The Movie Queen’s Charming Little Wife: Feigning Amnesia Online - Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Lin Mo called 120 (emergency services), but unfortunately, it was a snowy day. It would take some time for the ambulance to arrive. She could only first ask Xue Luhe where it hurt, then cautiously sweep away the snow from underneath her body, not daring to move her further.

Xue Luhe lay flat on the ground. Her clothes were dirty and wet, and her face and hair were covered in beads of sweat from enduring the pain. To breathe more easily, she had removed her mask and scarf.

Luckily, there were few people around at that moment. Only a few stood by watching; although they recognized her as Xue Luhe, they didn’t dare act recklessly. Otherwise, the media would likely have arrived before the ambulance.

Squatting beside her, Lin Mo broke into a cold sweat from anxiety as she watched Xue Luhe’s agonized expression. She couldn’t help but keep talking to her:

“Just wait a little longer, don’t fall asleep! The ambulance will be here soon. I’ve seen it in movies—they say when someone is injured, they can’t fall asleep, or else they’ll… anyway, just talk to me. If it hurts too much, just cry out, don’t hold it in!”

Xue Luhe’s face was as pale as golden paper. Large beads of sweat emerged along with the veins on her forehead; her teeth were clenched so tightly she couldn’t say a word.

However, she still tried her best to respond to Lin Mo with her eyes and slight nods. Hearing Lin Mo’s words, she loosened her jaw and let out a suppressed, low groan of pain.

Lin Mo felt terrible. When the fall first happened, she hadn’t felt much reality to it; she never expected it to be this serious.

Initially, the pain probably hadn’t set in yet for Xue Luhe. She had even been able to smile and tell Lin Mo to call Xu Lu using her phone to get people over.

But after about a minute, overwhelming pain surged from the site of the bone injury. Xue Luhe’s expression changed instantly; her gaze turned vacant from the pain, and her body even began to tremble. At that moment, Lin Mo was utterly terrified. Not knowing what to do, she felt like crying herself.

Furthermore, when she realized that if it weren’t for Xue Luhe, she would be the one suffering this agony right now, Lin Mo couldn’t hold it back anymore. Looking at Xue Luhe, her lips trembled, and large tears began to pour out.

Seeing Lin Mo cry, Xue Luhe slowly shook her head. She even tremblingly raised a hand, wanting to wipe away Lin Mo’s tears, but she couldn’t reach her.

Lin Mo finally broke down and wailed:

“Wuuu… why did you suddenly appear… Don’t move, don’t touch me! Ahhh, it’s all my fault. If only I had watched where I was walking…”

While crying, Lin Mo reached out to block the snow falling on Xue Luhe’s head, helping her brush away the large snowflakes while being careful not to touch her body.

Xue Luhe’s trembling hand reached out and grabbed Lin Mo’s wrist.

To Lin Mo, it felt like a piece of iron pressed against her hand—bone-chillingly cold. She quickly used her other hand to warm that ice-cold hand, cupping it and breathing on it.

A warm smile flickered in Xue Luhe’s eyes. As the pain eased slightly, she tried to open her mouth and said hoarsely:

“Don’t cry… I’m fine…”

Lin Mo’s tears fell onto Xue Luhe’s palm. They were scalding hot, searing Xue Luhe’s heart.

Xue Luhe spoke again:

“Don’t cry… save your strength…”

Only then did Lin Mo realize that her crying might bother Xue Luhe and was not conducive to “saving strength.” She quickly stopped her tears, pressed her lips tight, and nodded vigorously.

Xue Luhe closed her eyes to try and rest. Lin Mo squatted beside her, cupping her hand, waiting in tension and anxiety.

The ambulance finally arrived twenty minutes late. Doctors and orderlies got out and lifted her onto a stretcher and into the vehicle.

Lin Mo squeezed into the ambulance, holding Xue Luhe’s hand all the way to the hospital emergency room, where Xu Lu was already waiting.

After the doctor took over the case, they glanced at the patient and immediately turned around:

“Where is the family?”

Lin Mo suddenly remembered that she was technically Xue Luhe’s legal wife. She opened her mouth but couldn’t quite say it.

