After I Lost My Memory, I Was Coaxed into Marriage by a Yandere - Chapter 2

Chi Wei’s grip around Xiao Yanyi’s waist loosened slightly as a sense of trance washed over her. She had been blind for a long time and could see nothing; how could she have “seen” a silhouette just now?

Yet, the chill was undeniable. It was a piercing, bone-deep cold, like a damp mist clinging to her skin. The vision had felt real: empty prisoner’s robes swaying in the moonlight, standing right at her bedside, so close that it felt as if the figure could reach out and strangle her at any moment.

“But,” her lips trembled as she spoke, but before she could finish, Xiao Yanyi pulled her closer.

“Do not be afraid. I am here.”

Chi Wei nodded. As she calmed down, she realized she might be overreacting. Her foot brushed against something soft; the texture was clearly that of a quilt.

“A-Yan, why were you sleeping outside my room?”

Xiao Yanyi’s hesitant voice reached her ear. “I was worried about you.”

In an instant, Chi Wei understood. Xiao Yanyi was afraid Chi Wei would fall because of her blindness, which was why she slept by the door. No wonder every time Chi Wei felt thirsty at night, she happened to run into Xiao Yanyi getting up for water as well.

She gripped Xiao Yanyi’s cold wrist, overwhelmed by a wave of guilt. “A-Yan, come inside and sleep with me. I am a little scared.”

“Really? You are not afraid of me?” Xiao Yanyi’s voice was soft and gentle.

“I may be blind, but I know you are truly good to me.” Chi Wei bent down to pick up the quilt from the floor and led her back inside. “Besides, this was originally our shared room. I was too sensitive before and kept it all to myself. If anyone should sleep on the floor, it should be me.”

As they re-entered the room, a gust of wind blew toward them. Chi Wei instinctively stepped back to shield Xiao Yanyi. A cold, eerie aura rushed over her, strikingly similar to the nightmare from moments ago. However, the sensation vanished in an instant.

Chi Wei, who had intended to sleep on the floor, swallowed her words. She figured that since they had already slept together the previous night, there was no point in being difficult now. With Xiao Yanyi by her side, Chi Wei did not want to say anything frightening in the middle of the night. Bracing herself, she continued toward the bed.

“A-Yan, can you light the candle?”

“It is not that I am afraid, I just,” Chi Wei could not finish the sentence. The truth was that she was terrified.

Fortunately, Xiao Yanyi did not press her and silently lit the candle. She was always so considerate. With a flicker of light now present, Chi Wei finally felt better.

She nudged Xiao Yanyi to sleep on the inner side while she fumbled her way onto the outer side of the bed. Lying together was much warmer than sleeping alone. When a chill touched her calf, Chi Wei immediately tucked her feet under the other woman’s. They were ice-cold.

Chi Wei frowned slightly. “When we went to the clinic, why did you not have the doctor check you over as well?”

“Hmm?” Xiao Yanyi murmured.

Chi Wei moved her feet against the soles of Xiao Yanyi’s feet to remind her. Xiao Yanyi’s lips curled into a slight smile. “I am perfectly healthy. The doctor checked me long ago. I have always been like this, so you do not need to worry.”

Unsure if she was telling the truth, Chi Wei made up her mind to have the doctor give A-Yan a proper examination the next time they visited.

As if sensing Chi Wei’s thoughts, Xiao Yanyi said softly, “You have said the same thing to me before. It seems you really have not changed at all.”

Chi Wei smiled and said nothing, reaching out to hold Xiao Yanyi’s hand to keep it warm.

Silence returned to the room. Because her vision was poor, every little rustle made her think of the nightmare. To make matters worse, a strange wind whistled outside, and scuttling sounds kept echoing within the room. At every little noise, she pressed closer to Xiao Yanyi, eventually crowding her into the corner against the wall.

“A-Yan, we do not have mice in the house, do we?”

Xiao Yanyi watched the nervous Chi Wei with a faint smile. “Auntie Li’s cat from next door visits often. Mice would not dare patronize our home.”

Chi Wei was not convinced. She pulled the quilt up to cover both of their necks. “Then did you hear that strange noise? That scuttling, could it be cockroaches?”

Under the covers, Xiao Yanyi’s palm rested on Chi Wei’s back, gently patting her. “That is even less likely. The house is kept very clean. Did you see something?”

Chi Wei huddled further into Xiao Yanyi’s arms, practically clinging to her body. “I heard it. Did you not hear it?”

Aside from a female ghost standing outside the bed curtains carrying her own head and wandering back and forth—her long hair brushing the floor with a faint sound—Xiao Yanyi truly did not hear any other scuttling.

