Lingering Game
Lingering Game chapter 1

Jing Tian vaguely remembered the last scene he saw before falling down the stairs.

The swaying figures, the flying phone, the slightly yellowed ceiling, and then it was pitch black.

When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on a not-so-soft bed.

The room was brightly lit, and after lying quietly for a few seconds in the dizziness, he tried to sit up.

This movement brought some discomfort to him.

His mind was groggy, and there was a dull pain in his shoulders.

When he tried to exert force, a strange sensation came from a certain part that he had never felt before.

This must be from the fall, he thought.

The interior decoration style was obvious; this was a clinic.

Jing Tian couldn’t help but feel a little confused.

He remembered falling in the school corridor, but now, the place he was in was completely different from the school clinic he remembered.

Subconsciously, he reached out to scratch his head, but soon slowed down his movements because he unexpectedly touched something beyond his expectations.

On his ears, he wore small, hard objects with a metallic touch, not just one.

Strange, when did he get so many ear piercings?

After a brief moment of confusion, he turned around to look for his glasses on the low cabinet near the window, but found nothing.

Soon, he realized that it was unnecessary.

His vision was clear, as if his 500-degree myopia had been completely cured.

What on earth was going on?

Gradually sinking into panic amid the chaos, Jing Tian was about to call out loudly when the door to the clinic was opened, and a person walked in.

The person appeared to be around twenty years old, with slightly longer hair for a guy. When he saw Jing Tian, he showed a pleased expression.

“You’re awake,” he walked quickly to the bedside and asked with concern, “Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

Jing Tian stared at his face for a moment, then shook his head in confusion.

The guy had an extremely handsome face, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him beautiful. His smile was friendly and would leave a lasting impression.

“What’s wrong? You look like you’re in a daze,” the handsome guy furrowed his brows slightly and reached out to poke Jing Tian’s head, “Did you hit your head here?”

His tone and actions seemed very familiar to him.

But Jing Tian was completely unfamiliar with him.

Seeing Jing Tian slightly leaning back with an uneasy look as if trying to avoid his movements, the handsome guy blinked in surprise, “What’s wrong? Don’t you recognize me?”

For a moment, Jing Tian didn’t know whether he should admit it or not.

His confused mind came to a somewhat absurd but reasonable conclusion about the current situation: he seemed to have traveled through time.

As a popular and enduring theme in literature, Jing Tian had some understanding of the so-called “time travel” from various sources, intentional or unintentional.

One moment he was sitting in the classroom, diligently doing his exercises, and the next moment, after falling on his way to the bathroom and waking up again, he found himself in a strange place. His myopia of many years seemed to have disappeared, his appearance had changed somewhat, and there were strangers who seemed close to him. Besides time travel, what other explanation could there be?

This situation seemed to be called transmigration.

The handsome guy became anxious, “Do you remember your name?”

At this moment, should he pretend to have amnesia? Jing Tian had been focused on studying for more than ten years, neglecting entertainment, and had never fully and systematically read works of this genre. He had no idea how protagonists in novels or movies would handle such situations.

“Jing Tian, don’t scare me,” the handsome guy nervously pressed his shoulder, “Say something quickly!”

“Huh,” Jing Tian hesitated for half a second, “My name is Jing Tian?”

The handsome guy completely misunderstood his implication and froze.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, his expression becoming serious, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. When you fainted, someone called 120. Let’s go to the hospital first!”

As he spoke, he pulled Jing Tian off the bed, but Jing Tian’s movements were stiff due to his physical discomfort.

“Does it hurt anywhere?” the handsome guy asked.

His butt hurt, and the pain felt strange.

Jing Tian shook his head and then asked, “Is my name really Jing Tian? How do you write these two characters?”

The handsome boy’s attitude towards him became much more serious than before, and he told him word by word, “The ‘Jing’ from ‘scenery’ and the ‘Tian’ from ‘adding flowers onto brocade.’ You’re a junior this year, a student. You just fell down the stairs a moment ago.”

Before he could finish, the door to the clinic was pushed open once again.

“Jing Tian, are you alright?” The newcomer, with a concerned expression, quickly walked to the bedside. “I heard you fainted?”

“What’s with all the fuss?” The handsome boy was displeased and physically stood between them, muttering, “Jing Tian has amnesia and doesn’t remember. Don’t scare him.”

