Chapter 1
The simple geometric lines of her dress perfectly accentuated Ye Zhiqing’s graceful figure. Her long, slightly wavy hair fell loosely around her shoulders, complementing her elegant, well-tailored dress of Yunjin brocade. When she lowered her eyes, she exuded an air of refined elegance and cool detachment. When she smiled faintly, her gaze remained distant, yet it was not without warmth.
These two seemingly contradictory qualities blended together perfectly in Ye Zhiqing. Every movement, every expression, every smile carried an air of effortless grace.
For someone as accustomed to keeping a low profile as Ye Zhiqing, the latest episode of her program, which aired last night, had clearly caused quite a stir. The trending topic containing the words “Ye Zhiqing, Ancient Egypt” had rapidly climbed into the top three.
A mysterious Egyptian merchant had suddenly appeared during the program and presented an exquisite bracelet bearing the Eye of Horus to Ye Zhiqing, the host of a niche cultural program on Zhongshi Television and an antique appraiser at Rongbaozhai, the country’s largest auction house.
Indeed, the incident had all the makings of a sensational story, enough to set countless imaginations running wild.
Her brows furrowing slightly, Ye Zhiqing watched the replay and quickly pressed pause. Why did that blurry figure, seen only from behind, seem so familiar?
Her pulse quickened slightly. A familiar, dull ache spread from her heart beneath her sternum, accompanied by an inexplicable surge of sorrow.
Tilting her head back as far as she could, Ye Zhiqing struggled to draw deep breaths. She collapsed onto the sofa like a fish deprived of water. Beads of sweat slid down her smooth, pale neck, traced the delicate contours of her collarbones, and slowly disappeared beneath her open neckline.
Finally, she closed her eyes and stopped struggling, allowing the overwhelming sense of loss and ancient, desolate sorrow to engulf her. For six years, this feeling had been a nightmare she could never escape. Her thoughts gradually grew hazy, then scattered into nothingness.
What exactly had she forgotten during those six months she was unconscious?
Before long, a faint, elegant fragrance began to permeate the dim room. It drifted along her slender, smooth calves, barely illuminated by the flickering interplay of light and shadow, climbed over her flat, toned waist and abdomen, then continued upward until it reached her nose.
The fragrance seeped through her nose and into her lungs, soothing the profound unease within Ye Zhiqing.
A figure suddenly appeared, silently approaching Ye Zhiqing, who had already fallen into a deep sleep.
The shadowy figure stood gazing at the person on the sofa for a long time without moving. A burning, greedy, almost ravenous gaze swept over her from head to toe, again and again, lingering over every inch.
Beneath the left side of the figure’s sternum came a heartbeat that had been absent for far too long. Countless emotions dissolved into a sigh of relief.
The figure bent down and carefully sat on the outer edge of the sofa.
Slowly extending a hand, the shadowy figure lightly touched Ye Zhiqing’s face, withdrawing immediately after making contact. As though unable to believe it, the figure repeated the same gesture several more times.
Cool fingertips glided from her forehead to her eyebrows and eyelashes, inch by inch, reverently feeling the genuine warmth of the person beneath them.
A joy rising from the depths of the heart, a whisper too soft for anyone else to hear, dissolved into the stillness of the night. “I’ve found you, Zhiqing.”
A gentle kiss landed on her forehead. In this unfamiliar country, surrounded by everything strange and unknown, only this person was familiar.
The shadowy figure remained seated motionlessly on the outer edge of the sofa, back slightly hunched toward Ye Zhiqing, until the first pale light of dawn appeared on the horizon.
By the time Ye Zhiqing woke, it was nearly noon. The leisurely sunlight streamed down generously, warm and wonderfully comfortable.
According to her usual biological clock, she should have woken at seven-thirty. Unexpectedly, she had slept for so long this time. Nor did she experience the intense palpitations that normally plagued her upon waking.
The slight curve of her lips revealed her pleasant mood. She washed up efficiently, finished a simple brunch, tidied herself up, and headed out and downstairs.
This was a small, newly developed villa community on the outskirts of the city. The houses had been built to follow the natural contours of the land, and French plane trees lined the winding paths. One particularly noteworthy feature was that every home had been customized entirely according to its owner’s preferences.
Apart from having only recently moved in and being unfamiliar with her neighbors, everything was just as it should be.
With leisurely steps and a pleasantly warm breeze brushing against her, she wandered aimlessly, freely enjoying her rare moments of relaxation.
She had long since become thoroughly proficient at the routine appraisal work at the auction house. As for the program “Relics of Civilization,” only one episode was recorded each month, so she currently had plenty of free time.
“Meow~ Meow, meow~~ Meow, meow, meow~~~” The cat’s cries rose and fell in a rather distinctive rhythm. Ye Zhiqing turned toward the sound.
To be precise, it was an Egyptian Mau.
Its body was covered in spotted markings, with a distinctive scarab-like pattern between its brows. Cats like this had been depicted in murals and papyrus scrolls dating back to ancient Egypt.
For Ye Zhiqing, who was highly accomplished in the study of ancient Egyptian civilization, identifying it was not difficult.
However, Egyptian Maus were extremely rare nowadays. Ye Zhiqing was surprised to encounter one during a casual stroll. She stood there, exchanging looks with the cat. For reasons she could never explain, anything associated with Egypt always gave her a strange sense of familiarity and affection.
Naturally, this cat was no exception.
The woman and the cat stared at each other, neither willing to look away. After quite some time, Ye Zhiqing tried to find something to feed it, only to discover that she had brought nothing with her except her phone.
Just as Ye Zhiqing assumed the cat would leave on its own after realizing she had nothing to offer it, the little creature unexpectedly approached her feet and rubbed against her affectionately.
