Yin Zhao-an quickly calmed her mind and observed everything from a spectator's perspective.
The forensic doctor had already taken the corpse away. Yin Changcheng, holding Wang Zhen in grief and anger, left while "Yin Zhao-an" remained alone, standing in the same spot, lost in thought.
For some reason, even though Yin Zhao-an clearly saw "Yin Zhao-an" mired in sadness, she couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
Soon, the scene began to change. A white light flashed, and when Yin Zhao-an opened her eyes again, she found herself in the living room of a small apartment.
Appearing in this familiar place filled Yin Zhao-an with excitement.
Have I come out of the dream? Yin Zhao-an wondered.
Yin Zhao-an happily ran toward Tang Yu's studio and raised her hand to open the door, but…her body passed through the door and entered the room.
The room's furnishings were completely different from what Yin Zhao-an remembered. She lived in the same room as Tang Yu in their small apartment, but this "studio" looked like an ordinary bedroom.
Currently, Tang Yu was lying on the bed muttering something, looking very cute. Even though Yin Zhao-an knew that this might not be the real Tang Yu, she couldn't help but develop a strong affection for her, as if her loved one was right before her.
Yin Zhao-an sat next to Tang Yu on the bed, but although she was sitting, the bedding didn't sink at all. Meanwhile, Tang Yu was reading a script with her head lowered.
At one point, Tang Yu quietly muttered a complaint to herself, and Yin Zhao-an couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke her hair whenever she saw this adorable sight. Unexpectedly, this simple action caused Tang Yu to freeze and stare blankly in her direction.
Yin Zhao-an quickly withdrew her hand and swiftly moved away when she saw a reaction from Tang Yu. Then, she promptly hid in the corner without making a sound.
Can Tang Yu see me? Yin Zhao-an wondered.
But Tang Yu only scratched her head in confusion, staring intently at the empty space in front of her, unable to see anything.
"Am I hallucinating...?" Tang Yu muttered softly, sitting up on the bed.
"Oh! My soup!" Suddenly, Tang Yu remembered that there was soup simmering in the kitchen. She dropped the script and hurried towards the kitchen, with Yin Zhao-an naturally following closely behind.
Seeing Tang Yu about to lift the lid of the porcelain pot with her bare hands, Yin Zhao-an instinctively tried to stop Tang Yu from burning herself. However, her hand simply phased through Tang Yu's hand and the porcelain lid, and Tang Yu ended up touching the hot surface directly.
Fortunately, Tang Yu let go of the lid as soon as she felt the intense heat transmitted through her fingertips. Although she was still burned, it wasn't anything serious, and she calmly put on an oven mitt before attempting to lift the porcelain lid again.
Standing on the side, Yin Zhao-an looked at her somewhat translucent hand in a daze. Although she wasn't burnt from touching the porcelain lid just now, her hand appeared slightly less substantial.
Am I going to disappear? Yin Zhao-an wondered.
Meanwhile, Tang Yu had already scooped some freshly cooked carp soup into a white bowl, and she brought it to another room with a smile.
Yin Zhao-an followed Tang Yu and witnessed the scene inside the room.
A girl wearing dark red headphones was shouting into a microphone while rapidly mashing away at the keyboard.
Tang Yu curiously approached, gazing blankly at the cool and constantly moving characters on the screen, as well as the menacing-looking monster in the center. Just as she was getting absorbed in the scene, she was startled by an angry shout and accidentally spilled the fish soup onto "Yin Zhao-an's" body.
Yin Zhao-an stood there, hugging her arms, watching the scene in front of her become chaotic. Her brows furrowed tighter, and her expression grew increasingly unpleasant.
Suddenly, she felt a strong desire to kill this alternate version of herself.
In the end, Tang Yu walked out of the room with red-rimmed eyes. Broken porcelain shards pricked her fingers, and tiny drops of crimson blood oozed out.
Yin Zhao-an silently followed Tang Yu, watching her rinse her bloodstained hands under the faucet, her eyes looking vacant. Then, Tang Yu walked out of the house, step by step, with a lost look.
Yin Zhao-an wanted to embrace the disoriented girl, but having learned from experience, she refrained from impulsive actions and quietly walked beside the girl.
…
Tang Yu sat by the riverbank for a long time. The cool breeze blew her long hair, revealing the reddened corners of her eyes and the glistening teardrops.
Yin Zhao-an initially thought it wouldn't take long for "Yin Zhao-an" to come and find Tang Yu. However, even as the darkness of the night set in, nobody came to look for the disoriented girl. Tang Yu even received an angry phone call from "Yin Zhao-an."
Yin Zhao-an was on the verge of exploding from anger, and she couldn't help but shout for Tang Yu to forget about "Yin Zhao-an" completely. After all, what was there to like about such a person? It wasn't worth getting distraught over someone like that!
But soon, Yin Zhao-an witnessed a sudden turn of events. Just after Tang Yu hung up the phone, two people, who had been following her from behind, swiftly approached and struck her in the back of the head, causing her to lose consciousness.
Yin Zhao-an could only watch helplessly as the unconscious Tang Yu was carried into a white car.
…
The room seemed to be air-conditioned, the temperature set so that the room was neither hot nor cold. Tang Yu paced back and forth in the room while dragging the heavy chains binding her hands and feet. Even though she knew it was futile, she still hoped to find something to help her escape.
