"I..."
"Shouldn't you be taking your exam at the test center?
They actually kidnapped you too? That's utterly insane, Xiaoman, I've dragged you into this mess, I'm sorry."
Gu Xiaoman dared to speak only after Huo Tingxiao had coldly gone upstairs.
"Alright, stop pretending; he's already gone upstairs.
You'll scare me to death sooner or later, my little ancestor.
Did you cause the car accident on purpose? Still faking amnesia? Are you so devoted to Huo Tingxiao that you don't even care about your own life?
If something were to happen to you, how could I go on living?"
"Xiaoman, what... are you talking about?"
"Still pretending?"
"I'm not pretending! What's going on? Why is everyone acting so strange?"
Gu Xiaoman looked at Mu Lan's bewildered face and surprise gradually appeared in her eyes.
"You... You couldn't really have amnesia, could you? Do you know what date it is today?"
"Why does everyone keep asking me what date it is today? The second day of the college entrance examination, what else could it be? June 8, 2012, right.
Yesterday was the finale of 'The Man of Queen Renxian', and we were still watching the live broadcast and nibbling on the raw cut!"
Seeing how agitated Mu Lan was, Gu Xiaoman felt utterly defeated.
"Lanlan, it's already 2019 now."
"How is that even possible?"
Mu Lan was dumbfounded, completely unable to accept this fact.
Gu Xiaoman also thought this was too absurd, but Mu Lan's reaction didn't seem feigned at all, so she could only helplessly pull out her phone.
"Hey Siri, what's the date today?"
"Today is May 20, 2019, Monday."
"Who can understand Chinese on your Siri?"
This reaction really left Gu Xiaoman in a mix of laughter and tears.
"It's 2019 now; it's been possible for quite some time."
2019? Is it really 2019 now?
This revelation was too much for Mu Lan, and she couldn't contain her emotions and burst into tears with a "wow."
"Wu wu wu... How could this be? I just fainted for a moment, how could seven years just vanish? And how did that unfeeling man just now become my husband?"
"You can even act this convincingly in front of your best friend, Mu Lan, I really have to admire you."
The mockery in Huo Tingxiao's voice, who had returned only to throw fuel on the fire, made Mu Lan cry even more bitterly.
Seeing her state, Gu Xiaoman couldn't help but complain about this aggravator.
"She really has lost her memory; stop pushing her further."
"I don't care whether her amnesia is real or fake—"
Mu Lan suddenly interrupted Huo Tingxiao mid-sentence.
"I want a divorce from you!"
"What did you say?"
Huo Tingxiao's tone could not hide his shock.
Although the second half of the sentence he had just been cut off from was also to propose a divorce, being preempted by Mu Lan didn't sit well with him.
After all, over the past seven years, Mu Lan had always been the one desperately pining for love, and hearing the words 'divorce' from her mouth made him wonder if he was hallucinating.
"I said I want a divorce from you, I don't want to live with an unemotional man like you."
Gu Xiaoman quietly tugged on Mu Lan's sleeve, signaling her to tone it down a bit.
But Mu Lan was completely unappreciative, instantly blowing her cover.
"Gu Xiaoman, why are you pulling on me?"
"..."
Gu Xiaoman felt a sense of helplessness, struggling to adapt to Mu Lan's fiery personality.
However... she couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic for the old times.
Before marrying Huo Tingxiao, Mu Lan was an energetic and straightforward girl.
She had dreams, determination, a sense of justice, and her whole being was filled with sunshine.
But somehow, she had become melancholic, overly sensitive, and filled with negative energy.
If not for that sudden car accident, Gu Xiaoman would have almost forgotten what Mu Lan used to be like.
So, does this not count as a blessing in disguise?
"You were the one who clung to me, insisting on marrying me, and now you're talking about divorce?"
"I clung to you? Are you dreaming, Uncle? Is my taste that bad, Mu Lan? Just because I have amnesia doesn't mean you can fool me."
Mu Lan's sudden sharp-tongued response caught the always dominant Huo Tingxiao off guard.
"Playing hard to get?"
"Playing hard to get my foot! Tomorrow morning at ten, we meet at the civil affairs office to process the divorce papers. Don't be late."
Having said that, without waiting for Huo Tingxiao to react, Mu Lan, huffing and puffing, pulled Gu Xiaoman out of the villa.
"Lanlan, I really believe you have amnesia now.
You just... blew up at Huo Tingxiao! And mentioned divorce!"
"How can there be such an annoying man? Didn't you see the punchable look on his face just now? Tell me honestly, did my brother go bankrupt in business and forcibly send me to marry this facial-paralysis uncle?"
Gu Xiaoman couldn't help but laugh at her words.
"It's a long story. Let's go back to my place first, and I'll explain it slowly to you."
-----------
As Gu Xiaoman recounted the seven years of memories that Mu Lan had lost, Mu Lan's only reaction was—was she cursed? How could she have done such horrible things!
"I must be dying; was I deprived of men in my last life?
Stalking? Keeping tabs? Threatening?
And I even learned tea ceremony and cooking for him?
What about my dreams? Did I really just revolve around a man for seven years? Did I not do anything meaningful?"
"After you got married, aside from attending school, you were basically a housewife, as your mother-in-law demanded.
The wife of the Huo family is supposed to be the woman behind the man. For Huo Tingxiao, you…"
"Stop, don't say any more!"
Mu Lan couldn't stand it anymore.
"Lanlan, don't you remember anything at all?"
"Nothing."
"And... are you really going to divorce Huo Tingxiao?"
"Of course! After hearing what you just said, I did so many unthinkable things for this man, it's like I was bewitched.
A divorce is the least I can do. Do I need to keep him around for the New Year?
No matter if I was blind or out of my mind before, now that heaven has given me amnesia, this is my chance to start anew.
So, I am determined to get this divorce!"
"But what about your family... how will you explain to them?"
That was what Gu Xiaoman was most worried about.
A regular divorce is difficult enough, let alone when it involves a marriage alliance between two families with so much more at stake.
And to make things worse, with the Mu family in a critical period, what would happen to them if she got divorced?
"What explanation? Should I tell them that I have amnesia and want a divorce? Do you think my brother, with his bad temper, would agree?
He might even coerce and bribe the guy into taking responsibility for me, calling it the man's duty.
Pfft, I don't need that."
"Lanlan, actually, there's something I feared might upset you, so I haven't gotten around to telling you yet.
If this incident hadn't happened, as your best friend, I would have unquestionably supported your decision to divorce.
But… it's a major issue, and it might be better to think over it carefully before making a decision."
Frustrated with Gu Xiaoman's hemming and hawing, Mu Lan's tone became a bit impatient.
"Out with it. I've accepted my amnesia; what else can't I handle?"
"Actually…"