Ouch, ouch—

In the pitch-black darkness where one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face, a delicate silhouette opened their eyes on the damp, slippery mud, scrambled up, and looked around in a panic.

Where is this?

After taking a clearer look at her surroundings, the girl covered her plump, moist cherry lips and let out a gasp.

Woods, rocks, mountains, they all seemed eerily terrifying.

Why... why was she in such a godforsaken place?

And who... who was she?

Her mind was a complete blank; she couldn't remember anything, and any effort to think only caused a piercing pain!

The girl propped herself up to stand, her arm throbbing with intense pain; her palm was skinned, her knees and ankles were covered in abrasions, and when she touched her face, her hand came away with blood—she probably had scratches there as well.

No matter what, she needed to get out of there quickly! It seemed like it was getting dark!

Taking a deep breath, the girl braced against the pain and followed the path toward where there was light.

As the sky grew darker and her strength waned, this damned valley seemed to trap her like a ghost hitting a wall.

Finally, footsteps and voices appeared ahead.

With the last of her energy, the girl pushed through the foliage and rushed toward the light, weakly crying, "Help, help me..."

Before she could finish, a robust hunting dog suddenly pounced on her, barking loudly.

The girl was startled, her strength gone, and she fell down.

"Mike!" a deep, magnetic voice with a hint of languor called out from behind the crowd.

The majestic hunting dog immediately backed away several steps, as if submitting to its sovereign.

"Save me... please, help me out," the girl said, looking at the hunting dog, too frightened to approach.

Several men, dressed in expensive hunting attire that made them look remarkably imposing, held valuable American hunting rifles in their hands, and two of them even had ferocious imported hunting dogs on chains. They were all taken aback by the scene before them.

How could a young girl fall out of the sky into the valley hunting area of Huanglong Mountain Hunting Ground, the biggest and priciest in G City, reserved for the city's top tycoons?

The girl lay on the ground in a white chiffon short-sleeved blouse and denim shorts, her exposed calves and arms all scraped, her body smeared with mud, and her long hair covering half of her face, making her features unclear. She looked very panicked.

A man in his early twenties with a resemblance to the popular pretty-boy faces on magazines and social media stepped forward to help the girl and asked, "How did you end up in the hunting ground?"

Is this a hunting ground? The girl felt dazed.

"What's your name?" the deep, magnetic voice asked again, this time with a tinge of mockery and condescension. The footsteps approached slowly.

As the man spoke, everyone else naturally fell silent.

The girl looked up to see a young man before her, tall and large-framed, wearing American-made camouflage hunting clothes that clung to his broad shoulders and trim waist without any hint of bulkiness. His features were sharp and distinct, especially his eyes—handsome yet somewhat fierce and cold, as though they could see through a person's heart. At the moment, they were filled with wariness and scrutiny.

"My name... what's my name..." The girl reeled back from being dazzled by the man before her as her head began to throb again, "I don't know... I woke up at the foot of that cliff over there..."

Suddenly, flashes of images passed through her mind; though fragmented, she caught bits and pieces of memory, seeming to hear someone calling in her ear, "Jiayi... Jiayi..."

Could that be her name? She wasn't sure if it was these two words, but still weakly uttered, "I... I think my name is Jiayi."

The pretty-boy softly urged, showing a bit of compassion, "Don't scare the young lady..."

Seeing the girl's attire, it was unlikely she was a distinguished guest of the hunting ground; those who weren't of wealthy class simply couldn't enter the exclusive Huanglong Hunting Ground.

Unless she sneaked in.

To sneak into a hunting ground exclusive for top tycoons, what other reason could there be?

Huo Zhenyang sneered, "Take her back to the villa and search her, see if she has any spy cams or bugging devices!"

Even though her mind was a blank and she couldn't remember anything, it didn't mean she was willing to be taken away by the few men in front of her.

Especially the one in the middle who looked the most dangerous!

Who knew where she could be taken?

Jiayi stepped back and turned to run. A chill wind swept past her, followed by pain at the back of her neck, and her body went limp and slid to the ground.

Behind her, Huo Zhenyang caught her with one arm, scooping her up horizontally, and headed straight to the villa near the hunting grounds.

The other wealthy young men looked at each other in confusion.

Xue Jingchuan walked along, saying, "Huo Shao, maybe she's not a paparazzo?"

"The paparazzi these days will stoop to anything. Have you forgotten the ones who followed us for months before, disguising themselves as beggars, deliverymen, anything! Big star Xue, your indecent photos post-shower without the curtains drawn are still making headlines, and you've already forgotten! I certainly don't want to fall into the same trap as you. It's best to be on the safe side." Huo Zhenyang scoffed disdainfully.

Xue Jingchuan stuck out his tongue and said no more.

*

The villa near the Huanglong Mountain hunting grounds belonged to the Huo Group, and it also served as a place of rest for Huo Zhenyang and his circle of wealthy friends during their leisure activities.

It was a villa area far from the city center, with mountains and water, great facilities like a golf course, a large swimming pool and the like, and the air was fresh and unpolluted, which made it one of the favorite places for G City's elite to buy properties.

Huo Zhenyang carried Jiayi into his own villa.

The butler Luo and the housemaid Auntie Li were shocked to see Huo Zhenyang carrying an unconscious girl back.

"Young master, what is this..." the butler Luo exclaimed in surprise.

The girl in the young master's arms wore dirty and ragged clothes, her body curled up, being forced to nestle into the man's embrace like a wounded kitten. A head of black, shiny hair flowed down through the gaps between the man's broad hands. Although it covered half of her face, the bloodstains from scrapes on her cheek were still somewhat frightening to see!

Huo Zhenyang's long legs didn't stop as he headed upstairs.

Auntie Li quickly pulled Luo aside, "Maybe she's the young master's new girlfriend? Don't ask!"

Huo Group, a top comprehensive group company domestically, with its brands spread all over the world and its wealth ranked among the top three in the country, was a powerhouse in both the business and political worlds. Huo Zhenyang, the eldest son of the Huo family and the CEO managing the group who was not yet married, was also a hot figure sought after by various magazines and newspapers, all scrambling to spy on and report about him.

The women around the young master were either seductive stars, elegant politicians' daughters, or glamorous heiresses of the business world. This young girl looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, quite tender, and even had a wounded face—

Was the young master into this type now?

Huo Zhenyang reached the top floor, his brow furrowed—this woman appeared frail but was surprisingly heavy.

Kicking the door open, he stepped in and tossed her onto the king-size bed. Feeling a bit hot, he lifted his slender fingers and unbuttoned one, loosening his shirtfront a little.

Jiayi, feeling almost shattered by the tossing, woke up.

Seeing the man in front of her unbuttoning his shirt to reveal his healthy, tanned skin with a few traces of sweat, which added to his masculine charm, Jiayi's beautiful eyes widened, "What are you going to do..."

It couldn't be this unlucky, could it? It was bad enough not to remember anything, but to encounter a bandit in the mountains?

Why did they abduct people just like that?

"I don't need to do anything to a paparazzo like you," the man's sneer lingered on his thin, beautiful lips. He leaned over, planting his arms on the bed, trapping the girl in the middle.

His handsome face slowly inched closer, less than two centimeters from the trembling girl's lips, his tone mocking, "Where's the hidden camera?"

What camera?

Jiayi desperately squirmed backward, "I'm going to scream for help...!"

It seemed she wouldn't see reason until faced with the grim reality! Seeing her denial, the man's face darkened, his hand darted out, grabbing the slender straps on the girl's shoulders, determined to search her thoroughly!