The twins: ???
!!!
Xiao Yixi was the first to react, grabbing Xiao Cheng’s arm, his face full of shock and grievance. “He’s your ex-boyfriend?!”
His usual soft voice, tinged with a hint of childishness, almost broke into a shout. Xiao Yixi couldn’t even maintain his expression; his features were slightly distorted from sheer disbelief.
Although Xiao Yinan wasn’t as shocked as Xiao Yixi—he had vaguely guessed it at the doorway earlier—his expression was still unpleasant.
He asked Xiao Cheng, “Is he Luo Jingshu?”
The one Xiao Ziyue had called “ex-sister-in-law”?
Xiao Cheng was startled by their reaction. He had anticipated that the twins might overreact but hadn’t expected them to get this worked up.
“Yes.”
Xiao Cheng quickly walked a few steps ahead. “Can you two lower your voices?”
The streets were bustling today, and Xiao Yixi’s loud exclamation had drawn quite a few curious glances. Xiao Cheng, who didn’t think his skin was thick enough, definitely didn’t want to provide gossip fodder for others.
Xiao Yixi was so furious that he wished he could run back and punch Luo Jingshu twice.
If he had known earlier that Luo Jingshu was Xiao Cheng’s ex-boyfriend, would he have let that “wild man” leave so easily?!
“You’ve already broken up, haven’t you?”
“Why are you meeting him again?”
And at Xiao Cheng’s apartment, no less.
From their earlier conversation, it seemed like they were alone.
Xiao Yixi anxiously grabbed Xiao Cheng’s arm. “You’re not allowed to see him anymore!”
Xiao Yinan also questioned him, “What were you two doing in the fitting room just now?”
“Why did it take you more than ten minutes to come out?”
Xiao Yixi hadn’t considered this detail before, assuming Xiao Cheng was just trying on clothes. Now he couldn’t help but focus on the timing issue.
“What?!”
The two of them bombarded Xiao Cheng with questions, leaving him with a headache.
Even when he was dating Luo Jingshu, he hadn’t been interrogated this much.
Xiao Cheng suddenly realized that Luo Jingshu’s questioning back then had been gentle in comparison. At least Luo Jingshu wouldn’t repeat himself incessantly like a chanting monk.
Unable to bear it any longer, he pulled the twins into a corner, looking at them sternly. “Don’t you think you’re asking too many questions?”
Xiao Yixi, who had been waiting for an explanation, didn’t expect Xiao Cheng to turn the tables and blame him instead.
“You’re meeting with your ex-boyfriend, and we’re not allowed to ask why?” His grievance was overwhelming, and his eyes turned red.
Xiao Cheng almost got sidetracked by their complaints. After calming down, he thought about it carefully: these two were just his cousins. His love life had nothing to do with them.
“So, what position are you questioning me from?”
Not giving them a chance to reply, Xiao Cheng continued, “If I remember correctly, I already rejected you this morning.”
“Don’t treat me like I’m your possession.”
Xiao Cheng could tolerate his partner’s possessiveness, but only if it didn’t interfere with his normal life.
Even when he was dating Luo Jingshu, he didn’t like it when Luo Jingshu meddled too much in his affairs, let alone baseless suspicion.
If he wouldn’t tolerate such behavior from a former boyfriend, he certainly wouldn’t accept it from his cousins.
He wondered if his earlier rejections had been too gentle, leading the twins to think there was still room for negotiation.
“Brother Cheng,” Xiao Yinan was the first to recover. He placed a hand on Xiao Yixi’s shoulder, signaling him to stop talking.
“We were just too worried. If you don’t like it, we won’t ask anymore.”
Xiao Cheng’s uncharacteristic gentleness had given them the illusion that he might accept them if they just tried harder.
In truth, it was because Xiao Cheng had lost his memory.
While he knew the twins liked him, he felt no strong emotions about it. Although he understood that such feelings violated moral boundaries, he hadn’t distanced himself from the twins because of it.
Xiao Cheng didn’t know that last year, after the twins confessed to him, he had coldly and cruelly rejected them, cutting off all contact afterward.
When the twins returned this year, they had expected Xiao Cheng to greet them with a cold expression, only to find him acting as if nothing had happened, as though he’d forgotten the past entirely.
It was Xiao Cheng’s unexpectedly mild attitude that had made the twins overly confident, forgetting to restrain themselves in their joy.
They had spent most of their lives abroad, where they were used to being passionate and expressive. They didn’t know how to suppress their emotions and always spoke their minds—especially Xiao Yixi, who was impulsive and quick to react.
Their overconfidence had led them to forget that Xiao Cheng hadn’t accepted them yet.
Xiao Yixi also came to his senses. Pouting, he tugged at Xiao Cheng’s sleeve. “I’m sorry, Brother Cheng. I was wrong. I won’t ask anymore.”
At least he was quick to back down.
Xiao Cheng couldn’t help but sigh softly. After all, these two were still his cousins. He couldn’t cut ties with them over this.
“Let’s go.”
Xiao Cheng originally wanted to pull his sleeve back, but in the end, he let it be, allowing the twins to follow beside him.
The two little foxes, who had been so smug earlier, now looked dejected, cautiously stealing glances at Xiao Cheng and not daring to act up again.
Xiao Cheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. For now, he could still handle them this way.
But the thought of spending the next few days like this made his mood even heavier.
When Xiao Cheng arrived, Xiao Ziyue and Bai Ling were off shopping for clothes. Bai Yiheng was chatting with Xiao Ziyue, and the atmosphere seemed pleasant.
