novelraw Chapter 52 : Memories Restored
Chapter 52 : Memories Restored
Shen Xiaoyu's head buzzed loudly—she could barely hear Su Huan's voice.
"What did you say?"
"There's no one else, it's always been you! The person who stayed with me for ten years is you! The person I love is you! An'an's mother is also you!"
Su Huan couldn't suppress her overwhelming emotions, tears pouring from her eyes like a flood, blurring her vision until she could barely see Shen Xiaoyu's face.
Her heart pounded violently, Su Huan's words echoing constantly in her mind, filled only with the word "absurd."
Impossible!
This must be Su Huan lying to her!
How could she possibly be the predecessor?
Shen Xiaoyu broke free from her grip, looking at her coldly. "Su Huan! Are you crazy? What nonsense are you spouting in the middle of the night? I've told you so many times, I'm not the predecessor at all! You don't need to blame me for your grievances with the predecessor. I have nothing..."
"Then haven't you wondered, with so many people in the world, why did the system specifically choose you?" Su Huan interrupted through her tears. "Why could you accept An'an as your daughter so quickly? Why has Shi Qiubai, who knows you, never doubted your identity? Even if people look the same, their personalities are different. Familiar people can tell after contact. Why has no one ever suspected? Not Shi Qiubai, not anyone you've ever been in contact with!"
Su Huan spoke emphatically, and Shen Xiaoyu's heart beat faster and higher.
Threads of pain spread from the deepest parts, hurting so much she could barely stand straight, only able to lean against the wall and breathe heavily.
Her mind screamed frantically, [Impossible! I can't be the predecessor! System... system, say something!]
"Rather than having the system tell you what's true or false, why don't you ask what the reward for your first mission was."
"Reward?" Shen Xiaoyu's frown deepened. "What reward? Didn't the predecessor's mission fail?"
"The mission succeeded in the final moments, and the system got the answer it wanted. You also got your reward—" Su Huan looked at her tenderly, cruelly peeling away the truth bit by bit. "Making your mother, who had become a vegetable from a car accident, wake up."
Shen Xiaoyu's eyes widened in shock like walnuts, her face full of disbelief.
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind, and she even began to believe Su Huan's words.
But this was impossible!
Her personality would never stay by Su Huan's side for ten years, letting herself be tormented and bullied, and also—
[System? Why aren't you refuting Su Huan? She's obviously trying to shake my resolve! At this point, can you stop playing dead?]
The blue screen in her mind flickered once, then went silent.
The system had nothing to say.
The dull pain in her heart made Shen Xiaoyu breathe rapidly. Her throat suddenly itched, and she staggered two steps to lean against the wall, bending over to dry heave, one after another, until her eyes reddened and tears welled up.
"Xiaoyu!" Su Huan hurried forward to support her. Seeing her tears, her heart suddenly constricted.
She regretted it—she shouldn't have exposed her identity in anger. If it could stimulate her to recover her memory, that would be best, but what if she couldn't recover?
Telling her these things would only push Shen Xiaoyu further away.
But there was no medicine for regret in this world. She had no system to turn back time. She could only wait for Shen Xiaoyu's judgment after accepting reality.
But Shen Xiaoyu recoiled as if seeing something dirty, shaking off her arm and retreating repeatedly.
"Don't... touch me! Stay... away from me!"
While dry heaving, she frantically called out to the system in her mind. [Why won't you speak? What exactly are your intentions? You tricked me here and erased my memory—where did I offend you that you'd toy with me repeatedly?]
[No.] The system finally appeared.
A light blue screen lit up in Shen Xiaoyu's mind, with lines jumping on the screen. The electronic voice rang in her head. [This isn't toying with you. This is equivalent exchange. You provide labor, I give you 'wages.' All conditions were known before you came.]
It just informed her a bit late, almost not remembering about the second round memory loss until the transmigration channel opened.
