At 6:30 AM.
Jiang Man opened her eyes and lay in bed dazed for a few seconds.
After her brief distraction, a series of images suddenly flashed through her mind, causing her to sit up abruptly, the duvet sliding down to her waist.
She reached out, fumbled for her phone beside her pillow, and lit up the screen.
In her WeChat contacts, she located a familiar profile picture.
Qi Zhicheng’s profile picture was a quiet sea, with an orange-red setting sun sinking below the horizon, painting the skyline a rich crimson.
In the bottom right of the image stood a black silhouette almost merging into the dusk.
The silhouette was blurry, appearing intentionally out of focus when taken, but one could still faintly recognize a slender form with long hair floating in the sea breeze.
The moment she saw this photo, Jiang Man recognized the person in the frame as herself.
This wasn’t her wild imagination or wishful thinking; rather, everyone understands their own physical form best. She had looked at herself in the training room mirror thousands of times and was intimately familiar with her own posture.
Very few people would use her photo as their profile picture.
Thus, when she received a message from this account nicknamed “Zane Chyi” after losing her memory, she had accurately guessed that this was Qi Zhicheng’s account.
Perhaps they had watched a beautiful sunset by the sea together, and he had casually captured the moment.
At this moment, as she stared at the profile picture of the seaside sunset, her thoughts were highly tangled.
Their conversation had paused yesterday:
Zane Chyi: Have you arrived at the hotel?
Jiang Man: Just arrived.
Zane Chyi: The temperature in North City will drop significantly tomorrow. Keep warm.
Jiang Man: Yes, I know.
Zane Chyi: Okay.
And then came the mortifying accident from last night, which made her wish she could dig a hole and crawl into it even now.
Rewinding to last night.
While she was half-asleep and incoherent, she had murmured that she missed him.
Once she realized what she had said, her brain exploded into a blank slate. In her sheer embarrassment and panic, she had hung up the call.
Afterward, she had stared blankly at her phone screen, deeply annoyed that she had ended the call before clarifying. She had hurriedly opened her chat with Qi Zhicheng to explain.
But after writing and deleting her drafts repeatedly, she didn’t know how to phrase it. Ultimately, she drifted back to sleep in a state of utter chaos.
Now, her reason had returned.
She opened the chat window again, hesitating.
Should she explain?
But they were already husband and wife.
Even though she couldn’t remember anything now, the reality of their relationship remained. Saying “I miss you” didn’t seem particularly offensive.
Making a point to explain it would instead make it seem like she minded too much.
Forget it.
Jiang Man tossed her phone back onto the bed and went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face, forcing herself to stop thinking about it.
Today was the technical assessment for the competition groups. By the time it ended in the evening, the continuous heavy snow had left the sky a perpetual, gloomy gray, without a single ray of sunlight peeking through.
When the evaluation finished, Jiang Man practically dragged her right leg to crawl back to the lounge.
To quickly restore her physical peak, she had been pushing her limits. Under the high-intensity jumps over the past few days, her body was struggling to keep up with the physical toll.
The pain radiating from her ankle felt like a burning fire. After peeling off her pointe shoes, she found a large area of red swelling.
Injuries were normal for dancers, so Jiang Man didn’t pay it much mind. She reached into her bag for the muscle relief spray and elastic bandages.
However, once she rummaged through her bag, she realized the spray was completely empty, and she had barely any bandages left.
Tonight, there was still an masterclass with the renowned ballet master, Eli.
Master Eli was legendary in the industry and had traveled all the way from the UK for this event. It was a highly precious artistic opportunity.
She had to present her absolute best state.
Jiang Man let out a sigh, retrieved her phone, and searched for nearby pharmacies.
The closest one was less than 500 meters away, just a few minutes’ walk.
She casually grabbed a long coat, threw it on, and headed out.
The moment she stepped outside, a blast of freezing wind slapped her face.
Jiang Man shivered violently. She was only wearing a thin leotard underneath, and her coat wasn’t particularly thick. She had severely underestimated North City’s brutal winter; her current attire was freezing.
Thinking the pharmacy was just nearby, she was too lazy to head back to change. Wrapping her coat tighter, she braced herself and pressed on.
Although it was only a few minutes’ walk, Jiang Man was shivering uncontrollably.
Leaning against the glass door of the pharmacy were three men with eye-searing, bleached yellow hair, casually smoking and laughing loudly.
“Hey beautiful, are you alone?”
