Tan Yan rushed from the airport to the hospital. Seeing his sister asleep, he didn’t disturb her.
Stepping into the corridor, he made a call to Lu Yanzhi.
“Yinyin was in a car accident and is in the hospital. Where are you?”
“Yinyin was in a car accident? How is she? Is it serious?” came the urgent voice on the other end of the line.
Hearing the concern in Lu Yanzhi’s voice, Tan Yan’s tone softened slightly. “It’s not too serious.”
After exchanging a few more words, Lu Yanzhi said he would rush back to Beijing immediately.
After hanging up, Tan Yan turned to Chu Nanyu. “What exactly happened? Why did Yinyin call you that earlier?”
Before Chu Nanyu could answer, He Wenzhou, leaning lazily against the wall, spoke first. “Your sister’s memory seems to be confused. She mistook Nan Yu for her husband but doesn’t remember Lu Yanzhi at all.”
Tan Yan’s lips parted in shock. “What?”
**
After sleeping for nearly an hour, Tan Qinyin slowly opened her eyes.
It was already evening.
Seeing Tan Yan sitting by her bedside, her eyes lit up, and she quickly sat up. “Brother! Ouch…”
She had moved too quickly, aggravating her injury slightly, and reached up to hold her head.
Tan Yan hurriedly steadied her. “Be careful. Your head is still injured.”
After a moment, Tan Qinyin smiled. “Brother, what brings you to Beijing?”
“I’m here on business, and I came to see you.”
Tan Yan couldn’t help but chide her gently. “How could you be so careless while driving? Thankfully, it’s nothing serious. If something really happened, what would Mom, Dad, and I do?”
Tan Qinyin had no memory of how the accident happened, but she obediently admitted her mistake, her voice soft and earnest. “I’m sorry.”
Tan Yan sighed, unable to bring himself to scold her further, and softened his tone. “Are you hungry?”
Tan Qinyin thought for a moment. “A little.”
She glanced around the room and asked, “Brother, where’s my husband?”
Hearing the word “husband,” Tan Yan’s expression became indescribably complicated.
His sister and Lu Yanzhi had been married for a year, and she had always called him “Brother Yanzhi.” He had never once heard her refer to him as “husband.”
And now…
“Yinyin,” Tan Yan began tentatively, “how did you know Nan Yu’s phone number?”
His sister and Nan Yu weren’t particularly close.
They had each other’s WeChat only because he had asked Nan Yu to look out for Yinyin, fearing that if something happened to her after she married into Beijing, he might not be able to protect her in time.
Although Lu Yanzhi was a decent guy, it never hurt to be cautious, so he had introduced them as friends.
As far as he knew, over the past year, aside from occasional greetings when they ran into each other, the two had never contacted each other privately.
Tan Qinyin looked at her brother curiously. “He’s my husband. Is it strange that I know his phone number?”
“…I suppose not.” After a pause, Tan Yan asked again, “Then do you remember whose number is 18 followed by six zeros and three sixes?”
Tan Qinyin blinked. “Whose?”
Tan Yan: “…”
Your actual husband’s.
Coincidentally, Chu Nanyu and Lu Yanzhi’s phone numbers were quite similar—one ended with 666, the other with 999.
The door to the hospital room opened, and Chu Nanyu walked in carrying a thermal lunchbox in one hand.
“You’re awake?” He set the lunchbox down. “Perfect timing. Have some porridge.”
The aroma wafted into her nostrils—a light yet flavorful green vegetable and lean meat porridge. Tan Qinyin sniffed the air. “It smells amazing!”
Chu Nanyu handed her a spoon, which she took gently. “Husband, have you eaten?”
“Yes,” Chu Nanyu replied calmly.
Tan Qinyin then turned to Tan Yan. “Brother, what about you?”
“Little girl, stop worrying so much,” Tan Yan lifted his chin. “Hurry up and eat.”
“Oh.”
Tan Qinyin lowered her head and began to sip the porridge in small mouthfuls.
As the steaming porridge warmed her stomach, she felt her body gradually becoming more comfortable.
After a while, Tan Yan’s phone rang—it was Lu Yanzhi returning his call.
He glanced at his sister and stood up to take the call outside.
