The Ex-Wife-to-Be Is Acting Weird After Losing Her Memory - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Symphonic Poem Two

“Now, immediately, right now—delete all those posts for me!”

Hearing the actress’s almost hysterical voice, the assistants exchanged glances. The bravest one cautiously said: “But are you sure you want to delete them? After this news came out, your public image, Sister Qi, has skyrocketed.”

This was a rare instance where, after being secretly photographed by a tabloid, Qi Yongshan not only avoided criticism but actually received praise from many casual fans.

“Beautiful women should stick with beautiful women! The ship is strange, but the setup is kind of hot.”

“Qi Yongshan finally figured it out. How great is it to be a beautiful woman who focuses on her career and gets the older sister?”

Although all the comments were indeed praising her, Qi Yongshan’s face grew heavier the more she read. Finally, she threw the phone to the assistant and buried her head in her arms in avoidance: “Delete them! I, Qi Yongshan, would rather never be famous in this life than capitalize on Lu Jiayin’s popularity again!”

Last night, Zhen Ming had promised to meet her. Thinking they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, Qi Yongshan dressed up beautifully and rushed to the hotel, only to be handed a check.

The man who had sworn his sincerity to her actually intended to end their relationship with money. After she angrily refused, Zhen Ming completely dropped his usual gentle demeanor and looked impatient: “Want to ask for more money? I suggest you know when to stop.”

What she believed to be love was just a transaction for him. Distraught, she left the hotel and randomly walked into a bar on the roadside, where she drank and grew more miserable until she eventually passed out.

In a semi-conscious state, she saw the person she least wanted to see at the moment. Furthermore, under the influence of alcohol, she seemed to have been crying and pulling Lu Jiayin, babbling a lot of drunken nonsense. Qi Yongshan covered her face in collapse: “Don’t try to stop me. Delete it quickly.”

Seeing her resolute attitude, the assistant silently turned to make the call. Before the number was dialed, someone else suddenly exclaimed in surprise: “Huh? The post seems to have been deleted?”

Not only were the photos gone, but the hot search terms on the homepage had also vanished without a trace.

“Lu Jiayin’s side must have done it,” Qi Yongshan whispered with a sniff, turning her head. “Well, that saves me the trouble.”

Not only was Qi Yongshan’s side in a frenzy because of the hot search, but Lu Jiayin was also laughing helplessly.

“Why didn’t I think of this trick?” Fu Ruyi’s laughter clearly carried over the phone line and into the room. “I was always trying to avoid a confrontation with her, but I never considered that you could ‘turn the enemy into a friend.’ Lu Jiayin, you are truly amazing!”

Since midnight yesterday, her phone notifications hadn’t stopped. The “Two Queens’ Late-Night Lesbian Rendezvous” series, fueled by marketing accounts, quickly climbed the hot search rankings, completely baffling the fans of the two actresses, who had previously been at loggerheads.

It had to be said that the paparazzi’s photography skills were excellent. In the dim lighting and night, the two of them were captured with a strange atmosphere that made viewers feel an unconscious urge to “ship them.”

“Last night was a complete accident. Let’s not talk about that. Can you help me delete the post? I’m afraid if the matter continues to escalate, Zhen Zhen might see it,” Lu Jiayin asked while packing her belongings. “Besides, the matter is not what you think at all.”

Fu Ruyi laughed loudly: “I didn’t think anything at all! It’s all the paparazzi’s fault for taking such tricky angles.”

Lu Jiayin covered her face and sighed. Yesterday was the last day of filming for the crew in Nan’an. After wrapping up, Director Long generously treated the entire crew to a night of drinking and relaxation in the city. Lu Jiayin hadn’t noticed Qi Yongshan initially, only realizing she was missing near the end of the evening.

Since they were out of town, Director Long decisively told the sober members to split up and search for her, fearing something might happen. Lu Jiayin, perhaps due to good luck, found the heavily intoxicated Qi Yongshan alone in a bar not far from the venue.

“Everyone is looking for you.” Although Qi Yongshan usually didn’t get along with her, seeing her in such a state, Lu Jiayin still walked up to her. “Get up quickly and come back with me.”

Qi Yongshan was sprawled bonelessly on the table, completely lacking her usual refined appearance. Hearing Lu Jiayin’s voice, she pouted even more: “Why do I still have to see your face even when I’m drunk?”

“I don’t want to see you either,” seeing her disoriented state, Lu Jiayin didn’t bother with pleasantries. “But if you pass out by the roadside like this, you’ll regret it when you see the hot search tomorrow. Don’t you care most about your image? Get up.”

If she hadn’t said this, it would have been fine, but saying it seemed to touch a nerve for Qi Yongshan. She waved her hand, interrupting Lu Jiayin: “What’s the point of caring about my image? I’m destined to never be as good as you anyway.”

She grew sadder as she spoke, outright starting to sob: “Go ahead and laugh at me. I’m inferior to you in everything—fame, status, and even love. Your CEO Xiao Zhen ran over overnight to see you when you were injured. Lu Jiayin, you’re such a liar! How dare you say your relationship is poor? Liar, wuu wuu wuu…”

Lu Jiayin was confused by the incoherent words, but Qi Yongshan’s crying had already drawn several people’s attention. She had no choice but to grab her arm and forcibly help her up.

“I don’t know what happened to you, but I’m not interested in being watched here.” She was a few centimeters taller than Qi Yongshan. Hauling her by the arm, she dragged her out of the bar. “Just come back with me first.”

