Chu Yanyan hugged the diary, sitting amid a pile of messy clothes, her face so hot she could fry an egg on it.
She read it over and over again, and the more she read, the faster her heart raced and the drier her mouth became.
This was definitely written for Bai Zhiyuan—after all, he was the one who had always taken care of her.
So before she lost her memory, she had liked him to this extent.
The diary was densely filled with him.
He wore a black shirt today, the collar slightly open, his collarbone so gorgeous it made you want to commit a crime.
He rubbed his brow while eating today—such a sultry gesture.
He stepped out of the car today, long legs and narrow waist—oh my god!
…
So embarrassing!
Every page was about him, every word about him.
But when Chu Yanyan finished the whole book, she found that the contents never got past the fantasy stage—not a single bit of actual progress.
She closed the diary and pressed her lips together.
If her memories came back, she would probably turn back into that coward again.
So why not take advantage of now, while she and he were still not close, to fulfill the wishes in the diary one by one.
Chu Yanyan hid the diary in the deepest part of the wardrobe and patted her burning cheeks.
Let’s start with holding hands.
…
The night was thick and heavy.
Bai Zhiyuan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his study, his tall figure stretched long by the lamplight.
His gaze fell on his own cuff—the place Chu Yanyan had grabbed in the car today.
He lowered his eyes, the curve of his lips faint, almost imperceptible.
But before that hint of a smile could fade, his expression darkened.
He picked up his phone and dialed a number.
The call connected quickly.
“Send me all the surveillance footage from the day Chu Yanyan’s accident happened.”
“From when she entered Bai Xu’s birthday party to when she fell down the stairs.”
“Mr. Bai, which areas should we focus on?”
His knuckles tapped lightly on the desk. “The period when she went missing.”
“When she left the surveillance range, when she reappeared, and how long the gap in between was.”
“Yes, sir.”
His tone grew heavier, carrying a trace of coldness. “Also, look into the full guest list from the party that day.”
“You suspect someone…”
“Investigate.” He said only one word, crisp and decisive.
After hanging up, Bai Zhiyuan turned around, his gaze landing on Chu Yanyan’s medical report on the desk.
The doctor said her injuries didn’t look like they were caused by simply tripping and falling down the stairs—the location and force of the impact to the back of her head were both somewhat abnormal.
He picked up the report, his fingertip brushing the edge of the page, a dark glint flashing through his eyes.
His pitch-black eyes were cold and without warmth under the lamplight.
If someone really was scheming behind the scenes, he would never let that person go.
The next morning.
The dining room was bright, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows lay a neatly trimmed lawn, dewdrops glittering in the morning light.
Chu Yanyan sat at the dining table, a steaming bowl of porridge and side dishes set before her.
But she had no appetite at all.
Her gaze was glued to Bai Zhiyuan’s hands.
He was looking down at his phone, one hand holding the screen, the other resting casually on the edge of the table.
Those hands were slender with well-defined knuckles, every finger as if finely sculpted.
Chu Yanyan swallowed a mouthful of porridge, but her throat was still dry.
If that hand held hers…
If that hand rested on her…
If that hand…
Her face flushed red in an instant, the heat spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, her neck tinged with a faint pink.
Bai Zhiyuan noticed her gaze and looked up.
Her face was abnormally red.
He put down his phone and placed his slender fingers on her forehead.
The slightly cool touch made Chu Yanyan stiffen all over, her heart suddenly racing.
“Why is your face so red?”
He frowned slightly, his fingertips resting on her forehead for a few seconds. “No fever.”
His hand was cool, carrying a faint scent of pine.
“I—I’m fine!”
She stammered and shrank back a little. “It’s just… windburn! Yes, windburn!”
Bai Zhiyuan glanced at her and didn’t press further.
He picked up a napkin, wiped his hands, then stood up and grabbed her backpack, his expression calm.
“I’ll wait for you in the car.”
“O-okay.”
She lowered her head, covered her face, and silently screamed for a few seconds.
His hand was really so cool, so comfortable.
In the car.
Bai Zhiyuan sat in the back seat with a laptop on his knees, the blue glow of the screen illuminating his sharply defined profile.
He was quiet while working, brows slightly furrowed, his gaze calm and focused.
Chu Yanyan sat beside him, sneaking glances at him from the corner of her eye.
That reserved, mature-man aura—so captivating.
She unconsciously swallowed.
The car stopped at the gate of Xihai University.
Chu Yanyan dawdled as she unbuckled her seatbelt, her fingers hovering over the door handle again and again, refusing to get out.
Bai Zhiyuan closed his laptop and turned to look at her.
She bit her lower lip, eyes wide and round, her expression adorable and innocent.
“I don’t know where my classroom is.”
She had lost her memory.
She’d forgotten everything.
She didn’t even know which direction the teaching buildings were.
Bai Zhiyuan put the laptop into his briefcase and pushed open the car door. “Come with me.”
He stood outside the car door, silhouetted against the light, his figure tall and straight as a pine.
“I know where your main classroom is.”
He even remembered the location of her main classroom.
No wonder she, before losing her memory, had been so infatuated with him.
She hurried out of the car and followed behind him.
The campus was crowded at eight in the morning.
Students on the road clustered in twos and threes, hurrying to class.
Chu Yanyan stayed close behind Bai Zhiyuan, her gaze fixed on the hand hanging at his side.
His hand swayed gently with his steps, the knuckles distinct, clean and handsome.
She wanted to hold it.
She really wanted to hold it.
She bit her lip, her heart pounding like a drum.
Just then, a crowd of students rushing to class surged up from behind, shoving and jostling forward.
Someone bumped into Chu Yanyan from the side. Her body lurched forward and she stumbled.
Seize the moment!
Now!
She reached out and grabbed Bai Zhiyuan’s hand.
His fingers were long, his palm warm and dry, just the right size to wrap around hers completely.
Bai Zhiyuan’s fingers visibly trembled, his steps faltering half a beat.
After a few seconds of distraction, he turned his head to look at her, a hint of unreadable emotion in his gaze.
Chu Yanyan blinked, her expression as innocent as a little white rabbit.
“Oops, it’s so crowded. How can it be this crowded?”
She guiltily looked away, softly whistling under her breath.
Bai Zhiyuan looked at her for two seconds. He didn’t let go of her hand, and he didn’t say anything.
He turned his head and kept walking.
Chu Yanyan walked at his side, her palm breaking out in a thin layer of nervous sweat.
His hand was really so big, so warm.
The two of them walked a long way hand in hand like that.
Through the shade of the plane trees, through the crowd.
Until Bai Zhiyuan stopped, raised his hand, and pointed at a gray building ahead.
“Third floor, Lecture Hall Three.”
Chu Yanyan followed the direction of his pointing finger, then nodded.
But she didn’t let go, nor did she seem to have any intention of leaving.
Bai Zhiyuan lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on their joined hands.
“You can let go now.”
Only then did Chu Yanyan snap out of her daze, yanking her hand away.
“I’m going up to class!”
Her face was so red it looked like it might bleed. She spun around and ran toward the building.
After just a couple of steps, she nearly tripped over her own feet. Stumbling, she steadied herself against the wall and rushed up the stairs without daring to look back.
Bai Zhiyuan stood where he was, watching until she disappeared through the entrance of the building.
His hand still held the shape of how she had gripped it, and the warmth of her palm seemed to linger between his fingers.
He lowered his eyes and looked at his own hand.
A moment later, he turned his head away and left quickly.