Once the call connected, Lu Yanzhi asked, “Is Yinyin awake? Let me talk to her.”
Tan Yan remained silent for a few seconds before speaking in a low voice, “Yanzhi, there’s something you need to prepare yourself for first.”
…
Upon learning that Tan Qinyin had lost her memory, the other end of the line fell silent for a long time. Finally, Lu Yanzhi simply said, “I’ll be in Beijing first thing tomorrow morning.”
Inside the hospital room.
Tan Qinyin sipped her porridge, occasionally stealing glances at the man not far away.
Chu Nanyu raised his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Tan Qinyin gave him a sweet smile. “Nothing, I just think you’re good-looking. Looking at you makes me feel more hungry.”
Chu Nanyu: “…Thank you.”
“You’re welcome!” Tan Qinyin’s eyes curved into crescents. “Husband, have I never praised your looks before?”
Chu Nanyu: “…No.”
Tan Qinyin’s smile gradually faded, and she pursed her rosy lips. “That’s strange. After the car accident, I can’t remember many things clearly, especially those related to you.”
Even his appearance was very vague in her memory—she only clearly remembered a small mole at the corner of his eye.
“It’s just temporary. You’ll slowly remember,” Chu Nanyu said, seizing the moment. “I’ll have the doctor come to examine you later.”
Tan Qinyin nodded obediently. “Okay.”
After the meal, He Wenzhou arrived in a white coat to conduct a medical evaluation for Tan Qinyin.
“Fairy sister, how are you feeling now? Still dizzy?”
Tan Qinyin blinked and answered softly, “Not dizzy anymore, but my memory is very fuzzy.”
“Alright, no need to be nervous. I’ll ask a few basic questions. Just say whatever comes to mind—no need to force yourself to remember.”
He Wenzhou strictly followed the clinical orientation assessment sequence, posing questions in a casual, conversational tone. Tan Qinyin cooperated fully, answering each one.
By the time the evaluation ended, the expressions of the three men in the room varied.
He Wenzhou still wore a carefree, faint smile at the corner of his lips.
Chu Nanyu’s face showed no discernible emotion.
Tan Yan’s expression, however, was deeply somber.
Tan Qinyin’s memories of her parents, her brother, and herself were largely intact, with no major discrepancies.
The main issues lay in her memories related to Chu Nanyu and Lu Yanzhi.
She had completely forgotten everything about Lu Yanzhi, including her current residence, yet she firmly believed that Chu Nanyu was her arranged marriage husband.
…
“She’s experiencing post-traumatic retrograde amnesia caused by a brain injury, accompanied by confusion between reality and fabricated memories, as well as identity misidentification,” He Wenzhou concluded.
“Fabricated memories?” Tan Yan frowned. “Can people spontaneously create fabricated memories?”
“No, there are no effects without causes in this world,” He Wenzhou’s gaze swept toward Chu Nanyu. “It must be that Nan Yu holds some special significance for her—it’s just that none of us know what it is.”
Special significance?
Tan Yan’s eyes also fell on Chu Nanyu. If he weren’t so familiar with the personalities of this close friend and his sister, he might have suspected something between them.
Chu Nanyu lifted his eyelids slightly, his fingers resting on his knees tapping lightly and intermittently. “How do we treat this?”
He Wenzhou: “Currently, she firmly believes in her fabricated memories. We absolutely must not forcefully correct or provoke her, as it could easily worsen her condition, cause permanent memory damage, or lead to a mental breakdown.”
Tan Yan fell silent for a few seconds. “So, you mean we can’t tell Yinyin for now that she has mistaken someone?”
“Yes,” He Wenzhou adjusted his non-existent glasses. “At this stage, we need to follow her perception to comfort her, combined with rest and recuperation. Only when she begins to realize that her memories are incorrect can we gradually guide her to restore the right ones.”
Tan Yan asked, “How long will this process take?”
He Wenzhou shook his head. “It’s hard to say. It might take just a few days, or… it could be quite a while.”
Tan Yan’s brows furrowed even tighter. If Yinyin now recognized Chu Nanyu as her husband and they had to go along with it, wouldn’t that mean Chu Nanyu would have to keep playing this role?