The Ex-Wife-to-Be Is Acting Weird After Losing Her Memory - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Lullaby Five

Almost at the same time as the Zhen Da-Bo’s family, Zhen Zhen also received the notice from her Grandpa that she “didn’t need to go home for the New Year.” After hanging up the phone, she looked at her wife humming a song while choosing clothes, unsure how to break the news.

“So… that means it’s just the two of us for the New Year?” Lu Jiayin was also a little surprised. She stared blankly, holding the dress she had just chosen, and asked helplessly: “Then… how should we celebrate?”

In her memory, “New Year” was not a particularly pleasant term. When she was little, her parents would inexplicably argue over trivial matters around this time. Eventually, her father would always leave home, initially for a few days, and later… he never came back.

When she was older, her mother began living abroad year-round, and she was sent to a boarding school, spending several lonely winter breaks there. She only truly felt relieved after becoming an actress.

The entertainment industry is a year-round business. Even during the New Year, being busy with a large group of people on a film set or backstage at a gala completely eliminates loneliness—no one would ever know.

This was her and Zhen Zhen’s first New Year together.

Zhen Zhen’s experience was clearly not much better than hers. She thought for a moment and asked: “Is there anything special you want to do?”

Lu Jiayin actually felt much happier being with Zhen Zhen than dealing with the forced warmth of Zhen Da-Bo’s family, but afraid Zhen Zhen might feel lonely, she cheered up and searched her memory for traditions: “We definitely have to cook a good meal for New Year’s Eve… And, do you like setting off fireworks? Hmm… we should also prepare some red envelopes, right?”

Zhen Zhen listened and nodded seriously for every suggestion. After checking the nearly empty fridge, she turned to Lu Jiayin and said: “We might have to go out and buy some things.”

Lu Jiayin still took on the role of driver, taking Zhen Zhen to the city center. After tallying the shopping list, they found that they needed to prepare a great many things. Lu Jiayin remembered Ding Ding mentioning a new large supermarket nearby and suggested they go there.

They were not the only customers with the same idea. The entire supermarket was bustling with people, and the giant shelves were filled with dazzling goods. Lu Jiayin wore a white down jacket, covering her face with a matching wool hat and mask, blending into the crowd to pick out items.

Because it was a warehouse-style supermarket, the shopping carts were ridiculously large. Zhen Zhen had just pushed out a giant cart when she suddenly saw a young couple ahead. The petite girl was sitting on the edge of the shopping cart, being pushed by her boyfriend, her face beaming with a lovely smile.

Zhen Zhen inwardly compared and estimated her wife’s size, then quietly pushed the cart next to Lu Jiayin.

“This shopping cart is very big,” she reminded her seriously.

Lu Jiayin was engrossed in the pleasure of shopping and answered casually: “Yes, otherwise how would we fit all these bulk items? Hmm… Do you want honey butter-flavored chips?”

Without waiting for Zhen Zhen to answer, she made the decision for her, picked up a bag of chips, and tossed it into the cart.

“I mean… this shopping cart is really big.” Seeing that Lu Jiayin hadn’t understood her meaning, Zhen Zhen stubbornly repeated herself, pushing the cart closer to Lu Jiayin.

Lu Jiayin finally had to look back at the “very big” shopping cart and said perfunctorily: “Wow, it really is big!”

After all, it was normal for a well-behaved, bookish child like Zhen Zhen, who had barely been to amusement parks, to find visiting a supermarket novel. Thinking of this, she suddenly paused: “Don’t tell me… this is the first time you’ve seen such a big shopping cart?”

Zhen Zhen: …

She abruptly dragged the shopping cart back a few steps, not wanting to deal with the dense Lu Jiayin anymore. However, before she could walk far, she was pulled back to the shelf by her arm.

“Do you really like this shopping cart that much?” Lu Jiayin raised her hand to poke Zhen Zhen’s cheek. A flash of inspiration crossed her mind, reminding her of a scene she had seen in a certain idol drama. “Then, do you want to sit in it?”

She had once made a cameo in that show, a super sweet idol drama known for its dense “sugar moments” that was popular among teenagers. It included a scene where the male and female leads went grocery shopping for the first time. Lu Jiayin felt increasingly confident she was right, coaxing her wife: “Come on, sit in it!”

Afterward, she insisted that Zhen Zhen sit in the shopping cart, despite her objections. Zhen Zhen initially refused, but she really couldn’t resist Lu Jiayin’s sudden enthusiasm…

So, the impeccably dressed Zhen Zhen, with a look of utter bewilderment on her face, sat in the shopping cart in an awkward posture. Her hands tightly gripped the side handles, and her long legs dangled awkwardly. Lu Jiayin happily gave the cart a strong push forward, asking with a smile: “Is it fun?”

Zhen Zhen answered expressionlessly: “It’s fun.”

Hearing her answer, Lu Jiayin happily pushed the cart forward for another stretch.

As she was pushing the cart enthusiastically, a young woman walked past them, also pushing a full shopping cart with a little girl about six or seven years old sitting inside.

The woman was visibly startled the moment she saw Zhen Zhen. Her expression then wavered for a few seconds between “should I say hello” and “should I pretend not to see them.” In the end, it was the little girl in the shopping cart who spoke first, calling out sweetly: “Sister Zhen!”

Zhen Zhen solemnly jumped off the shopping cart, quickly straightened her clothes, and said softly: “Hello, Xiao Jin.”

