Once this thought became clear, Ye Shanshan felt that a hidden thread was stringing together fragments of memories.
He furrowed his brows and recalled, “I remember it was two years ago. One night, I woke up hungry and quietly went to the kitchen to find something to eat. I found that at past three in the morning, you were still awake, watching a movie in the media room. I was curious because you almost never watch movies.”
Gong Yue had always defined movies as “conveying a large number of false images and meaningless stories,” showing no interest in romantic and sentimental feelings.
“What movie?” Gong Yue let Ye Shanshan play with his fingers, his tone light.
“A foreign love story about the protagonist discovering that his girlfriend has amnesia, and then he goes through all sorts of hardships to win her love back.”
The scene in his memory was vivid. Ye Shanshan looked at Gong Yue’s somewhat unclear silhouette in the dim warm light, as if it were slowly overlapping with the memory.
“You were sitting on the sofa at the time, next to a cup of cold black coffee. There were many bloodshot lines in your eyes. When you looked at me, you seemed a bit tired. I asked why you hadn’t slept yet, if you were having insomnia. You didn’t answer me directly but asked a question instead.
You asked me, ‘If one day, you lost your memory like the female protagonist in the movie, what would you do?’ I replied that my memory is good, and I can back up your memories, so it’s okay. Then you suddenly smiled at me and said, ‘Good.'”
It was obviously an ordinary memory, but recalling it now, Ye Shanshan felt that every word was bitter, especially Gong Yue’s smile at that time. Unable to resist, he moved a bit closer to Gong Yue, feeling the familiar warmth, and his heart felt a bit relieved.
“After that, for a whole month, I hardly saw you. You were flying all over the world, going to places that didn’t require your personal presence. It was like all the employees had run away.”
Gong Yue helped him arrange the blanket, speaking calmly,
“Did I tell you that the situation in the Gong family was unstable, so I was busy during that time and asked you not to worry?”
“!” Ye Shanshan was somewhat surprised. “How did you know?” Then he immediately realized and widened his eyes. “Ah, it’s all excuses! Even when you lost your memory, you could come up with such convincing excuses!”
“Yeah.” Gong Yue didn’t say much. “What happened next?”
Ye Shanshan muttered for a while and continued, “A month later, you came back and told me that the matters with the Gong family had been resolved, and you wouldn’t be as busy as before.”
Because there was no sign of anything unusual, he genuinely believed it at that time. The more Ye Shanshan recalled, the more painful it felt. He gripped Gong Yue’s fingers tightly, thinking that if the Demon King were to become an actor, he could easily be a movie star or something.
“Two months later, I happened to pass by the study and overheard you talking to your lawyer about the will. I was startled and nervously asked if you were sick. You told me that the will had been established since you inherited your father’s estate, and you only made occasional modifications.”
Now thinking about it, these things were clearly abnormal. However, Ye Shanshan hadn’t noticed any issues before because Gong Yue behaved so normally and calmly, making it impossible for anyone to perceive that he was actually pretending.
Gong Yue used the fingertip of his other hand to wipe away the moisture at the corner of Ye Shanshan’s eyes. “Shanshan, it’s okay.” He reversed his grip on Ye Shanshan’s hand.
“If I had memory problems two years ago, I would have sought treatment. According to what you said, I didn’t. This indicates that at that time, I had already determined that memory loss couldn’t be cured through treatment.”
So, it makes sense. Because of the “memory loss” issue, he had already determined the “cause” due to certain clues, and this “cause” couldn’t be resolved through conventional methods.
Therefore, he left the words “Do not trust anyone except Shanshan” on the ring he carried, modified the will, and recorded thick notes in a memorandum, with each line and page related to Ye Shanshan.
Because at that time, he was worried that one day he would wake up and have forgotten everything that had happened. He even feared that due to the “cause,” he might face not only amnesia but also death. So, he arranged for Ye Shanshan to learn many things—this way, even if he wasn’t in this world, Ye Shanshan could live well and freely in the worst circumstances.
