Chapter Thirty-One: You Knocked Me Out and Put Me on a Plane?

"Ouyang..." Fang Zhiyin wanted to ask something, but as a flood of words surged to her lips, she found herself unable to utter a single one. Shock, helplessness, frustration—an array of tangled emotions swirled within her, threatening to erupt like a mushroom cloud hovering over her head, ready to explode at any moment.

The next second, Ouyang Junyan glanced at his phone. "I've been looking for you all night. Luckily, I finally found you! We really are kindred spirits!"

This...

Fang Zhiyin was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond. Yet, recalling the terrifying scene just moments before, she could no longer hold back—tears spilled from her eyes, startling Ouyang Junyan, who had rushed in, weary from the journey. "Why are you crying? Did someone bully you just now?"

Ouyang Junyan was following his own script, unaware of what Fang Zhiyin had just experienced. He, too, had been given the director's script, and while wandering the street, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Fang Zhiyin's silhouette... No matter when or where he saw her, in whatever state, he prided himself on always recognizing her at first sight.

Because he was her husband.

"No one bullied me!" Fang Zhiyin blurted out. "It was just seeing you appear before me so suddenly—I was too excited, too moved. Tell me, where did you go after you got off the plane?"

Ouyang Junyan swallowed awkwardly—the man before her was the twenty-five-year-old Ouyang Junyan. As for the eighteen-year-old Ouyang Junyan on the plane earlier, that had actually been him acting. As for why he was playing that role, and how he knew about the eighteen-year-old persona, that was a story for another time.

"I just wandered around aimlessly," Ouyang Junyan lied through his teeth.

It was late, and the two of them couldn't possibly stay out wandering the streets until dawn.

"Let's go to the hotel I booked," Ouyang Junyan said to Fang Zhiyin.

"Alright, let's go."

Together, they arrived at the hotel. Since filming was still ongoing, Fang Zhiyin insisted on two separate rooms—she wanted to sleep alone. But the front desk informed them that only one room with a king-sized bed was left.

Fang Zhiyin looked troubled, but Ouyang Junyan seemed unfazed. "Just stay in my room!"

"But I want to rest by myself tonight."

"Huh?" Ouyang Junyan was astonished. "We're married..."

But I still don't know if you're the twenty-five-year-old or the eighteen-year-old! How could I possibly share a bed with you?

"Then I'll just sleep on the couch in the lobby," Ouyang Junyan pouted.

"Forget it, you can come with me to the room," Fang Zhiyin relented. She couldn't bear to leave him sleeping out in the bustling lobby.

Once they had checked in, Fang Zhiyin had no choice but to bring him to the room. Though it was called a king-sized room, it was tiny, and the bed wasn't particularly big either. Besides the floor, there was nowhere else to sleep.

Surveying the room, Fang Zhiyin felt an inexplicable awkwardness. Then she noticed two cameras installed in the cramped space—the production team really knew how to play things up.

"Honey, I'll take a shower first. You rest up," Ouyang Junyan offered.

"Alright," Fang Zhiyin replied, utterly drained, collapsing onto the bed. She curled up on one side, leaving the other half of the bed free.

After Ouyang Junyan finished his shower, he saw Fang Zhiyin lying on the left side of the bed. He hesitated, then asked softly, "Honey, maybe... you should take the bed."

He, too, had noticed the cameras rolling, and felt embarrassed about lying down with her.

"Get up here," Fang Zhiyin ordered a moment later.

"Wha-what?"

"Get in bed... to sleep!" She snapped her eyes open, glaring at him in frustration. "What are you thinking!"

"I'm not thinking anything!" Ouyang Junyan's face flushed bright red, though his eyes grew strangely dreamy despite his protests.

Moving in slow motion, he gingerly climbed onto the other side of the bed.

As Ouyang Junyan lay down beside her, Fang Zhiyin inexplicably felt tense. This was their first time recording the show, and neither of them knew that the other guests would cover the cameras with towels—so even if the cameras were left on, they'd only capture darkness.

"Let's just sleep," Fang Zhiyin said awkwardly.

Fifteen minutes passed.

She was almost asleep when she suddenly heard Ouyang Junyan's heartbeat—so loud she had to open her eyes again. "Ouyang, are you nervous sharing a bed with me?"

Her voice was so soft it made Ouyang Junyan's heart itch. "Honestly... yes, I'm more nervous than ever before."

"Is it because we're being filmed?"

"No... I feel like you've changed a lot lately," Ouyang Junyan admitted.

I've changed?

Fang Zhiyin couldn't help but give a wry smile. She wondered how the twenty-five-year-old Ouyang Junyan remembered their life together. She longed to know, but now wasn't the time to ask. She would have to wait for another opportunity.

"Honey, there's really nothing going on between me and UI," Ouyang Junyan suddenly brought up.

"Oh, let's talk about that later."

"But she's been looking for me all the time," Ouyang Junyan added pointedly, hoping to stir Fang Zhiyin's concern for him. He truly felt she was growing colder towards him, and he didn't know why.

"Just ignore her."

"You don't mind?"

"I do mind. Haven't I quarreled with you about this before? But you wouldn't listen."

"I was wrong..."

After a brief silence, Fang Zhiyin broke it. "Let's talk about it some other time. Let's rest for now."

"There are two cameras filming us. Can you even sleep?" Ouyang Junyan asked after a while.

But Fang Zhiyin didn't answer. She'd been shooting all day and had endured all sorts of melodramatic scenarios planned by the director—she was exhausted, body and soul.

Soon, she drifted off to sleep.

He watched her profile as she slept, sighing heavily, weighed down by his thoughts.

The next morning, Fang Zhiyin was awakened by sunlight streaming through the window. She opened her eyes groggily, only to see Ouyang Junyan glaring at her with barely contained fury.

No way.

Was the domineering thirty-five-year-old CEO back?

"Ouyang..."

"Fang. Zhi. Yin." Ouyang Junyan enunciated each word. "Where are we right now?"

"Kathmandu..." Fang Zhiyin felt her teeth chattering.

Honestly, every one of his personalities drove her mad, but the thirty-five-year-old sometimes made her genuinely anxious.

"Hmm??" Ouyang Junyan's face was a portrait of confusion, but his temper was as foul as ever. "You knocked me out and shipped me off on a plane?"

What?? Fang Zhiyin nearly coughed up blood in exasperation.