"..."
At different points in the timeline, there were people blushing at the same time.
Ruan Mei never expected that she would actually command her student... and thinking back to AMu's boundary-crossing actions from back then... a certain possibility flashed through her mind, and a very bad premonition immediately arose in her heart.
She glanced at the Remembrance reception progress.
Having been immersed in memories for a long time, only a short while had passed in reality.
She suppressed her surging emotions and continued watching.
"Alright, no need to massage anymore."
Hearing his teacher finally speak, Qi Zhimu, who had endured the ordeal for half an hour, felt as if he had been granted a grand pardon.
He carefully put down the lotus feet and waited for the signal that he could leave.
"Come here, Xiao Mu..."
"Does Teacher have any other instructions?"
Qi Zhimu didn't think much of it and approached the head of the bed.
Unexpectedly, Ruan Mei suddenly reached out, pulled him into her arms with one hand, and pressed his face against her chest.
It was as if a heavenly thunderclap had exploded right there.
Qi Zhimu's brain instantly turned into a mess.
"Mmm... Teacher, you, you're drunk..."
"I am very sober."
"I, I can't breathe, Teacher!"
Seemingly hearing his cry, Ruan Mei's grip loosened slightly.
Just as Qi Zhimu caught his breath, in the next instant, a soft sensation came from his face.
His newly regained consciousness went completely blank.
However, this time, Qi Zhimu quickly snapped back to his senses.
Because he saw his teacher, whose eyes were misty with moisture, slowly bringing her cheek closer to his, her moist red lips slightly parted, her breath warm.
"Xiao Mu is so good... Teacher will give you a reward now..."
"No, Teacher, you can't kiss here...!"
Qi Zhimu used all his willpower to prop himself up, his hands pressing against Ruan Mei's shoulders to stop her from getting any closer.
"If Teacher says it's okay, then it's okay."
Ruan Mei pulled his arms away with an irresistible force and pinned him down once again.
Without another word—
Dark tresses slightly entangled, fragrance lingering between lips and teeth.
The bath towel quietly slipped off.
By the time Qi Zhimu regained the right to breathe freely, who knows how much time had passed.
Tonight's encounter had caused an immeasurable impact on his not-yet-fully-mature heart.
Ruan Mei, however, had no such self-awareness at all and rubbed his head.
"Alright, the reward is finished. Go and complete the task I assigned."
"...Understood! Please rest early..."
Qi Zhimu fled as if he were escaping.
A certain teacher didn't care, the corners of her lips turning up slightly as she drifted into a dreamland.
"..."
Silence—
Still silence.
Yet more silence.
Ruan Mei truly found it hard to imagine that her drunk self not only had such a huge contrast in personality but also acted so boldly.
Many doubts had been answered, leaving only two points unresolved.
1. Why would she subconsciously do such things to her student after getting drunk?
2. How on earth did she get drunk?
In the past, she never felt a hint of drunkenness even after drinking half a jar of plum blossom brew, but this time... a suspicion vaguely surfaced, though she wasn't certain yet.
She could only continue looking for the truth within Qi Zhimu's Remembrance.
Waking up the next day, Ruan Mei lazily stretched her body, her curves fully on display.
She walked to the wardrobe as usual and slowly dressed herself neatly.
She often fell asleep without wearing pajamas, so she didn't find anything strange this morning.
After finishing her morning routine and walking out of the room, she saw Qi Zhimu coming out of the kitchen carrying breakfast as soon as she reached the hall.
"...G-Good morning, Teacher."
Ruan Mei gave a faint nod and habitually sat in her fixed spot, picking up the glass of plain water on the table.
Such a scene had long since become a daily routine.
While eating, she noticed Qi Zhimu stealing glances at her from time to time.
"What's wrong?"
"...Teacher... do you still remember what happened last night?"
Last night?
Ruan Mei recalled for a moment.
The birthday banquet ended, she bathed to relax her body and mind, then returned to her room to rest and slept until dawn.
"I remember everything. Why?"
"...It's nothing." A flash of helplessness and confusion crossed Qi Zhimu's face for a moment.
Ruan Mei was looking down while picking up a pastry and didn't see the change in the boy's expression.
She didn't know what Qi Zhimu was thinking at this moment, much less what the words 'I remember everything' meant to him.
Ruan Mei was quite fond of the plum blossom wine Qi Zhimu brewed and would drink a few cups every once in a while.
After drinking, the situation from that night didn't happen again.
At most, she would have her student massage her shoulders, pound her back, rub her legs, or tuck her lotus feet into his arms.
This occasional state of affairs continued until her birthday the following year.
Qi Zhimu brought the wine jar to the table as usual.
"Teacher, this is four-year-aged plum blossom brew. Please... don't drink too much at once."
"Ever since I've been able to drink, I have never been drunk."
"..."
The boy showed a helpless smile.
Over the past year, Teacher had actually been drunk many times, but he had never exposed it.
You can't reason with a drunk person, and telling a sober person might cause embarrassment.
Most of the jar of plum blossom brew disappeared.
The usually cold and indifferent teacher now had that familiar haziness in her eyes.
"Xiao Mu, come here..."
"Shoulder massage or foot massage, Teacher?"
"Both."
"..."
The subsequent development couldn't be said to be exactly the same as last year, but it was at least a ninety percent match.
But this time, the boy miscalculated.
When he was pinned down, the subsequent development went completely out of control.
"Teacher... you can't... you have to take responsibility for this..."
"Haven't I already taken responsibility for you since the day I brought you back?"
"But we are—"
"Be good, listen to me~"
"...Okay."
Sounds of trembling upon hearing, a slight shock as a red flush surged.
Unknowingly, it was already past the third watch of the night.
"This..."
Ruan Mei was shaken to her core. She stumbled back, bumping into the control console and tearing off the electrodes on her forehead.
The Remembrance reception was interrupted.
If it were the technology Qi Zhimu possessed, this move would be enough to cause memory confusion and a complete loss of sanity.
However, the program Ruan Mei compiled took human accidental situations into account, so there was no risk.
But right now, she couldn't spare any attention for anything else.
The memories that didn't belong to her began to merge with her own memories where they overlapped.
Gradually, those scenes that had been filtered out by her brain due to force majeure were also returning simultaneously.
Everything was telling her that those things from back then had all truly happened!
A long time passed.
Once her mood had calmed down slightly, Ruan Mei, who had long since lost her composure, reached out with a slightly trembling arm and stuck the electrodes back onto her forehead.
She wanted to see the whole truth!
The next morning.
It was no different from usual.
Ruan Mei came to the dining table and sat down, eating her breakfast.
Well, there was still some difference; the pastries were more than just a little bit more delicious than before.
"What is this?"
"Preserved Plum Soybean Cake. It's a new style I developed. What do you think of the taste, Teacher?"
"Very good."
Her mood even improved after eating it.
Ruan Mei didn't notice that at this moment, the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.
"Teacher, last night, your birthday... do you remember it?"
"How could I not remember? Xiao Mu did very well. Teacher will give you a reward."
"...Mhm."
"..." Ruan Mei closed her eyes powerlessly.
Another year passed.
"Three-year-aged plum blossom brew. Teacher, try it and see how it differs from the four or five-year-aged ones."
"It's not as thick. I prefer the mouthfeel of the three-year-aged one."
"Then I'll brew the three-year-aged one from now on."
"Mhm, come a bit closer."
Qi Zhimu didn't think much and habitually reached for his teacher's smooth and delicate ankle.
Astonishment, doubt, reflection, frowning.
In less than two seconds, Ruan Mei went through various emotional shifts before finally saying:
"Qi Zhimu, you have overstepped your bounds."}],