One of them called out to Jiang Man as she brushed past them, a crooked smirk on his face. “Aren’t you cold wearing so little? How about let big brother buy you a drink to warm you up?”
Their oily, hostile posturing made her uncomfortable. Ignoring the lingering gazes sliding over her body, Jiang Man bypassed them entirely, pushed open the glass door, and walked inside.
She stated the names of the medications she needed to the clerk, paid, and took the plastic bag. Jiang Man didn’t leave immediately; she intentionally lingered inside the pharmacy for a while.
Peering through the glass door, she saw that the bleached-haired men were no longer outside, and only then did she push open the door to leave.
Jiang Man wrapped her coat tightly and walked toward the arts center. Within a few minutes, she spotted those same bleached-haired men waiting at a street corner.
“What a coincidence, running into you again.” The men wore malicious grins, stepping forward to block her path. “Where are you heading in such a hurry?”
Not wanting to engage with them, Jiang Man turned around and took a seemingly narrow side alley to bypass them.
But the side path grew increasingly desolate, leading behind some residential buildings. Clutter was piled against the walls, wires crossed overhead, and the streetlights were broken.
The sky had fully darkened. For Jiang Man, who suffered from night blindness, this area appeared terrifyingly dim.
Her field of vision began to blur. She frantically pulled out her phone to open the navigation, but North City’s labyrinthine hutongs looked like a tangled mess on the map.
The navigation insisted the arts center was nearby, yet she kept circling around several identical-looking junctions.
With the temperature hovering below freezing and her thin clothing, her teeth chattered violently, and she began to lose sensation in her hands and feet.
After taking a few more steps, the faint sound of men’s laughter and chaotic footsteps echoed from behind.
Had they followed her?
Jiang Man stiffened, her pace accelerating instinctively.
She kept looking back every few steps, her strides becoming increasingly rushed as panic welled up in her chest.
The wind howled past her ears.
Suddenly, she crashed into a broad chest.
A familiar scent instantly enveloped her.
It was the crisp scent of a cedarwood forest in deep winter, the lingering aroma of pine intertwined with the warmth of amber, carrying the damp, clean freshness of a clear day after snow.
Her gasp caught in her throat. Jiang Man looked up from his chest.
She met Qi Zhicheng’s downward gaze.
“Manman, what’s wrong?”
Jiang Man was still shaken. Remembering something, she quickly looked back. There was no sign of the thuggish men. Her suspended heart finally settled as she realized she had already walked out of the alley, and the arts center lay just ahead.
“You’re freezing.”
The arm around her waist tightened slightly, drawing her closer into his embrace.
It was only then that Jiang Man belatedly realized she was being held tightly in Qi Zhicheng’s arms.
The man’s arm was locked around her waist, his palm supporting one side of her back to shield her against his chest.
His hand was large, his rough palm resting exactly against the small of her back, almost wrapping around half her torso, making her waist appear incredibly slender.
Sunk into his embrace, her nose was filled entirely with his scent.
Before Jiang Man could even process why Qi Zhicheng was here, a warm weight draped over her shoulders in the next second.
It was Qi Zhicheng’s overcoat.
It was a premium black wool coat, lined with a soft, velvet-like interior that carried the man’s warm body temperature.
The coat was massive, wrapping her snugly from head to toe.
As her frozen body slowly thawed, Jiang Man instinctively snuggled a bit deeper into the coat.
Her cheek pressed against the soft lining, which still held the residual warmth of his chest.
In this moment, she inexplicably felt no resistance to his embrace.
In fact, she even craved this warmth.
Jufenglou was a famous restaurant in North City, renowned for its authentic northern flavors and Beijing-style cuisine.
As it was prime dinner time, the restaurant was bustling with people. The constant roar of the woks in the kitchen filled the air, making it incredibly lively.
Jiang Man and Qi Zhicheng sat opposite each other at a small square table against the wall.
His overcoat had been neatly folded by Jiang Man and placed on the chair beside her.
The restaurant’s heating was turned up high. Jiang Man held a cup of hot tea with both hands, taking small, slow sips.
She didn’t look up, but she could feel the gaze directed at her from across the table.
Qi Zhicheng sat opposite her, quietly watching her.
Uncomfortable under this silent scrutiny, Jiang Man sought to break the quiet.
“I heard… this place is quite famous in North City. They say it’s a legendary old brand.”
She pointed to some old photographs and plaques on the wall. “A lot of locals love to eat here too.”
“It looks nice. Business is very good.”
“Yes, it’s quite crowded.”
