A familiar face came into her line of sight. She had pale skin and an exquisite face, but this time, she looked all over the place compared to when Han Muzi first met her—she had dark circles and unkempt hair. It was Duanmu Xue.
Why is she here? Han Muzi was shocked the moment she saw her. Her beautiful eyes looked confused. Weren’t those Yuchi Jin’s people? Why is Duanmu Xue here?
In her eyes, Duanmu Xue gradually put on an eerie smile on her face. She was staring at her quietly. “Aren’t you surprised to see me?”
Han Muzi pursed her lips and kept quiet. The back of her neck, her hands, and her feet were in pain. The only fortunate thing was that the baby in her belly was calm. However, she did not know when Duanmu Xue would make any drastic moves.
“I ordered to have you kidnapped and brought here. This is my territory, and it’s pretty easy to get you abducted with the power that the Duanmu family has.”
Han Muzi quickly looked around at her surroundings to better understand the environment. The decor around her looked similar to that of a hotel—just a lower-end version. Han Muzi remembered staying at a motel like this before when she was still working as a secretary. It was cheap as it only had a bed, a chair, and a bathroom.
The fact that Duanmu Xue brought her here and after connecting this with the time that Duanmu Xue went back to the Duanmu residence, Han Muzi quickly understood the situation. “And?”
Duanmu Xue heard Han Muzi’s voice as she asked the question. Hearing the latter’s tone, she squinted and stared at her. “Aren’t you scared?”
Han Muzi kept quiet.
“Weren’t you scared when you woke up to yourself being tied up? Aren’t you supposed to be terrified and crying? Why aren’t you scared? Why aren’t you screaming? Scream for Ye Moxuan to come and rescue you!”
“That’s why you brought me here?” Han Muzi frowned.
Duanmu Xue let out a cold laugh. “Of course not.” She stood up, slowly walked toward her, and squeezed Han Muzi by her chin. This caused Han Muzi to wince in pain. She subconsciously frowned but remained quiet.
Seeing that made Duanmu Xue squeeze her chin even harder. Her nails were sticking into her flesh, leaving a few fingernail marks on her fair chin. It seemed like this gave Duanmu Xue pleasure and excitement as her eyes lit up. She then asked proudly, “Isn’t it painful? Beg me to stop!”
Han Muzi remained silent. It was really painful, but it would cause her more pain to beg someone like her.
“Who do you think you are for me to beg you?” After Han Muzi struggled and got rid of her hand, she fell sideways. Seeing this, Duanmu Xue immediately thought of grabbing her again. At this point, Han Muzi commented, “Do you think treating me in this way would make Ye Moxuan change how he thinks about you?”
Her words seemed to have hit the nail on its head. Duanmu Xue stopped what she was about to do and looked extremely resentful. “You’re right; what I’m doing now won’t change how Ye Moxuan thinks about me. He’s still… never going to like me.”
At this point, Duamu Xue started to become sad. She closed her eyes and looked depressed, mumbling, “Why? I’ve been trying so hard to take care of him. I love him so much, but why won’t he even look at me? Just one look is enough.” Her tears came out from her eyes, rolled down her cheeks, and landed on the ice-cold floor.
Duanmu Xue fell and sat on the floor before Han Muzi’s eyes. She then looked up, teary-eyed.
“He’s lost his memory and has forgotten about everyone, including you. But why does he still like you? What spell have you cast on him?”
Han Muzi did not know how to respond. I didn’t cast any spell on him!
“You’re overthinking. There’s no such thing as spells. Sometimes, when someone remembers certain things, he or she would never be able to forget them. Even if one day you find yourself unable to recall them, these things have already been engraved on the tracks that you’ve laid in your life. They would not disappear even if you lost your memory.” Han Muzi sounded calm and gentle as if she was talking about something that had nothing to do with her. She, too, had no idea what caused Ye Moxuan to fall for her in the first place. Only after spending time together all these days was she able to come up with this theory. Though he had lost his memory, certain things that happened in the past were still there with him. Whenever he happened to be around someone he used to know, his brain and body would have certain reactions—it was nothing too strong, but it was there nonetheless.
Duanmu Xue listened to her while tears rolled down her cheeks.
Han Muzi lifted her head and looked at Duanmu Xue. “I understand that not being wanted might be the worst feeling one can have in this world. Sometimes, death doesn’t even come close to it. However, some things can’t be forced. You’ve been doing it wrong from the very beginning.”
“Doing it wrong? What have I done wrong?”
“You went against your principles and morality. If you stayed away from him and suppressed your desires the moment you found out about his identity, things would never have turned out the way they did. You’d never have to drug him, and never have to be kicked out from the Duanmu residence.”
The last sentence caused Duanmu Xue to slightly lose her cool. “No, you’re wrong! I didn’t get kicked out of the Duanmu residence. My grandfather is just upset for a while; after he calms down, I’ll still be the Young Lady of the Duanmu Family!”
“Really?” Han Muzi smiled gently. “What if he found out about this kidnapping?”
Duanmu Xue was stunned.
Han Muzi’s eyes were on her. “Do you think he would forgive you? Or would he be more disappointed in you?”
A few moments later, Duanmu Xue manically explained, “No, he won’t be disappointed in me. After all, I’m still his granddaughter, and I did not kidnap you. It’s the Yuchi family who kidnapped you. I just happened to pick you up from them. As long as I explain this to my grandfather, he would know that this has nothing to do with me.”
Han Muzi saw how she looked and realized that she was not sane. Otherwise, why would Duanmu Xue, who was well-educated, do something like this? She really could not understand how such a cultured person would be so psychologically fragile and weak, that a little setback could actually cause her to become so mentally unstable.
“How does this have nothing to do with you? As long as you’re involved, it doesn’t matter if you’re the mastermind or the perpetrator, you’re still part of it.” Han Muzi was on her own now. Only she could save herself. Right now, she could not afford to provoke Duanmu Xue. She considered for a moment and continued, “Let’s make a deal. If you let me go and leave this motel with me, I’ll forget everything that happened today.”