The system said righteously, [So there's no deception in our transaction!]
[So I really am the predecessor!]
Now the system went silent.
Shen Xiaoyu, confirming the truth, couldn't stop her cold laughter. Her taut emotions completely collapsed. "So that's how it is! Everything Su Huan said is true! I criticized the predecessor so many times behind her back, never thinking I was talking about myself."
What a clown! A clown.
Her smile grew wider, her laughter more unrestrained, and the tears that had built up fell drop by drop from the corners of her eyes.
Even more ridiculous was that she had come to this world again, still having lost her memory, thinking she was an outsider observing coldly, not knowing she was already in this play.
Shen Xiaoyu bit her lip, covered her face, her shoulders constantly shaking, her voice carrying a crying tone, not knowing if she was asking the system or Su Huan.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
The system didn't speak.
Su Huan was also silent.
She endured the sharp pain in her heart, supporting herself against the wall to stand up, looking directly at Su Huan with red eyes, her gaze sharp.
"Let me guess—not telling me the truth was to first use a gentle approach to stabilize me. Even if I found out the truth one day, I'd soften because of your kindness to me. But you didn't expect that even your initial gentle plan failed. From beginning to end, I never wanted to stay by your side, so you got anxious.
Seeing my relationship with Shi Qiubai getting closer, you began to regret, so you came up with this 'travel' plan, using the past to stimulate me to recover my memory."
She laughed coldly, tears falling. "Too bad it didn't work, so you became embarrassed and angry, exposing my identity."
All correct.
Even without memory, Shen Xiaoyu had guessed her intentions perfectly.
"Now I know, so what's next?" Shen Xiaoyu's gaze became sharp. "I still don't have memories of the past, I still don't love you. In fact, I want to leave you right now! And never see you again. Is this the answer you expected? How about it? Satisfied?"
She questioned.
"But thank you for letting me understand that I came to this world again for a reason, but my heart tells me this reason is definitely not you."
"I know."
Su Huan closed her eyes, her face gloomy, her brow furrowed. Her turbulent heart completely overturned after hearing Shen Xiaoyu's words.
Her heart fell into dead silence. When the wind blew, it was desolate and mournful.
"I don't care who you're here for, but you can only stay by my side." Su Huan opened her eyes, her gaze sharp and cold. "I won't allow anyone to take you away again. I'll find a way to make you recover your memory, and then..."
Her voice suddenly stopped. She didn't know how Shen Xiaoyu would treat her after recovering her memory, but no matter what, it couldn't be worse than now.
"You're too presumptuous. If I recover my memory, I'll hate you even more!"
Shen Xiaoyu looked at her coldly, then turned to leave. She didn't want to stay in this place for even one more second.
Only after her figure disappeared did Su Huan withdraw her gaze, looking again at this room full of memories, murmuring: "Hating me is better than ignoring me."
Love breeds hate.
She believed in Shen Xiaoyu's love for her, and she could bear her hate as well.
Shen Xiaoyu left angrily, storming downstairs and out of the alley.
[System, as for the issues between you and me, I'll deal with them when I have time.] Shen Xiaoyu gritted her teeth.
The system didn't dare speak.
When she found the car parked at the alley entrance according to her memory and just got in, the other car door was pulled open and closed.
Shen Xiaoyu turned her head to find that Su Huan had somehow caught up and was already seated in the car.
She withdrew her gaze, treating Su Huan like air.
"Go back—"
"Drive to the laboratory." Su Huan suddenly spoke.
Laboratory?
Shen Xiaoyu frowned. Didn't she say this was the endpoint? Why was there more?
But she didn't ask. Her mind was full of the possibility that she was the predecessor.
No, possibility.
She didn't trust Su Huan, and her trust in the system was also diminishing.
But in this world, she was alone with no one to discuss with, only able to figure things out herself.
The more she thought about it, the more confused Shen Xiaoyu's mind became, unable even to distinguish who she really was.
