I Got A Girlfriend After Losing My Memory (Transmigration) - Chapter 37

Tang Fuzhi trusted Tao Ran implicitly, but she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of wariness toward the woman who had left her scent on her girlfriend.

A polite smile curved her lips. “She’s out right now. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Huo Yuxin sensed something was amiss. Her gaze swept over Tang Fuzhi, and she noticed the woman was wearing a nightgown, her face bare of makeup, and her hair slightly disheveled, as if she’d just woken up.

She took a step back, double-checking the room number and the information on her phone. It was correct. This was indeed Tao Ran’s room. “You are…?”

If Tang Fuzhi remembered correctly, this was supposed to be a single room with only one large bed.

Even though they were both women, Tao Ran was not the type to share a room with anyone.

Besides, as the heir to the prestigious Tao Group, she certainly wasn’t short on funds to book another room. There was no reason for her to be stingy about such a trivial matter.

Tang Fuzhi was about to speak when Xu Rujia approached, a custard tart in hand. Unaware of the perfume incident, she casually announced, “This is President Tao’s girlfriend. Just tell her what you need.”

Huo Yuxin’s eyes widened in shock, her composure crumbling slightly. “How is that possible?!” she exclaimed, her voice sharp and piercing, causing Tang Fuzhi to frown involuntarily.

Xu Rujia sensed something was amiss. Recalling the plot of the soap opera she’d been watching earlier, the smile on her face faded slightly, though her eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Finally, I’ve stumbled upon a real-life soap opera drama!

But even as she thought this, she didn’t forget her true mission: protecting Tang Fuzhi.

Xu Rujia stepped forward, positioning herself between Tang Fuzhi and Huo Yuxin, clearly entering a defensive stance.

Tang Fuzhi watched Xu Rujia, who stood half a head shorter than her, position herself in front of her. Xu Rujia was still wearing her blue and white sailor uniform, which, combined with her youthful, round face, made her look like a high school student.

Tang Fuzhi couldn’t help but smile.
“Yes, I’m Tao Ran’s girlfriend Tang Fuzhi. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Tang Fuzhi’s smile was radiant, her eyes curving into crescents, her amber eyes sparkling with vitality. Even without makeup, her natural beauty shone through, her skin smooth and delicate like a peeled egg, its fair complexion tinged with a rosy glow. Her cherry-red lips curved slightly upward, the gentle warmth of her smile bearing an uncanny resemblance to Tao Ran’s.

Huo Yuxin was momentarily stunned, staring blankly for a long moment before stammering, “I I’m Huo Yuxin. I’m Huo Yuan’s sister.”

Huo Yuan…

Tang Fuzhi felt the name tug at her memory, as if she’d heard it somewhere before.

Xu Rujia, ever blunt, blurted out, “Who’s Huo Yuan?”

When Tang Fuzhi introduced herself, she mentioned Tao Ran solely because Tao Ran was their only common connection, and to clarify her relationship with Tao Ran.

But Huo Yuxin’s introduction included a completely unfamiliar name, leaving Xu Rujia utterly perplexed.

Huo Yuxin looked visibly awkward, glancing at Tang Fuzhi as if hesitating whether to speak.

Meeting Huo Yuxin’s pitying gaze, Tang Fuzhi grew even more puzzled and slightly uncomfortable. “Is there something you can’t tell me?”

Realizing Tang Fuzhi genuinely knew nothing, Huo Yuxin finally spoke. “Tao Ran… she’s my brother’s fiancée.”

The weather was perfect for this time of year, neither too hot nor too cold. The lingering coolness of the medicated ointment Tao Ran had personally applied to the redness on Huo Yuxin’s chest still lingered.

Tang Fuzhi’s smile faltered slightly.

She tried to detect any sign of deception on Huo Yuxin’s face, but to her disappointment, there was none. Huo Yuxin only looked embarrassed, like someone who had stumbled upon a private moment. Her gaze toward Tang Fuzhi carried a hint of pity, as if she believed Tao Ran, that heartless woman, had deceived her.
Even Xu Rujia was stunned, glancing uneasily at Tang Fuzhi.

