Amnesia Trap (GL) - Chapter 38

After another bout of tossing and turning while applying body lotion to Ji Qingfan, they had both woken up late. In the blink of an eye, it was nearly noon.

“Zhi Zhi, are you sure you won’t stay for lunch? I’ll cook for you.”

Thinking back to last night’s delicious and perfectly suited dinner, Sheng Zhi hesitated for a few seconds before making a difficult refusal: “No, I’m leaving now. I have plans today.”

Ji Qingfan didn’t seem to believe her, following up on her words: “Really? Who are you meeting? It’s not just a random excuse, is it?”

Seeing her doubt, Sheng Zhi instinctively replied: “You know her, my childhood friend, Jiang Wanyin. I’m having lunch with her.”

However, she regretted the explanation the moment it left her mouth.

Why am I explaining to Ji Qingfan? It doesn’t matter whether she believes me or not. Even if it were just a random excuse, so what? There was no way she was staying. To be honest, if it hadn’t been for last night’s sudden power outage and heavy rain, she wouldn’t have stayed the night at all.

Once is an accident, twice is a habit. She had to be firm. Even if temptation was dangled right in front of her, she had to remain unmoved—even if Ji Qingfan’s cooking was incredibly good.

In short, she was absolutely not staying.

Seeing her firm refusal, Ji Qingfan looked visibly dejected. Nevertheless, upon hearing that Sheng Zhi wanted to wear strappy stilettos, she still went to find them for her.

It was then that Sheng Zhi realized there was an even larger walk-in closet on the first floor—it was nearly bigger than the one in her own home, which was quite an exaggeration.

The clothing styles in the closet were clearly categorized and very easy to recognize. Looking around such a massive space, she realized that the vast majority of the clothes were actually hers.

Sheng Zhi looked them over; even a cursory glance revealed pieces by famous designers that couldn’t be made on short notice. The timeline of these acquisitions clearly spanned much further back than the time of her car accident.

…It was a subtle feeling that was hard to put into words.

As for the shoe styles, they were even more dazzlingly numerous.

Ji Qingfan told her to sit down and went to fetch them for her. They were all beautiful, but because of the body lotion incident earlier, Sheng Zhi intentionally made things difficult for her. She clearly liked every pair she saw, yet she acted dissatisfied with each one, making Ji Qingfan go back for more.

Strangely enough, Ji Qingfan didn’t seem to react to her deliberate nagging at all. If Sheng Zhi said she was dissatisfied, she accepted it; if Sheng Zhi told her to get another pair, she did so. Not only did her expression remain unchanged, but she even consulted Sheng Zhi in a soft, gentle voice.

—It was like punching cotton.

Sheng Zhi felt stifled. Propping her chin on her hand, she casually picked a pair from the “battle formation” of high heels on the floor: “That pair, then…”

Having said that, she blinked, a sudden spark of inspiration hitting her. She spoke with a slow, drawn-out lilt: “I want you to put them on for me.”

Ji Qingfan froze for a moment.

Seeing that she finally got a reaction, Sheng Zhi was satisfied. Her tone, however, carried a hint of feigned suspicion: “If you really like me, surely you can’t be unable to do even this much?”

She was doing it on purpose; she wanted to see Ji Qingfan bow down to her. That was why she demanded she help her change her shoes.

Watching Ji Qingfan pause for two seconds before responding, Sheng Zhi felt she had finally gained the upper hand. After being constantly manipulated by Ji Qingfan one way or another, she could finally vent some of that frustration.

Ji Qingfan leaned down before her.

She picked up a shoe with one hand and held Sheng Zhi’s ankle with the other.

Sheng Zhi instinctively looked away. She felt this scene was a bit different from what she had imagined—or perhaps, it wasn’t the scene itself, but the feeling was different.

As Ji Qingfan moved, an inexplicable, subtle ambiguity began to flow through the air. The temperature seemed to rise, becoming as thick and sticky as melting sugar, causing the rhythm of Sheng Zhi’s breathing to falter.

The thin straps wound around her ankle. Her skin was naturally pale, which made the high heels look dazzlingly beautiful in contrast.

“Zhi Zhi, so beautiful,” she heard Ji Qingfan say.

After putting on the shoes, Ji Qingfan didn’t stand up immediately. She stayed there, gazing at them, her hand still holding Sheng Zhi’s ankle. Because her eyes were slightly lowered, her expression was hard to read.

A faint warmth spread from those soft fingertips onto her skin, making Sheng Zhi feel increasingly awkward.

Especially Ji Qingfan’s gaze—

It was so strange. They weren’t even making eye contact, yet she felt as if that gaze was incredibly, incredibly hot.

Sheng Zhi turned her head back and pressed a hand to her face. Her heart rate had picked up, but her words remained an unapologetic admission: “That just shows you have good taste. I think they’re very beautiful too.”

Ji Qingfan looked up at her, watching her lips—which looked like rose petals—open and close as she spoke.

The arrogant young miss looked down on her, thinking she was being very imposing, when in fact she was incredibly charming, like a flower in full bloom.

Sheng Zhi was using her custom-ordered shower gel and body lotion; she had showered in her bathroom and was now covered in her scent. It felt like a mark, as if… she belonged to her.

Seeing Ji Qingfan staring blankly, Sheng Zhi stood up.

