From detecting the anomaly to confirming it, Jiang Hezhou took only an hour.
That day, when Chu Luyu injured her finger and he changed her bandages while she slept, he saw that the wound—which should not have healed so quickly—had completely vanished. Her fingertip was smooth and rosy, with nothing left behind except some residual ointment.
His first thought was that the light in the room might have been too bright, and perhaps he’d seen wrong. But he stared closely for another two seconds and confirmed his vision wasn’t faulty—there was not a single trace of injury on that fingertip.
It was absurd.
After realizing this, he immediately glanced at Chu Luyu lying on the bed—
The girl was half-turned on her side, a few strands of hair covering part of her face. Her usually bright, beautiful eyes were gently closed, seemingly sleeping peacefully. But upon closer observation, he could see her lashes occasionally fluttering.
She was pretending to sleep.
After recognizing this, even more audacious and absurd thoughts flashed through his mind. So he maintained his composure, continuing to pretend to apply medicine. Later, when she secretly slipped out of the bedroom, he didn’t call out to stop her either.
Except for the bathroom, every corner of the apartment had surveillance cameras—something Chu Luyu had never known, and he’d never mentioned.
Later, when she went to the living room to write, he enlarged the surveillance feed and watched every single move she made, frame by frame, from inside the bedroom.
When the girl finally returned to the room and was truly asleep, he opened his eyes in the darkness, got up, and walked step by step to the place where she’d hidden the manual.
She’d chosen the most inconspicuous cabinet in the house—one usually used to store long-unused odds and ends. Jiang Hezhou almost never opened it, and the girl must have felt secure enough to hide it there.
As he opened the cabinet door, a thin booklet stood sideways at the edge. If he hadn’t been deliberately looking for it, it would have been nearly impossible to spot.
Once he had the manual in hand, he opened it directly to the first page.
[Prequel Plot Revision for “The Forensic Genius and the Little Nanny”]
Characters: Male Lead Jiang Hezhou, Female Supporting Character Chu Luyu
Below that came scene descriptions and plot points. Jiang Hezhou read the text on that page over and over. He felt as if he understood every word, yet at the same time, understood none of them.
It was utterly baffling. He didn’t understand why Chu Luyu was writing these things—and why she labeled him the male lead while she herself was the female supporting character.
In that moment, a flood of past events surged through his mind like lightning—
She’d always worried that he might misjudge clues in the serial murder case;
She’d told him with certainty that he would have a better, brighter future—as if she’d already seen it;
The painting she’d given him on his birthday, with the threads binding his hands and feet, and the way she’d murmured on New Year’s Eve: “Maybe if something happened to her, this world would fall apart too.”
And that strange female student who’d approached him multiple times, and after getting drunk, had said those inexplicable words: “Jiang Hezhou, you’re supposed to like me! You should like me! We were supposed to have a happy future—so why did you change?!”
These scattered anomalies now pieced together like a rushing torrent cascading from above. Nearly thirty years of logic and understanding were shattered in that instant.
He sat alone in the living room for a long, long time that night, calmly scanning his surroundings in the darkness. Everything felt so real—yet it was all fake.
Yes. Once he’d confirmed what the manual contained, he understood everything in a flash. At first, he couldn’t believe it. But after the shock subsided, he gradually began to accept the reality.
Perhaps because something in the relationship between him and Chu Luyu had created a bug that deviated from the plot, this dreamscape had been born. She had written him as the male lead and herself as the female supporting character—and now the male lead was deeply in love with the female supporting character. Wasn’t that a disastrous, headache-inducing development?
That night, Jiang Hezhou sat in the darkness until nearly dawn before returning to the bedroom. He watched the girl on the bed for a long time. It wasn’t until the sky outside began to lighten that he pretended to lie down for a while, then got up with her.
The following days were almost a repetition of the first. The two spent every moment together, and Chu Luyu showered him with an intensity of affection he’d rarely seen from her. She’d never been this proactive or passionate before. In the past, Jiang Hezhou might have genuinely enjoyed it—after all, being treated with such warmth and closeness by the one you love is indeed a wonderful thing.
But Jiang Hezhou understood that for Chu Luyu, this illusory world was perhaps just her final carnival. Because she knew there was no future, she no longer held back.
