Time Travel Begins the Moment I Divorce My Wife - Chapter 8

“Have you had dinner yet? Even with a heavy workload, make sure to eat on time every day, or I’ll worry about you.”

It was a ten-second voice message.

Hua Jiangyu clicked on it and smoothly listened to the contents.

As the playback ended, a faint blush suddenly spread across her cheeks.

This woman wasn’t lying about this her voice was actually quite pleasant.

Her previously bored gaze shifted slightly. Hua Jiangyu sat up a little straighter, unconsciously bringing the phone closer to her ear, as if trying to hear the voice more intimately, like someone whispering right beside her.

The warm phone pressed against her flushed cheek as she tapped to replay it.

“You’ve eaten, every day. I’ll worry.”

As if she couldn’t get enough, Hua Jiangyu pressed play again.

The familiar words began to loop once more.

The woman’s low, husky, magnetic voice was like a delicate little hook, effortlessly catching Hua Jiangyu’s sensitive ears.

Especially when she uttered the words “I’ll worry” the lingering tone carried a seductive, almost coquettish charm.

It was captivating.

Her face slightly flushed, Hua Jiangyu stared at the screen, her gaze flickering over the girlfriend she had previously dismissed.

She wasn’t particularly good-looking, but her voice was unexpectedly pleasant.

Maybe enduring the remaining month or so of this relationship wasn’t so bad after all.

Rubbing her warm cheeks, Hua Jiangyu shamelessly reversed her earlier decision.

From now on, if the other person said anything unbearably cheesy or boring, she’d just demand a voice message!

With this resolution, Hua Jiangyu’s mood lifted considerably, and she found herself more willing to continue the conversation.

Normally by this time, she would have already bid the other person goodbye. After all, she was still a high school senior with a demanding workload.

Ji Xunchi cleared her throat, which she had just deliberately softened, waiting for her girlfriend’s response.

To meet this girlfriend’s request for a “charming voice,” Ji Xunchi had deliberately lowered her tone, tweaked her vocal range, and enunciated each word with exaggerated care before sending the meticulously recorded ten-second voice message.

The content of the message was mundane, but at the very least, the “charming voice” requirement had been fulfilled.

Ji Xunchi played it back to herself and nodded in satisfaction.

[Girlfriend: I’ll keep that in mind (shy). You too, no matter how busy work gets, make sure to eat on time.]

Judging by this reaction, the girlfriend was clearly pleased.

Her persona was intact.

Before the smile could fully settle on her face, Ji Xunchi’s expression darkened again.

Wasn’t this still deceiving someone’s feelings?

The fleeting sense of relief vanished instantly.

Rubbing her temples, Ji Xunchi suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

But if she broke character, she wouldn’t be able to go home.

If she stayed in character, she’d have to maintain the original owner’s insincere behavior, which in the context of this online relationship would inevitably hurt an innocent person.

She was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

While Ji Xunchi was lost in thought, another message arrived.

[Girlfriend: What’s wrong with you today? You’ve been replying so slowly. I’ve been waiting outside so long my legs have gone numb!]

From her memories, Ji Xunchi knew that despite being a university student, her girlfriend still couldn’t escape evening self-study sessions likely due to her college and major’s requirements.

In short, it seemed her girlfriend had an evening self-study session tonight, and the requirements appeared to be quite strict.

So the other person had deliberately sent her a message before entering the classroom.

Catching the hint of coquettishness hidden within, Ji Xunchi once again felt the situation was a bit tricky.

Had she made a mistake sending that voice message? Clearly, the other person’s attitude had changed after listening to it!

Though this change was a testament to her skills.

Ji Xunchi didn’t keep her waiting long. Sorting through her thoughts took only a couple of seconds before she quickly caught up with the flow of the conversation.

[Sorry, I’m buying dinner right now.]

It was a somewhat indifferent reply. Ji Xunchi didn’t offer any comforting response to her coquettishness, but since she had lied, it didn’t count as breaking character.

Besides, if she really did break character, that inexplicable “Spinach System” would surely remind her with a spinach bomb.

With this in mind, Ji Xunchi responded to the incoming messages.

When Hua Jiangyu saw this reply, far from being upset, she actually breathed a sigh of relief.

She buried her face in her hands and rolled around on the bed, her gathered hair tumbling loose with the exaggerated motion, strands falling against her cheeks, tickling her.

But Hua Jiangyu wasn’t in the mood to pay attention to such trivial details. Her palms covered her cheeks, which she could feel burning even without looking, a faint tingling sensation prickling in her chest.

How could she have acted so coquettishly?!

This was the first time she’d ever behaved like that with a stranger, it was like she’d lost her mind for a moment.

She kicked at the annoying blanket, utterly mortified.

Thankfully, Paradise hadn’t indulged her and tried to coax her. Otherwise, Hua Jiangyu felt like her face would have burned up entirely.

At this moment, for some inexplicable reason, her mind drifted back to the photo Paradise had sent.

Though the image was a little blurry, Hua Jiangyu could still tell the other person wasn’t as good-looking as her.

But that wasn’t necessarily a dealbreaker.

