Chapter 1

"Wen Zhiyu, after we're married, I hope you'll stop going out and making public appearances. We're not short of money in the Chu family, and we can certainly support you. Why do you need to work yourself to the bone day and night, rushing between appointments?"

"Making public appearances? In your eyes, is my work really worth so little?"

Hearing Wen Zhiyu's name, Yan You jolted awake, suddenly realizing she had woken up on a sofa. She slowly stood up and followed the sound to the window.

In the corner below, two people were arguing. One was wearing a wedding dress and was strikingly beautiful—upon closer inspection, she was identical to the photos Yan You had just searched for. Wasn't this the Queen of Song, Wen Zhiyu, who had just been declared dead?

The other was a tall, burly Alpha in a suit, with a rather unremarkable appearance.

The man in the suit sighed, looking impatient. "It's not that it's worthless, but I just don't see the point."

Wen Zhiyu's expression remained calm. "What if I refuse?"

"Then let's postpone the wedding for now. I think we both need to reconsider. When you've come to your senses, I'll talk to my mother again. After all, you're the one who needs this marriage to clear your name, not me."

Yan You rested her elbow on the windowsill, a mischievous grin spreading across her face as she watched the two figures below. She figured she must have read too many articles about Wen Zhiyu and was having a dream.

Wen Zhiyu: S-class Omega, exceptionally beautiful, immensely talented, and a renowned philanthropist...

Debuted at 17, her self-written hit song "Unwilling" swept the nation, catapulting her to stardom. In 2599, at age 27, she was embroiled in a family scandal, facing contract termination, online harassment, and massive compensation claims, nearly going bankrupt.

In 2600, at 28, she participated in the variety show "Permanent Contract" with her wife Yan You. Their loving and sweet portrayal earned them the title of "Most Popular Artist of the Year," revitalizing her career. But later, Wen Zhiyu pushed Yan You off a cliff. Convicted of intentional homicide, she was sentenced to life imprisonment. She died in 2622 in prison from complications of gland disease, at the age of 50.

She'd had plenty of strange dreams before.

Even if she wouldn't remember any of it upon waking, this dream felt too real. Even her phone was an old model from twenty years ago.

Even in her dream, Yan You didn't want to miss such a dramatic scene. She activated her phone's video recording and aimed it at the scene below.

In her dream, Wen Zhiyu was more like the woman from that year when her family was implicated in bribery, her reputation was tarnished, and her career had plummeted to rock bottom. It was the day she was supposed to marry Chu Ao, the son of the media department director.

The news reports had only briefly mentioned that Wen Zhiyu had backed out of the wedding at the last minute, transferring her marriage to Yan You, the mayor's only daughter. Now, her dream had revealed the truth.

Looking at the scene now, it seemed less like Wen Zhiyu had backed out and more like she had been jilted.

Even though this woman was a wife-murdering villain, her beauty was truly dazzling. Yan You couldn't understand how such a cruel heart could reside within such a radiant exterior.

Slap—

Suddenly, a sharp crack from downstairs startled Yan You, her jaw dropping in shock.

Wen Zhiyu, dressed in a haute couture wedding gown, stood with a cold expression. She flicked her wrist, her meticulously applied makeup radiating an aloof, condescending chill. "Someone like you isn't worth considering. Consider this slap our final settlement."

The slap was both forceful and resounding. Under the blazing sun, Chu Ao's face instantly turned a mottled, liver-like hue, his hair, stiff with hairspray, was disheveled and fell limply over his face.

Never having been so humiliated, Chu Ao raised his hand to slap Wen Zhiyu back.

"Hey! What are you two doing?"

Yan You noticed Chu Ao's towering stature—at least six feet tall, a full head taller than Wen Zhiyu. Influenced by her mother, Yan Huiwen, she couldn't stand seeing the strong bully the weak. Without hesitation, she leaned out half her body, phone in hand, and yelled at them, trying to stop Chu Ao from attacking Wen Zhiyu.

When Chu Ao looked up and saw Yan You, and remembered the anonymous text he'd recently received, he felt his head practically glow with rage.

"So it's because of her that you don't care about marrying me, huh?" Chu Ao pointed at Wen Zhiyu, his index finger trembling with fury. He shot Yan You a venomous glare, clenched his fist, gritted his teeth, and stormed into the building, charging toward the room where Yan You was.

Yan You stood frozen, bewildered by his deranged behavior. Downstairs, Wen Zhiyu looked up at her urgently, shouting, "He's gone insane! Close the door! I'll get security!"

"What?" Yan You snapped out of her daze. Seeing Wen Zhiyu fleeing and realizing Chu Ao was coming for her, she finally understood.

