Live Twice, Love Once

Night fell as stars glistened across the night sky.

Although the cold breeze blew against the window pane, the temperature inside the room was burning hot.

Heat waves rolled off her body as she twisted and turned on her bed. Sweat dripped down her soft skin as she wrapped herself under the sheets.

Kate Xiao's face was beet red, and her vision was blurred. She waved her hands wantonly, as she tried to make out the words running through her mind.

Suddenly, one of the table lamps crashed onto the bed.

Pandemonium ensued right after. Different voices echoed across the night as they all rushed over, trying to see what the noise was about.

She could hear obscene languages from outside. Before she could process what was happening, the door opened.

Quickly, Kate Xiao twisted the bed sheet into a makeshift rope. As she tied it onto the other side of the window, she climbed onto the rope and jumped into the window of the next room. It was then when she fell into a man's arms.

Although she couldn't see much under the darkness, she could make out the man's intimidating gaze. His eyes were the perfect mixture of fire and ice. His stare sent a burning feeling all over body, but there was also something about him that sent a chill down her spine. She found herself mesmerized as he drew himself closer to her.

A few hours later.

She finally arrived at the bathroom located on the first floor.

"Maggie, what the hell are you doing here? You almost scared me to death!" Someone placed a hand on her shoulder. In a flash, Kate Xiao lowered her head and kept silent. The last thing she needed was for the woman to see her face and find out that she was not Maggie.

In fact, at this moment, the real Maggie was knocked out, and Kate Xiao had 'borrowed' her little skirt.

Without another word, she turned and rushed out.

"Maggie, wait!"

'Damn my luck! Just when I thought it's over, I have to meet one of Maggie's friends,' she thought.

Thinking of this, Kate Xiao wanted to leave here as soon as possible. She couldn't risk another mix-up. She lowered her head and strode quickly, wincing as pain shot up from her right leg. Just when she was about to walk around the corner, someone grabbed her arm.

"Kate? What are you doing here? You look weird." The girl looked at her with a smile. Kate Xiao was very familiar with that smile.

She knew that the girl was another Kate Xiao's college friend, Lucy Chen, a reliable person. Kate Xiao coughed awkwardly, implying that she wanted to leave. "I have something to deal with at home."

"Really?" After gazing at her, Lucy Chen's face lit up at once. She held her hand tightly and pulled Kate Xiao closer. "Why are your lips broken?"

Lucy Chen pointed at her lips then at her clothes. "And the sudden change of clothes? I remember that you didn't wear this one–"

"Isn't it time to get off work?" Kate Xiao interrupted. Normally, she was calm during her night shift. All she needed to do was to burst in and out, but her heartbeat wasn't cooperating with her, nor was her entire appearance. The wound on her lips must have been caused by the man next door. In fact, he had left tons of hickeys all over her body.

If it weren't for them, she wouldn't need to 'borrow' clothes in the first place!

Kate Xiao just knew that her leg must've been bitten during that night. She winced at the thought.

'Kinky bastard!

Next time I see him, I swear I'm going to get even with him,'

she thought.

"Aren't you so bold today?" Lucy Chen finally let go of her hand and poked her forehead playfully. "If you behave like this every day, then you wouldn't have been bullied by those little bitches. They scold you all day long, and you never fight back."

Her words held a tinge of worry for her.

"I understand." Kate Xiao lowered her head, trying to hide her emotions.

The best she could do was act like the other Kate Xiao. It definitely wouldn't be easy, but it was for the best. Now, she wouldn't be arousing any suspicion from the others.

"Well, don't be sad. Come on." Lucy Chen dragged her away.

Along the way, the consciousness of another girl who was also named Kate Xiao surged through her mind.

In an instant, she finally understood. She, the top coroner from the twenty-second century, had just time traveled.

Now, she became another girl, one who had a different skill set as her. However, this Kate Xiao was too weak for her own good.

'What the hell? Isn't this another plot from some old movie?

I'm at the top of my field! In fact, I've been training with the special troops all this years. How the hell was I supposed to know that I'll fall into another man's bed as soon as I got here? He even bit me on the thigh!' she exclaimed in her thoughts.

The two soon walked into a luxurious hall. Suddenly, everything quieted down.

