Chapter 22

Chen Xi stood at the doorway, lifting her head to meet Zhou Yanzhou’s gaze, only to find his eyes indifferent. Despite the nature of his questioning, there wasn't the slightest hint of anger on his face. It was as if he were teasing her on purpose, though his tone didn't quite sound like it.

Chen Xi was suddenly struck speechless, unsure of how to handle Zhou Yanzhou’s abrupt interrogation. To be precise, she was more shocked than anything else. She was shocked that Zhou Yanzhou had appeared at the airport and was on the same flight as her. If he hadn't had his secretary call her today, she probably wouldn't have even realized he was there until they landed.

The boarding announcement echoed through the terminal. Chen Xi, who had been keeping a close eye on the flight information, heard her flight being called and hesitated, wanting to leave. Zhou Yanzhou, sensing her intent, stood up and called out to her with a touch of annoyance, "Stop right there."

Chen Xi’s steps faltered. She looked up at him with an unreadable expression. Zhou Yanzhou rested a hand on his hip and ordered Chen Huai, "Get her an upgrade." He added, "And don’t forget her luggage."

Chen Huai softly agreed and asked where Chen Xi’s luggage was. Chen Xi stood there, stunned, blinking as she struggled to process what had just happened in these few short seconds. Before she could respond, Chen Huai turned to leave. Realizing what he was about to do, Chen Xi immediately chased after him. When she had collected her boarding pass earlier, she had noticed her seat was next to He Xu’s. She didn't want him to see anything, so she hurried to stop Chen Huai.

He Xu had been waiting for Chen Xi. When the boarding call sounded, passengers began to queue, but He Xu went to the restroom to look for her. The women’s restroom was busy with people coming and going, but he couldn't see her anywhere. Just as he was about to pull out his phone to call her, he looked up and saw Chen Xi walking out of the VIP lounge with a young man.

He Xu paused, the movement of dialing frozen. He stood there for a moment before following them with a natural expression, calling out her name.

Chen Xi turned around and bumped into He Xu’s puzzled gaze. She licked her lips and explained awkwardly, "A client of my uncle’s. We just ran into each other, so we chatted for a bit."

He Xu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He walked up to her and said in a low voice, "They’re boarding now. Let’s go queue."

Just as Chen Xi was about to nod, Chen Huai spoke up, "Excuse me, sir has upgraded Miss Chen’s seat. We will be using the VIP channel directly, so there is no need to queue."

He Xu stopped in his tracks, looking back at Chen Xi with a confused expression. Chen Xi felt torn, biting her lip in distress. Finally, she looked at He Xu with an apologetic expression. "I’m so sorry, He Xu, I don’t think I can board with you after all. Can we meet up after we land?"

He Xu offered a strained smile and nodded in agreement.

Chen Xi sighed in relief, hurried back to where she had been, grabbed her pink backpack, and left with Chen Huai. Throughout the walk, she was preoccupied with wondering whether Zhou Yanzhou was actually angry, completely failing to notice the dim look in He Xu’s eyes.

The convenience of first class—the VIP lounge and the privilege of early boarding—left Chen Xi, who had no such experience, feeling quite envious. No wonder so many people wanted to be wealthy; who wouldn't be jealous of a life like this every day? Ordinary people would grit their teeth to afford a ticket, arriving at the airport two hours early just to avoid being late, or even sitting in the airport all night for early morning flights. Meanwhile, the wealthy were reminded of their departure times and enjoyed comfortable seating and desserts in the lounge.

Chen Xi felt a mix of envy and jealousy. By the time boarding finished and she was sitting in a spacious seat, she glanced over at the man who had already lowered his seat back and closed his eyes to rest, and she felt a sudden urge to punch him.

She really was quite resentful of the rich—truly.

Zhou Yanzhou sensed her resentful gaze, opened his eyes, and glanced at her. With a smirk that didn't reach his eyes, he asked, "Dissatisfied with me?"

Chen Xi couldn't help but mutter, "A little."

Zhou Yanzhou asked with amusement, "Tsk, where did I offend you?"

Chen Xi curled her lip and retorted, "Is it wrong to hate the rich?"

Zhou Yanzhou: "..."

He glanced at the girl, who was full of resentment, and said calmly, "Sorry, I was born rich."

Chen Xi was speechless. Comparing oneself to others only leads to frustration.

Irritated by Zhou Yanzhou, Chen Xi turned her head to watch the ground crew performing final checks outside the window. Suddenly, she began to look forward to the journey. Perhaps life was just this strange and unreasonable.

Before takeoff, a flight attendant specifically came over to remind Zhou Yanzhou to fasten his seatbelt. Whether it was her imagination or not, Chen Xi felt the attendant was interested in him. From the moment he boarded until now, the attendant had looked at him at least ten times. Chen Xi couldn't help but criticize him silently: why was he such a flirt everywhere he went? He never stayed still.

This was Chen Xi’s first time flying. It wasn't exactly novel, just a bit nerve-wracking. As the plane taxied down the runway, she felt a bump and accidentally hit her head against the window. She covered her forehead and hissed in pain.

Zhou Yanzhou heard the commotion, turned, and saw what happened. He couldn't help but laugh, "Did you hurt yourself?"

