The Ex-Wife-to-Be Is Acting Weird After Losing Her Memory - Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Serenade One

When the height of summer arrived, the large apartment on Jiangwan No. 1 welcomed its first small-scale renovation.

The main focus of the renovation was to clear out a larger walk-in closet for one of the mistresses of the house, and to convert the secondary bedroom into a display room for collections.

The newly delivered cherry wood display shelves were polished to a sheen. Ding Ding and the other assistants were gingerly sorting through cardboard boxes. They carefully unwrapped the tissue paper and rearranged the trophies one by one, adjusting them to their appropriate positions.

The most important, prime spot on the display shelf was naturally reserved for the glittering new trophy, sculpted in the shape of a crystal palm. Ding Ding, looking nervous, gripped the base with both hands and steadily placed it in the compartment, letting out a sigh of relief.

Light footsteps sounded from the doorway. Lu Jiayin, dressed casually at home, peeked in with a smile: “The ice cream is here. Come and have some first.”

The weather this summer was oppressively hot, and even Lu Jiayin, who usually paid close attention to her diet, couldn’t resist eating ice cream a few extra times. However, since a stomach ache one night, Zhen Zhen had strictly controlled the frequency of her cold treats, forcing her to order take-out secretly now.

Hearing that there were snacks, the young women giggled and stopped their work. Lu Jiayin glanced at the trophies on the shelf and casually asked: “Where’s the one I won in France?”

Ding Ding smiled: “It’s intentionally placed in the C-spot, Boss. You didn’t even notice this prominent spot?”

However, Lu Jiayin shook her head: “I’m not asking about this one. Where is my bicycle race trophy?”

At the mention of this, Ding Ding’s expression instantly became a little strange: “That award… we planned to make this shelf your wall of honor…”

Since it was for display, the girls decided to showcase all the Best Actress awards and significant film honors Lu Jiayin had won. The exaggeratedly-shaped small-town cycling race trophy was naturally and collectively overlooked.

“Don’t dismiss it. Zhen Zhen and I worked hard to win it.”

Taking out the blue ceramic bicycle trophy from the corner of a cardboard box, Lu Jiayin solemnly placed it next to the crystal palm tree, admiring it with satisfaction: “They were both won in France, so let’s put them together.”

These two awards are totally incomparable, right? Ding Ding complained internally, but finally insisted: “This one is the Cannes Best Actress trophy…”

Lu Jiayin nodded and pushed the small bicycle a little further towards the center.

Seeing this, Ding Ding silently turned her face away, thinking, Forget it. As long as the boss is happy. Anyway, this collection room is at home, and presumably, not many people will come in to visit.

After placing the trophy, Lu Jiayin turned around contentedly: “Let’s go quickly, or the sundaes will melt.”

The others, who had already arrived in the dining room, had unwrapped the packaging boxes for them. Lu Jiayin had ordered desserts from a newly opened popular internet shop. The shaved ice and fruit sundaes were beautifully presented. Strawberry slices shaped like flowers were piled on the snowy topping, looking cooling and refreshing. She motioned for everyone to dig in, not forgetting to remind them: “Eat quickly, and remember to take the packaging boxes with you when you leave.”

She then quickly scooped up a spoonful of shaved ice herself. Just as she was about to put it in her mouth, she heard the lock turning.

The moment Zhen Zhen pushed the door open and entered the room, Lu Jiayin swiftly pushed the bowl of strawberry ice mountain in front of her to Ding Ding, then jumped off the high stool and cheered: “You’re home!”

Zhen Zhen’s gaze lingered on the dazzling array of desserts on the table for a few seconds. The assistants tacitly raised their spoons, pretending not to see her look.

Anyway, these desserts are indeed delicious. There shouldn’t be a problem with us helping the boss eat an extra portion.

The assistants finished their snacks and bid farewell one after another. Lu Jiayin watched them leave. Xiao Tao, who was the last to go, didn’t forget to take the packaging bags from the table with her. She looked at Lu Jiayin sincerely and said: “We were afraid you would feel sad looking at them.”

Lu Jiayin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Go quickly.”

When the door closed again, she turned around and realized that Zhen Zhen had returned to the living room at some point and was looking at her seriously.

“The ice cream was bought for them!” Lu Jiayin inexplicably felt a sense of crisis and proactively confessed: “I didn’t eat a single bite, truly.”

Zhen Zhen looked at her bright eyes: “You didn’t not eat, you just didn’t get the chance to eat.”

And this was clearly an attempted crime thwarted by her early arrival, yet the person was trying to explain it away as a successful act of self-discipline. She gently lowered her eyelashes, avoiding Lu Jiayin’s crestfallen face: “Have you forgotten about the stomach ache?”

Lu Jiayin’s eyes welled up with tears: “It only hurt that one time…”

At this moment, she suddenly felt a bit nostalgic for the time when Zhen Zhen and she had been “respectfully distant.” Back then, Zhen Zhen might occasionally disapprove of her behavior, but she wouldn’t strictly control her like this…

She blinked, reached out, and grabbed Zhen Zhen’s arm: “Wife… look how hot the weather is…”

“The indoor temperature is 24 degrees Celsius,” Zhen Zhen said unmoved.

Lu Jiayin looked on the verge of tears: “You don’t love me anymore…”

This accusation was clearly serious. Zhen Zhen frowned slightly: “I do love you.”

