Before Going on a Variety Show, the Actress Lost Her Memory - Chapter 32

Memories can be triggered by objects, sounds, or smells. Research suggests that taste and smell often evoke the most enduring memories.

Yu Wenyu stared at the strawberry pudding on the tablet, memories flooding back like a tidal wave.

The girl’s cool, elegant figure stood tall in the snowy landscape, but her teasing words clashed with her ethereal beauty.

That celestial-like girl from her memories had later become her wife.

Having known each other for twenty years, Yu Wenyu suddenly began to question the necessity of her recent actions.

Why am I testing Xi Xiuyun? Do I really need to change her? But would Xiuyun even want that?

Yu Wenyu lowered her gaze to the tablet, her eyes reflecting a hint of confusion.

“Yu Zai, why are you taking so long to choose? Still undecided?”

“I just checked on Best Actress Xi—she’s already bought her groceries and gone home.”

“Come on, Yu Zai, you’ve got to step up! Your wife’s cooking dinner tonight; at least bring back a dessert.”

“……”

Seeing that Yu Wenyu hadn’t made a choice, the shop assistant suggested, “Miss Yu, both the cream puffs and soufflés are popular choices among our customers. What do you think?”

Yu Wenyu snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the shop assistant. “I remember you offer one-on-one dessert-making classes, right?”

The shop assistant smiled. “Yes, we have professional pastry chefs who provide personalized instruction. Would you like to book a session?”

Yu Wenyu pursed her lips. “Hmm, I’m not very good at making desserts. I’ll choose this strawberry pudding. Do you have a suitable pastry chef available?”

Taking the tablet Yu Wenyu handed over, the shop assistant quickly replied, “Yes, of course! We’ll arrange the ingredients and a pastry chef for you right away.”

As Yu Wenyu watched the shop assistant walk away, she couldn’t help but wonder if she could actually make the pudding this time.

But she really wanted Xi Xiuyun to taste the strawberry pudding.

Just as Yu Wenyu was still pondering her chances of success, the shop assistant returned with the pastry chef, carrying the ingredients and necessary tools.

Yu Wenyu froze for a moment when she saw the pastry chef—it was someone she knew.

Unaware of the frenzy erupting in the live chat, she heard comments like:

“This foreign girl is so cool! Some things are just naturally ringing.”

“She looks familiar… Didn’t she post a Dragon’s Roar Strawberry tutorial on Letter Station?”

“Her name is Fang Xiaoqu. She’s of mixed Chinese and foreign heritage, but her Chinese is excellent. She’s a popular content creator on Letter Station.”

Snapping out of her daze, Yu Wenyu felt a sudden awkwardness at seeing someone she knew. She forced herself to greet her, “Sister Xiaoqu, what are you doing here?”

A smile flickered in Fang Xiaoqu’s light brown eyes. “You used to call me ‘Sister’ when we were kids. Why have you grown so distant?”

Yu Wenyu laughed awkwardly. “That was just when I was young and didn’t know any better.”

Fang Xiaoqu stopped teasing her, her gaze fixed on Yu Wenyu. “Are you here to film a show? Why the sudden craving for strawberry pudding? I remember when our families lived in C City, you used to visit Xiaonan all the time, and my mom loved making strawberry pudding for you both. Missing that taste?”

Yu Wenyu’s face betrayed her unease. She dared not deny nor admit the truth, fearing that Fang Xiaoqu might reveal even more embarrassing details if she denied it.

But if she admitted it, how would she explain it to Xi Xiuyun?

“I just wanted to make a dessert for my wife. I was being a bit unreasonable today and wanted to apologize with this.”

Fang Xiaoqu scoffed. “What’s this? Even Miss Yu deigns to apologize now? Then what about back then…”

“Sister Xiaoqu! Please just teach me quickly,” Yu Wenyu interrupted hastily, sensing Fang Xiaoqu was about to bring up the past again.

Fang Xiaoqu stared at Yu Wenyu for a moment, but Yu Wenyu refused to back down, meeting her gaze unflinchingly. Realizing she wouldn’t get a rise out of her, Fang Xiaoqu picked up the ingredients and fell silent.

