Pretending To Have Amnesia - Chapter 17

“I heard the tax bureau Chief Li’s nephew got arrested. Even his uncle is under investigation now, and it’s dragged out quite a few things. Several company bosses who were close to him have been staked out by the police, and their companies are going to be inspected too.”

Qin Xin looked at He Mu and raised her brows slightly. “Our Miss He has only been in Nancheng for a few days, and the whole city is already shaking.”

He Mu said carelessly, “I merely did what a good citizen should do.”

Qin Xin shook her head helplessly. “A lot of people are applauding now that the Li family has fallen, but you’ve offended quite a few people this time. No matter how big your family business is, your main battlefield is still the capital. Your reach is limited here. You were too impulsive.”

He Mu gave her friend a strange look. “I’m really not used to you being serious.”

Qin Xin narrowed her eyes, her gaze scrutinizing. “I’m just afraid you charged into danger out of rage for a beauty.”

“What kind of joke is that? It has nothing to do with Mu Qingran at all.” He Mu’s face was righteous, leaving no room for doubt.

Qin Xin said, “Did I mention the three words Mu Qingran?”

He Mu: “…”

Qin Xin sighed. “The moment Mu Qingran is involved, you can’t help acting stupid. I think you’re hopeless.”

“You’re thinking too much.” He Mu picked up the glass of water on the table and took a small sip, saying with a taut face, “Mu Qingran is now my possession, my trophy. I’m giving her a little sweetness first so she can better understand the consequences of angering me.”

“Fine.” Qin Xin shrugged and ended the topic, then stood up. “Today, I asked you here to be my wingwoman. We can’t forget the fundamental purpose.”

She said she wanted He Mu to be her wingwoman, but in truth, she wanted this fool to understand that there was far more happiness to be found in the colorful world outside. There was no need to hang herself on one tree.

Before, she had not known that He Mu and Mu Qingran had ever started anything. Now that she knew, no matter what, she could not let He Mu fall back in.

These past years, Qin Xin had also been in Nancheng. Although she had not had much interaction with Mu Qingran, she had heard the other woman’s name plenty of times. From the bottom of her heart, she felt that Mu Qingran was not a good choice for dating.

He Mu followed her and stood, obeying Captain Qin’s instructions.

These years, her time had been filled with books, various financial statements, meetings large and small, and business appointments. She had practically never had the spare time to go hunting for romantic encounters in bars. To her, with that kind of time, she would rather sleep a few more minutes.

But since she now had a good teacher, she was quite willing to learn how to happily become a player.

“Do you see that mature woman over there, the one looking down at her phone and wearing a beret?” Qin Xin pointed at the woman sitting alone in a corner booth.

He Mu looked in the direction of Qin Xin’s fingertip and waited for her to continue.

“A woman in her thirties who likes hiding at the edge of the crowd—no matter how tough she looks on the outside, her heart is still very soft,” Qin Xin said. “This type of older woman may have been hurt many times when she was younger, so she’ll easily feel pity toward weak people and give off a maternal instinct.”

He Mu’s gaze toward her friend changed slightly. It actually sounded fairly convincing. More importantly, when Qin Xin said this, she was like a strategist analyzing battle conditions: calm and serious.

He Mu did not fully understand it, but it sounded impressive.

“So…” Qin Xin’s brows moved, and she revealed the kind of wicked smile she usually wore. “I need to fabricate a pitiful background and tragic experiences for myself. That requires your cooperation. We’ll create the image that I was emotionally manipulated and abused by my ex-girlfriend—weak, pitiful, and helpless, like a little puppy who needs to be rescued and held in someone’s arms.”

“…”

This was truly doglike.

He Mu had never done anything this conscience-destroying before. Her whole face was written with rejection.

Qin Xin lowered her eyes, unable to hide her disappointment and sadness. “Do you think I’m despicable and shameless?”

He Mu nodded.

Could her sister not be so upright?!

Qin Xin’s expression froze, and she could no longer keep acting.

After a long while, she said bluntly, “The people who come to this bar are all looking for excitement or comfort. In truth, everyone is playing a role, telling a story, spending a short, happy time with a stranger they meet by chance, and then going their separate ways, becoming passersby. That is the meaning of this place’s existence.”

He Mu froze. What her friend described was a world she had never touched before.

Qin Xin laughed softly. “Most people have too much helplessness in their lives. When you have obsessions and desires, you’ll have regret, disappointment, and pain. If you keep carrying all of that, how exhausting would it be? Isn’t it good to enjoy yourself while you can?”