Was it possible that even the system was fake, that this was all a dream? Otherwise, why would the Best Actress and rising stars all like her, and she had an obedient and cute daughter? This was simply winning at life!
Shen Xiaoyu couldn't figure it out and couldn't talk to the system. Her mind became increasingly chaotic.
She sighed deeply, looking up out the window only to notice the scenery outside becoming increasingly desolate, without even streetlights.
The road the car traveled became bumpy, her body swaying up and down and side to side with the car, then with a bang, she fell into Su Huan's embrace.
Beneath her was warm softness. Someone naturally reached out to steady her waist, saying quietly: "Be careful."
Shen Xiaoyu ignored her, climbing out of Su Huan's embrace with a dark expression, leaning against the window and gripping the handle tightly, cursing inwardly.
What a terrible road!
Where exactly were they going? She felt a bit panicked but couldn't say so, couldn't show weakness in front of Su Huan.
Shen Xiaoyu held her frustration inside, looking out the window without giving the person beside her even a glance.
Su Huan didn't mind either, sitting in the chair with half-lowered eyes, hiding the emotions in her gaze.
The car swayed for half an hour before finally arriving in front of a building—a three-story house that looked unremarkable from the outside, but this place...
Shen Xiaoyu looked around. It was deserted, with towering trees covering the house completely. If you didn't walk in, it would be very hard to discover.
What could the predecessor have done here with Su Huan?
Su Huan walked up the stairs first, pushed open the door, and looked back at her. "Come in."
Beyond the door was a long, narrow corridor. Because the lights weren't on, it was pitch black inside, making it impossible to see what was there.
Shen Xiaoyu looked at her suspiciously but didn't think much of it. She walked up the steps and entered first, casually feeling along the wall and rubbing her fingertips together.
Very good, no dust.
Bang—
A loud sound as the door behind her closed. Lights overhead came on one by one, illuminating the entire room. Only then did Shen Xiaoyu see the room's furnishings clearly-this wasn't an ordinary residence at all!
But a laboratory!
Shen Xiaoyu's expression changed drastically as she spun around to look at Su Huan behind her, demanding: "What did you bring me here for?"
Su Huan stood at the door, her gaze calm. "Xiaoyu, it's okay. It'll be quick."
A bad premonition rose in her heart.
With a rustling sound, people in white coats appeared from nowhere, grabbing Shen Xiaoyu's shoulders, holding a syringe filled with transparent liquid.
"What are you doing? Su Huan, you—"
Before she could finish her question, her arm felt slight pain. The woman in the white coat had already injected the needle into the vein in her arm, slowly pushing the liquid in.
"What is this? What did you inject me with?" Shen Xiaoyu was alarmed and uneasy. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Su Huan walked up to her in two steps, caressing her cheek with a gentle smile. "You'll be able to recover your memory soon."
Shen Xiaoyu's heart suddenly jumped, remembering the laboratory she had seen when she first transmigrated.
"So that's how it is." She murmured softly.
She didn't know what the previous mission was, but now it seemed the last mission had left a very serious problem—
Su Huan had gone mad.
[System! Su Huan has gone crazy! Think of something quickly!]
Shen Xiaoyu struggled desperately, but her consciousness grew heavier and heavier. She shook her head, trying to stay awake.
[System! Come out quickly, I can't hold on much longer.]
"The laboratory's research on the anomalous energy shield has reached 3.0, completely able to isolate the system's energy. As long as you're in this building, the system won't exist." Su Huan sighed. "If I had this technology back then, I would have been completely confident that the system couldn't find you again."
"You... madwoman!" Shen Xiaoyu's vision darkened in waves, drowsiness completely taking over.
"Yes, I'm mad. I've been mad since you left." Su Huan said. "For the five years after An'an was born, I've been working hard to make money, even making deals with tigers, all to have people research the system, wanting to use technological means to bring you back to this world again.
