Just now on the plane, Ruan Sixian had been genuinely captivated by him. After getting off the plane, and seeing him standing there, she felt a happiness arising from deep within her heart at the thought, “This man is my boyfriend.”

The direct expression of this happiness was wanting physical intimacy.

But what Ruan Sixian had in mind was the kind of beautiful scene from movies—something pure and sincere, after all, what they had done today was quite romantic.

And now, being pressed against the car seat, there wasn’t even a gentle, lingering taste before diving straight into deep passion, accompanied by breaths both shallow and deep.

She felt somewhat breathless, her hands weakly bracing against the seat, her entire body heating up.

Fu Mingyu showed no sign of stopping; instead, he became increasingly assertive.

The atmosphere was too sensual, completely different from what she had imagined.

Ruan Sixian suddenly wanted to see his expression. When she opened her eyes, she unexpectedly met Fu Mingyu’s gaze.

He pulled back, his eyes somewhat hazy, looking misty in the narrow light, and said softly, “You seem a bit distracted.”

Ruan Sixian didn’t know what she was thinking when she suddenly reached out and touched the tip of his nose.

“You have a nice nose.”

Tall and straight, yet not rugged.

Fu Mingyu, however, couldn’t bear her touch, frowning slightly as he caught her hand and placed it on his shoulder, then did the same with her other hand.

He nuzzled her with his nose as if trying to entice her. “Weren’t you the one who asked for a kiss? Don’t make me feel like I’m forcing myself on my girlfriend, hmm?”

Ruan Sixian’s hands slowly interlocked, her face flushed. She tightly closed her eyes, held onto his shoulders, tilted her head back, and actively kissed him.

This was followed by a more passionate and bold advance. The temperature inside the car seemed to rise, and even his heavy breathing sounded like satisfied sighs.

After a long while, Ruan Sixian felt her brain might be lacking oxygen. She let out a whimper from her throat and used her last bit of conscious awareness to push him away, saying softly, “It’s already dark. Let’s go back. I have a flight early tomorrow morning.”

Fu Mingyu slowly straightened up, raised his hand, and wiped his lower lip with his knuckle. He suddenly chuckled, his voice still a bit hoarse, “Your lipstick is quite sweet today.”

Ruan Sixian took deep breaths, her face still hot. She lifted her head slightly and saw her lips in the rearview mirror.

She had only applied a light layer of light orange lipstick today, but now her lips were vibrant red and glistening with moisture.

Fu Mingyu had already walked to the other side of the car and got in. As he fastened his seatbelt, Ruan Sixian turned her head and glanced at him.

She suddenly thought that if Fu Mingyu ever went bankrupt, even without relying on his face, his seductive abilities alone could make him a top host at a host club, guaranteeing a comfortable life in his next incarnation.

“Boyfriend,” Ruan Sixian suddenly reached out and pinched his face, “if you ever run out of money, I’ll work at another company to earn money and support you.”

Fu Mingyu looked at her sideways, smiling gently, “Alright, I’m deeply grateful.”

The next morning, Ruan Sixian had a 10 AM flight, a long haul with one transfer, arriving at the destination, Jinxing City, at 4 PM. According to the flight operations department’s arrangements, the crew would rest there for one night and return the next morning.

The city was located in the southernmost part, with a subtropical climate where it was spring-like all year round. Even in December, temperatures were still in the twenties.

So even though she was only staying for one night, Ruan Sixian brought a dress, planning to stroll along the beach in the evening.

When she returned to the meeting room after refueling, the cabin crew had already arrived and were sitting there chatting, creating a particularly lively atmosphere.

When Ruan Sixian entered, they suddenly quieted down, looking somewhat awkward.

“What’s wrong?” Ruan Sixian sensed the strange atmosphere and stood at the doorway without moving further inside.

There was a male flight attendant in the cabin crew this time. Although he had thick eyebrows and large eyes, when it came to discussing skincare products and cosmetics, he knew more than some women, automatically becoming a “women’s friend.” Yet he still had that typically male bluntness—whatever Ruan Sixian asked, he answered directly.

