Chapter 165

Chapter 165

The hospital room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Tian Ruan realized what he had just said, "..."

Saying such a thing to an amnesiac Yu Jingmo was borderline blasphemous—practically begging for a beating.

Hesitantly, Tian Ruan handed him the pomelo and quickly added, "I was just talking nonsense, Mr. Yu. Don't take it seriously."

Yu Jingmo neither agreed nor disagreed. Even half-reclined on the hospital bed, he maintained an elegant demeanor as he tasted the fruit, not even his eyebrows twitched. Only after finishing did he remark, "Bold of you."

Tian Ruan thought, *You're the one who made me this way*, but out loud, he said, "I won't dare again."

Yu Jingmo looked at him, silent for a moment before asking, "We've been married for almost nine months now?"

"Mhm."

"So..."

"What?"

"Never mind." Yu Jingmo still didn't ask how Tian Ruan knew about *that*—whether something intimate had happened between them.

Tian Ruan met Yu Jingmo's gaze and asked curiously, "You really can't remember anything after the marriage?"

Yu Jingmo: "Not entirely. I remember seeing you on the surveillance footage, sneaking out of the manor in the middle of the night with a makeshift bundle on your back, like some midnight burglar."

"..."

"Then I went to catch you..." After that, Yu Jingmo couldn't recall anything else. "Looks like I brought you back."

Tian Ruan had assumed Yu Jingmo only remembered the wedding, but he hadn't expected even this embarrassing incident to still be remembered. He tried staying silent, hoping silence would save him.

Yu Jingmo didn't let him off the hook. His tone was light as he asked, "I never got angry with you, did I?"

Tian Ruan: "...No." Unless you count what happened in bed—how was he supposed to explain *that*?

"Then why did you run?"

"Mr. Yu," Tian Ruan said helplessly, "that question is past its expiration date with me. The fact that I'm here means I didn't run in the end."

Yu Jingmo nodded. "Mm."

Tian Ruan felt strangely disoriented, staring at this man who'd been achingly close to him just last night but now seemed as distant as he had been during their newlywed days.

His gaze was too obvious, and Yu Jingmo couldn't miss it. Casually, he asked, "Have you been on your best behavior these past few months?"

Tian Ruan: "...When have I ever misbehaved?"

Yu Jingmo had no concrete reason. "Just a feeling that you haven't been."

Tian Ruan glared at him.

For some reason, that glare made Yu Jingmo's heart flutter oddly. Almost without thinking, he said, "Come here."

Tian Ruan moved closer without question. "What?"

Yu Jingmo raised a hand as if to touch his face, but realizing his own action, his hand hung awkwardly in the air, like a schoolboy caught mid-wave.

Tian Ruan blinked. "Yu Jingmo, do you have any questions?"

Yu Jingmo withdrew his hand casually, then noticed Tian Ruan's clothes. "Why are you wearing Deyin High School’s uniform?"

Tian Ruan: "Oh, I’m attending school now—same class as Yu Shang. You’re the one who set it up."

"You arranged it?" Yu Jingmo considered briefly. "That does sound like me. You do look like a high school student in this."

"Could pass as your kid, too."

"..."

"Kidding!" When Tian Ruan was close to Yu Jingmo, he could joke freely. But now, with Yu Jingmo’s memory gone, the remark felt strangely awkward.

Yu Jingmo kept his eyes on the young man’s face, watching him shift between melancholy, carefree cheer, and startling remarks. Far from annoyed, he felt an odd flicker of amusement.

The amusement was odd, but Yu Jingmo savored it, finding it inexplicably delightful. He couldn’t resist saying, "Wanna call me ‘Daddy’? Go ahead."

Tian Ruan: "..." Amnesiac or not, still the same Yu Jingmo.

Yu Jingmo’s gaze dropped to the sandalwood bracelet snug on Tian Ruan’s right wrist. Satisfied, he said, "Even if you’re in school now, you’re still my protector."

Tian Ruan waved him off. "Sure, sure."

Just then, their so-called "precious son" Yu Shang finally arrived, stepping in with a solemn, "Dad."

At this point, Yu Jingmo recognized Yu Shang more readily and nodded. "I’m okay. Just missing a few months."

Yu Shang halted mid-step. "...Amnesia?"

Lu Qiuyan, who’d tagged along out of concern for Tian Ruan, tilted his head in silent question.

Tian Ruan nodded gravely. "It’s true. The doctor confirmed a mild concussion and temporary memory loss."

Lu Qiuyan wondered aloud, "So the honeymoon’s gone too?"

"..." Tian Ruan shot a wary look at Yu Jingmo. "Yeah."

Yu Jingmo—rarely shocked—now wore sheer disbelief, frozen in place. "Honeymoon?"

Seizing the moment, Lu Qiuyan added, "Uncle, you two went on a honeymoon over winter break."

