Let go of my neck at once.

Moving quietly, she crept over, catching a glimpse of the photo frame on the bedside table out of the corner of her eye. She picked it up for a closer look.

In the photograph, a gentle and beautiful woman sat on a chair, with a delicate boy of about seven or eight nestled in her lap.

Xiao Qi examined it carefully, then compared the sleeping man to the boy in the photo.

The boy’s features and those of the man shared a striking resemblance; the woman must be his mother.

But why was there no father in the picture?

A family photo usually included both parents, didn’t it?

Now was not the time to ponder someone else’s affairs. Xiao Qi set the photo frame down.

She swept her eyes across the spacious, minimalist room, shut her eyes, then opened them again, searching every object inch by inch.

Still, nothing.

Why wasn’t it here?

She glanced at the man on the bed. Maybe it was on him?

She walked over. The room hummed with cool air conditioning. The man wore a white undershirt and was covered by a thin blanket, but only up to his waist. His well-built chest rose and fell beneath the snug fabric.

Xiao Qi’s big eyes couldn’t help but linger on his chest, studying it intently.

Suddenly she snapped out of it. Oh my, she’d almost gotten lost in him again.

I’m just looking for the signal transmitter, I won’t touch anything else.

Bending over, she reached out with pale, delicate fingers, inching her hand toward his chest.

Her wide eyes drifted yet again...

Oh dear, the scent of his hormones was overwhelming.

No, no, she couldn’t get any closer...

Just as she was about to pull her hand back, a large hand seized her wrist. Before she could react, the world spun, and in an instant, the man had her pinned beneath him.

Xiao Qi’s wide eyes stared straight into his handsome face.

She’d always noticed his physique, but never really studied his features.

Even the first time she met him, she’d only glanced over his face.

At this close range, she finally realized—

He was flawless.

His eyes were deep and bright, like the auroras of Planet Tucker; his nose was tall and straight, like the snowy peaks of Muhelan; his skin was fair and luminous, reminiscent of drifting winter snowflakes.

And those thin lips...

What did they remind her of?

“Xiyang,” Yi Chen smiled, lips curled, “this is the second time you’ve come into my room. Are you hoping to share my bed?”

“…”

“You—get up, I…” Xiao Qi’s large eyes darted about as she mumbled, “I—I have somnambulism, yes, that’s right, I…”

Her muttering was smothered by his lips. He kissed her, greedy and urgent, stealing her breath.

Xiao Qi’s eyes flew open in shock. Ah! She was being taken advantage of again.

She tried to use her powers to escape his grasp, but nothing happened.

Why weren’t her powers working?

“You annoying Earthling,” she managed through pressed lips, “let go of me, or when I get my pow—”

“…You’re the one who came to my room to seduce me,” declared President Lin, who had just violated her, his deep voice tinged with unconcealed delight. “So, it’s your fault.”

“…!”

Xiao Qi stared at him, stunned by the absurd accusation.

Unbelievable—Earthlings sure knew how to twist things mid-act.

“I told you, I have somnambulism, and amnesia, and forgetfulness…” she blurted out in a panic, annoyed with herself, regretful as if she’d made a mistake for the ages. “I won’t do it again, really, get up, get up…”

She had half a mind to sing, “Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves…”

Never again? Wouldn’t that be a loss for him? Yi Chen smiled faintly, “If you like, you’re always welcome to ‘sleepwalk’ here.”

“…”

He knew not to push too far and got up.

Xiao Qi scrambled off the bed, full of regret.

Ugh! She hadn’t found the signal transmitter and had been taken advantage of again.

She tried to leave, but again her nape was caught.

She refused to accept this.

Xiao Qi inhaled, exhaled, focused, and tried to use her powers.

But nothing happened.

Could it be that as long as he was near, her powers wouldn’t work?

“Let go of my neck,” she demanded.

So annoying—he always grabbed her by the neck.

Yi Chen let go, his handsome face full of amusement. “Xiyang, goodnight!”

“Goodnight, goodnight!”

Xiao Qi reached the corridor and paused. Since the transmitter wasn’t here, there was no reason to stay.

But if she left…

There seemed to be bodyguards at the villa gate.

He wasn’t around now—her powers should work, right?

She closed her eyes, and in a flash, she was on the street.

Now it was certain: as long as Lin Yi Chen was present, her powers failed.

Why?

“Ye Xiyang?”

A woman’s voice called her, tinged with surprise and excitement.

Xiao Qi turned, puzzled.

A young woman stood before her, dressed in a long blue dress, long curls cascading over her shoulders, subtle makeup, smiling faintly.

Every gesture radiated mature feminine charm.

“And you are…?”

The woman looked astonished. “You don’t recognize me?”

Here we go again, Xiao Qi thought, and used the usual excuse.

“I was in a car accident five years ago, so I don’t remember the past.”

At an outdoor café.

Zhuang Jia gazed at her for a long time, her tone tinged with bitterness. “I never imagined you’d lose your memory… or forget Yi Chen.”

Learning that this was the childhood friend Lin Yi Chen had mentioned, Xiao Qi marveled at how small the world was.

In just a few days, she’d encountered everyone close to Ye Xiyang.

“Xiyang,” Zhuang Jia’s eyes drifted to a nameless flower pot on the railing, “does Yi Chen know you’ve lost your memory?”

“He does!”

“Did he… did he say anything?”

Xiao Qi shook her head. They were strangers to her anyway, so naturally she wouldn’t reveal everything Lin Yi Chen had done to her.

She was too embarrassed to say, even if she wanted to.

“The less he says, the calmer he looks, the more turbulent his heart must be.”

Right now, Xiao Qi only wanted to find the signal transmitter and had no interest in matters that didn’t concern her. She was about to excuse herself when she heard Zhuang Jia’s desolate voice.

“Do you know? Back then, when Yi Chen accepted you, I thought it was just a moment of loneliness for him. You were merely a brief detour in his life, destined to vanish quickly.”

“Because you two were so ill-suited—he was calm and reserved, you were passionate and impulsive; he grew up too soon, you were too innocent.”

“I had all the patience in the world, waiting for him to realize just how incompatible you were, waiting for the day he’d look back and see me.”

“But time broke all my confidence, wore away my patience. So I said those things to you, hoping you’d tell him, so he’d know I always loved him.”

“But I never thought you’d just leave…”

Zhuang Jia reminisced, her thoughts scattered. “I was really weak then—too scared to confess to Yi Chen face to face…”

“If you hadn’t lost your memory, you’d probably think I was manipulative, always hitting where it hurts, leaving no way out.”

Xiao Qi could see the regret on her face.

“Do you regret saying those things to Ye—to me?”