Amnesia?

"Xiao Yu? How are you?!"

Luo Ningsang took a few steps forward, concern in his voice.

Several coughs came from inside the room. "I'm fine. That person took the explosives away when they left and put them in the water vat."

Shen Yu caught his breath.

His head was still foggy, but at least he could talk normally. Shen Yu closed his eyes to conserve his strength.

As for how he had managed to wake up, he had that bastard of a system to thank for it. It had kept calling him in his head.

Like it was summoning his soul.

It was so noisy he couldn't sleep at all, so he had woken up again before Luo Ningsang arrived.

"Didn't you unbind yourself?"

[When I detected that my host's life was in danger, I came back especially to save you. Aren't you touched?]

Touched, my ass.

Whose fault was it that he had ended up like this?

If not for that damned Everyone's Favorite Buff, would he be in this state?

It was only because that bastard had no physical form that he couldn't hit it. Otherwise... he would make it regret being born into this world.

A flash of viciousness appeared in Shen Yu's eyes.

[Dear host~ don't be so irritable.]

"...That's disgusting."

[Then, host?]

"Listening to you makes me sick."

[Then how about I switch to displaying text?]

A pale blue screen appeared over Shen Yu's retina.

"...Whatever."

[Luo Ningsang is on his way. He was the original owner's father's disciple and cares a lot about you. But Qingjiu tricked him into believing the explosives were on you. They're actually in the water vat.]

"Yeah, I know."

The system fell silent, as though it really had come back just to inform him.

The knots were tied tightly this time, as if whoever had tied them had been afraid he would break free. The pain in his body was gradually making itself known, and the room was so quiet that only his faint breathing could be heard.

A feeling of unease welled up inside him.

Shen Yu: "Are you still there?"

[I'm here.]

Only the pale blue light remained in the room.

"...Talk to me."

[All right, host. What would you like to hear?]

Shen Yu's gaze went blank for a moment.

"Whatever."

[Then I'll tell you about the original owner.]

"Mm."

The original owner was an adult, though he had taken two years off school because of certain matters. He was nineteen this year and a delinquent. No one knew what he had been tinkering with at school, but he had burned half of it down and been ordered to withdraw.

For the first fourteen years, his father had hardly come home at all. Whenever he was asked, he always said he had things to do. Three years ago, he had disappeared altogether. Ever since then, Luo Ningsang had visited every weekend, bringing a pile of gifts and saying it was a routine visit.

Luo Ningsang was the one who had helped deal with the school fire.

The original owner's mother couldn't stand his father staying away for three years, nor could she stand the original owner's behavior, so today she had planned to take them both out in one go.

She had succeeded.

But Shen Yu had transmigrated into the body.

So she had half-succeeded.

Just as the system was typing away, faint footsteps came from outside the room.

Shen Yu knew Luo Ningsang had arrived.

If Luo Ningsang touched the explosives, not only he but Shen Yu, who was near the door, would be caught in the blast. So Shen Yu had spoken up to stop him.

Luo Ningsang relaxed, then put away his gun and examined the lock on the door. He couldn't make anything of it, but the door...

He reached out and knocked on it.

It was flimsy as hell.

Bang—

He kicked it to pieces, sending wood chips and dust flying.

Luo Ningsang walked into the little house and immediately saw Shen Yu tied to a chair.

His blue hair was covered in dust, but his beautiful sapphire-blue eyes were looking at him in surprise.

He apparently hadn't expected him to come in like that.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here." Without another word, Luo Ningsang began untying the ropes.

Shen Yu addressed him the way the original owner would have.

"It's me. You're all right now, Xiao Yu."

Luo Ningsang helped him up.

He's too light.

That was Luo Ningsang's first thought.

But the explosives were still outside. Luo Ningsang carried Shen Yu out at a brisk pace and shouted to the people outside, "Fall back, now!"

Xu Shenzheng looked at the person in his captain's arms. His long blue hair fluttered in the wind, his hands hung limply, and his head rested against Luo Ningsang's chest, leaving only half of his deathly pale, bloodstained face visible.

"Damn Qingjiu!"

He thought furiously.

