Chapter 45.3
While he was still hesitating, the two cats crouched in front of the door, one on the left and the other on the right. The green and blue eyed cats stared at him enchantingly, as if enticing for him to open the door.
Xiao Tangqiu took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Behind the door was an ordinary room – not very large, with only a few pieces of ordinary furniture and in the center of the room was a big wooden bed, where there lay someone.
Xiao Tangqiu froze but the two cats nimbly jumped on the bed and climbed to the right and left side of that person.
The man lying in bed was Shen Yuan who was still in a coma.
Shen Yuan lay in bed, looking as weak as ever. His eyes were shut tight, long eyelashes hanging down and face pale and fragile like porcelain.
The two cats crouched by Shen Yuan’s shoulder, one on the left and the other on the right, softly meowing, as if gently calling their owner, but he couldn’t hear them.
Xiao Tangqiu’s chest felt like it had tightened into a ball. He approached Shen Yuan’s bed in a trance. When he finally stood in front of Shen Yuan, his breathing grew short and rapid and his heart pounded faster and faster… But he was afraid that his heartbeat and breathing would somehow disturb Shen Yuan so he tried his best to slow down his breathing and calm his heart.
Xiao Tangqiu stood by Shen Yuan’s bed, looking down at the person sleeping in bed while he carefully held his breath.
Right then, he suddenly noticed Shen Yuan eyelashes quivering slightly. Just when he suspected that it was an illusion, he realized that Shen Yuan’s eyelids had also moved gently.
Could it be…
At this moment, he was completely unable to control his heartbeat.
Ba-dum!
Ba-dum!
At the same time Xiao Tangqiu’s heart was beating rapidly, Shen Yuan’s eyelashes suddenly trembled violently.
Then, he slowly opened his eyes.
Xiao Tangqiu’s gaze unexpectedly collided into Shen Yuan’s. Shen Yuan’s eyes, which had just woken up from a coma, were deep like a bottomless, immeasurable sea and like the ends of a dark, incapacitating abyss.
This one glance felt so distant; it was as if he had been aeons away.
However, it only lasted a moment and immediately disappeared without a trace.
Shen Yuan blinked, his eyes seeming strange and vacant. He looked straight at Xiao Tangqiu who was in front of him, as if he were a stranger he was seeing for the first time.
Xiao Tangqiu was too overjoyed that Shen Yuan had regained consciousness to think about Shen Yuan’s abnormality. At this time, Tang Mianmian also noticed that Shen Yuan had woken up. He cried with excitement, “Shen Yuan is awake! Shen Yuan is awake!”
At Tang Mianmian’s shout, Duan Hongzhen also noticed that Shen Yuan had awoken. He immediately leaned in and found that Shen Yuan was really awake. He burst out, not bothering to conceal his surprise, “Captain, you’re really awake!”
Shen Yuan glanced at Duan Hongzhen but soon he withdrew his sight as if he didn’t have any interest in him and turned to look back at Xiao Tangqiu.
Shen Yuan stared straight at Xiao Tangqiu, his alienated gaze filled with curiosity. He seemed very interested in Xiao Tangqiu.
“How are you feeling now?” Xiao Tangqiu couldn’t wait to ask Shen Yuan, completely missing Shen Yuan’s detached expression. “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere…”
Shen Yuan asked, “Who are you?”
Xiao Tangqiu froze.
He was dumbstruck for some time, failing to react. He asked in a daze, “Don’t you remember me?”
Shen Yuan stared straight at Xiao Tangqiu and asked again, “Who are you?”
Xiao Tangqiu opened his mouth and was about to say something, but for a moment, he didn’t know what to say. Who was he? Who was he to Shen Yuan?
Just then, the door was suddenly opened from outside and a group of people rushed up. It was the members of the reincarnation team.
“Older brother Shen! Are you awake?”
“Older brother Shen, you finally woke up!”
Shen Yuan’s teammates swarmed in and surrounded Shen Yuan who had just awakened, pushing Xiao Tangqiu and Tang Mianmian aside.
Xiao Tangqiu didn’t even have the chance to answer Shen Yuan’s question before he was made to stand at the back of the crowd. He could only watch Shen Yuan from afar and swallow down the words the moment they reached his lips.
……Shen Yuan had amnesia?
Or perhaps Shen Yuan had only forgotten him?
Very quickly, his question was answered because in the next moment, Shen Yuan looked at Duan Hongzhen and the others, frowning slightly, “Who are you?”
Duan Hongzhen froze, “Captain, don’t you remember us?”
Shen Yuan lightly glanced at Duan Hongzhen, “Should I know you?”
Duan Hongzhen was speechless for a moment but finally, Xue Junli spoke, “Don’t you remember us? Do you still remember who you are?”
Shen Yuan’s eyes sank, “…Me?”
“Who am I?”
So Shen Yuan had really lost his memory! And it’s was complete retrograde amnesia!
