Where Am I?
Beep beep... beep beep...
“Watch out!” someone shouted.
Crash.
A deafening noise erupted in the street.
When I looked down, I saw a woman lying on the ground, covered in blood, her life spilling out onto the pavement.
It took me a second to realize that woman was me.
Thump-thump.
I never imagined that after all these years, I would find myself here, dying alone in the cold at the age of twenty-five.
A weak sigh escaped my lips.
“Damn... I guess I’ll miss my flight.”
Every inch of my body felt shattered. Pain pulsed through me with every breath, but as I struggled to look around, I spotted a young boy standing nearby.
He was alive.
Relief washed over me.
At least the boy was safe.
After enduring so much suffering at that company, I had finally secured some time off—my much-deserved vacation—after working like a slave for five grueling years.
And just as I was finally about to leave, I saw that car careening out of control, heading straight toward that child.
I couldn’t just stand there.
In the end, at least I managed to save him.
Pain coursed through me, and anger bubbled to the surface. My vision blurred, and I could feel consciousness slowly slipping away. I tried to adjust my position, but my body refused to move.
Suddenly, a small smile tugged at my lips.
“At least I should’ve broken up with that jerk sooner,” I muttered, thinking back on my past relationships.
My gaze drifted to the side and landed on my friend’s book, Sweethearts Forever, now torn and stained with my blood.
A wave of nostalgia washed over me.
“I always enjoyed dating. I never thought much about marriage...”
My breathing grew weaker.
“But now that I’m dying, I guess marrying a wealthy man wouldn’t have been so bad.”
I stared blankly at the gray sky above me.
“How nice would it have been to live without working myself to death? Just buy whatever I wanted without thinking twice...”
I clenched my teeth, determination battling against despair.
“I guess it’s too late for that now.”
Silence enveloped me.
Then, suddenly, a voice broke through the stillness.
“If you had the chance to do it all over again, would you?”
My heart raced.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
Startled, I trembled.
“What?”
The voice repeated, calm and almost amused.
“Would you like to do it all over again?”
A strange surge of defiance rose inside me.
“If I could live again, I’d want a different life. I’m definitely not repeating this one.”
The voice chuckled softly.
“Good answer.”
Then everything went dark.
“Why is it dark?”
“Where am I?”
I struggled to open my eyes.
When I finally managed to, a terrible headache pounded through my skull. I lifted a heavy hand to my forehead as cold air brushed against my skin.
I slowly sat up.
Then froze.
“Where am I?”
This definitely wasn’t my room.
I inhaled deeply and looked around.
The room was enormous.
Elegant furniture, expensive-looking decorations, tall windows, soft curtains, polished floors...
“What a beautiful and ridiculously expensive-looking place...”
I frowned.
“But where is this?”
My mind immediately returned to the accident.
“Didn’t I just get hit by a car?”
I scratched my head, desperately trying to make sense of everything.
Then my gaze landed on an ID card lying on the nightstand.
I reached for it.
The photo looked exactly like me.
I stared at it.
“...When did I take this?”
I had absolutely no memory of it.
My confusion only deepened when I noticed several papers scattered nearby.
I picked them up one by one.
Then stopped.
A marriage certificate.
I squinted at the names printed on the document.
Han Chen.
Yang Liu.
My hand went limp.
The certificate fell to the floor.
“Yang Liu?”
I stared at it in disbelief.
“But that’s my name.”
I quickly picked it up again and examined the signature.
“And that’s my signature too... right?”
“What the hell is going on?”
A nervous laugh escaped me.
“Yang Liu, take a deep breath.”
I pressed a hand against my chest.
“Maybe you have a twin sister.”
Even I didn’t believe that.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
I jumped.
“Madam, are you awake?”
I froze.
Madam? Me?
My eyes immediately flew toward the mirror.
My hair was slightly messy, and my blouse was wrinkled.
For some reason, panic flickered through me at the thought of someone seeing me like that.
I hurriedly smoothed down my clothes and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my ears.
“Okay. Calm down.”
I took another breath.
Then my eyes dropped to the floor.
The documents.
They were scattered everywhere.
“Oh, right.”
I dropped to my knees and quickly gathered them, trying to stack them as neatly as possible despite my slightly trembling fingers.
“Just a minute, please!” I called, doing my best to keep my voice steady.
I had always been good at adapting quickly.
Whatever was going on, panicking wouldn’t help.
After one final breath, I straightened my shoulders, pressed the documents against my chest, and walked toward the door.
Then I opened it.
Standing outside was a man who looked to be in his sixties. His expression carried a careful mixture of professionalism and concern.
Who is this?
Confusion briefly washed over me.
