Chapter 208: Why Thank Me?
The next day.
Xia Chenge took the earliest flight back to the country.
As soon as she got off the plane, she saw Ling Hanmu at the passenger exit.
Although her appearance had not yet recovered, Ling Hanmu still recognized her from the crowd at a glance.
However, his gaze swept over her face and did not linger.
The two did not have much communication, but Xia Chenge tacitly took out her mobile phone and turned it on.
The next moment, a message came in: Little Brother, wait for me in the car outside the airport, I’ll be there soon.
Xia Chenge smiled slightly: “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
After replying, Xia Chenge walked forward with her bag, her gaze straight ahead, passing Ling Hanmu as if they were strangers who had never met.
Ling Hanmu: “Someone will pick you up later.”
Xia Chenge did not reply.
When she reached the baggage carousel, a beautiful girl approached: “Hi, Young Master Ling asked me to pick you up.”
This voice…
Why does it sound a little familiar?
Seeing that she didn’t react, the girl winked playfully: “It’s me? You forgot me so quickly?”
Xia Chenge sputtered.
“Sister Ning, why are you here? I almost didn’t recognize you like this.” Xia Chenge finally recognized the person.
Ning Xia smiled: “I’m a versatile goddess.”
Recalling what happened in Country Z before, Xia Chenge truly believed she was a versatile goddess.
After all, the entire country’s netizens were deceived by her.
“Let’s go, someone’s waiting for you and is going crazy.” Ning Xia said.
Just then, the luggage came out. Xia Chenge picked up her suitcase and left the airport with Ning Xia.
A Land Rover was waiting in the parking lot.
As soon as Xia Chenge got into the car, she saw Ling Hanmu in the back seat.
“You’re so fast,” Xia Chenge said with a smile, “Did you fly here?”
“If longing could grow wings, someone would probably be covered in wings by now.” Ning Xia got into the passenger seat and teased Ling Hanmu.
Ling Hanmu didn’t respond to Ning Xia’s words. He carefully observed Xia Chenge, and after confirming she was truly alright, he reached out and pulled her into his arms: “It’s good that you’re back.”
Xia Chenge nestled in his arms, her heart filled with a deep sense of happiness.
“You two, can you save the public displays of affection until you get home? There’s an outsider here!” Ning Xia protested their behavior of showing affection at the slightest disagreement.
“Did someone think about today when they were showing off their affection back then?” Ling Hanmu said coldly, “The internet in Country Z is still full of evidence of someone’s public displays of affection.”
Ning Xia’s eyes welled up with tears. Ling Hanmu was clearly here to torment her!
What goes around, comes around.
Xia Chenge was accustomed to Ling Hanmu and Ning Xia’s bickering, and watched the show with a smile.
“By the way, Xiao Ge, I’m planning to transfer schools.” Ning Xia suddenly changed the topic.
“Is your mission over?” Xia Chenge was a little surprised.
“Yes, the mission in Haicheng has concluded successfully, but I won’t be leaving Country A for now. However, I need to move to a different location.” Ning Xia nodded, “I’ll really miss you.”
“Sister Ning, I’ll miss you too,” Xia Chenge said sincerely.
“After picking you up today, I have to leave.” Ning Xia turned her head, “Oh, and thank you.”
“Thank me for what?”
Ning Xia smiled without saying anything.
Seeing this, Xia Chenge vaguely guessed some of the reasons.
Ling Zhongwen’s laboratory required such a huge expenditure, so there must be other forces secretly sponsoring it. Ning Xia’s mission was likely related to that force, but she probably hadn’t investigated Ling Zhongwen’s laboratory, had she?
That hint of uncertainty made Xia Chenge a little worried. If Ning Xia were targeted by Grub, it would be too dangerous. She had Meng Beichen and the Ye family behind her. These two families held significant weight internationally, and their influence was not low. If they were controlled by Grub, the consequences would be unimaginable…
However, she couldn’t ask Ning Xia about these things. For a moment, Xia Chenge’s mood shifted from the joy of returning home to dejection. But she hid it well, and neither Ling Hanmu nor Xia Chenge noticed.
Ling Hanmu, perhaps feeling the topic was too heavy, deliberately steered the conversation away and started bickering with Ning Xia again.
Listening to their sharp exchanges, Xia Chenge’s thoughts drifted away.
Ling Hanmu secretly sent Xia Chenge back to the Xia family and arranged other matters, creating the illusion that Xia Chenge had returned from Country Z, allowing Xia Chenge to appear in public openly.
Xia Chenge did not follow Ling Hanmu’s arrangement and went to school to report in the afternoon.
It was the third year of senior high school, a crucial year for students of this era.
Although studying was not difficult for her, she still wanted to experience the life process of a normal person in a peaceful era.
At this moment, her classmates no longer had the contempt and disdain they had before. In fact, there was an unspoken reverence for Xia Chenge.
Xia Chenge didn’t know why they had changed, nor did she want to delve into it. As always, she remained indifferent to them.
And Ning Xia, after picking her up, had indeed left Yan Sheng High School, not even giving Xia Chenge a chance to say goodbye.
Looking at the empty seat beside her, Xia Chenge felt unaccustomed to it.
…
The days passed one by one. The tense atmosphere of the third year of senior high school made even the usually slacking students become serious.
Xia Chenge always sat alone, and Ling Hanmu did not move to be her deskmate.
In Country H, Zheng Changdong’s matter was handled properly, and not a single word about the laboratory was leaked.
As for Grub, he seemed to have vanished into thin air. Ling Hanmu used all his connections but could not find any trace of him.
Life seemed as calm as water, yet Xia Chenge always felt a sword hanging over her head, ready to fall at any moment.
Grub’s disappearance was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode worldwide at any moment.
While Xia Chenge was troubled, she was also helpless.
The forces she could utilize in this world were too few, and she was powerless against Grub.
Time flew by, and it was November.
Xia Chenge had been very low-key since she pretended to be injured and was hospitalized. The teaser trailer for the movie “Apocalypse” released by the official Weibo was heavily criticized by netizens and paid commenters.
At this time, the post-production of the movie “Apocalypse” was completed, and the official Weibo announced its premiere on November 11th.
A large group of people were waiting to witness the box office failure.
Among them were popular actors who had failed their auditions at the time, and they quietly hired paid commenters to badmouth the movie.
In an era where the internet was filled with malicious trolls and netizens blindly following trends, “Apocalypse” received unfair ratings. The closer the movie’s release date got, the lower its ratings became on major film review websites.
Xia Chenge remained silent, letting them criticize, as if to “confirm” the charges of the Xia and Ling families using the movie for money laundering.
The public opinion intensified. Under the instruction of Xia Chenge and Ling Hanmu, the movie’s creators and actors remained silent.
Until November 11th arrived!
