Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 17: First Class

First Class.

This was the most peaceful place on the entire plane. The space here was comfortable and spacious, and the air clean and fresh. The seats could recline 180 degrees, and there was no disturbance between adjacent seats.

When Qian Ai walked in, of the four passengers, two were asleep on their flat reclined seats. The blinds were all down, casting a layer of tranquility over the area. The earlier broadcast had quelled their last bit of anxiety, and they were now sweetly dreaming.

Seats number three and six were supposed to be occupied but were empty now. The former was Wu Sheng’s seat, and the latter’s occupant was unknown. The seat was reclined and covered with a blanket, but there was no one there.

In seats number one and two were two girls who wasn’t asleep. One had short hair covering the ears, and a mischievous sprite was idly fiddling with an empty water cup. In fact, she was already half asleep but wasn’t reclined back in her chair. She sat there occasionally nodding off and was yawning continuously; the other with shoulder-length hair was wearing glasses, giving her a refined and gentle demeanor. She was quietly reading an e-book with her head down.

The girl was startled, abruptly looking up and becoming completely alert, wishing she could shrink into her seat back. Qian Ai, realizing he was almost overwhelming her, quickly retreated to lessen the intimidation and said, “Miss, don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person. I just want to know if you know the code for the bomb?”

The short-haired girl, still recovering from the shock, asked in confusion, “Wasn’t the bomb already disarmed?”

The broadcast had announced that the criminal was caught, and the bomb would be disarmed, and since it had been about twenty minutes since the broadcast, the passengers naturally assumed the crisis was over. This logic made sense.

Qian Ai couldn’t respond properly and didn’t want to admit that it was a lie, which might complicate things further. So, he awkwardly changed the subject. “I’m just joking with you. The bomb has been defused long ago. Haha. What’s your name?”

In a normal world, the girl would probably throw her purse at him and curse, “Are you sick?” But this was the “Owl”. As Qian Ai changed his question, the girl also seamlessly switched gears, instantly turning her fear into a radiant smile. “Zhao Yi.”

This name was easy to remember.

“Are you traveling by plane, going to school, visiting relatives, or going home?” Qian Ai was anxious inside, counting the time by the seconds, but had to proceed with the conversation gradually.

Unexpectedly, the girl laughed vivaciously, showing her pearly teeth. “Work.”

Qian Ai was unprepared for this answer and blurted out, “I thought you were a student…”

It wasn’t that he had poor judgment; the girl looked young, at most seventeen or eighteen years old.

“Shh.” The girl suddenly looked around, her big eyes darting to make sure no one was paying attention to them, then leaned in mysteriously and whispered, “I’ll tell you a secret. I’m actually a magician.”

Qian Ai didn’t believe it for a second but played along. “Then can you conjure up the bomb code?”

“That I can’t do.” Zhao Yi quickly shook her head, her face lively and laughing, clearly taking Qian Ai’s comment as a joke. “But I can make this,” she said, turning her hand, and somehow the paper cup turned into a cupcake!

A golden cupcake topped with a dollop of pure white cream, steaming slightly with the warmth and sweetness fresh from the oven.

“Here you go.” Zhao Yi offered the small cupcake to Qian Ai with a smile.

Qian Ai reminded himself internally not to eat food from strangers, but his hands and mouth had their own ideas—taking it, stuffing it in, chewing, and swallowing all in one go.

Feeling satisfied, Qian Ai started to believe she was a magician.

The short-haired girl seemed to find satisfaction in Qian Ai’s contentment, sighing contentedly and opening the shade to admire the clouds outside.

The code and this girl Zhao Yi were unrelated—Qian Ai made that judgment amid the lingering sweetness of the cake.

Having learned from this, he stood next to his seat, slightly bowed like a flight attendant, and politely interrupted, “Sorry to disturb your reading. My name is Qian Ai, what’s yours?”

The girl with glasses slightly turned her head and gave a polite response without any guards up. “Qian Er.”

Great, a namesake.

“Are you also on this flight for work?”

She dropped her eyes at the casual joke, revealing a sad sigh. “Traveling.”

Her sigh was light, but it carried a weight of sadness.

Qian Ai was stunned. No longer needing to think about it, he naturally followed his instinct and asked, “Traveling should be happy, right?”

The girl smiled bitterly. “Break-up trip.”

