After Losing My Memory, I Was Targeted by the Obsessive Movie Queen [gl] - Chapter 29

It was Xue Yi’s familiar voice on the other end, but since Lu Youqing hadn’t turned on the speaker, Yan He could only hear muffled, indistinct chatter.

“Alright, Sister Xue, I understand.” Lu Youqing responded simply and hung up quickly. Looking at the darkened phone screen, she let out a sigh.

Yan He asked tentatively, “What’s wrong? What did your manager say?”

Lu Youqing turned around, her expression dejected and her brows drooping. “Speak of the devil. My next film starts shooting soon.” After speaking, she took a deep breath, looking like someone who was exhausted but determined to persevere.

“I wanted to spend more time with A-He,” she said softly.

Yan He’s gaze fell on the script lying nearby. The white pages were covered in Lu Youqing’s notes, and the date written at the bottom was only a few days away.

It must be starting then.

She reached out and, imitating the way Lu Youqing had comforted her before, lightly stroked her cheek. “Haven’t we already spent a lot of time together? If you keep resting like this, you’ll fade away from the public eye. Your fans will be unhappy.”

Lu Youqing savored Yan He’s care, comfortably closing her eyes and tilting her head to rest on Yan He’s shoulder. She could smell the faint, pleasant fragrance on Yan He’s skin.

“You even know about my fans?” she asked, playfully hooking Yan He’s chin to make her look at her. She flashed a fox-like smile, showing none of the weakness that required gentle care just a moment ago.

“You pay quite a lot of attention to me, Photographer Yan.” She whispered the last title into Yan He’s ear, her breath like orchids. Though it was a perfectly normal title, in this increasingly strange atmosphere, it took on a different meaning. Her perfume grew more intense, drifting uncontrollably into Yan He’s heart.

Yan He’s whole body felt weak. She covered her ear to stop Lu Youqing’s “torment” and spoke in a cool tone, though a slight tremor remained in her voice if one listened closely.

“No, isn’t your job an actress? Every time I open my phone, the news pushes your updates to me. I can’t even hide from it.”

She didn’t mention that it was because she subconsciously searched for Lu Youqing on social media, causing the big data algorithms to make nine out of ten posts about Lu Youqing. If Lu Youqing were to look at her phone now, she wouldn’t be able to escape her “sugar-coated bullets.” She absolutely could not let her see it.

“And why use that title? When did I become a photographer?”

Lu Youqing’s lips curved into a smile. “Is that so? Then it seems A-He really doesn’t pay attention to me.” Her voice suddenly turned disappointed, her tone despondent like late autumn after a heavy rain, leaving only fallen leaves behind.

Yan He’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up and saw Lu Youqing standing up, reaching out a hand to her.

“What are you doing?” Yan He asked in confusion, yet she still reached out her hand.

Lu Youqing gripped her hand, and when she spoke again, her voice was no longer heartbreaking but full of excitement, quickly tossing aside the previous sadness.

“A-He wants to know when she became a photographer? I’ll take her to see her photography equipment right now.”

Lu Youqing opened a drawer in the study and took out a small key. Holding Yan He’s hand, the two went upstairs one after the other, walking slowly toward the room at the far end of the hallway.

This storage room had been locked since Yan He returned home. She had wanted to open it countless times to see what was inside but gave up because she couldn’t find the key. Now that Lu Youqing was about to open the room she was so curious about, Yan He felt a surge of nervousness.

Lu Youqing inserted the key into the lock. With a crisp click, the door opened. Lu Youqing turned the handle and pushed it open, and Yan He finally saw the true face of the storage room.

There was no light in the room. Only the light from the hallway illuminated the corner by the door, leaving the rest dim and unclear.

Lu Youqing let go of Yan He’s hand and walked in familiarly to turn on the light. In an instant, the room was illuminated. Yan He finally saw the interior clearly—a room roughly the same size as the bedroom, cluttered with various items and cardboard boxes. Some boxes were covered in a thin layer of dust, looking as though they hadn’t been opened in a while.

In the corner of the room stood a very wide mirror. It was square, about one and a half people wide. There was no cloth covering it, and it looked newer than the surrounding boxes. As soon as the light came on, Yan He saw that large mirror, as tall as she was, and her own reflection within it. Suddenly, her head throbbed with a sharp pain, as if she had been hit. She frowned and pressed her forehead. Just as she was about to look closer, Lu Youqing’s voice came from beside her.

“Your camera gear is kept in here, perfectly preserved.” As she spoke, Lu Youqing took a camera bag from a nearby box, unzipped it, and handed the camera to Yan He.

Yan He took it and fell into a daze while looking at the camera in her hands. She could feel a slight connection to it; her thumb instinctively pressed the power button. As the screen lit up, she raised the camera, and Lu Youqing’s figure happened to fall into the frame.

