After Marrying My Arch-Rival - Chapter 5

“Afraid You’d Be Uncomfortable”

The hospital corridors were alive with constant foot traffic. Most people moved with tense, hurried steps, though a relaxed few strolled leisurely, looking bright and content.

Only Xu Mengzhou sat motionless in her wheelchair, looking completely lost…like a stray seagull on a stormy day unable to find a place to land. A relentless barrage of shocking revelations rained down on her, leaving her utterly dazed.

Beside her, Han Shutong chattered on, reminiscing about their high school days.

Ruan Li had originally entered as a freshman, but she skipped two grades straight to their senior year, landing in the exact same class. From that moment on, Ruan Li claimed top marks in the entire grade for herself.

Now, while Xu Mengzhou usually sprinted around like a muscle-brained athlete, she actually had phenomenal grades and had consistently ranked first. Once Ruan Li arrived, Xu Mengzhou fell to second place…a shift that did not sit well with her at all.

“Back then,” Han Shutong said, slapping the back of the wheelchair with nostalgia, “you specifically told me you were going to make her life a living hell!”

That definitely sounded like something she would say.

Still, Xu Mengzhou knew herself. At most, she would have secretly hidden Ruan Li’s homework. Teachers were naturally lenient when star students forgot their assignments, so it wouldn’t actually hurt her grades, but it would make Ruan Li lose a bit of face.

“And then what?” Xu Mengzhou probed further.

Han Shutong bit the tip of her tongue, an amused, awkward expression washing over her face. “And then… Boss, not only did you not make her life miserable, you started bringing her homemade bento lunches every single day.”

Xu Mengzhou maintained a deadpan face. “So I was all talk.”

“Pretty much,” Han Shutong agreed. “Also, Ruan Li had a total mess of a family life. Whenever the rest of us tried to poke fun at it, you’d shut us down immediately. You said only you were allowed to tease her, and no one else.”

Xu Mengzhou had officially given up on commenting on her past…or rather, her future…actions.

But Han Shutong wasn’t done yet. She recalled several instances in high school where classmates tried to bully Ruan Li, only for Xu Mengzhou to step in and block them. She talked about their college years, when Ruan Li served as student council president and Xu Mengzhou stood by her side as vice president to manage operations. She even mentioned how, after graduation, Xu Mengzhou would attend banquets just to shield Ruan Li from heavy drinking and hand deliver important files.

The more Han Shutong listed, the more excited she became. She suddenly gasped aloud as if hit by a sudden epiphany. “Looking back, Boss, you were harboring bad intentions toward Ruan Li all along! Every single one of these things is proof! Man, I should have realized it way sooner.”

As her most trusted friend hollered in excitement, dissecting her secret romantic history, Xu Mengzhou kept her eyes half-shut. Aside from the faint rise and fall of her chest, she looked no different from a corpse.

She truly didn’t want to accept it, yet she had to face the hard truth: before losing her memory, she hadn’t just fallen hard for Ruan Li…she had pursued her by any means necessary and rushed headlong into getting a marriage certificate.

As if terrified that Ruan Li might change her mind.

Han Shutong eventually packed up and left. That goofball of a friend had built a career of her own; she now ran a horse ranch and frequently washed the ponies herself, fully immersed in her passion. She’d been obsessed with horses since childhood, so it suited her well.

She left behind a utterly lifeless Xu Mengzhou to digest her despair alone.

In the afternoon, her biological mother, Ms. Xu Nianzhi, came to visit. She even brought a blender along to make fresh watermelon juice right in the hospital room.

Eight years had barely left a trace on her mother. She remained as elegant, proud, and commanding as ever. However, as her gaze brushed past her daughter’s cast-bound lower leg, a flicker of heartache broke through her posture.

“Your older sister is currently away on a critical business trip abroad, so I didn’t call her back.” Her fingertips hovered gently over the plaster. “Does your leg hurt?”

“Work comes first, of course. Big Sis and I already video-called,” Xu Mengzhou replied, sipping her watermelon juice through a straw. “It aches a tiny bit, but it’s fine. The doctor said I’m recovering quickly, so I can be discharged in a few days.”

