I'm caught in the cycle of endless competition, you're waiting for me in the apocalypse.

"Knock Knock Knock!"

"An Xin, it's me, Qi Mingxuan."

A warm, magnetic voice rang out from outside the door, making one wonder what kind of elegant gentleman the owner of the voice must be.

"Come in, the door's unlocked," An Xin said weakly, leaning against the cushions to appear as frail and sickly as possible. She was secretly relieved that she hadn't used her light-based abilities to heal the wound on her forehead yesterday. It was also thanks to the wound's depth that the spiritual liquid hadn't fully healed it. This morning, she had even drunk seafood porridge, making the area around the wound even more red and swollen.

As the door opened, a tall, elegant, and polite man entered the room.

As she approached, a faint scent of pine and cypress wafted into An Xin's nostrils.

Qi Mingxuan walked to the bedside, bent down and carefully examined An Xin.

An Xin was completely taken aback by the man's sudden bend over... his face was so close. She instinctively flinched and turned her head away. Not knowing where to put her hands, she could only grab the corner of the blanket and pull it over herself.

"Don't you recognize me?" Qi Mingxuan was very perceptive and immediately noticed the girl's wariness towards him. During the time he worked as a temporary "family doctor" for the An family, he had gotten to know An Xin to some extent, and it was impossible for her to be so wary now. Even when they first met, she had never shown such defensiveness.

"Um, um... actually, I don't know how I hit my head the day before yesterday, and I was unconscious until yesterday when I woke up. I don't remember a lot of things, it's all very blurry..." An Xin stammered as he looked up slightly, revealing a face with defined features, thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, a straight nose, thin lips, and a clear jawline. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high nose bridge softened the aggressiveness of his appearance.

"How did you feel when you woke up yesterday? Was it a throbbing or dull ache? Did you feel nauseous?" he asked, moving closer to An Xin's forehead to examine her.

They were so close that the scent of pine and cypress emanating from him grew stronger, and his faint, warm breath brushed against An Xin's cheek as he spoke.

An Xin's face flushed crimson, and she lowered her eyes, trying to hide her bewilderment. Just as she panicked, a sharp pain shot through her forehead.

A beautiful hand was raised, and straight, jade-like fingers were pressed against the area around the wound on An Xin's forehead. The cool fingertips sent a shiver down her spine.

“Hiss…” An Xin murmured softly.

"Hmm, the redness and swelling aren't too bad, the external injury doesn't look too serious..." Qi Mingxuan withdrew his hand, sat on the edge of the bed, and returned to social distance. He looked up at An Xin's face again, "Hey? Why is your face red? Do you have a fever?"

"No...no...it's just that the blanket was a little too warm..." An Xin quickly covered her face with her hands. "Um, Dr. Qi, when I woke up my head hurt a lot, it was a dull ache...my mind was also very confused, I don't know if I went to the hospital...I was sleeping most of yesterday, I wasn't awake for long..."

"You should go to the hospital for a thorough brain check-up, get a CT scan! Your brain is definitely damaged; you can't even speak properly anymore." Qi Mingxuan looked at An Xin with a half-smile.

A year ago, Qi Mingxuan had just returned from his studies in France. His family threw him a welcome-back banquet. During that time, he overheard people talking about the strange things happening in the An family, which everyone just listened to for amusement. He had no interest in the whole "real or fake heiress" thing. But by sheer coincidence, he later ran into the family at their private hospital.

An Xin was in very bad condition at the time; she looked haggard, and her small face was completely pale. In the dean's office, An's parents anxiously stood by their daughter's side, handing the dean a series of medical examination reports. After reviewing them, the dean shook his head, saying that her body was just a little weak, but there was nothing seriously wrong; it was probably a psychological issue, and he suggested that Qi Mingxuan, a psychology major, take a look.

Qi Mingxuan studied Western medicine in China, with a minor in psychology. He then went to France for graduate studies in psychology and obtained certifications. So, hiring him was a suitable option. Furthermore, because the Qi family and the An family had a project collaboration, he could openly become An Xin's "temporary family doctor."

