Time Travel Begins the Moment I Divorce My Wife - Chapter 7

Ji Xunchi lowered her head to glance at her somewhat scrawny figure and quietly said nothing.

Compared to her pre-transmigration body ample curves in all the right places her current self seemed almost underdeveloped.

To be honest, this inexplicable transmigration had left Ji Xunchi with an overwhelming sense of unreality.

Apart from sharing the same face and name, she couldn’t find any other similarities between herself and the original owner in her memories.

Would she have ever become this kind of person at any stage of her life?

Ji Xunchi found it hard to accept.

A floating, illusory sensation filled her mind, making it impossible for her to truly immerse herself in this reality.

She felt a little lost about her current situation.

If she could suddenly transmigrate back without warning, then why had she come here in the first place? What was she supposed to do? Was there even a point?

But if she couldn’t go back, that would mean she was destined for a whole new life.

A life without her parents, without her job and career, without Hua Jiangyu.

Her gaze drifted absently to the glowing computer screen. Slowly, the blurry dots of light coalesced, and her unfocused eyes regained the ability to discern text.

[Girlfriend: Are you off work yet?]

She still hadn’t replied to the message.

Ji Xunchi rubbed her stiff face and reluctantly picked up the mouse again to respond.

Being a heartbreaker was a dead-end road.

Taking a deep breath, she started typing out a breakup message.

She had no interest in deceiving some young girl’s feelings, so it was better to end things now to stop the girl from wasting any more time and emotions on her. As for that necklace, Ji Xunchi decided she’d owe her for now and would work hard to save up and repay her in cash later.

Just as she was about to hit send, an inexplicable feeling crept over her.

Ji Xunchi froze.

A flat, mechanical voice abruptly echoed in her mind without warning.

[Reject character collapse!]

[Reject character collapse!]

[Reject character collapse!]

As if adhering to the ironclad rule of “important things must be said three times,” the icy mechanical voice relentlessly repeated itself three times in a row inside her head.

No, it didn’t quite feel like it was inside her head.

But that wasn’t the point.

Ji Xunchi paused her fingers. “System?”

She muttered in disbelief, “This transmigration comes with a system?”

But there was no response.

It was as if the cold, rigid mechanical voice had appeared solely to stop her from sending that breakup message.

Ji Xunchi waited a while longer, but there was still no reaction.

Her eyes flickered as she carefully reviewed the message she’d drafted.

Nothing was wrong with it except that it completely contradicted the original owner’s personality.

She rubbed her chin, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. “What would happen if I did collapse the character.”

Ji Xunchi pressed send again.

[You will remain here forever.]

“Ugh, bleh!”

The taste of spinach exploded in her mouth, overwhelming her taste buds. The sudden assault nearly made Ji Xunchi pass out.

Though she didn’t faint, it did stop her in her tracks.

Ji Xunchi crouched by the trash can, coughing dryly, her right hand groping along the edge of the desk until she finally found the tissue box. She hastily pulled one out to wipe her mouth.

What did it mean by “remain here forever”?

Did that imply she still had a chance to go back?

Her heart pounded as she frantically called out to this mysterious, system-like entity in her mind.

Unfortunately, the system had vanished again.

Ji Xunchi was completely dumbfounded.

She fumed, “What the hell are you?!”

No one responded.

But her voice was too loud, apparently drawing attention from outside.

The door to the room opened, and a slightly aged voice spoke up: “Chichi, what’s wrong?”

Looking at the elderly woman’s concerned expression, Ji Xunchi froze for a moment before replying, “It’s nothing, Gr-Grandma, I was just playing on the computer.”

Grandma Ji glanced at the computer in front of her granddaughter and relaxed. “That’s good. I heard you coughing badly earlier did you catch a cold? Let me make you some medicine.”

Ji Xunchi stopped her. Staring at the face identical to the one in her memories, she felt an inexplicable sadness well up inside. Forcing a smile, she said, “I’m fine. I just choked on my own saliva. Don’t worry about me.”

After Ji Xunchi repeatedly assured her that she was truly fine, Grandma Ji finally closed the door and went back to her own tasks, reassured.

The room fell silent again.

But Ji Xunchi’s mind was anything but calm.

She had initially thought she had accidentally time-traveled, but now she had a system? What was going on?

Why hadn’t it shown up earlier?

[Because you didn’t break character.]

The mechanical voice answered just as Ji Xunchi realized she had unknowingly voiced her question aloud.

So this thing couldn’t communicate directly with her thoughts like in those novels she’d read?

Ji Xunchi tentatively asked, “I can still go back, right?”

No response.

She tried again, “There’s a chance I can return, isn’t there?”

Still no response.

Ji Xunchi: “…”

Fine. Be aloof. Be heartless. I’ll endure it!

She spoke once more, “In the future, there’s a possibility I can go back, right?”

The system finally deigned to respond: [As long as you don’t break character, yes.]

Ji Xunchi brightened. “How far in the future?”

Silence again.

