Amnesia
Amid the scent of disinfectant, the rhythmic ticking of the heart monitor suddenly became rapid. Shen Zhihe's eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes. The incandescent light blinded his pupils, and for a moment, he thought he'd returned to the moment of dizziness he'd felt when he fell. It wasn't until he saw Shen Zhiyuan, his eyes red from staying up all night, standing by his bedside that he managed to force out a voice through his parched throat: "Father..."
Shen Zhiyuan's Adam's apple rolled violently. He reached out to touch his son's bandaged forehead, but froze in mid-air. He carefully helped Shen Zhihe sit up, his fingertips rubbing the boy's sweat-stained temples. His voice was hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper: "Silly boy, your father is here."
When the door was gently pushed open, Shen Zhiyuan's back tensed instantly. Xu Huanxi slid in on ten-centimeter stilettos, Xu Zhiyi behind her holding a lily, the petals still shrouded in water. "Get out," Shen Zhiyuan's voice was cold enough to freeze. "Zhihe and I don't want to see you."
Xu Zhiyi ignored him, trembling as she placed the bouquet on the bedside table. Her pale fingers reached for the back of Shen Zhihe's hand, where the IV dripped. Shen Zhihe ducked as if struck by an electric shock, a fine layer of sweat oozing from his bandaged forehead. "Brother, I was wrong this time. I was only momentarily bewitched..." The girl choked, taking a half-step forward, but was stopped dead by Shen Zhihe's sarcastic sneer.
"Bewitched?" He twitched his lips, causing the wound to sting. "Can a momentary bewitching act give me a concussion? I don't want to see you again anytime soon. Please leave."
After watching the dejected figures of mother and daughter disappear down the hallway, Shen Zhiyuan hurriedly left after receiving a call from work. The ward fell silent again. Shen Zhihe stared at the flickering light and shadow on the ceiling, his memory suddenly yanking back ten years. Back then, his mother's black-and-white portrait still graced the living room. Seven-year-old Shen Zhihe curled up on the leather sofa, the framed photo crinkled with tears.
"Zhihe, this one will be your stepmother from now on, and that one will be your sister." His father, dressed in a suit and tie, blocked out the sunlight. Behind him, 27-year-old Xu Huanxi, wearing vibrant lipstick, and 5-year-old Xu Zhiyi, peeked timidly from behind her skirt. Shen Zhihe clutched his mother's hairpin, his nails digging into his palm, but he could only manage a smile at his father that was uglier than tears.
The wind outside rippled the curtains. Shen Zhihe stared at his pale reflection in the glass, a bitter laugh escaping his throat. All those years of Xu Huanxi smoking at the card table, her flirtatious ways of twisting right and wrong before her father, and all the blame she'd taken for him—all of them now turned into thorns piercing his heart. "Mother," he whispered softly into the void, "if she wasn't that woman's child..." He trailed off, shook his head in self-mockery, and turned to bury his head in the pillow, crushing every unspoken sigh in the darkness.
Elsewhere, April sunlight slanted into the classroom. Gu Hanzhi gently placed her schoolbag on her desk and habitually glanced at the empty seat next to her. Shen Zhihe's textbooks lay neatly on the table, the morning light falling on his handwritten name on the title page, but there was no sign of him. The boy, usually the first to arrive for morning reading, was now completely gone.
The bell rang for break exercises, but Gu Hanzhi had no intention of going downstairs. Standing in the hallway, watching her classmates playfully and frolicking on the playground, her uneasiness grew stronger. Finally, class was over, and she hurried through the ginkgo-leaf-strewn corridor to the teacher's office.
"Knock knock," Gu Hanzhi knocked gently on Song Yuhuan's office door. After receiving a response, he pushed the door open and walked in. His eyes fell on Song Yuhuan, who was looking down at her lesson plan. He asked softly, "Teacher Song, is there something wrong with Shen Zhihe at home? Why hasn't he come yet?"
Song Yuhuan stopped writing with the red pen and looked up with a serious expression: "Shen Zhihe, it seems he hit his head for some unknown reason and is now in the hospital."
Gu Hanzhi's heart sank suddenly, and her breathing quickened: "Which hospital is he in now?"
"Linjiang First People's Hospital," Song Yuhuan replied. "Don't worry too much. I heard he's already receiving treatment."
