The Ex-Wife-to-Be Is Acting Weird After Losing Her Memory - Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Serenade Three

A fine mist of fragranced spray settled on her face like drizzle. Lu Jiayin’s eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes again.

Her schedule today was a cover shoot for a major magazine. As the Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day) approached, the theme for this issue was exceptionally romantic. The stylist gave Lu Jiayin a long, romantic ‘sheep curl’ hairstyle to match the new smoky pink, hand-beaded long dress she was wearing.

“I heard that Teacher Lu is going to attend this year’s Qixi Gala. Are you going to sing or dance?” The stylist was a lively girl, busily braiding her hair while asking excitedly.

Lu Jiayin gave her a mysterious smile: “Neither.”

The stylist feigned contemplation: “Wow, what program could it be? Can you tell me privately?”

Ding Ding, the assistant nearby who was playing with her phone, quickly interjected: “Confidential project, confidential project! The director explicitly instructed that it’s a mysterious surprise. Sister, don’t try to trick Sister Jiayin; she’s too easily fooled!”

Hearing her assistant’s words, the staff present burst into laughter. The stylist nearly dropped the comb in her hand, blinking as she replied: “You’re tearing down your boss’s platform in public. Aren’t you afraid she’ll dock your pay?”

Ding Ding giggled, not taking the remark seriously.

After joking, the stylist brought up a new topic: “Speaking of Qixi, how are you all planning to celebrate?”

This topic caused Lu Jiayin’s eyes to slightly dim. Because the Dakar Rally in France had started last week, Zhen Zhen had flown to Paris again on a business trip with her team. According to the race schedule, it was unlikely she would be able to return in time for Qixi.

The issue of the couple being separated more than they were together was clearly becoming a significant factor affecting their relationship as both their work schedules grew increasingly dense.

But now was not the time for melancholy. Lu Jiayin tried to calm herself down. The photographer had already set up the lighting. A few assistants ushered Lu Jiayin into the studio, ready to start shooting the cover.

Against the backdrop of a magnificent flower wall, Lu Jiayin flashed a sweet smile, her peach-blossom eyes glistening as they looked at the camera.

The shoot went smoothly. After several sets of photos were taken, Lu Jiayin immediately got into the car, rushing to her next scheduled event. Once she was seated, Ding Ding appropriately handed her a folder.

“The program team has compiled all the photocopies of the letters. These few have been filtered. Sister, you can choose one of them to read then,” Ding Ding explained.

The folder contained the stack of Jiang Peifeng’s letters that Lu Jiayin and Zhen Zhen had found in France not long ago. These documents had been successfully returned to China. After discussion, the descendants of Jiang Peifeng and Ruan Jinyun decided to display the letters publicly in the centennial memorial exhibition for Jiang Peifeng.

Before the public exhibition, the production team of the “Filmmaker’s Love Letters” segment got wind of the news and immediately coordinated to feature them as a pre-launch event for the TV station’s Qixi Gala. After agreeing, they also provided their ideal candidate for the guest reader.

Lu Jiayin was both surprised and delighted to receive this invitation. She hadn’t expected to have the opportunity to personally read her idol’s letters as a guest. Now, she excitedly opened the folder, eagerly flipping through the letters.

To fit the gala’s theme, the few letters carefully selected by the program team were, without exception, love letters. Reading the gentle minutiae between the lines, one could almost picture how this talented female director had wielded her pen to depict the love in her heart for her unwavering lover.

Lu Jiayin was completely engrossed, feeling that every letter was full of romantic atmosphere. She weighed her options repeatedly and finally chose the one she felt held the most commemorative value, handing it to Ding Ding: “I want to read this letter then.”

It wasn’t just because the letter was of special significance, but more so because, in this letter, she seemed to feel a deep resonance.

The Qixi Gala was broadcast live. The stage was decorated to be exceptionally warm and enchanting, surrounded by twinkling lights like a Milky Way on earth. The live orchestra was placed within a moon-shaped structure, its musical notes drifting out from the mist created by dry ice.

The calm and festive atmosphere of the front stage was a stark contrast to the chaos backstage. The dressing rooms were crammed with people. Staff hurried back and forth pushing clothing racks as if putting out a fire. The director commanded the movement of personnel through the headset, desperately trying not to miss any critical moment.

Lu Jiayin’s segment was scheduled for the middle. Her recording location was not the main stage, but a dedicated studio set up as the scene for “Filmmaker’s Love Letters.” The video would be processed and projected directly onto the main stage, using special effects to combine the story of the love letter’s protagonists with the reader.

She was wearing a white evening gown today. The mermaid design accentuated her graceful figure. The director informed her it was time to enter. She took a light breath and elegantly stepped onto the rising platform.

As her figure appeared on the stage, the clear sound of a zither rang out, playing a leisurely melody.

Lu Jiayin held the letter in one hand, standing by the set designed as a window scene with a moon and plum blossoms, and read the opening line.

“My dearest Jinyun, seeing your handwriting is like meeting you…”

How should we truly interpret love? With tenderness, with passion, with a completely transparent, fiercely beating heart.

The letter by Jiang Peifeng that she was reading was written by the female director on the eve of her wedding. In the letter, she recalled the first meeting and acquaintance with her beloved. She saw the actress on the screen hidden beneath the beautiful, formal facade, those aspects never shown to outsiders, and profoundly fell in love with her genuine, vibrant self.

Lu Jiayin once believed that love required conditions, just like earning a gold star for getting a high score in an exam. She had to constantly be beautiful and flawless to confidently accept all admiring gazes.

