Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 45

The boarding announcement sounded at that moment.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please: flight MU5586 alternated from M Country to Hong Kong City is now…

The announcement repeatedly played the boarding reminder. Many passengers who had been sitting in the VIP lounge booths stood up and headed to the boarding gate.

Only the woman in the corner did not move.

Her long, straight legs were crossed. She held a cigarette in her slender fingers, tapping the table intermittently.

When Ling Yu looked over, the woman’s thick, long eyelashes fluttered. Her long eyes were half-closed, fixed on the tabletop.

She looked indifferent and focused, as if deep in thought.

A layer of red-glazed lipstick was applied to her thin lips, adding a hint of color to her overly pale skin.

Compared to two years ago, Gu Qing looked much thinner. Her white shirt was tucked into a tight skirt.

Even sitting down, there wasn’t an ounce of excess fat on her waist. She was curvaceous, like a fully bloomed ice lotus.

Perhaps not noticing Ling Yu’s scrutiny, Gu Qing nonchalantly picked up the mug beside her and took a small sip of coffee, covering her face.

Then she leaned back lazily against the sofa.

As she moved, the cigarette in her fingers swayed in the air, making her look slightly decadent, yet not jarring.

Ling Yu only glanced from afar. Aside from being thinner, Gu Qing hadn’t changed much. However, her icy demeanor had only increased.

Even when she was casually talking to her friend at the moment, her air of arrogance was completely unconcealable, as if it had seeped into her bones and could no longer be shed.

Even her friend, sitting across from her, stood slightly to the side, looking timid and fearful.

Ling Yu’s gaze only lingered on Gu Qing for three seconds. She was about to casually pull it back.

Gu Qing suddenly lifted her head.

Taken by surprise, Ling Yu’s eyes were forced to meet Gu Qing’s gaze in mid-air.

Separated by about fifty meters, Gu Qing glanced at her lightly. Ling Yu smiled back.

Neither of them looked away. It was like a showdown of scrutiny versus disregard.

“Yuyu, do you know her?”

Luo Huihui, having struggled her way through the entertainment industry, noticed the tension and instinctively looked at Gu Qing.

This was a stunningly beautiful, cold woman. Her eyes were half-closed, and her gaze toward Ling Yu was filled with a subtle darkness and obscurity.

Like a half-slumbering lioness.

The smile on Luo Huihui’s lips faded a little. She instinctively broke the eye contact between the two, her eyes showing a hint of gravity.

She couldn’t help but study the expression on Ling Yu’s face.

Ling Yu wore a polite and lazy smile, identical to the one she had forced when Luo Huihui had abruptly stopped her earlier.

It was the look one gave a stranger, maintaining a necessary distance.

Luo Huihui’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

Ling Yu curved her lips subtly. Her gaze toward Gu Qing suggested a lack of interest.

“I don’t know her.” Ling Yu finally looked away, as if she were bored. She commented objectively: “She’s quite good-looking… You must have mistaken her for someone else.”

Ling Yu’s tone was flat. When she said she didn’t know her, there was no guilty conscience in her eyes. She looked genuinely like she had simply run into a reasonably attractive stranger.

Luo Huihui’s heart, which had been racing, finally calmed down. She added, “I’m much prettier than her, right? Look at me more!”

Ling Yu’s lips twitched: “…”

Gu Qing’s personality might not be the best, but her looks were definitely top-tier.

Is she blind?

Ling Yu gave Luo Huihui a pitiful glance. She didn’t want to undermine the young woman’s blind confidence in her own looks.

So, she pointed to the boarding reminder sign not far away, lazily interrupting Luo Huihui’s embarrassing comparison, and countered: “Want to walk together?”

Luo Huihui’s eyes lit up. She quickly nodded.

Ling Yu sat there, waiting for Luo Huihui to sweep her compact and brow pencil into her handbag before finally getting up to leave.

The boarding gate was located directly behind the VIP lounge, requiring them to walk around. As they walked past the very back of the VIP lounge.

Ling Yu’s peripheral vision inevitably fell on the last row of booths again.

Gu Qing maintained her seated posture, as if she hadn’t moved the entire time.

Her deep blue eyes were fixed on the space beside Ling Yu, though it was unclear what she was looking at.

Ling Yu couldn’t read the emotion in Gu Qing’s eyes. As the light shone down, she could only vaguely see that the cold, stunning woman’s long eyelashes were lowered, her phoenix eyes narrowed into a slit, and the corners of her eyes were actually flushed red.

Ling Yu’s heart sank, but she didn’t stop to look closely.

She thought, For someone as strong as Gu Qing to have red eyes, she must be facing difficulties.

But whatever difficulties she was facing, it had nothing to do with Ling Yu anymore.

They had settled their scores two years ago.

Furthermore, Gu Qing was the person Xu Miao was interested in.

