Xia Yu was still preparing to ask more when Kong Hanyue had already hung up the phone and boarded the plane.
After the call, Xia Yu immediately drove to the airport to pick her up.
The airport was quite far from You Xue’s school, and with heavy traffic, Xia Yu spent more than an hour getting there.
After waiting in the terminal for more than half an hour and drinking a bottle of water, Xia Yu finally saw Kong Hanyue walk out.
Waving his hand, Xia Yu signaled to Kong Hanyue, who quickly came to him and You Xue.
“I’m here!” Kong Hanyue happily said, linking arms with Xia Yu with her left hand and You Xue with her right.
Xia Yu pushed her suitcase while You Xue carried her backpack, and the three walked together toward the parking lot.
Xia Yu felt as though they hadn’t come to pick up a mother, but rather a daughter.
“Why did you suddenly come here?” Xia Yu asked.
“To prevent you two from lying to calm me down and then sneaking away!” Kong Hanyue replied.
Xia Yu tapped Kong Hanyue’s head with the mineral water bottle and scolded her, saying, “If you wanted to come earlier, just say so directly. Don’t make up excuses.”
“You actually figured it out, so why ask me!” Kong Hanyue angrily let go of Xia Yu’s arm and linked only with You Xue.
Not bothering to argue with her, Xia Yu approached the car and opened the door.
“This car is pretty good,” Kong Hanyue said as she got in, nodding while glancing around the interior.
Xia Yu glanced at Kong Hanyue through the rearview mirror and sighed.
He had thought Kong Hanyue had matured over the years, but now it seemed she was still the same as before.
A normal person seeing a car for the first time would usually be curious about its brand and price rather than the interior and space.
That was just as well. If she had become an ordinary and vulgar person, she wouldn’t have been interesting at all.
Although Xia Yu himself was an ordinary and vulgar person, that didn’t stop him from disliking people like himself.
He started the engine, slowly pulled out, and drove onto the main road.
On the way, Kong Hanyue didn’t disturb Xia Yu while he drove. Instead, she and You Xue discussed travel plans together.
Because neither had been to District 26 and knew little about it, the conversation soon hit a dead end.
They timely shifted the topic to swimsuits.
Their in-depth discussion made Xia Yu somewhat uncomfortable.
Fortunately, due to the lack of examples, the swimsuit topic was soon exhausted. Their conversation finally turned normal, moving on to food, drinks, clothing, and daily necessities.
It was already surprising for Xia Yu to see a mother so engaged in discussing such things with her daughter. When Kong Hanyue and You Xue then began chatting about TV shows and songs, Xia Yu became even more astonished.
When it came to food, drinks, and clothing, one could talk about consistent aesthetics, but TV shows and songs should involve a generation gap, right?
If he hadn’t known that the person behind was Kong Hanyue, Xia Yu would have thought You Xue was chatting casually with a same-aged friend.
Surely one of the most unreliable mothers in the world.
When they arrived at the villa, Xia Yu parked the car in the garage at the back. The three got out.
Entering the house, Kong Hanyue handed her suitcase and backpack to Xia Yu and then darted into You Xue’s room.
The two lay on the bed, using a laptop to search for pictures of District 26, chattering excitedly about what it would be like when they got there.
“Pour me a cup of tea,” Kong Hanyue didn’t forget to command Xia Yu.
Xia Yu poured three cups of lemon-flavored drink, which Kong Hanyue disliked the most, and came to You Xue’s room.
After handing the cups to the two, Xia Yu took a sip of the drink and looked at You Xue’s laptop. On the screen was an aerial view of a cityscape capturing most of the city.
“This is Haiming City. What do you think?” Kong Hanyue asked Xia Yu.
Xia Yu first glanced at the overall view. There weren’t many high-rises in the city, mostly concentrated in a few adjacent streets. Most were just ordinary five- or six-story buildings.
It was hardly advanced, but their purpose this time wasn’t to experience technology—it was to go to the beach.
“It’s okay,” Xia Yu replied.
“Even okay for this?” Kong Hanyue couldn’t understand.
“This is District 26. Haiming City is already great there,” You Xue explained.
Kong Hanyue was still somewhat disappointed. She lowered her head, took a sip of the drink, and immediately frowned.
“This is lemon-flavored!” She raised her head, ready to confront Xia Yu, but he had already walked out of the room.
Back in his bedroom, Xia Yu searched for pictures of Haiming City’s beaches. The golden sands and clean seawater were extremely beautiful.
