Chapter 44: Fifth Day After Recovering Memory

Bei Huai was utterly dumbfounded.

She drifted along like a ghost, her gaze vacant and unfocused, oblivious to her surroundings as Jiang Wan led her by the hand.

It wasn’t until they stood at the entrance to Mother Jiang’s Flower Shop that she suddenly snapped back to reality.

But they were on someone else’s turf now, so she couldn’t very well demand answers. She could only follow Jiang Wan silently into the shop.

The moment she stepped inside, a rich, intoxicating floral fragrance enveloped her, refreshing her very soul.

It was as if she were wandering through an ocean of flowers.

The shop’s elegant and generous layout perfectly matched Mother Jiang’s personality, pleasing to the eye in every way.

“Mom.” Jiang Wan was the first to speak, greeting Mother Jiang, who was busy trimming flower stems.

“What brings you here all of a sudden today?” Mother Jiang turned, delighted yet puzzled to see her daughter. Her gaze then shifted to the girl standing beside Jiang Wan, and her expression faltered for a moment.

“Who’s this?”

“Mom, this is my friend, Bei Huai. She’s a genius at physics, so I asked her to tutor me today. It’s right nearby, so we figured we’d stop by.” Jiang Wan beamed as she walked over and affectionately hooked her arm through Mother Jiang’s.

“Hello, Auntie.” Bei Huai nodded politely.

“So you’re Little Wan’s friend. Thank you so much for helping her with her studies today. Come, sit down—I’ll get you some water.” Mother Jiang’s attitude was warm and welcoming.

“Thank you, Auntie, but I’m not thirsty.”

“Oh, don’t stand on ceremony with me, child.” Without another word, Mother Jiang pressed a cup of tea into her hands and set out a few plates of snacks as well.

Bei Huai had no choice but to sip the water, using it to steady her nerves.

“By the way, there was a nasty car accident at the Xin’an Street intersection earlier. Did you two see it on your way over?” Mother Jiang glanced curiously at them both.

Jiang Wan hesitated for a beat before answering. “We saw it. It was pretty bad.”

Her response was curt, a clear sign she didn’t want to dwell on the topic.

Almost instinctively, Bei Huai’s mind flashed back to that kiss from before.

Her body went rigid, and she chugged the water to mask her reaction.

Mother Jiang’s sharp eyes caught it, and she chided her affectionately. “You say you’re not thirsty, and now look at you. Hold on, I’ll get you a refill.”

Bei Huai fell silent for a moment.

Truth be told, she wasn’t thirsty—in fact, she was starting to feel bloated.

But all she could do was politely hand back the cup. “…Thank you, Auntie.”

“I heard from some folks passing by that one of the cars had brake failure. Everyone from both vehicles ended up in the hospital. I hope they’re all okay. And there was a child in the car that got hit—what a senseless tragedy.”

Mother Jiang’s face was etched with sorrow. As a mother herself, nothing pained her more than seeing children suffer.

“Man-made and natural disasters are unavoidable. I hope they all make it through.” Bei Huai lowered her gaze and spoke solemnly.

Jiang Wan hung her head, saying nothing, her mood visibly dampened.

A flicker of doubt stirred in Bei Huai’s heart.

Earlier, when Jiang Wan had lost control at the scene, Bei Huai had assumed it stemmed from some past trauma—maybe the girl had been in a car accident herself, or witnessed one involving loved ones.

But now, watching Auntie Jiang discuss it so freely without a hint of unease, that theory began to crumble.

Fortunately, Mother Jiang let the subject drop after a few more sighs and turned to Bei Huai with a kind smile.

“Bei, are you in the same class as our Little Wan?”

Bei Huai sat up straight. “Yes. We’re deskmates.”

“Then we’ll be relying on you a lot from now on. Little Wan could really use your help with physics.”

“It’s no trouble at all. Classmates should help each other out. Besides, Wan—er, Jiang Wan has taught me plenty about English.” Bei Huai chose her words with exquisite care, as if every syllable required deep thought.

By the end of those few exchanges, her palms were slick with sweat, though her face betrayed nothing.

