Vol2 Chapter 13: Forget

“What do you think about the Free Day the day after tomorrow?” Chu Zihang asked, flipping through a Level 3 Alchemy textbook.

“It’s a sure win,” Bai Ci said, sipping her cola. “But if Lu Mingfei joins, I’d say we surrender. No shame in that.”

“…”

Chu Zihang went quiet, glancing at Bai Ci drinking her cola, then returned to his book.

Surrender if Lu Mingfei joins?
He was puzzled.
What did that mean?
Lu Mingfei on Free Day meant giving up?
From what he knew, Lu Mingfei was harmless at best—his paper S-rank held no weight.
If he had to pick an animal, Lu Mingfei was a bunny in a den of monsters, not even enough to fill their teeth.
Bai Ci, though, was a true S-rank, excelling in both theory and combat.
The Student Union’s top newbie was Zero, but Chu Zihang doubted she could beat Bai Ci, who’d stopped Constantine without a single lesson.

His hand paused.
Wait… maybe not.
Others might struggle against Bai Ci’s monstrous strength, but Lu Mingfei, that bunny, seemed to have a knack for handling her.

He couldn’t figure out Bai Ci’s feelings for Lu Mingfei.
If it was love, she never admitted it.
If it was dislike, she never showed clear rejection.
Her attitude was ambiguous—sometimes she seemed to care deeply, other times indifferent.
The contradiction baffled him.

“Junior Sister.”

Bai Ci looked up, waiting for his question.

“Do you like Lu Mingfei?”

“President… why are you asking this?”

“Curiosity.”

Bai Ci rubbed her forehead.
Since when was Chu Zihang such a gossip?
Why did he care who she liked?

“Curiosity kills the cat.”

“I’m not a cat, I’m human.”

I know you’re not a cat!

“I like him, but not that way—just as friends.”
Chu Zihang, who’d read psychology books, saw her behavior wasn’t normal.
Her eyes darted, as if searching or avoiding.
She gripped her cola can tightly, her other hand clenched—signs of tension or anxiety, contradicting her words.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not,” Bai Ci shot him a look.
“What about you?
Got a girl you like?
Know what it feels like, President?”

“No.”

Chu Zihang answered quickly, then hesitated.
A girl he liked?
He didn’t think he had one, but in that moment, a figure flashed in his mind.

“Sometimes I wish he was never born… then he wouldn’t have to suffer so much…”

“Here we go again!
We’re alone on a sailboat, great weather, wide-open views, super romantic!
Can we talk about life goals?
I already know the orientation stuff from prep school!”

Why did I think of Xia Mi?

The question threw him off balance.

Bai Ci’s lips curved slightly.
The president was thinking of someone—a girl lingering in his memory.

Who was it?
Susie?
Xia Mi?
Surely not Lu Mingfei.

She sipped her cola, saying lightly, “I’ll join Free Day, President.
I’m going to prep.”

—

That night, Lu Mingfei went for his usual late-night snack, but Bai Ci, unusually, didn’t show.

Zero was there, though, sitting beside him as always.
Maybe because they’d eaten snacks together for over a year, they’d grown oddly close.

It helped that he could copy Zero’s answers during exams.

“What’re you eating tonight?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“Dunno, something random,” Zero replied.

“Where’s she at?”

“Prepping gear for Free Day.”

“Oh, what’re we eating?”

“Big shrimp.
You?”

“Same.”

Their chats were like that—minimal, no fluff, just eating and asking what the other was having.
The queenly Zero never seemed to mind him.
Lu Mingfei found her pretty, but her petite frame made her seem cute, like a little sister.

Mid-meal, Chu Zihang appeared with a tray, sat across from him, and suddenly said, “Hey, Lu Mingfei, can I ask you something?”

“Hm?” Lu Mingfei looked puzzled.

Chu Zihang hesitated.
“What’s it like to like someone?”

“It’s simple,” Lu Mingfei said casually, peeling shrimp.
“What’re you getting at, Senior?”

“You liked Chen Wenwen and Bai Ci, right?” Chu Zihang asked, face cold.

