The Ex-Wife-to-Be Is Acting Weird After Losing Her Memory - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Fugue Two

Both photo frames had pure silver borders and were clearly bought from the same brand. The slightly larger frame contained a photo Lu Jiayin was very familiar with—her wedding picture with Zhen Zhen. In the photo, she smiled faintly while looking straight ahead, and Zhen Zhen stood beside her, her gaze fixed on the side of Lu Jiayin’s face, looking very gentle.

When did they start drifting apart? Lu Jiayin then picked up the smaller frame next to it. The picture showed a young couple who were clearly much more intimate. The wife had a brilliant smile, her eyes sparkling like starlight.

Looking at the features that bore some resemblance to Zhen Zhen’s, Lu Jiayin guessed this was Zhen Zhen’s parents, the couple who had died in an accident when Zhen Zhen was seven. Zhen Zhen had never kept their photos at home; they were apparently placed here. She carefully put down the frame and returned to the sofa to sit down.

Meanwhile, in the large conference room not far from the office, sat over a dozen high-level executives and technical staff from Tianfeng. They were poised and focused. The project director whispered instructions to his subordinate: “CEO Zhen is very strict about time management. Don’t waste time on irrelevant details during the report; get straight to the point.”

New project content was projected onto the large screen, and the heads of each section reported in turn, with Zhen Zhen providing the final check. She was remarkably beautiful and had an indifferent demeanor. Whenever ambiguity or data issues arose, the willow-shaped eyes behind the crystal lenses would gently sweep over the room, instantly making the reporter feel nervous.

The tone of the report unconsciously became more concise and formal.

Suddenly, the conference room door opened, and the assistant quickly walked in. He went to the main seat and whispered a few words.

The observers noticed that after hearing those words, CEO Zhen’s eyes visibly lit up. She even subconsciously turned her head and glanced out the window, which was tightly covered by blinds.

A genuinely soft expression appeared on the face of their usually serious and composed CEO Xiao Zhen. In the subsequent project summary, she even nearly misspoke a word. Although she quickly corrected herself, this was an almost impossible mistake for CEO Zhen.

The entire meeting ended ten minutes earlier than expected. Zhen Zhen closed her laptop and walked out of the conference room as quickly as possible. Just as she was about to reach her office door, her steps suddenly slowed down, as if she was trying hard to calm her emotions. She smoothed down her hair, which was not actually messy, before pushing the door open.

Lu Jiayin was sitting on the sofa waiting for her. The light of the setting sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window, bathing the entire room in a brilliant, golden-orange glow that almost made it hard to distinguish reality from illusion. After her eyes adjusted to the light, Zhen Zhen slowly let out a breath: “Why did you come over?”

A hint of excitement was in her voice.

“I owe you a meal from this morning,” Lu Jiayin repeated the reason she had prepared. “I happened to be passing by and thought I’d find you for dinner, but I didn’t know you were so busy…” She blinked. “Will I be disturbing you?”

“No,” Zhen Zhen said decisively, already turning to walk out. “What would you like to eat? I’ll take you.”

Lu Jiayin quickly stopped her: “You don’t need to go out specifically. I just heard your assistant say you have a conference call later. How do you usually eat dinner? Can I join you?”

Her intention was to make up for the morning’s incident. If she ended up disrupting Zhen Zhen’s original plans, she would just owe her another favor. Thinking this, Lu Jiayin was afraid Zhen Zhen would refuse. She stood up, taking hold of her sleeve.

Zhen Zhen didn’t move again. Her gaze slowly moved down, landing on that fair, soft hand, and the corner of her lips curved almost imperceptibly: “Yes.”

Ten minutes later, the assistant knocked on the office door and brought in two packed meal boxes. Zhen Zhen’s dinner on weekdays was usually the same boxed meal provided by the downstairs cafeteria as the other employees. Because Lu Jiayin was visiting today, the assistant was resourceful and brought in two extra boxes of dessert.

“I didn’t know you would be dining here, so I chose some popular dishes…” The assistant worried for his boss who was treating his wife to employee meals. “I can go swap them out if they’re not to your liking.”

Lu Jiayin was determined to be a source of warmth and certainly wouldn’t quibble over small matters. She smiled brightly and thanked him: “It’s fine. I’d love to try what tech company elites usually eat.”

While they spoke, Zhen Zhen proactively placed the chairs on either side of the coffee table and opened the meal boxes. The dishes were indeed not complicated: beef with broccoli and eight-delicacy tofu as main dishes, with rice and preserved egg congee as the two staple options.

These were all things they ate often, but today, with the addition of another person, the food seemed to taste subtly different.

Lu Jiayin had many dietary restrictions. The squid in the eight-delicacy tofu was high in calories, so she meticulously picked them out and placed them on the box lid. She had always disliked broccoli, so her chopsticks mainly went for the beef. Before long, she saw a small bowl suddenly appear in front of her, filled with a neat portion of beef.

“You don’t eat staple foods in the evening, right?” Zhen Zhen pushed the small bowl toward her. “I haven’t touched this portion.”

“How can you only eat vegetables?” Lu Jiayin glanced at Zhen Zhen’s meal box. “I don’t eat much anyway; you don’t need to worry about me.”

