The Movie Queen’s Charming Little Wife: Feigning Amnesia Online - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Lin Mo went upstairs to her room, poured a glass of water, set it on the coffee table, and sat down, unsure of what to do with herself.

Today was supposed to be her day off, which was why she had time to see Lu Ruoruo off, but she hadn’t expected to encounter such a scene at the airport. Even now, she felt a bit shaken. Those extreme fans had, in the end, been drawn there by Xue Luhe. Logically, Lin Mo should have felt resentment toward her.

Instead of resentment, however, a flicker of goodwill had emerged.

She repeatedly recalled the scene at the airport: when she was so distressed she could barely breathe, Xue Luhe had parted the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea, descended to her side, and used her own body to create a solid shield. Later, she had seen Lin Mo home safely, even letting her lean against her shoulder to sleep during the ride…

These images swirled in Lin Mo’s mind, along with the scent of Xue Luhe, the touch of her skin, and the warmth of her voice.

Lin Mo shook her head and checked her phone. Lu Ruoruo hadn’t arrived yet and hadn’t sent a message. Xiao Yuan had sent two messages asking if she wanted to go shopping tomorrow; Lin Mo replied that she needed to rest and would go another time.

As she scrolled down, she accidentally saw Xue Luhe’s chat window.

When did Xue Luhe change her profile picture?

It was now a solid black square, giving off an intensely oppressive feeling. Lin Mo clicked on it; it was indeed just a pure black image, nothing else. She checked Xue Luhe’s social feed—no new posts, and it was set to only show the last three days, leaving only a gray line.

It was as if this person wanted to make herself disappear.

Lin Mo couldn’t quite figure it out, but she had a vague feeling that Xue Luhe’s current state might have something to do with her. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t suppress the guilt rising in her heart. This growing guilt was like a vine, wrapping around her heart and making her breathing feel heavy.

The next day at work, Lin Mo went to a branch store to supervise an ongoing event. With various winter holidays approaching, the coffee shop had started its warm-up promotions. Lin Mo had been busy lately, running between branches to inspect the sites.

This particular coffee shop was located in the most prosperous part of the city, right next to the province’s largest shopping mall. There seemed to be an event today; the mall had invited a celebrity to perform, and the place was incredibly lively.

After finishing her work at the shop, Lin Mo could have gone home, but she suddenly felt like buying a new outfit and ducked into the mall. Crowds of young girls hurried past, holding glow sticks and discussing something excitedly.

Lin Mo knew there was an event, but not the specifics. She wandered forward and saw a high platform set up in the center of the spacious lobby, complete with audio equipment and a ring of security guards, giving it the feel of a real stage.

As Lin Mo stood there watching, the music suddenly swelled. The crowd surged forward, and Lin Mo was pushed right to the front. Two hosts took the stage, bantered for a bit, and finally reached the main attraction:

“Please welcome… global superstar, Ms. Xue Luhe!”

Lin Mo was stunned. She never expected the “event” Xue Luhe’s assistant mentioned yesterday to be this! Xue Luhe used to never accept these kinds of commercial promotional gigs. What happened? Had her career really declined to this point? It felt like her prestige had taken a hit…

With mixed emotions, Lin Mo watched the stage. The lights brightened, and as the hosts clapped vigorously to drum up the atmosphere, Xue Luhe walked out, dressed in white, her expression cold.

True to form, Lin Mo thought. Even if she was attending a “low-prestige” event for her livelihood, her expression remained cold and impatient. Her bad temper hadn’t changed a bit.

On stage, the hosts enthusiastically handed her a microphone. “Is our President Xue happy to be attending this event today?”

Xue Luhe spoke expressionlessly: “Do I look happy?”

The hosts were momentarily silenced, gave an awkward laugh, and quickly tried to guide the topic. “President Xue is so humorous! Now, since you maintain yourself so well, have you ever bought skincare products at our XX Mall?”

Xue Luhe continued her cold reply: “I don’t use skincare products.”

