After I Lost My Memory, I Was Coaxed into Marriage by a Yandere - Chapter 1

In the early morning, Chi Wei opened her eyes to a misty haze. As before, she could see nothing clearly.

Half of her body was pressed against a slick, soft form, and a tickling warmth brushed against her neck. Hearing the steady, long breaths of the person lying over her, Chi Wei’s mind suddenly exploded.

Flashes of the previous night surfaced: downing glass after glass of strong liquor, the pungent spirit searing her throat and making her choke with coughs. She closed her eyes in frustration.

During these two months of amnesia, she had always maintained a faint, intangible distance from this woman, Xiao Yanyi, who claimed to be her wife. Xiao Yanyi’s care for her was undeniably meticulous, yet this kindness had come too suddenly and too perfectly. For the time being, Chi Wei simply could not fully settle herself into the role of a blind person with a family.

Last night, after Xiao Yanyi accompanied her back from the doctor, their helpful neighbor, Auntie Li, had dropped by with two jars of homemade rice wine. Amidst the casual chatter, Chi Wei felt a knot of gloom in her heart. Possessed by some inexplicable whim, she drank cup after cup of the wine Xiao Yanyi handed her.

And then, waking up this morning, there was a warm, soft person in her bed.

Chi Wei cautiously gave the person on top of her a nudge. Everywhere her fingertips touched was skin as smooth and firm as warm jade. The sensation made her mind tremble, and the half of her body being pinned down felt faintly numb.

She gripped the person’s arm and applied a bit of pressure, but her wrist was suddenly encircled by a warm hand. Chi Wei did not dare move and immediately held her breath. However, the person in her arms seemed somewhat annoyed by the disturbance. She rolled over, took Chi Wei’s hand, and pressed it against a soft, full curve.

“Xiao Chi, do not fuss. Let me sleep a bit longer.” Xiao Yanyi’s voice was lower and raspier than usual, carrying the lazy drawl of someone not yet awake. It was a sound that made one’s heart itch.

That call of “Xiao Chi” was so natural and intimate that the tight strings of Chi Wei’s heart relaxed slightly.

Thank goodness, it is Xiao Yanyi.

But just as that thought arose, an even more surging sense of strangeness swept over her. The skin beneath her palm was warm and soft, so delicate that there was not a single shred of fabric in the way.

This realization sent all the blood in Chi Wei’s body rushing to her head; her cheeks and ears burned intensely. That slick, scorching sensation traveled from her palm like an electric current, engulfing her entire being.

Thump. Thump.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably, and her mind went blank.

Chi Wei did not dare move an inch. She had never found time so difficult to endure. Even when she had first woken up to the news of her blindness and amnesia, sitting vacantly in the courtyard for a whole day, she had not suffered as much as she did now.

She felt like a stiff stone statue, enduring several agonizing hours in this embrace of warm fragrance and soft jade.

It was not until the sound of very light footsteps came from outside, followed by a knock on the door and the clear, youthful voice of Xiao Yanyi’s younger sister, Xiao Tan.

“A-Jie, are you in there?”

The person in her arms finally moved. A corner of the quilt was lifted, allowing a draft of cool air to slip in. Her arms were suddenly empty. Chi Wei, who should have felt relieved, inexplicably felt a sense of loss.

“I am here. What is it?” Xiao Yanyi answered.

“Breakfast is ready! When are you two getting up?”

“Coming,” Xiao Yanyi said, throwing back the covers and sitting up.

The blanket over Chi Wei was gently pulled away, and the chill returned, but soon, a soft garment was wrapped around her. Chi Wei fumbled to put it on, her hands shaking slightly. It was unclear if it was from nerves or the chill in the room.

She truly could not piece together any fragments of what happened after getting drunk last night.

The rustle of sliding fabric reached her ears; it was Xiao Yanyi dressing. In the silence of the room, the sound was exceptionally clear. Chi Wei’s mind involuntarily traced some graceful silhouettes, but she quickly shook her head to drive the fantasies away.

Taking advantage of the gap while dressing, she gathered her courage once more.

“A-Yan, after I got drunk last night, did we do anything we should not have?”

The hand tying her robe’s belt paused slightly. Then, as usual, Xiao Yanyi took her hand and guided it into her sleeve, her movements gentle and precise.

“What is it that you think should be done? And what is it that you think should not be?”

Xiao Yanyi was much like the temperature of her palms: always gentle and warm.

In these two months, Chi Wei could feel the thoroughness of her tender care. Yet beneath that gentleness, there was a supple strength. She was not blindly indulgent; if Chi Wei’s words or actions showed excessive distance or probing, that warm jade would reveal a perfectly measured hint of coolness, letting her know where the boundaries lay.

At this moment, this deflective counter-question left Chi Wei somewhat unable to cope.

“I mean, how did we end up sleeping in the same bed? Did I take advantage of the alcohol to be rude to you?” The blood-pumping sensation from when she woke up was still fresh in her memory. Even though she had not dared to explore further, she knew Xiao Yanyi had been wearing very little at the time.