“Oh, we were talking about Li Zhihuai.”

“Oh.” Ruan Sixian pulled out a chair and sat down. “It’s been several days, why are you all still talking about this?”

“What do you mean ‘still talking’? The internet has a memory, and it’s only been a few days. She’s still the topic of every post.”

The male flight attendant became animated when discussing gossip, behaving as if he were very familiar with Ruan Sixian, even though they had only worked together twice. “Do you have any inside information?”

The other female flight attendants coughed, all gesturing for him to be quiet, but he seemed oblivious, blinking his eyes in anticipation of Ruan Sixian’s revelations.

“There’s no inside information. I probably know less than you all do.”

The male flight attendant’s eyelids drooped with disappointment.

But it was true. For instance, the topic they had just been discussing was about the rumor that Li Zhihuai was going to star in “Clouds Break, Sun Rises,” which Ruan Sixian knew nothing about.

This was Shiguang Entertainment’s key project this year. Because it involved extensive airline company backgrounds that couldn’t be completed with just sets, and without special approval, they couldn’t even film at airports, so they planned to collaborate with an airline.

Word had it that they initially approached North Airlines, but the news was rejected before it even reached Yan An because Yan An’s father, having learned painful lessons through his son, didn’t want any involvement with celebrities or internet personalities.

Shiguang Entertainment then approached World Airlines. The public relations department had mentioned in casual conversation that when the production company approached Fu Mingyu, they spent ten minutes discussing the specific content. Fu Mingyu quite liked it and agreed on the spot.

This was news from two months ago, and if not for Li Zhihuai’s recent incident, no one would have paid much attention to this minor gossip.

“Now I see online that Li Zhihuai wanted to use CEO Fu for publicity,” the male flight attendant continued. “But now it’s backfired. I quite liked her and thought she’d be suitable as a female pilot—good temperament and beautiful too.”

After saying this, several people glared at him, and he finally realized who he was speaking in front of. He immediately slapped his mouth.

“Of course, she’s not as beautiful as Deputy Ruan. She’s just imitating.”

Ruan Sixian flipped through the papers on the table and, seeing that the captain hadn’t arrived yet, said, “Just chat freely. Any other gossip?”

Yesterday’s experience seemed to have gone to her head—her mind still filled with those beautiful lake and mountain scenes, so her mood remained quite pleasant.

“Not much else. She’s being mocked every day now and has become a meme. I see people have given her the nickname ‘The High School Classmate with a Story.'”

As the topic heated up, others began to join in.

“She was quite popular before. This move is quite detrimental.”

“What’s detrimental? She might be happy about it. Didn’t you see how she got another trending topic after our company released a statement? These days, having people talk about you is traffic, and traffic doesn’t distinguish between positive and negative—being infamous is still being famous.”

“Will she still be in that movie?”

“Who knows? Maybe the production company is even grateful to her for bringing attention to the film. But I heard CEO Fu might not invest in the movie anymore.”

Ruan Sixian heard the last sentence and widened her eyes. “Really?”

The male flight attendant also widened his eyes. “You don’t know?”

Ruan Sixian: “I never asked him.”

The male flight attendant rubbed his nose, thinking that this future boss’s wife knew less than he did. “I heard it from the PR department. CEO Fu has always been low-key about these things. He probably doesn’t want World Airlines to have any involvement with this matter now.”

After saying this, he stared at Ruan Sixian, trying to see a sense of pride on her face—a “my boyfriend can be this decisive for me” kind of pride—to satisfy his gossip cravings.

“Ah.” Ruan Sixian lowered her eyes and smiled to herself. “Not making money is being a bastard.”

“…”

Although her point was somewhat skewed, everyone in the room still sensed a sweet feeling from her face and tone.

Since this was a long-haul flight with a transfer, the meeting was longer than usual. The captain explained in detail which areas might be turbulent and which areas had cumulus clouds and rain that needed to be avoided. Sometimes when mentioning areas that required special attention, he would look at Ruan Sixian and explain word by word.

