Pretending To Have Amnesia - Chapter 12

Mu Qingran sat behind her desk, her fingers flying rapidly across the laptop keyboard. It was clearly an extremely ordinary action, yet when she did it, it looked as graceful as playing a piano piece.

When Mu Qingran worked, she wore black square-framed glasses, the clumsy and entirely unromantic kind. But paired with that face, they instead gave her an indescribable sexiness.

He Mu leaned against the doorway, her eyes half narrowed lazily, as though she were admiring a piece of fine craftsmanship.

“Even if we hadn’t grown up together, I still would have been captivated by that face of yours,” she said. “Being able to collect all the beautiful things in the world and place them at home isn’t a bad motivation for striving in life, don’t you think?”

It was no different from collecting figurines.

Mu Qingran lifted her eyelids slightly. “President He, if you’re hungry, you can go eat lunch by yourself. I still have a long while to go.”

“I didn’t come because I wanted someone to accompany me for lunch.” He Mu curved her lips. “I came to force Sister, reluctantly, to do something she doesn’t like. I know you don’t like eating lunch with me, and you don’t like me standing here watching you work either.”

Mu Qingran did not speak again. The speed of her dancing fingertips increased, and a trace of irritation too faint to notice appeared in her eyes.

He Mu continued watching her quietly.

Even after so many years had passed, even though He Mu was no longer the child who looked up to Mu Qingran back then, she still had to admit that Mu Qingran was so outstanding that He Mu found it difficult to even see her back.

Mu Qingran was different from her. She did not have powerful family resources or financial support behind her, yet before she even turned thirty, she had still built a company that made several major groups drool with greed.

He Mu knew KM’s rise very well. Mu Qingran had written it into existence, line of code by line of code.

If there had not been those memories between them, memories interwoven with beauty and disgrace, then had they met at their current age, perhaps she would have greatly admired a woman like Mu Qingran.

…

The minute hand of the wall clock completed a full circle and returned to its starting point. Mu Qingran finally took off her glasses, moved her gaze away from the computer screen, and let it fall on He Mu.

He Mu did not know what kind of mindset she had been holding, whether it was childish defiance or something else, but she had actually stood there motionless and waited for Mu Qingran to finish the work at hand.

…Her legs were a little numb.

“Let’s go.” Mu Qingran stood and walked toward the door.

He Mu tried hard not to show anything strange, but the moment she lifted her foot, her leg went weak. Seeing herself getting closer and closer to the floor, she no longer had the luxury of worrying about face or dignity. Both her hands hooked around Mu Qingran’s neck.

Very good. She had tripped over flat ground.

If someone said this was not deliberate, even she herself would not believe it.

Mu Qingran raised her brows slightly. “It seems President He still very much wants to do it here.”

He Mu felt as though thousands of muscle cells in her face were twitching. How could Mu Qingran say such outrageous words with a completely serious face? Had He Mu simply not understood Mu Qingran well enough before, or had Mu Qingran been corrupted by this vulgar world?

He Mu steadied herself, released Mu Qingran’s neck, and gave a cold snort. “If President Mu hadn’t made me wait for so long, I wouldn’t have made such a mistake!”

Mu Qingran stared into He Mu’s eyes and said flatly, “President He acting like this can easily lead to misunderstandings.”

“What?” He Mu did not understand what she meant.

“It will make people misunderstand and think you’ve fallen in love with your plaything,” Mu Qingran said.

A certain word in that sentence stabbed He Mu’s nerves. Her gaze gradually chilled.

“Is that so? Then that really is a misunderstanding that shouldn’t exist. A plaything is a plaything. It’s only fun while it’s still new.”

“If I remember correctly, President He said we had a lot of history between us, didn’t you?” Mu Qingran said. “In that case, how can there be anything new?”

He Mu laughed softly. “Because Sister used to be a treasure to me.” She did not deliberately hide the past. “Something sacred that I once didn’t dare profane in the slightest can now be played with as I please. Doesn’t that make it even more exciting?”

Mu Qingran pressed a hand to He Mu’s shoulder and pushed her against the back of the door.

