After Losing My Memory, I Was Targeted by the Obsessive Movie Queen [gl] - Chapter 49

Lu Youqing was gone.

Yan He’s brows furrowed deeply as she watched the swim ring drift over and bump against her. Her heart felt as though it had plunged into a pool of ice water. She quickly began to swim around, searching frantically for Lu Youqing’s silhouette.

“Lu Youqing! Lu Youqing!” She swam to and fro, calling out her name with growing dread. Because of her fear, she didn’t even dare to submerge herself to check beneath the surface. She was terrified of what she might actually see…

An overwhelming surge of helplessness and panic washed over her. In an instant, the warm water felt bone-chillingly cold, slowing her movements. Shivering, she took a deep breath and forced herself to submerge. Just as she went under, she caught the sound of a door opening nearby.

Her nerves snapping taut, Yan He lunged back up to the surface. She lifted her head, her blurry vision locking onto a slender silhouette on the pool deck. Once her vision cleared, her trembling gaze finally fell upon a worried Lu Youqing.

“What’s wrong, A-He?” Lu Youqing had originally intended to sneak out while Yan He was swimming to grab some drinks. But while in the adjacent room, she suddenly heard Yan He’s frantic, desperate cries. Fearing that something terrible had happened, she had sprinted back.

Lu Youqing stood on the pool deck, still wearing the thin white shirt that clung damply to her skin, exposing her long, shapely legs. She was bending over to look at Yan He, her dark eyes filled with absolute panic.

Seeing that Yan He only stared at her while panting, unable to speak, Lu Youqing anxiously prepared to step into the water to ask what was wrong. But she didn’t know how to swim, and Yan He was currently in the deep end. Helpless, she could only wave urgently from the edge.

Silently, Yan He paddled over. Restings against the edge of the shallow end, her body trembled as she looked up. Water droplets clung to her long lashes like the fluttering wings of a butterfly, and her amber eyes completely reflected Lu Youqing’s worried face. As she drew near, Lu Youqing leaned down toward her.

“A-He?” she asked softly, her hand reaching out to gently cup Yan He’s cheek. The cool water from Yan He’s skin pooled on her fingertips, dripping down onto the deck.

Yan He panted, her wet hair clinging to her back as it dripped relentlessly. Water rolled down the sharp line of her brow bone. Her heart was pounding violently. Bracing her hands against the ledge, she pushed half of her body out of the water like a mermaid and sealed her lover’s lips.

The crisp, cool temperature traveled through her skin straight to Lu Youqing’s heart. Lu Youqing’s eyes widened in sheer surprise at this sudden, intense display of affection, her gaze full of confusion.

Feeling the warmth of her lover and listening to the hot breath fanning across her skin, Yan He’s panicked heart finally found a semblance of peace. She tremblingly broke the kiss, her clear eyes fixed intently on Lu Youqing. Then, she reached out, took Lu Youqing’s hand, and guided her down into the shallowest part of the pool.

She still hadn’t said a single word, causing Lu Youqing’s brows to furrow deeply.

“What’s wrong, A-He? Why aren’t you speaking?” Her voice softened with concern. “Did something happen?”

Only then did Yan He turn her head to look at her, her gaze as deep as the water beneath them. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around Lu Youqing in a profound embrace.

“It’s nothing,” Yan He murmured.

She had simply realized, all of a sudden, that Lu Youqing had become unimaginably important to her. Just a brief, unannounced departure was enough to send her into a total panic, causing her mind to construct horrific scenarios. She suddenly understood completely why Lu Youqing insisted that she always give notice before leaving her line of sight.

Right now, she wanted nothing more than to lock Lu Youqing securely by her side.

“In the future, you can’t leave my line of sight without warning either,” she said, taking a deep breath to suppress her erratic emotions. Shivering slightly, she held Lu Youqing close. The water left virtually no space between them, and the rhythm of their racing hearts gradually synchronized.

Lu Youqing’s heart skipped a beat. She wrapped her arms back around Yan He, gently stroking her back to soothe her, though her own mind was surging with a fierce excitement. A-He reacted this strongly to my brief absence… Thinking this, a wave of elation swirled in her eyes.

If Yan He’s reaction was this intense, did it mean her place in Yan He’s heart was already monumental? Did it mean Yan He had already fallen deeply in love with her all over again?

A profound joy bloomed within Lu Youqing. Knowing that her status in Yan He’s heart was deepening by the day, the lingering insecurity that had plagued her for so long gradually dissolved within the tightness of the embrace. Affection proliferated wildly in her chest; despite being in the water, and despite it being winter, she felt incredibly warm.

“Okay, I promise A-He,” Lu Youqing agreed softly, the sweetness in her heart overflowing into her voice.

Soothed by Lu Youqing’s comfort, Yan He’s chaotic emotions finally settled. She lifted her gaze to look at Lu Youqing and suddenly smiled. “I was just testing how long I could hold my breath underwater.”

Lu Youqing smiled back, asking playfully, “Then how long can A-He hold her breath?”

Yan He didn’t answer. Instead, she retrieved the floating swim ring from nearby, looped it around Lu Youqing, and grabbed her phone from the pool deck, handing it over.

“Help me time it. I’m afraid my own count isn’t accurate,” Yan He said.

Lu Youqing unlocked the phone, nodding as she instructed, “Alright, but do it right here. And if I feel like something is wrong, I’m pulling you right back up.”

Yan He had no objections. Following Lu Youqing’s countdown of “Three, two, one,” she took a deep breath and submerged beneath the surface.

