I Got A Girlfriend After Losing My Memory (Transmigration) - Chapter 53

Tao Ran returned home, carrying the fried chicken she had just bought. She changed her shoes in the entryway, calling out, “I got your favorite fried chicken!”

She had expected to hear Tang Fuzhi’s excited voice and see her rush over, but the house was eerily silent, as if no one were home.

Tao Ran paused, a sudden unease creeping into her heart, but she forced herself to maintain a calm facade.

Maybe Tang Fuzhi is still painting, she thought. She always shuts out the world when she’s working.

She walked to the study door, which was ajar. As she approached, the entire room came into view.

The computer screen was dark, and the study was empty except for occasional gentle breezes that rustled the pages of books on the desk.

Tao Ran’s heart tightened. Her composure crumbled as she hurried to Tang Fuzhi’s room and flung the door open.

No one was there!

Panic surged through her. She frantically searched the bathroom and even her own room.

The house wasn’t large, making it easy to search, but Tang Fuzhi was nowhere to be found.

Her heart raced, her mind spinning.

How could this be? Where’s Tang Fuzhi?

Did Tang Fuzhi really regain all her memories last night? Was everything this morning just an act to gain my trust?

Damn it! How could I be so careless?

No, no, that’s wrong. Tang Fuzhi isn’t good at lying. Her natural behavior this morning clearly wasn’t an act.

After a moment of panic, Tao Ran’s mind regained its composure.

She pulled out her phone, her fingertips trembling slightly, and found the contact labeled “A” in her contacts. It was her only pinned contact. She dialed the number.

The call connected quickly, and Tao Ran felt a wave of relief wash over her. “Where are you?” she asked anxiously.

A soft, sweet voice came from the other end of the line. “I’m at the dessert shop downstairs, the one you told me about last time.”

Tao Ran finally let out a real sigh of relief. The extreme tension suddenly drained away, leaving her limbs feeling weak. “Wait for me there,” she said.

She hung up and hurried to the dessert shop. The moment she saw Tang Fuzhi, the tightly wound string in her heart finally snapped, releasing all the tension.

The young woman was chatting and laughing with Tang Fuyu, while Xu Rujia sat nearby.

When Tang Fuzhi saw Tao Ran, her eyes lit up. She slid her bowl of purple sweet potato and taro ball dessert across the table to Tao Ran and scooped up a spoonful of the soft, chewy sweet potato. “Try this! It’s so good!”

Tao Ran looked down at Tang Fuzhi’s radiant smile. In that moment, she made a decision.

If the price of Tang Fuzhi regaining her memories was losing her, Tao Ran would rather she never remember.

She could investigate what Tang Fuzhi had said last night on her own. Even if she found nothing, it wouldn’t matter. Nothing was more important than having Tang Fuzhi by her side.

Tao Ran lowered her head and took a bite. The soft, chewy sweet potato melted in her mouth, its subtle flavor mingling with the delicate fragrance of osmanthus that lingered on her palate.

A smile curved her lips, her eyes fixed on Tang Fuzhi. “Mmm, it’s delicious.”

Tang Fuyu, watching from the side, covered her face and giggled. “Even though you’re together now, Tao Ran-jie still seems so nervous! I’m not going to steal my sister away.”

During their conversation, Tang Fuzhi learned a lot about her university days, including the fact that Tang Fuyu had been shipping her and Tao Ran since she was a little girl. Her teasing was all in good fun.

Tao Ran’s eyes curved into a smile as she grasped Tang Fuzhi’s slender wrist, her fingertips gently caressing the younger woman’s delicate skin. Her expression was both affectionate and possessive. “Mm, I was afraid you’d steal your sister away and leave me all alone at home.”
In front of others, especially her own sister, Tang Fuzhi’s cheeks flushed slightly. She glared playfully at Tao Ran.

Tang Fuyu, however, looked like she’d just witnessed her OTP moment. She grabbed her bag, her face beaming. “It’s almost dinnertime. I should head home now. I won’t compete for my sister’s attention.”

As the two walked home, hand in hand, they swayed gently like any ordinary young couple, strolling leisurely.

Suddenly, Tao Ran spoke up. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going out?”

Tang Fuzhi glanced up at her. Tao Ran’s expression remained gentle, but for some reason, Tang Fuzhi sensed something odd about her.

Her subconscious trust made her answer casually without thinking, “Just came out to chat with Tang Fuyu.”

Suddenly realizing something, she stopped walking, tilted her head, and looked at Tao Ran with amusement. “You don’t think I ran away, do you?”

She said it with a playful expression, not really believing Tao Ran would think that.

After their misunderstanding in H City, they had cleared the air, and she had explicitly told Tao Ran she wouldn’t leave her.

She had assumed this would ease Tao Ran’s anxiety.

But to her surprise, Tao Ran nodded.

“Yes, I was scared.” No one knew the panic that had seized her heart when she returned home to find the house empty.
For a moment, she genuinely thought she was going to lose Tang Fuzhi.

The smile on Tang Fuzhi’s face faltered. Faced with Tao Ran’s words, she felt helpless and could only stammer, “W-why?”

She didn’t understand.

She had already told Tao Ran she wouldn’t leave.

