After She Fell for Me, I Lost My Memory (GL) - Chapter 1

The weather in Yun City in November is unpredictable. One moment it’s sunny, the next a downpour.

Cen Luo’s desk is by the window. The fierce wind and heavy rain mercilessly pound against the glass, and lightning tears across the sky.

Looking down at the street, the lights from neon signs, traffic signals, and cars blur together in the curtain of rain. The storm and the traffic make Cen Luo, who is watching it all, feel a little dejected.

She lets out a long sigh and stands up to close the curtains.

Her phone vibrates with a new message, and the screen lights up. Cen Luo excitedly unlocks it, only to find a low-balance warning from the phone company.

It’s the beginning of the month; time to pay the phone bill.

Cen Luo sighs but doesn’t immediately pay it. Instead, she opens a chat on WeChat.

Her last conversation with Jian Mu was two hours ago.

To be precise, her one-sided greeting to Jian Mu was two hours ago.

[Have you had dinner?]

[The barbecue place we used to go to changed owners.]

[I mean, do you want to have dinner together?]

[cat-peeking/]

Each message was sent three minutes apart.

Cen Luo isn’t a slow typist; she just thinks that sending messages with a time gap will prevent Jian Mu from getting four notifications in a row.

Unfortunately, her thoughtful consideration didn’t get a single reply from Jian Mu.

Is she still in a meeting?

Cen Luo rests her head on her hand, looking at her phone. The sound of the rain and the clicking of her colleagues’ keyboards blend together in her ears. She taps her right fingertips on the desk.

After a long while, she takes a deep breath as if she has made a huge decision. She sits up straight, types a message, sends it off quickly, and then locks her phone, placing it on her right side.

She continues to edit her interview drafts from the past two days.

Her eyes are on the computer screen, but her peripheral vision constantly glances at her phone.

An hour passes without a single notification.

The chat screen remains on the message she just sent.

[Can you come pick me up from the Yunjing Building? I forgot my umbrella.]

Cen Luo knows how busy Jian Mu is, so she rarely makes requests like this. Ever since they officially started their relationship, Cen Luo has been very considerate.

Just like now, even without a reply, Cen Luo doesn’t send another message to rush her.

She must be busy. She’ll definitely reply when she’s done.

“Team Leader, aren’t you leaving yet?” Jiang Ting walks over with a cup of water from the pantry and glances at the office clock. “It’s already seven.”

“No, I haven’t finished the draft yet,” Cen Luo smiles. “What about you? Why aren’t you leaving?”

“Ugh, don’t even get me started. Team Leader, you know about that new trending star, Zhao Zhao?”

Seeing Cen Luo nod, Jiang Ting sits down in the empty seat in front of her and continues, “I thought it would be a good gig. After all, Zhao Zhao is really popular right now, her buzz is huge, so the traffic would be amazing! And celebrities who just get famous, whether they’re faking it or not, are usually pretty humble, right?”

“But Zhao Zhao, she’s something else. She’s arrogant and rude. I spent days preparing for the interview, and she just said, ‘Oh, mm, yes, that’s right.’ She completely blew me off. I was so…”

Clearly, Jiang Ting is genuinely angry. She can’t even finish her sentence and takes a big gulp of water.

Zhao Zhao recently became famous for a romance drama, and her playful yet glamorous character earned her the title of “Nation’s Girlfriend.”

Cen Luo hasn’t watched the drama, but as an entertainment journalist, she’s had to learn about it.

“I’ll teach you a trick,” Liu Dan, sitting behind Jiang Ting, suddenly chimes in. “Just secretly write a gossip article. I’ve even thought of a title for you: ‘The Nation’s Girlfriend Has a Terrible Private Life and Did This to a Yunjing Reporter…'”

“Get lost. If you want me to get a lawyer’s letter, just say so.” Jiang Ting turns and hits Liu Dan’s back in annoyance. Liu Dan yelps in pain.

The office, which was once filled only with the sound of keyboards, suddenly becomes lively because of their playful argument.

Cen Luo, who was in a bad mood, smiles at the scene. When they’ve calmed down, she says, “Zhao Zhao is coming to Yunjing on Tuesday for a tour.”

As soon as Cen Luo says this, the office falls silent. The clicking of keyboards and the chatter stop.

