The assistant, Zheng Yunhe, arrived at the hospital the next morning.
By then, Li Mengjue had already settled the kittens at home and was leisurely strolling back to the hospital under her umbrella. The rain was still falling, but compared to yesterday’s torrential downpour, it was mild. The air was filled with the fresh scent of damp earth and fallen leaves—perfect for a rainy walk.
However, Li Mengjue was mostly dawdling to give the two women in the hospital enough space to talk.
Yesterday, Ruan Qingxiao had managed to contact her private assistant, Zheng Yunhe, using what remained of her muscle memory. Assistant Zheng happened to be on vacation, but after a few sentences on the phone, she realized something was wrong with her boss and immediately booked the earliest high-speed train ticket.
When she neared the hospital that morning, Zheng called Li Mengjue, who politely said she would arrive a bit later.
In the original plot, Assistant Zheng was the “number one lackey” to the villainous supporting actress. However, because she helped the villain stir up trouble so faithfully, this cannon-fodder character was ironically portrayed as a very loyal and righteous person.
Zheng’s family had fallen on hard times during her high school years. Her father, buried in debt, committed suicide, and her mother was diagnosed with cancer shortly after. She lived a miserable life, juggling school and debt collectors, and was one step away from dropping out to sell herself for medical fees. It was Miss Ruan who descended like a godsend, paying off the debts and the medical bills in exchange for Zheng becoming her follower. Since then, Zheng had been fiercely loyal.
In the story, whenever the villain went too far, Zheng would step in as a peacemaker—mostly to ensure the female lead wasn’t killed off too early, which would end the plot. When the villain eventually hit someone with her car in a fit of rage, Zheng even took the fall for her.
Of course, the plot didn’t always equal reality, but it served as a useful reference. Li Mengjue had met Zheng a few times before and had a decent impression of her. During their call earlier, Zheng had been surprised that Li Mengjue even remembered her.
But it was just a memory. They had barely spoken and didn’t know each other’s temperaments. Still, Zheng was the only one consistently by the heiress’s side, even more trusted than her current manager. Combined with the plot knowledge, Zheng seemed more reliable than any other character.
Li Mengjue hoped that by the time she reached the room, Zheng would have packed Miss Ruan’s bags to take her away. Then, Li could finally rid herself of this “time bomb.”
The thought lightened her mood, making her almost forget they were about to join the same film crew.
Unfortunately, reality had other plans.
When Li Mengjue finally sauntered into the hospital, Assistant Zheng and Miss Ruan had yet to reach a consensus on “identity verification.” The cliché of a patient recovering their memory upon seeing their “most trusted person” simply hadn’t happened.
Ruan Qingxiao’s memory remained a blank slate. To her, the names “Zheng Yunhe” and “Rong Jin” were the same—forgotten names with no emotional weight. She couldn’t confirm Zheng’s identity and had been talking in circles with her guard up.
The moment Li Mengjue tapped on the door and walked in, both women turned to look at her. Li Mengjue froze, almost wanting to slam the door shut and run. The person on the bed looked delighted yet slightly aggrieved, as if blaming her for taking so long to arrive.
Li Mengjue’s brow twitched. She still couldn’t understand how an amnesiac could go so OOC (Out of Character) that she seemed like a different soul entirely. She shifted her gaze to the other person in the room.
Assistant Zheng was about their age, with delicate features, but her long bangs and black-rimmed glasses made her look older and more mature. Li Mengjue’s impression of her was “low-profile.” From carrying Miss Ruan’s bags in school to managing her affairs after graduation, Zheng had always stayed in the “green leaf” supporting role.
But right now, Assistant Zheng’s usual composure was gone, replaced by sheer exhaustion and helplessness.
“Sister Li—” “Teacher Li.”
Ruan Qingxiao and Assistant Zheng spoke almost simultaneously.
Li Mengjue gave her habitual, perfunctory smile and a wave as she entered. Ruan Qingxiao’s tension visibly melted away. She turned to Li Mengjue and said, “This lady says she’s my assistant. Sister Li, do you know her?”
Assistant Zheng’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between the two. Li Mengjue wanted to sink into the floor.
“She really is the Assistant Zheng from the phone yesterday,” Li Mengjue coughed, forced to explain. “She’s been your private assistant for years.”
“I see.” Ruan Qingxiao relaxed completely. She turned to Zheng and said, “I’m sorry. I don’t remember anything, and I don’t know who caused me to end up in the hospital, so I had to be sure.”
Zheng nodded in understanding but couldn’t help sighing. “It’s my fault. I should have brought the documents to help you confirm.” She hadn’t expected the amnesia to be this thorough.
