Chapter One: She Has Lost Her Memory

“Mengxia, during the next PE class, do you want to go buy something to eat together?”

“No.”

“Alright, then I’ll come back to keep you company later.”

When the classroom was finally empty except for her, Ye Mengxia let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto her desk.

Her stomach felt uncomfortable, so she’d stepped out for a while. When she returned, there was someone new in the classroom, sprawled across the desk, the electric fan in front of him whirring loudly and blowing directly at his head.

Ye Mengxia felt cold. She quietly skirted around the fan and took a seat behind him.

But the wind passed right through him and hit her, making her even colder. She was wearing a dress today, and it had rained in the morning, so the air was damp.

Even when all the other students returned, she still didn’t have the courage to go up and turn off the fan.

Because she didn’t know anyone.

“Mengxia, let me see your math notes, I want to reference them.”

Ye Mengxia nodded blankly and pulled out several notebooks, none of which were her math notes. Embarrassed, she looked at Lin Manting. “I can’t find them.”

With a thud, Lin Manting, lost in thought, stood up and leaned over the desk, smacking the person sitting in front of her hard, and bellowed, “Hey, Su Yichen! Hand over Ye Mengxia’s notebook!”

“Ow, that hurts! I don’t have it!”

Su Yichen jumped up, trying to retaliate, but when he turned around, he saw Ye Mengxia staring at him in surprise, her almond-shaped eyes wide, fingers clenched, body leaning back.

She had returned.

“I haven’t finished copying the notes. I’ll give them to you tomorrow, is that okay?”

“Yes—yes,” Ye Mengxia’s voice trembled, her fingers clutching even tighter.

Su Yichen eyed her suspiciously. What was wrong with her?

Soon, the homeroom teacher entered and announced the reason for Ye Mengxia’s absence these past days: she’d been in a car accident and lost her memory.

Su Yichen’s breath quivered, his mind roaring. He turned to look at her. She’d been in a car accident.

That day.

If he hadn’t left that day, nothing would have happened.

After class, Lin Manting checked Ye Mengxia up and down. “Mengxia, are you alright? Did you really lose your memory? Don’t you remember me?”

“Mm.”

“What about him?” Lin Manting pointed at Su Yichen. “You don’t remember him either?”

Ye Mengxia hesitated and nodded. Should she remember him?

“Oh, that’s enough for me,” Lin Manting grinned, watching the drama unfold. “Him? No need to remember. Just know he’s the notorious school bully and hopeless student. Stay away from him!”

Su Yichen, sitting in front, was eavesdropping on their conversation. When he heard this, he couldn’t sit still and turned to Ye Mengxia. “Don’t listen to her. I’m not some hopeless student.”

But he wanted to be a school bully—her school bully, just to protect her.

Ye Mengxia nodded blankly.

“Are you alright?”

“No…”

“You don’t remember me?”

“No.”

The back-and-forth exhausted Ye Mengxia. As dismissal approached, she packed her things early, only to see a slender hand quickly slip a note onto her desk.

Startled by the sudden action, Ye Mengxia instinctively clutched the note in her palm.

She glanced at the person sitting rigidly in front of her and exhaled.

She unfolded the note: “Wait for me after school. I’ll walk you home.”

Ye Mengxia was confused and a little scared. Could it be that before she lost her memory, they were secretly dating?

Or maybe she’d been bullied at school.

The more she thought, the more frightened she became—she suddenly didn’t want class to end.

Meanwhile, Su Yichen, sitting upright in front, had sweaty palms. Would she be angry?

He’d buy her milk tea on the way home.

Last time, she’d had strawberry.

His thoughts had just settled when the bell rang. Su Yichen turned around happily, but the seat behind him was empty.

Ye Mengxia, who had dashed out to the school gate, was gasping for breath. She looked up and accidentally bumped into someone—a pair of brown eyes, very striking.

Ye Mengxia froze, wanting to say something, but the person frowned, their gaze tinged with a hard-to-read disdain.

Disdain, yes.

Now Ye Mengxia felt uncomfortable herself, but still managed, “Sorry, I bumped into you.”

“Oh, isn’t this Ye Mengxia, the academic star of Seventh High? What’s this, bumping into us once is a coincidence, but doing it every day—are you trying to become our sister-in-law?”

Ye Mengxia frowned, feeling uneasy, ready to retort, but the other continued relentlessly.

“Sister-in-law? You look pretty, but our Ze-ge isn’t just interested in anyone. Ze-ge, what do you say?”

Lu Chengze snorted, his laugh laced with ridicule, his meaning clear.

Ye Mengxia felt insulted, but the group across from her was large; if she retaliated, she might get beaten up, so she tried to walk around them.

But before she could, her wrist was seized and she was pulled over. A cool voice sounded, “Ye Mengxia…”

She didn’t catch what he said, just felt a wave of dizziness, and looked up to see Su Yichen’s furious face as he shielded her in his arms.

He held Ye Mengxia tightly, standing sideways to the group.

“You again, kid? You dare steal my big brother’s woman? If you don’t let go, I’ll break your arm.”

Ye Mengxia quickly pushed Su Yichen away. She looked at the intimidating group across from her, clearly not joking, and tugged Su Yichen back.

Her voice trembled as she warned them, “Don’t do anything stupid, I’ve already called the police.”

Ye Mengxia shakily pressed the emergency call button. The group exchanged glances, and she pulled Su Yichen back, “Don’t come any closer, I’m calling the police, the police…”

“Ye Mengxia, stand back. Once I beat them, you’re not allowed to treat me like you used to.”

“Ah.”

Ye Mengxia was suddenly scooped up. Su Yichen whispered in her ear as he carried her to the edge of the trees, and she saw him charge forward alone.

Was this considered fighting?

If she called the police, would he get expelled?

This thought suddenly popped into Ye Mengxia’s mind.

“Help, someone help, there’s a fight, help—”

Ye Mengxia shouted at the top of her lungs, her sweet voice breaking with the effort, “Help—”

Su Yichen was already being pinned down and beaten by several people. Ye Mengxia clenched her fists, grabbed a branch nearby, and rushed in.

“Damn! Ye Xingchen, isn’t that your cold, spotless, academic superstar cousin up front with the stick? Did I see that right, she’s actually fighting?”

“Oh, no, she’s getting beaten up.”

“Damn! Aren’t those guys from Third High? Bullying all the way over here. Chen-ge, shall we step in?”

The brothers exchanged glances. “Yeah, where’s Chen-ge?”

Yan Mu pointed ahead, “There, look!”

Ye Xingchen flicked her hair and charged forward, kicking the group away and laying them out with just a few moves.

Aside from cool, she really didn’t know how else to describe herself.

Ye Mengxia was shielded beneath Su Yichen, whose face was covered in bruises. Ye Xingchen roughly shoved Su Yichen aside and pulled Ye Mengxia up.

With a look of disdain, she sized him up—so this was supposed to be a hero saving the beauty? After all these years, all he had left was stubborn perseverance.

Chasing after her for two years, and still like this—hopeless.