The Ex-Wife-to-Be Is Acting Weird After Losing Her Memory - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Fugue One

Following that voice, an actress in a voluminous tulle skirt appeared on the circular staircase, still flanked by two female assistants. Qi Yongshan glanced around, her smile landing on Lu Jiayin: “Wow, isn’t this Sister Jiayin!”

A staff member rushed over and apologized: “Sorry, Miss Lu…”

Lu Jiayin didn’t speak, but Qi Yongshan spoke first as if they were old friends: “I said there must be an acquaintance upstairs. How big is the entertainment industry, really? Sister Jiayin, don’t mind me, I’ll be quick.”

“Miss Qi, fittings are one-on-one. Isn’t it inappropriate to suddenly disrupt someone else’s time?” Fu Ruyi frowned in displeasure. “Besides, we haven’t finished trying yet.”

Qi Yongshan seemed hurt by her attitude, her big eyes, adorned with pink eyeshadow, staring at her in surprise: “But I really am very busy! I truly only have this lunch break slot… We’re all colleagues; you wouldn’t be so petty, would you?”

Lu Jiayin saw the young staff member’s face full of distress and calmly turned around, saying: “It’s alright, you go ahead and choose first.”

Qi Yongshan smiled at her: “Well, excuse me then. The main thing is that I really have an important engagement this afternoon. I envy you, Sister, for being able to leisurely take your time to choose… Besides, Sister and I won’t be so unlucky as to pick the exact same dress.”

Though she said this, her steps had already taken her to the rack with the dress Lu Jiayin had just been looking at, where she began to examine it curiously.

Seeing her gaze circling the embroidered gowns, Lu Jiayin said faintly: “Mhm, we probably won’t wear the same dress.” She picked up a tasseled belt. “Besides, wearing the same dress wouldn’t be embarrassing for me.”

Qi Yongshan hit a soft wall. She looked at the woman’s elegant, indifferent demeanor and secretly pursed her lips. Her current status wasn’t lower than Lu Jiayin’s, yet this person always seemed to stand on a cloud, her aloofness making Qi Yongshan feel deeply resentful.

I’m the one who just won Best Actress, so why do I still feel a head shorter than her? Even with Dark Light, which her company intended to heavily invest in and was very optimistic about, the director seemed to hold Lu Jiayin in exceptionally high regard. Qi Yongshan scoffed and pointed to the dark green gown on the rack: “I want to try this one.”

Seeing the dress she chose, Lu Jiayin finally moved her gaze an inch toward her, seeming a little surprised.

Meeting Lu Jiayin’s eyes, Qi Yongshan felt a surge of delight, further confirming that this was the dress Lu Jiayin had originally wanted to select.

She slowly walked to the rack in her high heels, using an urging tone: “It’s this green one. The magnolia embroidery on it is so beautiful. It looks both elegant and pristine.”

Lu Jiayin continued to look at her quietly, showing no particular emotion. The staff member, however, looked awkward and hesitated: “This one… you cannot try on.”

“Why?” Qi Yongshan raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “Aren’t these clothes displayed for us to choose from? Why are you telling me I can’t try it on?”

She was an important guest invited by the organizer of the Yueshang Grand Ceremony! Although she admitted that she had deliberately chosen the same brand, MISS YAN, after learning Lu Jiayin was coming to look at gowns, who wears the gown shouldn’t matter, right? She felt her figure was not much inferior to Lu Jiayin’s.

The staff member absorbed the actress’s anger and replied softly: “This entire series of gowns is unique haute couture. They were temporarily brought back to the country for loan specifically for the Yueshang Grand Ceremony partnership and can only be loaned to… A-list female artists.”

Qi Yongshan was stunned.

This was a collective unspoken rule among major luxury brands for attending events: celebrities are evaluated based on their commercial value, fashion status, and sometimes factors like alignment with the brand’s style. Different tiers of gowns can only be loaned to corresponding tiers of celebrities.

Although her status wasn’t necessarily lower than Lu Jiayin’s, she had previously endorsed many fast-fashion brands to gain popularity, so she was naturally deemed to have room for improvement in her fashion standing.

The staff member carefully added: “You are welcome to look at all the other gowns, excluding this artisan series.”

But Qi Yongshan refused to look at those clothes. If she insisted on borrowing the same brand as Lu Jiayin, she would inevitably have to wear a lower-tier gown than her. Even if her fans didn’t notice, the fashion reporters alone would publicly crucify her.

Thinking of this, her face flushed crimson. She gritted her teeth, refusing to admit defeat: “…Borrowing clothes is too much trouble. I like your gowns in this series. Are they for sale?”

The staff member respectfully replied: “Thank you for your appreciation. This series is currently only open for pre-orders from VIP clients. If convenient, you may leave your information and wait for the queue.”

There was no outright refusal, but clearly, buying a dress before the ceremony was impossible. Qi Yongshan’s face was hot. She had no choice but to give her assistant a look: “What are you standing around for? There are no suitable gowns for me here. We shouldn’t waste any more time.”

She walked to the staircase, then, as if she truly couldn’t stand it, she turned around with a loud tap-tap of her heels and said to Lu Jiayin: “Sister, they say fortune turns in cycles. What belongs to you may not be beyond my reach forever. Don’t you agree?”

