After Losing My Memory, I Was Targeted by the Obsessive Movie Queen [gl] - Chapter 19

The car gradually left the noisy city center and entered a villa district in the suburbs. The towering skyscrapers were replaced by patches of quiet woods and detached houses. Before Yan He could even commit the route to memory, the car pulled up in front of a villa’s courtyard.

Yan He followed Lu Youqing out of the car. The moment she opened the door, a burst of refreshing air filled her lungs. Stepping out of the cramped interior, Yan He felt her breathing become much smoother.

The car started up and drove away behind her. Yan He looked back at the sound, finding the scenery before her eyes exquisitely beautiful. It felt as if she had entered a park; the surroundings were fresh and lovely. Glancing around, she saw only a few other houses. The two-story villa in front of her was the home she shared with Lu Youqing.

In Yan He’s current memory, this was her first time at this location. She felt both excited and nervous about entering their shared home.

A few meters ahead stood a tall gate. Before Yan He could inspect it, she saw Lu Youqing unlock it with a fingerprint sensor.

Click.

The gate swung open slowly. Lu Youqing turned back with a smile and took Yan He’s hand, leading her into the yard.

The gate seemed to have an automated function for detecting people entering and exiting. Just as they stepped into the courtyard, Yan He heard the iron gate close behind her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively looked back, seeing only the lush green trees swaying in the wind in the distance.

When she turned back, Lu Youqing was already skillfully entering a code at the front door. “The door locks in the house all have fingerprint sensors. In the future, you can use your fingerprint to enter and exit. You used to prefer using a code, so the gate doesn’t have your fingerprint for now. The code is our anniversary date.”

Lu Youqing briefly told Yan He the code, followed by the notification sound of the lock opening. She turned the handle with one hand and led Yan He inside with the other.

The moment the door opened, the cool air from the pre-set air conditioning in the living room rushed into Yan He’s sleeves. Whether chilled by the air or something else, Yan He shivered slightly. She tucked her head down and stepped inside.

After changing into slippers at the entryway—which were clearly a matching couple’s set—Yan He curiously observed her surroundings.

The living room was somewhat dim. Lu Youqing reached out to turn on the lights, naturally taking off her coat and draping it over the sofa. She tied her hair into a low ponytail and spoke to draw Yan He’s attention back from the villa itself.

“Does anything look familiar?” Her gaze was obscure, staring directly at Yan He. Truthfully, she had initially considered taking Yan He to another property for a while, waiting until Yan He fully accepted her before bringing her back here. After much deliberation, she had decided to bring her back to this small home where they lived together.

Yan He’s gaze fell upon Lu Youqing. The curtains in the living room were drawn, and the soft light fell gently upon her. With her hair in a low ponytail, Lu Youqing suddenly looked different again.

Yan He recalled Lu Youqing’s costume in the movie An Shan. Even with simple, natural makeup and plain clothes, every expression she made carried a heart-stirring charm. The aura that had flowed through the screen back then was now something Yan He could truly and physically feel through the air, causing her heart to race even faster.

“No.” Yan He lowered her head and shook it, trying to forget the version of Lu Youqing that made her heart tremble.

The heavy stone hanging in Lu Youqing’s heart finally dropped. She felt as though she were deceiving herself; for her, Yan He not recovering her memory was like a thirsty person in the desert finding a precious bottle of water. Even knowing the water would eventually run out, she couldn’t resist savoring it.

Lu Youqing’s expression turned dark, her eyes lowering, making the beauty mark at the corner of her eye look even more prominent.

Yan He scanned the living room before asking, “How long have we lived here?”

“Five years. We moved here during our sophomore year of college, and we’ve lived together here ever since.”

This meant the villa held five years of shared memories. Since they had known each other for seven years, the vast majority of their history was within these walls. Yan He felt a sudden pang of bittersweetness, combined with curiosity about the places they had lived before.

Lu Youqing took her wrist. “Let me show you around. See if it triggers anything.” As she spoke, she pointed to various rooms.

“That’s the kitchen; there are the study and the bathroom. The second floor has our bedroom, a guest room, and a storage room.”

Yan He followed Lu Youqing’s directions to look into each room. When she heard Lu Youqing say “our bedroom,” she nearly tripped while standing in the study.

She knew that given their relationship, they must live together. However, now that the suspicion was confirmed, Yan He found herself quite interested in their bedroom.

She walked up the stairs. The first room at the top was the bedroom she shared with Lu Youqing. She pushed the door open curiously.

The decor was still simple, but the details of a shared life were everywhere: a photo of the two of them on the nightstand, matching slippers neatly placed by the bed, and a half-open wardrobe where two different styles of clothing were alternated. Even a few cactus pots sat by the window, all evidence of their deep affection.

Yan He looked at how her and Lu Youqing’s clothes were arranged in the closet, her ears turning red. She walked in and, taking advantage of the fact that Lu Youqing hadn’t come up yet, carefully examined the photo by the bed.

The two girls in the photo were wearing the same school uniform, looking youthful and innocent. This was the first time Yan He had seen her and Lu Youqing as teenagers, and she found it quite interesting.

Lu Youqing walked up the stairs to the doorway. Seeing Yan He staring at the photo, she offered an explanation.

“That was taken three months before the college entrance exams in our senior year. That was the only time the school made an exception and let us bring electronic devices in.”

“I see.” Yan He nodded. She casually pulled open a drawer; it contained some bedtime reading. The second drawer held hygiene products. Neither of the top two drawers contained anything strange, so Yan He naturally pulled open the bottom drawer.

It was locked.

Yan He looked at Lu Youqing in confusion, her brows furrowing slightly. Lu Youqing’s expression made it impossible to read her emotions; her thin lips parted as she spoke.

“As for what’s in there… A-He won’t want to know.”

Her words carried a hint of mystery and amusement, as if the contents of the drawer were a hot potato. Yan He grew even more curious, but lacking a key, she had to swallow her curiosity and follow Lu Youqing out.

Yan He walked to a door at the far end of the hallway. She instinctively went to push it open, but realized this door was also locked.

“That’s the storage room. It’s full of things we haven’t used in a long time. There’s nothing much to see,” Lu Youqing said from behind her. Yan He nodded and turned to leave, but as she headed for the stairs, her gaze uncontrollably lingered one last time on that closed door at the end of the hall.

Lu Youqing checked the time, realizing it was nearly noon. She turned to Yan He.

“It’s lunchtime. I’ll go cook.”

Hearing this, Yan He turned quickly. “I’ll help you.”

Lu Youqing smiled. She reached out and held Yan He’s right hand, from which the cast had recently been removed. “A-He should just sit here. Aren’t there still many places you haven’t seen? Go look around. Besides, today is your first day out of the hospital; I want you to have a taste of my cooking.”

She turned and entered the kitchen, rolling her sleeves up to her elbows to reveal her fair arms. Standing in the kitchen, she skillfully washed and chopped vegetables, looking every bit the part of a domestic partner in her apron.

Yan He watched Lu Youqing’s back, then looked down at her own right arm hanging at her side, her eyelashes fluttering as she pouted.

She’s being looked down upon.