Yu Wenyu breathed a sigh of relief when Fang Xiaoqu dropped the subject of their past.

From then on, Fang Xiaoqu focused solely on teaching, and Yu Wenyu followed her instructions diligently.

“Oh my god, what did I just witness? Thank goodness Best Actress Xi isn’t here, or it would have been a total bloodbath!”

“This is more complicated than I thought. Just from their conversation, I’ve already imagined scenes of them chasing each other back in the day.”

“Just take a small sip.”

“Doing everything together will only hurt you both! Yu Xi should lock herself away!”

“We know Yu Xi and Yu Zai were each other’s first loves, and we also know their relationship used to be more than just ordinary. So the truth is, Yu Zai was interested, but Yu Xi wasn’t. Yu Zai has been racking up romantic debts everywhere with that face of hers.”

“Even the victim is so beautiful! Ugh, how has Yu Wenyu been eating so well since she was a kid?”

“……”

At that moment, Xi Xiuyun was completely unaware of what was happening with Yu Wenyu. She was still in the kitchen preparing ingredients, but for some reason, she felt a sudden unease.

Xi Xiuyun wasn’t a believer in fate, but right now, Yu Wenyu wasn’t by her side, and there was no one assigned to watch over her.

Not knowing Yu Wenyu’s exact whereabouts made Xi Xiuyun deeply uncomfortable. Even though Yu Wenyu had asked her not to come, she just wanted to check if she was safe.

Xi Xiuyun grabbed her phone and found Yu Wenyu’s live stream.

When she saw what the comments were saying, Xi Xiuyun’s expression turned icy. Her gaze froze on the screen, and the air around her seemed to drop several degrees.

Even the viewers watching from beyond the screen could feel Xi Xiuyun’s emotions.

“Shura field, come quickly!!!”

“I want to see a shura field, and a midnight show too, hoh hoh hoh hoh!”

“With that expression on Xi Xiuyun’s face, those trashy fanfic writers will be swarming here any minute now.”

“What do you mean ‘trashy fanfic’? That’s literary creation!”

Xi Xiuyun hadn’t forgotten Yu Wenyu’s warning not to come over, so she wouldn’t.

She bit the tip of her tongue, tasting the metallic tang of bl00d in her mouth, and slowly suppressed the emotions in her eyes. Then she put down her phone and returned to the kitchen.

“No reaction at all? This doesn’t fit the Xi Xiuyun I’ve seen these past few days. Is she really that indifferent?”

“Just watch the livestream. Everyone goes silent the moment they see her.”

“Silence is scarier than an outburst. Did you see that look on her face just now? Does that look indifferent to you?”

“That damn Yu Wenyu, eating so well tonight.”

“Chat, show some decency! Yu Wenyu’s waist is still a waist!”

About two hours later, Xi Xiuyun heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.

Yu Wenyu stepped inside and immediately saw the woman sitting upright on the sofa. Perhaps out of guilt, Yu Wenyu thought Xi Xiuyun’s gaze seemed unusually dark.

Xi Xiuyun smiled gently as she walked toward Yu Wenyu, her footsteps on the carpet sounding unusually loud, each step like a drumbeat against Yu Wenyu’s heart.

“Ayu, I was wrong this afternoon. Are you still angry?”

For some reason, Yu Wenyu felt a chill run down her spine at Xi Xiuyun’s smile. She suddenly wondered if Xi Xiuyun had found out about her making desserts earlier.

“No, no, I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry, Sister Xi, I was being unreasonable today,” Yu Wenyu said, carefully studying Xi Xiuyun’s expression.

Seeing the table laden with her favorite dishes, Yu Wenyu quickly asked, “Sister Xi, did you make all this? Were you in the kitchen all afternoon?”

Yu Wenyu’s question was like saying “the silver is buried here” when there was no silver to begin with. Xi Xiuyun had mentioned making dinner for her earlier that day, and now Yu Wenyu was asking about it again.

Xi Xiuyun’s temples throbbed with anger, but her face remained calm.

A skilled hunter never reveals herself until the perfect moment to strike.

Instead of answering Yu Wenyu’s question, Xi Xiuyun’s gaze drifted to the bag in Yu Wenyu’s hand.

