The Movie Queen’s Charming Little Wife: Feigning Amnesia Online - Chapter 43.1

Chapter 43.1

The winter air was dry and cold, and the coffee shop’s heating was cranked up high. Many customers had ducked inside to escape the chill, making the place noisy and crowded. Naturally, it didn’t take long for people to notice Xue Luhe.

However, no one dared to approach her. Even those who were tempted were politely blocked by the waitstaff, who had clearly been briefed beforehand.

Xue Luhe sat there quietly. It was unclear if she had even ordered anything. After her eyes met Lin Mo’s, she gave a small smile and a nod, then turned back to the menu as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

Lin Mo felt a bit lost. Beside her, Xiao Yuan nudged her. “Okay, we’ve seen enough. Let’s go.”

Lin Mo gave a soft “oh” and couldn’t help stealing one last glance at Xue Luhe before following Xiao Yuan back to the office.

Sitting in the small office, however, Lin Mo was restless. She stared at her computer screen, but her mind was stuck on the scene she had just witnessed. Xue Luhe looked different now—her aura was much softer, lacking that razor-sharp edge from before, but she also seemed somewhat despondent.

Lin Mo didn’t know how to react. Logically, whatever happened to Xue Luhe had nothing to do with her, but she couldn’t stop herself from caring—and from imagining the worst. Has she suffered a double blow in both her career and her personal life? Is that why she looks so worn down, as if her sharp edges have been polished away?

The thought was distressing.

Then again, Lin Mo told herself, it probably wasn’t that dire. Xue Luhe was the most powerful figure in the entire book. In the original novel, even the protagonist Xi Shen hadn’t truly defeated her; Xue Luhe had simply suffered a mental breakdown on her own. A person that formidable could only be destroyed by herself. There was no need to worry… but perhaps she should go out and check on her?

While Lin Mo was debating this, Li Kexin rushed in, looking frantic. “Everyone, get out there! The boss needs backup—she’s in trouble right outside the door!”

The guys in the office bolted upright and ran out, followed closely by the girls.

When Lin Mo and Xiao Yuan reached the door, a standoff was already underway. On one side stood a crowd of baristas and staff; on the other stood only two people, yet the tension was so thick no one dared to move.

Lin Mo immediately noticed a gloomy yet handsome young woman, about twenty-three or twenty-four, with a lean, lanky build and messy shoulder-length hair. Her eyes held a flicker of borderline obsessive madness.

This girl was holding Sister Qing by the shoulders, her other arm tightly wrapped around Qing’s waist. Sister Qing looked pained—a far cry from her usual gentle demeanor. She was struggling to push the girl away, but the girl’s arms were like iron bars.

The young woman’s face was a mixture of agony and supplication. Lin Mo heard her raspy voice: “Teacher… please, stop torturing me. Let’s get back together. I promise, I won’t disappoint you again… Teacher, you’re my life. I can’t live without you…”

Lin Mo felt an instinctive wave of revulsion. Isn’t this just moral kidnapping? How is this behavior any different from a stalker?

Sister Qing stopped struggling and looked at her with pure disappointment. “Wang Ling, if you keep this up, I’ll have to call the police. Let go. Let go and we can talk properly, okay?”

Instead of calming down, Wang Ling seemed to spiral further. She shook her head violently, tears flying from her eyes, making her hair even messier. “You’re lying! You lied to me two years ago! I won’t let go this time. If I let go, you’ll run away. Call the police then! Even if they come, I won’t let go unless they cut my hands off—unless you promise me we’ll go to the Civil Affairs Bureau right now to remarry!”

Lin Mo was speechless. This Wang Ling was even crazier than Xue Luhe ever was.

Just then, she heard a commotion behind her. Xue Luhe had walked out of the shop and was now standing among the coffee shop staff, right next to Xiao Yuan. She even nodded to the people around her.

Lin Mo: “…?” Is she here to be the muscle? An international superstar preparing for a street brawl? If this gets out, it’ll be the headline of the century!