What Gong Yue could think of, Ye Shanshan had also considered.
Just thinking about those two years, Gong Yue had shouldered all the unease, tension, and fear by himself. He handled work as if nothing was wrong, accompanied him at home, and arranged studies for him every day. Ye Shanshan felt so sad, and that sour and swollen feeling in his heart appeared again.
Sniffling, Ye Shanshan couldn’t hold back, grabbing Gong Yue’s clothes with both hands, he burst into tears, “Why didn’t you tell me anything? Why… why didn’t you say anything… being sad all alone…”
Gong Yue sighed, sat up, and pulled Ye Shanshan into his arms, hugging him tightly, but he didn’t say anything. He felt sorry for the pre-amnesia version of himself for not telling Ye Shanshan, but if he had the chance to do it over, he would still choose not to tell Shanshan.
The pressure and growing fear were enough for him to bear on his own. Shanshan just needed to stay happy. He believed that whether it was the pre-amnesia Gong Yue or the current one, this mindset wouldn’t change.
By the time Ye Shanshan cried, he even hiccupped. He lifted his head from Gong Yue’s embrace, “Clothes… clothes are wet.”
“It’s okay, I’ll get you another one.”
After saying that, Gong Yue pinched Ye Shanshan’s chin, lifted his face, and carefully wiped away his tears. He rarely spoke softly, “Stop crying, it hurts my heart.”
“I hurt too.”
Ye Shanshan sobbed twice, feeling that crying like a girl wasn’t very manly, but he couldn’t help it. He casually pulled Gong Yue’s sleeve over and wiped his tears, “Forget about what happened today, it’s all fake.”
After Gong Yue nodded, he continued asking, “You never mentioned these things to me before. Do you have any clues now?”
Gong Yue shook his head, “It seems that the past me hadn’t completely figured out the truth, so I couldn’t tell you.” As if anticipating what Ye Shanshan was about to ask, he added, “I also don’t know if similar situations will occur in the future.”
Ye Shanshan stayed still for a moment, then suddenly flipped off the bed. Without wearing slippers, he rushed to the cabinet, took out Gong Yue’s ring from the drawer, and ran back to the bed. Carefully, he helped Gong Yue put it on. “It’s okay. No matter if you lose your memory again in the future,” he held Gong Yue’s hand, speaking earnestly, “no matter what happens, you’re not alone. You still have me.”
After saying that, he smiled at Gong Yue, though his eyes were a bit swollen from crying.
※※※
After finally coaxing Ye Shanshan to sleep, Gong Yue went to the study.
He found the modified will and discovered that, just as he had thought, all his bonds, funds, stocks, real estate, and personal properties, including his collectibles, listed Ye Shanshan as the beneficiary.
His past self had indeed made thorough preparations.
From the bottom drawer, Gong Yue retrieved all the photos he had with his mother. There were many before the age of six, but after that, there was only one each year.
His mother, Gong Yuuli, as the chief scientist of the “God-Making Project,” always wore a light blue work suit. In these seventeen photos, he grew taller every year, while his mother, apart from a few more wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, remained unchanged.
Gong Yue began to carefully recall every scene of their annual meetings. They would eat and chat together in a designated area, discussing the little things happening in his life, and sometimes she would even help with his homework.
Because of the hereditary disease in the Gong family, every time he visited, Gong Yuuli would worry and draw blood for testing to ensure he had no issues.
—But was it really just for the family hereditary disease?
Also, following the routine to Misythos Island, judging by the time Shanshan provided, his mother had already destroyed the entire island before he arrived. In other words, even if his plane hadn’t crashed into the sea, he wouldn’t have been able to see his mother for the last time.
Was it because she didn’t want to see him one last time, or—didn’t want him to set foot on the island? At the same time, what reason led his mother to decide to destroy Misythos Island and dismantle the God-Making Project?
