Chapter 27

With a "snap," a wet Brocade Garment gracefully enveloped her body, pulling her closer and closer, the moisture on the Clothing quietly melting away the flames around her.

Before she could react, the back of her head was pressed down, and her face was forced to rub against the man's chest.

Are you hurt? Where did you get burned?

She shook her head blankly, looking down at him in a disheveled state. His loosely tied black hair fell haphazardly over his shoulders, and his bare upper body heaved with breathless gasps. The outer garment he had been wearing was now dripping wet and wrapped around his body. His bare feet, untouched by time, trod on the dirty street without a care, leaving several glaring red marks on his pale ankles.

"Are your hands burning? Let me see."

"No, I'm fine." But he was so Clothing that she didn't know where to look at him.

"Nothing's wrong! It's clearly red. How could you be so stupid as to pat the flames with your hands?" He shouted, unusually loudly, grabbing her hand and forcing her to look closely.

"Don't always act rashly and then try to be strong. You've done the same thing before, throwing the Lotus Lantern and getting covered in dirt, and then..."

Her long, butterfly-like eyelashes fluttered, as if she wanted to say something, but her mind was blank and she couldn't think of anything. She could only let her eyes droop softly. A warm breath wafted from his lips and gently touched her swollen fingertips. The temperature was no lower than the flames from before, making her fingertips tremble slightly.

"Pain?"

Pain?

There was a little bit, but not on his carefully tended fingertips; it was somewhere else.

The place felt stuffy and uncomfortable, filled with suspicion—was the way he treated her minor wound so naturally, this tense and anxiously ambiguous behavior, out of concern for her, or simply a habit of taking care of Miss Liu?

Lotus Lantern... She had also indulged in such luxuries. Back when she was still a daughter of an official, she released lanterns on the river, and she didn't know him then.

So, "Have you... remembered something just a little bit?"

He looked up. "If I said yes, would you be happy?"

"... Won't."

He regained his memory, and everything returned to normal. It's only natural that she was happy.

But... I don't know.

She found herself unable to give a prompt answer at that moment.

Author's Note:

QAQ Oh no! I had a late-night snack with an old classmate last night, and then I indulged myself with all sorts of braised chicken feet, spicy clams, and mala tang (a spicy hot pot dish). And then... when I got home, I started vomiting, and I've had diarrhea all day today QAQ. Poor me~~

Seeing that many of you have bought VIP memberships makes me both touched and conflicted. Sigh!! I need to post Volume 2 faster!

I'll send out more red envelopes!

Chapter 28, Chapter Twenty-Seven

If he were to regain his memories, all that natural intimacy, doting care, and nervousness would disappear. Because those things were originally reserved for another girl, only temporarily lent to her.

If she regains her memories, the person in front of her will revert to the Dongxu Grand Secretary of the Eastern Academy, dressed in a long robe with Wide Sleeves, his hair tied up with a jade crown, meticulous and conscientious, adhering to his duties. He will not cause chaos in the academy, will not use childish methods to quarrel with her, and will not be unable to bear seeing her suffer any grievances or harm, arbitrarily changing school rules, and will even rush to her side to rescue her, Clothing.

If he regains his memories, this childish, clingy, and somewhat adorable guy in front of him will disappear, vanish, and never be found again.

Suddenly... an unbearable feeling welled up inside her; she... didn't want Li Chenjing in front of her to disappear.

He's someone who shouldn't exist, someone who appeared by a twist of fate; he's not the real Li Chenjing at all. How could she have such thoughts?

To restore Dongxu Grand Secretary and return to take charge of the chaotic situation.

"... You said no? You don't want me to turn back?" Her answer made his dark eyes glow with the faint light of dawn.

"I told you not to come any closer!"

With a "whoosh," she ripped off the Clothing draped over her body, tossed them back into his hand with a look of disgust, and stepped back a few paces, bowing and clasping her hands in a respectful gesture.

"Young Master, you should keep these Clothing, which are stained with the cheap smell of cosmetics, to yourself. Don't flaunt them like they're Young Master treasures. I have to go to school. How can I explain to the Doctor if I'm covered in this Rouge smell? Although Young Master have abolished all corporal punishment, newly Academy Student who frequent brothels will be expelled from the manor. You come from a wealthy family and don't understand the hardship of us poor people to obtain the title of Academy Student. Please don't put me in such an unjust position."

"..." Poor family, powerful and wealthy, they've put her in a difficult position? Ha, ha... That's ridiculous. "Hey, do you think I look like a meddlesome fool right now? Like a joke?"

"..."

"Heh... I thought you were going to say that it doesn't matter if I can't remember. If I turned back, I wouldn't be me anymore."

For a fleeting moment, she did secretly think that it was okay if she couldn't remember, or perhaps it was better if she couldn't remember...

"I'm so sorry. I'm not him, and I don't intend to become him again. Now you can only hope that one day I fall into the water again, and maybe I'll disappear completely as you wish... and become the Li Chenjing you want."

That Li Chenjing wasn't the one she wanted. They were neither friends nor did they share any memories. To her, he was merely the son of a high-ranking Prime Minister and the Dongxu Grand Secretary. Compared to the person in front of her who cared so much about her every move, what did it matter if the Dongxu Grand Secretary disappeared? No... why was she having such strange and inexplicable thoughts? Li Chenjing was the Young Master, Young Master was Li Chenjing. She couldn't let his obsessive emotions affect her...

"Yes! I eagerly await the day when the Young Master falls into the water a second time!"