Chapter 83 Despair (Part One)

At the dining table.

Li Jia gazed at the array of delicate breakfast snacks, most of which were her favorites. The thought of her mother going out early to buy them for her filled her heart with warmth.

“Don’t just look at them, hurry and eat. They won’t taste good once they’re cold,” Liu Jiajia said from across the table.

Li Jia picked up a small steamed bun, dipped it lightly in the sauce, and took a bite. Though it was a little cold, it still tasted just as she remembered.

“Mom, Dad, don’t just watch me eat. You should eat too. Why are you both just watching and not eating?” She had eaten a few pieces and sipped some soy milk, noticing that her parents hadn’t touched their chopsticks.

Li Ming simply watched without saying a word.

Liu Jiajia replied, “As long as you eat, that’s fine. We already had breakfast outside. These are specially prepared for you.”

Li Jia looked at the breakfast spread, enough for several people, and wondered, “Why buy so much then? I can’t finish all of this by myself.”

There were three or four varieties on the table, all her favorites, but it was clearly more than she could eat. Her parents had always been thrifty; when she returned from university, she was never treated like this. It felt unusual.

“We saw you didn’t eat much last night and worried you’d be hungry, so we bought more today,” Liu Jiajia explained, seeing her daughter’s confusion.

Li Jia thought it made sense; she really hadn’t eaten much the previous night and was indeed quite hungry now, so she stopped wondering and ate heartily.

Perhaps she truly was famished, or maybe she was just happy to see her parents looking much better than yesterday. She devoured most of the breakfast meant for two or three people, only putting her chopsticks down when she was completely full.

After eating, Li Jia sat for a while. Just as she was about to speak, a wave of drowsiness overcame her, unstoppable, as if she could fall asleep at any moment.

“Xiaojia, are you alright? Did you not sleep well last night? You have faint dark circles under your eyes. Go back to your room and get some rest,” Liu Jiajia said gently.

Li Jia nodded, stood up, and slowly walked to her room.

She sensed something was off, but her mind grew foggier with the mounting sleepiness. The only clear memory she had before losing consciousness was reaching her bed, not even bothering to undress, and falling into a deep sleep.

Li Jia felt she slept for a very long time.

During that time, she seemed to have an exquisite dream, more beautiful than any she had ever had.

In the dream, she and Huang Yu completed their wedding ceremony, just like those grand nuptials in historical dramas, and were then sent into the bridal chamber.

Food and desire are human nature.

Li Jia dreamed of herself dressed in an opulent red classical bridal gown, looking stunning, with red candles flickering in the new wedding chamber, every corner imbued with joy. Beside her sat Huang Yu, equally resplendent in a red groom’s robe.

She lowered her head shyly, knowing what was about to happen, feeling the modesty of a young bride.

But since the groom beside her was Huang Yu, everything was proper and legitimate. She felt no fear; instead, she was full of anticipation for what would happen between man and woman.

Bathed in candlelight, Li Jia’s beauty at that moment was so ethereal it seemed only a goddess from the heavens could compare.

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Huang Yu appeared eager, unable to wait. If it were any other occasion, seeing his beloved dressed so beautifully, he might have been dazed, but he never lost his usual elegance and composure.

Li Jia found this surprising.

Yet she made no attempt to resist, for two reasons: first, because the man before her was Huang Yu; second, because she felt a strong, inexplicable desire.

Li Jia, with no experience, was unpracticed in many ways, whereas the dream Huang Yu was skilled and assured.

That wedding night in her dream felt both endless and fleeting.

During their fervent intimacy, she pleaded with Huang Yu for mercy multiple times, but he never relented.

Though she was deeply satisfied, the repeated intensity left her exhausted, and she fell asleep with a smile.

It was a beautiful, vivid, yet fantastical dream, uncertain if it was real.

But no matter how wonderful a dream, there comes a moment of awakening, and often, behind the most exquisite dreams lies the abyss of despair.

The transition between heaven and hell happens in an instant.

PE City, Prosperous Han Palace Nightclub.

