My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 260 Starting Again

Having visited Li Baoqing's parents, there was nothing else in China that I needed to worry about.

Having been back in China for over a month, Hu Yi failed to find a job and had to return in haste. Although it seemed like a good choice to him, he felt rather dejected. Therefore, he didn't say goodbye to his relatives and friends in a big way, but only met up with Xiang Dong for a meal.

"Didn't you just get back? Are you leaving again?" A year and a half has passed since the online dating scandal. Xiang Dong has gotten over the impact of that incident. He cut his hair short and styled it in a part. He looks and speaks in a more mature and composed manner than before.

"Looking for a job is driving me crazy. I don't earn much, and there's a ton of hassle. It's exhausting." Hu Yi gave a vague laugh, then changed the subject, asking, "I heard from Nan Nan that you're doing quite well? How are your parents doing?"

"It's alright, everything's alright." Xiang Dong's smile still looked a bit silly: "My parents' tobacco and liquor store is doing quite well, and I've also made some money in the tech market. I'm planning to partner with someone to open an internet cafe and give it a try."

"Great, this has potential." Hu Yi nodded approvingly: "I think internet cafes are a good business now, and some have even become chains."

"Those are big businesses in prime locations along the street, with hundreds of machines in one shop." Xiang Dong touched his nose shyly. "We're a small business, and we plan to find a storefront in a residential area and get thirty to fifty machines to try it out first."

"Congratulations in advance on realizing your grand dream of opening your own internet cafe and becoming its owner." Hu Yi looked at him with a grin: "Seeing how ambitious you are now, I can rest in peace."

"Sigh, this time last year I was thinking of going to Russia to join you at university. Wasn't that more ambitious?" Xiang Dong looked out the window with a hint of melancholy. "But then I thought about the financial burden on my family, and I gave up on that idea. I'd rather just find a stable way to make money. Besides, I'd be two grades below my sister if I went there; I couldn't bear the embarrassment, could I?"

"Ha! You're quite sensible." Hu Yi laughed, looking up. "How's the internet cafe preparation going? When do you plan to open?"

"It's just the beginning. We saw a storefront we liked in a residential area near Jiefang Road a few days ago, and we're currently negotiating with the landlord."

"Okay, I hope everything goes well." Hu Yi raised his glass full of beer. "I wish your internet cafe great success!"

Finally, the day of departure arrived, and the father borrowed a car from a friend, insisting on personally driving the two of them to Beijing Capital International Airport.

"No need, Dad. It's four or five hundred kilometers one way. Aren't you tired in this sweltering heat?" Hu Yi felt it was unnecessary: ​​"We can just take the train. It won't take too long."

"Hey! Taking the train is so uncomfortable! It's a bumpy five-hour ride, and when we get to the station we have to go through the hassle of taking a taxi to the airport. It's better to just take you there directly." The father insisted in a calm tone, "Now we drive on the highway the whole way, which is more convenient than taking the train. In two years, when the high-speed trains on the Beijing-Shanghai Railway open, it will be much faster for you to travel by train."

"Director Hu drove himself; even I, as his wife, rarely enjoy such treatment. I'm basking in your glory this time. Go pack your things." The mother smiled and gave the father a sidelong glance, then followed Hu Yi into the bedroom and whispered, "Your dad drove so Natasha wouldn't have to suffer. We all think she's a wonderful girl. You could hear the implication in your dad's words just now—he's hoping you'll bring her home every time!"

The family drove to Beijing, chatting and laughing all the way, and the atmosphere of saying goodbye was not sad.

Before leaving, Natasha's mother held her hand at the airport, reluctantly giving her a few words of advice: "Hu Yi, you two must take care of yourselves and stay safe while you're away. Don't deprive yourselves of yourselves; spend your money as you see fit, but it's best to save some money in case anything happens. If you run out of money, just let us know. If you're not doing well over there, come back. Got it? Quickly tell Natasha."

The father smiled as he watched his two children throughout, only offering a few words of advice at the end: "I'm generally at ease about your current situation, but your personality and temperament still need further refinement. Natasha is a good girl, and I hope you two get along well. You're a man, so you need to be more tolerant, responsible, and considerate of her when things happen."

This trip to Moscow was a voluntary decision made after completing her studies to return to work and life, and Hu Yi's feelings were vastly different from when she returned to school before. Especially since she had just been very upset about finding a job a few days ago, now, boarding the plane, she felt a wonderful feeling, like a fish returning to the sea.

After all, he had lived there for six years since he was eighteen. Although he had experienced some unpleasant things during that time, Moscow was his second home. Just thinking about returning to a familiar place and working in a familiar job with familiar people made Hu Yi start to imagine all sorts of wonderful things to come.

Natasha was also noticeably happier than when she returned home a little over a month ago. The two chattered and whispered sweet nothings the whole way on the plane, eating snacks and drinking beverages, reading magazines and watching movies, so excited that they didn't even close their eyes.

After a long journey of more than seven hours, the plane finally landed in Moscow. The two followed the large group of passengers slowly toward the customs checkpoint, with Natasha passing through border control first.

"Go find your luggage." Hu Yi waved to her and turned to hand his passport through the window.

A female staff member with an icy expression looked up at him, then lowered her eyelids and glanced at his passport: "What are you doing in Russia?"

"Work."

"Where's the invitation?"

"Here you go."

The cold-faced woman took the invitation, frowned, turned off the loudspeaker, and beckoned a poor-looking male staff member into her small glass booth.

The two exchanged a few words, and the cold-faced woman handed Hu Yi's identification to the shabby man, then turned the megaphone back on: "You, go with him."

"Me? Why?" Hu Yi's mind went blank. He had passed through customs at this airport many times before and had never been treated like this.

"You'll see when you get there. Hurry up and go." The cold-faced woman glanced impatiently behind him: "Next!"

Hu Yi felt a surge of annoyance, but seeing that the shabby man holding his ID had already walked away, he quickly suppressed the urge to curse and followed him.

The shabby-looking man led Hu Yi to a corner of the hall, where six or seven people were already standing against the wall. Hu Yi could tell what was going on just by looking at their clothes.

Moscow is home to a large number of foreigners year-round, and customs officials are well aware of the identity of each entrant, so they naturally treat each person differently.

Here, student status is a kind of shield for ordinary foreigners. As long as they don't cause trouble, they usually won't be subjected to excessive harassment by law enforcement officers.

The reasons for this are, firstly, the traditional Russian mindset of respecting intellectuals; secondly, the fact that students can communicate in Russian, which can avoid some unnecessary misunderstandings; and thirdly, most students don't have much money in their pockets.

Therefore, making things difficult for students is a thankless task. Not only will you not gain anything, but you may also be reported and get into trouble.

Hu Yi had previously entered the country on a student visa, and each time it went smoothly, with the most he'd have a package or two of non-compliant food confiscated. Now, however, he'd lost his student status. If he were working for a large corporation or a research or educational institution, things would be fine, but Fu Jiahui had arranged a job offer for him from an unknown small company. As a result, in the eyes of customs officials, he was labeled in stark contrast to a student: uneducated, unable to speak Russian, and someone who could be exploited.

(End of this chapter)