Peach-Orange! – Chapter 226 – Selective Amnesia

This reality might be cruel for Su Tao, but Dr. Lin had no choice but to speak it aloud.

Si Chen was right. She had to face this process head-on. Only then could she find the courage to confront Chi Xiaocheng’s scrambled memories.

The one who tied the bell must untie it. If Su Tao didn’t dare to face this, recovering those memories would be even more difficult.

Dr. Lin continued, “Actually, we can think of Miss Chi’s memories before and after her awakening like a game. Miss Chi is the heroine to be pursued, and Miss Su Tao is the protagonist.

“Before Miss Chi faked her death, there’s no doubt her affection level toward you was very high. Even if it wasn’t the full 100 we mentioned earlier, it was at least 80 or 90. After all, she was willing to die for you.

“However, possibly due to her injuries, during her coma, Miss Chi couldn’t accept the reality of her death and leaving you forever. In moments of brief consciousness, when she recalled things related to you, they were mostly painful.”

Su Tao struggled to accept Dr. Lin’s words.

She urgently interrupted, “Why would they be painful? At the very end… when I thought Xiaocheng was really going to die….

“Xiaocheng said that in that moment, she was happy. Because I was safe. Because she had protected me.

“Even though afterward, I spent a long time withdrawn and hesitant, making many mistakes… at the moment she was shot, she was happy!

“And before that, aside from some unpleasant incidents, Xiaocheng and I shared many happy moments together!”

Her usually smooth hair was disheveled. Normally tied into a neat, stylish high ponytail, she had only hastily gathered it into a messy single ponytail today, lacking the energy to care for it.

Her beauty remained, but the ethereal glow and overall impression had dulled, missing that striking radiance.

Her anxiety was written all over her face.

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Dr. Lin carefully chose her words.

“Psychologically speaking, humans instinctively seek meaning in life. Recalling happy moments reinforces the belief that ‘my life had value,’ alleviating the fear and pain of facing death.

“And the innate pursuit of ‘love’ and ‘belonging’ is just the surface level. Even if we assume Miss Chi disliked you, at the moment of death….

“As long as she cared about you, she would inevitably recall happy memories. She wouldn’t want to leave with regrets. The so-called ‘life flashing before one’s eyes’ follows the same logic.

“As for why she recalled pain rather than joy, the simplest explanation is likely that, for her, the happy memories couldn’t outweigh the pain at that time.”

Her tone carried a hint of melancholy, leaving Su Tao utterly drained.

She slumped into a chair, Dr. Lin’s final words echoing in her mind.

Painful memories outweighed the happy ones.

Looking back over these months, wasn’t that exactly the case?

Xiaocheng had pursued her, confessed to her, gotten hurt because of her, and experienced all sorts of negative emotions.

And what had she received in return?

Avoidance. Fear. Rejection. Even at the brink of death, she hadn’t gotten the answer she wanted.

Could that really be called happiness?

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Those cheerful smiles she’d shown in daily life, were they genuine, or just forced performances to keep Su Tao from worrying?

Su Tao gradually found herself at a loss, but she roughly understood Dr. Lin’s final point.

There was a clear trail leading here.

Whether at the beginning or the end, the root cause lay with Su Tao herself!

Everyone turned to Su Tao, waiting for her to collect herself.

Dr. Lin asked softly, “Should I continue?”

Su Tao took a deep breath, exhaustion creeping into her eyes.

“Dr. Lin, please go on.”

Dr. Lin nodded.

“The affection level is the most significant change. Next is the various memories that have been filled in.

“Based on Dr. Chen’s and my understanding of her life, we’ve preliminarily confirmed that in her memories of these past months, your presence is prominent but sparse, Miss Su Tao.

“Mostly, the character Ye Liang serves as the link piecing together fragments of her memories.

“Additionally, the fact that Miss Chi cared about you hasn’t changed. Combined with past experiences, this means even when you two argued, Miss Chi never truly disliked you.”

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Su Tao’s weary eyes flickered with a faint light.

“She didn’t dislike me?”

Dongfang Yang interjected, “But Su Tao said that in the hospital room, Chi Xiaocheng explicitly stated she didn’t like her, right?”

Dr. Lin replied, “During a falling-out, especially as the relationship worsens, no one would say they like the other person, would they?”

Hearing this, Su Tao suddenly remembered. At first, Chi Xiaocheng hadn’t been so cold.

She’d still called her “Su Tao sister.”

When had the change started?

Had it been when Su Tao began saying things that seemed strange to her?

Or during the confession?

But no matter what, her “dislike” definitely wasn’t “hatred”!

Su Tao pressed urgently, “Dr. Lin, please keep going!”

Dr. Lin nodded.

“Let me outline what likely happened in her memories.

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“The timeline probably starts after your fight in high school, carrying into university. Your relationship with Ye Liang grew closer, Miss Su Tao. You distanced yourself from Miss Chi because of him, attended his parties, and often scolded her on his behalf.

“In her perception, you were in a ‘Ye Liang > Xiaocheng’ state. Miss Chi clung to you desperately, trying to win you back, but you found her increasingly annoying, thinking she was making unreasonable demands.

“And the two of you never had an open conversation. You were always busy with other things, neglecting her, until eventually cutting ties altogether.”

Dr. Lin added, “Naturally, the last point about cutting ties is Dr. Chen’s and my speculation. We don’t know if it actually went that far.

“The final trigger for the change was likely when Ye Liang, in a fit of anger, tried to kill Miss Chi. She narrowly escaped and sought your support and help as her sister, but you still sided with Ye Liang, giving her a look of disdain.

“—In her memories, you became someone who thoroughly disliked her.”

Dr. Lin then turned to Dongfang Yang and Si Chen.

“On the other hand, the two young masters have had some memories related to you, Miss Su Tao, erased. Instead, they’ve been filled in as older brother figures who stood by her side.”

Dr. Lin took a deep breath.

“Miss Chi’s condition can also be defined as selective amnesia, forgetting painful events, with her brain automatically filling in the gaps in her memories.”

Each word seared into Su Tao’s heart.

She vaguely felt that Dr. Lin’s explanation sounded eerily familiar.