The Heroine Disguises Herself As A Man To Enter The Academy, And The Hero Loses His Memory And Forgets his First Love. - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 PROLOGUE

Morning light streamed gently as wisps of incense smoke curled upward.
Inside the Prime Minister’s residence, chaos had broken out.

Because—

The young master, son of the powerful Chancellor, had been chased all the way to the city gates yesterday by none other than his own father—who had literally unleashed the hounds—and ended up falling into the river. Now, he lay in bed with a raging fever.

The reason?
…It’s complicated.

“Hey—hey! Wake up! Young Master! Wake up!”

On the soft sandalwood bed, Li Chenjing, the young master, breathed faintly. His pale, refined face was covered in a sheen of sweat.

His long lashes fluttered, and a dazed, glassy gaze barely opened. He sat up with effort, still feverish, and cast a slanted glance at the overly perfumed, feminine-looking young scholar in green standing beside the bed. He panted softly and whispered his first words from his thin, pale lips—

“Who are you?”

“Hey, hey, Young Master! You don’t even remember me? That’s so heartless! Last night, we went through a thrilling, soul-stirring ordeal together! I got chased for eight hundred li by your Chancellor-dad’s dogs—for you! I’m still covered in dog slobber! And yet, I stood tall, loyal, and brave—an icon of righteousness! And now you ask who I am? I’m Zhu Bafu! Zhu Bafu! The eighth son of the Wuya Book House!”

“…Oh,” Li Chenjing muttered, looking as if he understood. Then, suddenly—

“Who… am I?”

“…Don’t tell me you’ve lost your memory in the most cliché way possible?!”

“Mm. Seems like it.”

“Could you not say something so shocking in such a calm tone?! Damn it—did you really lose your memory?! It was just a dip in the river! I fell in with you and I’m totally fine! How are you so fragile? You’re a grown man, for heaven’s sake. It’s embarrassing for us men!”

“…You’re yelling at me.”

“Hey! What are you doing, hugging the blanket and curling up in the corner like I’m about to violate your innocence?!”

“You’re not going to?”

“Who gave you permission to respond in that hopeful tone?!”

“Mmm… Because I think… I remembered something.”

“…Young Master, are you messing with me?! Are you amnesiac or not?! Give me a straight answer!”

“Seems like I am… but I do remember a little.”

“What do you remember?!”

“I like you.”

“What… did… you… just say?!”

“I don’t remember who I am. But I remember that—I like you.”

“…I. Am. A. MAN!”

“I know. That’s why we planned to elope. That’s why my father released the dogs and chased us into the river, right?”

Li Chenjing smiled—pure and graceful.

Right?
Right, your face! Of course not!

That’s not what happened!

There was never any innocent romance between a man and a woman…
Uh, and certainly no forbidden romance between two men either!

What they had was—
Ugh, it’s a long story.

Better sit Li Chenjing down and slowly explain the purely platonic brotherly relationship between them!

The truth is more like this—