My arch-nemesis, after losing his memory, insisted that we had been dating for three years.

The entire Nine Streams Sect knew that their leader had lost a precious item, and was so worried that he couldn't sleep day and night, losing clumps of hair. A disciple suggested, "Sect Leader, please let us help you look for it." But the leader always refused, turning his back to continue searching, nearly turning the entire Nine Streams Sect upside down.

"What could be so precious that it makes the sect leader so agitated? Is it gold or silver ingots, or property deeds?"

"How would I know?" Jin He said sullenly, still holding the half-eaten melon his junior brother had handed him. His junior brother had finished eating, but he hadn't taken a single bite. The two of them had left the half-eaten melon on the roof for a long time, until it was almost dried out.

The junior apprentice rarely saw his senior brother so taciturn, so he tentatively asked, "Senior Brother Jin, are you in a bad mood?"

Upon hearing this, Jin He sighed heavily.

The afternoon sun shone directly overhead, casting two plump, short shadows on the ground, like two footballs placed on the roof. Someone passed by, stepped on one of the "balls," and hummed a tune as they went into their room.

"Senior Brother Jin, have you noticed? Senior Brother Wei has been in a particularly good mood these days," the junior brother remarked, looking at Wei Laiyi's beaming face.

"Heh." Jin He silently rolled his eyes. Others might not know what was going on, but how could he not? Wei Laiyi had just finished a date with Zhong Chu. This guy was really something, running back and forth between the Nine-Rank Disciple's residence and their date location every day, not only not finding it troublesome, but even enjoying it.

He was happy, but Jin He became increasingly melancholy.

"Let me tell you a story," he said to his junior brother.

The junior apprentice suddenly became interested, "Okay!"

Jin He: "There were two people who had a terrible relationship, but for some reason, one of them suddenly became a completely different person. His attitude and temper towards the other person improved by more than a little bit. Guess what happened to the person whose personality changed drastically during the time the two of them didn't see each other?"

"Hmm, her personality has changed drastically..." The junior brother mused, resting his chin on his hand as he pondered deeply. "Has she been possessed?"

"No, no." Jin He shook his finger. Did you think he hadn't considered it? No. When Xi Wang grabbed himself and said, "Why haven't you come to see me for so many days?" his first thought was that this person might have been possessed.

In desperation, Jin He even went to the old beggar by the ash pit. The old beggar was busy with his business and was smearing mud on his face when the rascal grabbed him and started questioning him. After listening, the old man immediately hit Jin He on the head with his rice bowl and scolded him for being stupid and unable to distinguish between reality and fiction.

Jin He rubbed his head in a pained expression, thinking to himself: I've suffered a tremendous injustice.

Junior brother: "So you suddenly discovered how good someone else is? You feel guilty for misunderstanding him before?"

"Hmm... that's unlikely. Because the two of them had a big fight before that." Although Jin He held a grudge for two or three days because he was wronged, and even cursed Xi Wang to bump his head and fall that night, he was distracted by other things afterward, and his anger wasn't so intense anymore. Otherwise, he wouldn't have felt guilty while feeling a sense of satisfaction when he saw Xi Wang bump his head.

The junior brother made several guesses, but Jin He denied them one by one. Finally, the junior brother suddenly realized what he was thinking and looked at Jin He with a resentful expression. Jin He, who was turning his head away to try to ignore the junior brother's angry look because he had been exposed, said, "Senior brother, you're not telling a story. You're just trying to trick me into thinking about this tricky situation because you can't make up your mind."

"So, does that mean our brotherhood has become distant?" Jin He continued to coax, "How can you call it 'deceiving'? Someone as intelligent as you, junior brother, is truly rare in the Nine Schools. When I, your senior brother, encounter trouble, I have no choice but to ask you for advice."

The junior brother wasn't buying it. "Come on. My senior sister wants me to do some work. I have to go."

"Tell me before you leave what you'll do if you happen to run into this."

"Just ask! Why not just ask the person involved? You'll get the clearest answer that way."

Jin He: "..." Right! How come he didn't think of that? Why didn't he just ask Xi Wang directly?

He set off without hesitation. Carrying half a melon, he climbed off the roof and headed straight for Tianquan's camp.

What should we ask Xi Wang when we get there?

You've had a sex change? No, no.

Why are you suddenly being so friendly to me? Hmm... why does that sound so awkward?

you……

What brings you here?

"Ah!" Jin He, who was focused on thinking, was startled when someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind. He turned around and saw that it was Xi Wang again!

"Why do you like approaching people from behind so often?" Jin He patted his chest to calm himself down. Goodness, his heart hadn't raced this fast in ages.