Ruan Sixian vaguely felt that this captain seemed to be giving her special care.

Looking at the attitudes of the other crew members, she felt this even more strongly.

Fine.

Ruan Sixian felt that now she had more than just the “Fu’s Property” label on her.

Previously, people only knew that Fu Mingyu was pursuing her, but no one knew if he had succeeded. Now, because of the Li Zhihuai incident, World Airlines’ official Weibo post saying “Our CEO Fu went to comfort his girlfriend” had made their relationship public.

“That’s about it,” the captain put down the route map and said, “Let’s set a code word.”

He turned to look at Ruan Sixian. “You choose one.”

Ruan Sixian nodded and casually flipped through the passenger list. “Captain Dong.”

The code word was a small part of each pre-flight crew coordination meeting, designed to prevent hijacking incidents where someone might threaten cabin crew to contact the cockpit, tricking the captain into opening the cockpit door. Once someone with ill intentions entered the cockpit and coerced the captain, everyone on the plane would be in danger.

So “setting a code word” generally meant choosing a surname different from the captain’s and co-pilot’s. For instance, this time the captain’s surname was Zhang, the co-pilot’s surname was Ruan, and Ruan Sixian said “Captain Dong.” If a flight attendant called the cockpit asking for “Captain Dong,” the cockpit crew would know there was danger in the cabin and could seek help in time.

After mentioning the code word, Ruan Sixian was about to close the passenger list when she suddenly felt something was off. She looked carefully at the VIP customer list she had just scanned.

Dong Xian.

This name was quite ordinary; she hadn’t even noticed it at first glance.

Now seeing it again, her first reaction was, could it be such a coincidence?

But the name immediately following it was “Zheng You’an.”

“Let’s go,” the captain stood up. “Time to board.”

Ruan Sixian walked toward the restroom. “I need to use the bathroom first.”

As the boarding time approached, Zheng You’an and Dong Xian sat in the first-class lounge, each doing their own thing without speaking.

Dong Xian was going to Jinxing City to visit an old mentor, while Zheng You’an was attending a photography exhibition.

Zheng You’an was looking at her phone. The lounge was very quiet, so a soft “Oh my” stood out.

Dong Xian looked up from her book. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m just browsing the internet.” She continued looking at various Weibo posts and forums for a while before suddenly raising her head and saying, “Mom, you know Li Zhihuai, right?”

“Sort of.” Dong Xian frowned at the name. “We’ve only met twice.”

“I remember she came to see you before. What did she want?”

It was an incident from about two years ago. Zheng You’an remembered Li Zhihuai visiting Dong Xian, but she wasn’t famous then, so Zheng You’an didn’t pay much attention.

As for the matter itself, no one had asked, and Dong Xian hadn’t felt the need to mention it voluntarily. But now that Zheng You’an brought it up, she briefly mentioned it.

“She came with a director and a team of screenwriters, wanting to create a biographical film based on me.”

Zheng You’an was surprised. “You didn’t agree, did you?”

“No,” Dong Xian said calmly. “There’s nothing worth filming.”

Although she said this, Li Zhihuai’s team wasn’t the first to approach her. Two or three more came after that, clearly indicating that Dong Xian’s life experiences were very attractive to these filmmakers.

As for the reason, it was naturally related to her career.

Seven years ago, the name “Dong Xian” had risen to prominence in the oil painting world.

Over the next five years, many of her paintings appeared in the art world, were displayed in various exhibitions, pursued by professionals from all fields, and won numerous awards.

Two years ago, her works were included in the “Encyclopedia of World Contemporary Famous Oil Painters’ Original Works,” cementing her artistic status.

A beautiful female painter, full of artistic spirit, with solid painting techniques that vividly captured the inner worlds of her subjects—she had become a rare talent in the oil painting world.

Of course, this fame wasn’t the primary reason filmmakers approached her.

