Pretending To Have Amnesia - Chapter 7

Mu Qingran froze for a second, then moved her gaze to He Mu’s hand.

“Is it better?”

Clearly, she was asking about her hand.

He Mu felt as though she had just been subjected to death by a thousand cuts.

A deep, ripe flush climbed all the way from her chest to her collarbones, quickly spreading over her neck and face. Her ears were so red they looked as though they might drip blood.

“I have two hands.” He Mu forced the words out through gritted teeth.

One wall of this office was made of glass, facing the open office area outside.

Mu Qingran stood up, picked up the remote control, and closed the blinds.

He Mu had only asked that question just now because she had lost her mind. Now, seeing that Mu Qingran was actually closing the blinds, her pupils practically quaked.

Since when had Mu Qingran ever been this obedient? Was a contract that would barely hold up in court really this useful?

“Here?” Mu Qingran walked closer, both arms folded across her chest. Her expression looked like a disciplinary director questioning a student.

“Why not?” He Mu did not want to lose momentum. She straightened her chest, lifted her chin, and her gaze sharpened, as though she were looking down on all beneath her.

“I don’t want to break my promise. If you insist on making such an unreasonable demand, I can do it,” Mu Qingran said seriously. “But I don’t like it.”

Because you didn’t want to break promises, you never made me any promises before, did you?

The redness in He Mu’s face turned pale. All the sharpness in her eyes vanished. She gave a roguish smile.

“I was only joking. You didn’t take it seriously, did you? Do you think my interest in you is that great?”

Mu Qingran answered with silence. She returned to her desk, gathered the documents on the table into a stack, placed them in a drawer, and locked it.

“I told Xiao Wang to have lunch with you. She may have forgotten because she was busy.”

Xiao Wang was KM’s administrative assistant. He Mu’s office had been arranged entirely by her. She was a very conscientious employee.

“What do you want to eat?” Mu Qingran walked back in front of He Mu.

“I refused her,” He Mu replied to the earlier sentence.

Mu Qingran was not surprised either. She said, “I don’t believe I have the obligation to accompany President He for every meal. Today will count as repaying you for that previous lunch. Let’s go.”

He Mu said, “Is Sister reminding me that only at night can I occupy a little of your precious time?”

Mu Qingran said, “You know you’re twisting my meaning.”

He Mu raised a hand and smoothed the hair on the top of her head, the corners of her lips curving. “I’m quite aggrieved as a patron.”

Mu Qingran said, “I don’t want to waste time on lunch.”

Anyone unfamiliar with her would definitely grow even angrier after hearing this, thinking she did not know what was good for her.

But He Mu just happened to know that Mu Qingran was explaining.

And for her to explain was already the highest courtesy.

He Mu placed her left hand on Mu Qingran’s face, her thumb gently rubbing over her cheekbone.

“Mu Qingran, sometimes I feel like the word ‘degrading myself’ is especially suitable for me.”

She was not belittling herself. She was stating an objective fact.

Mu Qingran stared at He Mu for a while. Rare confusion appeared in her light brown eyes.

“That night, why?”

A lot of words had been omitted from this question, but He Mu still understood.

Why did she go and snatch her away from Young Mr. Sun? Why did she use such a clumsy excuse to threaten her? Why did she keep saying she did not care, yet still could not let her go?

He Mu silently recited this string of questions in her heart, then suddenly revealed a relieved smile.

“Because I’m crazy,” she said to Mu Qingran, and also to herself. “A lunatic doesn’t need reasons to do things.”

Through countless days and nights in the past, the name Mu Qingran, the feelings that had been trampled underfoot, the hopeless longing…

Everything had tortured her into madness long ago.

After they reunited, Mu Qingran had not changed in the slightest. She was still so infuriating.

But He Mu was no longer that child from the past who would feel sad and hurt just because Sister gave her the cold shoulder.

She would drag Sister into suffering with her.

Without any warning, He Mu kissed Mu Qingran, forcefully pried open her teeth, and bit down hard on the tip of her tongue.

