Amnesia Trap (GL) - Chapter 49

Who could possibly outsmart Ji Qingfan…

But what if?

Sheng Zhi clutched her phone tightly, her first instinct after reading the message being to call Ji Qingfan. However, she immediately realized she had blocked her number. As she hurried out, she frantically dragged Ji Qingfan’s number out of her blacklist; the phone buzzed a few times, displaying two missed calls.

—Both were from Ji Qingfan.

But now, when she tried calling back, there was no answer.

The content of the message flashed repeatedly in her mind. She told herself to stay calm, but when she arrived as fast as possible and saw Jing Mu trying to pull Ji Qingfan out of the car, her emotions finally spiraled out of control.

Ji Qingfan was clearly in a bad state. Beside her, Jing Mu seemed to be whispering something to her. Ji Qingfan was shaking her head, her body swaying slightly from the effort of pulling away.

Jing Mu’s intentions were as clear as day.

She didn’t even have time to react when Sheng Zhi appeared before her, nearly choking on her own words: “Sh—Sheng, Miss Sheng?”

Whatever disdain she held was strictly behind Sheng Zhi’s back; daring to talk behind someone’s back doesn’t mean daring to face them. Seeing Sheng Zhi in the flesh, she didn’t dare show a hint of her previous attitude.

Jing Mu’s throat tightened, a cold sweat broke out instantly, and she felt as if she had been dropped into an ice cellar. She couldn’t understand how Sheng Zhi had shown up here.

Sheng Zhi wasn’t supposed to be here.

“What? Surprised to see me?” Sheng Zhi’s red lips curled into a cold sneer. A second later, the smile vanished, replaced by a sudden, heavy chill. “Take your filthy hands off her.”

“I haven’t seen any sincerity in this partnership, but I’ve certainly seen your entire repertoire of dirty, ulterior motives,” Sheng Zhi pulled Ji Qingfan into her arms, the words leaving her lips cold as a death sentence. “This is over. Shengshi doesn’t cooperate with trash.”

Hearing Sheng Zhi’s words, the drunken high Jing Mu had been feeling evaporated instantly.

…Terminate the cooperation?

How could she terminate the cooperation?

She reached out to grab Sheng Zhi, her tone turning frantic. “Wait, Miss Sheng, please wait, don’t go. Please allow me to apologize first.”

Sheng Zhi paused and looked back at her, her gaze exactly like one would give a piece of garbage.

Jing Mu swallowed nervously. Even under that “trash” gaze, she could only force a smile. Things had reached this point; if she tried to deny her motives now, Sheng Zhi would likely be even more furious. Her mind raced through the cold sweat. Suddenly, she thought of Sheng Zhi’s rumors and reputation, took a deep breath, and felt she had just been looking at this the wrong way—perhaps this wasn’t so hard to resolve.

Maybe Sheng Zhi played around in private more than anyone. She just needed to find the right entry point. With such an autocratic and arrogant personality, Sheng Zhi was probably only angry because Jing Mu hadn’t consulted her before making a move.

Thinking this, Jing Mu spoke as naturally as possible: “This matter is my fault, but I absolutely meant no provocation toward you, Miss Sheng. You can scold me however you like, but why stop the cooperation? Miss Sheng, we can both pretend none of this happened today. Your relationship with Qingfan is just a contract, there’s no love. Qingfan is quite interested in me as well. If you find it acceptable, I can completely cede the half of the project I promised. Besides, I bet you have someone else on the side too, Miss Sheng. I’ll cooperate with anything. If you want to join in, we could even—”

Before she could finish, she felt a sharp pain in her knee from a force that nearly knocked her off her feet.

“This is your apology?” Sheng Zhi interrupted, her voice booming with rage. “Get lost.”

She was like a bristling lion, her eyes soaked in deep loathing. She didn’t spare Jing Mu another glance; saying one more word would have made her feel even more nauseated.

Jing Mu watched them leave. Even though the night wasn’t cold, her whole body was shivering. As the pain began to spread, she finally couldn’t hold herself up and slumped pathetically to the ground. Her drunkenness was completely gone. Her assistant cautiously came over to help her up, but she remained slumped, dazed.

…How did things end up like this?

Afraid Ji Qingfan might bump into something, Sheng Zhi shielded her as they sat in the car. The air was thick with the scent of smoke and alcohol; Ji Qingfan’s state had worsened. It was as if her previous composure had been a result of sheer willpower, and now that a person she trusted was beside her, she could no longer hold herself up.

But was that really it?

Sheng Zhi looked at Ji Qingfan, her eyes heavy with suspicion. Judging by those things Jing Mu had said, she didn’t believe that woman was capable of getting Ji Qingfan this drunk. Those words were disgusting, yes, but they were also stupid.

How could someone like that out-calculate Ji Qingfan? It was practically impossible.

Perhaps… all of this was just a performance by Ji Qingfan? Because Sheng Zhi had said there was nothing she couldn’t push away, Ji Qingfan was making it so she couldn’t push her?

Hadn’t she faked being drunk for her once before? And Sheng Zhi had believed her then.

“Stop faking. I’ve figured it out. You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Sheng Zhi moved closer to Ji Qingfan and said.

She suspected the drunkenness was an act and said this to bait her. But the person under suspicion didn’t show even a flicker of a micro-expression; she merely leaned into the corner, looking miserable.

Ji Qingfan looked genuinely unwell.