Come to think of it, he had never been to the seaside. He wondered what it would feel like to step on the sand.
……
……
Soft, warm, and slightly ticklish.
That was the feeling Zhen Mei experienced while walking barefoot on the beach.
She carried her shoes in one hand and walked along the edge of the beach, watching the cheerful tourists by the sea.
Whenever she was in a bad mood, Zhen Mei would come here for a walk. The joyful atmosphere of the tourists would soon lift her spirits.
Standing still, Zhen Mei gazed at the setting sun on the horizon of the beach, lost in thought.
She had already been in Haiming City for a month.
Originally, after escaping from District 232, she had followed her old subordinates to another city. However, the puppet government soon found her trail, forcing her to abandon the family base and move to Haiming City.
Haiming City was the most prosperous place in District 26, the face of the district, where the puppet government of District 232 couldn’t act recklessly.
If only she had come here earlier…
Zhen Mei bit her lip and held the necklace around her neck.
It was a silver vial attached to a cord, containing a small amount of the ashes of a brown bear.
If only she had come here earlier, Xiongxiong wouldn’t have had to die.
As she was immersed in sorrow, three young men with dyed blond hair approached her.
There were many men like this on the beach, fond of hitting on women who were alone. Although Zhen Mei wore a mask, these three were the type who would go after any available woman.
They drew closer and closer. Zhen Mei could already see their unmistakable smiles, but she remained calm.
When the three young men approached within ten meters of Zhen Mei, two burly men, each over six feet tall, came from the side and blocked their way.
The three young men prudently turned and left.
“Meimei,” Lihua approached Zhen Mei’s side.
“Let’s go, Hua,” Zhen Mei put on her shoes and led the three back to their residence.
Lihua walked ahead of Zhen Mei, with the two tall men following behind.
Looking at Lihua’s back, Zhen Mei couldn’t help but think of Awei. Awei had failed to escape and died in the woods. Only Hua had successfully escaped. According to Hua, all the guards had died too.
Even though it had been so long, Zhen Mei still found it hard to accept that those vibrant, powerful warriors had fallen so easily in that forest.
Even Xiongxiong, who had been strong enough to defeat the combined forces of the three tigers, couldn’t make it out.
They were so fragile.
Her phone suddenly rang.
Pressing the answer key and listening to the message from the phone, Zhen Mei frowned.
After hanging up, she quickened her pace and soon arrived at the foot of a high-rise residential building, two floors of which were their residence.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford a villa. Although property prices in Haiming City were high, Zhen Mei, who controlled the royal family’s assets outside the royal district, could afford one. They lived here because there were many temporary residents from other districts, so the puppet government of District 232 dared not cause a commotion here.
Arriving at the third floor, Zhen Mei met the former royal butler.
“Prince Five has gone to Fake Goods Street again,” the butler anxiously told Zhen Mei.
“Hua, take people to find him,” Zhen Mei said to Lihua.
“Yes,” Lihua took five burly men and walked out.
Fake Goods Street got its name from a street full of counterfeit goods. It was also the territory of underground gangs in Haiming City.
“Third Princess,” the butler came to Zhen Mei again, hesitantly said, “the bank card you gave me has also been taken by Prince Five.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to give it to him!” Even Zhen Mei couldn’t help but get angry. This wasn’t the first time. Although the royal family had a considerable amount of assets outside, they couldn’t afford unlimited use.
The butler looked submissive and didn’t speak. Zhen Mei couldn’t blame the butler either. Now, the royal family only had her and her younger brother left. She was a girl, and although her brother was not capable, at least he was a man. Everyone subtly regarded her brother as the leader.
In this matter, even Lihua, who had always followed her, couldn’t help. Even if Awei had still been alive, it would have been of no avail.
“From now on, if he needs money, let him come to me directly,” Zhen Mei told the butler.
After resolving the matter, Zhen Mei left the third floor and went to her room on the twenty-third floor. Standing by the window, she looked at the view below and reached out to hold the silver vial around her neck.
These days, she missed the life in the forest before this, missing the days of wandering around on the back of a brown bear.
She had also thought of escaping this conflict, but she had no idea where she could go after leaving.
Leaving the bedside, Zhen Mei lay on the bed and hugged a teddy bear.
……
……
The plane to District 26 would take off in the afternoon. In the morning, everyone first gathered at An Siyao’s house.
