A bizarre and terrifying experience; I messed up the dungeon world.

There was no one in the corridor.

As she reached the stairwell, she heard Liu Fang talking on the phone downstairs. She could vaguely make out a few words: "...3 PM...Yes, she's awake...She has memory problems...It's okay, you can come..."

Han Yingying tiptoed out through the back door.

The streets were more normal than she had imagined. People were walking their dogs, buying groceries, and supermarkets and breakfast shops were open. The only thing that wasn't normal was the writing on the walls.

Everywhere.

On utility poles, on bus stop signs, on shop glass doors. Every place has different rules, and everyone consciously abides by them.

The bus stop sign reads: [Waiting Area Rules: Maintain a distance of at least one meter while queuing, and do not speak to strangers for more than three sentences.]

As expected, the people waiting for the train on the platform kept more than a meter apart and no one spoke.

The supermarket entrance displays the following rules: [Shopping Rules: Each person is limited to five items per purchase and may not linger in front of the shelves for more than thirty seconds.]

Han Yingying stood on the side of the street and watched for a long time.

Everyone is following the rules. Everyone thinks it's normal. Or rather, no one dares to be abnormal.

She noticed a middle-aged man taking a sixth item from the supermarket. The checkout machine beeped, and the red light came on. The middle-aged man's face turned pale instantly, and he quickly put the sixth item back on the shelf.

A new line of text appeared on the wall next to the cashier: [Warning: User ID 39827, first violation. Three violations will result in punishment.]

The text disappeared slowly after a few seconds, as if swallowed by the wall.

A layer of cold sweat broke out on Han Yingying's back.

She turned and walked back.

As I approached the entrance to the residential compound, a black sedan was parked on the side of the road. The door opened, and a man got out.

The man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing a dark blue suit. He was tall and had regular features—if one ignored the thin, stitch-like scar on his neck.

"Yingying." The man walked towards her with a smile on his face. "I heard from Auntie that you were awake, so I came over early."

Han Yingying took two steps back. "Who are you?"

"Chen Rui," the man said with a smile, "your fiancé."

He took another step forward. Han Yingying noticed a detail—he walked without making a sound.

It wasn't that the footsteps were light; it was that there was absolutely no sound. The leather shoes made not a single sound as they stepped on the concrete pavement.

"I don't know you," Han Yingying said.

"It's okay, we can get to know each other again." Chen Rui extended his hand and made a handshake gesture. His fingers were long, and his nails were neatly trimmed, but the tips of his fingers were bluish.

Han Yingying did not shake hands.

"I have something to do." She walked past Chen Rui and quickly entered the residential area.

She didn't turn around, but she could feel the man watching her from behind.

When he got home, Liu Fang was already sitting in the living room waiting for him.

"You went out?"

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Liu Fang's smile vanished, her lips pressed tightly together.

"I went out for a walk," Han Yingying said.

"I told you, you're not in good health, don't run around."

"You didn't tell me."

Liu Fang was taken aback. She hadn't said that.

"Then I'll tell you now," Liu Fang stood up, "you're not feeling well, don't run around. Also, Chen Rui is here, why didn't you speak to him properly?"

"I don't know him."

"Your amnesia doesn't mean the others don't exist." Liu Fang's tone hardened. "Yingying, your father entrusted you to me before he passed away, and I have a responsibility to take care of you. Your marriage to Chen Rui was arranged by your father himself, and it's all written down clearly in black and white."

Han Yingying looked at Liu Fang and suddenly asked, "How did my father die?"

Liu Fang's expression went blank for a second. It wasn't a daze caused by sadness, but rather a blankness like a computer program freezing for a moment.

"A car accident," she said. "It happened last year."

"What about my mom?"

Your mother left when you were very young.

"What does 'left' mean? Does it mean departing or dying?"

"...He left."

Han Yingying didn't ask any more questions. She went upstairs back to her room and locked the door.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind was a jumbled mess, like a tangled headphone cord—the more you tried to untangle it, the tighter it became.

At 2:50 p.m., the doorbell rang downstairs.

Then came Liu Fang's enthusiastic voice: "Rui Rui is here? Come in, come in quickly."

Han Yingying didn't move.

At 3 o'clock sharp, someone knocked on her door.

"Sister," it was Liu Siqi's voice, "Brother Chen Rui is here, Mom wants you to go downstairs."

"I'm not going."

There was silence outside the door for a few seconds.

"Sister, listen to my advice," Liu Siqi said in a low voice. "Rule number three is that you must obey the arrangements of your elders. If Mom tells you to go down and meet someone, and you don't go, you're breaking the rule. You...you'd better not try this."

Han Yingying sat up in bed.

What happens if I break the rules?

Liu Siqi didn't answer. After a while, the footsteps faded away.

Han Yingying walked to the door and put her hand on the doorknob.

Rule number three: You must obey the arrangements of the elders in your family.

She remembered the middle-aged man she'd seen on the street, the fear on his face as he took the sixth item. She remembered the warning signs that had appeared on the wall. She remembered the unnatural, silent way Chen Rui walked.

She opened the door and went downstairs.

In the living room, Liu Fang and Chen Rui sat on the sofa, with fruit and refreshments on the coffee table. Chen Rui saw Han Yingying and stood up.

"You're here? Please have a seat."

Han Yingying sat on the single sofa furthest from Chen Rui.

"Your mom said you have amnesia," Chen Rui said, handing her a teacup. "This is your favorite osmanthus oolong tea."

Han Yingying didn't answer. "I don't remember what I like to drink."

Chen Rui placed the teacup on the coffee table without annoyance. "It's alright, I remember. You like osmanthus oolong tea, you like milk tea with 70% sugar, and you only eat tomato broth when you eat hot pot. I remember all of that."

He spoke gently, his expression showing just the right amount of concern. Any normal girl would be touched to be treated like that.

But Han Yingying only noticed one thing—when Chen Rui was drinking tea, his shadow didn't move.

The teacup was raised to his lips, but Shadow's hand was still on his knee. Chen Rui put down the teacup, and Shadow followed half a beat later.

Han Yingying tucked her fingers into her sleeve and clenched them tightly.

"Chen Rui," she said, "I've lost all my memory; I don't remember anything. Can we put the wedding on hold for now?"

"This..." Chen Rui looked at Liu Fang.

Liu Fang smiled and chimed in, "Rui Rui, don't rush. Ying Ying just woke up; give her some time to adjust. How about this, you two try dating first? No need to rush into marriage; let's build your relationship first."

"Okay, I'll listen to Auntie," Chen Rui said.

Han Yingying noticed that throughout the entire conversation, no one asked for her opinion. Liu Fang was making the arrangements, and Chen Rui was cooperating. She was merely a prop in this play.

The four of them ate dinner together. Chen Rui stayed behind.

At the dinner table, Liu Fang kept piling food into Han Yingying's bowl. Rule number three: obey elders. Rule number three also stated that one must finish all the food on their plate. Han Yingying ate while calculating—her bowl was already piled high with at least eight different dishes; even with her large appetite, she couldn't possibly eat that much.