Chapter 86: Unfamiliar Even in Encounter

The eighty-sixth chapter: Even if we meet, we should not recognize each other.

Just when Ye Ze was immersed in the bittersweet memories of his youth, a soft voice suddenly interrupted his reverie.

"Xiao Ze?"

Ye Ze froze, then slowly turned around. His gaze fell upon the speaker, a young woman standing about two meters away. She was dressed in a simple, pale blue dress, her long hair tied back neatly. Her skin was fair, and her eyes were as clear as spring water. On her face, a familiar smile bloomed, a smile that belonged to someone he had known for a long time.

Ye Ze’s heart skipped a beat. He had recognized her instantly. It was Su Yun.

He hadn’t seen her in years. The passage of time seemed to have treated her kindly. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered.

Just as he was about to speak, he remembered the promise he had made. The promise he had made to himself, and to her.

He hesitated for a moment, then his expression returned to its usual calm indifference. He looked at her, his gaze unwavering. There was no flicker of recognition in his eyes, no hint of the past they had shared.

Su Yun’s smile faltered slightly. She blinked, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Xiao Ze? Is that you?" she asked again, her voice softer this time.

Ye Ze remained silent. He didn’t nod, he didn’t shake his head. He simply stood there, a stranger in her eyes.

Su Yun took a hesitant step forward. "It’s me, Su Yun," she said, as if he might not remember her name.

Ye Ze finally spoke, his voice low and even. "I'm sorry, I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

Su Yun’s eyes widened slightly. Her smile vanished completely. "Mistaken? But... you're Xiao Ze, aren't you?"

Ye Ze met her gaze directly. "My name is Ye Ze," he said. "I don't believe we've ever met before."

Su Yun looked at him, a mixture of disbelief and hurt on her face. She searched his eyes, hoping to find some trace of the person she knew. But there was nothing there but polite indifference.

The air between them grew heavy with unspoken words and forgotten memories. Su Yun’s lower lip trembled slightly.

"You... you really don't remember me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Ye Ze looked away, his gaze drifting towards the distance. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I don't."

A single tear traced a path down Su Yun’s cheek. She stood there for a few more moments, her shoulders slumping. Then, she slowly turned and walked away, her figure shrinking in the vastness of the park.

Ye Ze watched her go, his heart aching. He wanted to call out to her, to tell her that he remembered everything, that he had never forgotten her. But the words remained trapped in his throat.

He had made his choice. He had chosen to erase the past, to become a stranger. It was for the best, he told himself. For her, and for himself.

As Su Yun disappeared from view, Ye Ze closed his eyes, a single tear escaping and rolling down his cheek. He had kept his promise. Even if they met again, they would not recognize each other. They would be strangers, two people who had once shared a lifetime of memories, now separated by an unbridgeable chasm of deliberate forgetting.