Meimei Reappears

Xia Yu was about to ask more questions, but Kong Hanyue had already hung up the phone and boarded the plane. After finishing the call, Xia Yu immediately headed to the airport to pick her up. The airport was quite far from Yuxue's school, and due to traffic jams, it took Xia Yu over an hour to get there.

After waiting in the lobby for more than half an hour and drinking a bottle of water, Xia Yu finally saw Kong Hanyue come out. He raised his hand and motioned to Kong Hanyue, who quickly joined him and Yuxue.

"I'm here," Kong Hanyue said cheerfully, with her left arm wrapped around Xia Yu and her right arm around Yuxue. Xia Yu helped her push her suitcase, Yuxue carried her backpack, and the three of them headed towards the parking lot.

Xia Yu felt that he and Yuxue were not here to pick up a mother, but a daughter. "Why did you come so suddenly?" Xia Yu asked.

"To prevent you two from lying to me and running away!" Kong Hanyue replied.

Xia Yu tapped her on her head with the water bottle, scolding her, "If you wanted to come early, just say so. Don't make up such reasons."

"You already knew, so don't ask me!" Kong Hanyue, irritated, let go of Xia Yu's arm and clung to Yuxue alone.

Not arguing with her, Xia Yu went to the front of the car and opened the door. "This car is nice," said Kong Hanyue as she got into the car, looking around and nodding.

Seeing Kong Hanyue from the rearview mirror, Xia Yu sighed. He had thought she had matured over the years, but now it seemed she was still the same as before. Ordinary people would be curious about the brand of a car and its value, not the interior and space. But that's okay, if she became a vulgar and ordinary person, it would lose its charm.

Although Xia Yu himself was a vulgar and ordinary person, it didn't bother him that he didn't like people like himself. Starting the engine, Xia Yu began to drive and turned onto the main road.

On the way, Kong Hanyue didn't disturb Xia Yu, who was driving, but discussed travel plans with Yuxue instead. Both of them had never been to Area 26 and were limited in their knowledge, so the conversation quickly reached a deadlock. The two timely shifted the topic and started to chat about swimsuits.

Their in-depth discussions made Xia Yu feel somewhat uneasy. Fortunately, due to the lack of samples, they soon finished discussing swimsuits, and the conversation between the two finally became normal, talking about food, clothes, and miscellaneous things.

It was surprising to Xia Yu that a mother could talk so passionately with her daughter about these topics, and when Kong Hanyue and Yuxue started to talk about TV dramas and songs, Xia Yu was even more astonished. There should be a generation gap for TV dramas and songs, right?

If Xia Yu didn't know Kong Hanyue was behind, he would have thought Yuxue was chatting with a friend of her age. No wonder she was one of the most unreliable mothers in the world.

When they arrived at the villa, Xia Yu parked the car in the garage, and the three of them got out. As they entered the house, Kong Hanyue handed her suitcase and backpack to Xia Yu before rushing into Yuxue's room.

The two lied on the bed, using their laptops to look up photos of Area 26, chattering and fantasizing about what they would do there.

"Pour me a cup of tea," Kong Hanyue didn't forget to use Xia Yu.

Xia Yu poured three cups of Kong Hanyue's least favorite lemon drink and came to Yuxue's room.

Dividing the cups between the two, Xia Yu took a sip of the drink and looked at Yuxue's notebook. On the notebook was an aerial view of a city, covering more than half of the city.

"This is Haiming City, what do you think?" Kong Hanyue asked for Xia Yu's opinion.

Xia Yu took a quick glance at the overall scene. There weren't many tall buildings in the city, and they were mostly concentrated in a few nearby streets, with most of them being ordinary five or six-story buildings.

This could hardly be called advanced. However, their purpose this time was not to experience technology, but to have fun on the beach.

"It's okay," Xia Yu replied.

"How can this be okay?" Kong Hanyue couldn't understand.

" This is District 26, Haiming City is great in that area." Yuxue explained.

Kong Hanyue was still somewhat disappointed. She lowered her head and took a sip of the drink, her brow furrowing tightly.

"This is lemon-flavored!" Raising her head, Kong Hanyue wanted to confront Xia Yu, but he had already left the room.

Returning to his own bedroom, Xia Yu searched for Haiming City's beach. The golden sandy beach and the clean seawater were very beautiful.

He had never been to the beach before and didn't know what it would feel like to step on the sand.

Soft, warm, and a little ticklish.

