Morning light filtered through the hospital corridor, blending with the sterile scent of disinfectant. Lu Chenzhou sat outside the hospital room, tightly gripping a CT scan report—his knuckles pale white. He hadn't slept a wink, red veins visible in his eyes. Still dressed in his tactical gear from the previous mission, faint traces of dried blood clung to the fabric. His gaze fell on the quiet figure inside the room, eyes heavy with complex restraint.
Su Wanqing lay on the hospital bed, bandages wrapped around her forehead, her eyes blank and distant. There was no visible pain on her face, but a cold, unfamiliar detachment lingered in her expression.
"Who… are you?"
That was the first thing she said after waking up.
In that moment, Lu Chenzhou's heart sank.
The doctors diagnosed her with selective memory loss caused by a mild concussion. Most of her long-term memories remained intact, except one glaring omission—her relationship with Lu Chenzhou. From the moment they met, to working side by side, even to the budding emotions that had begun to bloom—it was all gone.
She remembered "Dark Abyss," the cases, her parents' murder—but not him.
As if he had never existed in her life.
A few days later, Su Wanqing was discharged. Despite the doctors' recommendation for at least two weeks of rest, she insisted on returning to work. Her stubbornness, even obsession, hadn't changed—a trait Lu Chenzhou was all too familiar with. But the warmth and trust that once lingered in her eyes were gone.
He didn't push her. He simply stayed by her side, like any long-time colleague—nothing more.
She didn't know that during the two days she was unconscious, he never left the hospital. She didn't know that on the night she woke, he had held her hand and softly whispered her name, his voice trembling with fear.
To her, he was just a dependable partner, a responsible cop.
On her first day back at the Serious Crimes Unit, Su Wanqing stepped into the familiar office, hesitating slightly as her gaze swept the room. Standing at her desk, she touched her favorite coffee mug—the one with "Qing Qing is the coolest" printed on it, and a little turtle sticker underneath.
"You once said you were like a turtle—slow to warm up," Lu Chenzhou said softly, standing behind her.
She blinked, surprised. "I said that?"
"Mhm. Back then, you used to doodle little turtles on my files." He smiled, eyes filled with undeniable tenderness.
She frowned slightly, didn't respond, and lowered her head to flip through a case file instead.
Lu Chenzhou said nothing more. When she wasn't looking, he quietly placed a metal badge on the corner of her desk—a duplicate medal from the "Viper Case" they had solved together. She had given it to him herself, engraved with two names: Lu & Su.
Now, she had no memory of it.
As new cases came and went, Su Wanqing slowly adapted to working with Lu Chenzhou again. What surprised her was the instinctive synergy between them—a look, a gesture, and they understood each other. As if trust had already been forged through countless life-and-death experiences.
But the more natural their connection felt, the more confused she became.
She dug up her old case journals and discovered his name appearing more and more frequently. At first, it was brief remarks, but later it shifted into emotional reflections—pages filled with dependence and affection.
One night, she sat at home with her journals spread before her, unable to sleep.
One entry read:"Lu Chenzhou shielded me from the explosion again today… I thought he'd died. I was shaking all night. Why does his life or death affect me so much?"
"I shouldn't feel this way… I can't feel this way… but I still…"
Tears streamed down her face.
Then the dreams began—fragmented flashes:A night in the rain where he draped his coat over her shoulders…His hand gripping hers while she lay unconscious…The look in his eyes, panicked yet gentle, the first time she kissed him…
Everything was blurry, yet unmistakably real.
After a mission one day, Su Wanqing stopped him.
"Can you… come with me somewhere?"
"Of course," Lu Chenzhou replied without hesitation, not even asking where.
They walked together to the rooftop of an abandoned building on the edge of the city—once the place they had first bared their hearts to each other. Su Wanqing stood at the ledge, staring at the lights in the distance. After a long silence, she asked softly:
"Did we… used to have something?"
Lu Chenzhou didn't answer. Instead, he placed a hand gently on her shoulder and pulled out a small ring—a ring he had secretly prepared when they made their promise to each other, never having had the chance to give it to her.
"You once said… if there came a day you forgot me, I should win you over again."
Su Wanqing took the ring with teary eyes and nodded gently. "Then… I agree to let you try."
The spring night was warming, the breeze tousling her hair. He reached out and gently tucked it behind her ear. In her eyes, his face gradually came into focus—bit by bit, like puzzle pieces of memory finally falling into place.
No more words were needed.
In that moment, everything returned.
She whispered, "Turns out I've always loved you… I just forgot to remind myself."
Lu Chenzhou chuckled softly, pulling her into his arms and replying with quiet affection:
"It's okay. We'll start over—from now, until you never forget me again."