“Is your brother in H City?” Tang Fuzhi asked, her composure unnervingly calm.

Huo Yuxin replied, “Yes.”

Tang Fuzhi lifted her gaze, her expression still serene. A smile returned to her face as she twisted a corner of her dress between her fingers. “May I meet your brother?”

“I can ask him, but I’m not sure if my brother will agree to see you.” Perhaps feeling sorry for Tang Fuzhi’s deceived appearance, Huo Yuxin hesitated before agreeing.

I can’t believe Tao Ran, who always seemed so aloof and unapproachable, is actually such a heartless woman! she thought bitterly. I completely misjudged her.

Waaah, how could Tao Ran bear to deceive such a beautiful young lady?

Tang Fuzhi smiled gratefully. “Thank you for your trouble.”

While Huo Yuxin made the call, Tang Fuzhi went to change her clothes.

Standing before the mirror, she gazed at the marks on her body. She reached out to touch her reflection, her fingers clenching into a fist before slowly relaxing. Only then did she begin to dress.

As soon as she emerged, she met Xu Rujia’s worried gaze. “Tang Tang, should we go ask President Tao about this?”

Xu Rujia was sweating bullets at the thought of Tang Fuzhi confronting Huo Yuan directly. Who knew what he might say? She also feared Tang Fuzhi might react rashly.

Though they had only known each other for a few days, Tang Fuzhi clearly saw the concern in Xu Rujia’s eyes. She smiled and patted her head, just as Tao Ran often did.

“It’s alright, don’t worry. I just have some questions for Huo Yuan.”

Tang Fuzhi’s smile was natural, without a hint of forced cheerfulness, yet it only deepened Xu Rujia’s concern.

She would rather see Tang Fuzhi angry than this unnerving calm, as if nothing had happened.

“Tang Tang, please don’t act like this. You can tell me anything. I’ll always be on your side.”

What truly terrified people was always the unknown, that uncontrollable, unpredictable void.

Xu Rujia feared Tang Fuzhi might do something irreversible. Whether as Tao Ran’s hired bodyguard or as her friend, Xu Rujia couldn’t bear the thought of Tang Fuzhi coming to harm.
But Tang Fuzhi suddenly laughed, her smile reaching her eyes, utterly genuine. “You’ve completely misunderstood. I believe Huo Yuxin wasn’t lying to me, but I also trust Tao Ran wouldn’t deceive me. There must be some misunderstanding between them. That’s why I want to talk to Huo Yuan, to get the full picture.”

She only revealed half the truth. The other half, the real reason, she kept to herself.

After Huo Yuxin mentioned “fiancé,” Tang Fuzhi finally remembered where she had heard the name Huo Yuan before.

Tao Ran had mentioned Huo Yuan during their trip to H City.

Three months ago, she had tried to push Tao Ran onto Huo Yuan.

This was utterly bizarre.

She was Tao Ran’s girlfriend, Huo Yuan was Tao Ran’s fiancé, and yet three months ago, she had tried to push her girlfriend onto her fiancé.

The matter of titles seemed complicated, but for Tang Fuzhi, it wasn’t. She could simply ask Tao Ran directly.

There must be some misunderstanding. She just needed to wait for Tao Ran to return and hear her explanation. But what truly baffled her was why she had tried to push Tao Ran onto Huo Yuan in the first place.

She closed her eyes, recalling the day Tao Ran had clung to her, trembling with fear of losing her.

This situation involved only three people:

Herself, Tao Ran, and Huo Yuan.

Of the two parties involved, one had forgotten and the other was unaware. To find answers, she would have to turn to Huo Yuan and see if she could glean any information from him.

This was the real reason she needed to see Huo Yuan.

