Time Travel Begins the Moment I Divorce My Wife - Chapter 17

Whether intentional or not, by the time Ji Xunchi went over to eat, the only seat left was the empty spot to Hua Jiangyu’s left.

Ji Xunchi lifted her eyelids to glance at Jiang Yu but said nothing as she sat down.

She picked up the skewers in front of her with an unbothered attitude and started eating, completely at ease.

As she ate, Ji Xunchi overheard the group chatting about various school gossip, who was drop-dead gorgeous, who was stunningly beautiful, and how someone had cheated on their partner with eight other girls, only to be caught by their current girlfriend and the others, resulting in a beatdown of the scumbag before two of the girls actually ended up together.

In short, the gossip was explosive.

Jiang Yu chimed in with conviction, “I always say men are nothing but trouble.”

“You’re absolutely right, they’re all so suffocating,” one girl fanned her face and added, “A friend of mine from another school was dating this guy. After dinner, she suggested taking a walk in the park to hold hands and chat, you know, to get to know each other better. But the moment he realized they weren’t heading to a hotel, he stormed off with a scowl.”

“Ugh, that’s so predatory.”

“Yeah, and the guy even had the nerve to say, ‘What’s the point of me paying for dinner if we’re not going to a hotel?’” the girl continued. “My friend was actually planning to treat him to a movie sometime.”

“I’m gonna puke, that’s disgusting.”

“And he’s just a high schooler. I can’t even imagine what kind of guys we’ll meet in college or out in the real world.”

The girls all wore expressions of shared misery, their faces twisted in disdain.

Ji Xunchi held a glass of fizzy Sprite, listening to their conversation. The transparent glass might as well have been filled with red wine, given the effortlessly languid way she held it.

Propping her head up with one hand, she leaned slightly to the side. Though physically present, she exuded an air of detached aloofness, as if floating on the periphery. The breeze brushed strands of hair against her cheeks, adding a touch of disheveled allure to her otherwise pristine features.

Hua Jiangyu’s gaze lingered on her, that sense of familiarity creeping in again.

So, familiar where had she seen this person before?

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu concluded indignantly, “Disgusting men! Ugh!”

Zhou Qingyi handed her a skewer. “Here, eat something. They’re not worth getting worked up over.”

The gossip resumed, though the topic shifted to amusing anecdotes about their teachers.

Hua Jiangyu couldn’t help but call out, “Ji Xunchi.”

Snapped out of her daze, Ji Xunchi turned to her and lazily pointed at herself. “What’s up?”

The face was familiar, but the scent wasn’t. Sitting beside Hua Jiangyu, Ji Xunchi felt an odd sense of ease.

She had been enjoying a rare moment of mental stillness when Hua Jiangyu, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly spoke to her.

Ji Xunchi couldn’t resist giving her another long look.

Casually, she touched her own face. She wasn’t bad-looking could it be that Hua Jiangyu had fallen for her at first sight this time?

The shameless and irresponsible thought flitted through her mind.

Unaware of the narcissistic musings, Hua Jiangyu hesitated before asking, “Do you have an older sister who looks a lot like you?”

“An older sister?” Ji Xunchi’s tone lifted playfully. “No way. My family’s had only one child for three generations. I’m the sole heir in my line.”

Her expression was lazy, her words teasing.

The younger Hua Jiangyu hadn’t yet mastered the art of controlling her expressions, and her reaction to this made Ji Xunchi stifle a laugh.

But their first meeting had already been quite dramatic, and now hearing Ji Xunchi’s peculiar responses like “charred meat for grinding teeth” and “I didn’t cheat,” Hua Jiangyu’s heart barely rippled at the latest “third-generation only child and sole heir” remark.

Hua Jiangyu’s expression returned to calm once more.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ji Xunchi touch her own face before withdrawing her gaze without a word.

Yet inwardly, she pondered where the sense of familiarity she felt toward Ji Xunchi came from.

Paradise.

The blurred, haloed photo Paradise had sent looked strikingly like an older version of Ji Xunchi.

But Hua Jiangyu had never seen what Ji Xunchi looked like in her twenties, so she couldn’t say for certain.

Still, the two bore some resemblance.

Hua Jiangyu took a sip of orange juice, a subtle feeling gradually rising within her. Though it seemed abrupt to connect two unrelated people without evidence, sometimes suspicions arose without rhyme or reason.

Perhaps it could be called intuition.

Hua Jiangyu decided to ask Paradise for another photo when she got back.

As for what kind?

Her gaze flickered imperceptibly over Ji Xunchi’s flat chest before she lowered her eyes and silently took another sip of orange juice.

Unaware of the impending danger, Ji Xunchi responded to Jiang Yu’s call to cut the cake with a bright smile, setting down her empty glass and rising to her feet.

After slicing a ten-inch, two-tiered cake and sharing it, the group tidied up the small courtyard before moving on to their next destination.

Only then did Ji Xunchi learn that Jiang Yu and the others had booked a trip to an amusement park.

Ji Xunchi’s voice rose slightly: “Amusement park?”

Standing beside Zhou Qingyi, Hua Jiangyu felt inexplicably puzzled, why did it seem Ji Xunchi had glanced at her when saying those words?

Jiang Yu, oblivious and full of enthusiasm, chimed in: “Yeah, let’s unwind with some thrilling rides!”

