Chapter 45: Concealment. Recovering memory.
Outside the window, the sun was bright.
Cheng Yang slept until ten in the morning as usual, but her state of mind could never go back to the way it was.
Xu Xun was still an early riser. She had drunk too much last night, and she didn’t know if she was any better now.
She sat on the bed in a daze, calming the turmoil in her mind, trying to act as she had before.
After remembering everything, a complex emotion was added to Cheng Yang’s eyes.
Before she had even gotten out of bed, Xu Xun slowly pushed open the door and walked in.
“It seems you’ve formed a biological clock. You really do get up at ten on the dot.”
Cheng Yang rubbed her eyes and curved her lips at Xu Xun.
“You drank so much yesterday. How did you get up so early? Are you dizzy or nauseous?”
Xu Xun sat beside Cheng Yang and shook her head. “No. Actually, I’m not a bad drinker.”
Cheng Yang recalled what Zheng Yufen had said yesterday and couldn’t help but laugh.
“You still have the nerve to say you’re not a bad drinker? Who was it that insisted I come and pick her up after getting drunk, and even said I couldn’t leave, which made Director Zheng so embarrassed?”
Xu Xun’s face suddenly grew hot. “Anyway, it wasn’t me. You heard wrong.”
Cheng Yang looked at Xu Xun’s pink cheeks, her heart trembling, and slowly curved her lips.
She’s so beautiful when she’s shy.
She had been too stupid and foolish back then to not have seen that Xu Xun was unwilling to look her in the eye and didn’t talk to her because she was shy.
She had thought it was because she disliked her.
The moment Xu Xun looked over, Cheng Yang’s smile returned to its usual big one.
“A-Xun, you’re so beautiful when you blush.”
Xu Xun smiled. “Then am I not beautiful usually?”
Cheng Yang stared at Xu Xun’s face intently. “Blushing and usual are two different feelings.”
Xu Xun asked again, “Then do you like the past or the present?”
Cheng Yang’s lips curled into a smile. “I like both.”
Xu Xun smiled and pushed her. “Hurry up and get up. I’ve made chicken patties. They’re still hot.”
Cheng Yang said aggrievedly, “I just got up, and you pushed me back. I thought you were going to force yourself on me.”
The moment she finished speaking, Xu Xun, who had just stood up, sat back down.
“So you’re saying you like it when I force myself on you?”
The two of them fooled around on the bed for a while. Just as Xu Xun was about to sit on Cheng Yang’s lower abdomen, she heard the other’s stomach growl twice.
“…”
Xu Xun said with a smile, “Get up and eat first. I’ll eat you later. Don’t you run away.”
Cheng Yang went to the bathroom to wash up.
She closed the door from the inside and stood in front of the mirror, staring at her own face in a daze.
There was nothing different from before, but her eyes had changed slightly.
Cheng Yang sighed and closed her eyes.
If only she could never remember. Then she wouldn’t have to embarrass Xu Xun.
Just as Cheng Yang had gone in, the phone she had placed on the bedside table rang.
Xu Xun took a look. It was a call from Yu Mei.
She had originally wanted to take it to the bathroom for Cheng Yang but had accidentally answered it.
“Yangyang, I have something to say to you.”
The moment she finished speaking, Xu Xun put the earpiece to her ear.
“Hello, this is Xu Xun. Yangyang is busy right now.”
The other side was silent for a few seconds.
“It’s you. Then I won’t disturb her. When she’s done, you can tell her to come to my place this afternoon. I have something to say to her.”
After coming out of the bathroom, Xu Xun stood by the bed, still holding her phone, which showed that the call had ended.
The heavy expression on Xu Xun’s face turned into a smile.
“Yangyang, Yu Mei just called you. She wants you to go and see her.”
Cheng Yang was a little hesitant to face Yu Mei and asked casually, “Didn’t I already go yesterday? Why is she like a giant baby? Can’t she live without me for a day?”
Xu Xun smiled. She hadn’t expected Cheng Yang’s sharp tongue to be the same as before.
“She said there was something she forgot to tell you yesterday and wanted to tell you in person.”
“She didn’t say it earlier yesterday. I was thinking of taking you for ice cream this afternoon.”
Xu Xun gripped her phone. “It might be about work. You should go. But remember to come home early.”
Cheng Yang said, “But I don’t want to be separated from you.”
Xu Xun took the opportunity to say, “How about this? I’ll go with you. I can also chat with Auntie Yu. After you’re done talking, we can have ice cream.”
Cheng Yang nodded. “Let’s do that then.”
