"Even if you ask about things from over ten years ago, I really can't rember them all~"
Ling Ning's uncle looked at her helplessly. Initially, he thought she had co to ask for money, but unexpectedly, she started asking about things that had happened over a decade ago without providing any specific details. How could he possibly recall sothing like that?
Ling Ning frowned, then asked, "I an the year or two before my parents passed away. Do you have any mories of that ti?"
"The year or two before they passed..." Her uncle squinted his eyes, trying to rember. After a mont, it seed sothing ca to mind. He said, "I rember when you were about six years old, you had a terrible fever—almost 42 degrees. The doctor even wondered if it would damage your brain, but fortunately, nothing serious happened."
"Right." As if recalling sothing else, her uncle continued, "I also rember when you woke up after the fever, you kept asking about your parents, and you said you felt like you had forgotten sothing important."
Hearing this, Ling Ning dug deep into her own mories, vaguely recalling sothing similar, though most of it had beco so distant that only a faint impression remained, with no specific details.
"Do you know what caused my fever back then, Uncle?"
"I'm not too sure. I rember your parents saying you got caught in the rain while playing outside, and that's why you ca down with the fever. That's about all I know, though. I have so things to take care of, so I'll be heading off." With that, her uncle turned and left, looking back at her briefly. He couldn't shake the feeling that this niece of his was different—completely unlike the person he had t two years ago.
Watching her uncle's figure fade into the distance, Ling Ning fell into deep thought. Was her lost mory sohow linked to that fever? In her past life, she'd read about people losing their mories after a high fever, though such cases usually only occurred in children.
And indeed, she had been just a child when she had that fever.
With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Ling Ning found herself unknowingly standing before an old building. It was a worn-out orphanage, as evident from the thick layers of dust on its front gate—no one seed to live there anymore.
Staring at the abandoned structure, she felt a strong sense of familiarity for so reason. She walked forward quietly and gently pushed at the gate.
"As I thought, it won't open."
She looked at the unyielding gate and was about to turn and leave when, inexplicably, she felt drawn to a narrow alley beside the orphanage.
For reasons she couldn't quite articulate, she felt there had to be sothing more behind it.
Ling Ning walked down the short alley, eventually arriving at the orphanage's backyard. The backyard was fenced with tall iron bars, and the gaps were just wide enough for a small child to slip through. With her current physique, trying to pass through would result in either her head, chest, or butt getting stuck.
Peering through the iron fence, she could see a small yard with so old playground equipnt, like swings and a seesaw.
"This is it!"
Ling Ning's heart raced with excitent. The scenes from her dreams before her mory had rged—and even the recent dreams—had all taken place here.
She moved to a corner of the fence and counted the iron bars from the end until she reached the fifth one. With her small, fair hand, she grasped the rusted iron bar and gave it a gentle shake. The bar, now weakened by rust, easily broke away in her hand.
It wasn't due to her having any special strength. The bar itself was already broken. Ling Ning couldn't explain how she knew that—almost as if her body instinctively rembered it.
With the bar removed, there was now enough space for her to slip through.
Entering the yard, Ling Ning scanned her surroundings. She could clearly rember the corner where the young Ling Ning had kissed an unknown little girl.
She walked to the swing, pulled a tissue from her bag, wiped away the dust, and sat down. Silently, she observed the familiar sights around her. It all felt so deeply familiar, and yet, she couldn't recall the lost mories that haunted her.
"Sigh~"
Ti seed to slip away unnoticed as she sighed deeply and stood to leave. Before departing, she even placed the iron bar back where it belonged. She resolved to return soday when she had more ti, hoping to find so clues.
Not long after Ling Ning left, another figure appeared outside the fence. The person wore thick clothing, with sunglasses and a mask—looking suspicious in every sense.
The figure stood outside the fence, scanning the yard, then moved to the sa fifth iron bar that Ling Ning had just replaced. With a practiced motion, they removed it.
As the person tried to squeeze through, their bulky clothing got them stuck, and they had to struggle mightily to free themselves, eventually falling face-first onto the ground.
"Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have worn so many layers."
The suspicious figure, still sprawled on the ground, wriggled a bit before slowly getting up. They dusted themselves off before taking off the heavy coat, mask, and hat.
"Ah, I was suffocating in there."
If anyone had been present, they would have instantly recognized the famous celebrity Bai Yiyue. But, unfortunately, no one ca to this place.
"It hasn't changed at all here, has it?"
Bai Yiyue walked slowly around the yard, a gentle smile appearing on her lips. It was a genuine smile, unlike the rehearsed expressions she often wore on cara.
She approached the swing and was about to pull out a tissue when she noticed there wasn't a speck of dust on the seat. Bai Yiyue arched an eyebrow, glancing around at the other swing and seesaw—all of which were covered in dust—except for this one swing.
Bai Yiyue lightly touched the swing, feeling the warmth that still lingered.
"Was it you?"
She murmured softly, her lips curling into a bright smile. She sat on the swing, rocking back and forth gently.
"Whether it was you or not, I'll find you soon, you untrustworthy liar."
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Author's Note:
This is just a pure friendship exchange! I want to recomnd a book written by my good friend 'Half-Cooked Egg'—it's called "Kan Kettle Will Never Lose." It features Kan Rider as the protagonist, in a story about growing stronger through adventures and romances in a magical garden world. It's currently progressing into Gensokyo, so if you like that kind of story, definitely check it out~
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