After Losing My Memory, I Was Targeted by the Obsessive Movie Queen [gl] - Chapter 59

During their senior year of college, both Yan He and Lu Youqing were twenty-one years old, and they concurrently arrived at a definitive turning point in their professional lives.

Lu Youqing had first dipped her toes into the entertainment industry during the second semester of her freshman year. Three years had passed since then; she had already secured several newcomer awards and achieved remarkable success. Yan He, alongside her classmates, had also landed a job as a photographer at a relatively well-known company in Qingcheng that offered a decent salary. She had already passed the interview stage, and her official onboarding was the only step remaining.

Everything seemed to be progressing beautifully, but beneath the placid surface of the lake, dark, turbulent currents remained hidden.

For a long time, Lu Youqing had rarely returned to the apartment she rented with Yan He. Following her newcomer award wins, she was at the peak of her popularity. She spent the vast majority of her time rushing between various production sets, resting in hotels arranged by the crew. The messages Yan He sent were no longer replied to with any immediacy. Every time the two spoke over the phone, Yan He could invariably sense the profound exhaustion radiating from Lu Youqing, making her lose the heart to keep chatting and take up her time.

Her source of news regarding Lu Youqing shifted; she no longer learned about her day directly from Lu Youqing’s mouth. Unwilling to add to Lu Youqing’s workload, she began to gather updates from news articles and Lu Youqing’s assistant instead. They saw each other less and less, and Yan He missed her more and more. Even though she tried her absolute best to restrain herself, her all-consuming longing would still drive her to constantly check for updates on Lu Youqing.

Lu Youqing began to make frequent appearances on variety shows with her co-stars, building a screen couple (CP) dynamic with the other lead of her movie. She didn’t reject that person’s physical contact, nor did she turn away her kindness. The woman who had always been as aloof and unreachable as an immortal being suddenly began to make an exception for just one person. Netizens went wild with excitement, and the internet was completely flooded with the romantic pairing of Lu Youqing and her female co-star.

A bitter ache filled Yan He’s chest. Late into the night, she would scroll repeatedly through discussion threads that stretched tens of thousands of comments deep. She watched netizens in the comment sections passionately analyze whether Lu Youqing and that co-star were actually dating, and she stared at the overwhelming flood of blessings offered to them. It felt as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over Yan He from head to toe.

She argued with the netizens, trying to tell them that it was all fake and that Lu Youqing wasn’t with that person. But her lone voice was like a stone cast into a vast ocean of hundreds of thousands of comments, vanishing completely without a trace.

It wasn’t that Lu Youqing hadn’t comforted her. She told her that these were merely promotional tactics for the show, done solely for the movie’s publicity and traffic, and that she would stop once the theatrical run ended. She swore that she loved only Yan He.

Yan He believed Lu Youqing. She believed in their love, and she believed even more in what Lu Youqing had once told her—that she had explicitly entered the entertainment industry for Yan He’s sake. She began to learn how to wait.

Lu Youqing did love her deeply. The moment her scenes wrapped, she would rush home to accompany her. Even after pulling several consecutive all-nighters, she would still call Yan He just to fall asleep to the sound of her voice. Whenever she passed a location during a shoot, she would remember Yan He mentioning what she liked about that place and buy it for her. She was so thoughtful and gentle. Yet, by the same token, Lu Youqing would still not refuse the intimate gestures of her on-screen partner during shows, uttering ambiguous statements that sent screen-couple fans into a frenzy.

However, the waiting made Yan He feel less and less like herself. Every day, she found herself guessing whether Lu Youqing had stopped loving her and whether the rumors were true. She was terrified that the gossip would turn into reality, so she constantly wanted to call her to confirm and eliminate that possibility. Yet, knowing how exhausted Lu Youqing was, she wanted to let her rest; she couldn’t allow her own suspicions to force Lu Youqing to expend energy explaining things.

This agonizing internal conflict persisted, and the torment in Yan He’s mind began to manifest physically. She lost ten pounds in a single month. Her spirit withered, and her already slender frame became so emaciated that her bones protruded, making her look like a ghost of her former self.

It culminated in Lu Youqing’s latest variety show interview. The host asked Lu Youqing if she was currently single. Lu Youqing answered, “Yes, I’m single.”

Her voice traveled through the phone’s speaker, striking Yan He’s eardrums with absolute precision. In that fraction of a second, Yan He felt as though her entire heart had shattered. Rarely for her, she didn’t call immediately to demand what Lu Youqing meant. Instead, she sat alone in silence, waiting for Lu Youqing to proactively call and explain. She had even worked out exactly what she would say when the call came, ensuring she wouldn’t add a psychological burden to either of them.