She took Xu Xun’s arm and said with a smile, “I really can’t live without you. I want to be with you every day.”
Xu Xun tilted her head and kissed the corner of Cheng Yang’s mouth. “Me too.”
·
After breakfast, Cheng Yang drove Xu Xun to Yu Mei’s house.
On the way, the two of them were talking and laughing.
In fact, Cheng Yang had already seen that Xu Xun was nervous. She was afraid that Yu Mei would say something that would cause a misunderstanding.
Cheng Yang said softly, “Wifey, what do you think Yu Mei wants to see me for? As far as I know, I’m the only actress under her. I don’t have any announcements, and I’m in a semi-retired state. There shouldn’t be anything.”
The corners of Xu Xun’s lips curled up. “Maybe she hasn’t seen you for a long time and wants to catch up with you.”
Cheng Yang held the steering wheel. “Maybe.”
After arriving at Yu Mei’s house, Xu Xun sat on the sofa and chatted with Yu Mei’s mother.
The two of them hit it off, and what was more, Yu Mei’s mother loved to watch her TV series and could even be said to be a loyal fan.
Cheng Yang went into Yu Mei’s room and quietly locked the door from the inside.
“Still sleeping? I’m here to see you.”
Yu Mei slowly opened her eyes, a trace of doubt flashing through them.
This familiar tone, with a hint of disgust and speechlessness.
Yu Mei’s eyes suddenly flew open. “You remember everything?”
Cheng Yang nodded. “Mmm.”
Yu Mei finally let out a long sigh of relief. “That’s more like it. The way you were a few days ago, I felt so awkward no matter how I looked at it.”
Cheng Yang looked at her injured leg, which was propped up. “How are you? Does your leg still hurt?”
Yu Mei sighed. “It’s fine. I’m alive, and my leg doesn’t hurt as much as before.”
Seeing that Cheng Yang was just staring at her injured leg and not speaking.
“Do you know why I called you?”
“I know.”
Yu Mei said, “Actually, I wanted to explain it to you on the phone, but Xu Xun answered the phone, and I couldn’t explain it clearly in a few words.”
Cheng Yang sat on the chair in front of her, her hands cupping her face.
“I know. You wanted to tell me the truth.”
Yu Mei asked, “So have you thought about how to end this relationship with her?”
Cheng Yang frowned slightly and asked with a smile, “Why should I end it?”
Yu Mei was taken aback. “She lied to you.”
Cheng Yang let out a soft chuckle. “I know.”
The blankness in Yu Mei’s eyes turned into astonishment. “Do you know what you’re saying? She lied to you! She lied to you and said you were married. This is not a joke!”
Cheng Yang shook her head. “You don’t understand. I like her. I’m willing to be deceived by her.”
Yu Mei looked astonished.
Cheng Yang’s words made her so angry that she almost jumped out of bed.
“Say that again!”
Cheng Yang quickly covered her mouth. “Keep it down. A-Xun is outside.”
Yu Mei whimpered twice and lay on the bed, weak.
“I think you’ve been blinded by lard. You’re hopeless!”
After saying this, seeing that Xu Xun had no reaction, she cursed again.
“You damn love-struck fool!”
Faced with Yu Mei’s reaction, Cheng Yang was actually a little guilty.
“You should rest well. Don’t worry about so many things. This is my business. You don’t have to ask anymore.”
Yu Mei was so angry she rolled her eyes.
“You dare to say that again! What do you mean, I shouldn’t ask? The fact that she dared to do this means that she has a bad heart. Since you already know, how can you still be with this kind of person? You’re a sheep entering a tiger’s den! Do you understand?”
Cheng Yang bit her lower lip. “Don’t say that about her. I know her very well…”
“Know her?”
Yu Mei was so angry she laughed. “How well do you know her? Have you ever been in contact with her? Have you ever been friends with her?”
Cheng Yang moved her lips. “I…”
“In just less than three months, you dare to say you know her? I think your brain has been hit silly!”
“…”
Being scolded by Yu Mei, Cheng Yang slowly lowered her head.
“I’ve considered all the things you said, but I don’t think it will be a big deal. As long as she loves me, that’s enough.”
Yu Mei was so angry she gritted her teeth.
She lay on the bed, exhausted, and turned her head, not wanting to talk to Cheng Yang anymore.
Cheng Yang stood to the side. “Meimei.”
Yu Mei said petulantly, “Don’t call me that.”
She knew very well that the moment Cheng Yang called her that, it meant she had something to ask of her.
Cheng Yang sat beside her and softened her voice.
“I know you’re saying all this for my own good, and I also know you’re afraid I’ll be deceived.”
