Ning Su followed the teacher with a cheerful expression, all while Ning Changfeng glared at him with a darkened face.
His cooperation exceeded the teacher's expectations, which visibly improved the mood of the previously stern and severe director of student affairs.
Ning Changfeng, however, was a storm waiting to break.
By now, he clearly understood this was a deal between Jiang Ming and the school.
"You told the school administrators that Ning Su was manipulating his test scores, deliberately ranking in the top ten of his grade."
To the school administrators, the memories of a top-ten student were invaluable resources. The memories of a second-tier test candidate held little value. Using Ning Su, who had the intellectual assets of a top-ten student, to exchange for a second-tier student's memories was a deal too tempting to pass up.
Of course, they would agree with Jiang Ming.
It was their own lack of cunning that had prevented them from thinking of such a method to extract memories in the first place.
This evening’s arrangement was clearly a scheme orchestrated by Jiang Ming and the school administrators to force Ning Su into the Reflection Hall. As long as Ning Su entered the Reflection Hall even once, anyone in subsequent exams who selected Ning Su would be able to extract his memories.
Pointing at Jiang Ming, Ning Changfeng stated calmly but with absolute certainty: "You're finished."
Even though they had already planned to go to the Reflection Hall this afternoon, this blatant setup infuriated Ning Changfeng.
It enraged him.
Seeing the look in Ning Changfeng's eyes, which were almost morphing into the vertical pupils of a snake, Jiang Ming shuddered violently. "You… you can't do anything to me. If you attack me, you'll be breaking school rules and will have to go to the Reflection Hall yourself."
Ning Changfeng, of course, could not violate the school rules. Ling Xiao and Shi Tianzhu had already lost their memories. Ning Su had been targeted for memory loss. He was the only one left.
He had to be extra cautious.
A hint of smugness flickered in Jiang Ming’s eyes. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, a dark silhouette suddenly appeared before him.
Meanwhile, Ning Su obediently followed the teacher and instructor toward the Reflection Hall. They had barely walked a few steps out of the dormitory building when a sudden "crash" caught everyone’s attention.
Startled, they looked up to see shards of glass flying from a seventh-floor dormitory window. At the same time, a figure plummeted backward toward the ground.
"Thud!"
The figure landed directly in front of Ning Su and the teachers.
It was Jiang Ming.
A clear footprint marked the white shirt of his school uniform.
Although the dormitory building wasn’t as tall as the academic buildings, with a maximum of seven floors, such a fall wouldn’t kill a physically enhanced player. However, broken bones and internal injuries were inevitable.
Jiang Ming spat blood onto the red high heels of the director of student affairs.
The director was stunned, staring in disbelief at the student who had been kicked down the stairs right in front of her.
“Who did this?!”
From the seventh floor, it was too high for her to see clearly. But Ning Su immediately noticed Ling Xiao standing by the window.
Ning Su: “...”
So losing all your memories really does make you childish.
“Bring him down and put him in the Reflection Hall to write a self-reflection!”
Two people ended up being sent to the Reflection Hall. The other was already amnesiac, who didn’t care about being punished at all.
As they were leaving, they saw Ning Changfeng leaning out the window, watching them with apparent emotion.
Ning Su: “...”
The Reflection Hall at night wasn’t obscured by the darkness. Its eerie blackness overshadowed the night itself, becoming even more chilling under the dim moonlight.
As they passed through the black forest, Ning Su heard a "gurgling" sound, like bubbles rising from the dark lake. But in reality, Ning Su knew it wasn’t that.
This was something related to memories in operation.
It was like something being swallowed into an empty stomach, condensing and sinking.
To reach the Reflection Hall, they had to cross a black stone bridge. Ning Su walked slowly across it, noting that the bridge’s original color had been white, but over time, it had been stained black.
The black forest was the same—the tree trunks were black, and even the tips of the leaves were black.
The Reflection Hall wasn’t actually small. The nickname 'little black room' was given by the students. On the contrary, when you reached the entrance, you’d find it quite large, formed by spiraling black tree-like structures.
As they stepped through the door, the "gurgling" sound became louder and more frequent.
Ning Su was almost certain this was the place where memories were processed. If the school stored memories anywhere, it would definitely be here.
The Reflection Hall had two floors. Students only reflected in a classroom-like room on the first floor.
The director of student affairs barked, “You two, get in there and reflect for an hour!”
“There’s self-reflection paper on the table. If you’ve never written one, then write it now!”
The two of them were shoved into the reflection room, and the furious teacher slammed the door shut behind them with a loud bang. The sound of the lock turning was equally sharp, followed by the fading click of high heels receding into the distance.
"……"
The Reflection Hall was filled with a faint black mist that barely obstructed vision. It seemed to exist purely to create a gloomy atmosphere, instilling a sense of seriousness and oppression in the students.
Ning Su asked Ling Xiao, "How does it feel to be a repeat offender?"
Ling Xiao's sharp and defined facial features stood out even amidst the thin black mist, with a faint red glint at the corner of his eyes piercing through the darkness. However, his gaze appeared somewhat vacant.
This stark contrast made Ning Su feel an itch in his heart.
Ning Su often addressed him as "Lord Flower God" because the first time Ning Su saw his human form, it was in the guise of the Flower God.
First impressions matter so much—they tend to leave an indelible mark on the heart. In Ning Su's mind, Ling Xiao had always been adorned with a divine filter.
Moreover, Ling Xiao had, in a sense, “raised” him and grown up alongside him. Thanks to Ning Changfeng repeatedly emphasizing the term "uncle," Ling Xiao had acquired an additional, peculiar "elderly guardian" filter in Ning Su’s eyes.
Under the influence of these two filters, when the teacher first accused them of being in a relationship, Ning Su found it both unbelievable and overwhelmingly nerve-wracking.
Now, with Ling Xiao having completely lost his memory, he was utterly different—forgetting everything and knowing nothing.
It was as if he could do anything to the other now.
Ning Su, who was feeling restless, reached out a finger and poked a spot along Ling Xiao’s jawline.
He had always envied Ling Xiao’s sharply defined, chiseled jawline that looked as if it had been sculpted.
"You probably don’t even know what being a repeat offender means, do you? But you do know how to kick people. Turns out, Lord Flower God is like this at heart."
The completely clueless Ling Xiao grabbed his hand and, with a gentle pull, drew Ning Su into his arms, locking his waist in an embrace.
Ning Su froze for a moment.
He turned his head, studying Ling Xiao’s profile through the thin mist-like darkness, then shifted his gaze to Ling Xiao’s long neck. His eyes lingered on the cold, pale skin and the blood vessels beneath it for a long while. Swallowing hard, he asked, "What do you think of me?"
This was something he had always wanted to know.
Ning Su thought Ling Xiao, who seemingly knew nothing, wouldn’t be able to answer—or would give no answer at all.
Unexpectedly, Ling Xiao moved his hand to Ning Su’s chest.
His broad palm pressed firmly against the boy's slender chest. It was unclear whether the slight tremor he felt was caused by one heartbeat—or two beating together.
“It’s a heart,” Ling Xiao said.
Ning Su: "Yes, this is the heart, the heart of both of us."
Ling Xiao shook his head and repeated, "It’s the heart."
Ning Su was stunned for a moment. He pinched his ear, pushed Ling Xiao’s arm away, and silently sat at the desk to start writing a self-reflection.
As he wrote, he turned to Ling Xiao and said, "You don’t understand anything right now, so don’t speak recklessly."
Thank you for the chapter! ❤ I wonder how they're going to solve this one, I can't think of any solution. Also, would love to know more about Ning Chanfeng and Shi Tianzhi's concersation! ❤
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