Chapter 40: Secretly Hooking His Finger

Her breathing suddenly grew ragged. Lying in bed, the girl’s eyes welled with tears as she subconsciously reached up to touch her hair.

The rabbit Beastman was gone, leaving her with an indescribable feeling. She hadn’t even had the chance to ask how her leg was injured, or even what her name was... Now, all she could do was feel her presence in the spring breeze and in her memories.

As she silently sorted through her regained memories, Wen Qian finally understood just how much she had lost over the years.

The moment the rabbit Beastman pushed her down the stairs, the people tailing her were finally convinced that she had nothing to do with Beastmen.

But because of that, Wen Qian lost her memory, becoming an incomplete version of herself.

She felt a little dazed. She sighed, thinking, ’So it’s true. Losing your memories really does change a person so much.’

Even though she had been fascinated by Beastmen all these years, she had always suppressed her fondness for them, holding back at every turn.

She didn’t dare approach unfamiliar animals or proactively show them any kindness. She had always thought it was just part of her personality, but thinking back now, perhaps it was simply because those wonderful memories were gone... and with them, so was the courage to risk it all when facing danger.

But one thing hadn’t changed: she was still kind to Beastmen.

’Thinking about it now, I was pretty amazing back then,’ she thought, ’even if the outcome wasn’t good.’

"Qianqian, waaah... You’re finally awake!" As she was lost in thought, a familiar voice drew closer. Before Wen Qian could even react, the tall man dove into her arms like a little animal.

Gu Mian grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up, stating calmly, "She still needs to rest."

Yin Zhi relented slightly, then turned his head to glare at Gu Mian. "I know."

"It’s okay, A Mian," Wen Qian said, reaching out to ruffle the man’s soft hair a couple of times. A faint smile graced her lips. "I feel much better."

After resting in bed for a moment, aside from the weakness of just having woken up, Wen Qian didn’t feel any other discomfort.

"A Mian?" Yin Zhi froze for a second. He quickly latched onto the key point, his expression instantly darkening. "When did you two get so close?"

He stood silently for two seconds before whipping around, his trembling hands cupping Wen Qian’s face.

Yin Zhi’s voice was soft, his eyes practically overflowing with anxiety. "Qianqian... Don’t tell me you’ve lost your memory!"

At first, Wen Qian thought he was going to say something important. Hearing this, she nearly rolled her eyes. She pried his hands away, looking utterly exasperated. "You need to spend less time on your phone."

Lately, Wen Qian was often woken by the sound of her phone. She would groggily open her eyes to see a little cat paw tapping and swiping away on the screen... At first, she thought she was dreaming, but a closer look revealed it was Yin Zhi, scrolling through a list of idol dramas.

And they were all the kind of shows you have to turn off your brain to get through...

"So you didn’t lose your memory..." Yin Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. A moment later, he buried his head in her embrace again.

Wen Qian was long used to his antics, so she didn’t say anything. But then she glanced up and saw Gu Mian watching her, his expression placid. When their eyes met, Wen Qian suddenly felt a pang of guilt...

’It was one thing when I didn’t know who Gu Mian was,’ she thought. ’But now I remember everything. He’s the A Mian I was with day in and day out back then. For a moment, I’m really... at a loss.’

Subconsciously, she slipped a hand out from under the covers and, under the man’s profound gaze, gently hooked his little finger with hers.

In an instant, the man’s gaze grew fiery. He locked onto the girl’s delicate features, turning his hand to envelop hers completely.

Her cheeks grew warm, and the hand stroking Yin Zhi’s hair stiffened.

Yin Zhi, however, was completely lost in the bliss of Wen Qian stroking his hair, utterly oblivious to what was happening between the other two. He was still mentally taunting Gu Mian, ’I’m the Beastman Wen Qian cares about most.’

"Oh, right, Qianqian, do you know the person who knocked you down?" As if remembering something, Yin Zhi suddenly looked up. Startled, Wen Qian subconsciously tried to pull her hand from Gu Mian’s, but he only held it tighter.

He even gave her palm two punishing squeezes, causing Wen Qian’s face to instantly turn crimson.

’If the Little Black Snake had done this, I might have squeezed back. But A Mian isn’t just the Little Black Snake anymore, he’s also my professor...’ Thinking about it that way, Wen Qian felt the whole situation was a little weird.

Seeing Wen Qian keep looking at Gu Mian, Yin Zhi frowned. He glanced back instinctively, and when he saw what was happening, his expression changed in an instant.

He immediately shot up and pried their hands apart. Then, his hostile gaze fell directly on the man’s face. "Are you seducing her?"

The man raised an eyebrow. He didn’t say a word, but his expression was unmistakable. It clearly said, ’Seduction? Is that even necessary? She obviously chose me.’

Yin Zhi was enraged by his nonchalant expression, but he was afraid of upsetting Wen Qian by starting a fight in the hospital. After much hesitation, he decided to resort to his old ways.

He turned to look at Wen Qian, only to find her guiltily turning her head to one side, her gaze fixed firmly on the ceiling.

"Qianqian..." His soft voice was tinged with grievance as he once again buried his head in her embrace. Then, without giving her a choice, he took both of her hands and wrapped them around himself.

Judging by his voice, he sounded utterly heartbroken. "I was so, so worried about you."

"Hey, you..." Wen Qian was suddenly flustered.

Watching with cold eyes as Yin Zhi took advantage of Wen Qian, he said calmly, "Are you trying to make her pass out again?"

The air in the room was thick with tension. ’This is bad,’ Wen Qian thought, quickly trying to change the subject. "By the way, Yin Zhi, what were you asking me earlier?"

The young man froze, then realized what she was doing and said sullenly, "You don’t even remember what I asked?"

Wen Qian: "?"

Wen Qian rubbed the bridge of her nose in resignation. After a moment, she reached out and pinched his cheek. Her tone was weary. "Okay, I remember now. You asked if I knew the person who knocked me down..."

"Mhm," the young man’s voice was still sullen.

Wen Qian gritted her teeth. ’Looks like he’s going to be hard to placate,’ she thought.

Just as she was wondering what else she could do, she heard the young man press, "So, do you know them or not, Qianqian?"

"I don’t." Wen Qian first shook her head. Then, after a moment of careful thought, she added, "But the tattoo on his body looked a little familiar."

Even though only a corner of the tattoo was visible, it still felt familiar to Wen Qian.

The visible part was unique; it must have been part of an extremely complex design. Wen Qian had no interest in tattoos and normally wouldn’t have paid it any mind, but when she saw it, she still felt an intense sense of familiarity...

Just as she was wracking her brain, trying to remember where she could have seen it, a cool male voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

Gu Mian’s brow was furrowed, an unreadable emotion flickering in his eyes. "It was Chi Heng."