Qi Yongshan was severely drunk. Half-supported by Lu Jiayin, her entire body subconsciously leaned on her. She continued to mutter: “You’re so annoying. You have everything, but you always look so indifferent… I hate that about you the most. But why are you even prettier than me, wuu wuu wuu…”

Seeing her face smeared with tears and snot, Lu Jiayin almost wanted to pull out her phone and take a picture, if only her hands weren’t full. She laboriously freed one hand to push Qi Yongshan’s head away slightly: “Stop getting snot on my clothes!”

This cashmere coat was newly bought by Zhen Zhen. It had cute pom-poms on the pink-white lapel. Lu Jiayin struggled, continuing to drag Qi Yongshan toward the roadside.

Those photos must have been taken then. With a drunk person slung over her shoulder, she hadn’t noticed the camera at all. It wasn’t until she walked a hundred meters away that Cheng Yan and Xie Qing arrived to help and together took Qi Yongshan back.

“So, everything was just the marketing accounts’ imagination.” With her luggage packed, Lu Jiayin closed the suitcase with one hand. “Remember to delete the post for me, please.”

“The post just disappeared,” Fu Ruyi said with a slight sound of surprise. “It looks like Qi Yongshan’s side was quite sensible this time and took action so quickly. I thought she’d try to milk it for a bit longer.”

After all, the comments under this hot search were, unusually, devoid of malicious criticism, instead filled with delighted fans shipping the pairing. Since the post was deleted, Fu Ruyi didn’t dwell on it, treating it as a harmless little interlude.

“As long as it’s deleted, I’m relieved,” Lu Jiayin also sighed in relief. “Okay, let’s pretend nothing ever happened.”

As she spoke, her luggage was ready. The assistant Ding Ding excitedly opened the car door with a skip: “Everything is prepared! We’re heading back!”

All the exterior filming in Nan’an was finished. Although the crew would still be busy for the next month, they would at least be working at a film studio in the city, where the conditions and treatment would be much better.

“Director Long just announced that we can still take one day off in December. Just report it to Assistant Director Chang in advance. Sister Jiayin, do you want to go home today?” Ding Ding asked while quickly writing notes in her notebook.

Lu Jiayin thought about it and shook her head: “If I take a day off today, I’ll get home very late. Arrange it for the day after tomorrow.”

“The 23rd then?” Ding Ding nodded, jotting down the date, then asked curiously, “Why not wait until Christmas Eve? It’s only one day’s difference.”

Lu Jiayin smiled: “It’s a secret.”

Since she decided not to go home today, she picked up her phone to text Zhen Zhen. Unexpectedly, Zhen Zhen’s reply was delayed for a long time.

Looking at the plain two words “Alright” on the screen, Lu Jiayin smiled and gave up on the idea of typing out an apology to soothe her. It would be better to wait until the 23rd to give her a surprise.

She resolutely tossed the chat window aside and clicked into her shopping history, carefully checking the logistics information.

“All posts have been deleted, and the hot searches have been taken down. It was just baseless speculation. Marketing accounts are too idle these days…” Assistant Xiao Chen reported the progress crisply, then added, “I’ve booked a table for you and Ms. Lu at ‘Yiting’ tonight. Is 8 PM okay?”

As the crew’s all-knowing contact, he had long ago heard the news that the Dark Light team was returning today. An excellent personal assistant should anticipate the boss’s needs. Xiao Chen was pleased with his own cleverness, silently giving himself a thumbs-up while trying to maintain a poker face.

However, Zhen Zhen seemed to be in low spirits. She looked down at her already dark phone screen, as if trying to discern something through it, and after a long while, she said: “Cancel it.”

Immediately after, Xiao Chen saw his boss’s lips slightly pursed as she quietly mumbled: “She said she’s not coming back today.”

Not coming back? Xiao Chen, who was just mentally debating whether to send a bottle of red wine to the restaurant, froze. He observed Zhen Zhen’s visibly dejected face for a moment, sensing that the situation was not good.

Did Ms. Lu really have a ‘lesbian tryst’ with Qi Yongshan on the street and then leave CEO Xiao Zhen alone in an empty house?

But as a professional, he knew this was not the time for questions. Therefore, he simply replied with a quick “Understood” and swiftly retreated from the office.

Just as he closed the office door, he saw Song Yuzhi rushing over with a stack of things. Xiao Chen was startled and quickly waved his arms to stop him.

“The boss is in a bad mood. If it’s not urgent, I suggest you come back later,” he sincerely advised his colleague.

Song Yuzhi glanced at him without expression: “Got it.”

Then he walked straight past Xiao Chen and raised his hand to knock on the office door.

The Zhen family’s old residence was located in the suburbs of Xishan, featuring a quaint and elegant traditional Chinese courtyard design. After driving along a private road, the white-walled, dark-tiled building suddenly came into view.

Besides the Elder, Zhen Zhen’s uncle’s family also lived here. Additionally, the surrounding villages were populated almost entirely by extended relatives dependent on the Zhen family. During festivals, the compound was bustling with activity.

It was already late afternoon when they arrived at the old residence. Aunt Lian, who was watering flowers in the courtyard, greeted Zhen Zhen with a kind smile.

“Why are you back today, Miss?” She put down the watering can and stepped forward. “It just snowed. Was the journey cold?”

Zhen Zhen’s eyes held a smile as she gently thanked Aunt Lian: “I’m fine. I just happened to have some free time today, so I decided to come back and visit.”

“Today is the fifteenth. The Elder usually recites scriptures with the master before returning,” Aunt Lian ushered her inside, then quietly added, “Your uncle’s family is hosting guests. They’re quite busy in there.”

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