Chapter 62

[Ahhhhh! The acceptance speech was actually a confession and an official relationship announcement! Lu Youqing, you are so romantic! Director, hurry up and cut the camera over there, I want to see who it is that Lu Youqing is looking at with such a tender gaze, is her fiancée right down there?]

[Is it Miss Yan? When I was watching the red carpet livestream earlier, I caught a glimpse of someone in the corner of the stream who looked a lot like Miss Yan right as Lu Youqing was walking down the red carpet.]

[Am I witnessing history here? A famous actress confessing her love to her wife and promising her a lifetime at an awards ceremony, this is way too good to ship! And listening to what Lu Youqing said, it sounds like they’ve known each other for a really long time.]

[Ahhhhhhhh! So good to ship! If it really is Miss Yan, isn’t Lu Youqing confessing to her right on the spot? And at the moment when she herself is attracting the absolute most attention, ahhh just thinking about it is so sweet!]

[Sobbing, Mom, the CP I ship is real, and they even proposed!]

[So the ring Lu Youqing was wearing on her left middle finger today wasn’t a decoration, it was real! I went back to watch the replay again, and that ring wasn’t there when she entered on the red carpet, but by the time of the award presentation she had put it on!]

[Watson, you’ve discovered the blind spot.]

Unlike the overwhelming discussion and shock in the livestream bullet comments, the venue itself fell into near total silence, with everyone staring blankly at Lu Youqing.

After Lu Youqing finished saying these words, she reluctantly withdrew her gaze from Yan He down below, and then, amidst the unauthorized copy shocked eyes of the crowd and the host, let out a soft smile as if what she had just said was not an earth-shattering confession, but merely a standard acceptance speech.

, The ceremony’s host was highly experienced; after freezing for a few moments, he immediately reacted, waving a hand to invite Lu Youqing to step down before continuing with the program to ease the quiet atmosphere in the venue.

However, the subsequent awards no longer commanded as much attention. Even without thinking, anyone could guess that Lu Youqing’s words, symbolizing both a confession and an official announcement, were being turned into thousands of livestream clips across hundreds of live cameras, sending the entire internet into a frenzy.

Yan He naturally knew this as well. She also knew that when Lu Youqing looked at her, perhaps because Lu Youqing’s gaze was too sincere and intense, the people at the venue didn’t even have to search before locking their eyes directly onto her. This was her first time appearing before so many people in the capacity of Lu Youqing’s lover.

Whispers faintly echoed across the venue, sounding somewhat low amidst the teasing banter of the host and guests, but Yan He could still feel the weight of numerous eyes resting on her.

If it was like this at the venue, to say nothing of the internet—netizens had likely gone into a complete frenzy. The sheer volume of discussion surrounding a famous actress’s public relationship announcement would keep the topic of this awards ceremony trending relentlessly. Yan He let out a soft breath, leaning against the wall and quietly watching Lu Youqing.

Her phone suddenly vibrated with a notification. She opened it to find a concise message sent by Lu Youqing:

[Don’t wander around, wait for me in the car.]

Yan He couldn’t help but smile, sending back an “okay.” It felt as though a small animal was softly scratching at her heart with its paws, her heart still trembling from Lu Youqing’s confession on stage. She had so many things she wanted to say to Lu Youqing, yet didn’t know where to begin; after typing, deleting, and editing, she ultimately locked her phone screen.

Putting her phone back into her pocket, her knuckles once again brushed against the ring box inside. She pulled her hand back as if burned. Read on BaiLianTalesCountless drops of fine rain fell, stirring up a storm inside her heart.

She thought that she and Lu Youqing were truly the same kind of people: she had prepared to propose to Lu Youqing today, and Lu Youqing had also chosen today to confess her love to her under the gaze of everyone present.

She suddenly remembered Lu Youqing mentioning their previous proposal, when both of them had proposed to each other on the exact same day. This degree of mutual telepathy was something she would cherish forever.

Yan He couldn’t help a soft laugh, her heart fluttering.

The final song of the ceremony sounded in her ears. Yan He smoothed down her scalding emotions, preparing to leave first to head to the car and prepare warm items for Lu Youqing. However, the instant she turned to exit the emergency passage, her hand was suddenly gripped tightly, and right after, she heard a voice that was both immensely familiar yet strangely distant.

“I knew you were here!”

It was a very familiar female voice, like a clock chiming to wake up Yan He’s memories. Almost instantaneously, the name of the woman belonging to that voice surfaced in her mind.

Wu Yu.

Her entire body froze; before Yan He herself even realized it, her body was trembling. She raised her eyes to look—it was a face very familiar from her memory, yet looking significantly more mature.

“Wu… Yu.” Her thin lips parted as she spoke trembling words, unsure of what to say due to the mix bailiantales.com of pleasant surprise and unfamiliarity.

“Yan He, I knew you were here, hurry up and leave with me!” Wu Yu didn’t notice anything unusual about Yan He; grabbing Yan He’s wrist immediately, she was about to pull her away. Her anxious tone successfully drew several curious glances from passing staff members.

