2 Chapter 1: Lost Memories
Accident scene, Unknown Street
The woman in the red dress struggled to breathe and absorb what was going on about her. She sensed emotions of tragedy, anguish and desperation all around. Her head was massive, she was breathless like something heavy had been pushed down on her, and her consciousness was fading. Focus, Focus! she told herself.
She heard cries and screams. But try as she might, she could not remember anything from her life, not even her family, her childhood, or even her education. Before her eyes lay shocking images of a street, and the bloodied and battered victims were lying on the roadside. Her emotions were a turmoil, and after a few long minutes, it ended with everything turning black, and she lost consciousness again.
She had a dream.
A gem clad woman in a bright red sequinned gown was calling out her name in the dream.
"Chu Xin Ran, you need to wake up."
The woman was ethereally beautiful and fascinating, not like someone from this world. As the woman blew gently on her, she felt herself drifting away.
When she regained consciousness, she was invigorated and lying on a hospital bed, with vague memories of the accident scene earlier. She was told that she was a victim of a debilitating road accident involving three cars, and she had been the sole survivor. However, she was rescued in time by a passer-by who did not know about the accident.
Nevertheless, he had appeared to know her in some way.
With the assistance of the nurse, she was able to sit up, and she took a glance at her patient bracelet. But try as she might, she could not remember well she was, but the name known as "Chu Xin Ran" as spoken by the goddess earlier, seemed to be etched deeply in her mind.
She felt a sense of unfamiliarity with the name on the patient bracelet, Tang Ying Xue, and the next thing she had thought of was to ask for her smartphone, which the nurse readily complied, and disappeared shortly.
A vast number of thoughts were going through her head, and suddenly she recalled a brief memory of the woman in the red gown speaking to her, though everything was inaudible in the memory. But considering she had no recollection of either of her current and past lives, she wondered if her soul might have just magically entered this woman's body.
The nurse promptly retrieved her smartphone from a small cabinet located next to her and courteously handed it to her. It all came naturally to her after that, she unlocked the phone's screen with a deft swipe of her fingers and keyed in the security code. Although Xin Ran had no memories of the past on this woman who she was now, she was aware of how to use the smartphone efficiently to the full extent of its functions: to capture photographs, type, perform calculations, play mobile games, and even recall the passwords of every of her social media accounts involuntarily.
"Miss Tang, the doctor had mentioned that you are suffering from traumatic amnesia, as a result of your accident," the nurse added. "That is probably the reason why you have difficulty recalling most of the events about your life, but you shouldn't need to worry about that for now."
"Will I ever regain my memory?" she immediately asked. When she had just awoken in the hospital, she was utterly unsure who she was. The nurse's words had brought some reassurance to her, and she also believed to some extent that she had been reincarnated as Tang Ying Xue, from her previous life as Chu Xin Ran. However, since reincarnation was something people watched on television, she was unclear if she had just woken up in a 23-year old's body, or if she had just encountered amnesia.
Then, why had she dreamed she was Chu Xin Ran? Was she not only amnesiac but going insane?
She resumed browsing her smartphone and looking at the unfamiliar contacts and trying to identify them in her mind, but to no avail. A number of her chat conversations had been deleted, suggestive that her accident could be planned, and more than meets the eye.
Shortly after that, she had a little chat with the doctor to understand her condition, and before he left, the doctor informed her that he would refer her to a psychologist for further management. So, the doctor believed that she was going mad, then? She huffed from displeasure at the thought.
Next, the nurse knocked on the door to inform her that she had a visitor. She urged the nurse to allow the visitor to enter, eager to know of Tang Ying Xue's life.
She was perplexed by the familiarity of the handsome stranger that entered her room. His cold and seductive aura lingered around the atmosphere in the room and fascinated her further.
"You are..."
"I am Jing Yue."
Jing Yue? The name did not ring a bell in her mind but provided her amnesiac condition, and she probably wouldn't be able to recall his name.
"Do you know me, Mr Jing?"
"I found you at the accident scene, still very alive, and took you to the hospital." He pronounced each word calmly and coldly, and his eyes watched her observantly, like an eagle. She felt some degree of nervousness when talking with him, even when he was just silent.
She refrained from questioning him further due to his paramount attitude, but at the same time, she found that her eyes were glued to him intensely, and she just wished she could know him deeper.
Who knows, he could even help her recover her lost memories.
His abrupt reply just shocked her further.
"Miss Tang, do you not remember me at all?"
Who was this man, and just how was he connected to Tang Ying Xue?
Nevertheless, she was inclined to believe him, due to a gut feeling that he was someone she could trust, despite being at that juncture. The feelings she had were unexplainable, but she went with her heart. Hopefully, it would not fail her.
