Chapter 17: There Is Still One More Guest

As drowsiness crept over her, Jiang Mian briefly wondered if Wen Jinhai had ordered her a Coke to help her relax. She bent down to pull out the lower part of the seat, rested her legs on it, and shifted herself down slightly, half-reclining comfortably in her chair.

Since she was traveling far, she was dressed in a light blue casual outfit today. Wrapping the blanket around herself and finding a cozy position, Jiang Mian leaned her head against the seatback. She was seated next to the central partition.

This was Xiao Li’s first time flying first class, and she was visibly excited. She wanted to say something to Jiang Mian, but the entire cabin was hushed. Glancing to the side, she saw that Jiang Mian was already lying down. With no one to share her enthusiasm, Xiao Li resigned herself to playing quietly in her seat.

Jiang Mian slept deeply, probably exhausted from several days of nonstop work. Now that she had finally relaxed, there was no sign of her waking anytime soon. As she shifted on her side, the blanket slid down her waist unnoticed.

At some point, Xiao Li had also fallen asleep, leaning back in her seat. Wen Jinhai, returning from the restroom, lowered his gaze and happened to see this scene. The girl’s petite frame was curled up in the seat, her soft cotton clothes draped loosely over her delicate curves. The blanket around her waist had slipped halfway down.

Her long hair gently cascaded over her shoulder, her head tilted against the seatback, some strands messy and pressed in the middle. She looked particularly serene while sleeping—so gentle that even the slight softness of her cheeks seemed inviting to touch.

Wen Jinhai’s Adam’s apple moved as he shifted his eyes away. Raising his hand, he pressed the call button and then bent down to sit properly. The flight attendant arrived promptly and asked if he needed assistance.

He glanced sideways, his expression softening slightly, his voice low. “Her blanket fell off. Please help cover her again. Thank you.”

“Certainly,” the attendant replied. She circled around, picked up the blanket from the floor, and carefully draped it back over Jiang Mian. Looking up, her eyes met Wen Jinhai’s gaze. The man smiled faintly and nodded.

The attendant’s ears tinged with red for no reason. She smiled politely and quickly walked away. It wasn’t her first time seeing such a handsome passenger, but he always thanked her, leaving a lasting impression.

When Jiang Mian finally woke, the sky outside had darkened. “Sister Mian, we’ll land in twenty minutes,” Xiao Li said eagerly after waiting a long time for her to stir.

Wen Jinhai, who had been typing rapidly on his laptop, glanced over upon hearing the voice. Beside him was the Coke he had requested from the flight attendant earlier, half-finished. He withdrew his gaze and returned to his keyboard.

Jiang Mian shifted slightly, not much, just enough to stretch her limbs and relieve stiffness. She then smiled at Xiao Li. “I slept this long?”

“Yeah, you sure did,” Xiao Li agreed, a hint of concern in her voice. Jiang Mian had been working tirelessly for the studio recently; this rare moment of rest was well deserved.

Pursing her lips as if to say something, Xiao Li’s words caught and she simply smiled at Jiang Mian as the latter rose and folded back her blanket. Without another word, Jiang Mian grabbed her bag and headed to the restroom.

She had indeed slept quite a while. Without checking her reflection yet, she already felt her hair was a mess. After freshening up and tidying her hair, she returned to her seat.

Wen Jinhai had already packed away his laptop and placed his bag on the table, just as before. She cast a glance, then lowered her eyes and sat down.

The descent didn’t take long. Jiang Mian had eaten some small bread rolls and the plane had come to a full stop. As she gathered her belongings to disembark, she instinctively looked toward Wen Jinhai. He was speaking slowly with Xiao Ming, their pace unhurried.

She pressed her lips together and withdrew her gaze, allowing Xiao Li to link arms and lead her forward. “Sister Mian, are we going straight to the hotel?”

“Our senior sent someone to pick us up,” Jiang Mian replied. She thought that if Wen Jinhai had been invited by their senior, the person picking them up would be accompanying them.

A message popped up on her phone—it was the senior asking if she had found the person picking them up. Looking up, she spotted someone waving at her with a sign. It was another senior.

The founder of XG, Senior Xu Mu, was accompanied by a junior from a later class who had come to meet them. Approaching, Jiang Mian smiled and greeted the man.

This senior, Qin Mingchen, was a talented designer who had taken a break from school early on due to family reasons. Few knew what he did after completing his studies, but unexpectedly, he had joined Xu Mu’s venture. It seemed a good choice, as XG was gaining considerable international acclaim.

“Junior sister Jiang Mian, long time no see,” Qin Mingchen greeted her warmly. Before his hiatus, he had been in the same club as Jiang Mian, so they were acquaintances.

“We might have to wait a little longer; there’s another guest to pick up,” he added.

“Alright,” she replied, guessing as much, though seeing Qin Mingchen approach Wen Jinhai stirred a slight flutter in her heart. Though she had heard of the Wen Corporation’s international business expansion, seeing it firsthand was another matter entirely.

“Mr. Wen, this way please,” Qin Mingchen said with a gentle smile as he led the man toward Jiang Mian. When their eyes met, she merely blinked and nodded slightly.

Because the conference was imminent and everyone was busy, Qin Mingchen was the sole person picking them up—and naturally the driver.

The business van’s back seat was spacious enough to avoid any feeling of confinement. Jiang Mian sat on the left, gazing out the window.

Abroad wasn’t all that different from home, except perhaps the air quality, which left much to be desired. That was one reason she didn’t relish traveling overseas.

The hotel, booked in advance by Xu Mu, was a five-star seaside establishment with enormous floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of the ocean—though there wasn’t much to see at night.

The journey was silent; everyone kept to themselves. Checking her phone, Jiang Mian saw it was already 10:43 p.m.—quite late. Though she had eaten some food on the plane, her stomach was beginning to protest.

“Senior, is there any food at the hotel?” she asked.

“You must be hungry. Xu Mu arranged for Chinese food to be delivered to the room,” Qin Mingchen replied, glancing at her in the rearview mirror with a smile.

Wen Jinhai continued staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Hearing this, he turned his head slightly, expression still composed.

“Miss Jiang, are you well acquainted with Mr. Xu?”

“We’re from the same circle, and we’ve collaborated on competition designs before,” she answered.

So, yes, they were quite familiar.