But the call never came. Lu Youqing didn’t call her, nor did she even send a text. For an entire day, Lu Youqing’s chat log remained completely dead.

Yan He’s heart plummeted into a glacial lake, and the panic that had built up over weeks completely broke through its dam at this moment. She drank until she was thoroughly intoxicated. After being brought back by a classmate, she sat alone in the stairwell, calling Lu Youqing. She called all night, but received nothing but a wall of unanswered rings. In stark contrast, Lu Youqing’s live broadcast was currently airing, and the ecstatic cheers of the screen-couple fans in the audience filled the cramped stairwell like sharp needles.

No one knew what she was thinking that night as she stared at her lover on the screen.

Yan He went to break up with Lu Youqing on the day she returned from recording her show. Then, she calmly packed her belongings, moving her things piece by piece out of the small home where she and Lu Youqing had lived together for two years.

Lu Youqing did not stop her. She didn’t voice whether she agreed to the breakup, nor did she argue with Yan He. She stood by the door as rigid and silent as a statue, watching her with a deep, dark gaze, her face tightly suppressing a glaring wave of anger. She had grown increasingly beautiful—even more breathtaking than she appeared on television—but Yan He no longer dared to look at her.

Preserving the last shred of her dignity, Yan He managed to hold back until her feet stepped past the threshold. The moment she caught the sound of the front door shutting tightly behind her, she couldn’t stop her tears from falling like rain. She collapsed onto the curb, covering her face and weeping at the top of her lungs for a love that she had gripped tightly countless times, yet had still slipped through her fingers.

On the first day of her breakup with Lu Youqing, she cried for an entire day. By the third day, she rented a tiny room off-campus and began to drown herself in alcohol; only the Lu Youqing in her dreams remained the one who truly loved her and would never break her heart. On the fifth day, Yan He deleted Lu Youqing’s contact information, beginning to accept the reality that this person would never appear in her life again. But then, Lu Youqing came to find her.

One afternoon, Yan He was heading to class. As she stepped out of the dormitory building into the brilliant sunlight, finally regaining a fraction of her focus, her hand was suddenly seized in a tight grip.

“You deleted my contact information?” The woman’s clear yet raspy voice drifted into her ears, and Yan He felt a biological urge to start weeping.

Fortunately, she held it back.

“We’ve already broken up. Isn’t deleting an ex-girlfriend’s contact info exactly what I’m supposed to do?” Yan He forced herself to hold back her tears, her eyes rimmed with red as she spoke.

“I didn’t agree to it! We didn’t break up!” Lu Youqing was seized by an unprecedented panic. It turned out that the words Yan He had spoken weren’t out of temporary anger; she truly intended to break off their relationship. She had waited for five days, wanting to give Yan He time to calm down, but she never expected that she would be met with Yan He deleting her contact info and severing ties completely.

The things she had done—those ambiguous, suggestive actions on the shows—had been driven solely by a desire to make Yan He jealous, to make her love and care about her even more. But why had things turned out this way? For the very first time, Lu Youqing experienced the terrifying sensation of reality slipping completely out of her control.

Even as she struggled to restrain her emotions, Lu Youqing remained exceptionally beautiful. She was so stunning that every single passerby stole glances at them, curious as to why two beautiful women were arguing. Some had even recognized Lu Youqing, and whispered chatter began to murmur through the crowd.

Yan He, thoroughly useless, still felt her heart flutter for Lu Youqing. The wrist held in her grip went numb, the sensation traveling like an electric current straight into her heart, sending a wave of pain through her entire body. Is this what a withdrawal reaction feels like?

“Whether we break up or not has never been a decision that requires both people to make. You’ll be better off without me, and I won’t stand in the way of your career.” Suppressing the agony, she wrenched her hand from Lu Youqing’s palm and walked forward without turning back. The final image of Lu Youqing’s red, trembling eyes remained fixed in her mind like an unescapable nightmare.

Behind her, Lu Youqing’s gaze pricked against her back like needles. Yan He’s chest felt tight and bitter. She sobbed softly as she walked, her heart feeling as though a raw gash had been ripped open, allowing the howling wind to roar inside frantically. Her entire body shivered.

She would be leaving the university to start work very soon; perhaps this would be the final time she ever saw Lu Youqing. Yan He desperately wanted to brand Lu Youqing’s image into the deepest recess of her soul.

Yan He and Wen Xiahan had both successfully passed the company’s interview stage, and the firm had already issued onboarding invitations to both of them. Their arrival at the office was the only step remaining. Yet, on the very eve of her start date, the company suddenly sent her a message stating they had found a better candidate, laying her off without any warning. She lost her job before she could even ask why.

