"Manman, I'm tired. I'm going to sleep first," Wang Qiqi closed the book in her hands, preparing to close her eyes for a nap, though sleeping in the cramped confines of economy class was never particularly comfortable. "You should get some rest too."

Shi Man hummed in response, rubbing her eyes. "I'm sleeping too. By the way, did your man work overtime again yesterday?" Shi Man glanced at Han Tao, who had collapsed into sleep the moment they boarded the plane. Seeing his haggard appearance, and that he seemed even thinner than the last time she saw him, she knew how miserable his recent life must have been. "Qi Qi, I think you should come with him during the winter break. You're here now, constantly cooking delicious food for Han Tao, and he's still losing weight like this. If you weren't here, who knows how much thinner he’d be. I wonder how thin my Lao Feng will be when he returns next year..." Seeing Han Tao, Shi Man immediately thought of her own man. Knowing his cooking skills were mediocre—just enough not to poison anyone—Wang Qiqi was genuinely worried.

"It's fine. People who live on hamburgers don't get thin. Han Tao loses weight because of frequent overtime and stress," Wang Qiqi murmured, her eyes half-closed, pulling Han Tao's hand. "Your man shouldn't have to work overtime every single day; he wouldn't get this thin so quickly."

"So, you're saying Lao Feng has no pressure?" Shi Man recalled Feng Xuanxiang cuddling her in bed the night before, talking about his vision for the future. Honestly, Shi Man didn't think Feng Xuanxiang was being unrealistic; she worried that this man was pushing himself too hard. She truly wanted to tell Feng Xuanxiang that she didn't care how successful he became in the future; she just wanted him to be by her side, to clock in and out on time every day, and to go for a walk on the weekends. In the end, Shi Man still hadn't voiced these concerns; she knew saying anything would be futile. Feng Xuanxiang possessed a man's pride.

"Men always have pressure. Men with pressure are the most family-oriented and responsible," Wang Qiqi mumbled sleepily. "Manman, don't worry. Feng Xuanxiang is a reasonable man." Wang Qiqi noticed Shi Man’s brow furrowed the moment she saw her at the airport, immediately knowing she was in a bad mood. As for the specific reason, Wang Qiqi never pried, but she was sure it involved Feng Xuanxiang. Once, when Han Tao casually mentioned Feng Xuanxiang, Wang Qiqi received several sharp glares from Shi Man. Wang Qiqi said this only to comfort Shi Man.

"I know. Sigh, whatever, time to sleep." What was the point of overthinking? It was better to focus on improving her cooking skills so she could properly nourish Feng Xuanxiang when she saw him.

Among the three of them, they only woke up to use the restroom or eat the airplane meals; otherwise, they were asleep. In fact, most people on the plane were in some state of sleep. Except for the occasional sounds of flight attendants moving about, the cabin was remarkably quiet.

Wang Qiqi rubbed her slightly full belly and stifled a yawn. She nudged Han Tao beside her, asking him to make some room so she could go to the lavatory. Han Tao mumbled an assent, clearing a space before immediately closing his eyes again. After solving her biological needs with her eyes half-closed, Wang Qiqi had only walked halfway when she felt the plane lurch violently. She nearly fell, immediately grabbing the back of a seat for support. What's wrong with the plane? Why is it shaking? Did we hit turbulence? It was normal for a plane to encounter turbulence, so once the shaking subsided slightly, Wang Qiqi hurried back toward her seat. Wang Qiqi thought she was quick, but before she could settle in, a wave of turbulence even more intense than the last began, and Wang Qiqi was thrown to the floor. "Ouch," she gasped softly. Heavens, what's going on? That force was huge.

Han Tao, who had only been half-awake, opened his eyes upon hearing Wang Qiqi's cry and feeling the sustained shaking. He saw Wang Qiqi sprawled on the floor, immediately pulling her up and guiding her back to her seat. "What happened?"

At that moment, a flight attendant announced over the intercom that they had hit turbulence and asked everyone to fasten their seatbelts. After the first two moderate jolts, most people had woken up. Some had already secured their belts and drifted back to sleep, as turbulence was a common occurrence.

"Turbulence..." Wang Qiqi started to wonder why they hadn't encountered any major turbulence on the way there—the flight to the US had been smooth—but now, on the return trip, they were getting this "surprise." Before she could finish speaking, the shaking intensified far beyond the previous waves. She could even feel her rear lifting away from the seat, which made Wang Qiqi’s heart race. Could we have hit a massive air pocket?

Wang Qiqi cried out in alarm, and following her voice, some of the more timid women began to scream. "Don't be scared, I'm here." Han Tao reached out and gripped Wang Qiqi's hand, hoping to transmit some courage. Truthfully, Han Tao was also quite panicked; this turbulence didn't sound like the minor turbulence mentioned in the broadcast; it felt like something significant.