The conversation lapsed back into a brief silence. Fortunately, a bustling waitress arrived with a menu and a notepad. “What would you two like to order?”
Jiang Man took the menu, ordered a few of the restaurant’s signature dishes, and then looked up at Qi Zhicheng. “Is there anything you’d like to eat?”
“Anything is fine with me.” Qi Zhicheng didn’t even glance at the menu. “Just order what you like.”
Jiang Man didn’t know his preferences, so she randomly added two more dishes before handing the menu back to the waitress. “That will be all.”
At this moment, Qi Zhicheng, who had remained silent during the ordering process, suddenly spoke up, “For all the dishes ordered just now, please do not add any onions or garlic, and make them non-spicy.”
“Sure, no problem.”
The waitress hurriedly scribbled on her notepad and bustled away.
Jiang Man was somewhat surprised.
No onions, no garlic, and absolutely no spicy food.
This had been her dietary habit since childhood.
She hadn’t expected Qi Zhicheng to be so intimately aware of these details.
Jiang Man took a sip of hot tea. “Why are you in North City?”
Qi Zhicheng replied, “I came here to attend an industry forum. Since it was on the way, I came to see you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Man recalled that there was indeed a highly prestigious financial forum happening in North City over these two days, attended by major corporate executives, investors, and industry giants.
So he was here for work.
Jiang Man let out a quiet sigh of relief.
At least he hadn’t rushed over specifically because of her “I miss you” from last night.
Otherwise, she would have felt incredibly pressured and awkward.
Soon, the dishes were served, the small square table overflowing with steaming hot food.
Jiang Man was indeed starved.
Particularly after her body warmed up, her appetite returned. She picked up her chopsticks and ate for quite a while before noticing that Qi Zhicheng hadn’t touched his utensils.
Instead, his gaze was resting on a spot beside her.
Jiang Man followed his gaze-
It was the plastic pharmacy bag she had casually placed beside her on the table.
“Are you injured?”
Qi Zhicheng spoke, his voice carrying no discernible emotion.
“It’s nothing, just a minor injury.”
“Does your foot hurt a lot?”
“It doesn’t hurt.”
Jiang Man picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it on his plate. “Hurry up and eat. The braised pork here is delicious.”
“Man, you’re eating here too?” A voice sounded beside her. Jiang Man turned her head and recognized Meng Yan, a fellow contestant.
Jiang Man put down her chopsticks and greeted her with a smile. “I heard the food here was good, so I came to try it.”
Jufenglou was near the arts center, so many dancers dined here.
Meng Yan held a few takeout containers and a cup of soy milk, having apparently just finished eating.
Her gaze shifted to Qi Zhicheng, curiosity flashing in her eyes. The man’s aura was exceptional; even in the chaotic, noisy environment, he appeared distinguished and refined.
“This is-”
Qi Zhicheng remained motionless, sitting quietly as his gaze rested on Jiang Man, as if waiting for her to speak.
He remained silent, completely yielding the right to define their relationship to her.
Jiang Man had to once again face the reality of her marriage.
She lowered her eyelashes, her voice instinctively dropping much lower than before.
“…My husband.”
The three words fell softly.
Qi Zhicheng’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers holding the cup relaxed slightly upon hearing her answer.
He naturally set his water cup back on the table, then stood up composedly, formally extending his hand to Meng Yan. “Hello, I am Qi Zhicheng, Manman’s husband.”
“Ah, hello, hello.”
Meng Yan, who had never experienced a formal business setting, felt as though she were discussing a major project. She instinctively straightened her spine and shook his hand formally. “I’m Meng Yan.”
Meng Yan quietly winked at Jiang Man, whispering, “Man, I didn’t expect you to be married already. Your husband is very handsome.”
“Yes… I’ve been married for three years.”
“That’s wonderful,” Meng Yan smiled and asked. “By the way, what are your plans after dinner? Where are you going to hang out?”
“Don’t we have Master Eli’s masterclass tonight?”
“Master Eli’s flight was delayed. Tonight’s class has been postponed to tomorrow afternoon. Didn’t you know?”
Jiang Man froze for a second, opened her phone to check, and indeed found a notification about the schedule change sent an hour ago.
Meng Yan facepalmed. “It’s rare to have a free evening. Don’t tell me you’re going to practice in the rehearsal hall until the arts center closes again? Don’t you get tired of practicing like this every day?”
Qi Zhicheng asked, “The class was postponed?”
Jiang Man replied, “It seems so.”