Simultaneously, her landlord informed her that their family was moving abroad to settle down permanently, meaning they no longer intended to lease out the property. They preferred to pay the contract violation penalty just to force Yan He to move out within a single day.

Yan He lost both her job and her residence on the exact same day. Her luggage was moved out, discarded on the pavement right alongside her. Night had fallen; where on earth was she supposed to find a place to stay? Where could she go to anchor her shattered heart?

A torrential downpour erupted from the heavens, and giant raindrops mercilessly struck Yan He’s body, hitting her with a painful intensity. Helpless, she sat on the curb clutching the remnants of her luggage, shivering violently like a pet abandoned in the middle of a rainy night.

At an intersection a hundred meters down the curb, a black car sat parked by the roadside with its engine cut. From Yan He’s angle, the vehicle was invisible, but the car possessed a perfect view of her.

Inside the vehicle, the woman rolled down the window, turning her head to quietly watch Yan He sitting isolated on the curb. The hand resting against the seat tapped the leather—one beat after another. The rhythmic tapping echoed through the cabin, enough to make anyone’s pulse quicken with tension.

Damp moisture drifted inside through the open window, settling across her features and her clothes. The woman continued to watch Yan He in absolute silence, making no movement at all. Her dark, ink-like eyes were hidden in the rainy night, making it impossible to discern the chaotic emotions churning within them.

An unknown interval passed. The rain outside grew increasingly heavy, nearly obscuring Yan He’s silhouette entirely. Only then did she speak softly, instructing the driver,

“Go over.”

A sudden beam of white light flashed across the street corner. Yan He lifted her frozen head and slowly looked over, catching sight of a woman stepping out of a car into the rainy night. Set against the white headlights, she couldn’t make out who the person was, yet a sudden wave of panic surged within her for no discernable reason.

She stood up, intending to flee, but her frozen body refused to execute her commands, leaving her rooted to the spot as she watched Lu Youqing’s figure slowly draw near.

“A-He!” The woman sprinted to her side with an umbrella, holding it over her to shield her from the downpour. Amidst the dim, curtain-like rain, Lu Youqing’s worried eyes resembled a pool of autumn water—exceptionally clear, her pupils completely reflecting Yan He’s form.

She looked as though she had rushed here straight from a gala dinner without a moment to spare, lacking even the time to change her clothes. The thin, scale-like evening gown she wore seemed to shimmer under the car’s headlights.

Yan He had never expected to see Lu Youqing here. She instinctively took a half-step back, desperate to conceal her pathetic state, and the tears that had dried earlier flooded back to pool in her eyes.

For every half-step she retreated, Lu Youqing took a step closer, until she held the completely soaked Yan He in a vice grip.

Yan He’s frozen body went rigid. Stiffened by the cold, her mind went entirely blank. She tried to push Lu Youqing away, unwilling to let her get soaked through like she was, but Lu Youqing used all her strength to shackle her within her embrace, refusing to let her move a single inch as she frantically tried to explain.

“I heard that something went wrong with your job, and I just wanted to steal a look at you. I had no idea this would happen… how did it turn out like this?” Lu Youqing’s voice carried a heavy sob. She pulled out a tissue to wipe the rain from Yan He’s face, but the more she wiped, the more tears fell, until she had used up every single tissue and Yan He was still weeping.

“Your skin is so cold. How did things turn out like this? I’m sorry, A-He. It’s all because of me. I shouldn’t have treated you like that, I shouldn’t have withheld the explanation, and I shouldn’t have stubbornly forced my way. Forgive me, A-He, please. I can’t live without A-He, I truly cannot live without you.” Lu Youqing held Yan He tightly, shrinking her shivering frame into her own embrace, using her own body heat to transfer warmth to Yan He. Every single word she uttered spoke of her absolute devotion and love.

The wind was far too fierce, and the small umbrella could no longer shield the two of them. The evening gown Lu Youqing wore was completely saturated by the rain; they had transformed into identical figures.

“I only wanted to make you a little bit jealous, so you would call me more often and say a few more words to me. I didn’t know A-He would think that way; I didn’t know A-He was already so heartbroken that you wanted to break up with me. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, A-He.”

“Don’t break up with me, okay? The moment I think about the words you spoke, my heart aches so much. I truly cannot live without A-He.” She held Yan He tightly, as if terrified that the moment she loosened her grip, Yan He would vanish. Her voice grew increasingly frantic. Yan He felt a damp, warm sensation touch her shoulder, and her heart gave a sudden jolt.

Lu Youqing released her hold on the freezing Yan He, lifting her eyes to look at her with deep affection, her gaze completely filled with her. Even as she awaited her response, she still managed to speak.