But Zhen Zhen insisted on placing the small bowl by her hand: “You eat it. You shouldn’t have a bad meal the first time you visit my company.”

Lu Jiayin noticed that Zhen Zhen’s ears seemed a little red, and when she spoke, her face always held a faint, seemingly happy smile. Was her arrival making Zhen Zhen… happy?

This realization sparked a subtle emotion within her. Consequently, after finishing the meal, she didn’t rush home as planned but asked: “What time do you get off work? How about I wait for you and we go home together?”

After asking this, she saw Zhen Zhen’s eyes brighten again, just as she expected.

But the wait dragged on until after nine in the evening. When Lu Jiayin woke up again, she found that she had somehow fallen asleep on the sofa. A suit jacket covered her, wrapped in a familiar light floral scent. The office lights were dimmed slightly, and Zhen Zhen was sitting at her desk, quietly looking at the computer screen.

Lu Jiayin rubbed her eyes, picked up the suit jacket, and walked over, placing the garment back over Zhen Zhen’s shoulders: “But I was wearing my own jacket…”

Because she had just woken up, her voice was very soft, carrying a slightly muffled, airy tone that sounded like she was pouting affectionately.

Zhen Zhen didn’t speak, but her gaze toward Lu Jiayin was filled with something she wanted to say but held back. Following her line of sight, Lu Jiayin abruptly realized something was wrong. Before Zhen Zhen could speak, she dropped straight down with a whoosh, squatting instantly.

“Why… why don’t you ever say anything in your video calls?” She slowly lifted her gaze from the gap between the desk and the chair, her eyes carrying a playful reproach. “Did they see me?”

She heard Zhen Zhen quickly say a few words—foreign phrases she didn’t understand. Her voice was very tender, and then she reached out and closed the video screen.

“Compared to last time, your behavior wasn’t too surprising,” Zhen Zhen stood up and pushed her chair back so that the person under the desk wouldn’t be squeezed. “It’s alright.”

The “last time” she referred to was when Lu Jiayin accidentally wandered into the frame during a video call with Madam Lu shortly after being discharged from the hospital. Their actions were more intimate then—if it hadn’t been for…

Lu Jiayin’s face flushed crimson, and she quickly interrupted her: “I understand, don’t say anything.”

She was definitely influenced by amnesia back then. Not only had she proactively straddled Zhen Zhen’s lap, but she had even… She felt a burning, humiliating shame boil up, rushing to stand up to escape the awkwardness.

But she forgot she was squatting under a desk.

Lu Jiayin: “Oww—”

Her hand immediately flew to her bumped forehead.

Although Zhen Zhen reacted quickly, reaching out to block her, she was ultimately too late. She leaned down to pull Lu Jiayin up, but Lu Jiayin instinctively leaned back to dodge. In the push and pull, Zhen Zhen lost her balance, and both of them tumbled into the narrow space beneath the desk.

Their breathing became intertwined, sounding especially clear in the otherwise silent office.

The first thought that flashed through Lu Jiayin’s mind was: If only there was a secret tunnel under this desk.

The heat from the hand wrapped around her waist became increasingly apparent. She shifted uncomfortably: “Um… I’m sorry, okay?”

Those sparkling almond eyes, under the dim light, appeared exceptionally clear as water. Her lips looked moist and soft, as if kissed by mist, tempting one to test their texture.

Zhen Zhen’s hand slowly moved up from her waist, settling on her back.

This posture, this movement, made every cell in Lu Jiayin’s body shiver. Could it be… is she going to kiss me right here?

Her dark eyelashes trembled. The next second, she suddenly felt lighter. Zhen Zhen lifted her out from under the desk.

Zhen Zhen maintained the posture, sliding her left hand under Lu Jiayin’s knees to pick her up, placing her steadily on the sofa. Only then did she ask: “Let me check if you broke the skin on your forehead.”

Her forehead wasn’t broken, but her sense of shame was shattered all over the floor.

Lu Jiayin turned sideways, dodging Zhen Zhen’s fingers, and muffled: “I’m fine…”

I must be crazy to have fantasized that she wanted to kiss me just now.

Before she could think of something to ease the tension, Zhen Zhen spoke first: “Lu Jiayin, did I do something wrong?”

Her expression was hesitant, and she asked softly: “Why do I feel like you’ve been slightly avoiding me these past two days?”

Although Lu Jiayin still greeted her with a smile, the atmosphere between them had indeed changed. It was a kind of wavering, push-and-pull that made Zhen Zhen acutely feel a hint of fear.

Afraid that this person would distance herself again, taking back the little bit of happiness that had finally been placed in her hands.

Lu Jiayin was stunned. She hadn’t expected Zhen Zhen to say something like this. Judging by her tone, she didn’t seem to reject Lu Jiayin’s previous behavior; instead, it sounded somewhat… like she was pouting affectionately?

And she herself clearly couldn’t resist the lost, abandoned-puppy look in Zhen Zhen’s eyes.

Thinking this, Lu Jiayin sighed internally. After a moment of hesitation, she braced herself and hugged the person in front of her.

She thought she would be nervous, but the moment she collapsed into Zhen Zhen’s embrace, a familiar warmth made her heart tremble. She wrapped her arms around Zhen Zhen’s neck and whispered: “I wasn’t avoiding you… I… I love snuggling with my Wife the most!”

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