Yet today, when she recalled Paradise, that photo of her with dark hair, fair skin, and a fitted red dress seemed to carry a strange new allure.

Hua Jiangyu couldn’t help but imagine what the other person might look like when she spoke.

Would she wear a faintly amused smile, laced with a hint of indulgence?

With that thought, the originally unremarkable photo suddenly seemed full of life, and the image of Paradise in her mind became vivid.

A smile Hua Jiangyu herself didn’t notice crept onto her face as she tapped her phone to send a message.

[Then, big sis, go ahead and have dinner first. I’ll head to self-study now~]

Mature older sisters probably liked it when their girlfriends acted a little spoiled with them, right?

Hua Jiangyu wiggled her toes. Though she still felt a bit embarrassed, deep down, she was a little eager to see how the other would react.

[Alright, talk later then.]

Was that a bit cold?

Hua Jiangyu stared at the screen, pondering.

Ji Xunchi shut down her computer.

By now, her expression had completely settled into calm. She opened the door and sat across from Grandma Ji, serving herself rice and starting dinner.

Just moments ago, she had decided that while maintaining the “Ji Xunchi” persona, she would minimize overly sweet couple-talk as much as possible. Ideally, she’d keep the other from investing too much emotion in her.

Picking up a bite of garlic-fried eggs, Ji Xunchi thought coolly: Judging from their previous chat history, the other person likely didn’t have much genuine affection for the original host. The way they got together and how they interacted afterward made it seem like a rich kid playing a boring dating game.

That would be for the best. She would strive to find a balance between not breaking character and not hurting anyone’s feelings, maintaining a certain level of aloofness. Once the relationship ended in a little over a month, the other person would be free from this heartbreaker.

Ji Xunchi, you have to be a heartbreaker.

She told herself this.

Images of her long-uncontacted parents flashed through her mind, along with the desolate, sorrowful expression of Hua Jiangyu before the transmigration. Ji Xunchi mustered a bit of spirit.

There was a chance she could go back.

She needed to distinguish between reality and illusion.

But was all of this truly an illusion?

Savoring the familiar taste from distant memories and gazing at the kind, gentle expression of the elderly woman, Ji Xunchi shielded her slightly uncomfortable eyes.

When night fell and she lay down to sleep, Ji Xunchi opened her phone to glance at the group chat messages.

A few new members had joined the “Ji Zhai” (lesbian) group, and several of them had already shared personal updates. Judging by the heated discussions, it seemed the newcomers were all stunning beauties.

But Ji Xunchi wasn’t in the mood to scroll up.

She noticed someone had mentioned her and Strawberry Tip her girlfriend’s online alias.

[Everyone else has a wonderful romance except me! Why, why? Pretty sisters, why won’t you look at me?!]

[Pretty sisters are already taken, don’t even think about it (lights cigarette)]

[Sigh, who would’ve thought Paradise, the gorgeous one in our group, would be snatched up by Strawberry? And Strawberry seems to be a beauty too! Damn! I’m so jealous!!]

[Can pretty girls only see other pretty girls? Please, look at me too, wuwu. I’m delicate, soft, and great at warming the bed.]

Many in the group were indulging in wild fantasies, and Ji Xunchi noticed they seemed provoked by someone flaunting their relationship in the chat.

Reading some of the bold remarks, Ji Xunchi didn’t feel the slightest discomfort after all, many people were meek in real life but unrestrained online.

Though Ji Xunchi had mocked the original body’s terrible photo-editing skills even if she’d deliberately tried to make herself look more mature, there was no need to butcher her face so badly she had to admit the original’s natural beauty still shone through. Despite the distorted and blurry edits, it was clear at a glance that she was a stunner.

Not everyone in the group was looking for love, but who wouldn’t want to admire a pretty face? Especially since the original had deliberately lowered her voice to create a magnetic, husky tone that was quite convincing. As a result, she was quite popular in the group.

Before, several people had expressed interest in her. The original had subtly strung them along, searching for the wealthiest among them until Strawberry Tip joined the group. From the casual lifestyle photos Strawberry shared, the original deduced she was likely richer than the others she’d been toying with. Thus, she plunged headfirst into the whirlpool of deceiving this rich second-generation heiress, unable to extricate herself.

Though Strawberry had never revealed her full face, glimpses of her figure and other features made it clear she was a beautiful woman.

Not to mention, she was loaded.

The money was the key.

The original “Ji Xunchi” hadn’t genuinely wanted a relationship, she’d just wanted cash.

So, wealth was her primary criterion for judging others.

Heartbreaker!

Ji Xunchi deeply despised the original. But then, remembering that she herself had to play the heartbreaker to return home, she fell silent again.

“Ji Xunchi, you’re a heartbreaker too.”

Cursing herself inwardly, Ji Xunchi rolled over, exited the group chat, and began thinking about going to school the next day.

Senior year of high school.

Why did she have to become an early riser again?

Wait, scratch that this was practically a 7 AM start.

The real kicker was she had no idea how long she’d be stuck here. What if she didn’t return until after the college entrance exams?

Just the thought of that possibility made Ji Xunchi’s face turn green.

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