“I also liked Lin Chiling, but she’s a bit old for me,” Lu Mingfei quipped, feeling like he was being interrogated.

“I mean, what makes you like someone?” Chu Zihang pressed, dead serious.

“They’re good-looking.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Slim waist, long legs, long hair.”

“Not that,” Chu Zihang frowned.
“I mean, besides looks, any other reasons?”

“Ask Zero, not me.”

Zero stopped peeling shrimp, looked at Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang, and said icily, “Don’t ask me.
I don’t know.”

Chu Zihang turned back to Lu Mingfei, expression stern.

“Senior, you got a crush?”

Lu Mingfei chewed shrimp, staring at Chu Zihang’s face.
Chu Zihang met his gaze coldly for a few seconds, then looked away.
What?
That head tilt, that hesitant expression, that hidden meaning—Mr. Poker Face is here for love advice?
He’s finally waking up!

“Senior, feelings take time to grow,” Lu Mingfei said, swallowing his shrimp.
He thought, This guy’s heart stirs once in twenty years—don’t let my nonsense kill it.
Blocking someone’s money is bad, but blocking their love life?
Straight to hell.

“Then why did you like Chen Wenwen and Bai Ci?” Chu Zihang stared into his eyes, so serious he’d probably take notes if he had a pen.

Lu Mingfei peeled another shrimp, dipped it in soy sauce, and popped it in his mouth.
“Simple.
Chen Wenwen was the first girl to talk to me in high school.
Bai Ci’s been my friend for seven years.
Spend enough time together, feelings grow.
You got a girl like that, Senior?
Someone you grew up with?”

A girl I grew up with?

Chu Zihang looked at his shrimp, starting to peel.

They say a fish’s memory lasts seven seconds.
What about a human’s?
Seven years?

The mind is like a beach, memories like drawings in the sand.

Waves wash over, erasing them, lost to the vast sea, blurred beyond recognition.

So every night, Chu Zihang replayed that night from seven years ago in his mind like a movie, ensuring he never forgot a single detail.

That searing memory—he’d never let it fade.

A girl he grew up with?
Probably not.
Even if there was one, he wouldn’t remember.

He stared blankly at the shrimp, something stirring…

In high school, on the basketball team, a teammate poked his side, whispering like a gossiping junior, “Look, look, that girl’s staring at you!”
He turned, seeing her in high-heeled boots, cheering, shouting his name from the stands.
A radiant girl with a high ponytail, crop top, and glittery eyeshadow, dazzling in the sunlight.
To thank the cheerleaders for supporting their game, he’d taken her to a movie.
They hadn’t spoken since.
He vaguely recalled her resentful glances later, only now guessing her feelings.

For an extracurricular paper, he’d invited the Shilan High dance team leader to an aquarium.
A goofy guy in a turtle costume taught baby turtles to swim, pointing at their tiny tails through the glass, making her laugh until she shook.
They watched staff weave through fish, staying by the clumsy turtle, never leaving its side.

She lived in an old house shaded by a huge sycamore.
While he sorted references at a desk, she practiced on a yoga mat behind him in black tights.
She was stunning.
A fleeting glance shocked him like lightning; he forced his racing heart back to his books.
Behind him, a black swan danced alone.

He remembered it all, but not her face.

“Senior, why’re you crying?”
Lu Mingfei shrank, alarmed.
This dazed, silently weeping guy is Senior?
This isn’t your vibe—you’re the aloof noble!
Who’s possessed you?
Get off him!
Did his crush die?
Did I trigger something?
If word gets out I made Chu Zihang cry, I’m done for.
Forget Xia Mi or Susie—Lionheart’s crew would slap me into a wall, and I’d stick.

“Rest in peace, Senior.
Look to the future,” Lu Mingfei said, patting his shoulder.

“No,” Chu Zihang looked up, his golden eyes blazing like they’d light the night, yet hollow.
“She’s not dead… I just… forgot her.”

He’d forgotten a girl he grew up with…

He’d lost her…