Amnesia Trap (GL) - Chapter 1

“So, you’re really planning to divorce Ji Qingfan? There hasn’t been any movement, I thought you two were going to turn the fake relationship into a real one.”

The female voice coming through the phone had a hint of teasing. Hearing the phrase “turn the fake relationship into a real one,” Sheng Zhi raised an eyebrow.

“Turn the fake relationship into a real one? Ji Qingfan and I just had a contractual, commercial marriage of convenience. If the Yun family hadn’t backed out of the wedding, I wouldn’t have gotten involved with her… Anyway, the agreement has finally expired. I’m practically ready to beat drums and gongs in celebration, alright?”

This person was too beautiful. Whatever expression or movement she made was attractive, even the way she let out that slight scoff was stunning.

Sheng Zhi shivered as she spoke, as if she were disgusted by the very thought of her and Ji Qingfan getting seriously involved. Her temper flared up immediately, and she said discontentedly, “Jiang Wanyin, hurry up and rephrase that for me.”

The tone at the end of her sentence was spoiled and willful, clearly indicating that she was accustomed to being pampered and that others had to comply with her wishes.

The person on the other end of the phone wasn’t annoyed but instead laughed twice: “Fine. Congratulations, Miss Sheng! Congratulations! You’re about to regain your freedom.”

“That’s more like it.” Sheng Zhi changed her sitting position and raised her chin, satisfied.

She was wearing a white high-end designer coat. Her long, lustrous, wavy hair was casually draped behind her. With fair skin and red lips, every move she made carried an almost overbearing haughtiness and arrogance, yet she was so bright and beautiful that people simply couldn’t look away.

A sales assistant was currently bending over to help her adjust the bracelet on her wrist. Several other staff members clustered around Sheng Zhi, their voices as gentle as a spring breeze, soft to the extreme.

However, a closer look would reveal an extra layer of caution and fine cold sweat on the foreheads of these employees—

Don’t ask. It was simply a huge headache.

Normally, these items would be custom-made and delivered directly to Sheng Zhi for her to choose from. Who knew what Miss Sheng was thinking today, actually coming out to shop herself?

Upon learning she was coming, the luxury boutique had preemptively cleared the store, ensuring that Sheng Zhi would be the only customer when she arrived.

The lights were bright.

The expensive and exquisite jewelry worn on her fair, luminous wrist looked like frost on snow, adding a brilliant sparkle.

The sales assistant closest to Sheng Zhi could inhale the almost intoxicating rose fragrance emanating from her. She secretly glanced at Sheng Zhi, her cheeks uncontrollably turning a little red.

No matter what the outside world said about Sheng Zhi being arrogant, domineering, or having a terrible temper, her face and figure were truly impeccable.

Dazzling, too dazzling.

Just sitting there made people feel that everything in the world should naturally make way for her, and that flowers and diamonds paving her path was their honor.

The bracelet was on, but its owner didn’t even bother to glance at the seven-figure piece of jewelry on her wrist, looking somewhat distracted and uninterested: “Done. Wrap them all up.”

Sheng Zhi really wasn’t here to shop today.

After chatting a bit more with Jiang Wanyin on the phone, she checked the time, hung up, and prepared to get into the car to find Ji Qingfan to sign the divorce agreement.

The divorce agreement was placed in the car.

It wasn’t yet summer in Jingbei at the end of April, but the air was already getting a bit dry. Sheng Zhi got into the car, first looked at the clearly written contents of the agreement, and then turned her attention back to the screen displaying the call history.

She was used to finding contacts directly from past calls, but after flipping through for a while, she couldn’t find Ji Qingfan. She then realized it had been a long time since their last call.

At this thought, Sheng Zhi’s expression immediately darkened. If she didn’t need Ji Qingfan’s signature on the divorce agreement later, she would have loved to crumple up that paper, bundle both the paper and Ji Qingfan, and toss them out of her life.

