The Ex-Wife-to-Be Is Acting Weird After Losing Her Memory - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Song Without Words Six

The Lightning-S explosion incident had stirred up a storm online these past few days.

Especially after the LA Test Race Committee publicly announced the cancellation of Tianfeng Technology’s results, many “industry insiders” who had been on the fence immediately jumped in, adopting a professional stance to criticize the various “flaws” in Tianfeng’s autonomous algorithm.

“I said it before. Cutting-edge technology that America spent over a decade developing, which Tianfeng claimed to overturn with a new algorithm in three years, definitely couldn’t withstand scrutiny!”

“I heard XA also released a statement, expressing regret over the incident, and formally launched the open-source 2.0 platform for all driverless industry practitioners worldwide. See, that’s the true demeanor of a major corporation. Zhen Zhen was too hasty. She’s young after all… only after suffering a lesson will she know regret.”

Under the influence of this negative public opinion, the stock price of the Zhen Corporation also plummeted. Ultimately, it was Old Master Zhen who personally stepped in, announcing the temporary suspension of the board election scheduled for the end of the month, which temporarily quelled some of the skepticism.

Xiao Chen quietly walked into the living room, holding a dry-cleaned clothing bag, and met eyes with Lu Jiayin, who was sitting on the sofa.

Lu Jiayin gave him a gesture to be “quiet.” Xiao Chen nodded understandingly. He slowed his steps and walked to the sofa before asking in a low voice: “Is CEO Zhen asleep?”

Hearing his question, a trace of worry appeared in Lu Jiayin’s eyes: “I don’t know if she’s actually asleep, but it’s good to rest, anyway.”

After personally picking Zhen Zhen up from the airport and bringing her home, the woman hadn’t spoken a single word. She refused to drink water or eat anything. Lu Jiayin finally managed to coax her into changing clothes and settling down in the bedroom to rest.

Only then did she have time to listen to Xiao Chen recount the events of the past few days. In the days following the accident, Zhen Zhen had to rush back and forth between the police station and industry associations every day, dealing with the exploded vehicle, arranging personnel to handle the remains of the victim, and had barely closed her eyes.

Because Cheng Changan’s remains had been fragmented along with the vehicle, the process was extremely difficult. Furthermore, the procedures for transporting the remains back to China were complicated, but Zhen Zhen insisted that he be brought back home at all costs. To manage this, they were delayed for two more days before returning.

But what worried the assistant more was Zhen Zhen’s state.

“When the explosion happened, CEO Zhen’s face changed instantly. She was the first to rush toward the burning car. If Old Wang and the others hadn’t desperately stopped her, she almost reached for the car door… In all my time following her, this is the first time I’ve seen her like this…” Xiao Chen said, still shaken. “I’m afraid she won’t hold up…”

Lu Jiayin listened silently. With every sentence Xiao Chen spoke, her heart sank a bit more, and her face grew more anxious.

She knew Zhen Zhen was severely affected, not just by the failure of the test race, but also by the deep-seated fear locked within her heart.

“I will take good care of her, but before that, you need to keep a close eye on the company’s handling of the accident.” She thought for a moment and asked: “You just said that besides Cheng Changan’s remains, you were waiting for some kind of instrument to be brought back?”

Xiao Chen nodded: “The vehicle’s driving data recorder is also on its way back. Although part of it was burned, the technical department will try to see if they can restore it… Miss Lu, I have to go now. I’m relying on you for CEO Zhen.”

He had just learned that Cheng Changan’s family had suddenly become unreachable after the accident. The PR department was holding a meeting to discuss countermeasures, but Xiao Chen decided not to burden Zhen Zhen with this issue for now. He greeted Lu Jiayin and left in a hurry.

After sending off the assistant, Lu Jiayin got up and walked into the bedroom. The curtains were tightly drawn, casting a dim light over the entire room. Zhen Zhen was curled up in a small ball on the bed, quietly facing away from her.

Lu Jiayin sighed silently. She didn’t speak, but quietly lifted a corner of the blanket, slipped in, and hugged the person from behind.

The moment she was embraced, Zhen Zhen’s back seemed to stiffen for a second. Lu Jiayin gently wrapped her arms around her and whispered: “It’s me.”

Of course, she knew it was her, only her.

Neither of them spoke again, maintaining the tightly intertwined position. In the silent space, only soft breathing remained, rising and falling, gradually becoming gentler.

“I know you must be very sad right now,” Lu Jiayin finally spoke again after a long, long time. Her voice was very low, with a soft, almost coaxing tenderness, “Don’t be afraid. I will always be here to accompany you. I will listen to you, and I’ll face it with you, so don’t be afraid.”

The person in her arms moved, letting out a small sigh.

Lu Jiayin didn’t force her to respond. She just continued to gently pat Zhen Zhen’s hand and softly kissed her hair.

“No matter what happens, you don’t need to be afraid. This is not your fault, it’s just an accident. It’s okay, it will pass. It’s not your responsibility, so don’t be afraid…”

She repeated these words over and over again, both as comfort and as a desire to protect her, to unlock those heavy shackles, and prevent her from sinking into this abyss of self-reproach alone.

When she said it the fifth time, Zhen Zhen suddenly moved. She turned over and buried herself in Lu Jiayin’s arms, pressing tightly against her soft chest. Lu Jiayin heard her ask with a slight tremor in her voice: “What if it is my fault?”

