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The midday hustle and bustle in the staff canteen of a theater troupe in Hangzhou has subsided slightly.

Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting dappled shadows on the terrazzo floor.

The air was filled with the mixed aromas of food and the hushed whispers of people.

In a quiet corner by the window, Junjun sat alone, the food on the plate in front of her looking particularly bland: a few blanched bok choy hearts, a small portion of steamed pumpkin, and less than half a bowl of white rice.

She held chopsticks in one hand, absentmindedly stirring her rice, while holding her phone in the other. The screen was playing "Under the Zhengyang Gate," and familiar lines came through her earphones.

Just then, Zhang Ling, my roommate and close friend, came over carrying a pile of food trays...

The braised pork belly and sweet and sour pork tenderloin looked incredibly appealing, a stark contrast to Junjun's plate.

She spotted the "fodder" in Junjun's plate at a glance and immediately exclaimed exaggeratedly:
"Oh my dear Miss Junjun! Why are you eating this again? Even rabbit food isn't this bland! Look at your face, it's almost as thin as a cone. If you lose any more weight, you'll be blown away by the wind! Health is the foundation of everything, you can't keep ruining yourself like this!"

Junjun looked up, took off one earphone, and forced a faint smile: "It's nothing, Zhang Ling. I feel like I've gained a little weight recently, I'll try to control it."

Zhang Ling sat down opposite her, her eyes filled with undisguised worry. She lowered her voice and said, "Don't give me that! I know you too well. Haven't you... fully recovered from that car accident last year?"

Junjun paused almost imperceptibly in the hand holding the chopsticks, her eyes flickered for a moment, then she lowered her head, using her long eyelashes to conceal the emotions in her eyes.

She neither admitted nor denied it, but silently picked up a small piece of pumpkin, put it in her mouth, and chewed it slowly.

The silence itself is an answer.

Zhang Ling saw it all and felt deeply pained.

She sighed, her tone becoming somewhat indignant: "If you ask me, Junjun, your family is just too honest and too kind! The other party was clearly also at fault in that car accident, and you didn't need to pay so much in medical expenses at all! You almost emptied your savings and are now in debt. Look at you now, you can't even afford to eat a good meal."

"Zhang Ling!" Junjun suddenly interrupted her, her voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable firmness.

She raised her head, her gaze clear and earnest. "Stop talking. The amount of compensation will be determined by the traffic police and the court based on liability. A mistake is a mistake, and adults should bear the consequences of their mistakes. We accept it."

Her tone was calm, without complaint or grievance, only a composure after experiencing a huge shock and an almost stubborn sense of responsibility.

But this resilience made Zhang Ling, who knew her family's situation well, feel even more heartbroken.

Zhang Ling knew this topic couldn't be continued, so she quickly smiled awkwardly and cleverly changed the subject, her gaze falling on Junjun's phone screen: "Oh dear, look at how talkative I am! Watching 'Under the Zhengyang Gate' again? This show is really popular, a lot of the aunties in our building are watching it."

Mentioning the drama, Junjun's facial features seemed to soften a bit. She gave a soft "hmm," her eyes refocusing on the roguish yet handsome figure on the screen, and her tone became lighter: "It's quite good. The plot is good, and the actors acted well too."

Zhang Ling took a bite of rice and continued the conversation, "Yeah! I heard that the newcomer who plays 'Taozi' is quite handsome, his name is... what was it again? Oh right, Su Ning."

"Clatter." Junjun's chopsticks lightly touched the edge of the plate, making a soft sound.

Her gaze lingered on the phone screen for a moment, where the actor named "Su Ning" was laughing cynically.

"Hmm... he is quite handsome," she replied softly, putting her headphones back on.

She shut herself off from the sounds of the outside world and the turmoil in her heart, leaving only the light and shadow on the screen and her untold secrets.

The noise of the cafeteria seemed to become background noise, and her world temporarily shrank to this small screen.

……

Fan Lin and Su Ning enjoyed a few days of leisurely travel in Hangzhou, boating on West Lake, praying at Lingyin Temple, and exploring Hefang Street for local snacks.
Enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

That morning, Fan Lin looked at the energetic Su Ning beside her and suddenly remembered something important, her expression becoming serious.