Du Yuqing hadn't come back since she left. This saved Tang Yu the trouble of dealing with Du Yuqing, but she didn't know how long it had been since Du Yuqing had abducted her as she had been unconscious during the process. If Yin Zhao-an found out she hadn't returned home for so long, she would surely find a way to look for her.
Feeling tired, Tang Yu sat down by the bed to rest. There were very few things in the room, and she could use nothing for self-defense. If Du Yuqing had left behind the moon-shaped desk lamp, she could have tried using it as a blunt weapon, but alas.
While contemplating, Tang Yu began to examine the chains linking the shackles on her hands. What if she used the chains to restrain Du Yuqing? It didn't seem feasible. There must be surveillance cameras here, so any movement would be noticed. She couldn't escape from this place even if she was lucky enough to eliminate Du Yuqing.
Whether Tang Yu chose to stay put or fight back, both options led to death. Du Yuqing had said she wouldn't let her die, but could she really survive this predicament?
Tang Yu refused to believe it. She also refused to surrender herself to Du Yuqing. In that case, should she bite her tongue, like they did on TV? No, what if Yin Zhao-an came to her rescue this time?
Tang Yu alternated between relaxing her frown and furrowing her brows, unconsciously biting her fingernails, showing a conflicted expression.
…
Soft moans echoed in a dim room. Through the faint light coming from the display screen, it could be seen that this was a spacious master bedroom, with a predominantly gothic crimson color scheme, just like its mysterious and frightening owner.
Du Yuqing gently reached out her hand and caressed the face of the person on the screen. In her icy eyes, there was a slow flow of early spring water, gradually breaking the ice and revealing rare tenderness.
She traced the contours of the person's face on the screen with one hand, while the other stirred recklessly in the mouth of the person next to her.
"Mmm..."
The person beside Du Yuqing whimpered but dared not stop enticing her with their tongue, wrapping it around her slender index finger.
"Four, are you not in the mood tonight?" Du Yuqing coldly withdrew her finger, her indifferent eyes fixed on the person kneeling on the ground.
The woman, referred to as Four, trembled slightly, leaning forward to lick the fluid from Du Yuqing's hand. Her light brown eyes flickered, with a tear hanging at the corner.
"I'm sorry, Mistress," Four obediently replied, her thin lips casually brushing against Du Yuqing's well-defined slender fingers.
Finally, Du Yuqing shifted her gaze entirely to Four, lazily leaning back in the swivel chair, tilting her head slightly as she examined the person who had served by her side for the last six years.
She had picked her up from the red-light district initially because her facial features resembled Tang Yu to some extent. But over the years, they had become less and less alike. Tang Yu was pure and clean all over, while Four carried a faint, inscrutable chill. Four had also grown more carefree and confident when dealing with others, and only in front of her would she return to being meek and submissive.
"Do you want to leave?" Du Yuqing lightly tapped her fingers on the table, producing a sharp sound like the scythe of death tapping against a wall.
Suddenly, Four raised her head and took a few steps forward, her calm voice carrying a hint of panic in her as she said with tears brimming in her eyes. "No, Mistress, please let me stay by your side. Four doesn't want to leave. Four only wants to be with you forever."
Du Yuqing's expression remained unchanged as she focused on the screen. Her voice was soft and faint, but it sounded like a verdict to Four's ears. "But...I no longer need a substitute."
…
Tang Yu, oblivious to the time of day while confined in the dark room, finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep under the weight of her mental distress. Lacking a sense of security, she curled up, wrapping the blanket tightly around herself as if it could shield her like armor.
The door to the room opened slowly, then closed again. The person who entered moved barefoot, slowly approaching Tang Yu.
Du Yuqing contemplated carrying Tang Yu to the bed as she looked down at the girl curled up on the floor. She quietly crouched in front of Tang Yu, silently gazing at the girl who was sound asleep.
Tang Yu looked really sweet and beautiful. Apart from her eyebrows trembling occasionally due to uneasiness, not a single flaw could be found on her face. Her nose was petite, and her lips had a light peach color.
Suppressing the urge to caress Tang Yu's lips, Du Yuqing couldn't help but sneer at herself. When had she become so patient? Going by her usual personality, shouldn't she have just thrown Tang Yu onto the bed and enjoyed watching her cry in fear?
However… It would seem that she had learned what it meant to be reluctant.
In her past life, she failed to see her own feelings clearly. She believed that her attention toward Tang Yu was merely jealousy. It wasn't until her servant informed her of Tang Yu's death that she experienced an empty feeling in her heart.
Back then, she didn't understand that what she felt was a sense of loss. She treated it as if she had lost a toy. Being young and ignorant, she anxiously ordered someone to dispose of the body but left many pieces of evidence behind. She initially thought she could escape this disaster through her influence, but she didn't expect Tang Yu's death to incite a siege from several prominent families and corporations. Ultimately, she ended up in prison and received a death sentence.
She never expected that her already deceased self could have a second chance. Upon seeing Tang Yu once again, there was hatred in her heart. She hated her ignorance and fearlessness, hated that she loved the wrong person, and hated that Tang Yu remained entangled with Yin Zhao-an without remorse.
Once again, she kept Tang Yu by her side, just as she did in her previous life. Her state of mind had already undergone numerous changes. She carefully constructed this room, with the carpet made of the finest cashmere, the walls padded with sponges, and the inside of the shackles padded with rubber to prevent injury. All of this was done so that Tang Yu could live well.
However, Du Yuqing didn't know that even without her interference, Tang Yu could still live a good life.