He remembered that she always used to rummage through his things.

"Did you need something from me?"

"No, nothing," Little Seven came up with a rather foolish excuse. "Your villa is too big, I walked into the wrong room."

She dashed out in a flash, but a large hand caught her by the back of her neck.

Little Seven struggled as if swimming against the current, but it was useless. Sigh, facing such a tall and strong man, how could her small frame possibly resist? And she couldn't even use her powers.

She turned her head and grinned, "Um, could you let go, please?"

Looking into her smiling face, Lin Yichen was momentarily lost. In the past, her face had always been lit up with a sun-bright smile, just like her name.

That ray of sunshine would pierce straight through the clouds into his heart, sometimes so abruptly he didn’t even have time to resist.

She was the only ray of light in his bleak life, but five years ago, that light had left him. Now that she had returned, could she still shine on him alone?

"Xiyang, why don't you just live here with me from now on, hmm?"

"No, no," Little Seven shook her head immediately. "I still have to deliver takeout to my aunt! Could you, um, let go? Holding me by the neck like this is really tiring, okay?"

Why did he always grab her by the neck? Was he trying to show off how tall he was?

Yichen released her, his dark eyes intense as he looked at her. "I’ll arrange for a delivery person for your aunt."

"No, I like delivering food myself. I love it. Delivering takeout makes me happy, fills me with energy..."

With that, she bolted out the door.

Yichen stared at the entryway for a long time before finally moving, turning toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He lit a cigarette, the swirling smoke blurring his handsome face.

His mind wandered back to five years ago, to that hazy memory of a girl.

He didn’t remember much about Zhuang Jia, but he vaguely recalled something she’d said to him that day.

She said, "My wounds will slowly heal with time, but yours will only fester more deeply."

Yes, in these five years, only his outward self had healed. The wounds in his heart had long since seeped into his bones, raging in places unseen.

"You’ll understand one day—once you’ve met that one person in the world, everyone else becomes second best. And I refuse to settle."

That was the last thing Yichen had ever said to Zhuang Jia.

Zhuang Jia, the girl who’d grown up with him, always by his side.

The girl who stayed with him even after his mother died and he lost his memory.

The girl because of whom he lost the one he loved…

That girl—who he hadn’t seen for five years, whose wedding he hadn’t attended. Now, apart from her name, he could hardly remember anything about her.

Pan Sen pushed open the door and entered, immediately noticing the man standing by the window.

The city’s dazzling night lights cast mottled colors over him, making him seem even more solitary.

Wasn’t Ye Xiyang already back by his side? Why did he still look so...

"Yichen, where’s your Xiyang?" Pan Sen asked.

Yichen continued to gaze out at the brilliant night. "She… has amnesia."

"What?" Pan Sen walked over, incredulous. "How did she lose her memory?"

"She said she was in a car accident five years ago." He paused. "She didn’t mention her parents, nor did she say how or where she spent those years. I doubt she’d tell me even if I asked," he said with a bitter smile. "Because now, she’s not clinging to me like before."

"Isn’t her aunt here?" Pan Sen mused. "Her aunt must know what happened to Ye Xiyang. Why don’t we go ask her now—"

"The only thing I need to do now..." Yichen took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled slowly, "is stick by her until she falls in love with me again."

Pan Sen glanced at his profile. "So you’re not bothered anymore by Xiyang leaving without a word because of a few things Zhuang Jia said?"

"She’s back now." Yichen inhaled, his eyes calm. "I know what matters most to me."

Pan Sen smiled, his interest piqued. "You’ve always had great self-control, but when it comes to Ye Xiyang, as soon as she shows up, you want to keep her close."

Yichen said nothing, the thin veil of smoke swirling around the two of them.

If only keeping her close was really that simple.

Pan Sen observed his composed expression. "You haven’t been smoking much lately. Do you remember how you felt the first time you tried?"

"How could I forget?" Yichen flicked his cigarette. "Not long after Xiyang left, I sank into cigarettes and alcohol, trying to numb myself. Back then, I really thought those things were great—they gave me something to do in this world."

His detached tone made Pan Sen feel a twinge of sorrow, but his words showed he had truly let go.

Only when you truly let go can you face the past with such serenity.

Now, Yichen seemed calm and at peace, no longer exuding that oppressive intensity he once had. Pan Sen said sincerely, "Yichen, congratulations on having the woman you love return."

Yichen smiled softly. "Yes. Now that she's back, I want to…" He paused. "Find a chance to get a marriage certificate with her."

Pan Sen was momentarily stunned. "You’re going to force her into marriage?"

Yichen chuckled. "I wouldn’t call it forcing. She’s always loved me—she just lost her memory."

Pan Sen was a bit dumbfounded. "But what if she refuses?"

Would she refuse?

It was true, the amnesiac Xiyang was no longer the same as before.

Leaning against the railing of the window, Yichen gazed out at the night sky from the twelfth floor. "I’ll make her fall in love with me again, just as she did before."

"Life is truly mysterious," Pan Sen said with both wonder and regret. "You’d think you’d never see each other again, but after all these twists and turns, you end up right back together. It’s just a shame Ye Xiyang has lost her memory."

Where is that signal transmitter?

Little Seven pondered as she walked, her peripheral vision catching sight of a half-open door. She gently pushed it open and poked her head inside.

It was a study, empty.

She decided to search inside.

But after a long search, she found nothing.

Where could my signal transmitter be?

Suddenly, hearing footsteps, Little Seven used her powers to return all the scattered books to their places.

She retreated to her own room in an instant.

Yiyang entered and was startled to see a book return to the shelf on its own.

His dark eyes widened in disbelief.

Was he hallucinating again?

He walked over for a closer look and saw that the book had been moved; it wasn’t in the spot he’d left it before.

He frowned, puzzled.

Had Xiyang been here?

He remembered that she used to love rummaging through his things.

Thinking this, he found it quite likely.

Someone may lose their memory, but the habits in their bones are hard to change.

A subtle smile appeared on his lips. Having Xiyang by his side now was better than anything.

Back in her room, Little Seven paced in circles, twirling her hair.

She hadn’t found the transmitter in the study—could it be in his bedroom?

She hadn’t even started searching there earlier.

No, she had to try again.

Glancing at the clock, she saw it was nearly eleven. He should be asleep by now, right?

Little Seven used her powers to slip into Yichen’s room, where the lights were still on.

There, she saw him already asleep on the bed.

Sleeping with the lights on?

She tiptoed over, and her eyes fell on a photo frame on the bedside table. She picked it up to take a closer look.