Gu Hanzhi thanked the teacher and ran out of the office. The wind in the corridor blew a few golden ginkgo leaves onto her burning cheeks. Her mind was full of Shen Zhihe's figure, and her pace involuntarily quickened. At this moment, she just wanted to rush to the hospital immediately to confirm with her own eyes that Shen Zhihe was safe and sound.
The sycamore trees outside the window rustled in the wind. Gu Hanzhi stared at the formula on the blackboard, but the chalk writing seemed like tadpoles, unable to gather into a clear shape. Every class that day felt unusually long. The bell rang again and again, and he just mechanically flipped through the textbook, even losing focus in English, his best class.
"Wow, is Gu Xueba thinking about his deskmate again?" Jiang Wanning approached, shaking a bag of potato chips. The aroma of fried food mingled with a girlish teasing. She poked Gu Hanzhi's arm, but all she got was silence as he stared out the window.
Dusk dyed the playground a warm orange. Gu Hanzhi stared at the empty seats. Shen Zhihe's usual blue fountain pen still lay quietly in its pencil case. She reached out and stroked the cold pen, suddenly remembering that after school yesterday, Shen Zhihe had said he would take him to try the newly opened dessert shop.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Jiang Wanning sighed: "Okay, okay, I'll accompany you to the hospital after school. It's on my way anyway." She shook her schoolbag, and her ponytail swayed gently with the movement.
Gu Hanzhi finally averted her gaze and managed two words: "Alright." She closed her pencil case, her worry hidden in her eyes, but she packed her schoolbag with a much more impatience than usual. The moment the school bell rang, she had already shouldered her schoolbag and rushed out the door. The late autumn wind blew the corners of her clothes, carrying a hint of impatience and anxiety.
"Add me in," Lu Chenzhou used his fingertips to hold the spinning basketball steadily, with an unruly smile on his lips, "I also want to see how Zhihe is doing." He raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his face, and the wrist guard on his wrist revealed half of the scar with the movement - that was the result of falling when he played street ball with Shen Zhihe last year.
The slanting spring sun gilded the school building at the end of school. Jiang Wanning emerged from the locker room with a brisk pace, wearing a floral dress beneath a white knitted cardigan. The strawberry pendant Shen Zhihe had given her hung from the strap of her canvas bag. Lu Chenzhou waited for her, leaning against his locker, his blue shirt two buttons undone, his dark blue slacks rolled up at the bottom, revealing a half-leaf maple leaf stuck to his sneakers.
As they walked side by side down the corridor, Gu Hanzhi appeared around the corner of the stairs, homework in hand. Her gaze was instantly drawn to the pair. Jiang Wanning tilted her head back, talking to Lu Chenzhou. The wind blew her hair across his hand. Lu Chenzhou instinctively tucked it behind her ear, a gesture so natural he'd repeated it a thousand times. The pale apricot knit clashed with the soothing navy blue, creating an unexpected harmony that resembled a carefully coordinated couple's outfit.
"We're just going to visit Zhihe, there's no need to dress up like this, right?" Gu Hanzhi raised an eyebrow, her gaze flickering between Jiang Wanning's newly-worn pearl earrings and the wrinkles of Lu Chenzhou's ironed shirt. She caught a glimpse of Lu Chenzhou's ears reddening as he quietly pulled his hands out of his pockets. Jiang Wanning hurriedly took a half step back, the bow in her hair swaying. "Who...who's dressed up! I just...just don't want to wear a school uniform!"
Lu Chenzhou cleared his throat and bent down to pick up the hairband that Jiang Wanning had dropped. The hem of his dark blue shirt blew up a breeze mixed with a faint scent of soapberry: "The hospital is well air-conditioned, so just dress warmly." He casually put the hairband on his wrist. The metal buckle reflected tiny light in the setting sun, echoing the thin silver chain on Jiang Wanning's wrist.
Entering the hospital, the smell of disinfectant hit her face. Gu Hanzhi clutched her schoolbag strap and ran to the front desk, her knuckles whitening. "Nurse, may I ask which ward Shen Zhihe is in?"
"It's in Ward 205 on the second floor." Before the nurse could finish her words, she rushed towards the stairs. Lu Chenzhou followed closely behind, holding the basketball, his sneakers making a rapid sound on the tile floor.
The ward door was flung open, and Gu Hanzhi saw Shen Zhihe reclining on the bed, a white bandage wrapped around his head. "How are you?" She rushed to the bedside in two steps, her eyes slightly red.
Shen Zhihe suddenly pretended to frown and shrank back, reaching out to push Gu Hanzhi away: "Madam, who are you?"