"Su Ning, you've been getting regular checkups since your injury last year, haven't you? This trip to Hangzhou is a good opportunity to have a comprehensive checkup at the best hospital, so I can feel at ease." Fan Lin held Su Ning's hand, her tone filled with undeniable concern.

"No need! I know my own body, and you know it best, don't you?"

"Pah! You scoundrel! I have to go check it out, otherwise I won't feel at ease."

After losing his memory, Su Ning was fully aware of his physical recovery, even more so than any instrument, that he was already completely recovered.

But seeing the genuine worry in his girlfriend's eyes, he couldn't bear to refuse her good intentions, so he smiled and nodded, "Okay, I'll do as you say. Let's go to the People's Hospital for a checkup, just to put our minds at ease."

The two then drove to Hangzhou People's Hospital.

Registration, queuing, a series of examinations...

The process was complicated, but Fan Lin patiently accompanied her throughout.

The examination results showed without any surprise that all of Suning's physical indicators were completely normal, and no abnormal shadows were found on the brain CT scan.

Holding the freshly printed test results, the two breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to leave the hospital.

As he walked through the bustling emergency room lobby, a middle-aged woman in a head nurse's uniform with a capable appearance seemed to recognize Su Ning. She stopped, looked him over carefully for a few moments, and tentatively asked, "Excuse me... are you... Su Ning?"

Su Ning was somewhat surprised and stopped in her tracks: "Yes, I am. And you are?"

"Oh my! It really is you!" The head nurse's face lit up with surprise and relief. "You probably don't remember me. Last year, you were brought to our emergency department by ambulance after an accident. Your condition was quite critical, and I was on duty. Later, you were transferred to neurosurgery and recovered quickly before being discharged. It's so good to see you looking so well now!"

Su Ning then realized and quickly said politely, "Oh, I see! I remember now, head nurse, thank you for taking care of me back then. I'm fully recovered now."

"It's good that you've recovered! It's good that you've recovered!" The head nurse nodded repeatedly, looking very relieved.

She seemed to remember something, and her tone became hesitant, but she still said it: "Su Ning, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"Uh? You go ahead."

“Since you were discharged from the hospital, the female driver who caused the accident has come to the hospital several times to inquire about you.”

"The female driver who caused the accident?" Su Ning was taken aback, and frowned slightly as she asked, "She's looking for me? What does she want?"

As far as he could remember, the accident liability was clearly determined, the compensation had been settled long ago, and the two parties had no further connection.

The head nurse lowered her voice: "She didn't go into details, but she seemed very anxious and guilty. She kept asking us for your contact information, wanting to know how your recovery was going. Our hospital has a rule against disclosing patient information, so we haven't told her. But she left her phone number, asking us to give it to you if we ever see you again, saying she has something very important she wants to apologize to and explain to you in person."

"I see! Then please give me her number, head nurse."

"Okay! Wait a minute! I've left it at the emergency room nurses' station."

Then the head nurse returned to the emergency room nurses' station, took out a carefully folded piece of paper, and handed it to Su Ning: "This is the number she left. I think that Ms. Li's attitude was very sincere, and she didn't seem to have any malicious intent, so..." Su Ning took the piece of paper, which still smelled of disinfectant, and looked at the neat handwriting and the phone number on it. A complicated and strange feeling welled up in her heart.

Why is the other party still so persistent after so much time has passed?

Just to apologize?
Or is there something else?

He discreetly slipped the note into his pocket and smiled politely at the head nurse: "Okay, thank you for telling me this, and I'm sorry to trouble you to keep it safe."

"You're welcome, you're welcome. I'm just glad you're alright." The head nurse quickly waved her hand.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Su Ning and Fan Lin said goodbye to the head nurse and walked out of the hospital gate.

Once inside the car, Fan Lin asked curiously, "What did that head nurse say to you just now? The female driver who caused the accident?"

Su Ning took out the note, twirled it between her fingers, and said thoughtfully, "It's the female driver who hit me back then. She seems to have been looking for me, saying she has something important to apologize for and explain in person."

Fan Lin frowned upon hearing this: "So much time has passed, what else does she want to do? Won't she cause some trouble?"

