After the Paranoid Female Lead Lost Her Memory, She Insisted on Pursuing This Cannon Fodder - Chapter 52

Lin Zhaoyue stood there for a long while, but Shen Yuan didn’t respond.

That’s odd. At this point, Shen Yuan should have rushed over to fuss over her, or outright suggest returning to the warm hotel room—her ultimate goal.

She stole a glance at Shen Yuan from the corner of her eye.

Shen Yuan was still sitting in the same position, her head lowered, her expression hidden. An indescribable stillness hung around her.

Hey, why isn’t she reacting? Lin Zhaoyue mentally poked the System.

Logically, seeing me like this, shouldn’t her eyes be wide with longing, and she’d pounce on me, calling me “wife”? Why is she acting like a wooden doll?

Could it be… she’s starting to reflect on her life? the System suggested.

Reflect on what life? Would she even know how to live without me?

…Uh, well, look on the bright side. Maybe the main heroine’s current thoughts are even worse, and she’s desperately trying to suppress them?

?!

How is that a bright side? Is this System even legitimate?

Lin Zhaoyue pursed her lips, but the silence was starting to make her impatient.

The plan had already progressed this far. It couldn’t stall here, could it?

Forget suppressing anything. Back to the hotel. Now.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Zhaoyue decided to take the initiative.

“Ahem… Ling’s tired. My back’s a little sore,” she said, stretching her arms in an exaggerated, deliberate yawn toward the sea.

As she raised her arms, her already skimpy swimsuit rode up slightly, revealing the taut, flat expanse of her abdomen, her slender, barely hand-span waist, and the full, firm curve of her br3asts, all sharply outlined in the moonlight.

Having executed what she considered an undeniably provocative move, Lin Zhaoyue stole a glance at Shen Yuan from the corner of her eye.

“……”

Shen Yuan remained silent.

What’s wrong? Has she entered a meditative trance? Ascended to enlightenment? Reached nirvana?

Frowning slightly, Lin Zhaoyue took a few more steps forward, pretending to gaze at the distant fishing lights while subtly adjusting her position. She ensured every part of her body was clearly visible from any angle Shen Yuan might glance up at.

“Hmm… there don’t seem to be many stars tonight,” she remarked casually, her voice tinged with just the right amount of disappointment. Her fingers unconsciously toyed with the swimsuit’s side ties, as if adjusting them, but really to draw attention.

Shen Yuan remained silent.

What’s wrong? Could she have switched personalities?

Lin Zhaoyue found it hard to believe and decided to try again.

Her voice trembled slightly, deliberately feigning vulnerability as she said, “I just got out of the water… I’m still soaking wet… and I don’t know where my jacket went…”

As she spoke, she hugged her arms and shivered slightly, perfectly showcasing her skin, flushed pink from the cold.

Her posture was delicate, evoking pity even from herself.

Shen Yuan remained deathly silent.

Lin Zhaoyue: “……”

Fine, Shen Yuan. You’d better be actually dead. Otherwise, I’ll kill you right now!

Lin Zhaoyue had reached her breaking point.

She whirled around, abandoning all pretense of subtlety. Let the Will of the World detect keywords if it wants!

Lin Zhaoyue strode over to Shen Yuan, who was still sitting in the same spot. She leaned down, bracing her hands on the rocks on either side of Shen Yuan’s body, trapping her between herself and the stone.

The posture forced Shen Yuan to lower her head, instantly closing the distance between them.

So close that Shen Yuan could clearly smell the salty sea air mingling with Lin Zhaoyue’s faint, sweet fragrance. She could also see the alluring curves of Lin Zhaoyue’s body, now even more exposed by her bent posture. The skimpy swimsuit offered no real coverage; the fullness of her br3asts nearly brushed Shen Yuan’s nose.

Shen Yuan’s breath hitched almost imperceptibly.

Her instinctive urge was to pull away, to escape this suffocating intimacy, but she forced herself to remain still.

No.

She needed to play the role of her other self properly.

She had to observe how that version of herself normally interacted with Lin Zhaoyue.

“Hey! Shen Yuan!”

Lin Zhaoyue glared at Shen Yuan from inches away, her voice barely suppressing her anger.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you mute? Or blind? Can’t you see… me like this?”

Shen Yuan finally met her gaze. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes seemed to shimmer with an unreadable complexity, as if dark currents were swirling deep within them.

What’s going on?

Just as Lin Zhaoyue was beginning to wonder, Shen Yuan blinked, and her expression instantly cleared.

I must have imagined it.

Lin Zhaoyue dismissed Shen Yuan’s subtle shift in expression as mere speechlessness, overwhelmed by her beauty.

Just as Lin Zhaoyue was about to launch another tirade, Shen Yuan spoke in a voice that was hoarse and strained with suppressed emotion:

“Are you… cold?”

This sudden, nonsensical question instantly choked the barrage of accusations Lin Zhaoyue had prepared. She stared blankly at Shen Yuan, her mind freezing for three seconds.

Cold?

Of course she was cold! How could she not be, dressed like this by the sea in the wind?!

But that wasn’t the point! The point was she’d spent all this effort trying to seduce her, and all Shen Yuan could ask was if she was cold?!

A nameless fury surged through Lin Zhaoyue, her face burning hotter than before—whether from anger or embarrassment, she couldn’t tell.

She abruptly stood up, turned her back to Shen Yuan, and wrapped her arms around herself, her voice dripping with pique:

“Heh, now you ask? Where were you earlier?”

Shen Yuan watched Lin Zhaoyue’s slender back, pressing her lips together.

Based on what Zhang Wei had said earlier, she could roughly imagine what her amnesiac self’s personality might have been like.

But she still wasn’t sure about the appropriate level of intimacy she should maintain with Lin Zhaoyue in this state.

She couldn’t be too forward, lest she overstep the boundaries of normalcy and arouse suspicion.

Nor could she be too passive; she needed to gauge Lin Zhaoyue’s actions and determine the appropriate response.

For instance, Lin Zhaoyue’s current actions clearly pointed to a single objective.

After considering this, Shen Yuan decided to act.

She stood up slowly and deliberately, avoiding a direct approach. Instead, she circled around behind Lin Zhaoyue.

Lin Zhaoyue was inwardly wondering why Shen Yuan had suddenly gone silent again when she felt a warm breath against her neck.

Before she could react, a pair of slender arms gently wrapped around her from behind.

The movement was unhurried, almost hesitant, as if Shen Yuan were checking that Lin Zhaoyue wouldn’t immediately push her away.

Lin Zhaoyue’s body stiffened abruptly, her core muscles tensing instinctively.

The cool touch of skin against skin sent a jolt through her, causing her heartbeat to skip a beat.

She held her breath, watching as Shen Yuan’s arms tightened further, until—

A soft yet undeniable embrace enveloped her.

Shen Yuan’s arms circled Lin Zhaoyue’s waist, her palms pressing against the cool skin of her lower back through the thin swimsuit fabric. Because of the rear-hugging posture, Shen Yuan’s arms rested lightly against Lin Zhaoyue’s flat, warm abdomen.

This embrace was completely different from Shen Yuan’s previous attempts at closeness, which had been urgent, ingratiating, and even a little clumsy.

This time, it was gentle.