After Losing My Memory, I Went After My Archenemy - Chapter 1

The cicadas’ drawn-out song ended, and Linlu City had just stepped into early autumn.

The afternoon sun, filtering through the tree shade, cast dappled light into a quiet university study room. It was supposed to be an ordinary Wednesday.

“Daily relationship topic: would you fall in love with the person you once hated the most?”

Shen Miao held up her phone and earnestly asked the person slumped listlessly on the desk beside her.

The girl wore a white dress. The seemingly simple and soft fabric was in fact extremely expensive. The tree shadows outside the window scattered down, hitting her prominent, delicate nose, giving it a pinkish hue that made her profile look even fairer, translucent, and alluring.

Although both were Omegas, Shen Miao knew there was a heaven and earth difference between one Omega and another.

Xia Rou was a prime example beside her. As one of the Four Heiresses of Linlu City and the undisputed campus beauty of Linlu University, she was also rated online as the most beautiful Omega of the new generation.

Of course, the most direct difference was the Alpha guys who had approached her since childhood; nine out of ten only wanted to use her to get to know Xia Rou. Shen Miao had long grown accustomed to it.

“Hmm? What?”

The girl who was asked belatedly lifted her head and leaned in to see, her beautiful eyes holding an air of indescribable languor.

The exquisite face suddenly being so close to her, Shen Miao couldn’t help but hold her breath. She patiently repeated, “Today’s most-discussed emotional topic is: Would you fall in love with the person you once hated the most?”

“What… you’re asking if I would fall in love with the person I once hated the most? —Of course not!”

Xia Rou gave this answer almost without hesitation, as if it were a question with an obvious answer. Then, she looked at the person in front of her and smiled lightly, asking, “Would you? That’s just asking for trouble.”

Speaking the most vicious words with the gentlest appearance was one of Xia Rou’s usual traits.

Shen Miao calmly gave the same answer as her, then clicked to vote on her phone. Soon, the real-time results of the public vote appeared before her. Sure enough, the vast majority chose ‘No,’ with a crushing victory of 99%.

“So the 1% are really masochists?”

Xia Rou had leaned half her body over at some point, staring at Shen Miao’s phone screen.

“Maybe they really encountered something like that in their lives,” Shen Miao said while subtly and discreetly putting some distance between them. The next second, she received a look of disdain from Xia Rou, not aimed at her answer, but her action.

Since differentiating at age fifteen, Shen Miao had complained more than once to Xia Rou that she wished she could be an Alpha instead of an Omega.

After a few seconds of holding back, Xia Rou’s furrowed brow gradually relaxed.

“…I’m going to nap for a bit. Call me when class is over.”

The girl slumped back down, her face turned toward the window.

Everything around her was a white expanse, indistinguishable between fog and thick smoke. Xia Rou ran desperately but couldn’t find an exit. She felt like she was in a dead, desolate, isolated space, and vaguely, she could hear someone trying to wake her from outside.

“Xia Rou, wake up, hurry and wake up!”

“…”

In that instant, it was as if she was yanked out of a deep, drowning pool. The surroundings began to sharpen, and before her was Shen Miao’s enlarged, confused face.

“…Class is over?”

After a moment of sluggishness, Xia Rou asked.

“It’s not just class over, it’s the end of the school day! You slept through two whole classes!”

Shen Miao’s disbelief intensified.

Xia Rou picked up her phone to check the time, a bit skeptical. Her memory seemed to still be stuck on their boring conversation before her nap, and the illusion that she had only slept for a moment.

“I’ll go with you to wash your face. You’re completely spaced out.” Shen Miao looked at her with the expression one might use for a pitiful puppy, standing up and helping her tidy up the few books on the desk that hadn’t been opened at all.

Dinner time during student years was always earlier than off-campus. At this moment, most of the student body was flocking toward Linlu University’s famous East Cafeteria.

The legendary East Cafeteria was said to surpass the quality, variety, and taste of many famous schools across the country, and indeed, the claims were not exaggerated.

However, in the two years Xia Rou had been enrolled, the number of times she had actually gone there was negligible.

Because in their so-called ‘wealthy lady’ circle, eating at the school cafeteria was considered beneath them.

Even though she privately thought the cafeteria food was no worse than some of the starred restaurants she’d been to, she still had to pretend to ‘fit in.’

“I heard a good Italian restaurant opened on the new street. Let’s go eat there later. My treat today.”

Shen Miao walked and scrolled through her phone, introducing the place, completely failing to notice the girl beside her who seemed lost in thought.

“Xia Rou?”

She tried calling her name.

“I won’t go. My family arranged another blind date for me this weekend, and I’m annoyed trying to figure out how to avoid it.”

The girl wrinkled her nose. Even such an unrefined small gesture still couldn’t conceal her innate beauty.

“I can’t empathize with the struggles of you rich heiresses. Good luck.”

In reality, Shen Miao’s family background wasn’t poor either. As a bank director’s daughter, she was well-off but was not constrained by the rules of traditional wealthy families, allowing her to be fiery, reckless, and free-spirited.