After a while, Jiang Ting mutters, “No wonder they’ve been putting up these weird cartoon stickers on the walls. It’s to welcome Zhao Zhao. I bet our office will be covered in her posters soon, and there will be her promotional videos in the lobby. Suffocating.”

Six months ago, Orange Entertainment was acquired by the Yunjing Group, becoming part of its entertainment sector.

Cen Luo naturally joined Yunjing Entertainment, but she doesn’t interact much with her colleagues outside of work.

Listening to the lively chatter in the office, her gloomy mood dissipates a bit.

She continues to edit her draft while listening.

The rain gets heavier, showing no signs of stopping.

Suddenly, someone notices that Cen Luo hasn’t spoken for a while and asks her, “Team Leader, it’s raining even harder outside. Did you bring an umbrella?”

Everyone’s eyes turn to Cen Luo.

Cen Luo is still lost in thought, pondering her work. Before she can react, she hears the sound of high heels clacking on the floor from the doorway.

The sound is so loud it feels like the floor is about to crack.

“She has a girlfriend, so what does it matter if she brought one? Her girlfriend can just come and pick her up, right, Team Leader Cen?” The voice is sharp and aggressive.

At first, it sounds like she’s envious of Cen Luo having a girlfriend, but anyone who knows their relationship understands that no compliment about Cen Luo would ever come from Guan Hui’s mouth.

Because of Guan Hui’s sudden appearance, the office falls into an awkward silence.

Guan Hui places the documents she’s holding on her desk, then suddenly gasps in mock surprise, giggling, “Oops, I forgot. Your girlfriend won’t come to pick you up.”

The incident started at a team-building event two months ago when the person Guan Hui liked confessed to Cen Luo. Cen Luo rejected him, saying she already had a girlfriend.

This should have been good news for Guan Hui, but in her twisted mind, she believed Cen Luo hurt the person she liked. Plus, Guan Hui had lost a promotion to Cen Luo, so she decided to make her life difficult.

For the past two months, Guan Hui has been sarcastically telling Cen Luo to bring her girlfriend so everyone can see her.

In reality, it’s not just Guan Hui; many other colleagues also want to see Cen Luo’s girlfriend.

The colleagues who used to work with Cen Luo at Orange Entertainment know she has a girlfriend.

A relationship is a relationship, nothing special. But then someone claimed to have seen Cen Luo’s girlfriend, saying she was as beautiful and elegant as the actress Gu Qingyue.

Then the rumors got crazier, with some even saying Cen Luo’s girlfriend was Jian Mu.

As the heir to the Yunjing Group, Jian Mu isn’t a woman who rests on her laurels. She founded her own tech company in college, and the products she developed have even made the news. Three years ago, she was named the number one outstanding young person in the country by an authoritative media outlet.

But Jian Mu rarely gives interviews. You can only occasionally see her at product launches.

In the few videos and photos of her, Jian Mu’s beauty is undeniable.

Two people so far apart are lovers?

No one believes that.

Yet, the rumor spread throughout the entire company, and Cen Luo has never denied it.

And no one has ever officially met the girlfriend she talks about. Soon, all sorts of rumors start to fly.

Some say Cen Luo doesn’t have a girlfriend, or that their relationship is bad since her girlfriend never comes to the company to see her.

Others say she must have started the rumor about Jian Mu herself, claiming she’s a vain woman.

Cen Luo has heard all these versions but doesn’t take them to heart.

When it comes to love, there’s no need to prove it to anyone.

As long as she likes it and is happy, that’s enough.

“Since you’re so concerned about my love life, I’ll also be so bold as to ask about yours. Will the person you like bring you an umbrella?” Cen Luo’s gaze slowly shifts from her computer screen to Guan Hui. She uses a question, but there’s no hint of doubt in her voice.

“You!”

Guan Hui didn’t expect Cen Luo to be so direct about the topic, or to even have the nerve to bring up the person she likes.

Now, everyone in the company knows that Guan Hui is a failure both in her career and in love, and it’s all because of the same person.

Everyone is secretly mocking her, and Cen Luo dares to bring it up.

“Xiao Ting, is there an outdoor reality show interview next week?”

“Yes, Team Leader. We have to follow them for a whole day, climbing mountains and wading through rivers,” Jiang Ting answers, understanding Cen Luo’s hint.