…Ji Qingfan’s gaze was so weird; it was starting to make her feel weird.

“I’m leaving,” she said, taking a few steps toward the door. After a short distance, she turned back warily: “Don’t see me out.”

Actually, if it were anyone else, she would be unhappy if they didn’t see her to the door. But with Ji Qingfan, she felt it was better not to. Who knew if another “accident” would happen?

Hearing this, Ji Qingfan seemed to snap out of it. She offered no objection, meeting Sheng Zhi’s eyes and responding with a soft, obedient hum: “Then be careful on the road, Zhi Zhi.”

So quiet?

Sheng Zhi felt a bit suspicious. She had expected her to find some reason to cling to her, especially since it was the weekend and they wouldn’t be seeing each other as much as they did at the office.

Sheng Zhi walked a few more steps and looked back again. Finding that Ji Qingfan really hadn’t followed her, she grew even more suspicious. This didn’t seem like Ji Qingfan’s style at all.

However, realizing where her thoughts were going, she quickly whipped her head back around.

It’s better if she doesn’t cling to me. What is there to be surprised about?

Still, she felt Ji Qingfan’s expression just now had a subtle familiarity to it—a look that was slightly dejected but not entirely so, carrying a hint of helpless indulgence…

Soon, Sheng Zhi got into the car outside. One look at her phone told her exactly what that expression meant.

—It was the look of someone certain that she would return of her own accord.

She gripped her phone and angrily got out of the car. No wonder she felt something was off earlier; this was exactly the same scenario that had happened in the office before!

Sure enough, the moment she walked back in, she saw Ji Qingfan sitting on the sofa, looking completely unsurprised by her return.

“Ji Qingfan,” Sheng Zhi didn’t bother with an opening, crossing her arms and frowning: “Why did you secretly answer my phone? What did you say to Jiang Wanyin?”

Ji Qingfan looked at her, appearing to follow her logic: “To tell the truth, Zhi Zhi, you were in the shower at the time, and it was inconvenient to answer…”

“No, I wasn’t!” Hearing this, Sheng Zhi couldn’t help but interrupt, a pink flush spreading across her cheeks because of what she was about to say: “You told her… told her…”

Watching her frown and struggle with how to describe it, Ji Qingfan smiled good-humoredly: “What did I say? What did she tell you?”

Sheng Zhi gathered her thoughts for a while, her face turning redder as she blurted out: “Anyway, I didn’t sleep with you.”

Ji Qingfan understood what she meant but teased her as if she didn’t: “But Zhi Zhi, we really did sleep together last night.”

Seeing her like this, Sheng Zhi bit her lip and simply threw caution to the wind: “Who said that kind of sleeping? Don’t play dumb. I meant… I didn’t have sex with you, okay?”

She said it all in one breath, her voice getting quieter toward the end. Before anyone else could react, she had already made herself red-faced and breathless.

Ji Qingfan’s smile grew more obvious, her eyes curving: “Zhi Zhi, why are you so cute?”

She stood up and walked toward Sheng Zhi.

Sheng Zhi watched her approach. She wanted to step back, but felt that doing so would look like she was afraid of her, so she eventually stood her ground.

Ji Qingfan took her hand, her eyes sparkling: “I’ve been thinking, aren’t you two having lunch? Take me with you. It’s a good chance for me to explain to Miss Jiang in person.”

She smiled purely, but her other hand, hanging by her side, was clenching her palm tightly.

It was true in the past, and it is true now. Why does she always care so much about what Jiang Wanyin thinks?

Just like in high school—even when her grades surpassed Jiang Wanyin’s, Sheng Zhi still only copied Jiang Wanyin’s notes. She would sweetly call Jiang Wanyin “Jie-jie,” but never used that title for her.

And now, she had rushed back to find her immediately just because of something Jiang Wanyin said.

Although she had expected it, at the moment it actually happened, her heart still felt like it was dripping with dark, bitter ink.

Dark thoughts churned; she even thought about simply hiding her away. Hiding her in a place only she knew, a place where she could only look at her, domesticating her with time until she thought of absolutely no one but her.

But she knew clearly she couldn’t do that. At least, not yet.

If she did that now, Sheng Zhi would become an empty shell. They would walk into a bottomless abyss with no room or possibility for return.

She loved her fiery, vibrant soul as much as she understood her.

Sheng Zhi was a bit spoiled and had a bit of a temper; she liked exciting, unpredictable things. She didn’t like those who were completely submissive, but she also didn’t like being completely controlled.

One had to be obedient to her, yet remain elusive. One had to occasionally show her a different side that was revealed only to her. She loved to be favored more than anyone. Only by staying within this perfect range—being provocatively submissive while displaying appropriate, hesitant resistance—would she remain interested.

Ji Qingfan would push that interest to the limit, ideally making her want to act out every unrestrained thought she had.

And her good side, her bad side, her truth, her lies, her everything—Ji Qingfan would accept it all. It was best if she showed everything to her, and only to her.

So, she had to plot slowly. She couldn’t rush.

Ji Qingfan hid the thoughts in her heart and hooked her fingers with Sheng Zhi’s. Her tone grew increasingly harmless and persuasive: “Zhi Zhi, think about it. Is there anything more convincing than my own personal explanation? Since you don’t remember me right now, you surely don’t want Miss Jiang to misunderstand that we… did it last night, do you?”