Chapter 18

Zhong Yingzhi’s low, hoarse, restrained threat echoed beside Mu Cheng’s ear, successfully frightening her into submission.

Mu Cheng froze and did not dare move anymore. “Fine, I won’t move. Don’t get impulsive, and don’t do anything reckless.”

Zhong Yingzhi held her in her arms and hugged her tightly. She held her for a very long time without letting go.

“That’s about enough. You’ve been hugging me for quite a while already. How about…” Mu Cheng was getting a little impatient and tested carefully, “you let go of me first?”

Mu Cheng reached out and pushed her, only for Zhong Yingzhi to hug her even tighter.

Zhong Yingzhi rubbed her chin against Mu Cheng’s hair and said with lingering attachment, “Heaven played a joke on me and nearly took you away from my side. Now it has taken that joke back and returned you to me.”

Zhong Yingzhi loosened her embrace and lowered her head to gaze at the person in front of her. Tears filled her eyes, turning in her reddened rims, making her look as if she might cry at any moment. “That joke from heaven frightened me. But fortunately… fortunately, you’re still here.”

Seeing her like this, Mu Cheng’s heart could not help tightening.

The Zhong Yingzhi of the past had always faced people coldly. She did not have many expressions, did not smile, and certainly did not cry. But the Zhong Yingzhi now could not help the corners of her lips rising when she looked at Mu Cheng, and from time to time, her eyes would inexplicably redden.

What had happened to her?

Or rather, what had happened to Mu Cheng herself?

Mu Cheng broke the silent stare between them and gave her a way out. “Why are your eyes red? Did sand get in them?”

Zhong Yingzhi turned her head away, quickly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, suppressed her emotions, and changed the subject. “Are you hungry? I had someone prepare some food earlier. It should be ready by now. Let’s go eat.”

Zhong Yingzhi took Mu Cheng’s hand, and Mu Cheng did not shake her off.

Seven or eight dishes had been placed on the white round dining table. The food was not extravagant and was mainly light. Beside the table stood the chef and the auntie waiting on them. They lowered their heads slightly, their expressions respectful.

Zhong Yingzhi pulled out a chair and gestured. “Sit here.”

Mu Cheng walked over and sat down.

The chef stepped forward, opened the food cover in front of Mu Cheng, and introduced, “Madam Zhong, this bowl of soup was specially made to nourish your body. Please drink it before the meal…”

Mu Cheng raised a hand and interrupted him. “Madam… Madam what?”

The chef froze, unable to react for a moment.

“Madam,” Zhong Yingzhi calmly continued. “Madam Zhong.”

The corner of Mu Cheng’s mouth twitched. “That title is a little…”

Zhong Yingzhi looked over and asked coldly, “You’re my wife. Is there anything wrong with calling you Madam Zhong?”

“It’s right, but also somehow not quite right. Forget it, let’s ​bailiantales.com​not talk about that.” Mu Cheng picked up the bowl in front of her. “Soup. I’ll drink the soup.”

She drank too quickly and burned herself. The pain made her spill the soup in her hands across the table.

Zhong Yingzhi hurriedly stood and walked over. “So stupid. Don’t you know how to blow on it before drinking?”

Zhong Yingzhi crouched beside Mu Cheng and reached out to touch her lips, asking with concern, “Did you burn yourself?”

Her icy fingertips pressed against Mu Cheng’s lips. Mu Cheng’s breath caught, and she hurriedly turned her head to avoid her. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

Zhong Yingzhi stood up, sighed, and instructed the chef, “Certain people are too stupid. For soups like this in the future, let them cool a little before serving them.”

The chef nodded respectfully. “Yes, President Zhong.”

Zhong Yingzhi waved her hand slightly. “There’s nothing else for you here.”

The chef and aunties waiting on them all withdrew.

Zhong Yingzhi sat back down, served a bowl of soup, blew it cool, and pushed it in front of Mu Cheng. “It’s not hot anymore. You can drink it directly now.”

Mu Cheng smiled awkwardly, picked up the spoon, and took a sip. Her eyes lit up. The flavor was rich and delicious.

It suited Mu Cheng’s taste very well. She gulped it down in just a few mouthfuls.

After finishing it, she still wanted another bowl, but Zhong Yingzhi pressed down on her hand with her chopsticks when she tried to serve more soup. “This soup is a tonic. One bowl is enough. If you drink more, you’ll overdo it.”

Mu Cheng stared at the soup in the clay pot, swallowed, and looked pitifully at Zhong Yingzhi.

Zhong Yingzhi pressed her thin lips together and compromised. “Only one more small bowl.”

Mu Cheng grinned and nodded happily. “Okay.”

The soup was delicious, but she could not forget the important matter. This concerned her future life, so she absolutely could not be careless about it.

Just as Mu Cheng was about to ask, Zhong Yingzhi seemed to anticipate what she wanted to say. “I know what you want to ask. Don’t ask. Even if you do, I won’t tell you. I understand that you’re curious about the past now that you’ve lost your memory, but I’ve already said that forgetting many things is a good thing. Forgetting is better than remembering.”

Mu Cheng moved her lips, but did not say anything more.

Last time, she had pestered Zhong Yingzhi and questioned her endlessly, but in the end, Zhong Yingzhi still had not told her anything. If she continued clinging to the question now, she probably still would not get anything out of her.

Since she could not get useful information from Zhong Yingzhi, there was no need to waste time. It would be better to ask someone else directly.

Time was limited. Finding someone face-to-face was definitely unrealistic, so she could only call and ask. There were many people she could ask, and her first choice was naturally Grandma Mu.

Grandma Mu would definitely know her situation. Asking her would be the fastest and most effective.

“Do you have a phone?” Mu Cheng asked, pretending to be casual.

