Lin Xueyo/Shen Yichen
A scream caught in Lin Xueyo's throat as her body bolted upright in bed.
She looked around, drenched in cold sweat, her heart pounding like it wanted to jump out of her chest and run away.
"I…" she spoke out loud, her male voice rough and dry. She glanced down at her hands, touched her face, and sighed again.
She had a nightmare where she met the witch again, only for the evil woman to steal her face and pretend to be her.
Lin Xueyo shivered, hugging herself. It became more important now more than ever to find that woman and rectify everything.
A sharp throb of pain registered in her shoulder. That was when she looked down, and upon seeing the bandages remembered what had transpired.
A smile made its way to her lips.
I did it! All those romantic novels talk so much about laying your life down for the one you love. I finally did it.
Pride mixed with pain bloomed inside her heart. She felt a twinge of sadness that the emperor would never know it was Lin Xueyo that took the arrow for him, instead of Shen Yichen.
She looked down at her chest, bare and flat, her skin smooth and riddled with some faded scars. She touched her chest, wincing as the motion caused pain to shoot up her body.
It was real. Everything was real. She was still painfully trapped in the body of a man.
She swung her legs off the bed and tried to stand up. Dizziness hit her so bad she collapsed back into the bed, breathing hard, sweat breaking out on her forehead. Her body felt like all strength had been sucked out of her, and she could barely stand.
"What are you doing?" A cool voice asked from the doorway.
Startled, Lin Xueyo whipped around to see a tall man. The man had long hair braided, the thick braid resting on his left shoulder. His face was sharp and his eyes gentle but the corners of his mouth were hard. He was good looking too, in a way that signified a responsible man.
"Uh…" Lin Xueyo forced herself to stand, despite how hard her knees were knocking together, and despite the warmth of blood soaking into the bandages.
The man's eyes narrowed. "I asked you a question,"
"I'm going out." She replied. "I need to go to the market and…wait, who are you?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Sorry, sorry. It's just, a lot of things are very cloudy in my head right now. You're…."
The man gave an exasperated sigh like he was forced to deal with an unruly child. "I am Zhou Mingye,"
Lin Xueyo nodded sharply. The name didn't sound familiar, nor did it spark any hidden memories. "You work for the royal kitchens?"
Zhou Mingye looked offended. "You've become insolent."
Lin Xueyo bit her tongue. He didn't explain further, instead clasping his hands together in a graceful flourish.
"You must remain in bed till your injuries are healed."
"They are!" She argued.
Zhou Mingye's eyes moved to the bandages. Lin Xueyo looked down too, and she saw the wide red stain blooming over the pristine white. The sight caused a fresh wave of dizziness to slam into her, her stomach curling with nausea.
"Oh,"
"Have a good day." Zhou Mingye said and turned to leave.
"Wait! I really need to leave!" Lin Cueyo called out after him. He paused and turned to her. "Okay so, I need to visit my fiancée. It's been so long since we last—"
"Your fiancée?"
"Yes!"
Silence stretched between them for three seconds. "Your fiancée has not returned from the southern isles. If she has, I would be aware first."
Wait! Shen Yichen has a fiancée?! I'm not surprised he does with a face that handsome.
Lin Xueyo shook her head. "She's in the southern isles?"
Zhou Mingye's eyes narrowed in sharp, unadulterated suspicion. He calmly made his way over to Lin Xueyo, his robes swishing against the floors, his footfalls silent. Once he was close he grabbed her face and turned it side to side like he was inspecting a cut of meat at the market.
He leaned down, his gentle eyes turning cold as he asked; "Who are you?"
Lin Xueyo's blood ran cold.
He couldn't have noticed…right?
"I ask again, who are you?" Zhou Mingye repeated. His voice dropped several degrees and for a split second, Lin Xueyo glimpsed something utterly terrifying in his eyes.
"I…" her throat closed up, the words unwilling to come out. "I don't understand," she finished with a dry laugh. "I'm Shen Yichen."
Zhou Mingye's eyes narrowed into thin, vicious slits. "Liar."
Her heart slammed against her ribcage, blood rushing into her head and making her feel sick. "I-I'm not a liar. How can I lie about my identity?"
"What is your fiancée's name?"
Lin Xueyo's ears rang. "What?"
"Your fiancée," Zhou Mingye repeated firmly. "What is her name?"
Fear grabbed her heart and refused to let go. Cold sweat dripped down her temple and the centre of her back. She felt paralyzed under Zhou Mingye's stare. There was no malice in his voice, he was just asking her a question.
One that would end in him calling the guards to take away the imposter.
She tried to remember, to spark a memory, just like what happened in the forest with the ambush.
"Her name is—"