Pretending To Have Amnesia - Chapter 1

Have you ever had this kind of fantasy during one of those many late nights after a breakup?

—At your ex-girlfriend’s most wretched moment, you descend from the heavens like a savior who takes pity on the world, offering her a sliver of light.

—Or perhaps you become Satan, dragging her down into the abyss with you.

After autumn arrived in Nancheng, there were few days when the sun could be seen. The rooms were always cold and gloomy.

The air-conditioning vent on the ceiling made a faint sound as it continuously pumped warm air into the room.

On a wooden rocking chair, a beautiful woman with black hair reaching her waist had both feet propped on the edge of the chair. Her legs were curled up, her wrist resting on her knees, her posture lazy and casual.

At the end of her gaze was the glass in her hand. Her dark eyes were unfocused. Inside the glass was half a cup of lemon water, colorless, calm, and rippleless.

“Hey, are you listening?” Qin Xin lifted her foot and kicked the rocking chair.

The cup in He Mu’s hand nearly slipped. The surface of the water swayed a few times, but luckily, none of it spilled.

Her eyes refocused, and she shot Qin Xin a look that said, Do you have a death wish?

Qin Xin said, “And here I thought you came to Nancheng because you missed me.” Her words carried a distinctly sarcastic edge.

He Mu said, “Of course I came because I missed you.”

“Come on! You definitely heard that something happened to Mu Qingran’s company and came running over!” Qin Xin’s face carried the smug expression of someone who had seen through everything.

She had seen He Mu when she was still wearing split-crotch pants. How could she not know the little thoughts hiding in her heart?

He Mu half narrowed her eyes, putting on an expression that said, Don’t slander me.

“My sister told me to come.”

As though afraid Qin Xin would not believe her, she added, “KM’s data analysis capabilities are top-tier in the country. They’ve helped many companies come back from the dead. Several directors in the group have been drooling over them for ages, wanting to swallow this fat piece of meat whole. Right now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If I can take KM, my sister’s voice on the board of directors—”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Qin Xin made a gesture to cut her off. “I have no interest in listening to your long-winded explanation that only makes you sound guiltier.”

As she spoke, her gaze swept over her friend’s face like an X-ray, as though she had already seen right through her.

He Mu met her friend’s probing gaze head-on, neither dodging nor avoiding it.

“You’d better not start circling around Mu Qingran like a puppy again, wagging your tail at her…”

Qin Xin still wanted to say more, but it seemed as though she had eaten something bad. Her stomach suddenly churned.

“I’m going to take care of one of life’s major events.” She pressed a hand to her stomach, her brows tightly furrowed, then got up and went out, bringing a gust of wind with her.

With no one speaking, the room abruptly fell into silence.

He Mu leaned her head against the back of the chair, her gaze wandering idly over the room: the handmade wooden sofa, corner cabinet, coffee table, and the exquisite little iron soldier ornaments. One glance was enough to tell that a great deal of thought had gone into the place. It was Qin Xin’s taste.

Putting this much effort even into a room in a club—she really was rather… idle.

Finally, a piece of milk candy in the candy dish on the table entered He Mu’s eyes.

Her thoughts could not help drifting back to a time long, long ago…

“Mumu, this is Sister Qingran. From now on, she’ll live with us. You’ll have one more sister to love you. Is that okay?”

Little He Mu peeked out and studied the older girl standing behind her mother. She had her hair tied in a high ponytail, and her dress was black without even a tiny floral pattern on it. She looked exactly like a god from a picture book, standing high above, looking down upon all living beings.

He Mu was a little afraid to go near her.

The ponytailed girl opened her palm. Lying inside was a round piece of White Rabbit milk candy in white wrapping paper.

When little He Mu saw the candy, she became a little braver. She reached out to take it, and her fingertips brushed the other girl’s palm. It was cool and very comfortable.

That was the first time she and Mu Qingran met. At six years old, she gained a twelve-year-old sister.