This was the innermost suite of the nightclub, dimly lit, saturated with the scents of alcohol, smoke, and the lingering traces of carnal acts.

At that moment, on the large bed lay a youthful, stunning woman, her cheeks flushed—Li Jia.

A thin air-conditioning blanket covered her, barely concealing her naked body beneath.

Li Jia’s eyelashes trembled, as if the pungent odors in the room or the pain in certain parts of her body roused her from contented sleep, her peaceful expression fading into a slight frown.

Soon, she slowly awoke.

Li Jia felt as if she had slept forever, and recalled an incredibly vivid dream that immediately made her blush with embarrassment.

She thought to herself, this dream must never be known to Huang Yu.

The more she pondered, the more puzzled she became—why was her mind still cloudy, as if she hadn’t truly woken up? The smell of the room was unfamiliar, and the bed didn’t feel like her own.

As her awareness grew clearer, she realized something was terribly wrong—this was not her familiar bedroom.

Li Jia tried to sit up, only to find her body exhausted. Then, a terrifying realization struck—she seemed to be completely naked, and sharp pain radiated from beneath her.

She dared not try to rise; fear filled her heart, overwhelming and helpless. Every corner she looked at in the room was utterly unfamiliar.

She wanted to scream, but the strange environment and her fear made her hold back.

“I didn’t expect you to wake up so soon,” said a strange male voice from a corner of the room.

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Li Jia turned in terror, instinctively wrapping herself tighter in the flimsy blanket.

In the other corner sat a middle-aged man, wearing only underwear. He was unremarkable in appearance, but a shallow scar running from the corner of his mouth to his cheek stood out.

He held a glass of red wine in his right hand, swirling it slowly, watching Li Jia with a faint smile. Perhaps his long-awaited goal had been achieved, or perhaps he had just slept with a beautiful woman, and not just any woman, but a virgin, making him highly pleased—hence the perpetual smile.

According to his subordinates, this beauty was a top student at a prestigious university, learned and accomplished.

“Who are you? Why am I here? Where… where is this place?” Li Jia asked in a trembling voice. As she spoke, the reality of what had happened to her struck, and she could no longer hold back her tears.

She didn’t understand why she had woken up in this place, nor did she want to know. She only wished desperately that this nightmare was a dream, not reality—but the sharpening clarity of her mind, the constant pain in her body, and the pungent odors all reminded her relentlessly that this was real, not a dream.

Besides overwhelming fear and helplessness, Li Jia was experiencing despair for the first time in her life.

Despair had always been just a word to her, a vague concept, but now she understood its full weight.

“Who am I? Wasn’t I the one giving you the pleasure of being a woman? Have you forgotten so quickly? Try to recall—even with the pleasure potion and the happy drug, you shouldn’t have lost all memory,” the scarred middle-aged man said, sipping his wine and smiling.

He saw Li Jia sobbing pitifully on the bed, but showed no trace of pity, nor did his expression change, as if he was accustomed to such scenes.

Li Jia’s mind was in chaos.

She had some memories—or perhaps memories from a dream—but the man in those memories was not this scarred middle-aged man, but Huang Yu.

Yet soon, she remembered how the Huang Yu in her dream had acted so uncharacteristically rough, ignoring her pleas for mercy, and she gradually realized that the dream was not a dream, but reality. The man was not Huang Yu, but this scarred stranger.

In that instant, her world shattered. Her sobs stopped abruptly; her expression became vacant, her gaze hollow and lifeless.

The room fell silent, save for the soft swirl of wine and the sound of swallowing.

“What’s wrong? Can’t remember? Let me give you a hint—throughout the process, you kept repeating one word: Yu.

I was actually a bit upset. I was the one giving you what you needed, yet you kept calling another man’s name. It was really disappointing.

Haha, Yu must be someone you like. But unfortunately, he wasn’t the one who took your virginity. That honor belongs to me.

When I discovered you were still a virgin, I was shocked and delighted. In this era, a beauty like you, at this age, still untouched—it’s almost unbelievable.”