He tricked the female lead into becoming his boyfriend, but then went on to criticize the male lead.

Fu Yanchen bent down, his movements slow but swift, and gently untied the soft straps wrapped around Sang Jiuning's slender wrists and ankles.

Just now, in order to prevent her from losing control under hypnosis, he had no choice but to restrain her. The straps were very soft and would not hurt her skin at all, but he was still very careful. When his fingertips touched the delicate skin of her wrist, the force was so light that it was almost devout.

After untying the last loop of the bindings, Fu Yanchen bent down, steadily reached under her knees and back, and lifted the powerless little girl into his arms.

Sang Jiuning was very light, and she leaned quietly in his arms, looking completely unguarded, which made the darkness in Fu Yanchen's eyes deepen.

He carried her steadily out of the guest room, all the way to Sang Jiuning's private bedroom, and gently placed her in the soft bedding.

After doing all this, he took the soothing ointment that had been prepared and applied a suitable amount with his fingertips, focusing his gaze on the faint red marks on her wrists and ankles.

The movements were extremely gentle, rubbing the ointment little by little, afraid of hurting the sleeping person if too much force was used.

The room was quiet, with only his soft breathing as the only sound.

After applying the medicine, Fu Yanchen straightened up, looked down at the person on the bed for a few seconds, and then got up and left.

The next day at noon, he walked into Sang Jiuning's room, his thin lips parted slightly, and he snapped his fingers crisply.

The crisp sound spread throughout the quiet room.

The next second, the girl on the bed trembled slightly with her eyelashes and slowly lifted her heavy eyelids.

Sang Jiuning's eyes were unfocused and confused, her mind was extremely foggy, as if she had been sleeping for days, and her limbs were sore and tired.

With blurred vision, the first thing that caught my eye was Fu Yanchen's familiar and gentle face.

In the midst of a chaotic consciousness, an instinctive dependence surged into my heart.

Her voice was hoarse and soft, still carrying the dazed and confused feeling of just waking up, as she gently asked, "Brother, what's wrong with me?"

Fu Yanchen instantly concealed all the darkness in his eyes and reverted to his gentle, considerate, and protective older brother persona.

"You suddenly fainted last night and kept having nightmares after falling asleep, flailing your arms and legs wildly. I was afraid you might scratch yourself or hurt yourself unconsciously, so I had no choice but to tie your hands together temporarily to stabilize you. Don't be afraid, you're awake now and everything will be alright."

Sang Jiuning nodded blankly, her head still heavy and in a daze.

She blinked, trying to process his words, and softly asked, "How long did I sleep? It felt like forever."

"One night plus half a day." Fu Yanchen's voice remained gentle, his gaze fixed on her face, never wavering.

Upon hearing this time, Sang Jiuning instantly became much more awake, and any lingering sleepiness vanished.

One night plus half a day?

How could you sleep for so long?

She leaned against the headboard, her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes lowered as she tried to recall the scene before she lost consciousness.

She remembered clearly that she and Fu Yanchen ate cake together last night. The two of them sat in the living room chatting, and there was nothing wrong with them at all, nor did she show any signs of fainting.

No matter how hard she tried to recall, all the scenes after she fainted were blank; she had no memory of anything.

Just as she was filled with doubt and puzzlement, a large number of unfamiliar fragments of memory suddenly flooded into her mind.

It wasn't her experiences since transmigrating into the book, nor was it the original owner's daily life from childhood to adulthood; it was an incredibly repressive and dark past—

The image is blurry, but it feels incredibly real.

The other "Sang Jiuning" was completely imprisoned by Wen Zhaoci, trapped in a confined space, deprived of her freedom, and suffered torment every day, ultimately meeting an extremely tragic end.

This memory came unexpectedly, forcibly crammed into her mind, causing her temples to throb and waves of dull pain to spread.

Sang Jiuning's pupils contracted slightly, her heart was filled with a huge wave of emotions, and she was completely stunned.

In his past life? Was the original owner imprisoned by Wen Zhaoci in his past life?

What exactly is going on?

Her mind raced as she calmly sorted through all the logic, her doubts growing ever deeper.

She was a transmigrator; the true soul of this body had long since dissipated. Her own soul had always occupied this body, and she was the only one in the entire story.

According to the logic of all online novels, this simply doesn't make sense.

If the original owner really had memories of her past life and was truly reborn, then she would have carried the painful memory of being imprisoned by Wen Zhaoci. After transmigrating into the book, she should have had that memory, and her first action would definitely have been to stay away from Wen Zhaoci as far as possible, avoiding him at all costs. There would have been no subsequent events.

This is the biggest logical flaw.

What's even stranger is that her soul is independent and complete, so how could the original owner's rebirth memories suddenly appear in her mind?

This is completely illogical!

The more Sang Jiuning thought about it, the colder she felt, and the more doubts piled up in her heart.

This suddenly appearing memory doesn't seem like a real past recollection at all; it's more like a cognition that was forcibly implanted and deliberately instilled.

The pain in her temples grew stronger and stronger, a dense, throbbing sensation gripping her nerves. She instinctively pressed her forehead, her brows furrowing tightly, her expression grave and tense, remaining silent for a long time.

Fu Yanchen sat quietly on the chair by the bed, watching her intently, taking in every subtle change in her expression.

Seeing her lost in thought, pale-faced and seemingly in pain, he spoke at the right moment, his deep voice breaking the tense atmosphere in the room.

"Little sister, I have something very important to tell you."

His tone lost its previous gentleness and became more serious and solemn than ever before, instantly making the atmosphere heavy.

Sang Jiuning snapped back to reality, suppressing all the turbulent thoughts in her heart, and looked up at him, trying her best to make her expression appear calm and normal.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

Fu Yanchen's gaze was deep as he stared directly into her eyes, speaking clearly and deliberately, word by word: "Jiu Ning, do you believe in rebirth? If I said I was reborn, would you believe me?"

The moment those words were spoken, Sang Jiuning's heart skipped a beat.

Her eyes appeared calm, but her mind was in turmoil.

Reborn?

Of course she believed it.

After all, she herself was someone who transmigrated into a book, and she was already used to the rebirth and transmigration settings of online novels.

But it was Fu Yanchen who said he had been reborn.

Combined with the strange memory that had suddenly appeared in her mind, all the clues instantly connected, and a strong sense of unease and vigilance gripped her.

She remained calm and composed, her face still showing a docile and innocent expression. She nodded gently, her tone soft and sincere: "Brother, I believe you. I believe whatever you say."

Looking at her unwavering expression, Fu Yanchen felt a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flicker in the depths of his eyes.