Lin Cheng's Warning

The world around her felt too fast.

Too loud. Too overwhelming.

Li Yue had spent her entire life in a kingdom of candlelit corridors, ink-dipped scrolls, and hushed whispers of war. The modern world was nothing like that.

Everything moved too quickly.

Lights flashed unnaturally, colors too bright against the metal and glass structures towering above her. Machines roared down the streets, sleek and monstrous, with no horses to guide them. And the people—so many people—walked past her in an unbroken stream, their conversations a blur of words she struggled to keep up with.

She hated it.

And yet, she had no choice but to survive.

It had been a few days since she woke up in this foreign world, trapped in Song Rui's body. A few days of pretending. Of forcing herself to act like she belonged.

The real Song Rui was in her body now, trapped in the past.

They had spoken in a dream. A strange, fragile bridge between their two existences. But no matter how much they feared, no matter how much they wanted to undo this curse, there was only one certainty:

They had to survive first.

So she had to play her role.

Head down. Eyes forward. Keep moving.

She could do this.

But then—

She ran into him.

And everything spiraled out of control.

It happened outside a towering glass building.

The street was lined with large moving carriages—no, cars—as Song Rui had called them. Li Yue had just finished her work at the newspaper office, forcing herself through hours of interacting with people who knew Song Rui far better than she did.

It was exhausting.

But just as she turned the corner, her mind clouded with fatigue, her body crashed into someone solid.

The force knocked her back.

A gasp left her lips as she nearly lost her balance—

But a strong hand caught her wrist.

Her breath froze.

Something wrong crawled up her spine, something cold and unnatural. A feeling she couldn't quite place, but one that sent a terrible, familiar shiver through her bones.

She looked up.

And her blood ran cold.

The man before her was Lin Cheng.

Not the Lin Cheng she had known.

Not the knight who had betrayed her.

But a different version of him.

Yet somehow, he still felt the same.

His face was sharper now, refined by the years and the weight of modern fame. He was dressed in elegant dark clothing, with an air of effortless power. But his eyes—those sharp, calculating eyes—remained unchanged.

For a moment, she forgot to breathe.

Because no matter the time, no matter the world—

Lin Cheng was still Lin Cheng.

And he was still dangerous.

Lin Cheng's grip on her wrist lingered for a second too long before he let go.

His dark eyes studied her, sharp and assessing.

"You should be more careful," he said, his voice smooth, effortlessly composed. "You almost fell."

Li Yue took a step back.

She wanted to run.

Every instinct in her body screamed at her to flee.

But she knew better.

This wasn't her world. She couldn't afford to act out of place.

So she forced herself to nod.

"…Thank you," she murmured, keeping her voice low.

Lin Cheng tilted his head slightly, his gaze lingering on her face.

Something in his expression shifted.

His eyes swept over her, not in admiration, but in scrutiny.

Like he had noticed something off.

A slow smile curled on his lips.

"You look… different today," he remarked.

Li Yue's hands clenched.

Had he noticed?

Did he know?

No—he couldn't. That was impossible.

She tried to steady her breath.

"Do I?" she said carefully.

Lin Cheng's gaze narrowed.

His eyes lingered for just a second too long.

Then, his smile widened—but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Yes," he said smoothly. "It's almost like… you're not yourself."

Li Yue's stomach twisted.

Was that a coincidence? Or did he know something?

The air between them suddenly felt dangerous.

Like a sword hanging over her head.

She tried to keep her expression neutral, to act like Song Rui.

"I've been tired lately," she said, forcing a casual tone.

Lin Cheng let out a quiet hum.

"Is that so?"

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then—

Lin Cheng took a step closer.

Too close.

She could see the sharp glint in his eyes, the way he studied her like a puzzle he was beginning to solve.

Her heart slammed against her ribs as he lowered his voice.

"Be careful, Song Rui," he murmured.

His voice was light, almost teasing—

But there was an unmistakable edge to it.

A quiet, chilling warning.

Then, without another word, he stepped back and walked away.

Leaving Li Yue standing there—

Shaken. Breathless. And afraid.

She didn't move for several moments.

Her pulse was erratic.

Lin Cheng…

He sensed something.

She didn't know how, but he had.

And that meant one terrifying truth—

She wasn't safe.

Not in this world.

Not in this body.

And not from him.

As she stood there, the weight of the encounter settling in her chest, she felt something else—

Memories.

They came rushing back.

The cold stone of the palace floor beneath her knees.

The bitter taste of betrayal as Lin Cheng's sword hovered near her throat.

The horror of realizing that the one man who had sworn to protect her—her closest friend—had been working against her all along.

And now…

Now, he was here.

He existed in this world, too.

And he was still powerful. Still untouchable.

Still watching her.

A deep, terrible dread settled in her chest.

Even after everything, even after waking up at a different time—

She still wasn't free of him.

As she walked away, trying to regain control of her breathing, Li Yue realized something deeply unsettling.

She had faced warlords. She had faced assassins. She had even faced death itself.

But there was something uniquely terrifying about Lin Cheng in this world.

Because here, he wasn't just a knight.

He was a star. A legend. A man whose influence stretched far and wide.

And she?

She was trapped in a borrowed body, pretending to be someone she barely understood.

The power balance had shifted.

Lin Cheng had won once before.

And now, he might win again.