Amnesia Trap (GL) - Chapter 40

Sheng Zhi didn’t want to answer her question directly, so she just told her to hurry up, as it was getting late.

But this was merely a pretext, an excuse; she wasn’t actually in that much of a rush. She was just putting on an act.

However, perhaps she had played the part too convincingly, as Ji Qingfan seemed to lose her enthusiasm. During the rest of the time she spent applying her makeup, she didn’t bother Sheng Zhi with much conversation.

Sheng Zhi couldn’t help but steal glances at her profile. Is she upset?

It seemed Ji Qingfan really didn’t intend to pay her any attention. But since Ji Qingfan wasn’t initiating, Sheng Zhi didn’t want to be the one to speak first either, holding her breath in a stalemate. It wasn’t exactly a sulk, but rather that feeling—as if whoever spoke first would be the loser.

The feeling was hard to describe, but the atmosphere between them suddenly cooled, becoming awkwardly thin.

Sheng Zhi waited for a while. Seeing that Ji Qingfan remained silent, she thought, Fine, if you won’t talk, I won’t either. We aren’t a real couple anyway.

The restaurant had been chosen by Jiang Wanyin. When Sheng Zhi messaged her to say Ji Qingfan was coming, Jiang Wanyin replied saying it was no problem. It was just as Sheng Zhi expected—it would have been stranger if Ji Qingfan hadn’t insisted on coming.

When they arrived, Jiang Wanyin was already there. As soon as she got the “almost there” message, she came out to wait at the door. The only person who could get her to wait outside in advance was definitely Sheng Zhi.

“Zhi Zhi, over here!” Jiang Wanyin waved at her, her tone naturally intimate.

Just as Sheng Zhi was about to hurry over, she felt an arm link through hers. Although she and Ji Qingfan had shared a car, they hadn’t spoken much during the ride, leaving the air between them strange.

Feeling Ji Qingfan’s arm on hers, Sheng Zhi subtly and quietly slowed her pace, thinking Ji Qingfan finally wanted to say something to her.

Instead, Ji Qingfan still didn’t speak to her; she merely greeted Jiang Wanyin with a polite, “Miss Jiang.”

… What is she playing at?

Sheng Zhi looked at her, dissatisfaction bubbling up. Why link her arm and then ignore her? Yet, she didn’t feel like shaking her off either. Still, a bit annoyed, she eventually pulled her hand away.

Though there were only three of them, the private room was large, and the food had been pre-ordered. Everything was ready; once the party was complete, the meal could begin.

Jiang Wanyin sat down first and pulled Sheng Zhi to sit beside her. Sheng Zhi sat down naturally. However, just as she settled in, Ji Qingfan sat down right on her other side.

The irritation that Sheng Zhi hadn’t quite smoothed over finally flared up. “There are so many seats, why do you have to sit right next to me?”

Wasn’t she just ignoring me? If she’s so capable, she shouldn’t be sitting here.

“Of course I have to sit next to my wife.” Ji Qingfan seemed to have reverted to her usual self, speaking those kinds of words again. But this wasn’t the first time Sheng Zhi had heard them, and she quickly realized the tone wasn’t as clingy as usual. It was as if she were acting, but while she used to be seamless, now she was perfunctory—as if she were just saying the words for the sake of it, not caring if anyone believed them.

Because of this, even being called “wife” felt incredibly superficial. Sheng Zhi felt the performance was half-hearted and dismissive. Her first thought was: Does Ji Qingfan not want to act anymore? Just because I didn’t compliment her dress?

She felt a mix of anger and a strange sense of grievance. How could she be like this? Even if someone was to decide the game was over, it should be her, not Ji Qingfan.

Jiang Wanyin was great at keeping the conversation flowing, and Ji Qingfan was very cooperative, so the meal appeared pleasant enough on the surface. However, Sheng Zhi found herself constantly distracted.

Sandwiched between the two, she barely used her own chopsticks, yet she was kept busy as they both vied for her attention—one mixing her dipping sauce, the other cutting her grilled meat into bite-sized pieces.

Consequently, while she didn’t do much eating herself, she became the busiest person at the table trying to keep up. And because she was zoning out, she failed to notice the undercurrents surging beneath the “friendly” atmosphere.

After all, both Ji Qingfan and Jiang Wanyin spoke with smiles. At a glance, they seemed to be on good terms.

Ji Qingfan spoke politely. “The phone call this morning was brief. Since Zhi Zhi doesn’t remember me right now, it’s natural for Miss Jiang to be worried as her best friend. However, we are all adults. I’m not saying Miss Jiang’s actions were inappropriate, but if I were in your position, I wouldn’t interfere like that. I believe it is her freedom.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Jiang Wanyin said, placing freshly grilled food onto Sheng Zhi’s plate and subtly pushing aside the meat Ji Qingfan had just cut. “But Zhi Zhi and I have been friends for so many years—we grew up together. Our bond is iron-clad. Miss Ji needn’t worry about such trifles.”

