All the Troublesome Characters I've Romanced Are Back for Me

Chapter 15

An apartment somewhere off-campus.

Yunxiao wheeled her motorcycle into the shed, then stepped inside the flat the band shared. To make rehearsals, late-night jams and gigs easier, their captain Ye Zi had rented this place outside the school gates.

Yunxiao had just kicked off her shoes and was heading for a quick wash when Ye Zi popped out of nowhere.

“Boo—”

Yunxiao yelped and lurched backward. Seeing it was only Ye Zi, she pressed a hand to her chest and scowled.

“Idiot, don’t jump out like that. You’ll give someone a heart attack.”

Ye Zi didn’t mind the insult at all. Instead she thrust her phone forward.

“Forget that. There was this cute guy at last night’s freshman welcome show—name’s Lin Zhe, same as the one you’re looking for. Wanna see?”

“Gimme.”

The moment she heard “Lin Zhe,” Yunxiao’s face tightened. She snatched for the phone, frantic.

The others, hearing Yunxiao was back, crowded in, curious whether this Lin Zhe was the person Xiao Hei had been searching for. In all the months they’d lived together, they’d never seen her care about anyone this much.

Watching Yunxiao’s nerves, Ye Zi couldn’t resist teasing.

“Heh, I already uploaded the clip to our Bilibili channel last night. Didn’t you check?”

Yunxiao flicked a strand of hair from her eyes and snorted. “Tch.”

She pulled out her own phone, opened Bilibili and navigated to the Back-Alley Cat Band’s page.

Uploaded: last night, 23:07.

Her thumb hovered, heart thudding with equal parts dread and hope, before she tapped play.

A gentle piano intro rippled out like running water, and the boy’s face filled the screen. Ye Zi had scored a front-row spot, so every feature was crystal-clear.

In an instant the image overlapped with Yunxiao’s memory: two years older, taller, a little sharper in the jaw, but those quietly melancholy eyes—unchanged.

On-screen, Lin Zhe sang “Mercury Records,” voice soft and earnest. Yunxiao’s fingers fluttered to her lips; her pupils shook.

The rest of the band traded glances. They had never seen Yunxiao’s expression soften like this—cheeks flushed, eyes shining as if she were gazing at the one person she loved most in the world.

Buou, master of killing the mood, sighed theatrically. “So the mighty Xiao Hei can actually look like a lovesick kitten. Incredible.”

Yunxiao didn’t answer. Ye Zi pressed on, grinning.

“So, is he the one you’ve been hunting or not?”

Yunxiao’s face went redder. She bit her lip, silent, but the shy sparkle in her eyes gave her away.

“Oh-ho~ If you’re not interested, then Older Sister here will make her move. He’s cute, sings like a dream—maybe I’ll just—”

Ye Zi cupped her cheek in fake infatuation, fluttering her lashes.

“...after all, fair game, right?” She ended with a wicked giggle.

The moment those reckless words left their captain’s mouth, the other three evaporated, ducking behind the sofa and peeping over like meerkats.

Ye Zi blinked at the sudden emptiness around her. A cold drop of sweat slid down her temple.

She turned back—too late. Her own guitarist had her pinned to the wall.

Yunxiao leaned in, one hand braced beside Ye Zi’s head. Beneath her fringe, her eyes were arctic, predatory.

“If you dare go near him with any sleazy stunt, don’t blame me for what happens, Captain.”

Her voice was soft, flat, the kind of tone that conjured images of concrete shoes in Tokyo Bay.

“Eek—”

Ye Zi squeaked, rabbit-scared.

The sofa trio shivered in unison. Xiao Hei was dead serious.

In the next heartbeat Yunxiao’s savage aura snapped off. She patted Ye Zi’s shoulder, smiling sweetly.

“Good talk, Captain Ye.”

Eyes half-lidded, voice sugar-coated.

Ye Zi nodded so hard her bangs flapped. “Y-yes, ma’am!”

Satisfied, Yunxiao stepped back and clapped her hands. “Perfect. I’d hate to see you get scammed by some loser, that’s all.”

Ye Zi slid down the wall, limp as a noodle, and whispered, “Th-thank you, Miss Xiao Hei, for your... concern...”

The three spectators bit their knuckles, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

Just another ordinary afternoon in the Back-Alley Cat household.

Yunxiao turned away, head dipping in a motion no one caught. Her dark hair fell forward, hiding the flush that had crept clear to the tips of her ears.

She pressed her lips together, hand flying to her chest as if to smother something desperate. Her eyes shimmered like sunlight on water.

He still remembered—he had actually come to Lihai University.

Yunxiao’s heart felt ready to leap straight out of her ribs, half shy, half wild with anticipation.

What expression should she wear when she saw him?

Yet beneath the thrill lurked a question she couldn’t shake: how had she forgotten something so important—how had she forgotten Lin Zhe, the boy who had once saved her?

That was the one memory she should never have lost.

He had kept the promise; he was here, practically within reach.

If she hadn’t gone to South Campus yesterday, would they already have bumped into each other?

No... too embarrassing.

Her thoughts tangled; maybe after so long apart every shred of longing and excitement had knotted together, compressed like gunpowder waiting for a spark.

Still, she had waited this long—what was another day?

Suddenly she made up her mind: she wouldn’t see him yet.

She’d wait until the welcome party and give him the surprise of his life.

Part of the choice was guilt. How could she have let herself forget those fleeting, precious days that meant everything to her?