Chen Yue slowly awakened.
Her heavy eyelids took a moment to open, allowing soft light filtered through delicate curtains to seep into her vision.
The air was warm, scented with the faint aroma of incense.
Where… where am I?
She blinked several times, still dazed, trying to gather her memories.
The cold.
The snow.
The mountain… Everything felt distant now, like a terrible dream.
She looked around the room.
A bedroom?
It was neither the abandoned warehouse nor the frozen forest.
This was a real bedroom.
Finely carved lacquered wooden screens.
Carefully crafted furniture.
Silk drapes embroidered with delicate patterns.
A beautiful room.
Too beautiful.
She abruptly sat up.
A silky blanket slid down her body, and only then did she notice something strange.
These were not her clothes.
She was now dressed in a clean, loose robe made from soft, warm fabric.Pure white cloth embroidered with floral patterns rested gently against her skin.
Her still-clouded mind took a moment to understand.
My clothes… Who changed my clothes?!
A sudden image flashed through her mind: Him.
Leaning over her.
His hands.
Removing her clothes.
“No… no, no, no!” Panic seized her.
She jumped out of bed, but her legs betrayed her immediately.
Her weakened body collapsed beneath its own weight, and she fell hard onto the wooden floor, gasping.
“Ow!” Sharp pain shot through her knees.
She remained frozen for a moment, her hands pressed against the floorboards.
The wood was smooth, polished, perfectly maintained.
Nothing like the rough planks of the shelter home.
Where am I?
Breathing heavily, she pulled herself back onto the edge of the bed.
That was when she saw her hands.
They were no longer wounded.
The cracks, the open cuts… everything had vanished.
That’s impossible… She turned her hands beneath the light in disbelief.
Her skin was smooth and flawless, as though she had never been injured.
The frostbite on her feet.
The cuts on her arms… Everything had healed.
Even her knees, scraped raw in the snow, were spotless without the slightest scar.
She lifted her robe slightly, staring in shock at the pale skin of her legs.
Not a single wound.
Not a single scar.
Confusion and unease twisted inside her.
“What the…?” she murmured.
How is this possible?
Who healed me?
But at that exact moment, the door burst open.
BANG!
She flinched violently.
It was him.
He entered silently, walking with calm confidence while his gaze pierced straight through her.
He wore a black robe embroidered with silver patterns.His long hair was tied back beneath a jade crown that revealed his sharp features.
Why is he always so… handsome?
For a brief moment, awkward silence filled the room.
She immediately stood up straighter, clutching her robe tighter around herself.
“What are you— what are you doing here?!” she snapped, her voice trembling with anger.
Her cheeks flushed despite herself.
Unease crawled beneath her skin.
What if he undressed me…?
He remained standing there, completely expressionless, his eyes fixed on her.
“You should rest,” he replied calmly.
He acted as though nothing had happened.
Entering without knocking.
Staring at her like this… To him, it all seemed perfectly normal.
That cold indifference made her blood boil.
How dare he?
After leaving me alone in that forest… And the thought that he might have undressed her while she was unconscious made her stomach churn.
Without thinking, she stormed toward him and raised her hand to slap him.
You’re dead!
But he stopped her instantly.
His fingers wrapped firmly around her wrist without hurting her.
As though he had expected it.
Suddenly, they were impossibly close.
So close their breaths mingled together.
She could see every detail of his face.
The sharp line of his jaw.
His long dark lashes.
His lips— Why am I staring at that?
Their eyes locked in silent challenge, electric tension crackling between them.
He’s too close… I can’t breathe.
Her heart pounded so loudly she was certain he could hear it.
He leaned toward her ear and whispered in an icy voice: “There was nothing worth seeing anyway… and you are absolutely not my type of woman.” The warmth of his breath brushed against her skin, but the meaning of his words hurt far more.
Like an invisible slap.
He released her wrist.
She stood frozen in disbelief.
Nothing worth seeing?
Had he just implied she was insignificant?
Ugly?
Unattractive?
Not his type?
What does that even mean?!
Memories flooded her mind.
