The Ex-Wife-to-Be Is Acting Weird After Losing Her Memory - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Variation Two

“Wow, Director Long, you are so good at finding places! I’ve been to West City so many times, but I never knew there was such an amazing Cantonese restaurant here!” The handsome young man, Xie Qing, smiled broadly, dutifully pouring tea for everyone present, diligently taking on the responsibility of keeping the atmosphere lively.

With the start of filming imminent, Director Long Jing hosted a dinner for the main creative team while they were all in town, choosing a secluded private kitchen as the location.

The chef of this restaurant was a young woman who, despite her age, had won numerous awards. The focus was on traditional Cantonese cuisine with a modern twist. The restaurant was usually fully booked, and since none of them had been there before, everyone found the meal novel and exciting.

After pouring the water, Xie Qing proactively sat next to Lu Jiayin, who rarely spoke: “Sister Jiayin, try this steamed crab with Hua Diao wine. It tastes really good.”

Lu Jiayin nodded at him: “Thank you.” She had always loved Cantonese cuisine, and the light, pleasant food here was very much to her liking.

It seems Zhen Zhen also enjoys seafood. I should bring her here to try it when she has time. She lowered her head and delicately ate a mouthful of crab meat, unconsciously making a plan in her mind.

Then, she suppressed the thought. I’m out to dinner with colleagues, why do I keep thinking of Zhen Zhen?

Just as she was zoning out, she saw Director Long suddenly raise her wine glass and quickly picked up her own.

“After we start filming, it will be a closed-set shoot. You won’t be able to take leave or leave the set for the first two months,” Long Jing said with a smile. “Those of you with loved ones at home, hurry up and spend a few more days with them. Once we’re on set, there won’t be any chances.”

Among the actors present, only Best Actor Cheng Yan and Lu Jiayin were married. The teasing was mostly directed at them. Lu Jiayin’s cheeks flushed slightly at the remark, and she took a small sip of wine.

The atmosphere was harmonious. As the dinner was drawing to a close, Cheng Yan suggested they go to a newly opened club nearby.

“It’s a high-end club, opened by one of my childhood friends. There’s nothing messy going on,” Cheng Yan explained. “It’s rare for all of us to be together like this, so let’s go have a drink.”

Ordinarily, given Lu Jiayin’s personality, she would politely decline such an invitation. She wasn’t good with alcohol, always just pretending to drink a few sips. The things she did when drunk were too embarrassing to recall. However, everyone was in high spirits tonight, especially with Director Long and the two screenwriters present, so the event was likely to remain civil.

And more importantly, she didn’t want to go home and wait for Zhen Zhen tonight.

Zhen Zhen seemed particularly busy these past two days, arriving home very late every night. Sometimes Lu Jiayin would fall asleep on the sofa waiting for her, but Zhen Zhen still wouldn’t show up.

This was their normal routine—they both always had endless work—but now that their relationship had grown closer, this waiting felt especially difficult. Lu Jiayin thought it might be good to find something to pass the time, so she said: “I have nothing planned either. I’ll go with you.”

The club Cheng Yan brought them to was located on the top floor of Binjiang Tower, not far from the private kitchen. Walking through the corridor connected by carved glass, the faint scent of pine wood and leather drifted in the air. A mahogany door, which required a card to enter, blocked the sounds from inside.

The security guard at the entrance verified their information and let the group in. Inside, everyone found themselves in a stunning space. In the sprawling dance floor, spanning over a thousand square meters, the lights flickered. Surrounding the floor were rows of booth seats facing panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows. The city’s night view, as bright as the Milky Way, stretched out before them.

Cheng Yan led them up the glass spiral staircase to the second floor. The entire second floor consisted of private rooms, offering much more privacy than the first floor. Small bars, KTV dance floors, and facilities like pool tables were all available. The manager provided a full table of various drinks, attending to them with great enthusiasm.

A few younger actors immediately started picking songs. As the highly rhythmic dance music began, the atmosphere in the room quickly heated up.

They were all insiders—handsome men and beautiful women with countless fans. It was a rare, safe occasion to relax. They quickly found their preferred forms of entertainment. Lu Jiayin rarely came to places like this, so she sat next to Director Long, slowly sipping her wine.