On the way to the Huo Group, Tang Fuzhi maintained a calm demeanor, even though she had already explained everything to Xu Rujia. Clearly, Xu Rujia wasn’t entirely convinced.

She had considered sending a message to Tao Ran, asking her to come and resolve the situation. But for the first time, the usually delicate and seemingly defenseless Tang Fuzhi displayed an uncharacteristic firmness.
Xu Rujia confiscated her phone.

Without her phone, Xu Rujia couldn’t contact Tao Ran and had no choice but to accompany Tang Fuzhi to the Huo Group. If Tang Fuzhi tried anything, she could intervene immediately.

The three arrived at the Huo Group. The towering skyscraper resembled the Tao Group’s headquarters, or perhaps all these major corporations had similar layouts.

At the entrance to Huo Yuan’s office, the secretary, acting on Huo Yuan’s orders, only allowed Tang Fuzhi to enter.

Tang Fuzhi didn’t object. Everyone had seen Huo Yuxin escort her into the Huo Group, and their movements up the building hadn’t been concealed. Huo Yuan wouldn’t harm her.

She took a step forward, but Xu Rujia grabbed her wrist. “Tang Tang…”

Tang Fuzhi’s eyes curved into a smile, her expression sweet and her voice soft. “Wait for me outside. I’ll be out soon.”

Huo Yuxin spoke up quietly from the side. “This whole mess is Tao Ran’s fault. My brother won’t do anything to her.”

As Tang Fuzhi entered the office, she realized the layout was strangely familiar. After a closer look, she was astonished to find it was almost identical to the Tao Group’s office.

The same floor-to-ceiling windows, the same bookshelves, the same size, even the same small room…

The man behind the desk looked up at the sound, his gaze meeting hers with a familiarity that suggested they knew each other. “Yuxin told me you and Tao Ran are together now?”

His tone was calm, showing no anger at his fiancée having a girlfriend.

This wasn’t the reaction of a normal person, hinting that his relationship with Tao Ran might not be the engaged couple Huo Yuxin claimed it to be.

Tang Fuzhi nodded.

A faint smile touched the face of the seemingly aloof man.

“No wonder Tao Ran, who never attends social events, came back last night for Yuxin’s coming-of-age ceremony. It was for you.”

Tang Fuzhi was surprised.

She had assumed the Huo Group and Tao Group’s arrangement was a typical business engagement, or rather, a business betrothal.

Perhaps Huo Yuan didn’t love Tao Ran, and Tao Ran didn’t love Huo Yuan either. They might have agreed to a temporary engagement for mutual benefit, planning to dissolve it once their goals were achieved.

Tang Fuzhi’s heart began to ache. Rationally, she understood the business arrangement behind the engagement, but emotionally, she still felt uneasy.

No one wants their girlfriend to be labeled as someone else’s fiancée.

She had even imagined that Tao Ran hadn’t exchanged a single word with Huo Yuan. Otherwise, even knowing there was a hidden reason, she would still be angry.

Now it seemed Tao Ran and Huo Yuan hadn’t just spoken, they might even be somewhat familiar.

At the very least, they were definitely not strangers.

She lifted her amber eyes to meet Huo Yuan’s gaze. “What do you mean, ‘for me’?”

Was it for her that he attended Huo Yuxin’s coming-of-age ceremony? Was it for her that he supported Huo Yuxin? Was it for her that he wore someone else’s perfume?

Huo Yuan looked surprised. “You didn’t know?”

“Should I have known?” Tang Fuzhi’s eyelashes fluttered. Despite her composed demeanor, she was still a young woman, her heart stinging with jealousy.

Hmph! Even Huo Yuan knew, yet she had been kept in the dark. If she hadn’t ambushed Tao Ran, she wouldn’t even have known Tao Ran attended Huo Yuxin’s ceremony.

“I thought she would have told you,” Huo Yuan said, crossing his arms. “Last night, she spoke to Grandfather about wanting to clarify the engagement.”

