“Hmm… ‘Kafka’s Collected Works’, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, ‘The Three-Body Problem’.”
“Oh my god! Ori—”
“The Circle of Justice.”
Su Qing flipped through the books on his bookshelf; without exception, he could recite every single one. This recitation didn't come from memory.
It was as if these books inherently existed in Su Qing’s mind, and his recitation was merely him opening the book in his mind and reading it aloud.
So, from this perspective, it truly wasn't a problem of memory.
“Hmm, could it be that I’m some peerless master with an eidetic memory?”
But just as Su Qing was thinking this, a knock sounded on his door. Without guessing, it was his Sister knocking.
“Come in,” Su Qing called out.
Soon, Wen Menghan opened the door and walked in with a smile:
“Brother, dinner will be ready soon.”
Su Qing smiled faintly and nodded:
“Got it, you’ve worked hard.”
Hearing his Brother’s praise, Wen Menghan immediately smiled sweetly, then moved closer to her Brother and took out her phone from her pocket:
“This is your phone, Brother, but because of the repairs, all the data inside was corrupted. I got you a new SIM card, Brother, so you can use this for now.”
Su Qing took the phone and examined it. There were no signs of damage to the screen or back cover. He turned on the screen and sighed:
“Sure enough, there’s no data…”
Su Qing had originally hoped that information on his phone might give him a rough idea of his social circle or his preferences.
But now, it seemed there was no hope.
Su Qing opened the contacts and found one already saved as “Sister.”
He looked at Wen Menghan, and his Sister immediately nodded in affirmation.
So, Su Qing didn’t say much more. He looked at his Sister and then spoke:
“Xiao Han… I can call you that, right?”
Wen Menghan’s eyes immediately lit up, and she nodded quickly:
“Yes, you can.”
“Can you tell me about before I lost my memory? What kind of person was I?”
Hearing this, his Sister smiled slightly and then sat down next to her Brother:
“Brother is a very gentle person. When I came to seek refuge with Brother, I was actually very scared. What would I do if Brother wasn’t willing to take me in?”
“But after I knocked on Brother’s door, Brother just listened to my story once and decided to take me in. I know I must have been a bother to Brother, but even so, Brother still took me in. So, such a gentle Brother must be a gift from heaven…”
Listening to his Sister’s description, Su Qing had many questions.
“Besides that? What was my usual source of income? What about my social connections?”
If it was truly as Wen Menghan said, and Su Qing had moved out on his own a long time ago, then it was impossible for him to have no source of income; otherwise, it would be difficult to live in such a neighborhood in this city.
Wen Menghan explained:
“Brother told me before that at first, Brother’s parents would send him money every month. Later, Brother would also find some part-time jobs, so Brother’s life wasn’t too tight.”
“As for social connections…” Wen Menghan thought for a moment, then shook her head slightly, “Brother didn’t tell me about that, and I’m not too sure.”
Hearing his Sister’s words, Su Qing sighed and leaned his head back on the chair.
Why does it feel like as soon as I lost my memory, all the points that could help me find it are gone…
He looked at his Sister, smiled, and instinctively ruffled his Sister’s hair:
“Okay, I understand. You’ve worked hard these past few days. Brother will definitely compensate you well if he gets the chance.”
Although his memory was missing, Su Qing still felt some affection for his Sister; after all, she was his Sister.
There probably isn’t a boy in the world who wouldn’t like such a well-behaved Sister.
...
After dinner with his Sister, his Sister held Su Qing back and went to clear the dishes herself:
“Brother just needs to rest. I usually do these things.”
“Is that so…” Su Qing looked at Wen Menghan, a little surprised.
“Yes,” Wen Menghan nodded and smiled, “This was agreed upon with Brother before. Brother took me in, and I help Brother with housework. Just leave everything at home to me.”
“Hmm…” Su Qing nodded somewhat blankly. Although he felt a bit sorry for his Sister this way, since it was a previous agreement, Su Qing didn’t plan to change anything.
Watching his Sister’s practiced movements, Su Qing poured her some tea and said:
“By the way, do you know which class I’m in at Jiangcheng University?”
Hearing this, his Sister’s movements froze. She turned to look at Su Qing:
“How did you know, Brother? Did you remember something?”
Su Qing shook his head, a little helpless:
“I have a jacket in my closet. Although it’s not a school uniform style, it has a ‘Jiangcheng University’ logo on the chest. I’m twenty this year, and according to normal academic progress, it is indeed time for me to go to university. My memory… although it’s a bit boastful, it should be pretty good, so my grades shouldn’t be bad. Therefore, a key university like Jiangcheng University also fits my guess.”
Wen Menghan looked at Su Qing, her brow subtly furrowing.
Here it comes again, Brother’s terrifying insight, coupled with his Hyperthymesia. It seems I can’t be careless just because he lost his memory.
So Wen Menghan smiled slightly and nodded to Su Qing:
“Yes, Brother is indeed at Jiangcheng University. I’ve helped Brother take leave during this time, so don’t worry, Brother.”
Su Qing paused for a moment, then nodded:
“Thank you. So, do you know which class I’m in? You should have told me about this before, right?”
“Yes, Brother is in…”
Wen Menghan truthfully recounted Su Qing’s basic student information. It was worth noting that Wen Menghan observed that during her narration, Brother’s brow subtly twitched.
But after she finished, Su Qing didn’t press for more, merely nodding:
“Hmm, very detailed, I roughly understand. Your tea is on the table, remember to drink it. I’m going back to my room now.”
“Okay, Brother, get some rest.”
“You too.”
After the Brother and Sister finished their conversation, they each went about their own business, yet both harbored different thoughts.
Wen Menghan finished washing the dishes, tidied the table, and then went to the balcony to collect the clothes.
Outside the window, the night was dappled. Wen Menghan looked at the distant twinkling lights, her eyes dark and unreadable.
His Sister had already tidied her Brother’s room before he entered it. All of his medical records and other items related to his illness had been moved by Wen Menghan to her own room, so Su Qing currently just simply believed he had a good memory.
Next, to prevent her Brother from thinking about unpleasant things from the past again, she would need to do more “work.”
Su Qing sat on his computer chair and pulled open his drawer. Inside was a wallet. Su Qing opened it, and besides some loose change, there were a few cards.
The first was Su Qing’s ID card. Su Qing compared it to the photo on the ID and confirmed it was him.
Then came his student ID. Su Qing flipped it over and saw that it was indeed a Jiangcheng University student ID, nothing wrong with it.
However, Su Qing looked at the last card, which was a bank card. A string of numbers, likely the password, was taped to it with a sticky note.
Su Qing took out his phone, downloaded some essential apps, then entered the bank card number and password on his phone, wanting to see if it was his card.
“But, in this day and age, I still have the old habit of using a wallet.”
Thinking this, Su Qing imagined what kind of person he used to be while taking a sip of tea.
The phone screen changed, finally displaying the card’s balance—300,000!
“Pfft—” Su Qing spat out all his tea.
...