Seeing her remain silent for so long, the Main God assumed she didn’t dare to take the bet, and a faint chuckle crept into its tone.
"Deep down, you know perfectly well that you might not win this bet.
But at this point, you’ve been backed into a corner. You have no better options.
So? Do you regret it?
Do you regret so easily giving up everything you had in the modern world?
Too bad it’s too late for all that now.
You have no choice but to make this bet with me.
If you’re lucky enough to win, you’ll not only be able to stay in this world forever, but you’ll also get all your memories back.
But if you lose, you’ll be left with nothing—not even your life."
It expected to see Manman look panicked and helpless, but instead, her face lit up with joy as she spoke in disbelief.
"How can there be such a good deal in this world?!"
She had thought she would have to pay a steep price for the Main God to help her stay in this world.
But now, all it would cost her was the temporary loss of some memories.
Once she and Li Ji finally got their happy ending, her memories would be restored.
’This is a deal I can’t possibly lose!’
The Main God: "..."
Thinking it hadn’t been clear enough, it emphasized its point in a forceful tone.
"This is a bet, and you are very likely to lose."
Hua Manman said with great exaggeration.
"How could I possibly lose?
If you wanted to bet on anything else, I might have to think about it.
But if you’re betting on whether Li Ergou’s heart will change? There’s absolutely no way I’ll lose!"
The white ball of light wavered.
After a long moment, the Main God’s voice came, sounding cold.
"Optimism is a virtue, but excessive optimism is just foolishness.
If you lose, you won’t just lose your memories; your very existence will be erased.
Just like what happened to you in the modern world.
You will disappear completely, and no one will remember you."
Hua Manman said resolutely.
"I won’t lose! Neither Li Ji nor I will lose!"
The Main God remained noncommittal.
Though it wasn’t human and had never experienced human emotions and desires, it had encountered many hosts and, through them, witnessed the lives of countless mortals.
Admittedly, there were deeply affectionate and devoted individuals among them.
But they were a tiny minority.
The vast majority of humans were inclined to be selfish.
Human males, in particular, possessed fierce ambition and an unimaginable thirst for power and status.
Li Ji might truly love Hua Manman, but if he were forced to choose between the empire and the throne on one hand, and Hua Manman on the other, could he really choose her without a moment’s hesitation?
The slightest bit of hesitation or indecision from him...
...would mean Hua Manman had lost the bet.
No matter how it calculated it, the Main God believed its chances of winning this bet were high.
The white ball of light expanded rapidly, sprouting a head and limbs until it formed a tall, blurry humanoid figure.
It extended its right hand, placing its palm on Hua Manman’s head.
"I will ask you one last time: are you sure you want to accept this bet?"
Hua Manman rubbed her hands together, saying impatiently.
"Quit stalling and get on with it!"
The Main God said no more, its fingers pressing down gently.
Its fingertips bored into Hua Manman’s mind.
Hua Manman felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, and her vision blurred.
She fought to stay conscious, but her eyelids grew heavy against her will.
The strength was completely drained from her body.
Finally, unable to support herself any longer, she swayed and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
「After a long stretch of nothingness.」
Suddenly, shouts rang in Hua Manman’s ears.
"The Young Master is here!"
"Quick, go inform the Prince!"
Hua Manman’s entire body ached. She couldn’t muster any strength in her limbs, and her head was spinning.
With all her might, she managed to pry her eyes open a tiny slit.
Light filtered in.
Through the blur, she could see a large crowd of people surrounding her.
"The Young Master is badly hurt. Quick, lift him up."
Then, Hua Manman felt herself being lifted up by several pairs of hands.
Another burst of clamor followed.
Hua Manman’s strength was spent. Her eyelids drooped shut once more, and she fell back into unconsciousness.
When she woke again, she found herself lying on a bed, covered by a soft silk quilt.
A young maid sat on the footstool by the bed, her head nodding as she dozed off.
Hua Manman struggled to open her mouth, wanting to speak.
But her throat was so dry and hoarse that all that came out was a cough.
The young maid was startled awake.
Seeing that Hua Manman was awake, she immediately leaped to her feet and cried out in delight.
"The Young Master is awake!"
Then she scurried out, shouting to the people outside.
"The Young Master is awake!"
A moment later, a huge crowd of people surged into the room.
At their head was a beautiful woman in her thirties.
Her clothes and jewelry were not overly extravagant, but her graceful and noble bearing revealed her extraordinary status.
The woman must not have been resting well, as her expression was quite haggard.
The moment she saw Hua Manman sitting dazedly on the bed, her eyes reddened and she began to sob softly.
"Oh, my child, you’re finally awake! The household doctor said you’d injured your head and that if you didn’t wake up, your life could be in danger. You scared us half to death."
Hua Manman was utterly bewildered.
’Wasn’t I just leaving the hospital and heading home?
How did I end up here in the blink of an eye?
Who are all these people?
Why is everyone wearing historical costumes?
Oh god, don’t tell me I’ve transmigrated?!’
Seeing her expression, the woman’s heart tightened, and she asked cautiously.
"My child, why aren’t you speaking? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Hua Manman was incredibly nervous.
’Other transmigrators usually get the original owner’s memories.
Why didn’t I get that feature?
If all else fails, I’ll just have to fake amnesia.
It’s a cliché that’s been used in countless transmigration stories, but it’s the only thing I can think of right now.’
Bracing herself, she spoke, her voice hoarse.
"I’m sorry, I think I’ve lost my memory... I don’t remember who you are..."
Her voice trailed off toward the end.
’I feel like such a fraud!’
Just as she was growing anxious, worried her clumsy lie would be exposed, she heard the beautiful woman reply calmly.
"It’s only amnesia. It’s all right."
Hua Manman: ???
The young maid beside her helpfully explained.
"The household doctor said the Young Master injured his head and might forget many things when he woke up. He told us to be mentally prepared."
Hua Manman was stunned.
’Who is this household doctor? He even prepared the perfect amnesia excuse for me in advance. How thoughtful!’
The beautiful woman wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and offered gentle reassurance.
"Don’t be afraid, my child. Even if you don’t remember a thing, you are still the Princely Heir of our Yu Royal Mansion.
As long as you’re all right, nothing else matters."
...
To avoid any misunderstanding, I’ll drop a little spoiler here.
Manman didn’t just transmigrate her soul.
She crossed over this time, body and all.
I won’t say any more than that. Please be patient and keep reading.