He Mu pressed both hands to Mu Qingran’s face, holding it tightly, like a vampire crazily drawing the taste of blood from its prey’s mouth.

Perhaps one minute passed. Perhaps five. He Mu did not know how much time had gone by.

She pressed her forehead against Mu Qingran’s and said hoarsely, “Sister, you lost your child long ago. She won’t accommodate you anymore. So don’t reject her and challenge her so casually. You need to know that a toy doesn’t have that right.”

Mu Qingran was finally no longer a pool of dead water. Anger filled her entire gaze.

“Are you angry?” He Mu smiled. “I was really afraid you wouldn’t get angry.”

“You saw wrong.”

Mu Qingran’s tone was calm, as though the emotion He Mu had just caught on her face had truly only been an illusion.

With a playful smile hanging on her lips, He Mu quietly studied Mu Qingran. The anger in her eyes had flashed and vanished, and there was not the slightest expression of pain on her face either.

But being bitten on the tip of the tongue clearly hurt.

What exactly would it take to make Mu Qingran feel pain?

The obsession, gloom, and dark thoughts hidden deep in He Mu’s heart screamed wildly and stirred restlessly. As long as she wanted to, she could lightly pull open the blinds in this office and rip off Mu Qingran’s mask in front of everyone in the company. She could let them see how their boss was held in her grasp, and let them see the shameful transaction between the two of them.

As long as she wanted to, she could easily destroy Mu Qingran, couldn’t she?

But in the next second, Mu Qingran kissed her.

He Mu’s breath stopped, and the corners of her eyes grew hot.

“Mm…”

A low moan slipped from her throat.

It carried pain.

He Mu’s eyes widened. She seemed frozen in place, mouth open, her lips trembling faintly.

A dot of bright red stained the tip of her tongue.

Mu Qingran had actually bitten her!

“Don’t threaten me.”

Mu Qingran had a pair of eyes that seemed both like phoenix eyes and peach-blossom eyes. When gentle, they could drown a person. When sharp, they could make someone instinctively want to submit.

Right now, they were the latter.

As expected of Mu Qingran. She was still the same as before. If someone wronged her, she would repay tooth for tooth.

He Mu narrowed her eyes and pulled Mu Qingran’s hand to her heart, saying openly, “In the past, I was most afraid of you showing this kind of expression. After so many years, I’m still terrified of it. But this feeling of my heart beating like it’s gone mad makes me very excited. Pretty perverted, isn’t it?”

Mu Qingran’s voice sank slightly. “Some memories are forgotten because they have no meaning in existing. What the past me was like in your eyes, and what the current me is like, are not things I care about.”

Knock, knock, knock!

“President Mu, may I come in?” Director Su’s voice sounded outside the door.

He Mu and Mu Qingran looked at each other for several seconds. Then He Mu let go of her hand and unhurriedly helped straighten her collar.

“Work is important. As for our matter, we can slowly discuss it in bed tonight.”

Mu Qingran also lifted her hand. Her thumb covered the corner of He Mu’s mouth and wiped away the lipstick that belonged to herself.

It was as though the drawn swords and taut bows from moments earlier had never existed.

The two separated by some distance. Just as Mu Qingran was about to open the door, He Mu suddenly leaned forward and pressed a lipstick mark onto her collarbone, then raised a hand to cover half of it with the collar of her shirt.

“Keep it like this. Don’t move.” He Mu smiled sweetly. “Every penny KM spends right now belongs to Maple Leaf Capital. If I want to strangle any business line to death, it would be as easy as turning over my hand.”

The hand Mu Qingran had placed on the doorknob tightened almost imperceptibly, the white of her knuckles becoming even more obvious.

As He Mu had said, she did not cover up that faintly visible red lip print. She opened the door, her face calm.

“President Mu, I have a document here that I’d like you to sign.”

Ever since Mu Qingran had reminded her last time, Su Li had been very careful. She only dared steal a few glances at Mu Qingran when she was not paying attention, or use work as an excuse to briefly stop in front of her for a little while, just like now.