Qian Ai had heard of post-breakup consolation trips, but “break-up trip” was a new concept…

“Alone?”

“No, it’s called a break-up trip for a reason. Of course, with my boyfriend.”

A new concept indeed!!!

“That’s him.” She pointed to a spot, which was the fourth seat in the row, smiling gently. “We’ve agreed to break up after the trip.”

Qian Ai originally complained about Wu Sheng’s seat being unfortunate, right in the middle of a couple, but looking in the direction the girl pointed, the carefree young man was sleeping deeply, snoring loudly, spread out without a care in the world. Even if you built a magpie bridge* for him, he wouldn’t bother to walk across it.

*Clarity: This is referencing the bridge made out of magpies in the story of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Despite their love, their romance was forbidden, and they were banished to opposite sides of the heavenly river (symbolizing the milky way). Once a year, a bridge made of magpies would form to reunite them for one single day (the Qixi Festival).

Qian Ai felt old, unable to understand why a breakup necessitated a trip. Wasn’t a quick end better? For instance, a final meeting, a splash of coffee, or a dramatic turn and chase after a bus in the rain seemed ceremonious enough.

But all that wasn’t the point.

“Continue reading, miss. I’ll have a chat with your boyfriend.”

Intuitively, the bomb and this heartbroken traveler, Qian Er, were unrelated. Qian Ai decided to switch his focus immediately.

“Hey, wake up.” Qian Ai pushed the young man, who was deep in sleep and neglecting his girlfriend. “Stop sleeping. Get up for a chat!”

It was unclear whether he didn’t control his strength well or the young man was just too frail, but with one final push, Qian Ai ended up knocking him to the ground with a loud thud.

The young man sat on the floor, dazed and disoriented, his arm still entangled with the seat, trying to grasp the reality of the situation.

Qian Ai, having less patience with him, directly waved his hand in front of the young man’s face. “Hey, look here. Are you out traveling?”

Finally regaining his senses, the young man stood up and stared at Qian Ai, perplexed. “Who are you?”

Since he wasn’t worried about being pursued into reality, he introduced himself. “Qian Ai.”

However, upon hearing the name, the young man immediately darkened his expression and turned to shout at Qian Er with a hostile tone. “Bringing family members won’t help. We’re not married. Dating isn’t protected by law. I’ve already told you I don’t love you anymore. When will you face reality!”

Qian Ai was speechless. With the same surname, it was indeed hard to explain the coincidence.

When in love, every word is sweet, but when love fades, every word cuts deep. Miss Qian bowed her head, her shoulders shaking slightly, and if one listened closely, they could hear the faint sound of her sobbing.

Qian Ai, who had been single for twenty-nine years, had always dreamed of finding a sweet girl to cherish and couldn’t stand seeing this. Forgetting this wasn’t reality, he passionately slapped the young man on the head. “Can’t you fucking speak nicely? And if you’re breaking up, then just break up. What’s all this bullshit about traveling? You’re so full of it!”

The young man quickly assessed the physical difference between himself and Qian Ai and reluctantly suppressed his urge to retaliate, only covering his head and protesting. “It was her idea to travel! You think I wanted this?”

Caught off guard, Qian Ai instinctively looked towards Miss Qian. She finally lifted her head, her face streaked with tears, and responded in a hoarse voice, “Yes, it was my idea for the breakup trip, but I didn’t ask you to bring your new love.” Her voice grew fainter towards the end, but a tinge of hatred seeped through her soft words.

Qian Ai’s eyes widened in disbelief—this is outright a fucking scumbag!

The young man was also taken aback, apparently not expecting his girlfriend to have such insight. But soon, he resignedly confessed, “I told you before, changing hearts is my fault, but love is uncontrollable. I’ve fallen for her. I’ve never loved anyone like this, to the point where I would give my life for her. Do you understand? I couldn’t go on this trip with you behind her back. That would be betraying her!”

Qian Ai watched the young man self-righteously explain and felt his worldview shatter—what kind of fucking twisted logic is this?!

Miss Qian suddenly stood up, tears still in her eyes, but walked towards the young man with a determined stride. The young man’s arrogance instantly diminished; he was clearly aware of his wrongdoing, and he unconsciously took a step back.

However, Miss Qian stopped in the aisle between the seats, maintaining a moderate distance, and asked with a steady gaze, “Do you really love her that much?”