Still, I offered him a polite smile.
“Good morning. Yes, I’m awake. Is something wrong?”
The older man seemed momentarily taken aback.
Why does he look so surprised?
He quickly regained his composure.
“Madam, I apologize for the interruption. Mr. Chen asked me to inform you that he had to leave early for the company due to an urgent matter. He also sent you a message and asked that you respond as soon as possible.”
My mind went blank.
Mr. Chen?
Han Chen?
Then a horrifyingly familiar connection clicked into place.
Han Chen... like Han Chen from Sweethearts Forever?
My friend’s book.
The book lying beside me when I died.
The father of Han Wei, the third male lead?
My heart began pounding.
The man who’s even richer than the main character?
No.
No way.
There had to be some explanation.
Still smiling, I forced myself to stay calm.
I needed confirmation.
If this really was Sweethearts Forever, then Han Wei had to exist too.
“Oh, okay,” I said smoothly. “I’ll reply to my husband right away.”
I paused as naturally as I could.
“Just to confirm... has my stepson, Han Wei, left for school yet?”
The butler smiled gently.
“No. Young Master Han Wei is still asleep, Madam.”
There it was.
The name.
The confirmation.
A chill ran down my spine.
It’s real.
It’s actually real.
I thanked him and gently closed the door.
The second it clicked shut, my knees buckled.
I collapsed onto the floor.
My eyes widened as I stared into nothing.
“I can’t believe this.”
My breathing became shallow.
“I’m inside Sweethearts Forever...”
Then another realization hit me.
“...and I’ve become the stepmother of my favorite character?”
My mind spun.
Wait.
Didn’t Han Chen and Yang Liu divorce shortly after getting married?
I frowned.
No.
Not shortly after.
In the novel, they stayed married for exactly one year before signing the divorce papers.
The reason behind their divorce was never properly explained.
Yang Liu was barely even a character.
She was mentioned near the beginning when she married Han Chen, and then again when they divorced.
That was basically it.
Desperate for answers, I scanned the room.
My eyes landed on a handbag draped over an armchair.
I rushed toward it and began rummaging through its contents until I found a sleek phone.
It had to belong to the original Yang Liu.
My fingers moved quickly across the screen.
Calendar.
January 7th.
I stared at the date.
Exactly one year until the divorce.
My lips parted.
In the novel, Han Chen and Yang Liu had some kind of agreement. The details were never revealed, only that the marriage eventually ended after he fulfilled some promise to her.
For several seconds, I simply stared at the screen.
Then laughter suddenly bubbled out of my chest.
I couldn’t stop it.
“The best part is... he’s rich!”
I covered my mouth, but another laugh escaped.
Maybe I was supposed to panic.
Maybe I was supposed to cry because I had died and somehow ended up inside a novel.
But I had already died once.
What was I supposed to do about it now?
I had always been quick to accept reality and adapt.
And after briefly weighing the pros and cons, my decision became obvious.
I’ll stay married for the year.
Then, when the time comes, I’ll sign the divorce papers just like the original Yang Liu.
Simple.
I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend one year married to a handsome, wealthy thirty-five-year-old man?
Especially when the alternative was going back to working myself to death.
A plan immediately began forming in my mind.
Han Chen and Han Wei could be treated like distant colleagues.
Polite.
Helpful.
Friendly enough.
But emotionally distant.
No drama.
No complications.
I would do whatever was required, enjoy my new life, and walk away from the marriage with a comfortable bank account.
I chuckled again.
“Finally. Some luck.”
Then I caught sight of myself in the mirror.
I paused.
“And at least I still look like myself. No need to get used to a new face.”
That was one less problem.
The marriage certificate was dated yesterday, which meant the marriage itself was still brand new.
Even better.
I didn’t have to pretend to be deeply attached to anyone.
According to the novel, Han Chen had only married Yang Liu because of some agreement between them anyway.
Nothing romantic.
Nothing complicated.
I let out a breath of relief.
“Perfect.”
The less we knew about each other, the easier this would be.
I could just be myself.
Suddenly, the phone buzzed in my hand.
I nearly dropped it.
The screen lit up.
Han Chen.
My heart skipped a beat.
Han Chen is calling me?
I froze.
My thumb hovered over the screen.
Should I answer?
What do I even say?
Then another thought hit me.
What if he realizes I’m not really Yang Liu?
I stared at the phone for another second.
Then closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Just act natural.
You’re his wife now.
I opened my eyes.
Technically.
Finally, I accepted the call.
For half a second, neither of us spoke.
Then a deep, composed voice came through the speaker—smooth, calm, and unmistakably mature.
“Hello, Yang Liu?”
