Yan Qingxue’s expression struck Shen Guang as strange. Did she seem a little guilty?

Had she really lied?

“Um... Shen Guang, you saw the messages in the class group, right? I’ve cleared things up for you. I hope you won’t take what your classmates said to heart. They didn’t mean any harm!”

“You cleared things up?” Shen Guang was surprised. In the version of events he’d seen, there’d been no mention of anyone clearing things up.

In the game, Yan Qingxue had always kept quiet. Why was she speaking up for him this time?

When she met Shen Guang’s surprised gaze, Yan Qingxue’s cheeks turned faintly red, and her eyes instinctively darted away.

“Yeah. This whole thing had nothing to do with you. You were the one who chased that creep away for me, and he was the one who hit you on the head, too.”

So that was what had happened? Then why had Shen Guang been driven out of school because of rumors back then?

At the time, Yan Qingxue hadn’t spoken up for him, had she?

The more Shen Guang thought about it, the less sense it made. Was this a game bug, or was there something more going on?

But now that Yan Qingxue had explained what really happened to everyone, Shen Guang wouldn’t be driven out of school by the rumors.

The most deadly danger seemed to have been brushed aside with a single casual remark from Yan Qingxue.

Yan Qingxue stood with her hands behind her back, looking at Shen Guang, whose head was wrapped up so thoroughly it was hard to see any skin. She felt bad about what had happened, too.

After all, Shen Guang had been hurt because of her. She had to do something for him!

“Shen Guang, is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“Huh? Why are you asking all of a sudden?”

“You... you got hurt because of me, didn’t you? Besides, you’ve done so much for me. I’d feel awful if I didn’t do anything for you!”

The sincerity in the girl’s eyes put Shen Guang’s suspicions of Yan Qingxue to rest.

Sometimes, you could tell the truth just by looking into someone’s eyes.

The Yan Qingxue Shen Guang knew was only the version written in the game. But now that he’d met her in person, he could understand why she had so many admirers.

“It’s fine. My head just needs a little rest. You’re the one who shouldn’t blame yourself over this.”

As Yan Qingxue looked at the boy in front of her, she felt something strange stir inside her.

Shen Guang seemed much more mature than before.

But saying that to the person himself would’ve been rude, so Yan Qingxue kept the thought to herself.

.......

The days in the hospital were starting to get on Shen Guang’s nerves. He’d wanted to check himself out more than once.

But one certain girl coldly refused to let him.

“If you think you’re better, go run four hundred meters and come back. If you don’t die on the way, I’ll arrange your discharge.”

The girl’s merciless words made Shen Guang give up on the idea completely.

As if he could run four hundred meters with that wound! He’d probably be in agony before he even made it two hundred.

But from what Shen Guang had observed over the past few days, Lin Qingqian was a sharp-tongued girl through and through. Every time she opened her mouth, her words stung. She could tear him to shreds and make him feel completely useless.

But she cared about Shen Guang a lot. She really was the classic case of a sharp tongue and a soft heart.

“Hey, Lin Qingqian. You’re so famous at school. I bet you have tons of people chasing after you, right?”

“Not that many. Just one person per second while you were unconscious.”

Lin Qingqian put the washed grapes in a bowl, then set it where Shen Guang could reach it easily.

“So, is there no one you like?”

Shen Guang asked the question he was most curious about. In the game, he’d never heard of Lin Qingqian being linked to any guy. And as a player, he’d barely talked to her at the start. It was only after he kept pestering her and bringing up topics she was interested in that the two of them grew close.

But here, Lin Qingqian treated Shen Guang ridiculously well!

That was exactly why Shen Guang had asked.

But when Lin Qingqian heard his question, she looked at him in confusion, seeming almost unable to believe what she’d heard.

“Did you really hit your head that badly?”

“Uh... to be precise, I’ve lost part of my memory.”

“Shen Guang, this isn’t a joke. I’m getting a doctor to check you!”

Before Shen Guang could stop her, Lin Qingqian hurried out of the hospital room, looking extremely worried.

.......

“The initial diagnosis is temporary amnesia. It’s hard to say when he’ll recover. For now, have him look at things from your time together and get reacquainted with his past. That might help him remember.”

The doctor packed up his things, looking rather helpless.

“Listen, young man. Your girlfriend treats you so well. You’d better cherish her.”

“No, Doctor, we’re not...” Shen Guang started to explain, but Lin Qingqian cut him off first.

“Thank you so much for your help, Doctor. I’ll see you out.”

Lin Qingqian saw the doctor out and came straight back. She folded her arms across her chest, looking at Shen Guang with growing disbelief.

“I thought you were faking your amnesia. I didn’t realize you’d actually knocked your head silly.”

“Well, if you’re taking care of me, I don’t think it’s such a bad deal.”

“......What a smooth talker.”

Shen Guang opened his phone. The class group had started talking about him again.

[We were wrong to blame Shen Guang before.]

[Yeah. I can’t believe that’s what really happened. If Yan Qingxue had said something sooner, we wouldn’t have misunderstood.]

[You can’t really blame Yan Qingxue, either. She was a victim, too.]

The class group was full of people talking over one another, all seeming embarrassed that they’d blamed Shen Guang. But not a single person apologized to him.

Even the people who’d cursed him out before were now keeping quiet and pretending nothing had happened.

Shen Guang read through the chat history, but he wasn’t angry.

After all, that was just how people were. They piled on when everyone else did, then went quiet and changed the subject when the truth came out.

“Shen Guang, if you’re really that bored, go for a walk. Why are you glued to your phone every day?”

The girl walked in from outside. She seemed very unhappy to see Shen Guang on his phone.

But Shen Guang knew she was trying to keep him from seeing what was going on outside—especially in the class group.

She seemed to understand the school-class ecosystem all too well.

Shen Guang sat up in bed, propped his chin on one hand, and looked at Lin Qingqian with an amused smile.

“Lin Qingqian, I’ve noticed you care about me a lot. Could it be that you like me?”

Lin Qingqian didn’t bother explaining. She set down what she was holding, arched an eyebrow, and gave him a look that was almost a smile.

“Why don’t you look in a mirror and see what you look like right now? I think any girl you pulled off the street would want to stay as far away from you as possible.”

“But you’re the only one who cares about me so much~”

“......Looks like smashing your head has made you even more annoying.” Lin Qingqian’s icy gaze swept over him like a knife, making Shen Guang shudder.

Looks like this woman was a little angry...