“Just be yourself. Whether you like me or hate me, it won’t affect anything!”
Ye Xueyan chuckled lightly. It was just a relationship, after all—his family wouldn’t have any objections.
“Alright then!” Zhang Fan nodded with relief and ate some more fruit to cut through the greasiness.
The night had grown deep, and rain was still falling intermittently.
Ye Xueyan again offered to walk Zhang Fan back to her room. When the elevator doors opened, a man in a black polo shirt stood inside.
Zhang Fan froze for a moment at the sight of Zhou Wenzong, unsure whether she should greet him.
Her hesitation cost her the right moment.
The three of them stood in the elevator—Ye Xueyan relaxed, Zhou Wenzong expressionless, and Zhang Fan the only one feeling inexplicably tense.
Strange. Why did she feel this way?
It wasn’t until the elevator doors opened and Ye Xueyan walked her to her door that she understood the source of that strange feeling.
She was afraid of being misunderstood!
At this hour, in this place, a man and a woman together—it would be stranger if no one’s mind went there!
Staying at a hotel as a single woman really did come with its inconveniences.
She just hoped the place near the antique market would be ready soon.
Since it had no bedroom or kitchen, Ye Xueyan said it would take at least a month at the earliest.
“Tomorrow’s the weekend. If you want to go to the concert tomorrow night, you’ll need to book your flight soon.”
She stared blankly at the ceiling, feeling a bit reluctant to go.
It was so far away, and she’d be all alone.
She’d have to book a flight, book a room, and navigate an unfamiliar place.
What if she asked Ye Xueyan to come along?
That would make it seem like they were actually dating—not a good idea!
Zhang Fan ran her hands through her hair: “I’ll go. I have the money and the time—why not live a little?”
She booked a flight for ten in the morning and reserved a room at the Hilton near the Bird’s Nest.
Since she was going to enjoy herself, she went ahead and paid the difference to upgrade to an executive suite.
A spontaneous trip called for dressing up nicely!
She pulled out her phone and started picking out outfits.
She chose two sets, both prioritizing comfort and convenience, with sneakers to match.
“Should I do my makeup too? These are front-row seats—if the camera pans over, will I look washed out with a bare face?”
At that thought, she swiped through and ordered several makeup products.
[Ding! Reward: one bottle of SK-II Facial Treatment Essence! Stored in the Item Warehouse!]
[Ding! Reward: one jar of La Mer moisturizing cream! Stored in the Item Warehouse!]
[Ding! Reward: one Armani makeup set! Stored in the Item Warehouse!]
[Ding! Reward: one set of Dior Addict lipsticks in thirty-eight shades! Stored in the Item Warehouse!]
Before she knew it, she’d ordered enough to cover the entire table.
Staring at the bottles and jars of every color, Zhang Fan—who had never worn makeup before—could only follow beauty bloggers and learn from scratch.
After a few practice sessions, even the hardest part, drawing her eyebrows, she could nail in one go.
So it was true—girls had a natural talent for beauty.
Looking at her made-up reflection in the mirror, Zhang Fan felt completely reborn.
So she could be beautiful too.
How could she not take photos to commemorate a moment like this?
She snapped a lovely set of photos and posted them on Douyin, set to visible only to herself.
“Wait, it’s this late already?”
Checking the time, it was already two in the morning. She had a flight to catch at ten, so she needed to get to sleep.
After carefully removing her makeup, it was nearly three.
She hit the pillow and was asleep in no time.
At dawn, she packed light, carrying only a medium-sized canvas bag, and took a ride-hailing car straight to the airport.
Although the trip was only two or three hours, Zhang Fan didn’t want to put herself out at all, so she chose first class.
The ticket price was ten times that of economy class, with no transfers needed, and if on time, she’d arrive in two hours.
Only after boarding the plane did she realize the money was absolutely worth it.
She had thought first class would be like the big seats at the front of a high-speed train, but instead it turned out to be individual private compartments.
Not completely enclosed, but with private space.
The seat could recline flat, and there was a small TV at the seat.
Most importantly, there was a window beside the seat.
This made a song involuntarily surface in her mind: “Riding the clouds…”
After lying down comfortably in her seat, she took out a face mask and applied it.
She’d heard that skin gets very dry on planes.
With a face mask on, she’d have great skin by the time she got off the plane.
“Excuse me, miss, it seems you’re in the wrong seat!”
“Huh?”
Hearing the flight attendant’s voice, Zhang Fan quickly sat up: “Wrong seat?”
“Yes, miss, your seat is across the way!”
“I’m so sorry!”
Zhang Fan peeled off her face mask, revealing an apologetic smile, and as she looked up, she saw a cold-faced man standing behind the flight attendant.
“Zhou Wenzong?”
She blinked in disbelief: “How do I run into you everywhere?”
But he acted as if he didn’t know her at all, showing no reaction whatsoever.
Awkward!
“Um, I’ve already lain down over here, so how about we switch, and you take my seat?”
“I only sit in my own seat!”
Zhou Wenzong spoke coldly, but his words were directed at the flight attendant beside him.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, please return to your own seat!”
“Oh…”
Zhang Fan picked up her things from the seat, squeezed past the flight attendant, and went to the opposite side.
Just as she sat down, she heard Zhou Wenzong say to the flight attendant: “Please, sanitize and disinfect this.”
Why is this man so fussy?
Zhang Fan couldn’t help but shake her head. It’s the same seat, why be so particular?
The rest of the journey went very smoothly.
She had a first-class airplane meal—the taste was average, but the presentation was excellent.
She finished it all, then glanced across at Zhou Wenzong, who had only sipped some red wine the entire time.
It seemed he didn’t think much of the airplane food.
Since he was pretending not to know her, she had no reason to go out of her way to be friendly.
You don’t know me, and I don’t know you!
As soon as the plane landed, she grabbed her small bag and stepped off the plane briskly.
The ride-hailing car was already booked, heading straight to the hotel.
With the executive suite key card in hand, she happily pressed the elevator button.
When the elevator doors opened, she froze in place.
Zhou Wenzong kept his eyes straight ahead, not even glancing at her, and directly pressed the close button.
This guy!
Zhang Fan defiantly pressed the open button and stepped inside.
The elevator went up, with the two of them standing one in front of the other, neither speaking, the atmosphere in the elevator strange.
When they reached the floor, Zhang Fan walked out first and swiped her key card to open her room.
This time it was Zhou Wenzong’s turn to pause for a moment—their rooms were actually right next to each other.
“You’re not stalking me, are you?”
Zhou Wenzong’s voice, tinged with mockery, reached Zhang Fan’s ears, making her stop abruptly just as she was about to step into her room.
She let out a helpless sigh and pulled two concert tickets from her bag, waving them in front of Zhou Wenzong.
Her chin lifted, her expression as if to say: Stalk you? You’re not worth it!
“So, did your boyfriend tell you to come here alone first, or do you have another boyfriend in this city?”
That one question nearly sent Zhang Fan tumbling to the ground.