Her voice was shaking, and her body trembled uncontrollably. She wanted to seek warmth from the person in front of her but was terrified of her own shortcomings: “…What if there really was a problem with the system I designed… Lu Jiayin, what if he was also killed because of me…”

Those past memories lingered, swirling and filling her mind like a nightmare. The moment the explosion occurred, Zhen Zhen felt as if she had been hit head-on by a heavy hammer. She saw the blaze, saw Cheng Changan’s distorted face caught in the seat connector, and the pervasive blood… painting her vision in a dazzling crimson.

So much blood.

Just like the sunset that night, the bloody light poured over half the sky with a sickening, pungent stench of blood. The little girl was frozen, unable to move, watching the frame-by-frame images. Her father and mother’s faces gradually overlapped with the scene before her.

“I have always believed that technology does not make mistakes… A program is a program. It is rigorous, calm, and absolutely unwavering, only operating according to logic… It doesn’t drive tired, it doesn’t suffer delayed reaction. It fights for those who can’t hold the steering wheel, becoming a reliable partner.”

“But something still went wrong, less than a hundred meters away from me. Lu Jiayin, in that moment, I suddenly felt afraid. I was afraid that what I believed in was wrong, and my mistake killed a person…”

Zhen Zhen’s voice was almost hoarse and indistinguishable. As she spoke, her hand hovered around the edge of Lu Jiayin’s sleeve. She wanted to hug her but dared not move forward, afraid that this flawed, unworthy self would contaminate this person.

She was so good. She couldn’t drag her down or hurt her.

A hand gently looped around her neck and pressed her forward.

“It is not your fault.” Lu Jiayin said firmly. “Something unexpected must have happened.”

The force on the back of her head suddenly became strong. Zhen Zhen felt her face instantly bury into a soft area, warm and carrying a mesmerizing scent. Lu Jiayin held her tightly and repeated: “Zhen Zhen, I believe in you. This accident is absolutely not your problem.”

Zhen Zhen’s face was muffled, and she struggled to say: “But…”

“No buts!” Lu Jiayin declared. “You are so smart. The algorithm you designed is definitely the best. It passed so many tests before, didn’t it? Don’t pay attention to what others say. I believe in you, and you must believe in yourself!”

The person in her arms nudged like a puppy and fell silent for a while.

“It is definitely not your fault.” After a long time, Lu Jiayin slowly loosened her grip.

Her attitude was too firm. The heart that had been shaken by fear was unconsciously soothed. Zhen Zhen was held by her, breathing in that familiar, deeply missed scent, and suddenly felt her nose sting.

In that small, dim world that had accompanied her for so long, a layer of gentle, clear light was cast. Someone had pushed through the darkness and found the little Zhen Zhen who had been wandering in place.

It turned out that after days of relentless torment, endless interrogation, and criticism, the reason that supported her to stubbornly insist on returning here was this soft embrace that unconditionally chose to trust and protect her from the very first moment.

Her Lu Jiayin.

Listening to the person in her arms’ breathing gradually deepen, Lu Jiayin’s carefully maintained firm expression softened slightly, slowly revealing a look of relief.

Phew… she finally managed to coax her to sleep.

Although she spoke very firmly, Lu Jiayin knew in her heart that this was only the beginning. Ever since the Lightning accident, she had asked Fu Ruyi, who was particularly sensitive to media trends, to monitor public opinion online, hoping to share some of the pressure with Zhen Zhen.

Fu Ruyi had sent a report just before she arrived home, but she hadn’t had time to look at it carefully.

Gently sitting up, Lu Jiayin tucked the blanket around Zhen Zhen, then quietly slipped out of the bedroom barefoot and opened the message Fu Ruyi had sent her.

Most of the media reports these days still focused on questioning when the truth of the Tianfeng Technology accident would be released, and whether the Lightning series had safety loopholes—industry-related areas. However, Lu Jiayin noticed another key point in the public opinion analysis provided by Fu Ruyi.

Overly complex technical problems were difficult for Lu Jiayin and Fu Ruyi, who came from the entertainment industry, to tackle. But a certain piece of news that suddenly emerged made Lu Jiayin frown with keen alertness.

It was a post published on a large public forum, focusing on the navigator who died in the accident.

“An insider revealed that the navigator who had the accident at Tianfeng is named Cheng Changan, only in his thirties, with a child in elementary school. Tianfeng has yet to give any explanation to his family after the incident. I’m posting this for the orphan and widow, hoping Tianfeng can treat them fairly and reasonably compensate this family for their loss.”

This passage quickly garnered empathy from many netizens. Many even commented and replied, asking how they could provide financial assistance to the poor family.

A follow-up news story, highlighted by Fu Ruyi, boldly stated: ‘Reporters visit the navigator’s family home to find it empty, suspected mysterious disappearance?’ It seemed the problem Xiao Chen was rushing to handle before leaving was the sudden disappearance of the mother and daughter. Although she wasn’t sure what exactly happened, Lu Jiayin, who had dealt with the media since her debut, knew that if this matter wasn’t handled properly, it was the most crucial element likely to trigger a public relations crisis.

She called Assistant Xiao Chen. Just after listening to the beginning, she let out an unexpected “Ah.”

Assistant Xiao Chen told her that Cheng Changan’s wife and daughter had indeed disappeared, but they weren’t completely missing. Just now, a mysterious person claiming to be their “agent” had contacted Tianfeng, demanding to discuss the compensation amount.

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