Giai Moc Vi was being followed by the two kidnappers even while at the hospital.
Although the hospital had security staff, they were clearly unreliable.
After all, this place wasn't a special VIP ward, and no one could protect Giai Moc Vi 24/7.
Giai Moc Vi didn't pay much attention to the quick discharge procedure.
During the day, she had a health check; aside from a few scratches, all her vital signs were normal.
They simply packed Giai Moc Vi's things from the hospital room, and Ve Dinh Tieu completed the discharge process for her.
Before leaving, Ve Dinh Tieu took Giai Moc Vi to see the doctor who had treated her.
The doctor's words suggested that she should visit a professional neurology department for further assessment.
"Technically speaking, in Giai Moc Vi's situation, complete amnesia would usually result from severe brain damage or major brain surgery. However, her head shows no signs of surgery or injury, so I believe the complete memory loss isn't caused by physiological factors."
Not physiological. So it must be psychological. But what psychological factor could erase Giai Moc Vi's entire memory?
Ve Dinh Tieu stood at the hospital door, smoking.
The starlight in the early morning fell on his shoulders, making his tall and slim figure appear even more slender.
He had investigated Giai Moc Vi's background: she grew up at the Kumoi Lotus Temple in Kyoto.
The monks there were virtuous and pious, having adopted many children without guardians.
For years, Kumoi Lotus Temple had not mistreated children. According to social workers who checked on Giai Moc Vi, her life wasn't luxurious, but her basic needs were fully met.
After Giai Moc Vi's incident, Ve Dinh Tieu also gathered her teachers' evaluations from childhood to adolescence.
They all described her as lively, generous, cooperative, and helpful—basically a normal childhood.
A cigarette burned down completely. Ve Dinh Tieu stubbed it out in the ashtray and threw it in a nearby trash bin.
When he turned, he saw Giai Moc Vi walking out of the hospital, carrying a few personal items.
"Have you packed everything?" Ve Dinh Tieu asked.
Giai Moc Vi nodded.
There wasn't much to pack. Once fully awake, she checked through her belongings: just a wallet and a set of keys.
She sat in the back seat, placing her few possessions on her lap, then noticed his scrutinizing gaze and annoyed him: "What's the matter?"
"Quite strange," Ve Dinh Tieu scratched the side of his curly hair.
"Could it be that you became 'dumb' after that carousel incident?"
Giai Moc Vi felt insulted by his words.
"You weren't scared at all today when you were kidnapped? I thought your tears would bury the whole maple mountain. And your hands and feet were so quick, why didn't you show that before?"
Giai Moc Vi didn't want to admit she had the traits Ve Dinh Tieu described because it differed from her own perception. At least, she couldn't imagine her own face when crying.
She retorted: "As my boyfriend, you shouldn't even know about these things! Don't you realize you're completely unworthy?"
Ve Dinh Tieu pressed his lips together: "That's not really your fault. The first time you brought lunch to the SWAT team, you fell hard. At that time, I didn't realize how agile you were."
"Even though I lost my memory, my body coordination is excellent! I definitely wouldn't fall on flat ground! Don't even try to trick me!"
Ve Dinh Tieu laughed. "Alright, alright. Let's pretend I didn't say anything."
He leaned back in his seat, loosening his uniform jacket, shoulders relaxing along with it.
Looking at Giai Moc Vi, he raised his eyebrows. His features were youthful; someone might mistake him for a recent college graduate.
Especially that carefree, slightly arrogant vibe—standing out among other sharply dressed detectives.
"Somehow, being with you now feels comfortable. After Du Thua Uy left, I rarely felt this relaxed… Ah, right," he said, noticing her dark, serious expression. "Now you seem more like a real person!"
Ve Dinh Tieu gestured above his head. "Though his hair is blonde, skin a bit dark, body not as good-looking as mine, height shorter, temperament far inferior… I can't stand his constant bragging every time we fought. Anyway, I'll stop talking. Don't get out of the car!"
Giai Moc Vi had moved alone to Tokyo.
Her acquaintances from Kyoto weren't here, the only people she had interacted with frequently were the two women she met at the Metropolitan Police Department and… the police officer in front of her.
Before recovering her memory, there were too many uncertainties around her.
Although this "trickster" cop was a bit talkative, at least he wouldn't harm her.