The air froze in an instant. Jiang Wanning froze at the doorway, clutching the fruit basket she'd just bought. Lu Chenzhou's basketball rolled into the corner with a thud. Gu Hanzhi's fingertips felt cold, and as she stared at Shen Zhihe's feigned unfamiliar gaze, her throat felt like it was clogged with cotton.
"Then do you know who I am?" Jiang Wanning suddenly smiled and leaned over, placing the fruit basket heavily on the bedside table. Her ponytail swung lively as she moved. "Have you lost your memory? I'm your second aunt, nephew. Why have you lost your memory?"
Lu Chenzhou hid the basketball behind his back, took three steps to the bedside, deliberately hunched his back, and cried in an exaggerated voice: "Nephew, you can't have forgotten me, I am your second uncle!" As he spoke, he reached out to wipe away the tears that didn't exist at all, and the sweat on his head rolled down his angular jawline into his collar.
Jiang Wanning's eyes widened, her eyebrows twisted into knots as she glared at Lu Chenzhou, her gaze filled with the words, "How dare you act like that?" She kicked Lu Chenzhou's sneakers, her eyebrows speaking for her: "How dare you think any more outrageously? Can't you just say 'uncle'? You have to say 'Second Uncle'! You're clearly trying to take advantage of me!" Her tone trailed off with a girlish, coquettish tone that even the nurse standing at the door couldn't help but peek in.
Lu Chenzhou raised an eyebrow and glared back, his thick eyebrows twitching in a silent argument: "So what? I want to call him nephew, too!" He placed one hand on his hip, the other furtively tucking the basketball deeper behind his back, fearing the nurses would discover his illegal concealment in the ward. His bronze skin still tinged with a post-workout flush, and this playful demeanor made him look nothing like the dominant school team player on the court.
Lu Chenzhou suddenly collapsed into the plastic chair beside the bed, his shoulders twitching as he howled dryly. He covered his face with his bony fingers, his eyes peeking out from between them to observe Shen Zhihe's reaction. Seeing this, Jiang Wanning immediately joined in the sobbing, pretending to wipe her tears with her sleeve. Her ponytail swung violently with the movement, making her look like a kitten with its fur standing on end.
"My dear nephew!" Lu Chenzhou suddenly raised his head, his eyes red, with tissue crumbs from somewhere still stuck on his eyelashes, "What shall we do if you really forget about us!" He pounded his thigh exaggeratedly, and the basketball hidden behind him accidentally slipped out, making a "gurgling" sound on the floor.
Shen Zhihe suppressed his laughter and blinked innocently as he looked at the "couple" in front of him: "Why do Second Aunt and Second Uncle look so young? They seem... like they're my age?"
The air froze, and Jiang Wanning's fake crying came to an abrupt end. Her eyes rolled, and she suddenly took Lu Chenzhou's arm, pinching his arm muscles with her fingertips. A sweet smile played on her face. "Actually, we're both 26 years old, and we've been married for three years." She deliberately dragged out the last word, rubbing her head affectionately against Lu Chenzhou's shoulder.
Lu Chenzhou gasped at the pinch, but immediately understood and slung his arm around Jiang Wanning's shoulders. He straightened his back, deliberately faking a mature and steady demeanor, his Adam's apple rolling as he spoke affectionately, "We're husband and wife, and we have a very good relationship." He lowered his head to gently kiss Jiang Wanning's forehead, a blush spreading uncontrollably to the tips of her ears. Hidden behind his back, his hand quietly kicked the basketball under the bed, his slender fingers nervously stroking Jiang Wanning's sleeve.
Jiang Wanning suddenly shoved Gu Hanzhi from behind, sending her stumbling forward, right into the arms of Shen Zhihe, who had just opened the door. Their noses practically touched, and the faint scent of disinfectant and mint from Shen Zhihe's body wafted across Gu Hanzhi's face. Her ears instantly burned red, and she frantically grabbed the hem of his hospital gown.
"Nephew, this is the person you chose yourself!" Jiang Wanning put her hands on her hips and walked forward in her little leather shoes, her ponytail swaying happily with her movements. "Aunt and uncle carefully selected and felt that this person is quite a match for you!" As she spoke, she winked at Lu Chenzhou, who immediately understood and folded his arms, nodding pretentiously.
Shen Zhihe lowered his eyes to look at Gu Hanzhi, whose face flushed red in his arms. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up beneath the bandages. He raised his hand to gently support her shoulder and said in a deliberately confused tone, "But why don't I remember this happening?"