Qi Zhicheng said, “There is an opening cocktail party for the forum tonight, and I need a female companion. Since you happen to be free, would you like to go together?”
Jiang Man hesitated slightly.
“It won’t take long,” Qi Zhicheng said. “Just think of it as helping me out.”
Ultimately, Jiang Man agreed.
Upon arriving at the forum’s venue, Jiang Man realized that the “on the way” Qi Zhicheng had mentioned was not on the way at all.
The arts center was in the west of the city, while the forum venue was located in the Guomao CBD in the east. The two locations were on opposite ends of the city, spanning two districts and requiring a forty-minute drive.
Jiang Man didn’t expose his lie, silently following Qi Zhicheng into the venue.
The corridor outside the banquet hall was lined with deep red carpets. Before they walked far, a waiter in a black suit uniform approached them.
“Mr. Qi,” he greeted respectfully, then bowed slightly to Jiang Man. “Miss Jiang, please follow me.” He made a gentlemanly gesture.
Jiang Man looked at Qi Zhicheng in confusion.
He merely smiled, patting her lower back. “Go ahead.”
Puzzled, Jiang Man could only follow the waiter.
The waiter led the way silently through the quiet corridor, finally stopping before a door with a VIP ROOM sign.
The waiter gently pushed open the door. Upon entering, Jiang Man realized it was a custom perfuming room.
The door shut quietly behind her.
A woman dressed in a long linen dress stepped out from the inner room, walking over with a smile. “You must be Miss Jiang?”
“Hello.”
“I was invited by the forum organizers to host the private aromatherapy workshop for female guests. You can call me Anqi.”
Jiang Man knew that the organizers of this forum had carefully designed exclusive activities for female guests; this room was clearly one of them.
Anqi walked to the workstation to prepare her tools, asking, “Miss Jiang, do you have any preferred scent profiles?”
Jiang Man was stumped.
However, the image of a dark overcoat surfaced in her mind without warning.
Carrying his warm body temperature, along with an incredibly comforting scent.
As if possessed, she asked, “Is it possible to recreate the scent of a cedarwood forest?”
“A cedarwood forest?”
“It’s a very clean scent, like a clear sky after snow.”
“Different cedarwood essential oils have subtle variations. Do you know which type you prefer?”
Jiang Man replied vaguely, “I’m not sure… I’ve just smelled a similar scent on someone before.”
“That’s alright, we can try to adjust it slowly to find the scent that best matches your memory,” Anqi smiled. “But this is a masculine fragrance. The person you mentioned is a gentleman, right?”
Jiang Man nodded gently.
“However, please don’t view this place as merely a perfume-making studio. Here, the most important role of scent is to guide the mind and body into deep relaxation, and even to aid sleep.”
Anqi guided her to sit on a comfortable armchair. “Before this, someone specifically requested that I help a tired Miss Jiang relax and get some good sleep tonight. So, you don’t need to think about anything. Just immerse yourself in the fragrance and relax.”
“Also, I heard your foot is injured. I can prepare a steam treatment for you…”
As the perfumer continued talking, the voice beside Jiang Man’s ears gradually blurred, but certain realizations became increasingly clear.
It turned out that Qi Zhicheng’s invitation to the party was merely an excuse.
He had simply used this event to provide her with a pocket of peaceful relaxation.
The water in the copper burner gradually warmed, and beneath the mica sheet, the warm yellow candle flame flickered gently.
“This is white agarwood, rich in oils and deep in fragrance,” Anqi explained while working. “Indirect heating can maximize the deepest layers of the aromatic ingredients.”
Jiang Man caught traces of a rich, mellow fragrance.
Closing her eyes amidst the tranquility of the scent, she let herself sink into the soft, cloud-like armchair.
The accumulated exhaustion of the past few days rolled in like a tidal wave.
Jiang Man didn’t know when she fell asleep.
When she woke up again, a blanket was draped over her, and the perfumer, Anqi, was organizing her essential oil bottles.
“You’re awake.”
Jiang Man sat up groggily. “Did I sleep for a long time?”
“Not long, exactly two hours.” Anqi approached, handing her a glass of warm water. “But you slept very deeply, and you even talked in your sleep.”
Embarrassed, Jiang Man took the glass. “What… did I say?”
“You seemed to be calling out someone’s name.”
Jiang Man looked blank.
“It sounded like-” Anqi recalled for a moment, mimicking the tone, “Qi, Zhi, Cheng?”
She smiled and asked, “Is he the gentleman carrying the scent of the cedarwood forest you wanted to replicate?”