Terrible news! My deskmate's first chapter is gone!

Not many people play golf here; Court 5 is not in use.

Chen Xi stood once again on the same land he had stood on just a few hours earlier.

In terms of feeling, there was nothing unusual.

Flying Tennis is a medium-sized tennis court with eight indoor and outdoor courts.

There are two indoor venues, number 1 and number 2.

The outdoor court is divided into a left section and a right section. The left section consists of courts 3 to 5, and the right section consists of courts 6 to 8.

Chen Xi is currently in the left zone.

He used his eyes, which were like a human camera, to look at all three courts in the left zone.

There's nothing special about it.

Then he looked toward the edge, into the shadows behind a building.

This is the last place Lin Fan went to, and also the place where he disappeared.

With a touch of trepidation, Chen Xi walked towards the shadows.

Even though he might disappear because of this action, he couldn't give up on this clue.

Upon closer inspection, his pupils suddenly contracted.

There was a tennis ball in the open space not far away!

Based on the previous surveillance footage, Chen Xi was certain that only he and Lin Fan had been to the Left District in those few hours.

In other words, this tennis ball is the one that Lin Fan hit out of bounds after a smash error.

However, there is one thing that is unreasonable.

All information about Lin Fan's existence has disappeared, so why is this tennis ball still here?

What does it represent?

And... what would happen if I went over and touched it now?

5 minutes.

Chen Xi stood motionless for five minutes, and due to the intense internal struggle, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, as if he were engaged in a final physical contest for the championship.

The pressure was immense, and it was now vividly tangible in his mind.

In the end, Chen Xi decided to touch the tennis ball himself.

Logically speaking, he would definitely give up.

After all, there are too many unknowns.

But now there is a reason that forces him to do this.

I might be the only person in the world who remembers Lin Fan!

So theoretically, the only person who can find Lin Fan is himself.

Besides, no one can help him with this. Even if he does ask for help, who can he ask for it from?

He might even be arrested as a lunatic, which is why he didn't argue with teachers or classmates at school.

The tennis ball was very close to him; he could probably reach it in about eight steps.

Chen Xi swallowed hard and started to walk forward.

Thump... Thump...

For the first time, he was so nervous that he could hear his own heartbeat.

His attention was focused like never before; at that moment, his world consisted only of the tennis ball in front of him.

What will happen if I touch it?

Lin Fan must have walked over and picked it up like that, right?

Will I disappear like Lin Fan?

Will everyone forget my existence, and will there be no trace of me in the world?

As Chen Xi took the fourth step, such thoughts kept flashing through his mind, and he couldn't help but stop.

What if we don't pick it up?

If I ignore it, I seem to be able to live a smooth life. As long as I don't mention Lin Fan's name, am I not just like everyone else around me?

"Huff... huff..."

A fierce internal conflict erupted once again in Chen Xi's mind.

But the outcome was decided very quickly.

"No!"

Chen Xi spat out a single word, and at that moment, courage triumphed over logic and reason.

"I cannot back down, neither morally nor logically!"

"If I don't take this step today, hyperthymesia will torment me for the rest of my life. How could I possibly live like a normal person!"

"Damn it, so be it!"

"If I fail, just pretend I was never here!"

A surge of courage and conviction, like adrenaline, propelled Chen Xi to take the final four steps.

Bending down to pick up the ball.

The movements were completed in one smooth motion.

"Nothing... happened?"

Looking at the tennis ball in his hand, Chen Xi muttered to himself with some doubt.

He felt that something should happen, because this wasn't just an ordinary tennis match; it was evidence that Lin Fan had existed.

It is the only trace that Lin Fan left in this world besides himself!

Chen Xi carefully observed, pressed, and kneaded the tennis ball, but nothing strange happened.

Even the ball feels just like a normal tennis ball.

Unable to figure out the situation for the time being, Chen Xi could only search the shadowy area, but unfortunately found nothing.

To test the different possibilities, Chen Xi practiced serving with the tennis ball for a while, but unfortunately nothing strange happened; the ball's weight and texture were perfectly normal.

After closing his eyes and thinking for a while, Chen Xi put the tennis ball into his schoolbag and left.