Host: “…Ah, hahaha, that must be natural beauty then! Ordinary people shouldn’t try to copy that. We have so many skincare counters here; no matter your skin type, you can find the right product. With careful maintenance, maybe you can have skin as good as President Xue’s!”

Xue Luhe let out a cold laugh that carried clearly through the microphone. “Isn’t that just a dream?”

The host froze. The audience burst into laughter, and many people actually became more interested, staying to watch.

Lin Mo was relatively short, and someone was blocking her view. She peered through the gap, watching Xue Luhe’s expression as she spoke, and the subtle changes in her face when she was silent. Watching through the gap felt like the thrill of peeking; Lin Mo couldn’t help but let out a little snort of laughter herself.

Xue Luhe was becoming more and more amusing. Since that video, she seemed to have lost her “burden” of maintaining a public image, shamelessly displaying her foul temper.

The hosts struggled to find a new topic: “President Xue, your outfit today is quite unique. You rarely wear white; why did you choose this ensemble today? By the way, this is from our mall’s brand, XXX!”

Xue Luhe raised an eyebrow. “Why? You said it yourself. The sponsors gave it to me.”

Host: “…”

The audience roared with laughter. Some were doubled over, and kids were clapping and cheering. A bratty kid behind Lin Mo, seeing everyone making a fuss, gave Lin Mo a shove.

Lin Mo stumbled forward. When she steadied herself, she realized she was standing at the very front of the crowd!

She looked up. Xue Luhe was less than five meters away!

It was beyond awkward. Would Xue Luhe misunderstand and think she had come specifically to see her? It was purely a coincidence! Lin Mo lowered her head, trying to duck back into the crowd, but there was no gap. She had no choice but to stand sideways at the front, keeping her head down to avoid being seen.

However, out of the corner of her eye, she felt Xue Luhe’s gaze, as tangible as a physical weight, sweep over her and then stop abruptly. Xue Luhe stared fixedly at Lin Mo, not moving for a long time.

The host wanted to wrap up the segment. “Well, we heard President Xue has brought a special performance for our mall’s 10th anniversary. What kind of performance will it be? I’m so curious!”

Despite feeling uneasy under Xue Luhe’s gaze, Lin Mo felt a surge of interest. What would she perform? She was an actress—would she do a skit?

Xue Luhe’s voice carried an undisguisable joy. “I’ll sing a song.”

The hosts immediately began to clap. “Wonderful! We rarely get to hear President Xue sing! What a treat! Please welcome President Xue performing ‘The Past’!”

The hosts exited, and the lights dimmed. Atmospheric lights of various colors began to spin. The audience area fell into darkness, while a single spotlight hit Xue Luhe. In her ethereal white gown, with her long hair over her shoulders and light makeup, her features looked striking.

Relying on the darkness to hide her, Lin Mo looked up. Like everyone else, she watched the radiant, noble, and misty Xue Luhe on stage. Xue Luhe brought the microphone to her lips, her dark, bright eyes fixed steadily on Lin Mo’s direction.

As the music began, Xue Luhe started to sing slowly. Her voice was like a cello—deep and lingering. Her chest vibrated as she sang, producing a beautiful alto perfect for this slow, melancholic song.

From the very first line, Lin Mo was stunned. She never knew Xue Luhe could sing so well! The woman on stage was elegant and tall; her neck was more graceful than a swan’s as she sang. She looked as if she might turn into a wisp of white smoke and drift away with the music.

But her black eyes were locked onto the person on the ground, unwilling to look away for even a second. Her eyes were filled with longing, melancholy, and unexpressed, suppressed emotion. This gaze was like a rope, tying this celestial figure to the earth, or a long thread holding onto Xue Luhe so she wouldn’t drift away like a broken kite. This was her obsession, her anchor, the medicine for her madness.

