After the Paranoid Female Lead Lost Her Memory, She Insisted on Pursuing This Cannon Fodder - Chapter 38

Zhang Wei, who was sitting next to Shen Yuan, noticed the change in her expression and leaned over curiously to take a peek.

One glance was all it took. Zhang Wei’s face flushed crimson, as if she’d been scalded. She jerked her head away and covered her eyes with her hand.

“Aiya! You… you’re really something!” Zhang Wei’s voice was a mix of embarrassment, annoyance, and amusement.

“I knew you were up to something when you were fiddling with your phone for ages at the milk tea shop this afternoon, and then suddenly asked me how to change the screensaver… I thought you wanted a landscape photo or maybe a cute cat or dog. But you actually… you actually set this photo as your screensaver! You… you’re so bold!”

Shen Yuan: ?

Shen Yuan: ???

Did I change it myself?

Am I the pervert?

How could I possibly do something like this?! What exactly happened when I lost my memory??

“I just accidentally touched it…” Shen Yuan forced a smile and offered a pale explanation. She quickly unlocked her phone, intending to change the wallpaper.

Then, her breath caught in her throat again.

The desktop wallpaper was the exact same photo.

It was on the lock screen, and it was on the desktop.

This photo she could barely bring herself to look at directly had, during her amnesia, been so cherished and valued that she’d made it her constant, inescapable background.

Zhang Wei’s expression was complicated.

“Uh, accidental taps… twice?”

Shen Yuan: “……”

Okay, no more about this.

Unable to come up with a plausible excuse, she immediately opened her photo album, intending to change the wallpaper, find the original photo, and delete it completely—erase it without a trace!

However, the moment the album opened, she froze again.

What should have contained casual snapshots of scenery and screenshots of classroom notes was now completely empty.

No, not entirely empty.

There was only one photo.

It was that photo.

Lying alone in the center of the album, as if it were a priceless treasure, preserved conspicuously and deliberately.

Shen Yuan pinched the bridge of her nose.

I should get my brain checked again later.

The taxi sped through the night.

They soon arrived at the nearest hospital.

In the emergency room, the doctor skillfully cleaned Shen Yuan’s wound, stitched it up, and prescribed anti-inflammatory and pain relief medication.

“The wound isn’t too deep, but the impact was significant. There might be mild concussion aftereffects, such as dizziness, nausea, or memory loss. Rest well for the next few days, avoid strenuous activity, and seek immediate follow-up if you experience persistent vomiting or blurred vision.”

“Alright, thank you, Doctor,” Zhang Wei said quickly, helping Shen Yuan, whose forehead was wrapped in gauze and looked even more frail, out of the emergency room.

It was late at night, and the hospital corridors were deserted and quiet, lit only by stark white lights and smelling of disinfectant.

Zhang Wei looked at Shen Yuan’s pale face and said with concern, “You’ve been through so much tonight. You must be exhausted. The doctor said you need to rest properly. Let’s go home.”

Shen Yuan paused, tilting her head slightly. “Hm?” she murmured, her tone clearly questioning.

“What ‘hm’? You’re not thinking of going back home again, are you?” Zhang Wei asked, her voice rising in disbelief.

Shen Yuan looked puzzled. “If not home, where else would I go?”

“What?!” Zhang Wei’s voice shot up before she quickly lowered it, staring at Shen Yuan in disbelief. “Have you forgotten? Didn’t you say you’d never go back home again?”

Shen Yuan blinked, her eyes growing even more confused.

Zhang Wei leaned closer, her gaze fixed on Shen Yuan’s eyes as she reminded her, each word carefully emphasized, “Didn’t you promise Lin Zhaoyue you’d never go back home again?”

“Lin Zhaoyue? Why would I agree to that?” Shen Yuan’s retort burst out.

Zhang Wei froze, completely stunned.

Come to think of it, Shen Yuan had been acting strangely ever since they left the bar…

Could it be…?