When people traced Dong Xian’s past, they noticed that when she became famous, she was already forty-one years old. Before that, she had been unknown, just an ordinary elementary school art teacher.

Such a “late bloomer” was enough to make the industry sigh with admiration. Digging deeper into her past, it was discovered that she had divorced her former husband, also an elementary school language teacher, at the age of thirty-seven.

Reporters found her former colleagues and neighbors for interviews and learned that apart from being a renowned beauty, most people’s impression of her was that she was a good wife and mother. Everyone praised how well she took care of her family. No one had expected her sudden divorce, and they were even more shocked that she had transformed into a great painter.

This was quite dramatic—what had a virtuous wife and good mother experienced to undergo such a tremendous change?

But no one discovered the reason. A publisher approached Dong Xian wanting to write a book about her, but she refused.

“Good decision,” Zheng You’an nodded. “I think this woman is ridiculous.”

“You mean her thing with Fu Mingyu?” Dong Xian frowned, muttering quietly, “Even if everything were clarified, it wouldn’t change his habit of flirting around.”

Zheng You’an didn’t hear Dong Xian’s last mutter and continued on her own, “They say she’s seeking publicity, but I think she’s just interested in Fu Mingyu. She’s a big star who must have seen all kinds of men, yet her taste is like this? It seems the film crew she selected isn’t that great either.”

Dong Xian glanced at her without saying anything.

After completing the walk-around inspection with the captain, the two entered the cockpit.

While waiting for passengers to board, the captain made a phone call home, and Ruan Sixian used her phone to reserve a popular restaurant in Jinxing City. In her ear was the captain’s gentle voice.

“Mm, Daddy is about to take off… Yes, yes, I’ll buy you a gift… Be good and listen to Mommy at home, Daddy will be back tomorrow… Good… Let me speak to Mommy…”

Ruan Sixian turned her head to look at him and saw him smiling with a face full of tenderness while on the phone.

Her phone suddenly buzzed. Ruan Sixian looked down to see a message from Fu Mingyu.

Fu Mingyu: Have you boarded?

Ruan Sixian changed her position, resting her chin on her hand as she typed.

Ruan Sixian: Yes, just got on.

Fu Mingyu: The weather isn’t good today. Let me know when you land.

Pressing the screen keyboard, Ruan Sixian sent out another message almost without thinking.

Ruan Sixian: My mom and Zheng You’an are also on this flight. The world is really small.

This time he didn’t reply immediately.

Ruan Sixian thought he might be busy.

Looking at what she had written, it was indeed quite mundane.

But she didn’t know why, when she saw Fu Mingyu’s message, she instinctively wanted to mention this.

Half a minute later, the network signal was cut off, and Fu Mingyu called.

“Are you unhappy?”

Hearing his voice, Ruan Sixian felt a bit dazed.

It felt like her heart was a balloon, slowly being filled with something, gradually descending.

“I’m not particularly unhappy,” Ruan Sixian said. “I just thought it was quite a coincidence.”

Hearing her normal tone, Fu Mingyu responded with a “Mm” and said, “Stay safe. I have to go to a meeting.”

“Okay.” After a pause, Ruan Sixian added, “When I come back tomorrow, can I come to see you?”

“Mm?” Fu Mingyu seemed to smile, speaking with a slight breathy sound. “Want to kiss me again?”

“…”

Ruan Sixian hung up.

She stared at the screen for a while before turning off her phone.

The slight emotional fluctuation she had felt when seeing the passenger list was completely swept away by this phone call.

The captain had also hung up his phone and turned to ask, “Your mother is on this flight?”

Ruan Sixian nodded with a smile.

“That’s nice. The daughter in the cockpit, the mother in the cabin. My daughter also says she wants to be a captain when she grows up, but I don’t think it’s possible. The little girl isn’t in good health. I won’t be able to sit on her flight in the future.”

“She’ll get better,” Ruan Sixian said. “When she grows up, she’ll be fine.”

They arrived in Jinxing City at four in the afternoon. After all the passengers had disembarked, Ruan Sixian and the captain finally came out.