Yan He was somewhat stunned, completely bewildered by Wu Yu’s anxious demeanor. However, there were too many people here for them to talk quietly, so she could only bite the bullet and follow her along: “Right now? Where are we going?”

“Anywhere is fine, as long as we get out of here first! I had to beg Li Wenqiu for so long before she finally agreed to let me come over. It wasn’t easy for me to get out, hurry up and come with me.” Wu Yu walked at a brisk pace, pulling Yan He along tightly while walking forward without even turning her head.

When the two reached a quiet corner of the theatre and were just about to exit, Yan He realized Wu Yu still intended to pull her further away. Frowning slightly, she tugged back on Wu Yu’s hand and slipped her wrist free from her grasp.

“Let’s just stay here. Why did you come?” She rubbed her wrist, looking at Wu Yu, who was scanning her surroundings with a tense expression.

“To find you, of course! Are your injuries any better?” Wu Yu asked with concern. “I was abroad at the time and almost got tracked down by Li Wenqiu, so I couldn’t go pick you up. Only later did I find out you were in a car accident. When I called you, you didn’t pick up either—was it Lu Youqing’s doing? I knew that lunatic was capable of anything!”

Yan He frowned as she looked at her, a hint of displeasure appearing on her face: “The car accident was caused by a collision with a fatigue driver at the time; it had nothing to do with Lu Youqing,” she said to Wu Yu, repressing the anger in her heart. At the same time, a distant, faint commotion sounded from outside—perhaps the awards ceremony was ending. She checked the time, preparing to say goodbye to Wu Yu.

“Sorry, I have other things to handle, I need to leave first.” She moved her feet to depart, but was blocked by Wu Yu once again.

“What are you saying? The most important thing for you right now is to hurry up and leave with me, go abroad with me, and stay completely away from that lunatic Lu Youqing. Li Qing told me you’re actually still staying with Lu Youqing right now. Enduring humiliation doesn’t require you to be this dedicated, does it? Don’t tell me you’re going back to find her right now!” Wu Yu was beside herself with frustration; she suspected that stolen content Yan He must have been knocked senseless by the car accident to remain by Lu Youqing’s side. She had been in so much pain back then—had the scar healed only for her to forget the pain now?

Yan He imperceptibly took half a step back to widen the distance between them. The initial joy and shock of meeting an old friend had completely dissipated amidst Wu Yu’s negative attitude toward Lu Youqing. Although she could gather from Wu Yu’s words that Wu Yu definitely knew about the car accident at the time—and perhaps knew far more than Lu Youqing did—Yan He didn’t want to ask why she had been planning to go abroad before the accident anymore. She only wanted to leave immediately.

“Although I don’t quite understand what you mean, I’m still quite happy to see you. Now that the ceremony has ended, I really have urgent matters to attend to and must go.”

Wu Yu knit her brows tightly. For the first time, she wondered if she and Yan He were even on the same page. She was angered to the point of laughing by Yan He’s righteous words: “Once I get you abroad, I am definitely going to find the best hospital to have your brain checked out.”

After laughing in anger, she actually calmed down somewhat. She suddenly remembered the unfamiliarity in Yan He’s tone and movements when looking at her earlier, her brows furrowing as she spoke probingly.

“You couldn’t really…”

Yan He turned around to walk away.

“Do you still remember what we talked about before?” Wu Yu hurriedly ran in front of Yan He, blocking her path.

Although Yan He was filled with doubt inside, her facial expression remained well-controlled, making herself look less lost. At the same time, her anger gradually faded, replaced by confusion over why Wu Yu would say such things.

“Talked about what?”

“You really forgot!” Wu Yu said in shock. “Why would something so melodramatic happen to you? You didn’t get amnesia, did you?”

Yan He’s heart trembled, feeling an unexpected spike of nervousness. “What did I forget?” Her voice was trembling as well, her level of nervousness no less intense than during those agonizing seconds waiting for Lu Youqing to win the award earlier.

She hadn’t previously felt that the things she forgot were all that important—it was just not knowing why she had wanted to go abroad, after all, given that even Lu Youqing hadn’t brought those matters up to her. But Wu Yu’s words seemed to genuinely tell her that her going abroad actually had another underlying reason, and that Lu Youqing seemed to have kept it hidden from her.

She suddenly began to panic, her heart subconsciously wanting to escape, almost fearing to hear what Wu Yu was about to say next.

Wu Yu’s mind calmed down completely. Looking at the currently bewildered and disoriented Yan He, a bit of pity actually rose in her heart. So she really had amnesia; she actually didn’t remember a single thing.

Thinking this, she began to speak seriously, word by word. This place was very secluded and quiet, so no matter how low her voice was, it could still be heard clearly.

“Half a year ago, you sent me a message saying you wanted to leave Qingcheng and asked me for help. You said Lu Youqing wouldn’t let you break up with her, wouldn’t let you leave, that she imprisoned…” Her voice suddenly came to a dead stop.

She saw that ten-odd meters behind Yan He stood a glamorous woman. The woman’s long, slightly wavy hair was turned against the lights behind her, her figure hidden in a patch of dim shadow as she stared fixedly at them.