Could she adapt to living together…? The thought felt somewhat challenging.
Giai Moc Vi pushed open the door to her rented apartment in Tokyo.
She had been anticipating this moment. Arriving home was comforting. After all, it was a place she had lived before. Surely, there would be information about herself here.
But as she entered, she felt a bit disappointed.
The apartment wasn't large, about 40 square meters, fitting the practical Japanese lifestyle.
From the surroundings, it wasn't a busy area. There were plenty of trees, sparse residents, and even if there was looting, there wouldn't be cameras recording.
This environment was suitable for a newly graduated trainee lawyer.
The apartment was likely recently rented; the furniture wasn't fully set up yet. Apart from basic household items and kitchenware, most items were law books, stacked everywhere within sight.
Ve Dinh Tieu turned on the living room light. The pale glow gave a cold feeling, almost like stepping into an operating room. He dropped his cigarette at the door and looked at Giai Moc Vi: "Just pack the daily necessities. The rest of the household items are all here."
When he said "home," he meant his home. Giai Moc Vi couldn't just take everything he had. After all, he was a man; most personal items for women were absent.
Giai Moc Vi looked around, completely unfamiliar. She could distinguish the bedroom area. There were only a few notebooks, cosmetics, two handbags, and some clothes.
She checked the bedroom thoroughly. Apart from a single woman's belongings, there was no useful information. Being a lawyer, she immediately noticed something unusual: a menu placed on the table.
Among all other law books, this menu seemed very strange. Giai Moc Vi flipped through two pages and found a sticky note inside. Very good. An extremely useful clue!
She turned on the desk lamp and read the note.
[12:32 Metropolitan Police Department lunch break]
[13:10 Metropolitan Police Department afternoon work starts… ends at 18:30]
[Ve Dinh Tieu: light taste, dislikes salty food, likes: tempura, wiener sausage, miso soup…]
"…" Giai Moc Vi.
This… this actually records Ve Dinh Tieu's preferences?!
The entire menu was marked with watercolor pens, showing meticulous attention.
At this moment, Giai Moc Vi felt extremely embarrassed.
Was this too much? Liked him that much?
Even if handsome, he was still a man, not that extraordinary… She couldn't see it.
But the part about her falling while delivering lunch seemed about 60% likely to be true.
Giai Moc Vi crumpled the note and threw it in the trash. Useless clue!
"Need any help?" he asked from the living room.
Giai Moc Vi pulled a black suitcase from under the bed, tossed all items she wanted to take inside, and said: "No, but I probably can't take all these books."
"Those," he said, though it would have been more accurate to use a truck. Ve Dinh Tieu had only glanced around the living room, which had no entertainment devices—just books everywhere.
"You passed the bar exam, right? Do you still need all these books?" he asked.
Giai Moc Vi nodded. "I've forgotten everything from before. I don't know if I still remember the contents. If I want to continue as a lawyer, I'll have to go through them again."
Ve Dinh Tieu empathized: "Poor thing."
"…" Giai Moc Vi.
He worked quickly. In less than twenty minutes, he had packed all the books she requested, neatly arranged, almost like police evidence.
Ve Dinh Tieu pulled out his phone to text: "Tomorrow I'll call movers to take them. My car can't carry everything."
Giai Moc Vi simply said, "Uh-huh," watching him bend his head to type. She could see his slightly curly black hair falling by his ear, the thin jawline leading to a slightly moving Adam's apple, gently exhaling. After sending the text, he raised his head, flicking dust from his hands toward her.
"Excuse me, I need to use the sink for a moment."
Giai Moc Vi nodded, not knowing where the sink was.
Ve Dinh Tieu found the bathroom to the left, and as he opened the door, he chuckled softly.
Giai Moc Vi appeared, tilting her head in confusion, looking inside.
To the left of the sink, a photo of a man was stuck on the mirror.
From the angle, it seemed taken secretly from above.
The man leaned slightly, hands in pockets, tall. Wearing sunglasses. The light hit him just right, and his serious working expression was captivating.
The man in the photo was Ve Dinh Tieu himself, carefully posing as he looked at the photo, complimenting the photographer: "Not bad… but when was this taken…"
"…" Giai Moc Vi widened her eyes.
What… what the hell?! Why was his photo posted in the bathroom?!