After She Fell for Me, I Lost My Memory (GL) - Chapter 58

The dishes had all been served, and everyone was waiting for Cen Luo to return before starting.

Cen Luo noticed this as well.

The tiny droplets on the glass window proved the rain wasn’t too heavy yet, so she didn’t rush out immediately. Instead, she sat at the table and sent a message to Xu Yanyan:

[Sister Xu, have you reached the hotel?]

A long while passed without a reply.

Yu Jiao, sitting beside her, saw Cen Luo staring at her phone ever since she got back. She nudged her arm and whispered, “We’re here to catch up; why are you constantly looking at your phone?”

Cen Luo replied, “A friend of mine came to Miancheng to find me. I’m afraid she’ll get caught in the rain.”

“Didn’t you tell her you were at a reunion today?” Yu Jiao was puzzled; surely they must have spoken before she came. “I’m warning you, the monitor has already set the schedule for the rest of the night. It won’t end until midnight. You can’t just run off halfway.”

Cen Luo nodded slightly. “I know.”

Ten minutes passed, and still no reply from Xu Yanyan.

The sound of rain hitting the glass became louder, accompanied by the whistling of the wind.

Is there going to be lightning and thunder too?

Just as Cen Luo thought this, a loud crash of thunder erupted outside.

Cen Luo: “…”

Jinx.

The good thoughts never come true, but the bad ones are always spot on.

At the table, everyone was happily discussing their experiences over the years. No one noticed Cen Luo’s situation. Still, she whispered to those sitting near her, “I’m going out to make a call.”

Cen Luo left the private room. Passing a room where the curtains were pulled wide, she saw the sky thick with dark clouds. Fierce winds drove the rain to smash heavily against the glass. It was a terrifying sight.

Cen Luo was getting anxious. Why isn’t she replying?

On the other side, Xu Yanyan was sitting in a cafe, leisurely sipping coffee and watching the world being engulfed by the storm through the window.

She took a slow, calm sip.

After a while, hearing her phone ring, Xu Yanyan finally set down her coffee and answered.

“Sister Xu, it’s pouring outside. Have you reached the hotel?”

Xu Yanyan looked out the window and answered warmly, “Not yet. I stepped out and got greedy for a cup of coffee.”

“Where are you right now?”

“Well… Luo Luo,” Xu Yanyan paused, then said, “I think I’m lost.”

Cen Luo fell silent for a moment, glanced back toward the private room, and asked Xu Yanyan, “Are there any landmarks nearby? Or what’s the name of the cafe?”

” ‘By Chance’ Cafe.”

There were no fewer than five cafes with that name in Miancheng.

Finally, Cen Luo remembered the location-sharing feature on phones and asked Xu Yanyan to send her a pin.

Normally, she could just tell her to take a taxi directly to the hotel, but considering Xu Yanyan was unfamiliar with Miancheng and would have to check in with her luggage, it would surely be a hassle.

Cen Luo agonized over it for a moment, then sent a message to Yu Jiao. She apologized and asked her to explain to their old classmates, saying she would try to be back by nightfall.

Yu Jiao wanted to scold her, but thinking that a friend who traveled all the way to Miancheng to see her must be very close, she agreed and told her to stay safe.

Downstairs from the hotel, a silver-white Maybach sat stationary under the torrential rain, looking particularly conspicuous. Raindrops hammered against the car, creating a loud noise that grated on the passengers’ ears.

Xiao Mi wanted to plug in her earphones or play some music to drown out the rain, but remembering Jian Mu was in the back seat, she was afraid she wouldn’t hear her if she spoke, so she gave up on the idea.

It had taken only half an hour for the sky to go from clear to pitch black, and they had been parked here for nearly that long.

Half an hour ago, Jian Mu had already finished signing the contract with the other company. According to the itinerary, the full day of work scheduled for Miancheng had only taken half a day.

Could it be that President Jian wants to stay here just to pad her business trip hours?

Do CEOs have performance reviews too?

That didn’t seem right; doesn’t Jian Mu call the shots in this company?

Xiao Mi really didn’t understand what Jian Mu was thinking or why she hadn’t given the order to return to Yuncheng.

Just sitting there like that, Xiao Mi was becoming irritable from the sound of the rain. She wanted to see if President Jian felt the same.

Peeking through the rearview mirror, she only saw Jian Mu staring blankly out the window.

Xiao Mi felt, for a moment, that the world she lived in was not the same as the one Jian Mu inhabited. Why was Jian Mu so calm while she was so restless?

Xiao Mi looked closer at Jian Mu in the mirror. She felt that “staring blankly” wasn’t quite the right description. Her eyes looked hollow, very lonely. She couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but she instinctively felt that perhaps even Jian Mu didn’t know what she was thinking.

Seeing this, Xiao Mi calmed down. President Jian was probably deep in thought; she shouldn’t disturb her.

Jian Mu stared out at the hotel exit, immersed in her own reflections.

The rain is getting heavier. Will you be unable to find a taxi home?

Are you going home alone, or with Xu Yanyan?

What is the room like? Three bedrooms, two, or… one?

And then, as you said, will you let her go to your house and sleep with you?

I seem to have overlooked how you looked when you loved me.

