I Am Your Girlfriend

"Two-time winner of the Campus Goddess competition, undisputed top spot on the confession wall, the unattainable flower of Nanjiang University."

Jiang Liu handed the phone back to Li Shenyu, struggling to reconcile this abstract girl with those lofty titles.

These titles weren’t something Li Shenyu had made up herself—they were what Jiang Liu had seen on Nanjiang University’s official social media accounts.

And to be fair, Li Shenyu’s appearance did match the hype.

"What’s that look on your face? Like a hero trekking through mountains to rescue a damsel in distress, only to find her in the dragon’s lair tearing the beast apart with her bare hands."

"Nothing, really. I just lost my memory. Can you tell me about us?"

"Oh, there’s plenty to say. Like the time I took a sharp turn on my scooter and sent you flying into a ditch. Or when I ran away from home and you took me in—only to drag me to an internet café to play Fireboy and Watergirl all night. Or how you’d only take me to KFC on Thursdays..."

"Okay, okay, so we’re schoolmates, gaming buddies, and good friends, right?"

"A little more than just good friends."

Jiang Liu’s eyes lit up at that.

If she was such a close friend, she must know about his romantic history, right?

"Li Shenyu, right? So… how’s my luck with women?"

"So you only forgot the parts of your memory involving girls?"

"Yeah."

Since they were close enough to share KFC, Jiang Liu didn’t hold back and explained in detail.

"I remember most of my life, but there’s not a single memory involving girls. The doctor said it might just mean I wasn’t very popular with them."

Li Shenyu’s expression turned serious as she rummaged through Jiang Liu’s bedside drawer for an orange.

Then she shoved him off the bed and sprawled across it, propping her head up with one hand.

The roles of patient and caretaker had completely reversed.

"You’re sure you remember most of your life?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, my ass. Without me, your life would be a footnote."

"Come on, don’t joke around! Doctor Lin even started questioning my sexuality!"

Just then, the hospital room door swung open.

Doctor Lin walked in, holding test results, only to freeze when he looked at the bed. His eyes flickered with confusion.

"Wasn’t the patient here a man?"

"I’m right here, Doctor Lin."

"Oh, right. And this is…?"

Over the ten days Jiang Liu had been hospitalized, Doctor Lin had taken a keen interest in him.

He knew the guy barely had any visitors—just one unfamiliar man once, and his mother, who never missed a day bringing him food.

"Hello, Doctor Lin. I’m Jiang Liu’s girlfriend."

Li Shenyu grinned and even stood up to give a polite bow.

???

Doctor Lin scratched his head, stunned.

Wait, you’ve been hiding this from me?

You have a girlfriend?!

And she’s this gorgeous?!

"Just leave the test results here. Make sure to take them later."

"Will do, Doctor Lin."

The scene was oddly harmonious.

Sunlight streamed through the window of the summer-lit hospital room, where a classic comedy sketch, Selling Crutches, played on the TV. The boy sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for the doctor to leave, while the girl lounged on the bed, peeling the white strands off an orange segment with a bright smile.

Then she shoved one into Jiang Liu’s mouth.

Li Shenyu had the kind of face that screamed "first love"—pale, glowing, and paired with a personality so absurdly quirky it made her instantly likable.

Now curled up by the bed, she said:

"I know what you want to ask, but don’t. Yes, I’m your girlfriend."

"I was your first love. Forgetting me means forgetting everything about girls."

After finishing the orange, Li Shenyu pulled out her phone before Jiang Liu could ask more.

"Don’t ask. Just look."

A photo from an aquarium.

Jiang Liu and Li Shenyu stood side by side in an underwater tunnel, wearing matching black-and-white hoodies. Li Shenyu’s left arm was cocked back like she was about to punch a nurse shark through the glass, while her right arm was looped through Jiang Liu’s.

Above them, a stingray drifted by with a doofy grin.

From a couple’s photo perspective:

Subjects? Check.

Behavior? Check.

Location? Check.

Verdict: Definitely a pair of lovebirds.

Jiang Liu suddenly felt awkward, followed by a wave of crushing helplessness.

If you don’t know what you’ve forgotten, it’s like you never forgot at all.

If you’ve forgotten pain, you’d be relieved.

But if you’ve forgotten happiness? That’s just despair.

His expression mirrored the stingray’s goofy smile.

He had no idea what he and Li Shenyu were now.

"What’s with that face? Don’t tell me you’re about to pull some cheesy drama move—like breaking up with me out of misplaced guilt, then running into traffic to get hit by a truck in the rain."

"Of course not, haha."

Jiang Liu had absolutely considered it for a second.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. This woman might as well be a mind reader.

He probably never stood a chance lying to her before.

"Quit overthinking it, Jiang Liu. Forgetting isn’t the same as dying. Just focus on getting better, then get back to enjoying your sweet, sweet life."

"Then tell me more about the past later. Maybe it’ll jog my memory."

If she could brush it off, so could he.

He forced a smile and joked:

"Don’t dwell on the past."

"We’ll just relive everything we’ve done together."

Somehow, those words warmed him up—like his corpse had just regained a pulse.

"Alright. Are you leaving with me later?"

"I’ve got classes to get back to."

"Then you should go."

Li Shenyu hopped off the bed, swiped another orange from the drawer, and stuffed a segment into Jiang Liu’s mouth.

Grinning, she walked backward out of the room, waving.

...

Free of worries, Jiang Liu settled in to wait for his mom.

His phone had been obliterated in the accident.

The one he held now was his mom’s old hand-me-down—barely functional for calls and WeChat, let alone anything else.

Older folks never throw anything away.

If he wanted to fry an egg on his phone, he could try running a game on it.

After an eternity of loading, he pulled up Li Shenyu’s WeChat profile.

Her avatar was a corgi with a watermelon rind on its head—peak absurdity radiating from the screen.

Her Moments were packed with photos of them together:

The aquarium, a basketball court, a park, even—what the hell—a garbage dump.

Jiang Liu smirked.

Rediscovering these memories was way more fun than chasing new thrills.

His scalp tingled.

Like dead memories were ambushing him.

He stared at the photos, suddenly feeling like a lovesick teenager again, itching to reach out.

"Has your avatar always been this unhinged?"

"What, got a problem with a perfectly good years-old profile pic?"

"Not at all."

Jiang Liu switched his focus to the confession wall.

Since he was a regular on the confession wall, he probably wouldn’t have to scroll far to find something.

Sure enough, he spotted one almost immediately.

"Today, I used the excuse that a delivery guy needed the customer’s precise location to successfully add Li Shenyu on WeChat. Guess what? She deleted me after just one message!"

Jiang Liu nearly burst out laughing just from the title.

But the screenshot of the chat below was even more outrageous.

"Hey beautiful, can I be your simp?"

"Beautiful? (red exclamation mark)"

Then Jiang Liu casually glanced at Li Shenyu’s profile picture.

It wasn’t the "corgi with a watermelon rind on its head" he’d seen earlier.

Instead, it seemed to be a photo of Li Shenyu herself.

Jiang Liu didn’t think much of it, assuming she’d just changed her avatar on a whim.

With that in mind, Jiang Liu, lying in his hospital bed, decided to fiddle around with his own WeChat for fun.

But then, as if on cue, the unexpected happened.

The old A5 phone silently went black, refusing to turn back on no matter how much he messed with it.

"Damn this piece of junk."

"Stop messing with it. I got you a new one."

Jiang Liu suddenly looked up at the woman who had just walked in.

How the hell does everyone walk so quietly?

"And you are?"