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Beside it was a bookshelf. Flipping through the books, Duan Wujiu realized that even this single shelf of books must have cost a considerable sum.
In addition, there was a folding screen in the room. Looking at the painting on the screen, Duan Wujiu smiled with interest.
Although he had lost his memory, what he had forgotten were specific people and events. He still retained memories that had become common knowledge. Thus, Duan Wujiu recognized at a glance that the painting on the screen was the “River Sails and Mountain Landscape Painting”—and it was an authentic piece.
While A Heng’s clothes and the jewelry on the dressing table appeared ordinary, these understated furnishings in the room likely rivaled even those in the chambers of a county magistrate’s daughter.
Could this truly be the home of a hunter?