Volume One, Chapter 15: It Seemed… She Had Been Abruptly Abandoned by Wan Yan Without Warning?

The car’s interior was dark; Wan Yan was shrouded in shadow, his expression unreadable.

“Scared?” he asked in a low voice, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel.

Lu Chaoxi took a deep breath and turned the door handle. “Not really scared. I know you’ll protect me.”

She always trusted his lies as if they were sweet nectar.

Wan Yan silently stared at the villa.

The lights inside the room were on, but the moment Lu Chaoxi opened the door, silence fell.

Everything in the room was exactly the same as in her room at the Lu residence!

“Chaoxi is the little princess; her room must be fit for a princess.”

Amid shock and confusion, a hazy snippet of childhood memories surfaced.

A chill ran down Lu Chaoxi’s back, and fear began to set in.

Why did this man know everything about her so intimately, yet she had no idea who he was?

Such an unequal relationship sent shivers down her spine.

Had she forgotten something? Was it related to the two years she lost her memory?

Since Wan Yan disliked her asking about the amnesia, she gradually stopped caring.

But the mounting mysteries surrounding this man made Lu Chaoxi desperate for answers.

As she wrestled with her thoughts, she slowly raised her hand to remove her earphones.

Unexpectedly, just as her fingers were about to touch them, the sound of a call disconnecting came through first.

Lu Chaoxi immediately realized that Wan Yan, who had been standing guard outside the villa, had left abruptly—leaving her alone without a word of explanation.

It felt as though she had been abandoned by Wan Yan without warning.

Before she could react, steady footsteps echoed outside.

The series of sudden events left Lu Chaoxi flustered, her heart pounding erratically in her chest.

In her panic, she pulled a can of spray from her bag, hiding it behind her back, feigning calm as she awaited the newcomer.

The footsteps soon approached the door. Zhi Zheng, dressed in a light gray casual outfit and holding a glass of water, entered.

Upon entering, he smiled slightly. “Wan Yan, after all, still brought you here.”

There was a faint hint of disdain toward Wan Yan in his tone, though subtle.

Looking at the glass of warm water, fear flickered uncontrollably in Lu Chaoxi’s eyes.

She clung tightly to her lifeline, her voice trembling. “Why did you go to such lengths? What’s your goal? Wan Yan’s or Lu Corporation’s?”

Despite her overwhelming fear, her first instinct was to uncover this man’s true nature on Wan Yan’s behalf.

“Can’t my purpose be just you?” Zhi Zheng offered the warm water with tender eyes.

“You...”

“Shut up, you scoundrel!”

Before Zhi Zheng could finish, Lu Chaoxi unleashed her self-defense spray, catching him off guard and forcing him to squint from the sting.

The water spilled from his hand, soaking the white carpet.

Seizing the moment while he was temporarily incapacitated, Lu Chaoxi scrambled to pull out ropes from her bag and bound his hands and feet.

Worried the bindings might be loose, she wrapped them several times before feeling assured.

“There must be something in that water. If I don’t act now, will you just manipulate me? Do you think I’m a fool?”

Still shaken, she kicked the glass far away, then allowed herself a slight moment of relief.

Zhi Zheng sat on the floor, eyes reddened, coughing incessantly. It was only after a long while that he could barely see straight.

Instead of reacting with anger at being exposed, his expression was filled with helplessness.

“You’re used to drinking a glass of warm water every night. This is the water I brought you—not some cheap trick with drugs added,” he said, his voice rising as if feeling wronged.

Lu Chaoxi was momentarily stunned before crouching down with a serious expression. “Who exactly are you?”

She was certain she had lost a crucial segment of memory.

Since turning twenty-two, Luo Ci had become paranoid daily, rarely smiling, obsessed with driving every woman away from Wan Yan’s side.

Half a year ago, she lost control and caused a scene at the company, diagnosed with a mental illness, and only improved after prolonged treatment.

The Lu family had tightly suppressed the incident to keep it from spreading.

Though Lu Chaoxi found it hard to believe her personality could change so drastically, she hadn’t paid it much mind then.

Now, she had no choice but to be concerned.

Zhi Zheng’s gaze was complex. “I heard you lost your memory while I was returning to the country. From what I see, you’ve completely forgotten everything.”

Lu Chaoxi pleaded urgently, “Explain clearly! What have I forgotten?”

“You forgot me,” Zhi Zheng said each word deliberately. “Chaoxi, you were the one who called me back to the country on your wedding day.”

He still clearly remembered the background noise during the call: “Please welcome the bride.”

The voice of the girl he hadn’t seen in twenty years, still familiar yet laced with fear and dread.

“Come back to save me...”

Her trembling words were abruptly cut off as someone snatched the phone away.

Then came a man’s voice, low and cold.

“Our wedding has begun. Focus, Mrs. Wan.”

Lu Chaoxi was completely overwhelmed. “My wedding day? What happened that day? Why did I have your call... and why did I ask you to come back?”

She muttered to herself, trying to unravel the faint clues bit by bit.

Her father’s death, her injury and hospitalization, and her awakening from amnesia all happened on that day.

What exactly happened then?

Her head throbbed unbearably; the deeper she delved, the sharper the pain, until she finally collapsed in agony, clutching her head and moaning.

Seeing this, Zhi Zheng no longer held back. He quickly freed his bound hands and, without waiting to untie his feet, anxiously pulled Lu Chaoxi into his arms to check on her.

He instructed Najee to bring medicine, and as the effects took hold, the struggling, pained Lu Chaoxi gradually grew calm and drifted into sleep.

The medicine was specially formulated to prevent such episodes in Lu Chaoxi.

Najee gently laid her on the bed and covered her with a blanket, then habitually spoke in their mother tongue.

“You always tease Miss Lu like this. When will she finally let her guard down around you?”

Still sitting on the floor untying the ropes, Zhi Zheng chuckled. “Because it’s fun. I used to tease her a lot as a child.”

He stood, tossing the ropes aside.

“Besides, since she trusts Wan Yan so much, she wouldn’t let down her guard around me anyway. I have to take it slow.”

Najee sighed heavily. “I hope Miss Lu recovers her memory soon.”

“Slow is fine, too,” Zhi Zheng said, walking over to the bed and gently brushing Lu Chaoxi’s face with the back of his hand. “Let her enjoy a little more happiness. It’s what Grandfather wished for.”

His expression was more solemn than usual, lacking his typical softness.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Liang Zhijin, who had barely managed to keep her pregnancy, should have been weak and bedridden but insisted on seeing Wan Yan.

Song Yin feared any mishap and how he would explain it to Wan Yan.

Helpless, he had no choice but to inform Wan Yan of the hospital situation.