Chapter 20 — First Encounter • Who are you?
“Stop pretending. I know you’re awake.”
After changing the man’s bandages, Ling Jingxuan stood to the side, watching him coldly. The man lay half-naked on the straw, his body powerfully built—but not the exaggerated bulk of a muscle-bound brute. Instead, it was the kind of physique that looked perfect even draped in clothes: lean, sensual, and well-proportioned. Every inch of muscle showed smooth, resilient, wheat-colored lines—one bit more would be too much, one bit less too little. Coupled with sharp, knife-carved facial contours and handsome features, the man was undeniably attractive. Even with his eyes closed, he could stir any woman’s heart.
If it weren’t for the messy business between him and the original owner of this body, Ling Jingxuan might have been tempted himself. After all, everyone loved beautiful things—didn’t they?
“Who are you?”
The man opened his eyes. Dark, deep peach-blossom eyes flared with a piercing brilliance. Though his face was pale from blood loss, it did nothing to dull the sharp intelligence in his gaze. Ling Jingxuan couldn’t help letting out a low whistle. Those eyes were the finishing touch—bringing his handsome features fully to life. With them, the man’s aura underwent a dramatic change: dominant, sharp, and overwhelmingly noble.
“Before asking someone else, shouldn’t you at least give your own name first? Or is this how you treat your lifesaver?”
Admiration was one thing, but Ling Jingxuan hadn’t forgotten how ruthless and cold-blooded this man was. Someone like him was fine to admire from afar—but to toy with? Better not. He still wanted to live a few more years.
A flicker of confusion passed through the man’s glossy black eyes before sinking into a depth as dark as the sea. He didn’t answer. He simply stared at Ling Jingxuan without blinking. His blank mind told him one thing clearly—he had forgotten everything, including his own name. Still, from the fragmented conversation he had half-heard yesterday, he knew that this slender, delicate-looking man who claimed to be his savior seemed to have an unusually close connection to him.
“Who are you?”
He asked again. Perhaps without realizing it himself, his tone carried an unquestionable command. Some things could never be erased, even by amnesia—such as innate dominance.
“You’re not going to tell me you’ve forgotten who you are, are you?”
Catching the fleeting confusion in his eyes and the undisguised wariness beneath it, Ling Jingxuan’s cold gaze swept over the cloth wrapped around the man’s head. His sword-like brows drew together.
“I have—”
“Damn it!”
Before the man could finish, Ling Jingxuan crouched down and grabbed his wrist. His slender, handsome face hardened with icy focus. After a long moment, he clicked his tongue.
“There’s blood stasis in your brain. Probably temporary amnesia caused by the impact. This is your stuff—remember who you are as soon as possible. Then get as far away from me as you can.”
Releasing his hand, Ling Jingxuan casually grabbed the torn bundle of cloth from the side and tossed it onto him. Inside were a jade pendant and a heavy money pouch. One side of the pendant was engraved with the character 晟 (Sheng)—likely related to his name. As for what was inside the pouch, Ling Jingxuan had no interest in looking.
All he wanted was for this man to recover his memory quickly, answer a few questions, and then return to his own world.
“Wait. Who exactly are you? What is your relationship with me?”
Seeing him about to leave, the man instinctively propped himself up. If he remembered correctly, hadn’t they mentioned yesterday that there were children?
Ling Jingxuan halted, then slowly turned around. His expression blended cold detachment with sharp mockery.
“Take a good look at the fabric in your hands. Do you really think a backwoods villager like me could have anything to do with someone like you?”
Those rags were clearly high-grade goods. This man’s identity was certainly not simple. Ling Jingxuan’s instincts told him that getting entangled with him would only make his future worse.
“Then the children—”
The man frowned, the words slipping out impulsively.
Ling Jingxuan snorted and cut him off sharply. “So you did hear my conversation with my parents. Whether you’ve lost your memory or not, I’ll only say this once: the children are mine. They have nothing to do with you. You’d better carve that into your memory. Otherwise—”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
After throwing him a killing glare brimming with murderous intent, Ling Jingxuan turned and walked out. If this man dared fight him for the children, he truly wouldn’t mind killing him.
The little buns were his sons.
Anyone who dared set their sights on them—he would fight to the death.
Gods would be slain.
Buddhas would be butchered.
The man didn’t seem frightened by the threat. After Ling Jingxuan left, he endured the pain wracking his body and forced himself upright. His long fingers turned over the purple cloth Ling Jingxuan had thrown at him. From its smooth, fine texture, it was obvious the fabric was valuable. Yet his gaze lingered on it only briefly. As he searched through it, he pulled out a translucent green jade pendant engraved with the character 晟.
His fingers unconsciously rubbed over the character. In an instant, countless images flashed through his mind—but they passed too quickly. By the time he tried to grasp them, they had already vanished.
His instincts told him that this jade pendant was closely tied to his identity. His grip tightened slightly. Then he rummaged through the cloth again and found a seemingly plain money pouch, its edges wrapped with gold thread. From it, he took out a dark, heavy tiger-shaped jade carving.
“Ugh—”
The moment he saw the carving, the dull ache in his head exploded into sharp pain, as if countless needles were stabbing into his skull. He cried out in pain, dropping the jade carving and clutching his head.
At that moment, Ling Jingxuan returned, carrying two large, coarse bowls. He glanced lightly at the jade pendant and carving lying to the side. A suspicion flickered through his mind, deepening his gaze—but he said nothing. He simply set the bowls on the ground.
“Wait!”
Just as Ling Jingxuan turned to leave again, the man—still wracked with pain—suddenly grabbed his wrist. The grip was so strong that Ling Jingxuan felt as if his wrist might shatter. The man didn’t seem aware of his own loss of control. He looked up and demanded, “Who are you? Tell me your name.”
Those deep, sharp eyes locked onto him with domineering intensity. Even he didn’t know why this mattered so much.
“Ling Jingxuan.”
Forcing his hand free, Ling Jingxuan lowered his eyes and glanced at his already bruising wrist. His voice was as cold as hailstones, every word freezing to the bone.
“Then you are my—”
“My lifesaver.”
The man’s urgent question was cut off again by Ling Jingxuan’s icy reply. Ignoring the man’s deeply furrowed brows, Ling Jingxuan turned and walked away.
What he didn’t know was that the man’s gaze followed him the entire time—until his figure disappeared completely.
“Ling… Jingxuan…”
After an unknown length of time, the man withdrew his gaze and lay back down, murmuring the name softly. At the corner of his lips, a faint smile appeared—one he himself didn’t even realize was there.
Here comes the Male Lead! ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ – ˵ )♡
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal. A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/lazyhermitgal