A sudden realization struck Zhang Wei. She swallowed hard and decided to test the waters.

“Do you prefer sweet or savory tofu pudding?”

Shen Yuan: “?”

“Uh, that’s not working. Let’s try something else—Xiao Yuan, do you remember Lin Zhaoyue’s birthday party last time… that cake?”

As soon as the words left her lips, Shen Yuan’s expression darkened instantly.

She practically spat out the words through clenched teeth, her voice icy and cutting:

“I remember. What about it?”

The genuine revulsion in her tone was unmistakable.

Seeing this reaction, Zhang Wei finally let out a long, relieved sigh.

“You’ve really regained your memories!”

Shen Yuan had reverted to her usual flawless, resilient White Lotus persona, like a melodramatic female lead in a trashy novel. Zhang Wei found herself almost disoriented by the sudden shift.

“But even if you’ve regained your memories, you still can’t go back there!”

Zhang Wei’s expression immediately turned stern, her voice serious.

“Have you forgotten what kind of man your father is? If you go back now, he won’t even care about your injuries. He might even demand medical expenses from you or sell you off for gambling money!”

Shen Yuan fell silent.

Yes, that so-called “home” had never been a haven for her, but rather a prison and an endless abyss.

Why had she instinctively wanted to return? Even she couldn’t explain it.

“You’re right,” Shen Yuan exhaled softly, forcing a weak smile. “I was being foolish. I won’t go back.”

“Great!” Zhang Wei’s face lit up with relief. “Then let’s hurry and go to my new apartment. You haven’t seen it since I moved!”

Shen Yuan glanced at Zhang Wei, the genuine concern on her friend’s face warming the icy depths of her heart.

She knew Zhang Wei’s finances were tight, and her rented apartment must be small. Her presence would only add to Zhang Wei’s burdens.

“Weiwei, wouldn’t I be imposing…?”

“Nonsense! We’re practically family!” Zhang Wei interrupted, firmly hooking her arm through Shen Yuan’s. “Come on, let’s go. We need to get that wound treated right away. If we wait any longer, you might lose too much bl00d and faint on the way.”

Zhang Wei half-dragged Shen Yuan along, hailing another taxi.

The taxi sped through the night, leaving behind the bustling city center and entering an older residential neighborhood. Dim yellow streetlights illuminated the streets lined with aging apartment buildings. Occasional late-night pedestrians and brightly lit windows punctuated the darkness.

The car stopped in front of a unit building that looked at least twenty or thirty years old. The narrow hallway was plastered with small advertisements, and the motion-sensor lights flickered intermittently.

Zhang Wei pulled out her keys and unlocked a slightly worn security door on the third floor.

“Come in, make yourself at home.”

As Zhang Wei flipped the switch, warm yellow light flooded the room.

It was a one-bedroom apartment in the aging building, small and sparsely furnished but impeccably clean, radiating a cozy, lived-in atmosphere.

“It’s a bit small, so don’t mind the place,” Zhang Wei said, a little embarrassed as she rummaged through the shoe cabinet for slippers. “The bed’s a single, so you take it. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

“No, Weiwei, I’m fine on the sofa,” Shen Yuan quickly protested.

“Absolutely not! You’re sick!” Zhang Wei insisted firmly. “Listen to me—go lie down and rest. I’ll boil some hot water for you.”

Watching Zhang Wei’s busy figure, a warm current surged through Shen Yuan’s heart.

She sat on the small single bed, pulled out her phone, and decided to text her boss at the milk tea shop to call in sick.

As her fingers swiped across the screen, she noticed she had changed her wallpaper back to the System’s default landscape image. Shen Yuan’s emotions remained complex and indescribable.

She opened WeChat after a long absence.

The moment her gaze landed on the chat list, her movements froze abruptly.

The pinned conversation at the top was boldly labeled—

My Dearest Fiancée