Time Travel Begins the Moment I Divorce My Wife - Chapter 4

Ji Xunchi had been at this kindergarten for nearly a month now.

During this time, the initial excitement surrounding “Magic Little Blue” at the start of the school year had gradually faded. Hua Jiangyu was no longer afraid of Ji Xunchi in fact, she had become somewhat clingy.

Ji Xunchi stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the tiny, pink-clad figure trailing behind her. “Why do you keep following me?”

“Mommy says girls should play with girls,” Hua Jiangyu replied, her small lips pursed slightly. Though her words occasionally came out a bit unclear, her pretty face, adorable outfits, and overall charm made her a delicate and endearing little princess.

Ji Xunchi, who had wavered between firmness and softness countless times, stared at her childish expression and teased, “Well, you’ve got the wrong person. I’m not a girl.”

Watching Hua Jiangyu’s bewildered reaction, Ji Xunchi burst into laughter.

Little Hua Jiangyu’s expressions were so vivid back then.

And so delightfully naive.

Unable to resist, Ji Xunchi reached out and pinched Hua Jiangyu’s scrunched-up cheeks.

So soft.

With a grin, Ji Xunchi asked, “Xiao Hua, do you like me?”

She had noticed that Hua Jiangyu rarely interacted with the other kids in class.

Hua Jiangyu struggled free from her grasp, rubbing her pinched cheeks with chubby little hands.

“I don’t like you at all!” she shouted, her face flushing red as she stomped away in her tiny leather shoes.

Sure, you don’t like me your face is practically glowing red.

Ji Xunchi crouched by the slide, resting her chin on her hands as she watched Hua Jiangyu’s short figure toddle away.

Lost in nostalgia, she suddenly felt a soft little body press against her side.

Looking down, Ji Xunchi met a pair of wide, blinking eyes. “Chi Chi, why aren’t you playing with us?”

Being called by her nickname by a three-year-old didn’t faze Ji Xunchi in the slightest. She grinned. “Because I don’t think it’s fun.”

The child, nicknamed Juejue, let out an exaggerated sigh. “I don’t think it’s fun either.”

“Then what do you think is fun?”

“Hide-and-seek!”

“What else?”

“Getting married!”

Ji Xunchi shook her head, dazed by the sun. “Getting married?”

Juejue nodded vigorously. “I’ll be the daddy, and you’ll be the mommy that’s getting married!”

Same-sex marriage laws were still over a decade away, so heteronormative pairings remained the societal norm.

Even in children’s make-believe games, marriage roles still followed these conventions.

Ji Xunchi asked, “Why do you want to be the daddy?”

Juejue blinked in confusion for a couple of seconds before answering, “Because daddy is the boss!”

Ji Xunchi sighed at her bright smile and patted her head. “Mommy can be the boss too, you know.”

Juejue shook her head firmly. “No, that’s not how it is!”

Children were the purest and most adorable.

Their reactions were also the most unfiltered.

Ji Xunchi patted her little head again, smiling. “Then how about you be the mommy who can be the boss, okay?”

Juejue’s eyes lit up, but then she tilted her head. “Will you be the daddy?”

Ji Xunchi shook her head. “No, I won’t be anything.”

Juejue didn’t understand, and Ji Xunchi had no intention of explaining further to the cute little girl.

She stood up, dusted off her pants, took Juejue’s hand, and led her to the slide. With a nudge, she pushed aside a group of boys who had been hogging it for too long.

“Our turn now.”

Ji Xunchi lifted Juejue onto the slide.

Watching her slide down with cheers, Ji Xunchi was in a great mood too.

As for the little brats behind her, they whined a couple of times before running off again.

Ji Xunchi didn’t pay them any mind. She spotted Hua Jiangyu peeking from the corner of the wall and winked at her.

The little head that had been spying immediately ducked back like a quail.

Princess Hua was actually eavesdropping by the wall.

And it was kind of adorable.

Ji Xunchi, utterly charmed, rubbed her nose.

She had never imagined that Hua Jiangyu would be this cute as a child. Ji Xunchi had assumed that with Hua Jiangyu’s personality, she must have been the type who always did exactly what the teacher said, the most well-behaved and quiet kid in kindergarten.

In terms of being well-behaved, little Hua Jiangyu certainly fit the bill. But quiet? Not so much.

Ji Xunchi thought back to last week when Hua Jiangyu had gotten into a fight over a delicious chicken drumstick and silently lowered her hand from her nose.

At lunchtime, Hua Jiangyu was unusually not sitting with her.

It was Wednesday, and the vegetable served with lunch was spinach Ji Xunchi’s lifelong nemesis.

That strange mix of salty and sweet flavors was something she could never stand.

Staring at the pile of green on her plate, she fell into deep contemplation.

At the end of every meal, the teachers would check each child’s plate to see how much they had eaten. For kids who were obviously picky eaters, they would gently coax and encourage them to try finishing their food.

On previous occasions, Ji Xunchi had simply passed her spinach to Hua Jiangyu, who sat beside her. But today, Hua Jiangyu wasn’t there.

She craned her neck to look behind her and saw Hua Jiangyu gripping her cartoon spoon, diligently scooping up her food.

Juejue happened to be sitting next to her and, noticing Ji Xunchi staring at her food without eating, cautiously leaned over. “Chi Chi, why aren’t you eating?”

Ji Xunchi turned to her. “Juejue, do you like spinach?”

Juejue answered obediently, “Yes.”

As she spoke, she took a bite of spinach, chewing with obvious relish.

Ji Xunchi smiled sweetly. “Then, can I share mine with you?”

Juejue glanced at her plate. “I have some. Spinach is really tasty, let’s eat together.”