It was Xu Lu who pointed to Lin Mo:

“This is the patient’s spouse. She can sign the consent forms.”

The doctor immediately dropped a thick stack of documents. Lin Mo did a quick flip through and saw they were all various waivers and surgical consent forms; her whole body began to shake.

A pen was shoved into her hand. Mechanically following instructions, she signed her name and left thumbprints wherever required.

Xu Lu handled everything that followed. Lin Mo followed them around in circles, unable to help with anything, feeling completely useless.

When Xue Luhe was finished with X-rays and pushed toward the operating room, Lin Mo followed closely beside the bed. Her tears had dried by now, replaced by deep worry and fear.

Facing that operating room, the familiar corridor smelling of disinfectant, and the rushing white coats, a deep-seated fear from Lin Mo’s heart began to surface.

In her previous life… she had frequented this place. She was very familiar with it—every smell, every piece of equipment.

Her heart beat erratically. A sense of suffocation engraved in her soul made her clutch her chest and frown; a familiar pain surged from within.

In her past life… Lin Mo knew her life had ended in an emergency operating room like this.

The only difference was that back then, it was Lin Mo being sent in. Her consciousness had been blurred; she could only see the red light above the operating room.

But now, it was Xue Luhe being sent in. Lin Mo saw everything clearly: the appearance of the room and the bright sign on the door.

“Surgery in Progress.”

Lin Mo stood blankly at the door, staring at it. Countless emotions surged and drowned her.

The lights were too bright and piercing. Her eyes, having just cried, were uncomfortable. She rubbed them, but the more she rubbed, the more they hurt, and more tears were forced out.

Xu Lu’s voice came from beside her:

“Miss Lin, why don’t you take a rest?”

Lin Mo turned her head blankly. Her vision was like a mist, and her ears were as dull as her other senses:

“Huh?”

Xu Lu pointed to the seats nearby, signaling for her to sit.

Lin Mo walked over with heavy steps and sat down like a statue, motionless.

Beside her, Xu Lu, still dressed professionally, said expressionlessly:

“Miss Lin, I hope you can be more careful in the future. President Xue’s health is already very poor. This cannot happen again.”

Lin Mo trembled, as if struck by a bullet. She paused before asking:

“Her health is poor?”

Xu Lu nodded:

“She stays up late year-round and is overworked. She has many underlying conditions—nothing fatal, but very troublesome. This fracture is adding insult to injury. Given her physical constitution, a full recovery might be difficult.”

Lin Mo’s lips trembled. Her heart, which had just calmed slightly, began to beat violently again, as if held in someone’s palm—struggling and pulsing, but unable to escape.

Her voice shook as she asked:

“Then what should be done? Can I help with anything?”

Xu Lu turned her head slightly, a glint of shrewdness flashing behind her gold-rimmed glasses.

Her tone was flat:

“You probably won’t be able to help much.”

Lin Mo gave a soft “oh” and lowered her head, not knowing what to say, her mind a tangled mess.

The corner of Xu Lu’s mouth quirked up slightly as she continued:

“Especially over this past month, President Xue has ruined her health. She wouldn’t sleep all night, locked herself in her room, saw no one, and didn’t eat. After a whole week of that, she lost so much weight she’s barely recognizable.”

Lin Mo’s shoulders shook as if she’d been punched; she shivered.

Seeing this, Xu Lu shut her mouth at exactly the right moment.

The two sat together in silence, lost in their own thoughts, occasionally looking up at the surgery light.

Time passed quickly into the deep night. Xu Lu arranged for dinner boxes to be delivered and asked Lin Mo to eat, but Lin Mo refused.

Xu Lu ate her own meal and continued handling business on her phone and tablet. Lin Mo sat blankly in the chair, thinking about many things, yet seemingly nothing at all.

In her previous life, at age twelve, Lin Mo had been beaten by her father until her ribs broke, which triggered a heart condition. The situation was extremely dangerous. When she arrived at the hospital, it took the best doctors to pull her back from the brink of death.

Because of that incident, Lin Mo’s body grew weaker. During school, her classmates called her “The Sickly Beauty.” Some wrote her love letters, some bullied her, but most pitied her and gave in to her. Even teachers had no expectations for her grades.