Though physically a twenty-six-year-old adult, her expressions mirrored those of her eighteen-year-old self. Her subtle faces and energetic quirks radiated youthful charm, making it feel as though time had rolled backward.

Xu Nianzhi’s expression softened. She squeezed her daughter’s shoulder gently. “You’ve lost weight. If you crave anything, just tell Auntie Wang. Eat well to build your strength back up.”

“Mm-hmm, got it, Mom! Like I’d ever let myself starve.”

Xu Mengzhou had never been an easy child to raise. A real wild child, she’d once fallen off a wall while climbing it, slicing her face and leaving a scar straight through her left eyebrow…giving her the rugged look of a delinquent. She was like a destructive Husky: maddeningly stubborn when misbehaving, yet sweet and obedient enough that you couldn’t help but soften up and forgive her every time.

Just as expected, the warm moment didn’t last long. Ms. Xu Nianzhi pursed her lips in slight annoyance. “Look at you, squirming and fidgeting like you’re on fire. Any more shifting around and you’re going to tear the hospital sheets. What are you actually trying to ask?”

“Well… how are things between Ruan Li and me? How’s our relationship?” Xu Mengzhou grinned cheekily, clinging to a shred of hope.

“Wonderful, of course.” Fearing her daughter wouldn’t believe it, Xu Nianzhi pulled out her phone and pulled up a cluster of photos…all candid shots of the two of them.

Some were set on film sets, others in restaurants, and a few in the bedroom. They stood shoulder to shoulder, heads leaning together in unmistakable intimacy.

Xu Mengzhou leaned in close to inspect them, but couldn’t spot a single trace of Photoshop.

Han Shutong had delivered the witness testimony, and her mother had provided the physical evidence.

Xu Mengzhou let out a long, heavy sigh, emptying every last breath from her lungs. She surrendered completely; the final seed of doubt in her mind was wiped out.

Ruan Li…

She silently repeated the name. Memories of yesterday flashed through her mind…the dimming, yet painfully tolerant look on Ruan Li’s face as she turned to leave.

An odd sensation stirred in her chest.

Ms. Xu continued her lecture. “You may have lost your memory, but love is cultivated over time. Get along with Ruan Li and keep that rotten temper of yours in check. Do you hear me? Don’t make her feel mistreated.”

“Her health isn’t great, so you need to yield to her more. Whatever comes up, protect her well. You’re not allowed to bully her, and don’t let anyone else pick on her either.”

The more Xu Mengzhou listened, the darker her expression grew. Finally, she couldn’t help shouting, “Mom! I’m the one with the broken leg! Her legs are perfectly fine. Which one of us is actually the frail one here?!”

“Are you sure you want to debate with me about who gets into more trouble?”

Xu Nianzhi’s expression snapped cold. The arrogant flame inside Xu Mengzhou was instantly extinguished, and she slammed her mouth shut on the spot.

A moment later, she couldn’t resist muttering under her breath, “I’m still a patient too, you know…”

It was habitual defiance. Whenever Ruan Li was brought up, she felt a petty urge to compete for affection and talk back.

Knowing her daughter’s antics all too well, Ms. Xu swallowed her harsh reply out of consideration for her condition. Glancing down at the cast, her remaining anger melted away.

“I’m telling you to think before you speak,” she said patiently. “Being overly blunt hurts people. I’m not asking you to start a fight with her.”

“Fine, fine,” Xu Mengzhou yielded, instantly softening up. She opened her mouth to ask for an orange, waiting like a spoiled kid to be hand-fed once her mother finished peeling it.

She didn’t dare confess that she had already offended Ruan Li once with her big mouth.

And Ruan Li hadn’t sent her a single message since then.

Xu Mengzhou bit her lip. After saying goodbye to her mother, she picked up her phone and opened WeChat.

The chat window contained only a single message…a contact name Ruan Li had sent over earlier.

Ruan Li’s profile picture was a wide field of green grass, swaying like ocean waves under a gentle breeze. But the cool, dark blue tone and the grey sky above gave it a strangely suffocating feel if you stared at it too long.

It was hard to connect such a gloomy picture with that pale, smiling face.

