Chapter 3 - We are Lovers

“I…heard that Xie Mu woke up, so I came over to take a look.”

Tan Tao adjusted his glasses, with a mild smile at the corner of his lips, to conceal his previous discomfort, “I see that I came at a bad time, are you two returning home?”

Returning home?

Did he not already tell Tan Tao that he had broken up with Xie Mu?

Bo Qin frowned and avoided looking at the hand of the youth hidden behind his body, still wanting to grab onto him. He suppressed his feeling of abnormality, “He has trouble walking alone, so I am helping him.”

The youth’s hand was once again shaken off, his pale face on display in front of Tan Tao’s eyes without his shelter of protection.

His slightly upturned eyes darkened for a moment as he greedily took in the sight of the man before him, resembling a hunter looking at his prey.

While Xie Mu could not discern this type of well-veiled greed, he bore a fear of Tan Tao. He took a step back, pale-faced, his lips even trembling as he looked towards Bo Qin for help, “Bo Zong…”

Although the young man was already 22, his eyes shone as if they had yet to see the world. When he, nervously and frustratedly, looked over, ao Qin actually felt a stirring of desire.

“Bo Zong, could you send me out…”

Bo Qin had to admit, both the 22-year-old Xie Mu and the 19-year-old Xie Mu could awaken his body’s most primitive reactions.

In his mind, the young man was bowing down, looking up at him with eyes of admiration. He could see him in bed, obediently clinging onto his neck and sobbingly calling out his name, even when he could no longer take it.

He had not felt this kind of connection since Xie Mu had fallen unconscious.

Bo Qin had always thought with the lower half of his body. 19-year-old Xie Mu did not detect the change in the expression with which he looked at him, but to the Tan Tao, standing on the side, that slight shift was clear as day.

His heart sank. Cradling the bouquet of lilies, he walked to stand in front of the youth whose face was scared pale.

“Xie Mu, these flowers are for you. Congratulations on waking up.”

The bouquet of perfectly blooming lilies arrived in front of him. The young man appeared frightened, with eyes full of cowardice, a look that the 22-year-old Xie Mu would never have shown.

Xie Mu had prided himself on his self-composure, a fact, which Tan Tao had yet to discover due to their previous encounter. Prior to the person in front of him fainting, his performance in bed had sufficiently made such a Xie Mu lose his normal calmness and restraint.

Seeing the bottom lip of the youth trembling, Tan Tao quirked a corner of his mouth, “Is something wrong? Do you not like lilies?”

“Kt-atjcx sbe…”

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“Your hand is so cold.”

The man spoke sighing as Xie Mu tried to struggle free from his gentle, but undisputedly firm grasp.

Subconsciously, he looked pleadingly at Bo Qin, who was observing coldly off to the side, “Bo Zong…”

Tan Tao felt the cold skin underneath his hand, raising an eyebrow and glancing at his good friend, “Bo Qin, isn’t your company very busy? Let me take care of Xie Mu. You don’t need to worry. I’ll take care of him very well.”

He understood this childhood friend of his. Clearly, he played the wildest out of everyone, but he still had strong OCD peeves to match. Since his person was touched by him, Bo Qin would let him go, no matter how much he liked him.

Bo Qin’s eyes fixated upon the point where the two hands touched, his mind resonating with the cries of the young man on that night.

He had cried Bo Qin’s name.

In front of him, Tan Tao had pressed Xie Mu under his body.

This docile and perfect lover was no longer clean.

He cooled his gaze, heart tinted with displeasure for some unknown reason. Even his alluring voice was cold, “Then I’ll go first, look after him well.”

“Relax.” The corners of Tan Tao’s lips lifted, and he smiled, “I will definitely take good care of him for you.”

“Bo Zong, I, I…”

[121: Stop calling him, he’s gone]

[I’m not calling out for Bo Qin to hear. How is the favorability rate?]