Xi Wang looked completely innocent. "I called you just now, but you didn't respond. I thought you didn't want to see me." It's understandable that he thought that way, because when Xi Wang found Jin He that day and asked him why he hadn't come looking for him, the latter was shocked and ran away.

Yes, they escaped!

Jin He's hasty escape froze Xi Wang in his tracks. He stared blankly as the man receded into the distance, a sense of emptiness and indescribable discomfort washing over him. After all, anyone would feel uncomfortable seeing their "other half" treat them like this.

"It's not that I don't want to see you." Completely out of the loop, Kim didn't understand where this emotion came from, nor did he notice the cautiousness under his pretentious words. He said, "I came to see you."

Upon hearing this, Xi Wang's eyes lit up. "What's wrong? Is there something you want to tell me?"

“Nothing else. I just wanted to ask…” Jin He scratched the back of his head, carefully choosing his words, “You fell pretty hard that day, are you alright?” He wasn’t sure if Xi Wang understood what he meant.

Caught off guard by the embarrassing news, Xi Wang blushed and stammered out each word as if his tongue was tied in knots, "Uh, no, it's nothing. It just caused temporary and selective amnesia."

Amnesia?

Jin He grasped the key points.

He pointed to himself and asked, "Then do you remember who I am?"

The next second, he almost fainted from the shock of Xi Wang's answer.

"My chivalrous partner".

"……ah?"

*

"Sister Chu, Sister Chu!" After dealing with the chaos that had come from the sky, a group of Tianquan disciples led by Zhong Chu were about to leave when Zhong Chu suddenly heard someone calling her. She turned around and saw her junior brother and her partner's junior brother crouching in the bushes not far away.

"You guys go first, I left something in the residential area." After instructing his juniors, Zhong Chu met up with the two under the tree. "What are you doing here?"

Jin He pushed Xi Wang forward and asked, "Sister Chu, who is this?"

"?" Zhong Chu was puzzled. "Little rascal."

So Jin He pulled Zhong Chu aside and quietly asked, "Did you know about Xi Wang's amnesia?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Chu nodded solemnly.

"He, he..." Jin He stammered, unsure how to describe Xi Wang's unusual behavior and his claim of being "heroic partners." However, Zhong Chu understood his expression and said, "After he fell, a disciple immediately called a doctor. Upon inquiry, we learned that he only remembered two people. One was me, who watched him grow up, and the other was you."

Jin He pointed at himself incredulously, “Me?” Zhong Chu was no less surprised than him, “I also find it strange. If Xiao Wang remembers me, I can say it’s because he has known me the longest, but he still remembers you, A He… you’ve only known each other for three months.”

It seems that Zhong Chu's information is also very limited. Jin He chuckled dryly, "His impression of me is definitely not because I am grateful... or anything like that."

At this moment, Xi Wang, who had been watching Jin He and Zhong Chu's conversation, walked over and said to Jin He, "If you want to know something, why don't you just ask me?"

Zhong Chu tactfully walked away, gesturing with his eyes, "I'll leave the space to you; I'll go back first."

After she left, an eerie silence fell between the two men.

“Um,” Jin He cleared his throat, his lower lip almost bleeding from being bitten, not knowing how to begin, “Well, you have amnesia, so why do you remember me?” Xi Wang shook his head and said, “I don’t remember, but my emotions when I see you are clearly different from when I see other people.”

Jin He recalled the look he had given him after being helped up, and asked, "...So what was your reaction when you saw me?"

"My heart is racing, I feel... my blood is surging, and if you were standing there, I wouldn't be able to see anyone else," Xi Wang replied, recalling his experience. Jin He's expression grew increasingly interesting as he listened, his mind filled with thoughts like: "Holy crap, am I that charming?"

“I’ve never felt this way in all these years, so I was very concerned and asked Senior Sister Zhong about you. According to her, we had been in contact, and for a time we were very close. I also found your things in the room. All the information I got pointed to one thing—we were a couple.” The more Xi Wang spoke, the faster his heart beat, and the tips of his ears turned red. But as he spoke, his voice gradually became calmer. “The letter you gave me was about seeking reconciliation. I found it in the corner of the wall… I have a bit of a temper, and I may have said something hurtful. It’s understandable that you didn’t want to see me.”

In those hundred-plus days, Jin He had never seen such an expression on Xi Wang's face. This person was always proud, aloof, and stubborn. Jin He had only discovered his little hobby of eating candied fruit after observing him for several days. At that time, he was a little surprised, surprised that even someone as unique as Xi Wang could have such a contrast.

