Chapter 1: Prologue

Dreams.

Another nightmare.

The scent of scorched gasoline, intermittently mixed with the metallic tang of blood. Gao Rong smelled this familiar odor once more, and so he knew, once more, that he was dreaming of his death from his past life.

At the same time, on the other side of the dream, he saw a blue pond. Gao Rong walked deeper towards it. Someone sat by the water’s edge, eyes cast down, hair loose.

That person was despondent, gloomy, with protruding spine bones at his back. He looked sharper and more piercing than anyone else, yet also more beautiful and fragile, as if he could throw himself into the water to die at any moment.

He was Chi Lanyi.

The spouse from Gao Rong’s previous life, his business partner, and also the chief culprit who caused Gao Rong’s death in a car crash.

Knowing full well this was a dream, Gao Rong couldn’t help but reach out, wanting to pull that person away from the dangerous spot. But Chi Lanyi turned back and handed Gao Rong a white divorce agreement.

“Gao Rong.” Chi Lanyi at the pond’s edge said coldly, “Tomorrow morning at nine, I’ll wait for you at the courthouse. Whether you come or not, this will be our last meeting. Be graceful about it, and don’t let me see you causing a scene in court.”

Gao Rong wanted to tear the agreement to shreds, but in the next moment, the nightmare swept him back to the car crash scene. The divorce papers shattered into countless metal shards, instantly shooting toward him, piercing all his internal organs.

The pitch-black blood flowing from the wounds slowly turned into burning oil. Gao Rong was pinned under the wrecked car, yet he still strained to reach a hand out towards the other side of the dream.

“Chi Lanyi…”

The metal cabin crushing him was glowing red-hot. Chi Lanyi’s pale figure stood clearly by the pond not far away, but he just watched him, not coming any closer.

He simply turned away, indifferent.

“Boom!”

The car exploded at that very moment.

The tires bounced off a protruding tree root. Gao Rong’s eyes snapped open. He was drenched in a cold sweat.

The night blurred against the car windows, as unclear as the road ahead.

Gao Rong had dreamed of the end of his past life again.

In the dream, Chi Lanyi, whom he considered his lover, had ruthlessly betrayed him.

“This road is a nightmare to drive, what a pain, building a mental hospital this deep in the mountains.” The driver grumbled, yanking the steering wheel to dodge a large pothole. “Sir, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night? Is there someone you know in the hospital?”

“Just drive your car properly!” Before Gao Rong could speak, his secretary reprimanded him, “Is that any of your business?”

The driver clicked his tongue twice and finally shut up. Gao Rong slowly sat up straight. The secretary beside him offered a towel to wipe his sweat, saying softly, “Mr. Gao, about ten more minutes, and we’ll be there.”

Gao Rong frowned, smelling the fragrance in the car, and felt a wave of nausea. The secretary then realized her mistake: “I’m sorry, Mr. Gao, we left in such a rush, I switched the wrong car air freshener.”

Due to the cause of his death in his past life, Gao Rong hated the smell inside cars. Since his rebirth, he always had his secretary put air fresheners strong enough to mask the gasoline smell in the car.

Who knew this time, his usually meticulous secretary would make a mistake, and furthermore, grab a bottle of his most hated scent.

Freesia fragrance.

Clean and gentle, it was Chi Lanyi’s favorite scent.

Just two months ago, he had once been enveloped by this scent one morning. Chi Lanyi had woken up in his arms. The 19-year-old Chi Lanyi, without memories of his past life, looked at him in panic; besides unease and fear, there was also pure shyness.

That day, Gao Rong held Chi Lanyi’s face and kissed him again. Amidst that captivating floral scent, he willingly wrote Chi Lanyi back into his life plan.

At that moment, he truly believed that his feelings with Chi Lanyi could start anew in this life.

But fate still pushed him towards Chi Lanyi’s active departure, and the tragic end Chi Lanyi had orchestrated for him with his own hands.

Gao Rong hadn’t just made a mistake with the car freshener’s scent; he had also made a mistake with the destination of this trip. He should have gone to New York, should have met his parents settled in Long Island, and under their earnest expectations, gone on a blind date with a woman of equally noble lineage.

Instead of heading deep into the mountains, to a mental hospital that used electroshock as its primary treatment method.