Cheng Yang paused and continued, “But I’m an adult. I have my own judgment. I know what the truth is.”
What Xu Xun had done was indeed wrong.
Her heart was very complicated, and she was indeed pitiful.
Cheng Yang understood that the fact that Xu Xun could do this kind of thing that ordinary people couldn’t understand also happened to show that she had deep feelings for her.
Seeing that she was stubborn and refused to listen to advice, Yu Mei had to sigh helplessly.
“Alright then. I’m too lazy to mind you. I just hope that she can confess to you soon.”
After saying this, Yu Mei’s tone became heavy again.
“But I won’t forgive her, and I won’t be friends with her. It’s best not to let me see her.”
Cheng Yang quickly said, “I hope you won’t say anything you shouldn’t in front of her.”
Yu Mei was furious.
She was about to open her mouth to curse Cheng Yang, but after meeting the other’s sincere eyes, Yu Mei deflated.
“You should think about how to explain to her that you’ve regained your memory.”
Now Cheng Yang was in a difficult situation again.
If she confessed to Xu Xun directly, it would be a big blow to the other and would hurt her self-esteem.
If she didn’t say…
In fact, it didn’t seem to matter if she didn’t confess.
But this kind of thing was not easy to say. Jian Fan had said that her amnesia could be cured.
If she kept pretending like this, not only Jian Fan, but even Xu Xun would see through her.
Cheng Yang sighed. “I have a plan in my heart.”
Yu Mei gave a cold smile. “You can fool yourself. Don’t I know you?”
“Then you can keep this a secret for me. For as long as you can.”
Yu Mei looked puzzled. “I don’t understand. Since the two of you are willing, why don’t you just confess?”
Cheng Yang shook her head. “I told you, you don’t know her. She’s more sensitive. I can’t say this kind of thing for the time being.”
Yu Mei closed her eyes. “Do as you please. Anyway, I’m just an outsider. I’m sleepy. You can go.”
“…”
Cheng Yang knew that Yu Mei was angry.
She stood by Yu Mei’s bed, dazed, and said in a small voice, “I know you’re doing this for my own good, but she’s my lover. I don’t want to make things difficult for her.”
After saying so much, you’re still on your wife’s side.
Yu Mei couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “If she hadn’t deceived you from the beginning, how would you have fallen in love with her?”
Cheng Yang confessed, “Before the car accident, I had already fallen in love with her.”
“What did you say? I don’t quite understand.”
Cheng Yang stammered, “It’s just what you think. I’ve liked her for a long time.”
“…”
“When did that happen?”
“Back in high school.”
“High school?”
Yu Mei thought for a moment. She didn’t even remember that there was a person named Xu Xun in high school.
“Was Xu Xun in our class?”
Cheng Yang shook her head. “She was in the class next door. You’re not familiar with her.”
“Oh.”
Yu Mei’s eyes widened, and she had a sudden realization. “I told you, after Auntie Cheng passed away, you pushed away all your announcements, gave up your position as the head of the group to your aunt, and then rushed back to the country. It was all for her!”
Cheng Yang didn’t speak; she didn’t deny it.
Yu Mei was completely deflated. “It’s a good thing you’ve been thinking about her for so many years. When I saw you two in an interview before, you weren’t familiar at all. I thought it was really like that.”
Cheng Yang asked, “You know now?”
Yu Mei nodded. “Mmm. As expected of two best actresses. Your acting skills are really good.”
This sentence was a double entendre.
It wasn’t that Cheng Yang didn’t hear it.
In the living room, Xu Xun was chatting with Yu Mei’s mother about her recent variety show plans.
At this moment, Yu Mei’s father called them for dinner. “Lunch is ready. You must be hungry after talking for so long.”
Cheng Yang hadn’t come out yet.
Xu Xun stood up and asked with a smile, “Why are they talking for so long? Why don’t I call Yangyang out for lunch?”
Cheng Yang was still telling Yu Mei to talk less and not to show a bad face in front of Xu Xun.
Yu Mei nodded perfunctorily and then heard a knock on the door.
Cheng Yang went to open the door and saw Xu Xun standing outside.
“Uncle has made lunch. Are you done talking?”
“We’re done. I was just talking to her about you for a while.”
Xu Xun’s heart suddenly leaped to her throat. She pretended to be calm and smiled.
“Talking about me? What did you talk about?”
Cheng Yang said without thinking, “I said you’re not easy. You’ve achieved so much on your own now. I can’t help but want to praise you.”
Xu Xun asked tentatively, “Then what did she say?”