Through Huo Yuan’s words, Tang Fuzhi finally learned the truth about the engagement.

The Huo and Tao families had been close for generations, their mothers being particularly close friends. When Mrs. Tao gave birth to a daughter and Mrs. Huo to a son, the idea of a childhood betrothal seemed almost natural.

However, both mothers were progressive and understood that their children might not develop romantic feelings for each other as they grew up. So, the betrothal remained a superficial arrangement, with no exchange of tokens or formal confirmation in public. They merely joked about it privately.

But as the years passed and Huo Yuan remained single, a significant portion of the Huo family began to tacitly accept the childhood betrothal as a real possibility.

Normally, no one mentioned it in front of Huo Yuan or Tao Ran, so they paid little attention to it. After all, both families knew it was just a joke from the previous generation, and neither Huo Yuan nor Tao Ran harbored any romantic feelings for the other.

Until yesterday, when Tao Ran, who usually refused all invitations from the Huo family, suddenly accepted an invitation and came to the Huo Residence.

Huo Yuan was curious about Tao Ran’s unusual behavior. He later learned the reason for her acceptance.

She had come to ask Old Master Huo to clarify that the supposed engagement between her and Huo Yuan was merely a joke between their elders, and that she and Huo Yuan were just friends, with no relationship beyond that.

Huo Yuan stroked his chin, sighing, “I was wondering why she suddenly made such a big deal out of something so small. Now I realize she was probably afraid you’d misunderstand and wanted to nip it in the bud.”

Tang Fuzhi pursed her lips, the corners of her mouth involuntarily curving upward. Huo Yuan’s explanation was a thousand times better than anything she could have imagined.

No one could resist the feeling of being cherished by the one they loved.

Recalling Tao Ran’s drunken state last night, Tang Fuzhi had been annoyed at the time. But now, she realized Tao Ran had drunk so much for her sake.

A sweet warmth bloomed in Tang Fuzhi’s heart, yet she stubbornly insisted, “She could have just told me directly. I’m not the type to make a fuss over nothing.”

Why did she have to make such a mess of herself?

Huo Yuan, noticing her bashful expression, suddenly felt like he was being subjected to a public display of affection.

I should have kept my mouth shut.

Tang Fuzhi met Huo Yuan’s gaze, cleared her throat softly, and looked away. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she asked, “Do you know about the argument Tao Ran and I had three months ago?”

Now that Tang Fuzhi knew the truth, her attitude toward Huo Yuan had softened considerably. She habitually looked up at him when speaking, a sweet smile playing on her lips.

Before Huo Yuan could answer, a commotion erupted outside the door.

“You can’t enter without President Huo’s permission…”

“President Tao, President Tao!”

“You can’t come in!”

The secretary’s protests were futile. Amidst the noise, the office door swung open.

Tao Ran stood in the doorway, the outside light illuminating her figure. Her loose strands of hair, disheveled by the force of opening the door, obscured the emotion in her eyes. As she stepped inside, she immediately noticed Tang Fuzhi’s face still wore the lingering smile of someone who had just learned the truth.

The woman’s expression grew colder, her lips pressed into a rigid line. She strode toward Tang Fuzhi, a faint hint of anger flickering across her face, though her beautiful peach blossom eyes betrayed a subtle, almost imperceptible panic.

Though slightly surprised, Tang Fuzhi was genuinely happy to see Tao Ran. Oblivious to Tao Ran’s strange demeanor, her eyes sparkled as she looked up. “Tao Ran, what are you doing…” here?

Before she could finish the question, Tao Ran’s right hand clamped firmly around the back of her neck, her fingertips pressing down slightly, pulling the younger woman toward her.

Tao Ran lowered her head slightly, and right in front of Huo Yuan and Old Master Huo, she captured Tang Fuzhi’s delicate pink lips, silencing the words she was about to speak. Her tongue entwined with Tang Fuzhi’s, like a venomous snake finally finding its perfect prey, coiling tightly and stealing her breath.

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