But I have seen how you look when you love someone else.

It is very sincere and beautiful.

The rain blurred the glass, leaving only a misty grey view outside.

After a while, just as Jian Mu was about to look away, she saw a familiar figure appear at the hotel entrance.

She saw her holding a light orange umbrella, walking toward the driveway. She tried to hail two taxis in a row, but both were unsuccessful. In the middle of the storm, Cen Luo’s figure appeared fragile and small.

Jian Mu knew exactly where Cen Luo was going. She had overheard it when she went to the restroom earlier.

Just when she had been happy about their accidental encounter at the hotel and was desperately thinking of how to greet her, she had overheard her conversation with Xu Yanyan.

Calling her “Sister Xu” over and over—how intimate, how trusting. Inviting her to stay at her home and even asking if she wanted to sleep together. Such a good relationship.

It was lucky she hadn’t said hello then. If she had, she would have likely seen that joyful expression instantly turn to disgust, and she would have been asked, “What are you doing here?” Or perhaps questioned why she was stalking her.

She was the only one who would be happy about an accidental meeting between them.

“Give her a ride.”

Xiao Mi finally heard Jian Mu speak. She was just about to feel happy when Jian Mu suddenly opened the rear door, partially opened her umbrella, and stepped out of the car.

What followed were Jian Mu’s faint words: “Take her wherever she wants to go. Don’t mention me.”

“Huh?”

Xiao Mi turned around to ask why, but Jian Mu’s figure was already gone from the back seat.

It wasn’t easy to get a taxi today; two she had hailed were already full.

Cen Luo was a bit discouraged. If she had her memory, she could drive herself. She looked around and accidentally caught sight of a receding figure on her right.

A black umbrella covered the person’s back and head completely. But strangely, Cen Luo thought of Jian Mu.

The figure looked somewhat similar, and it seemed to be the same person she saw in the restroom mirror. But how could Jian Mu be in Miancheng? She hadn’t heard Qin Ran mention Jian Mu coming here. And in previous years when she came to Miancheng in March, Jian Mu had never accompanied her.

If it really was Jian Mu, Cen Luo would only feel like she was being stalked. After all, how could there be such a coincidence in this world?

Suddenly, a silver-white car pulled up in front of her, interrupting her thoughts. As the car moved past her, it splashed a bit of water from a puddle. The window was slowly rolled down, revealing a girl’s face.

“Hello! Where are you headed? Do you need a ride?”

Cen Luo looked at the license plate and asked, “Would it be inconvenient?”

“Not at all! The rain is too heavy, hurry and get in. We can talk inside. I’ll drop you off.”

Xiao Mi’s voice was a bit urgent. She had just realized that by giving Cen Luo a ride now, wouldn’t she be making President Jian wait? With the wind and rain outside, what if she couldn’t find a good place to stay?

Cen Luo heard the urgency in Xiao Mi’s voice. She hesitated for a second, but thinking that Xu Yanyan was waiting, she didn’t think too much more. She got in the car and gave Xiao Mi the location.

Since President Jian had ordered the ride, Xiao Mi was very interested in Cen Luo and tried to chat with her. Cen Luo only answered basic questions, her distrust of Xiao Mi growing.

Xiao Mi didn’t realize how much she looked like a “bad person” right now. She even took out a bottle of a drink and handed it to Cen Luo: “Would you like some water?”

In those few seconds, countless public service announcements flashed through Cen Luo’s mind:

—Don’t eat things given by strangers.

—Don’t trust strangers.

Cen Luo didn’t take it; she only thanked her for the offer.

Xiao Mi rubbed her nose awkwardly, not quite understanding why Cen Luo was being unfriendly. But remembering Jian Mu’s words, Xiao Mi just assumed she was overthinking and told Cen Luo:

“I’m new to this business trip service, so I might not be very practiced. I hope you don’t mind.”

Cen Luo was stunned. Looking at Xiao Mi’s awkward face in the mirror, she understood a bit. No wonder she kept talking; she was trying to build rapport with the passenger.

“Since you’re my first passenger today, your fare is completely waived.”

After saying this, Xiao Mi silently praised herself in her heart. She hadn’t misinterpreted the intent, had she? President Jian probably didn’t want Cen Luo to know she was the one providing the ride.

Cen Luo had just misunderstood Xiao Mi and felt bad about taking the discount. So when she got out, she asked Xiao Mi to wait for her; she would pick someone up and have her drop them off, and she would pay double.

Xiao Mi waited in the car for a bit and soon saw Cen Luo emerge from the cafe with another woman. Furthermore, Cen Luo was speaking very softly and gently to that woman. Xiao Mi was dumbfounded for a moment.

Suddenly, she seemed to understand why Jian Mu didn’t want her to mention her name.

Is President Jian secretly in love with someone whose heart already belongs to another?

Xiao Mi really couldn’t think of any other reason.

After dropping them at the destination and seeing the two of them enter the hotel, Xiao Mi was even more convinced of her guess. To help President Jian “wake up,” Xiao Mi sent her a message:

[President Jian, I’ve dropped her off.]

She even added a bit of extra detail:

[The Doran Grand Hotel. She was arm-in-arm with a woman, looking very intimate.]