Chen Xi looked at him with misty, resentful eyes.

Zhou Yanzhou clicked his tongue, reached out to rub her forehead, and sighed helplessly, "How are you so careless? You’ve bruised it red. Your pretty face will be ruined by your own doing sooner or later."

Chen Xi: "..." It was the first time she felt Zhou Yanzhou was quite talkative.

The pain actually faded quickly, but Zhou Yanzhou insisted on troubling the flight attendant, demanding she bring an ice pack for Chen Xi. The attendant looked at Chen Xi awkwardly before finally going to fetch the ice under Zhou Yanzhou’s pressure.

Eventually, she returned with an ice pack. Chen Xi took it, her palm feeling icy cold. She held it against her forehead, feeling as if her scalp were freezing. Seeing her grimacing, Zhou Yanzhou laughed, "You did this to yourself, and you’re still feeling aggrieved?"

Chen Xi pursed her lips and said nothing.

Midway, her arm grew tired and she wanted to give up, but the moment she dropped the ice pack on the table, Zhou Yanzhou picked it up. He steadied her shoulder with one hand and held the ice pack to her forehead with the other, his movements surprisingly gentle.

Chen Xi froze on the spot, her senses suddenly numbed; she couldn't even feel the cold anymore. He was wearing perfume, a very faint scent that she could smell as she looked down. It smelled like summer—fresh and clean.

The flight from Xiping to Beijing was two and a half hours. Once the plane reached cruising altitude, the attendants began serving meals. Chen Xi hadn't eaten in the morning, so she ordered teriyaki chicken rice and a yogurt. Zhou Yanzhou, thinking airplane food was unpalatable, only asked for a cup of hand-ground coffee. Chen Xi thought he was being pretentious—the food was delicious, and he was acting as if it were a waste. Years later, having flown countless times and eaten countless airplane meals, she could never recapture the satisfaction of that first meal. Eventually, she understood him; after eating delicacies, airplane food indeed lacked appeal.

At first, Chen Xi tilted her head, gazing with interest at the scenery outside the window—clouds piled up like cotton candy, the plane passing through the white mist. Zhou Yanzhou had been sleeping since he boarded, seemingly uninterested in the journey. Chen Xi glanced at him, seeing only half of his well-defined profile. His jawline was superior, the lines smooth, like a sculpture. Even his face was enough to make one jealous.

Gradually, sleepiness took over. Chen Xi closed the window shade and curled up in her seat to sleep.

He Xu, sitting in economy, had seen Chen Xi leave with that man during boarding. He just hadn't realized then that the man would one day become his greatest threat.

Seeing her son looking sullen and thinking of Chen Xi, He Xu’s mother whispered, "Where did that girl go?"

He Xu glanced toward the first-class cabin and said calmly, "A relative of hers upgraded her seat at the last minute."

His mother was stunned, a look of realization dawning on her face. "She has relatives like that?"

Hearing his mother’s meaningful tone, a flash of annoyance crossed He Xu’s face. He frowned and reminded her softly, "Her uncle is a well-known entrepreneur in Xiping; isn't it normal for her to know a relative or two like that?"

Seeing her son defending her, his mother couldn't help but smile. "You child, I just asked casually, and you’re taking it so seriously. I know you like this girl, but you’re both still young and inexperienced. Don't force things." She paused, then added, "But I do think this girl has quite a lot of ambition."

He Xu looked at his mother in confusion, and hearing her assessment, he couldn't help but speak up for Chen Xi. "Mom, she is a very motivated girl. Her teachers and classmates in school all like her, and she is very polite..."

Seeing her son so protective, his mother couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright, I know you like her. I won't say any more, okay?"

He Xu looked at her, wanting to say more, but insisted, "She really is a very good girl."

Chen Xi was completely unaware of this scene.

When she woke up, the plane had already arrived at the Capital Airport and was taxiing. She opened her eyes, dazed, and pulled up the window shade to look outside. Several planes were parked on the tarmac. The sky was gray, with faint signs of rain.

Once the plane stopped, the flight attendants came to remind the first-class passengers to prepare for disembarkation. Zhou Yanzhou was woken up then. Perhaps disturbed from a pleasant dream, he was in a foul mood, his face dark and forbidding.

Chen Xi didn't dare provoke him and followed silently behind him, her innocent almond eyes observing everything around her. With her pink backpack, simple dress, and canvas shoes, she was particularly quiet amidst the crowd. Perhaps because it was her first time traveling far, she was filled with curiosity, looking here and there as if she wished she had eight hundred eyes.

Zhou Yanzhou had walked quite a distance before remembering she was there. He stopped and turned back to see Chen Xi standing in front of a robot, staring at it with fascination. Passersby occasionally glanced at her as if she were a country bumpkin.

Zhou Yanzhou: "..."

He frowned, stuffed his hands in his pockets, walked over, and asked lazily, "Is it fun?"

It was Chen Xi’s first time seeing a robot; it would be a lie to say she wasn't curious. She blinked and nodded, "It's fun."

Zhou Yanzhou smiled noncommittally and said lightly, "If you want it, just carry it back with you."