Chapter 1

Dark clouds blanketed the sky as lightning flashed and thunder roared.

Bean-sized raindrops mercilessly pounded the tall marble steps. Beneath them, a thin woman dressed in a single layer of clothing knelt ramrod straight, her hair hanging loose around her shoulders as she stared longingly at the front door.

Amid the torrential rain, pedestrians hurried to and fro. Even when one or two people happened to glance her way, they quickly looked away again, unwilling to meddle in someone else’s business.

The door remained closed, and the woman continued kneeling there in a daze. From somewhere far away, someone seemed to be calling, “President Mu, President Mu…” The voice sounded anxious, drifting nearer and farther away before gradually disappearing, leaving only the relentless patter of the rain.

After an unknown length of time, the door swung open with a bang. Hope instantly filled the woman’s eyes. Paying no attention to the rain beating down on her, she hurriedly tidied her hair and struggled to her feet—only to break down the moment she saw who had emerged.

“Why is it you? Where’s Xiaoying? Where have you hidden her? Are you the one refusing to let her come out?!” Her voice and expression made it seem as though she wanted nothing more than to rush forward and tear into the person before her.

“What is President Mu doing here?” The woman standing atop the steps wore a bright-colored dress. It was perfectly ordinary, yet the sight of it made the woman below redden her eyes. She had once owned one just like it—a gift from Xiaoying—but she had failed to cherish it. Regret spread throughout her heart, and she clutched tightly at her chest.

The woman above had expected this reaction, but it still failed to satisfy her. She said contemptuously, “What is President Mu doing here now? Who are you putting on this pathetic act for?”

“I only want to see Xiaoying,” the woman said hoarsely.

Holding an umbrella and wearing red high heels, the woman descended the steps one at a time until she stood [unauthorized copy]before her. Looking down, she asked, “And what does President Mu intend to do after seeing her?”

The woman could not answer.

“Then let me ask you something, President Mu. When Xiaoying was sick, who was busy flirting with another woman? When Xiaoying’s heart was completely devoted to you, who treated her as nothing more than a substitute? Xiaoying…”

Every word stabbed directly into her like a dagger, yet the woman below still refused to give up. “Let Xiaoying come out for a moment. I only want to—”

“Xiaoying will never come out to see you.” The woman holding the umbrella showed no mercy. “Not in this lifetime!”

“And instead of staying here, President Mu, perhaps you should go home and take a good look at your company. I’ll make you pay back every last debt you owe Xiaoying!”

As soon as the final word fell, the door began closing mercilessly. The woman lowered her gaze when it met resistance and discovered that the person below had recklessly thrust her hand between the door and its frame.

“Ah!” Mu Shengsheng suddenly jolted awake, clutching the small blanket tightly. She lowered her head and stared at her ten smooth, delicate fingers, and her heart, which had been racing from the nightmare, calmed considerably. “Thank goodness it was only a dream.”

The heart-piercing pain still lingered in her memory. The nerves in one’s fingers were connected to the heart—it had truly hurt far too much. Still shaken, Mu Shengsheng wiped the sweat from her forehead and touched her pounding heart. Feeling utterly exhausted, she limply lay back down. She decided that she would never read novels before bed again. It was too terrifying!

Wait. Something was wrong. Mu Shengsheng abruptly pulled up the blanket and examined it. This was not her blanket. She had been too startled by the nightmare to notice before, but now that she had lain back down and thought carefully about it, the duvet cover was gray…

Hers was blue. She had never owned a gray one like this!

Mu Shengsheng immediately sprang up. Looking again, she realized that she was not sleeping on a bed at all, but on a sofa—and this sofa clearly did not belong in her home.

She looked around. The house was unfamiliar, the furnishings were unfamiliar, and she could hear rain outside. Mu Shengsheng started toward the window behind her when a sudden clap of thunder exploded beside it. If she had not been in an unfamiliar place, she would have screamed already. Instead, she forcibly stopped several meters away from the windowsill.

“President Mu, you’re awake?” A young man of around twenty-seven or twenty-eight hurried over. He looked like a capable, well-educated professional, and with several rapid strides, he was soon standing before Mu Shengsheng.

President Mu? Mu Shengsheng stared at him in confusion. She had been addressed in all sorts of ways before, but no one had ever called her that.

Yet the words “President Mu” sounded strangely familiar. Something seemed to explode inside her mind. Mu Shengsheng staggered back several steps and only barely managed to remain standing by supporting herself against the table.

Zhao Minghui had originally been anxious to say something, but when he noticed that something was wrong with Mu Shengsheng’s expression, he immediately closed his mouth. If he brought it up rashly, he might anger President Mu, which would do Miss Xia no good. But if this continued… Zhao Minghui looked sympathetically toward the window. He could not see anything from this angle, but the moment he thought about the person outside…

“President Mu.” Seeing that Mu Shengsheng could barely remain standing, Zhao Minghui quickly shifted his attention to his duties as a butler. “Are you feeling unwell? Should I call the family doctor?”

Mu Shengsheng waved a hand with difficulty, then slowly lowered herself into a chair while supporting herself against the table.

“President Mu.” A cup of steaming water was placed before her, but Mu Shengsheng did not seem to notice. Long stretches of memories surged into her mind. She shook her head vigorously, and it took several minutes before her emotions gradually settled.