From Lu Youqing’s perspective, Yan He’s silhouette beneath the water blurred with the ripples on the surface, resembling a cluster of blooming water lilies. She kept her eyes glued to the timer on the screen, then flicked her gaze back down to the water, meticulously watching for any sign of discomfort.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands clamp tightly around her thighs underwater. She let out a soft gasp, nearly losing her footing and slipping, but the figure beneath the surface caught her securely, propping her against the pool ledge. Lu Youqing knit her brows, not yet realizing what Yan He was playing at. In the next fraction of a second, her pupils dilated violently. Her body went entirely soft, all her strength draining away. Supported only by the swim ring, she floated on the surface, biting her lip to keep her fractured gasps from escaping.

Yan He had actually…

She didn’t dare move, terrified that her struggling might strike Yan He and disrupt her breath-hold. She could only lightly clutch Yan He’s hair, half-pushing and half-pulling her closer. The phone in her other hand nearly slipped from her slick fingers, clattering onto the deck by the edge of the pool.

Submerged completely, Yan He slowly moved through the clear water, navigating toward the deep, damp recesses. She parted her lips, but her mouth was filled with water, making speech impossible. The scorching heat merged with the lukewarm pool water. The water tasted sweet; she felt like a parched traveler in a barren desert who had finally stumbled upon an oasis, drinking relentlessly without pause.

After more than a minute, Yan He finally couldn’t hold it any longer and broke the surface. She floated in the water, gasping heavily for air. Her gaze landed on Lu Youqing, only to find the other woman breathing just as heavily, her chest heaving as if she needed fresh air even more than Yan He did. Lu Youqing’s fair face bore an unnatural flush, her gaze dazed, her ripe lips parting and closing as if she were whispering something. Yan He leaned closer, finally catching the words.

“You bastard.”

“You did that on purpose… to retaliate against me, didn’t you?”

Lu Youqing frowned, her lips trembling as she panted, unable to form a complete sentence. Yan He’s sudden ascent had left her stranded mid-sensation; without Yan He’s continued presence, the lack of resolution left her feeling entirely miserable.

Yan He suddenly leaned down and sealed her lips. Lu Youqing caught the faint, sea-like brininess between her teeth. Naturally understanding what it was, she knit her brows and tried to break free from the restraint. But she didn’t know where Yan He had found such strength; held securely in her embrace, she couldn’t break away at all. Instead, her own remaining energy dissipated, leaving her to be cradled passively by Yan He as the taste was ultimately returned to its rightful owner.

Lu Youqing was already sensitive, and after such a long, passionate kiss, she was entirely overcome by emotion. Resting against Yan He’s shoulder, her eyes were misty, looking so aggrieved that tears were on the verge of falling.

Yan He broke the kiss, letting the warm, soft figure rest against her as they caught their breath. Due to the intensity of the kiss, her own recently settled breathing had grown ragged again, yet a smile remained on her lips.

“I really was just testing how long I could hold my breath,” she said, glancing at the phone discarded on the deck. The timer on the screen was still ticking upward.

“Looks like I failed this time.” Yan He drooped her brows, putting on a piteous, hurt expression. She leaned in close to Lu Youqing, cupping her chin to draw her into another kiss.

“What should we do, Sister? Puppy didn’t succeed in the test this time. How is Sister going to punish Puppy?” She still had the leisure to tease her, deliberately ignoring the sheer frustration swirling in Lu Youqing’s eyes, while her fingertips beneath the surface idly brushed against her with the flow of the water.

Lu Youqing knit her brows. The pressure of the water and the deliberate touches made her feel so overwhelmed that she could barely maintain her footing. She clutched Yan He’s collar, gritting her teeth to suppress her soft whimpers.

“Hurry… A-He, it’s unbearable.” Her voice was entirely raspy, her entire body leaning flush against Yan He. Tears leaked damply from the corners of her eyes, looking as if she were about to dissolve completely into the pool water.

The tide of affection in Yan He’s heart swelled beyond control. She turned off the phone, planted one last kiss on Lu Youqing’s lips, and dove back beneath the surface.

Ripples churned outward across the water. Lu Youqing tilted her head back, panting with half-closed eyes as she relaxed completely against the ledge. Her brows were knit slightly, waves of intense pleasure breaking across her expression. Her hand submerged beneath the water, gently stroking the strands of the woman’s hair.

“Mm… such a good girl.”

The next day, Yan He and Lu Youqing saw Yan Suyi off at the airport, after which they took a car to rendezvous with the director and production crew.

Before leaving, the two had meticulously applied foundation to cover the visible red marks on their skin. During their brief vacation, they had completely ignored Ms. Yan Suyi’s advice regarding moderation. A couple in the honeymoon phase could hardly listen to such lectures; the consequence was that neither of them possessed a single pristine patch of skin. Fortunately, it was winter, so they wouldn’t be exposing much skin anyway.

They boarded a flight with the production crew and arrived in Haicheng, a city bordering the sea. The moment they stepped off the plane, a blast of freezing air hit them square in the face. The salty, damp ocean breeze carried a bone-chilling cold that raged through the winter air.

Yan He had never experienced this particular brand of cold. Even wrapped tightly in her down jacket, she still felt frozen. The wind seemed to penetrate her body through every gap in her collar and cuffs. She stood rooted to the spot for a good while to adjust before she felt capable of moving.

She and Lin Le each pushed a suitcase; she was becoming increasingly adept in her role as an assistant.

Some fans had learned beforehand that the crew would be arriving in Haicheng today, so they had gathered early at the airport exit. When Yan He saw the crowd of fans holding up banners for Lu Youqing, she truly realized for the first time just how immense Lu Youqing’s fame actually was.