Applaud for Happiness - Chapter 48

 

Chapter 48

Shen Qi never expected the surprise that awaited him when Qin Huan woke up.

He had amnesia.

Of course, amnesia does not equate to a loss of intelligence. Qin Huan was very calm and did not start asking questions like "Who are you? Who am I? Why am I here?" Instead, he conversed naturally with Shen Qi, seemingly assessing the situation. Only after ensuring Shen Qi posed no threat, he spoke, "I'm sorry, but I don’t remember my name. It seems I have lost my memory." His calmness was almost surreal.

From the corner of his eye, Shen Qi saw Qin Huan's slightly curled fingers and couldn't help but suspect that if he had shown any hostility, he might have been strangled on the spot. However, given that Shen Qi was the only other person on the planet, Qin Huan probably wouldn't kill him right away – not until he knew the whole situation, at least.

While secretly marvelling at his own ability to consider such possibilities, Shen Qi put on a stunned expression, "You have amnesia?"

Qin Huan’s face was covered by a mask, so his emotions were hard to read. From his tightened lips and somewhat bewildered eyes, Shen Qi guessed his feelings. Although Shen Qi suspected most of it was an act.

Qin Huan said, "I do not remember my name, nor do I remember where I come from or who my family or friends are. If I'm not mistaken, I have amnesia."

After an initial stunned reaction, excitement filled Shen Qi’s face. He squatted down, tilting his head to look at Qin Huan, his amber eyes clear and bright: "What a coincidence, I also have amnesia. I also can’t recall where I come from or who my family or friends are. We truly have destiny on our side!”

Qin Huan’s lips tightened further, his gaze sharp, hidden beneath a veil of intensity.

"Really!" Shen Qi was very excited. "But I was young when it happened, probably six or seven years old. I didn't remember much to start with, so it doesn't matter. My grandfather raised me. He was the last person on this planet. However, he passed away six years ago. Now I'm the last person. I'm glad you're here, or else I'd be bored to death!”

His words grew more cheerful, "Do you remember what things were like out there? Anything fun or interesting about other planets? Or anything else..."

Qin Huan's eyes narrowed as if he were frowning, "I don't remember."

"Oh." Shen Qi looked a bit disappointed, but quickly cheered up, "It's okay if you don't remember, I’m just happy to see you."

Looking at him with amber eyes — clear, filled with jubilation.

The furrow in Qin Huan’s brows unknowingly smoothed. He stood up after surveying the surroundings, "You’re saying you're the only one here?"

He was very tall, perhaps around 190cm, and almost filled the small room when he got up. Shen Qi, still squatting, felt like he was looking at a giant.

So, he also stood up quickly. He found himself barely able to reach the man's chest when standing straight. Unconsciously, he stretched out his hand to measure the height and was not happy, "How are you so tall?"

Before, when he met people, they were sitting or lying down. Even when he was carrying them, he didn't notice their height. He didn't expect this man to be so tall when standing up.

Qin Huan showed no emotion and watched him with light green eyes: "I don't know."

Shen Qi had a guilty look on his face, "Sorry, I forgot that you have amnesia." His gaze shifted to Qin Huan's wrist, as if remembering something. "Ah, I almost forgot. You can check out your optical brain, maybe it can jog your memory."

"This is it!" He lifted his own wrist, which also had a optical brain on it. It was similar to a watch from ancient times, but much thinner, almost as if it merged with the skin. Qin Huan’s looked even more advanced than his. "My grandfather said that everyone gets one when they're born. If you look at it, maybe you'll figure out who you are. That’s how I found out my name!"

Qin Huan gently touched his optical brain. The gesture was instinctively smooth, and he managed to unlock it easily.

Shen Qi didn't look closely but stroked his own optical brain regretfully, "However, this place is a discarded planet. There are no signal towers, so it's not connected to Skynet. Otherwise, we could signal for help."

While saying this, he cleverly forgot how he had caused the spaceship to fall earlier and how he usually infiltrated the Skynet for fun.

His current identity is innocent but not foolish. No matter how happy he was to see another person, he would not reveal all his cards immediately.

As for the items in the fountain, he had already packed them away. Anyone looking would simply see a disused fountain.

"Found anything?" Shen Qi did not disturb Qin Huan but watched him examine his optical brain. Only when he closed it did Shen Qi ask.

In the interstellar world, an optical brain is a person’s identity marker, worn from birth. It can be upgraded and replaced, but it can't be removed or tampered with by anyone other than the owner.

Shen Qi didn't know how the first prince and the former crown princess managed to switch Qin Huan's optical brain back then, but he could be certain that the one on Qin Huan's wrist now was not the one he was born with. He learned this through eavesdropping on Qin Huan's revenge night. Although he was not sure how exactly they did it, the words of the former crown princess were clear.

In order to avoid accidents, the optical brain would save the owner's basic information. So, at that moment, Qin Huan should have known his identity, even if he didn't have his memories.

Shen Qi originally planned to rescue Qin Huan and, while they were building the signal tower, let him discover his identity unintentionally. Shen Qi figured out that even if Qin Huan had no guilt towards him, out of respect for the Empress Dowager, he would definitely take him along when he left. After that, Shen Qi planned to stay by Qin Huan's side and use his identity to their advantage.

However, he didn't expect Qin Huan to suffer from amnesia.

This was truly...