“You really are a little princess from a wealthy family.” She paused. “Aside from playing along with you, I don’t seem to have any other choice.”

Her voice was clearly very soft, and there was not much emotion in it, yet He Mu felt as though she had been slapped hard across the face.

Mu Qingran simply had this ability, making He Mu feel that no matter what she did, she was merely a spoiled little princess playing house, childish and ridiculous.

“Sister, have you forgotten? You didn’t lower the blinds,” He Mu said in a low voice. “Right now, I only need to push you one centimeter to the side, and the people outside will be able to see what kind of dirty business their respected boss is doing with an investor during working hours.”

“Do you really understand me?” Mu Qingran said calmly. “I only care whether my own abilities are enough to make others submit willingly. As for how others view my private life, even if they despise it in their hearts, that has no meaning to me.”

A confused, mottled color stained He Mu’s pitch-black eyes. The Mu Qingran before her was very unfamiliar.

She even wavered despite herself, almost believing that Mu Qingran truly had lost her memory.

“My work is very busy. I don’t have time to satisfy every unreasonable demand from an investor.” Mu Qingran unlocked her phone screen and handed it to He Mu. “I’ll have to trouble President He to choose a delivery order. It can save some time.”

“I have an even more time-saving method.” He Mu grabbed Mu Qingran’s collar with both hands, pulled her toward herself, and covered her lips with her own.

After they separated, a few drops of blood seeped from Mu Qingran’s lower lip, like a red flower blooming.

“The bite Sister left on the tip of my tongue a few days ago has made it so that I can barely taste anything when I eat now. Whether or not I eat lunch isn’t that important.” He Mu curved her lips. “Besides, I’ve discovered something even more delicious.”

Mu Qingran’s thumb pad swept over her bitten lip. Lowering her eyes, she saw a smear of vivid red on her fingertip.

“In that case, please go back to work properly and don’t forget the purpose of your coming here.” She lifted her eyes. “President He.”

He Mu pushed Mu Qingran away and was about to open the door and leave when her wrist was caught.

“Walking out with your clothes in such a disheveled state would inspire people’s imaginations.” Mu Qingran straightened He Mu’s collar for her, fastened the buttons that had somehow been pulled open at some point, and smoothed the wrinkles on the front of her clothes.

He Mu also raised her hand, but not to help Mu Qingran tidy her clothes. Instead, she grabbed Mu Qingran’s collarbone chain, pulled her closer, and licked away the blood on her lips.

He Mu realized that she had actually begun to become a little addicted to the salty, metallic taste of blood.

Bang, bang, bang… bang, bang!

Several bullets hit dead center on the target.

He Mu took off the noise-canceling headphones and orange protective goggles. There was a faint pressure mark across the bridge of her nose, but it did not affect the beauty of her entire face in the slightest. Instead, it added a touch of wildness.

Qin Xin looked terrified. “Sister Mu, let’s not be this violent. I’m genuinely worried that one day I’ll see you on the social news.”

“I’m violent?” He Mu gave a scoff. “I’m very calm right now!”

“I’ve never seen a calm person who looks like this. A perfectly good shooting target got shot into a sieve.” Qin Xin muttered quietly.

“What did you say?” He Mu asked.

“I said Sister Mu’s marksmanship is first-class!” Qin Xin gave her a thumbs-up. Inwardly, she sighed. Luckily, our country doesn’t allow guns. Socialist countries really are good!

The two of them spoke as they walked out of the practice room and into the VIP lounge.

The club’s attendant brought over towels, black tea, and desserts.

He Mu picked up the matcha-flavored ice cream and ate a few bites. After focusing for a moment, she slapped it onto the table.

Qin Xin was so startled she trembled. “Is the ice cream bad? Or did the table offend you by being too ugly?”

He Mu looked at Qin Xin, her direct gaze completely unrestrained.

The person being stared at felt her scalp go numb and asked, “I… I don’t look like a shooting target, right?”

“How do you manage to sleep with different people every few days?” He Mu fired off questions one after another. “Does spending the night with different people make your technique better?”

Sometimes, she truly was very curious. Why were some people able to separate feelings from the body? Age and gender even had no effect at all. What was the secret?

