Ye Jingyi found himself ensnared in a nightmare, confined to a dark, soundless room.
In this lightless room, his voice was stripped away, leaving him with the solitary option of gazing into the unfathomable darkness. The mere thought of it threatened to push him to the brink of insanity—he couldn't communicate, couldn't reach out to anyone; just an endless, silent vigil in the void.
His torment persisted until, finally, a glimmer of light materialized before him. Slowly, that speck of light expanded, evolving into a vast starry sky adorned with countless celestial bodies. However, the clarity of these stars eluded him, shrouded in a mysterious veil that prevented him from scrutinizing them closely.
Amidst this cosmic expanse, only one star captured his attention—the sun. It radiated a golden hue, surrounded by fierce, blazing flames that cut through the pervasive darkness, illuminating the entire starry canvas.
This sun felt both familiar and foreign to Ye Jingyi. As he gazed upon it, an astonishing revelation unfolded before him.
The Golden Sun began to tremble, and the entire starry sky quivered in response. Gradually, an enigmatic silhouette emerged within the sun.
Ye Jingyi yearned to scrutinize the phantom within the Golden Sun, but the starry sky began to fracture like a shattered mirror, disintegrating into nothingness. Amidst this dissolution, he glimpsed the intricate pattern on the Golden Sun.
Before he could ponder further, his vision succumbed to darkness, rendering him unconscious. In the ensuing void, his body floated through endless grey space, drifting toward an unknown destination.
...
Time remained elusive in this realm, but eventually, Ye Jingyi stirred back to consciousness. Blinking his eyes open, he found himself inside a cave, where water dripped rhythmically from the ceiling. Tentatively, he tested his body, relieved to discover everything intact.
Seating himself on the cave floor, he surveyed the surroundings.
Surveying his surroundings, Ye Jingyi's pupils constricted at the sight of a bloodied figure seated not far from him—the woman in the red dress from their previous encounter. At this moment she did not have any majestic appearance, as her veil was torn off and there were damages on her clothes.
Most of her attire was drenched in blood, evidence of the deep wounds marring her form, rendering her a pitiable sight.
In her current state, she leaned against the cave wall with closed eyes.
Ye Jingyi harbored numerous questions, but the predicament left him pondering to whom he should direct his inquiries. Suddenly, he pressed his forehead, a bitter expression crossing his face. "How can my brain function so slowly? I can ask Lexi about the information."
"Lexi, show me the information about the events that transpired while I was unconscious." Lexi, the AI implanted in Ye Jingyi's brain, had the function of monitoring him and his surroundings. Consequently, the database should contain details of the past events.
"Di... Di… Arranging the data of the past 345 days in the order of importance… Data arranged successfully… Presenting it…."
Upon hearing Lolita's voice, Ye Jingyi was startled. 345 days? That's almost a year! He had been unconscious for one year? The question lingered—how had he survived without nutrients and food during this time? Answers awaited within the data collected by Lexi.
The holographic screen presented the data before his eyes, and Ye Jingyi began scanning it. His brows furrowed, his face morphing through various expressions as he delved into the information.
After skimming through the vital data in twenty minutes, he closed the holographic projection with a complicated expression. Gazing at the woman in front of him, uncertainty clouded his features. He realized he was indebted to her for caring for him over the past year.
A year ago, when they were trapped inside the flame sphere and fell unconscious, they remained in that state for a day. Following that, he remained unconscious while the woman awoke.
Upon waking, the woman made several attempts to stab Ye Jingyi while muttering about no one wanting to marry her now that he had seen her naked body. Strangely, she refrained from killing him and kept him alive.
Ye Jingyi's mouth twitched as a headache set in, realizing the woman's peculiar reasoning—it appeared she was a traditional woman.
As he pondered what her actions might be upon waking, a chill ran down Ye Jingyi's spine. However, it turned out to be the least of his concerns as events that followed left him emotionally stirred.
After waking up, the woman faced the arrival of some enemies who sought to attack her. Despite the opportunity to abandon him, she confronted them head-on, simultaneously protecting Ye Jingyi. Contrary to the conventional choice of leaving him behind in the face of outnumbered enemies, she opted to escape, carrying him with her.
In the past year, she had been under constant attack, bravely fighting her enemies each day, and killing several in the process. The injuries on her body were a direct result of protecting him. On multiple occasions, attackers aimed to kill him or take him hostage to use against the woman, who consistently shielded him, enduring injuries in the process.
In the face of adversity, she carried him, evading their pursuers. This relentless cycle persisted for a year. Not only did she protect him, but she also cared for him, searching for food. During his unconscious state, she faithfully fed him at regular intervals, despite occasional angry pinches.
After absorbing all the information and recounting the events, his emotions became a tangled mess as he grappled with uncertainty. However, deep down, he couldn't deny that he was genuinely moved.
How could this woman go to such lengths for a complete stranger?