Though Tao Ran hadn’t proposed yet, Tang Fuzhi had already tacitly accepted that they would marry someday.

The two were usually very close, having done everything short of the final step.

They kissed and spent time together often.

So why was Tao Ran still so anxious?

Tang Fuzhi didn’t understand.

Tao Ran lowered her gaze, her eyes filled with the little girl’s confused reflection.

The little girl was so innocent, unaware of her lies, unaware of her panic, simply trusting her completely.

Oh dear, Tao Ran thought.

She believed everything Tao Ran said, never doubting her.

“I don’t know, I just felt so uneasy,” Tao Ran said, pulling Tang Fuzhi closer into her arms. The young woman’s slender waist felt soft and comforting against her, “When I got home and didn’t see you, I was terrified. I thought you were going to leave me again, just like before.”

Tao Ran’s voice was low and husky, her warm breath brushing against Tang Fuzhi’s ear, a stray strand of hair swaying gently with each word.

Tang Fuzhi’s heart softened. She had always been more susceptible to tenderness than to harshness.

She patted Tao Ran’s back, mimicking the way Tao Ran often comforted her. Her eyes curved into a gentle smile, two small dimples appearing as she laughed, making her look utterly adorable.

“Alright, alright,” Tang Fuzhi said, feeling a sudden sense of responsibility. For once, she adopted a slightly older sisterly demeanor toward Tao Ran, “Next time I go out, I’ll be sure to tell you beforehand.”

Giving Tao Ran a heads-up wouldn’t be much trouble at all.

Tao Ran lowered her gaze, her long lashes casting shadows beneath her eyes, concealing the deeper desires hidden within.

If she could, Tao Ran would have locked Tang Fuzhi at home, kept her by her side, and never let her out of her sight for a moment.

But she quickly suppressed the madness in her eyes, knowing Tang Fuzhi would never agree.

Most of the time, Tang Fuzhi supported whatever Tao Ran wanted to do, but she had her limits.

She hated being controlled, hated being restrained.

Especially after learning about what happened last night, Tao Ran knew Tang Fuzhi would even risk her life to break free from any form of control.

Though she didn’t know what was controlling Tang Fuzhi, Tao Ran understood her attitude.

She couldn’t push too hard.

Even a cornered rabbit will bite. Sometimes, letting go a little is the only way to keep the sand from slipping through your fingers.

Tao Ran murmured an “Mm-hmm,” her smile returning to her face.

But Tang Fuzhi still seemed a bit dissatisfied. She held Tao Ran’s hand and swung it back and forth, her tone lecturing.

“You need to stop being so afraid of everything. As the heir to the Tao Group, you need to mature. You can’t keep acting like a child, panicking every time something unexpected happens.”

When Tang Fuzhi lectured Tao Ran, she seemed like a proper older sister, her lips curving slightly upward and her large, round eyes sparkling with amusement.

Tao Ran reached out and pinched Tang Fuzhi’s cheek, then lowered her head and chuckled, “Not bad, you actually look a bit like a senior now.”

Tang Fuzhi’s lips pressed into a smile, but the smugness in her eyes couldn’t be concealed.

“I… I am your older sister. I’m a year older than you, so of course I see things more clearly.”

Having always played the submissive role around Tao Ran, Tang Fuzhi finally had her chance to scold her. A sense of triumph swelled in her heart, almost like a slave finally becoming the master.
“Then, my dear senior, would you like some fried chicken?”

Tang Fuzhi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately replied, “Yes!”

Tao Ran usually kept a strict watch over her diet, forbidding junk food like fried chicken. But today, Tao Ran had brought it for her.

Tang Fuzhi was overjoyed. If she had a tail, it would be wagging so hard it would practically reach the sky.

Tao Ran smiled at the person before her. Tang Fuzhi’s carefully constructed facade of maturity had crumbled with a single question, revealing her true childlike nature.

“A senior like you, still so immature? Still eating fried chicken, something only kids like?”

Tang Fuzhi bristled instantly. “That’s not true!”

The young woman’s eyes widened, her cheeks puffing out as she rushed to defend herself. “H-how can you judge someone’s maturity based on what they like to eat?!”

Still feeling unsatisfied, she added, “Your immature behavior is the most childish thing of all!”

Just then, Grandma Zhang walked by, holding her grandson’s hand. The boy clutched a box of fried chicken and a cola, munching happily as they strolled along, his eyes shining with contentment.

“Grandma Zhang,” Tao Ran greeted.

“Grandma Zhang,” Tang Fuzhi echoed.

Grandma Zhang noticed them and smiled warmly in response. Her grandson, still engrossed in his fried chicken, remained silent. She gently patted his back.

“Say hello to the ladies.”

The boy’s mouth was smeared with sweet and spicy sauce, making him look a bit messy, but his voice rang out clearly, “Hello, ladies!”

Grandma Zhang looked apologetic. “Kids just love junk food like fried chicken. They can’t even wait until they get home to eat it.”

Tang Fuzhi immediately fell silent, but Tao Ran wore a smile. She glanced leisurely at Tang Fuzhi before turning to Grandma Zhang and saying earnestly, “That’s just how kids are. They can’t resist fried chicken.”

Support I Got A Girlfriend After Losing My Memory (Transmigration)