Chapter 1: Amnesia — You lost your memory again?
Ye Zhen Zhen felt as if she had returned to her mother’s belly, as if she was submerged in water, her mind at rest and wanting to sleep forever.
A woman’s voice woke her up. Ye Zhen Zhen wanted to ignore her, but this unbearable woman was weeping. If her sleep hadn’t been very comfortable, she certainly would have punched the woman.
Immediately after, a man’s voice rang out. Although what he was saying was unclear, this cool, indifferent voice was like a churning mix of water and snow, washing over her all at once.
Ye Zhen Zhen was slightly curious, so she finally lifted her eyelids.
Nothing happened.
Gathering her strength, she tried again. This time, she was able to open her eyes a thin crack, but the dazzling light almost made her want to shut her eyes again.
A few shadowy people swayed in front of her, their outlines blurry. Ye Zhen Zhen, for a little while, didn’t know which one was the man who had spoken earlier. Gradually adapting to the indoor light, Ye Zhen Zhen opened her eyes, catching the gaze of a woman.
As if someone had flicked a power switch, the woman’s weeping suddenly stopped. The corners of her eyes still held tears when she practically threw herself at Ye Zhen Zhen’s body. “Zhen Zhen, you’re awake?!”
Ye Zhen Zhen felt a little pain from the woman’s collision. She raised an arm, wanting to push away this enthusiastic maternal aunt, but she was only able to lift a finger. The woman didn’t seem to have sensed her intention. Startled again, she happily looked at Ye Zhen Zhen. “Zhen Zhen, tell auntie; do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Auntie? Ye Zhen Zhen frowned. This strange woman was her auntie?
“Mrs. Sun, please let me through.”
It was the voice from before.
Ye Zhen Zhen looked up and saw a man dressed in a white labcoat walk over to her. Fluorescent light fell on his body, making him become somewhat dazzling.
He bent over, his black bangs dropping down with his movement. “Do you still remember what happened? Do you know who you are?”
He spoke with an emotionless and completely formal tone, but it made Ye Zhen Zhen somewhat enchanted upon hearing it. “I very much want to know who you are.”
The man paused for a second before rising back up. He bowed his head to look at the person on the hospital bed. “I’m Ji Zhe Yan, the doctor in charge of your case. Now tell me what your name is.”
“I’m called…”
What am I called?
Like competing in a marathon, even if she tried hard for a very long time, she ultimately had no choice but to give up midway. “Dr. Ji, I can’t seem to remember my name.”
Ji Zhe Yan didn’t react, unlike the woman standing to the side who immediately jumped up from the floor. “What?! You lost your memory again?”
Again? Ye Zhen Zhen carefully mulled over this word, feeling that there must be a story behind this.
The woman dashed towards the hospital bed, seemingly wanting to grab Ye Zhen Zhen’s shoulder to shake her awake.
This action, however, was prevented by a single look from Dr. Ji.
Embarra.s.sed, she withdrew her hand and returned to where she stood before. Ji Zhe Yan looked at Ye Zhen Zhen for a moment before saying, “You’re called Ye Zhen Zhen. You have had a medical history of amnesia.”
Ye Zhen Zhen wrinkled her brows and didn’t say anything. Could it be that losing my memory is a common recurrence?
“This is Mrs. Sun, your maternal uncle’s
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wife. Do you have any impression of this?”
Ye Zhen Zhen looked at the woman whom his slender finger was pointing at. She scanned the woman’s face once before shaking her head. “Nope.”
That woman’s mood became downcast at this word. She looked at Ye Zhen Zhen, her defeated mood clearly shining in her eyes. Her look made gooseb.u.mps rise on Ye Zhen Zhen’s body.
“Then, do you still remember what happened last night?”
Last night? Ye Zhen Zhen once again carefully pondered for a moment before realizing that, not just last night, but she was completely unable to remember what happened the night before last night as well. Raising her head, she subconsciously looked at Ji Zhe Yan. “What happened last night? Why am I in the hospital?”
Ji Zhe Yan also looked at her, his eyes very clear. It seemed as though nothing was able to cause them to ripple. “Is there anywhere on your body where you are feeling discomfort?”
