Ni bent down to pick up his pencil, and the collar of his shirt shifted slightly. Li Shan's eyes fell on his neck, and his breath caught for a moment.
That tiny mark was the exact same shape and in the exact same spot. Memories flashed before Li Shan's eyes. A little boy always chasing after him, and that mark in the same place. Could this really be Ni? His heart started pounding.
Ni straightened up as if nothing had happened and returned to his homework, unaware that Li Shan's world had shifted.
The bell rang. The classroom erupted into noise. Everyone started taking out their lunch. Li Shan's gaze returned to Ni. Ni opened her lunchbox. It was empty. For a second, her eyes held the same faint sadness Li Shan remembered from their childhood. Li Shan almost knew for sure now.
He picked up his own lunch and approached her. He asked if she would have lunch with him. Ni looked slightly surprised and said there was no need. Li Shan smiled faintly and told her that she was still the same, always refusing first and then giving in.
Ni glanced at him immediately and asked what he meant. Li Shan paused and wondered if he should ask straight out or confirm first. Ni finally said softly that she would eat, but asked him not to look at her like that. Li Shan answered gently, asking how else he should look at her.
Ni's hand froze, and she asked why he said her name so familiarly. Li Shan's eyes glimmered as he said that maybe she had forgotten him. Ni slowly turned toward him and asked if they had met before. Li Shan quietly said that they had not just met, and that she had never really left him. Ni's eyes widened in shock.
Had Ni really forgotten his past, or was she pretending to be a stranger on purpose?
To be continued...