When he arrived at the front desk, a sudden idea struck him, and he stopped again.

He unzipped his backpack and handed the tennis ball inside to the female receptionist.

"Is it okay if I take a tennis ball home as a souvenir?"

The receptionist's face stiffened, but she maintained a professional smile and replied:

"Tennis balls are consumables, one won't make a difference."

Chen Xi nodded, put the tennis ball back in her bag, and turned to leave.

Ten minutes after Chen Xi left the stadium, once she was sure he was far away, the female clerk quickly turned on the surveillance camera for court number 5.

In the video, Chen Xi is seen practicing her serve alone.

He stands at the baseline, tosses the ball, serves, retrieves it, and repeats the process. In tennis, this is a very normal basic training routine.

But one thing is very strange: Chen Xi doesn't have a ball in his hand at all!

The whole process involves discarding a ball of air, then swinging the racket to hit the air, and then picking up the so-called "ball," repeating this motion over and over again.

"This is not normal!"

"This high school student is definitely not mentally sound. Neither friendships nor tennis exist in any of the things he's claiming. Luckily, I had the foresight to play along!"

"Otherwise, who knows what kind of madness they might have gone through!"

"From now on, whatever he says, I'll agree with!"

......

Chen Xi stood in the middle of the bus, gripping the handrail, looking at the scenery rushing past the window with a sense of helplessness.

The tennis ball was visible to the female receptionist, but it didn't seem particularly special; his last clue had also been lost.

That's perfectly normal.

So normal, it seems like I'm the only abnormal person in the world.

But the surveillance footage showed that his final words proved he was absolutely normal.

For some inexplicable reason, I suddenly seemed to have become an outcast in this world.

Lin Fan, what exactly did you experience during those few seconds in the shadows...?

......

Chen Xi stood at the door of her house, house number 1504.

This is Unit 2, with two elevators and three households per floor. Unit 1506 across the hall is listed for sale. On this floor, only Chen Xi's family and Unit 1505 are currently living there.

The other person rarely went out and all that was known was that his surname was Wang. He was a bachelor in his forties, and Chen Xi affectionately called him Old Wang next door.

Old Wang moved in just half a month ago, and they've barely met, so they're not familiar with each other at all.

As soon as I pushed open the door, the "vicious dog" was already waiting at the entrance.

"Vicious Dog" is a pet dog owned by Chen Xi; it's a Kapibal, and "Vicious Dog" is her name.

Then I took a shower and went to bed.

He was indeed a bit tired today, with playing tennis and dealing with Lin Fan.

It is both physically and mentally exhausting.

He finally woke up after his mother called him, and the three of them ate dinner together.

The parents did not mention school during the session, nor did they behave in any unusual way.

It seems the teacher didn't call his parents, probably because they were afraid of putting psychological pressure on him.

"Son, I feel you're acting differently today. You seem quiet and depressed. Did something happen at school?"

"Is there?"

"It's nothing, it's just that the college entrance exam is coming up soon, and I have to get very good results, so I'm under a little pressure. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

Chen Xi made up an excuse to appease his mother, and she didn't say anything more, only telling him to keep a calm mind and that there was no need to be number one.

After dinner, Chen Xi washed the dishes and went back to her room.

He didn't bother asking his parents if they knew who Lin Fan was; it was pointless now.

Inside the room, Chen Xi finished her homework quickly and then took out the tennis ball to look at it for a while.

He always considered this thing a dangerous item, and just in case, he didn't want anyone else to touch it, so he decided to keep it in his backpack and carry it with him at all times.

......

The next day, early in the morning.

When Chen Xi returned to class, he could feel the strange looks he was getting from some of his classmates, though no one said anything.

A single glance can convey a great deal of information.

Chen Xi was not surprised; he knew that his actions yesterday would inevitably elicit this reaction today.

As long as he continues as usual, this will disappear on its own.

The first math class in the morning.

The homeroom teacher walked into the classroom on time, and unlike usual, he brought a female student with him this time.

Ok?

Chen Xi recognized this female student; she was Lin Fan's goddess.

Zhang Wanyi.