---

---

“Don’t touch me.”

“I’m going to touch you, especially since you got yourself hurt like this.”

Gu Yu furrowed his brows, no longer speaking in his usual playful manner. He wasn’t pretending to be pitiful either; he seemed genuinely angry. He pressed down on me to apply medicine, but I pushed him away with all my strength.

I was afraid I couldn’t stop myself from hugging him. Though I didn’t know why, the scenes from my dream kept piling up in my head, about to explode. I must have hit my head hard—I really need to get a scan.

Neither of us was willing to give in, pushing and shoving each other. I suddenly got up, and he pinned me directly on the bed.

“Xia Huai, are you going to behave?”

He was terrifyingly fierce, completely different from how I’d ever seen him. Had he lost his mind? Why should I behave? Who does he think he is? Just someone I’m planning to cut ties with once school starts again. While he held me down, I was still kicking and flailing, trying to break free. Gu Yu leaned in closer, gritting his teeth as he threatened me.

“Move again, and I’ll kiss you.”

No way he’d do it. I kept struggling, and he smiled slightly, then brought his lips toward mine.

Realizing he was serious, I screamed and cursed.

“Idiot! You have a girlfriend, and you still want to kiss me!”

Gu Yu froze for a moment, then let go of my hands and laughed as he reached for his phone.

“Oh right, let me break up with her now.”

---

“It’s done.”

Gu Yu put down his phone and trapped me again as I tried to run away.

But just as he was about to kiss me, he hesitated.

Maybe it was because he saw the fear and defiance on my face. Maybe his conscience finally kicked in, realizing how wrong he was.

He didn’t kiss me but wouldn’t let me leave either. He insisted I sleep in his bed that night, claiming, “I don’t want your injuries to wake you up at night. I need to take care of you.”

I had no choice but to agree, knowing I couldn’t overpower him.

Even though I stubbornly stayed awake, I eventually succumbed to the pain and exhaustion, slipping into sleep.

My head spun, my thoughts in disarray.

I dreamed of Gu Yu and me kissing passionately, like lovers torn apart by life and death. I dreamed of a car accident, my body covered in blood. I dreamed of Gu Yu holding me, sobbing uncontrollably.

Startled awake by the nightmare, I kicked Gu Yu hard.

I wanted to escape the room, but before I could get off the bed, Gu Yu, who hadn’t fallen asleep yet, pinned me down once again.

“Xia Huai, don’t leave. I’m scared.”

He said.

“Don’t leave me.”

His words echoed with the fragments of my dream, making my head throb. Gu Yu breathed into my ear.

“Xia Huai, did you remember something?

“I heard you talking in your sleep. Did you remember a little?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Gu Yu said something I couldn’t quite comprehend.

“The doctor said you should remember things gradually, but I think my approach has been too cautious.

“I think I need to try a new method. Maybe your body will remember me first.”

He pressed his lips against mine, holding me tightly as he kissed me intensely.

Since the blow to my head, my body had been craving his touch. Now, that craving was satisfied.

I heard Gu Yu repeatedly ask, “Do you remember me now? Do you remember me?”

Until his tears fell on my face, as I stared at him, dazed. Seeing my confusion, he resisted his madness, gently kissing my forehead.

“Forget it, even if you don’t remember, it’s okay. I’ll just win you over again.”

His kisses left me feeling utterly disoriented.

It might have seemed touching, but in my head, there was only one thought—

Gu Yu is really insane.

---

Later, Gu Yu’s “girlfriend” told me that the store where I worked part-time only allowed couples in, so Gu Yu had asked her to help him play the role.

When I heard this, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Whether or not I remembered Gu Yu, at least I could accept his pursuit with a clear conscience.

I wasn’t a homewrecker—I was proud!

I fully remembered Gu Yu when he took me to play escape rooms again after school started.

Since that kiss, Gu Yu had been saying strange things.

For example, at this very moment, he was arguing with the owner of the new escape room, insisting that we were a couple and that two guys could be in a relationship.

In the end, the owner let us play the couple’s game.

Maybe it was the suspension bridge effect, but as we moved through the narrow, dark corridors, I felt a little moved.

Before, I’d always viewed him as a friend, but now it seemed like I could try something else.

As he pressed against me, guiding me through the darkness, it was so quiet that I could hear both our heartbeats.

A ghost suddenly jumped out at us, and Gu Yu grabbed my hand and ran.

In that moment, our fingers interlocked, and I forgot to scream.

Pinned against a dark corner, unable to see each other’s faces, it felt just like the first time Gu Yu kissed me.

Without hesitation, he turned and kissed me.

Breathless, my mind went blank, and a flood of memories—intertwined with dreams—came rushing back.

Gu Yu was my boyfriend.

After the car accident, I’d hit my head and lost my memory, and Gu Yu had been trying to bring it back.

His first thought was to kiss me in the escape room because that’s where we’d first become a couple when I secretly kissed him on the corner of his mouth.

The first attempt had failed, but this time it worked. The doctor later said it might have something to do with me hitting the back of my head before.

Once I remembered everything, I wrapped my arms around Gu Yu’s head, deepening the kiss.

“Gu Yu.

“I remember you now, boyfriend.”

The result? We got scolded by the owner, who was blushing furiously.

“You guys! You guys know there are security cameras in here, right?!

“What is happening in this world?!

“My escape room isn’t your playground! I’m not part of your game!”

The owner looked like he was about to cry.

Gu Yu and I apologized for half an hour.

---

The person most shocked by my relationship with Gu Yu was Liang Qing.

“What?! You secretly dated my dream guy behind my back?!”

“Sorry, actually we’ve been dating for a while.”

I hadn’t told Liang Qing before because we weren’t that close yet when Gu Yu and I first got together.