The Heroine Pays Me to Fall in Love (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 46

When Jiang Zhinan woke up, daylight was already spilling across the room.

Her head throbbed. The moment she opened her eyes, the world spun, her stomach churned, and a bone-deep fatigue clung to every inch of her body.

Her reactions were sluggish too. For a few seconds after waking, she couldn’t even figure out whether she was in her own place or Su Jin’s. She lay there staring blankly at her surroundings for a long while before finally realizing she was on her own bed.

Su Jin had actually brought her home last night.

Frowning, Jiang Zhinan lifted a hand to rub her temples as she slowly sat up, softly calling Su Jin’s name.

No one answered. Not even a ghost.

“Su Jin?” After a brief silence, Jiang Zhinan slipped her feet into her fluffy slippers and shuffled out of the bedroom, wandering to the living room, then unsteadily into the kitchen. She practically searched the entire apartment, yet not a trace of Su Jin was found.

It was still early, and the system wasn’t back yet. With no one else to ask, Jiang Zhinan could only droop her head and return to sit on the edge of the bed, intending to grab her phone to message Su Jin.

But her phone was dead—completely black no matter how much she tapped the screen.

Jiang Zhinan: “?”

When bad luck hits someone head-on, it really comes in an unbroken string.

Bending down with her back hunched, she rummaged around the bedside for her charger. Nothing. It had vanished into thin air.

It wasn’t in the drawer. Not in her bag. As if it had deliberately chosen to run away from home while she was asleep.

Frustration made her temples pound even harder. Eventually, she gave up the battle with the missing charger and decided to wash up first.

Thankfully, the faucet still worked. Jiang Zhinan quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face before hurrying to the sofa.

The morning air was chilly. She was wearing only a thin nightdress, and the cold rushed over her immediately, making her shiver uncontrollably.

“Should I get a blanket?” she muttered to herself.

“Forget it.” After a moment’s hesitation, she answered herself, slipped off her slippers, hugged her knees to her chest, and curled into a tight ball on the sofa, determined not to move.

She was already unlucky today—what was one more thing?

Her memories of last night were still foggy. Curled on the sofa, she tried hard to recall what had happened, but it only made her head hurt even more.

She pressed her hand hard against her forehead. Useless.

She felt awful—truly awful.

“Aah.” Jiang Zhinan collapsed deeper into the cushions, her eyes turning red before she could stop it. A faint whimper turned into a small sob, and then into outright crying.

But before she could ramp up to a full-on meltdown, the lock clicked. The door opened slowly, and a very familiar silhouette stepped inside.

Su Jin was back—arms full of breakfast, clothes still carrying the morning chill.

Jiang Zhinan froze, immediately choking back her tears. Sniffling, she stood and hurried forward to take the breakfast from her hands, as if absolutely nothing had happened.

“You’re awake already?” Su Jin blinked in surprise. She quickly removed her jacket and draped it over Jiang Zhinan’s shoulders. “And wearing so little.”

“I’m fine,” Jiang Zhinan murmured, placing the breakfast on the table. “I was waiting for you.”

Her attempt to act normal was obvious, but the thick nasal tone completely gave her away.

“Zhou Ying?” Su Jin was startled. She stepped forward, gently lifting Jiang Zhinan’s face. Sure enough—her eyes and the tip of her nose were red, tears still clinging to her lashes. She looked exactly like a pitiful little puppy.

“You thought I left you behind, didn’t you?” Su Jin paused, then asked softly.

“No.” Jiang Zhinan quickly shook her head, guilt flashing through her eyes. She raised a hand to point at her forehead. “My head was just hurting really badly.”

“Let me massage it for you.” Su Jin immediately placed her cool fingertips against Jiang Zhinan’s forehead, gently rubbing as she explained, “I didn’t think you’d wake up so early. There was no food in the kitchen, so I went out to buy breakfast. You were so drunk last night—you need something warm this morning.”

“Mm.” Jiang Zhinan nodded, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

She had no idea what came over her earlier—she was a grown adult, yet she’d curled up on the sofa crying her eyes out.

“People get fragile when they’re sick,” the system said, clearly trying to comfort her.

“Probably,” Jiang Zhinan muttered, mortified beyond belief.

Su Jin’s fingertips were still cool from the outside air, but soothing against her skin, slowly easing her headache and dissolving the knot of grievance in her chest.

“Let’s eat. I’m fine now,” Jiang Zhinan said after a while. She leaned over and lightly kissed Su Jin’s cheek.

“Okay.” Su Jin nodded, heading to the kitchen to grab a bowl for porridge, then another for the steamed buns.

The buns smelled incredible—thin skin, generous filling, pleated neatly. One bite and broth streamed down.

Nibbling on her bun, Jiang Zhinan looked up. “What exactly happened after I got drunk yesterday?”

“Nothing much.” Su Jin shook her head, though her lips curved unmistakably.

“Tell me.” Jiang Zhinan narrowed her eyes. “I really don’t remember.”

“You were clinging to me, insisting I take you to a tattoo shop. When the artist took photos, you sat next to me holding my hand, crying and yelling on my behalf because you thought it hurt. And when we got back last night, you threw a tiny tantrum before going to bed.” Su Jin couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s really all.”

