Wei Anning opened her eyes to the festive red bed sheets and the red gauze curtains cascading down from the ceiling. Through the warm red light, she saw a man standing by the window, facing away from her, his back straight and imposing.
He was dressed in a black robe that seemed to blend into the night, piercingly cold.
"Who are you? Where is this?"
As she spoke, she realized her voice was unrecognizably hoarse.
The man turned around and walked slowly towards her, his face lost in shadow due to the backlight, with only the silver mask on his face glinting menacingly in the light.
Extending his hand to push aside the gauze canopy, he stood by the bed, examining her from head to toe as if she were merchandise, his unfathomable gaze making her shiver uncontrollably.
"Who are you, and why am I here?" Wei Anning shrank back, intimidated by his dangerous demeanor.
The next second, the mattress sank, and the man sat down beside her, pinching her chin, "Wei Anjing, do you know how long I've been waiting for this day?"
Wei Anning's eyes widened. Who was Wei Anjing? Ignoring the pain in her chin, she hurriedly said, "I'm not Wei Anjing, my name is Wei Anning, you've mistaken me for someone else."
The man gently patted her cheek; there was no way he could misrecognize that face. He leaned in, "Wei Anjing, I am not blind, even if you turned to ashes, I would recognize you. What, scared now that you're in my hands, you come up with such a lame excuse to fool me?"
Wei Anning struggled fiercely, feeling a strong hatred emanating from the man.
"Let me go, I'm really not Wei Anjing, my name is Wei Anning, I'm 20 years old, a freshman at the University of London, and I really don't know any Wei Anjing."
The man sneered coldly, "Ha! A woman full of lies, keep making them up!"
He stared at her coldly, hate chilling his narrow phoenix eyes.
Wei Anning: "I'm not lying, I..."
The man squinted slightly, looking down at the confused woman, his thin lips curving up, and his voice, cold and charming, filled the room, "Wei Anjing, our game has only just begun, you'd better hold on!"