Without hesitation, the young man nodded. “Of course.”

His answer was too firm and sincere, and even Qian Ai, who disliked him, had to admit that perhaps he really did love the “other woman”.

Logically, this answer should have hurt Miss Qian more, but surprisingly, she smiled, faintly and even a bit sweetly. “Do you think she loves you?”

“Of course,” he answered with the same conviction.

Miss Qian tilted her head and innocently blinked. “Then why, after all our arguing, is she still pretending to be asleep?” The young man was stumped, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the blanket-covered seat in the back row.

Qian Ai followed his gaze to the mysterious fifth seat, covered with a blanket and completely concealing the person underneath… What is this? A breakup trip with the current, the mistress, and the scumbag all seated together?!

“Maybe she doesn’t want to embarrass you.” The scumbag finally found an excuse for his “true love”.

Qian Ai rolled his eyes unabashedly, knowing even as someone inexperienced in love that the “mistress” was avoiding trouble by feigning sleep. While the scumbag might sacrifice his life for her, she might only consider him a fling or even a backup plan!

“How considerate of her,” Miss Qian said as she walked towards the fourth seat, gently pinching the corner of the blanket. “She’s worried about embarrassing you.”

With those softly murmured words, she yanked the blanket up!

Underneath, in the spacious seat, a woman was laying on top of a man, disheveled and lost in ecstasy.

Qian Ai, tall and strong, didn’t need to move closer. He glanced down and saw everything. The girl had slightly curly waves, red lips, and an hourglass figure, while the man was handsome and well-built with well-developed pecs.

Neither made any sudden movements but instead calmly maintained their “intimate position”. Their eyes swept over Qian Er, who had lifted the blanket, while Qian Ai stood dumbstruck. Finally, his gaze fell on the young man, whose face had started to tremble, and he gave an awkward smile. “Hey.”

The shock was too sudden, coupled with the sting of Cupid’s broken arrow. The young man’s legs gave out, and he collapsed back into his seat, every cell in his body rejecting this dramatic twist of fate.

Qian Ai also weakened at the knees and sat down on Wu Sheng’s chair. Now, he understood why seat number six was empty. But—he was only joking about being entertained or a spare tire; did the plot really need to be this thrilling? And how did they manage to do it without making a sound? Were they covered with a soundproof blanket?!

“You’re really something,” Zhao Yi said, who had been looking out the window. She slowly stood up, turned around without leaving her seat, and just stood there, quietly observing the man and woman behind her. Her delicate features no longer bore a lively smile but only a smear of ridicule. “I really thought you came to work with me.”

The muscular gentleman could no longer remain calm, hurriedly pushing the woman off him and clumsily fixing his clothes. “No, listen to me. It was just a spur of the moment, just playing around…”

Qian Ai’s head hurts. He had never encountered such complex personal relationships in his life. Short-haired Zhao Yi and the muscular man were a couple; glasses Qian Er and the young man were another; wavy-haired beauty was like the third wheel, winning over the fickle young man’s true love, then having an affair with Zhao Yi’s man?

Isn’t living a simple life better?!

“Wait, Zhao Yi, stop!” the muscular man suddenly shouted in panic.

Qian Ai’s body tensed, sensing that the girl might do something foolish. He was about to leap forward—confident he could snatch away whatever self-harming tool she might have—only to find that she was still holding the same empty cup.

Qian Ai brake in time, not acting recklessly. After all, fiddling with an empty cup wasn’t much… Wait, what was her profession again?

In a blink, Zhao Yi’s empty cup magically flipped and vanished into thin air. The next moment, a roar worthy of the king of beasts emanated from seat number six.

The roar was so powerful, it whipped up a gale in the first-class cabin!

Everyone was petrified, too scared to move. Qian Ai, though bold, took a deep breath and unconsciously pressed his back against the seat, trying his best not to make eye contact with the lion occupying seat number six. Meanwhile, he was calculating whether running away or playing dead had a higher chance of survival.

However, both options seemed bleak. The lion, which was sleeping peacefully like a kitten in the cargo hold, was now fully awake and furious. Its gaze was sharp and fierce, just like a real lion king.

He remembered now; Miss Zhao Yi was a magician.

But shouldn’t you have mentioned you’re a circus magician?!

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