“President He.” When Su Li saw that there was another person in the office, she said, “If President Mu is busy, I can come back later.”

“No need.” Mu Qingran took the document from Su Li’s hand and walked toward the desk while reading it. She sat down and picked up the fountain pen for signing.

He Mu gave Su Li a faint smile and brushed past her as she walked out of the office.

Su Li unconsciously looked back once.

She seemed to have smelled President Mu’s usual perfume on President He.

Was it her imagination?

But this was President Mu’s office, so it was normal for there to be a little of her perfume scent.

Su Li sank into this luxurious moment that belonged only to herself. She lifted her eyelids and secretly looked at that breathtakingly beautiful face. Then, all of a sudden, a smear of red entered her vision, striking her with tremendous force.

The perfume scent could be explained as a coincidence, but the lip print on President Mu’s collarbone could not be explained away by any casual reason no matter what.

Its position was so private, yet so obvious.

She could even imagine what sort of scene had created that lip print.

“President Mu,” Su Li bit her lip. “Here, you…” She pointed to her own collarbone. It was unclear whether she only wanted to remind her, or wanted a definite answer.

“You’re very smart.” Mu Qingran returned the document to Su Li. “Don’t do anything that destroys your own future.”

“I understand, President Mu. I won’t betray your expectations and trust.” Su Li tried hard to tug at the corners of her lips, wanting to show her boss a smile, but she did not succeed very well.

She had been among the first group of employees to join when this company had just been founded. At that time, the company had not been large, and funds had also been very tight. Everyone carried a heavy burden, and the salary was far worse than at big companies, but she had never felt tired or wronged, because at some unknown moment, the big boss had moved into her heart.

She thought that as long as KM remained, as long as President Mu remained, she would always be an employee here.

For so many years, no one had ever appeared by President Mu’s side. Su Li had thought that as long as she waited long enough, one day, President Mu would look at her a little more.

But reality would always slap unrealistic fantasies hard across the face.

So it turned out that she and President Mu had never belonged to the same world.

Even if she believed her ability and appearance were outstanding among people her age, she could never stand shoulder to shoulder with someone like President Mu.

President He and President Mu, on the other hand, were very well matched.

They were equally within sight, yet forever out of reach.

Su Li stood at the door of President Mu’s office, holding the document in her arms. She took a deep breath and walked straight toward another office.

He Mu was not especially surprised to see Su Li. After all, that lip print had been deliberately left for her to see. But Su Li coming to find her still surprised her a little.

“Director Su, is there something you need?” He Mu asked.

Su Li bowed slightly, making her stance clear as she said, “I won’t do anything improper because of feelings that have no result. President He, please rest assured.”

He Mu raised her brows. “Do you know that saying something like this will make me misunderstand and think you feel I’m narrow-minded?”

“How many people can be truly generous in the face of feelings?” Su Li’s nervousness was hard to hide, but she still opened her mouth. “Compared with you, I’m only an ordinary screw that could be replaced at any time. But even so, I still want to at least preserve my own pride when it comes to feelings.”

He Mu straightened and propped her chin on one hand, assuming the posture of someone listening seriously. A trace of appreciation appeared in her eyes.

Su Li continued, “I know my feelings couldn’t escape President He’s eyes. Instead of saying nothing and leaving a thorn between us, it would be better to admit it openly. I liked President Mu before, but I won’t anymore. At the company, I also won’t say a single word I shouldn’t say.”

As Mu Qingran had said, she was very smart. She could tell at once that the lip print was clearly something President He had deliberately left for her to see.

KM carried the most beautiful years of her youth. She did not want to reach the point where she had no choice but to leave for a reason like this. It was better to burn her boats.

He Mu laughed softly. “Because you liked President Mu, you indulged her in spending money recklessly?”

Su Li froze, unable to guess President He’s attitude and unsure how she should answer.

He Mu stood up, walked in front of Su Li, and patted her shoulder.

“Director Su has made me see her in a new light. Now I know why President Mu protected you.”

