Chapter 603: The Stolen Memory
by xennovel“Ah, ah, ah…”
A terrified scream echoed throughout the Security Hall, sending a wave of unease over everyone who heard it.
That scream carried an indescribable, penetrating power, slicing through the thick concrete walls of the hall.
Not only did CEO Xiao, Little Meng, Zhang Weiyu, and others behind the glass hear it, but even in the interrogation room—separated by several rooms and a special soundproof barrier—Chen Wei caught the cry. Suddenly, she grew extremely tense and exclaimed:
“It… it’s Cao Ye’s voice…”
“What… what did you do to him?”
……
The female officer questioning Chen Wei was also startled and quickly ordered, “Sit tight, don’t move.”
Hurrying out of the interrogation room, she looked up to see guards from both upstairs and downstairs rushing over, their faces etched with shock. Someone anxiously whispered, “Were the cameras off? How dare they act so ruthlessly?”
In the observation room opposite the interrogation room, a throng of officers crowded out, nervously asking what had happened.
Meanwhile, CEO Xiao and the others stood up one by one, their eyes wide with terror as they stared at the curtained-off room. Their voices trembled as they asked, “Just now… what exactly occurred?”
“That curtain, the camera, and… and that incessantly flickering light…”
“Was it all controlled remotely by you?”
……
The officers, equally dumbfounded, scrambled to put on their bulletproof vests as they stammered, “No, we… we didn’t!”
“We didn’t do anything at all just now!”
……
Hearing this, CEO Xiao, Gao Yan, Little Meng, along with Zhang Weiyu and the others, seemed to drift into disbelief.
What was that just now?
Some sort of Maoshan ritual, maybe?
In barely ten minutes, the corridor swelled with more officers. When several leaders from Satellite City No. 2’s Security Hall arrived, they saw the tightly closed interrogation room suddenly crack open.
Rubbing his temple, Lu Xin emerged from the interrogation room and paused, shocked at the crowd gathering outside.
“You may come in for your statement now.”
After steadying himself, Lu Xin nodded and said, “Then notify the Special Cleaning Department to come and apprehend the culprit.”
As he spoke, a distant, anxious voice erupted from another interrogation room—one girl, overwhelmed with worry, pounded on the door before pausing and adding, “Include her as well.”
“Oh, I see.”
Only then did the officers react, nodding hurriedly.
Lu Xin then walked into the observation room opposite the interrogation room and fixed his gaze on CEO Xiao and the others, whose expressions were a mix of tension and alarm.
He sighed softly and, glancing briefly at the young man Zhang Weiyu, stated, “The investigation is complete.”
“Huh?”
Everyone in the room froze before scrambling to ask, “What’s going on?”
Especially Zhang Weiyu, who rubbed his face vigorously as he looked on in a mix of confusion and anticipation.
“This definitely qualifies as a mysterious pollution incident.”
Lu Xin first exchanged a look with Little Meng, categorizing the incident accordingly.
“Huh?”
Little Meng was momentarily stunned, his expression betraying an unhidden thrill.
Their team investigating mysterious incidents had been busy for days with trivial cases. When he first mentioned this, no one believed him. Now, look—only mine is genuine. Hmph.
Of course, in his youth he couldn’t fully grasp what it all meant.
Lu Xin implied that while the fake cases were merely money grabs, this genuine one would definitely come with a substantial price…
“Chen Wei was affected by the pollution, but it was Cao Ye who stirred up all this trouble…”
Seated, Lu Xin patted his pocket. CEO Xiao immediately reacted, quickly offering him a cigarette.
Lu Xin glanced at the cigarette pack, took out one cigarette, lit it, and casually placed it on the table beside him.
Nervously, Little Meng rushed over to help light it.
Noticing his lighter, Lu Xin signaled that it wasn’t needed, took it over, lit his cigarette himself, and returned it to the pack.
“According to Cao Ye, he and you—even though he’s your neighbor—aren’t far apart, right?”
Lu Xin continued slowly, casting a glance toward Zhang Weiyu.
The tormented young man nodded eagerly, saying, “Yes. We originally moved from Satellite City No. 4 together, but his family was wealthy, so he moved out after a while. We only met again in high school…”
“But Chen Wei and I barely knew him.”
……
“Yet he was very close to you—or rather, very close to Chen Wei.”