Children at school mocking her.
Madame Henderson calling her a “worthless little Chinese girl.” The contemptuous stares from strangers on the streets.
And now… him too.
A blazing fury erupted from deep inside her.
She grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it at his face.
“Take that!” Then another.
“And that!” Then another.
“Get out!” she shouted furiously.
“Leave!” He dodged every projectile effortlessly, the faintest trace of a smile appearing on his lips.
As though he found this… amusing.
That only made her angrier.
He’s making fun of me!
Once outside the room, he paused briefly beside the window.
Daylight wrapped around him, creating an almost ethereal aura around his silhouette.
Without even looking back at her, he said calmly: “Madame Yang will bring your medicine.” Then he walked away with the same silent grace with which he had entered.
Leaving her alone, trembling, her heartbeat completely out of control.
Caught between anger, confusion… And a strange burning feeling she could not name.
She collapsed back onto the bed, burying her face in the blanket.
Why?
Why does this hurt so much?
I don’t even know him… I shouldn’t care.
But she did care.
And that infuriated her.
A few minutes later, the door opened gently.
This time, she stayed alert, ready to throw something else if it was him again.
But it wasn’t.
A plump woman with kind round cheeks entered the room.
Her hair was arranged into a perfect bun secured by an elegant comb.
Her flowing lavender robe was carefully fitted, giving her a refined appearance despite her imposing frame.
In her hands, she carried a steaming bowl that filled the room with the scent of medicinal herbs.
The smell was strong, almost nauseating, yet strangely familiar.
It reminded Chen Yue of the remedies Madame Chang used to prepare for her.
“Your medicine, Miss!” the woman said warmly as she approached the bed.
Her smile was gentle.
Maternal.
The first truly kind face Chen Yue had seen since arriving in this strange world.
Still wary, Chen Yue looked at her cautiously.
What if it’s poison?
What if they want to hurt me?
Her fingers hesitated before taking the bowl from the woman’s hands.
“Now, now, don’t be afraid,” Madame Yang said soothingly.
“It’s for your own good.
Drink it while it’s warm.” There was something sincere in her voice.
Something that reminded her of Madame Chang’s kindness.
Chen Yue inhaled deeply before bringing the bowl to her lips.
The bitter liquid burned her throat, but she forced herself to drink it all in one gulp while suppressing a shiver.
Ugh… this tastes horrible!
And yet, almost immediately, warmth spread throughout her body.
“Good.
Now rest, Miss,” the woman instructed gently before bowing slightly.
She quietly left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving Chen Yue alone in the silence of this unfamiliar place.
The entire day, Chen Yue remained lying on the bed, staring blankly at the dark wooden ceiling.
Where exactly am I?
Sometimes she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep whenever she heard approaching footsteps.
She noticed that Madame Yang checked on her several times.
But it was not only her.
Sometimes… It was him.
She could sense his presence even before he entered.
The air would grow heavier.
Colder.
As though the room itself held its breath.
So she remained perfectly still, breathing slowly with her eyes closed.
She wanted to know where she was.
But even more than that… She wanted to know who that man truly was.
Then, in the silence of the night, a conversation suddenly caught her attention from the other side of the wall.
Brief.
Almost whispered.
She held her breath and listened carefully.
“Madame Yang, how is she?” a deep familiar voice asked.
His voice.
“She is recovering, Young Master.
Her body is still weak, but the medicine is working well.” Silence lingered for a second before he spoke again.
“Make sure she rests.
Do not allow her to leave yet.” Why?
Why can’t I leave?
Madame Yang answered respectfully: “Yes, Young Master Wei Ran.” The name echoed inside Chen Yue’s mind.
Wei Ran.
So that was his name.
She slowly opened her eyes and stared intensely at the ceiling.
That name felt like a mystery.
The man she had confronted in the snow.
The man she had freed… The man who had saved her from the lake creature.
Wei Ran.
She whispered his name softly, testing the way it sounded on her lips.
“Wei Ran…” A name that resonated strangely within her.
Who are you really, Wei Ran?