The temperature in Jinxing City today reached 29 degrees, somewhat unusual, but perfect for a beach visit.

Ruan Sixian asked the young flight attendants in the cabin crew if they wanted to go to the beach together, but they all shook their heads, saying that Jinxing City had duty-free malls. They had been looking forward to coming here to shop on domestic flights and planned to go bargain hunting in the evening.

Ruan Sixian had no choice but to go to the beach alone.

However, before that, she needed to eat.

The restaurant she had booked was right by the sea. Not wanting to go back and forth, she changed into a dress and went directly there.

The restaurant was built by the sea with glass on five sides, offering a panoramic sea view. In the evening’s sunset glow, the twinkling lights made the place look like a fairy tale world.

Sitting by the window, with the window open, she could even hear the sea breeze.

However because it was positioned as a high-end restaurant, there were more decorations than seats, creating an elegant environment.

After Ruan Sixian entered, she was led by a server to her reserved seat.

Since she was alone, she sat at a small table.

After sitting down, Ruan Sixian’s phone buzzed. Fu Mingyu had replied to her message reporting her safe landing.

Fu Mingyu: Mm, have you eaten yet?

His WeChat conversations were quite boring. “Have you eaten?” “Have you slept?” “Are you awake?”—like templates used over and over.

So Ruan Sixian wanted to tease him a bit.

Ruan Sixian: Boyfriend, I have a question for you.

Ruan Sixian: Between me and psrrfd, who do you think is prettier?

Fu Mingyu: Who is psrrfd?

Ruan Sixian: Why do you need to ask who psrrfd is? Couldn’t you just say I’m prettier?

Fu Mingyu: Are you in a bad mood today?

Ruan Sixian laughed out loud at her phone like an idiot.

Ruan Sixian: Let me ask you another question.

Ruan Sixian: Would you dislike me for not looking good without makeup?

Ruan Sixian: So you mean I don’t look good without makeup?

Half a minute later.

Fu Mingyu: Feeling a bit naughty today?

Seeing the word “naughty,” Ruan Sixian naturally thought of what Fu Mingyu’s so-called “disciplining” entailed.

She suddenly felt her face flush, and her hair fell, tickling her cheeks.

Ruan Sixian: Never mind, I’m going to eat now.

Just as she put down her phone, she suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her.

Her hand paused, and she looked back to see Dong Xian and Zheng You’an.

As she turned around, she came face to face with Zheng You’an.

Zheng You’an was also a bit surprised, blinking her eyes.

Dong Xian followed Zheng You’an’s gaze and turned around to see Ruan Sixian, her lips slightly parting.

“Ruan Ruan? What are you doing here?”

The smile from chatting with Fu Mingyu hadn’t yet faded, and she was still in a soft mood.

Looking at the two people opposite her, she said, “I came here for something.”

Dong Xian walked up to her, looking at the menu in her hand, and somewhat hesitantly said, “Would you like to eat together?”

Zheng You’an was still looking at Ruan Sixian, not knowing what expression to make.

This was the first time the three of them had gathered together.

She also knew that the relationship between Ruan Sixian and Dong Xian didn’t seem to be very good, after all, she had never seen this biological daughter in all these years.

“No need,” Ruan Sixian said. “I can eat by myself.”

Ever since learning that Ruan Sixian was with Fu Mingyu, Dong Xian had wanted to talk to her properly about it, but there was never an opportunity to explain the details over the phone. Now that they were face to face, she didn’t want to miss this chance. Afraid that Ruan Sixian might leave abruptly, she got straight to the point: “Ruan Ruan, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about Fu Mingyu.”

Hearing Dong Xian say this, Zheng You’an leaned forward to hear better.

Here we go again.

Ruan Sixian put down the menu, thinking they might as well clear things up once and for all, so this issue wouldn’t be dragged out any further.

“Fine, go ahead.”