Kate stared at the crowd. "Is this the meeting?" she whispered. A chill went down her spine. At this point, she could already feel that something was bound to go wrong.

"Why are your lips so red? And why are you wearing loads of makeup?" Lucy stared at her lips. "But you look great. It fits you!" Kate was speechless.

It was a good thing that she was wearing a sheer amount of powder, or else Lucy would've seen the blush rising up her face. She needed to wear makeup to cover up the bruises on her face.

Kate looked around. There were twenty girls. They were divided into two rows, and she could see that all of them had their heads bowed down. In the middle of the hall stood young men. Even if they were dressed so casually, it wouldn't be able to hide their status. There was one man in the middle who was a little older, about thirty years old. He looked more gentle than the rest of them.

He was probably the young master of the Lin Family, Alexander Lin. It was said that he was the biggest shareholder of this hotel and the local billionaire.

On the left side, there was a man with yellow hair. He had thin eyes and a long nose. It was as if God had gone down from the heavens and constructed him Himself. There was something about his dark red lips and his bright eyes that made him even more beautiful than a woman. He was the top singer, Justin Jing.

The man on the right had a pair of sharp eyes and a strong jawline. He was Mike Leng. His face was detailed and carved like any statues one could see in the museum, but he was expressionless. There was a certain coldness in his gaze that kept everyone away. It was said that he was a well-known football star from the capital. In fact, his talent could rival those who played in the professional league.

There was another man at the other end of the line. Although he was thin, there was something about his stance that sent off waves of confidence. He tilted his head, and his eyes flashed beautifully. He was the famous young director Lucas Chu. He came from a rich family as well. The movie he had made was just released a few days ago. It was the talk of the town, and it made several billion dollars across the world.

'None of them are easy to deal with,' she thought. In another Kate Xiao's memory, she could tell that all of them had strong backgrounds.

Alexander Lin sat in the middle, looking at all the girls in the hall. "Are all the girls present?" he said slowly.

"Yes. Everyone is here," a subordinate replied carefully.

"An expensive item was lost in Room 887 yesterday, and the suspect had also injured a guest in Room 887. You are all tonight's football girls, so you are all suspects. No one can leave here," he said coldly. There was something about his voice that sent waves of oppression to everyone in the room. Kate could see that the other girls were cowering from his gaze.

"What?

What is he talking about?" The girls began to discuss with one another.

"What was lost?"

"You don't know?"

"Who was sleeping in Room 887?"

"I heard it was Mr. He."

Kate's ears perked up.

'Room 887 lost something? We're cheerleaders?' Her mind raced as she recalled what another Kate was. It seemed that she was actually a cheerleader.

'I degraded from a coroner to a cheerleader?

Do the fates hate me or something?

But I stayed in Room 886!

Oh shit... Wait. But I jumped from 887 to 886.

Did a thief sneak in when I left?

But it didn't make any sense. I didn't hear anything... Even then, is it because the man didn't want to let me go? Will they investigate me?'

While she was thinking, Lucy leaned over to her.

"You know, it's better to be injured than to continue messing with other women,"

she whispered, satisfied by the outcome.

"What are you thinking about?" Seeing her friend in such a daze, Lucy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Staring at the men's indifferent faces, Kate lowered her gaze. 'If I was in Room 886 last night, then the same man must've slept with me. But who was he? Is he one of these four men?

He must be dangerous,' she thought.

"Wait, what did you ask me? I didn't hear it," Kate said.

Before Lucy could answer, a uniformed man walked over to Alexander Leng. "Sir, Mr. He is still causing trouble."

Instantly, Alexander's face darkened. He immediately waved his hand, causing the entire hall to silence almost immediately. "Well? Who entered Room 887?"

'It was Mr. He who was shouting at the door at that time. He was the playboy! The asshole!' Kate thought.

'Was he trying to get to me? I won't be fooled by him.' Kate crossed her arms, wondering who the man from that night was. From the corner of her eyes, she swept across the hall. She wasn't going to go down without a fight.

She wasn't the previous Kate.

She wasn't that simple.

"Check the surveillance video!" A man's voice broke out through the hall.

Kate froze upon hearing the voice.