Although he avoided her question, Ye Zhen Zhen still submitted to the doctor’s medical treatment. “My whole body feels uncomfortable. Very painful, especially my head.”
Ji Zhe Yan nodded. “You rolled down the stairs; the pain is very normal.”
Stairs? Ye Zhen Zhen mentally exclaimed. She had more questions she wanted to ask, but a knock sounded from the hospital room’s door.
Dong-dong. Two curt, powerful knocks sounded. Without even giving anyone time to say ‘please come in,’ the person already pushed open the door and entered.
“Police.” Two uniformed men entered. When they announced who they were, they flashed their ID, only to rapidly put it away.
“I heard that the patient had awoken, so I came to take a look.” The police officer on the left stepped forward. He was very tall, taller than Ji Zhe Yan. The police uniform accentuated his well-proportioned body. His long legs could crush South Korean oppas,1 causing Ye Zhen Zhen to subconsciously withdraw into her cover.
His gaze was piercing, like nothing would be able to hide secrets from him. She didn’t want to come into contact with this man.
Apart from Ye Zhen Zhen, her so-called auntie clearly also didn’t like him, as she had furrowed her brows upon seeing him enter.
Except for Ji Zhe Yan, the entire room was silent when facing this police officer. He glanced at the cowering little nurse standing in the corner before walking a few steps toward the doorway. “Officer Zuo, she might be unable to help you.”
Zuo Yi raised his eyes and shot a glance at him. “What do you mean?”
“She lost her memory.”
“Lost her memory?” Zuo Yi’s eyes clouded over as he ruminated on this. He looked at bedridden Ye Zhen Zhen, like a falcon observing its prey. “Miss Ye, you lost your memory?”
Ye Zhen Zhen hummed in agreement, her nod almost imperceptible.
Zuo Yi chuckled lowly. Turning to Ji Zhe Yan, he said, “Dr. Ji, did you know that us police officers may have more experience dealing with amnesiac patients than you? But that’s okay, I’m the best at dealing with amnesia.” Once he said this, he bowed his head to look at Ye Zhen Zhen. “Since Ms. Ye has lost her memory, then I will help you recover your memories. “Yesterday evening, the 13th of March, a murder happened in the Ye family mansion. The deceased was your maternal grandfather, Ye Hong Sheng, who had just turned 74 years-old this year. He met a violent death via two knife stabs to the chest. Your maternal uncle called the police, and we hurried to the scene of the crime. By then, you were already transferred to the hospital.”
Zuo Yi had continuously observed Ye Zhen Zhen’s facial expression whilst explaining. Since Ye Zhen Zhen didn’t remember anything, upon hearing that her maternal grandfather was killed, she was more shocked than grief-stricken. Once Zuo Yi had systematically laid out the scenario, Ye Zhen Zhen’s mouth finally moved. She only declared one line to him. “Why was I transferred to the hospital?”
“You rolled down the stairs, falling into a coma. We harbor tentative suspicions that the murderer had pushed you down the flight of stairs.”
Zuo Yi’s gaze was still locked onto her body, but she currently could no longer attend to her fear of him. There was a high possibility that the murderer had pushed her down the stairs because she had seen something.
“As such, you should know that your statement will be very important to us. It’s very likely that you have seen the murderer’s appearance.”
Ye Zhen Zhen pursed her lips, her complexion paling further. When Dr. Ji looked at her complexion, he turned his head to Zuo Yi, interjecting, “Officer Zuo, the patient needs her rest. Please leave.”
Zuo Yi didn’t pay attention to him, his gaze still fixated on Ye Zhen Zhen. He seemed to be searching her face for any signs of spider’s thread and horse track.2
“Officer Zuo, the patient needs her rest. Please leave.” Repeating himself with the exact same tone, the originally ineffable words became somewhat oppressive. Zuo Yi withdrew his gaze, glancing over at the doctor. His mouth turned down slightly. “Dr. Ji, can I speak with you for a moment?”
