"So hot...."
Gu Anran voice came out hoarse and unfamiliar.
The moment the sound reached her ears, her heart skipped violently. She forced her heavy eyelids open, only to be met with a dazzling light that made her squint.
A luxurious ceiling, a golden lightening and the unmistakable scent of an expensive hotel suite. She was lying on a king size bed, her mind went blank.
This room-..
Her body reacted before her thoughts did. Heat coursed unnaturally through her vein, her skin butmrnung like it was on fire. Her breathing grew uneven, rising and falling to rapidly.
"No…" she whispered.
Trembling, Gu Anran pinched her arm hard.
Pain shot through her nerves.
Real pain.
Tears spilled instantly from her eyes.
She wasn't a ghost. She wasn't dreaming. She was alive.
But joy lasted only a second before memories flooded her mind like a nightmare she could never escape.
Gu Yuhan's mocking smile.
Song Yichen turning his back on her.
The syringe.
Death.
Hatred burned fiercely in her chest, nearly consuming her.
Since heaven has given me a second chance…
I will never be fooled again.
Her body suddenly tensed as another wave of heat surged through her, stronger than before. Her fingers clenched the sheets tightly as realization struck her like lightning.
She had been drugged.
Gu Anran's face went pale.
She forced herself to calm down and scanned the room.
This was the place where everything had started in her previous life.
That night, she had been deliberately set up and brought here. When she woke up, Song Yichen had been beside her in bed. Reporters had burst in moments later, cameras flashing as they captured the scene.
Her reputation had been destroyed overnight.
Her father had called her disgraceful. Because she was "tainted," he had forced her to marry an old man in his fifties to save the Gu family's image.
It was Song Yichen who stepped forward and claimed responsibility.
She had been touched.
Grateful.
She had fallen for him completely.
Now, thinking back, Gu Anran felt like laughing at her own stupidity.
How had Song Yichen appeared in this room so conveniently?
How had the reporters arrived at the perfect moment?
It had all been planned.
Her fingers curled into fists.
"Thankfully…" she murmured coldly, "I was given a second chance."
She jumped out of bed and rushed toward the door.
Locked.
Just like before.
Her heart tightened, but she didn't panic. Instead, her gaze shifted toward the window.
The fifth floor.
For a brief second, hesitation surfaced.
Then she remembered the cold needle piercing her skin and Song Yichen's indifferent eyes as he turned away.
Her hesitation vanished.
Gu Anran pushed the window open, climbed out, and leapt decisively.
Her body slammed into the carpet of the adjacent room. Pain shot through her limbs, but she bit back a cry and rolled to her feet.
"Phew…" she exhaled softly.
What she didn't know was that she had jumped from one fire pit straight into a far more dangerous blaze.
She steadied herself and glanced toward the door. Leaving the hotel now was impossible. This suite was right next to the room Song Yichen had booked. If she rushed out, she could still be caught.
After a moment of thought, she decided to wait.
She walked deeper into the suite, her steps cautious. This room was far more luxurious than the one she had escaped from—clearly occupied by someone of status.
Her eyes suddenly paused.
On the bedside lampstand lay a phone and a wristwatch.
Gu Anran walked over and picked up the watch.
The moment it touched her palm, her heart sank.
A man's watch.
Simple. Expensive. Coldly elegant.
Her breathing slowed.
This room wasn't empty.
Lost in thought, Gu Anran failed to notice the pair of eyes watching her from behind.
They were dark and sharp—
like a hunter silently observing prey that had wandered into his territory.
Another intense wave of heat surged through her body. Her legs weakened slightly, and she clenched her teeth.
Damn it…
I almost forgot.
The drug was still taking effect.
Her breath grew uneven as warmth spread uncontrollably through her veins. Unease crept into her heart.
Sensing something wrong, Gu Anran slowly turned around.
Worry flashed across her face—
And her gaze collided with his.
Tall.
Cold.
Dangerously calm.
His eyes were deep and unreadable, yet terrifyingly sharp, as if he could see straight through her.
In that instant, Gu Anran understood one thing with absolute clarity.
She had escaped Song Yichen's trap—
Only to walk straight into something far more dangerous.