And that mental hospital was where Chi Lanyi, who had betrayed him in their past life, was confined. Throughout the journey, he had nightmares related to his past life’s death.

Gao Rong knew that this trip would turn his rebirth into a joke of repeating the same mistakes.

The car stopped in front of a gray building. Around the building stood towering iron railings, along with electric fences and barbed wire; it looked more like a prison than a proper mental hospital.

This mental hospital was, indeed, not proper. The sign outside bore six large characters: “Benevolent Correctional Center”.

On the walls, there were also painted slogans: “Save Your Personality, Reclaim Your Life”.

As early as when he was in a meeting in London and heard the latest news about Chi Lanyi, Gao Rong had already ordered his men to rush here at full speed. Now, several cars belonging to his subordinates were parked in the courtyard. All other matters had been settled; they were just waiting for him to pick up the person.

A subordinate in a black suit had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Gao Rong arrive, he reported: “Mr. Gao, the hospital has been taken care of. Mr. Chi’s family won’t know we are taking him away.”

“And him?”

Gao Rong only said “him,” but everyone knew he was referring to Chi Lanyi, who had been sent to this mental hospital by his own family.

“Mr. Chi is in the ward. We haven’t been able to bring him out of the room.” The man said, “You mentioned earlier not to use sedatives if he refused, so we followed his wishes. But we just cannot control him. Whenever we get close, he starts screaming…”

“I understand.” Gao Rong said.

He remained cold. Having dealt with Chi Lanyi’s mental breakdowns in his past life, he was already highly experienced.

Just entering the hospital, the chilly night air mixed with the smell of disinfectant rushed towards him. Along the long corridor, iron doors were locked one after another, like a nightmare belonging to someone else that Gao Rong shouldn’t touch.

In his previous life, Chi Lanyi had never mentioned this mental hospital to Gao Rong, nor had he ever talked about his experience of being sent here by his parents.

Gao Rong walked through the corridor. He had never been here before, yet felt less like he was stepping into a new place and more like he was returning somewhere he never should have come back to. Every step he took was a repetition of past mistakes.

A door at the end of the corridor was open. Gao Rong knew this was the destination of his trip.

Perhaps due to disrepair, the light inside the ward was dim, the bulb shrinking to a point of murky yellow, like a sun long since burned out. The room was messy, pillows and bedding thrown everywhere.

But amidst this chaos, Gao Rong still found Chi Lanyi at first glance.

The instant he saw Chi Lanyi, Gao Rong almost thought he was back under that runaway car again. His limbs were crushed, yet the pressure in his blood surged violently, thickly, throbbing, wanting to burst every blood vessel and escape his body to seek a way to survive.

The Chi Lanyi before him was not a way to survive, but his road to death. In their past life, Chi Lanyi had said that in their ten years of marriage, he had never loved him.

So in this life, Gao Rong should not long for the love of this life’s Chi Lanyi either.

Chi Lanyi had been dignified and beautiful. He was the most outstanding fashion designer, dressing with cool elegance even when plagued by divorce scandals. But now Chi Lanyi was huddled in a corner, wrapped only in a grayish-white straitjacket.

His shirt was half-torn, his collarbones jutting out against the skin like shattered glass. That fragile, sharp transparency was precisely the feeling Chi Lanyi had always given Gao Rong.

—Gao Rong always wanted to grasp his beauty tightly, but was always cut till blood flowed by his sharp edges.

At the same time, Chi Lanyi’s eyes were hollow, filled only with the despair of someone pushed into the abyss by their closest family, just like any ordinary desperate person.

Even knowing this person would betray him ten years later, Gao Rong still couldn’t stop himself from stumbling a step.

Just as he desperately wanted to rush forward and carry Chi Lanyi out of this filthy corner.

Fortunately, Gao Rong controlled himself. He walked slowly toward Chi Lanyi, his expression calm, as if facing a stranger.

So at last, he didn’t make this reunion too ugly.

Only after Gao Rong’s steps entered a safe distance did Chi Lanyi raise his head. Perhaps because he had been screaming for too long, Chi Lanyi’s gaze was somewhat sluggish.

“…Mom?”

Chi Lanyi said.

Then, Chi Lanyi made a somewhat hesitant sound: “…Gao Rong?”

On the verge of a mental breakdown, he recognized Gao Rong. And Gao Rong just remained silent.