“Let’s leave this place first. It’s too cold out here; you’ll catch a cold.” She took hold of Yan He’s hand, intending to guide her away, but her wrist was suddenly captured in a reverse grip, followed immediately by a kiss that carried the chill of the rain.

It was intense, saturated with a desperate, all-consuming passion, looking as though it intended to burn the two of them to ashes right there in the middle of the rainy night. Their freezing bodies pressed and rubbed together, and the sound of their parting lips mingled with the roar of the rain.

It was impossible to tell who stopped first. Yan He stared dead at Lu Youqing while panting heavily. Through the friction, a touch of rose had returned to her pale lips. Lu Youqing’s eyes were thick with mist from a lack of oxygen, her mouth parted as she breathed in short gasps.

Yan He stared at her, her lips moving as if to speak, but through the contact, she found herself completely incapable of uttering a sound. Her mind was a total blur; having depleted every ounce of her resolve and strength, she finally succumbed to the roar of the rain and lost consciousness completely in Lu Youqing’s arms.

When she woke up again, the familiar ceiling light was above her, and a pleasant fragrance filled the air. The plush mattress and duvet made her feel as though she had merely lived through a horrific nightmare, but the throb and confusion in her head lingered like a shadow.

Supporting her weight, she sat up. The damp towel on her forehead slid off onto the duvet, and she stared blankly at the fabric.

A flurry of frantic footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the bedroom, followed immediately by the door being pushed open. Lu Youqing, clad in loungewear, stepped inside. Seeing that she was awake, she quickly walked over and placed her hand against her forehead.

Yan He froze instinctively, not daring to move, her awareness beginning to clear.

“Good. The fever has broken.” Lu Youqing let out a long sigh of relief, resting her hands against Yan He’s shoulders to guide her back onto the pillows.

“A-He spent so much time out in the rain yesterday and ran a massive fever. I was truly worried to death.” As she spoke, her eyes turned red once more, and she impatiently planted a soft kiss on Yan He’s forehead.

“Don’t make me worry like that ever again, okay?”

Her perfectly natural posture left Yan He somewhat dazed as to whether they had actually broken up or not. Recalling the intense kiss in the rain last night, she suddenly shut her mouth, averting her eyes to look elsewhere.

Her head was still a bit chaotic, and combined with the lingering daze of a high fever, she was completely incapable of logical thought. Lu Youqing sat by the bedside, feeding her porridge spoonful by spoonful.

“Have a little, please. Otherwise, if your body lacks warmth, it will feel very uncomfortable,” Lu Youqing practically pleaded.

Yan He’s heart trembled violently. She had no idea how she was supposed to face Lu Youqing right now, so she could only submissively follow her instructions, swallowing the bowl of porridge bit by bit under her care.

Once the porridge was finished, her mind cleared up significantly, making her feel even more at a loss as to how to face Lu Youqing.

Am I currently being pursued by my ex-girlfriend?

Lu Youqing set the empty bowl aside. Seeing that Yan He remained silent, she spoke first.

“I have never stopped loving A-He. Building that screen couple dynamic with that person was done solely to make A-He a little bit jealous. I didn’t want A-He to keep compromising for the sake of my work and reducing our chats; I only wanted A-He to seek me out more often. I didn’t know A-He would think that way.” As she spoke, her voice turned raspy again, carrying a sob that tunneled straight into Yan He’s heart.

“But I never expected that A-He would be so heartbroken. I’m truly so sorry, I’m deeply sorry. I don’t want to break up, I don’t want to lose A-He, and I don’t want A-He to think I don’t love you.” Lu Youqing wept quietly, her tears falling silently.

Yan He’s chest felt tight and bitter. Unable to resist her fluttering heart, she stole a glance at Lu Youqing, before quickly averting her eyes out of fear of being caught. Yet, Lu Youqing’s explanations echoed relentlessly in her mind. Her expression remained cold, but her heart had already uselessly burst into bloom.

Seeing that Yan He offered no response, the distress in Lu Youqing’s chest worsened. Wiping her tears, she forced out a smile. “Rest first, A-He. I’ll go wash the bowl. Your luggage got soaked, so I re-washed everything; it’s currently drying outside.” With that, she stood up and left the room. For some unknown reason, Yan He seemed to catch a hint of a retreat in her silhouette.

With Lu Youqing gone, the room turned silent and cold once more. Yan He actually felt a twinge of fear at being left entirely alone. She picked up the phone placed on the side table to distract herself, only to catch sight of the very first trending topic—a badge stamped so red it bordered on black.

#Lu Youqing Clarifies#