Amnesia Trap (GL) - Chapter 71

Finding out the person you love loves you back is the kind of thing that makes your heart go soft and tingly just thinking about it. No matter how many times it dawned on her, Sheng Zhi couldn’t help but let the corners of her lips curl upward.

It was midsummer, and the heat was relentless. Just when you thought the weather had reached its peak, the next day would prove to be even hotter.

Things at the company hadn’t been as hectic as before, and the pace of work had slowed slightly. With the pressure easing, Sheng Zhi planned to take a summer getaway with Ji Qingfan after the Fujiangxiao bidding meeting. After all, such hot weather was perfect for playing in the water.

But before she could map out a specific itinerary, Sheng Zhi ended up in the hospital—her leg was injured. The injury wasn’t life-threatening, but she’d have to recuperate for at least two weeks, and that was the conservative estimate.

Yesterday, after they left the Fujiangxiao bidding meeting, their car was hit shortly after pulling away. Sheng Zhi was in the passenger seat, and Ji Qingfan was driving. There weren’t many cars on the road. The other vehicle had been driving normally, but in the next second, it suddenly accelerated without warning, slamming into them with an intensity that suggested a desire for mutual destruction.

Everything happened too fast.

Having spent years racing cars, Sheng Zhi acted on instinct. She partially pinned down Ji Qingfan’s hand and jerked the steering wheel hard. In a situation like that, there was no time to dodge, and dodging was impossible anyway. However, because of that sharp turn, their car changed direction. The vehicle that was destined to strike the driver’s side ended up hitting the front right—the passenger side.

As for the accident, it had nothing to do with chance; it was entirely intentional. The car that hit them was driven by Jing Mu. Even as the police were dragging her away, she was laughing hysterically: “What a pity… why didn’t I manage to kill you both?”

“She said that right after hitting you? That’s insane.”

Inside the VIP ward, Xia Xiyan and several other close friends were gathered around Sheng Zhi’s bed. Sheng Zhi leaned against the pillows, an anti-inflammatory IV drip connected to her hand. Aside from being unable to move her leg freely, she was actually in good spirits.

“Her tone was definitely unhinged,” Sheng Zhi noted.

As they talked, Xia Xiyan’s eyes scanned the room. Beside her, Qi Qianye and Shen Suzhen were also clearly looking around. Sheng Zhi immediately understood what they were searching for. “Stop looking, my wife isn’t here.”

Earlier, Madam Sheng Xi’yi wanted to go to the doctor’s office to see the X-rays, and Ji Qingfan had gone with her.

“You’re calling her ‘wife’ already?” At this, the three of them spoke almost in unison. The same sentence came out in three completely different tones of shock.

The title had slipped out completely by instinct. Sheng Zhi only realized it after they pointed it out. Her face flushed instantly. Her fingertips on the hand with the IV curled slightly, rubbing against the bedsheet as she huffed softly: “…She is. We’re in a legal relationship.”

Seeing her blushing and shy, Qi Qianye’s lip twitched. “Right, right. A legal relationship.”

“This is a far cry from a while ago when you were telling us how much you two didn’t get along…” Shen Suzhen’s tone was slightly dazed, as if she were reeling from the impact. “Wait, are you two for real?”

Compared to those two, Xia Xiyan appeared the most composed. She quickly reeled in her expression, and even her earlier quip about calling her “wife” carried a heavier dose of teasing. After all, she’d had a premonition when Sheng Zhi called her recently to ask how to tell if someone likes you.

Now, that premonition was reality.

“Of course it’s for real. Did you think I was faking it? Is it really that shocking?” Sheng Zhi asked, only to see Qi Qianye and Shen Suzhen nod solemnly.

“If it were you and anyone else, I wouldn’t be this shocked. But this is Ji Qingfan.”

“Exactly. The key is that it’s you and Ji Qingfan being for real. Do you know how much effort I’m putting in right now just to control my facial expression?”

Sheng Zhi looked at them, then shifted her gaze to Xia Xiyan. Xia Xiyan avoided her eyes and rubbed her nose. “I just prepared myself mentally in advance.”

