Chu Yanyan ran up to the third floor in one breath.
She leaned against the wall and panted for a good while before the heat on her face slowly faded.
Her palm still held the warmth and touch of his hand.
They had held hands.
She had really held his hand.
She pressed her lips together tightly, forcibly holding back a smile that was about to spill over.
She took a few deep breaths and pushed open the door to Lecture Hall No. 3.
Quite a few people were already seated in the classroom.
They were chatting in twos and threes, the buzzing of voices like a hive of bees.
She stood at the door, sweeping a dazed glance around—not a single familiar face.
Just as she was worrying about where to sit, a pretty girl hurried over to her, big eyes full of concern.
“Yanyan!”
The girl grabbed her arm and looked her up and down.
“Are you okay? The day before yesterday you fell down the stairs and passed out, and then your adoptive brother took you away. I sent you so many messages and you never replied—I was scared to death.”
Chu Yanyan blinked.
This person’s tone suggested they were very close, like good friends.
But her mind was a complete blank. She couldn’t remember anything.
“I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head, her voice soft.
The girl stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly frowned. “Why didn’t you reply to my messages? I sent you a whole bunch—did you not read a single one?”
Chu Yanyan fell silent.
She couldn’t even remember her phone’s unlock password.
She’d tried several times last night, and the phone locked up completely. It was still lying at home right now.
She took a deep breath, her expression a little awkward. “If I told you I lost my memory, would you believe me?”
The girl froze for a moment, then rolled her eyes. “No.”
That joke wasn’t funny at all.
Chu Yanyan gritted her teeth and decided to play her trump card.
She leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “Then let me tell you a secret. I’m going to complete all the secret crushes written in my diary, and go after the one I’ve always liked—”
The girl’s eyes went wide, her mouth falling open and staying that way for a long while.
After a long pause, she slowly nodded, her expression turning serious.
“Okay. I believe you really did lose your memory.”
Because the old Chu Yanyan would never have had the guts for this.
Pure lust with zero courage.
She’d written an entire diary full of fantasies, yet never dared so much as touch the guy’s finger.
“Then let me ask you one more question.”
The girl’s expression suddenly grew complicated. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten my name too?”
Chu Yanyan blinked innocently and nodded earnestly.
“Please tell me again.”
The girl took a deep breath, as if suppressing the urge to hit someone, and said, enunciating every word: “My name is Ren, Xiao, Hang. You’d better remember it!”
“Got it, got it!” Chu Yanyan nodded quickly, her eyes curving into a smile.
Ren Xiaohang snorted and pulled her toward the back.
“Come on, let’s find a seat. Class is about to start.”
The two of them found a row of seats near the back and sat down.
Chu Yanyan stole a glance at Ren Xiaohang, feeling an inexplicable sense of closeness.
Even though she had completely forgotten this person.
But sitting together, her body was more honest than her brain—it felt comfortable and relaxing.
Ren Xiaohang arranged her books and tilted her chin toward the front. “Look.”
Chu Yanyan followed her gaze.
Two people were sitting in the very front row.
One was Bai Xu.
The other was a very beautiful girl.
Her profile was soft and gentle, long hair falling over her shoulders, wearing a plain-colored dress, sitting there quietly like someone who had stepped out of an ancient painting.
The two were turned toward each other, saying something. Bai Xu said something, and the girl smiled, lips pressed together, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
Watching Chu Yanyan’s expression, Ren Xiaohang’s heart tightened.
In the past, Yanyan couldn’t stand scenes like this at all.
The moment she saw Bai Xu getting close to another girl, her eyes would turn red, and she would hide away alone and secretly cry for a long time.
“Yanyan.”
Ren Xiaohang said softly, “If you want to cry, just cry. You don’t have to hold it in.”
Chu Yanyan turned her head, looking completely bewildered. “Why would I cry?”
Ren Xiaohang froze for a moment.
Right—she had amnesia now. She hadn’t fully remembered her feelings for Bai Xu yet.
Maybe that was for the best. That way, she wouldn’t be hurt.
The girl called Yun Xi suddenly turned her head, her gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing precisely on Chu Yanyan.
She looked for two seconds, then the corners of her lips curved up slightly.
She leaned over and murmured something to Bai Xu.
Bai Xu turned his head, following her gaze.
Chu Yanyan was sitting in the back row, a bun in her mouth, cheeks puffed out, her eyes as clear as a pool of water.
She wasn’t looking at him.
Or rather, she hadn’t even noticed that he was looking at her.
She was fully absorbed in her battle with the bun, completely lost in her own little world.
Bai Xu was taken aback.
Before, whenever he appeared in a public place, Chu Yanyan would always be the first to spot him.
Then she’d fly over like a little bee that had caught the scent of nectar, cling to his side, and laugh nonstop.
Chattering on about this and that, so talkative it gave him a headache.
Today she sat quietly in the back row, not sparing him a single glance.
“I see her,” Yun Xi said with a smile.
Bai Xu withdrew his gaze and smiled too. “I see her. She’s with my big brother now, so I’m finally free.”
The entire class, Chu Yanyan listened in a complete fog.
She remembered nothing. The textbook content might as well have been written in an alien language, and she couldn’t recognize a single formula the teacher wrote on the blackboard.
Ren Xiaohang quietly tutored her from the side, but her head was spinning, and in the end she simply lay down on her desk and zoned out.
The bell rang.
She was just about to pack up her things when a pink thermos suddenly appeared in front of her.
It had a little rabbit printed on it, ears standing tall, adorably cute.
She looked up. Bai Xu was standing in front of her, holding the cup.
“Your cup.”
Bai Xu handed the thermos over, casually making up an excuse. “You left it behind last time you came over to my place for dinner.”
Chu Yanyan glanced at the cup.
Pink. Little rabbit.
Definitely her taste.
She reached out and took it, politely curving her lips into a smile. “Thank you.”
No extra words.
No sparkling eyes.
Just a polite “thank you.”
Chu Yanyan stood up and took Ren Xiaohang’s hand. “Xiaohang, come with me to the bathroom.”
Bai Xu looked at his now-empty palm and suddenly felt that something was off.
He couldn’t quite put his finger on the feeling.