Peach-Orange! – Chapter 352 – Recovered Memories

Su Tao was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the window.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a gentle glow on the floor, bringing warmth and dispelling the chill of the early morning.

Sleeping while leaning against the bedside was never comfortable—every time she woke up, her back and neck would ache, and if she accidentally twisted her neck, it would take a long time to recover.

Before even opening her eyes, the girl felt a small hand gently stroking her head. It was soothing and tender, and she could even sense the other person’s fingers carefully combing through her hair.

Su Tao lifted her face slightly and opened one eye.

She found Chi Xiaocheng looking down at her with a soft smile. “Tao-Tao, good morning~”

Hearing this quiet greeting, Su Tao closed her eyes again peacefully. “What… so the dream still isn’t over?”

Chi Xiaocheng had been prepared to see Su Tao’s delighted expression upon waking up, but the girl falling back asleep left her at a loss.

She was really out of it.

Chi Xiaocheng didn’t stop stroking Su Tao’s head. After getting used to petting King and Sakura at home, she now treated Su Tao like a cat too.

Her gentle technique soon had the girl comfortably narrowing her eyes.

Su Tao even sighed softly. “If only every day could be like this.…”

The constant high-pressure situations before had made even this small happiness feel like a luxury.

Perhaps because the sensation was too real, or because Chi Xiaocheng had been petting her for a while, Su Tao peeked open one eye again.

Chi Xiaocheng tilted her head and smiled back.

Su Tao frowned, then sat up abruptly.

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Wait… was this not a dream?

Unsure, she took another look.

Her gaze shifted from Chi Xiaocheng to the window, and only then did she realize it was already morning.

Her doubtful expression turned into surprise, followed by joy… though her words carried a hint of girlish complaint. “Xiaocheng, you—! You woke up and didn’t even tell me!”

Chi Xiaocheng chuckled softly. “Tao-Tao looked so peaceful sleeping, I couldn’t bear to wake you. What if you got upset after being disturbed from such a good sleep?”

“You dummy.” Su Tao stood up and raised her hand as if to flick Chi Xiaocheng’s forehead.

But when her hand reached its target, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, she lightly poked Chi Xiaocheng’s forehead twice with her fingertip.

At the same time, she said, “Even if it were the middle of the night, I wouldn’t be upset if you woke me. As long as I get to see you awake, I’ll be happy!”

“Really, really happy!”

Su Tao added another sentence, her firm tone filling Chi Xiaocheng’s heart with warmth.

The system in her mind had long gone silent.

Xiao Hei had transformed into a butterfly and left before she woke up. This familiar hospital room had now become a little world for just the two of them.

Chi Xiaocheng sat on the bed with a faint smile. “Tao-Tao, you really didn’t have to stay by my side the whole time. Sleeping like this without even a blanket must’ve been uncomfortable, and what if you caught a cold? Of course, going back to your own room to sleep would’ve been much better.”

“No way.” Su Tao shook her head firmly. “Xiaocheng, you said before that you hoped I’d be by your side when you woke up. I didn’t know when you’d wake up, so I had to stay with you the whole time.”

She brushed aside the messy bangs that had been pressed against her forehead while sleeping, revealing a look of utmost seriousness.

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Hearing this, Chi Xiaocheng suddenly remembered.

Back when she had pretended to be a yandere, she had indeed said something like that.

Who would’ve thought that Su Tao, who hadn’t cared at all back then, would now hold those words so close to her heart?

Chi Xiaocheng felt touched and happy. “Being able to see Tao-Tao first thing when I wake up makes me really happy too.”

Their eyes met, and in that gaze, happiness was unmistakable.

But the morning greetings were just one thing. What Su Tao cared about more was Chi Xiaocheng’s recovery.

Especially when Chi Xiaocheng said that last sentence, her heart swelled with excitement.

Carefully, she asked, “Xiaocheng… how’s your memory now?”

Even a master like Dongfang Wen had used hypnosis… surely… it worked, right?

Su Tao didn’t dare think about what would happen if it hadn’t.

She had already placed all her bets on this one gamble.

Her eyes locked onto Chi Xiaocheng’s, not even daring to breathe.

Until she saw Chi Xiaocheng tap her cheek lightly and say in an uncertain tone, “I think… I remember everything now?”

“Really?!”

Su Tao’s eyes lit up with joy.

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Looking at Chi Xiaocheng again, she saw none of the previous distance in her gaze—only unmistakable closeness.

Trembling, Su Tao reached out her hand.

Chi Xiaocheng seemed to understand instantly. She lowered her head slightly, pressing it into Su Tao’s palm.

She nuzzled against Su Tao’s hand, then tilted her face upward naturally, letting Su Tao cup her cheeks.

Nuzzle~

Such an intimate gesture, this cat-like clinginess, and the faint affection on Chi Xiaocheng’s face—

It almost brought tears to Su Tao’s eyes.

Finally….

Xiaocheng had finally regained her memories. After so long, she had finally returned to her side!

Just to be sure, after stroking Chi Xiaocheng’s cheeks, Su Tao quickly asked, “Xiaocheng, do you remember when we first met King?”

“Of course.” Chi Xiaocheng nodded lightly. “We adopted King when we went to that cat café together. Back then, she acted like everyone owed her hundreds of thousands.”

The memory about King matched!

Su Tao then took out an orange hairpin from her pocket. “What about this?”

Chi Xiaocheng: “The hairpin you bought for me when we went shopping together. Why?”

Su Tao swallowed hard. “Then… do you remember what happened after buying the hairpin?”

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Being chased, driving onto the highway, Chi Xiaocheng confessing only to be rejected, then attempting suicide….

Such painful and awkward memories weren’t something Su Tao wanted to bring up.

But she had to confirm whether Chi Xiaocheng had truly recovered her memories, or if it was just an act.

Even Dongfang Wen’s mention of “pretending” had planted a tiny seed of doubt in her heart.

Chi Xiaocheng sighed helplessly. “How could I forget? Back then, someone was trying to capture either me or Sister Su Tao. They chased us in a car! They even had guns! When our car flew off that broken bridge, I really thought we were going to die!”

Then, her expression turned slightly embarrassed. “And… Tao-Tao wished me a happy birthday then. A birthday like that… I could never forget it.”

After hearing this, Su Tao’s face lit up with joy.

Everything matched.

Xiaocheng’s memories had truly returned!

Looking at Chi Xiaocheng’s soft smile, she saw nothing strange, just the same girl she knew.

And now, the words she had wanted to say for so long could finally be spoken.

Su Tao sat up straight, not even bothering to fix her messy hair. She placed both hands on Chi Xiaocheng’s shoulders.

With utmost seriousness, she said:

“Xiaocheng, I love you!”