Back in the dormitory, Zheng Xunqian sent him another set of questions to look at when he had time. Some of the knowledge points mentioned in it weren’t covered today, so he could refer to the textbook and the materials sent in the previous days. If there were any uncertainties, he could mark them and discuss them face-to-face tomorrow. Apart from that, if there were any other small problems, he was welcome to message him anytime.

As a tutoring teacher, Zheng Xunqian was indeed very reliable. However, while feeling secure about his own grades, Jing Tian also felt another kind of crisis. With such great kindness and favor, all he could offer in return was “treating to meals”. That probably wasn’t what Zheng Xunqian wanted. With this in mind, he seemed to be using Zheng Xunqian a bit. Taking advantage of the fact that he didn’t explicitly state his desires, Jing Tian pretended to be clueless and enjoyed his guidance.

Wasn’t that a bit inappropriate? But if he missed this opportunity, there might not be another chance. 

However, upon further thought, it seemed a bit odd. Zheng Xunqian had always ignored him before, showing clear disdain, even annoyance. Why the change now? Just because they slept together?

 In the quiet of the night, Jing Tian lay in bed, reaching back unconsciously to touch the skin at the junction of his waist and butt. Could that tattoo really have some magical power to make people feel a sense of responsibility towards him? It was too absurd. Jing Tian felt ashamed of such a foolish thought and pulled the blanket over his head.

There was still a lot of content in the notebook he found this afternoon that he hadn’t had time to read. Should he take a look? When this idea emerged from the bottom of his heart, he was immediately shrouded in a strange panic. Those pages recorded emotions he didn’t want to face right now, so intense that it made him uncomfortable and resistant. If only he hadn’t found this notebook, he thought. He really didn’t want to face it. 

Just as Zheng Xunqian said, Teacher Xia arranged for them to use the small study room in the school library.

This was the first time Jing Tian, who had lost his memory, learned that besides the open public reading rooms, each floor of A University’s library had two small study rooms, each only about ten square meters in size. They were usually locked and required permission from a teacher to use. They were perfect for small meetings. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult for just two people like them to find a place to study through official channels. Teacher Xia had really helped a lot.

The library regulations only allowed bottled drinks. To pass the security check and enter, Jing Tian stood outside the main gate, earnestly sipping his milk tea. It was a large cup, and he was almost burping from drinking so much. Zheng Xunqian stood in front of him, smiling as he watched.

“…Are you doing this on purpose?” Jing Tian asked.

Zheng Xunqian replied, “Yes.”

Jing Tian widened his eyes, looking at him speechlessly.

Zheng Xunqian’s smile became even more apparent. “It was the same last time.”

Jing Tian bit the straw, puzzled for half a second, then quickly understood. Similar scenes had occurred during the time he had forgotten.

“That time, you were standing in the same spot, holding a milk tea, looking bitter and resentful,” Zheng Xunqian said, “Clearly unable to drink it but unwilling to throw it away.”

Jing Tian thought, indeed, he couldn’t bear to. The milk tea was too delicious, with a strong milky fragrance, a smooth and creamy texture, chewy tapioca pearls inside, giving a sweet taro aroma after a few bites, and a slightly salty cheese cap on top, simply wonderful. Even if his stomach was already bulging, he wanted to continue. “Take your time, no need to rush in,” Zheng Xunqian said.

But wasting so much time like this! Jing Tian was about to suck hard, but Zheng Xunqian spoke up again.

“What is intensity?”

Jing Tian’s mouth fell open, and the straw fell out.

“Don’t remember?” Zheng Xunqian asked.

Jing Tian quickly replied, “It’s… the ability of the component to resist damage!”

Zheng Xunqian asked again, “What about stiffness?”

This time, Jing Tian answered quickly, “The ability to resist deformation!”

Zheng Xunqian asked several more definitions, and Jing Tian answered them all smoothly.

He deliberately tested some parts that hadn’t been mentioned yesterday, and Jing Tian was still able to answer.

“You’ve reviewed in advance,” Zheng Xunqian said. “Did you stay up late last night?”

“…Not really, just glanced through.”

Just glancing through wouldn’t make the definitions stick so firmly.

After returning to the dorm last night, he went through all the exercises Zheng Xunqian had sent and also preemptively memorized the definitions and formulas for the upcoming chapters.

All the definitions Zheng Xunqian asked about were ones he had diligently memorized.

Studying was enjoyable. Immersing oneself in knowledge meant not worrying about uncontrollable wandering thoughts, which was safer.

At this moment, when he actually made progress and felt a sense of achievement and satisfaction, he realized he enjoyed studying.

“And what about the formulas, do you remember them all?” Zheng Xunqian asked. “Recite them for me.”

Jing Tian felt embarrassed.

He remembered them, but the mechanics formulas were too complex to recite easily. Yet, he couldn’t write them down at the moment.

