Chapter 24

Zhao Pingjin was very busy, so he took two days off to visit her hometown. He didn’t have time to stay in Shanghai and needed to return to Beijing directly.

Xitang went to the airport with him.

In the VIP lounge, Zhao Pingjin was unwilling to talk. The chest tightness and palpitation he had experienced the night before had persisted, and he hadn’t eaten well for the past two days. His stomach was also feeling uncomfortable.

Xitang didn’t say much either, she just sat quietly. Soon, the broadcast announced the boarding.

Zhao Pingjin put away his coat, pushed himself up from the chair, and stood up, “Let’s go, the driver will send you later.”

“Zhao Pingjin.” Xitang, who was beside him, suddenly called his name in a low voice.

Zhao Pingjin looked down at her.

Xitang lowered her eyes and said softly, “Thirteen Ye said that if I didn’t go with you, I wouldn’t have to film in the company. Is that true?”

Zhao Pingjin thought for a moment, understanding what she was implying, and replied indifferently, “What do you think?”

His voice was neither loud nor soft, and without any emotional trace, yet it was chilling. Xitang understood the meaning of his tone very well.

Xitang bit her lip and bravely looked up at him, “After you get married, let’s not see each other anymore.”

Zhao Pingjin was stunned for a few seconds, then slowly replied, “What if I don’t want to?”

Xitang lowered her head again, her voice still very soft, “My mother will beat me to death.”

Zhao Pingjin frowned slightly, “Does your mother often hit you?”

Xitang said, “No.”

Zhao Pingjin hesitated and said, “Her mental state...”

Xitang immediately interrupted him and whispered, “It’s not her fault, it’s my fault.”

She lowered her head again, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and tears dripped onto her skirt, leaving round stains.

Zhao Pingjin silently watched her lonely figure, feeling a dull ache in his heart. A long time ago, when she was still young, he had been with her for over two years. She used to laugh a lot, and except when she was arguing with him, she never cried.

The airport ground staff came over and bowed respectfully, standing not far away, “Mr. Zhao, you can board now. Please use the VIP channel.”

Zhao Pingjin got up and walked towards the channel. Xitang secretly wiped her tears and stood up with him.

Zhao Pingjin walked in silence to the door. The entrance to the boarding bridge was right in front of him. He turned around, “I promise you.”

Xitang looked up in a daze, “What?”

Zhao Pingjin’s voice was very calm, with a hint of hoarseness, “What you just said, I promise you. Don’t be sad.”

Zhao Pingjin developed a high fever on the plane. He closed his eyes and curled up in his seat, as if he could still hear the sound from that room. Huang Xitang’s weak cry kept ringing in his ears, making his heart ache. The flight attendant wrapped a blanket around him. As the plane took off, he felt even worse. He had just vomited in the bathroom, but he couldn’t vomit anything out. His bile tasted bitter in his mouth, and his stomach ached in waves. He could only endure it silently, and his vision was blurred from dizziness.

Ni Kailun happened to be flying to Beijing on business that day. After the plane leveled off, she got up to wash her hands in the restroom, and when she came back, she took a glass of red wine and noticed a young flight attendant standing motionless near a seat on the opposite aisle. Curious, she took a look and noticed the adjacent compartment. The spacious seat had been reclined, and there was a black figure lying on it, the back view looked a bit familiar.

Ni Kailun held her wine and stood aside watching for a while.

The young flight attendant was ordered to watch over him. The girl had been assigned to this flight regularly. Zhao Pingjin was a frequent customer of the first-class cabin, and all the flight attendants in the crew had seen him often. However, apart from the VIP list that only the flight attendant could see, no one knew the customer’s identity or background. They only guessed that he was a handsome business elite who looked like an advertising model, and he often traveled between Beijing and Shanghai. He was not difficult to serve, except that he was picky about food and often didn’t eat the in-flight meals, but he never made things difficult for the flight attendants. If they saw him on the plane that day, all the girls in the crew would be happy for the whole day. However, they never expected to see him sick for the first time. The flight attendant was told not to approach or disturb him, so she could only watch silently in the corner, her eyes filled with pity.

Ni Kailun watched for a while, then walked over and called out, “Hey, Zhao Pingjin?”

Zhao Pingjin raised his head groggily, his face as pale as the overhead light in the cabin.

Ni Kailun exclaimed, “Oh, Mr. Zhao, are you sick?”

Zhao Pingjin was too uncomfortable to speak, so he just nodded.

Ni Kailun laughed heartily, “Mr. Zhao, you’ve done too many bad things, and now karma’s catching up with you. You’re so precious, you have to be careful.”

She turned to leave with her wine glass.

“Ni Kailun—” Zhao Pingjin called out to her.

Ni Kailun turned around.

Zhao Pingjin propped himself up and sat up. He was feeling a bit dizzy and said, “What happened when she went back to her hometown?”

Ni Kailun smiled, “What could have happened? She just got dumped and went home.”

Knowing he wouldn’t get any more information from her, Zhao Pingjin thought for a moment and said, “Arrange for her to film the next movie in Beijing.”

Ni Kailun’s shrewd mind turned eight times in an instant, “That won’t work, it’s written in the contract.”

Zhao Pingjin had a splitting headache and panted weakly, “I’ll have Shen Min talk to you again.”

Seeing his condition, Ni Kailun couldn’t help but say, “You should just lie down. Getting sick at high altitude is no joke.”

Zhao Pingjin couldn’t say anything else, so he nodded and lay back down. The flight attendant came over again, squatting beside his chair and saying softly, “Mr. Zhao, would you like me to contact ground staff and notify your doctor?”

Zhao Pingjin shook his head.

The flight attendant said again, “Then shall I call Secretary Shen?”

Knowing that he probably couldn’t hold on any longer, Zhao Pingjin nodded weakly and passed out.