“…”

Being suddenly asked this kind of question was honestly rather embarrassing.

Qin Xin grinned. “What, have you finally figured things out and decided to form the ‘Hookup Huntresses’ with me so we can go fishing in the pond?”

He Mu furrowed her brows. “What ‘Hookup Huntresses’? Could you make it sound any tackier?”

Qin Xin pouted. “A team name this domineering isn’t something ordinary people are worthy of having, okay!”

“Forget it, that’s not important. Saying it isn’t as good as doing it. Let’s go now!” He Mu stood up, ready to leave at once.

Qin Xin followed her and glanced at the slightly melted matcha ice cream on the table.

What a perfectly fitting shade of forgiveness green.

…

Inside a bar named Mirror.

The sound of the DJ and the noisy chatter filled the entire space, as though they might burst through your eardrums and devour your brain at any moment. The lights were dazzling and dizzying, like being inside an illusory dream. All one had to do was enjoy the present and not think about tomorrow.

Even if you spent the night with someone you did not know, you did not need to take any responsibility. After parting, you would vanish from each other’s lives.

No one would know the absurdity that had passed between you.

“Little rookie, watch and learn from Sister.” Qin Xin raised her brows at He Mu. As the undisputed nightclub queen, this was her home court.

The already irritable Sister Mu’s head hurt from all the noise. Being set off by that “little rookie,” she unceremoniously gave Qin Xin a kick.

Qin Xin could not beat her in a fight, so she could only become an obedient little wife who accepted adversity, pitifully rubbing her backside.

But this little interlude did not affect her. Very soon, she found a target.

“Beauty, have I seen you somewhere before?” Qin Xin leaned sideways against the bar counter and looked affectionately at the beauty in front of her, opening with practiced ease.

The person being hit on glanced at Qin Xin, did not respond, and took out a pair of white Bluetooth earphones, putting them into her ears.

It felt as though this exact thing had happened recently.

Qin Xin could not remember exactly when, but weren’t there always things like that? Certain scenes made you feel as though you had seen them before, as if they had happened in a dream.

She did not take it to heart.

He Mu looked at her childhood friend returning in defeat and shook her head. “You’re no good.”

“Pah! How can a woman say she’s no good!” Qin Xin said angrily. “What do you know? That one isn’t my type. I like the ones with hot bodies!”

Just then, a slender woman with curves in all the right places walked over.

Qin Xin smiled smugly. “See? Usually, I’m the one people hit on.”

“Beauty, want to come with me? I have a feeling tonight will be unforgettable for both of us.” The woman spoke bluntly and teasingly the moment she opened her mouth, but the target was not Qin Xin. It was He Mu beside her.

He Mu sized the woman up for a moment, then smiled. “All right. I’m looking forward to it.”

Since Mu Qingran said her technique was bad, she ought to practice diligently. Otherwise, Mu Qingran might think she had spent all these years still standing in the same place, unable to turn around, thinking she was still looking forward to their reunion, thinking she could not touch anyone else besides her.

That would be laughable.

Watching the two of them walk away, Qin Xin could not describe what she felt. She was clearly also a stunning, delicate flower of incomparable beauty, yet standing beside her childhood friend, she could only be reduced to an invisible person.

She admitted it.

Right now, she was just a sour chicken.

After walking out of the bar, He Mu felt waves of vibration coming from her pocket. She took out her phone. It was an incoming call.

She answered, and Su Li’s anxious voice sounded. “President He, can you come to the Grand Hyatt Hotel right now? President Mu, she—”

He Mu knew Su Li would not contact her for no reason, but before the other woman could finish speaking, she refused. “I have something to do right now. It isn’t very convenient.”

“Don’t you like Mu Qingran? She was called away by President Sun and the nephew of the tax bureau chief a long time ago and still hasn’t come back. There are people at the door stopping us from going in. I’m afraid something will happen to her. Please, you have to come!” In her panic, Su Li could no longer care about honorifics and had completely lost her composure.

“I’ve never said I like her.” He Mu’s tone was cold, yet the hand holding the phone was trembling.