Seeing Xi Wang's almost naked vulnerability, Jin He felt a little sorry for him and said dryly, "No, you're not wrong. I've just been too busy to find the time."

The person in front of me laughed.

Honestly, Xi Wang has a particularly handsome smile. When he wears the Tianquan school uniform and white fur collar, he looks like a snowflake melting into a spring.

He asked, "Was that piece of melon for me?"

Jin He then remembered the half-melon, and a sudden inspiration struck him: Xi Wang really loves sweets.

But having held this melon in his hand for so long, he couldn't possibly let Xi Wang eat it, regardless of whether it was sweet or not. Jin He casually tossed it into the nearby field, saying, "It's not good. I'll take you to buy some new melons."

"You have money?" Xi Wang looked him over suspiciously. "Aren't all the Nine Schools poor?"

Three black lines appeared on Jin He's forehead. "Don't be stereotypical, hey! We have several houses used to store our goods!"

"Ha." Xi Wang laughed again.

Why does he laugh so much? Jin He thought to himself, but couldn't resist Xi Wang's idea, so he simply let him be and stopped arguing. He just thought that he would let him see for himself in the future so that his preconceived notions would be broken.

"Don't believe me? I'll take you there next time and you'll see."

"Sure."

The two walked one after the other on the road, the setting sun casting long shadows of them.

But then again—a letter of reconciliation? What is that?

＊

"I'm back." As soon as he entered the door, Jin He collapsed to the ground. Wei Laiyi kicked him in disgust, but he didn't move.

Wei Laiyi: "Why are you lying here like a board? Aren't you with Xiao Wang? Why are you back so early?"

How did you know?

“I’m your senior brother.” Wei Laiyi raised his eyebrows smugly. Seeing this, Jin He raised his hand and gave him the middle finger expressionlessly. Zhong Chu must have told him that.

Since that's the case, Zhong Chu must have told Wei Laiyi about Xi Wang's amnesia.

"...There's something I don't understand."

"What's up?"

"Why does Xi Wang insist that I am his romantic partner, rather than a friend or relative?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Laiyi's expression shifted in a complex way. "It's probably related to the reputation of the Tianquan Sect."

Jin He: "?"

Wei Laiyi took out two books titled "Records of Learning from Others" from the table. They contained detailed accounts of the experiences and insights of the disciples from the first generation to the present generation who went to various sects to learn from others.

Jin He flipped through the pages. “Gu Yun, you’re too smart to be fooled, you can only compete with them for the fortune-telling business; Midnight, God of Slaughter, please tease him more; Pear Garden, focus on learning from others, don’t just listen to them sing and play music; Heartless Valley, our mascot powder can’t withstand their poison; Moshan Road, a fool has come to the disguise circle, if you see him, be sure to beat him up, you’ll get unexpected gains. Qingxi, Drunken Flower Shade… What is all this about? There’s no Heavenly Spring?” He had already flipped through half of the first book, and almost finished memorizing the sects, but still couldn’t find any record of Heavenly Spring.

"We'll be there soon. The following books, along with another one, are all about Tianquan."

"What?" Jin He was skeptical and quickly flipped through the book, only to find it was true. Therefore, he sincerely asked, "Do people in our sect all have some kind of quirk? The two sects are so hostile to each other, yet we've written almost two books about them?"

"Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to winning every battle. But the reason I recorded so much is because those chatterboxes in Tianquan talk too much and their gossip is so entertaining. If you don't listen carefully, you either end up not having stolen any martial arts techniques by nightfall, or you laugh out loud at something funny and get caught and beaten up. So I simply wrote it all down and flipped through it whenever I had free time. Knowing their talking points allows me to focus on stealing."

"But I still remembered a lot."

"Because they never repeat themselves when they chat."

"..." Jin He flipped through the pages, and the more he read, the more something seemed off. "Senior brother, tell me, is this a legitimate record?" After receiving Wei Laiyi's affirmative answer, Jin He put down the book and rubbed his forehead vigorously. Thoughts like "Senior brother, you smell so good" and "You're such a smart aleck" lingered in his mind.

He thought: I'd rather read the stories my junior sisters write.

However, Jin He understood after this. It turned out that Tianquan's high level was a sect tradition, and Xi Wang was used to it, so it was no wonder he didn't think anything of it.

Seeing his expression, Wei Laiyi was puzzled. "Didn't you like Xiao Wang quite a bit? You're unhappy that he mistook you for his lover after losing his memory?"

Upon hearing this, Jin He sprang to his feet, his eyes widening like those of a dead fish: "I like him?!"