“I left the copies at the hotel,” Zheng continued. “Since you’ll be staying here for two more days, I’ll bring them over later.”
Ruan Qingxiao agreed.
Zheng looked at Li Mengjue. “Teacher Li—”
Li Mengjue wanted to pretend she didn’t understand, but under Zheng’s pleading gaze, she nodded. “I’ll walk Assistant Zheng out.”
Before leaving, Li Mengjue placed a new phone on the nightstand—something Ruan Qingxiao had asked her to buy the night before. But Ruan Qingxiao only looked at her. “Come back early, okay?”
Li Mengjue couldn’t tell if that obedient tone was an act—after all, Ruan was a great actress—but she felt a strange urge to reach out and stroke her soft, long hair. She resisted, nodded, and left the room.
“Teacher Li, thank you so much,” Assistant Zheng said as they walked out of the hospital. “Otherwise, it would have been much longer before I found out.”
“Aren’t you her assistant?” Li Mengjue asked.
“Even private assistants have days off,” Zheng said helplessly. “Qingxiao has been preparing to join the new crew recently. Usually, the agency’s manager, Rong Jin, handles that. I contacted Rong Jin yesterday; Qingxiao was supposed to meet her tomorrow.”
“Does no one else know about her condition?”
“Probably not—if this really was just an accident,” Zheng said carefully. “Qingxiao usually lives alone and only contacts her family during holidays.”
Li Mengjue gave an “oh,” realizing she shouldn’t pry further. But Zheng continued anyway.
“I thought she just wanted some time alone. She has that habit before joining a crew. I’m glad you didn’t call the police or the agency, Teacher Li. Otherwise, the Ruan family would have swarmed here, and that would be trouble. Even if this isn’t related to them, it’s hard to say what they’d do if they knew she lost her memory. She wouldn’t be able to rest.”
“Assistant Zheng,” Li Mengjue interrupted. “It’s not good to say these things to an outsider like me. I’m not close to Miss Ruan.”
Zheng looked at her and laughed. “Does Teacher Li guess what I’m about to say?”
“No.”
Zheng’s smile deepened. “I’ll transfer all the expenses to your account, including the hospital fees and the phone. I’ll handle the rest, and you can both join the crew and film as planned. I don’t think this amnesia will affect her acting. You wouldn’t want the production schedule delayed, right?”
Li Mengjue: “…”
“So—” Zheng dragged out the syllable, seeing no rejection from Li Mengjue. “For the next period of time, if it’s convenient, I’ll have to trouble you, Teacher Li.”
“Can I refuse?”
“Of course,” Zheng smiled. “I’ll try to arrange new bodyguards and assistants. But…” she paused, her tone shifting. “It will take a long time for her to get used to them. You saw her state—she doesn’t trust anyone but you. And I can’t be sure if her condition will worsen. It’s hard to imagine what it feels like to have a blank memory, but it can’t be as easy as she’s making it look.”
Zheng sighed softly. “Deep down, she must be very anxious and tired.”
Li Mengjue: “…”
Playing the ‘pity’ card is truly effective, Li Mengjue thought. Her resolve was wavering, but she also felt a subtle sense of dissonance in Zheng’s attitude.
“By the way,” Li Mengjue asked, “don’t you think there’s something… off about your Miss?”
“You think she’s faking the amnesia?”
“No,” Li Mengjue said. “But does a person’s personality really change that much after losing their memory?”
“Ah… is it because her attitude toward you is different?” Zheng understood immediately. “To be honest, I was surprised too. But when you weren’t here, her difficult personality was exactly the same as before. Even a twin or a version of her from a parallel world wouldn’t have her specific brand of awkwardness and logic.”
Zheng continued, “Because she’s highly suspicious of everyone close to her, it’s very hard to get her to open up. A few extra questions and she sees you as a suspicious person with ulterior motives. Now that her memory is gone, she has no basis for trust—even I’m on her ‘suspicious’ list.”
Zheng sighed again. “That’s why I have to get those documents… She’s actually quite pitiful.”
Li Mengjue nodded in agreement. That personality sounded like the product of a very harsh environment. And based on both rumors and the original plot, the heiress really didn’t have any close friends.
But… that still didn’t explain the personality shift toward her. Regardless of whether Miss Ruan was a loner or not, she and Li Mengjue weren’t even acquaintances.
“As for her attitude toward you, Teacher Li—” Zheng turned to look at her seriously. “While it was surprising at first, it’s not that strange if you think about it.
Qingxiao is your super fan.
She liked you very, very much even before she debuted. If I’m not mistaken, the reason she came to City A alone… was probably to see you.