After hesitating for a while, Zheng Xunqian took a half-step forward quietly, came to his side, and extended his hand.

Seeing Zheng Xunqian’s hand stopping in front of him and then turning upward, Jing Tian immediately understood his intention.

Zheng Xunqian wanted him to write on his palm.

Zheng Xunqian was taller than him, and his palm was slightly larger.

Nervously, Jing Tian raised his hand and touched Zheng Xunqian’s warm, dry palm skin with his fingertips, but his mind suddenly went blank.

He froze after writing just one σ.

He remained stiff for two or three seconds, gradually becoming anxious and then panicked.

At that moment, the hand in front of him suddenly moved.

Without warning, Zheng Xunqian closed his palm gently, took hold of his fingers, and then grasped his entire hand.

“Let’s go inside and continue,” he said to Jing Tian.

Jing Tian lowered his head, watching their clasped hands, feeling increasingly uneasy, but he didn’t say anything.

Zheng Xunqian naturally let go of the hand they were holding together and said, “Take your time with the drink.”

The milk tea was cold.

After holding the cup for a while, his hand also became cold.

Jing Tian silently folded his hands together.

One was cold, the other warm, and both felt comfortable to each other.

The hand Zheng Xunqian had held was almost sweating just now.

“Still no recollection?” Zheng Xunqian asked while tidying up the items on the table.

Jing Tian nervously lifted his head and shook it.

Zheng Xunqian took out a laptop from his bag and placed it on the table, then connected it to the power supply.

His movements were unhurried, and his tone when he spoke was as casual as if he were just discussing a very ordinary matter.

“You warmly invited me here to spend time alone with you that day.”

If Jing Tian were a puppy, his ears and tail would probably have stood up in surprise at this moment.

Zheng Xunqian pressed the power button, sat down beside him, tilted his head slightly, and asked, “Did you forget to close the door properly?”

Jing Tian nervously turned around and found that the door not far behind him was indeed slightly open.

The urgent impulse to escape from beside Zheng Xunqian drove him to stand up immediately, but as he took a half step towards the door, he hesitated.

Wouldn’t it be strange to rush to close the door like this? His movements became slow, caught between advancing and retreating.

“…You also forgot to close the door that day,” Zheng Xunqian said, “and someone saw it.”

Jing Tian swallowed hard.

Saw what? Please clarify!

“What’s wrong,” Zheng Xunqian urged him, “why don’t you close the door?”

“…I think the room needs ventilation,” Jing Tian said nervously, “Is… is it okay to leave it open?”

“Oh,” Zheng Xunqian didn’t insist, “then why are you standing there?”

Jing Tian had no choice but to sit back down obediently.

Zheng Xunqian moved the mouse and opened the documents. “Let’s begin.”

However, Jing Tian couldn’t calm down.

After struggling for a while, he gathered his courage and asked, “Why did we come here last time?”

“I don’t remember.”

Zheng Xunqian said.

Jing Tian was stunned. “You’ve also lost your memory?”

Zheng Xunqian glanced at him, continued operating the mouse, and pulled up the pre-arranged exercises into the chat box. “I came in at your invitation.”

“…Then what about me?”

“I don’t remember,” Zheng Xunqian repeated, then added, “You mentioned it, but I forgot.”

“Oh, no wonder,” Jing Tian muttered softly, “you used to never care about me.”

Zheng Xunqian’s actions paused for a moment, then he quickly said, “It seems… there was some class activity that required preparation in advance. I just wasn’t interested in those things.”

“Then why was it just the two of us?” Jing Tian asked.

“You were late,” Zheng Xunqian said, “because you bought milk tea and couldn’t come in until you finished drinking. And you didn’t want to waste it. You and the rest of the classmates had agreed that the latecomer would take care of the closing duties.”

“I couldn’t find a seat in the reading room and was about to go back when I happened to run into you.”

Jing Tian finally understood and felt relieved.

It turned out that his invitation to Zheng Xunqian to the study room to study was just that.

“When I came, I saw you drinking milk tea at the door, and when I was about to leave, I saw you lecturing your classmates ,” Zheng Xunqian said.

“I accidentally glanced at you a bit more and was then dragged in here by you,” Zheng Xunqian said, “kind of forced.”

His description made it seem like a scene from a certain period drama.

A gorgeously dressed woman standing in front of an entertainment venue at night, waving a handkerchief and shouting, “Gentlemen, come in.”

Jing Tian felt embarrassed by his own imagination.

To avoid such emotions, he tried weak and futile resistance. “…It’s your fault for looking.”

He said it softly and weakly, lacking confidence.

Zheng Xunqian, unexpectedly, didn’t show any intention of retaliation.

He smiled at Jing Tian and said somewhat nostalgically, “It’s been a while since I heard you speak to me like this.”