Cheng Yang sighed. “She said her head hurts. She fell asleep while talking.”
Xu Xun was worried. “Do you think she doesn’t like me?”
Cheng Yang couldn’t help but laugh. “If she dares to like you, I’ll be the first to disagree!”
Xu Xun couldn’t help but laugh. “I mean that kind of like.”
Cheng Yang took Xu Xun’s hand. “It’s me who’s getting married, not her. It’s me who likes you. It has nothing to do with anyone else.”
Xu Xun nodded.
Xu Xun asked again, “Did you have a conflict with her?”
Cheng Yang shook her head. “No.”
Xu Xun didn’t believe her.
She had a feeling that Yu Mei must have said something to Cheng Yang, but she couldn’t ask what it was. She could only pretend that nothing had happened.
·
After having lunch at Yu Mei’s house, Cheng Yang drove to a nearby dessert shop.
The signature of this shop was cream cake, but the ice cream was a must-try.
Cheng Yang remembered that she had eaten here before. It was when she had returned to S City for an awards ceremony last year, and her assistant, Xiao Yun, had told her about it.
Xu Xun was still not at ease. She wanted to continue to probe, but she was afraid that Cheng Yang would become suspicious.
“How do you know that the ice cream at that shop is so good? You’ve never taken me there before.”
Cheng Yang said with a smile, “Yu Mei told me. Actually, I’ve never had it either. I wanted to try it with you.”
Xu Xun rested her chin on one hand. “I’ve loved to eat ice cream since I was in school. I’ve never had anything so high-end before, only the cheapest kind of popsicles.”
As she spoke, she smiled. “The first time I had it was in high school. My deskmate bought it for me. When I was eating it at that time, I was thinking, how can there be something so delicious in the world?”
Cheng Yang’s nose tingled, and she joked, “You’ll get fat if you eat too much ice cream.”
Xu Xun said, “Yeah. I used to think that when I made a lot of money in the future, I would eat ice cream every day. Now that my wish to make money has come true, I don’t dare to eat ice cream anymore.”
As an artist, being on camera was the most important thing.
Xu Xun had to be much thinner than an ordinary person so that she wouldn’t look fat on camera.
Her weight was strictly controlled at around ninety pounds. If it exceeded even a little, it would be easy to see that her cheeks were “puffy” on camera.
Therefore, Xiao Qing was very strict about her body management, strictly providing nutritious meals that wouldn’t make her gain weight. Even eating a bite of ice cream had become a luxury.
Xu Xun roughly calculated the time and found that the last time she had had ice cream was several months ago.
In fact, she had only had two bites, but she had been caught by Xiao Qing, who had forced her to take the ice cream out.
In the year that Xu Xun was at her thinnest, she had to have clips on the back of her costumes to make them look fitted.
The car drove to the vicinity of the cake shop.
Cheng Yang took Xu Xun’s hand and got out of the car, and began to struggle with which flavor of ice cream to eat.
Xu Xun walked closer and said with a smile, “Don’t struggle. There’s a three-flavor combo here, and also a four-flavor combo. If you really can’t finish it, the two of us can order different four-flavor combos and then we can share.”
Cheng Yang smiled. This method was indeed very much in line with her inner thoughts.
“Wifey, you’re so smart.”
Xu Xun said with a smile, “I was like this back in school. I would always share dishes with my friend. Neither of us had much money, and we couldn’t bear to order so many dishes. And my appetite is not big. I can’t finish it if I order too many dishes, so I came up with this method.”
She was talking and laughing, but she didn’t notice that Cheng Yang’s expression had changed a little.
As expected, Cheng Yang was jealous.
She said sourly, “How come you never told me that you’ve done this kind of thing with your classmate?”
Xu Xun couldn’t help but laugh. “Isn’t this very normal? I was often like this in high school. We’ve even had meals together before.”
Cheng Yang stared straight into Xu Xun’s eyes. “I definitely didn’t notice.”
She subconsciously wanted to blurt out that she was not allowed to do this anymore in the future and could only eat from the same bowl as her.
But Cheng Yang belatedly remembered that the past was the past, and there was no chance to go back.
And the same was true for her and Xu Xun.
However, the future was still so long. Cheng Yang believed that as long as the two of them always loved each other, they could be together forever and never be separated.
As she was zoning out, Xu Xun had already taken her hand and walked into the cake shop.
Xu Xun took a closer look and found that the owner of this cake shop seemed to be a fan of Cheng Yang.
And in the most conspicuous place in the store, there was also a photo of Cheng Yang and the store owner, with Cheng Yang’s autograph below.
