Time Travel Begins the Moment I Divorce My Wife - Chapter 13

As soon as the words left her lips, Ji Xunchi realized what she had done.

Her hand was still resting on the younger Hua Jiangyu’s abdomen, the warmth of her palm seeping through the fabric of her clothes.

Hua Jiangyu was momentarily stunned by the contact.

What was going on?

Her face flushed slightly as she instinctively glanced at Zhou Qingyi, who stood frozen in place.

Zhou Qingyi’s eyes were wide with disbelief even more so than Hua Jiangyu herself.

Hua Jiangyu twisted her arm, pulling it free from Ji Xunchi’s grasp. Though awkward, she remained polite despite the sudden intrusion by a stranger. “Sorry, but did you mistake me for someone else?”

From the familiar tone in Ji Xunchi’s earlier words, it was clear she had been speaking to someone she knew well.

But Hua Jiangyu was certain she had never met or seen this person before.

She took a step back, her hand now far from where Ji Xunchi had placed it.

Sneaking another glance at the unfamiliar girl, Hua Jiangyu felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

She racked her brain but couldn’t figure out why.

Ji Xunchi gave an awkward smile, playing along. “Ah, sorry about that. I thought you were someone I knew.”

Hua Jiangyu forced a polite smile and shook her head slightly, indicating she didn’t mind.

Ji Xunchi’s gaze flickered uncontrollably to Hua Jiangyu’s pale face.

She hesitated but ultimately couldn’t hold back.

“Um…” Ji Xunchi knew what she was about to say might sound strange, but the thought of certain things compelled her to speak. “If your dysmenorrhea is really severe, it’s best to take some Chinese herbal medicine for long-term regulation. Avoid raw, cold, and overly cooling foods in your diet. Most importantly, keep warm and take care of yourself during your period.”

Hua Jiangyu, who had been about to leave, paused and looked up at her in surprise.

Ji Xunchi’s toes curled in embarrassment.

But a sliver of hope lingered in her heart, if Hua Jiangyu took her advice now and started paying attention to her health, maybe she wouldn’t suffer so much in the future?

For that tiny possibility, Ji Xunchi was willing to endure the awkwardness thick enough to build a magical castle.

“Uh… I have a friend who suffers from really bad cramps. Seeing you reminded me of her, so I just blurted out what I know.”

She paused, offering an embarrassed smile. “Hope you don’t mind.”

Hua Jiangyu sensed her goodwill, but the lingering discomfort from being touched so intimately by a stranger remained. She tugged at the hem of her shirt and replied, “No, it’s fine. You and your friend must be really close.”

From the way Ji Xunchi had rushed over, familiar with the routine of comforting and scolding while pressing a warm hand to her abdomen, it was clear she had done this many times before.

Hua Jiangyu mused that the relationship between Ji Xunchi and her “friend” probably wasn’t just an ordinary one.

Just the thought of Zhou Qingyi doing something like that to her made her skin crawl.

Ji Xunchi’s expression turned odd at Hua Jiangyu’s words especially since they were coming from a younger version of her.

Seeing Hua Jiangyu’s innocent, earnest face, Ji Xunchi let out a dry laugh and didn’t respond.

What was she supposed to say?

That their relationship had indeed been good until they started discussing divorce?

No matter how she phrased it, it would sound wrong, so Ji Xunchi chose silence.

Her gaze drifted back to Hua Jiangyu’s abdomen before she took another step back and smiled. “You should go find your friend now.”

Watching Hua Jiangyu walk towards Zhou Qingyi, Ji Xunchi wasn’t the least bit surprised.

In the future, before Zhou Qingyi became Hua Jiangyu’s agent, the two of them were already acquainted as friends.

“Who’s that?” Zhou Qingyi frowned so hard she could’ve crushed a fly. “Why did she run over to cover your stomach?”

Hua Jiangyu replied, “She mistook me for someone else, thought I was her friend.”

“Tch.” Zhou Qingyi scoffed. “Just one look and you can tell there’s something shady between her and her ‘friend.’ Normal friends don’t act like that.”

Hua Jiangyu thought the same.

She recalled the warmth of the other person’s hand against her skin and lowered her lashes without another word.

Zhou Qingyi slowly helped her towards the restroom. “Look at you, messing around with online relationships for no reason. If you found a real girlfriend in person, when you’re suffering from cramps, your partner could warm your stomach like that person just did and take care of you. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Hua Jiangyu cut her off. “I don’t need that. Besides, I just like her voice.”

The “her” she referred to was naturally Paradise.

Moreover, Hua Jiangyu couldn’t even imagine someone touching her abdomen with such intimacy.