That was the feeling Zhu Mei had as she stepped on the beach.

She carried her shoes in her hand, walking barefoot on the edge of the beach, watching the playful tourists by the sea.

Whenever she was in a bad mood, Zhu Mei would come here for a walk, cheered up by the infectious joy of the tourists.

Standing still, Zhu Mei gazed at the slowly setting sun on the beach and thought about her situation.

She had been in Haiming City for a month.

Originally, she had fled from District 232 and entered another city with her former subordinates, but weizhengfu quickly found her trail. She had no choice but to abandon the stronghold run by her family and come to Haiming City.

Haiming City was the most prosperous place in District 26 and the face of District 26. Here, the weizhengfu of District 232 couldn't run rampant.

If only she had come here earlier...

Zhu Mei bit her lip as she clutched the necklace in front of her chest.

It was a silver bottle tied with a cord, filled with a little ashes of a bear.

If she had come here earlier, Xiongxiong wouldn't have to die.

As she grieved, three blond-haired young men approached her.

There were many men on the beach who liked to pick up women, especially targeting single females. Although Zhu Mei wore a mask, these three young men were the type who didn't mind any holes.

As they got closer to Zhu Mei, she could see their undisguised smiles, but she remained calm.

When the three youths approached within ten meters of Zhu Mei, two strong men over 1.8 meters tall came from the side and stood in front of them.

The three youths wisely turned and left.

"Meimei," Li Hua came to Zhu Mei's side.

"Let's go, Ahua." Putting on her shoes, Zhu Mei led the three of them to the residence.

Li Hua walked ahead of Zhu Mei, and two strong men about 1.8 meters tall followed behind.

Looking at the back of Li Hua ahead, Zhu Mei couldn't help but think of Ah Wei who failed to escape and died in the woods. Only Ah Hua managed to escape. According to Ah Hua, the soldiers of the guard team all died as well.

Even though so much time had passed, Zhu Mei still found it hard to accept that those lively and powerful warriors merely collapsed in the forest so easily.

Even Xiong Xiong, who had defeated the three tigers together, couldn't make it out.

How fragile they were.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

Pressing the answer key, Zhu Mei frowned as she listened to the message from her phone.

After hanging up the phone, she quickened her pace and soon arrived at the bottom of a tall residential building, where two floors were their living quarters.

It wasn't that they couldn't afford a villa. Though the housing prices in Haiming City were high, Zhu Mei, who controlled the royal family's foreign assets, could still afford it. The reason they lived here was because there were many people from the outer area temporarily residing here, and the local government of Zone 232 didn't dare to make a big fuss in this area.

Upon reaching the third floor, Zhu Mei saw the former royal housekeeper.

"His Highness the Fifth has gone to the counterfeit goods street again," the housekeeper anxiously told Zhu Mei.

"Ah Hua, you take some people to look for him," Zhu Mei said to Li Hua.

"Yes," Li Hua took five strong men and went out.

The counterfeit goods street got its name from the fake goods on the street. It was also the stronghold of underground gangs in Haiming City.

"Your Highness the Third," the housekeeper came to Zhu Mei again and said in a difficult tone, "The bank card you gave me was also taken by His Highness the Fifth."

"Didn't I tell you not to give it to him?!" Even Zhu Mei couldn't help but get a little angry. This wasn't the first time. The royal family had considerable assets outside, but they couldn't withstand such unrestricted use.

The housekeeper looked obedient and didn't speak. Zhu Mei couldn't blame the housekeeper either. Now there were only her and her younger brother left in the royal family. She was a girl, and although her brother was incompetent, he was still a man, so everyone secretly regarded him as the leader.

On this matter, even Li Hua, who had always been with her, had no other choice. Even if Ah Wei was still alive, it wouldn't help much.

"From now on, if he wants money, let him come to me," Zhu Mei told the housekeeper.

After resolving the issue, Zhu Mei left the third floor and went to her room on the 23rd floor. Standing by the window, she looked at the scene below, her hand gripping the small silver bottle on her chest.

During this period, she longed for the days spent in the forest, missing the days when she would lie on a brown bear and wander about.

She had also thought about escaping the strife, but she didn't know where to go after leaving.

Leaving the bedside, Zhu Mei lay on the bed and hugged a toy bear on one side.

The plane to Zone 26 was scheduled for takeoff in the afternoon. In the morning, a group gathered at An Siyao's house.

