I Woke Up from a Coma—Only to Be Auctioned Off - Chapter 1

“Bidding will begin at five million star credits—”

As the auctioneer called out the staggering opening price, my tangled thoughts slowly ground to a halt.

I stood bound on an empty auction stage in a nearly transparent gauze dress. A single white spotlight shone down from overhead, putting me—the rare “merchandise”—on full display.

The space below was packed. Every kind of animal ear dotted the dark sea of heads.

I had barely woken from a cryogenic pod before being dragged to the black market. From what my captors said on the way, I gathered that I had been frozen for a hundred years…

Damn it. My last memories were of buying beastfolk at auction and playing with them as I pleased.

And now I was the one being auctioned off?

There was even a camera trained on me, magnifying every expression across the giant screen behind the stage.

The auctioneer smiled as he made his pitch. “This young lady is the second daughter of the Nan family from before the Great Uprising. Though she has slept until this very day, her beauty remains untouched. A pure human—one of the rarest treasures in the world!”

The crowd erupted.

I kept my face blank. What did surprise me were the half-shadowed faces below—blurred by the darkness, yet carved deep into my memory.

Technology had advanced, and genetic engineering at the research institutes meant both beastfolk and pure humans lived far longer than before.

But still…

Did the beastfolk I had bullied and thoroughly toyed with really need to live that long? What if they wanted revenge?

I lowered my eyes. Memories from before my coma rushed over me like a tide, as vivid as if they had happened yesterday.

…

Without the slightest restraint, I pinched the young fox’s ear. Pain made him curl in on himself, his tail puffing out.

“Don’t you know how to please me?” I leaned closer with a sweet smile, even as my fingers tightened.

Nan Zhixu stood behind me, calm and entirely accustomed to the sight.

“If he has no sense,” he said lightly, “I can have someone chop him up. There’s no need for you to upset yourself.”

The boy shuddered at his words. His beautiful, slender neck and the skin down to his collarbones were covered in whip marks.

He looked pitiful.

After a long moment, the boy bent down, trembling lips pressing a kiss to my calf.

I smiled in satisfaction. “You’re much more obedient than that wolf.”

Then I turned my head. “I heard a few snakes came in recently. Ask the auction house about them for me.”

Nan Zhixu lowered his gaze, not a trace of emotion in his voice. “Snakefolk are vicious and cunning. I’m afraid they might hurt you.”

I laughed arrogantly and tipped his chin up with one finger. “Oh? Then why are you so well behaved at my side?”

Nan Zhixu said nothing.

My smile faded. I withdrew my hand and patted the fox boy’s head, my tone flat. “Don’t defy me.”

…