Amnesia Trap (GL) - Chapter 11

But as time went on, she felt that something was not quite right, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

…How to put it, did Ji Qingfan indulge her too much?

She knew her own daughter’s nature very well—she was notoriously demanding. After a few days in the hospital, Ms. Sheng Xiyi was starting to feel uncomfortable witnessing it.

Sheng Zhi leaned lazily against the bed, completely comfortable from being over-cared for, her face like a peach blossom, incredibly captivating with every upward glance.

“But aren’t we wives? I think Ji Qingfan is very happy to take care of me like this.”

At this point, Ms. Sheng Xiyi was somewhat speechless.

That was true. After several days, Ji Qingfan showed absolutely no impatience, only becoming more gentle and meticulous. Even if Sheng Zhi capriciously asked for her homemade egg tarts in the middle of the night, Ji Qingfan would immediately make them, even asking if she wanted to add fruit. If Sheng Zhi then complained and asked her to make something else, she wouldn’t say a word, leaving absolutely no room for fault.

She looked… completely infatuated with Sheng Zhi.

Ms. Sheng Xiyi had seen Ji Qingfan at work. After all, she was, in a sense, groomed by her.

Since her own daughter had no interest in the company, she needed to cultivate a useful, trustworthy, and non-rebellious tool for her, and Ji Qingfan was that very person.

The demeanor she showed at work and the way she treated Sheng Zhi were polar opposites.

But precisely because of this, she was very satisfied with Ji Qingfan.

Sheng Zhi recovered very quickly, partly because she hadn’t suffered any serious injuries. After about a week, she was nearly well.

The frequency of post-concussion symptoms like headaches and dizziness became lower and lower until they stopped completely, and her medical reports showed that all parts of her body were healthy.

The days spent lying in the hospital bed were Sheng Zhi’s limit. In her words, if she stayed in bed any longer, she would start growing moss. Her only joy each day was thinking up new ways to torment Ji Qingfan, but Ji Qingfan met every demand without fail or change, which made her a little bored.

During her hospital stay, her friends constantly sent her videos of parties and street racing, which made her incredibly antsy.

So, as soon as she received the discharge papers, Sheng Zhi immediately left the hospital and called her friends to go out and have fun.

Ji Qingfan had somewhat put aside her company duties to take care of her for the past few days, and she had been working nonstop to catch up. Although Sheng Zhi didn’t really want to admit it, she secretly admired that Ji Qingfan could still act for her after all that work. If it were her, she would have a miserable face all day under the pressure of work.

Upon learning she was being discharged, Ji Qingfan immediately messaged her saying she would come to pick her up.

Sheng Zhi, for once, didn’t want to bother her, as she was planning to go out and have fun, and Ji Qingfan’s arrival would only interfere.

So, she replied insincerely:

After she sent that, Ji Qingfan first replied with an “OK,” followed by:

.

Sheng Zhi hissed:

Ji Qingfan didn’t reply after that, but Sheng Zhi had a nagging feeling that despite her message, Ji Qingfan would still drive over to find her later.

She had called her family driver before replying to Ji Qingfan. After two seconds of thought, she decided it didn’t matter, quickly packed up, went downstairs, and got into the car.

The car drove all the way to a bar. The driver watched Sheng Zhi get out. She hesitated, not wanting to question Sheng Zhi’s choices, but still worried, she sent a message to Ji Qingfan:

Sheng Zhi didn’t know that the driver had messaged Ji Qingfan the moment she got out of the car.

She walked straight to the private room her friends had reserved. As soon as she entered, everyone saw her and burst into exaggerated cheers.

“Zhi Zhi, you’re finally out of the hospital. You don’t know how boring it’s been without you,” Jiang Zhou walked over and put his arm around her shoulder, casually lighting a cigarette.

A thin cigarette was held between his fingers, releasing faint wisps of smoke.

Sheng Zhi laughed and cursed him, then pushed him aside with a look of disgust: “Stop the flattery. With all those videos you sent me, you guys must have been having the time of your lives.”

The people present were mostly rich second-generation types from similar circles, experts in all forms of entertainment. Hearing this, they laughed and collapsed haphazardly.