[121: Bo Qin’s favorability: 10, increase: 5]

The youth watched as the man walked away right in front of his eyes, wanting to ask for help, but not knowing what to say. Bo Qin turned around, leaving the corridor without so much a glance back.

“Alright, stop calling for him. That person, once he throws something away, it’s done; he’ll never pick it up again.”

With Bo Qin gone, Tan Tao delightedly let loose the feelings he had just been suppressing. He stopped pretending, immediately pulling the young man into his arms with a single tug, “During this period, I really thought that you weren’t going to wake up.”

Xie Mu pushed him away with doubt and residual fear in his eyes, “You, are you very familiar with me? What is our relationship?”

Towards this unknown world three years into the future, the young man was full of confusion.

Tan Tao had been about to spout a few words cheekily when he realized that the unfamiliarity in the youth’s eyes did not seem to be fake. His hand shook a little by his side, his heart going through 100 different twists and turns, but nothing showed on his face except for a smile, “Xie Mu, what are you saying? During your time at the hospital, did I not come to see you every day?”

The youth’s doubts deepened, “But, but yesterday didn’t you still…not right, the day before yesterday?”

Xie Mu seemed to have a headache, pressing down on his temples, eyes full of confusion and helplessness, “You, you splashed water on me in the bathroom…”

“Splashed water?” Tan Tao sharply furrowed his brows, looking at the boy who was clutching his head with a face painted genuinely with pain, “Xie Mu? Are you alright?”

“Xie Mu?”

“My head hurts…” Xie Mu spoke, “Are you not Tan Tao? Did you not hate me, bully me?”

He tried to speak but was in so much pain that he could hardly open his mouth. His body slid down the wall into a crouch, “Hurt…hurts so much…”

Tan Tao was severely frightened by the youth’s appearance, hurriedly calling for the doctor.

“The patient has temporarily lost part of his memories, currently, of the time period between the ages of 19 and 22. Age 16 is a vague time for him as well. Just now, he might have stimulated his memories. He has only woken up recently. If he wants to recover fully, he must advance gradually.

Tan Tao stood in front of the patient ward, his facial features distinguished and outstanding, his figure long and slender. Merely standing outside, wearing his glasses, attracted many lines of sight. Previously, what he hated most were those types of gazes, but as of right now, he could not care less.

Xie Mu had lost his memories.

He had forgotten Bo Qin.

No wonder. No wonder Bo Zong came out of his mouth every other word. No wonder he was frightened at seeing him.

In his recollection, currently, Tan Tao was still a bully who harassed other students.

That’s alright. Everything was just fine.

Without that night, Xie Mu might dislike him, but he wouldn’t hate him.

Like this, it was for the best.

This 19-year-old Xie Mu had yet to meet Bo Qin.

Tan Tao’s lips pulled wide like a lunatic as he laughed loudly in the hallway.

Xie Mu had forgotten Bo Qin. Then, was this not a ready-made opportunity for him?

The 19-year-old Xie Mu was green and unripe, but still so tantalizing. Without Bo Qin, he still had a chance with him.

Tan Tao threw the doctor’s method for stimulating memories into the trash. His smile gradually became tender, looking at the white slate laying peacefully inside.

Unnecessary. He would fill in the blanks of the past three years.

He pushed open the door and walked inside. The young man, sitting near the window, looking outside, turned around at hearing the rustling of movement, round eyes widened with vigilance, pale fingers curled tensely.

“The doctor already told me. You lost your memories, right? No wonder you were so afraid of me.”

Tan Tao ignored the resistance emanating from the youth, sitting down at his side. He stretched his hand out to softly help Xie Mu tidy his hair with eyes full of gentle warmth.

“Darling, did you forget that we’re lovers?”

“No matter.”

He held the stunned speechless young man in his arms, his eyes filling with satisfaction at an angle Xie Mu could not see, “I will help you remember.”

“Just reminiscing it, we were so in love.”

Unable to continue enduring, the other person interrupted.