[Monday Morning - 7:00 AM - Private Jet Approaching Jianghai]
The private jet was descending smoothly toward Jianghai when it happened.
Chen Wei had stepped to the back of the plane to take an urgent call from Victoria Chen about finalizing the international contracts. Xiao Yue and Bai Yue were seated in the main cabin, reviewing business documents.
"Mr. Chen," the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom, tension evident. "We're experiencing severe turbulence. Please return to your seat immediately and—"
The plane lurched violently.
Chen Wei was thrown against the bulkhead, his head connecting with a metal support beam with a sickening crack. He crumpled to the floor, blood streaming from a gash on his temple.
"CHEN WEI!" Xiao Yue's scream pierced through the chaos as the plane bucked and shook.
The next few minutes were a blur—emergency landing procedures, ambulances waiting on the tarmac, paramedics rushing Chen Wei away on a stretcher while Xiao Yue sobbed hysterically.
[Critical Injury: Severe Head Trauma]
[System Status: Temporarily Offline Due to Host Incapacitation]
[Jianghai Central Hospital - ICU]
"The head trauma is severe," Dr. Wang explained to the gathered group—Xiao Yue, Bai Yue, Wang Lei, Liu Han, and Zhang Mei. "We've stabilized him, but there's significant swelling. We won't know the full extent of damage until he wakes up."
"When will that be?" Xiao Yue asked, her voice raw from crying.
"Could be hours, could be days," Dr. Wang said grimly. "And there's a possibility of complications—memory loss, personality changes, cognitive impairment. We need to prepare for anything."
Xiao Yue collapsed into a chair, Bai Yue holding her as she wept.
[48 Hours Later]
Chen Wei's eyes finally opened. Slowly, painfully, consciousness returning.
Xiao Yue, who'd been maintaining a vigil beside his bed, immediately grabbed his hand. "Chen Wei! Oh thank god, you're awake!"
Chen Wei blinked slowly, his head throbbing with agony. He looked at the woman holding his hand—beautiful, tear-stained, desperate.
He had no idea who she was.
"I'm sorry," Chen Wei said, his voice hoarse. "Do I know you?"
[System Alert: Memory Loss Confirmed]
[Host has lost memories of the past month]
[Everything since system activation—GONE]
Xiao Yue's face went white. "Chen Wei, it's me. Xiao Yue. Your girlfriend. We live together."
Chen Wei stared at her blankly. "Girlfriend? I... I don't have a girlfriend. I just broke up with Liu Meng a few days ago. Or was it...?" He winced, confusion evident. "What day is it?"
The doctor stepped in quickly. "Miss Xiao, please step outside. We need to run some tests."
As Xiao Yue was gently ushered out, Chen Wei heard her collapse into sobs in the hallway.
[Two Hours Later - Doctor's Consultation]
Dr. Wang gathered everyone in a private consultation room.
"The injury has caused retrograde amnesia," he explained. "Chen Wei has lost approximately one month of memories—everything from the breakup with Liu Meng until now. He doesn't remember activating the system, meeting Xiao Yue, building his company, any of it."
"Will his memory come back?" Bai Yue asked.
"Possibly. In cases like this, memories can return gradually or all at once. Or..." Dr. Wang hesitated, "they may never fully return. We simply don't know."
"What does he remember?" Wang Lei asked.
"He thinks he's still a broke college student who just got dumped," Dr. Wang said. "He's confused about why he's in a private hospital room, why there are bodyguards, why successful businesswomen are surrounding him. His last clear memory is being heartbroken in the rain."
Xiao Yue looked devastated. "He doesn't remember falling in love with me? Moving in together? Any of it?"
"I'm sorry," Dr. Wang said. "From his perspective, you're a complete stranger."
[Xiao Yue Emotional State: Shattered]
[The man she loves doesn't know she exists]
[That Evening - Chen Wei's Hospital Room]
Chen Wei sat up in bed, utterly confused. People kept coming by—this "Wang Lei" who claimed to be his roommate, women he'd never seen before saying they were business partners or friends, security guards who apparently worked for him.
And through it all, that beautiful woman with the heartbroken eyes—Xiao Yue—watching from the doorway, crying silently.
"I don't understand any of this," Chen Wei said to Wang Lei, who was the only person who felt somewhat familiar. "People keep saying I own a company? That I'm wealthy? That I live in a villa? None of that makes sense."
"Bro, you hit your head really hard," Wang Lei said carefully. "You've forgotten the last month. A lot changed in that time."
"Like what?"
"Like... everything," Wang Lei said. "You became successful. Really successful. Built a company, made powerful friends, found love. And now you don't remember any of it."
Chen Wei looked at Xiao Yue in the doorway. "She really is my girlfriend?"
"Yeah, man. And she really loves you. You two are... were... really happy together."
[Chen Wei Perspective: None of This Feels Real]
[He feels like he's woken up in someone else's life]
That night, after visiting hours ended and everyone left, Chen Wei lay awake, his mind churning.
The system had been silent since he woke up. No messages, no notifications, nothing. Just... quiet.
And in that quiet, Chen Wei felt something he hadn't felt in what everyone claimed was a month: freedom.
No pressure. No temptations. No system pushing him toward corruption. Just... emptiness. And in that emptiness, a strange sense of relief.
[System Status: Dormant]
[Host's amnesia has temporarily suspended system operations]
[This is unprecedented]
[Three Days Later - Chen Wei Discharged]
Against medical advice but with his insistence, Chen Wei was discharged. But he refused to go to the villa everyone claimed was his home.
"I don't remember that place," he said. "I'm going back to my dorm. To what I know."