Sheng Zhi observed her expression carefully. Ji Qingfan didn’t reply—or perhaps she did, but her voice was so low it was inaudible. She frowned slightly, her cheeks flushed with an abnormal red, which paradoxically made her aura of sickly weakness more apparent.

This time, her appearance seemed different from the last time she faked being drunk.

…Something was wrong.

If Ji Qingfan were faking, she should be using this as an excuse to perform for her. She would use it to increase physical contact and hide her feigned deep affection under a drunken veil, murmuring things to make Sheng Zhi believe her.

But now—

The current Ji Qingfan looked truly intoxicated.

Sheng Zhi reaffirmed her thought: Ji Qingfan was really not feeling well. How much had she drunk? Her tolerance should be decent; to be this miserable, she must have drunk far more than estimated. Why did she drink so much?

Because the faking-drunkenness tactic had been used, she decided to actually get drunk to win pity? Did she think Sheng Zhi would be moved by such a pathetic display?

Ji Qingfan really was a person full of schemes and calculations.

Sheng Zhi’s expression was sour, even a bit resentful, but her actions were the complete opposite of her face—she very gently carried Ji Qingfan out of the car. The night wind was a bit chilly, so Sheng Zhi draped her own jacket over her and raised a hand to block the wind.

She did this almost unconsciously. Rather than a proactive choice, it felt more like a subconscious behavior lingering in her body or a secret corner of her heart—a residual habit.

The person in her arms had a temperature slightly higher than her own. Even though Ji Qingfan probably couldn’t hear her at this moment, she still mocked and ridiculed her current pathetic state, as if saying it out loud would make her feel better.

Sheng Zhi carried her all the way back to the room. Just as she was about to set her down, Ji Qingfan grabbed her clothes, burying herself deeper into Sheng Zhi’s chest: “Hurts…”

Her expression was pained; she might not even have known what she was saying.

In contrast, Sheng Zhi’s expression was even worse. Her face flushed, and the tips of her ears turned red. The sensation of her softest parts being rubbed against was truly subtle. But more than that, at the thought of a potential disaster, her tone turned sharp and wary, threatening: “Ji Qingfan, if you dare throw up on me, you’re dead.”

She quickly carried her into the bathroom, found the right spot, turned Ji Qingfan’s face toward the toilet, and said: “Okay, you can throw up now.”

The Great Miss Sheng thought, with equal parts worry and irritability, that she’d rather Ji Qingfan be faking it now—actually drunk people were such a hassle.

She didn’t notice that Ji Qingfan, being held by her, was almost about to let out a small laugh. If this were anyone else actually drunk, they might have been shoved face-first into the toilet by Sheng Zhi’s forceful grip.

The intensifying effect of the drug made her consciousness increasingly hazy. She smelled the fragrance on Sheng Zhi—a mix of slightly sweet rose and rosemary, combined with other floral scents. In the car, she had been almost unable to stop herself from craving a kiss.

She longed for every touch.

But she couldn’t yet—Sheng Zhi’s judgment in this area was too low, and Ji Qingfan knew this, which is why she did it. If Sheng Zhi could immediately tell she had been drugged, she would have sent her to the hospital instantly. She endured, suffering through the agony, trying to suppress her reactions enough to be confused with mere drunkenness.

Sheng Zhi gathered Ji Qingfan’s hair to prevent it from falling. After waiting for a while, she checked the time, then looked at Ji Qingfan’s profile. Perhaps she had misinterpreted; Ji Qingfan didn’t seem like she was going to throw up.

She couldn’t let them stay in this position in the bathroom forever. Sheng Zhi helped Ji Qingfan up and gave her some water, while simultaneously contacting someone to send over sobering medicine and other supplies.

“Since you didn’t throw up just now, you’re not allowed to throw up now. If you do, I’ll definitely…” She blinked, running out of words because the sentence structure was too similar to her previous one. She paused before adding, “I’ll definitely make you pay for it.”

She didn’t know if Ji Qingfan could understand her in this state. She stared at Ji Qingfan for a while, then looked at her phone again, starting to complain that the medicine was being delivered too slowly.

Her lips, more delicate than flower petals, opened and closed as she spoke one agitated sentence after another. Ji Qingfan watched her lips with intense focus, lost in thought.

…Wanted to kiss her.

She seemed truly unable to hear the content of the words anymore. Her heart was pounding violently, as if everything else was fading away.

Just as she was about to lose control and lean in for a kiss, Sheng Zhi suddenly stood up. She said, unable to take it anymore: “Too slow. It’s just too slow.”

As she spoke, she paced around the room twice. “I have to go out and check…” At this point, she looked back at Ji Qingfan.

She didn’t expect Ji Qingfan to respond; she was simply talking to herself: “I’ll be right back. You’ll be a good girl and stay in this room until I return, right?”

Sheng Zhi was a bit uneasy, but looking at Ji Qingfan’s state, she felt nothing should happen. The way Ji Qingfan acted when actually drunk was different from many people she’d seen. Some people talked nonsense, some got rowdy—and rowdy drunks were a nightmare to deal with. Compared to that, Ji Qingfan was very quiet and low-maintenance, the type who would probably just go to sleep after taking the medicine.

—She was just going out for a quick look. In such a short time, nothing unexpected would happen.

Ji Qingfan watched Sheng Zhi’s figure until she disappeared. She murmured her name.

Her gaze was so focused it turned into a moist, lingering intensity, her cheeks flushed as if she were already holding her tightly in her mind.