“Do you have something going on today? I saw you check your phone several times,” Director Long’s eyes were sharp, noticing Lu Jiayin’s subtle actions.

She noticed. Lu Jiayin retrieved her phone a little sheepishly: “Nothing, I was just checking for new messages.”

Director Long gave a knowing smile: “Afraid the spouse will suddenly check up on you?”

“Who’s checking up?” Xie Qing walked over with a few beautifully colored cocktails, distributing them to the ladies. He then settled onto the side of the sofa, curious to join the gossip.

To alleviate Lu Jiayin’s potential embarrassment, Director Long playfully intervened: “Why are you, an idol drama lead, so gossipy?”

“I’m always on the front lines of celebrity gossip,” Xie Qing chuckled as he took a sip of wine. “It’s boring just sitting around when all the sisters are out having fun. Let’s play a game?”

Qisheng Entertainment was known for its strict management of artists. Director Long wasn’t worried that the young man had bad intentions, but she wasn’t interested in joining the young crowd, so she merely pointed aside: “You young people play. I’ll just watch.”

Xie Qing then invited Lu Jiayin and another actress nearby. He was good-looking and had a sweet personality, making it hard to refuse. Seeing that the other actress was eager to play, Lu Jiayin agreed to join in.

“We’ll play the super simple dice guessing game,” Xie Qing picked up the dice cup and began explaining the rules to them.

The game itself wasn’t difficult. The compelling part was judging the truthfulness of the opponent’s statements based on their expressions, requiring both concentration and skill in coaxing information. Since everyone present was a talented actor, it was hard to distinguish truth from falsehood, leading several onlookers to cheer and shout excitedly.

Lu Jiayin guessed correctly several times, causing Xie Qing to lose several rounds of drinks. A blush crept onto her fair cheeks. Cheng Yan laughed from the side: “Let’s see if you still dare to challenge people.”

This kind of game was addictive; the feeling of riding a roller coaster, mixed with the music and drum beats, made the winners more and more stimulated as the game went on, making them want to play even more fiercely.

The atmosphere in the room gradually intensified. Lu Jiayin and the actress worked together seamlessly, teaming up to “bully” Xie Qing, who, with a bitter face, begged for mercy and eventually had to drag Cheng Yan, who was watching from the side, in to drink the penalty for him.

Lu Jiayin herself had unknowingly had almost two full drinks. When a slight tipsiness reached her brain, she switched to orange juice and kept it close at hand.

Just then, someone called for Lu Jiayin to help guess the dice. Hearing her name, she temporarily put down her phone, not noticing the few notification messages that flashed across the screen, which hadn’t lit up all evening.

“I say, little senior sister, you’ve only been sitting here for five minutes, and you’re already thinking of leaving?”

In the innermost private room on the second floor sat several elegantly dressed young men and women. Among them, a young man with dazzling pink short hair and a slightly mixed-race appearance spoke: “I flew for over ten hours to hand-deliver this to you. Is this how you treat me?”

The moment he finished speaking, Zhen Zhen, sitting in the main seat, looked up: “Aren’t I treating you to drinks as you requested?”

Among this group dressed in trendy fashion, only she was wearing a work shirt, sleeves rolled up to her elbows. A Piaget Limelight Gala diamond watch was on her wrist, paired with the ring on her ring finger, making her look dignified and elegant.

The young man scratched his head: “Treating me to drinks means you should be present, right? Just paying the bill and leaving? I just returned to the country. Little senior sister, you’re so cruel to me.”

A gentle female voice chimed in from the side: “Chris, be content. I bet if you weren’t carrying something she wanted, she’d already be gone.”

“Sister Zheng, you’re bullying me too,” the boy called Chris complained playfully, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket. “I don’t understand you people in love. It’s just carbon, and you went through so much trouble to buy it at auction.”

Zhen Zhen didn’t speak. She reached out and carefully took the ring box, opening it gently.

Lying on the dark blue velvet lining was a beautiful heart-shaped pink diamond ring, the light from the dance floor reflecting off its facets, refracting a dazzling fire.