Zhou Qingyi fervently agreed: “Exactly! After just finishing exams, I desperately need this kind of relaxation!”

Most of the group were top students, with only Ji Xunchi whose total score barely scraped past 400 earning the label of “slacker.” She couldn’t relate to the academic stress her peers endured before exams.

She shrugged. “No objections here, just a bit surprised earlier.”

Honestly, before work consumed her life, she’d been a regular thrill-seeker at amusement parks.

At this thought, Ji Xunchi’s gaze flickered toward the quiet Hua Jiangyu once more.

This time, Hua Jiangyu didn’t miss it Ji Xunchi was indeed looking at her.

Hua Jiangyu was baffled. Why, among so many people, was Ji Xunchi focusing solely on her?

It wasn’t the kind of attention drawn by her beauty. Having been acutely aware of her striking looks since childhood, Hua Jiangyu could tell the difference. From the moment Ji Xunchi first saw her today aside from the initial shock recalling their hospital mishap her gaze had remained steady, devoid of awe or the furtive scrutiny beauty often invited.

It was as if such a face was utterly commonplace to her.

So why the repeated glances now?

For once, Hua Jiangyu felt a flicker of curiosity.

Unaware her stares had been noticed, Ji Xunchi followed the boisterous group onto a bus to the amusement park. After buying tickets, they marched inside in high spirits.

The closest ride to the entrance was the pirate ship, but the queue was a bit long today since it was the weekend, so they decided to walk further in.

Soon, they arrived at the carousel, which always symbolized childhood fun and a romantic atmosphere.

The few people ahead of them seemed to ignore it entirely, chattering away as they walked past.

Ji Xunchi couldn’t help but call out to Hua Jiangyu, who was about to follow them: “Hey!”

The other girl turned around.

Ji Xunchi pointed at the pink-and-white carousel. “Aren’t you going to ride it?”

Hua Jiangyu looked puzzled. “Why would I have to ride it?”

“Well, not have to,” Ji Xunchi belatedly realized her reaction had been entirely instinctive. “It’s just, if you skip this, you might not be able to enjoy much else later. Won’t that leave you with barely any amusement park experience?”

Hua Jiangyu glanced back roller coasters, Ferris wheels, looping rides. She blinked. “Who said that? There’s plenty I can ride back there.”

She looked at the slowly spinning carousel and, for the first time, noticed an expression on Ji Xunchi’s face that wasn’t her usual relaxed demeanor something more like stunned bewilderment. It was almost amusing.

A faint glimmer of amusement flashed in Hua Jiangyu’s eyes. “Even though it’s decorated very girly, I think it’s better suited for photo ops. As far as today’s thrill-seeking goes, it’s just not exciting enough.”

Better suited for photo ops.

Not exciting enough.

These two phrases looped endlessly in Ji Xunchi’s mind.

This was actually something Hua Jiangyu had said.

“What are you two talking about over here?”

Zhou Qingyi, noticing the two had fallen behind, circled back to ask.

Seeing that they seemed to be discussing the carousel, she tilted her chin toward Ji Xunchi. “You wanna ride? No problem. If you do, Hua Jiangyu and I can reluctantly go with you for one round.”

Reluctantly go with you for one round.

Hua Jiangyu reluctantly going with you for one round.

Watching Zhou Qingyi raise her eyebrows and say this so naturally, and seeing Hua Jiangyu’s seemingly agreeable expression, Ji Xunchi stiffly shook her head in refusal.

“No, I don’t need it.”

After a pause, she added, almost through gritted teeth, “Let’s leave the opportunity for those who love photo ops and are full of girly hearts.”

Hua Jiangyu’s eyes flickered slightly, giving her a strangely curious look.

Zhou Qingyi stroked her chin in agreement. “You’re right. I’m not into this thing either. Hua Jiangyu and I basically never ride it when we come here.”

It was still more suited for parent-child bonding, photo enthusiasts, or those who couldn’t handle thrill rides.

Hearing this, Ji Xunchi kept a straight face and took the lead in walking away. “Let’s go catch up with Jiang Yu and the others.”

As they walked, Ji Xunchi’s irritation gradually faded.

When she thought about it, the Hua Jiangyu of seventeen or eighteen and the Hua Jiangyu of twenty-four or twenty-five were years apart people change.

Just because she didn’t like carousels now didn’t mean she couldn’t like them later.

Why did she feel so deceived?

Mulling it over, Ji Xunchi talked herself out of it.

She returned to her usual self.

They arrived at the roller coaster and looping ride area.

The group of ten split into two half heading for the roller coaster, the other half for the looping ride.

Ji Xunchi, Zhou Qingyi, Hua Jiangyu, and two other girls went for the looping ride.

Before entering, Ji Xunchi gazed at the winding, steep road ahead and couldn’t help but ask Hua Jiangyu beside her, “Are you sure you’re, okay? Maybe you should go ride the carousel instead?”

Hua Jiangyu: “…”

She looked into Ji Xunchi’s eyes, where genuine concern was unmistakable. Though she didn’t understand why she was being singled out for such worry, a faint warmth still bloomed in her heart.

But warmth aside, she firmly rejected Ji Xunchi’s offer. “I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”

Ji Xunchi: “…”

Taking a deep breath, she thought, It’s fine. If she’s really just being stubborn and can’t handle it, I’ll just hold her hand and give her some strength.

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