"Chen Wei, please," Xiao Yue begged. "At least let me help you. Let me show you our life together. Maybe it will help your memory return."
Chen Wei looked at her—this beautiful stranger who claimed to love him. He felt nothing. No recognition, no attraction, nothing.
"I'm sorry," he said gently. "But I don't know you. And I need space to figure out what's real and what's not."
[Xiao Yue Heartbreak: Complete]
[Chen Wei: Feels guilty but detached]
Bai Yue pulled Chen Wei aside. "I understand this is confusing, but you need to understand something. You have responsibilities now. A company with employees depending on you. Business deals that need your attention. You can't just walk away."
"Watch me," Chen Wei said. "If I built all of this in one month, I can walk away from it just as fast. I never asked for any of this."
He turned to Liu Han and Zhang Mei. "I appreciate that you apparently work for me, but I don't need bodyguards. I'm just a college student."
"Mr. Chen, there are people who might want to harm you," Liu Han protested. "Your success has made enemies."
"Then they can have the success," Chen Wei said. "I just want my normal life back."
[Chen Wei Decision: Rejecting Everything]
[The life he doesn't remember feels like a prison]
[That Night - University Dorm]
Chen Wei returned to his old dorm room, which apparently hadn't been touched. Wang Lei had moved to the villa, but the room was still there, still familiar.
He lay on his small bed, staring at the ceiling, and felt... at peace. No system messages. No beautiful women complicating his life. No business pressures. Just quiet.
His phone buzzed. Messages from numbers he didn't recognize:
"Xiao Yue": "Please, Chen Wei. Just give me a chance to help you remember. I love you so much. -XY"
"Bai Yue": "Chen Wei, we need to discuss Starlight Entertainment. You can't abandon your responsibilities. -BY"
"Lin Yue": "I heard about your accident. If you need legal help with anything, I'm here. -LY"
"Tang Xin": "Chen Wei, please be okay. We're all worried about you. -TX"
Chen Wei stared at these messages from strangers. Then, impulsively, he made a decision.
He texted Wang Lei: "Don't tell anyone where I am. I need time alone to think. Going away for a while."
Wang Lei: "Bro, are you serious? Everyone's worried sick!"
Chen Wei: "I need to figure out who I am without all this pressure. Take care of things for me. I'll be in touch eventually."
Before Wang Lei could respond, Chen Wei turned off his phone.
[Critical Decision: Chen Wei Is Running]
[Abandoning everything and everyone]
[The Next Morning - Chen Wei Disappears]
When Wang Lei went to check on Chen Wei, the dorm room was empty. Chen Wei had withdrawn cash from an ATM (still had access to his accounts despite not remembering them), packed a small bag, and vanished.
No one knew where he went.
Xiao Yue was hysterical. "We have to find him! He's confused, vulnerable, he might get hurt!"
Bai Yue was furious. "He's running from responsibility. This is unacceptable."
Liu Han and Zhang Mei tried to track him but Chen Wei had deliberately left his phone behind and taken only cash—no digital trail.
[Chen Wei Status: Missing]
[Location: Unknown]
[System: Still Dormant]
[Two Weeks Later - Somewhere in Rural China]
Chen Wei stood on a small farm in a village hundreds of miles from Jianghai. He'd traveled by bus, paid cash for everything, and found work as a farm hand.
The physical labor was exhausting. The pay was minimal. The accommodations were basic.
And for the first time in what everyone claimed was a month, Chen Wei felt like himself.
No system. No wealth. No complicated relationships. Just simple work, simple life, simple peace.
At night, he'd lie in the small room he rented from the farm owner and think about the life everyone said he'd forgotten.
Did he really love that woman—Xiao Yue?
Did he really build a company?
Was any of it real?
Or had it all been some kind of elaborate dream that he'd finally woken up from?
[Chen Wei's State: Voluntary Exile]
[Choosing simplicity over complexity]
[Choosing peace over pressure]
[System Status: Still Dormant, Waiting]
[Meanwhile - Jianghai]
Xiao Yue was a shell of herself. She'd moved back to her small apartment, the villa too painful to stay in without Chen Wei. She went through the motions of attending classes, but her heart wasn't in it.
Bai Yue had taken over operational control of Starlight Entertainment, managing it as best she could, but crucial decisions required Chen Wei's approval—approvals he wasn't there to give.
Lin Yue had hired private investigators to find Chen Wei, but so far, nothing.
Tang Xin's movie production was stalled because key decisions needed Chen Wei's input as primary investor.
Wang Lei felt guilty for not stopping Chen Wei before he disappeared.
Everyone Chen Wei had touched was left in chaos by his absence.
[Consequence of Disappearance: Everyone Suffers]
[One Month After Disappearance]
Chen Wei had settled into his new life. He was "Wei Chen" now—just a farm worker, no family name complications. The family who owned the farm had taken a liking to him. Their daughter, Mei, a simple village girl, had started bringing him extra food, smiling shyly.
No complications. No system. No pressure.
Just... existence.
But at night, sometimes, Chen Wei dreamed. Fragments of memories that felt real but also distant:
A woman with warm eyes saying "I love you."
Standing in a massive villa overlooking a city.
Facing down enemies with cold fury.
Making love with passionate intensity.
Building something important.
Were these memories? Or just dreams his injured brain was creating?
[Memory Fragments: Slowly Returning But Chen Wei Dismisses Them as Dreams]
And deep inside, dormant but not dead, the system waited.
Watching.
Calculating.
Preparing for the moment when Chen Wei would be forced to remember.
Because the system wasn't done with him yet.
Not by a long shot.