Wang Qiqi held Han Tao's hand with one hand and Shi Man's with the other. Shi Man clutched Wang Qiqi's hand tightly; her friend's hands were ice cold and trembling. "Qi Qi..." In that moment, Shi Man thought of so many things she hadn't done, so many words left unsaid to a certain person. "Will we..." Shi Man couldn't finish the sentence, as the turbulence grew even fiercer.

Wang Qiqi’s heart pounded too. She felt the plane continuously dropping, interspersed with moments where she could sense the pilot desperately pulling the nose up, though the effect was minimal—a slight ascent followed by a long plunge. Wang Qiqi thought, Are we just going to keep falling into the Pacific? But she dared not voice the thought. "It's fine, it's fine, we'll be safe." Wang Qiqi vaguely recalled that according to history, there shouldn't have been any major plane crashes in this year. That meant they should arrive safely, but Wang Qiqi worried that her being reborn might have somehow altered history.

For the next stretch, the shouting subsided. Some people began to weep, as it felt like they couldn't get past the layer of turbulence. Shi Man quietly sobbed to Wang Qiqi, "Do you think I should write a will?"

A will? Hearing such a ridiculous suggestion, Wang Qiqi intensely wanted to slap Shi Man awake. "Do you think, up here over the ocean, anyone will find your will after they fish us out?" It was more likely the will would be lost, or at best, turn into a soggy piece of paper with nothing legible left. "We should just pray we get through this safely."

Shi Man didn't have the energy to argue with Wang Qiqi at that moment. She admitted Qiqi was right. She was being completely idiotic. Setting aside whether writing a will was even feasible in this situation, she realized she didn't even have paper and a pen in her bag, and even if she wrote it, her parents wouldn't see it. If she couldn't write it down, she decided she would tell Wang Qiqi her thoughts.

Wang Qiqi, however, wasn't dwelling on such matters. "If something really happens, my house might end up going to Wang Dagui," Wang Qiqi joked lightly. "But if I can be with you, I’m really not scared..." If disaster struck, Wang Qiqi knew she wouldn't feel at peace. After struggling and striving for so long, she was finally seeing a glimmer of light, getting closer to the goals she set when she was reborn. To think it might end like this—but thankfully, Han Tao was right beside her.

Han Tao wasn't sure if he would make it through this. Though he wondered what his mother's reaction would be upon hearing the terrible news if he didn't survive, for Han Tao, the thought that he was facing the unknown with Qiqi made him feel content. "I'm very happy you're here, Qi Qi. I want to book your next life, and the one after that..." Perhaps assuming there might not be a future, Han Tao spoke many things he normally wouldn't.

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Mm-hmm, I love you, Han Tao. We must be together for all eternity."

Shi Man was about to ramble on to Wang Qiqi when she realized the couple had already started conversing, completely disregarding her single status. However, as she listened to their exchange, Shi Man almost burst out laughing. Who said Han Tao couldn't spout sweet nothings? He was practically quoting Qiong Yao-esque romantic lines, and Wang Qiqi was responding with equally saccharine nonsense—a rare sight. For the sake of this unusual spectacle, Shi Man decided to stay put and listen quietly. If they survived this, it would be excellent blackmail material against Wang Qiqi.

When the plane finally stabilized, Wang Qiqi let out a long sigh. Despite having flown so many times, she knew an aircraft was statistically the safest mode of transport on land, yet every time she flew, she was anxious. Especially on this return trip over the Pacific, just as they were nearing Japan, hitting severe turbulence—though the shaking lasted a while—thanks to heaven and the capable pilot, they had made it back alive.

Wang Qiqi wasn't the only one with this realization; it seemed everyone on the plane shared the same thought: It's wonderful to be alive. Wang Qiqi squeezed Han Tao's hand, and before standing up, she kissed him. "Do we count as a couple who faced death together?"

Han Tao held back Wang Qiqi as she started to pull away and gave her a deep French kiss. He had actually wanted to do this the moment the alarm sounded and lifted, but Qiqi had been busy taking deep breaths, clearly marveling that they had pulled through, so he hadn't wanted to interrupt. He hadn't found another chance until now, and Wang Qiqi’s fleeting, butterfly-kiss-like peck gave Han Tao the courage.

Shi Man was speechless at the couple's display of affection right before disembarking. She wanted to escape this lovey-dovey pair quickly, but being trapped on the inner aisle, she had no way out. "Are you two finished? Can we get out now?"

Han Tao reluctantly broke the kiss. Wang Qiqi's lips were slightly red, and she shot Shi Man an envious look. "We're done. Don't rush us."