In the dark, Lin Mo greedily stared at Xue Luhe, knowing the other woman was looking at her too. Their gazes even met in the darkness. Lin Mo couldn’t help but look; the Xue Luhe on stage was simply too beautiful.

As the first verse ended and the music entered a bridge, Xue Luhe whispered into the microphone, her voice low: “Thank you for coming to see me.”

Lin Mo’s body went numb. She knew, without a doubt, that those words were for her and no one else. Among a thousand audience members, Lin Mo was just an ordinary person. But in that moment, she felt it. To Xue Luhe, no one else existed. Lin Mo was the only one in her sight.

Just then, a circular spot of light swept across Lin Mo’s face, revealing her complex expression. Xue Luhe watched her, lowered the microphone slightly, and gave a soft smile. It was a smile filled with enchanting melancholy. The audience gasped and screamed.

“So beautiful!”

“Give us another smile!”

Lin Mo didn’t smile. She looked deeply at Xue Luhe. Their gazes entangled in the air. Xue Luhe’s lips parted slightly, silently mouthing words. Her eyes were as bright as stars.

Lin Mo saw it and understood it perfectly.

“I still like you.”

It felt like a heavy blow to her heart. She felt panic and tension, but also a tiny bit of sweetness that began to grow rapidly, like grass after rain. Xue Luhe’s eyes crinkled as she smiled, and the audience cheered again.

The music continued, and she began to sing again in a slightly raspy voice. “When you and I met… my world was full of joy…”

Lin Mo didn’t wait for the event to end. She hurried away, clutching her bag, and hailed a taxi. In the car, she stared blankly out the window as the scenery blurred past. She touched her chest. Her heart was pounding. For some reason, there was a sweet taste in her mouth, like she had eaten candy.

She felt restless, unbuttoning her collar and fanning her face. She realized her ears were red and her skin was burning. Even though it was winter, she was sweating.

What was Xue Luhe doing, flirting like that instead of just singing?

The words were clearly meant for her. But she had rejected her so firmly—why was she still saying those things? Wasn’t she afraid of being rejected again? Or did she feel that even if she was rejected, it didn’t matter as long as she expressed her feelings?

Lin Mo’s mind was a mess. She thought back to the airport, the warm embrace, and that strange sense of safety. How was that possible? Her biggest nightmare and shadow had been Xue Luhe. Why did she feel safe with her?

Why is it so sweet… I didn’t eat anything sweet.

Wasn’t she afraid of being filmed and posted online? Someone must have been filming us. If she’s affected by this, what if she can’t even get these commercial gigs anymore?

Conflicting thoughts filled her head. Lin Mo pulled out her phone, wanting to text her worries to Xue Luhe. But as she tapped the pure black profile picture, her finger hovered over the screen. She didn’t know what to write. Xue Luhe and her top-tier team surely knew these risks. Besides, how would she even say it? “Don’t confess on a public stage again?” That would be ridiculous.

Lin Mo put her phone away, went home, cooked a meal, checked the news, and went to bed. In her dreams, she saw the white-clad figure in the center of the stage again. This time, Xue Luhe reached out a hand and asked: “Are you willing?”

A bright spotlight hit Lin Mo, blinding her. In the haze, she could only see Xue Luhe’s silhouette. She looked at the slender, delicate hand, hesitating. In the dream, after a long time, she finally reached out to touch it, only to find it was a phantom. She looked up in panic and saw Xue Luhe had already turned and walked into the darkness.

“Where are you going! Come back! Don’t go!” Lin Mo shouted. But there was no sound in the darkness. Xue Luhe had vanished, along with the lights and the crowd.

When Lin Mo woke up, she was still haunted by a sense of sadness. She had forgotten the details of the dream, but the image of Xue Luhe in white turning into the darkness was so powerful it took her a while to recover. Seeing she was almost late, she scrambled out of bed and rushed to work, clocking in just in time.

Xiao Yuan saw her running in. “Late again?”

Lin Mo shook her head and stuck out her tongue. “Just made it. Thank goodness HR set the clock two minutes slow.”

