DREAM OR REALITY

"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.