Sheng Zhi hadn’t been out for days and was quite excited. She drank everything offered to her. As the atmosphere built up, someone opened a bottle of aged liquor they had brought from home.

After several rounds, someone suggested a game.

“I’ve been wanting to play this penalty card game with you guys for a while,” the person said, shuffling the deck and placing it on the table. “Same rules as always: the loser draws a card, and you have to take the dare. No backing out. You can all afford it.”

After the first round, Sheng Zhi was surprised to be the first one to lose. Hearing the cheers and jeers around her, she slightly arched the corner of her eye.

Twenty-seven cards were spread out on the table.

Amidst the heckling, she casually drew one.

The matte black card had only one line written on it:

Sheng Zhi glanced at the words on the card. As she turned it over, she spoke in a careless, lazy tone: “But there’s no one to my left.”

The people who had been cheering earlier became less boisterous when they saw the dare on the card.

Although Sheng Zhi played with them, she had never been seen engaging in any inappropriate physical contact. Whether or not they were married didn’t matter to them—especially in a political marriage, many people tacitly played around after marriage. But no one had ever seen Sheng Zhi do that.

Everyone looked at each other, a little sheepish, worried about making her unhappy, and carefully suggested: “How about you draw another card?”

As that sentence dropped, the previously subdued atmosphere immediately livened up again. “Yes, draw again, draw again. This card doesn’t count.”

Having downed one glass after another, including some self-mixed cocktails, Sheng Zhi leaned her chin on her hand, her hair lazily scattered behind her. The corners of her eyes were slightly flushed, showing she was a little drunk.

She twirled the card in her fingers, suddenly remembering the practiced way Ji Qingfan had kissed her.

“No need,” she spoke, laughing. “No need to draw again. A bet’s a bet. Just change ‘left’ to ‘right’.”

Everyone present exchanged glances. Although they couldn’t guess the specific reason, since Sheng Zhi herself had said no to drawing again, the cheering immediately became louder, bringing the atmosphere to a peak.

The girl sitting to Sheng Zhi’s right hadn’t expected this at all, especially after overhearing people whispering that they should have squeezed onto Sheng Zhi’s left side. She finally snapped out of her daze.

She secretly glanced at Sheng Zhi, immediately looking away, her face flushing crimson: “M-me?”

Sheng Zhi gave a small nod.

She actually regretted saying that immediately, but she didn’t want to retract her words out of pride. It would be too embarrassing.

She didn’t know how to kiss at all, but the thought of Ji Qingfan’s effortless skill made her feel a surge of defiance.

But… a simple kiss shouldn’t be that hard, right? Besides, it was just one minute, sixty seconds. Recalling the way Ji Qingfan kissed her that day and the scenes she had witnessed, she didn’t think it was a big deal.

Just lips touching lips. At worst, she would kiss a little deeper and more passionately. It sounded simple enough.

Thinking this, she lifted her chin slightly: “Get closer to me.”

The girl’s eyelashes fluttered rapidly, like a butterfly’s wings. She softly agreed, blushing, and leaned closer to Sheng Zhi as instructed.

The distance closed rapidly. The lights in the bar’s private room were already dim, and coupled with their actions and the music playing, it sparked intense imagination.

The surrounding cheers grew louder.

However, just as they were about to kiss, the private room door was pushed open.

The atmosphere instantly came to a halt. Everyone looked towards the doorway, including Sheng Zhi.

Her gaze met Ji Qingfan’s across the room. Ji Qingfan’s expression was icy.

When she didn’t smile, her coldness was even more pronounced. Everyone sitting there recognized Ji Qingfan, and even if they didn’t, the current atmosphere made them scared to speak freely.

So, for a moment, no one dared to say a word.

Ji Qingfan walked in and casually closed the door.

The sound of her high heels clicking on the floor was distinct.

“You didn’t wait for me at the hospital,” she said. At the same time, her gaze swept over the card by Sheng Zhi’s hand, quickly figuring out the general situation.

Sheng Zhi looked at her nonchalantly: “Didn’t I tell you I was going out to meet friends?”

“Meet?” Ji Qingfan repeated, then suddenly smiled. “Meet to practice kissing?”

“Zhi Zhi,” she leaned down, picked up the card, and sat down next to Sheng Zhi. “You have someone on your left now.”