The old lady sitting next to them chuckled. "Little girl, your boyfriend is so good to you."
Lin Zhi was instantly embarrassed. She quickly glanced at Zhou Congli and explained, "Ma'am, he's not my boyfriend." Even though she had been working hard to make him exactly that.
The old lady was surprised and looked back and forth between the two of them. "But I think you two look like a perfect match. Tell you what." She leaned in, looking enthusiastic. "Let me read your marriage lines."
Lin Zhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "There's really no need."
However, the old lady grabbed her hand anyway, and then pulled Zhou Congli's hand over as well. She looked down and exclaimed, "Oh my! These palms scream immense wealth and prosperity."
PFFT. Lin Zhi chuckled inwardly. They were in first class; anyone with half a brain could figure out they were rich. Even this old lady herself was wearing a jade Buddha pendant that was clearly worth a fortune.
Zhou Congli, on the other hand, remained as good-tempered as ever.
"Oh, your love lines are quite good too! Although there will be some bumps in the road, it ends in complete happiness," the old lady said, looking at them joyfully. "I told you you two were a couple! Trying to fool my old eyes. Young man, you're a good person, you have a good destiny, and you treat your wife well."
Lin Zhi's face turned beet red. "Ma'am, we really aren't..."
"Alright, alright, you aren't, you aren't. But you will be sooner or later. Haha!" The old lady returned to her seat with a smile. "Young girls are just shy. I understand."
Helpless, Lin Zhi peeked at Zhou Congli, only to find his expression mild. He didn't seem to have any reaction.
Just then, the plane experienced some turbulence. She couldn't help but clutch her chest and take a deep breath.
Zhou Congli's voice drifted into her ear. "Are you alright?"
Lin Zhi shook her head. "I'm fine... Mr. Zhou, please don't mind what happened just now."
"I won't," Zhou Congli replied.
Lin Zhi fell silent. Once the turbulence passed, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
It felt like a long time had passed before she woke up, only to realize she was leaning on Zhou Congli's shoulder. Meanwhile, he was reading an in-flight travel brochure.
The man's eyes were lowered as he read intently. His straight nose and long, lightly fluttering eyelashes outlined a flawless side profile. The lines of his rolled-up sleeves revealed smooth, elegant forearms, and his well-defined fingers gracefully turned the pages...
"You're awake?"
Just as she was staring at him in a daze, Zhou Congli glanced sideways at her.
For a split second, Lin Zhi held her breath, staring blankly into his calm, deep eyes that carried a hint of nonchalance. She blinked and slowly sat up straight. "Are we there?"
Zhou Congli handed her a cup of water. "Another ten minutes or so."
Lin Zhi took a sip, looking annoyed with herself. "I don't know why, but I've been so sleepy lately."
Zhou Congli figured it might be one of the symptoms of pregnancy. "Lin Zhi, do you want to go to the hospital for a check-up after we get off the plane? I can call Zhou Ye and have him go with you."
"No need!" Lin Zhi stretched and smiled. "I'll go back and get a good sleep. I'll go after I've rested."
"...If you keep waiting until you're rested, what if something comes up next time?" Zhou Congli had never seen someone procrastinate so much. Last time she also said next time, and there was no guarantee "next time" would ever come. "You can't keep putting this off forever."
The sooner she got a clear diagnosis, the sooner he could discuss with his family how to resolve this matter.
Lin Zhi held up three fingers in a pledging gesture. "I'll definitely go next time!" She looked at him with puppy-dog eyes. "But Mr. Zhou, could you please not tell Zhou Ye?"
Zhou Congli didn't understand. "Why not?"
"It's just a minor thing," Lin Zhi said. "There's no need to tell him. I'll let him know after my check-up."
Zhou Congli didn't know what to say.
Lin Zhi tugged at his sleeve. "Please, Mr. Zhou? I'm begging you."
Zhou Congli suddenly felt that familiar wave of discomfort again. He gently pulled away from her grasp. "I promise."
Lin Zhi broke into a bright smile. "Thank you, Mr. Zhou! You're the best!"
Soon, they disembarked the plane. Another assistant came to pick them up at the airport. Zhou Congli headed back to his company, while Lin Zhi took a taxi back to her university. She slept all the way until evening, when her two roommates brought dinner back for her.
Lin Zhi pressed her palms together in thanks. However, when she opened the lunchbox, she had no appetite. Just looking at the meat made her stomach churn. She forced down a few bites before giving up, gnawed on an apple instead, and then began working on her thesis—looking utterly miserable.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ. Her phone vibrated.
She picked it up and saw a message from Zhou Ye: "Lin Zhi, let's break up.
"I treated you so well, yet you slept with another man! You disgust me. Get lost, and don't ever bother me again."
Lin Zhi's breath hitched. It had only been a few days since she met Zhou Ye's parents, and now he was breaking up with her! She felt a pang of pain in her chest. In the original plotline, the original owner of this body had also been dumped by Zhou Ye for no apparent reason right around this time. He had accused her of sleeping with other men, calling her disgusting, shameless, and degenerate!
When the original owner had questioned him in disbelief, Zhou Ye had told her in disgust that he wasn't the one there that night. He claimed she had cheapened herself by climbing into another man's bed, that she was dirty, and that she should stop pestering him.
It had been a bolt from the blue for the original owner. She had clearly gone to the address provided, so how could she have gone to the wrong room? But Zhou Ye had already blocked and deleted her. The original owner couldn't find him anywhere. Soon after, her nude photos were leaked on the university's confession wall. People started pointing fingers at her, gossiping that despite her innocent facade, she had probably been passed around and used up long ago. She had tried her hardest to explain, but no one listened. The university forced her to graduate early due to the negative impact she brought, and right after that, her mother got into an accident...
Lin Zhi remembered that she had taken preventative measures this time around. She wanted to see how he would explain himself now. She typed: "Zhou Ye, what nonsense are you spouting? That night, I went exactly to the address you gave me. The next day, you even admitted it was you. What do you mean I slept with someone else?"
Zhou Ye replied, "I did prepare a surprise for you, but I waited all night and you never showed up. When I went looking for you, I heard you sleeping with another man. I thought I could tolerate it, which is why I said it was me that day. But I've had enough. I can't stand it anymore.
"Every time I think about what you did, I feel so sick I can't even eat.
"I thought you were a good girl. I didn't expect you to be so desperate to get laid before we were even married. How could you be so cheap?
"I'm leaving you some dignity because I don't want to blow this out of proportion. Don't come pestering me again.
"That's it. Get lost."
Lin Zhi was speechless. He really had a glib tongue. He was so articulate he could turn black into white. This scumbag! Relying on the assumption that she was just as clueless as the original owner and didn't know he was the mastermind behind all of this, he brazenly dragged her name through the mud!
Lin Zhi tried to send another message, only to find that she had already been blocked and deleted—the exact same tactic as in the original plot.
She let out a scoff of anger. Grabbing her roommate's phone, she sent him a text: "So you're saying the hotel messed up the room numbers, causing you, me, and another person to all go to the wrong rooms? In that case, I'm calling the police.
"I don't need you to save my dignity. This wasn't my fault. I will report this to the police and let them investigate."
After sending that, she didn't care how Zhou Ye would react and immediately blocked his number as well.