Actually, this had always been a sore spot for Lin Mo. She wanted to be treated like everyone else, yet she knew it was impossible.

She knew deeply what it felt like to be in poor health. It was a sense of losing control from body to soul—not being able to control one’s own body leads to total self-doubt.

To think Xue Luhe also had poor health… She didn’t look like she had any underlying conditions at all; she lived so flamboyantly and was full of a desire for control.

Lin Mo suddenly wondered: was it because she was gradually losing control of her own body that Xue Luhe developed such a strong desire to control the people around her?

Lin Mo looked up and asked Xu Lu carefully:

“What underlying conditions does Xue Luhe actually have?”

Xu Lu thought for a moment and said:

“Hormonal imbalance, a blood disorder that lowers immunity, a perforated stomach, bipolar disorder, mild anorexia. And some other minor unnamed ailments.”

Lin Mo: “…”

So, basically anything that doesn’t kill you immediately is considered an “underlying condition”? Xue Luhe is practically a medicine jar! The nickname “Sickly Beauty” should belong to her!

Looking at it this way, Xue Luhe’s unpredictable temper was likely affected by her physical condition. Hormonal issues and bipolar disorder have a huge impact on emotions; these weren’t things Xue Luhe could control herself.

The more she thought about it, the more Lin Mo felt a faint sense of guilt.

In the past, she really did have many misunderstandings about Xue Luhe… and with Xue Luhe’s proud personality, she would never voluntarily tell anyone these things, leading Lin Mo to think she was just naturally malicious. But that wasn’t the case.

Half or even more of Xue Luhe’s explosive temper and bad personality could be attributed to physical reasons.

Lin Mo secretly made a decision: once Xue Luhe came out, she would definitely supervise her and make sure she treated all her illnesses. She should put work aside for a bit; taking care of her health was the most important thing!

Perhaps if her health improved, Xue Luhe’s bad temper would vanish. By then, she would be a gentle, polite, genius actress and CEO…

Lin Mo thought to herself that if she could pull this off, it would be a contribution to the whole world!

Therefore, she definitely had to take good care of Xue Luhe. Not because she had any special feelings for her, but just to repay the kindness—for the sake of world peace, yes!

In a gap between typing, Xu Lu looked up and glanced at Lin Mo through her glasses. Seeing her complex expression and thoughtful look, Xu Lu couldn’t help but hide a smirk.

She’d have to mention this to the boss later—this quarter’s bonus was definitely in the bag. As a private assistant, one must be anxious when the boss is anxious and say the things the boss is unwilling to say to help them toward a happy life. That was the way to maximize one’s own interests.

While both were lost in thought, the surgery light went “ding” and turned off.

Lin Mo jumped up from her chair and dashed to the operating room door!

However, the doors remained closed. After a long while, the white coats pushed the doors open and wheeled out Xue Luhe’s bed.

Lin Mo rushed to the bedside. She saw Xue Luhe was still under anesthesia, her face pale with closed eyes.

She couldn’t even speak; she just looked up at the doctors.

One of the female doctors smiled faintly:

“The patient is stable now. Follow-up recovery should be good. She just needs to be hospitalized for observation.”

Lin Mo breathed a massive sigh of relief. Her hands, which had been gripping the edge of the bed, loosened. She let the doctors wheel Xue Luhe away, dragging her feet behind them.

Xu Lu patted her shoulder:

“If the surgery was successful, there shouldn’t be any big problems. Spouse, don’t break your own health down.”

That word—”spouse”—hit Lin Mo like a sudden clap of thunder.

Only then did she realize that she had been the one to sign the papers; she had legitimately exercised her rights as Xue Luhe’s family!

Can… can a contract marriage be like this too?

Lin Mo was confused, yet she didn’t feel repelled by it. She even felt a slight sense that she had done something for Xue Luhe, that she wasn’t completely useless, which eased her guilt.

She’d worry about that later. Lin Mo hurried to catch up, seeing several orderlies push Xue Luhe into the elevator and press the top floor. She followed them in.