Ji Qingfan smiled slightly, using a crisp lettuce leaf to wrap pineapple and black pepper beef, completely burying the food Jiang Wanyin had just placed. “How is it ‘worrying’? As you said, you are friends, but she and I are a couple. After years of love, her business is my business.”

As the two traded barbs, the food on Sheng Zhi’s plate piled higher and higher. She had been so distracted she was practically in another dimension. When she finally snapped back to reality and saw the mountain of food in front of her, she was so shocked she choked on her own saliva.

“Wait, you two…”

She coughed violently, her eyes welling up with tears from the effort. Ji Qingfan immediately brought over a glass of water and rubbed her back. Jiang Wanyin was a step behind; seeing this, she bit her lip and also began patting Sheng Zhi’s back, whispering, “Easy, drink some water. Deep breaths.”

With both of them pressing in close, Sheng Zhi felt she was being smothered. Already choking, the lack of space made it worse. She couldn’t understand—aren’t they cramped? They were practically glued to her. There were so many other seats, and if it weren’t for the air conditioning, they’d all be covered in sweat from the contact.

She took a sip of water, steadied her breathing, and the first thing she said after recovering was: “I’m being squeezed to death! Stop sitting so close. Both of you, go to the other side!”

As her voice rang out, Ji Qingfan didn’t even look at Jiang Wanyin. She said naturally, “Miss Jiang, move along. Zhi Zhi is asking you to.”

Jiang Wanyin gave a dry laugh. “Why should I move? She clearly meant you should sit opposite her.”

Sheng Zhi: “…”

“Neither of you is allowed next to me! Both of you! Opposite side! Now!”

Only then did Ji Qingfan and Jiang Wanyin, extremely slowly and reluctantly, stand up and move to the other side. Earlier, when they were flanking Sheng Zhi, the distance wasn’t obvious, but now sitting opposite her, they looked like they wanted to put a whole galaxy between each other.

Sheng Zhi had dined with Jiang Wanyin alone, and with Ji Qingfan alone. But this was the first time a meal had felt so exhausting. Two people were just too many. And they were both too attentive.

After dinner, Jiang Wanyin mentioned it was the weekend and suggested they go out for some street racing. She said Xia Xiyan would be there, and a new regional track had just opened in the south.

Ji Qingfan didn’t say much to her. After the meal, she was even quieter than she had been during it.

Sheng Zhi was actually very tempted by the suggestion—a new track was hard to resist. But Ji Qingfan’s attitude had been weighing on her for a while. The feeling had been nagging at her since before they even reached the restaurant, and she’d been distracted throughout lunch. It was like a knot in her heart.

Looking at Jiang Wanyin’s enthusiastic face, she hesitated. “I don’t think I’ll go.”

As she spoke, she stole a glance at Ji Qingfan. Ji Qingfan was looking down at her water, appearing as if it didn’t matter to her at all whether Sheng Zhi went or not.

Sheng Zhi wanted to go just to spite her—to go and ignore every call and text Ji Qingfan might send. But she had a nagging feeling that Ji Qingfan wouldn’t call or text her even if she stayed out for two days. This intuition made her lose her nerve. Besides, even if she went, she’d probably spend the whole time distracted by Ji Qingfan and wouldn’t enjoy herself.

Jiang Wanyin was genuinely shocked. Usually, Sheng Zhi was the first to jump at such an invitation. The refusal was so abrupt that Jiang Wanyin couldn’t help but think of a certain possibility, her smile turning a bit stiff.

“Why not? My club is quiet right now, and the AKGH races aren’t until the second half of the year. I can play with you as much as you want until then. Xiyan and the others keep complaining to me that you’ve been so busy since joining the company that they haven’t seen you in days…”

She trailed off, sensing that Sheng Zhi really wouldn’t be coming with her today.

“Why?” Jiang Wanyin clenched her fingers, trying to sound casual. “Is it because of Ji Qingfan?”

She saw Ji Qingfan leaning back with her glass, and when Ji Qingfan saw her looking, she gave a nonchalant smile. She even saw Ji Qingfan’s lips move. Ji Qingfan was silently mouthing: “Of course.”

Jiang Wanyin’s pupils contracted, but she stubbornly looked back to Sheng Zhi for an answer.

Sheng Zhi hadn’t expected her to dig so deep or to involve Ji Qingfan. She was a bit reluctant to admit it, but since Jiang Wanyin asked, she gave an awkward nod. “I have some things to settle with her… I’ll come out with you guys next time.”

Jiang Wanyin took a quiet, deep breath, adjusted her expression, and gave a natural-sounding laugh. “Looking at your face… it’s fine. We’ll play next time. Go settle whatever needs settling.”

