Amnesia Trap (GL) - Chapter 25

Ji Qingfan seemed to chuckle.

After she said that, a minute or two passed where neither of them spoke, but the most subtle detail was that the phone call hadn’t been disconnected.

—Even though no one was speaking, neither of them hung up, and the light, gentle sounds of their breathing brushed against their ears through the receiver.

Sheng Zhi felt inexplicably warm around the ears.

She paused, then spoke: “Right, I forgot to ask you earlier. How were you able to call me?”

They definitely didn’t know each other’s phone passwords.

They weren’t that kind of couple.

This time, it wasn’t a “seemed to”; Sheng Zhi heard Ji Qingfan’s laughter clearly.

“Because…” she said, drawing out the word slowly, as if to entice her with the answer, “I’m Zhi Zhi’s emergency contact.”

“And on my phone, Zhi Zhi is my emergency contact as well.”

Sheng Zhi realized she had asked a pointless question. Thinking back, Ji Qingfan had brought her new phone to her when she was hospitalized after the car accident.

Since Ji Qingfan had arranged their “cohabitation” so meticulously, she must have set up the emergency contacts on the phone right away. Her question was redundant; asking was merely jumping into the trap Ji Qingfan had dug for her.

Sheng Zhi didn’t reply to her statement, but directly asked again: “Ji Qingfan, you really don’t know my phone password?”

Honestly, she had some doubts about this.

“I don’t,” Ji Qingfan replied very naturally, dragging out the last syllable affectionately, “but I do know the password to the phone you had before the car accident.”

…What nonsense.

Sheng Zhi heard her capitalizing on her words and felt she was a brazen liar.

She knew the password to the phone she had before the accident? She could say such a blatant lie without batting an eye, it just flowed from her mouth.

Forget it. What did it matter now whether Ji Qingfan knew the password to this phone or not? After all, she didn’t have anything incriminating on her phone.

“…I’m hanging up,” she said, her tone suggesting she didn’t want to talk anymore.

In truth, she usually wouldn’t bother emphasizing that she was about to hang up. Hanging up a phone call only takes a second.

Just like now, she said she was going to hang up, but didn’t.

But these were all details she shouldn’t dwell on.

Many actions might be done subconsciously, but many times after doing them, she would avoid thinking about why she did them.

If she didn’t listen, didn’t look, and didn’t think, she could maintain a safe, unchanged state.

Ji Qingfan: “Is Zhi Zhi really going to hang up? I haven’t finished talking to Zhi Zhi yet.”

The night was too quiet, and for some reason, her voice lowered even further, like a lover’s whisper.

Sheng Zhi heard her say softly, with a troubled tone, “What should I do? We only just met and parted, but I’m already starting to miss you—”

The warm sensation in her ears became more pronounced.

Sheng Zhi felt she shouldn’t continue this phone call with Ji Qingfan.

Ji Qingfan was starting to use those cheap and manipulative sweet words on her again.

So, she replied curtly, “That has nothing to do with me. Anyway, I don’t miss you. The thought of seeing you bright and early tomorrow gives me a headache.”

Ji Qingfan let out a soft, disappointed “Hmm,” and said, “After all, Zhi Zhi doesn’t remember what happened between us. Your feelings toward me must be similar to the discomfort of something suddenly intruding into your life. I understand.”

“It’s okay. I’ll try to restrain myself a bit,” she continued, her tone sounding as pitiful as possible. “Zhi Zhi, you hang up. I won’t cling to the phone anymore, but can you grant me one thing?”

Ji Qingfan’s voice paused slightly. Sheng Zhi didn’t say yes or no, but she was already subconsciously guessing what she would ask for.

As long as it wasn’t too excessive, she could cooperate with her “performance.”

Ji Qingfan didn’t drag it out for too long; the next sentence followed quickly, in a bargaining tone, “For example, could Zhi Zhi say goodnight to me before hanging up? If you can’t, just hang up. It’s okay.”

