Six months later, in the Fenghua Villa Area of Haicheng.
Meng Ruozhao suddenly opened her eyes after a thunderclap.
The window in the room was not closed. The howling wind blew in the cold air, and the curtains fluttered noisily.
She stared blankly at the bedside lamp for a while before gradually coming to her senses. Then she got up to close the window.
This was the seventh time.
It was the seventh time she had dreamed of a man.
Every time she woke up, she couldn't remember the man's appearance in the dream, nor could she recall the specific details.
All she remembered was that the man called her "Zhaozhao" and the faint, cold fragrance on his body.
She walked to the window and subconsciously glanced downstairs.
A black car was parked at the corner of the villa, and a man was standing in front of it.
She couldn't see his face clearly, but she could vaguely tell that he was a tall and straight man in a black suit, as if he was about to blend into the night.
He was probably waiting for someone.
Meng Ruozhao only took one look, but she felt a throbbing pain in her temples and a strange itching on the back of her neck.
It seemed as if a faint, cold fragrance of pinewood was blowing in with the wind, perfectly overlapping with the lingering scent in her dream.
Another thunderclap roared, and Meng Ruozhao suddenly came to her senses.
She reached out, closed the window, and drew the curtains in one smooth motion.
" I must go to the temple to pray tomorrow," she murmured softly as she lay back in bed.
It was too strange to keep dreaming of a faceless man.
However, the next morning.
When she declined to play golf in the afternoon on the pretext of "going to the temple" at the breakfast table, the atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
"Zhaozhao, are you having another argument with Young Master Yan?" her stepmother, Xia Lian, asked, seemingly concerned but actually fanning the flames.
"Zhaozhao, Dad is in the middle of discussing a resort project with Young Master Yan. You can't be so willful at this time," her stepsister, Du Xixi, quickly added.
The next second, before she could explain.
Her father, Du Feng, the head of the Du family, slammed down his chopsticks and scolded, "Stop being so unreasonable!"
No one dared to say a word at the table.
Meng Ruozhao scanned the people around her and felt suffocated.
This was the Du family, but she had the surname Meng.
It was said that she took her mother's surname.
The reason for the "it was said" was that she had been in a car accident abroad six months ago.
She had hit her head in the accident, which caused nerve damage. When she woke up, she found that she had lost a lot of her memories.
Du Feng happened to visit her at that time and brought her back.
Perhaps because of her amnesia, she always felt like an outsider in the Du family during the past six months.
Just like now, she caught a glimpse of Xia Lian and Du Xixi exchanging a look, and the same mocking expression flashed in their eyes.
Her half - brother, Du Changlin, was looking down at his phone, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Isn't Young Master Yan good enough to you? You either ignore him or act willfully," Du Feng said coldly, looking at her.
The sky had cleared outside, and the sunlight cast a deep shadow on his brow ridge, making people feel a chill down their spines.
Young Master Yan, Yan Qiubai, was Meng Ruozhao's fiancé.
It was said that he had fallen in love with her at first sight, and with the matchmaking of the two families, he had become her fiancé. They had been dating for a year.
However, she couldn't remember the details of their relationship at all, and she didn't even remember who he was. So she couldn't get close to him and always subconsciously avoided him.
At first, Yan Qiubai had tenderly said that he would give her time.
Even if she couldn't remember, he was confident that he could make her fall in love with him again.
But they still had a lot of conflicts, and they hadn't been in touch for half a month this time.
Because of this, Du Feng had scolded her more than once.
This golf game was obviously an olive branch extended by Yan Qiubai.
But she dared to refuse it.
Normally, Xia Lian would always be sarcastic about her getting engaged to the Yan family.
But at a time like this, she would surely take advantage of Du Feng's words to pour salt on her wounds.
"Yes, Zhaozhao, stop being so unreasonable. You should spend more time on Young Master Yan," she said with a smile.
The newly - done diamond - studded nails reflected a dim light in Meng Ruozhao's direction, like the eyes of a poisonous spider.
Three months ago, Meng Ruozhao had opened a high - end Chinese clothing customization store on her own. No one in the family thought highly of it, and they often mocked her.
She took a deep breath to suppress the anger rising in her heart.
How was she being unreasonable?
But past experiences had taught her not to confront Xia Lian head - on.
So, with a flutter of her eyes, her voice was filled with an uncontrollable sob when she spoke.
"I'm sorry, Dad. It's just that his birthday is coming soon, and I want to go to the temple to pray for his safety."
She held the chopsticks tightly, looking meek and innocent, showing no sign of impatience.
After staying at home for six months, she had already noticed that Du Feng, who was used to being the domineering head of the family, disliked being disobeyed the most.
Under his overbearing authority, she often felt that the so - called family bond was illusory.
But since she still had many things to figure out, she could only stay here and act like a well - behaved daughter.
Seeing her lower her head, Du Feng's tone softened.
"I'll give you credit for your thoughtfulness, Zhaozhao. You know about your past. Marrying Young Master Yan is really a step up for you."
"So be a good girl, okay?"
Meng Ruozhao bit her lip tightly and lowered her eyes, answering with a soft "um".
However, her knuckles, which had turned white from gripping the chopsticks, still betrayed her anger at the moment.
What past?
Was it the rumor that she had been rebellious before, got herself kept by a rich old man in order to study at a diploma mill abroad, and then was dumped after being used?
Meng Ruozhao had thought the rumor was absurd when she first heard it.
Logically speaking, the Du family was a well - known family in Haicheng.
Even if she took her mother's surname Meng, she was still Du Feng's biological daughter, wasn't she?
So why would she need to be kept by someone just to study abroad?
She had asked this question at that time.
However, Du Xixi, who had been gossiping about this in front of her, sneered.
"Who knows about you? Maybe you're just low - class and like old men."
"Too bad the man would never leave his wife for you. You were so pathetic, being a kept woman and making such a big fuss."
"If Dad hadn't spent a fortune to suppress the news, you would have become a well - known figure in Haicheng."
Du Xixi said that the car accident she had abroad six months ago was not an accident but man - made.
After her coming - of - age ceremony, she had a big argument with Du Feng over some trivial matters. She had said harsh words, claiming that she would rely on herself and trample everyone in the Du family under her feet.
As a result, she had found a rich old man and asked him to send her abroad.
However, she had poor academic performance and didn't achieve much in her studies abroad. Then she wanted the man to help her set up a company when she returned to China.
The man had already gotten tired of her and of course refused to spend any more money on her.
Out of unwillingness, she had threatened to break up with him.
She had even sent a video of herself drunk in a bar to the man.
Things had gotten out of control. The old man ignored her, and in her anger, she had driven drunk and had the car accident, which landed her in the hospital.
It was only then that the Du family found out that her so - called self - reliant way of going abroad to study was actually being kept by someone.
The school she attended was not the one she had told her family about but a diploma mill where anyone could get in as long as they paid.
The most troublesome thing was that the Du family had helped arrange her relationship with Yan Qiubai a year ago.
If the Yan family found out about this, not only her but also the Du family would be in big trouble.