News from Taiwan

Chapter 53 Waiting at the Airport

Jiang Guier sat on a chair in the airport VIP waiting room, her light brown ticket holder on her lap containing her plane ticket, and her right index finger repeatedly rubbing her visa.

She leaned back with her eyes closed. On the table in front of her were the noodles she had just finished eating and some fruit. She wanted to be on time to catch the early morning flight.

The person who hates waking up the most left home before 6 a.m., without eating anything. After passing through security, he used the points benefits of his China Merchants Bank Golden Sunflower Card to have breakfast in the airport VIP area.

There was still an hour before the plane took off, and 20 minutes before the agreed time with my friend Shen Huaizhou, which was plenty of time.

But to prevent the other party from arriving early and catching her off guard, she had already pushed her suitcases to the side of the seat and placed them at her feet, ready to pick them up and leave at any time.

She even switched her phone from vibrate to volume and turned the volume up to the maximum, afraid of missing any messages.

Everything is ready, let's set off!

"Ring ring." The phone finally rang, and she answered almost immediately, her voice filled with undisguised excitement, "Hello, yes, this is Jiang Guier. I'm having breakfast in the VIP room right now. Yes, are you outside? Please wait a moment while I come out to find you..."

Before she could finish speaking, the other party on the other end of the line interrupted her urgently, "Ms. Jiang, you don't need to go. We're on our way to where you are now. Sorry to keep you waiting." Lu Qing suppressed her nervousness as she dialed the number.

Actually, he had wanted to make this call for a long time, but his senior brother had firmly forbidden him, repeatedly warning him not to disturb the other party.

He was so eager to try it that he couldn't wait to make the call, even after finally arriving at the airport.

Just by listening to her voice, you can tell she's definitely a beautiful woman; her voice is incredibly lovely.

"It's nothing, it's nothing, I've only been here for a short while."

Jiang Guier repeatedly expressed her gratitude, saying that she was already extremely thankful for the other party's willingness to take her to Taiwan, so how could she blame them? Besides, the other party wasn't late, which was really too kind of them.

What a good person!

After a brief greeting and hanging up the phone, she finally felt relieved.

The phone rang again as soon as I hung up.

This time, it was Shen Huaizhou.

Jiang Guier answered the phone with a delighted expression. Before she could speak, Shen Huaizhou's deep voice came from the other end, seemingly trying to maintain a calm tone, "Miss Jiang, it's me."

Of course I know it's you, I've saved your phone number.

Jiang Guier blinked. "Hello, Mr. Shen."

Her fingers twitched as she held the phone, a glint of light flashed in her eyes, and her tone softened. "What a coincidence! I just spoke with your friend on the phone, and they said they're coming right away. Thank you so much this time."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, with the faint sound of typing on a keyboard. Then, all that could be heard was Shen Huaizhou's clear voice, "You've made contact. That's good. My friend is very reliable. Just tell him whatever your problem is, and he'll definitely help you solve it. If he can't solve it, he'll find a way to help."

This was his previous requirement for Lu Qing: to ensure Jiang Guier's safety when traveling.

"I'm so sorry, it's already very kind of them to take me along."

Jiang Guier was very self-aware; she already felt embarrassed to trouble the other party repeatedly, let alone a complete stranger whom she had never met before.

She couldn't bring herself to say it; absolutely not.

Besides, she's an adult and speaks good English, how could she not handle it?

"It's alright, just tell me what you need. Remember to message me when you get to Taiwan, and contact me anytime if you have any problems." Shen Huaizhou paused, as if he felt he had said too much. Jiang Guier nodded.

Then he immediately realized that he couldn't see, so he quickly said, "Okay, you must have a lot of things to do, don't let me distract you."

Shen Huaizhou wanted to say it was nothing, but he was afraid of making Jiang Guier uncomfortable, so he stopped arguing. Anyway, Lu Qing would tell him as soon as there was any news, so he said softly, "May all your wishes come true."