Ling Yu wouldn’t give the other party any reason to think she was trying to get entangled again.

Luo Huihui walked a few steps ahead. Seeing that Ling Yu hadn’t caught up, she took out her boarding pass and waved it in front of Ling Yu: “Yuyu, quick, help me see if we’re sitting together?”

There were only twelve seats in first class in total.

Ling Yu’s seat number was in the front row. Luo Huihui’s was in the back.

Luo Huihui confidently snatched Ling Yu’s boarding pass, looking at it repeatedly.

She pouted in disappointment: “Can I ask the passenger next to you to switch seats with me?”

Ling Yu didn’t know what to say.

Her boarding pass showed a window seat in the front row. It was 10:30 p.m., the perfect time for sleep. Ling Yu planned to close her eyes and rest for a while.

Because after landing, she still had to take a connecting flight back to Jiangcheng.

The entire journey would take about a day, and she was prone to hypoglycemia if she didn’t get enough sleep.

Luo Huihui clearly wanted to flirt with her. If they sat together, Ling Yu would find it hard to maintain her composure against the constant harassment.

Ling Yu was used to confessions from both men and women over the years.

She was generally more patient with young women and wouldn’t bluntly ruin their mood.

“Sure.” Ling Yu subtly lifted her eyes. She paused in her reply, pretending to ask casually: “Huihui, you don’t really look like a celebrity, though?”

Ling Yu’s gaze conveyed her distrust, which made Luo Huihui feel a rush of helplessness.

She was even a little angry.

If Ling Yu hadn’t looked so refined and elegant from afar, and up close, exuded that lazy, laid-back artistic vibe—exactly the type she liked.

Normally, if someone told her they didn’t know her.

She would be half-dead with anger.

Luo Huihui started as a child star and reached her peak early. As she grew up, she relied on her accumulated connections and hard work to become an unparalleled actress.

Therefore, the name Luo Huihui was almost a household name.

But in Ling Yu’s eyes, she was a liar!

Luo Huihui took out her phone with a complex expression and showed Ling Yu her Weibo account with five hundred million followers.

A few seconds later, Ling Yu showed appropriate surprise: “I didn’t expect you to be so famous. Sorry, I’ve been abroad and don’t really follow celebrities.”

Luo Huihui gave a reserved nod, clearly pleased with Ling Yu’s compliment.

In the next second, Ling Yu lowered her eyes, her eyebrows arched as she asked: “Huihui, celebrities should be very low-key, right?”

She glanced meaningfully at the half of Luo Huihui’s face visible under the baseball cap, subtly reminding her: “If you dress like this, you could easily be recognized by fans in first class… especially since you’re so famous.”

The unspoken message was, What if you go to switch seats with someone and get recognized?

Luo Huihui’s expression froze. Remembering the manager’s special instruction before she left for home tonight, she instinctively pulled her cap lower.

She gave a muffled “oh,” looking unhappy: “Alright then, Yuyu. It’s true that I can’t show my face easily. Call me if you need anything later.”

Ling Yu nodded cheerfully. The expert at appeasing others wore a kind smile and consoled her: “We’re not far from each other. About ten meters. If you round it up, we’re still sitting together…”

Luo Huihui, who clearly didn’t realize she was being manipulated, thought, That actually makes sense. She cheerfully cheered up again: “That’s true, Yuyu. You’re so nice.”

Ling Yu, who had just been given the “nice guy” label: “…”

---

Gu Qing was using the premium VIP channel because the airline belonged to the Gu family.

Wei Minjun followed closely behind Gu Qing.

After only a few steps, Gu Qing suddenly stopped.

Wei Minjun didn’t have time to stop and almost ran into her.

Gu Qing frowned and subtly took a few steps back.

Wei Minjun staggered to a stop. She patted her chest in fear, then carefully looked up, asking with her eyes why Gu Qing had stopped.

The tall woman in front of her didn’t respond. She just stood in the silent shadow, silently looking at the duty-free shop fifty meters outside the VIP channel corridor.

Lawyer Gu, who was traveling for business, rarely wasted time shopping, especially now, with less than twenty minutes until the plane took off. Gu Qing was a woman with an extremely strong sense of time.

Wei Minjun suppressed her surprise.

She switched her briefcase to the other hand and seriously explained to Gu Qing: “The M Country duty-free shop operates outside the security channel, but the taxes the stores pay are also higher than the regular shops in the airport. I went in to browse during my last business trip. The face masks are pretty good…”

Gu Qing gave a casual “mm.” She suddenly turned and walked toward the duty-free shop in her high heels.

---

Ten minutes later.

Wei Minjun followed Gu Qing out of the duty-free shop with a complex expression.

Gu Qing was carrying a very delicate handbag. Inside the bag were not cosmetics, nor luxury accessories.

But a bag of White Rabbit Creamy Candy.

