After Losing My Memory, I Went After My Archenemy - Chapter 9

The voice message, less than 20 seconds long, made the listener’s brows furrow unconsciously, their expression changing with complex emotions several times.

Is this a new prank?

This was Lin Xi’s first thought.

A huge sense of confusion enveloped her like a thick fog.

“Lin Xi, wait a moment!”

Shen Xuan, who hurriedly chased her down the stairs, pulled her back from her momentary confusion.

Although the voice message had already finished playing, and she knew the sender couldn’t possibly hear her, Lin Xi still felt a surge of panic and fumbled to put away her phone.

Shen Xuan came down the stairs quickly, her footsteps urgent. Without a word, she added a plump, jade-white Chinese cabbage to the stack of vegetables Lin Xi was already holding up to her chest.

“You’ve already given me so much,” Lin Xi said, feeling both grateful and embarrassed.

“No, this was what my mom told me to give you; I just forgot in my haste. How about it, do you want me to help you take it back?”

“It’s fine,” Lin Xi forced a smile, but couldn’t hide the fatigue in her eyes.

“Alright, then you should hurry back and get some rest. It’s rare to see you looking so listless.”

Shen Xuan said this because when she called her shortly before, she learned that Lin Xi was actually sleeping. Based on Shen Xuan’s understanding of Lin Xi, a self-disciplined straight-A student like her wouldn’t possibly be sleeping at noon.

“…Okay.”

Lin Xi then prepared to go downstairs.

“Wait!” Shen Xuan called out to her again, asking with an uncertain tone, “Are you okay?”

The moment she turned back, the scene from last night seemed to replay in Lin Xi’s mind: Shen Xuan’s voice as she passed the quiet alley, the two of them pressed tightly together in the narrow passage, and the moist, sweet, gardenia-scented kiss.

“…I’m fine.”

After saying these three words, Lin Xi almost fled down the stairs, her tall figure quickly disappearing into the stairwell.

Shen Xuan: ?

Something feels off.

Lin Xi had just sorted and put the vegetables Shen Xuan gave her into the refrigerator when she received a call from Chi Xiao.

“What is it?”

The Alpha’s tone was calm, everything as usual.

On the other end of the phone, Chi Xiao’s mind went blank for a few seconds, almost forgetting why she had called after being asked that question.

“Did you run into trouble again?”

Seeing no reply, Lin Xi asked again, used to her friend’s behavior.

“Oh, come on, what trouble could I have? I’m doing great! How was that Omega from last night? You didn’t really send her home, did you?” Chi Xiao asked gossiping.

Lin Xi frowned. The thought of lying flashed through her mind, but she chose to tell the truth: “…No.”

“See, I knew it, I knew it, hahaha! Guess why I’m calling at this hour? I was afraid of interrupting your fun…”

Lin Xi’s lips curled into a faint expression of speechlessness, and she interrupted her: “Nothing happened between us.”

“What? Say that again?! That was a precious, high-quality Omega, and you just let her go?”

She could hear the shock and disbelief in her friend’s voice through the phone.

“I’m not the type to take advantage of someone, and besides, I’m not interested in her.”

“Is it ‘not interested’ or ‘no sex drive’? Forget it, that kind of talk is just to fool yourself. Do you know what difficult problem scientists worldwide still can’t solve, even with how advanced modern medicine is? It’s the pure attraction between an Alpha and an Omega, especially since you two were—”

Lin Xi lost her patience and cut her off before she could finish: “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

Unexpectedly, she avoided Shen Xuan’s suspicion and Chi Xiao’s gossip during the day, but she couldn’t escape her uncle’s interrogation in the evening.

The middle-aged man had a couple of extra drinks at dinner and became even more long-winded than usual.

“Your uncle, me, my first love was at fifteen, the year I first differentiated. You know, a newly blossoming Alpha, how can they resist the temptation of a youthful, charming Omega? I dated a few times when I was young, got married during the most intense part of a relationship, got divorced in middle age, and now I’m living a pretty carefree life on my own… Actually, after saying all this, all I really want to tell you is to experience what you should while you’re still young, don’t leave any regrets in life!”

Lin Xi didn’t respond or refute; she silently poured the man a cup of freshly brewed tea, preferring a ringing in her ears over endless nagging.

“Based on my understanding of you, you wouldn’t easily bring an Omega home. There’s nothing wrong with admitting some things; I won’t laugh at you.”

“I can explain.”

Lin Xi lowered her eyes, lightly spinning the dark brown ceramic cup between her fingers, her tone as calm as still water, without any ripple.

…

“So, she was the Omega who was affected by your pheromones at your part-time job that night?”

“So, she took that Alpha-estrus sedative? A delicate Omega’s body definitely couldn’t handle it. It’s completely normal to sleep for a whole night.”

“Sigh, I thought this iron tree of yours had finally blossomed and you brought a girlfriend home to meet me!”