Chi Lanyi let out another mournful call: “…How could it be you.”

That voice was like the murmur a small animal makes when soaked through, or a flower being crushed tight, or the instinctive plea from the throat of a drowning person clutching at a straw.

Gao Rong knew he should feel sympathy for Chi Lanyi.

They had loved each other for ten years; this inability to bear seeing Chi Lanyi suffer had long become his instinct to forgive all of Chi Lanyi’s madness.

But upon hearing that call, Gao Rong’s breath tightened again. He didn’t find Chi Lanyi pitiful, only felt as if his lungs were being pierced once more by the metal shards from his past life.

Chi Lanyi’s voice calling him in this life sounded no different from the voice that had mocked him when handing over the divorce papers in the previous life.

Almost instinctively, Gao Rong wanted to turn and leave. He wanted to escape this clinging call and return to his rational, practical life.

Even though under the dim light, Chi Lanyi was still pale and thin, his desolation giving him a kind of poignant beauty, more touchingly lovely than ever before.

Chi Lanyi was like a water ghost clinging to the shore, choosing people to devour.

Gao Rong hated this face.

Hated it so much he wanted to strangle its owner.

Hated it so much that hearing his voice made his ears ring, seeing his face made his eyes ache, and smelling anything related to him made him nauseous.

Years after his rebirth, whenever Gao Rong thought that in some corner of this world, the owner of this face was still living ignorantly and purely, while he himself struggled day and night in nightmares related to Chi Lanyi, he couldn’t even utter cries of grief and curses in his dreams.

Gao Rong had died for the owner of this face. He had also told himself that in this life, he would learn to be rational, to seek advantage and avoid harm.

But ultimately, Gao Rong’s toes moved slightly.

He took two more steps toward Chi Lanyi, drew closer, and stood straight.

Until his breath, his shadow, could fall upon Chi Lanyi, completely enveloping the distraught young man cowering in the corner.

“…Stand up.” Gao Rong said coldly.

“…”

“The door is open. Stand up, and walk out.”

It was as if Chi Lanyi had heard nothing; he remained curled up in a ball.

Gao Rong crouched down, looking at Chi Lanyi indifferently. Their overlapping breaths were like blades, scraping against Gao Rong’s nasal cavity over and over.

Suddenly, Chi Lanyi grabbed Gao Rong’s wrist and leaned his whole body towards him.

As if this was a gloomy hell, and Gao Rong was the only strand of spider silk descending to save him.

Not the devil he had hysterically tried to sever ties with, the one who disgusted and terrified him.

The spot where Chi Lanyi grabbed him felt heavy and numb. Gao Rong paused, then said coldly: “Let go.”

Almost like a warning about to freeze over.

But the fingers gripping him tightly were trembling.

Trembling non-stop.

Chi Lanyi’s voice was very soft: “Save me…”

Gao Rong was unmoved.

“Wherever you want to take me… save me…”

Gao Rong looked down. His cuff was already wrinkled from the grip, showing how much strength Chi Lanyi was using.

He pressed down on Chi Lanyi’s trembling fingers, like dying spiders, peeling them off his wrist one by one.

Until Chi Lanyi’s voice carried a sob.

“…Don’t leave me.”

It felt as if someone had fiercely seized Gao Rong’s throat. The burning hatred and surging pain in his chest mixed together, earth-shattering.

Why couldn’t Chi Lanyi just die with him.

It would be best if, right at this moment, a tsunami struck. Right at this moment, the building collapsed. A fire ignited, burning their bones into diamonds. Then, they could descend into hell hand in hand.

Then, he would never have to think of an excuse to convince himself, to allow himself to repeat the same mistakes for someone who had betrayed him.

A long while later, Gao Rong said, his tone calm: “Chi Lanyi.”

“…Don’t leave me.”

Chi Lanyi continued to murmur.

His voice was as broken as snowflakes falling on a street corner.

Gao Rong said: “I can take you away.”

Chi Lanyi trembled.

He reached for Gao Rong’s wrist, his movement turning from hesitant to urgent, as if grasping a life-saving straw in despair. And then, as though he finally felt he could allow himself to cry safely, he leaned toward Gao Rong.

But Gao Rong continued: “But I am a businessman. I value worth.”