After they left with the same grand entourage as they arrived, Fu Ruyi said with some doubt: “This Qi Yongshan… the tone of her last comment sounded off.”

Lu Jiayin had already taken her gown and was walking toward the fitting room. Hearing this, she thought for a moment and said: “She’s probably telling me that she’ll try hard to find a way to bully me, right?”

“She can dream,” Fu Ruyi snorted upon hearing this. “If that day ever comes, I’ll definitely tear her down first. Besides, don’t we have a great patron watching over us?”

She looked at Lu Jiayin, who had changed into the gown, praising her profusely: “This is the beauty of a fairy descending to the mortal world. This gown is absolutely stunning; it makes your figure nosebleed-worthy… No, no, let me take a photo first.”

“What great patron did you just mention?” Lu Jiayin pulled up her hair, revealing the smooth and beautiful line of her shoulders, allowing Fu Ruyi to take better photos of her fitting. She asked curiously.

Fu Ruyi smiled mysteriously: “CEO Zhen, of course! Although I know you prefer to achieve everything through your own efforts, otherwise, what kind of resource couldn’t you get with just a word from CEO Xiao Zhen?”

Joking aside, she actually admired this trait in Lu Jiayin. The things she wanted were always won through fair competition. She never formed cliques or played dirty tricks behind the scenes. This was also why people sometimes found her personality aloof and cool, making her hard to befriend.

While the agent thought this, she quickly pressed the shutter repeatedly, selecting the most beautiful photos: “I’ve sent them to your phone. Speaking of which, the pictures are so gorgeous, do you want to send them to your darling wife?”

Lu Jiayin’s expression froze: “No way.” Since her amnesia, she hadn’t carried her phone much. Fu Ruyi usually reported her daily outings to Zhen Zhen. With increased interaction, the agent’s sense of distance from Zhen Zhen had lessened considerably.

“A few days ago, you were affectionately calling her ‘Wife,’ and now that you’ve recovered your memory, you’re aloof again.” Fu Ruyi lamented unintentionally: “I suddenly feel so sorry for CEO Zhen.”

Her words made Lu Jiayin pause in adjusting the hem of her skirt. She suddenly remembered Zhen Zhen’s words this morning, and that half-piece of perfectly sliced toast. She still owed Zhen Zhen a meal, after all.

“Forget the photos,” she hesitated for a moment, saying somewhat awkwardly. “If it’s on the way later, could you drop me off at her company?”

The Zhen Group tower is located in the core of the CBD’s central district. Two twin towers connected by a glass skybridge soared into the clouds. Fu Ruyi had other arrangements in the afternoon, so she dropped Lu Jiayin off at the building entrance: “Can you manage on your own?”

“This is Zhen Group’s own property; security is fine,” Lu Jiayin nodded. “I’ll meet her and then head home.”

Fu Ruyi stopped insisting: “That’s good. When you resume work next week, I’ll have an assistant accompany you again.” Previously, to allow the couple to spend time together, she had recalled Lu Jiayin’s driver and assistant to the company to stand by. Now that her memory was slowly returning, there would be no problem with them resuming their posts.

After seeing the agent off, Lu Jiayin walked into the building alone. She had never been to Zhen Zhen’s workplace. The lobby was filled with well-dressed, fast-paced white-collar elites. Two smiling young women stood at the reception desk. One of them, upon seeing Lu Jiayin, her eyes widened in disbelief.

“You… are you Miss Lu Jiayin?” The girl looked at the person in front of her, trying hard to regain her professional expression. “Hello.”

Lu Jiayin smiled gently at her: “I’d like to see CEO Zhen. Is she available right now?”

It was the first time the receptionist had hosted the legendary wife of CEO Xiao Zhen. She immediately said: “Please wait a moment. I’ll contact CEO Zhen’s assistant immediately.”

A few minutes later, a tall young man walked over from the other end of the lobby. Upon seeing Lu Jiayin sitting on the sofa in the lounge area, the assistant’s face also showed surprise.

“CEO Zhen is in a meeting. I’ll come and escort you first,” he said, gauging Lu Jiayin’s expression. He carefully asked, “Has something happened?”

The wife had seemingly never visited the company before. The moment he received the notification, all the assistant felt was curiosity.

Lu Jiayin stood up: “Nothing. I was trying on gowns nearby and just wanted to see if she had time to have dinner together.”

Why does everyone seem so nervous and excited in their reactions?

The assistant was relieved: “Then let me take you upstairs to rest.”

Perhaps because it was the first time hosting the boss’s wife’s visit, or perhaps wanting to earn some brownie points for his boss, the assistant escorted Lu Jiayin up via the VIP elevator and specifically showed her around the Tianfeng brand display area.

“Our Lightning series is one of the most advanced control systems globally, all developed in-house. The initial concept for this project was developed by CEO Zhen during her graduate studies. These are all the awards from various exhibitions…” As they passed the trophy area, the assistant’s voice unconsciously carried a sense of pride.

After all, before them, autonomous driving technology had been monopolized by foreign companies. Tianfeng was the first Chinese brand to break that technological monopoly. The difficulties and efforts involved were a journey every employee deeply felt proud of.

He invited Lu Jiayin into a spacious office, saying courteously: “This is CEO Zhen’s office. Please rest here.”

The office furnishings were simple. Lu Jiayin’s gaze immediately fell upon the only two photo frames on the desk.

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