On the sixth day, Song Yunfei finally arrived at her destination at a leisurely pace.
She arrived a day later than expected. The main reason was that she passed by a service area that was beautifully decorated and had a wide variety of food—she couldn’t resist and ended up wandering around there for an entire morning.
She parked her car outside the homestay and got out. The sunlight was pleasant, and the temperature was comfortable.
Small flowers were blooming along the roadside, and the air was filled with their fragrance. It was truly a great place to visit in winter.
Carrying her bag, she walked toward the homestay. Although it was the tourist season and there were still quite a lot of visitors in the area, this particular homestay didn’t seem to have many people.
After entering, she looked around the living room for the owner.
Then she turned her head and saw a man in a suit sitting in the lounge area on the right.
Song Yunfei froze instantly, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
He was lounging casually in a rattan single sofa, his long legs crossed. One hand rested lazily on the armrest, while the other played with an orange in his hand.
He seemed not to have noticed anyone entering at the door, simply staring at the floor-to-ceiling window in the distance.
Sunlight from behind him streamed through the glass, outlining a glaring halo around his entire figure.
At that moment, the man looked like an experienced hunter, patiently waiting for his prey to walk right into the trap.
Song Yunfei blinked. It wasn’t an illusion—the person was still there.
She rubbed her eyes hard and looked again. He was still there!
Holding her breath, Song Yunfei stared at the man’s tightly pressed lips, her feet slowly and subtly stepping backward.
Illusion—it had to be an illusion. She should go out and come back in again.
“Song Yunfei.”
A calm, unhurried voice rang out, yet it carried a crushing weight that pressed down on her like a mountain, an overwhelming sense of pressure rushing straight at her.
Her retreating steps came to a halt. She stared at the man in horror.
With that presence, that tone, that posture—if she still couldn’t tell he had regained his memory, she might as well find a piece of tofu and knock herself out with it.
Chu Jinhan turned his head. Sunlight from the window swept across his face, half of it submerged in shadow while the other half was fully exposed to Song Yunfei’s view.
Song Yunfei tightened her grip on her bag, forcing a smile onto her face. “W-what are you doing here?”
“What do you think?”
“Are you here for a trip?” Song Yunfei laughed awkwardly. “What a coincidence, I’m here for a trip too. I heard the scenery here is nice, so I came. It’s really a hidden gem of a tourist spot, haha…”
Looking at the man’s cold, expressionless face, Song Yunfei’s smile gradually turned more strained, more bitter, and finally awkward.
At that point, it was hard to tell whether she was smiling or crying.
Chu Jinhan shifted his gaze away from her face and looked toward another corner.
Following his line of sight, Song Yunfei looked over—there were several boxes there.
The parcels she had shipped.
“You’re here for a trip, but you even shipped all your belongings here?”
Song Yunfei closed her eyes. Her heart had finally gone completely cold.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and continued struggling, “Yeah… it’s warmer here. I was planning to stay through the New Year…”
Chu Jinhan stood up and slowly walked toward her.
Song Yunfei pinched her thigh hard, desperately suppressing the urge to turn and run.
She knew she couldn’t escape. If she ran, it would only make things worse.
He stopped in front of her, lowered his gaze, and looked at her. “Take me to see your room.”
Song Yunfei forced a smile. “Alright…”
She glanced around and spotted the owner in the inner area.
Walking over, she completed the registration and received the room card.
Taking the card, she lowered her voice and said, “Um, boss, in two hours, could you bring me a bottle of alcohol? Any kind will do.”
The owner didn’t even look up, typing on the computer. “Alright.”
Song Yunfei let out a slight breath of relief, already thinking about how she was going to die later.
Would he strangle her to death directly, or hack her to death with a knife?
She sincerely hoped the boss could save her life in time.
Clutching the room card, Song Yunfei shuffled her way toward the stairs.
Chu Jinhan followed behind her at an unhurried pace. His leather shoes stepped on the wooden stairs, producing sounds that sent chills down one’s spine.
Song Yunfei forced herself to continue walking until she reached the second floor and stopped in front of the room at the end of the corridor.
She took out the room card, opened the door, and stepped inside.
The sound of the door closing came from behind her, and she shuddered all over.
After walking a few steps, Song Yunfei stopped. She truly couldn’t endure this suffocating atmosphere anymore.
At this point, it was either death one way or another—she suddenly turned around as if throwing caution to the wind.
Looking at the man’s expressionless face, she asked him, “You remembered?”
He continued to look at her quietly. His gaze swept over her pale lips, as though he were scrutinizing her—or perhaps observing her miserable state with interest.
Song Yunfei clenched her sleeves, her palms already soaked with cold sweat. Her heart was beating faster than ever before.
“Do you hope I remember,” he stepped closer to her, “or are you afraid that I remember?”
As he approached, Song Yunfei instinctively stepped back.
Chu Jinhan did not advance further. Instead, his gaze grew darker.
“I…” Song Yunfei lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes that seemed to see through everything.
She both hoped he would remember—and feared that he would remember.
At this moment, she felt like a thief caught red-handed, with the evidence in full display, with no way to deny it.
All her lies had been exposed. The elegant mask had been torn away, and her unsightly, shameful true self was laid bare under the light, open for scrutiny.
Chu Jinhan stepped forward again.
Song Yunfei retreated, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Her back slammed hard against the wall.
“Song Yunfei, you liar. From beginning to end, you’ve been lying to me. Tell me—what have you ever said that was true?”
His tone could no longer maintain composure, as though each word were squeezed out from between his teeth. His rapid breathing brushed against her face.
Song Yunfei was terrified. “I… you… what do you want to do?”
His dark eyes locked onto her as he enunciated each word: “I want to break your legs.”
Song Yunfei was shocked.
“And then lock you in a cage.”
Song Yunfei was horrified.
Scenes of blood flashed through her mind, and a chill spread through her entire body.
Wasn’t she supposed to “end up in jail”? How did it turn into this?
No prison—now it had become breaking her legs?
The direction of the plot had changed—and for the worse.
Terrified, her entire body trembled. “Y-you’re breaking the law…”
“Breaking the law? A lawless criminal like you—what right do you have to say that?”
Song Yunfei bit her lip, tears uncontrollably falling from her eyes.
“Now you’re afraid?” His voice was hoarse, carrying a cold exhaustion. “When you were lying to me and running away, why didn’t you think about the consequences?”
“I-I’m sorry…” she choked, speaking incoherently. “I shouldn’t have lied to you… shouldn’t have run… You… you don’t… don’t do that… I can turn myself in.”
As soon as she said this, the man’s breathing became even heavier.
He struggled to speak. “You turn yourself in, you’ll—”
Suddenly, he clutched his chest, looking extremely enraged. He couldn’t even finish his sentence, leaving only rough, unsteady breaths.
Song Yunfei grew even more frightened.
She hadn’t expected him to be this angry. She had already tried her best to imagine how he would react upon learning the truth—but she still underestimated it.
The feelings of the past… in the end, had all been nothing more than a fleeting dream.
Discussion
Comments
0 comments so far.
Sign in to join the conversation and keep your activity tied to this account.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.