Xia Yu, Yuxue, An Siyao, Liu Manman, Kong Hanyue, and two accompanying bodyguards—a total of six people.

The two female bodyguards rested in the lounge downstairs, while Xia Yu and the other four played in the living room upstairs.

Kong Hanyue sat opposite Xia Yu, glancing at him and then at An Siyao next to him, stroking her chin, not knowing what she was thinking.

Because of her presence, the atmosphere on the scene was somewhat somber, and Liu Manman, who was just as free-spirited as Kong Hanyue, sat quietly on the side, maintaining her image as a beautiful guzheng-playing girl.

Five minutes later, Kong Hanyue sat down beside Xia Yu and asked, "How did you manage to deceive An Siyao?"

Although she lowered her voice, An Siyao, who was beside Xia Yu, still heard the question.

As Xia Yu was considering how to answer, An Siyao spoke up first.

"It was me who deceived him," the girl said nervously.

Kong Hanyue: "???"

Xia Yu: "???"

When was I ever deceived by you? Wasn't it me who deceived you? Xia Yu pondered.

Moments later, Xia Yu realized that An Siyao did always think that she was supporting him financially, and since she was the one providing, she should be the one in control.

You thought you were taking advantage of someone else, but they also thought they were taking advantage of you.

Kong Hanyue, who didn't know the situation, really believed that An Siyao was the one who hooked up with Xia Yu. She excitedly pulled Xia Yu up from the sofa, sat next to An Siyao, and asked about the details.

Faced with her enthusiasm, An Siyao was at a loss for a moment before settling down.

Looking at Kong Hanyue's demeanor, it didn't seem like she was going to blame her.

Under Kong Hanyue's questioning, An Siyao began to tell the story of how she had "deceived" Xia Yu.

Liu Manman and Yuxue were also curious and leaned in to eavesdrop, as they wanted to know more about the situation between the two.

Yuxue felt that An Siyao seemed to have fallen from the sky, without any warning. Considering her brother's superpower, she had some suspicions, but her curiosity only intensified after forming those suspicions.

Liu Manman also felt the same, as the relationship between Xia Yu and An Siyao seemed to have happened suddenly. Back during the summer vacation, when they all went to perform together in the second district, An Siyao appeared to be indifferent to everyone.

"When and where did you two meet?" Kong Hanyue asked first.

An Siyao, although innocent, wasn't a fool. She knew she couldn't discuss their physical relationship, so she cut out the unmentionables and began with their first real-life encounter.

"It was at a music performance," An Siyao said.

Kong Hanyue nodded, as their meeting was quite ordinary.

"So, how did you two end up together?" She asked the most intriguing question.

What Kong Hanyue wanted to know was how their hearts had grown closer, but An Siyao, who didn't understand the implications, took it literally.

She recalled when she and Xia Yu had started to be together and quickly found the answer: "It was at the beginning of the school year, at a small store."

"What exactly happened?" Kong Hanyue was full of curiosity.

An Siyao replayed the scene in her mind and recounted, "I was standing at the back of the supermarket, and a few people surrounded me. Then Xia Yu appeared and helped chase them away."

Xia Yu recalled that the incident did happen. This reason should be enough to satisfy the curious minds of Kong Hanyue and the others. He picked up the coconut juice from the table and took a sip.

Although the curiosity of Kong Hanyue and her friends was satisfied, they couldn't help but feel disappointed. This sort of damsel in distress plot was already cliché in TV dramas.

"And then…" An Siyao continued.

Still not over? Kong Hanyue and the other two braced themselves.

An Siyao said the last words: "So I took out a bank card and gave it to Xia Yu. After Xia Yu accepted it, we were then together."

"Cough, cough, cough!" Xia Yu, who was drinking coconut juice, choked and coughed violently.

Even Yuxue, who usually cared about Xia Yu the most, didn't bother about him. The three were shocked by the information thrown out by An Siyao. Only An Siyao came to Xia Yu's side and patted him on the back, imitating a scene from TV.

Kong Hanyue and the other two looked at An Siyao first: Why are you so skilled at taking out money?

Then, they looked at Xia Yu: Why are you so skilled at receiving money?

Kong Hanyue patted Xia Yu's shoulder: "Money is the most important thing, mommy understands you."

Opening and closing his mouth, Xia Yu gave up explaining, it's fine like this.

After this incident, Kong Hanyue's relationship with the three became closer, and they played games together.

By noon, after finishing lunch, the group arrived at the airport together and boarded the plane to District 26.