In fact, commercial marriage was a completely normal occurrence in their environment, something they were truly accustomed to. After all, being married didn’t necessarily mean anything; compared to emotions that might not last forever, the tangible benefits gained were what could be eternal, and marriage alliances were the best means to solidify those benefits.

Sheng Zhi didn’t feel strongly about commercial marriage. Her original fiancé wasn’t Ji Qingfan, but Yun Xian from the Yun family.

But she didn’t know how ridiculous the rumors about her being difficult, arrogant, and having a bad temper were. They were engaged, but just a few days before the wedding, Yun Xian, who had previously been all smiles with her, actually ran away from the marriage. It was only then that she learned Yun Xian’s previous attitude towards her was just an act and that she had long intended to flee the wedding.

This left Sheng Zhi both angry and frustrated. If she didn’t want to marry her, she should have just said so! She did have a bad temper, but she wasn’t going to swallow anyone whole.

Yun Xian’s flight made the whole thing absurd and embarrassing. To cover up something utterly dramatic, you have to use something even more dramatically attention-grabbing. Thus, through a series of accidents, the wedding was not canceled, but the person she married became Ji Qingfan—her most disliked, sworn enemy with whom she was completely incompatible.

Ji Qingfan was over two years older than her. She had been sickly from birth, so frail that a slight breeze could make her ill.

Truth be told, their relationship wasn’t that bad in the beginning.

But who could have known what would happen later?

Now, whenever she recalled how tender and distressed she was when she brought Ji Qingfan home, and insisted that her mother nurture her as well, she felt nothing but deep regret.

Moreover, Ji Qingfan was truly deep and calculating; she was very good at winning her mother’s favor.

During the period when their relationship was at its most strained, Ms. Sheng Xiyi wasn’t unaware of the conflict between them.

But Ji Qingfan seemed to have secured a very significant and troublesome collaboration, which delighted Ms. Sheng. She praised Ji Qingfan as a promising talent and even asked Sheng Zhi if she could forgive Ji Qingfan, saying that Ji Qingfan wanted to reconcile with her but couldn’t get in touch.

Sheng Zhi felt that Ji Qingfan was subtly showing off that she could do better than her. Annoyed, she snapped that she wouldn’t see her and soon went abroad.

—Especially after not seeing her for so many years, this person has become even more hypocritical.

They both knew privately that this was an emotionless, interest-based marriage of convenience. Yet, on the way back after getting the marriage license, Ji Qingfan still said fake things to her about how her past actions were childish and that she hoped they could start over.

Sheng Zhi found her phony and didn’t even respond.

Start over?

She might say that, but deep down, she probably wished Sheng Zhi would disappear from this world the next second.

The more Sheng Zhi thought about it, the more disgusted she felt. Ji Qingfan was so hypocritical, putting on airs. Furthermore, because the “savior” marriage partner was Ji Qingfan, she also felt humiliated. She could say that every day after the marriage was spent eagerly awaiting the divorce.

Fortunately, their relationship was just a contract marriage, which could be dissolved once the agreed time was up. Coupled with the fact that over half a year had passed, the matter of the Yun family’s runaway bride had gradually faded from public attention.

Half a year! She endured it for half a year, and now she could finally divorce this woman they both disliked!

Sheng Zhi regulated her breathing. The thought of finally divorcing Ji Qingfan brought a slight sense of happiness to her heart.

She had already made plans. After the divorce, she would definitely invite ten or eight beautiful women to a celebratory dinner for divorcing Ji Qingfan, and then invite all her friends for a yacht party!

Sheng Zhi slid her finger across the screen, moving the page from the call history to her contacts list.

She had a lot of contacts starting with ‘J’ in her address book. So, even after scrolling down to the letter ‘J’, she still couldn’t find Ji Qingfan after a while. Sheng Zhi looked at the input box at the top, suddenly remembering that she could just search. She decisively typed in the three characters for Ji Qingfan and placed the call.

The call was answered almost instantly, so fast that it was as if the person on the other end had been waiting for her to call.

