Anyone who knew the young man would recognize Chen Wuming as Chen Jinzhao.
After being severely injured last time, Chen Jinzhao had forgotten everything about his past and had resigned himself to the name Chen Wuming.
He often gazed towards the end of the sea, vaguely feeling that his homeland lay across the ocean.
In the beginning, Chen Jinzhao truly remembered nothing.
However, as time went by, Chen Jinzhao gradually developed subconscious habits, such as sitting by the sea and gazing towards its horizon.
Chen Jinzhao also had a faint feeling that he had forgotten someone very important.
Whenever he tried to think about it, he came up with nothing.
By the time he realized this, his relationship with Yamanashi Chiho had already developed to a deep level. Aside from the legal recognition, they were already essentially husband and wife. Therefore, Chen Jinzhao would not abandon Yamanashi Chiho.
Wasn't escaping his homeland also an escape from reality?
Yamanashi Chiho could sense Chen Jinzhao's complex emotions and said softly, "Wuming, I know you have someone very important waiting for you at the end of the sea. Honestly, being with you for three years has already made me very content. My grandfather and I are very clear on one point: you are not an ordinary person, but someone with great abilities. This island is your cage; eagles should soar in the sky."
"As for me, you don't need to worry at all."
Chen Jinzhao looked at Yamanashi Chiho's tender face, and suddenly several unfamiliar female faces flashed before his eyes, appearing and disappearing on Yamanashi Chiho's face.
Familiar, yet strange.
Faces flashed through Chen Jinzhao's mind, causing him to suffer from a splitting headache.
He clutched his head, his expression contorted in pain.
Yamanashi Chiho immediately became anxious and asked, hugging Chen Jinzhao, "Wuming, what's wrong? Let me help you home to rest. Don't think about it anymore."
After Chen Jinzhao was taken home, he remained unconscious for two hours.
When he woke up, Yamanashi Chiho clasped his hand and asked, "Wuming, how are you feeling now?"
Yamanashi Chiho met Chen Jinzhao's gaze and was startled.
Because Chen Jinzhao's eyes were now sharp, flashing with a chilling glint that made Yamanashi Chiho feel utterly unfamiliar with him.
She even dared not meet Chen Jinzhao's gaze directly.
"Wuming-kun..."
"Don't scare me."
Chen Jinzhao's gaze gradually softened. He shook his head and said, "Chiho, I'm sorry. Did I scare you just now?"
Yamanashi Chiho first shook her head, then nodded.
Chen Jinzhao sighed.
Yamanashi Chiho felt that Chen Jinzhao was somehow different, so she hesitantly asked, "Wuming-kun, have you remembered what happened before?"
"Mmm..."
Chen Jinzhao did not hide it.
He then said, "Fragments of memories kept surfacing in my mind, making me recall some past events. I only remember snippets from before I fell unconscious; I still don't remember anything from before that."
Yamanashi Chiho held Chen Jinzhao's hand. "You'll definitely remember it in the future. We don't need to rush."
Chen Jinzhao's eyes were vacant.
The fragments that had appeared in his mind were a clash of fire and blood, making him remember that he had fallen from the sky when he lost consciousness, with the roar of engines and explosions still echoing in his ears. He tried to recall other images, but he couldn't.
Yamanashi Chiho genuinely felt happy for Chen Jinzhao, believing he was recovering his memories.
This was, after all, just a shallow bay that could not contain a dragon like Chen Jinzhao.
It was precisely because Chen Jinzhao was about to regain his memory that Yamanashi Chiho had many arguments with her grandfather. Grandfather Yamanashi Toru believed that his granddaughter should strike while the iron was hot and marry Chen Jinzhao, lest he abandon her after regaining his memories.
Over the past three years, Yamanashi Chiho had always been the one making sacrifices, which her grandfather found unbearable.
Yamanashi Chiho always believed that Chen Jinzhao did not belong here and wanted him to return to his homeland.
After Chen Jinzhao regained some memories, it only strengthened Yamanashi Chiho's conviction.
That evening.
After Yamanashi Chiho fell asleep, Chen Jinzhao went to Yamanashi Toru's room.
Upon seeing Chen Jinzhao, Yamanashi Toru snorted, "Are you here to tell me you've recovered your memory and want to go back to your homeland?"
Chen Jinzhao sat opposite Yamanashi Toru and shook his head. "No, I want to discuss something with you regarding Chiho's lifelong happiness. I know she has taken meticulous care of me for the past three years, and as a man, I cannot shirk my responsibility."
"Therefore—"
"I implore you, elder, to grant me permission to marry Chiho."
Yamanashi Toru looked at Chen Jinzhao in shock. "Did you... did you remember something?"
Chen Jinzhao shook his head.
For some reason, memory fragments kept flashing in his mind, making him realize the urgency of time.
He was unsure what kind of person he would become if he fully recovered his memories.
Chen Jinzhao only wanted to seize the present.
This way, even if he regained his memory in the future, there would still be a bond between him and Yamanashi Chiho.
Yamanashi Toru frowned. "Are you serious?"
Chen Jinzhao nodded solemnly.
Yamanashi Toru finally smiled and laughed heartily, "Chen Wuming, I indeed did not misjudge you. You are a responsible man."
The next day.
Yamanashi Toru and Chen Jinzhao conveyed the news to Yamanashi Chiho. At first, she objected, but after Chen Jinzhao revealed his true feelings, she tearfully accepted. Since Chen Jinzhao did not have a local identity card, they did not register their marriage but simply held a simple banquet at home, inviting the villagers to attend.
Even so, Yamanashi Chiho felt like the happiest person in the world.
Another half a month passed.
The memory fragments in Chen Jinzhao's mind grew more numerous and complicated, leading him to actively search the internet for information about his past. However, the firefight three years ago was strictly classified by both parties, and Chen Jinzhao could not find any information about it, cutting off his lead.
He no longer dwelled on this matter and focused his attention on the present, traveling through Dongying with Yamanashi Chiho in a low-key manner.
They traveled northwards, stopping and starting along the way, arriving in the city of Edo in Kyoto, Dongying, in mid-March, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.
Yamanashi Chiho noticed Chen Jinzhao's melancholic mood after entering the city and immediately guessed that he disliked this place because his homeland was in Huaguo.
To be honest.
Yamanashi Chiho also disliked it; she merely wanted to see the world.
Therefore, after visiting the sacred mountain of Dongying, Yamanashi Chiho prepared to head back home and began to devise ways to send Chen Jinzhao back to Huaguo.
At the foot of the sacred mountain of Dongying, Yamanashi Chiho stood beside Chen Jinzhao, asking a tourist to take a commemorative photo of them.
Both of them wore faint smiles, with the background of an endless expanse of pink cherry blossoms.
Yamanashi Chiho and Chen Jinzhao held hands tightly.
In that instant, a thought flashed through Yamanashi Chiho's mind: if their lives could be frozen at this moment, it would be wonderful.
Alas.
She knew it was impossible.
The most beautiful moments in life are fleeting; youth fades like reflections and leaves like falling blossoms.