As for the fact that his mother insisted on leaving him in the Gong family and joining the “God-Making Project” against all advice, his father also agreed after a long talk with his mother. Later, when he asked his mother about it, his father told him, “Yuli is the best person in the world to you.”
—Could this imply that his mother’s involvement in the “God-Making Project” was partly due to him?
All the past events were entwined like tangled threads, and he could only discern vague outlines. However, he had subtly concluded in his heart that whether it was his amnesia or the accident to obtain his blood sample, it was likely related to the “God-Making Project.”
His mother’s explosion had already destroyed all the key personnel, experimental equipment, and data results of the entire plan. If someone wanted to restart this project—
At this moment, a very light knock on the door suddenly came from outside. Before Gong Yue could react, he heard Ye Shanshan’s voice,
“What are you doing? I’m coming in!”
The words weren’t finished yet, and the person had already opened the door.
Ye Shanshan, barefoot on the carpet, saw Gong Yue sitting well in the chair, not quietly crying, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Perhaps because a part of the truth was suddenly revealed, he felt that he had been too naive before. For the first time, he wanted to stand on an equal footing with Gong Yue, rather than letting Gong Yue protect him all the time.
He wanted to protect Gong Yue, to share the burden with him.
Oh, suddenly, he felt like he had become a mature man!
He walked a few steps in front of Gong Yue, pretended to be casual, and said,
“Brother, I just woke up suddenly and found you were gone. I thought you were kidnapped by aliens.” As he spoke, he reached for Gong Yue’s hand. “Come on, let’s go to bed. You have to work tomorrow. Hurry up!”
Following his strength, Gong Yue stood up. “You don’t have to force a smile if you’re not happy,” he said, bending down to help Ye Shanshan button up the few buttons on his disheveled pajamas. He asked, “Had a nightmare?”
Ye Shanshan looked at Gong Yue’s nimble fingers, nodded, and with a faint nasal tone, said, “Yeah, I dreamed of Mother Yuli again.”
On the night of the incident, he was sleeping when he was awakened by the deafening sound. After waking up, he was drowsy and was hurriedly taken away by Gong Yuli. Later, he realized that Gong Yuli should have directly initiated the explosion program in the main laboratory to divert everyone’s attention, then took the opportunity to send him away.
She sent him to the only boat available for leaving Misythos Island, and Gong Yuli was preparing to return to the laboratory. At that time, he had realized what Gong Yuli was going to do and desperately tried to stop her from going back.
Because going back would definitely mean no chance of survival.
But as the “experimental subject” cultivated by Gong Yuli from conception, he had been under the observation and control of researchers since the embryonic and fetal stages. He had no way to resist their will.
In the end, he could only watch Gong Yuli return to the main system’s safety chamber and press the self-destruct system’s activation switch.
At that moment, he floated on the boundless sea, watching the entire island tremble from a distance. The explosions seemed to tear apart the sea itself. Misythos Island’s name, derived from “Prometheus,” the deity who stole fire for humanity, turned into a sea of flames that day.
Seeing that Ye Shanshan’s complexion wasn’t good, Gong Yue glanced at his bare feet and directly reached out to pick him up.
Ye Shanshan instinctively reached out to encircle Gong Yue’s neck and was startled. “Ah, ah, ah, can you give me a high-energy warning before the next princess carry?”
“Princess carry?”
Ye Shanshan was taken aback and inexplicably embarrassed. He buried his face in Gong Yue’s chest, sounding awkward, “Isn’t it a princess carry?”
Gong Yue lowered his head to look at the person in his arms. “What do you think? Let me take you back to sleep.”
Ye Shanshan decided to be a quietly handsome man.
※※※
The next day, Ye Shanshan woke up early. Worried about Gong Yue, he shamelessly insisted on going to the company with him, citing a terribly lame reason—haven’t eaten the dishes made by the Gong Mansion’s chefs in a long time.
