After the Paranoid Female Lead Lost Her Memory, She Insisted on Pursuing This Cannon Fodder - Chapter 21

With undisguised dependence and affection, Shen Yuan even let out a contented sigh as she tentatively wrapped her arm around Lin Zhaoyue’s waist.

Lin Zhaoyue stiffened completely, nearly leaping off the bed.

She whipped her head around, glaring in disbelief at Shen Yuan, who was clinging to her like an octopus.

“Hey! You—!”

So she hadn’t listened to a single word of her warning earlier, had she?!

Lin Zhaoyue’s anger flared. Abandoning all pretense of composure, she raised her leg, bent her knee, and forcefully thrust her foot, sending the completely unguarded Shen Yuan—who was still basking in the joy of “cuddles”—flying back to the other side of the bed.

“Ugh… Zhaoyue…”

Shen Yuan looked at Lin Zhaoyue with wounded eyes.

There was no remorse for being kicked, only a desperate plea: Why won’t you let me cuddle?

Lin Zhaoyue took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the flicker of sympathy that arose at the sight of Shen Yuan’s hurt expression. Pointing a finger at her, she issued a final ultimatum in an icy tone:

“Listen carefully, Shen Yuan! This is your last chance!”

She gestured to the half of the bed where Shen Yuan now lay:

“Either you stay on that side, respecting this invisible line, and you can sleep here every night from now on…”

Heh, just an empty promise. Zhang Wei will take her away tomorrow anyway.

With this thought, Lin Zhaoyue pointed at her side of the bed:

“Or, you can try getting close to me like you did just now. If you do, starting tomorrow, you’ll be sleeping in the guest room and never setting foot in my bedroom again! Decide now: do you want to sleep here just for tonight, or do you want to sleep here every night? Make up your mind!”

Almost the instant Lin Zhaoyue finished speaking, Shen Yuan recoiled like a startled rabbit, darting to the far end of the bed.

Clinging to the edge, Shen Yuan practically tried to merge with the wall, desperate to prove her innocence.

Clutching her pillow, she nodded vigorously, her eyes burning with unwavering determination:

“I’ve made up my mind! I want to sleep with you every night!”

Lin Zhaoyue: “……”

Why does that sound so… suggestive?

Never mind. What’s the point of arguing with someone whose brain is probably still rattling around in her skull?

Tired of the charade, Lin Zhaoyue huffed loudly, turned her back to Shen Yuan, and pulled the blanket up to cover her neck.

Shen Yuan, no longer clinging stubbornly, settled down properly in the space Lin Zhaoyue had vacated, leaving a gap wide enough for two people to lie comfortably between them.

Even so, Lin Zhaoyue could still clearly feel the warmth of another body and the rhythm of another’s breathing beside her.

The faint, elusive scent of cedarwood drifted into her nostrils in delicate wisps.

Despite the considerable distance between them, Lin Zhaoyue felt her entire body stiffen, her discomfort reaching its peak.

Her nerves stretched taut, stretched taut, until they finally snapped.

Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, eventually succumbing to her body’s exhaustion. Lin Zhaoyue was so weary she nearly passed out.

After an unknown amount of time, the even, drawn-out rhythm of Lin Zhaoyue’s breathing filled the quiet room, signaling her complete surrender to sleep.

In the darkness, Shen Yuan, who had been carefully maintaining her rigid posture, slowly turned her head to gaze at Lin Zhaoyue, who lay with her back to her.

Moonlight streamed through the gap in the partially drawn curtains, casting a narrow strip of light across the carpet and barely illuminating Lin Zhaoyue’s sleeping profile.

Her long hair lay scattered across the pillow, a few strands clinging playfully to her cheek. Her sleeping face was serene and gentle, stripped of its daytime ferocity and deliberate pretense of aggression, revealing a defenseless vulnerability.

Shen Yuan’s gaze deepened in the darkness.

She studied Lin Zhaoyue quietly for a long time, as if trying to etch this image into her heart.

As if under a silent enchantment, she reached out with excruciating slowness and utmost care, her fingers trembling with an almost reverent devotion as they brushed against Lin Zhaoyue’s wrist, which lay exposed outside the blanket.

Lin Zhaoyue slept soundly, stirring only slightly in her sleep, her fingers twitching unconsciously.

This minute reaction caused Shen Yuan’s heart to skip a beat. She held her breath, waiting until she was certain Lin Zhaoyue hadn’t been disturbed before daring to proceed.

Her fingertips gently covered Lin Zhaoyue’s wrist, feeling the steady, strong pulse beneath her touch. Though it was merely the simplest of contacts, it felt as if an electric current had surged through Shen Yuan’s entire body, bringing with it an indescribable thrill and sense of fulfillment.

In the darkness, the corners of Shen Yuan’s lips curled upward into a faint, involuntary smile.

Like a child who had stolen a taste of forbidden fruit, her heart swelled with a secret, overwhelming joy.

She carefully maintained her position, greedily savoring this hard-won closeness. Even this insignificant touch was enough to fill her with boundless happiness.

After a long moment, fearing she might lose control and do something more reckless or accidentally wake Lin Zhaoyue, Shen Yuan reluctantly and with agonizing slowness withdrew her hand. The lingering warmth of Lin Zhaoyue’s skin seemed to cling to her fingertips.

She sighed contentedly, settled back into bed, and resolved to spend the night quietly watching Lin Zhaoyue sleep.

But just then—

Buzz—

A soft vibration accompanied by the screen’s glow shattered the bedroom’s stillness.

It was Lin Zhaoyue’s phone.

The phone lay carelessly tossed on the bedside table, its screen now illuminated, the faint light piercing the darkness like a beacon.

Shen Yuan’s heart leaped. She instinctively glanced at Lin Zhaoyue.

Thankfully, Lin Zhaoyue merely furrowed her brow slightly and rolled over, seemingly undisturbed.

Shen Yuan exhaled in relief, but the glowing screen remained a potential threat.

If another notification arrived, or if the screen stayed lit, it might actually wake Lin Zhaoyue.

With this thought, Shen Yuan carefully sat up, leaned halfway across the bed, and reached for the bedside table.

Her movements were as gentle as a feather, terrified of making the slightest sound.

Her fingertips brushed against the cold phone case. She gently picked it up, intending to immediately activate Do Not Disturb mode and turn off the screen.

But the moment she lifted the phone, its screen facing her, her gaze was riveted by the content displayed on the lock screen.

A clear message preview appeared at the top of the screen:

“Are you asleep? Let’s have lunch together tomorrow.”

The message itself was unremarkable, but the sender’s contact name pierced Shen Yuan’s eyes like an icy needle:

“Fiancé”

Fiancé?

The word struck Shen Yuan like a bolt from the blue, shattering her composure in an instant.

The smile vanished from her face without a trace. Her peach blossom eyes, once brimming with adoration and joy, now seemed to have been splashed with ink, rapidly darkening with a cold, ominous shadow.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze, as if the sudden shift in her emotions had stilled the very atmosphere.

Lin Zhaoyue… had a fiancé?

No, wasn’t Shen Yuan Lin Zhaoyue’s fiancée? How could Lin Zhaoyue have another fiancé?

Shen Yuan was dizzy with rage.

No, she had to get to the bottom of this!