“Wow, is this the ring you asked Chris to buy at the auction?” Gu Huizheng propped her chin in her hand, admiring it. “Not bad. You finally did something romantic. Our Jiayin baby should like it.”

“What? Sister Zheng, you’ve met little senior sister’s wife too?” Chris keenly caught the keyword. “In that case, I’m the only one who hasn’t met the real person yet! No way, I strongly demand a meeting!”

As the one who traveled thousands of miles to deliver the token of love, wasn’t this a reasonable request? Besides, he was very curious: what kind of person was this Miss Lu who could capture the heart of Zhen Zhen, who rarely opened up and committed to emotion?

However, Zhen Zhen just smiled, carefully putting the ring box away: “Next time. It’s not convenient these couple of days.”

She didn’t have many friends. Besides Gu Huizheng, there were these younger students she met while studying abroad. She had always wanted to introduce them to Lu Jiayin but hadn’t found the right opportunity yet.

“Why is it inconvenient this time?” Chris pressed.

Zhen Zhen said: “Because tomorrow is her birthday. I’m taking her to ‘Lulutopia’ for a trip.”

This remark caused a collective uproar among the single friends present, who egged her on and urged her to drink. Amidst their loud cheering, Zhen Zhen took out her phone and found that Lu Jiayin still hadn’t replied to her messages.

This situation was uncommon recently. Zhen Zhen frowned slightly. After pondering for a moment, she stood up.

“I’m leaving now. You all continue to have fun,” she greeted everyone, her steps already moving toward the door.

Stepping out of the private room, the music volume increased significantly. The drum beats resonated in the air, mixing with various perfumes and alcohol scents, creating a complex and hazy aroma.

“Be professional, everyone! Don’t go gawking just because the guests are celebrities!” A stern voice rang out at the end of the corridor. “Pay attention! No one is allowed to ask for autographs!”

Zhen Zhen’s gaze narrowed, and her steps slowed involuntarily.

“There’s a Best Actor, Best Actress, and a popular young heartthrob!” A young female server whispered. “I don’t need an autograph; I just want to catch a glimpse of my idol, Xie Qing.”

“This room is my responsibility. I want to see Lu Jiayin, though.”

The unusually familiar name fell into her ears, and Zhen Zhen stopped walking.

Lu Jiayin was currently standing in the small dance area of the private room.

She was absolutely crushing the dice guessing game. Eventually, the few losers couldn’t take it anymore and unanimously demanded a new game: ‘Cut the Finger.’

In this game, everyone starts with five fingers extended. Each person takes a turn stating a characteristic of themselves or something they have done. If others do not share that trait or experience, they must “cut” a finger (fold it in).

In this game, which relied on luck rather than acting, Lu Jiayin quickly lost a round.

She had already had two drinks, so she naturally declined the penalty of drinking more alcohol. Director Long, acting as the referee, thought for a moment and suggested she perform an act.

Lu Jiayin’s dance performance during the audition was still fresh in everyone’s memory. The people present began cheering, hoping to see her dance.

Amidst the applause and cheers, Lu Jiayin stood up a little unsteadily and drifted toward the edge of the dance floor.

The music switched to a jazz dance piece. A few young actresses who had been winning dice with Lu Jiayin stood near the stage, swaying gently to the rhythm.

The air in the private room was too stuffy. Lu Jiayin took off her knitted jacket and held it in her hand, revealing the black spaghetti-strap mermaid dress underneath. The light, soft fabric clung to her graceful curves, making her look like a mermaid swimming in a river of lights.

She casually swept her long, curly hair aside, her high heels tapping to the beat.

The alcohol softened her consciousness, relaxing her muscles. The music overlapped and curved, like flowing water embracing her sides. She raised her hands, swayed her waist. The glamorous and seductive aura of a movie star was fully released, her dance enchanting and dazzling.

Just as everyone applauded and cheered, and the atmosphere reached its climax, the door of the private room was pushed open. The cool breeze from outside, carrying the sound waves, surged into the room like a tide.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the door. Lu Jiayin also turned her head languidly, and instantly froze.

She saw Zhen Zhen appear at the doorway. The flickering light from the dance floor played across her face. Her clearly outlined eyes held a deep, quiet light, and she was silently looking at Lu Jiayin.

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