Chapter 34: Lost Memories

Even though Lü Yang said that, Sister Mei still went crazy, sobbing and wildly kicking and hitting the phantom image of the Man in Black Jacket. Sadly, no matter how much she kicked, she hit nothing.

“Sister Mei…” Lü Yang sighed and was about to say more when the Man in Black Jacket put his mobile phone back at his waist and started knocking on the door.

Soon, the iron gate was opened by a man smoking a cigarette. He stuck his head out to check outside, then let the Man in Black Jacket in. Lü Yang quickly told Xia Yan and Sister Mei to drag him inside too.

“Is he Li Weimin?” Lü Yang pointed at the smoking man and asked Sister Mei.

“Yes, it’s him,” Sister Mei glared at Li Weimin, and thinking about what Lü Yang had said earlier, she seemed to understand. But her usual good feelings toward Li Weimin made it hard for her to believe right away that he was really behind this.

“Is it done?” Li Weimin and the Man in Black Jacket sat down on the sofa. After stubbing his cigarette in the ashtray, Li Weimin asked the Man in Black Jacket.

“It’s done,” the Man in Black Jacket nodded.

“Did you get the IOU back?” Li Weimin asked next.

“I got it,” the Man in Black Jacket nodded again.

“Let me see,” Li Weimin reached his hand out to the Man in Black Jacket.

The Man in Black Jacket took out a mobile phone, pulled up a picture—it was the IOU they had snatched from Lü Yang.

“Two million?” Sister Mei saw the photo of the IOU on the phone and could hardly believe her eyes. She could not understand how her husband Li Yiyuan had so much money, and why he had lent it to Li Weimin without even mentioning it to her.

“Where’s the original?” Li Weimin on the sofa frowned.

“Heh, I’m the one who killed him. This IOU—I already put it somewhere safe. It can be my protection. I don’t want to end up like Yiyuan someday, killed by someone you hired,” the Man in Black Jacket gave a half-smile as he answered Li Weimin.

“Fuqiang, you… sigh… we grew up together, how could I do that to you…” Li Weimin clearly had not expected this; his face even turned pale. He had thought his fellow villager Li Fuqiang seemed foolish, always obedient to him, so he promised a lot of money for Li Fuqiang to kill Li Yiyuan with a fake-license truck. But he never imagined that Li Fuqiang, who looked dumb, wasn’t dumb at all.

“Brother Weimin, don’t worry. As long as I, Li Fuqiang, am fine, this IOU will stay hidden where no one can find it… Just give me my share of the money. With the funds, I’ll go back to Lutou Town right away to keep running my flour mill, and I won’t show up in Guishe City again,” Li Fuqiang took a cigarette from Li Weimin’s pack on the table, lit it for himself, and took a few deep puffs.

Lü Yang frowned slightly. After his mother died when he was young, he and his maternal grandmother wandered from place to place and ended up in Lutou Town, where they stayed for several years until his grandmother passed away there. Hearing Li Fuqiang mention Lutou Town made Lü Yang think of his dead grandmother, the relative who had raised him and whom he had depended on.

“You beasts!” Sister Mei rushed wildly at Li Weimin and Li Fuqiang on the sofa, kicking and hitting, but her fists and feet just passed through the air like nothing was there.

A long series of beeping sounds appeared in Lü Yang’s mind.

“The main quest of the Mysterious Domain was completed. Reward obtained: 2 Eerie Points, 1 Eerie Stone…”

“Successfully completed a Mysterious Domain task. Congratulations, Master, on officially becoming a Mystic Scholar… Rating: Beginner…”

“Eerie Computer visual binding system activated. When Master closes his eyes, the Eerie Computer screen will appear in his vision by sensing…”

“Eerie Card system activated…”

“Assessing Master’s body injury severity… possibly life-threatening. Automatically exchanged for one Healing Card…”

“Healing Card used…”

“Treatment completed…”

“…”

Lü Yang’s vision swam with shifting lights and shadows, making him feel very dizzy. After about ten seconds, he gasped and suddenly became fully awake, like a drowning person surfacing.

“What’s wrong with you?” Yi Ya’s voice came through.

Lü Yang looked around and found he was actually in his rented room, sitting at the small table where he and Yi Yi usually ate, with Yi Ya across the table, resting her head on her hands and looking at him.

The Yi Ya now was completely different from the cold, proud way she had been in the residential area and the café during the day. She was smiling warmly, more like a little sister acting cute in front of her older brother.

The clock on the wall showed it was exactly nine at night.

“You…” Lü Yang had been about to ask, “Xiao Ya, what are you doing here?” But he quickly realized the Mysterious Domain must have changed many things, so asking Yi Ya would be useless.

“What? Did you cross into a parallel world again?” Yi Ya asked Lü Yang in a somewhat teasing tone.

“It’s so good that you’re okay…” Lü Yang had been worried that Yi Ya was still trapped in the terrifying black mist. Seeing her safe and sound in front of him now, his worried heart finally relaxed.

“What’s wrong with me?” Yi Ya looked at Lü Yang strangely.

“Where were we just now?” Lü Yang quickly changed the subject.

“Don’t play dumb. I’m asking you—what were you doing at Sister Mei’s place for so long?” Yi Ya looked at Lü Yang with a half-smile.

“At Sister Mei’s? I… was I at Sister Mei’s?” Lü Yang rubbed his head and suddenly remembered…

If the Mysterious Domain hadn’t happened, Sister Mei had indeed planned to invite him for a meal. He had suggested going to her place and having her cook a few simple dishes.

It seemed that during the time the Mysterious Domain occurred, the real him had actually gone to Sister Mei’s house and came back very late, which was why Yi Ya asked.

“Fake it! Keep faking it!” Yi Ya glared at Lü Yang, acting like it wasn’t her business, but for some reason, Lü Yang could clearly smell a hint of jealousy.

“I… just had a meal at her place…” Lü Yang couldn’t really answer Yi Ya, so he just made something up.

“Just a meal? After dinner, alone together, what were you doing?” Yi Ya was clearly unhappy with Lü Yang’s reply.

“Haha…” Lü Yang laughed awkwardly twice. “I really don’t remember… Xiao Ya, are you jealous?”

Yi Ya’s words reminded Lü Yang of what happened in the Mysterious Domain—him and Sister Mei in Xia Yan’s parents’ master bedroom, indeed alone and passionate. He wondered if in reality, at Sister Mei’s house, they had kissed like that too.

If Yi Ya hadn’t called, who knows what might have happened next between Lü Yang and Sister Mei.

“Drop dead!” Yi Ya glared at him. “I’m done teasing you. So, what did you want to ask me after calling me over?”

“I… I… what did I… oh… I wanted to ask you, how did we first meet? How did you become my girlfriend?” Lü Yang’s memory had gaps and wasn’t connecting, so he just followed Yi Ya’s lead.

“You don’t remember any of it?” Yi Ya checked with him again, clearly not quite believing him.

“I don’t remember. Tell me again,” Lü Yang rubbed his head. This was really too strange. Without recovering these “lost memories” from Yi Ya, many things would feel very confusing.