"How can a person with amnesia remember these things!" Lu Chenzhou suddenly took out a red silk ribbon that he had prepared at some point from behind his back, shook it open, and swung it in a beautiful arc in the air. "Look, once this red rope is tied, the matter is done--" He pretended to tie it around the wrists of the two people, but Gu Hanzhi flew over and snatched the ribbon away. In a panic, his hair flew apart, making his cheeks look even more flushed.
Jiang Wanning's shoulders shook from trying to contain her laughter as she watched Shen Zhihe blink innocently, a faint smile hidden beneath his bandages. Lu Chenzhou suddenly slapped his thigh, turned, and stormed out of the ward. A moment later, he returned with a bottle of green apple juice, the plastic bottle glowing an eerie fluorescent green under the fluorescent light.
"Nephew, this was your favorite drink before!" Lu Chenzhou sat on the bedside, shaking the drink and deliberately inserting the straw to make a sizzling sound. "Your second uncle ran three blocks to buy it, come and try it!" He caught a glimpse of Shen Zhihe's frozen expression from the corner of his eye, his Adam's apple rolled uneasily, and he finally couldn't help laughing out loud.
Gu Hanzhi leaned against the doorframe, holding her stomach. She recalled Shen Zhihe's heatstroke at the school sports meet last month, how Lu Chenzhou had forced him to drink green apple juice and then ignored him for three days. Shen Zhihe stared at the drink, his eyes filled with despair, the bandage swaying slightly around his stiff neck. "I... I suddenly remembered that before I lost my memory, I actually hated this taste the most."
"Oh, you can still retain your taste memory even after losing your memory?" Jiang Wanning reached out to grab the drink, deliberately unscrewing the cap and bringing it close to Shen Zhihe's lips. "Come on, maybe a sip will remind you of your 'engagement' with Xiao Gu!" The ward erupted in laughter. Lu Chenzhou took the opportunity to press the cool bottle against Shen Zhihe's face, startling him so much that he shrank back into Gu Hanzhi's arms, causing a flurry of rustling noises. In the air suffused with the scent of disinfectant, the sour aroma of green apple juice mingled with the laughter of the teenagers, forming the most vivid memories in the autumn sunshine.
Shen Zhihe huddled in his bed, backing away repeatedly. His hair was still matted with sweat, and his bandages had shifted to the side with his violent movements. Jiang Wanning pressed closer, holding a bottle of green apple juice, the straw nearly poking his nose. Lu Chenzhou pulled out a toy water gun he had hidden at some point, its azure plastic casing gleaming menacingly in the sunlight.
"Three!" Lu Chenzhou pulled the trigger, and the cool mist fell accurately on Shen Zhihe's raised hair.
"Two!" Jiang Wanning unscrewed the bottle cap, and the sour, astringent aroma instantly filled the entire ward. "Should we confess now, or wait until we finish the whole bottle?"
Gu Hanzhi leaned against the door, stifling a laugh, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the straps of her schoolbag. Sunlight filtered through the blinds, creating streaks of light and dark on the ground, stretching the shadows of the three people surrounding the bed. Shen Zhihe suddenly caught a glimpse of the blush on the tips of her ears. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her Adam's apple rolled as she whimpered in a plea for mercy: "No, no, no! I admit it!"
"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Lu Chenzhou put away his water gun and grabbed a tissue to wipe his hair, his movements deliberately painful. Shen Zhihe grimaced and dodged, his bandage twisted into a ridiculous shape. "I just find your anxious looks funny!" He barely finished his words when Jiang Wanning's fist gently struck his shoulder. Lu Chenzhou slammed the green apple juice onto the bedside table, shaking the wild chrysanthemums in the glass vase to pieces.
"If you dare to pretend to have amnesia again, I'll force you to drink ten bottles!" Jiang Wanning angrily put her hands on her hips, her ponytail swaying threateningly. Shen Zhihe smiled and tried to grab her wrist, but she dodged it nimbly. The laughter and chatter in the ward startled the sparrows that were resting outside the window. Sunlight filtered through the drifting ginkgo leaves, casting the shadows of the four teenagers into a single, swaying speck of light.
Gu Hanzhi looked at her friends who had reunited, a gentle smile spreading through her eyes. She quietly placed the blueberry pudding hidden behind her back on the bedside table - that was the flavor Shen Zhihe really liked.
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