“I’m very grateful to have met a good boss.”

Su Li let out a breath of relief, but at the same time, there was an indescribable discomfort.

If President He had been someone who made trouble without distinguishing right from wrong, she could still have kept a sliver of expectation, hoping that this young eldest daughter might not be worthy of President Mu at all.

Only at this moment did she discover that she could not even produce the slightest bit of jealousy.

“The problems I pointed out to Director Su on the first day we met—have you thought them through?” He Mu asked.

Su Li lowered her head and answered sincerely, “President He was not wrong. I failed to fulfill the responsibilities a finance director ought to fulfill. I only thought about helping President Mu accomplish what she wanted to do, but failed to control the most important thing: cash flow.”

He Mu rested her arm on Su Li’s shoulder and smiled sincerely.

“Girls really are all very cute.”

Su Li had not expected President He to make such a move toward her. Her whole body stiffened in place, and for a moment, she even forgot to breathe.

“I’ve only just arrived. From now on, I’ll still have to ask Director Su to take good care of me. Hm?” He Mu blinked. Her black eyes were brighter than the Milky Way.

Su Li had thought she would need a very long time to walk out of the shadow of heartbreak, but in this instant, she seemed to finally be freed from the maze where she had been unable to find an exit.

“I will do my utmost to support President He’s work.” Su Li’s eyes curved with her brows. This smile came from the heart.

“Director Su, have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“Perfect. I’m starving.”

The two people who had still been love rivals half an hour ago walked out of the company together. Unexpectedly, they were harmonious and natural.

The capital.

The lakeside building had emerald roof tiles and glazed ornaments, octagonal eaves, and wind chimes that rang softly.

The sunlight was bright and beautiful. Several exquisitely designed wooden boats floated over the lake, all of them two stories tall.

This was a private lake area with a quiet, elegant environment. The pleasure boats on the lake were certainly not an entertainment option ordinary people could choose for an autumn outing.

Inside the second-floor pavilion of one dragon-carved wooden boat, the fragrance of tea curled upward.

A woman in a black qipao had jade-like, slender fingers. Holding a bamboo clip, she rinsed a bone-china teacup in hot water, then gently placed it on a bamboo mat.

The teacup looked as though it had just soaked in a hot spring, steaming with heat, its porcelain white clear and translucent.

The woman poured half a cup of tea.

“Director Ding, please have a taste. Although it isn’t pre-Qingming Longjing, it has a different kind of autumn fragrance.”

The person invited to taste tea was Ding Guokai, a senior director of He Group.

He took a shallow sip. “Good tea.” His praise sounded somewhat perfunctory.

The woman smiled faintly. “It seems Director Ding’s mind isn’t on the tea.”

Ding Guokai could not wait to finish the tea in his cup. He leaned forward and asked what was in his heart.

“As far as I know, the claim that KM would be acquired by Qingsheng Capital was only a smokescreen. In reality, Yuehui Group had secretly been in contact with Mu Qingran for a very long time, and the acquisition was about to enter its final stage. Many insiders bought in at the bottom and were just waiting for Yuehui Group and KM to sign the agreement, so the stock price would rise and they could make a huge profit. How did it…”

Get intercepted by their own group?

He had thought the acquisition of KM was merely empty boasting from the young He girl overestimating her own ability. He had not expected that in less than a week, the situation would truly change completely.

Although he was a director of He Group, he still had to admit that He Group still had a way to go before it could catch up with an established century-old conglomerate like Yuehui Group.

“I said before, He Mu was the most suitable person to send for this project.” He Jinzhou brewed herself a cup of tea, brought it to her lips, and lightly inhaled the fragrance in the cup.

Her younger sister had indeed not disappointed her.

Ding Guokai still could not understand how a young woman in her twenties could be so capable, but the result was right before his eyes. He had not chosen the wrong person—the eldest daughter of the He family was more suited to inherit He Group than the second son.

If He Mu were not too young, he would actually be quite curious to see which of the two sisters would prove superior.