Lu Xin explained, “He’d been fond of Chen Wei from long ago, and that affection deepened in high school.”
“That kind of affection runs especially deep.”
“From his account, it’s clear that this girl has become a constant ache in his heart; he adores her beyond measure. But he also knows that he’ll probably never win her love…”
“After all, she has no reason to like him.”
……
“So, then what is this…”
The more they listened, the more perplexed everyone became. If that were the case, how did the two end up together?
“Realizing this, Cao Ye fell into despair, yet he refused to give up, tormented day by day.”
Lu Xin continued, “Under those circumstances, he happened upon a shop and, at a very steep price, purchased something—an ‘Affection Sticky Note,’ if you will. That’s basically what it is.”
Those around him listened, their expressions growing increasingly strange.
As he spoke, memories of the scene Cao Ye had just described began to reemerge in Lu Xin’s mind.
It was a drizzly night when he trailed behind Chen Wei, watching her walk with two classmates toward the girls’ dormitory. Despite the cold, damp air, his palms were sweaty as his down jacket and hat clung tightly to his head.
At the entrance of the school shop, when the two classmates went inside to pick something up, Chen Wei lingered outside, waiting.
She rarely entered such places to avoid frivolous spending.
Summoning all his courage, Cao Ye boldly approached her.
In that moment, his heart pounded and his body trembled with nerves.
Because he knew that his previous escapade in the **** had already made many doubt him, and several boys were itching for a fight. If he failed this time and Chen Wei screamed, his secret would be exposed for good.
Surely, there would be plenty of troublemakers—especially with so many infatuated admirers around her.
But he had to take a chance, for without it, there’d be no opportunity at all.
So when he finally mustered the courage for love, he stepped up behind Chen Wei.
Then, holding an already unsealed sticky note, he suddenly tugged at her collar, pressing the note onto the back of her neck just above the spine, before anxiously backing away, his eyes a mix of hope and dread as he awaited fate’s verdict…
“Oh dear…”
Startled, Chen Wei’s body jolted as she spun around in terror.
Her first look at Cao Ye was one filled with shock, disgust, and repulsion.
But as someone heard the commotion and emerged from the shop, Chen Wei’s expression shifted dramatically.
From confusion to emptiness, from terror to dizziness—as if her system had shut down and restarted—then suddenly joy and surprise burst forth. She lightly slapped herself and said, “You scared me. Why are you here?”
At that moment, Cao Ye exhaled deeply in relief; he knew he had succeeded.
……
“But what exactly happened here?”
“What does he mean by this ‘success’? What kind of… success was it?”
Everyone in the room, including the officer who had just removed his bulletproof vest again, looked on in confusion as they questioned what had happened.
“It altered her memory.”
Lu Xin explained softly, “And in her memory, it swapped her with someone else.”
At that, he turned to the dazed Zhang Weiyu and murmured, “That girl truly likes you.”
“But in her memory, every detail that once moved and endeared you to her has been replaced by Cao Ye’s image. So, everyone who once treated her with boundless kindness has now become Cao Ye…”
“Similarly, the negative impressions Cao Ye once gave her now have a substitute—that substitute is you.”
“Admittedly, such memory alteration can come with many flaws, and she will undoubtedly encounter puzzling gaps in her everyday life.”
“But because that memory brought her the feeling of love, she subconsciously chooses to overlook or rationalize any inconsistencies.”
……
Everyone in the room listened intently to Lu Xin’s explanation, their faces a mix of confusion and disbelief.
Even after hearing the full account, many still felt utterly bewildered.
“But…”
Only Zhang Weiyu was the first to react, shouting, “But that’s not how it really happened…”
“How can Chen Wei think like that about me…?”
……
“The issue isn’t what she thinks of you.”
Lu Xin murmured, “In her memory, that’s exactly how everything happened.”
“So, for her, that is the undeniable truth.”
……
Zhang Weiyu shook his head vigorously. As someone completely unfamiliar with special pollution incidents, he couldn’t comprehend or accept it.
“She… she genuinely loves Cao Ye and yet… despises me?”
……
“Yes.”
Lu Xin explained quietly, “She trusts her memory and cannot control the feelings of love or hate that it produces…”
“So, in reality, she truly loves Cao Ye and truly despises you.”
“However…”
After a pause, he added, “At the very least, it proves that your love was sincere.”
“It was just stolen away.”