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Chapter 2
It had been two days since she found him.
Two long, strange days.
He hadn't remembered anything—not his name, not where he came from, not even how he ended up in her room that night.
He only knew he'd woken up in her house, confused, in pain, and entirely alone.
Lin Yue had asked him everything she could think of.
"Do you remember your name?"
He shook his head. Confused.
"Anything about your family? Where you live? Your job?"
Still, nothing.
"I just remember waking up… here," he had said softly, his voice hoarse. "Everything else is… blank. I don't remember."
Blank. Like a page that had been wiped clean, his past erased with brutal precision.
At first, she thought it might have been temporary.
He was simply shaken, confused, lost in a fog of trauma.
But after two days of silence and emptiness in his eyes, Lin Yue realized there was something more to it.
His head injury was severe, and he couldn't even recall the simplest of things—his name, his life, or even the faintest hint of who he was before waking up in her apartment.
Worried, she took him to the hospital.
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She watched the doctors examine him, watched them shine lights into his eyes, perform scan after scan.
She tried to appear calm, but her heart beat faster with every minute.
After what felt like forever, the doctor finally emerged with a file in hand and a sympathetic expression.
"He suffered a strong blow to the head," the doctor explained. "It's no wonder he can't remember anything. Traumatic amnesia, likely retrograde. The memories may return gradually… or they might not return at all."
Lin Yue stared at the doctor in disbelief. "So… he might never remember who he is?"
"It's possible," the doctor said, looking at the scans results. "But don't lose hope. Brains are unpredictable. Sometimes all it takes is a scent, a sound, a familiar place to trigger something."
Lin Yue tried to process the information, her heart sinking at the thought of this stranger being alone in the world, with no memories and no one to turn to.
But what was she supposed to do? She couldn't just let him wander off into the world like this.
And so, she brought him back home.
Not because she knew what to do—but because she simply didn't know what else she could do.
Her apartment was small. Humble.
One bedroom and a narrow guest room that barely had space for a bed. But it was enough.
It had to be.
He didn't ask for much. He was polite, even awkwardly quiet at times.
He slept in the guest room.
She made dinner and he ate silently, eyes lowered.
It was strange, coming home and finding someone there.
A stranger when that someone didn't know anything about himself.
On the fifth day, Lin Yue woke up to sunlight already spilling through her curtains.
She shot upright in bed.
"Oh no…"
She had overslept.
She ran around getting ready.
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Work was a blur of apologies and fatigue. Her team leader wasn't pleased.
He glared at her with a disapproving frown.
"You're late, Lin Yue. Again," he muttered,the irritation and anger in his voice evident.
"I'm really sorry. It won't happen again," she said quickly, bowing her head.
"Deducting your pay for today. And you'll be doing overtime. Okay?"
Of course, it wasn't okay—but what choice did she have?
"…Yes," she whispered.
She spent the rest of the day on her feet, running errands, organizing files, fetching coffee, trying not to let her exhaustion show.
When the office finally dimmed and the clock struck eight, she grabbed her bag and left without a word.
The street was already dark when she stepped out.
The chill wind bit at her skin as she walked to the bus stop, her legs aching with every step. The thought of food was a distant dream. She just wanted to lie down.
Breathe.
Sleep.
By the time she reached her building, her limbs felt like lead.
She climbed the stairs slowly, dragging her feet.
But then… something hit her.
A strange smell.
Burning?
She paused at the third floor, sniffing the air.
It was faint, but distinct.
Charred. Smoky.
Was someone cooking while half-asleep?
She kept going,yawning sleepingly.
Fourth floor. Her floor.
Her heart grew uneasy.
The smell grew stronger.
Much stronger.
Her heart skipped.
No.
No, no, no…
She sprinted the last few steps.
When she reached her door, the smell was overwhelming now—thick and smoky.
Her mind snapped to attention, adrenaline flooding her chest.
She opened the door, hands shaking.
Something's wrong. Something's really, really wrong—
She pushed the door open.
And what she sees makes her blood run cold…
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