Of course, Cheng Yang also saw it. She asked, feigning ignorance, “Huh? Have I been here before? How come I even left an autograph?”
Xu Xun smiled and saw the date written on the autograph, which was August of last year.
“Last August, I remember it should be a large awards ceremony in S City. You happened to be the host of that year and had returned to Shanghai from abroad.”
Cheng Yang looked surprised. “Wifey, how do you remember so clearly?”
The corners of Xu Xun’s lips curved. “That’s because the person who gave me the award was you.”
Cheng Yang looked blank. “So that’s how it is. I can’t even remember such an important thing. I’m sorry.”
“What’s there to be sorry about? That was the first time I had won an award for a TV series. That year was indeed very bloody. They were all seniors in the entertainment industry. I never thought I would get the Best Actress award.”
Cheng Yang took her hand and queued behind the crowd. “Wifey, you can’t say that about yourself. I’ve seen your TV series. Your villain doesn’t even seem like you’re acting. It’s too vivid. It would be unreasonable if you didn’t win an award.”
Xu Xun couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Are you really praising me? How come I feel it’s a little strange?”
Cheng Yang let out a soft hum. “Anyway, I’m just praising you. This award is worthy of you.”
The signature of the cake shop was peach-flavored ice cream.
Besides ice cream, cream cakes, and bread and desserts, even the entire store’s decoration was pink peach elements.
And those small accessories, or refrigerator magnets, that had been derived from the popularity, were all fluffy and cute pink peaches.
In fact, this was also a little trick of the store owner, because everyone knew that the smell of Cheng Yang’s pheromones was peach.
Although Xu Xun had a smile on her face, she didn’t feel very good in her heart.
According to Cheng Yang’s fame, there were not a few theme cake shops related to her.
In addition, she had a high national recognition and had fans all over the world. Of course, there were rich second-generation fans who, in order to get close to her, deliberately opened this kind of shop to attract attention, with the purpose of getting Cheng Yang to notice them.
This shop, Xu Xun had seen it a long time ago when she was working nearby. At that time, the whole shop was not peach elements, but an ordinary coffee shop.
Later, because of bankruptcy, it was acquired by the owner of this shop, and she was an enthusiastic fan of Cheng Yang. She had spent several months decorating it in this style.
Perhaps it was because Cheng Yang liked to eat sweets, so it had become a dessert shop.
Although both Cheng Yang and Xu Xun were wearing hats and masks, the two of them stood out like a crane among chickens in the crowd.
“Hello, I want two two-flavor combos. Besides the peach flavor, I want one of each of the other flavors. Thank you.”
Xu Xun was allergic to peaches. Even if the peach-flavored ice cream was the signature, Cheng Yang didn’t dare to let Xu Xun eat it.
Cheng Yang’s voice was quite unique. Even if she lowered her voice, she was still heard by the cashier in front of her.
The cashier’s eyes lit up, and she turned her head and said something to the employee behind her.
That employee put down the thing in her hand and hurried to the back.
The cashier stared at Cheng Yang, her eyes sparkling, so excited she was incoherent.
“Teacher Yangyang, is that you?”
Cheng Yang hadn’t expected to be recognized even though she was so well-disguised.
She lowered her voice and nodded. “Shh, don’t tell anyone. I’ll give you an autograph later, okay?”
The cashier nodded frantically.
Cheng Yang took the four-color ice cream from the store clerk and handed the fruit-flavored one to Xu Xun.
When she turned her head, the person was gone.
Cheng Yang took a closer look. In the time she had been talking to the cashier, Xu Xun had sat down by the window at some point and was staring straight at her.
This gaze was full of possessiveness.
It seemed a little dissatisfied, as if she were jealous.
Through the bustling crowd, this ardent gaze was like a physical substance, peeling off her clothes layer by layer.
Cheng Yang was so stared at that her whole body was numb.
Her legs were a little weak. She held the ice cream and walked to Xu Xun’s side to sit down.
“Wifey.”
Cheng Yang lowered her voice and asked, “Which one do you want to eat?”
Xu Xun was playing with the paper crane she had just folded on the table.
“I want them all.”
Cheng Yang smiled, slowly took off her mask, and placed the tip of the four-color ice cream by Xu Xun’s lips.
She knew that Xu Xun just wanted to eat the first bite.
Xu Xun had said this on purpose.
Perhaps it was a small flaw called being spoiled.
If it were a child, making this kind of request would easily spoil them.
But in the face of Xu Xun, Cheng Yang was more than willing and wished she could give her the best things in the world.
