Amnesia

Wei Yin slept so deeply it felt as if she’d sunk into a soft quilt, one that had been dried warm beneath a whole day of sun. The scent of sunlight wrapped around her. She didn’t have to think about anything, didn’t have to fear anything; she only needed to close her eyes.

Shh, don’t speak. Just drift quietly into a sweet dream.

She even dreamed of her mother, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, and of the calico cat that had run away from home when it was three and a half years old and never came back.

It was still that residential building forgotten during the old neighborhood renovation; from the outside it looked like a filthy rag, but inside it was spotless.

The little home was neat and bright. Her young mother pulled a big box of candy from the cupboard and, counting the things Wei Yin had done as a “good girl” that week, handed them out to her one by one.

The calico hooked a paw around her mother’s pant leg and curiously peered into the box.

Tiny round sweets wrapped in colorful paper were handed out one by one, slowly piling up in the rosy little palm.

She picked one up, peeled off the bright wrapper, and put it in her mouth; sweetness instantly flooded her tongue.

Even the dream tasted like candy.

“Big sister, wake up. It’s time for rounds.”

Wei Yin woke to a child’s voice and stayed dazed for a long while before finally dragging herself back from the dream.

A sixteen-year-old girl was leaning over the bed, looking at her; she was a patient who had been admitted in the middle of the night.

Only then did Wei Yin realize how deeply she’d slept. Even after another roommate had come into the ward, she hadn’t woken up.

The girl said, “My name is Zhao Qi. I just started high school, so you can call me Qi Qi... Are you a college student?”

Wei Yin wiped her face with the wet tissue by the bed and sat up, trying to clear the fog from her head. “No, I’m twenty-six already. I graduated four years ago.”

Zhao Qi wore an expression that clearly said, You adults really do lie to children. “How is that possible? You look like you’re not even twenty.”

Wei Yin touched her own face, feeling something she couldn’t quite put into words. It was one of the side effects of underdeveloped glands. Gland hormones were one of the body’s important hormones; if they developed slowly, growth would be slow too.

So on the outside, Wei Yin looked very young. It wasn’t a good thing, but there was no need to explain too much.

“Thank you,” Wei Yin said sincerely.

Zhao Qi had a lively personality. She chatted with Wei Yin for a while, then turned to her own meal. After tasting the hospital’s nutritional food, her face immediately fell, and she called her mother to complain that the food was awful and that she wanted her mother’s cooking.

After hanging up, Zhao Qi saw that Wei Yin still hadn’t eaten and kindly asked whether she wanted her meal; one portion was still untouched.

Looking at Zhao Qi’s “sincere” face, Wei Yin shook her head. “No need.”

Zhao Qi pouted. “Hmph. I knew it tasted bad... So what are you eating? Ordering takeout? Does the hospital allow that? Are there any good places nearby?”

“No. Don’t order random takeout; it’s not healthy.”

Wei Yin braced herself against the bed and got up. She tended to have low blood sugar in the mornings and took a while to wake up; normally she would have needed another ten minutes or so before getting up, but Zhao Qi’s chatter had made it impossible to sleep any longer, so she could only get up to wash her face and brush her teeth.

While brushing her teeth, Wei Yin was still thinking about the phone call Zhao Qi had just made.

The unrestrained tone she used while complaining to her mother, the complete lack of worry that she might be refused, the matter-of-fact certainty—Zhao Qi was like countless other children who were spoiled by their mothers, able to act coquettish without restraint and ask for affection from their mother’s arms.

The hospital food really was bad, but Zhao Qi had a mother, so she could receive extra love.

The sound of running water quieted. Wei Yin dried her face, peeled off the medicated patch on her gland, and put on a fresh one.

She lowered her head and sorted through her emotions for a while, then rubbed her face in the mirror until a little color returned to her cheeks. Looking at her reflection, she curved her lips and forced out a small smile.

Then Wei Yin pushed open the door with that faint smile still on her face and saw Hua Yu standing by the bed with a lunch box in her hands.

Wei Yin’s smile bloomed at once.

Hua Yu hadn’t changed into a white coat yet. She was wearing a smoky pink outfit today, standing with her back to Wei Yin.

Only then did Wei Yin notice that Hua Yu had very fine curly hair. The ends fell below her shoulder blades, several distinct layers of curls hanging lazily down, casual and sexy all at once.

Hua Yu turned back, saw her, and her expression brightened slightly. She walked over and said, “Are you dizzy today? How did you sleep last night?”