Ji Xunchi picked up her chopsticks and lifted a piece of spinach, her tone light. “I don’t like it. You can have it all. I’ll just watch you eat.”

She was about to transfer the spinach to Juejue’s plate when suddenly a pink plate slid between them.

Hua Jiangyu’s nose was slightly red as she glared fiercely at Ji Xunchi. “Give it to me! It’s mine!”

Ji Xunchi: “?”

She looked down and tentatively asked, “Spinach?”

She moved the chopsticks forward slightly.

Hua Jiangyu’s nose turned even redder. Though her voice was still childish, her tone was firm. “You should give it to me!”

This was a stroke of luck!

Ji Xunchi quickly placed two chopstickfuls onto Hua Jiangyu’s plate.

Just as she was about to add a third, she suddenly remembered Juejue.

The chopsticks hovering in mid-air changed course, heading toward Juejue’s plate instead.

Hua Jiangyu suddenly leaned forward and chomped down on the chopsticks, fiercely yet adorably shoving the spinach into her mouth.

“All mine,” she mumbled through her full mouth.

Ji Xunchi: “…”

Since when did you love spinach so much?

Juejue stared at them dumbfounded before suddenly shaking her head. “Chi Chi, just give it to Xiao Hua. She’s so pitiful, she’s not full yet.”

In the end, all of Ji Xunchi’s spinach ended up on Hua Jiangyu’s plate.

The teacher supervising at the door also noticed the commotion and came over to guide the wandering Hua Jiangyu back to her seat.

Ji Xunchi noticed that as Hua Jiangyu was being obediently led away, she seemed to wipe her eyes.

How could you cry just because someone wouldn’t let you eat spinach?

Such a little kid.

Ji Xunchi shook her head with a sigh, acting all grown-up as she returned to her seat to finish her meal.

In the afternoon, the teacher taught them some characters and a few nursery rhymes. Ji Xunchi spent the entire time sitting at the back, barely participating.

She found these lessons far less interesting than watching cartoons. But given that she was now a three- or four-year-old kindergarten child, her physical limitations were undeniable. Even if she wanted to engage in more exciting activities, her stamina or coordination just wasn’t up to par. In short, it wasn’t happening.

Propping her chin on her hand, Ji Xunchi watched idly as the group of children ran around playing games.

She decided to give herself a break for a while longer just long enough to demonstrate her academic talents to Madam Cheng Xinli before doing something more interesting.

Otherwise, spending every day attending kindergarten and elementary school with kids who, in her past life, would’ve called her “auntie,” would be unbearably dull.

During outdoor free play, Ji Xunchi sat under the shade of a tree, observing from a distance. She had long noticed that Hua Jiangyu was the most popular among the children. Even at this age, kids had a keen sense of beauty and instinctively gravitated toward the prettiest ones. Hua Jiangyu was also noticeably cleaner than the others while most kids ended up with dirty clothes after playtime, she always remained neat and tidy, making her especially likable.

Now, they were playing house, and everyone was clamoring for Hua Jiangyu to be their princess.

Ji Xunchi watched with an amused smile as the adorable children chattered and directed each other.

Until she saw a few little boys trying to kiss Hua Jiangyu.

Watching Hua Jiangyu desperately dodge them, Ji Xunchi frowned and abruptly stood up, nearly toppling backward in the process.

Steadying herself, she jogged over and planted herself protectively in front of Hua Jiangyu.

“What are you doing?!” she demanded.

The boys looked at her in confusion. “We’re playing with Xiao Hua.”

Sensing the distress of the child behind her, Ji Xunchi glared at them. “Play all you want, but no kissing Xiao Hua!”

One of the boys, the most handsome of the bunch, tilted his head up at her. “I’m the prince. I can kiss the princess.”

Ji Xunchi shot him a look, then took Hua Jiangyu’s hand, her small body shielding the girl with surprising protectiveness.

“Xiao Hua, do you want this prince to kiss you?” she asked.

Hua Jiangyu, her chubby little hand covering her face, shook her head vigorously. “No, I don’t want it!”

Ji Xunchi turned back to the boy. “Did you hear that? Princess Hua says no, so you can’t kiss her.”

The boy stared at them blankly before suddenly bursting into loud sobs. “Waaah, I don’t wanna be the prince anymore, boo, hoo!”

Ji Xunchi: “…”

Ugh, so noisy.

Why were kids so prone to crying?

Her faint, short eyebrows furrowed again as she grabbed Hua Jiangyu’s hand and quickly led her away from the group.

As the deafening cries faded into the distance, Ji Xunchi finally relaxed.

Hua Jiangyu’s chubby little hand, which had been covering her face, had dropped at some point. Her cheeks were flushed whether from running or from frustration during the struggle, it was hard to say.

She looked like a sweet little peach.

“I forgive you, Chi Chi,” Hua Jiangyu said, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Ji Xunchi.

“Did I do something before that made you not forgive me?”

Ji Xunchi looked at her blankly.

The milky voice belonging to Hua Jiangyu spoke up again: “I don’t want them to kiss me.”

Mom said she could only hold hands and hug boys, but no kissing.

But Hua Jiangyu didn’t want to be around other kids at all.

She only liked Chi Chi.

Chi Chi was so pretty.

But Chi Chi was a bit of a flirt. Dad said Mom liked a lot of people, and that’s called being a flirt.

Chi Chi was like that too.

But she decided to forgive Chi chi.

Ji Xunchi nodded: “If you don’t want to, then don’t let them kiss you.”

Hua Jiangyu clutched her dress with her chubby little hands and leaned in, whispering, “Only Chi Chi can kiss me.”

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