Yu Jingmo’s questioning stare turned to Tian Ruan.

Tian Ruan, flushing slightly, deflected, "Ancient history. Drop it."

Lu Qiuyan whipped out his phone, scrolling to last year’s honeymoon photos Tian Ruan had sent him. "Here. Proof."

Tian Ruan made a half-hearted grab, but Yu Jingmo intercepted the phone first. His breath caught.

The photo showed Changbai Mountain’s snow-capped peaks, everything blinding white under the sun. He and Tian Ruan walked side by side, smiling at each other—their expressions blurred, but the affection was obvious.

"..."

Tian Ruan peeked, suddenly wishing he’d sent the steamier pics. A few make-out shots would’ve blown his mind.

Lu Qiuyan nudged, "There’s more up front."

Yu Jingmo flipped through the photos, his bewilderment deepening. But with others around, he bit back his questions, returning the phone with a calm, "Thanks. You’re in Yu Shang’s class too?"

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Tian Ruan almost said he was Yu Shang’s future spouse, their daughter-in-law. Luckily, he caught himself in time—otherwise, it would’ve been biting the hand that fed him.

"I was assigned to Class 1A this semester," Lu Qiuyan said.

Yu Jingmo nodded. "Thank you for accompanying Yu Shang."

"I wasn’t just accompanying him…" Lu Qiuyan got defensive again. "Tian Ruan and I are classmates too."

"Tian Ruan?" Yu Jingmo rolled the name around, glancing sideways at the seemingly innocent young man. "Did you change your name?"

Tian Ruan lied straight-faced, "Yeah, and you were the one who helped me pick it."

Yu Jingmo paused. "Nice name." It sounded sweet and soft, and the young man’s appearance matched the homophone perfectly.

Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan stayed in the ward for quite a while until the doctor came on his rounds with the usual questions.

"Doctor, when will my father regain his memory?" Yu Shang knew all too well that if news of Yu Jingmo’s amnesia got out, the Yu family’s stock would take a hit, and certain people would try to make trouble.

"Could be a few days, could be years." The attending physician was noncommittal.

Yu Shang frowned.

Yu Jingmo looked at his son. "I have amnesia, not brain damage. Summarize everything from the past nine months at Holly Group and send it to me." Then he called Assistant Xu. "Bring my laptop."

Assistant Xu said he would.

Yu Shang: "Dad…"

Yu Jingmo: "I want the summary by noon."

Yu Shang: "…Alright." It wasn’t particularly difficult, just tedious.

The two young men left the fruit they’d brought and went off to handle their own affairs. Only the husbands remained in the ward, left staring at each other.

Yu Jingmo hesitated: "You…"

Tian Ruan pressed: "Me what?"

"How far have we gone?" Yu Jingmo finally asked.

Tian Ruan hesitated. "Mr. Yu, I don’t want to guilt-trip you. You’ve lost your memory—I don’t want to press my luck."

Though indirect, his response said everything.

Yu Jingmo understood. They must have been intimate, which explained why Tian Ruan spoke so freely, knew his preferences so well, and why he responded to Tian Ruan—itching to cross lines.

All these questions now had answers.

But being intimate didn’t mean they were on the same page. Yu Jingmo didn’t press further.

Being truly connected was something he’d never imagined happening between him and anyone else. He couldn’t picture it. He’d married Tian Ruan as a shield against unwanted attention.

In the silence, Tian Ruan started eating a banana.

Yu Jingmo watched him.

The way it stretched his small mouth wide. There might have been even bigger moments—times when it couldn’t be contained, leaving his lips swollen and red.

Tian Ruan took a bite of the banana and, noticing Yu Jingmo watching him, offered the half-eaten banana. "Want some?"

Yu Jingmo glanced down and inexplicably said, "Not that banana."

"Huh?"

"It's nothing." Yu Jingmo said solemnly.

Tian Ruan paused, thinking it over before realizing, "...Mr. Yu, did you remember something?"

Yu Jingmo frowned slightly. "I don’t know."

He just had a familiar feeling about the way the young man ate the banana. But if not this banana, which one?

It dawned on Tian Ruan, and he continued eating the banana.

Yu Jingmo: "...Stop eating."

"Why? I'm hungry."

"Don’t eat the banana. Have something else."

"I like bananas—the bigger, the better." Tian Ruan stated firmly. "What’s wrong?"

"..." What else could it be? Yu Jingmo kept imagining things he shouldn’t.

Tian Ruan polished off the first banana.

Yu Jingmo had just let out a relieved sigh when he saw Tian Ruan peel a second banana and start eating it happily.

As Tian Ruan peeled the banana and put it in his mouth, he glanced down and saw Yu Jingmo’s stirring dragon. "Whoa~"

Yu Jingmo was silent.