After all, they had been married for half a year. Sheng Zhi knew Ji Qingfan was probably busy at this time and thought she would have to call two or three times for Ji Qingfan to notice. She was momentarily stunned when the call was connected so quickly.

She didn’t speak. First, the woman’s clear, pleasant voice, like the striking of jade bells, reached her ear from the other side of the phone.

“Sheng Zhi?”

Ji Qingfan gave a slight, almost imperceptible cough.

The woman’s soft ending tone hooked up slightly. Her voice sounded surprised that Sheng Zhi would call at this time, along with an inexplicable feeling.

Although she was calling to discuss serious business, upon hearing Ji Qingfan’s voice, Sheng Zhi snapped out of it and habitually let out a prolonged, teasing laugh, then took a jab: “I’m surprised, Miss Ji answers the phone quite quickly. You haven’t sent a single message in this past month; I thought Miss Ji didn’t own a phone.”

A couple of sarcastic lines were met with two seconds of silence from the other end. Ji Qingfan spoke softly, her emotions unclear: “So, you actually wished I would text you?”

Hearing Ji Qingfan say this, Sheng Zhi tightened her grip on the phone, her voice instantly becoming much louder: “Ji Qingfan, I think you’ve been working too much and are confused. What nonsense are you talking about? I’m calling to talk about serious business.”

Ji Qingfan seemed to suddenly realize something upon hearing this and spoke before Sheng Zhi could continue: “Talk about serious business? Actually, your call is perfectly timed. I also have a serious matter I want to discuss with you—”

“Sheng Zhi, from a long-term benefit perspective, let’s extend the agreement period.”

Her voice was inherently very pleasant. When intentionally slowed down, it carried a strangely persuasive, enticing tone.

Outside the car window, it was a bright, sunny day, but Ji Qingfan’s words were nothing short of a thunderbolt, directly shocking Sheng Zhi and nearly making her swallow the words she was about to say, “The agreement is up, I want to divorce you.”

Extend the agreement period?

What kind of joke was that?

Sheng Zhi knew Ji Qingfan’s personality all too well. On the surface, she looked cold and sickly, but she was actually a pure businesswoman, the most calculating fox. For her to voluntarily suggest this, she must have tasted the sweetness of profit. After all, given their mutually hostile, detested relationship, Ji Qingfan would certainly not suggest extending the marriage unless she had gained a sufficient advantage.

But Sheng Zhi had waited long and hard for the agreement to expire. She didn’t care about any long-term benefits. Even if there were huge advantages, she would not continue this relationship with Ji Qingfan.

“Expired means expired. What extension? I called to tell you that I want a divorce. I know you’re at the company now. The divorce agreement is ready. Just get your pen ready…”

As if afraid of hearing something else shocking from Ji Qingfan, Sheng Zhi spoke somewhat hastily this time, firing off sentences like a machine gun and giving no one a chance to speak. However, before she could finish, she heard a sharp chorus of car horns.

Annoyed by the noise, she slightly raised her eyes to look at the driver. But just as she looked up, her body, secured by the seatbelt, lurched violently forward due to the sudden braking.

The series of events happened too fast, catching everyone off guard. Accompanied by an even harsher screech of tires and a loud “BANG—,” the world seemed to fall silent for a second.

The phone slipped from her weakened fingers. The screen still showed the ongoing call.

The chaotic sounds of the car accident were all captured by the receiver.

Beep, beep, beep…

The last thing she vaguely heard was a woman’s voice tinged with anxiety, seeming to call out her name, “Zhi Zhi.”

If Sheng Zhi had been conscious at that moment, hearing the tone in Ji Qingfan’s voice might have made her re-evaluate the other woman’s feelings for her. But the reality was that her vision was being covered by the blood flowing from her forehead, and the faint sounds lingering in her ears were rapidly fading.

Sheng Zhi weakly let her hand fall and, amidst the chaos, closed her eyes.