Jiang Guier's lips curved into a wider smile as she lightly tapped the handle of her suitcase. "Thank you."

A barely audible "You're welcome" came from the other end of the phone. Then Shen Huaizhou deliberately raised his voice, "Treat me to dinner when you get back. Goodbye."

"Definitely, goodbye." After Jiang Guier finished speaking, the two were silent for a few seconds, and then she hung up the phone after another second.

Lu Qing entered the VIP waiting room alone. The figure he caught a glimpse of out of the corner of his eye almost made him drop the playing cards in his hand.

Wow! She looks almost exactly like her profile picture, even more beautiful.

Jiang Guier was facing him sideways, her back ramrod straight. She wore a light apricot-colored cotton-blend short-sleeved Chinese-style top. Instead of a traditional stand-up collar, the neckline was modified into a soft, droopy square collar, adorned with a pearl button. The button was loosely fastened, revealing a small section of her slender white neck. A thin silver chain was wrapped around her neck, with a tiny jade pendant that was almost invisible unless you looked closely.

She wore a pair of dark green, high-waisted, wide-leg trousers with a clean cut, the hems slightly dangling on the carpet, just covering the heels of her beige loafers. Instead of a classic updo, she wore a low ponytail, adorned with a small pearl hair clip, with a few wisps of hair falling beside her cheeks.

She was looking down at her phone, her eyes drooping naturally, and even the movement of raising her eyes was slow.

“Miss Jiang Guier? I am Lu Qing. Shen Huaizhou sent me to pick you up.”

As he spoke, his gaze couldn't help but sweep over her top. The pearl buttons gleamed under the light, echoing the delicate chain around her neck. The sleek wide-leg pants accentuated her long legs, giving her a more modern and sophisticated look than he had imagined, yet still exuding an undeniable elegance, as if she had blended traditional Chinese gentleness into the sharpness of the city.

"Hello Mr. Lu, thank you for making this trip." Gui'er nodded slightly, her voice as soft as a feather falling on water. When she looked up, her gaze calmly swept across Lu Qing's face. "When are you leaving?"

Lu Qing stared at her, momentarily lost in thought. Suddenly, the image of Shen Huaizhou in a bespoke suit popped into her mind. One was dignified in a Chinese style, the other was sharp in a Western style. They were just like the painting that combined Chinese and Western styles hanging in the study, a perfect match that made it hard to look away.

Lu Qing put the cards into his pocket and sat down opposite her. "I'll go after breakfast. I didn't expect Miss Jiang to arrive so early. We originally planned to have breakfast together before boarding the plane."

"It's only right that we came early."

Lu Qing called the waiter to bring him a bowl of noodles, and quietly inquired about the relationship between the two, "That Shen Huaizhou said it was your first time going to Taiwan, and he was worried that you wouldn't be familiar with the procedures. He was talking to me about it yesterday, saying that he cares a lot about you."

He spoke the last half of the sentence softly, but deliberately paused, staring at Jiang Guier's profile, trying to catch any change in her expression.

“Mr. Shen was only helping me out of friendship. He had already gone to a lot of trouble for me by helping me with the visa before, and now he has troubled Mr. Lu again. I really feel bad.” Jiang Guier’s tone was completely calm when she said the word ‘friend,’ as if she were talking about something very ordinary.

Lu Qing raised an eyebrow, but smiled inwardly.

His senior brother is the most cold-blooded person. When has he ever cared so much about "ordinary friends"?

He didn't say anything aloud, but politely replied, "Miss Jiang, you're too kind." As he spoke, Lu Qing's face fell, and he said sorry before lowering his head to eat his noodles.

Jiang Guier's fingers unconsciously traced the visa surface; this person was testing the relationship between me and Shen Huaizhou.

That wasn't a smart move at all, and that's how I found out.

Just as she was secretly pleased, her cell phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang.

Who would it be at this moment?
(End of this chapter)