It seems that Su Cheng has found the answer

Hearing these words, Gu Ruoxue nodded silently before adopting a thoughtful expression. After a moment of contemplation, she finally spoke: "So, you're asking me to help clean up this mess for you?"

"No, I'm just explaining. I can handle it myself."

Though Su Cheng had considered seeking help, he dismissed the idea of asking outright. His approach was to meet challenges as they came—like water meeting earth. Still, if external assistance was offered, he wouldn't refuse the chance to leverage it.

For instance, the third, fourth, and now the fifth situation before him. But relying too much on others wasn't ideal, so he preferred to resolve things on his own whenever possible.

Beside him, Gu Ruoxue lowered her head slightly, deep in thought, as if carefully selecting her next words.

Eventually, she spoke again: "It's clear you've already rejected her. But this situation stems from your ambiguous, indecisive attitude."

Su Cheng listened quietly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

After all, he had once declared that he wouldn't date during his studies.

Yet this very stance had left room for misinterpretation, making it seem as if he was deliberately stringing Xuan Ying along.

"If you don't cut it off at the root, things will only escalate until they become irreparable," Gu Ruoxue said, glancing at Xuan Ying in the distance. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before walking forward, her words measured and deliberate. "From the perspective of those around you—and Xuan Ying herself—there shouldn’t be any generational gap between you. And given Xuan Ying’s beauty, background, and family status, I can’t imagine you’d have any reason to dislike her."

"So, why then?"

Gu Ruoxue stopped and turned to Su Cheng, her gaze laden with meaning.

Su Cheng stiffened. The question was lethal—because, deep down, the truth was that he already had an ideal person in mind, which was why he kept Xuan Ying at arm’s length.

This was entirely his own internal struggle.

But admitting that was out of the question. He couldn’t voice it openly, and after much deliberation, he still couldn’t find a suitable answer.

Wait—

No, that wasn’t right.

Initially, he had believed he wasn’t good enough.

He couldn’t reciprocate those feelings.

Back then, he had nothing.

So, he had prioritized his studies and asked Zhao Yan to relay his refusal.

Yet now, Gu Ruoxue seemed to be peering into his current thoughts and emotions. He had to refute her.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke with conviction: "From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem as you say. But that doesn’t change my decision to reject her. At first, I was just a poor kid from the countryside with nothing to my name. I knew my place—that we were worlds apart. I admired her beauty, but I couldn’t bring myself to like her. So when she pursued me, I knew it was wrong. That’s why I refused, prioritizing my studies."

His explanation seemed like a justification, but beneath it lay the implication that he had rejected her early on without any ulterior motives—no comparisons, no hidden preferences.

"Is that so?" Gu Ruoxue blinked, half-convinced.

"Right now, I just want to enjoy the simplicity and peace of campus life. My heart remains that of the child from a poor mountain village—shy, cautious, humble, unable to express my true feelings, and afraid to respond to others’ emotions. But that’s fine with me."

Su Cheng sighed again.

These words weren’t just for Gu Ruoxue; they were also a reminder to himself. He needed this narrative to reinforce his resolve.

Stay true to your roots.

What’s the point of dating, anyway?

If he really got into a relationship, he wouldn’t be able to hang out with everyone freely anymore!

At that moment—

The setting sun bathed his shoulders, as if he were a free man.—"Su Cheng’s Redemption"

"Why are you making such a weird gesture?"

Gu Ruoxue pointed at Su Cheng, who had suddenly spread his arms wide as if embracing the sunset, and asked with amusement.

"I—I was just stretching out of habit."

Su Cheng’s face flushed slightly as he shook his head and stretched again. Then he added, "Still, thanks for the advice. I know what to do now."

As soon as he finished speaking, she gave a barely perceptible nod before heading straight for the club building.

Su Cheng followed closely behind.

They walked in silence until they reached the clubroom.

Inside, bathed in the glow of dusk, Gu Ruoxue busied herself at the computer. The rhythmic clacking of keys suggested she was wrapping up today’s tasks.

Su Cheng sat nearby, watching her quietly.

She never brought up what had happened between them in middle school. Even if he tried, she would deflect. Yet outside of that, she was blunt to the point of discomfort—as if she could see right through him, posing one sensitive, near-fatal question after another.

Each time, he was pushed to the brink before barely managing to escape unscathed. But with every exchange, he grew more adept at handling her.

Then, as the club bell rang, they clashed again.

"How am I different now compared to before?"

Su Cheng posed the question, expecting her to either ignore it or pretend she hadn’t heard. But this time, she hesitated.

Gu Ruoxue looked up and met his gaze. "What do you think?"

Now it was his turn to freeze.

Why was she asking him this?

It was a rhetorical question.

He had changed drastically.

Why make me say it?

Those simple words carried too much weight.

Countless thoughts raced through Su Cheng’s mind. Did she think the question was too stupid? Was she telling him to ask something else?

Suppressing his rising agitation, he cleared his throat and asked, "Then… am I missing something?"

Judging by Gu Ruoxue’s attitude toward him, it didn’t seem like he was a transmigrator. If her boyfriend’s body had been taken over by a stranger, how could she still chat with him so casually?

Besides, she was too rational to treat him as a mere replacement.

So, perhaps he wasn’t a transmigrator…

But someone who had lost his memories!

Given the existence of the system, this logic made perfect sense.

"Missing something…"

Gu Ruoxue studied him, tapping a finger against her lips as if searching for the right word.

Su Cheng’s heart pounded, his nerves stretched thin as he stared at her, waiting.

Finally, she uttered three words: "Hmm, a brain cell."

"Wait, what?"

Su Cheng was dumbfounded.

What kind of answer was that?

No—

The biggest difference between him and Gu Ruoxue was their separation.

Could those three words be interpreted separately too?

