Chapter 1 Who Am I

"Ouch! My head hurts, my hips too... Why does it hurt everywhere?" Alina Li groaned as the pain rushed through her entire body. It felt as if she'd just been run over by a truck.

Her nose scrunched up as a strong smell of disinfectant wafted towards her. From the smell, it seemed that she was in a hospital. She wasn't dead.

Her shoulders sagged in relief.

The bullet train that she'd taken went off the rails. With everything happening in just a minute, she thought that she was about to die. Now, lying in one of those hospital beds, she felt incredibly blessed.

'I'm safe...' she thought repeatedly, her lips inching up into a smile.

However, even then, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the people who must've died in the bullet train crash. Her eyebrows furrowed mournfully. 'God bless those souls.'

Alina Li glanced at her surroundings and pursed her lips, noticing the lack of beds and patients beside her. If it weren't for the pure white decorations and the distinct smell of disinfectant, she'd think that she was living in a five-star hotel room.

It seemed the country truly did improve its healthcare budget.

As she admired the room even more, someone opened the door. Alina Li turned her head to see a beautiful woman in her thirties rushing in.

'Do the nurses wear luxurious uniforms now?' Alina Li tilted her head.

"Alaina! You're awake," the woman exclaimed, hurrying to her side. "How are you feeling? Do you feel anything–anything at all? Do you need me to call the doctor?"

Alina Li was even more confused when the woman started addressing her so intimately. "I'm sorry, who are you? I think you have me confused for someone else," she said politely.

The woman was stunned for a second. Her lips quivered. "Alaina," she started. "I'm your mother. Are you okay, dear? Do you remember falling down the stairs?"

'What?' Alina Li furrowed her eyebrows. From what she remembered, her bullet train got derailed. She didn't fall down the stairs. 'When did that happen? Why didn't I know?'

Besides, this woman was not her mother, not even close! Alina Li might have been on a bullet train accident, but she could recognize her own mother.

From the woman's curly hair and expertly placed make-up, the woman looked more like her sister!

"Please, Alaina, don't scare me." Her eyes were glassy now.

"Wendy, why are you crying? Is Alaina awake?" A powerful voice sounded from the door. Alina Li turned to see a middle-aged man come in. He wore a pair of rimless glasses, a straight suit, and polished shoes. From the way he walked, he looked like a successful elite.

"Honey, Alaina doesn't seem to recognize me. She doesn't know who I am!" she cried. "Did she hit her head that hard?"

The man frowned. "Alaina, do you remember me? I'm your father."

Alina Li narrowed her eyes. Who was this man, and why the hell did he assume he was her father?

"Alaina, do you remember Dad?" The woman tried once again, taking Alina's hand into her own.

Following the woman's movement, her gaze fell on the hand her 'mother' had taken. Her eyes widened. It wasn't her hand.

Her hands were filled with callouses and blisters. These hands–these hands were ones belonging to an elite!

'What's going on? What happened? Who am I? Where am I?' Although she was shocked, Alina didn't show it.

"Alaina, Alaina," the woman cried, waving exasperatedly at her. Alina was only staring blankly ahead. "Please, say something. Anything!"

Alina plastered a smile on her face as she leaned back on her bed. "I–I'm fine. I'm just a little dizzy."

The woman heaved a sigh of relief. "You scared me! I thought you had a head injury!"

The middle-aged man walked over to his wife, gazing affectionately at the both of them. "You're fine now, right? If you feel uncomfortable, tell me, and I'll get the best doctor here right away!"

"It's fine. I feel much better now." Although Alina was still confused as to what was happening, she wasn't going to meet with some random doctor – not now, anyway.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man sighed in relief. "That's all right then. I still have things to do in the company, so I won't be able to be there for you. If you want anything, tell your Mom, okay? I'll be leaving."

Alina bowed her head in response. "Okay."

As soon as he left, the woman's face darkened as she held onto Alina's hands. "Tell me honestly, how did you fall from the stairs last night? Did Sheffield push you? He's been acting weird all the morning..."

Upon hearing the name, it felt as if a light bulb had lit up in her mind. "Wait, my Dad's Eric Xu, right?"

The woman furrowed her eyebrows, slowly nodding her head. "Yes."

"And you're Wendy Li."

The woman, however, was not amused with her daughter stating their names. "Yes, yes. Have you finally figured that out?"

Alina closed her eyes. She finally knew where she was.

On the train, she'd been reading a novel. She was on the last few chapters when the accident happened.

The title of the novel was "My CEO". It was a novel about a man who had been bullied and oppressed by his stepmother and stepsister. After returning from abroad, he worked hard and became the rich and powerful man he was. He fell in love with the heroine and crushed all his enemies one by one.

In the novel, the stepsister was Alaina Li.

Eric Xu was Alaina Li's stepfather and the hero's biological father. Wendy Li was her biological mother and the hero's stepmother.

