The Damn Instinct

"Cough, cough! Lin Ao! Someone's greeting you. What are you standing there for?"

Li Wanyu shot Lin Ao a sidelong glance. Since when had this kid gotten so silly?

"Huh? Oh, Menghan, long time no see."

Only when he heard Li Wanyu speak did Lin Ao snap out of his memories.

"You two chat. I'll take Niannian inside for some water. She said she was thirsty."

Li Wanyu scooped up Liu Nian and headed into the house.

Seeing Li Wanyu and Liu Nian leaving, Liu Menghan panicked and reached for Liu Nian's clothes, hoping to make her stay and keep her company. Liu Nian mercilessly shook her off, then gave her a look that said she could figure it out for herself.

Who knew what grand words Liu Menghan had uttered before they left?

Liu Menghan stood off to the side, at a loss. Lin Ao felt a little awkward too, so he patted the other lounge chair beside him.

"Um, Menghan, why don't you sit down and sunbathe with me? It's pretty relaxing, haha."

Lin Ao could only try to find something to talk about. He wondered why Liu Menghan seemed so ill at ease.

She was nothing like a clan leader.

At Lin Ao's invitation, Liu Menghan went over and lay down.

The scene fell quiet again.

They really were keeping to themselves, lying in their chairs and basking in the sun.

"Um... have you been doing all right these past few days?"

Liu Menghan's soft voice drifted over. If it hadn't been so quiet nearby, Lin Ao might not have heard her speaking to him.

"Uh, yeah, pretty good. I just went out to clear my head."

Lin Ao didn't know what to talk about with Liu Menghan. He hadn't really interacted with her lately. He did know plenty of her little secrets, but he'd learned those from the previous timeline.

If he brought them up now, she'd probably think he was some creep who'd deliberately investigated her.

Liu Menghan was usually an imposing clan leader, but her personality was as soft and timid as a little rabbit. That was why the Lin Ao from before had secretly gone to apologize to her. He truly couldn't bear to hurt her.

"The music video turned out really well, and that girl was beautiful too."

Lin Ao froze. Why had Liu Menghan noticed that too? It had only just been released.

That was all thanks to Liu Nian. She'd told Liu Menghan about it, while also making things harder for her: Look, Uncle Lin Ao has another girl by his side. You've barely even seen him. You don't stand a chance, Auntie.

Liu Nian's words kept needling Liu Menghan as she stared blankly at Lin Ao and Xia Qiange in the music video.

"Haha, I was just helping a friend out. Didn't expect you to see it so quickly."

Lin Ao could only give an awkward reply.

He chuckled, but when Liu Menghan didn't respond, he glanced over curiously—and nearly toppled off his chair in fright.

Liu Menghan's eyes were red, and tears glimmered at their corners. Her lips had unconsciously puckered into a pout.

There was something indescribably adorable about her, something that made anyone feel tender toward her.

Seeing Liu Menghan like this reminded Lin Ao of how he used to flirt with her.

Whenever she felt wronged, she'd make this face to tell Lin Ao how sad she was.

For a moment, Lin Ao felt as if he'd gone back to those days.

Even though he hadn't been in control of himself back then, he'd still rather enjoyed it.

Whenever Liu Menghan made that expression, Lin Ao would gently flick her soft, pouting lips and say, "Silly girl, what are you getting mad about?"

Lin Ao was dazed. He didn't even notice that he'd stood up. He walked over to Liu Menghan and crouched beside her.

He really did gently flick her pouting lips and say:

"Silly girl, what are you getting mad about?"

After his finger flicked her, time seemed to stand still. Lin Ao froze, and so did Liu Menghan.

The tears that had been welling in her eyes spilled down her cheeks. She could never forget that familiar gesture and tone of Lin Ao's.

"Ah... um... Menghan, I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that, haha. It was an accident. I'm really sorry. I'll move away now, haha."

Lin Ao wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it. Damn instinct. You had to show up now of all times?