As they were talking, the ward door clicked softly. Ji Qingfan walked in, carrying lunch. The scene felt like déjà vu, but Sheng Zhi’s mood and feelings were worlds away from that previous time. Her heart throbbed with joy. She felt a brief moment of daze, thinking that she couldn’t blame Shen Suzhen and the others for being shocked—this truly was… hard to believe.

“Alright, Zhi Zhi, your wife is here.”

Seeing Ji Qingfan, Xia Xiyan and the others said their hellos and immediately got up to leave. Although their curiosity was burning bright, they had no intention of sticking around as third wheels.

Hearing the playful remark as they left, Sheng Zhi’s cheeks grew even hotter. She blinked, her eyes fluttering as she met Ji Qingfan’s gaze.

“…Jiao Jiao.”

Having just called her name, Ji Qingfan’s tears overflowed. They rolled down her damp lashes one by one, more fiercely than ever before. “Does it hurt a lot? It’s all my fault, I’m so sorry…”

Sheng Zhi couldn’t help but chuckle. “What are you apologizing for?”

She was truly relieved that she was the one injured instead of Ji Qingfan. The more she thought back, the more she felt that her turn of the steering wheel was incredibly steady. It was perfect.

“It’s fine as long as you aren’t hurt,” she said, half-reaching out. “Come on, it doesn’t hurt. Why are you crying so piteously? Give me a hug, quickly.”

Afraid of putting pressure on the hand with the IV, Ji Qingfan leaned cautiously beside her. she pressed her cheek against the palm of Sheng Zhi’s free hand, her voice still trembling. “It was too dangerous, Jiao Jiao. Don’t ever do that again. No matter the situation, your safety is the first priority. Don’t protect me…”

“So, if a situation arises where I can trade you for my safety, should I just push you out immediately?”

Seeing Ji Qingfan nod without a second’s hesitation, Sheng Zhi suddenly reached up and pinched her cheek. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she said, “I knew it.”

“You care about me and worry about me, I know that. But I want you to know that I care about and worry about you just as much.” The pinching felt good; Sheng Zhi started with two fingers but couldn’t help but add a third, slowly pinching and releasing. “So stop thinking like that, you hear me?”

With her cheek pinched, speaking was a bit difficult. Ji Qingfan stared at her unblinkingly, as if her breath had stopped. After a long while—just as Sheng Zhi began to wonder if her voice had been too quiet—she finally heard Ji Qingfan murmur a muffled “Mhm.”

She let go, but Ji Qingfan immediately grabbed her hand and nuzzled back into it. Her eyes were shimmering like water, her tone low and anxious. “What should I do? I love you more and more…”

She pressed her cheek against her, her thick dark lashes still damp with tears. Her enticing red lips were slightly pouty. Sheng Zhi heard the dejected and anxious undertone in her voice, and her eyes couldn’t help but curve. “Isn’t that a good thing? Why do you only say the things I love to hear?”

“However,” she paused and bit her lip, “Um… it actually does hurt a little.”

Noticing Ji Qingfan’s expression instantly turn frantic, to the point where she was about to call the doctor, Sheng Zhi gave up on her shyness, even though her gaze was still darting around. “So, Qingfan, give me a kiss.”

The words slipped out through her parting lips, but the “other” nickname she truly wanted to call her still wouldn’t come out. Before she knew the truth, she had used intimate titles just to irritate Ji Qingfan, but now that it was all confirmed, she found she couldn’t say them.

Her lips were already a deep, dripping red from her frequent biting. Sheng Zhi turned her gaze back to Ji Qingfan’s face.

The moment her gaze returned, Ji Qingfan leaned in with a soft gasp and kissed her. Her tongue was slender and soft, licking at the seam of her lips with warm breaths, proactively feeding into the kiss with a moist intensity.

“Mhm, Jiao Jiao…”

Sheng Zhi drowned herself in this soft, wet kiss, thinking to herself while her face burned: Honestly.

When on earth is Ji Qingfan going to start calling me by even more intimate names?