For the next dozen-plus years, she was like a piece of sticky milk candy. She always wanted to cling to Mu Qingran.

And yet, milk candy would eventually melt.

…

He Mu was still lost in thought when the door to the private room opened with a creak. A gust of wind blew in from outside, pulling her thoughts back.

“Mumu, I just heard some seriously explosive gossip!” Qin Xin was abnormally excited, as though in the next second she might jump onto the table, grab a microphone, and loudly broadcast everything she had just heard.

He Mu said, “All I know is that your circle is a mess.”

Explosive gossip did not happen every day. Was there really any need to be so excited?

The room they were in belonged to a private club called FC Club. “FC” stood for “good-for-nothing.”

As the name implied, most of the members here were second- or third-generation rich kids who were not valued in their families.

The gossip these people shared in bathrooms was usually nothing more than matters below the waist. He Mu was uninterested.

“You know that Young Mr. Sun from Sun Group who got exiled to Nancheng last year, right?” Qin Xin said.

He Mu shook her head.

“We went to his wedding together last month. That greasy man,” Qin Xin prompted, helping her friend remember.

That seemed to ring a bell.

He Mu gestured with her eyes for Qin Xin to continue.

“That greasy man wants Mu Qingran to be his mistress, and he said it right in front of a whole room of rich second-generation kids. He really isn’t afraid of his wife finding out at all!” He was so openly scummy that it was almost admirable.

Before Qin Xin could finish speaking, she saw He Mu shoot to her feet with a whoosh, her brows tightly knitted and her gaze locked firmly on her.

After being stared at for several seconds, Qin Xin inexplicably felt a little guilty.

…Wait, no. What did she have to feel guilty about?

Under He Mu’s terrifying gaze, Qin Xin continued, “I wonder whether Mu Qingran will agree.” Her gossipy tone made it sound as though she had not noticed her friend’s change at all.

He Mu realized that her reaction just now had been too extreme. She cleared her throat and said carelessly, “Where did you hear something that unreliable? Even if Mu Qingran really fell so far that she had to become someone’s mistress, she wouldn’t be desperate enough to—” choose such a useless man.

Qin Xin interrupted her. “Apparently, Qingsheng Capital privately obtained thirty percent of KM’s shares from other shareholders. That greasy man holds Sun Group’s shares in KM.”

In short, as long as that greasy man sold the shares in his hands to Qingsheng Capital, Mu Qingran would lose control of the company.

She deliberately paused for a moment. “Whether Mu Qingran will compromise because of this… honestly, it’s hard to say.”

Qingsheng Capital was the largest investment bank in Nancheng. Its moves were always steady, precise, and ruthless. Every time it struck, it gained several times the amount it had invested.

But its reputation outside was not good.

As a massive investment bank, Qingsheng Capital did not have much of a sense of social responsibility. It often used every means available to acquire companies with great potential, frantically inflated their valuations, and once the timing was right, sold them off.

In short, companies that fell into their hands never ended well.

The corner of He Mu’s lips trembled imperceptibly. After a long while, she only gave a soft “Oh,” as though she did not care at all.

Qin Xin said, “Honestly, Mu Qingran is really quite unlucky.” She had just gotten into a car accident, and immediately afterward, wolves started eyeing her company.

He Mu did not respond, as if she had not heard.

Qin Xin spoke again. “I already checked for you. Mu Qingran is in SV8.” She had to admit, bathrooms were sometimes truly a pond of gossip.

“If you want to—”

He Mu said, protesting too much, “I’m not some bodhisattva. Why would I save someone who has nothing to do with me for no reason?”

Qin Xin said, “I didn’t say you were going to save her.”

He Mu said, “Can you be quiet for a while?”

Qin Xin: “…”

He Mu kept picking up her phone to check the time. After checking seven or eight times, barely more than a minute had passed.

She sat there extremely restlessly, as though the chair was burning her backside.

Qin Xin spoke again. “In my opinion, you should take this chance to teach her a proper lesson. Let her know that ungrateful people never end well!”

