Chapter 1: Memory

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The knocking outside the door jolted Chen Xingyi awake from his deep sleep.

“Are you feeling better?” A gentle woman's voice broke the quiet of the room.

Chen Xingyi slowly opened his eyes. A sharp pain in his head made him draw a cold breath.

“What happened to me?”

Holding his head, squinting, he surveyed his surroundings. It was unmistakable that he was in a hospital room—the air was thick with the scent of disinfectant, the walls and sheets so spotless they gleamed, and the woman before him was clearly dressed in a nurse’s uniform.

“Ah? You don’t remember? You were in a car accident yesterday. The ambulance brought you here,” the somewhat plump nurse said, pen in hand, taking notes as she spoke, her tone full of concern.

“I…was in a car accident? I don’t remember a thing.”

Chen Xingyi cradled his head, eyes closed, trying to recall yesterday’s events. Whether it was the pain from touching his wound or the strain of thinking right after waking up, the throbbing in his head intensified and he let out a low moan.

“Careful with that wound, young man.”

From the doorway entered an elderly man in a faded white coat, glasses perched on his nose, the deep lines on his face betraying his age. He spoke as he walked in.

“And you are…?”

“I’m your attending physician. How are you feeling?”

The kindly-faced doctor seemed like a savior to Chen Xingyi, who quickly sat up and stammered, “I…I can’t remember anything.”

The old man adjusted his glasses, looked Chen Xingyi straight in the eye, and replied gravely, “It’s perfectly normal, son. Your head suffered a severe blow, resulting in memory impairment—a brief, indirect amnesia. What happens one moment, you might forget the next. Of course, this is just a hypothesis.”

He coughed lightly, worry flickering across his face. “From what I can tell, you should be able to remember events from a single day, but by the next….”

He paused.

“You’ll likely forget most of it. But with proper rest, you should recover in about a week.”

“What? So, in simple terms, I’ve turned senile? Most of what happened yesterday is already gone today?”

Panicking, Chen Xingyi jumped from the bed, eyes wide, pitifully staring at the old man.

The nurse hiding behind the doctor couldn’t help but smile at the vivid metaphor. She hurried forward to console him, “It’s alright, at most a week and you’ll be back to normal. In the meantime, you can carry a notebook and pen, just like me, to jot things down.”

She gestured to her own nurse’s records.

“And every morning, you can use them to help recall what happened!”

She moved closer, pulled out a spare notebook from her pocket, tore off a sheet, and handed it, along with extra pens, to Chen Xingyi.

“Besides, aside from the head injury, you’re completely unharmed. You’ll be discharged soon. That’s a miracle, isn’t it?”

Her smile deepened her dimples, and her eyes crinkled into crescent moons.

Chen Xingyi was a little mesmerized by her, and replied absentmindedly.

“Alright, young man, tidy up and you can go to the front desk to check out.” With that, the elderly doctor and nurse left the room.

After they departed, quiet returned. Only the sounds of traffic and street vendors drifted in through the window. Chen Xingyi stood before the glass, gazing at the street below—familiar yet strange, like Truman’s world, everything tinged with unreality.

He completed his discharge paperwork without issue and stepped out of the hospital. Lacking a change of clothes, he wore what he’d had on during the accident—a white T-shirt stained with conspicuous blood and torn so badly that, were it not for the blood, it might pass for a beggar-chic style.

“Look, he’s got bandages on his head!”

“Yeah, and bloodstains on his clothes. Maybe he’s some delinquent who just got in a fight?”

“Best keep away from people like that!”

The passersby whispered as they walked.

Chen Xingyi kept his head down, eyes on his phone—its screen cracked, but only the outer layer. Ignoring the noisy crowd, he faced a pressing question: “Where is my home? I can’t sleep on the street tonight, can I?”

He pondered as he wandered against the flow of traffic, his appearance making him stand out amid the crowd. The chatter gradually faded.

Suddenly, a cry for help echoed from a nearby alley. Lost in thought, Chen Xingyi was pulled back to reality. He looked up.

“Where the hell am I?”

Trees and walls formed a narrow, straight passage. With sunlight blocked by the foliage, the path felt chilly and dim.

“Stay away from me,” came the voice.

Chen Xingyi pocketed his phone and carefully followed the sound. When he reached the scene, he saw a girl in a pale blue dress cornered by three or four rough youths.

