Chapter 4: You'll Pay for the Button

Fu Linzhou froze.

Qin Se let out a snort of laughter beside him and slung an arm around Su Qingsi's shoulder. "Qingsi, stop teasing him."

"This is Fu Linzhou, your ex-boyfriend. You really don't remember him?"

Su Qingsi furrowed her brow, her small face filled with confusion.

She looked at Fu Linzhou, then at Qin Se, and finally just shook her head gently.

"Fu Linzhou?" She repeated the name like she was reading it off a stranger.

"Sorry, I don't remember."

The room went quiet.

Guests who had been murmuring among themselves all turned to look, eyes bright with the thrill of watching a scene unfold.

Fu Linzhou stood rooted to the spot, fingers clenched tight at his sides.

Didn't remember?

Three years ago, on the worst night of his life, when the Fu family was tearing itself apart.

His father was lying in the ICU, his uncles had joined forces to force him out, the company's stock was in freefall.

And in the middle of all that, he'd gotten her breakup message. She'd ripped his heart out.

Now she was back, with a face even more captivating than three years ago, looking at him with the most innocent eyes, saying she didn't remember.

Fu Linzhou suddenly found it absurd. Then what had his love and hate been worth?

A joke?

His voice carried an edge of barely contained coldness. "Su Qingsi, you're playing this game with me?"

Su Qingsi seemed frightened by him. She shrank behind Qin Se, revealing only half her face.

Such a charming face, and now he'd scared her—it was written all over with timid unease, her almond eyes wet as she gazed at him.

"Mr. Fu, I really don't know you. Are you sure you have the right person?"

Fu Linzhou looked at her, the rage of betrayal overriding his reason.

She was afraid of him? What right did she have to be afraid of him?

She was the one who'd broken up with him without warning, the one who'd left without a word, the one who'd walked away when he was at his lowest!

Now she was playing the victim, hiding from him, fearing him, as if he were some irredeemable bastard?

"Qingsi had a car accident a while back."

Qin Se thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke up.

Fu Linzhou turned to look at her. "What?"

"A car accident. Overseas." Qin Se repeated it, her tone pained.

"It was pretty serious. When she woke up, she'd forgotten some people and events. The doctor said it was selective amnesia—the brain's protective mechanism."

"But I never expected she wouldn't even remember you."

Fu Linzhou was stunned.

He turned to look at Su Qingsi.

She was still hiding behind Qin Se, only her eyes visible.

There was no love in that gaze, no hate, none of those complicated emotions from before—only pure fear and confusion.

For a moment, Fu Linzhou didn't know what to say. She'd actually forgotten?

Then where was he supposed to put his three years of anger, those malicious speculations, that resentment that surged in the dead of night?

——

In the restroom, Wen Yirou stood before the mirror.

Her makeup was flawless, her dress expensive, but her eyes were full of panic and unease.

She'd heard the commotion outside, caught snippets of the gossip.

Su Qingsi was back.

That legendary white moonlight, the woman Linzhou had been hung up on for three years, had suddenly returned.

Wen Yirou's fingers dug into the edge of the sink.

She couldn't panic.

She was the one beside Fu Linzhou now. He was the one who'd held her hand and brought her to this banquet. She was the one who'd been with him these past six months.

No matter how beautiful Su Qingsi was, she was the past.

Wen Yirou took a deep breath, touched up her lipstick in the mirror, and pushed open the restroom door.

She stepped out, walked down the corridor, and was about to return to the banquet hall when she heard hushed female voices from behind the emergency exit door nearby.

It was those socialites who'd looked her up and down with disdain earlier.

"Did you see that? President Fu's eyes went straight to her."

"How could they not? With Su Qingsi's looks and figure, what does Wen Yirou have to compete with?"

"A substitute is just a substitute. The moment the real one shows up, she has to step aside."

"If I were Wen Yirou, I'd be looking for a hole to crawl into right now. So humiliating."

"I heard President Fu was going to formally introduce her tonight. Well, that's ruined. She's a laughingstock now."

Wen Yirou quickened her pace, rushing toward the banquet hall—and there they were, not far off.

The man and woman with the most striking looks and presence, inexplicably matched.

Her heart hammered.

Wen Yirou knew about Su Qingsi. From the very first day she'd fallen for Fu Linzhou, she'd known there was someone in his heart named Su Qingsi.

She knew she resembled Su Qingsi somewhat, knew that becoming Fu Linzhou's contract girlfriend was at least partly thanks to this face.

She also knew that Fu Linzhou's feelings for Su Qingsi were first love, obsession, the regret of something he could never have.

But she'd thought that if she was good enough, obedient enough, considerate enough, one day she could take Su Qingsi's place in his heart.

She never expected Su Qingsi to come back.

And the Su Qingsi who came back was even more beautiful, even more alluring than she'd imagined.

Wen Yirou couldn't help calling out, "Linzhou!"

Fu Linzhou didn't turn around.

Wen Yirou hurried over and hooked her arm through his.

She was wearing haute couture today, several tiers more expensive than Su Qingsi's simple dress.

But standing before Su Qingsi now, that carefully maintained air of hers was exposed for exactly what it was.

"Linzhou, let's go." Wen Yirou tugged at his sleeve, her voice trembling.

"I don't feel well."

Fu Linzhou didn't move, still reeling from the shock that Su Qingsi had actually lost her memory.

Wen Yirou's heart was racing with panic. She raised her voice and called again, "Linzhou!"

Fu Linzhou finally snapped out of it and looked down at her.

Wen Yirou tilted her face up, her eyes already red-rimmed, full of unease and barely concealed fear.

Her fingers gripped his arm tightly.

Fu Linzhou looked at her, then turned to glance at Su Qingsi.

One was the woman beside him now—gentle, considerate, someone who made him feel at ease.

The other was the first love who'd abandoned him, now returned with amnesia, breathtakingly beautiful.

His fondness for Wen Yirou was seven parts out of ten. His memory of Su Qingsi was only three.

Yet those mere three parts tripped up his steps with ease.

Wen Yirou's voice was already aggrieved. "Linzhou, can we go back? I really don't feel well."

Fu Linzhou was silent for a few seconds.

He cast one last look at Su Qingsi. In that glance there was astonishment, bewilderment, disgust, and a tangle of emotions he couldn't even name himself.

"Okay," he said, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

"I'll take you back."

He took Wen Yirou's hand and turned to walk out.

Held by him, Wen Yirou looked back over her shoulder.

Su Qingsi was still standing there, shielded behind Qin Se, her gaze clear—as if that confrontation just now had been nothing more than a trivial interlude.

Wen Yirou asked, knowing full well the answer, "Linzhou, who is she?"

Fu Linzhou's step faltered for a beat. His voice was flat. "An old friend. No one important."

Wen Yirou bit her lip and didn't press further.

But she knew perfectly well.

This so-called "no one important" was a lie.

The moment Su Qingsi returned, she'd made this man—always calm, always controlled, always above it all—lose his composure.