Chapter 80

Chapter 80

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At the sound of Li Jia's voice, Ye Chengxing's movements paused.

Her voice was low, and despite saying it hurt, there was a hint of a smile in her tone.

After checking Li Jia's hand, Ye Chengxing thought that the other must have done this before. Thankfully, she wasn't injured, but recalling that scene still made her heart ache.

"That..." She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but after the initial impulse passed, she couldn't help lightly coughing at the current situation.

None of the things she had imagined saying if they really met were used. Instead, she directly took Li Jia's hand and examined it thoroughly.

Pausing like this, the concern she wanted to express turned into a dry statement: "I've checked, there's no burn."

Without waiting for Li Jia's reaction, Ye Chengxing pursed her lips and looked away, wondering what she was saying.

But having said it all, she forgot that she was supposed to let go of Li Jia's hand. After holding it for a while longer, she didn't release it, and Li Jia didn't say anything either.

Since Li Jia hadn't spoken since Ye Chengxing finished talking, she moved her gaze back.

Li Jia was staring at her without blinking, as if realizing something, with an unreadable look in her eyes.

Meeting her gaze, Ye Chengxing suddenly felt Li Jia turn her wrist, and her fingertips reached inside the sleeve to touch her skin—

She realized then that she had forgotten to let go of Li Jia's hand.

Ye Chengxing instinctively apologized: "I didn't react just now..."

But Li Jia didn't withdraw her fingertips, instead caressing that small area of skin on the inside of her wrist repeatedly.

Ye Chengxing felt her heart tingle from her touch, thoughts swirling, but ultimately stood still, allowing Li Jia to continue touching her.

After a long moment, she finally heard Li Jia speak, but instead of saying or asking anything, she simply murmured her name softly: "Ye... Chengxing?"

Hearing the uncertain tone, Ye Chengxing's first reaction was that five years apart had indeed made them distant. She couldn't pinpoint her exact emotions.

It made sense, after all, so much time had passed since they last saw each other. It was impossible for Li Jia to call her "sister" as she vaguely remembered.

Ye Chengxing hesitated, but still responded to Li Jia's inquiry. Then, she felt the fingertips caressing her skin suddenly apply more pressure, as if losing control.

But in the blink of an eye, Li Jia withdrew her hand. The feeling of losing control seemed like an illusion. Her expression didn't change, and her tone was calm: "Why are you here so late?"

Ye Chengxing wasn't sure how to respond, especially since she felt she should mention her lost memories first.

However, Li Jia didn't seem to expect an answer. She just looked deeply into Ye Chengxing's eyes and then asked, "Would you like to come in and sit down?"

Ye Chengxing knew she meant inside the villa. Not knowing how to answer Li Jia's previous question, she nodded: "Let's go in and sit down."

They couldn't just stand outside like this.

Ye Chengxing was fine, but she didn't know how long Li Jia had been standing there. The night air was a bit cool, and it would definitely be warmer inside.

Ye Chengxing followed Li Jia inside.

Once inside, Ye Chengxing found the villa surprisingly tidy. There was no dust or dirt, as if no one had lived there for a long time. It was almost spotless, not looking like it had been abandoned for five years. At first glance, it seemed as if someone still lived there.

And...

She glanced around subtly, feeling everything was strangely familiar.

"Sitting down, everything is clean," Li Jia said as she handed her a cup of warm water and sat down beside her.

Ye Chengxing took the cup and instinctively thanked her.

It wasn't obvious outside, but once inside, especially sitting on the same sofa, their presence became much more pronounced.

Thinking about what to say next, Ye Chengxing felt her throat tighten and lowered her eyes to take a sip of the warm water.

The journey over wasn't tiring, but drinking the warm water made her feel refreshed.

After drinking, she noticed that Li Jia only poured water for her and not herself, so she looked up: "Do you want some... water?"

But meeting Li Jia's gaze straight on,

Li Jia was resting her head, seemingly watching her the whole time.

As if watching her drink was captivating.

The cup in her hand felt hot under Li Jia's gaze.