The expression that appeared on Zuo Yi’s face had successfully made numerous criminals collapse mentally, but this man in front of him still stared back, his face not even changing slightly in color. “If you want to chat, I’m not interested. If you’re asking for a statement, I’m willing to comply.”
Zuo Yi smiled, leaving Ye Zhen Zhen’s hospital room. Ji Zhe Yan followed him, leaving together. Suddenly, the only occupants left in the hospital room were Sun Qian and Ye Zhen Zhen. The moment the door closed, Sun Qian distinctly breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned toward Ye Zhen Zhen’s hospital bed. Ye Zhen Zhen’s eyes were very big, but her typically bright and lively gaze now appeared dark and dull. All smiles, she walked up and stroked Ye Zhen Zhen’s forehead. “Zhen Zhen, do you really not remember anything?”
Ye Zhen Zhen didn’t say anything and merely nodding her head. Sun Qian’s hand stiffened, but her smile remained on her face. “It doesn’t matter. Slowly, you will be able to remember. Is your belly hungry? Auntie will buy whatever you want to eat.”
Ye Zhen Zhen raised her eyes to look at her. She should be forty-years-old, but she appeared to be very young, at least ten years younger than her actual age. Delicate makeup decorated her face, and although the perfume on her body didn’t immediately attack the senses, it was still some kind of famous and valuable perfume.
A lady who lived like a prince.
This was Ye Zhen Zhen’s a.s.sessment of her. If this man said that this woman was her auntie, then it seems that the Ye family’s liquidity was very substantial.
“I’m not hungry. I still want to sleep for a while.” Ye Zhen Zhen somewhat tiredly closed her eyes. Sun Qian saw her current appearance and immediately nodded. She said, “Alright, sleep. Auntie will go buy you some food and wake you later on to eat.”
“Mn, thank you, auntie.” Ye Zhen Zhen truly seemed to be tired, as she closed her eyes the moment she finished talking. Sun Qian stood by her bedside and watched for a moment before turning around to leave the hospital room.
In the hallway, Zuo Yi just asked Ji Zhe Yan, “Did Ye Zhen Zhen really lose her memory?”
Ji Zhe Yan answered, “When she rolled down the stairs, her head received several hits. In addition, she might have discovered the crime scene and suffered excessive fright and stimulation. All of these factors are plausible causes for her to lose her memory.”
Zuo Yi subconsciously fished through his pockets and realized he was wearing his police uniform. He withdrew his hand. “Could she be pretending?”
“Amnesia is a very unusual illness. I am unable to give you a clear-cut medical definition, but,” Ji Zhen Yan glanced at Zuo Yi before continuing, “Officer Zuo has more experience than I concerning amnesia. Whether or not the patient has truly lost her memory, you should have an easier time diagnosing her than me.”
Zuo Yi looked at him and smiled. This was the first time he saw some emotion in Ji Zhe Yan’s eyes, even though it was mocking him.
“Thank you, Dr, Ji, for being cooperative.” Zuo Yi shook the other’s hand and left. Just as he exited the hospital, his partner nudged him with his elbow. “Leader, do you want a smoke?”
Zuo Yi looked at the cigarette in his hand and shook his head. “Forget it.” Just a moment ago, he had wanted to pull out a stick, but even though he had an urge to smoke right now, he didn’t feel like it.
Buzz—— Buzz——
In his pocket, his cell phone vibrated. Zuo Yi fished out his cell phone and glanced at it before connecting the call.
“Leader, just now, new information came in, but I don’t know if it’s of any use.”
“Report.”
“That person called Ye Zhen Zhen, she had lost her memory when she was 15 years old.”
Author’s Note:
Happy National Day, everyone! I’m back~!
Asking everyone to please support this new novel~~ Thank you in advance for the bookmarks, little angels~
PS: The female lead has my mama’s surname. As for the name, this author has recently seemed to have fallen in love with “Zhen Zhen.” This name… absolutely can’t stop laughing out loud at!
Brain finally came up with this short interview.
Officer Zuo: Dr. Ji’s remarkable! My smile had made countless criminals break down.
Dr. Ji: Your smile is very ugly. It truly makes people break down.
Officer Zuo: …