“…”

Gao Rong’s expression was cold: “I will no longer like someone like you, fragile and unstable. Just as you said, I am cold, despicable, and loving you is too exhausting for me. So, I might as well grant your wish and treat you as a tool. You are fairly good-looking and can make a few pieces of clothing, so you still hold some value in my eyes.”

Chi Lanyi froze. He looked at Gao Rong in panic, as if he no longer recognized him.

Gao Rong continued: “After thinking it over, you have only one use right now—to be an asset in my hands. I’ve opened a fashion company. You’ll bring your face and serve as the company’s public figurehead. I will manage your every word and action. Your public image will henceforth be the image I create for you.”

As if scalded, Chi Lanyi wanted to withdraw his hand, but Gao Rong pressed his fingers down, his voice calm: “Apart from this, I will make you my nominal boyfriend. I will craft one of those love stories your fashion circles love so much—a genius designer and a kind-hearted investor. Then, using that, I will sell your designs. In exchange, I will take you out of here.”

“…”

“How about it?”

Chi Lanyi lowered his eyes in humiliation. Yet Gao Rong’s gaze remained relentless: “Chi Lanyi… I will only give you this one chance.”

After a long silence, an expression that was shattered, almost humiliated, flickered across Chi Lanyi’s face.

But in the end, he nodded.

Good. Gao Rong thought, good that Chi Lanyi was still so easy for him to control.

Yet his heart didn’t feel any relief; instead, there was a heavy, suffocating weight. Gao Rong crouched down and firmly grasped Chi Lanyi.

The feel of that overly thin body in his hands made Gao Rong pause. Then, he carefully lifted him into his arms.

Gao Rong carried Chi Lanyi out of the confinement room that had held him captive.

The sun was rising. A hazy brightness filtered into the hospital.

Chi Lanyi had once desperately longed to see this daylight again. Now, having regained his freedom, he only curled up in Gao Rong’s arms, his eyes tightly shut.

Every pair of eyes outside, every word, seemed capable of hurting him; every gust of wind seemed to have heard of his disgrace. He couldn’t stop trembling, feeling hopeless and helpless, like a hideous worm.

What made him tremble wasn’t just his own disgrace, but also Gao Rong’s hand gripping his waist. He felt fear and shame, anxiously uncertain of what kind of future awaited him under this domineering man’s control.

Perhaps, besides this fear and uncertainty, there was another feeling towards Gao Rong in his heart.

It was a bitter, resentful hatred, intensely growing in response to Gao Rong’s harshness.

The night was deep, the mountain wind howling. Gao Rong placed Chi Lanyi in the car. He didn’t sit with him in the back row, but went to the passenger seat.

The clever secretary had already changed the car freshener. Purified by the mountain wind, only a calm, woody fragrance remained in the car.

Gao Rong’s mind was a complex knot of emotions, but the person in the back seat moved slightly.

“Wait.”

Gao Rong looked down. He heard Chi Lanyi say, enunciating each word: “Go back inside, and get my straitjacket… bring it out.”

“Bring it out?” Gao Rong asked him.

“Yes, bring it out. I want to take it apart and design it into a gown. I want to make them see that the thing they hate most is stunningly beautiful in the eyes of others.” Chi Lanyi nodded forcefully, “I want to force them to look at it. In shop windows, in magazines, on television… I want everyone to see it! Even in their nightmares, they’ll have to see it!”

Chi Lanyi’s voice was still very soft, but now, within its fragility, there was a hint of madness.

It was at this moment that Gao Rong remembered Chi Lanyi’s title from the fashion world in their past life.

—The Glass-like Tyrant.

—The fashion world’s most fragile, yet most dangerous, exquisite weapon.

Enough to send chills down the spines of anyone who got close to him.

Gao Rong looked at the madness faintly revealing itself in Chi Lanyi’s eyes, and thought that it was fortunate things were as they were now: between him and Chi Lanyi, only a relationship of use and being used remained.

Chi Lanyi was just his disobedient asset.

So, this couldn’t be considered another emotional relapse into repeating past mistakes.

But just as he steeled his resolve, he heard Chi Lanyi’s second sentence.

“Since you won’t love me anymore, from now on, I will also only see you as a tool.” Chi Lanyi said coldly, “Gao Rong, it was you who decided to treat me this way first.”

His numb voice was like the first sleep-talk after a heart’s death: “…This time, it was you who decided first.”