Unbelievable.

Wei Minjun cursed internally. She thought, What the heck? Wasting ten minutes to queue up and check out, risking missing the flight.

And the result is, Gu Qing bought a box of White Rabbit Creamy Candy.

Wei Minjun truly couldn’t understand. She remembered that Gu Qing herself didn’t like sweets.

Wei Minjun grumbled the entire way. It wasn’t until she reached the boarding entrance with Gu Qing that her peripheral vision caught sight of two faint figures approaching them about a hundred meters behind.

Upon seeing their faces clearly, Wei Minjun gasped and nudged Gu Qing’s arm with her elbow: “Boss, look! We’re on the same flight as those two beauties.”

Gu Qing didn’t say anything. She glanced at them casually. Her gaze circled back, and she walked forward with pursed lips, looking displeased. This time, her steps were smaller, moving slowly.

Wei Minjun followed behind her and quickly passed her.

The strange feeling in her heart reached its peak at that moment. She turned to look at Gu Qing, belatedly realizing that the latter’s mood was off. To be precise, ever since Gu Qing and the beauty in glasses locked eyes in the VIP lounge.

Gu Qing seemed extremely depressed, yet also eager to get close.

Wei Minjun tilted her head in an attempt to gauge the situation.

Although she was instinctively intimidated by Gu Qing’s aura.

Wei Minjun and Gu Qing had a decent relationship. Two years ago, when Gu Qing left Kaihe Law Firm and moved to Hong Kong City for development, she followed Gu Qing and started over with her.

Now, QY Law Firm was almost a top-tier firm in the industry, and Wei Minjun considered herself to have contributed one percent to that success.

Gu Qing was aggressive toward outsiders, but she was good to her own people.

Wei Minjun didn’t consider herself an outsider. Thinking of Gu Qing’s abnormal behavior tonight, she tilted her chin toward Ling Yu’s direction and couldn’t help but ask: “Lawyer Gu, do you know her?”

Gu Qing was expressionless. After a brief silence, she lowered her eyelids and walked forward as if she hadn’t heard.

Wei Minjun coughed, wanting to press further.

Gu Qing suddenly glanced at her, her expression cold: “Remember to send a message to Vice President Zong before turning off your phone…”

Gu Qing shifted the topic to work, meaning she didn’t want to discuss it further. Wei Minjun wisely stopped talking.

She lowered her head to text Vice President Zong, updating him on the case. When she looked up, her peripheral vision couldn’t help but glance at Ling Yu again.

Her woman’s intuition told her that Gu Qing definitely had a history with the beauty behind her.

Because Lawyer Gu was an extremely time-conscious career woman. She wouldn’t waste extra time staring blankly at a stranger.

Yet, just now in the VIP lounge, Gu Qing watched the lady leave.

She sat quietly in the shadow. She didn’t chase after her, but Wei Minjun had a feeling that when Gu Qing looked at the girl’s figure, her eyes had a warmth that wasn’t usually there.

She definitely knew her.

Wei Minjun sighed, staring at Gu Qing’s waist-length long, curly hair.

This was the first time she had seen such an excess of emotion on Lawyer Gu’s face. If she thought about it carefully, Gu Qing was only a woman in her late twenties.

But her overly aggressive methods and her cold, indifferent personality made her seem unapproachable.

Even with her stunning, cold face, those who secretly looked at her were deterred.

---

During boarding, Luo Huihui was inevitably recognized by a male fan, who held out paper and a pen for an autograph.

When he finished, he nervously walked up to Ling Yu: “Can I also get your autograph?”

Ling Yu glanced at him. Her hands were in her pockets. She had much less patience for men. She smiled and refused: “My partner doesn’t allow it.”

She said this very frankly. Luo Huihui, standing beside her, looked crestfallen.

As a result, when the two of them boarded first class and looked for their seats.

Luo Huihui hadn’t managed to regulate her mood. She looked visibly dejected.

“Yuyu, do you really have a partner?” Luo Huihui pulled Ling Yu aside and asked sadly.

First class was a small area, and there weren’t many people.

Luo Huihui’s voice was smoky, hoarse, and distinctive.

As soon as she spoke, she instantly drew the attention of many people in first class.

Ling Yu noticed several eyes on her. She frowned: “Yes, I do.”

“No way?” Luo Huihui bit her lip and continued to ask reluctantly: “What does your partner do?”

Ling Yu narrowed her eyes. She threw the last White Rabbit Creamy Candy in her pocket to Luo Huihui and smiled: “Eat it and throw the wrapper in the trash.”

Ling Yu was smiling, but the curve of her lips didn’t reach her eyes.

Her curved foxy eyes squinted sideways, and her eyes were pitch black. Luo Huihui instinctively covered her mouth, even though her palms were sweaty.