Xia Rou glanced at her friend’s fiery red hair, which was blowing in the wind, bold and individualistic in the setting sun. She casually asked, “What new hair color are you planning to get next week?”

“Hmm, depends on my mood, but I’ll also check next week’s astrological forecast to see which one is more…”

Shen Miao stopped mid-sentence, realizing the other person wasn’t listening but was intently staring in a certain direction. She looked over as well and spotted a familiar figure.

“Who is that?” Xia Rou asked.

Shen Miao glanced left and right, confirming that in that direction and location, there was only one person in their line of sight.

She met Xia Rou’s curious gaze in disbelief and replied in an exaggerated and shocked tone, “That’s Lin Xi?!”

“Lin Xi?”

Xia Rou repeated the unfamiliar name, her gaze lingering on the aloof girl leaning against the tree in front of the school’s Anime Club door. The girl was tall, estimated to be nearly 1.8 meters. In the autumn wind, her ash-brown, shoulder-length hair swayed slightly at the ends. Her features were clear and beautiful yet cold, giving off an air of distance.

For some reason, at that moment, the heart in Xia Rou’s chest began to beat uncontrollably fast, as if something engraved in her DNA had been awakened. The girl seemed to possess an irresistible attraction for her.

Perhaps sensing the gaze from not far away, Lin Xi looked up in their direction, her calm eyes showing seriousness and a slight chill.

Shen Miao was well aware of the awkwardness of the situation. She rarely touched Xia Rou’s body since they differentiated, but she couldn’t help but grab her arm now and flee the scene.

“Have you been waiting long? Who were you looking at?”

The Anime Club door was pulled open, and Shen Xuan’s words pulled Lin Xi’s attention back.

“No one.”

The ash-brown, shoulder-length-haired girl collected her gaze faintly. Everything was so calm as if she had just encountered a stray kitten on the roadside, nothing to be surprised about.

“My mom said the shrimp she bought at the market today is very fresh. Let’s ask your uncle to come over and have oil-braised shrimp at my place tonight!”

Shen Xuan said, puffing and panting while holding two large bags of uniforms that needed alterations for the Anime Club.

“Need help?” Lin Xi asked.

“Don’t be funny, I’m an Alpha too. I have this much strength.” Shen Xuan’s self-esteem prompted her to refuse the offer.

Maple leaves drifted slowly down onto the campus avenue, like a grand autumn rain, unnoticed by the people coming and going.

Lin Xi couldn’t help but think of the kitten’s eyes—innocent yet luminous.

…It was a bit strange.

“Why did you drag me away just now?”

Xia Rou was still engrossed in the beauty of the tall girl just now and was full of resentment toward her friend.

Shen Miao: “???”

Xia Rou didn’t understand her friend’s strange look, as if she were looking at a freak. She finally said, “That girl just now was quite pretty. She must be an Alpha. Do you think I have a chance if I go after her?”

Hearing this, Shen Miao couldn’t help but take a deep breath. “Xia Rou, if you repeat that, I’m going to take you seriously.”

“Fine, I was kidding.”

Xia Rou didn’t understand why her friend looked so worried, as if something terrible had happened. But given her persona, she really wasn’t the type to actively pursue someone. So, she dropped the topic and quickened her pace forward.

“That joke was terrifying.”

After shaking her head and muttering, Shen Miao chased after her.

The sky was beginning to darken, and the East Suburb Villa area was brightly lit and magnificent.

Xia Rou was the only daughter, and it should have been a joyful dinner time for a family of three, but the atmosphere at the dining table became tense because a topic was brought up.

“This blind date was arranged by your eldest uncle. Our family can’t afford to disrespect him.”

Facing his daughter’s gloomy expression, Xia Jianye patiently tried to persuade her.

The Xia family had historically been involved in the mining industry, earning them the moniker ‘a family with a mine.’

However, in this generation, the family head was Xia Jianye’s elder brother. Xia Rou knew that her honest and simple father couldn’t hold power or dictate everything. She was simply unwilling to let her marriage be arranged by others.

“Eldest Uncle just wants to use me as a pawn for a family alliance.”

Xia Rou spoke the truth without reservation.

Her usually mild-tempered father became angry at this moment, “I forbid you from saying that a second time!”

In his eyes, going against his older brother seemed like an act of extreme disrespect.

Wu Daiyun immediately stepped in to ease the tension between father and daughter. “Alright, there are still two days left. Give Rourou more time to consider.”

“I’m finished.”

Xia Rou put down her cutlery, stood up from the table, and left in one swift movement.

“Look, our daughter has been spoiled beyond belief by you,” Xia Jianye sighed repeatedly, watching his daughter’s retreating figure.

“I also think this matter is a bit early. Rourou is only 20 this year,” Wu Daiyun couldn’t help but whisper.

“She’s been past the legal marriage age for two years now. Think about it, didn’t you marry me when you were eighteen?” the man retorted.

