Coming to Myself

Luo Ting felt her head heavy and throbbing with pain. Where am I? she wondered. She distinctly remembered walking home after work.

At half past two in the morning, the streets were completely deserted, not a soul in sight, so she walked briskly, hearing only the sound of her own footsteps.

Some streetlights were lit, others dark; the spring night seemed steeped in a lingering chill. She hurried forward, vaguely aware of some noise behind her but paying it no mind.

Then she took the elevator upstairs.

As the elevator doors opened, her mind was still occupied with tomorrow's lunch plans with a colleague—what to eat that wouldn't be too expensive yet still enjoyable for them both. Lost in thought, she reached her doorstep, took out her keys, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Just as she reached for the wall switch while closing the door behind her, the door suddenly jammed, as if held fast by some immense force.

Luo Ting froze, every hair on her body standing on end. She went rigid, completely unable to move.

Then she saw it—a dark shadow cast from the doorway, pressing so close it almost merged with her own.

And she felt it immediately.

Felt someone standing right behind her.

…

Luo Ting’s eyes snapped open. The first thing she saw was a dim, gloomy light, then her familiar room, the ceiling, the bed… The light came from a bedside lamp.

Her mind was still muddled, as if filled with pounds of paste, hazily wondering: So… was that just a dream? A dream about someone breaking in at her doorstep?

She was about to sigh in relief and rub her head when she realized her hands were tightly bound with rope, so firmly she couldn’t move them at all.

Her entire body shuddered violently, jolting her fully awake. At the same time, she saw that her ankles were clearly tied with rope as well.

It wasn’t a dream…

It actually wasn’t a dream!

She stared blankly at the scene before her, pale as a bound puppet.

Suddenly, it felt like an electric shock jolted her awake.

She became aware.

Slowly, very slowly, she turned her head and saw a stool placed beside the bed. A man sat on it, wearing a baseball cap and a windbreaker, gloves on his hands, holding a dagger. He seemed to be studying her with great interest. A sliver of light fell on him, revealing delicate features, but his eyes remained hidden under the brim of his cap, faintly glimmering, impossible to see clearly.

There had never been a moment more terrifying than this.

Luo Ting began to tremble all over, immense terror gripping her heart like a black hand. She opened her mouth, a hoarse cry about to escape her throat. But just then, the man leaned forward and pressed the dagger against her neck. Tears streamed down Luo Ting’s face, but she didn’t dare move.

"Shh…" he said, almost gently. "I just want to talk to you for a bit. I won’t hurt you. I’ll let you go soon. Promise me you won’t make a sound, or else I’ll have to…"

Luo Ting nodded hurriedly through her tears. Satisfied, he set the dagger aside, rested his arms on his knees, interlaced his fingers, and studied her intently, as if admiring a cherished possession. He frowned slightly and said, "Hmm… where should we start? How about we begin with what kind of guys you like?"Luo Ting froze, stammering and unable to speak. Yet he watched her with immense patience, a smile returning to his eyes as he coaxed, "You have to tell me. If you don't, I'll be very angry. And when I'm angry, I'll hurt you."

Luo Ting began to sob.

He sighed, patted her head, and murmured a few more comforting words. Gradually, Luo Ting's crying subsided, and she started to speak in fragmented sentences.

...

Although You Mingxu had visited Yin Feng's home many times before, actually staying here still felt quite unfamiliar.

As soon as they entered the villa, Yin Feng took the suitcase from Tuya and went upstairs. You Mingxu followed him all the way to the master bedroom door. He glanced at her, then pulled the suitcase inside.

You Mingxu lowered her head with a faint smile and followed him in.

The master bedroom had its own walk-in closet. Surprisingly, the guy had quite a collection of clothes and shoes. Yin Feng turned to look at her again, cleared the hangers on one side, and opened her suitcase for her.

You Mingxu said, "I'll unpack myself. You can go."

Yin Feng hugged her, gave her a kiss, and only then did he leave.

After he went downstairs, You Mingxu stood holding her clothes, gazing at the vast master bedroom. Was she really going to live with this man from now on? Sleeping and waking together, eating and drinking together.

But hadn't they been like this before? The only difference was they hadn't shared a bed. Thinking this, she felt there was nothing to hesitate about. What if they had a fight... You Mingxu pondered for a moment and couldn't help but smile. Why did she feel that Tuya and Xiao Yan would definitely take her side, Chen Feng wouldn't dare support either of them, and Guan Jun... might actually stand with her too?

By the time she finished unpacking, the sun was already setting. She went downstairs and saw Yin Feng with the others. The living room was enormous. Yin Feng sat alone in an armchair, reading a book. At this moment, he radiated an air of scholarly refinement, looking every bit the writer.

Xiao Yan and Guan Jun were lying on the sofa, heads close together, each holding a phone and chattering nonstop—probably playing games.

Chen Feng, in contrast, seemed the most like the host. He sat at a work desk behind the sofa, piled high with reports and documents, wearing gold-rimmed glasses as he handled company affairs for Yin Feng.

Tuya was watching TV. You Mingxu glanced at the screen and was pleased—he was actually watching the same melodramatic show she was following. The burly man sat on the sofa, arms resting on his legs, watching intently with a smile on his face and sparkling eyes.

You Mingxu went over and sat beside Tuya, crossing her legs to watch together. Tuya immediately straightened up: "Boss Lady." He handed her the remote control. You Mingxu lifted her chin: "Let's keep watching this."

Delight flashed in Tuya's eyes, and the two focused intently on the screen.

Xiao Yan noticed You Mingxu's arrival and seemed a bit embarrassed about his casual posture, sitting up straight. Guan Jun, however, didn't move at all, continuing to occupy the entire long sofa by himself.

Yin Feng looked up from his book, watching the woman. Now she was truly living under his roof, and he felt a wave of contentment in his heart. He called out, "A Xu."

He expected her to come to his side—after all, she was his woman, wasn't she? Instead, You Mingxu didn't even glance at him, merely uttering an "Mm" before continuing to watch TV with Tuya. The two laughed together, then both frowned with serious expressions. You Mingxu exclaimed, "Damn, what a white lotus!" Tuya nodded: "Yeah! So annoying!"Yin Feng tossed the book aside and walked over to sit beside You Mingxu, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. You Mingxu, still staring at the screen, naturally leaned into his embrace. That faint sense of neglect he had felt was suddenly healed by her small gesture. As a highly educated intellectual with both literary sophistication and fashionable taste, Yin Feng had little interest in watching this kind of television. Yet, sitting beside her like this, stroking her hair, breathing in her scent, and feeling her compliance—it didn’t seem so bad after all.