An Old Friend

It was quiet in the car on the way back. Wen Rui didn't know where Zhou Ye had gone but he wasn't in the mood to find out. Manager Qu's harsh words kept ringing in his ears. After realising he had no money to terminate the contract, Wen Rui had fallen silent. He hadn't agreed to write a public apology but knew that he was no longer in any position to stop the PR team from doing so on his behalf. It didn't matter that he felt like there was more to what had happened at the club. That he had most likely been wronged.

He also couldn't refuse to return to the dorms and attend practice from now on, although he had point-blank ignored Manager Qu's request to go back there right now. He had just muttered, "I need to sort some things out at home, I'll be back tomorrow."

And then he had left despite the shouting behind him, wandering back down into the foyer in a daze.

"Mr Wen, we have arrived. Is everything all right?"

Wen Rui startled at the driver's voice and realised that they were parked outside the lobby of the high-end apartments he had woken up in this morning. The valet outside had already opened the door for him.

He mumbled his thanks and made his way over to the lifts, the feeling of numbness becoming almost unbearable when he realised he didn't even remember how to operate it. Pushing on the buttons didn't work but there was a card reader panel just underneath. Wearily, he rummaged around in his pockets before concluding that he had spent an entire day out without his wallet or house keys.

Maybe the concierge would have spares, although he doubted it. Zhou Ye wasn't the kind to rely on others for paltry things like forgotten keys. And Wen Rui had a hunch that 21 year old him hadn't treated this house as a home, and wouldn't have bothered to leave a spare downstairs.

Lucky for him, though, someone else clearly knew he wouldn't have access.

The driver, an earnest-looking middle-aged man, was peering frantically at the lifts when Wen Rui walked back out into the main part of the lobby. He broke into a relieved smile and ran over.

"Your access cards, Mr Wen," he said apologetically. "I tried to catch you but you left so quickly…"

"Sorry."

The apartment was empty when Wen Rui finally made it in, and now that he wasn't feeling so sick anymore, he could take in the environment sensibly. The place was tastefully decorated like an interior design magazine, with a quiet opulence that Wen Rui could appreciate. The chic furnishings were in hues of white, cream, and light grey, and very easy on the eyes. The entrance hall and living room were also spotless, completely free of clutter, and with no personal touch to it. It looked less like someone's home and more like the president suite of a posh hotel.

Zhou Ye had pointed out his bedroom in passing earlier that morning but had rushed him off to the hospital before giving him a full tour. Wen Rui wasn't in the mood to explore either. He just wanted to curl up in bed, fall asleep, and wake up back in his high school dorm with his normal life again.

His bedroom, at least, was lived in, with clothes strewn over the sofa, crumpled sheets, and a messy desk with a gaming computer on it that was so cutting-edge it looked like a space capsule. He recognised the Alienware logo, as well as his favourite keyboard and customisable mouse brand, and felt a small measure of comfort.

At least he still had a little sanctuary that he could hide in.

But he wasn't feeling up to gaming today, even as a distraction. After a quick shower, he crawled into bed with the towel still wrapped around his dripping hair and squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to sleep.

Sleep didn't come easily though. After what felt like an eternity to him, he caved and grabbed his phone from where he'd tossed it next to his pillow.

The messages were still pouring in, so he switched off the notifications setting before opening WeChat and thumbing through his contacts list. There were so many people that he didn't recognise, the names of strangers that he couldn't put a face to. Perhaps they were acquaintances from his short two years at university or other people he had met in the entertainment industry.

He scrolled down to the 'S' section and wasn't that surprised to see that he didn't have his goddess' number. He wondered if she had ever gotten together with Zhou Ye. Though if she had, they clearly weren't a couple anymore. He may dislike Zhou Ye, but he didn't believe that he would cheat.

He wondered if he had ever dated anyone before marrying Zhou Ye. Probably right? He had been very popular in high school, surely he must have managed to find a sweet, gentle girlfriend before ending up in this ridiculous situation of being married to his biggest rival. The thought that Zhou Ye had been his first...partner—the word boyfriend still lodged itself in his throat like a fishbone—was enough to make him despair.

His scrolling reached the 'M' section. His thumb hovered over the contact name 'Mama' but didn't press down. He could see his hand shaking, too terrified of what he might discover. Just earlier in the day, he had been so confident that his mother wouldn't give up on him. But now, after finding no traces of either his father or her in his life, he wasn't so sure anymore.

After a moment's deliberation, he decided to continue down the list first.

And there, in the 'X' section, he found the name he had been looking for. Hope surged in him and without thinking, he opened their contact info and called.

Xu Mushen didn't pick up immediately. Wen Rui looked at the clock on the wall and realised it was only 3 p.m. There was a good chance Xu Mushen was attending classes and his phone ringing may disrupt his studying. But Wen Rui didn't have anyone else he could count on. To him, Xu Mushen had been his desk partner and best friend just yesterday, although they had fought when Wen Rui had told him he was going to skip self-study to go to the club…

Club Apex was going to be Wen Rui's biggest regret this lifetime. If he had just stayed in school and completed his work like the model student he was, he wouldn't have gotten drunk. And then maybe none of this would have happened.

But it was too late to cry over spilt milk now—

"Hello?"

Xu Mushen finally picked up. Wen Rui felt his eyes stinging at the familiarity of his voice.

"Ah Shen," he mumbled, unable to hide the hoarseness in his throat. "It's me."

"…Wen Rui?" The background noise behind Xu Mushen faded. He must have gone somewhere private to speak. "What is it?"

Wen Rui. Not Ah Rui, not Rui Rui, not even the ridiculous Prince Rui that Xu Mushen had liked to use.

Wen Rui could hear the detachment in Xu Mushen's tone and he felt his heart sinking. He wasn't being deliberately cold or anything hurtful like that, but there was none of the warm camaraderie they used to share.

He had met Xu Mushen on his first day at junior high and they had bonded immediately over their favourite online game, becoming close like brothers all the way through to third-year high school. Xu Mushen's family was well-to-do too, but not quite of the same standard as Wen Rui's. As such, the young master circle had looked down on him and tried to get Wen Rui to stop hanging out with him. But Wen Rui hadn't listened. They had both been excellent students but never really had to compete for the top position because one was in sciences and the other in humanities. Wen Rui had taken it for granted that they would go to the same university, join the same clubs, make it big in life with each other's support.

Losing Xu Mushen's friendship was the last straw for him.

"Ah Shen," he said, sniffling. "I lost my memories and I'm scared."

"What?!" At least the sudden panic in Xu Mushen's voice made him feel more real to Wen Rui than the previous distant politeness. "What do you mean?"

"R-Remember that day I saw Su Jiali confessing to Zhou Ye?"

On the other end of the line, Xu Mushen paused and frowned. That was such a long time ago, he couldn't place a precise date on when it'd occurred. Maybe it had happened a handful of months before the big exams, an unhappy day for everyone involved. He had foolishly let his irritation get the better of him and argued with a heartbroken Wen Rui. As for Su Jiali, he recalled she'd spent most of the self-study crying in the washroom too.

"What about it?"

"To me, it happened yesterday." Before Xu Mushen could say anything, Wen Rui burst into loud tears. "I don't have any memories past third-year high school, Ah Shen, what happened to me? Why am I like this now?"