She repeated “It’s okay” again.

Sheng Zhi had been preparing for some grand request in her mind, only to find that what Ji Qingfan asked for was merely such a small thing.

…How pathetic. She had thought she would ask for something major.

Is this how she was supposed to play the role of someone who was madly in love with her?

“Goodnight,” she said casually.

When the words fell, Ji Qingfan sounded very pleased.

She returned a goodnight to her as well, but after saying it, accompanied by a soft gasp, she made a sound similar to a kiss: “And Zhi Zhi, a goodnight kiss…”

Wet, like a surging wave.

They had kissed.

She had tasted her lips and knew they were much more enticing than her voice.

It was precisely because of this that Sheng Zhi couldn’t help but recall the feeling from that time.

The hand holding the phone nearly dropped it. Realizing what was happening, Sheng Zhi listened to the shallow breathing on the other end and immediately hung up.

She raised her hand to her cheek, staring at the phone screen distractedly.

It was just a phone call. Why did she have to make a sound like that? And implying she should do the same…

It was only after she hung up that Sheng Zhi noticed the time displayed on the screen and realized that she had been on the phone with Ji Qingfan for so long without realizing it.

As if sensing something, she looked at the car window beside her.

The dark car window still reflected the slight upward curve of her lips, unaffected.

Sheng Zhi was stunned, then wore a look as if she had seen a ghost.

She was smiling?

Why was she smiling?

Because she was on the phone with Ji Qingfan?

On the other side, Ji Qingfan was also looking at the phone screen.

The camera function could be used even when the phone was locked.

She lightly moved her finger, sliding into the camera.

Then, her gaze extended toward the room door.

In a discreet indoor area downstairs, some clothes she had taken time to wash after returning from the company this afternoon were hanging.

—A tote bag full of lingerie.

—A tote bag full of such daring lingerie that Sheng Zhi didn’t even dare to look at it after paying and just shoved the bag into her arms.

She couldn’t help but recall the skin of Sheng Zhi’s neck, slightly flushed pink.

How adorable. She had deliberately dragged her into the lingerie store, hoping to embarrass her and make her nervous, but ended up getting herself flushed and flustered first.

Like a rabbit who thought she was fierce but didn’t know a wolf was watching her.

Thinking this, she brought all those clothes back into the room.

The lighting in the bedroom was dimmed, casting a hazy, passionate nocturnal glow.

She faced the full-length mirror, striking a pose, holding an open folding fan in her hand. The color of the clothes she was wearing was very pale, like the Epiphyllum flower, with the only bold colors being her long, raven-black hair cascading down and her full lips.

A thin strap tied behind her neck, revealing her pale arms and the beautiful lines of her shoulders and neck.

At first glance, the outfit she was wearing seemed to be one of the least daring pieces in the collection.

But in reality, this outfit was quite revealing; it was just hidden by the fan.

She was only wearing this one item and would only record one video for her.

This was what she would do.

However, she didn’t put the remaining clothes away. They were draped behind her, scattered haphazardly on the bed, inviting attention and notice.

The open folding fan gently moved twice, lowering slightly.

The chest chain she was wearing was briefly visible, just the right amount of exposure, and quickly disappeared under the fan again, reflecting a subtle glimmer of light.

In another instant, the fan abruptly snapped shut.

It was as if endless sensuality had been spilled out, but upon closer inspection, it was just an illusion. In fact, nothing was visible, or rather… she was just a few seconds away from seeing something.

Ji Qingfan pressed the stop button at this point in the recording.

She left a small trace in Sheng Zhi’s phone’s photo album. She figured she wouldn’t mind.

The next morning, before seven o’clock, Sheng Zhi arrived.

Of course, she wasn’t driving; the driver was. She sat in the back seat, her beautiful face aloof, even carrying a hint of sleepy laziness.

As proud as a white swan.

She didn’t call Ji Qingfan, only rolled down the window, occasionally glancing outside.

The moment Ji Qingfan appeared in her view, she instantly averted her gaze, not looking outside again.

