Darkness. Cold darkness.
Zhou Wei's eyes fluttered open, her vision blurry. The atmosphere smelled of strong herbs, a weird incense, and broth. She tried to raise her hand, but it wouldn't budge. She felt so heavy, like she had been running for days.
She widened her eyes in shock. She could see clearly now. The dim room looked nothing like her room. But of course, she recognized the setting—it looked like the old historical dramas she had featured in, only this one looked very realistic.
Adorned in red and gold tones everywhere, with intricate wood carvings, silk screens, and embroidered pillows.
She sat up, and as she did, she noticed that her damp hair, matted to her sweaty skin, felt different.
She touched her hair slowly and traced it. It was thicker and so long, almost reaching her knees, unlike her shoulder-length hair.
How long have I been in a coma? she thought. Her mind replayed everything—the hotel, the betrayal, the stairs.
Looking down at her body, she noticed she was dressed differently, in a white flowing gown, and her body was unusually round… her breasts bigger, even her arms.
She struggled to stand, and a stinging pain hit her abdomen. Could they have sold her off to someone or something?
"Bo Wan!" she called weakly as she walked with the support of the wall. At the edge, she spotted a reflection that was supposed to be hers, knowing she was the only one in the room.
Her heart thudded violently. This wasn't her—the face, the body, the hair! This person was chubby, with snow-white skin and very long, thick hair. She went closer to the mirror, examining herself, and noticed she had large doe eyes, black and shiny like onyx, framed with thick, long lashes. Her cheeks were full and flushed, lips rosebud-shaped and naturally red.
Her beauty felt impossible. Not even plastic surgery could make one look this ethereal. However, the issue she had with this body was its size!
Zhou Wei was confused. What was going on?
Footsteps approached, and a young girl rushed in, quickly bowing respectfully.
"7th Consort! You're up," she said. "Please lie down. You've not fully recovered."
7th Consort? Wait—was she in a movie already? The girl helped her back to the bed. She didn't look familiar at all. Perhaps she was one of those upcoming actresses.
"Where's Bo Wan?" Zhou Wei whispered, and the girl gave her a puzzled look.
"7th Consort, I will announce your awakening to the Emperor. Drink your broth… it's good for you," she said, looking at her pitifully.
"What happened?" Zhou Wei asked, utterly confused. What Emperor?
"You had an accident and lost your baby, 7th Consort," she said, attempting to touch her head, and Zhou Wei flinched backward.
This was getting too realistic! Zhou Wei screamed loudly, pushing herself away from her and heading to the door. As she rushed out, the girl began screaming while chasing after her.
"Stop! Please, 7th Consort!"
She ran out of the strange room. So many men dressed as guards surrounded her immediately, stopping her in her tracks.
The maid ran toward them as they held Zhou Wei. She threw herself on her and began wailing. Zhou Wei pushed her aside, still struggling to get away from them, when a woman and some guards stopped by.
"Li Yan, what's going on?" she asked, her nose raised in disgust. She was adorned in ancient kimono and so much gold jewelry. Oh—Li Yan was this meddlesome girl's name.
"Consort Bai Liu tried to run away," a guard responded while holding Zhou Wei up. Bai Liu was the owner of this body's name. A flicker of mockery shone through the women's eyes.
"So she's alive? I thought she was as good as dead," another identical woman said with a wide grin. Zhou Wei noticed they looked so alike… like twins.
"She doesn't seem like herself… she's still recovering," the maid defended.
"Oh! Are you trying to say the 7th Consort has gone mad?" she said, cackling like a witch.
"The only one with a mental illness is you!" Zhou Wei yelled back, startling everyone. Perhaps the former owner of this body was too weak and fragile—but Zhou Wei was not.
She tried to process what was going on. Just then, a memory flashed through her mind.
She saw these women standing beside another who wore much more expensive clothes and jewelry as she pushed the owner of this body down the stairs.
"The whole palace should know about her mental illness, especially the Emperor," the first one said.
Hearing their words, Zhou Wei swallowed. Back then, if a person was rumored to be mentally ill, they would be taken to a shaman who would probably use them as guinea pigs since there was no known cure for madness—and she didn't want that for herself or this innocent body.
They had both been through a lot.
"I'll inform the Emperor of her condition so he can decide if she should be locked up and summon a physician," the taller lady said, hiding her grin under the fan she held.
These women were the reason this body lost its soul, and from the looks of it, they would stop at nothing to make her life a living hell.
Zhou Wei had to think fast. She needed to get away from these witches soon.
"Ahhhh! My head!!" she yelled, falling dramatically into the hands of another guard. Her acting skills were top-notch and so believable that everyone panicked.
"Oh no, please! We have to take her back to her room. She needs to recover properly," Zhou Wei heard Li Yan say.
"She has been in a coma for five days. It's natural her body is weak and needs to recover properly," another guard said in defense as he snatched her from the other's arms and carried her back to her room.
A few minutes later, he dropped her on the bed. Zhou Wei heard Li Yan thank him while leading him out of the room.
Once the coast was clear, Zhou Wei sat up.
"Suckers!" she cursed under her breath. Her stomach growled angrily.
"Fuck! What was she supposed to eat in this place now?" She turned toward a jar of rice cakes and began eating hungrily.
When she was done, she got up and began searching for water, and as she did, she noticed someone was behind the curtain watching her.
"Oh! Li Yan," Zhou Wei laughed nervously. Li Yan emerged slowly, grabbing the empty jar of rice cakes, disbelief in her eyes—and Zhou Wei wondered why.
"These are mine," Li Yan revealed.
"Oh! Sorry about that. I was very hungry, and there wasn't anything else to eat," Zhou Wei said.
"You're allergic to rice cakes. You don't eat them," Li Yan stated, and Zhou Wei swallowed.
"Perhaps the few days in a coma fixed that," Zhou Wei insisted.
Li Yan sighed, handing her a glass of water. Zhou Wei drank in a rush, almost choking.
As Li Yan massaged her big waist, Zhou Wei felt a drop of tears roll down the girl's face.
"Are you okay?" Zhou Wei asked.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, Miss. If I was, perhaps you wouldn't have lost your baby," Li Yan cried.
Zhou Wei was curious to know who had pushed her and why, but she didn't want to ask because the memories were not coming. She didn't want them to think she had gone mad.
"Do you think anyone is angry with me in the palace, like the other consorts?" Zhou Wei asked curiously.
"The only person I can think of is the Empress… you caused her miscarriage, remember?" Li Yan said, and just then another memory flashed in Zhou Wei's head.
The woman who had pushed her—supposedly the Empress—was the same one Zhou Wei saw in her first memory with the twins. She had attempted to push her once from the stairs, and as she dodged, the Empress fell and lost her baby.
"That's why the Emperor hates you so much!" Li Yan added.
Just when Zhou Wei was about to ask more questions, a guard knocked and walked in.
"Consort Bai Liu, the Emperor has asked for you to be present at his banquet tonight," he announced.
"Oh no!" Li Yan said sadly.
"What?" Zhou Wei asked, wondering why she looked worried.
"He wants to see if you're mentally unstable, as they claimed," Li Yan responded, and Zhou Wei rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips.
"But I'm not," Zhou Wei shot back.
"Look at you, 7th Consort. It's obvious you're different now," Li Yan pointed out, gesturing to her stance.
It was obvious that Zhou Wei's performance at the banquet would determine her fate in this place.