That night—
Lin Ya returned home.
Zhu Lu and Tao Ling immediately noticed her expression.
"What happened?" Tao Ling asked.
Lin Ya hesitated… then told them everything.
Silence filled the room.
Then—
"What?!" Zhu Lu exclaimed. "You studied in the same high school?!"
"And you were together?!" Tao Ling added.
"And you forgot everything?!" they both said at the same time.
They looked at each other—
Then back at her.
Zhu Lu sighed.
"Lin Ya… why do you always keep everything to yourself?"
Her voice softened.
"You never told us about your accident… or your memory loss."
Tao Ling nodded.
"We've been your best friends since university. We thought… maybe your past was something you didn't want to talk about."
Zhu Lu stepped closer.
"But isn't it hard… carrying everything alone?"
"If you don't say what you feel… how will anyone understand you?"
Lin Ya slowly crouched down, hugging herself.
"I messed up…"
Her voice trembled.
"I hurt him… I didn't mean to…"
Tears fell.
"I left him… forgot him… and came back into his life like this…"
Her shoulders shook.
"I shouldn't have met him…"
She buried her face.
"If I couldn't protect him… if I couldn't give him happiness…"
Her voice broke completely.
"I shouldn't have…"
Zhu Lu and Tao Ling knelt beside her.
"It's not your fault," Zhu Lu said gently. "You didn't choose to forget."
Tao Ling nodded. "We can't change the past."
Zhu Lu held her hand.
"But what you do now… that's what matters."
"Take it slow."
"Maybe things won't be perfect… maybe they will break again…"
A small pause.
"But at least… you won't regret trying."
That night—
Lin Ya lay on her bed, hugging her pillow tightly.
"…Sorry, Xu Ming."
The next morning—
A knock echoed through the house.
Zhu Lu opened the door.
A delivery man stood outside.
"Is this Ms. Lin Ya's residence?"
"She's here," Zhu Lu replied.
He handed her a bouquet.
Lotus flowers.
"Please give this to her."
Moments later—
Lin Ya stepped into the living room.
"Oh, you're awake," Zhu Lu said, handing her the bouquet.
"Someone left this for you."
She smirked slightly and walked away.
Lin Ya stood still.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the flowers.
Her heart—
Unsteady.
She opened the note.
I'm sorry.
For last night.
You didn't deserve that.
I thought I had moved on… but I was wrong.
I'm still stuck where you left me.
April 19, 2021.
And now it's April 19, 2025.
You forgot our past.I held onto it.
Maybe… we were both hurting in different ways.
If you're willing…
let's start again.
Meet me at Crossbridge River.
— Xu Ming
Lin Ya lowered the note slowly.
Her heart beat faster.
The past was calling.
But so was something new.