On the way, he also received a call from Xu Luoyang.
“Shanshan, it’s an emergency!”
Ye Shanshan was stunned. Xu Luoyang’s tone seemed really urgent, so he became anxious too.
“Did you forget to bring toilet paper? Didn’t bring money when you went out to eat? Or did fans recognize you and take away all your clothes? Where are you?”
“…,” Xu Luoyang on the other side was rendered silent by this series of questions, taking a while to finally choke out, “I’m recording a variety show, my Leaf Bro!”
Ye Shanshan was also silent for a moment, automatically capturing the key point, smiling, “You called me ‘bro’? Alright, I’ll save you!”
“…,” Xu Luoyang was speechless. He hadn’t explained what exactly happened or what variety show it was, and Ye Shanshan just generously agreed like this?
So, calling someone ‘Leaf Bro’ was so effective!
After hanging up the phone, the previously stifled staff burst into laughter. Xu Luoyang spread his hands, “I’ve found my temporary partner. Please edit out this segment in post-production.”
The host imitated his gesture, “Our answer is, of course, a refusal.”
“…,” Ye Shanshan was simply poisonous!
※※※
It wasn’t the first time Ye Shanshan had come to Gong Yue’s office. There was a sofa in the corner, his “throne,” and on the small shelf next to it, there was a large pile of manga books he hadn’t finished reading from the last time.
Despite striking the pose of a manga prince, Ye Shanshan couldn’t immerse himself in the world of manga for a long time.
After nibbling at his nails for a while, Ye Shanshan couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Gong Yue from behind the manga books. He discovered that his own king was earnestly reviewing memorials, looking very serious and, of course, very handsome.
Why is he so good-looking? Even better than myself. The buttons on his shirt are fastened up to the top, and the tie is neatly tied—Ye Shanshan helped Gong Yue with that tie, and it must be given a perfect score.
I don’t know how, but Ye Shanshan suddenly remembered the feel of Gong Yue’s abs that he had touched before, a sensation he dearly missed. Lost in thought, he slipped his hand into his own clothes and felt his soft belly—tragedy!
Oh no, my abs! I can’t feel any definition!
With great self-control, he managed to hold back the tears.
Seeing Ye Shanshan’s expressions changing, Gong Yue, who couldn’t concentrate to begin with, directly asked him, “What’s wrong?”
Ye Shanshan had a look of despair, “I lost my abs.”
“…” After pondering for two seconds, Gong Yue comforted him, “I have them.”
Ye Shanshan felt even sadder.
Ditching the manga books, Ye Shanshan, holding a half-drunk juice, ran to Gong Yue’s side and brought the cup over for him to take a few sips, displaying meticulous care.
“Your Majesty, are you reviewing memorials?”
“Yes.” Gong Yue, not sure what Ye Shanshan was up to, didn’t mind cooperating.
“Are these memorials more interesting than me?”
Gong Yue, with great patience, replied seriously, “Not as interesting as you.”
“I’m the most interesting?”
“You’re the most interesting.”
“Since that’s the case, look at me, and I’ll read the memorials for you!”
Feeling bored and in need of something to do, Ye Shanshan decided to help His Majesty alleviate his worries and troubles, playing the role of an assistant, “I’ll read them for you, and you can rest your eyes for a while.”
“Okay.” Other than this word, Gong Yue didn’t have a second option.
Ye Shanshan cheered and quickly got to work.
As a result, the efficiency of Gong Yue’s work plummeted to an all-time low throughout the morning.
—–
Author’s note:
[Attention] [Highlight] [Bold Red Text]
From this point onward, Gong Yue will not experience amnesia again, will not experience amnesia again, will not experience amnesia again! Our goal is to sprinkle sugar without charge, without charge, without charge! No angst, no angst, no angst. We seek no razor blades! Sob sob sob