Ye Chengxing couldn't quite gauge Li Jia's emotions.

The memories she could recall were fragmented. Currently, she could only remember these scattered scenes, unable to recall the truly crucial memories—like what happened between them five years ago, why she came to this world, and... how she returned.

These memories eluded her completely.

Li Jia noticed Ye Chengxing's fingertips gripping the cup tighten slightly. Her gaze lingered on her moist, reddened lips.

The skin she touched was warm.

The pulse on her wrist seemed connected to her heartbeat, making her tremble not just physically, but as if her soul resonated with it.

The faint familiar scent in her breath was the aroma she had missed through countless sleepless nights.

She hadn't dreamed of her much, after all, she spent whole nights awake. Those memories were sweet, yet like knives wrapped in sugar.

Everything happening now was unbelievable, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was dreaming. Would it all dissipate when she woke up? Would she face a world without Ye Chengxing again?

She couldn't bear to blink.

Li Jia concealed the obscurity in her eyes, as if only just hearing Ye Chengxing's question, she replied, "I'm not thirsty."

Ye Chengxing, hearing her say this, seemed to be considering what to say; her lips parted slightly for an instant before closing again.

She looked at her steadily, suddenly longing to feel the warmth of her lips and tongue.

...She was losing her mind.

She had clearly succeeded in getting her to leave, so why did she bring herself back into her life?

Chengxing listened to Li Jia's faint words, paused, and decided to tell her about her lost memories.

Her grip on the cup tightened as she met Li Jia's gaze, her voice slow and soft: "Well, recently... I lost some of my memories due to an accident, especially those from five years ago. I can hardly recall them in detail."

The reason for her memory loss she intentionally left vague, summarizing it with the word "accident."

After all, the real reason was too far-fetched.

Someone using a system wish contract to make her lose these memories... It was just like her coming from another world, better to simply say it was an accident.

She wasn't sure if Li Jia knew that she wasn't from this world, but she assumed Li Jia didn't know.

After all, she had already planned out how to explain her amnesia, and once she started, the rest of the words flowed naturally.

As Ye Chengxing spoke slowly, she observed Li Jia's expression.

But even upon hearing that she had lost most of her memories from five years ago, there was no change in the person in front of her. There was no surprise or bewilderment on her face, only that deep, inscrutable gaze remained fixed on her.

"In short, that's the situation, but I haven't forgotten everything..."

Ye Chengxing finished her explanation, adding that she hadn't forgotten everything.

Throughout her explanation, Li Jia remained silent.

The air seemed to grow still, quiet to the point of silence.

Ye Chengxing felt a strange tension, not fearing any intense emotional exchange, but rather unsure how to proceed given Li Jia's calmness.

There were too many possibilities behind this calmness.

It was possible that she felt relieved in this very moment.

Finally, Ye Chengxing heard Li Jia speak: "You asked Xi Yue for the address, didn't you?"

Her tone was more of a statement than a question.

Ye Chengxing softly affirmed, surprised that Li Jia guessed correctly upon hearing her explanation.

Before she could continue, she heard Li Jia ask: "Sister, since you can't remember, why did you come back here?"

Ye Chengxing didn't expect her to call her "sister" at this moment, just like in those hazy memories.

However, compared to the girl's soft voice, hers was now lower.

Thus, despite the same term of address, it sounded completely different.

She was closer now, her lush and beautiful eyes, each eyelash long and fine.

Not a girl, but a mature woman.

As if sensing her astonishment, Li Jia suddenly laughed, but there was little mirth in her eyes.

Her hand supported beside Chengxing's head, while the other made an ambiguous gesture, caressing her lips as if stroking a flower: "Since you've seen Xi Yue and the others, you must have heard something about what happened five years ago. Why come back here, risking a repeat of the past?"

The emotions suppressed in her voice were almost overwhelming.

She couldn't understand why, with hazy memories, she would return.

Trapped against the sofa by Li Jia, Ye Chengxing heard a certain word in her speech and curved her lips: "Then let it repeat itself."

"After all, I came back to see you."

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