Chapter 81: To Think There’s Still a Lame Cliché Like Car Accident Amnesia

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: To Think There’s Still a Lame Cliché Like Car Accident Amnesia

The confusion on Lu Shixu’s face was genuine and utter.

When Nan Zhi saw it, her anger flared.

She’d cast herself as the villain in a culinary story, not the heroine who runs off pregnant in some overbearing CEO novel.

And she’d never once considered hiding the truth about Nan Yi’s parentage!

A simple calculation based on Nan Yi’s birth month would show she had conceived him while the two of them were dating.

At the time, the conflicts between her and Lu Shixu were just beginning to surface, but they weren’t yet intense.

In fact, thanks to Lu Shixu’s efforts, they had maintained a superficial sense of peace.

To everyone else, they were still the campus’s blissfully happy, fairy-tale couple!

’What is Lu Shixu trying to imply?’

’Is he suggesting I was involved with another man while we were dating?’

’He’s practically questioning my character!’

’And besides, doesn’t he know what a possessive jerk he is?’

’He’d get so furious he’d practically grind his teeth to dust just from seeing me say a few words to another guy in the library. He even went behind my back to warn them off.’

’It was precisely that intense, suffocating possessiveness that caused us to clash repeatedly, leading eventually to our breakup...’

’So what’s with him pretending to be completely clueless now?’

Anger burned in Nan Zhi’s throat, and she could barely stop herself from hurling these questions at him!

Suddenly!

An idea struck her like a bolt of lightning!

Nan Zhi’s racing mind began to cool as rationality gradually returned.

’Something’s wrong.’

’Something is very wrong!’

Her twelve years in the Otherworld had allowed her to slowly come to terms with and let go of their relationship, to the point that her memories were even starting to blur.

But with these last few encounters with Lu Shixu, the details of their past were slowly resurfacing.

Nan Zhi realized she had overlooked a very important question—

’The way he’s acting... it’s as if he genuinely doesn’t believe Nan Yi is his child!’

’What’s more, he’s accepted this as fact with complete calm.’

’Is that even possible?’

’Lu Shixu was once so possessive that he couldn’t stand her saying a single extra word to another person.’

’He might have said that if we broke up, he’d act like he never knew me, but wasn’t he always saying things he didn’t mean back then?’

’With how meticulous Lu Shixu used to be, he would have absolutely investigated Nan Yi’s origins immediately.’

’No matter what he was thinking, this should absolutely not be his reaction!’

’Unless...’

’He truly knows nothing. He has no memory.’

’He doesn’t even know about our relationship or our past.’

In that instant, a completely absurd theory popped into Nan Zhi’s head!

"Did you... lose your memory?"

After blurting out the question, Nan Zhi almost laughed at herself.

’What on earth was I thinking?’

’How could something like amnesia possibly...’

’Wait a minute.’

’Why does Lu Shixu look so strange?’

Nan Zhi scrutinized every subtle twitch of his facial muscles.

Lu Shixu didn’t answer.

He just furrowed his brow slightly.

It was a very subtle, unconscious movement.

But as her own memories returned, her ingrained understanding of Lu Shixu resurfaced along with them.

Nan Zhi concluded with almost no hesitation—

’I was right.’

"Why did you lose your memory? Was it an accident? A car crash? Or..."

’Great. A car crash.’

Nan Zhi had so much to say she was left speechless.

’Should I just assume this really is a novel world?’

’What century is this? How is a melodramatic, cliché trope like car-crash amnesia still a thing?!’

This left Nan Zhi feeling an indescribable mix of emotions.

She wasn’t happy, but she certainly wasn’t angry either.

She fell into a silent contemplation, not wanting to say a word.

Lu Shixu, however, could not remain calm.

He felt as if, in that brief exchange of subtle movements, Nan Zhi had seen right through him.

It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced since he was eighteen.

Not even his shrewd, calculating grandfather could read his thoughts and emotions from his reactions.

And yet, the woman before him, Nan Zhi, had done it with ease.

’Why?’

"You know me!"

Lu Shixu concluded instantly!

The corner of Nan Zhi’s mouth twitched.

"I don’t."

"You’re lying."

If before it was just a guess, now he was one hundred percent certain!

But Lu Shixu didn’t feel offended.

On the contrary, his heart, which had been a glacier frozen for ten thousand years, now quietly cracked open.

A spark of joy fizzled out from the crack.

In the blink of an eye, it spread through his entire body, making every cell thrum with pleasure.

The feeling was unfamiliar.

But Lu Shixu didn’t resist it.

He even found himself looking forward to Nan Zhi telling him about their past.

As for Nan Zhi...

She had already composed her thoughts and emotions in the shortest possible time.

No matter how melodramatic, no matter how unbelievable, the fact was that the car-crash amnesia had happened!

’Could this be considered a gift from the heavens?’

She decided to just go with the flow.

"Fine, we know each other, I guess. But that’s as far as it goes."

"So how do we know each other?"

Lu Shixu pressed, determined to get to the bottom of it.

It was clear he wouldn’t give up until he got an answer.

So Nan Zhi told him bluntly,

"We had a conflict. It was very unpleasant, and we’re on terrible terms!"

’That perfectly summed up the relationship between exes after a breakup!’

Nan Zhi figured she wasn’t lying, just... omitting a few details!

Lu Shixu asked, "Then what was it I was supposed to have done?"

"A citizen’s duty and responsibility. Wasn’t that right?"

"I don’t believe you."

Nan Zhi raised an eyebrow and shot back,

"Why don’t you tell me what answer you’re hoping to get from me?"

Lu Shixu was at a loss for words.

He lowered his gaze, his tall, imposing figure standing still and silent, quieter even than the night.

And yet, one could almost glimpse a trace of vulnerability in his posture.

Nan Zhi looked away, remembering he had worn the same expression when they broke up years ago.

But she had no intention of repeating the mistakes of the past.

Nan Zhi knew exactly what to say to provoke Lu Shixu, so she said in a teasing tone,

"Mr. Lu, if you keep showing up like this, I might start to think you like me and want to pursue me."

Lu Shixu’s gaze shot up, his lips pressing together tightly.

The frantic drumming of his heart thundered in his ears.

The crack in the ice was silently widening.

"I..."

"Unfortunately, I’m not interested in you, Mr. Lu. I don’t plan on dating or getting married. I just want to focus on raising my child."

Nan Zhi acted as if she hadn’t noticed she’d cut Lu Shixu off.

Her tone was light as she tilted her head with a smile.

But her words shot out like sharp arrows piercing the air.

Lu Shixu’s pride was stung, and he almost betrayed his own flustered state!

The drumming in his ears grew louder, but now it only brought irritation.

"Fine."

Lu Shixu had his pride, too!

He wasn’t about to shamelessly chase after a woman who had already rejected him!

’It wasn’t as if Nan Zhi was the only woman in the world!’

’It was just a strange, unfamiliar flicker of emotion.’

’Who’s to say this is ’liking’ someone?’

Lu Shixu’s jawline tensed.

His voice sounded as if it were being forced out from between sheets of ice.

"Understood."

With that, he immediately turned, pulled open the car door, and got in.

From the front seat, a panicked Tao An watched Lu Shixu in the rearview mirror.

Lu Shixu raised a hand to loosen his tie, his expression icy and detached, as if above all worldly concerns.

"Get us out of here."

"Si— Yes, right away."

The Bentley sped away, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.

Nan Zhi felt perfectly calm inside.

Five years ago, when she had told him they were breaking up, she hadn’t regretted it.

And she didn’t regret it now, either.