Based on Qi Mingxuan's understanding of An Xin, the girl in front of him didn't seem to have amnesia at all; she seemed like a completely different person. He knew that even with amnesia, many of a person's habits, behaviors, and even personality wouldn't change much. However, the small red mole at the corner of her eye clearly indicated that this person was undoubtedly An Xin.

"Okay, Dr. Qi, I'll go to the hospital... Um, I want to sleep now. I'll go this afternoon after I wake up, okay?" An Xin looked at Qi Mingxuan's upturned lips and a bad feeling rose in her heart. She could only suppress her panic and hastily send him away, praying that she wouldn't be suspected. This man was really hard to fool.

"Okay, then you rest, I'll go find Uncle An."

....................................................................................

"Phew..." An Xin exhaled a large breath of stale air, patting her chest in lingering fear. "Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu, come out quickly! I was so nervous just now that my heart was about to jump out of my chest."

“Here it comes!” Di Ting floated out, lay on the bed, approached An Xin, and said, “Didn’t you read a lot of novels and watch a lot of TV series? How come you’re so naive? Seeing how scared you are, I bet that kid suspects you.”

"Oh dear, reading novels and watching TV dramas only provides theoretical knowledge, okay? To be honest, I only truly understand what 'armchair theorizing' means today." An Xin was still shaken. "Besides, this Dr. Qi is just too good-looking. Look at his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs—he's got everything I'm looking for..."

"Stop, stop, stop! What does whether this man is good-looking or not have to do with whether you can act?"

"I'm shy... so I can't act well at all!" An Xin said, though her argument was unconvincing.

"You silly girl, you can be shy? We're discussing how to dispel other people's suspicions!" Di Ting said, exasperated.

"There's nothing we can do about doubting it; we can only keep lying. Things will work themselves out."

"Things have come to this, what else can we do? The most important thing is not to arouse suspicion in our family. And this Dr. Qi is obviously not easy to fool. He seems to be a psychologist. He has provided psychological counseling and guidance to the original owner before. It will be difficult to completely hide it from us. Let's just take it one step at a time."

"Xiao Jiu, thank goodness you're here with me, otherwise what would I do... I'm so pitiful and weak... I can't even lie, and I get shy when I see a beautiful woman... Ah... what would I do without you?"

An Xin started wailing and then began to sing. She didn't look pitiful or weak at all; she was just a spoiled brat. Di Ting listened with a look of disgust.

..........................................................................................

"Uncle An!"

"Mingxuan's here! Come and sit down... Butler Wang, you can leave now." An Zongping said kindly to Qi Mingxuan, "Have you seen Xinxin? How is she? Is her condition serious?"

“On the surface, it looks like some superficial injuries, nothing serious. But I suggest you take Xinxin to the hospital for a comprehensive examination, especially a brain CT scan. Based on my preliminary assessment, she does have amnesia, accompanied by some mild language difficulties and unclear logic.”

Qi Mingxuan is very professional in his field, and An Zongping trusts him a lot. He said, "That's quite serious. It's kind of you, Mingxuan, to make the trip. We'll take Xinxin to the hospital later. Thank you so much!"

"It's alright, Uncle An, we're old friends, no need to be so polite with me!"

"Sigh... It's all our negligence. We didn't take good care of Xinxin." An Zongping frowned, thinking about what Butler Wang had said earlier, as well as the changes in the house in recent days. A sense of unease settled over his heart.

"Uncle An... well... I just wanted to remind you that Xinxin said she's tired and wants to sleep for a while. How about we take her to the hospital this afternoon after she wakes up? I'll be there this afternoon or evening."

Qi Mingxuan was actually quite conflicted, unsure whether he should tell An Zongping about An Xin's changes. He was also afraid of being paranoid and causing trouble for others, so he decided to observe further and kept his words to himself for the time being.