But she had forgotten that, in fact, her behavior in front of Zhen Zhen was far from perfect from the very beginning.

That night, she had just been scolded due to work pressure and had accidentally drunk too much. Afraid of being photographed by paparazzi and being yelled at again, she frantically sought refuge in Zhen Zhen’s car, only to messily vomit all over her, crying and laughing, completely losing all face.

Perhaps subconsciously, she already knew Zhen Zhen was her reliance. After being with Zhen Zhen, Lu Jiayin felt like she had become a child, allowed to make mistakes, allowed to be vulnerable, and allowed not to always appear so perfect.

One didn’t need to be absolutely perfect to receive it. That gentle and steadfast tolerance was, in fact, love.

“…I hope that until the end of our lives, we still remain together, look back on the past, and say that it was a simple yet beautiful life.” Accompanied by the drifting thoughts in her mind, she slowly read the final paragraph of the letter. The zither music faded, like a long and gentle echo.

Applause reached her from afar. Lu Jiayin bowed her thanks to the camera. Her gaze swept over the busy staff below, and when she saw a familiar figure, her eyes lit up with disbelief.

After confirming she wasn’t seeing things, the smile on her face gradually widened. When the camera turned in another direction, and the waiting staff rushed over, Lu Jiayin didn’t wait for anything else. She quickly unclipped the microphone equipment and hurriedly handed it to the assistant.

In the corridor below the stage, Zhen Zhen leaned against the railing, smiling as she looked up at her.

The next second, seeing Lu Jiayin running toward her in high heels, her expression immediately became a little nervous. Only after successfully pulling her into her arms did Zhen Zhen finally breathe a sigh of relief: “I wasn’t going anywhere. What if you fell?”

Lu Jiayin ignored her scolding, burying her face in her neck like a spoiled child: “You actually scolded me…”

Sure enough, the person immediately denied it: “I didn’t scold you. I was just worried about you.”

A slightly damp breath came from her neck, ticklish. Zhen Zhen tightened her arms around Lu Jiayin: “Stop messing around. So many people are watching.”

Lu Jiayin clung to her with a sense of entitlement: “What does it matter… By the way, how did you come back?”

She remembered specifically having Ding Ding try to get information from Assistant Xiao Chen: Zhen Zhen was supposed to be supervising the car conditions at the testing ground for the next few days. Logically, she shouldn’t have time to return to China.

Zhen Zhen hugged her closer. Lu Jiayin’s gown was backless. Fearing the corridor wall would be cold against her, she turned her around before answering: “The organizing committee temporarily adjusted the race schedule. I found that I had two free days, so I came back.”

She spoke very casually, omitting the continuous overtime she worked to catch up on the schedule beforehand, and the journey to the airport without a minute’s delay. Logically, it should have been very exhausting, but she didn’t feel tired at all.

All the hassles of the travel were worth it the moment she saw Lu Jiayin’s smile.

Lu Jiayin calculated the time, feeling a little sorry for her wife: “Doesn’t that mean you won’t get enough rest…”

“Seeing you makes me not tired,” Zhen Zhen coaxed with a smile. “Do you have any more work? I’ll take you out for dinner.”

However, Lu Jiayin did not agree with her plan. She beckoned Ding Ding over, gave her a few instructions, and pulled Zhen Zhen towards the dressing room: “I’m finished here. All that’s left is a cocktail party, which I can skip. Wait for me to change, and we’ll go home.”

She was primarily considering that the TV station backstage was packed today, and given Zhen Zhen’s personality, she definitely wouldn’t like such a noisy environment. So, she naturally brought her into her dressing room. Only after the door closed did she belatedly realize the situation was a bit awkward.

The temporary dressing room wasn’t very large. Lu Jiayin’s team consisted entirely of girls, and they couldn’t be too careful when they were busy. A curtain was used to create a changing space. But looking at Zhen Zhen obediently leaning against the door waiting for her, Lu Jiayin suddenly blushed.

Zhen Zhen, however, misunderstood her meaning: “Do you need my help?” She thought Lu Jiayin was hesitating because the gown was difficult to take off.

Seeing the purity of her intentions, Lu Jiayin banished the less-than-wholesome thoughts from her mind and said with an awkward laugh: “Oh right, this zipper is indeed a bit hard to pull…”

As she spoke, she naturally turned her back, acting as if she had planned for her help all along.

Under the dressing room lights, Zhen Zhen narrowed her eyes slightly. A field of glowing white entered her vision.

She raised her hand and pinched the small zipper pull. The gown’s back was cut very low, only closing again at the waist. On either side of the shallow, concave curve were a pair of delicate dimples of Venus.

Zhen Zhen suddenly didn’t feel like pulling the zipper down. She leaned closer to Lu Jiayin, pressed her against the dressing table, and slid her palms upward, pressing against those tantalizing dimples.

Her fingertips glided along her back, tracing the snowy skin over and over. Every touch made the person in her arms involuntarily let out a soft moan.

Lu Jiayin wanted to escape the clinging touch, but her body was honestly melting like a puddle of water. Her cheeks were burning hot. She complained softly: “Didn’t you say you were going to help me take off the dress?”

And here I was thinking for a moment that my own thoughts weren’t pure.

Zhen Zhen’s fingers were already on the gown’s zipper, but instead of pulling it down, she leaned close to Lu Jiayin’s ear, lightly pecking the earlobe that had turned pink and felt hot to the touch: “Are you sure you want me to take it off?”

Even her voice was hot. Lu Jiayin trembled all over, her heart losing all direction from the question, roaring loudly in her ears.

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