Lin Ao gave his cursed right hand a hard smack, furious at himself for not being able to control it.

[Heavenly Mandate smiled faintly.]

Just as Lin Ao was about to get up and leave, Liu Menghan, her eyes red, threw herself at him and wrapped him in a tight hug.

Her body trembled slightly. He couldn't tell whether she was excited or afraid.

Lin Ao had no idea what was going on. Did a little flick really make someone burst into tears?

Liu Menghan slowly pushed herself upright. Her hand trembled too as she reached out and gently touched Lin Ao's face.

"Lin Ao? Have you come back?"

Her voice shook, and she could no longer hold back her emotions.

"Have you come back?"

She looked at Lin Ao and asked again. Liu Menghan thought this had to be a dream. She'd lost count of how many times she'd dreamed of this, but never had it felt as real as it did today.

Lin Ao heard Liu Menghan's question but didn't understand at first. But Xia Qiange's case was right there in front of him. Could Liu Menghan have recovered her memories too? No way.

"What do you mean, Menghan? I just did that without thinking. I don't know why."

Lin Ao couldn't be sure yet, and didn't dare jump to conclusions, so he played dumb.

"You said you liked how gentle I was. You said I was the most special girl you'd ever met. You said you liked black stockings, and that you liked the orange-scented perfume I wore. You also said you liked it when I wore..."

Lin Ao covered Liu Menghan's mouth. Now he was sure she was just like Xia Qiange.

"Cough, cough. Menghan, don't say any more. You can't just go around saying things like that."

With Lin Ao's hand over her mouth, Liu Menghan blinked her big, tear-filled eyes at him, looking utterly innocent.

Lin Ao pressed a hand to his forehead. What was going on? Why had one flick on the lips brought back someone's memories?

Come to think of it, how had Xia Qiange remembered last time? Had I hugged her and spun her around dozens of times?

Did everyone get their memories back in a different way?

What about Gu Wanqing? How could he make her remember? A hug? No, he'd already hugged her before. A kiss? He'd tried that too. Could it be...

And was it a good thing or a bad thing that they remembered?

What if they immediately switched sides and joined Xiao Fan and Ye Chen?

"Menghan, what do you mean? I don't quite understand. I don't think I've ever been close to you."

Liu Menghan nodded with a muffled "mmph." Only then did Lin Ao remember that he was still covering her mouth.

"Lin Ao, I actually remember. I remember everything. I don't know how to explain it to you, but the memories that appeared in my mind told me it was all real. What happened between us..."

Liu Menghan poured out all the memories she'd recovered and all the feelings she'd kept suppressed for so long.

"I also remember you coming to apologize to me. After that, I realized that my actions and my soul had become disconnected. The sense of wrongness got worse and worse."

Lin Ao remembered Xia Qiange mentioning the same thing.

"Menghan, I..."

Liu Menghan cut him off, placing a fingertip between his lips.

She thought Lin Ao couldn't accept the truth so suddenly, or maybe didn't fully believe what she'd told him.

"Lin Ao, I don't need you to believe me right now. I just don't want you to leave again. And remember, if someone named Ye Chen shows up, you absolutely, absolutely have to be careful."

Though Liu Menghan spoke gently, her resolve was unmistakable. She also warned Lin Ao to be on guard against Ye Chen.

Lin Ao was speechless. I'm trying to tell you I remember too. Could you give me a chance to get a word in? Still, it looked like Liu Menghan wasn't on Ye Chen's side, and that was a relief.

By the window, Li Wanyu held Liu Nian in her arms, watching the two of them with a knowing smile.

"Niannian, was this your doing?"

Li Wanyu pinched Liu Nian's tender cheek.

"Hehe, I was just helping Uncle Lin Ao find an ally. It'll make those people easier to deal with later, right?"

Li Wanyu and Liu Nian looked at each other meaningfully.

The older fox and the younger fox watched Lin Ao and Liu Menghan outside the window, grinning.

It seemed they had their own little secrets too.