Xiao Yuan looked around and whispered, “Hey, do you know why Sister Qing hasn’t been around much lately?”

Qing Jing indeed hadn’t been in much, and when she did come, it was only for a quick, concerned chat with Lin Mo.

“Isn’t it because there are too many events at the branches?” Lin Mo asked.

Xiao Yuan gave a sly grin. “That’s part of it. But I heard Sister Qing’s ex-wife came back looking for her. Apparently, she’s begging for a reconciliation.”

Lin Mo was shocked. She hadn’t had a chance to follow up on Sister Qing’s story. “Tell me everything!”

They huddled at Lin Mo’s workstation. “Actually, I don’t know much,” Xiao Yuan whispered. “But I heard the ex-wife is much younger—about eight years younger. They got married as soon as she reached the legal age. But after three years, Sister Qing filed for divorce because she caught her cheating! The old employees all know. It’s been over two years, and now the ex-wife has apparently become successful and wants to get back together.”

Lin Mo frowned. “That’s outrageous. She hurt Sister Qing by cheating and now she wants to come back? The nerve!”

Xiao Yuan shook her head. “Some old employees say there’s more to it. They say the ex-wife didn’t seem like the type to cheat—she was simple and devoted. But the cheating did happen; Sister Qing caught her in bed with someone. I don’t know how they are now, but honestly, since Sister Qing likes you so much, you two should just be together!”

“Wait, why is this gossip coming back to me?” Lin Mo protested. “Is Sister Qing out on dates with her ex-wife then?”

Xiao Yuan squeezed Lin Mo’s shoulder. “Why are you so tense?”

Lin Mo adjusted her position. “I’m not tense. I’m just curious.”

Xiao Yuan sighed. “Sister Qing has been avoiding her ex-wife. She’s hopping between stores so she won’t get caught. Her ex-wife is her first love—a campus romance. Sister Qing used to be a university counselor, and the ex-wife was her student. They say the ex-wife has an extreme personality and waits outside Sister Qing’s house every day.”

Lin Mo imagined Xue Luhe in black, being led away by security guards. The memory made her snort with laughter.

“What’s so funny about someone being cornered at their door?” Xiao Yuan asked.

“Nothing, I just remembered something happy. Go on,” Lin Mo said, suppressing her smile.

“That’s all I know. It’s all hearsay. But I don’t think Sister Qing will go back. Once a relationship is broken, it’s broken. There’s no point in fixing it; a repaired mirror still has cracks, right?”

Xiao Yuan’s words made sense to Lin Mo. There was no point in her and Xue Luhe trying to reconcile. So much damage had been done; getting close would only lead to more pain.

“You’ve been so weird lately,” Xiao Yuan poked her. “Ever since Xue Luhe stopped showing up, you haven’t been yourself. You haven’t fallen for someone else and not told me, have you?”

Lin Mo blinked. “What? I’ve never liked anyone. How could I fall for someone else?”

Xiao Yuan looked exasperated. “Didn’t you used to like Xue Luhe?”

Lin Mo jumped up, her face flushing red. “No way! I never liked her! Never!”

Just then, someone pushed open the office door. “Come look! Xue Luhe is back! She hasn’t been here in forever, but she’s here today!”

Lin Mo froze and tried to shrink back, but Xiao Yuan grabbed her arm. “Let’s go, let’s go! I’ve almost forgotten what that world-class beauty looks like!”

Lin Mo didn’t resist. She walked out and stood behind the bar. Xue Luhe was sitting in her usual corner in a white coat and white trousers, casually flipping through a menu. Lin Mo watched her silently; the noise around her felt muffled and unreal.

Xue Luhe looked up, scanned the room, and her gaze met Lin Mo’s. She curled her lips into a gentle smile. The sweetness flooded Lin Mo’s mouth again, a reflex triggered by the memory of the confession on stage. Xue Luhe’s smile was just like it had been then: sincere and humble.

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