Jiang Zhinan: “…”

I am never drinking again. Ever.

“No worries.” Seeing the shame written all over Jiang Zhinan’s face, Su Jin immediately reached out and patted her head. “My girlfriend is adorable no matter what she does. I love everything about you.”

“And besides, going yesterday was the right call.” She smiled, pulled her phone from her pocket, and opened WeChat. “The design’s already finished. They sent it to me this morning—want to take a look?”

“That fast?” Jiang Zhinan let out a soft sigh of amazement. She took the phone and lowered her head to look. On the screen were two beautifully drawn mini designs. The shapes resembled the flowers and stars on their chests, but looked even better—fuller, prettier, with color pairings that made you like them at a glance.

“Do you like them?” Su Jin leaned in to look with her, then asked in a quiet voice.

“I do.” Jiang Zhinan nodded, her eyes shining with excitement as she turned to her. “Let’s go get them tattooed tonight?”

“No.” Su Jin shook her head, taking her phone back and tucking it away. “You drank yesterday. You have to wait a week.”

“Oh.” Jiang Zhinan responded, looking a little disappointed.

“Mhm.” Su Jin smiled, picked up the bowl of porridge on the table, and urged her to drink. “A week will pass quickly. Once the time’s up, we’ll go together, all right?”

“Okay.” Jiang Zhinan took the porridge, blew on it, and sipped carefully, listening intently to everything Su Jin said.

“I’m probably going to get busy this week,” Su Jin continued, watching her. “Ever since that livestream the other day, I’ve been getting commercial offers nonstop. The pay looks good, so I didn’t turn them down.”

“That’s amazing!” Jiang Zhinan gave her a big thumbs-up.

“And there’s more.” Su Jin said, “I got a message from a production team this morning. They want me to join a singing competition show. If I do well, there’s a good chance I could debut.”

“Really?” Jiang Zhinan froze for a second, then burst into delighted giggles, nearly spilling the porridge in her hands.

“That’s incredible—really, my girlfriend is incredible.” After laughing for quite a while, she finally lifted her eyes again and praised her from the heart.

Her gaze sparkled like light.

After breakfast, Su Jin helped Jiang Zhinan find her charger hidden under the pillow. The phone that had been silent all morning finally came back to life.

Jiang Zhinan opened her contacts and called Chen Bin, asking him to pick her up later. Things at the company had been hectic lately—she really couldn’t skip another day.

“I’ll get going then.” Su Jin helped her into the coat she was wearing out, organized the things she needed to bring, then put her own jacket back on to leave.

“You’re not coming with me?” Jiang Zhinan looked at her, a soft, lovely smile in her eyes.

“No.” Su Jin shook her head. She gently reminded her to be careful on the way, then opened the door and stepped out.

It was still bitterly cold outside. Su Jin walked along the sidewalk, head lowered, thoughts drifting back to what Hu Meng had told her yesterday.

Jiang Zhinan had already fallen asleep from the alcohol. After taking a few photos, Hu Meng didn’t wake her. Instead, the two of them stood by the window, staring at the sky full of stars as they talked.

“Are you serious?” That had been Hu Meng’s first question.

“Yes.” Su Jin nodded with certainty. The strands of hair by her cheeks fluttered in the wind. “I’m serious.”

“Her family’s pretty well-off, right?” Hu Meng asked. After a moment, she added, “Are you confident? Are you sure she’s not just fooling around?”

It was a painfully realistic question.

And honestly, it made sense. A CEO—successful, privileged, smooth sailing for years—someone who could have anything she wanted. Under normal circumstances, being with someone like Su Jin, who had nothing, really could be just a passing whim.

In the beginning, Su Jin had indeed worried endlessly about that.

But as time went on, the fear faded.

Because love can’t be hidden.

Even if someone tries their best to suppress it, the eyes never lie. No matter how perfectly you cover it up, a deeper truth eventually slips through.

Every time Jiang Zhinan looked at her, Su Jin could see affection—real, bright, unmistakable—glowing in her gaze.

“She’s not just playing around,” Su Jin said, her lips curving into a small smile. “I believe in her. We’re going to walk hand in hand through our whole lives together. I can promise you that.”

“Ugh.” Hu Meng groaned dramatically, sounding completely overwhelmed by the sweetness. “Fine, fine—just be happy. I can tell she’s a good one.”

“She is.” Su Jin nodded. “Which is why I have to work hard too.”

And effort wasn’t something you just talked about.

Su Jin knew her current level wasn’t enough. Maybe she could scrape by for now, but if one day she had to stand on a grand stage in front of thousands, she wanted to be flawless.

So, she had to learn.

That story she’d told Jiang Zhinan earlier about joining a show and debuting—it was all made up. It was simply a cushion for the truth, something to soften the impact so her departure wouldn’t feel so sudden.

Her ticket was already booked.

She would leave the day after they finished their tattoos.

She was going abroad.

First stop: Vienna.

After that, countless other places she needed to visit.

As for when she’d be back—Su Jin honestly couldn’t say.

But she would do her best to return soon. She was taking all her savings for this journey, but she left her most precious treasure right here in this city.

She didn’t want her treasure to wait too long.

She would come back.

She absolutely would.