"I don't know." Su Ning shook her head and put the note away. "I'll call and ask when I have time. After all, it's a special kind of 'fate'."

"Hmph! Such a tragic relationship is better off without."

"Hehe, that's true! It almost killed me."

"Have you really lost all your memories?"

"Yes, you could say it's a completely new beginning."

How much compensation did the other party offer you?

"Not much! Excluding medical expenses, it's only about 200,000."

"Hmph! You and your aunt and uncle are too honest. They should be made to pay more compensation."

"Actually, the female driver who caused the accident and her family were quite nice. You could tell they weren't from a wealthy family."

"Naive! Haven't you heard that you shouldn't dress too nicely when going to the hospital? They're definitely pretending to be poor! Besides, how many people in the Jiangzhe region are truly poor?"

The car drove away from the hospital and merged into the traffic flow of Hangzhou.

The slip of paper with the phone number written on it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating subtle ripples in Su Ning's heart.

A past that was thought to be completely over seems to have quietly been reopened, revealing some unsolved mysteries.

……

Fan Lin's vacation eventually came to an end.

When they parted at the airport, she hugged Su Ning's arm, reluctant to leave, and repeatedly told her: "Take good care of yourself in Hangzhou, eat on time, and don't stay up late! I'll come to see you again when my work there is finished."

Su Ning patted her back gently and comforted her softly, "Don't worry! I can take care of myself. You should also be careful while filming, don't push yourself too hard."

"Okay, I got it. But don't date at school!"

"Hehe, hard to say! I'm also a campus heartthrob."

"Hmph! How dare you!"

Only after Fan Lin's figure passed through security and disappeared at the end of the passage did Su Ning slowly withdraw her gaze, feeling a little empty inside.

……

After the excitement subsided, life returned to the quiet rhythm of campus life: attending classes, studying, and occasionally handling some remote communications for the later stages of "The Massage Therapist." The days were fulfilling but somewhat monotonous.

A few days later, one night, while organizing documents in his study at home by West Lake, Su Ning inadvertently saw the note with the phone number written on it that he had brought back from the hospital.

It lay quietly in the corner of the desk, like a forgotten footnote.

As if possessed, he picked up his phone and dialed the number on it.

The phone rang a few times before being answered. A clear and gentle female voice came from the other end, tinged with a hint of doubt: "Hello? Who is this?"

Su Ning paused for a moment, then calmly said, "I'm Su Ning. I heard you've been looking for me at the People's Hospital?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, as if the other person was stunned by the sudden call. After several seconds, a gasp of disbelief and excitement came through: "Ah?! Su Ning? Is it really you?! That's great! I finally got in touch with you!"

Her voice trembled slightly with excitement, filled with a sense of relief.

Su Ning's tone remained calm as she asked directly, "Yes, it's me. Is there something you need?"

"Uh? It's nothing special." The girl seemed flustered by the question and quickly explained, "I just wanted to ask how your recovery is going. I've felt really bad and worried ever since that accident..."

"Thank you for your concern, but I have fully recovered and there are no problems." Su Ning's reply was polite but distant.

"Are you still in Qingdao?" the girl asked cautiously, her tone tentative.

"No, I'm in Hangzhou now, and I've already started attending classes."

“Studying in Hangzhou? That’s great! That’s wonderful! I’m so glad to hear you’re alright…” The girl’s voice was filled with genuine relief, and her sincere concern seemed genuine.

After a moment of silence, Su Ning suddenly asked a somewhat abrupt question: "Do you still drive?"

The girl seemed taken aback for a moment, then her tone became low and ashamed: "Ah? I haven't driven in a long time. Ever since that accident, I've had a psychological trauma and haven't touched a car since..."

There was another brief silence.

Looking at the night view of West Lake outside the window, Su Ning suddenly felt that this conversation should end here.

Just as he was about to end the call, as if he had just remembered something, he asked:
"By the way, after chatting for so long, I still don't know your name."

The girl on the other end of the phone seemed to take a deep breath, and then answered clearly and earnestly, "My name is Chen Xiaojun. Chen as in 'ear east,' Xiao as in 'dawn,' and Jun as in 'gentleman.'"

...(End of chapter)