That was why Wendy Li called her Alaina and not Alina.

In the novel, Alaina Li had fallen down the stairs when she was sixteen years old. The hero was only fifteen. Back then, he was a thin and sickly boy but with a rebellious streak as well.

Alaina Li was jealous that Eric Xu generously gave the hero a limited edition sports car for his birthday gift, so she deliberately missed a step and fell down the stairs. When she woke up, she framed the hero for pushing her down.

The hero, Sheffield Xu, was repeatedly hit by his parents before being grounded at the end of the night. After that incident, he had every reason to hate them.

Because of Wendy Li and Alaina Li, his father sent the hero abroad after high school. After he came back, he became a cruel and capable businessman.

Once he came back, that was when the real story began. He met a kind heroine. Although they quarreled plenty of times, they later fell in love with each other.

Alina didn't see the ending, but she knew what happened to the stepsister and stepmother.

The hero coldly watched them be continuously raped by several AIDS patients. At his suggestion, the video was posted online and made public. The infected pair ended up living miserable in the end with no dignity left.

At the thought of the ending, Alina got goose bumps. In her opinion, although the Alaina was vicious, she was nothing compared to the hero.

The hero was a devil incarnate.

She pursed her lips.

"Hey! I'm talking to you," Wendy snapped, raising her eyebrows at her daughter's blank stare. "Did Sheffield push you down the stairs?"

She knew that her daughter didn't get along with Sheffield Xu. She herself hated her stepson. If it hadn't been for Eric Xu, she would've gotten rid of him long ago.

If Sheffield Xu really did it, Wendy would go all out to break any relation he had left within this family.

Once he wasn't there, she'd use every opportunity to have Eric's baby. Their child would be the heir to the Xu Family, and she'd be the matron – just like she wanted.

Wendy had even thought out their entire future already.

"No, it had nothing to do with Sheffield. I fell down by accident," Alina replied hurriedly, seeing the excitement in her mother's eyes.

She already knew what the man was capable of. She wasn't that crazy!

A flash of disappointment appeared on Wendy's face. "I saw him standing behind you. Are you sure you fell down all on your own?"

"Yes." Her eyes widened in sincerity.

Wendy was silent for a second, before slyness flashed in her eyes. "Don't you want to get Sheffield out of the Xu Family? If you want to, you can tell Dad someone pushed you off the stairs."

"No, that's not a good idea." Alina shook her head.

She was not crazy enough to go against the hero of the novel.

"Don't you want to drive him out of the Xu Family?"

Alina didn't even know how to explain herself anymore. After all, this must've been bizarre for her mother. She needed to make peace with her stepbrother before it was too late.

It was the only way she could leave peacefully in this life.

"Sheffield is Dad's son. Please, Mom, I don't think he'll want to get rid of him." She held her mother's hands, hoping to dispel her evil idea.

Wendy frowned suspiciously. "What's wrong with you? You used to hate him, and now you speak for him. Have you lost your mind?"

No matter what happened, Alina made a promise that she wasn't going to allow Wendy to make any trouble. After all, they were a duo. If something were to happen on him, he'd take revenge on both of them.

"Ouch, Mom, I suddenly feel dizzy..." Alina groaned, trying to divert her attention.

"Alaina? Are you okay?" Wendy's eyes widened in fear as she quickly called for the doctor.

Soon, the doctor and nurse rushed over. After doing a regular check, he turned to Wendy. "The patient has a mild concussion. She needs to recover by resting. Don't worry."

Wendy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Dr. Tang."

After that, she didn't mention Sheffield any more.

Lying in a quiet ward, Alina opened her eyes and stared at the white ceiling.

Silently, she pulled out her hand and analyzed it. It was indeed not her hand.

Her left hand had whorls around her four fingers and callouses dotting her palms. This hand was smooth, with only one whorl looping around one of her fingers.

She felt her chest secretly with her right hand, frowning. There was a little mole on her left chest, but there was absolutely nothing on this body.

She smiled bitterly.

Alina wanted to think this was nothing but a dream, but the pain that ran down her body continued to prove to her that this was no her dream.

Just then, she felt someone glaring at the back of her head. She turned to see a slim and good-looking boy leaning at the door.

The boy was about fourteen or fifteen years old. He looked pale and thin. His dark hair fell upon his face, emphasizing his hallowed out cheekbones and pursed lips. He looked at Alina with disgust and indifference.

When she turned her gaze back on him, he walked into the room slowly before stopping two meters away from the girl. He sneered.

Alina narrowed her eyes, not saying a word.

'Is this guy mute? What a shame,' she thought.

His gaze hardened even further. "Pity that my sister woke up," he said, with no emotion in his voice.

'Sister?' Alaina only had one brother, and he was Sheffield.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. 'The boy in front of me is the hero?' she thought.