Dead Memories Make a Limited-Time Comeback, All Grown-Up Kids

"Pfft hahaha..."

"Ahahaha..."

"Qingchi, what kind of outrageous post is this?!"

"So naive, such a little girl trying to defy the heavens!"

"Qingchi from back then, did you awaken some special power or something?"

"..."

Chi Qingchi: "Oh come on~ I didn’t~ Ugh, my face is burning with shame~"

Maomao quickly interjected:

"That line... it’s actually a quote from the novel Zhu Xian."

Chi Qingchi, as if grasping a lifeline, nodded eagerly:

"Exactly! Maomao gets me."

"I loved reading it in middle school—it made me feel inexplicably pumped back then..."

Chi Qingshui chimed in with understanding:

"Oh, so that’s why your second post in 2009 said: 'Those who defy the heavens shall be struck down by them'... That’s also a line from the novel, right?"

The group: "Hahaha, it’s like a drama series..."

A sly glint flashed in Chi Qingchi’s eyes.

Amid the laughter, she had already opened her sister Chi Qingshui’s profile:

"Sisters by blood, but today, sis, don’t blame me for roasting you too..."

"Here’s one of your posts from 2009: 'The sea is boundless with the sky as its shore; atop the highest peak, I stand as the summit!'"

"Hmph~"

The moment these words were spoken.

The room fell silent.

The group: "..."

Lin Yu: "..."

So this is how a top student is forged—not in a day.

Even back then, she had the heart of a diligent scholar!

How is this a blackmail-worthy post?

It’s just a merciless taunt aimed at us average students!

Shen Buyao: "Boss Chi, you’ve had such a fierce attitude toward studying since childhood!"

Xia Yiwei: "The world of top students is truly terrifying!"

Chen Qimeng: "This post is actually pretty great."

"..."

Hearing the comments, especially Lin Yu’s thumbs-up, Chi Qingshui finally relaxed.

If even this post didn’t make her look childish, then no matter what Qingchi dug up next, it wouldn’t faze her.

Watching Qingchi’s frustrated expression, Lin Yu raised his glass and proposed:

"Since we’re all close friends here, how about we add each other on QQ and open our profiles to each other?"

"Only exposing the three of us classmates’ embarrassing pasts… isn’t really fair, is it?"

Chi Qingchi: "Lin Yu, you’re a hero!"

Chi Qingshui: "I agree."

Ye Mengfu: "Sure."

Mo Shangying: "I’m in too!"

Chen Qimeng: "..."

Xia Yiwei: "..."

Shen Buyao: "..."

Having their younger selves "streak" across the dinner table wasn’t something the younger crowd couldn’t handle.

But for those slightly older, it carried an inexplicable sense of shame.

Chen Qimeng: "I just feel like..."

Xia Yiwei: "Dead memories..."

Shen Buyao: "Are attacking me like crazy!"

After some bargaining, everyone finally took out their phones and added each other on QQ.

In no time.

The dinner table transformed into a lively melon field.

A pack of gleeful "melon thieves" went wild digging up the past.

Lin Yu, holding his phone, stared at the screen in shock:

"2006… Buyao-jie, you were in high school then, right? This post—I’m probably the only one brave enough to read it out loud."

"I , are you all idiots? Your mom is tired of dealing with your nonsense every day, I swear to !"

The group instantly bowed in reverence to the "Asterisk-Encrypted Warrior."

The fact that Shen Buyao had held back from cursing them all night showed inhuman levels of self-control.

Shen Buyao took a tactical sip of alcohol, muttering under her breath:

"That day… I guess I wasn’t in the best mood."

The group: "???"

This is what you call "not the best mood"?

If you were in a bad mood, would the entire post just be "beep beep beep beep beep"?

Mo Shangying, leaning on Ye Mengfu’s shoulder, teased:

"Look how gentle our little Fufu is..."

"Here’s a post from August 2008:"

"'The painting today is beautiful, the scenery is beautiful, and my mood is beautiful too.'"

Ye Mengfu shyly lowered her head, quickly closing the "Lin Yu’s Profile" tab to avoid Shangying’s prying eyes.

Chi Qingchi dramatically raised her phone:

"Yiwei-jie, your 2008 post is kinda scary..."

"'Got beaten by my sister again. Everyone in nursing class better watch out—today I’ve decided to randomly stab a lucky classmate!'"

The group: "!!!"

Xia Yiwei: "Heh, I was… also not in the best mood."

......

Drinks—alcoholic and otherwise—flowed freely.

Laughter never ceased at the table.

From an open space nearby, a sweet melody drifted over.

A couple with an electric guitar was performing for tips.

Passersby occasionally dropped spare change into the guitar case.

Shen Buyao, her cheeks flushed from drinking, strode over without hesitation.

She tossed in a 20-yuan bill, then clapped enthusiastically for the duo.

Returning to the table under everyone’s gaze, she shrugged nonchalantly:

"Nothing much. They just happened to play an old song I like."

"Sounded pretty good, so I figured I’d show some support. Let’s all listen together."

Under Shen Buyao’s lead, the table fell into rare silence.

Everyone tuned in to the couple’s performance.

A song old enough to be called "classic" by 27-year-old Shen Buyao carried a nostalgic weight.

Yet the young couple’s rendition infused it with fresh, modern energy.

Shen Buyao leaned against her chair, fingers swaying gently in the air as she hummed along:

"♪ You say I’m like a cloud, hard to hold~~♪ But you don’t understand my heart~~♪"

"♪ You say I’m like a dream, now near, now far~~♪ But you don’t understand my heart~~♪"

"♪ You say I’m like a riddle you can’t solve~~♪ But I hide my true feelings behind indifference~~♪"

"..."

Later that night, Shen Buyao had to leave early to open her shop.

So she’d already changed into her "Treasureless Pavilion owner" outfit—

A moon-white gradient mandarin-collar blouse with billowing sleeves, paired with a crimson pleated skirt.

Amid the lively, rustic street, she sang softly, lost in the music.

For a fleeting moment.

Lin Yu found himself mesmerized.

This version of Shen Buyao.

Seemed to have shed her usual sharp edges.

Her serene, carefree demeanor radiated both freedom and… loneliness.

Was it the alcohol?

Even the sweltering night breeze seemed to hush, turning gentle and calm.

Resting her chin on her arms, Shen Buyao murmured:

"Old songs are so beautiful… so why do people stop listening?"

"Games used to be so fun… so why do they suddenly fade away?"

"That QQ we’d keep logged in for hours just to level up… why does no one come online anymore?"

"Heh..."

As someone who’d lived through the entire evolution of online socializing, Lin Yu felt her words pierce right through him.

Softly, he replied:

"Maybe they didn’t stop listening, playing, or logging in… Maybe they just grew up."