Wariness appeared in Zhong Yingzhi’s eyes. “Why do you suddenly want a phone?”

Mu Cheng smiled. “I want to play a game.”

Zhong Yingzhi picked up a piece of meat and placed it in her bowl. “Eat properly while eating. You can play after you finish.”

“No.” Mu Cheng threw caution to the wind, tugged on Zhong Yingzhi’s sleeve, and hummed a couple of times as if acting spoiled. “I want to play a game now. Give me the phone, okay? Mm, mm-hmm, I want the phone. Phone~”

A smile tugged at Zhong Yingzhi’s lips. She looked at the hand grabbing her sleeve, and a trace of indulgence colored her cool face.

Zhong Yingzhi laughed softly and said helplessly, “How old are you already, still using this trick?”

The effect of acting spoiled was very obvious. Zhong Yingzhi soon instructed someone to bring over a phone.

The moment the phone appeared, Mu Cheng’s gaze moved along with it. Before the auntie who delivered the phone could hand it to Zhong Yingzhi, Mu Cheng rushed forward in one stride and snatched the phone into her hands.

Without stopping, she swiped the phone open. The wallpaper was a photo unauthorized copy of Zhong Yingzhi and Mu Cheng together. In the photo, their foreheads were pressed together, and they were gazing deeply into each other’s eyes. Just from one photo, anyone could tell that these two were in the middle of a passionate romance, and an extremely clingy one at that.

Looking at the wallpaper, Mu Cheng felt strange. After that strange feeling passed, she hurriedly opened the dial pad.

Zhong Yingzhi stood to one side, watching her movements. “Who are you calling?”

Mu Cheng dodged aside, afraid Zhong Yingzhi would snatch the phone. “If you won’t tell me, I’ll ask someone else. I have to figure this out.”

Mu Cheng knew Grandma Mu’s phone number by heart. Without needing to think, she entered the number and called.

A cold, mechanical female system voice came from the other end: Sorry, the number you dialed does not exist. Please check and dial again…

Mu Cheng’s brows knitted together, and an ominous feeling welled up in her heart.

Then she called her mother, father, and older brother. But the prompts she received were either that the numbers did not exist or that the phones were turned off. Not a single call went through.

Mu Cheng suppressed the bad feeling in her [Read on BaiLianTales]heart and comforted herself. Nine years had passed. It was normal for them to have changed phone numbers. She should not think in a bad direction.

Mu Cheng looked at Zhong Yingzhi and asked, “Do you know my grandma’s new phone number?”

Zhong Yingzhi frowned and said nothing.

Receiving no answer, Mu Cheng lowered her head and began searching through the contacts. Since she and Zhong Yingzhi were spouses, Zhong Yingzhi’s phone contacts should definitely have Grandma Mu’s phone number too.

She searched through the contacts.

Nothing.

Not only was Grandma Mu’s phone number absent, but Mu Cheng’s father and mother’s phone numbers were all missing too.

These relatives connected to her seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.

Zhong Yingzhi snatched the phone back and coaxed, “Stop making a fuss. Come eat.”

The ominous feeling grew stronger, and Mu Cheng became uneasy. “Did something happen to my family?”

The moment she asked this, Zhong Yingzhi’s grip on the phone tightened slightly. Then she forced out a smile. “If you don’t eat the food now, it’ll get cold.”

Mu Cheng grabbed Zhong Yingzhi’s hand domineeringly. “Stop changing the subject. Tell me, did something happen to them? What happened to my grandma? What happened to her?”

By the end, Mu Cheng was practically shouting. “Zhong Yingzhi, I don’t have the mood or the time to go in circles with you. Grandma is the most important person to me. She’s more important than my own life. You have to tell me right now what happened to her, what went wrong, and where she is.”

Mu Cheng gripped Zhong Yingzhi’s wrist with great force, leaving a red ring around it.

Zhong Yingzhi endured the pain and let her hold on. She lowered her eyes. “Grandma was old. Her body couldn’t hold on anymore. She got sick and passed away last year.”

Mu Cheng let go and took a step back. “How is that possible? Grandma has always been healthy. That’s impossible.”

Zhong Yingzhi embraced her and gently patted her back to comfort her.

Mu Cheng lifted her head and looked at Zhong Yingzhi with hope in her eyes. “You said Grandma was sick. What illness was it? Was it the kind that could be avoided? The kind that could be detected and prevented in advance?”

Zhong Yingzhi’s gaze dodged for a moment, as if she were hiding something.

“Say something. Don’t go mute on me.” Mu Cheng grew anxious.

Zhong Yingzhi said, “She had a stroke and fainted at home. No one was home at the time. She wasn’t found until three hours later. By the time she was sent to the hospital, it was already too late.”

Mu Cheng did not notice anything unusual about her and pressed on, “When did she faint? What month, what day, and what time?”

Zhong Yingzhi did not know why she was asking in such detail, but she still answered. “On Beginning of Winter last year, around noon.”

Once she knew the specific information and time, everything would be much easier. Barring any accidents, all of this could be stopped.

For example, Grandma Mu could be sent to the hospital in time [read the original at bailiantales.com]when she fainted. Or before that, Mu Cheng could urge Grandma Mu to get a health checkup every year and pay attention to her health. Then naturally, these things would not happen.

Thinking of this, Mu Cheng let out a breath of relief.

After asking about Grandma Mu’s situation, Mu Cheng then asked, “What about my parents?”

Although her relationship with them was not good, they were still her parents, after all. They had given birth to her. She had to make sure nothing had happened to them too.

A trace of disgust flashed through Zhong Yingzhi’s eyes. “They’re very well. Living very well. Far too well.”

Living very well, far too well.

Why did that description sound like it carried a sense of wishing they would hurry up and die?