She was screaming internally. She thought she was a gentle, artistic young woman, but it turned out she was a refined, wicked girl.

Ahhhhh!

---

Ling Yu followed her seat number and walked straight to the front row.

There were only eight people in first class. Ling Yu’s luck was not great. A woman was lying in the aisle seat of the front row.

The woman had lowered the cabin seat and was lying down. She seemed to be sleeping. A white blanket covered her, and a magazine covered her face. The magazine lay flat, covering her entire face.

Typically, first class wasn’t crowded. It wasn’t unusual for seats to be empty on a flight.

Ling Yu boarded late. The other party probably thought the seat next to her was unoccupied.

It was late at night. Almost everyone had reclined their seats and was preparing to sleep.

She just hadn’t expected this woman to fall asleep so quickly.

Ling Yu walked to the woman’s side. Her seat was by the window.

This was the best seat in the entire first class cabin, with an open view. Ling Yu didn’t want to settle for less.

She stood there, hesitating for a second.

She politely greeted the sleeping woman: “Hello, beautiful. Could you please move so I can pass?”

The woman unconsciously turned over, her back to Ling Yu. Her face was buried in the shadow, and the magazine was partially displaced, revealing a mass of chestnut-colored long, curly hair.

Ling Yu felt a little awkward when she didn’t get a response.

Across the cabin, Luo Huihui waved to her, gesturing with her eyes that the seat next to her was empty.

Seeing that Ling Yu wasn’t moving, she stood up, seemingly wanting to pull her over.

Ling Yu lowered her eyes, confirming that the woman in front of her was sound asleep.

She decided to take the opportunity. She lifted one leg and stepped over the woman’s tightly closed legs.

However, in the next second.

The sleeping woman woke up at some point.

“What are you doing?”

The woman removed the magazine from her face and pressed the seat button with a pale finger. The entire chair moved upward.

Ling Yu’s one leg was suspended over the other woman’s closed legs. Due to the sudden sound, she stumbled, and unluckily, fell right onto the woman’s lap.

This wasn’t the worst part.

The hem of her skirt brushed against the other woman’s tight skirt. She was sitting in a straddle position, and the inertia pushed her forward. Her body uncontrollably lunged toward the woman in front of her. At this close distance, Ling Yu could hear the woman’s heart beating violently, suppressed and heavy. The softness of her chest pressed against Ling Yu’s face. Ling Yu could distinctly feel the other person’s stiff body.

Ling Yu’s face was squeezed into a strange shape. Her head was buried in the woman’s chest. She lifted her eyelids and could only see the tense curve of the other person’s jawline.

“Is it appropriate for a woman who already has a partner to pin a stranger down in a chair?”

Ling Yu: “…”

Incredible! This person is deliberately trying to start trouble.

Ling Yu narrowed her eyes. A manipulative person?

If the other party hadn’t suddenly raised the seat… she definitely wouldn’t have lost her balance.

She hadn’t even had a chance to demand an explanation, and this person was already blaming her?

Ling Yu lifted her eyelids. She propped herself up on the magazine woman’s thigh and sat up. She said calmly, “Since you suddenly raised the seat, I lost my footing… I don’t believe I’m the one at fault here. I have reason to suspect you’re deliberately trying to cause an accident. Ma’am, are you bored and sick?”

Ling Yu clenched her fist. When she finally saw the familiar face in front of her, her voice abruptly changed.

Gu Qing!!! Damn it.

Ling Yu choked, too shocked to say anything.

Gu Qing only lowered her eyes. Her long eyelashes were half-closed. She drawled out a lazy “mm”: “I’m sick?”

Ling Yu blinked, then blinked again mechanically.

Gu Qing’s familiar cold scent, mixed with a hint of tobacco, drifted into her nostrils.

Ling Yu’s mood at this moment was indescribable.

The emotion on her face slowly disappeared. Even the slight upward curve of her lips vanished completely.

The air was dead silent. Gu Qing’s eyes flickered, and she looked away.

She was the first to break the silence: “How much longer are you going to sit there?”

The woman’s clear voice was laced with a hint of hoarseness. She wrapped the long ends of her hair around her fingers, idly curling it.

“That depends on you. When will you chop off those numb, heartless legs of yours?”

Whether the accident just now was intentional or unintentional on Gu Qing’s part, Ling Yu wasn’t interested in knowing.

She knew she had to establish her stance. She had absolutely no interest in Gu Qing’s legs.

Ling Yu lowered her eyes. She propped herself up on Gu Qing’s slender legs, stood up, and casually pulled her other leg across the aisle, stepping over Gu Qing’s body.

She sat back in her seat, rested her chin on her hand, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly stretched out one foot and fiercely kicked Gu Qing.

The smile in Ling Yu’s eyes was fleeting. Her gaze was fixed on her phone screen. She said slowly, “Stay away from me.”