You Earthlings are nothing but villains.

Estimated height: 1.88 meters, weight: 70 kilograms. His broad forehead spoke of intelligence, his thick brows of steadfastness. His features, as if carved by a blade, were striking but lacked gentleness. His eyes were both world-weary and piercing—this face deserved a perfect score, yet his unsmiling, aloof expression made him hard to approach.

But… why did he just embrace me?

“Xiyang, what’s wrong?” Yichen walked over, and without another word, took her hand. “Come on, let’s go home.”

When he said “home,” Xiao Qi noticed a faint smile in his eyes.

Going home with him wasn’t so bad—she had nowhere else to go, anyway.

Once they arrived, the door opened, but the lights remained off. Xiao Qi only heard the “bang” of the door shutting before she was pressed forcefully against the wall by the man.

And then—

Xiao Qi’s eyes flew wide open.

What… what was he doing?

Lin Yichen’s thin lips fell urgently upon her tender cheek. The desperate, direct motion shocked her back to her senses.

“Let go of me!”

“I won’t. Not for the rest of my life…”

Xiao Qi could bear it no longer. She tried to use her special power—nothing happened.

Huh? Why wasn’t it working?

Left with no choice, she bit down hard on his shoulder.

Yichen gasped, surprised she would bite him.

His movements paused.

“What? You can’t stand me already?”

Xiao Qi was utterly confused. “What are you talking about? I don’t even know—”

“Ah, that hurts…”

Before she could finish, he bit her shoulder in retaliation.

Pain? Did she even know what pain was?

Pain was the empty void after midnight dreams, when he couldn’t hold onto the memory of her gentle smile; it was the inexplicable distraction that haunted his every waking moment; it was the solitude that always followed any fleeting joy of success.

How could she possibly understand?

Xiyang, do you know what it was like to ache for you, day after day?

He pinned her wrists, making her unable to move.

The sight before him and the intoxicating sensation beneath his hands made Yichen’s reason slip away. His burning gaze devoured her—what he’d longed for, imagined countless times… Five years of suppressed desire now surged beyond control, drowning him entirely.

Xiao Qi felt dizzy, her mind muddled. She’d never experienced anything like this—it was as if she were trapped in a dreamlike haze.

Suddenly, Yichen felt a sharp pain in his arm. He let go of Xiao Qi and turned his head, only to see a white cat clinging fiercely to his arm. As his dark eyes met the feline’s, it released its grip in fright and darted into Xiao Qi’s bag.

“Is that your cat?”

A resounding slap rang out as Xiao Qi’s palm struck his face, fury blazing in her eyes. “You Earthlings are all scoundrels.”

Her clothes were in disarray, red marks blooming across her skin in silent accusation of his roughness. He could even feel her body trembling.

A wave of self-loathing washed over him.

Lin Yichen, what were you just doing? She’s already come back—what more do you want?

He struggled to steady his breath, suppressing the wild urges within him. Meeting her gaze, he saw unease flicker in her eyes.

Since when had she looked at him like that—with such uncertainty?

In college, she’d clung to him, relentless in her pursuit.

She’d delighted in it.

He’d welcomed it.

She was innocent and silly.

He was steady and reserved.

Back then, everyone said they weren’t right for each other, that their relationship would never last. But he’d been confident.

He believed they would go on together, forever.

But in the end, she left. And he couldn’t find her…

Life’s unpredictability—nothing compared to this.

His mistake was being too sure of himself.

Yichen forced a bitter smile, turned on the light, and walked to the balcony. Lighting a cigarette, he asked, “Where have you been these past five years?”

Xiao Qi had no heart for conversation. Her eyes wandered the living room, alighting on a photograph on the table. She walked over to look.

“Hey? Is this Ye Xiyang in the photo?”

Lin Yichen frowned, glancing at her with confusion dark in his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I…” Suddenly, she remembered—when she’d touched his chest earlier, that sensation… it seemed so familiar.

She rushed over, pressing her hand to his chest through his shirt. “Ah, it really is you.”

Lin Yichen was baffled. “Xiyang, what are you saying?”

“Nothing,” Xiao Qi replied, her wide eyes darting to the photograph again.

The person in the frame looked exactly like her—down to the hairstyle.

So this man must have mistaken her for Ye Xiyang.

Well, he was handsome, and she had nowhere else to stay anyway.

Besides, maybe the signal device was on him—she needed to retrieve it.

So, perhaps…

“Five years ago, I was in a car accident. There are some things… I mean, I lost my memory, so…”

“You lost your memory?”

“Yes.” Yichen studied her for several seconds. “You don’t remember anything?”

Xiao Qi nodded immediately.

She saw something roiling in his eyes.

He stubbed out his cigarette, then took her hand and led her to the bedroom. “From now on, you’ll sleep here.”

“And you…?”

“What?” Yichen gave a small smile. “Do you want me to sleep here too?”

“No, no, I was just asking.”

“I’ll sleep next door. It’s late—get some rest.” With that, he closed the door.

Yichen stood on the balcony, letting the night wind buffet him. The cold air burned as he drew it into his lungs, and his heart ached in sharp pulses.

Lost her memory? Forgot him, and that’s why she’d been gone for five years?

Xiyang, should he believe her or not?

Should he be grateful that her accident only made her forget him, and not that she’d left because she didn’t love him enough?

Would she ever love him again?

The once confident, assured Lin Yichen was now plagued by doubt.

Xiao Qi tossed restlessly, unable to sleep. She sat up. “Xiao Bai, why can’t I use my powers?”

Xiao Bai jumped out of her pocket. “Could it be that you were in the sun too long these past few days and your body’s weakened, so your powers aren’t working?”

“No.” Xiao Qi thought back to the street, when Lin Yichen hugged her; she’d used a bit of her power to push him away.

She threw off the covers. “I’ll try somewhere else.”

“What about the signal device…?”

“I’ll look for it later.”

Sneaking out, Xiao Qi was about to test her powers when she accidentally bumped into a woman.

“Ow! Don’t you watch where you’re—” The woman looked up, eyes widening in shock.

Xiao Qi, embarrassed, quickly helped her up. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t see you.”

“Xiyang,” the woman, Fang Yun, threw her arms around her, voice choked with emotion. “You’re okay, you’re really okay—I thought you both…”

She couldn’t even finish her trembling words.