After learning the truth, Xiao Tangqiu didn’t know whether he should be relieved or worry for Shen Yuan. In this killing game full of cruelty and death, losing his memory obviously meant double the danger, but at the same time, a dark corner of his heart was glad Shen Yuan hadn’t forgotten him alone.
Yu Fuling asked incredulously, “Older brother Shen, you really don’t remember anything? You don’t remember us or who you are?”
Shen Yuan didn’t answer, his gaze mild and faint.
“Older brother Shen, I’m Sai Lulu and she’s Yu Fuling,” Sai Lulu tried to remind Shen Yuan. “He’s Xue Junli and he’s Duan Hongzhen… Do you remember us?”
Shen Yuan still didn’t respond. His gaze swept past Yu Fuling and Sai Lulu and landed on Xiao Tangqiu who was in the rear. His eyes were dark and deep, “Who are you?”
Before Xiao Tangqiu could answer, Xue Junli opened his mouth and interrupted their eye contact. “Although Shen Yuan woke up, he can’t remember anything now and it’s not convenient for him to receive visitors… So please go back first.”
Xiao Tangqiu froze; he didn’t expect Xue Junli to chase them off as soon as Shen Yuan woke up. Although he could also tell that in the presence of so many people, aside from Shen Yuan who had amnesia, the others obviously didn’t welcome him.
“But…”
Yu Fuling said coldly, “Please go back.”
Xue Junli looked at Duan Hongzhen and said, “Send the guests out.”
Duan Hongzhen raised an eyebrow and looked displeased, “Don’t order me around.”
“You shouldn’t have let them simply run around and enter Shen Yuan’s room,” Xue Junli said coldly. “Don’t you know how Shen Yuan’s condition is now? What if they have bad intentions?”
Duan Hongzhen snorted, “Isn’t the captain alright now? He even woke up?”
Xue Junli laughed coldly, “Nothing happened to Shen Yuan this time, but it’s not an excuse for your carelessness. What if something happens to him?”
Duan Hongzhen rolled his eyes at him, “Forget it, the captain finally regained consciousness. I won’t argue with you. I’ll send them back now ok?”
At this point, Xiao Tangqiu naturally didn’t have a reason to stay. Although Shen Yuan was still looking at him with a persistent gaze and seemed to be waiting for his answer, Shen Yuan’s teammates were like invisible barriers, layer upon layer standing between them.
Before being forcibly taken away by Duan Hongzhen, he seized the opportunity, opened his mouth and yelled, “Xiao Tangqiu! I’m Xiao Tangqiu…”
Shen Yuan paused for a moment, his expression darkening and his eyes seeming to roam about as he quietly repeated the name, “Xiao… Tang… Qiu…”
“Xiao Tangqiu…”
Shen Yuan’s voice was very soft, but in Xiao Tangqiu’s ears, it was a stone that stirred up a thousand waves.
He looked at Shen Yuan through the crowd as if he were in a trance… The way Shen Yuan called his name was too similar to Meng Xinghe, whether it was the p.r.o.nunciation or tone. But before he could react, he and Tang Mianmian were dragged away by Duan Hongzhen.
This time, nothing else happened and soon, they had returned to the doors of the building.
The robot at the front desk greeted them, “Are you going out, Mr. Duan Hongzhen?”
Duan Hongzhen casually responded, “Mmm, I’m seeing the visitors out. Let’s go.”
Xiao Tangqiu looked back at the elevator, sighed and followed Duan Hongzhen out of the building.
They crossed the busy streets again and returned to the front of the transmission array.
They were about to return to District D when Xiao Tangqiu asked Duan Hongzhen somewhat reluctantly, “How do we return the 200,000 points? You won’t give it away for nothing, will you?” As soon as he left, there wouldn’t be any reason or opportunity for him to see Shen Yuan. He could only grasp at straws.
Duan Hongzhen raised his eyebrows and seemed to recall the 200,000 points. “Although 200,000 points isn’t a lot, it’s still a sizeable amount so it’s only natural that you should repay your debt. But I don’t think you have it, do you?”
“Just because we don’t have it now doesn’t mean we won’t have it later,” said Xiao Tangqiu, gritting his teeth. “Won’t we have it after we complete a few more missions?”
Just then, Tang Mianmian, the innocent pa.s.serby, said, “Wait a minute! It wasn’t our wish to come to District S. You guys were obviously the one who brought us here by force! This debt of 200,000 points is so unfair!”
Duan Hongzhen arched an eyebrow. “But sooner or later you will come to District S… as long as you can make it out.”
“Then what if we die in the next instance?” Tang Mianmian puffed in anger.
Duan Hongzhen laughed, “That makes sense. Then, I’ll give you a discount. The both of you just have to return 100,000 points.”
Without even thinking, Tang Mianmian said, “100,000 is still a lot…”
Duan Hongzhen smiled, “Then, 10,000.”
Tang Mianmian pushed his luck, “A little less…”
Duan Hongzhen arched his eyebrow. “You’re still bargaining? Are you buying vegetables at the market?”