It was difficult not to feel an extra measure of tenderness toward small, furry animals.
Ye Zhiqing took the opportunity to crouch down and stroke the cat. Judging by its coat and the bow tie around its neck, it probably belonged to someone. She wondered whether it had gotten lost.
“Little kitty, are you lost? Hmm?” Ye Zhiqing’s expression was gentle, completely unlike the aloof, unattainable beauty most people imagined her to be.
“Udjat.” A warm, clear voice sounded behind her at just the right moment.
Apparently, that was the cat’s name.
The newcomer wore a simple sweatshirt. Her smooth, jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Her facial features were deeper and more defined than those of an East Asian, yet she possessed an elegance reminiscent of flowing, wide sleeves. She stood perfectly straight, and her appearance was both strikingly beautiful and effortlessly pleasing to the eye. Subtle hints of exotic charm in her features lent her an air of mystery that invited further exploration.
Her faint smile was particularly captivating. Although her eyes were black, just like Ye Zhiqing’s, for an instant, they seemed to flash with flecks of gold, as though the shimmering light of countless stars had been crushed and scattered within them. It was enough to draw someone in without their even realizing it.
It had been a long time since Ye Zhiqing had lost her composure and stared at someone so openly, especially when that someone was a woman. By the time she came to her senses, the tips of her ears were already growing warm.
Fortunately, the professional composure she had cultivated over the past few years prevented her from losing her poise and revealing her embarrassment.
“Is this your cat?” She shifted into casual conversation with perfect naturalness, although her slightly curled fingers betrayed the faint awkwardness she was feeling.
An awkwardness brought on by a woman she was meeting for the very first time.
“Mm.”
“She’s very cute.”
“Mm.”
And then…
Although the woman opposite her continued to smile faintly, Ye Zhiqing clearly had no idea how to continue the conversation.
With an awkward smile, she seized the opportunity when the cat wandered away and prepared to leave.
As she passed in front of the cat’s owner, her heartbeat noticeably accelerated, blood rushed through her veins, and her body temperature gradually rose.
The temperature had been perfectly pleasant just moments ago. Why did she suddenly feel so hot? Was she actually nervous because of a woman she didn’t even know?
Inconceivable. Unbelievable.
And yet, it was undeniably happening.
“You don’t recognize me.” It was a calm statement, delivered in an indifferent tone, yet the sorrow permeating those words was so intense that it was almost suffocating.
Hearing this, Ye Zhiqing stopped in her tracks, having unconsciously quickened her pace. There were only the two of them here.
“Should I know you?” Although she couldn’t understand why the sorrow she had been suppressing suddenly surged up again, Ye Zhiqing instinctively voiced the question.
There was no answer. The woman opposite her merely stared steadily at Ye Zhiqing. The desperate, almost uncontrollable emotions in her eyes quickly subsided into silence.
Then she turned, picked up the cat, and left.
Everything seemed as though it had never happened. Just like the Egyptian cat that had appeared so suddenly, only to disappear just as abruptly.
Ye Zhiqing regarded it as nothing more than a minor incident and didn’t take it to heart. However, she had also lost all desire to continue her stroll. That painful feeling was welling up inside her again. She turned around, intending to go home and rest.
For a long time after waking from her accident, she had frequently fallen into bouts of inexplicable, overwhelming grief that she could not control. At their worst, these episodes had completely disrupted the rhythm of her daily life and work.
Yet neither her physical nor her psychological condition showed any detectable signs of illness.
Ye Zhiqing had consulted practically every renowned psychologist in Hua Country. Every examination indicated that nothing was wrong, and in the end, her condition had actually been attributed to neurasthenia.
But deep down, Ye Zhiqing knew perfectly well that wasn’t it. She must have forgotten something.
It was as though an extremely important part of her memory was missing. From the moment she saw that golden scepter until the moment she woke up, what exactly had she forgotten?
Could the Pharaoh’s curse really exist?
Rubbing her faintly aching temples, Ye Zhiqing sat down at her desk and opened her email.
It was a message from the National Archaeological Research Team. Four years ago, following her accident and the six months she had spent unconscious, the project had been suspended for unknown reasons. Now, however, it appeared that preparations were underway to resume it.
Staring at the invitation they had sent her, Ye Zhiqing sat before her computer in a daze.
She was hesitating over whether she should set foot on that mysterious, magnificent land once again.
There was no doubt that Egypt held an irresistible, irreplaceable allure for Ye Zhiqing.
But if she went, could it lead to consequences beyond anything she could imagine? After all, the lingering effects of her previous visit had still not disappeared.
Ever since waking from her coma, Ye Zhiqing had gone from being a staunch atheist to someone who occasionally studied the Book of Changes and metaphysics. Since her awakening, all sorts of subtle signs had suggested that she had experienced something unknown to others.
Because of Ye Zhiqing’s strange condition, those closest to her had deliberately avoided discussing the project from four years ago, or even mentioning anyone or anything related to ancient Egypt.
Just as Ye Zhiqing was lost in thought, her phone suddenly rang with a powerful, stirring melody, “he is a priate.”
Picking up her phone and glancing at the screen, Ye Zhiqing immediately answered. “Dad.”
Sure enough, he was calling about the bracelet the Egyptian merchant had unexpectedly given her during yesterday’s program recording.
“Dad, don’t worry. I’m fine.” After Ye Zhiqing patiently explained the situation and repeatedly reassured him, her father finally stopped questioning her.
Four years ago, Ye Zhiqing had inexplicably fallen unconscious for six months while participating in an archaeological project in ancient Egypt. Ever since then, her father, who dearly loved his daughter, had become extremely sensitive to anything concerning ancient Egypt.
Ye Zhiqing felt as though she were trapped in a dense fog, yet she lacked the courage to search for the answers.
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