Back then, Mu Qingran had left just like that. Never mind that He Mu could not accept it—even Qin Xin had been half dead with anger.

Especially since Auntie He had just passed away. Mu Qingran should have known that leaving at that time was equivalent to ripping half of He Mu’s life away. Even considering the bond they shared from growing up together, she should not have been so heartless.

Qin Xin might always tease He Mu with her mouth, but in the end, she still felt sorry for her.

He Mu picked up the piece of milk candy from the table, her fingertips rubbing back and forth over the wrapper.

The current her could save Mu Qingran from dire straits, or she could push Mu Qingran into an abyss where she would be smashed to pieces.

Qin Xin had given her a pretty good excuse.

“You’re right.” He Mu curved her lips into a smile, casually grabbed a throw pillow, and tossed it at Qin Xin.

Her aim was steady, precise, and ruthless.

Qin Xin could not dodge in time and caught the throw pillow squarely with her face.

Qin Xin: Was this how she thanked a childhood friend?

“Don’t worry. I absolutely won’t treat you unfairly.”

The man sitting on the brown leather sofa pressed the cigar in his hand into the ashtray, putting it out, then pushed the agreement on the table forward.

The man wore a white shirt, a brown cotton-linen gentleman’s vest, and had his cuffs rolled up to his forearms. On his wrist was a rose-gold watch. Every movement he made carried an air of nobility he clearly believed he possessed.

“Actually, you don’t need to make things so hard for yourself. Give birth to a son for me, and you’ll be able to leap into the very top circles of Nancheng and become the woman everyone else envies most.” A woman as outstanding as Mu Qingran would surely raise an outstanding son as well.

He paused, then said, “Of course, if you really want to keep that lousy company, that’s simple too. You just need to serve me well and make me happy.”

Such terms were tempting enough. Only a fool would refuse.

A woman stood before the coffee table, her back ramrod straight. She was like a snow lotus standing in the frost and cold, her entire body filled with pride and unyielding spirit.

After hearing such humiliating words, she did not immediately speak.

“You’re not a young girl anymore. I can satisfy you very well.” The man revealed a smile, his eyes narrowing into two slits. “A win-win situation, wouldn’t you say?”

At that moment, the door to the room was pushed open.

The gazes of all the men and women in the room gathered on the outsider who had suddenly barged in.

The woman at the door wore a black V-neck shirt, unbuttoned down to the third button. A delicate feather-shaped pendant rested against her collarbone. Her high-waisted jeans fitted closely, outlining the perfect lines of her hips and legs. Her waist was very slim, as though it could be fully encircled by two hands. The pair of Martin boots on her feet added even more competence and crispness to her appearance.

The eyeliner at the corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward. In just a few seconds, the rich heirs who were usually used to summoning wind and rain were all intimidated by her presence.

Young Mr. Sun, who had still been threatening someone a moment ago, stared until his eyes went straight.

…

When He Mu opened the door, she heard what that man said. It was like being force-fed a mouthful of her least favorite sour bean drink, the rancid stench filling her nasal cavity.

At the same time, the air was also permeated with the smell of smoke, like chocolate mixed with bitter mint, making He Mu feel as though she might throw up in the next second.

Mu Qingran turned her head.

Their gazes collided.

He Mu had thought that after so many years, her heart had become hard enough. But when she saw Mu Qingran’s cool, distant face again, her heart was still gouged open by a sharp awl, a crack splitting through it as flesh and blood tore apart.

Young Mr. Sun looked over and said with a smile, “What wind blew Uncle He’s precious jewel into our little place?”

He Mu turned to look at the person speaking and put on a sloppy, roguish smile. “I came over to sit for a while. I’m not unwelcome, am I?”

“How could you be!” Young Mr. Sun patted the thigh of the woman beside him, leaving a red handprint on her snow-white skin. “Give Miss He your seat.”

He Mu furrowed her brows. She strongly disliked this kind of disrespectful behavior toward women. But after all, she had not come here today to smash the place up. Besides, one was willing to hit and the other was willing to suffer. She did not say anything more.