Xiao Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, but Xiao Yixi, standing beside him, suddenly said in a gloomy tone, “Brother Cheng, you were lying to me before, weren’t you?”
“What?” Xiao Cheng reflexively responded.
“Your ideal type isn’t really a tall, handsome, and strong guy, is it?”
Xiao Cheng: …
He truly regretted casually pointing someone out before. Xiao Yixi seemed to completely believe what he said.
“People’s preferences are complex and changeable. Relationships are about feelings, not fixed types,” Xiao Cheng explained as he spoke. At that moment, Bai Yiheng noticed them and smiled at Xiao Cheng.
Xiao Cheng returned the smile.
Xiao Yixi, beside him, muttered bitterly, “Yet you smile at him so beautifully.”
Xiao Cheng couldn’t take it anymore and shot back, “What’s so strange about that? I can smile at you, let alone Mr. Bai.”
Xiao Yixi was struck speechless. So he ranked even lower than that old man?!
Thinking about it, it did seem that Brother Cheng didn’t particularly like him. In this aspect, he really couldn’t compare to Bai Yiheng.
When Xiao Cheng argued, not even Luo Jingshu could win against him, let alone Xiao Yixi. Flustered, Xiao Yixi’s face turned red.
Since Bai Yiheng was accompanied by Bai Ling, he couldn’t drop Xiao Cheng off, so Xiao Cheng still returned home with the usual group.
Xiao Ziyue had bought a ton of stuff. Even after getting into the car, she couldn’t contain her excitement. She turned around and noticed her brother looking unwell.
“Brother, are you feeling sick?”
When there was no need for socializing, Xiao Cheng didn’t even want to maintain a polite smile. He drove with a blank expression and only responded when he heard Xiao Ziyue’s voice.
“My head feels a little dizzy.”
It was probably the twins who had driven him crazy. Though thinking about it, if he hadn’t encountered Luo Jingshu today, at least half of his troubles would have been avoided.
Through the rearview mirror, Xiao Cheng glanced at the twins in the backseat, who were staring straight at him.
Great, now his headache was even worse.
“Maybe you’re just overworked.” Xiao Ziyue looked worried. “Don’t rely on being young to overdo it. Take care of your health.”
She spoke seriously, and Xiao Cheng was amused.
“You’re even younger than me. Why are you talking like an elder?”
Xiao Ziyue wasn’t convinced. “I may be younger, but at least I know how to take care of my health, unlike you.”
She muttered, “Back in your senior year of high school, you always stayed up late. You’re just now seeing the consequences of that.”
Xiao Cheng had no memories of that period, but he remained calm and glanced at Xiao Ziyue in the passenger seat. “What consequences?”
His tone was light and natural, even with a slight smile, as if he were refuting her.
Xiao Ziyue didn’t suspect anything and immediately replied, “How could you forget? After the college entrance exam, you kept complaining about headaches and memory loss for two months.”
Xiao Cheng’s lips pressed tightly together, but he deliberately raised an eyebrow, “Did I?”
Xiao Ziyue snorted, “Didn’t you? For those two months, you suffered from insomnia and constant nightmares. You even told me you kept dreaming about a fire, where you tried to save someone but ended up dying in the flames.”
Xiao Cheng gripped the steering wheel tightly. Something was on the verge of surfacing in his mind. His throat felt dry—he wanted to ask but didn’t know where to begin.
Xiao Ziyue continued in a teasing tone, “And the most ridiculous part was that you said you were trying to save someone you loved. But when I asked what that person looked like, you said you didn’t know.”
“You didn’t even have someone you liked back then!”
After all, Xiao Cheng had never been in love or had a crush on anyone at that time. The only person he had ever liked was Luo Jingshu.
Xiao Cheng loosened his grip on the steering wheel and closed his eyes briefly. His voice was hoarse. “Then what?”
“Then what?” Xiao Ziyue teased. “It was so embarrassing you probably blocked it out.”
Xiao Cheng tensed again. “Be serious.”
“Oh, fine,” Xiao Ziyue said with a grin. “You fainted once during that time.”
Xiao Cheng took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “When was that? Why don’t I remember?”
“It was right before you started college.” Xiao Ziyue recalled clearly. “You were packing your things with Mom at your apartment, and then suddenly you collapsed.”
He opened his eyes wide, heart pounding. “At the apartment Mom bought for me?”
“Of course. Do you have any other apartments?”
“I can’t remember much of it,” Xiao Cheng said, his voice dry. “Then what happened?”
“Because it was so embarrassing, obviously.” Xiao Ziyue chuckled. “Mom took you to the hospital. But guess what? They said you were just exhausted and had fallen asleep.”
“Dad even had to carry you upstairs when we got home. You didn’t wake up until the next morning.”
Xiao Cheng let out a faint “mm,” his expression stiff, heart racing.
The hospital said he was just tired and seemed fine the next day, so neither He An nor Xiao Yu suspected anything.
But Xiao Cheng knew he wasn’t simply tired.
That was when he had been reborn—when his soul had traveled back five years to his 18-year-old self.
Now, as he pieced everything together, the connections became clearer.
Something must be off—very likely with that apartment.
Xiao Cheng inhaled deeply to steady himself. He urgently wanted to uncover the truth.
Luo Jingshu must know something!
For the first time, Xiao Cheng felt an overwhelming desire to meet Luo Jingshu.
