After She Fell for Me, I Lost My Memory (GL) - Chapter 60

Exiting the elevator and standing in the lobby looking out, the rain had stopped.

However, the dark clouds in the sky hadn’t dissipated at all, looking as though another downpour could strike at any moment.

Cen Luo’s mood was heavy. She suddenly remembered what Xu Yanyan had said to her before she left—

“This is the second time you’ve been like this.”

“I don’t believe you don’t know why I let you check in.”

She didn’t know. She really didn’t.

“If you leave, let’s not meet again.”

Cen Luo felt that today’s Xu Yanyan was so strange, completely different from her previous gentle image. But in a flash, Cen Luo understood; perhaps she had always forced the image of “gentleness” onto Xu Yanyan.

When she first woke up in a daze, she encountered Xu Yanyan, who fit her ideal type perfectly, so she dove headfirst into it, believing her to be gentle and understanding. Perhaps Xu Yanyan’s true personality wasn’t like that at all.

In truth, she had never really made an effort to understand Xu Yanyan deeply; she hadn’t even delved into their past in high school. She realized that perhaps she simply liked the idea of a gentle, accommodating older sister—a straw to clutch at in her confusion after losing her memory.

As for whether she truly liked Xu Yanyan as a person… Cen Luo needed time to process that answer. At least for now, her gut feeling was: perhaps not.

Cen Luo looked up and sighed. Am I walking the path of a “playgirl”?

Standing motionless in the center of the hotel lobby, she attracted many curious glances. Cen Luo slumped her head dejectedly. Wanting help from Qin Ran, she sent her a message.

Just as she sent it, a woman’s voice drifted over: “Hurry up! Once we drop the bags, I still have a dinner party to go to.”

A man’s voice followed: “I told you to mail them, but you insisted on carrying them.”

“Mail them? You idiot! Didn’t you hear this hotel is under investigation because they lost a guest’s luggage during transport? They aren’t allowing mail-ins right now. Can’t you understand plain speech?”

The sounds of their bickering stopped once they reached the front desk.

But Cen Luo was struck with confusion by the woman’s words. They can’t mail luggage? But didn’t Xu Yanyan mail hers?

Unable to leave with a doubt in her mind, Cen Luo waited for the couple to leave before slowly approaching the front desk. She asked politely, “Excuse me, do you support luggage storage via mail these past couple of days?”

The receptionist answered without a thought, “Not lately, no.” Then, recognizing Cen Luo as the guest who had just checked in, she smiled and asked, “Do you need assistance with something?”

Cen Luo forced a smile and shook her head. Suddenly remembering she had just checked in, she realized she should probably “check out” now. She placed her ID on the counter. “Please register a checkout for me. I likely won’t be coming back later.”

Cen Luo wouldn’t actually cancel the room—Xu Yanyan still needed to stay there. She just wanted to register her own departure so it would be finalized when Xu Yanyan eventually checked out.

Cen Luo hated being deceived. After a few seconds of thought, while the staff member was registering the details, she asked casually, “My friend left her luggage here earlier; thank you for looking after it.”

The receptionist, her eyes fixed on the computer screen, paused for a moment to remember the person Cen Luo had arrived with. She smiled, “It is our honor to serve our guests.”

So it really was left here.

“Wow, your professional standards are so high! Meeting staff like you is our luck. Is there a place to leave a review? I must give you a five-star rating.”

Cen Luo smiled sincerely, and the staff member believed her, providing the company website and her employee ID.

Scrolling through the website, Cen Luo smiled, “The rain was so heavy today. If it weren’t for you, my friend’s luggage would have been ruined.”

One does not slap a smiling face, especially since Cen Luo had just promised a good review and they were staying in the same room. The staff member became more casual: “We gave your friend an umbrella before she left. She didn’t get soaked, did she?”

They even gave her an umbrella? But I didn’t see one at the cafe.

Cen Luo nodded. “Mhm, luckily you were there. But that umbrella…”

“It’s fine, just an umbrella. I just wonder if your friend finished her business. she seemed in a quite a hurry.”

The receptionist recalled seeing Xu Yanyan check a text message while in line, then handed over the luggage for storage and left the hotel with an umbrella. In this weather, while every other guest was rushing to check in and rest, Xu Yanyan had run straight into the storm.

The staff member was now completely unguarded. Firstly, Cen Luo was a registered guest in that room; secondly, her eyes were too sincere, radiating goodwill.

Cen Luo pondered over those words. She came, then she left.

The messages weren’t replied to instantly like usual; they took nearly twenty minutes. Twenty minutes—enough time to get from the hotel to the cafe. Hearing that Xu Yanyan hadn’t reached the hotel, Cen Luo naturally wouldn’t leave her alone.

So, the moment she heard Xu Yanyan was “lost” and hadn’t arrived, Cen Luo ditched her old classmates at the reunion to find her.

Did she calculate that I would come for her?

Even though Cen Luo had explicitly said she was busy today, Xu Yanyan came anyway. She even booked a double suite.

Did she calculate that I would abandon the reunion to find her?

“Sigh, it’s probably because I messaged her. If I hadn’t, she wouldn’t have gotten wet,” Cen Luo tested the waters with a lowered gaze.