"Lacking a screw loose," on the surface, refers to someone who is inflexible and stubborn in their ways.

But upon closer reflection, if we break it down:

"Lacking" means insufficiency—deficiency, absence, regret, shortcoming, omission.

"Root" represents the origin of things—the source, the reason, the foundation, knowing the ins and outs.

Heidegger once said in his magnum opus, Being and Time: "Man is a temporal being."

If explained philosophically, this might sound convoluted. But the gist is that the essence and root of human existence is memory. The relationship between being and time is, in fact, memory.

Two rounds of questioning, and now only the first two of these three characters remain separate...

If his analysis holds...

Then—

Am I really missing memories...!?

Suddenly, Su Cheng came to a realization. Unfortunately, this was still just his speculation—he had no proof.

And the other party had promised someone not to reveal this matter.

As for who that "someone" was...

At this thought, his mind suddenly grew hazy.

Fragmented images began piecing together in his mind like a jigsaw puzzle, slowly forming a face—his own.

It was a gaunt, malnourished face, with sallow, dry skin and an air of exhaustion between the brows. Yet the eyes were unusually resolute, brimming with intense longing and expectation for himself.

It was his past self.

"Alright."

At that moment, Gu Ruoxue tidied up the desk, stood up, clapped her hands lightly, straightened her clothes, and looked at Su Cheng across from her.

Su Cheng quickly snapped out of it and composed himself. "Director, I still don’t have your contact info."

He decided not to press further about his memories—after all, she was about to leave. Though he had begun to sense something, now wasn’t the time for answers.

Today, he had completed the request and gotten a clue. That was enough for now.

He could wait until next time.

"Hm? You want my phone number?" Gu Ruoxue tilted her head, blinking. "I don’t have anything else."

"Wha—? Nothing?!..." Su Cheng repeated dumbly, only now realizing that this director seemed to have never used a phone or anything like that!

"Then how do your family and friends usually reach you?"

He couldn’t help but ask—this situation struck him as utterly bizarre. He could understand Ji Qingyi not using one, but Gu Ruoxue too?

"Phone number and the practice department’s email." She pointed at the computer screen. "I check my inbox."

"Then... your phone number?"

Su Cheng had no choice but to settle for this, just to make future communication easier.

As soon as he finished speaking, she walked straight to her bag. After rummaging for a while, she pulled out a non-smart flip phone—well cared for, but Su Cheng guessed it had been used for nearly a decade.

"Here."

She flipped it open, tapped a few buttons, and suddenly Su Cheng’s phone rang. He pulled it out to see an unknown number.

Su Cheng: "..."

"Remember to lock up when you leave."

With that reminder, she turned and walked away with light steps.

Su Cheng stared blankly at Gu Ruoxue’s retreating figure until she disappeared, then slowly looked down at the missed call on his screen.

So she already had his number...

He sighed, saved the contact, and stood up to leave.

Outside, the sky had darkened.

The sunset painted the horizon, its afterglow enveloping the city.

The evening breeze was cool, and streetlights were sparse.

Su Cheng pushed his bike step by step along the school path, occasionally passing classmates heading home after club activities. They exchanged faint smiles and nods.

........................

Nearly 6 PM.

When he got home, he was surprised to find Cornelia absent—only Yaya was on the sofa, watching TV.

At the same time, the TV’s audio reached his ears:

["Crows belong to the Corvidae family of songbirds. They have long been the masterminds of avian crime, cast as villains in folklore."]

["April is the breeding season for crows. Look at this footage—this crow is mounting another. Unfortunately, they lack genitalia, so they cannot engage in penetrative intercourse. Instead, they simply press their cloacal regions together like this—"]

"Holy shit, watching crow porn!?"

Su Cheng blurted out in shock.

Yaya, who had been engrossed, flapped her wings in alarm, circling midair a few times before hastily landing back on the sofa. She then tapped the remote with a tiny claw, turning off the TV.

"Uh... I’m going to my room."

Faced with this awkward situation, Su Cheng had no idea how to react. He retreated into his bedroom and shut the door.

Outside, the TV turned back on, but the sound was muffled now. Su Cheng couldn’t be bothered to care.

He tossed his bag onto a chair and flopped onto the bed, folding his arms behind his head as a new question surfaced in his mind:

The question of Yaya’s gender...

And if the system rewarded him with a Shapeshifting Pill—

Would she turn into a cold, alluring beauty in black stockings?

Knock knock~

Just then, his phone vibrated abruptly.

He picked it up to see a message:

[Cornelia]: "My mom hired me a tutor!"

[Cornelia]: "I don’t want one!"

[Cornelia]: "Find a way to get rid of her!"

[Cornelia]: "Please!?"

[Cornelia]: "Pretty please!"

Su Cheng blinked at the sudden side quest, then twitched his lips.

This pitiful SOS...

But how could he help with this?

Especially since the tutor was a woman.

Ruining someone’s livelihood is like killing their parents—let alone when they’ve been formally hired. Could he really force her to quit?

[Cornelia]: "Sniff~ I know you’ll help me!"

[Cornelia]: "She’s coming to my house soon!!"

Su Cheng rubbed his temples and finally decided to refuse, typing out a reply: "I can’t help with this. If you have concerns, discuss them with your family."

Almost instantly, Cornelia responded with a string of ellipses, followed by another crying emoji.

He knew Cornelia had swallowed her pride to ask him—this was her last resort. Telling her to negotiate with her mom was clearly impossible.

So, predictably, Cornelia’s next message shattered what little resolve he had left.

[Cornelia]: "This tutor used to work at my mom’s firm! She always leered at me—she’s definitely after my looks and body!"

Su Cheng’s eye twitched. He quickly replied, "Isn’t she a woman?"

"No, she’s a LESBIAN!!!"