Her hands, hanging at her sides, had long curled into fists. Taking a deep breath, Ji Xunchi forced a smile. “Alright, I get it. Just ‘the future.'”

Great. This spinach-flavored system still wasn’t answering her.

Thinking back to the sudden assault of spinach taste earlier, Ji Xunchi’s smile grew even brighter.

After a moment, she sat back down at the computer, deleted the breakup message she had drafted earlier, and began typing again.

[Yes, I started missing you the moment I got off work. No, actually, I was thinking about you the whole time at work.]

Ji Xunchi mimicked the original owner’s tone as she messaged her “girlfriend.”

Though she didn’t copy it word for word, she simply couldn’t bring herself to say “babe.”

Ji Xunchi couldn’t imagine calling any woman other than Hua Jiangyu by that term.

The original owner might have been straight and unfazed by the term, but Ji Xunchi was a certified lesbian. Not to mention, she actually had a wife though they were about to divorce.

Still, after reviewing most of the original owner’s memories, Ji Xunchi strongly suspected she might not have been as straight as she seemed.

[Girlfriend: I miss you too. But won’t you get tired if you’re distracted at work?]

Reading the caring message from this “girlfriend,” Ji Xunchi instinctively pursed her lips. Deceiving an innocent girl like this was really testing her conscience!

Her conscience ached a little.

But the moment she remembered this was tied to her lifelong chance of returning home, Ji Xunchi’s heart hardened just a bit more.

Though, weren’t they supposed to break up soon?

A thought suddenly struck Ji Xunchi.

The initial success of these two people getting together was based on one condition: a two-month trial period. If, after two months, they felt they were truly incompatible, the relationship would end completely as long as one of them proposed a breakup.

And now, they had only been dating for just over a week.

Ji Xunchi regained her confidence.

In just over a month, she could end this relationship which had begun under false pretenses without breaking character.

[Not tired at all. Your girlfriend is amazing!]

As she typed these words, Ji Xunchi’s expression was one of exasperation. What was the original owner of this body thinking, pretending to be a successful, mature woman when she was actually an academic slacker?

[Girlfriend: So when are you going to show me those abs you promised?]

Ji Xunchi’s fingers, poised over the keyboard, froze.

What was she talking about?

What abs?

Did this body even have them?

Ji Xunchi reached down and poked the soft flesh at her waist.

The original owner really had no qualms about lying bragging without a second thought.

[Do I really have to show you?]

[Girlfriend: You really have to.]

Ji Xunchi: “…”

She deadpanned, “Would refusing break my character?”

[Yes.]

A mechanical voice, previously silent, responded.

She had expected as much!

Given the original owner’s intention to milk money from her wealthy girlfriend, she would have been all about pampering and indulging her in this relationship anything to make it easier to squeeze cash out of her.

Not to mention, those abs had been part of the original owner’s selling point when she first hooked up with her. How could she possibly refuse now that her girlfriend actually wanted to see them? No one was that stupid she’d see right through it.

So, from the original owner’s perspective, refusing wasn’t an option.

Ji Xunchi took a deep breath and forced a smile.

[How about in a few days? Since it’s for my girlfriend, I want to show you my best self.]

If she couldn’t refuse, she could at least stall.

After all, she currently had no abs to show.

Fortunately, her girlfriend was understanding, she simply made another request instead.

[Girlfriend: Then can you send me a voice message?]

Ji Xunchi: “.”

So now she wanted to verify the supposedly charming voice, huh?

In an elegantly decorated room, Hua Jiangyu lounged on a recliner, idly popping a strawberry into her mouth as she waited for a response.

Honestly, she was already growing tired of this so-called relationship.

It was boring and cringey.

Nothing like what she had imagined.

Back when Hua Jiangyu had stumbled into that sapphic group chat, it was this woman with the username “Paradise” who had first struck up a conversation with her.

She had been enthusiastic, yet tactful, and later privately added her on WeChat, frequently initiating conversations without crossing the line into annoyance.

At the time, Hua Jiangyu, who had never been in a relationship had wanted to give dating a try. There were plenty of couples on campus, but none of them gave her the feeling she was looking for.

She liked girls, but not girls her own age.

In the throes of adolescent longing for romance, Hua Jiangyu wanted a more mature relationship.

She had searched online forums and discovered that glamorous, mature older women seemed to be quite popular among sapphics like her.

Hua Jiangyu wasn’t one herself, but that didn’t stop her from occasionally fantasizing.

As luck would have it, this “Paradise” happened to be exactly the type Hua Jiangyu wanted to meet. She had been eager to experience what dating felt like.

Since the other person gave her a good impression, Hua Jiangyu agreed to their romantic invitation.

However, she added a time limit.

But now, before the deadline had even arrived, she was already feeling a bit annoyed.

Is this what dating someone feels like? And this person, who seemed like a potential scammer, didn’t seem worth her investment.

Yet, she still hadn’t seen those abs, and Hua Jiangyu couldn’t help feeling like she was at a slight disadvantage.

But just then, a ten-second-long voice message popped up in front of her.

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