“It’s my fault.”
Chen Jiaojiao was crying.
It was the first time since waking up with amnesia partly from being overwhelmed, partly from sheer frustration.
He lay on the bed, eyes downcast, his red and chapped lips pressed tightly together, weeping silently like a broken doll.
Meng Jin pulled him into his arms, his heart clenching as he patted Chen Jiaojiao’s back gently, as if soothing a child.
The person in his arms seemed almost made of water his lips bitten even more raw, tears still falling silently, soaking a patch of skin on Meng Jin’s chest.
“I was wrong,” Meng Jin whispered, his lips brushing against Jiaojiao’s swollen eyelids. “Jiaojiao, I was wrong.”
He probably knew he had gone too far somewhere, though he wasn’t entirely sure at the moment. Still, his apology had to be sincere.
“Your eyes are all red from crying,” Meng Jin murmured, his thumb lightly wiping the damp corners of Chen Jiaojiao’s eyes, his voice filled with concern. “Does it hurt?”
He leaned down to kiss those still-tearful eyes, but Jiaojiao turned his head away.
Then, a choked sob, thick with a stuffy nose, broke the silence. “I told you… not to get it on my face…”
Meng Jin paused.
Baby, what you said was, not to get it in your mouth.
The words rolled around in his throat, but he didn’t dare say them aloud. After all, he was the one who had taken advantage, and arguing now would only make things worse.
He could only hold Jiaojiao tighter, his palm stroking the tense back over and over, his voice soft and gentle. “My fault. I’ll be more careful next time, okay?”
The person in his arms didn’t respond, only buried his face deeper into Meng Jin’s chest. The tears slowly stopped, but his body still trembled with occasional shudders.
Meng Jin sighed silently. Earlier, he had been mindful of Jiaojiao’s “command,” pulling out at the last moment only to end up splattering Jiaojiao’s face. Just recalling that scene made his whole body heat up and his lower abdomen tighten.
It took a long time to calm Jiaojiao down, and it was well past midnight before the two finally fell asleep in each other’s arms.
As expected, they overslept the next day, waking up well past 9:10 in the morning.
Chen Jiaojiao blinked groggily awake to see Meng Jin standing by the bed, tying his tie. As soon as he tried to speak, a hoarse, unpleasant voice filled the room, and his throat burned with pain.
He gritted his teeth inwardly, unable to muster any kindness toward Meng Jin.
After a simple breakfast, they bought a large bouquet of flowers from a nearby florist and set off for the suburban cemetery.
The cemetery was remote, growing quieter and more deserted as they approached. Only after passing a small path of mixed dirt and cement did they finally arrive.
Chen Jiaojiao silently placed the bouquet on the tombstone, gazing at the two photos on it. He opened his mouth, his mind blank, a wave of sorrow rising in his heart. “Mom, Dad,” he whispered, “I’ve come to see you.”
Meng Jin stood beside him, an arm around his shoulders, offering support. “Uncle, Auntie,” he added softly, “don’t worry. I’ll take care of Jiaojiao.”
In truth, this wasn’t the actual burial site of Chen Jiaojiao’s parents. Their real graves lay side by side in a plot of land in Chenjia Village.
There was no way Meng Jin would actually let Jiaojiao go to Chenjia Village. So, not long ago, he had negotiated with Meng Qingye, exchanging something for two keepsakes of Jiaojiao’s parents. Here, he had built a new memorial for them.
Chen Jiaojiao had been standing there for a long time, so long that his legs had gone numb. He lifted his head in confusion. If the past didn’t matter, if lost memories didn’t matter, then what did?
He couldn’t even remember the parents who raised him. How was he supposed to live with that?
It was tragic.
Once the desire to recover his memories took root in his heart, he began to revisit everything he had once overlooked.
They left the cemetery early. Sitting in the car, he gazed out the window and spoke in a hoarse voice, “Meng Jin, take me to see the house.”
Meng Jin’s heart clenched. It was just a house he had already prepared everything. All he needed to do was take Jiaojiao there for a quick look. Whether it was because Jiaojiao had fallen in love with him, giving him confidence, or because of the sorrowful tone in his voice, Meng Jin found himself lost in thought and ended up bringing him to the place where Chen Jiaojiao had once lived.
It was the only real place from this trip back to the country.
Back then, to avoid him, Chen Jiaojiao had come to Nanning and settled in an urban village. The security there wasn’t great, and the stench of garbage often lingered in the air. Fortunately, it was winter now, so the smell was much milder.
The car couldn’t go any further for a short stretch, so they had to get out and walk.
Though it was only 500 meters, Meng Jin’s heart remained uneasy the entire way, afraid they might run into someone familiar. Thankfully, back then, Jiaojiao had been too afraid of encountering his people and had mostly stayed indoors, rarely interacting with the neighbors.
After getting out of the car, Chen Jiaojiao felt a wave of familiarity wash over him unlike the strangeness he had felt before. Standing in front of the door to his old home, the feeling grew even stronger.
“Click!”
Meng Jin turned the key and pushed the door open.
After leaving this place, Meng Jin had personally tidied it up. The important things had long been taken away and placed in his own room. Even though the space felt empty now, the care and warmth of its former owner were still evident.