He knew that no matter how things turned out, he could never let her go. Even if they were never meant to love each other, he had fallen for her—and he would never give her another chance to leave or escape.
In those first few days, he’d been giving her time to hesitate, to reconsider. He’d hoped she would develop doubts, feel reluctance. But regrettably, from page one to page six, she’d filled in every single page on time, without missing a single one.
On the seventh day, Jiang Hezhou could no longer remain calm. He called in the lawyer he’d arranged to meet with long ago—in this fake world, everything was indeed a one-to-one replica. He’d already discussed with Lawyer Jiang the idea of transferring his assets to Chu Luyu when the time was right; calling him now just moved the timeline up a bit.
Jiang Hezhou still clung to hope. He thought that perhaps after fully experiencing the love he could express through actions, his girl might change her decision at the last moment.
Even if she regretted it at the very last second, he would forgive and accept everything she’d done before.
But unfortunately, she disappointed him once again.
In that moment when the world shook and crumbled, Jiang Hezhou saw shock and a hint of fear in her eyes. For some reason, he suddenly felt strangely satisfied.
Maybe if she feared him, she would stop thinking about leaving, stop trying to run away.
He should clip her wings. No matter what she heard or saw, he would lock her firmly by his side.
Locking her up was something he’d wanted to do for a long time. Sometimes, even just imagining it sent shivers of excitement through him. And now—hadn’t the opportunity finally arrived?
After returning to the real world, Chu Luyu was completely stripped of her freedom by Jiang Hezhou.
When her primary consciousness came back, the system asked in surprise what had happened. It had been observing the revised plot she’d written in the story world—everything had been progressing smoothly and successfully. So why had the last day amounted to nothing?
Chu Luyu told the system that the male lead had likely awakened long ago. He might have even discovered that the world they were in wasn’t real, because his reaction when mentioning the manual wasn’t intense at all—as if he’d already seen its contents and accepted them.
After hearing this, the system sounded deeply troubled: [Then it’s over. If the protagonist has fully awakened, this world is truly beyond control…]
Chu Luyu didn’t know what to do either. She asked the system: [Cuihua, is there anything we can do to fix this?]
The system was silent for a long time before replying: [Sorry, sweetheart. I don’t have enough energy right now—I can’t do anything effective to help you anymore.]
Chu Luyu knew it had done its best. If it was saying that, then there was truly no way out.
She felt lost. She didn’t know what would happen to this world now that the male lead’s romantic trajectory had shifted onto her. Would this world collapse? Would she… be killed by the plot?
For the next three days, Chu Luyu spent almost all her time in bed. He’d abandoned all the precautions he’d mentioned before—calming pills, nutritional supplements… He had none of them ready. On the day they returned, he silently drew the curtains in the master bedroom shut, then knelt before her and unbuttoned his shirt, one button at a time.
At that moment, lying there, the panic in Chu Luyu’s eyes was unmistakable. She tried to explain something, to calm him down, but he gave her no chance. He reached into the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out two pairs of handcuffs, prepared at some unknown time, and secured one around each of her wrists to the headboard.
“Shh, baby. Now’s not the time for talking. After this is over, I’ll give you time to lie to me.”
Everything that followed was almost exactly as Jiang Hezhou had imagined. The curtains stayed closed for three days, with only the floor lamp keeping the room lit. Layer after layer of used tissues piled up on the floor. The only difference was that there were none of the rubber items he’d once envisioned.
On the second day, during a bath, Chu Luyu thought about that too.
They were both soaking in the tub, and he hadn’t gotten out—he stayed in that position, letting her lie on top of him. Sometimes, when he felt mischievous, he’d move slightly, and immediately a soft, delicate whimper would follow.
The overflowing bathwater dampened the ends of her hair, half of which floated on the surface like thick seaweed. She was completely drained of strength, clinging to him, and asked in a low voice: “Jiang Hezhou, what if we make a baby?”
He traced lazy patterns on her back with his fingers, sending her gasping, and didn’t stop—torturing her with that slow, deliberate punishment.
“The assets I transferred to you should be more than enough to raise a child.”
Chu Luyu was silent for a while, then said helplessly: “You know very well…”
“Shh, baby. I told you—save the lies for a few more days. I’m not in the mood to hear them right now.”
