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

Rule 4. You may not refuse reasonable requests from "family members".

Is this reasonable? Is it reasonable for her to accept a ring from a stranger?

Han Yingying's mind raced. She wasn't sure what the consequences of breaking the rules would be, but the pressure from that red paper was real. She didn't want to gamble.

She took the box, but didn't open it; she simply placed it on the coffee table next to her.

The man didn't mind and sat back down.

For the next hour, Han Ying didn't say a word. She sat there, listening to the woman and man chat, discussing wedding details—how many tables to have, who to invite, what to wear. The girl with dyed hair occasionally chimed in, mostly with comments like, "Sister, you're so lucky."

Han Yingying silently memorized a few pieces of information: the woman was her stepmother, the one with the dyed hair was her stepsister, named Chen Xiaoman. The man's surname was Chen, the same as her stepsister's—but the two were not related.

At 11:30, the man got up to say goodbye.

As he reached the door, he turned to look at Han Yingying and said, "I'll pick you up next week to try on your wedding dress."

Han Ying didn't say anything.

The stepmother laughed from the side, "Okay, I'll help her prepare then."

The door closed.

Han Ying immediately went back to her room and locked the door. She leaned against the door, breathing heavily. She hadn't felt anything when the man was there, but as soon as he left, an inexplicable pressure suddenly surged up.

She walked to the wall and looked at the red paper again.

She memorized all five rules. The first three were about regulating her own behavior, while the fourth and fifth were about "family."

She noticed that the word "family" was in quotation marks.

Why are they in quotation marks?

Han Yingying sat down at her desk, opened the drawer, and looked for something—a diary, a cell phone, anything that could help her recall the past.

There was a cell phone in the drawer, but it was dead. The charger was on the bedside table. She plugged it in and waited two minutes before the screen lit up.

There is no lock screen password.

She scrolled through her contacts and found only three numbers: her stepmother, Chen Xiaoman, and Chen Xu. Chen Xu must be that man.

The photo album is empty. The WeChat chat history is empty. There's nothing there.

This doesn't look like a normally used phone.

Han Yingying put down her phone, her unease growing stronger. She glanced out the window; the sun was shining brightly, and there was a tree in the yard with a red lantern hanging from it. Everything seemed normal.

But she knew something was wrong.

She now has two questions. First, who is she? Second, what is going on in this world?

She planned to go out and take a look.

Before leaving the room, she glanced at the rules one last time—she just needed to be back before six o'clock, and it was only 11:40 now, so she had enough time.

In the living room, the stepmother was cooking, and Chen Xiaoman was playing video games on the sofa. Han Yingying took the keys and went outside.

"Where are you going?" The stepmother poked her head out from the kitchen.

"Going out to buy something."

"Be back before six o'clock."

Han Yingying responded and went out the door.

Outside is an ordinary street, lined with residential buildings on both sides, and shops on the ground floor including supermarkets, barbershops, and printing shops. People walk and cars drive by. It's all normal.

But Han Ying saw the first red paper after walking less than fifty meters.

Stick it on the lamppost.

[Rule: No loitering on the streets after dark.]

She kept walking. The second one was posted at the supermarket entrance.

[Rule: Do not stare at passersby for more than three seconds.]

The third one is at the crossroads.

[Rule: If you hear someone call your name from behind, do not turn around.]

There was a red paper every so often, each with a different message. Pedestrians walked past the red papers as if they didn't see them at all.

Han Ying stopped and looked at a middle-aged man walking towards her. The man was walking with his head down, and as he passed by her, she noticed a red mark on his neck, as if he had been strangled by something.

She looked away.

Do not stare at passersby for more than three seconds.

Han Yingying quickened her pace and turned into a small alley. The alley was relatively quiet, and she wanted to find a place to sit down and clear her mind. At the end of the alley was a small park with several benches.

She had just sat down when her phone vibrated in her pocket.

A short message, number unknown.

The message contained only one sentence: "You have broken the rules."

Han Yingying's hand trembled.

What rule? Which one did she break?

She mentally reviewed everything she had done that day. Returning before six o'clock—it was only noon, so she hadn't broken the rule. Not opening the door—her stepmother opened it, not her. Not looking in the mirror—she hadn't. Not refusing reasonable requests from "family"—she accepted the ring. Not having direct conflict with "family"—she refrained from that as well.

What is that?

She suddenly remembered—the rules at the door.

Rule two states, "Do not open the door if a stranger knocks." But it was her stepmother who opened the door, not her. Doesn't that mean she broke the rule?

No, that's not right. Her hand was already on the doorknob.

Or perhaps the problem wasn't with opening the door at all. The man—she didn't know him; he was a stranger. Her stepmother said he was her fiancé, but she had amnesia, and in her memory, he was a stranger. Should she not have let him in?

But the door was opened by my stepmother.

There was no follow-up to the text message. Han Yingying stared at the screen, her fingers icy cold.

She waited five minutes, and then another text message arrived.

The penalty for the violation will be implemented in 24 hours. At that time, you will be sent to a designated location to complete the punishment task.

Han Yingying's mind went blank.

Punishment mission? What does that mean?

She walked back quickly. Now was not the time to sort out her thoughts; she needed to figure out what the punishment actually was.

When Han Yingying got home, her stepmother had already prepared dinner. She sat at the table, absentmindedly eating a few mouthfuls of rice.

"Eat faster," the stepmother said.

Chen Xiaoman, who was picking up food from the table, suddenly said, "Sis, did you break the rules again?"

Han Ying stopped eating.

"You look terrible." Chen Xiaoman smiled. "You looked just like this when you came back from committing a foul last time."

Last time?

"When was the last time?" Han Yingying asked.

Chen Xiaoman and her stepmother exchanged a glance. The stepmother put down her chopsticks: "You don't remember anything again?"

Han Yingying shook her head.

The stepmother sighed, "You're always like this when you come back from over there; you forget everything. I've told you so many times, rules are rules, but you just won't listen."

She came back from "over there". So she was punished before, went somewhere, and lost her memory after returning.

How many times has this happened?

"Whatever," the stepmother said, standing up to clear the dishes. "We'll talk about tomorrow tomorrow."

Han Yingying sat at the dining table, watching her stepmother and Chen Xiaoman clear the dishes, a thought popping into her mind—they knew. They knew the rules of this world, they knew what punishment was, and they might even know the reason for her amnesia.

But she can't ask directly. Rule five: No direct conflict. If pressing her for answers offends her stepmother, does that count as a conflict?

She didn't dare to gamble.

That night, Han Yingying lay in bed, unable to sleep.

The phone screen lit up. The third text message.