Chapter 93 —Off To Country F

Friday morning dawned brightly, the sun blazing down in waves— even though it was still very early in the morning. It was definitely going to be an uncomfortably hot summer day.

The car stopped at the airport, and out came the passengers.

Li Yuchen stepped out first. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. He was also putting on a beach hat that was a bit too large for him. The end result was comical yet adorable.

Next came Han Yichen, dressed identically in jeans and a t-shirt, minus the hat. He had opted for big sunglasses instead. He nailed the cool guy look.

Pei Yueran was dressed simply as well, sporting jeans and an off-shoulder top. She was wearing a summer hat as well.

Li Chuanmo was the last to get down. He was wearing ...a business suit. He truly looked like the odd one out of the four of them.

Li Yuchen pouted again when he saw him. He had tried to convince his dad to wear something else, but Li Chuanmo had refused. The saving grace was that he at least agreed to wear a pair of sunglasses, which turned out to be identical to Han Yichen's pair.

They went through a private hangar and boarded the jet after some security checks.

When Han Yichen saw the jet, he could not hold back a "woah". It was definitely not what he had been expecting.

He had done his research on jets, so he had an idea of what to expect. But nothing came close to this huge private aircraft that screamed "luxury!" in front of him.

Once they boarded, one of the air hostesses took Han Yichen and Pei Yueran on a short tour. Li Yuchen had seen it all before, but he tagged along for the excitement of seeing it through Han Yichen's eyes.

The aircraft's interior was even more luxurious. Compared to the first class flight he had taken on his journey to City M, this entire airplane could be said to be premium class.

Plush, comfy chairs that could be adjusted to form a spacious lounge area, were placed next to a mini drinks bar. There was a bit of distance from the lounge area to the cockpit.

The rest of the plane was designed like a small, palatial hotel.

There were private suites with closing doors, full-size shower and rest rooms, and walk-in closets. There was also a suite that the air hostess introduced as the VIP quarters, reserved for only members of the Li family when the jet was being used for official business.

In addition, there was a room for the cabin crew, as well as a kitchen. The air hostess even pointed out a spacious room equipped with tables and chairs, introducing it as the on-board office. Despite these, the plane still had a designated cabin area that could comfortably seat fifteen passengers.

The display of luxury was ostentatious, yet subtle. Han Yichen marvelled at it all and so did Pei Yueran. More than marveling at the airplane though, she was surprised at Han Yichen's open display of his surprise and interest.

She had nearly never seen him look so young and act like his age. He always seemed to have matured too early, and that had always broken her heart.

Tears suddenly sprang to her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back before anyone noticed. This was not something to cry about, after all, it was good news indeed.

Because they were flying in immense comfort, the twelve hours long flight was not too tiring. Nevertheless, by the time they got to the vacation home and settled down, the boys were beat.

There was also a time difference of about seven hours, so the symptoms of jet lag had set in. All of them went straight to their rooms. The boys slept for over four hours, while Pei Yueran and Li Chuanmo both got up much earlier.

They took a short walk around the neighborhood—admiring the beautiful scenery— before eventually returning to the house. They sat down on the porch, holding hands and talking.

The local time was some minutes past six in the evening. The main event —paragliding— was scheduled in short courses over the next two days, but they had this evening free. After discussing, they decided to have dinner at a local restaurant, wander around a bit and then go to an entertainment center.

*****

"What are these people doing again? Why is it always so noisy?" A woman muttered to herself after taking in the laundry.

"What is it?" Her husband asked.

"It's about these strange neighbors of ours. They often bang things around and make so much noise. I wonder what it is about this time."

"Let's just mind our own business. Who knows what they're up to? Since we don't have any law enforcement office around, it's very difficult to report them."

"True, but it is very irritating. Why should we have to suffer because of their interests?"

"Don't worry, it will stop soon—it always does. Very soon, we will be able to move out of this dumpster."

"I can't wait!"

Their conversation ended there, but in the next house, just few metres away, Xie Weiwan was getting beaten within an inch of her life.

Chu Ningtian had stayed away from her for a long time, occupied with whatever it was he was doing outside. Although he still came home in a foul temper, he spent more time away than at home. This gave Xie Weiwan free reign to take on more jobs and avoid getting assaulted.

They had lived like this for many weeks, but on this day, all hell broke loose.

Because of his regular pattern of not being at home, Xie Weiwan got complacent and miscalculated the time. She usually tried to be home at least thirty minutes before Chu Ningtian came back, but on this occasion, she got carried away trying to finish the job she got.

By the time she got home, Chu Ningtian was already there, and even from a distance, she could see his anger. His veins were bulging in an attempt to control it.

In his right hand was a piece of newspaper.

Xie Weiwan's heart clenched in horror when she saw it. She had kept that paper very carefully—how did he find it?

It was over.