“…”
After a few days, the man’s long-suppressed desires had been temporarily satisfied. He began to ease up on Chu Luyu, the frequency no longer as intense as before. When he was well-rested, he’d be in a good mood, tidy up the room, and go to the kitchen to make her a proper meal.
Still, Chu Luyu wasn’t yet allowed to leave the room. When he was there, as long as she stayed within his sight, she had a small sliver of freedom. But the moment he stepped out, the handcuffs would be back on, securing her to the headboard.
Chu Luyu protested—but it was useless.
The man called her a little liar, said she had a track record, and that he wouldn’t listen to or believe her words anymore. In the past, he’d always spoiled her, indulged her, and gone along with her whims. From now on, they’d follow only his rules.
Chu Luyu had no idea how long she’d been confined. She was pulled into exhausting intimacy day and night—sometimes conscious, but mostly too tired to stay awake.
One day, she vaguely heard some noises from outside—clattering, as if something was being assembled. She was exhausted, but her mind was in a jumbled state—too tired to sleep, yet unable to fully wake.
The familiar cold metal was still around her wrists. Without even opening her eyes, Chu Luyu knew she was handcuffed again.
Groggily, she spoke to the system: [Cuihua, what’s today’s date?]
The system had been sluggish lately, responding with a delay every time. Now, it took a moment before replying: [January 30th—the eighth day of the New Year.]
Buried under the covers, Chu Luyu struggled to glance upward into the air: [Cuihua, why do you seem slower and dumber lately?]
System Cuihua: [It’s because your situation is such a mess—I’ve been racking my brain every day trying to come up with solutions, that’s why I’m like this!]
Chu Luyu let out an “oh”: [Is there anything I can exchange with points to upgrade your system? If you could get a full patch and upgrade, wouldn’t you be as sharp as before?]
System Cuihua: [Oh my, sweetheart, hearing you say that makes me so happy. But you should save your points for yourself. In a few days, I’ll find an opportunity to cash out all your remaining points. Hurry and think about what you want—or you could just convert it all into cash.]
Chu Luyu was puzzled: [Why the sudden rush to cash out all the points?]
The system hesitated before replying: [Well, look at the state of this world. I’m afraid something unexpected might happen, and you’ll still have points left unspent… Haven’t you heard that saying? The most painful thing in life is when a person’s gone—and the money’s still there.]
Chu Luyu understood the implication. She let out a heavy sigh, managing a joking tone: [So, I’m destined to be killed by the plot sooner or later, right?]
The system fell silent again. This time, it didn’t try to comfort her. It simply said: [I’ll do everything I can to protect you until the very last second.]
At that moment, Chu Luyu could feel the heaviness in the system’s tone. Instead, she smiled and tried to comfort it: [It’s okay, Cuihua. Honestly, if you think about it, these past several months of life have been a bonus for me anyway. In the real world, my mother abandoned me when I was very young. But here, I have a mom who loves me deeply. And in the real world, I never even dated—I’d feel uncomfortable just making eye contact with a guy. But after transmigrating, I got to experience what it feels like to be truly, fiercely loved. I even got to unlock two different versions of the male lead—a cool, restrained type and a possessive obsessive! Who else can say they’ve dated both? I’ve been spoiled rotten, and now I’m being held in forced love—those are huge life bonuses!]
The system hadn’t expected her to be able to say all that in such a lighthearted tone: [But don’t you resent the male lead? In my data, I don’t think anyone actually likes having their freedom restricted—especially being handcuffed all the time like a prisoner.]
Chu Luyu: [He won’t be like this forever. I’ve always believed that Jiang Hezhou is fundamentally the upright, kind-hearted male lead I know. No matter how scary he seems now, he’s still a good person. Good people make mistakes, but they don’t make them forever. I just need to wait for him to sort through his emotions. And honestly, I don’t think it’s that bad—maybe I just don’t have a strong sense of agency? Being taken care of in every detail, and also, ahem, receiving those kinds of “services”—life is actually pretty good.]
System Cuihua: […Alright, I get it. You’re the classic laid-back type—as long as no one makes you do this or that, you’re fine with anything.]
Chu Luyu: [Hehe.]