Even if it was to soothe her menstrual pain, it was out of the question.

Zhou Qingyi clicked her tongue. “Have you seen her abs yet?”

“Not yet.” Hua Jiangyu said coolly. “But tomorrow night is the deadline.”

Zhou Qingyi fell silent.

She glanced at Hua Jiangyu, wondering to herself: If that Paradise really managed to sculpt perfect abs for her, would she just keep throwing money at her?

Ugh, headache.

Zhou Qingyi watched as Hua Jiangyu clutched her stomach and disappeared into the restroom.

Strawberry Tip was a bit quieter than usual today.

Ji Xunchi absentmindedly worked on her math problems, her thoughts occasionally drifting to the Hua Jiangyu she’d encountered at the hospital earlier.

Why had she gone to the hospital? Was she feeling unwell?

Ji Xunchi couldn’t help but speculate.

She felt restless now, almost fidgety.

Seeing a message from Strawberry Tip, she felt a faint reluctance to reply.

It was as if she were some cheating scumbag sneaking around behind her wife’s back.

But she was innocent in all this!

Ji Xunchi sat in a daze for a while before grabbing her yoga mat to continue her workout.

Tomorrow was the deadline Strawberry Tip had given her. At the thought, Ji Xunchi lifted her shirt and glanced down, only for the image of a mature Hua Jiangyu to flash through her mind, her eyes brimming with accusation, as if condemning her cheating wife.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she hastily tugged her shirt back down.

“Not my business, not my business,” Ji Xunchi muttered to herself. “This isn’t my body. I’m just investing time and effort into healthy exercise. The rest has nothing to do with me.”

“I’m just doing this for my health, to stay energized.”

Mumbling under her breath, she finally managed to banish the image of Hua Jiangyu’s betrayed expression from her mind.

Half an hour later, panting, Ji Xunchi rolled up her yoga mat and returned to her desk to write.

Another half-hour passed, and a message from Strawberry Tip popped up on WeChat.

[Big sis, let’s have a voice call tonight?]

Ji Xunchi paused. [Didn’t we just talk yesterday?]

Hua Jiangyu frowned, displeased.

[Just because we talked yesterday means we can’t talk today?]

Or was it that she was so blatant now unless money was involved, she wouldn’t agree to a call?

Hugging her knees, Hua Jiangyu seethed silently.

After all, she was still a girl of seventeen or eighteen. Even though she knew the other person might be a scammer and had calculated everything clearly in her heart and words, after days of chatting and falling asleep to that magnetic, husky voice at night, it was hard not to develop some feelings of intimacy.

Sometimes, this simply couldn’t be controlled by reason. Under normal circumstances, Hua Jiangyu might have been able to remain clear-headed, but today, her lower abdomen ached, and her discomfort made her irritable, rendering her incapable of full self-control.

In a moment of impulse, she sent that message.

Ji Xunchi studied the words thoughtfully. What happened to Strawberry Tip today? Why did her mood seem off?

Should she offer some comfort?

But soon, Ji Xunchi dismissed the idea.

She had never forgotten her goal to make Strawberry Tip believe she was a scammer and prevent any emotional attachment.

Since she didn’t want the other person to develop feelings, it was better not to ask. If Strawberry Tip was truly feeling down, offering comfort now would be like taking advantage of her vulnerability in another sense.

What if Strawberry Tip actually fell for her?

Ji Xunchi would be devastated!

Not wanting to cry herself to death, Ji Xunchi chose to play dumb.

[A bit busy right now, and there are colleagues around. Not very convenient.]

No comforting. It’d be best not to have a call tonight either.

Hua Jiangyu was furious when she saw the message!

[How can there still be colleagues around this late?]

Ji Xunchi lied: [Company dinner.]

Hua Jiangyu: “…”

She didn’t believe it. Paradise had once said something similar, but under the pressure of her financial incentives, he quickly changed his tune and said he could sneak away.

So, even if it were true, he could still find an excuse to leave.

Fuming, Hua Jiangyu typed: [Can’t you say you’re not feeling well and leave early?]

Ji Xunchi refused again.

[Not really. The big boss is here today. Leaving early would leave a bad impression.]

Hua Jiangyu glared at the message, lips pressed tightly together.

Zhou Qingyi’s words from earlier that day echoed in her ears once more.

So, was her voice really something she had to buy with money every single time?

Clutching her phone, Hua Jiangyu felt the last traces of the tender emotions that had blossomed in the quiet of night, lulled by that doting voice, vanish completely.

Big scammer!

Big scammer!

A complete, cold-blooded fraud!

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