Seeing the surprise in the newcomer’s widened eyes, Jing Tian tentatively called out in a low voice, “Senior?”

The person who came this time, although slightly different from what he remembered, was a senior one year above him who had just graduated last year.

This senior had been admitted to A University and had given a speech as an outstanding graduate representative, which had inspired him greatly.

“Scared me there,” the senior sighed in relief, revealing the same gentle smile as Jing Tian remembered. “Almost got tricked.”

While speaking, he glanced meaningfully at the handsome boy who was still standing between him and Jing Tian.

The handsome boy was staring at Jing Tian with an incredulous expression, looking somewhat cute.

“You remember him but not me?” He grabbed Jing Tian’s arm. “Do you have any conscience?”

“Huh,” the senior was taken aback, “Do you really have amnesia?”

Jing Tian didn’t know how to explain. In fact, he couldn’t understand what was going on.

“Don’t overwhelm him,” seeing the handsome boy getting emotional, the senior reached out to protect Jing Tian, “Your actions are making him uncomfortable.”

The handsome boy furrowed his brows and released his grip, giving the senior a disdainful look.

“Is your memory confused right now?” the senior asked.

Jing Tian considered his memory clear, just the current situation was chaotic, but he nodded nonetheless.

“…But you still remember me, I’m so happy,” the senior said.

Jing Tian was momentarily taken aback, feeling somewhat strange.

To encourage himself to study diligently, he had regarded this outstanding senior as a role model and motivation, harboring some admiration and respect.

But it was all one-sided; they had rarely interacted in the past. Why would the senior be so… enthusiastic towards him?

“Do you remember what our relationship is?” the senior asked again.

This question carried a somewhat ambiguous tone that made Jing Tian nervous.

He swallowed nervously and quickly shook his head.

The senior looked somewhat disappointed, sighed lightly, and said, “We agreed to watch a movie together tonight. You don’t remember, do you?”

Before Jing Tian could react, the handsome boy beside him exclaimed, “What the heck!”

After he finished speaking, he pushed the senior away and grabbed Jing Tian’s shoulders with both hands, saying, “So you lied to me? You said you absolutely weren’t meeting him!”

Jing Tian nervously licked his lips and stammered, “I…I…I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

Seeing his pitiful look of being frightened and at a loss, the handsome boy quickly let go of him, looking unhappy as he glanced at the senior.

The senior ignored him and kept his gaze on Jing Tian, “Given your current situation, it’s best to go to the hospital, right?”

“The classmate who brought him said they called 120,” the handsome boy spoke with the same unfriendly expression, “…it’s been a while, why isn’t it here yet?”

“Who brought him here?” the senior asked.

The handsome boy shrugged, “Left, don’t know.”

The senior clicked his tongue lightly, shook his head, and took out his phone from his pocket.

Just then, someone knocked on the door of the clinic.

“May I come in?” a strange voice came from outside.

“Sure!” the handsome boy responded.

The door was quickly pushed open, and another stranger entered.

The handsome boy and the senior turned around, with the senior quickly averting his gaze and showing no reaction, while the handsome boy blandly said to the person, “The school nurse isn’t here.”

The newcomer looked at him expressionlessly for a moment, then quickly shifted his gaze to Jing Tian and said, “I’m looking for him.”

Jing Tian shivered suddenly.

For some reason, he had a strong sense of foreboding.

This person also named Jing Tian had a much more complicated life circle than him, leaving behind a mess that he couldn’t handle.

The handsome boy glanced at the person and casually asked Jing Tian, “Do you remember him?”

Jing Tian awkwardly smiled at the person and shook his head.

This should have been a surprising thing, but the person just raised an eyebrow slightly at the sight, and if Jing Tian hadn’t been staring at his face, it would have been difficult to notice.

“Don’t remember?” the person repeated slowly.

Jing Tian clasped his hands behind his back and smiled apologetically.

The person had well-defined features, a high nose bridge, a cold demeanor, and a tall figure, giving the impression of being scrutinized from a high position, making Jing Tian nervous involuntarily.

“If he remembers you, I’d be surprised…” the handsome boy muttered under his breath.

Seeing the person still silent and staring at him, Jing Tian cautiously asked, “Is there something you need from me?”

The person didn’t reply, lost in thought.