Jiang Wan watched from the side, fighting back a grin.

Bei Huai was doing a fine job of hiding it—Mother Jiang not noticing was hardly surprising. But Jiang Wan could see the awkward tension lurking in the depths of her eyes.

She sat so rigidly upright that anyone might think she was about to deliver a public speech.

This version of Little Bei was both refreshingly novel and utterly endearing.

In her previous life, Jiang Wan had met Little Bei far too late. She’d had no chance to be part of her past and could only focus on the present and future.

Back then, Little Bei had been gentle and unflappably steady, even in the face of her parents’ fierce opposition to their relationship. She’d stayed calm and collected, going so far as to comfort Jiang Wan instead.

It had left her exasperated yet charmed.

This time around, rebirth had gifted her a glimpse of Little Bei’s other side.

But whether it was the green, uncertain Little Bei or the seasoned, world-weary one…

As long as it was her Little Bei, she loved her.

Lost in her recollections, Jiang Wan blinked and realized the conversation had shifted to her.

“Bei, since you and Little Wan are friends, do you know if she has anyone she likes at school? This girl was making chocolates and bracelets not long ago. I refuse to believe there’s nothing fishy going on.”

“Mom!” Jiang Wan called out helplessly.

Mother Jiang covered her mouth and laughed. “See? I barely said anything and she’s already getting worked up.”

Recipient of chocolate · Bei Huai · Recipient of bracelet: “……”

She silently tugged at her sleeve, hiding the bracelet on her wrist even deeper.

She was glad she’d worn long sleeves today.

They lingered a little longer at the flower shop, but Jiang Wan still had homework to do.

Mother Jiang walked them to the door and smiled at Bei Huai. “Come visit our home next time you have a chance.”

“Definitely,” Bei Huai replied with a smile.

After saying goodbye to Mother Jiang, the two headed to the bus stop.

Along the way, Bei Huai started to speak several times but always swallowed her words at the last second.

She was afraid the answer wouldn’t be what she hoped for. Afraid she was just being overly hopeful.

Even more afraid that piercing this fragile barrier would ruin even their friendship.

When it came to romance, Bei Huai was far more insecure and timid than she let on.

To be blunt, she couldn’t believe Jiang Wan would ever like someone like her.

She genuinely felt no one could ever like a person like her.

Jiang Wan had been waiting patiently for Bei Huai to ask, but she never did.

With a sigh, Jiang Wan turned to her and probed gently, “Don’t you want to ask me anything?”

Bei Huai fell silent for a few seconds before hesitating, “Um… your bus is here.”

Jiang Wan: “……”

She ignored the bus pulling up to the stop and let it drive away.

She’d figured it out—Little Bei at this age was a master at bottling things up.

But that was fine. If Little Bei couldn’t bring herself to ask, then she would.

“So, don’t you want to know why I kissed you?” she asked point-blank.

Bei Huai hadn’t expected such directness—her face flushed crimson in an instant.

Though she was shy and nervous to her core, she forced herself to stay calm. “Wh… why?”

Jiang Wan stifled a laugh, cleared her throat, and locked eyes with the girl’s deep gaze. Solemnly, she said, “But first, you have to answer my question.”

“Did you hate it when I kissed you?”

“What kind of question is that?!” Bei Huai sputtered, convinced from the bottom of her heart that Jiang Wan was just toying with her.

“So… that means you did hate it?”

Jiang Wan put on a wounded expression.

“No!” Bei Huai raked a hand through her hair, frustrated. No matter what she said, it felt wrong.

“Got it.” Jiang Wan curved her lips in a soft smile, letting Bei Huai off the hook.

“Now it’s my turn to answer.”

With that, she closed the distance between them, one step at a time.

Then she wrapped her arms gently around Bei Huai.

Bei Huai went rigid, not daring to move a muscle.

“This is my answer,” Jiang Wan murmured, tilting her head up to whisper in her ear.

What kind of answer was this? Bei Huai had no idea.

But the next second, she understood.

Because Jiang Wan said,

“As you can see.”

“I like you.”

For a long time… as long as two lifetimes.