“The other day I saw the news about him and that female celebrity, he…”

“It’s all been explained,” Ruan Sixian was a bit annoyed. “I told you before, it was a misunderstanding.”

“I know this incident was a misunderstanding.”

“Then what else is there to say?”

Ruan Sixian thought Dong Xian was strange. She was already in her twenties, just having a boyfriend—a tall, handsome, and wealthy one who seemed perfect in every way. She didn’t understand why Dong Xian kept bringing this up.

“I wanted to tell you last time, but you interrupted me,” Dong Xian said. “Fu Mingyu isn’t as good as he appears to be.”

Fine, this again.

Ruan Sixian nodded helplessly. “Alright, tell me, what’s wrong with him?”

Dong Xian looked around to make sure no one else could hear before saying, “He’s quite ambiguous in his relationships with women. I won’t speculate about what we haven’t seen, but a few months ago when he went to Spain, he got involved with strange women there.”

Behind her, Zheng You’an heard this and felt her heart skip a beat. She walked over in a few steps. “Mom, I…”

“You’an saw it with her own eyes,” Dong Xian pointed at Zheng You’an. “He had just gotten off the plane, and he couldn’t take his eyes off the local beauties.”

Zheng You’an: “…”

As for him taking women into his car, Dong Xian couldn’t bring herself to say it.

She found such behavior too degrading.

Ruan Sixian’s expression slowly froze. After a long moment, she said, “Oh, I also can’t walk when I see handsome guys.”

“Cough, cough!”

Zheng You’an suddenly choked on her saliva.

Dong Xian completely ignored Zheng You’an’s reaction, feeling only that Ruan Sixian was too deeply infatuated, still making excuses for him.

“You think I’m joking? Don’t you understand what I’m saying? Was he just looking? Don’t you think he would take women away?”

Zheng You’an hurriedly pulled at Dong Xian’s sleeve. “Mom, that…”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask her,” Dong Xian pushed Zheng You’an in front of Ruan Sixian. “She saw it with her own eyes.”

Zheng You’an: “…”

Before Zheng You’an could speak, Ruan Sixian suddenly stood up.

“Alright, I have something to do. I’m leaving first.”

Although Ruan Sixian turned and left with a poor expression, Dong Xian watched her back and felt a weight lift from her heart.

Ruan Sixian didn’t return to the hotel but wandered around the beach on the other side.

She felt very troubled.

Regardless of her relationship with Dong Xian, she knew Dong Xian wasn’t someone who would speak without basis.

Ruan Sixian carried her shoes in her hand, leaving one footprint after another in the sand.

It’s fine, even if it’s true, so what? They weren’t together at that time, so his private life was his own business. As long as he doesn’t play around now, it’s fine.

Yes, that’s right.

Ruan Sixian comforted herself and walked a few more rounds.

No, it’s still annoying!

She didn’t want to walk anymore. She found a beach chair and lay down, listening to the sea breeze, trying to calm herself.

Ahhhhh!

Fu Mingyu, you dog of a man!

You said you liked my type, so why couldn’t you keep walking when you saw Samba girls? How superficial!

Ruan Sixian got angrier the more she thought about it. To make matters worse, when she looked up, she saw several models or something taking photos by the sea.

Wearing bikinis, with large breasts and buttocks, striking seductive poses.

If Fu Mingyu were here, wouldn’t his drool be three meters long?

Ruan Sixian lay on the chair, looking at those models as if they were love rivals, puffing up like a pufferfish.

A few minutes later, she took a photo of the distant bikini-clad woman and sent it to Fu Mingyu.

Fu Mingyu, who had just left his office, walked while opening the image to take a look.

Rippling sea water, a beach glowing golden in the sunset, and a pair of white, delicate feet covered in sand, resting on a beach chair, with adorably round toes.

He smiled.

Ruan Sixian: “…”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Ruan Sixian: Darling, I’ll bring you a big gift when I come back tomorrow.

No one knew how happy Fu Mingyu was when he saw the word “darling.”

Fu Mingyu: Good, I’ll be waiting for you.