Compared to Guan Hui, she likes Cen Luo as a team leader much more.

Sure enough, Guan Hui’s face turns pale when she hears about the one-day outdoor assignment involving climbing and wading.

Now, Cen Luo is in charge of assigning their interview tasks. Isn’t this a direct threat?

Guan Hui hates outdoor assignments. She only likes doing simple interviews in the studio. Of course, she’d prefer to be on camera herself.

Before Cen Luo can say anything else, Guan Hui grabs her bag and walks toward the exit in her seven-centimeter heels.

As she leaves, she says to Cen Luo, “You win.”

Guan Hui clearly hears the laughter behind her as she walks out.

She secretly curses Cen Luo for using her power for personal revenge.

Hearing her colleagues laugh, Cen Luo gives an innocent smile. She was just asking about a recent work assignment. Who knows what Guan Hui imagined?

The rain begins to subside, and colleagues gradually start to leave.

Cen Luo looks at her phone, then at her computer screen.

She can’t help but sigh. Today’s draft is so hard to edit.

She submits the final draft at nine at night, only to look up and realize there are just a few people left in the office.

Jian Mu still hasn’t replied.

Did her phone die? Is she still in a meeting?

Cen Luo holds her phone, standing by the window and looking outside. The rain seems to have stopped.

After saying goodbye to the remaining colleagues, Cen Luo heads downstairs.

When she gets to the lobby, she finds the rain hasn’t stopped completely; it’s still a light drizzle.

Cars can’t get to the building’s entrance. She needs to walk for five minutes to get to the main road.

It’s not impossible to run through the rain, but it’s a special time of the month, and Cen Luo is prone to feeling cold. If she catches a cold, she’ll be even more uncomfortable.

Ever since she was a child, Cen Luo has hated being sick.

Thinking of this, Cen Luo feels even colder. She buries her face in her scarf and pulls her coat tighter.

She feels a little happy that she reminded Jian Mu to wear a sweater this morning. Otherwise, it would have been too cold for her.

As Cen Luo is lost in thought, she doesn’t notice two people walking toward her.

A faint, clean, subtle scent wafts into her nose. Cen Luo is drawn to the smell and instinctively turns her head to look at the two people who have just walked past her.

A man and a woman. The man is in a suit, and the woman is wearing a black hat and a mask, so her face is not visible.

Cen Luo wants to say something but hesitates.

In that moment of hesitation, Cen Luo’s eyes meet the woman’s.

Even though her face is obscured, her eyes look clear and bright.

The two quickly walk past her.

Cen Luo thinks back. The scent was like morning bamboo with a hint of plum, an indescribable scent.

She just knows it smelled good.

Jian Mu would definitely love it.

She wanted to ask what the perfume was, but it felt a little presumptuous, so she didn’t say anything.

She feels a sudden regret.

I could have gotten it as a weekend gift for Jian Mu.

Just as she’s feeling disappointed, a man’s voice suddenly comes from behind her:

“Hello, my artist asked me to give this to you.”

It’s the man from earlier.

Cen Luo doesn’t react in time as the man shoves an umbrella into her hand and heads upstairs.

An artist?

What would an artist be doing at the Yunjing Building so late?

Even though she doesn’t know who the artist is, she’s certainly a good person.

A good person who gives away an umbrella in the rain.

As Cen Luo leaves, she looks back. The Yunjing Building is brightly lit. She can see people near the windows furiously typing on their keyboards.

Cen Luo takes out her phone and takes a picture of the building, sending it to Jian Mu.

[The pretty one has already left work, and the ugly one is still working.]

[Good thing you didn’t come. I just met a kind person who gave me an umbrella.]

[Have you eaten? What do you want to eat today?]

[How about I go home and make your favorite braised pork ribs?]

[Come home early! Or don’t blame me if I don’t wait for you.]

Cen Luo doesn’t take a taxi. She waits for the bus at the bus stop for a long time.

It’s past rush hour, so there are only a few people on the bus, mostly young people who, like her, are just getting home from working overtime.

Everyone looks tired. Some are listening to music with headphones, and others are resting their heads against the window, lost in thought.

Cen Luo chooses a seat by the window.

Everyone seems so busy, busy with work and school.

And Jian Mu is so busy she doesn’t even have time to reply to her messages.