Chapter 28: He Has Arrived
Chapter 28: He Has Arrived
“Uncle, Auntie, please stop arguing. I know you’re both just looking out for me, but I think an online romance is still a romance,” Fan Xiaoyao chattered incessantly on the way to the airport, laying out her views on love, marriage, and relationships that begin online to Rong Fenghua.
Her words finally made Rong Fenghua feel a bit breathless with exasperation. He turned the steering wheel sharply and glanced at Wu Jing beside him. “Honey, do something to shut Xiaoyao up!”
Wu Jing looked at Fan Xiaoyao, who was still brimming with unspoken words in the back seat, and shook her head, the corners of her mouth lifting with amusement. She had watched this girl grow up, and sometimes her endless talk was truly overwhelming.
She handed the bottle of mineral water in front of her to Xiaoyao. “Xiaoyao, you’ve been talking to your uncle for so long—come, have some water and replenish your energy.”
Fan Xiaoyao took the water, but continued, “Actually, there’s nothing so terrible about online dating. The scams you hear about are just isolated cases; not everyone is a fraud. We can’t judge everyone by a few bad examples... And also—”
Rong Fenghua furrowed his brow, his face clearly showing his impatience. “Fan Xiaoyao, sit properly and be quiet. From now on, not another word until that boy from the borderlands actually lands. Then we’ll talk about right and wrong!”
Fan Xiaoyao stuck out her tongue, flashing Wu Jing a victory sign. “Uncle, when you meet him, could you be gentle? Don’t scare him off so he flies in and then immediately flies away!”
Rong Fenghua retorted, “He’s not a bird, there’s no flying back and forth!”
Fan Xiaoyao blushed, displeased. “Uncle, you’re twisting my words on purpose. I meant that if you scare him too much, he’ll just hop on a plane and go straight back. What then?”
Rong Fenghua simply replied, “Let him go, then!”
Wu Jing watched the two of them bickering, her mouth covered to stifle a laugh. She said to Rong Fenghua, “You’re almost fifty and still squabbling with your niece... Where’s your image as a domineering CEO?”
Rong Fenghua, teased, took advantage of the red light to pull Wu Jing closer and kissed her on the cheek. Grinning, he asked, “Did I look like a domineering CEO just now?”
Wu Jing, seeing Fan Xiaoyao laughing at their antics in the back, grew a little shy and didn’t reply to Rong Fenghua. To break the awkwardness, she said to Xiaoyao, “We’ve arrived at Terminal 2—you’ll see the one you’ve been dreaming of soon. Are you nervous? I wonder if you’ll both be disappointed when you meet in person.”
Her words made Fan Xiaoyao suddenly anxious. She clenched her fists and stared out the window.
Wu Jing noticed Xiaoyao’s silence and pale face, and quickly asked with concern, “Xiaoyao, what’s wrong?”
Xiaoyao pulled her gaze back inside, a little embarrassed. “Auntie, it’s nothing. I was just wondering what he’d look like today.”
Rong Fenghua, amused and exasperated by her question, shot back from the front, “What else could he look like except a person?”
Xiaoyao hadn’t expected her uncle to be so prejudiced against her online relationship. She muttered, “Uncle, can’t you just accept that I’m in a relationship online?”
Rong Fenghua turned off the engine in the Terminal 2 parking lot, his gaze deep as he looked toward the arrivals exit. “You and your aunt go to the domestic arrivals hall first. I’ll park the car and come find you.”
Wu Jing got out, taking Fan Xiaoyao by the hand directly into the arrivals area. Xiaoyao’s eyes darted to the big screen listing all the incoming flights. She searched for the flight number Wang Guocheng had told her: Borderlands K789. The screen showed a delay—fog in Tongcheng meant the plane would be an hour late.
Wu Jing saw the disappointment on Xiaoyao’s face and tugged at her sleeve. “What’s wrong, Xiaoyao?”
Xiaoyao said awkwardly, “Auntie, his flight’s delayed... I’m so sorry to trouble you and Uncle to wait with me.”
Wu Jing hugged her and patted her back. “Silly girl, it’s nothing. Flight delays happen all the time. Don’t worry. Once your uncle parks the car, let’s wait for him in the café over there.”
Grateful, Xiaoyao hugged Wu Jing back and planted a quick kiss on her cheek, then fawned, “There’s no one better in this world than Auntie!”
When Rong Fenghua arrived after parking, he saw Xiaoyao clinging to Wu Jing and immediately protested, “Fan Xiaoyao, take your paws off my wife. Only I can touch her!”
Xiaoyao was speechless at her uncle’s possessiveness. She forced a smile and joked, “Uncle, don’t be so stingy! I only kissed Auntie’s cheek...”
Rong Fenghua pulled Wu Jing behind him in a domineering manner, giving Xiaoyao a warning look. “Miss Fan Xiaoyao, keep your hands to yourself in the future.”
Xiaoyao, feeling defeated, looked at her own hands and asked, “Uncle, if my hands are ‘paws,’ then so are yours—after all, we’re related by blood.”
Wu Jing watched the smoke practically rising from Rong Fenghua’s head, nudged him, and laughed. “You always either scold or tease Xiaoyao. No wonder she loves to make fun of you...”
“Cloudy evening outside the car window...” Xiaoyao’s smile faded as she answered Wang Guocheng’s call, her tone serious. “Xiaoyao, I’ve arrived. We’ll see each other soon!”
After hanging up, she tugged at Wu Jing, nervous. “Auntie, he said he’s here.”
Wu Jing took Xiaoyao’s sweaty hand in hers and teased, “What’s the matter, girl? Are you scared to meet him now?”
Xiaoyao stuck out her tongue, her face flushing bright red. “I...”
As she was still explaining to Wu Jing, a voice called out, “Xiaoyao...” and drew her attention.
Wang Guocheng, carrying a backpack and sporting his ever-present close-cropped hair, flashed a row of white teeth as he called her name excitedly. In contrast to his earnest greeting, Xiaoyao hesitated for a split second.
Wu Jing noticed the change in Xiaoyao’s expression and whispered, “What’s wrong? Is he very different from his pictures online?”
Xiaoyao was stunned. She had imagined many ways Wang Guocheng might appear, but she had never expected him to show up as a man with a buzz cut and a big backpack.