Great!

Amnesia was good because then Qin Huan could spend more time with him in this place, preferably three or five years longer — although he knew it was impossible, it was still much better than the one week he had anticipated. Being each other's only company on a deserted planet seeking survival would be the easiest way to develop additional feelings.

Moreover, even if Qin Huan turned cold and ruthless after his memories returned, he would be much easier to get along with now, without them. If not to increase their happiness value, at least to raise their mutual affection.

With this in mind, Shen Qi quickly exchanged his points for a bunch of amnesia-themed idol dramas and novels. He planned to study them carefully in his spare time as he hadn't delved into this area before.

Although most of the drama plots were a bit exaggerated, some aspects were still very valuable for reference. After all, art comes from life.

Qin Huan closed his optical brain and remained very calm as he looked at Shen Qi, "My name is Qin Huan."

"Oh," Shen Qi responded, his eyes clear and expression natural. He waited for Qin Huan to continue, but it seemed that Qin Huan didn't have any intention to speak more. Shen Qi pretended to look puzzled, thought for a moment, then extended his hand, "Nice to meet you, Qin Huan, I am Shen Qi."

Qin Huan withdrew his gaze, took his hand, and quickly let go.

Shen Qi didn't mind, his eyes brimming with curiosity, "Which galaxy and planet are you from? How old are you? What is your job? You..."

Qin Huan glanced around, "I don't remember."

Shen Qi glanced at his expression, put on a distressed face, "I'm sorry, did I annoy you?" Mist appeared in his clear eyes, "I didn't mean to, I'm just curious. I haven't seen outsiders for a long time. After my grandfather passed away, I was all alone, oh, and there's Gou Dan. But Gou Dan doesn't have intelligence and can't chat with me..."

Soon, Shen Qi began to ramble on.

Qin Huan's eyes darkened with annoyance, then he got up and walked out.

Shen Qi abruptly closed his mouth, tears swirling in his eyes as he reached out to grab the corner of Qin Huan's clothes, "Are you leaving? Please don't go. I'll stop talking, I'm sorry, I—" Remembering his promise to stop talking, he immediately closed his mouth.

Qin Huan looked down and saw Shen Qi's red eyes, his beautiful face full of sadness, tears hanging at the edge of his eyes, as if they would drop the moment Qin Huan spoke.

Foolish, vulnerable, and not threatening.

"I'm not leaving," he said, moving his gaze to the corner of his clothing that was grabbed. The young man immediately withdrew his hand, "You just said I fell from a spaceship. I want to go see where it fell."

Shen Qi blinked, the tears in his eyes disappeared without a trace, revealing a bright smile on his face, "Great, you're not leaving! I'll take you there!"

Qin Huan's eyes went blank for a few seconds, apparently not expecting his mood to change so quickly.

Shen Qi took two steps forward and saw that Qin Huan hadn't followed him. He tilted his head and looked puzzled, "What's the matter?"

Qin Huan's gaze darkened, "It's nothing."

As if nothing happened, Shen Qi cheerfully led him to the location where the spaceship had fallen, chattering all the way about everything he could see, seemingly forgetting the promise he just made not to speak.

Qin Huan listened quietly without making a sound or showing any more annoyance.

"Here we are!" Shen Qi brought him to the spaceship, his eyes full of admiration, "This is it, the most beautiful spaceship I've ever seen!"

Qin Huan walked around the spaceship, pressed the emergency button on the back, and the rear door opened again. He stood at the entrance and looked inside the upside-down spaceship, which seemed difficult to enter.

"Do you want to go inside?" Shen Qi asked.

Qin Huan didn't look back and just responded with a faint hum.

Shen Qi rolled up his sleeves, walked over to him, patted him on the shoulder to signal him to move back. Then, under Qin Huan's gloomy gaze, he embraced the spaceship and effortlessly lifted it out of the ground like pulling out a radish, laying it flat on the ground.

He clapped his hands, "There you go, now you can get inside!"

His face was filled with a proud smile that seemed to say, "Look, aren't I amazing?"

Qin Huan's expression went blank for a few seconds, and his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Shen Qi. The judgment he had made earlier in his mind was instantly overturned.

Without making a sound, he sized up the young man before him from head to toe. Although he had lost his memory, common sense told him that this was not normal; no one could possess such strength.

However, he didn't reveal anything. He quickly devised a new plan in his mind: he needed to contact the outside world and build a signal tower. He didn't know much about this place and needed the help of the young man. Now that he had discovered his abilities, it was even more important.

Yes, he shouldn't get rid of him immediately; it's better to get close and make use of him.

With that thought, he tugged at the corner of his mouth, forming a slight curve, "Thank you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the young man shudder, his expression indescribable, as if he had just been frightened by a horror movie, "Can you... not smile like that?"

Qin Huan tugged at the corner of his mouth again, his smile cold and faintly tinged with a hint of bloodthirstiness. His gaze drifted, as if he was weighing whether to kill first or to kill first.

However, Shen Qi's face showed admiration. He blinked his clear eyes, tilted his head, and stared into Qin Huan's eyes, praising, "Your eyes are really beautiful!"

He nodded seriously, "Your smile like this is much better than just now, really!"

Qin Huan made eye contact with him for three seconds, then turned and entered the spaceship.

Shen Qi followed behind him, the corners of his mouth curling up.

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