The hand gripping her arm moved, shifting up a few centimeters. Lu Jiayin hung on Zhen Zhen like a koala, whining: “You’re always so fierce with me.”

She seemed to increasingly enjoy this kind of intimate physical contact, especially when the two were at home. Lu Jiayin almost constantly maintained this state of sticking close to Zhen Zhen, refusing to let go. Even though she was still pouting a little about the ice cream, she still didn’t want to release the embrace.

Zhen Zhen lowered her head and kissed her cheek. After pondering for a moment, she said: “You’ll be going into the film crew next month, and I’ll be going to France on the seventeenth.”

Because Shadow Light was widely acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival, movie offers for the female lead, Lu Jiayin, had flooded in. Fu Ruyi carefully selected the most suitable one from a pile of scripts. Calculating the time, the two would have to separate again after only a few days together.

Lu Jiayin hummed a few times like a kitten being kissed, not fully grasping the connection between the two points: “So…?”

“So, if something happens because you’re feeling unwell, I won’t be able to rush to your side as quickly as last time,” Zhen Zhen sighed. “I’ll be very worried then…”

The affectionate implication in this sentence was too clear. Lu Jiayin snuggled further into her arms, mumbling: “Why didn’t I notice you were so good at coaxing people before…”

The couple indulged in their closeness for a long time. This time, a certain person didn’t complain about the heat, and even the central air conditioning couldn’t curb the rising temperature. Lu Jiayin lay supine on the sofa, one strap of her slip dress pulled down. Her skin was fair, glowing like a handful of snow. A moment later, a few faint shadows of plum blossoms appeared on the snow.

Just as Lu Jiayin was vaguely wondering whether to persuade Zhen Zhen to go back to the bedroom, after all, she would be the one with the backache later, before she could figure out the words, the sudden ringing of her phone interrupted the rising sensual atmosphere in the room.

Seeing the incoming call on the screen, Lu Jiayin’s eyes suddenly dimmed a little. Zhen Zhen put one arm around her waist, used the other to fish the phone from the coffee table, and handed it to her.

A somewhat detached voice from Mrs. Lu came through the phone. After clearly hearing her reason for calling, Lu Jiayin was momentarily stunned.

She hung up the call with a trace of confusion, sitting on the sofa, a little slow to recover.

“Mom just called. She said she’ll be returning to China in the next few days,” she hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain the situation to Zhen Zhen, feeling a blockage in her heart. “Because my father is sick and hospitalized.”

Hearing this news, Zhen Zhen was also stunned for a moment, but she quickly reached out and embraced Lu Jiayin. She didn’t rush to ask for details, but patted her back comfortingly, waiting for her emotions to stabilize.

Zhen Zhen had never met Lu Jiayin’s father.

When they got married, only Mrs. Lu attended the wedding. Lu Jiayin didn’t offer much explanation, only saying that her father and mother had been separated for many years, and she didn’t want to complicate things, so she only invited her mother.

Such situations were not uncommon in large families. Zhen Zhen had occasionally heard rumors about Lu’s father, knowing he came from a scholarly family, was devoted to painting but lacked significant talent, and his achievements were far less than those of his wife, Mrs. Lu. He rarely appeared in social circles. At the time, she didn’t pay much attention to it, but was secretly relieved.

After all, this way, the parents’ seats on both sides wouldn’t seem to contrast too sharply.

“I heard it’s cancer. Mom didn’t say much about the specifics, only that she’s coming back to China,” Lu Jiayin slightly calmed herself down before continuing. “I didn’t expect him to actually get sick.”

Her words sounded a bit strange. Zhen Zhen stroked her head and asked: “Should we prepare to visit him then?”

However, Lu Jiayin just shook her head. She looked somewhat tired and leaned her head against Zhen Zhen’s shoulder petulantly: “I don’t know. Let’s not talk about this for now. I’m a little hungry…”

Although her distraction felt a bit strange at this moment, Zhen Zhen didn’t press the issue. Facing such bad news suddenly, Lu Jiayin likely needed some time to process it herself. Zhen Zhen obediently stood up: “What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”

Lu Jiayin thought about it while snuggling on the sofa and named several dishes.

Zhen Zhen was keen to cheer her up and agreed without hesitation. After Zhen Zhen’s figure headed toward the kitchen, the smile faded from Lu Jiayin’s face, replaced by a faint, self-mocking expression.

She hadn’t told Zhen Zhen that she wasn’t actually sad about her father’s illness. What truly bothered her was a certain long-stagnant, unutterable sense of suppression in her heart. She hadn’t thought about this feeling for a long time, but with the news delivered by the phone call, it had reappeared vividly.

This peculiar silence lasted until dinnertime. Zhen Zhen finished preparing the dishes Lu Jiayin requested in the kitchen and then returned to the living room. She knelt in front of the sofa, pulled Lu Jiayin up like coaxing a child, and led her to the dining table.

In addition to the seemingly delicious dishes on the table, an extra dessert plate was set out.

It was a plate of baked toast. The entire center of the toast was hollowed out. The cut bread cubes were coated in butter and baked until golden and crispy, then drizzled with chocolate sauce. On top of the fragrant bread, there was a round, pink scoop of ice cream.

When she saw the scoop of ice cream, Lu Jiayin subconsciously looked at the person across from her.

“Just a little bit,” Zhen Zhen handed her the small silver fork. “Today’s little Lu Jiayin needs a bit of sweetness, so she might feel a little happier.”

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