But I didn't expect that before my research succeeded, you had already been pulled back by the system. Although this time the mission target shifted and you lost your memory, I was still happy. I finally saw you again."
"Mad... madwoman..."
Shen Xiaoyu's voice grew smaller and smaller. Under the drug's influence, she became increasingly drowsy. Before her consciousness completely disappeared, she heard Su Huan's voice one last time.
"When you wake up, you'll remember everything."
Remember... everything...
Shen Xiaoyu's body went limp as she collapsed into the wheelchair the white coats had prepared.
"Boss, we're taking her away." The lead woman said.
Su Huan gently caressed her cheek and hummed in acknowledgment. "Go ahead."
She stood at the door, watching as Shen Xiaoyu was wheeled into the laboratory.
Su Huan didn't leave. She called to have the nanny bring Shen Nian'an back, and even through the phone, she could hear Shen Nian'an's wails and questions.
But she ignored them, sitting quietly outside the laboratory door, motionless.
She didn't know how much time passed before the laboratory door opened again. The white coat emerged, looking exhausted.
Su Huan's body moved, her stiff joints making cracking sounds.
"The repair is complete, but due to excessive memory loading, she may experience dizziness, headaches, or memory confusion when she wakes up. Let her rest more—it'll be fine after some time."
"Thank you." Su Huan stood up and slowly walked into the laboratory.
Shen Xiaoyu lay on the bed in the center of the laboratory, wearing a white hospital gown, with many devices on her head and countless wires connecting to precision instruments.
Shen Xiaoyu was pale, her closed eyes moving as if trapped in deeper nightmares, with tears sliding from the corners of her eyes.
Her lips moved slightly, as if saying something.
Su Huan leaned in to hear her weak voice.
"I didn't... I'm not a mistress... I'm not..."
In her dream, Shen Xiaoyu frantically held her phone as countless messages popped up, filling the screen with curses.
[Mistress! You slutty bitch who loves seducing people, why don't you find someone to *** yourself]
[Haha, post her on dating websites with a note that she's available for hookups, guarantee someone will satisfy her]
[@Xingheng Entertainment, when are you finally going to change Sister Huan's manager? Just thinking about Sister Huan having such a person around makes me sick]
...
Ring ring - the phone rang. As soon as Shen Xiaoyu answered, she heard foul language from the other end.
She smashed the phone, threw away her tablet and computer, but the cursing voices continued endlessly, as if people were crawling by her ear and constantly insulting her.
Bang—someone kicked open the door from outside. A person whose face she couldn't see carried a bucket of unknown substance and walked aggressively toward her, cursing "bitch" while splashing the contents on her.
"Ahh—"
Shen Xiaoyu screamed and suddenly woke up.
She hugged the blanket tightly, looking at the ceiling with a dazed expression, breathing heavily.
It was a dream...
After realizing this, Shen Xiaoyu's mood suddenly relaxed. She closed her eyes, calming the fear caused by the nightmare.
She hadn't dreamed of those things in a long time, especially after leaving that world and traveling the world with her mother. Under the healing of natural scenery, she had almost forgotten these things.
Why would she dream of them again?
Wait!
Her mind instantly recalled many scenes—Su Huan, Shi Qiubai, and... Shen Nian'an!
Shen Xiaoyu opened her eyes again, sitting up abruptly and turning to meet an anxious gaze.
"Xiaoyu?"
Su Huan sat on a chair beside the bed, staring at her without blinking. Her excited heart, upon meeting her cold gaze, felt like it had been doused with cold water, instantly calming down.
"You remembered." She said with certainty.
"Yes, thanks to you." Remembering what happened before she lost consciousness, Shen Xiaoyu's expression suddenly turned cold, a mocking smile playing at her lips. "Otherwise I definitely wouldn't have recovered my memory."
Hearing her sarcasm, Su Huan's eyes dimmed. "This was my only option. Xiaoyu, I missed you so much."
