Chapter Two: Reunion

Life was not a television drama; taking a flight would never produce those breath-stealing moments as in “Final Destination.” Yet Xue Xi, in an effort to make Chen Hongxu as comfortable as possible, had chartered the entire first-class cabin—an act that, without doubt, sparked a few flights of fancy among the tall, beautiful flight attendants during that brief journey. This much was obvious from the five small notes that found their way into Chen Hongxu’s pocket as he left the plane.

Following the directions, Chen Hongxu entered the terminal, collected his luggage, and reached into his trouser pocket for his phone. He was just about to call Fan Caobao when he noticed the man himself, lurking by the entrance, sporting sunglasses that concealed half his face, leaning nonchalantly against the doorway and waving enthusiastically in his direction.

A genuine smile crossed Chen Hongxu’s face as he put his phone away and strode towards the grinning Fan Caobao. Noticing Fan Caobao’s outstretched arms, apparently primed for a warm embrace, Chen Hongxu raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing in warning.

Startled, Fan Caobao gave a sheepish smile and quickly altered his pose, dropping his left arm and raising his right, scratching his back in mock distraction. Yet with his sly grin, he somehow managed to exude an odd sort of charm.

Once outside the airport, Chen Hongxu told Fan Caobao to wait—they still needed to collect the items Xue Xi had sent by air freight.

Fan Caobao, ever the familiar friend, slung an arm around Chen Hongxu and declared grandly, “A trivial matter! Leave these errands to the underlings. Important people like us shouldn’t waste our time on such things.”

“Oh?” Chen Hongxu nodded, conceding that he had no say in such matters. He casually took out his phone, dialing as he spoke, “Let me call the little one and let her know I’ve arrived safely.”

Fan Caobao nodded with a smile, agreeing that it was only right, though a fleeting shadow passed through his eyes. While Chen Hongxu made his call, Fan Caobao also pulled out his phone to arrange for someone to collect the goods. Once his instructions were delivered, he stood quietly to one side, watching Chen Hongxu’s animated expressions until the call ended, then hurried him into a car that had clearly been waiting at the curb for some time.

“Hey, Bear, why are you driving?” Chen Hongxu was surprised as he climbed in to find that their driver was none other than the well-known captain of Team G from the reserves—Bear himself.

Bear said nothing, simply starting the car with focused attention. Picking up the thread, Fan Caobao explained, “Time is tight, and our destination is rather secret. So, the driver has to be one of our team.”

Chen Hongxu, realizing his earlier phone call with Xue Xi had probably wasted precious minutes, shot an apologetic glance at Fan Caobao.

“Your wife comes first,” Fan Caobao replied, shaking his head.

The rest of the journey passed in silence. Chen Hongxu closed his eyes to rest—though the flight from HJ to BJ took only a few hours, those hours had left him utterly exhausted. After all, enduring the ravenous stares of five or six stunning women for several hours was no easy feat.

The car glided smoothly along, a testament to Bear’s driving skill. Soon enough, they arrived, and Bear quickly exited to open the door for Chen Hongxu with a courteous gesture. Fan Caobao rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath about servility before hurrying from the other side, catching up to Chen Hongxu with exaggerated deference.

“This place? Secret?” Chen Hongxu looked up at the towering building before him and at the crowds coming and going, uncertain.

In his mind, a base for such an organization should be somewhere remote, perhaps out in the wilds or at least in a sparsely populated area. What mystery could there be in such a bustling place?

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Chen Hongxu, Fan Caobao nodded. “Follow me.” He drew a high-level executive badge for XX Corporation from his pocket and handed it to Chen Hongxu. “Wear this.”

After hanging the badge around his neck, Chen Hongxu followed Fan Caobao into the building. Bear, having parked the car, jogged to catch up, falling in behind them with the air of a bodyguard to some young, flamboyant heir. Passersby, noting their badges, were all unusually respectful—no one dared question their authenticity.

And “flamboyant heir” was not an idle description, given Fan Caobao’s antics as they entered the building. He strode with his head held high, a swagger in his step, humming an old tune under his breath. He flirted with the receptionist, chatted with a cleaning lady, and only then led Chen Hongxu and Bear to a lift seemingly reserved for senior executives.

Even with Bear’s bodyguard persona and Chen Hongxu’s own sharp bearing, standing beside Fan Caobao, he appeared almost like a scholarly attendant. Only those with keen eyes would notice that, though they walked side by side, Fan Caobao always lingered half a step behind, as if by design.

The elevator doors opened, and the three stepped inside. Bear paused at the threshold, scanning their surroundings with a piercing gaze—a model of vigilance.

As the doors slid shut, Fan Caobao dropped his rakish air, his usual levity replaced by an uncharacteristic seriousness. Chen Hongxu, surprised by this rare display of solemnity, asked, “Were those words you exchanged with the women just now some kind of code?”

Fan Caobao swiped his badge across a sensor in the elevator, then, expressionless, turned to Chen Hongxu. He was tempted to nod, but the thought of the consequences if Chen Hongxu discovered the deception made him shake his head firmly. “No.”

Before Chen Hongxu could say more, the elevator chimed and the doors opened. Just as Fan Caobao was about to step out, a figure darted in, and in a flash, delivered a precise tap to Fan Caobao’s stomach with the tip of her shoe.

Doubling over, clutching his abdomen, Fan Caobao groaned, “Sister Su, what have I done wrong this time?”

Chen Hongxu and Bear both fixed their gaze on the stainless steel ceiling of the elevator, as though something there demanded their full attention.

“From the airport to here, I won't even count the time you wasted. But just from the moment you entered the building, you spent one minute and thirty-seven seconds flirting with the receptionist, then another thirty seconds chatting nonsense with the cleaning lady. You’ve wasted more than two minutes of my life. Tell me, shouldn’t I kick you?” Su Xiaoxiao’s face was cold, her tone full of righteous indignation. The more she spoke, the angrier she became, punctuating her words with another kick.

Fan Caobao, face contorted in pain, dared not dodge. He was moved to tears—almost grateful—that Su Xiaoxiao went easy on him, refraining from hitting his face or kicking lower, and he rolled about in agony.

Su Xiaoxiao ignored his theatrics. With the buffoon out of the way, she turned to Chen Hongxu, now unobstructed in her view. “You’ve arrived?”

What a question—if he hadn’t, would he be standing here? Chen Hongxu cursed inwardly but answered with a warm smile, nodding earnestly. “Yes, I’m here.”

Naturally, the fallen Fan Caobao refrained from voicing his disgust, and Bear, having learned from Fan Caobao’s example, maintained a stoic silence, continuing his intense scrutiny of the imaginary wonders above.