She scrambled to lock the door, but it was too late. Despite her height of 1.75 meters and years of kickboxing lessons from Yan Huiwen, she'd never actually fought in a real brawl. In that moment of hesitation, the furious Chu Ao burst through the door.

Before she could react, her vision went black as a punch sent her reeling backward.

Today is just the worst.

But in a dream, I shouldn't feel pain!

Two steps back, Yan You instinctively spun around and landed a whip kick to Chu Ao's waist.

Having never sparred, she didn't know her own strength. In the chaos, she heard Chu Ao's pained cry as he crumpled to the floor, his neck and face flushing crimson like a shrimp with its vein removed.

Five minutes later, Wen Zhiyu arrived with security guards to drag him to the infirmary.

Even after the guards had dragged him far down the hallway, Yan You could still hear his resentful voice echoing through the corridor, full of curses directed at her:

"Yan You, you bastard! Meddling in other people's relationships? You're going to die a horrible death!"

Purely delusional. First time meeting Wen Zhiyu today, and she's a wife-killer? I wouldn't date her even if she offered me five million!

Yan You's reflection stared back at her from the bathroom mirror.

Her black, medium-length hair, damp with water, clung to the sides of her face. Yan You casually swept it back with wet hands, revealing her complete features.

Double eyelids, a high-bridged nose, and thin lips pressed into a tight line. It was the dark circles under her eyes that significantly diminished her beauty.

She never imagined that what had just happened wasn't a dream; the pain was too real. What on earth had happened? Could she have somehow returned to the year 2600?

Just a moment ago, she'd been on a bus to the newspaper office, intending to give her mother the major news she'd accidentally seen in the library. How could a brief nap have inexplicably landed her here, and earned her such a heavy blow?

She turned her head, the wound still oozing blood. Red liquid trickled down her cheek, threatening to stain her white shirt. Yan You hastily shifted to avoid it and reached for the tissues on the sink.

Dampening them with cold water, she carefully wiped the blood from the corner of her eye. The wound was deeper than it looked; as soon as she wiped away the blood, new beads emerged. Once she finally cleaned it up, Yan You leaned closer to the mirror and couldn't help but gasp.

In just this short time, the area around her eye had turned purple and swollen.

"Yan You."

A cool, clear female voice came from behind.

Turning around, Yan You saw Wen Zhiyu standing in the mirror's blind spot. She was wearing the wedding dress she'd seen downstairs, where she'd slapped someone. The pure white satin gown accentuated her slender figure, the skirt flowing like liquid silk behind her.

Her eyes were perfectly shaped like peach blossoms, with light-colored irises. Her upper lip was thin, her lower lip slightly fuller, and her Cupid's bow distinct. A faint smile played at the corners of her mouth, but it carried a detached, unapproachable coldness.

Her beauty was distant, the kind that made one hesitate to strike up a conversation.

As Yan You turned to face the beautiful woman before her, she felt a surge of fear. If she had truly time-traveled, it was likely connected to the note she'd found in the library. Remembering the contents of the yellowed paper, Yan You wanted to flee immediately.

"How about marrying me? You can set the terms—any amount of money you want is negotiable."

Yan You had just taken a step when her wrist tightened in Wen Zhiyu's grip. The sudden contact startled her, and she quickly tried to pull away.

Yan You's face paled. She couldn't believe her charm was so irresistible that Wen Zhiyu would want to marry her after just one glance. When something seemed too good to be true, it usually was.

"I can't. You should find someone else."

"Then I'll call the police." Without further argument, Wen Zhiyu expressionlessly raised her phone and began dialing.

"No need, I'm not seriously injured. Don't go to the trouble of calling the police," Yan You quickly interjected, instinctively afraid her mother, Yan Huiwen, would find out she'd been in a fight.

Leaning against the wall, Wen Zhiyu looked up indifferently, her voice turning icy. "You assaulted my fiancé. According to the law, and with the Chu family's lawyers, you'd be locked up for at least a year or two. You think you can just decide not to? I don't think so."

"What? He hit you, and I helped you! Now you're calling the cops on me? How could you be so ungrateful?" It's like a dog biting the hand that feeds it.

"Yes, but now my fiancé is out of the picture. If I don't have a spouse by tomorrow, it'll be on the front page again... If you're unwilling, I'll have to call the police. The news of the mayor's only daughter and the Chu family's sole heir brawling and ending up in jail will surely overshadow tomorrow's headlines."

Yan You froze, her heart pounding. She suspected Wen Zhiyu was trying to scare her because she was young, but she couldn't afford to gamble.

What if I actually go to jail? The thought of a life of hardship and no freedom made her shudder.

But... the mayor's only daughter?

Wen Zhiyu stepped closer, her voice laced with seductive charm. "Of course, if you help me this time, when the Chu family sues you, I'll testify for my Alpha. But who that Alpha will be... that's up to you."