Chapter 116 - True Memories
【System analyzing——Ten Bitter Love Tracks completion rate 100%, World Restoration rate 100%, Emotional Progress between Female Lead and Supporting Female Character 100%, Contract successfully fulfilled. The Female Lead may choose to enter Story Rewind for Memory Restoration. Would you like to proceed?】
Story Rewind?
And the contract… along with memory restoration…
Jiang Zi suppressed the emotions in her eyes. Tang Yuan must have entered the Story Rewind, which explained her abnormal behavior. This so-called story was likely the truth behind the correction of the world’s rules.
“Enter Story Rewind.”
【Story Rewind initiated. Friendly reminder: Upon entering, the entire process will be experienced from the participant’s own perspective, with no OOC (Out of Character) allowed. Consciousness transmission is now starting. Please close your eyes.】
The system’s cold, mechanical voice faded completely. Jiang Zi’s mind blurred for a moment, and when she opened her eyes again, she was back in a large lecture hall on campus.
Seated by the window, warm sunlight spilled onto her shoulder. The seat beside her was empty, while most of the students were clustered towards the back of the room. Sitting alone at the front made her stand out, but the lecturer on the podium paid her no mind, continuing the lesson.
She had returned to university.
This was the first-year Career Planning class.
Jiang Zi propped her head on one hand, eyes downcast on the pristine pages of her textbook, her thoughts far from the lesson.
Before long, the bell signaled the end of class. Students in the back began chatting louder, filling the room with noise as they packed up.
Jiang Zi closed her book. She and Tang Yuan were in the same faculty but not in the same class. Jin MengXuan had said they started dating in their first year, so by this time, she and Tang Yuan should have already met.
Most of the classroom emptied out. Jiang Zi picked up her book and walked out the door.
As soon as she stepped out, she spotted a girl in a peach-pink dress at the door. Her hair was tied into a high bun, and her bright, lively eyes sparkled as she eagerly watched the doorway.
When she saw Jiang Zi, her gaze visibly brightened.
Like a little fairy, she trotted over, her sweet voice calling out, “Jiang Zi, you’re out of class~”
Jiang Zi nearly melted on the spot, wanting to call her ‘wifey,’ but what came out was a cool, detached, “Mm, why are you here again?”
Conscious Jiang Zi: ……
So this was what they meant by no OOC? They didn’t even give her a chance—weren’t these lines forcefully scripted?
“I’m here to pick you up, of course. Why so cold? I’m heartbroken.”
Jiang Zi radiated an aura of unapproachability, but Tang Yuan remained oblivious, looping her arm around Jiang Zi’s. The simple touch made Jiang Zi stiffen uncomfortably.
“Come on, let’s go eat together~”
What followed was Tang Yuan’s endless warmth, sharing little bits of her day without minding Jiang Zi’s cold responses, her eyes twinkling like stars.
Without control over her body, Jiang Zi felt suffocated. If this was truly her past, then she had been playing hard-to-get way too hard!
After dinner, just before parting ways, Tang Yuan hugged her.
“Jiang Zi, I like you a little more today than I did yesterday.”
Their relationship hadn’t progressed to kissing yet—just hugs.
When Jiang Zi returned to her private space, the first thing she did was grab her phone and open the secret diary app. Sure enough.
Scrolling down, there were dozens of entries—she had been writing for almost a month straight.
She found the screenshots Jin MengXuan had shown her, confirming that this was the truth. In university, she and Tang Yuan had indeed been in a relationship.
But those memories had been altered, rewritten into a story where they had been at odds.
Her fingers moved on their own, typing out a new entry and clicking post:
[It’s obvious she’s really serious about chasing me. I’m kind of falling… but agreeing to date her would be too troublesome.]
The moment it was posted, Jiang Zi’s face flushed. The restored memories flooded back—Tang Yuan had indeed been the one to pursue her.
【System is now restoring all memories. Story Rewind is loading, preparing to transport you to key plot points——】
The repaired memories emerged like sunlight breaking through clouds, vivid and undeniable. The rewritten version faded into mere black-and-white script—dull and forgettable unless she deliberately recalled it.
There had never been any bullying.
Tang Yuan had chased Jiang Zi for nearly two months before they got together. Jiang Zi’s reluctance stemmed from how Tang Yuan’s playful tone made her feel like the confessions weren’t serious.
Another reason was that Jiang Zi had awakened her self-awareness at a young age, knowing this world was a scripted story. As the Bitter Love Female Lead, she would have to fight against the plot. Dragging Tang Yuan into that fate felt too selfish.
But how could she possibly resist Tang Yuan?
Of course, she fell.
They were always together, sneaking kisses in hidden corners where no one could see. To outsiders, they seemed like close friends—not lovers.
So when their relationship broke down, no one called it a breakup—just a falling out.
Only a few, like Jin MengXuan, knew the truth.
By the second semester of their sophomore year, Jiang Zi met Chu Yu for the first time and immediately recognized him as the world’s male lead—an irresistible force of the narrative.
Tang Yuan began acting strangely, avoiding Jiang Zi and rejecting even the smallest displays of affection. She no longer initiated contact and was often seen around Chu Yu, talking about their childhood together.
She even claimed to like him.
The third time Jiang Zi met Chu Yu, that idiot had the gall to say, “You’ve successfully caught my attention.”
Tang Yuan witnessed the scene. She fell silent and stopped reaching out altogether, often appearing by Chu Yu’s side, showering him with handmade gifts despite his indifference.
It was as if Tang Yuan had forgotten she was Jiang Zi’s girlfriend, reduced to a supporting female character orbiting the male lead.
Her once adoring gaze now carried hostility.
Yet she never bullied anyone. She didn’t lead others to isolate Jiang Zi—only that their falling out naturally made people take sides.
Those memories of bullying had been fabricated, forcibly inserted by the story.
Jiang Zi had thought Tang Yuan had fully become the narrative’s villainous supporting female character.
By their third year, on the night of the Winter Solstice, Jiang Zi received a call from Tang Yuan.
It had been six months since Tang Yuan distanced herself without breaking up.
Jiang Zi was stunned to see her name on the screen. The pent-up grievance of six months clogged her throat like cotton.
Still, she answered, already bracing herself for Tang Yuan to tell her to stay away from Chu Yu.
But what she heard was Tang Yuan’s near-collapsed sobbing.
She must have been crying alone for a long time—her voice hoarse and broken.
“Jiang Zi… we promised to get married on the Winter Solstice… What do I do? I feel like I’m starting to forget how to love you…”
Struggling against the forced plotline for half a year, the supporting female character’s consciousness had finally awakened.