Xiao Yanyi propped herself up slightly and looked at the bewildered ghost standing in the center of the room. She tilted her chin slightly toward the door. Understanding the gesture, the ghost trembled, drifted through the wall, and vanished.

A moment later, the sound of rhythmic, infant-like wailing rose from under the eaves. The sound made Chi Wei jump, but Xiao Yanyi immediately covered Chi Wei’s ears with her hands.

Chi Wei swallowed hard, her voice trembling and barely a whisper. “A-Yan, did you hear that?”

“Do not be afraid. I will help you forget those sounds, alright?” Xiao Yanyi’s palm moved up from Chi Wei’s back until it rested on the nape of her neck.

“How do I forget?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Chi Wei felt Xiao Yanyi’s palm gently cup the back of her head. Before she could react, a warmth descended upon her lips. In an instant, she froze and her mind went blank. She forgot all about the intermittent ghostly wails outside the window.

Xiao Yanyi’s lips lingered on hers, sometimes sipping gently and sometimes nibbling softly. Chi Wei did not know how to respond, but in that tender invasion, she gradually felt a tingling sensation in her chest, like a faint electric current. She instinctively raised her hand, resting her palm lightly against Xiao Yanyi’s side.

Strictly speaking, they had been a couple for many years, yet Chi Wei sensed something in this kiss: a sort of raw, clumsy exploration and a head-on demand for more. Fortunately, the other woman quickly found her rhythm.

Chi Wei gradually found herself unable to keep up. Dazedly, she thought that perhaps it had simply been too long since they were this intimate and Xiao Yanyi was just a little out of practice. The feeling of being kissed was not unpleasant. In fact, when she tightened her grip and noticed Xiao Yanyi’s breath hitch, a sudden impulse flashed through Chi Wei’s mind to flip over, pin her down, and tease her back.

She exerted a bit of strength, but Xiao Yanyi was faster. Chi Wei was gently pressed back into the mattress, and her wrists were pinned beside her pillow. By now, Xiao Yanyi was no longer cold; a faint warmth radiated through her thin clothing. Chi Wei felt her waist loosen as her already loose robe began to slip. In a panic, she turned her head away and gasped for air as she pressed down on the hand attempting to reach inside.

“Wait, should we not sleep? You have to transcribe books for the bookstore tomorrow.”

Xiao Yanyi came from a scholarly family and possessed beautiful, elegant handwriting. According to Xiao Yanyi’s account, Chi Wei had once been her family’s servant. When their families forbade their union, they eloped. Not long ago, Chi Wei had injured her head, resulting in memory loss and blindness. Xiao Yanyi now supported the household, as well as Chi Wei and the maid Xiao Tan, by transcribing books.

Unfortunately, in this remote fishing village, few people had the money to buy books or the refinement to appreciate calligraphy. Consequently, the income was erratic.

“Do you not like it?” Xiao Yanyi propped herself up, her breathing still uneven. Her gaze fell on Chi Wei’s face, filled with a suppressed, obsessive desire.

Chi Wei’s cheeks burned. Her lips moved, but she could neither say she liked it nor that she did not.

“It is not that. It is just, do you not have a busy day tomorrow? Staying up too late is not good.”

“It does not matter,” Xiao Yanyi whispered, leaning down to kiss the sensitive side of her neck.

Chi Wei turned her head and pulled the quilt between them, clenching her teeth and remaining silent as she resisted the other’s attempt to go further. But the other woman’s strength was suddenly immense. Chi Wei felt a warm breath against her neck, followed by a sharp sting. A numbing sensation spread from her right shoulder throughout her body. After that, her mind went blank, and she remembered nothing more.

Suppressed breathing rose and fell in the room. A slender, graceful silhouette was cast upon the bed curtains, with its head tilted back and hands braced against the edge of the bed, swaying and rising in a certain rhythm.

After about fifteen minutes, the shadow suddenly trembled violently, like a string pulled too tight. Suddenly, the strength left her; her breath caught, and she slumped down softly. The rustle of clothing sounded from within the curtains.

With a swish, the curtains were pulled open. Xiao Yanyi walked out barefoot. The flush on her cheeks had not yet faded, but her brow was slightly furrowed and her eyes were misty with an indistinguishable mix of shame and irritation.

She walked quickly across the bedroom. As she passed the door, the ghost that had been wailing by the window trembled violently, bowing and scraping toward her. Xiao Yanyi did not even give it a glance. With a casual wave of her hand, the prisoner-like spirit dissolved into a cloud of smoke, scattering into the night breeze until it vanished completely.

A dim, yellow light flickered in the courtyard’s bathhouse, illuminating the window.