Chapter 1

Xu Bai was particularly happy today because her archrival, Duan Chi, had been in a car accident!

From the day they met at eighteen, they'd been locked in a bitter rivalry. When Xu Bai ranked first in her class, Duan Chi had to compete. When Xu Bai was close to securing a project, Duan Chi would snatch it away. Whatever Xu Bai coveted, Duan Chi would claim. Even their differentiation had become a battle: one an Omega, the other an Alpha.

Now twenty-four, they had been rivals for six years, their mutual loathing evolving into mutual disgust.

Upon hearing of Duan Chi's accident, Xu Bai meticulously dressed in a designer outfit, applied flawless makeup, and styled her hair to perfection. To maximize her mockery, she even bought a bouquet of red roses and went to the hospital.

Hmmph, if Duan Chi dies today, I'll be in a good mood every single day.

Xu Bai pushed open the hospital room door, a smirk playing on her lips as she entered. The click of her heels on the polished floor echoed in the silence. With a subtle lift at the corners of her eyes, she added a seductive glint. She gazed at the figure propped up in the hospital bed and taunted, "Oh, you're not dead yet?"

When Duan Chi woke up, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. Gauze was wrapped around her forehead, and she had abrasions of varying degrees on her legs and arms. She had no memory of how she'd gotten to the hospital, her head throbbed painfully, and her phone was broken, leaving her unable to contact anyone.

And then there was the woman in front of her, whom Duan Chi had no recollection of. She eyed Xu Bai warily. Xu Bai was strikingly beautiful, with a high-bridged nose and thin lips, her face giving off an air of aloofness. But what struck Duan Chi most was the visceral revulsion she felt toward this woman, a feeling that welled up from the depths of her heart. She loathed this person before her.

She even felt disgusted by her.

"Who are you?" Duan Chi asked calmly. "Do we know each other?"

Xu Bai's smile faltered momentarily. She quickly assessed Duan Chi, trying to gauge how much of her question was genuine. The two women were complete opposites in style. Duan Chi had a gentle appearance, especially her peach-shaped eyes, which could look deeply affectionate even when gazing at a dog, yet always carried a hint of distance when looking at people. Xu Bai despised this facade the most.

"Duan Chi, you really don't remember me?"

Xu Bai narrowed her eyes. Her family situation was quite different from Duan Chi's. Xu Bai had lost her mother early, and her mother had been unfaithful. She wasn't very popular, her stubborn temper keeping her from forming any close bonds.

Duan Chi, on the other hand, wasn't from Port City. After both her mothers died early, they left her a substantial inheritance. She came to Port City for development and was well-liked, with many friends—a complete opposite to Xu Bai.

The hospital had called Xu Bai first to inform her of Duan Chi's car accident. Xu Bai felt she had done all she could, even paying Duan Chi's medical bills.

Duan Chi repeated firmly, "I don't know you. Who are you?"

Wow, this is interesting.

Xu Bai tossed the flowers aside casually. She approached Duan Chi, looking down at her disheveled state with amusement. A smirk played on her lips as she leaned in and said, "Xu Bai."

The name made Duan Chi frown involuntarily. She instinctively turned away, trying to avoid Xu Bai. This Omega wore a tight red pencil skirt, her wavy hair cascading around her shoulders. Her lipstick was bold, and her perfume cloyingly sweet. She found herself disliking this person intensely.

"I don't remember," Duan Chi said, sticking to her earlier words. "I don't know you."

Xu Bai raised an eyebrow, observing Duan Chi's expression. Seeing that she didn't seem to be lying, she stepped back slightly. She gave Duan Chi a suspicious glance before turning to find the doctor.

"We've encountered cases like this before. It's called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and it can cause temporary memory loss of people or events, especially those the person cares about most."

The doctor, seeing Xu Bai's concerned expression, assumed they were a couple.

As she listened to the doctor's explanation, Xu Bai thought to herself: Duan Chi does care about me—so much that she schemes to trip me up every day.

She clasped her hands, crossed her legs, and leaned back in the chair. "Then why did the hospital call me?"

The doctor recalled the situation. "After unlocking Miss Duan's phone, we saw she had just spoken with you. So we tried calling you, but the phone broke right after our conversation."

What were they doing then? Ah, they had just had a fight.

"I see."

Xu Bai lowered her gaze, picturing Duan Chi's face. A sudden idea struck her. She looked up at the doctor and asked again, "Doctor, how long does it typically take for someone in Duan Chi's condition to regain their memory?"

The doctor couldn't give a definitive answer, only saying, "The fastest recovery we've seen in cases like this is three months, but it still depends on the individual's condition."

Just as she finished speaking, she noticed Xu Bai seemed slightly lost in thought. She thought Xu Bai was about to cry and was about to comfort her when she heard Xu Bai's boisterous laughter: "Haha—"

Xu Bai laughed so hard tears streamed from her eyes. She stood up, feeling utterly triumphant. Duan Chi was finally going to fall into her hands.

"Thank you, Doctor."

Xu Bai turned to the doctor and winked playfully before striding toward Duan Chi's room.