Ruan Li’s Moments feed was equally bare; she posted even less than Xu Mengzhou did. The most recent post was their wedding photo, and scrolling down revealed… nothing else.

With her privacy settings restricted to six months, that single photo was all there was to see.

Xu Mengzhou clicked her tongue and backed out of the profile. As she returned to the chat window, her thumb accidentally tapped the screen an extra time.

Suddenly, the phone vibrated lightly, and a prompt popped up: [You can undo this “Tap” within 2 minutes.]

What is this? A new feature?

She looked closely and noticed a line of small text at the bottom of the chat box: [I tapped “Fox Head.”]

What on earth?

Regardless of what it meant, having that line sitting there was excruciatingly embarrassing. Xu Mengzhou frantically tried to recall it, but tapping her own avatar did nothing, and tapping the text yielded no response either. Left with no choice, she tapped Ruan Li’s avatar again, intending to press and hold it.

Unexpectedly, her finger slipped.

[I tapped “Fox Head.”]

Xu Mengzhou: “…”

The next second, the status bar at the top of the chat changed: [The other party is typing…]

Fortunately, Xu Mengzhou wasn’t thin-skinned. Though her eyes darted around awkwardly for a split second, she immediately reclaimed her confidence. She was mentally eighteen years old, stuck in 2017! It was completely normal for her to be unfamiliar with an app from eight years in the future!

Ruan Li: [What’s wrong, Zhouzhou? Did you need something?]

It was a voice message.

Ruan Li’s voice was smooth and gentle, like fine silk lightly brushing against her ear. Yet the end of her sentence cut off cleanly, leaving the listener craving to hear more.

The place she was in sounded exceptionally quiet, making her soft breaths stand out and tickle like a feather against the ear.

Feeling uncomfortable, Xu Mengzhou rubbed her ear.

[Nothing really.]

That reply felt a bit too cold. After a moment of hesitation, she typed again.

[Mom and Han Shutong both came to visit me today.]

Ruan Li: [I know. I drove Mom to the hospital.]

Xu Mengzhou froze. [Then why didn’t you come upstairs??]

This time, the “typing…” status flickered for a long while, alternating with the red fox avatar like an uneven breath or a racing heart.

[Afraid you’d be uncomfortable.]

Xu Mengzhou’s mouth instantly snapped shut.

Her mood swung wildly between embarrassment and guilt.

As someone who was naturally allergic to romance, reading such a considerate and tender line gave her goosebumps. But on second thought, they were legally married. It was completely normal for Ruan Li to care about her and respect her feelings.

If anything, it made Xu Mengzhou look like the bully here…turning her wife into a glorified driver.

No wonder Ms. Xu had nagged her repeatedly to treat Ruan Li well.

Xu Mengzhou clicked her tongue and rubbed her face.

[You can come whenever you want. I’ll get used to it.]

Ruan Li: [Okay. When you’re discharged in a couple of days, where do you want to go? Back to our place, or the family estate?]

Xu Mengzhou’s immediate instinct was to say the family estate. But just as she pressed the first key, her fingers froze.

They were bound to get familiar with each other sooner or later. Besides, she had worked so hard to secure this marriage in the first place…she couldn’t go and ruin her own hard work just because of an episode of amnesia.

Grit teeth, Xu Mengzhou forced herself to type back: [Let’s just go back to our home.]

[Alright. I’ll come pick you up when you’re discharged.]

Inside a spacious, sunlit office framed by floor-to-ceiling windows, Ruan Li sat in her executive chair. She pulled her gaze away from her phone screen and let out a soft chuckle.

Her secretary was softly summarizing the key points from the recent meeting, but stopped and stepped out of the room after seeing Ruan Li wave a hand.

The Ruan Corporation was located on the complete opposite side of the city from the hospital. Ruan Li had been in meetings all day; she hadn’t acted as anyone’s driver at all.

With just a few lines of text, Ruan Li could already picture Xu Mengzhou’s guilty, flustered expression on the other side of the screen, making concessions out of remorse.

Tapping her fingers against the desk, she pondered for a moment before calling her assistant inside: “Prepare a few things for me.”

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