In this world with six genders, the National Pheromone Testing Bureau publishes the matching results for citizens turning 18 each year for reference. A match value of 50% or higher is suitable for procreation, but free love is not restricted by the match value.

Speaking of this, Wu Daiyun suddenly remembered something.

“Do you remember Rourou’s pheromone match result two years ago?”

“That poor Alpha girl who was a one-hundred-percent match with our daughter? Don’t even think about it. Leaving me aside, Big Brother would never agree.”

The woman shrugged. “I was just bringing it up. They happen to be at the same school, but our Rourou doesn’t seem to think much of her.”

As a rich heiress, Xia Rou had seen many beautiful Alphas and Omegas in her circle, but none had managed to strike her heart just by their appearance and demeanor, like the tall girl that afternoon.

She even felt… a lingering fascination.

It just felt strange; she had been at Linlu University for two years and had never encountered the girl. Was she from another school?

Thinking this, Xia Rou could only place her hope on her friend Shen Miao. Given her reaction that afternoon, she must know the girl.

Ignoring her still-damp hair, she grabbed the phone beside her bed and dialed a number immediately.

“Hey, my lady, why are you calling me so late?”

Shen Miao’s teasing voice came from the other end of the line, accompanied by the noise of the street.

Thinking about what she was about to say, Xia Rou suddenly felt embarrassed. Her free hand involuntarily rubbed the silky fabric of the bedsheet beneath her.

“Well, I… I want to ask you about someone.”

“When did you get so shy? Just say it. If I know her, I’ll tell you everything,” Shen Miao said loyally.

“Lin Xi.”

After she said the name, the phone fell into a silence that seemed to last for an age.

“You just said you’d tell me everything! Shen Miao, you’re not being a good friend,” Xia Rou intentionally complained.

“No, wait. My lady, are you serious? Isn’t Lin Xi your arch-nemesis?”

“I think I have a crush on her.”

Xia Rou talked to herself, completely ignoring Shen Miao’s words.

“She’s truly beautiful. It’s an indescribable beauty, like she’s not from this world, transcendent and aloof!”

“Didn’t you say she was the ugliest in the whole school?”

Xia Rou continued to ignore her: “I’ve been at Linlu University for so long and actually missed such a hidden gem!”

“You said the person you least wanted to see was her…” Shen Miao’s voice grew quieter, but her tone became increasingly exasperated.

“Please, if you know her social media account, you absolutely must tell me!”

“Didn’t you just use a burner account to troll her a while ago?” Shen Miao took a deep breath, deciding not to play along anymore. “I’m going to pretend you’re drunk and delirious tonight. My mom is dragging me shopping. See you at school tomorrow!”

The call was abruptly cut off. Alone in the quiet, Xia Rou began to analyze Shen Miao’s words.

Arch-nemesis?

Ugliest in the whole school?

The person she least wanted to see?

Trolled her with a burner account?

…

Xia Rou didn’t quite believe she would do those things, especially not to someone as beautiful as Lin Xi.

Shen Miao was probably just fooling her.

However, one thing she could confirm was that Lin Xi was a student at their university.

Thinking this, Xia Rou opened the campus forum on her phone and searched for Lin Xi’s blog ID. Sure enough, someone had replied with it before.

Copying the blog ID, Xia Rou logged into her own blog. After finding and confirming it was Lin Xi herself, she proactively sent a private message to say hello.

Xihai Road Lane 136. This area housed Linlu City’s largest traditional architectural cluster, old residences built at the beginning of the last century.

Under the old locust tree, a tall girl in a white T-shirt had just walked out of an old house to answer a phone call.

“Your father and I discussed it. We still want to bring you to New York to study. I’ve already arranged everything in China. All I need is for you to say the word.”

“I’m doing well in Linlu.”

Lin Xi stood there, her loose, ash-brown hair slightly clinging to the side of her defined face, making her skin look even fairer.

A lukewarm reply choked the woman on the other side of the ocean, leaving her speechless.

Just then, a window on the second floor was pushed open, and Shen Xuan poked her head out and said, “Lin Xi, your uncle is a bit tipsy!”

“I have something to do here. Gotta go.”

The call was ruthlessly disconnected the next second. Just as she turned around, Lin Xi noticed a new message notification pop up on her phone, coming from her blog.

The sender had a familiar selfie as the profile picture—instantly recognizable, not to mention the confident and bold use of her actual name as the blog username.

[Xia Rou]: Good evening /littlesun.jpg

Her gaze lingered on the chat box for a few seconds. Without replying, Lin Xi lifted her index finger and exited the interface.

Right below the message the sender had just sent, there was blatantly a small burner account profile picture. The private message content, which hadn’t been deleted yet, read: You’re so ugly. How did you become the most beautiful Alpha in the school’s annual rating?

Such a familiar style of behavior.

Undoubtedly, it was also her.

Lin Xi’s fingertip hovering over the phone screen paused slightly, and her furrowed brow showed a subtle trace of surprise.

So what exactly did she want to do?

Support After Losing My Memory, I Went After My Archenemy