“No. Your eyes are inconvenient and you were so drunk. What could you have possibly done? Besides, are you not wearing your own nightgown perfectly well?” Xiao Yanyi answered concisely, casually tucking a stray lock of sleep-mussed hair behind Chi Wei’s ear.

Hearing this, Chi Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her body relaxed, but she could not see the smile fade from the face of the person beside her.

“What’s wrong with you two, staying in bed until noon? How embarrassing.”

Xiao Tan was Xiao Yanyi’s younger sister. She was lively and active, only seven years old. The biggest impression she left on Chi Wei was her greed for food, though Chi Wei herself could not eat meat because the smell made her feel nauseous.

This sister was someone Xiao Yanyi had taken in, and they shared no blood relation. After learning this, Chi Wei felt even more that Xiao Yanyi was a virtuous person. Whether toward her or Xiao Tan, it was an immense kindness.

Xiao Yanyi remained silent for a long time. Chi Wei could not withstand the awkwardness and had to brace herself to respond. “I drank a bit too much last night. Sorry for making you worry.”

Xiao Tan blinked, looking like a little adult. “Hurry up and eat. If you dawdle any longer, the porridge will be stone cold!”

The rice porridge was fragrant and warm, soft and delicious to the palate. When Xiao Yanyi had business away from home, the cooking was left to Xiao Tan. Being young, she did not know how to cook dishes and could only brew rice porridge.

Chi Wei felt she could not remain despondent forever; she had to do something to share Xiao Yanyi’s burden. Her eyes were blind and she could not see, so her options were far too few. She thought back and forth but could not think of anything suitable for herself.

During the day, while Xiao Yanyi was away, she stayed in the courtyard with Xiao Tan.

Xiao Tan loved sitting on that simple swing, swaying back and forth as if she would never tire of it. Amidst the creak of the swing were her crisp, rambling descriptions, painting pictures over and over of the rapeseed flower field across from their gate: how dazzlingly bright they were in the sunlight, and how they rippled into golden waves when the wind blew.

Chi Wei nodded in agreement, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Sleeping in the same bed last night had been too sudden; before this, she and Xiao Yanyi had never shared a couch. Right now, her mind was full of plans on how to speak up in the evening and suggest they go back to sleeping in separate beds.

It was not until nightfall that Xiao Yanyi finally returned, after Chi Wei and Xiao Tan had finished dinner. Chi Wei did not ask where she had been; her mind was consumed with worry about how to bring up the sleeping arrangements.

As the sun set, the hazy light before Chi Wei’s eyes turned into total darkness.

When Xiao Yanyi helped Chi Wei back to the room, both stopped simultaneously at the door. Xiao Yanyi stood quietly, seemingly waiting for her to say something. Chi Wei struggled for a few breaths, eventually pinched her fingertip hard, and mustered the courage to say a word of thanks.

Shortly after she fumbled her way onto the bed, the room suddenly grew dim, followed by the sound of the wooden door closing. Xiao Yanyi had just put out the candle and left.

The world returned to silence. Chi Wei, who had been conflicted all day, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyelids grew heavy, and her breathing became steady.

Just after she fell asleep, mist rose silently outside the courtyard wall. A silhouette slowly peeled away from the fog. This thing’s neck was empty and hollow, the severed edge jagged, yet there was not a single drop of blood. It floated eerily toward Chi Wei’s bedroom without its feet touching the ground.

As it passed the corner, the female ghost seemed to perceive something, and her figure suddenly stalled. Xiao Yanyi was leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. Her plain clothes blended into the moonlight, and only her eyes slowly lifted, sweeping over with a lazy gaze.

“Hurry up and go in.”

The mist swirling around the female ghost suddenly shrank back, trembling violently as if it had been scorched. She did not dare stay a moment longer. Her form abruptly turned into a wisp of blue smoke and scrambled frantically through the crack in Chi Wei’s door.

About the time it takes to finish a cup of tea later.

“Ah!”

A short, sharp scream shattered the silence.

Chi Wei rushed out of the room barefoot, stumbling straight into the arms of Xiao Yanyi, who was guarding the door.

“There is… there is a ghost.” Her voice shook, almost incoherent.

Xiao Yanyi caught her steadily, her palm lightly stroking Chi Wei’s back, which was tense from fright. Her voice was low and gentle as always. “Xiao Chi, do not be afraid. Did you have a nightmare?”

Chi Wei: “I do not know, but there is a headless person in white in my room. That person is wearing prison clothes, holding their own head, with disheveled hair and bleeding from the seven orifices!”

She tightly circled Xiao Yanyi’s waist. The familiar, faint fragrance calmed her heart slightly. Meanwhile, Xiao Yanyi’s gaze drifted casually toward the half-open door; the moonlight reflected in her eyes, calm and without a ripple.

“It must have been a nightmare that haunted you. After all, your eyes have not been cured yet.”