“She looked quite happy and was even smiling. I’m sure she won’t blame you.”

It was just as she suspected. Xu Yanyan, what are you trying to do? Are you trying to prove something?

In an instant, Xu Yanyan seemed unfathomable to her.

Cen Luo left the hotel with a heavy heart, unsure if this was somehow her fault. She hailed a taxi and gave the KTV address Yu Jiao had sent. By the time she got there, they would likely be moving to the next venue.

She went to check in with Yu Jiao and saw a string of messages asking where she was. Only then did she realize that after Xu Yanyan snatched her phone, she had put it on silent, causing Cen Luo to miss a dozen calls.

While in the elevator, she sent a long explanation to Yu Jiao. She didn’t share the whole process, as she wasn’t sure how to explain it even to herself.

Then, she saw that Qin Ran had replied to her messages. They chatted for a bit, and Cen Luo asked directly if she had been a “playgirl” in the past.

Qin Ran: [Not exactly a playgirl. You just didn’t meet the right person. You pursued many people, but you only truly dated one.]

It was obvious who that person was. Qin Ran answered seriously. Although she didn’t know why Cen Luo was asking, she could sense her state of mind was poor, so she comforted her:

Qin Ran: [Actually, I’ve always felt your self-perception of your ‘type’ might be wrong. Although you always chased gentle older sisters, none of them worked out. Instead, the type you used to reject most lasted the longest.]

If it were before, Cen Luo would have argued that it was impossible for her not to like gentle older sisters. But now, she felt there was truth to it.

Qin Ran: [There’s another possibility… Xiao Luo, have you considered you might be lithromantic?]

Afraid Cen Luo wouldn’t know what that meant, Qin Ran sent a definition and an analysis.

Qin Ran: [Basically, every time you chase someone and find out they like you back, you stop liking them. But for someone who didn’t like you, you were able to pursue them for ten years.]

Cen Luo was shocked. Lithromantic? Because Jian Mu didn’t like her, she chased her for ten years? That was absurd. Yet, it seemed to make sense.

The taxi driver watched Cen Luo in the rearview mirror as she constantly ruffled her hair until her fluffy curls looked like a bird’s nest. Is she having trouble?

While stopped at a red light, the driver asked, “Miss, are you in some kind of trouble?”

Cen Luo froze, then nodded heavily with an expression of utter despair. Does this mean I can’t have a normal relationship in the future? She didn’t want to be with someone she didn’t like, but as soon as someone she liked returned the feeling, she’d lose interest.

Who can save me?

The driver saw the passenger’s despair and didn’t know how to follow up. He decided to play some cheerful music to cheer her up, but in his haste, he accidentally clicked a sorrowful breakup song. Receiving Cen Luo’s resentful gaze, the driver quickly changed the track.

Cen Luo tried to stop thinking about it. As she neared her destination, she saw a missed call from an unknown number. Because Yu Jiao’s bright red “12” missed calls were more prominent, she hadn’t noticed the other one.

Who was this? Out of curiosity, she dialed back. It was answered instantly.

Cen Luo said “hello,” but there was no response for three seconds. Thinking the signal was bad, she said it again. Then, a familiar voice came through:

“Cen Luo.”

It was Jian Mu. Her voice sounded quite soft. At first, Cen Luo wasn’t used to Jian Mu’s sudden change in tone, but she was now. Still, were they on such good terms that they could call each other to chat?

“What is it?” Cen Luo didn’t hang up, as she had a question she thought Jian Mu might be able to answer.

“I helped you pay your property management fees.”

Cen Luo gave an “oh.” “Send the amount to my WeChat; I’ll transfer it to you in a bit.” Since she wasn’t home, the management must have come to collect. She hadn’t paid them before and wasn’t sure how it worked.

“Okay,” Jian Mu replied.

Cen Luo thought for a moment. Since Jian Mu had called anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to ask, right?

“I have a question for you,” Cen Luo bit her lip and finally spoke.

“What is it?” Jian Mu was momentarily dazed; she had forgotten how long it had been since Cen Luo spoke to her in such a decent tone.

“I just wanted to ask…” Cen Luo hesitated, wondering if it was appropriate, but her curiosity won out. “Perhaps you know—am I lithromantic?”

If it were anyone else, they would have likely replied, “Don’t you know yourself?” But Jian Mu thought about it seriously and answered, “I don’t know.”

Cen Luo felt a second of disappointment. If she knew she was lithromantic and still flirted with others, it would be disrespectful. Seeing she wasn’t getting the answer she wanted, she was about to hang up when she heard Jian Mu’s ambiguous words:

“Because I never tried.”

“What?” Cen Luo was confused.

“Letting you know that I loved you.”

…

“Miss? We’re at the KTV. Time to get out.” The driver noticed Cen Luo sitting there dazed and prompted her. Cen Luo shook her head, paid the fare, and stepped out.

Standing at the edge of Times Square, Cen Luo felt toyed with for the first time. Just as she was about to mock her, Jian Mu added another sentence:

“But right now, it isn’t ‘love’.”

It isn’t love now? Then what was the point of telling her she loved her in the past? She must have been crazy to ask Jian Mu such a question.

However, even without the memories of those ten years, hearing those words gave Cen Luo a sudden sense of relief.