Julian swayed, his eyes, which had just regained a hint of life, dimmed once again.

The police officer patted his shoulder: "This is not a place to stay for long. You should go back first. If we find Clara Ke's body, we will notify you."

"My condolences."

Having said that, the police officer turned to go register the staff at the base.

The unidentified body was also taken away by the coroner to be autopsied, to seek identification and determine the cause of death.

Everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Only Julian stood where he was, feeling his heart being torn apart bit by bit, splashed with saltwater, and then crushed heavily underfoot.

He wondered, dazed, what had happened to him?

He couldn't think clearly, so he left the mountain in a state of loss.

The journey back was filled with distraction, and Julian drove very slowly.

By the time he got home, the sky was already completely dark.

He opened the door and got out of the car, but before he could stand steady, he saw a figure walking toward him in a rage.

Immediately after, he was pushed hard.

"Julian, have you lost your mind? You threw me aside and left me alone? What were you doing!" Nina’s face was livid, looking somewhat disheveled.

She had been left on the mountain road by Julian and had walked until her legs felt like they were going to collapse before she luckily managed to hail a taxi.

Only when Julian saw her at this moment did he remember that such a person existed.

He also remembered that before he went to the skydiving base, he was indeed with her.

But when he thought of Clara Ke, he had completely forgotten about Nina.

Logically, it shouldn't have been like this... Nina was the one he liked, wasn't she?

Strange emotions welled up in Julian’s heart, but the feeling was too ethereal and distant for him to grasp.

At this moment, Nina’s eyes turned red: "Julian, do you really not like me anymore? You were the one who confessed to me in the beginning!"

Julian froze and instinctively opened his mouth: "No..."

At that very second, he suddenly realized that the face of Clara Ke in his mind was becoming very blurry.

It was as if someone were holding an eraser, intent on completely erasing her from his memory!

No...

Julian raised his hand to cover his temples, desperately trying to fight against that invisible force.

He did not want to forget Clara Ke!

His head began to ache violently in an instant, and Julian couldn't help but lose his strength, kneeling on one knee on the ground.

Why could he suddenly not remember how he and Clara Ke had met?

Why did his heartbeat no longer belong to him?

Julian’s head felt as if it were splitting, his whole body breaking out in cold sweat.

Just one second before he was about to collapse, he fell into a soft embrace.

"It’s okay, Julian, it’s okay."

Nina held him, her hands gently stroking his back over and over again: "As long as you forget Clara Ke, you won't be in pain anymore."

"Sleep, just sleep..."

Chapter 13

Julian had a very long dream.

In the dream, he was sitting in a purely white space; the surroundings were white, the sky was white, and the ground was white.

Even he himself was wearing all white.

Why was he here?

Julian thought for a long time but couldn't find an answer, and he kept feeling as though he had forgotten something.

What had he forgotten?

It felt like someone very important... but how could an important person be forgotten?

Julian felt bewildered and slowly stood up.

Just then, a figure appeared out of thin air and walked toward him step by step.

"Julian."

Nina's beautiful face appeared so radiant against the stark white backdrop.

She walked up to him and hugged him gently: "Julian, you love me."

"You fell for me at first sight, you love only me, your world must revolve around me; you must remember that."

Julian’s eyes turned hollow; he no longer remembered that he had seemingly forgotten someone.

His heart was completely filled by Nina.

After Nina repeated this who-knows-how-many times, Julian finally nodded: "Yes, I remember."

The surrounding white faded rapidly after he said this, turning into a pitch-black void.

And Julian woke up with a start.

It was already broad daylight, but because of the heavy black curtains in the room, not a single ray of light leaked in.

He picked up his phone to check the time; it was already past his work start time.

He frowned deeply, vaguely remembering that he had dreamt of something.

But now, he couldn't recall anything at all.

This was not the time to reminisce about dreams, though. He stood up with a cold, stern expression and headed toward the bathroom, intending to call the department head.

Just as he was about to press the dial button, the bedroom door was pushed open.

Nina walked in, and seeing him standing, she immediately frowned: "Why are you up? Go back and lie down."

Julian was stunned: "Why are you here?"

"To take care of you, of course," Nina said with a look of surprise, "Have you forgotten? You brought me home yesterday, and the car crashed at the gate. Neither of us was badly hurt, so we just treated it simply at home."

"I’ve already asked for leave from the hospital for you so you can rest for a day."

Julian’s mind had been a blank slate.

But as Nina spoke, those images gradually became clear in his memory.

In his recollection, he saw himself and Nina driving to his gate, getting distracted, and crashing into a pillar. The front of the car was crumpled, but luckily, they were both fine.

Nina had stayed the night, sleeping in his guest room.

At this moment, his arm still throbbed with a faint, dull pain.

Julian’s suspicions slowly dissipated: "I remember now."

Nina flashed a sweet smile: "Would I lie to you?"

Julian wanted to return the smile, but for some reason, his face felt stiff.

A strange feeling kept lingering in his heart as well.

He evasively put down his phone and turned to walk into the living room: "I should still go to the hospital; there are several patients whose conditions need observation. I’ll go wash up..."

Unexpectedly, he saw two steaming hot sandwiches and two glasses of milk on the dining table.

He turned back, somewhat surprised: "Did you make these?"

"Of course, it was me," Nina tilted her head slightly, looking proud, "Do you think it was a magical snail girl?"

She smiled and walked to his side: "I knew you wouldn't rest, so I got up early, bought the ingredients, and made breakfast. Eat before you go to the hospital."

Warmth surged in Julian’s heart.

But this warmth felt strange—it didn't seem to flow naturally from his own heart.

It felt as if it had been forced into him by someone else.

But how could that be?

Julian shook his head, thinking he was truly strange; he didn't know where all these thoughts were coming from.

He smiled faintly and, as he used to, gently ruffled Nina’s hair: "Thank you."

Nina took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his waist: "Why be so polite with me? You should say you love me."

Julian was slightly taken aback, but immediately nodded: "Mm, I love you the most."

Chapter 14

After finishing breakfast, Julian went to the hospital with Nina.

When leaving, for some reason, he specifically went to check his car.

The silver front bumper was crumpled exactly as it was in his memory.

But he had always been a cautious and careful driver; how could he have crashed it right at his own gate?

Julian couldn't remember at all what he had been thinking when he crashed the car, so he eventually decided to stop thinking about it.

At least his hands weren't injured; that was what mattered.

Upon arriving at the hospital, as soon as he entered the first-floor lobby, a few nurses at the emergency station started teasing him.

"Oh my, Dr. Julian came in with Dr. Nina today."

"Did you specifically go to Dr. Nina's house to pick her up this morning, or did you just leave together?"

"Oh, don't you know? This morning, Dr. Nina helped Dr. Julian ask for leave from the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery!"

The group wore meaningful expressions and let out a long "Ooooh."

Julian had always turned a blind eye to their teasing and just gave a faint nod before stepping into the elevator.

Nina shyly told the nurses to stop joking around, then called out to Julian before the elevator doors closed: "Julian, let's have lunch together?"

Julian nodded.

As the doors closed, the nurses behind him became even more excited.

They crowded around Nina: "Dr. Nina, are you and Dr. Julian together now?"