They soon reached the ward. Lin Mo discovered it was a very high-end private room with its own kitchenette and bathroom, as well as a bed for family members. There were flowers by the window, and the room was as warm as spring—clean and cozy.

For the thousandth time, Lin Mo lamented: It’s so good to be rich!

The orderlies carefully moved the pajama-clad Xue Luhe onto the bed, adjusted various electronic devices, started an IV drip, and then left with the empty stretcher.

Lin Mo stood in the room feeling lost, then walked to the bed to look at the anesthetized Xue Luhe.

That usually sharp and beautiful face showed no aggression now. She was extremely pale, making her eyebrows look darker and her lashes longer. Beneath her closed eyes, there was a slight twitching, as if she were trying hard to wake up.

There was a greyish-black shadow in the depths of her eye sockets. Her nose bridge was high but looked as if it might break at any moment. Her lips were slightly pursed and bloodless, and her cheeks were so thin there was no flesh left on them.

Even in sleep, Xue Luhe’s brow was furrowed tightly, as if she were enduring pain or dreaming of something miserable.

Yet even in this sickly state, she was stunningly beautiful—a dizzying beauty of illness and pain.

As Lin Mo watched, she couldn’t help but reach out and touch Xue Luhe’s forehead.

Then her finger moved down from the forehead to the space between the eyebrows, gently smoothing out that furrowed skin.

The tension around Xue Luhe was strong; Lin Mo had to apply a little pressure to flatten the brow before pulling her hand away.

Now, Xue Luhe looked like a sleeping child, her expression much more peaceful.

Lin Mo stared at her for a long time, unwilling to look away. She felt the person before her was simply too perfect; just looking was a feast for the eyes.

After another long while, Xu Lu arrived with a thick medical file and handed it to Lin Mo:

“Miss Lin, I spoke with the doctor for a long time. The general situation is clear. Although President Xue is recovering, we still can’t entirely rule out life-threatening risks. This file contains all the info on her underlying conditions. Also, the hospital only allows one person to stay overnight. Will it be you or me?”

Lin Mo froze and thought for a long time.

Seeing her hesitate, Xu Lu sighed:

“I’m her private assistant, I get paid for this. I’ll stay. Miss Lin, you go back and rest.”

Lin Mo stood up mechanically and walked toward the door. When she reached it, she looked back at Xue Luhe again, her steps becoming even more sluggish.

Xu Lu suddenly called out to her:

“Miss Lin, don’t forget your bag.”

Lin Mo saw her bag sitting on the nightstand, right next to Xue Luhe’s paper-pale face.

At that moment, Xue Luhe’s brow furrowed tightly again, perhaps due to pain.

Lin Mo turned back immediately, her steps firm as she returned to the bedside:

“Xu Lu, you go back. I’ll stay tonight. It’s no problem; I’m very familiar with hospitals.”

Back when she had heart disease, no one took care of her. She mostly didn’t stay in the hospital, and when she did, she did everything herself. She had long ago mastered hospital procedures.

Xu Lu looked at Lin Mo in surprise, her tone carrying a hint of relief:

“President Xue will surely be very happy to see you first when she wakes up. Then I’ll head out. No matter what time it is tonight, if anything happens, call me. I’ll definitely be available.”

Lin Mo turned back:

“Assistant Xu, you should rest well too. If anything happens here, I’ll get the doctor.”

Xu Lu nodded and left.

The door closed, leaving only Lin Mo in the ward, staring dotingly at the person on the bed.

She reached out again to smooth the creases in Xue Luhe’s brow, so that she could at least appear to sleep more soundly.

But after a while, the brow would furrow again, and Lin Mo would smooth it once more.

She did this repeatedly, countless times, until she was finally so tired her eyelids wouldn’t stay open. The room was very warm, and waves of sleepiness kept washing over her.

She slumped against the edge of the bed, resting her head on her hand, intending to doze off for a bit and wake up later to continue watching over her.

However, she was so exhausted that her “quick nap” turned into sleeping until dawn.

When Lin Mo opened her eyes again, she saw a ray of sunlight peeking through the edge of the curtain, shining on the back of her hand.

It was a rare fine day in winter, looking very bright.

How is Xue Luhe?

