Genius Club-Chapter 1224 - 54: Silent Affection

"Alpens... lollipop..."

In front of Tang Xin’s grave mound.

Lin Xian closed his eyes after Du Yao finished speaking, sinking into deep thought.

"For a long time."

He took a deep breath:

"I remembered."

Du Yao was incredulous:

"You... you really remembered? Just with such a simple keyword, you recalled the past between you and Tang Xin?"

"Yes."

Lin Xian slowly opened his eyes:

"Indeed, it was at the side gate of the school playground, not far from the small store in the corner. It was there I took off my school uniform, wrapped it around Tang Xin’s waist, and then... she squatted down in pain. I gave her an Alpens lollipop."

"And I also... I also told her..."

He clenched his fist:

"I told her... [Eat a candy, and it won’t hurt anymore.]"

Du Yao froze in place.

She truly couldn’t understand.

Amazingly.

Lin Xian had actually managed to remember, recalling every little detail so vividly!

"Unbelievable."

Looking at it scientifically, she struggled to understand:

"Honestly, Lin Xian, I’d prepared myself for you hearing ’Alpens lollipop’ and still being unable to recall the events of the past."

"I assumed that when you said you’d remembered, it might be to comfort me or to not leave any regret in front of Tang Xin’s grave, but... even that one sentence you said was retrieved word-for-word. How is this possible?"

Du Yao furrowed her brows.

She couldn’t quite comprehend this memory mechanism:

"The mechanism our brains use to search for memories is incredibly vague, and forgetting is a natural defense mechanism of the brain. Over time, people inevitably forget many things... the more distant the memory, the cleaner it’s forgotten, without any sense of tangibility."

"But you, who had clearly forgotten everything, couldn’t remember even when Tang Xin explained it to you so clearly—why, then, was hearing just the words ’Alpens lollipop’ enough to make you remember instantly?"

Lin Xian sighed:

"Because it’s a deeply ingrained memory. I even have psychological trauma from it."

?

Du Yao was increasingly confused:

"How can such an innocent memory be described as psychological trauma? Isn’t it because of Tang Xin that the ’Alpens lollipop’ is so memorable to you?"

"Not really."

Lin Xian shook his head:

"When you mentioned the lollipop, what first came to my mind wasn’t Tang Xin, but..."

"Gao Yang."

"Then, through my memories of Gao Yang, it extended, extended, extended... and eventually, it was like tracing a thread through a warehouse, leading to a corner and retrieving the dusty memory of Tang Xin."

??

Completely baffled, Du Yao turned to look at Lin Xian:

"What is all this nonsense? Can you explain everything to me from the beginning?"

"Sure."

Lin Xian also turned, facing Du Yao:

"The reason why the ’Alpens lollipop’ left such a strong impression on me isn’t because of Tang Xin, but because I did something utterly disgusting at the time. Even now, thinking about it makes me nauseous [hauntingly vivid memory]."

He began recounting to Du Yao:

"Back then, it was during a PE class. Gao Yang only had one yuan in pocket money left. He handed it to me, saying, ’Buy two Alpens lollipops; I’ll treat you to one.’"

"So I went to the small shop to buy the lollipops. They were 50 cents apiece, and I bought two. Since I gave one to Tang Xin, there was just one left. I unwrapped it and put it straight into my mouth, then lied to Gao Yang, saying prices had gone up and the money was only enough for one lollipop."

"Of course, Gao Yang didn’t believe me and started chasing me, insisting I give him the lollipop. But I’d already been sucking on it for quite a while—would he still want it? That’s what I was thinking at the time. But... I really underestimated Gao Yang’s shamelessness." freewёbnoνel.com

"Gao Yang chased me across half the playground, then lunged and tackled me onto the grass. And then... damn..."

Lin Xian covered his forehead, feeling mentally violated again:

"Then Gao Yang forcibly pried open my mouth, pulled out the lollipop, gave it a quick shake, and popped it into his own mouth, happily sucking away."

"Ugh—"

Du Yao recoiled in disgust, an expression of disdain on her face:

"That’s revolting! How could he even do such a thing?"

"I was shocked, too."

Lin Xian spread out his hands helplessly:

"That incident truly nauseated me. I had just been sucking on it, and then he started sucking on it—it would have been slightly less gross if he’d rinsed or wiped it, but no, he plunged it straight in with my spit still on it... At the time, I honestly felt like I’d been violated."

"Enough, enough."

Du Yao interrupted Lin Xian:

"You don’t need to describe it with such vivid detail. The image is already clear in my head."

"Your friend... I mean your class monitor, was definitely a bold one."

"I understand now. It’s because that event was so mentally scarring for you that the mere sight or mention of an ’Alpens lollipop’ triggers an extreme reaction, immediately connecting your memories to Gao Yang."

Lin Xian nodded:

"So, ever since then, I never ate another lollipop. It was just too nauseating. That’s why I say this incident is a psychological trauma for me."

"Earlier, your prompt triggered my memories again, and that feeling of disgust came flooding back. The memory was so vivid that as I retraced the visuals, I was able to recall the events with Tang Xin—the entire scene, including giving her the lollipop, all came back to me."

Afterward.

Du Yao said nothing.

She crouched down, gazing at Tang Xin’s grave mound and the swaying bouquet of lilies in front of it, contemplating.

"Considering this..."

"[Lost memories can indeed be retrieved through visceral, intense emotional resonance.]"

"Tang Xin explained everything to you in detail, yet you felt no sense of connection. But with ’Alpens lollipop,’ you remembered Gao Yang, recalled that deeply scarring incident, then remembered Tang Xin... instantly and vividly reconstructing memories you’d completely forgotten."