Lu Yan fought to keep his restless feelings in check and grabbed at a random excuse. “I know you didn’t want a discount—after all, the house is already bought. No more deals to be had.”

His voice was rough and low, like a wild beast growling softly before a hunt.

But to Shi Han’s ears, it sounded like Lu Yan was just calling out her vanity, trying to explain—he was only talking about the house discount, nothing else.

Her cheeks burned painfully, her eyes darting nervously, refusing to meet Lu Yan’s gaze. “That’s what I meant too. I know you already gave me the lowest price.”

She avoided looking at him, but Lu Yan could tell she was upset, and it stirred his emotions even more.

Worried Lu Yan might misunderstand and think she was insulting him—because someone like him must be sensitive—Shi Han quickly added, “I just feel like we really click… maybe we could be friends.”

Lu Yan fell silent.

Just as Shi Han was about to say more, her phone buzzed inside her bag.

She hurriedly pulled it out to hide her unease—and saw it was Bai Wanjun calling.

Worried something had happened to Shi Bei, Shi Han told Lu Yan she needed to take the call and stepped a short distance away to answer.

“Where are you?” Bai Wanjun’s voice was cold.

“If you have something to say, say it. If not, I’m hanging up.”

Hearing Shi Han’s indifferent tone made Bai Wanjun tremble with anger. She scoffed, “Shi Han, you do know the old master’s health is failing, right?”

Shi Han frowned. “What are you trying to say?”

“Shi Han, if it weren’t for you talking nonsense in front of him today, he wouldn’t have gotten so upset and fallen ill. Don’t you realize every time he gets sick, it brings him closer to death? He cares about you so much—do you want to be the one to kill him?”

Shi Han’s body suddenly stiffened. She knew exactly what Bai Wanjun was trying to say.

But she couldn’t refuse.

Fearing Shi Han had no conscience and didn’t care about the old master’s health, Bai Wanjun continued, “Have you forgotten how much he loved you when you were little? You loved plush toys so much he even opened a company just to make them for you. Even though he was in poor health, he rode a big horse behind your back just to make you happy.”

“When you came back two years ago, your wardrobe was stuffed with jewelry and clothes. We told you not to be stubborn and study abroad, but you wouldn’t listen. The old master couldn’t find your number and had to transfer money to your card several times a month…”

Shi Han had forgotten so much. As Bai Wanjun reminded her bit by bit, fragmented memories flashed through her mind—disjointed and incomplete.

She grabbed her hair tightly, trying to remember—but she couldn’t recall anything…

Shi Han didn’t understand why she had forgotten the people she cared about. They were so important to her, yet somehow she had dug them out from her heart…

What else had she forgotten? In the depths of her lost memories, had she also erased many other important things from her life?

Bai Wanjun’s voice slowly grew distant, “Shi Han, I’m saying all this to tell you that from now on, we should all put on a good show. Even if you complain, you can’t let us lose anything. Meanwhile, the old master is getting weaker—what’s so wrong with each of us saving face?”

“Shut up! Shut up—”

Shi Han suddenly threw her phone to the ground. She turned and looked around, but everything was beginning to blur and double. She couldn’t see clearly at all.

She struggled to calm herself down, knowing that if she lost control, she might end up suffering from a mental illness.

But no matter how hard Shi Han tried, she couldn’t contain herself. The helplessness felt like the uncontrollable erasure of her memories.

Growing more restless, she reached out, desperate to grasp anything within reach.

In the next moment, her fingers closed around a pair of strong hands—hands so familiar, as if belonging to someone from the memories she had lost.

In a hoarse whisper, she said, “I’m sorry…”

=^_^=