Now, seeing Meng Ruozhao recalling this particular moment, Pei Jiangmu's feelings were, of course, complex.
He wasn't sure if, apart from that one sentence,
she also remembered Lu Cheng's confession.
Or perhaps the bullying.
Or the sight of the cherry - blossom path downstairs when they walked home together, the petals covering both their heads.
Meng Ruozhao noticed the changes in Pei Jiangmu's expression. A hint of confusion welled up in her heart, and she couldn't help but gently nudge his arm.
"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
Pei Jiangmu snapped back to reality. Looking into her clear, concerned eyes, the tangle in his heart eased a little.
He was still holding Meng Ruozhao's hand as he brought the topic back on track.
"Nothing. I was just thinking that you must have been really scared during the car accident, sister."
"You're probably still confused now. That's why even in your dreams, others are encouraging you to be brave."
Meng Ruozhao was somewhat shocked.
She hadn't expected that this man could accurately guess her innermost thoughts based on just a few words.
Indeed, she was confused and scared.
She just never dared to show it openly and always pretended to be calm.
After all, anyone who couldn't remember their past and couldn't even find a single thing related to it, with their past only existing in others' stories, would feel confused and scared.
But no one had ever asked her, "Ruozhao, are you scared?"
So she pretended that she wasn't.
Now that Pei Jiangmu had touched on her sore spot, she suddenly felt a bit wronged and her nose tingled.
Pei Jiangmu saw the tears welling up in Meng Ruozhao's eyes. His heart instantly tightened.
He panicked and wanted to reach out to wipe away the tears that were about to fall, but his movements were incredibly gentle.
It was as if with a bit too much force, the person in front of him would shatter.
"Sister, don't be afraid. I'm here. No matter what happened in the past, I'll be with you from now on."
His voice was deep and firm, like a solemn vow.
Meng Ruozhao also realized that she had lost her composure. She dodged his hand and forced a smile through her tears. "Look at me. Why am I suddenly getting so sentimental?"
After saying that, she quickly adjusted her emotions and then continued to speak under his concerned gaze.
"I came here today to see if I could retrieve some of my memories."
"After all, I'm not that old yet, and school days took up most of my life."
"Maybe I'll even remember something like a puppy love."
When she said this last part, she even made a joke. She didn't notice that Pei Jiangmu's expression froze for a moment because of her last words.
It was only after a while that he seemed to regain his voice. "I don't think you're the type of person who would have a puppy love, sister."
He said it so firmly and assertively that Meng Ruozhao couldn't help but take an extra look at him.
However, Pei Jiangmu quickly realized something was off and then smiled innocently.
"Because you're so beautiful and wonderful. No ordinary guy could ever be good enough for you."
Meng Ruozhao thought for a while but then shook her head. "That's not necessarily true. I actually think there's a high possibility that I had a puppy love."
This statement was like a bomb dropping on Pei Jiangmu's heart.
He even began to suspect that he had lost his own memories.
Otherwise, how could he not know about her puppy love?
Or had she hidden it from him back then, and now she still retained that part of the memory? And because she couldn't remember him, she no longer guarded against him?
This thought made Pei Jiangmu grind his teeth in anger.
He tried hard to suppress the inexplicable irritation in his heart and made his voice sound as calm as possible.
"Why do you think there's a high possibility of having a puppy love? Do you remember something?"
Meng Ruozhao tilted her head and thought seriously. Finally, she let out a chuckle.
"After all, I'm not bad - looking, and my personality is not that hard to get along with. There's no reason why no one would pursue me."
In fact, she really couldn't remember.
But she just had a feeling that during her school days, she must have had someone she liked.
Hearing that it was just a speculation, Pei Jiangmu relaxed a bit.
"Maybe you were just focused on your studies back then, sister."
However, Meng Ruozhao's next words made his heart tighten again.
"Because I feel like I had a crush on someone back then. I've dreamed about being with a boy a couple of times. We were wearing the same school uniform."
A crush?
A name flashed through Pei Jiangmu's mind.
The next second, he could hardly contain the raging anger within him.
Even Meng Ruozhao noticed something was wrong and turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"
Pei Jiangmu stared intently at her, his heart in turmoil. "A crush? Did you really have to have a crush, sister? Don't you have any impression of him at all?"
Meng Ruozhao really thought about it seriously.
Pei Jiangmu wished he could hold her face and stop her from thinking any further.
But right now, he was just a newly - acquainted "little brother" who had to maintain his persona.
So he bit the soft flesh inside his cheek. Relying on the pain, he managed to suppress that crazy and possessive desire and barely maintained a faint smile.
"If you don't remember at all, it means you've already let go, sister."
"Why do you have to remember someone you've let go?"
She didn't need to remember anything except loving him.
But obviously, Meng Ruozhao didn't think so. She didn't come to the school to remember some crush.
Whether such a person really existed was still up for debate. It was just that the conversation had led them here.
She came to the school simply to see if she could remember some people from the past.
Maybe the teachers still remembered her.
She now needed to hear something about her past from people other than the Du family.
"No, I have to remember. Because I think there's a very important person in the memories I've lost."
She leaned back in her seat and looked out of the window.
Pei Jiangmu's heart sank abruptly.
He followed Meng Ruozhao's gaze. Outside the window was a row of cherry - blossom trees.
It was a pity that spring had passed. The gentle breeze blew, but there were no longer petals fluttering down like snow.
He held back for a long time but still couldn't help asking, "How important is this person? Is it the person you had a crush on?"
Pei Jiangmu tried his best to make his tone sound just curious, but his heart was in turmoil.
Meng Ruozhao retracted her gaze and looked at Pei Jiangmu. Her eyes were filled with a complex expression, a mix of confusion and determination.
"I'm not sure if it's the person I had a crush on. I just have a very strong feeling that as long as I remember this person, I can piece together the complete me."
Pei Jiangmu clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Of course, he hoped that the person was the former self.
Unfortunately, in her heart, he was just a despicable plunderer.
So the person who occupied an important position in Meng Ruozhao's memories could only be someone else.
It was the person she had lied to him about and had desperately returned to the country to see.
"Then where do you think this person is, sister? It's been years since you graduated. It won't be easy to find this person."
Pei Jiangmu swallowed back the metallic taste in his throat and tried to guide Meng Ruozhao to give up this idea.
Meng Ruozhao gently shook her head. "I don't know, but I think the school is a breakthrough."
"Maybe if I look for my former teachers, they can give me some clues."
As she spoke, she fell into deep thought, trying hard to search for the vague impressions of her teachers in her mind.
Pei Jiangmu looked at Meng Ruozhao's serious expression and heard the sound of his own teeth grinding, like a caged beast gnawing at the iron cage.
The two were very close. He could smell the nice citrus - scented perfume on her.
But at this moment, that smell turned into countless tiny blades, cutting at the throbbing blood vessels in his temples.
Because he suddenly remembered that this was also the smell that person liked.