“No dizziness. Everything was fine,” Wei Yin said honestly. “It’s been a long time since I slept this well.”

Hua Yu was clearly pleased to hear that and lifted the lunch box. “Eat first. I’ll go change.”

Wei Yin stopped her. “Have you eaten breakfast?”

The dishes in the lunch box were generous and nutritionally balanced. More importantly, they tasted good. Wei Yin couldn’t finish it all by herself; if Hua Yu hadn’t eaten yet, they could eat together.

Besides, seeing someone waiting for her as soon as she stepped outside with a lunch box in hand lifted Wei Yin’s mood a little. There was a kind of happiness she couldn’t explain, and she really wanted to share it.

Hua Yu lowered her head to look at Wei Yin’s hand around hers and pointed at the building across from them. “Staff cafeteria.”

“Oh.” Wei Yin let go quickly and smiled a little awkwardly but gratefully. “Then I’ll eat by myself.”

“Sis, sis, sis, sis, sis,” Zhao Qi’s voice came from the bed beside them. “Two big sisters, I can—I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.”

Wei Yin pulled the lunch box into her arms and played dumb. “Huh?” It seemed she still couldn’t share it. QAQ

Zhao Qi raised a hand and said to Hua Yu, “Big sister, are you this big sister’s girlfriend?”

Wei Yin: !?

What are you saying? That’s way too bold.

Wei Yin hurriedly looked at Hua Yu. Hua Yu’s expression barely changed; she remained calm and even walked to Zhao Qi’s bedside to glance at the patient information.

Zhao Qi spoke quickly. “You two lovebirds look so sweet. One gets sick, the other goes home to cook; three meals a day, lovingly made by hand... Ah, I’m so hungry, sob sob.”

“This is a customized patient meal; it was made by the hospital,” Wei Yin hurriedly explained. Sneaking a glance at Hua Yu, she said nervously, “And this is Dr. Hua, my attending physician. Don’t joke around like that.”

Hm?

Patient meal?

Made by the hospital?

Hua Yu looked at Wei Yin and deliberately said, “You look a little panicked while you’re explaining it.”

Wei Yin: !

Why was Dr. Hua joining in the nonsense too?

Zhao Qi couldn’t take it anymore and got up, heading for the door. “The sour smell of romance is too strong. I’m going out for some air.”

After Zhao Qi left, the ward fell silent for a full half-minute.

Wei Yin swallowed. “Dr. Hua, aren’t you going to change clothes?” Rounds were about to start.

Hua Yu pulled out a chair and sat down, clearly not intending to leave anytime soon.

Wei Yin lowered her head and poked at the custard bun with her chopsticks, her ears nearly red.

Hua Yu said, “When Zhao Qi mentioned a girlfriend just now, you didn’t look surprised.”

Wei Yin looked up instantly.

In modern society, same-sex love wasn’t especially stigmatized anymore, but it was still a minority. If someone was misunderstood about their orientation, the first reaction would definitely be to correct it.

Wei Yin choked on the fact that her orientation had been exposed and couldn’t say anything. The color on her face faded quickly. “I, girlfriend, I...”

“It’s fine,” Hua Yu said, not letting her struggle to explain. “There’s nothing wrong with liking girls.”

Wei Yin opened her mouth, and all the tension that had just risen vanished.

Hua Yu continued to probe. “But I need to understand your romantic history. Or rather, do you have a girlfriend now?”

Wei Yin froze for a moment and answered before her brain could catch up. “No.”

Only afterward did she realize the question was a little private.

Hua Yu nodded, then suddenly threw out the next question. “What about an ex-girlfriend?”

Wei Yin hesitated, then shook her head. “I can’t remember. I lost my memory in the second year after graduating college, when I was twenty-two; all at once, I lost five or six years of memories from before that. I don’t remember whether I dated anyone before then, and after that I was single.”

After speaking, Wei Yin glanced at Hua Yu. The other woman’s expression was complicated—relief mixed with annoyance, though both emotions were tightly controlled, as if something had been held back.

So that was why Wei Yin had ended up like this.

She’d actually broken up with Wei Yin right after graduation; all these years of hardship and poverty were because of that scumbag girl...

“Would dating affect my condition?” Wei Yin didn’t want the atmosphere to continue like this, so she asked.

Hua Yu let out a soft breath, stood up, and said in a calm, steady voice, word by word: “No. You’re fine now. You haven’t been marked, and you don’t remember what happened before... Mm, that’s just perfect.”