He Mu gazed into her friend’s eyes and suddenly felt that the other woman did not seem as carefree and happy as she had believed.

Was the Qin Xin before her the real Qin Xin? Or was she merely a Qin Xin playing the role of the childhood friend He Mu was familiar with?

But no matter what, that was better than He Mu, who had locked herself in a cage.

He Mu raised her brows. “Then is Captain Qin willing to give this opportunity to me, so I can experience some maternal warmth from a mature older woman?”

“Baby, you’ve finally seen the light!” Qin Xin happily agreed. “Don’t worry. I’ll customize a script for you that even a beginner can use. I guarantee that older sister’s pity and affection for you will overflow!”

Over the next ten minutes, Qin Xin could be said to have taught He Mu everything she knew. The tutorial was concise, clear, and easy to understand. From lines and movements to tone and expression, she personally demonstrated them all, her grasp and control perfectly precise.

He Mu could not help sighing inwardly. If Qin Xin brought this set of skills into the entertainment industry, Best Actress, Best Screenwriter, Best Director—she could sweep them all into her arms.

After preparations were complete, Qin Xin brought He Mu to sit in the booth next to the target.

Not long after ordering drinks, Qin Xin began earnestly comforting her friend in a voice the mature target woman could hear. Through her words, the image of a nonexistent scummy woman came vividly to life.

Even He Mu could not help believing that she truly had such a terrible girlfriend, one who crushed her confidence, destroyed her spirit, and even hit her.

After all, this was He Mu’s first time being this sort of emotional con artist. At first, she had to try hard to hold back her laughter to avoid giving herself away. But later, for some reason, her attention gradually drifted, and she inexplicably thought of Mu Qingran.

All those years in the past, she had followed behind Mu Qingran. As long as she could receive even a little attention, she had been incomparably satisfied. How was that any different from the role she was supposed to be playing right now? How humble. How wretched.

The sense of humiliation blurred by time once again attacked her heart, sharp and violent.

Whatever her friend said next, she could no longer hear.

Qin Xin went to the neighboring seat. “Sister, my friend has had an unfortunate life and met the wrong person. Her body and heart have suffered enormous trauma, and she’s very fragile right now. I hope someone can give her some confidence and make her believe that she can be loved.” As she spoke, she deliberately half covered her mouth and lowered her voice. “Could you help me with this? Please.”

The woman being hit on lifted her eyes. After a moment of silence, she curved her lips. “Do you need me to cherish her, stroke her, and preferably take her home to comfort her?”

Qin Xin choked. Had her pickup tactic been seen through?

But with this kind of thing, only the result mattered, not the process.

In order not to crash and lose face in front of her friend, Qin Xin quickly pulled a card out from behind her phone case. “This is a stored-value card for this place. I’m very familiar with the owner, so it can be cashed out. As long as you cooperate with me and act as a healing, gentle older sister, then no matter whether anything happens between you two tonight or not, you can take the money. This money is a lot easier to earn than a working person grinding away at a 996 schedule for several months.”

The woman stared at Qin Xin for a few seconds, then took the card from her hand and stood.

That meant the deal had been reached, right?

Qin Xin breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. A woman’s dignity absolutely could not lose!

The beret-wearing woman sat down beside He Mu, very close to her. Without the slightest bashfulness, she placed her hand on He Mu’s thigh.

“Little beauty, I have very high standards for bed partners, and I’m very expensive too. If you want to sleep with me for one night, you’d better be prepared to bleed money. Hands, mouth, or toys all have different prices.”

Qin Xin’s eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets. Not only was this completely different from what they had agreed on, but she was even charging a second fee. This woman simply had no martial virtue!

He Mu did not react for a moment. She froze for half a minute, and before she could speak, a shadow suddenly fell before her.

Mu Qingran stood one meter away. Flashing, glaring lights surrounded her, making it impossible to see the expression on her face clearly.

He Mu lifted her head, stunned. But after only a second, her eyes filled with anger.

Why would Mu Qingran appear here?

At the time He Mu least wanted to see her, in the place He Mu least wanted to see her.

Was Mu Qingran also like most of the people Qin Xin described, meeting someone by chance here before becoming a passerby to each other?

He Mu sneered. “Have you forgotten what your current identity is? If you don’t remember, I don’t mind helping you deepen that memory here.”

Author’s Note:

Qin Xin, Top 1 on the secret hit list.