“What did you buy? Can I see?” Xi Xiuyun’s voice unconsciously took on a hurt tone, as if Yu Wenyu refusing to show her would make her a heartless betrayer.

Yu Wenyu couldn’t bear such a heavy accusation, especially since the strawberry pudding had been made for Xi Xiuyun in the first place. She quickly opened the bag.

As she carefully took out the strawberry pudding, she explained, “I know I was wrong today, so I made this strawberry pudding for you.”

Xi Xiuyun froze at the sight of the strawberry pudding.

Earlier, she had seen Yu Wenyu with Fang Xiaoqu and noticed the comments saying they looked “perfect together,” so she had retreated.

Xi Xiuyun hadn’t known Yu Wenyu had made the strawberry pudding, and a complex mix of emotions flooded her heart.

Yu Wenyu, unaware of Xi Xiuyun’s thoughts, hurried to explain why she had made the pudding.

“Do you remember when we first met? You probably didn’t notice, but I was holding a strawberry pudding. Later, I regretted not giving it to you.

But today, I can finally make up for that belated first meeting gift, though this one isn’t store-bought—I made it myself.”

“I know my cooking isn’t great, and this might not taste very good since it’s my first time making it. I hope you won’t mind, Sister Xi.”

Xi Xiuyun’s breath hitched slightly, her heart skipping a beat. She bit her lower lip to conceal the faint tremor caused by her sudden surge of emotion.

Yu Wenyu looked up at Xi Xiuyun and found her staring back, her dark eyes shimmering with a deep, focused affection.

Xi Xiuyun opened her mouth, her voice low and husky. “Thank you, Ayu. Actually, I noticed you were holding a box of Dragon’s Roar Strawberry pudding back then.

I saw strawberry pudding at the supermarket earlier. I wasn’t sure if you still liked it after all these years, but I bought you a box anyway.

It’s not homemade, but…” Xi Xiuyun trailed off, feeling her own gesture seemed so perfunctory compared to Yu Wenyu’s heartfelt effort.

Yet, in her palm, she felt the unique coolness that belonged only to Yu Wenyu.

Xi Xiuyun lowered her head, hearing Yu Wenyu’s voice: “Sister Xi, it was already my good fortune that you noticed me back then. I never imagined that one day the aloof fairy on the altar would choose to stay by my side.”

Yu Wenyu didn’t dwell on the matter further. What mattered now was dealing with Sister Xi’s dinner and the strawberry pudding they had bought for each other.

Yu Wenyu pulled Xi Xiuyun toward the dining table, saying, “Sister Xi, don’t overthink it. It’s been ages since I’ve had your cooking. Let’s eat first.”

Xi Xiuyun followed Yu Wenyu to the table, where their two strawberry puddings sat side by side, touching each other.

The dishes on the table were all Yu Wenyu’s favorites, and Xi Xiuyun had thoughtfully avoided high-calorie ingredients without compromising the original flavors.

Yu Wenyu picked up a piece of chicken, but as soon as she put it in her mouth, she noticed Xi Xiuyun rolling up her sleeves and starting to peel shrimp for her.

Yu Wenyu felt a prickling sensation at the tip of her nose and quickly lowered her lashes, avoiding Xi Xiuyun’s gaze. She wondered why she had become so sentimental about everyday things lately.

These were things she had taken for granted for years. Why did they suddenly seem different now that they were on the show?

And why had she always accepted Xi Xiuyun’s kindness as a matter of course, only recently starting to question the reasons behind such meticulous care?

“Ayu,” Xi Xiuyun’s cool, clear voice called softly.

Yu Wenyu looked up. Xi Xiuyun smiled warmly, offering her a peeled shrimp. Her eyes held pure anticipation.

Yu Wenyu’s heart softened, and she couldn’t help but smile. This time, she didn’t refuse Xi Xiuyun, naturally opening her mouth to accept the shrimp.

After chewing a few times and swallowing, Yu Wenyu smiled. “It’s very sweet.”

The smile at the corner of Xi Xiuyun’s lips deepened. Under the lamplight, the woman’s profile was as perfect as a sculpture, and Yu Wenyu felt a surge of contentment.

Why do I feel like Sister Xi is becoming more and more spoiled…?