The direct flight from the capital city to the island took four hours, and they would arrive around 2PM. They would get there in time to have seafood lunch in the villa complexâs restaurant.
Four hours wasnât considered long or short.
With the original ownerâs appearance, it wasnât strange that guys would hit on her. For example, the gentleman in the seat next to her very politely chatted with her, âYouâre going to the island too? Thatâs a good place.â
Ruan Xia answered, âYeah, Iâve only heard about it before. This is my first time going there.â
âYour first time going there?â The gentleman smiled. âThen make sure to enjoy the sea view while you are there. If you go there during winter, the view is even better.â
Ruan Xia intentionally rested her right hand on her head, revealing the diamond ring on her finger to show that she wasnât single.
(T/N: In China, itâs more common for women to wear the wedding ring on their right hand than their left hand.)
This wasnât the original wedding ring. She didnât know where or what nook the original ownerâs wedding ring had fallen down.
That didnât matter though. The original owner had bought plenty of diamond rings. Ruan Xia would occasionally wear them. For example, she put one on for this trip. Ruan Xia wasnât being excessive in taking this precaution. The original ownerâs appearance was simply too alluring. Since she didnât have thoughts of developing a romantic relationship outside her marriage, it was better to wear a ring and pretend that it was her wedding ring.
She didnât know if the gentleman had seen the diamond ring on her ring finger, but his next sentence was, âMy wife likes to travel a lot, especially to seaside cities.â
Embarrassed, Ruan Xia put down her right hand.
Okay... It seemed that she was overthinking things. He wasnât trying to hit on her, and he was married too.
Knowing that the other party wasnât hitting on her, Ruan Xia had a pleasant conversation with the gentleman for the rest of the plane ride. From chatting about the islandâs scenery to overall culture, this gentleman was humorous and witty. There was no awkward silence between them. Ruan Xia kept laughing because of him. Due to his rich knowledge base, even ordinary things sounded very interested when he was the one saying it.
âAre you a teacher?â Ruan Xia asked.
The gentleman froze for a moment in surprise. âNo, Iâm a business person.â
âOh, you donât seem like one.â
âIn what way?â
âJust donât feel like one, I guess.â
As soon as the plane landed, Ruan Xia hastily turned on her phone and sent Song Tingshen a WeChat message: âLanded ~ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âReporting to your boyfriend that youâre safe and sound?â
Ruan Xia put her phone away. Smiling at the man next to her, she said, âNot my boyfriend. Itâs my husband.â
âYour husband is quite lucky then.â The man stood up and said to Ruan Xia, âThe island is only so big. We might have a chance to meet again. Bye.â
Ruan Xia waved at him. âBye.â
The past four hours werenât boring. At the very least, she had met an interesting person. It can be considered an unexpected gain during her trip.
It wasnât 2PM yet. It was still during the lunch break. Song Tingshen quickly replied back to her message: âI saw on the weather forecast that itâs going to rain on the island tonight. Remember to take an umbrella.â
Ruan Xia suddenly felt that being apart for a few days was pretty good. At the very least, she could calm down and properly think about her relationship with Song Tingshen. Although it was very possible that the so-called ambiguous atmosphere between them was just her imagination... She didnât like to probe out other peopleâs feelings for her or be controlled by others like a fool.
If he liked her and was interested in her, then he should straightforwardly tell her. She didnât have the ability to guess other peopleâs hearts or want to imagine a romance that didnât exist.
Thinking of this, she didnât reply back. She put her phone back into her bag and followed the large group in leaving the plane.
Translator Ramblings: I find it unfair that sheâs placing the onus of confessing on Song Tingshen. Sheâs also interested in Song Tingshen. Theyâve come so far since the beginning of the book. Theyâre friends, so they have equal responsibility in their relationship. Heâs not a stranger or playboy thatâs trying to mess with her, so âShe didnât like to probe out other peopleâs feelings for her or be controlled by others like a foolâ was odd. She doesnât have to guess anything. She can just ask him. They have a very honest relationship with each other.
I would feel differently if she doesnât want to say anything because sheâs worried about messing up their friendship or if sheâs too shy to do so, but sheâs not even considering that possibility. Even if it is, Song Tingshen is also worried and scared about ruining their peaceful relationship.
Another way to look at it, is that sheâs not sure about her feelings for Song Tingshen, so thatâs why she wants him to make the first move. Or, another possibility is this is influenced by her conservative upbringing. For example, we see in chapter 206 that her mother has taught her that its not okay for women to show that theyâre s*xually interested in someone.
What do you guys think?