“You’re so slow,” the car door opened, and Sheng Zhi felt someone sit down beside her. She rested her chin on one hand, and when she heard the car door close again, she didn’t even turn her head toward Ji Qingfan: “Where’s the phone?”

Ji Qingfan didn’t answer her question, but first said, “Good morning.”

She smiled, “Zhi Zhi came so early.”

Sheng Zhi finally turned her gaze, sweeping it over Ji Qingfan.

She wasn’t wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but her outfit still exuded that distant, untouchable aura.

“Do you think I wanted to come this early? If it weren’t for the phone in your hands…” She had clearly heard what Ji Qingfan said, so she scoffed, implying that she would never have come so early if it weren’t for the phone.

The car started moving toward the company.

Ji Qingfan leaned slightly toward her, her eyes curved into crescents, and handed her the phone: “What’s wrong? Is Zhi Zhi worried I’d peek? I don’t know your current phone password, and even if I did, I wouldn’t peek.”

That soft, light, cool fragrance drifted with her movement.

Sheng Zhi had actually smelled her scent the moment she got into the car; it just became more apparent when she leaned closer.

She took Ji Qingfan’s phone, traded it back for her own, and didn’t reply to her comment.

Sheng Zhi remained silent, but Ji Qingfan didn’t seem to mind, talking to her naturally: “Did Zhi Zhi eat breakfast?”

Sheng Zhi parted her lips, about to say she didn’t usually eat breakfast, when she heard Ji Qingfan continue: “I haven’t eaten either. Why don’t we go to the company’s cafeteria together? You never eat breakfast properly.”

She sounded as if she truly knew all of Sheng Zhi’s habits.

“Cafeteria? Who eats that stuff?” Sheng Zhi was disdainful.

…

Fifteen minutes later.

Sheng Zhi, having clocked in, was sitting with Ji Qingfan in the company’s self-service cafeteria.

Just the short walk to the cafeteria, she had heard countless “Good morning, CEO Ji,” and people were still greeting her right before they finished getting their food and sat down.

Ji Qingfan merely nodded in acknowledgment of these greetings.

Sheng Zhi sat opposite her, arms crossed, watching her.

Truthfully, looking at her like this, she also felt Ji Qingfan was quite cold, with an unapproachable aura. She had even heard people privately refer to Ji Qingfan as “that Ice-Face Boss.”

But when Ji Qingfan turned her eyes to her now, it was different. It was as if the warm spring breeze had melted all the ice, leaving only water, incredibly gentle: “Zhi Zhi, I put sugar in the soy milk. It’s the sweetness you like. Try it and see what you think.”

Imagine: such a beautiful and refined person, who rarely spoke more than a few words to others and seldom smiled, was exclusively gentle and considerate toward you. Every charming and captivating aspect was only displayed for you…

Sheng Zhi looked at the cup of soy milk Ji Qingfan offered her, took it, and drank a mouthful. Then, she turned her gaze to Ji Qingfan’s face.

After drinking half the cup of soy milk, she finally spoke: “It’s average.”

As she watched, she felt it was completely normal for her to have some awkward thoughts about Ji Qingfan sometimes.

Everything Ji Qingfan showed her was a performance—the affection, the love, the doting, the allure… And a performance could be executed perfectly.

So, even if she did have some feelings, it was because of the persona Ji Qingfan was acting out, not because of Ji Qingfan herself.

Thinking this, Sheng Zhi felt a sense of relief. Her previous impulses and actions, like the urge to kiss Ji Qingfan, and even the slight curve of her lips last night from talking on the phone with Ji Qingfan, were no longer so unforgivable or unacceptable—

After all, these were just feelings based on the persona she was pretending to be, not feelings based on Ji Qingfan.

With this rationalization, Sheng Zhi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and finished the remaining half cup of soy milk.

She had lied when she said the soy milk was only average in sweetness.

It was actually just right.

Perfectly suited to her taste.