After the Paranoid Female Lead Lost Her Memory, She Insisted on Pursuing This Cannon Fodder - Chapter 27

The afternoon sun was glaring, and the cacophony of traffic roared in their ears.

Shen Yuan and Zhang Wei walked side by side on the sidewalk, having just left the luxurious mansion that resembled a palace. They were still adjusting to the vibrant street life.

Zhang Wei turned her head, carefully studying Shen Yuan’s expression.

“Xiao Yuan, are you okay? Lin Zhaoyue just kicked you out like that… Don’t be too upset, okay?”

Then she saw Shen Yuan’s lips stretching into a wide grin, her eyes sparkling with an inexplicable light, as if she had discovered a new purpose in life.

Shen Yuan patted Zhang Wei’s shoulder, her voice firm.

“Upset? I’m too busy being happy! Weiwei, you just don’t understand. Zhaoyue is testing me!”

Zhang Wei: “…Huh?”

“Think about it,” Shen Yuan said, counting on her fingers and analyzing with unwavering logic. “She took me in that day because I had nowhere to go, to let me rest and recover… Even though she kicked me out in the end, it’s because she’s afraid I’ll get too comfortable and lose myself. She wants to give me a chance to pursue my dreams again!”

Zhang Wei’s lips twitched. She realized that her best friend’s post-amnesia thought process had completely transcended the realm of ordinary human comprehension.

Shen Yuan, completely oblivious to Zhang Wei’s speechless reaction, clenched her fist and declared with fiery determination:

“That’s why I’ve decided! I’m going to revive my original plan, start from scratch, and become a powerful, domineering CEO! Then I’ll marry Zhaoyue!”

Zhang Wei was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure where to even begin criticizing. She could only stammer, “Uh, ambitious… That’s… good, good.”

As she spoke, she secretly began recording the conversation.

Heh, if I don’t record this and show Shen Yuan her current ridiculousness after she regains her memory, what kind of best friend would I be?

“Exactly!” Shen Yuan’s voice soared with heroic fervor. She grabbed Zhang Wei’s hand, her eyes earnest. “Once I become CEO, Weiwei, you’ll be my Chief Operating Officer’s assistant! I’ll pay you a monthly salary of 100,000!”

Just moments ago, Zhang Wei had found the whole idea absurd. But upon hearing this promise of shared wealth, especially the “100,000 monthly salary,” her eyes instantly lit up.

She straightened her back, gripped Shen Yuan’s hand firmly, and declared with newfound enthusiasm:

“Alright, Xiao Yuan! I’ll support you wholeheartedly!”

Shen Yuan’s eyes welled up with emotion. “Weiwei, you’re the best!”

The two friends proceeded to engage in a heartfelt exchange of mutual flattery and future planning on the street corner, until a sudden gust of cold wind jolted Zhang Wei back to reality.

“Ahem, Xiao Yuan, where are you… going now?” Zhang Wei glanced around. “You can’t possibly… go back to that place, can you?”

The mention of “that place” made Zhang Wei’s brow furrow involuntarily.

She knew all too well what Shen Yuan’s life had been like before. Her father, Shen Jinbing, was a bottomless pit, treating Shen Yuan like an ATM and resorting to beatings and verbal abuse at the slightest provocation.

Yet the old Xiao Yuan, as if possessed, would stubbornly send every hard-earned penny back home, even when she herself was barely scraping by. Zhang Wei had pleaded with her countless times, but to no avail.

At Zhang Wei’s words, the smile on Shen Yuan’s face faded slightly, but her eyes burned with unwavering resolve.

“I’m not going back,” she declared firmly.

“Huh?” Zhang Wei stopped in her tracks, stunned. “What did you say? You’re not going back?”

She quickly added, “Not that I want you to go back! I’m just curious. After all, you used to… well, let’s be honest, you were being ridiculously stubborn about going back.”

Shen Yuan nodded earnestly.

“Mm-hmm. Zhaoyue doesn’t like that man and even helped me scold him. She told me not to go back, so I’m listening to her.”

Zhang Wei: “……”

Although the reason still seemed to revolve around Lin Zhaoyue, the result was… an unexpected delight! No amount of persuasion had worked before, yet a single sentence from Lin Zhaoyue had made Shen Yuan see reason?

Zhang Wei vividly remembered how Lin Zhaoyue had frequently used Shen Yuan’s gambling-addicted father to manipulate her, forcing her to do things she didn’t want to do.

Since Shen Yuan lost her memory, Lin Zhaoyue had changed drastically. But regardless, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

Zhang Wei breathed a sigh of relief and immediately suggested:

“That’s wonderful! Why don’t you come stay at my place? It’s small and the conditions aren’t great, but it’s definitely better than sleeping on the streets.”

Shen Yuan was about to nod in agreement when a sudden ringtone interrupted her.

It was her old phone.

She pulled out the cracked-screen device, which now displayed the caller ID:

“Boss #3”

“Boss… #3?” Shen Yuan stared at the contact name, utterly confused. “Who is this?”

Zhang Wei leaned over to glance at the phone and immediately recognized the number.

“Oh! That’s your third job—the manager of the milk tea shop outside school! His surname is Wang, and he has a really loud voice.”

She counted on her fingers.

“You’ve had three part-time jobs before: one as a library assistant at school, another delivering takeout and packages on campus, and the weekend day shift at this milk tea shop. Plus, you just got a new one—the weekend night shift at a bar…”

Milk tea shop? Part-time job?

Shen Yuan’s mind struggled to process this information, feeling like it belonged to a distant world.

“Speaking of which,” Zhang Wei glanced at the time, “you have a shift at the milk tea shop this afternoon, right? The manager probably called to ask if you can come in today.”

Just as Zhang Wei was about to suggest, “Why don’t you take a few more days off?” Shen Yuan had already answered the phone.

“Okay, I’ll be there right away.”

Zhang Wei stared in stunned silence.

Milk tea shop.

It was afternoon, the peak time for students and nearby office workers to order.

The shop wasn’t large, but it was brightly and freshly decorated, the air thick with the rich aroma of tea and the sweet, creamy scent of milk.

“Xiao Yuan, are you sure you want to start working right now?”

Zhang Wei stood by the entrance, watching Shen Yuan skillfully put on the milk tea shop apron printed with a cute logo, still feeling uneasy.

“You just got out of the hospital, and you hit your head. Shouldn’t you rest for a couple more days?”

“Absolutely not!” Shen Yuan tied the apron strings, turned around, her face radiating an almost sacred sense of mission.

“My path to becoming a domineering CEO starts with this cup of milk tea! I must immediately immerse myself in practical experience and accumulate knowledge!”

Zhang Wei: “……”

Fine, even her part-time job is fueled by this love-struck zeal.

She sighed silently, deciding it would be best to keep a watchful eye from the side.

Just then, the back door of the milk tea shop creaked open, and a slender middle-aged man emerged.

He pushed up his glasses, his narrow eyes scanning Shen Yuan up and down, and deliberately furrowed his brow.