Xia Yu, You Xue, An Siyao, Hu Lianglu, Liu Manman, Kong Hanyue, and two accompanying bodyguards, a total of eight people.
Hu Lianglu would come together with her parents at noon. The two female bodyguards rested in the lounge downstairs while Xia Yu and the other five played in the living room upstairs.
Kong Hanyue sat opposite Xia Yu, looking at him and then at An Siyao beside him, stroking her chin, seemingly lost in thought.
Because of her presence as an elder, the atmosphere was somewhat solemn. Liu Manman, who was as playful as Kong Hanyue, also sat quietly on one side, maintaining her image as a guzheng beauty.
Five minutes later, Kong Hanyue moved to sit beside Xia Yu and asked, “How did you manage to get An Siyao?”
Although she had lowered her voice, An Siyao was right beside Xia Yu and still heard this sentence.
As Xia Yu was thinking about how to respond, An Siyao spoke first.
“It was me who tricked him,” the girl said nervously.
Kong Hanyue: “???”
Xia Yu: “???”
When did I get tricked by you? Wasn’t it me who tricked you? Xia Yu pondered.
A moment later, Xia Yu realized that An Siyao indeed always seemed to think she was supporting him. If it was support, of course, the patron made the move.
Unaware of the situation, Kong Hanyue really thought An Siyao had seduced Xia Yu. Excitedly, she pulled Xia Yu up from the sofa, sat beside An Siyao herself, and asked for details.
Faced with her enthusiasm, An Siyao was first at a loss for a while, then calmed down.
Looking at Kong Hanyue’s expression, it didn’t seem like she was going to blame her.
Under Kong Hanyue’s questioning, she began to talk about how she “tricked” Xia Yu.
Liu Manman and You Xue were also curious and moved closer to eavesdrop. They were also very curious about the situation between the two.
You Xue felt that An Siyao was like something that fell from the sky, without any warning. Thinking about her brother’s superpower, she already had some guesses, but after having guesses, she became even more curious.
Liu Manman was the same as You Xue, feeling that the matter between Xia Yu and An Siyao was too sudden. During the summer vacation when they went to District 2 together for a performance, An Siyao was still the type who ignored everyone.
“When did you two meet? Where did you meet?” Kong Hanyue asked first.
Although An Siyao was innocent, she wasn’t stupid. She knew she couldn’t mention the body issue, so she omitted the beginning and started with their first real meeting.
“It was during a music performance,” An Siyao said.
Kong Hanyue nodded. Encounters were often quite ordinary.
“Then what? How did you two get together?” She asked the most concerning question.
What Kong Hanyue wanted to ask was how the two of them had become close, but An Siyao, who didn’t understand the implication, took it literally.
She recalled when she and Xia Yu had started being together and quickly came up with the answer: “At the beginning of the school term, at the convenience store.”
“Specifically? Specifically?” Kong Hanyue’s eyes were already full of gossipy excitement.
An Siyao replayed the scene in her mind and said in chronological order: “I was standing behind the supermarket when a few people surrounded me. Then Xia Yu appeared and helped me chase them away.”
Xia Yu recalled and indeed remembered this. This reason should be enough to satisfy Kong Hanyue’s and the others’ curiosity. He picked up the coconut juice on the table and drank it.
Although Kong Hanyue and the others were satisfied, they were still somewhat disappointed. This kind of hero-saving-beauty plot was already cliché in TV dramas and movies.
“Then after that…” An Siyao continued.
Not finished yet? Kong Hanyue and the others perked up again.
An Siyao said the final words: “I took out a bank card and gave it to Xia Yu. After he accepted it, we got together.”
“Cough cough cough!” Xia Yu, who was drinking coconut juice, was choked and coughed violently.
Even You Xue, who usually cared about Xia Yu the most, didn’t attend to him. The three were shocked by the information An Siyao had just revealed. Only An Siyao came to Xia Yu’s side, imitating the scene from TV, and patted his back.
Kong Hanyue and the others first looked at An Siyao: Why were you so smooth in taking out money!
Then they looked at Xia Yu: Why were you so smooth in accepting the money!
Kong Hanyue patted Xia Yu’s shoulder: “Money is the most important thing. Mom understands you.”
Xia Yu opened his mouth, gave up explaining, and let it be.
After this incident, Kong Hanyue and the three became closer, playing games together.
At noon, after lunch, everyone went to the airport together, met with Hu Lianglu, and boarded the plane to District 26.
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