The girl brandished her purse, her threats softened by a sweet voice that made her warnings sound more like pleading.

“Little miss, it’s fate that you met us today. Come on, let us show you a good time,” the red-haired ringleader leered as he moved closer.

“Stop!”

The shout startled the would-be assailants. They all turned to Chen Xingyi.

He stood three meters away, bandages on his head, bloodstained clothes, his features delicate but his appearance intimidating.

“Whoa, boss, looks like this guy’s trouble,” one of the gang muttered to the red-haired leader.

“Who are you?” the ringleader asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

“Me? I wish I knew…” Chen Xingyi cleared his throat and tried to sound as imposing as possible. “Gentlemen, in broad daylight, under the watchful eye of surveillance, you approach this young lady for directions—such actions could easily be misunderstood, don’t you think?”

The thugs looked where he pointed, and indeed, there was a camera.

“Boss, this guy’s got blood on him, bandages on his head—looks like he just survived a tough fight. He must be someone important.”

Seeing Chen Xingyi’s injuries and the cameras, the red-haired leader quickly seized the opportunity to retreat.

“You’re right, brother. Asking for directions like this is inappropriate—we scared the lady. Sorry!”

They all bowed in apology, then scattered in a panicked rush.

Watching their retreat, Chen Xingyi felt a surge of pride. Despite his amnesia, his innate wit remained unchanged.

“Thank you.”

While Chen Xingyi was basking in his triumph, a clear, sweet voice sounded behind him.

The girl, tidying her pale blue dress, spoke. She was so beautiful that, for a moment, Chen Xingyi wondered if he was dreaming.

Her long skirt and cool demeanor created a striking contrast—a beauty that seemed almost surreal.

Chen Xingyi stood frozen, not because her beauty had bewitched him, but because her face seemed hauntingly familiar, though he couldn’t recall where he’d seen her.

“Hello, my name is Li Xinyi.”

She extended her hand and smiled at him. For a moment, time seemed to stand still.

“Li Xinyi…”

Who was she?

The morning sunlight streamed through the window, casting intricate patterns on the curtain, dappling Chen Xingyi’s face with pale yellow and grey shadows, like mysterious script.

He squinted, shielding his eyes from the glare, murmuring her name over and over.

Once his eyes adjusted, he sat up slowly.

He remembered only that, last night, he’d found his usual takeout address on his phone and, following it, had returned to his rented apartment. Beyond that, everything else was blank.

He rubbed his eyes and surveyed the room—a stark palette of black and white. White walls, black furnishings, from the table to the sofa. It seemed he’d had a fondness for black before losing his memory.

Then he noticed a sheet of paper on the bedside table, boldly labeled “Must Read Upon Waking.”

Chen Xingyi picked it up, bewildered, and flipped it over.

The first line explained why he’d forgotten everything: “Car accident resulted in temporary amnesia.”

He paused, then touched his head—the rough bandages and lingering pain made the truth sink in.

He read further.

“Below is the account of saving the damsel in distress. Most importantly, it notes that at 9 a.m., I should find her at her workplace—the convenience store—where she’ll treat me to a meal.”

“Li Xinyi—so that’s why I keep dreaming of this name.”

Chen Xingyi felt lost, but glanced at his phone. It was already 8:30. Without time to ponder, he quickly got out of bed, tidied himself, and went downstairs to the address on the note.

The convenience store was neither large nor small, but through the window, business seemed brisk.

Hero saves the beauty—could there be beauty?

Taking a deep breath, Chen Xingyi walked in and found the front desk, asking shyly, “Excuse me, I’m looking for Li Xinyi.”

The clerk looked up—this man in a black fisherman’s hat and all-black casual attire seemed odd, but his looks worked in his favor.

The clerk called out, “Xinyi, someone’s here for you.”

Following her voice, he saw a girl in a baseball cap, ponytail, and work uniform enter his view.

“Oh wow, I wasn’t lying to myself—she really is beautiful.”

Hearing her name, Li Xinyi, busy at the register, put down her scanner and trotted over to him.

Seeing her approach, Chen Xingyi removed his hat, his bandaged head the most striking feature.

“Hello, I saved you yesterday, and today you invited me here,” he said sheepishly, uncertain about the truth of his own words.

The girl sized him up in silence, scratching her head.

She replied slowly, “Sir, you must be mistaken. I’ve never seen you before.”