Duan Chi wanted to figure out why Xu Bai was in the hospital. She clearly remembered being on a business trip the night before. And where was her driver?

"Duan Chi."

Hearing Xu Bai's voice, Duan Chi's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively frowned and looked over. She couldn't explain the hostility she felt, but she knew this person had bad intentions.

Xu Bai took a deep breath, tilted her head slightly, and gathered her emotions. She suppressed the urge to laugh and looked up with a pained expression: "So you really don't remember me."

Duan Chi's tone was sharp. She clenched her fist silently. "Who are you to me?"

"I'm your girlfriend."

Xu Bai pulled up a chair and sat down, her voice filled with anguish, as if Duan Chi had truly broken her heart. "I never thought you would forget me. To just throw away years of our relationship... it's so painful."

Heh, I hope it makes you sick.

Listening to Xu Bai's tone, Duan Chi's skin crawled, and her headache intensified. She didn't believe a word of it. "Impossible. I could never like an Omega like you."

Xu Bai nearly cracked, her expression stiffening slightly. "Why not?"

"I like gentle, sweet girls. You're completely outside my type." Duan Chi's voice was sharp and decisive, exactly as she had evaluated Xu Bai before.

"You're spoiled, brainless, and arrogant. Do you think everyone should revolve around you? Xu Bai, get a grip. What's likable about you?"

But Xu Bai didn't care. Resting her cheek on her hand, her arm propped against the chair back, she explained, "People change. And you were the one who pursued me. You went crazy when I didn't agree. We were even fighting about breaking up recently, right before your accident. You even called me to try and win me back. Otherwise, why would the hospital have called me?"

Xu Bai handed her phone directly to Duan Chi, her gaze confident. "Here are the call logs and chat history. We deleted everything a few days ago, but I just added you back today. Take a look at what you sent me."

Duan Chi: Answer the phone.

Duan Chi: What exactly do you want?

Duan Chi: I need to talk to you about something.

Xu Bai's tone was casual. "I understand your tone is a bit harsh, but I get it. After all, our argument wasn't one-sided."

Duan Chi remained skeptical. She wanted to take the phone, but the thought of touching Xu Bai's hand made her feel physically nauseated. Using Xu Bai's hand, she quickly flipped through the so-called evidence, but still didn't believe it.

How could I possibly have fallen for someone like Xu Bai?

"Just chat logs? These can all be fabricated."

Duan Chi snatched her hand back as if Xu Bai were some kind of monster.

Xu Bai didn't seem to mind Duan Chi's small movements. She withdrew her hand and said calmly, "I deleted everything. That's just how I am when I'm angry—I like to burn all the bridges. But I did keep one thing."

She found their only photo together and said, "Take a look."

This photo was taken when they first met at eighteen. Back then, she and Duan Chi weren't close, nor did they despise each other as they did now. The reason for taking the photo was her mother, who believed Duan Chi, an S-class Alpha, would be a suitable partner for her. However, at the time, her mother looked down on Duan Chi and even mocked her.

Back then, Xu Bai was still a naive and innocent girl. She felt sorry for Duan Chi and even offered her some words of comfort during the photo shoot. Who could have imagined their relationship would deteriorate to such an extent?

Looking at the photo, Duan Chi felt a sense of unfamiliarity. She recognized the eighteen-year-old version of herself, but she had no memory of this particular moment.

"The doctor said you have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It makes you forget important people and events."

Xu Bai put away her phone and pretended to wipe away tears. "Now you believe me, don't you?"

Duan Chi avoided Xu Bai's gaze, wondering how much of her words were true. "You claim to be my girlfriend. Then why did I have a car accident? Who were my driver and my friends? Can you tell me?"

Of course, Xu Bai could tell her. After all, Duan Chi's business trip was to steal her business opportunity. How could she not know?

She mentioned that Duan Chi had gone to discuss a business partnership and also updated her on the driver's condition: "The driver's injuries are quite severe; she's still in the ICU. I've already contacted her family, and I've paid for her medical expenses. As for your friend..."

Duan Chi was well-liked, with two close friends who were also her best friends. Since Duan Chi disliked her, those two friends felt the same way, often undermining her and making sarcastic remarks, though they maintained a cordial facade.

One cargo to load, two to carry.

Xu Bai named them, then lowered her head and began to cry, her sobs heart-wrenching. "I'm not on good terms with your friends. They look down on me. Duan Chi, even though we're breaking up, I really don't want you to forget me. You used to say you loved me so, so much—"

You hate me, you resent me, so—

Please forget me. Better yet, never remember me again.

Hearing this, Duan Chi finally began to believe her. Yet, looking at Xu Bai's pained expression, she felt no pity, which struck her as odd.

Have we really grown this estranged?

Duan Chi lowered her gaze. Are Xu Bai and I really a couple?

"I—"

"Duan Chi."

Xu Bai stood and approached Duan Chi, forcing herself to endure the revulsion as she took Duan Chi's hand. She carefully crafted an expression of deep affection in her eyes. "Don't leave me, okay? Let's get back together."

So dirty. I can't keep this hand.