He Mu walked to the seat at the very edge and sat down. “Don’t mind me.”

Young Mr. Sun smiled and nodded at He Mu, but inside, he felt somewhat uncertain. It was not exactly a secret that Mu Qingran was half an adopted daughter of the He family. But in recent years, the He family and Mu Qingran seemed to have had no contact at all, not even the smallest collaboration. He guessed that Mu Qingran’s wings had hardened, and she no longer wanted to be controlled by the He family.

It was based on this that he had dared to threaten Mu Qingran.

But with He Mu suddenly appearing, he was no longer quite sure what attitude the He family had toward Mu Qingran.

“What I said just now…” Young Mr. Sun subconsciously glanced in He Mu’s direction before fixing his gaze on Mu Qingran’s face. “How are you considering it?”

When she had passed by earlier, He Mu had seen the cover of the agreement on the table. Written across it were several large words: “Agreement on the Attribution of Personal Rights.”

She had to admit, Young Mr. Sun’s way of playing was quite unique and unconventional.

This sort of agreement had virtually no legal effect. It was nothing more than something used to humiliate people.

If Mu Qingran was willing to open her mouth and beg her, perhaps she would show great mercy and help her out of this situation. Begging her was still much easier than becoming the mistress of a worthless man.

He Mu thought this to herself.

The room was so quiet that the ticking of the second hand could be heard. Everyone in the room watched the person standing in the center as though they were watching a show.

Among them, several socialites all happened to think the same thing: it would be best if Mu Qingran really was taken by President Sun. That way, she would not go out and bring trouble to other outstanding young men.

These people had disliked Mu Qingran for more than just a day or two. She was already a thirty-year-old old woman, yet she still spent all day seducing men.

Wherever Mu Qingran went, she would automatically become the center of attention.

The most famous playboy in Nancheng had only met Mu Qingran once before he completely changed his ways, vowing to become a proper, virtuous househusband and only hoping that Mu Qingran would look at him.

That was simply outrageous!

As for the men’s gazes, they were mostly sneaking looks at He Mu, who was sitting in the corner. Aside from President Sun, none of them had seen her before, much less seen such a stunning beauty. But judging from President Sun’s attitude, this young woman clearly had a powerful background. No one dared to have any improper thoughts about her. They only glanced at her a few times before looking back at Mu Qingran.

If they were brothers, then blessings should be shared. Once President Sun grew tired of playing with her, perhaps they would be able to bask in a little reflected benefit too. A successful career woman like Mu Qingran would give them an even greater sense of achievement to conquer.

He Mu lifted her eyelids slightly and swept her gaze around the room. From their facial expressions alone, she could tell what these people were thinking.

The feeling of wanting to vomit grew even stronger.

Even in such circumstances, Mu Qingran still wore that familiar calm expression, as though whatever the people around her thought had nothing to do with her.

Several minutes passed. She did not nod, but she did not refuse either.

Even during all those days when they had lived together from morning to night, He Mu had felt that she had never truly understood Mu Qingran. After five years apart, she understood her even less.

He Mu hated this version of Mu Qingran.

Very, very much.

Unconsciously, He Mu scraped the nail of her index finger across the pad of her thumb. The tender skin quickly reddened, but she seemed unable to feel pain. In fact, she even showed signs of pressing harder and harder.

At last, the corners of Mu Qingran’s lips curved faintly. Her thin lips parted slightly.

“The conditions President Sun has offered are indeed very tempting—”

The moment she began speaking, He Mu abruptly stood up, walked to the low table, picked up the paper agreement lying on it, and without even looking at it, signed her name directly in the Party A column.

A mocking curve lifted the corner of her lips. Holding the agreement in her hand, she gave it a little shake. Her eyes were on Mu Qingran, but her words were directed at someone else.

“President Sun, I’ll have to trouble you to part with what you love.”

She did not ask for Mu Qingran’s opinion.

How could a plaything have the right to choose?