Wang Ling ignored everything else, her wide eyes fixed solely on Sister Qing. Seeing no other way, Sister Qing softened her voice. “I won’t lie to you this time… I just wasn’t ready before. Let go and let’s go inside to talk, okay? Did I ever teach you how to negotiate? Do you remember?”

Wang Ling shook her head stubbornly. “Not inside. You come with me to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Now! Don’t make me knock you out and carry you home!”

Sister Qing narrowed her eyes and caught the eye of a strong male employee in the crowd. Then, she reached out and gently stroked Wang Ling’s messy hair. “Look at you, your hair is such a mess. How can we take a wedding photo like this? Be good. Listen to me. Let go, and I’ll go anywhere you want…”

Like a wild beast being tamed, Wang Ling trembled under Sister Qing’s palm. She looked dazed and satisfied, and her grip loosened.

Suddenly, Sister Qing shouted: “Now!”

The strong male employees lunged forward, followed by the rest of the staff, completely surrounding them.

Wang Ling was quickly subdued and forced to her knees, her arms pinned behind her. She looked up at Sister Qing, her face drenched in tears. “You lied to me again… you always lie… Teacher, I trusted you so much…”

Sister Qing turned away bitterly. “Take her inside. I’ll call someone to pick her up in a bit.”

Lin Mo noticed Xue Luhe slip into the private room where they were holding Wang Ling. Startled, she followed and peeked through the cracked door.

Wang Ling was curled up in a chair, shaking. Xue Luhe sat opposite her and spoke coldly: “You think you love her, but you actually only love yourself.”

Wang Ling glared at her. “Who are you to say that? How dare you deny my love?”

Xue Luhe let out a mocking laugh. “Is it love, or is it a desire for possession? Is it a psychological complex that refuses to let anyone or anything escape your control?”

Lin Mo was stunned. Since when did Xue Luhe become a therapist? More importantly, wasn’t Xue Luhe describing herself? Every word applied perfectly to her own past behavior. Did she figure this out during the month she was gone?

Xue Luhe sighed and glanced at Lin Mo by the door, her gaze lingering and complex. She turned back to Wang Ling. “Actually, until a month ago, I was just like you. I had an intense desire to possess a certain person… I thought it was love, but I only pushed her further away until she told me… she never liked me. That’s when I realized I was going in the wrong direction.”

Lin Mo realized these words weren’t for Wang Ling. They were for her.

Her first instinct was: Is she acting? Is this a “retreat to advance” tactic to win my sympathy? Her second thought was: She “thought” it was love? So did she never actually like me, only want to own me?

Lin Mo took a step back, her heel hitting the door.

Wang Ling suddenly asked, “The one you like… is it her?” She pointed at Lin Mo.

Xue Luhe nodded without hesitation.

“Love is a skill,” Xue Luhe continued solemnly. “I was never loved, so I didn’t know how to love others. I spent a long time reflecting and learning. I finally realized all my past methods were dead wrong. I hope you realize that soon too… otherwise, an ‘ex’ will always just be an ‘ex’.”

With that, Xue Luhe stood up. She looked beautiful in her white coat, her face tinged with a strange sadness. She walked toward the door, brushed past Lin Mo without a word, and left.

Lin Mo was floored. A ruthless, arrogant person like Xue Luhe—the ultimate villain—had actually reflected on her actions and overturned her entire worldview? It was as shocking as Mount Everest turning into an ocean.

Work eventually ended. On her way home, Lin Mo kept an eye out, but she didn’t see Xue Luhe’s car.

Later that night, she saw on the news that Xue Luhe’s official fan club had disbanded several major “fansites.” She suspected it had to do with the airport incident where she was cornered by fans. Strangely, despite so many people being there with cameras, not a single photo of that day had surfaced online. Xue Luhe was clearly suppressing the story to protect her.

Lin Mo reached her apartment and lingered at the entrance for a moment, half-expecting Xue Luhe to be waiting there as she had done before. But the hallway was empty.

Tossing and turning in bed, Lin Mo finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. She pulled out her phone and sent a WeChat message to the pure black profile picture:

“Was what you said today the truth?”

Xue Luhe replied almost instantly:

“Every single word.”

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