A beige knit cardigan wrapped around her figure, and her slightly wavy long hair cascaded casually behind her. The curtains had been drawn at some point, and sunlight spilled through the window into the room. Tiny dust motes drifted in the air, revealing the shape of the light.

Lu Youqing stood in the center of the room, smiling at Yan He. The light fell upon her, gilding her in a faint gold. She wore no makeup, but her natural face was enough to make one’s heart tremble—a breathtaking beauty that was nonetheless gentle and subtle.

With just one look through the lens, Yan He’s gaze was fixed on the Lu Youqing on the screen. For a moment, her heart stopped. She involuntarily pressed the shutter. With the soft click of the camera focusing, Lu Youqing’s gentle image was frozen in time.

Yan He suddenly snapped out of it. She hurriedly looked up at the real Lu Youqing, only to find her still smiling tenderly, her water-like eyes warmly enveloping Yan He’s heart. Seeing Yan He look up, she didn’t forget to ask:

“Well? Is anything broken on the camera?” Her voice, like water striking a stream, drifted into Yan He’s ears. Looking at the perfectly captured image of the woman on the screen, Yan He’s eyes suddenly reddened.

It was a tremor of the heart caused by an extreme, inexpressible beauty.

“No.” She pressed the power button again, hiding the photo. Uncharacteristically, she felt a powerful urge for the first time—she didn’t want anyone else to see this photo. It was so strong she couldn’t ignore it; it screamed in her mind, occupying all her thoughts.

“Let’s go, then. There’s so much dust here.” Lu Youqing didn’t notice Yan He’s little mood. She walked over and naturally took her arm, seemingly choked by the dust, and pulled Yan He away.

Yan He looked back meaningfully at the large mirror in the corner before turning away.

Lu Youqing’s new film was being shot in a distant city, and she would be gone for many days of back-to-back work without being able to return. Two days before she left, Yan He went with her to the hospital to visit Mother Li.

In the car, Lu Youqing briefly told Yan He about her history with Mother Li.

Mother Li’s full name was Li Yifang. She had been the live-in nanny who had cared for Yan He since she was born. She had previously cared for Yan Suy弈, and after Yan He was born, Yan Suy弈 was so busy with work that she was away most of the time. Because little Yan He was too young, she hired the trusted Li Yifang to look after her.

In a way, Mother Li had raised Yan He. She was like a grandmother figure, and Yan He’s feelings for her were naturally very deep. After Yan He went to college, Mother Li retired and lived in her hometown of Wucheng. She had only come to Qingcheng recently to seek treatment after falling ill.

As she listened to Lu Youqing’s narrative, Yan He’s mood grew somber. An elder who loved her so much, and whom she loved in return, was seriously ill, yet she currently couldn’t truly empathize with the feelings of “Yan He.”

Just thinking about it, even before meeting her, she had already envisioned a kind old woman in her mind, and her heart grew more complicated. If she didn’t have amnesia now, she would likely feel even more miserable than she did.

Despite these thoughts, the moment she followed Lu Youqing into the hospital room and saw the old woman lying on the bed, tears instinctively burst from her eyes. She didn’t even realize it was a physical reaction; her vision just blurred. She raised her hand and felt her face covered in tears.

Looking at the frail elder on the bed, Yan He’s tears fell like rain.

“Granny Li,” she whispered, her voice raspy in a way that shocked even herself.

“Xiao He, why are you here? Come, let me see you.” Li Yifang sat up in bed, beckoning her with a smile. Yan He couldn’t contain the churning emotions in her heart; she walked straight over, instinctively letting go of Lu Youqing’s hand.

Lu Youqing looked down at her empty hand. The warmth of Yan He’s palm still seemed to linger there. Emotions swirled in her dark eyes. Watching the figures of Yan He and Li Yifang, the heart she had kept suspended finally settled, yet she couldn’t help but give a bitter smile as a dense ache spread through her chest.

What kind of partner was she? She was constantly terrified of her lover recovering her memory, constantly harboring the dark hope that Yan He wouldn’t recover so soon.

Lu Youqing closed her eyes, swallowing the heaviness and pain in her heart, trying her best not to show any abnormal reaction. However, her hand hanging at her side couldn’t stop clenching, her nails digging into the skin of her palm. The slight pain helped her regain some clarity.

It’s okay, she comforted herself. Even if Yan He had instinctively avoided her before, after all this time, she must have developed an attachment to her. She didn’t need much; she just needed to know Yan He liked her and loved her. That was why she insecurely made Yan He promise those requests, and why she was unwilling to let Yan He leave her under any circumstances.

Although the current A-He was still somewhat guarded, she still had time. Time to make A-He fall in love with her again. They would start over.

No matter what, she would never let Yan He leave.