Seeing that they had run into an acquaintance, Lu Jiayin also stopped her playful expression. Zhen Zhen introduced them: “This is my wife, Lu Jiayin. This is Ms. Su, whose husband Cheng Changan works at Tianfeng as the navigator for Lightning-S, and this is Xiao Jin.”

Su Qing awkwardly greeted them: “CEO Zhen, you are too kind. Hello, Ms. Lu… I didn’t expect to run into you here…”

She seemed like the gentle, obedient housewife type, slightly shy when interacting with people. Perhaps out of respect for Zhen Zhen’s status, her tone was somewhat deferential. The little girl, however, was very cheerful, answering Zhen Zhen’s questions with bright, crisp responses.

“Xiao Jin is helping Mommy buy things!” She looked up at Zhen Zhen, her innocent face showing a determined expression, “To go home and make yummy food!”

Zhen Zhen smiled and patted her head: “Xiao Jin is so good.”

She knew the general situation of the family. Cheng Changan was a former race car driver, chosen to be the navigator for Lightning-S precisely because of his skill and ability. Su Qing was his childhood sweetheart. Zhen Zhen casually commented: “You’re going to America for the race after the New Year. Why didn’t you let Brother Cheng spend more time with you during this period?”

A hesitant smile appeared on Su Qing’s face, but Xiao Jin helped answer from the side: “Daddy’s friends from the team came over. They went out to play.”

Hearing her daughter’s words, Su Qing was afraid the powerful CEO might misunderstand and become dissatisfied with her husband, so she quickly explained: “I told him not to come. It’s just for shopping. He hasn’t seen those friends in years. Men should go out and socialize. He shouldn’t be circling around his daughter and me.”

Since this was a private family matter, Zhen Zhen smiled and said no more. At this moment, Lu Jiayin hooked her arm through Zhen Zhen’s and slipped something into her palm.

It was the red envelope they had bought before entering the supermarket. Zhen Zhen understood the intention and handed the red envelope to the little girl: “Happy New Year. This is from the sisters for you to buy candy.”

The little girl obediently looked up at her mother first. Only after getting permission did she reach out her hand: “Thank you, Sister Zhen, thank you, Sister Xiao Lu.”

With this small episode over, after bidding farewell to Su Qing and her daughter, Zhen Zhen absolutely refused to sit in the shopping cart again. Her cheeks slightly flushed, she took the cart from Lu Jiayin’s hands: “Only children sit in those.”

Lu Jiayin looked at her rosy profile and intentionally teased her: “Aren’t you our family’s little child?”

Her hand, which habitually reached to poke Zhen Zhen’s cheek, was intercepted midway. Zhen Zhen held her hand, placing it in her own palm, and said: “I am not a child. Gabriel is.”

Lu Jiayin’s expression froze slightly. She always had a delayed reaction to that name, leading to the illusion that Zhen Zhen was calling her.

The two returned home laden with large bags. Zhen Zhen was in charge of cooking the New Year’s Eve dinner. Lu Jiayin, being useless in the kitchen, was banished to the living room to eat snacks. She sat on the sofa holding a bag of chips, looking at the busy figure in the kitchen, feeling a sudden sense of unreality.

In just a few months, this home was very different from when she first returned.

In addition to the coffee machine on the marble table, there was a new snack rack just for her. The treadmill had been moved to another room, and her yoga mat occupied the empty space. Even the sofa was no longer bare and cold. A plush bunny doll in new clothes sat there, adding a warm and soft—a home atmosphere—to the entire room.

Everything seemed perfect, but deep inside Lu Jiayin’s heart, a small question lingered, one that felt like a lump in her throat.

Should I tell Zhen Zhen now that I’ve recovered my memory?

If she knew that she had turned back into the former Lu Jiayin, would these gentle smiles and unreserved intimacy still exist? Or did they only belong to “this” current Lu Jiayin?

She reached out and hugged the plush bunny doll, unconsciously smoothing its clothes while staring at the ring on her ring finger.

She had been wearing this wedding ring since the wrap party, as if to ward off some vague inner fear.

Just as Lu Jiayin was lost in thought, Zhen Zhen finished her work in the kitchen. She walked over with light steps and announced: “Dinner is served!”

Although she had never cooked a formal New Year’s Eve dinner, Zhen Zhen managed to put together a very decent spread. She pointed to each dish on the table, introducing them to Lu Jiayin one by one.

“I looked it up. The number of dishes for New Year’s Eve cannot be an odd number, so there are six dishes here in total,” she looked at Lu Jiayin with a smile. “And there must be one dessert, so I made eight-treasure rice pudding.”

In the beautiful porcelain plates, their New Year’s Eve dinner was neatly arranged: steamed fish symbolizing prosperity every year, fish maw chicken representing gold and jade filling the hall, garlic-scented Wagyu beef signifying booming fortune… and that one sweet bowl of eight-treasure rice pudding.

Zhen Zhen raised her glass as per tradition: “Happy New Year. I hope we can also have a brand new beginning in the new year.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Lu Jiayin, who had been quietly looking at the dishes, suddenly look up. Her eyes showed a somewhat hurt expression: “Why do we need a new beginning?”

“Everyone likes to talk about leaving the old and welcoming the new during the New Year,” Lu Jiayin drank the wine in her glass, placing the glass on the table with a “snap.” She spoke softly, sounding a little low, “But, don’t you think it’s a bit irresponsible to just discard the past without hesitation?”

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