Mu Shengsheng raised her head and glanced at Zhao Minghui twice. His expression remained calm, but countless thoughts ran through his mind. Had President Mu already realized what he was about to say? Judging by her attitude, she still had [read the original at bailiantales.com]no intention of seeing Miss Xia. Should he risk angering her by mentioning it? But something would happen to Miss Xia if this continued.

A man of his age appearing here—whether according to the book or the memories she had inherited—could only be the butler Mu Shengsheng had personally hired. Even so, she refused to give up completely and asked, “If I remember correctly, didn’t you used to have a different name?”

Although Zhao Minghui did not understand why President Mu had suddenly brought this up, he answered honestly, “President Mu remembers correctly. My name wasn’t Zhao Minghui before—”

That was enough. Mu Shengsheng immediately said, “I suddenly remembered what your old name was, Brother Minghui. Why don’t you step outside for a while? I’d like to be alone.”

“President Mu…” Zhao Minghui was stunned by her words. He even forgot what he had come in to say. “I—”

“It’s fine. I’ll be perfectly all right by myself.” Mu Shengsheng slumped dejectedly against the chair, every inch of her body proclaiming, “Don’t bother me! I need some time alone!”

She had only read a novel, so how had she transmigrated into it? It turned out that what she had just experienced was not a dream at all, but a preview of how miserable her future would be?!

“Ahhh!” After screaming countless times in her head, Mu Shengsheng raised a hand to ruffle her hair, only to stop the moment Zhao Minghui turned around. Zhao Minghui was already standing there dumbfounded, while Mu Shengsheng smiled as though nothing had happened, even as her heart bled inside.

Mistaken Love was a novel Mu Shengsheng had read before going to sleep. Although the scumbag top had exactly the same name as her, Mu Shengsheng had still patiently continued reading because she loved stories where shattered relationships stayed shattered and the couple did not reconcile.

Why should a scumbag top be forgiven after doing so many terrible things? She deserved to be sent straight to the crematorium, just like this, so the two princesses could live happily ever after!

Now that was a cause for universal celebration, the outcome everyone desired, and exactly what the people wanted, all right? But that absolutely did not include her becoming the scumbag top! It ​Read on BaiLianTales​was too terrifying. As Mu Shengsheng recalled the original scumbag top’s fate, she shook her head in vehement refusal.

“President Mu.” Just as Mu Shengsheng was lost in thought, Zhao Minghui returned.

“Is something wrong?” Mu Shengsheng asked in confusion when she saw his hesitation.

“I…” After a great deal of internal struggle, Zhao Minghui finally decided to tell her. “President Mu, Miss Xia still hasn’t left. She has already been outside for an hour. Are you truly not going to see her?”

“Who?” Mu Shengsheng’s pupils dilated, and even her voice trembled.

“Miss Xia.” Since he had already decided to speak, Zhao Minghui simply blurted everything out at once, stamping his foot in urgency. “At three o’clock, you said you wouldn’t see her and told her to leave, but she has remained outside, insisting on seeing you. Nothing I said could persuade her. It has already been an hour, and besides—”

Outside? She had been there for an hour? Mu Shengsheng looked toward the window. The thunder had stopped, but the rain and wind were still lashing violently against the glass. She had been out there for an hour?!

Mu Shengsheng had no patience to hear the rest. She hurriedly rushed outside, without even stopping to recall which part of the novel this was. If Miss Xia remained out there any longer, someone was going to die!

“President Mu! President Mu!” Seeing Mu Shengsheng shoot outside like a bolt of lightning, Zhao Minghui hurried after her, remembering to grab two umbrellas as he ran.

Mu Shengsheng ran all the way to the front entrance without stopping for breath. The instant she opened the door, she froze in shock.

The fierce wind whipped the plants on both sides into a frenzy. Sheets of rain poured endlessly from the sky like water cascading into a bottomless abyss. Amid the raging wind and rain stood a lone woman whose face could not be seen clearly, swaying unsteadily in place. She seemed unaware of time or ​unauthorized copy​pain, devoid of all sensation and consciousness, like an inanimate object allowing the storm to devour her.

Another bolt of lightning tore through the dense curtain of rain. Mu Shengsheng did not even think of retreating and charged straight ahead. The person before her showed no reaction whatsoever, as if she had not heard it at all.

“Xia Hanying!” Mu Shengsheng shouted instinctively, hoping that she would move out of the way.

There was still no response. Mu Shengsheng grew frantic. She had no time to feel relieved that there were no trees near where Xia Hanying stood; all she could do was worry about when the next bolt of lightning might strike.

When Mu Shengsheng was only two steps away from Xia Hanying, she watched helplessly as the other woman plummeted like a kite with a broken string, collapsing directly before her.

“Xia Hanying!” Mu Shengsheng lunged forward and caught her almost simultaneously, but she was only in time to see Xia Hanying close her eyes. When she touched her forehead, the heat was frightening. Her face, meanwhile, was as pale as paper.

“Get her to the hospital, quickly!” Mu Shengsheng shouted at the person behind her.

Realizing the severity of the situation, Zhao Minghui hurriedly made a call before continuing to run into the rain. “President Mu.” He reached Mu Shengsheng in several quick strides. “The umbrella.”

Without raising her head, Mu Shengsheng took it and held it over Xia Hanying. She anxiously called out to her several more times, but the woman in her arms did not respond at all. Raindrops continued sliding from her face onto her clothes before dripping one by one to the ground, instantly merging with the water already pooling there.