From the moment he stepped inside, Chen Jiaojiao began examining the apartment. It wasn’t large just two bedrooms and a living room. He walked through each room one by one, pausing at the doorway of the second bedroom. His heart pounded wildly, a deep-seated fear rising within him.
He hadn’t felt this way in the master bedroom. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and pushed the door open.
Though the room shared the same style of decor as the master bedroom, it felt noticeably colder. Suppressing his confusion, he ventured further inside.
The room was small, containing only a bed and a desk. He walked straight to the desk, his gaze lingering on the drawer. With a soft “click,” the drawer slid open and there was something inside!
A photograph and an MP3 player with earphones.
The photo showed Chen Jiaojiao alone, taken when he was very young. His eyes weren’t looking at the camera, and he had his arms stretched out pitifully, as if asking someone outside the frame to hold him.
Behind him, Meng Jin’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the MP3 player. He stepped closer without drawing attention and tapped the photo with his fingertip. “Only three years old.”
Chen Jiaojiao looked back at him in surprise. “How do you know?”
Meng Jin naturally picked up the MP3 player, pressing the buttons firmly while keeping his eyes fixed on Chen Jiaojiao. He chuckled softly. “Who do you think you were asking to hold you?”
“When you were little, Jiaojiao, you were especially clingy to me.”
His tone carried a hint of regret. “The earphones don’t seem to be working anymore.”
This earphone was one of the birthday gifts he gave to 16-year-old Chen Jiaojiao. Among the many more expensive presents, for some reason, Jiaojiao had a special fondness for this one.
Later, after all those things happened, he searched the house for a long time but couldn’t find it. So it was here. Besides songs, there was everything Jiaojiao wanted to say to him, all stored inside.
“Let me see.” Chen Jiaojiao took the earphone from Meng Jin’s hand. After fiddling with it for a while, there was still no sound. He sighed and placed the earphone aside. “The paint has worn off. It must have been used for a long time.”
It was a pity that it could no longer play music, but he still put the MP3 player in his pocket. Apart from these two items, nothing else was found.
“Knock, knock ”
Just as the two were about to leave, the door was forcefully knocked on. The sound was urgent, growing heavier with each knock, accompanied by intermittent shouts of “Mr. Chen.”
Meng Jin turned and stepped in front of Chen Jiaojiao, his brows slightly furrowed, his gaze cold and sharp. Outside the door was a stranger. Suppressing the emotions in his heart, he asked, “Hello, what is it?”
The man was a newly moved-in tenant who had never met Meng Jin and had only seen Chen Jiaojiao a few times. He had come because their car downstairs was blocking the road and needed to be moved.
Unconsciously, the man took a step back, as if sensing danger. “Is the car downstairs yours?”
“The road is narrow. You need to move it to the side, or it’ll cause a blockage.”
Chen Jiaojiao stood beside Meng Jin, curiously watching the stranger. He nodded to himself. “Alright, we’re leaving now.”
Only after hearing his voice did the man shift his gaze to Chen Jiaojiao. His shoulders suddenly relaxed this was the Mr. Chen he knew!
But Mr. Chen had changed so much, and he seemed very close to the person beside him. If his brother found out, wouldn’t he go crazy again?
He shuddered, inadvertently glancing over and meeting Meng Jin’s indifferent gaze. His relaxed shoulders tensed up again. Coughing twice, he said, “Mr. Chen, I’ll be going now.”
He had only inferred from Mr. Chen’s occasional remarks that he had an extremely controlling brother who meddled in everything. Little did he know that the person beside him was that very brother.
Chen Jiaojiao followed the neighbor out and went ahead to press the elevator button. Seeing the neighbor enter the opposite apartment, he casually asked, “Do you live across?”
Facing the neighbor’s surprised look, he pursed his lips and explained, “I’ve lost my memory. I don’t remember much from before.”
Upon hearing this, the neighbor said somewhat cryptically, “Forgetting might be for the best. Start a new life with your boyfriend.”
But curiosity got the better of him, and he changed the subject. “Has your brother been bothering you lately?”
Chen Jiaojiao was taken aback and was about to ask more when he saw Meng Jin approaching. Meng Jin glanced subtly between the two. “What’s wrong?”
“I have a brother? I thought I was an only child?”
“Ding-dong” the elevator arrived.
Chen Jiaojiao didn’t move, his eyes shifting between the neighbor and Meng Jin. He repeated, “My brother?”
Meng Jin offered a faint smile, also turning his gaze to the neighbor, but his voice sent chills down the spine. “I’d also like to know what Jiaojiao’s brother is called.”
The neighbor nervously swallowed, clutching his own clothes as he vaguely realized he might have touched on something sensitive. Jiaojiao? Isn’t Mr. Chen called Xue Yan?
Having moved here not long ago, he didn’t want to stir up trouble and immediately waved his hand. “Maybe I misheard. I haven’t been here long myself it’s all just hearsay.”
Chen Jiaojiao wasn’t so easily fooled now. He furrowed his brows and asked, “Could you tell me what you’ve heard? I’d like to learn about my past from others.”
Standing to the side, Meng Jin could no longer maintain his smile. The veins on his arms bulged as he suppressed his anger and spoke calmly, “If it’s convenient, we could go downstairs to talk over a meal.”