The senior picked up his phone again. “If it’s not urgent, you’ll talk to him later. I need to accompany him to the hospital first.”

“Why do you need to accompany him?” the handsome boy seemed to be deliberately against him, “I already said we called 120. Don’t waste public resources, okay?”

“If they’ve already been called, why hasn’t it arrived yet?” the senior said, “Are you sure that person is reliable?”

“Can they deceive me?” the handsome boy said, “If you can’t wait, then go first. I’ll stay with him.”

“Of course, I have to stay with him,” the senior, provoked until now, finally showed some discomfort, “I’m his boyfriend, I have this obligation.”

Jing Tian’s eyes widened instantly.

The handsome boy’s reaction was even more exaggerated than his. He repeated loudly, “You’re his boyfriend?”

After he finished speaking, he looked at Jing Tian and asked again, “Is he your boyfriend?”

Jing Tian’s brain buzzed, and he stuttered, “I…I…I’m, that, I…”

“Now, can you leave him alone?” the senior asked.

“You can’t be serious,” the handsome boy shook his head indignantly, “He doesn’t remember anything. Just because you say you’re his boyfriend, you are? Do you have any evidence?”

“He only remembers me. Isn’t that enough to prove our special relationship?” the senior said.

“Do you remember him as your boyfriend?” the handsome boy asked Jing Tian.

Jing Tian shook his head cautiously.

“You’re trying to take advantage,” the handsome boy said to the senior, “Stop being presumptuous. I…I’m still his boyfriend!”

Jing Tian’s pupils trembled!

“How is that possible,” the senior shook his head, “He told me you were just friends.”

“Oh,” the handsome boy nodded with his arms crossed, “Then do you want to know how he introduced you to me?”

Jing Tian thought to himself, help!

In his confusion, his gaze unconsciously turned to the only person in the room who hadn’t been involved in this absurd farce.

The extremely indifferent handsome guy was quietly watching them, his expression still calm, and Jing Tian’s gaze carried a hint of pleading.

Their eyes met, and the other person narrowed his eyes slightly, then finally made a move.

He walked up to Jing Tian, looked at his face, and said, “You’re quite something.”

Jing Tian quickly shook his head. “No, I…I really, I haven’t done anything…”

Forget about playing both sides, he had never been involved in any romantic relationships, had few friends, and was completely oblivious to love, whether it was with the same sex or opposite sex. How could he possibly have the ability to deceive both parties and keep them in the dark?

The one who had done something absurd was not him; he was just an unlucky and innocent traveler.

“What are you doing, Zheng Xunqian,” the handsome boy, who had been forced to move aside slightly because of him, was unhappy, “It’s none of your business.”

“Why wouldn’t it be my business,” Zheng Xunqian, the person called, still looking at Jing Tian, finally showed some emotion in his tone, “I thought…I was your only one.”

As soon as the words fell, the entire clinic fell silent.

Jing Tian’s brain almost stopped working.

“No, are you kidding me,” the handsome boy couldn’t believe it, “You and Jing Tian? You guys? How is that possible?”

“Do I look like someone who would make this kind of joke?” Zheng Xunqian retorted.

The handsome boy fell silent.

Zheng Xunqian looked quietly at the dumbfounded Jing Tian, no longer speaking.

Jing Tian’s fingers behind his back stirred even more violently.

“Wait,” the senior spoke up, “Are you saying that you two…”

Zheng Xunqian glanced at him, reached into his pocket, and took out something similar to a bank card.

“I’m here to return this to you,” he looked back at Jing Tian, “You left it in the room when you left this morning.”

Jing Tian subconsciously took it and found it was an ID card.

The photo and detailed information on it were exactly the same as what he remembered.

This Jing Tian, his appearance, date of birth, and registered address were all exactly the same.

Was he really a traveler? Jing Tian was about to collapse.

“Room?” the handsome boy asked, “What room?”

“He didn’t return to the dormitory last night, you should know, right?” Zheng Xunqian said.

The handsome boy was dumbfounded.

The senior was also flustered and asked, “Is what he said true?”

Jing Tian couldn’t answer.

Amidst the chaos, he thought, no wonder the position where his butt hurt was so strange; it turns out he hadn’t fallen at all!

1 comment
  1. Cocole has spoken 4 months ago

    Oh dear. What a predicament to be in…🫣🫣😬

    Reply

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