Chapter 1

I never thought I would reunite with Yan Chen.

Back then, when I faked my death, the news of his tragic love story spread throughout Beijing, the capital of China.

I indulged in a moment of misplaced affection.

Confiding in the only friend I had in a foreign land:

“Yan Chen liked me too, didn’t he?”

She forwarded a few chat records to me.

Then shattered my illusion.

“He didn’t commit suicide because you died.”

“Song Minxin was forced into an arranged marriage by her family, and Yan Chen slit his wrists in defiance of Mrs. Yan to protect Minxin.”

I chuckled wryly.

A bit embarrassing.

But fortunately, Mrs. Yan was generous.

With an eight-figure sum in my bank account, I pursued my studies abroad.

Five years later, I was sent back to China by my company.

At the first high-society banquet I attended,

I reunited with Yan Chen.

After all, I had admired him for nearly ten years, so I approached to greet him.

Not just to reminisce, but also to secure a potential business client.

“Mr. Yan, hello, I-”

He coldly averted his gaze.

My hand hung in the air like a joke.

Luckily, a male colleague was kind enough to reach out and pull me aside, “Daisy, shall we grab a drink?”

I felt happy again.

As I turned away, I didn’t notice a pair of sickly, sinister eyes glued to me.

After a night of indulgence,

I was groggily pushed into the company car.

As soon as the door closed,

A strong arm pulled me back.

His embrace was deep and warm, as if trying to fuse me into his bones.

I sensed something was wrong.

I struggled a bit.

A chill spread from my ankle.

A long-lost male voice whispered in my ear, like a snake coiling around me.

The tone rose, hoarse and tinged with a sickly excitement.

Yan Chen locked the chain.

The grip around my waist tightened.

“Locked forever, so you can’t escape, right?”

“…Baby, that summer, I should have made you too weak to run…”

My heart skipped a beat.

Recalling the faint unease in my memories.