Just as she and the system were chatting, Jiang Hezhou suddenly pushed the door open and walked in.
For some reason, Chu Luyu instinctively closed her eyes, inexplicably pretending to be asleep.
She shut her eyes too quickly, her lashes fluttering slightly. Jiang Hezhou noticed, a slow smile curling at the corner of his lips, but he didn’t call her out.
He first removed the handcuffs from her wrists. The metal that touched her skin had been wrapped in a thin layer of soft fabric, so even when she was cuffed for long periods, it wouldn’t hurt her.
Seeing she still showed no signs of “waking up,” Jiang Hezhou lifted the covers and leaned over her.
His thin lips moved expertly from the back of her neck, wandering forward until they reached the sensitive skin near her ear—where he deliberately lingered and teased. Chu Luyu had been developed to the point where every inch of her was sensitive; even the lightest touch would make her gasp weakly, let alone this.
After just a few seconds, she couldn’t help but squirm, pushing at him in mild annoyance.
“Get off.”
The man let out a low laugh, his voice carrying a hint of mischief that hadn’t been there before. “Don’t even dream about it, baby. Me leaving? That’s never going to happen.”
He lifted her off the bed, saying he wanted to show her a gift.
Chu Luyu didn’t think much of it, assuming it was something ordinary. But the moment they stepped out of the bedroom, the sight in the living room stunned her.
The spacious main hall, which usually stretched seven or eight meters across, now held an enormous golden cage. Interwoven around its bars were vines, greenery, and pink-and-white roses. Inside lay a soft white rug, with two pillows and two long chains placed on top.
Chu Luyu, still in his arms, was too shocked to speak. The man was clearly satisfied with her reaction. He kissed the spot behind her ear with fascination.
“I’ve seen this golden cage in my dreams for so long. Finally, I had a craftsman replicate it perfectly. Baby, do you like it?”
At that moment, Chu Luyu finally felt a genuine flicker of fear. She looked at him and asked, “Are you really going to lock me up?”
Jiang Hezhou smiled and denied it: “No—lock us up.”
There were two pillows inside, and two chains to restrict movement. He would never let his girl feel any shame—so he chose to enter the cage alongside her.
That night, they truly rested inside the cage.
After bathing, Jiang Hezhou carried Chu Luyu into the living room and straight into the cage. He settled her onto the rug, then turned to lock the cage. That still wasn’t enough—once they lay down, he fastened the chains around both their ankles.
After doing all this, he kissed her forehead contentedly. “Sleep.”
But the unease in Chu Luyu’s heart only grew stronger. And when she woke up in the middle of the night and found Jiang Hezhou still awake, staring at her without moving, that fear peaked.
In the darkness, she could even hear her own heartbeat pounding louder. She swallowed and asked him, “Jiang Hezhou, what are you doing?”
He didn’t hide it, answering plainly: “I’m afraid you might suddenly run away, suddenly disappear—so I want to keep watching you.”
His words left her silent for a moment. She looked at him and asked, “How long will this last? Do you really plan to lock me up forever?”
Jiang Hezhou seemed to consider it seriously before replying: “At least until we’ve registered, had our wedding—or maybe until we have a baby… After that, we should be able to go back to how things were.”
The date the feng shui master had calculated earlier had already passed. Jiang Hezhou had called him again to recalculate a new date. After matching their charts, the master said the next equally auspicious day would be three months away.
Hearing this, Chu Luyu felt that it wasn’t impossible to have a proper conversation. She chose her words carefully and spoke earnestly: “Jiang Hezhou, ever since we came back, we haven’t talked about what happened in that electronic dreamscape—and you’ve never asked. But I know that since you awakened and destroyed that illusion, and since you figured out about the script, you must realize that this world is actually…”
He cut her off, unwilling to let her finish.
“Shh, baby. Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear the rest. I only know that no matter what this world is, I will never let you go.”
He pulled her gently into his arms, his voice low and resolute in the darkness, carrying an unyielding determination.
“Remember the question you asked me at the end of that movie? My answer is still the same. If fate ever forces me to choose between being apart from you, I’d rather we hold each other and die together.”
His heart trembled with emotion as he spoke. He kissed her forehead, then continued in a serious, almost pleading tone—
“So if you want us both to live, don’t leave me.”
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