Luo Ningsang was in good shape. Even carrying Shen Yu, he ran fast enough to catch up with the main group ahead. Less than a few minutes after they left, a tremendous boom sounded behind them.

Luo Ningsang instinctively tightened his hold on Shen Yu, shielding his entire body in his arms.

"Lu Yanjin, send people to search the place. See if they can find any traces."

Lu Yanjin: "Yes!"

"Xu Shenzheng, tell them to close the net over there ahead of schedule."

Xu Shenzheng: "Yes, boss!"

"And have Lu Xianchang send me that person's whereabouts. I'll catch them myself."

Luo Ningsang carefully placed Shen Yu in the front passenger seat and drove straight to the hospital.

When Shen Yu regained consciousness, he opened his eyes to a pure white ceiling. An IV bag hung beside him, connected to the back of his hand. He could feel bandages wrapped around his injuries, on both arms and his head.

At the thought, he noticed a dull ache in the back of his head.

Standing beside him was Luo Ningsang, travel-worn and changed into a set of casual clothes.

He was exhausted.

The dark circles under his eyes were striking. Apparently unable to hold out any longer, he had fallen asleep standing by Shen Yu's bed.

When Shen Yu woke up, he sensed it too. He opened his bloodshot eyes and met a pair of sapphire-blue ones, full of wariness, as though they were looking at a stranger.

"You're awake, Xiao Yu!" Luo Ningsang exclaimed in delight.

Shen Yu tried to speak, but a sharp pain shot through his throat, and he had no choice but to close his mouth.

He continued staring at Luo Ningsang as though he were a stranger.

Luo Ningsang's delight gradually faded. He tried to take Shen Yu's hand, but Shen Yu pulled sharply away. "...Xiao Yu, it's me, Brother Ningsang. Don't you recognize me?"

Shen Yu struggled to sit up, staring warily at the man before him. He was like a kitten that had wandered into someone else's territory, all its fur bristling as it watched the person approaching.

Luo Ningsang didn't know what to say, but when he saw blood gradually soaking through the dressings as Shen Yu moved, he hurriedly tried to stop him. He raised both hands and backed away, his face full of distress. "I won't come any closer, I won't. Don't move. Your wounds are bleeding."

[Host, what are you doing?]

Being called Brother Ningsang is too disgusting. I can't stand it. Besides, I don't have the original owner's memories. What if I give myself away around him? I might as well pretend I've lost my memory. That'll save me the trouble of explaining.

[Oh, oh.]

The system obediently kept typing.

Luo Ningsang had already gone outside the door and was calling loudly, sounding almost aggrieved. "Doctor! Doctor! He's awake, but he doesn't recognize me! Why doesn't he recognize me?"

Almost in the blink of an eye, the hospital room was crowded with people.

Besides Dr. Xie, who had rushed over, Xu Shenzheng and the others were there too, all gathered around Shen Yu's bed.

He wore a somewhat oversized blue-and-white hospital gown. To make it easier to check his wounds, the sleeves had been rolled up from his forearms and bunched at his elbows.

His blue hair was pinned beneath the bandages wrapped around his head and secured across his forehead. After the IV infusion, a hint of color had returned to his deathly pale face.

But with so many people surrounding him,

Shen Yu went straight into a panic.

"Go... go away."

He didn't even care about the tearing pain in his throat.

He raised a hand to pull out the IV needle and leave.

Dr. Xie turned pale with alarm and held him down. Then he kicked everyone out of the room one by one, leaving only Luo Ningsang, who could only sit on a stool far away and watch.

"All right, there's no one here now. Shen Yu, may I call you Xiao Yu? Don't speak. Just nod or shake your head. These are my credentials. I'm your attending physician. I won't hurt you."

Dr. Xie spoke as though coaxing a child. He showed Shen Yu his whole body, hiding nothing, and even placed the pen that could potentially cause harm in Shen Yu's hand.

"Hmm? What do you say? Are you willing to talk to me?"

The wariness faded from Shen Yu's eyes, replaced by bewilderment.

He nodded blankly.

P.S.:

I love the amnesia trope so much.

He'll really lose his memory later. Delicious, hehe.