"Forget it, Miss Su. With beauties in your arms, why would you miss me?"
She hadn't forgotten that when she transmigrated for the second time, Tang Tang was still by her side, even becoming her daughter's good friend.
Thinking about having such a viper-like person around her daughter made her uncontrollably irritated. Su Huan had gone to such lengths to conceive their daughter, yet raised her to be like that!
Fortunately, the situation wasn't as bad as the system had said, or she would definitely kill Su Huan.
"There's no one else, only you." Su Huan hurried to explain. "Tang Tang and I only had a transactional relationship. She wanted to get rid of the system on her and Ning Yu, so she came to cooperate with me. I have no relationship with her."
"You don't need to explain to me." Shen Xiaoyu's expression was indifferent, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "What does it have to do with me?"
Su Huan's face paled as she stared at her. "Xiaoyu..."
Shen Xiaoyu didn't want to continue entangling in these matters and changed the subject. "Is this your house?"
"Yes." Su Huan nodded. "A seaside villa. I brought you here to play while the weather's still hot. She's always hoped our family of three could travel together."
Shen Xiaoyu said "oh" and asked again: "Where's Nian'an?"
"Downstairs."
She hummed in acknowledgment and said nothing more, staring at her hands. Su Huan couldn't tell what she was thinking.
The room fell quiet again. The wind pushed open the half-closed window, bringing in salty, humid air with a fishy smell. Shen Xiaoyu frowned and turned her head away from the breeze.
Su Huan noticed immediately and got up to close the window. When she returned, Shen Xiaoyu had already thrown off the covers and was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Su Huan walked around the chair she had pushed aside, wanting to sit beside her, but saw Shen Xiaoyu lift her chin, indicating for her to sit on the chair.
"Go over there. Let's talk."
Su Huan pressed her lips together, didn't move, and avoided her gaze. "You just woke up and need more rest. Whatever it is can wait until after you've rested."
"Right now. There is no later." Shen Xiaoyu said, and regardless of whether she would listen, continued: "Just two things. My daughter lives with me, and don't appear in front of me. I don't want to see you."
Su Huan's face went pale as she gently shook her head.
"The daughter can live with you, but you can't leave me."
She laughed coldly. "If I remember correctly, we broke up six years ago! I haven't even settled accounts with you for secretly getting pregnant with our daughter. What right do you have to negotiate with me?"
"I'm not..." Su Huan tried to explain but was interrupted.
"I don't want to hear your nonsense, and I'm not asking for your opinion. I'm notifying you! And according to our agreement, after I accompany you on this trip, you let me leave and no longer interfere with my freedom. Are you going to break the agreement?"
Shen Xiaoyu suddenly stood up. Just as she was about to walk out, her head spun with dizziness and her body swayed.
Su Huan hurried forward to help her sit back on the bed, explaining with lowered eyes: "Because of the sudden memory recovery, your brain has loaded too much. You may experience dizziness, headaches, or memory confusion. You need more rest."
Shen Xiaoyu shook off her hand, looking completely irritated.
"Get out. I don't want to see you."
"Xiaoyu..."
"Get out!"
Su Huan didn't move, standing in front of her.
Shen Xiaoyu ignored her, got back on the bed, turned her back to her, and began to rest with her eyes closed.
She still wasn't sure what other aftereffects might result from forced memory recovery. Until she fully recovered, she would stay here and rest well, while also thinking about her mission.
She definitely couldn't use the old methods with Shi Qiubai anymore. She needed to explain things clearly to her, which might change the mission.
And there was Tang Tang... she had been ignoring her, but Shen Xiaoyu was always concerned about the correction system. The system wouldn't tell her anything useful, so she had to investigate herself.
There wasn't much time left. If she couldn't complete the mission, her daughter staying in this world would inevitably end up like Su Huan.
She didn't want to see that.
Shen Xiaoyu sighed. What should she do?