“You’re the best,” Sheng Zhi said, relieved that Jiang Wanyin hadn’t pressed for details. Her tone became incredibly sweet. “Next time, in a few days, I’ll definitely make it up to you guys.”

Jiang Wanyin smiled. “Stop being so cheesy.”

Ji Qingfan set her glass down. The glass hit the table with a soft clack. Sheng Zhi looked over. Ji Qingfan stood up and walked to her side. “I was thirsty, drank a bit too much water.”

She looked from Sheng Zhi to Jiang Wanyin, her gaze lingering before returning to Sheng Zhi. “Zhi Zhi, are you finished talking with Miss Jiang? If not, I can wait. I’m in no hurry.”

To Sheng Zhi, it sounded like a deliberate jab, but hearing the hint of unhappiness in Ji Qingfan’s voice actually made her feel a little better. Thinking about it, Ji Qingfan’s mood seemed to match her own frustration. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so silent in the car. She couldn’t tell if Ji Qingfan was truly upset or just acting, or exactly why she was unhappy.

Was it, as she guessed, because she hadn’t complimented her dress? Or something else? Or did she feel that despite all her efforts, Sheng Zhi hadn’t changed much, and so she didn’t want to act anymore?

But even more confusing was how much Sheng Zhi herself cared about it. She realized she didn’t want Ji Qingfan to give up; she wanted her to keep acting. She didn’t want to think too hard about why—she was afraid of the changes within herself—so she told herself it was just because the “game” was fun. If Ji Qingfan stopped acting, life would just be a bit more boring. That was all.

“I’m finished. Let’s go.” Usually, Ji Qingfan would have taken her hand by now, but she didn’t. Having been spoiled by the habit, the lack of it felt wrong. Sheng Zhi paused for two seconds, then grabbed Ji Qingfan’s hand herself, waving to Jiang Wanyin with the other. “Bye for now!”

At this moment, her earlier plan to act distant from Ji Qingfan was completely forgotten.

She held her hand. Ji Qingfan didn’t pull away, but she wasn’t as enthusiastic as usual. She sighed softly. “Zhi Zhi, don’t you want to play? Why did you refuse?”

Sheng Zhi didn’t answer directly. She said awkwardly, “… Well, you seemed a bit unhappy.”

Ji Qingfan looked at her, her voice still soft. “And so?”

The restaurant had small private corridors outside the rooms to ensure quiet. They reached a corner. Sheng Zhi stopped, her heart stumbling. She wasn’t sure how to express herself and felt out of depth with Ji Qingfan’s current attitude. When she spoke, her voice was instinctively soft and spoiled. “Don’t be like this. Why are you only giving me three words?”

A pampered person doesn’t know how to coax others, because they are always the ones being coaxed. Since she was a child, Sheng Zhi was better at acting spoiled than at comforting people. It was an instinctive move. A bad habit, but there was always someone who fell for it.

“Like what?”

Sheng Zhi was at a loss for words.

Seeing this, Ji Qingfan’s lips curved slightly. She was about to speak when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She paused, and when she did speak, her tone shifted. “But Zhi Zhi hasn’t coaxed me yet. At home, you wouldn’t look at me and kept rushing me. I wore a beautiful dress and you didn’t even compliment me. I’m so sad.”

“Surely you should at least kiss me and tell me I look nice?”

Sheng Zhi pinched the hem of her skirt. She was hesitant. Ji Qingfan’s coldness had made her want to be proactive, but now that Ji Qingfan was leading again, she felt passive. “Wanyin is still…” She started to look back.

But before she could say the name, Ji Qingfan raised a hand to block her vision, interrupting her. “Trust me, Zhi Zhi. Miss Jiang hasn’t come out yet. Just for a second.”

With her eyes covered, Sheng Zhi blinked, acting obedient. “Okay… but I did look at you at home. You look very beautiful in this dress.”

She wanted Ji Qingfan to keep acting for her.

Ji Qingfan listened to her voice, using her other hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Sheng Zhi’s ear. She looked past her at Jiang Wanyin, who was standing not far behind them.

Jiang Wanyin stared at them, her gaze a mix of disbelief and repressed emotion.

Ji Qingfan gave Jiang Wanyin a slow, disdainful, provocative smile.

“Hold me, Zhi Zhi,” she whispered seductively. Then, bit by bit, her lips brushed against the corner of Sheng Zhi’s mouth, her cheek, her earlobe…

Enveloped in the lingering atmosphere, Sheng Zhi felt the spine-tingling sensation of the kiss, and time seemed to slow down.

Then, she heard Ji Qingfan murmur something seemingly out of nowhere. “This might hurt a little.”

Before she could react, she felt the skin of her neck being bitten and sucked.

*

Again and again, until a mark was left behind.