Lin Mo hurriedly checked, only to find the person on the bed had long since woken up. She was facing Lin Mo, staring at her with a pair of pitch-black eyes.

Lin Mo’s face turned red instantly. They were far too close. Half of Xue Luhe’s face was illuminated by the brilliant sunlight, making her gaze look bright, clear, and incredibly charming.

Xue Luhe smiled slightly and said:

“Good morning. It’s a bright day today.”

Lin Mo’s heart went thump-thump. The person before her was so beautiful that she forgot to react for a moment, simply staring blankly.

Xue Luhe let out a soft chuckle. After a night’s rest, some color had returned to her face, making her look both sickly and radiant.

“Are you scared silly?”

She spoke teasingly, her voice still carrying a hint of raspiness that made Lin Mo’s ears itch.

Lin Mo scrambled to sit up, looking around frantically:

“How do you feel? How long have you been awake? The IV—is the IV finished yet?”

Xue Luhe said with a beaming smile:

“I haven’t been awake long either. I’ve already pressed the bell; someone will come to change it.”

Lin Mo saw there was still a little bit of fluid left in the drip, so it wouldn’t run dry. She felt a bit more at ease and sat back down:

“Are you hungry? Where does it hurt? Tell me what you want to eat and I’ll go buy it.”

Xue Luhe shook her head, the smile on her face fading into a serious expression:

“You don’t need to buy anything. Just send a message to Xu Lu; she knows what to bring. And you, you need to eat breakfast too.”

Thinking of Xue Luhe’s anorexia, Lin Mo couldn’t help but ask cautiously:

“Do you… not like eating? Is that why you’re so thin and prone to fractures?”

Xue Luhe arched an eyebrow:

“Xu Lu told you that?”

Lin Mo nodded, not daring to say anything else.

Xue Luhe murmured to herself:

“I’ll have to deduct her bonus later… what else did she say?”

Lin Mo quickly shook her head:

“Nothing, nothing else at all.”

Xue Luhe stared intently at Lin Mo for a while, then suddenly broke into a bright smile:

“No matter what she said, don’t believe her. I’m not that fragile. I’m very easy to keep—I only need a few bites of food.”

Lin Mo felt there was a hidden meaning in those words, but she could only try to ignore it as she pulled out her phone to message Xu Lu.

Xue Luhe stopped her:

“No need. I already messaged her when I woke up this morning.”

Lin Mo put her phone down, feeling restless:

“Then… then I… I came to stay overnight and ended up falling asleep. You handled everything yourself when you woke up. I seem so useless… wuuu, it was all my fault yesterday. If I hadn’t been so clumsy, you wouldn’t have been hurt…”

As she spoke, Lin Mo’s emotions collapsed again, and she started crying.

Xue Luhe, however, was smiling:

“Don’t cry. It was an accident. It’s better that I’m hurt than you.”

Lin Mo blinked, forcing back her tears:

“It’s not good if anyone is hurt! Besides, you recover slowly! I’m tougher; it should have been me instead!”

Xue Luhe pointed toward her lower body and said playfully:

“Well, you want to swap my broken bones for yours now?”

Lin Mo was silenced.

Just then, a pretty nurse came in to change the IV. While doing so, she kept stealing glances at Xue Luhe, her eyes full of the light of a star-struck fan.

Xue Luhe nodded and smiled at the nurse, who then beamed like a flower. She even helped tuck in the corners of Xue Luhe’s blanket before reluctantly leaving.

Watching the whole scene, Lin Mo inexplicably remembered something from long ago. When Xue Luhe had taken her to the hospital to check her head, Xue Luhe had flirted with a female nurse in the waiting room!

With an odd expression, she asked Xue Luhe:

“Why do you always flirt with nurses? Do you like nurses?”

Xue Luhe smiled, her eyes shimmering like a brilliant galaxy.

“Are you jealous?”

Then, as if talking to herself but in a volume intentionally loud enough for Lin Mo to hear, she said:

“I do quite like nurse uniforms. I’ll buy one later and have my wife wear it for me.”

Wife… uh…

Lin Mo thought of the surgical consent form she signed, and her ears slowly turned red.