Chapter 7: Chain

“Divorce?”

The woman’s voice trembled in the darkness, on the verge of breaking.

“Why?”

Silence. A suffocating silence.

“I’m sick of this. This is imprisonment. Our relationship isn’t normal at all.”

The man’s voice cut through.

“Is it because of that woman…”

The woman’s tone shifted.

“I already said this is between the two of us. It has nothing to do with anyone else. Sign the papers, and we’re finished.”

“Impossible!!”

Madness. Repression. An invisible beast with scarlet glinting in its pupils.

…

Screech—

A sharp brake tore through the night sky.

A heavy thud. Gasps. Screams. The car flipping sideways. A body hurled several meters into the air before it began to fall again.

“If I can’t have you—”

“Then no one else can!!”

Crying and shouting. A stretcher being rushed into the ambulance.

The electrocardiogram line spiking wildly. The doors to the emergency room opening and closing.

“Take him to the company.”

“Who are you?! This is the operating room—get out right now!”

“Leave it to you.”

“Yes, miss.”

“What are you doing? Let him go! This is a crime! Get away! You’re killing him! Call the police! Head nurse! Call the police right now!!!”

The door slammed shut. The surveillance feed cut off. Footsteps echoed down the corridor, growing fainter.

…

“Mr. Jiang has been taken care of, miss.”

“Is everything prepared?”

“All ready.”

“Excellent.”

…

“What are you doing…”

“Save your breath if you can’t speak.”

“This isn’t the hospital…”

“This is our home.”

“You’re going to lock me up again?”

“You guessed it. From today onward, you belong to me and me alone.”

“No… don’t… please…”

“I’ll make you fall in love with me again. Over and over. Until forever.”

…

…

…

Jiang Yueming jolted awake, bolting upright as cold sweat poured down his body.

The blanket slipped to his legs. His pajamas clung to his skin, sticky with sweat.

“Huff—huff—”

In the pitch-black room, only the rapid rise and fall of his chest and his ragged breathing could be heard. Moonlight spilled across the windowsill, peaceful and serene.

What the hell was that just now…

Jiang Yueming had never had a dream so vivid and chaotic. It felt like someone had strapped a holographic visor onto him and forced him to watch an immersive movie while pinned to a chair.

In the darkness, his fingers trembled uncontrollably no matter how hard he tried to stop them.

His phone showed 3:00 AM. He rubbed his temples and lay back down.

Today was Friday. He had promised the young miss of the Xia family that he would spend the weekend with her, but even now he still couldn’t remember how he had gotten to know Xia He in the first place.

“I’ll make you fall in love with me again. Over and over. Until forever.”

Jiang Yueming stared at the ceiling as the words from the dream echoed in his mind.

So real…

He had nightmares before—far more terrifying scenes than this—but usually when he woke up scared, the dream itself would fade, leaving only a lingering dread in his chest.

This time was completely different. He could clearly see every fragmented image and hear every word of dialogue as if it had actually played out right in front of him.

“A little scary…”

Jiang Yueming muttered to himself. The silent ceiling seemed to twist into a ghastly grinning face staring back at him.

He shivered, pulled the blanket tighter around himself, and forced the thoughts away.

Just as he was about to drift off again—

Knock knock knock.

Someone was suddenly knocking on the front door.

“Who is it!”

He clicked his tongue, got out of bed, and walked to the living room to shout outside.

No answer came from beyond the door—only more knocking.

“Coming, coming. It’s the middle of the night—keep it down.”

Muttering, he gripped the doorknob and pulled it open, only to freeze on the spot.

A girl stood outside. Her white dress stood out sharply in the darkness. Her features were beautiful, with naturally graceful lines shaping her face. For some reason, an inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over him.

Moonlight fell across the white dress, making it look radiant and glowing in the dark.

“Ayue!”

The girl called out to him, her voice tinged with panic.

Jiang Yueming scratched the back of his head, confused.

“Uh… is there something you need?”

She knows me?

Before he could process it, the girl rushed forward, grabbed his hand, and started fiddling with something on his wrist. Jiang Yueming startled and yanked his arm back.

When they separated, a thin red string now circled his wrist.

The red string fit his wrist perfectly, seamless and knotless, as if it had been a loop from the moment it was made.

Jiang Yueming took a wary step back, brows furrowed tightly.

“What are you doing?”

The girl didn’t answer. She simply stared at him intently.

“I’m Little Su. Don’t you remember me?”

Jiang Yueming blinked in confusion.

Little Su? Who?

Seeing no reaction from him, the girl lowered her head, a flash of sadness crossing her face. But it lasted only a moment before she composed herself.

“That’s right. You haven’t remembered yet.”

Remembered what?

Irritation flared in Jiang Yueming. It was the middle of the night—she had come knocking on his door while he was trying to sleep, and now that he had opened it, she was talking in riddles instead of saying what she wanted.

He was about to speak when the girl suddenly grabbed his hand and started running. Caught off guard, Jiang Yueming nearly tripped. After a couple of steps he tried to pull free, but he couldn’t break away from the seemingly delicate girl.

A massive moon hung in the night sky. The streets were deserted. They ran through a world as silent as death, their footsteps echoing across the empty road.

Strangely, the brilliantly bright moon cast no light on the tall buildings on either side. The structures were painted in thick, inky blackness—too dark to make out any details.

The streetlights were gone…

That’s right—where did all the streetlights go?

Only the moon remained, the sole source of light in the entire world, as if it were the only other living thing besides the two of them.

“We’re almost there… we’re almost there…”

He heard the girl muttering under her breath, her voice soft—like a prayer or a plea for help.

Jiang Yueming looked up toward the distance. Beyond the horizon, there was nothing.

A jolt of fear crawled over him.

Why is it so empty?

How?

All the buildings ahead had vanished, leaving an endless stretch of blank nothingness.

With nothing to block his view, he could see the pale gray clouds at the edge of the sky and, behind them, an even deeper, blacker void.

Their pace quickened. Jiang Yueming’s hand was clamped tight as he was forced to run alongside her. He panted heavily, unable to speak.

Their desperate flight suddenly came to a halt.

Jiang Yueming bent over, gasping for air.

“You…”

He had barely managed to get a single word out when he saw the girl’s face turn deathly pale. She stood frozen, staring straight ahead.

A wave of foreboding surged through him. He followed her gaze.

In the middle of the street not far ahead, another figure blocked their path.

The moonlight was too bright, overexposing everything. The person’s face was hidden in the washed-out halo, features impossible to discern. Yet for some reason Jiang Yueming felt like he recognized them.

“Darling, where are you going?”

The moment the voice rang out, the world collapsed.

Under the glaring moonlight, the last thing Jiang Yueming saw was the girl turning to look at him.

Her eyes were filled with panic, reluctance, and something that twisted painfully in his chest.

Then everything shattered.

…

Seven o’clock in the morning.

When Jiang Yueming woke from the chain of looping dreams, Xia He’s message arrived right on time.

“Good morning ❤️”

“Awake yet? Don’t be late~”

The cold morning air filled his lungs. As his mind gradually cleared, Jiang Yueming noticed the red string now fastened around his wrist—appearing there at some point during the night.