The middle-aged man looked disappointed, then tilted his head back and finished the tea in his cup as if it were wine.

Lin Xi stood up and patted him on the shoulder like a buddy to comfort him, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you in your old age.”

In the dead of night, an occasional dog bark echoed in the alley downstairs, followed by a return to deep, pond-like stillness.

“I like you…”

That Omega’s voice inexplicably jumped into Lin Xi’s mind again, disturbing her peace and preventing her from continuing to read her book.

After some internal struggle, she simply closed the book, put it down, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

Monday, noon, the coffee shop near the north gate of Linlu University. Because the prices were not cheap, there were few students, and most of the customers were professionals.

“Seriously? I ordered you your favorite chocolate almond Sacher Torte, and you haven’t touched it!”

Shen Miao stared at the unusually behaving girl in front of her. She was resting her chin on her hand, looking preoccupied, but even looking this gloomy, she was still undeniably naturally beautiful and radiant.

Since the two of them entered the shop, countless men and women—Alphas, Betas, and even Omegas—had been looking their way.

“What exactly is wrong? It’s only been one weekend, and you’ve been like this since morning class.”

“…She hasn’t done anything.”

Xia Rou lowered her head, even the strands of hair falling down her temples seemed depressed.

“She? Who hasn’t done anything? What are you talking about?” Shen Miao said, taking a large sip of the mocha coffee in front of her.

The next second, Xia Rou pitifully looked up at her and said, “Lin Xi. It’s been exactly 24 hours since I confessed to her, and not only has she not replied, but she hasn’t made a move.”

“You confessed to Lin Xi?!”

This time it was Shen Miao’s turn to drop her jaw, the coffee at the corner of her mouth almost spilling out from the shock.

Xia Rou nodded.

“Wow, you work fast…”

Shen Miao was about to say something else, but she was interrupted by the girl across from her.

“Shen Miao, my dear Miao Miao, please help me come up with a plan. I don’t want the first person I’ve ever liked to end up like this, dying without a cure.”

Seeing the innocent, large eyes looking at her, with a delicate and pathetic look, like a soft kitten pawing at the listener’s heart, Shen Miao was slightly defeated. She simply said, “Although I have more experience in liking people than you do, I’ve never been in a serious relationship, so my experience is limited, only for reference.”

“It’s okay, just tell me.”

Xia Rou seriously turned to open her bag on the adjacent chair and took out a pen and a small, palm-sized notebook.

“What are you doing?” Shen Miao wondered.

“Taking notes, I’m afraid I’ll forget,” the kitten’s eyes were innocent and simple.

Shen Miao: “…”

“First, given the unspoken grudge between you two in the past, before you pursue her, you need to change the bad impression she has of you, and then gradually, step by step, win her favor.”

“I don’t quite understand.” Xia Rou held the pen, her eyes showing a hint of confusion.

“That means you need to start by being friends with her.”

“How exactly should I do that? Miao Miao, please give me some ideas, my mind is completely blank.”

Shen Miao thought for a moment and seriously suggested, “You two don’t have much interaction after school, so let’s start at school. How about you get her class schedule first and create more opportunities for ‘chance’ encounters.”

“1. Lin Xi’s class schedule, create ‘chance’ encounters…” Xia Rou lowered her head, concentrating on writing on the notebook stroke by stroke.

Shen Miao wasn’t very confident about this plan and was still reserved about it, but seeing her so serious, she couldn’t bear to pour cold water on her, so she reluctantly gave a few suggestions. Afterward, she gave a warning shot: “These strategies I came up with aren’t guaranteed to succeed, so don’t blame me for being a useless strategist later.”

“No, never. Thank you, Miao Miao.”

Carefully putting away the small notebook, Xia Rou acted immediately. She successfully found Lin Xi’s class schedule on the campus forum during the lunch break.

After the afternoon P.E. class, Shen Miao and Xia Rou discussed the matter again.

The long pavilion corridor was empty, and they didn’t deliberately lower their voices.

Coincidentally, Lin Xi and Shen Xuan, who had just finished a large class and needed to change classrooms, were about to pass through the central fork in the corridor. Before Lin Xi could notice, Shen Xuan, who spotted them first, quickly grabbed Lin Xi, who was walking ahead, and hid behind a Roman column under a lush loquat tree.

Shen Xuan seriously warned her, “Enemy sighted!”

Lin Xi: “…”

“Liking someone makes you so passive, but don’t be too discouraged.” Shen Miao comforted her.

“I’m just afraid she really won’t give me any chance…” Xia Rou said, lacking confidence.

The two walked straight through the corridor without noticing anything, and every fragment of their conversation was overheard.

“How explosive!” As if hearing incredible breaking news, Shen Xuan turned to look at the person beside her. “The arrogant campus belle actually has someone she likes? Who is it that can make her so dejected?”

Lin Xi unconsciously lowered her gaze, her long eyelashes slightly concealing the unclear emotion in her eyes.

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