At 20:45, at Sanya Nirvana Airport, flight NG8333 from Rongcheng arrived on time after a two-hour and ten-minute flight.
Chen Yang and his two companions settled their luggage in first class but did not get up to leave like the other passengers. The entire crew were familiar with each other; saying goodbye after passengers disembarked was basic courtesy.
Chen Yang stayed in the cockpit for almost the entire flight, only returning to his first-class seat during the approach phase. He truly appreciated the stunning scenery of the night flight. Compared to fighter jets, commercial airliners are much more automated and comfortable. During flight preparation, route data is input into the onboard computer, and after takeoff, the autopilot is engaged. The remaining tasks are monitoring flight status and communicating with ground control.
Tonight, the sky was clear and the moon and stars were few, providing excellent visibility from the cockpit. At times, other flights on nearby routes could even be seen. As they passed over the famous Guanyin statue in Sanya, at a bend in the road, Yuan Fang turned on the landing lights, allowing Chen Yang to experience the feeling of looking down at the 108-meter-tall Guanyin statue from the air.
After all the passengers had disembarked, the cockpit door opened, and Yuan Fang stepped out, holding his peaked cap in one hand and his flight case in the other.
"Captain Yuan, the flight was very smooth; you barely felt anything when you landed. Excellent technique!" Professor Yan smiled and gave Yuan Fang a thumbs up.
"Haha! Thank you for the compliment, Professor!" Yuan Fang laughed heartily. "Compared to Xiao Fang's landing the other night, mine was definitely smoother!"
Yuan Fang's words immediately drew a burst of good-natured laughter. According to aviation industry standards, Chen Yang's landing the other night would have been a serious accident, a hard landing, and the aircraft had sustained some damage. However, under the circumstances, Chen Yang's ability to land the plane safely was already commendable; it was impossible to expect more. Yuan Fang was purely joking.
Chen Yang awkwardly touched his nose, and Liu Xinyao couldn't help but chuckle at his expression. Liu Xinyao, who had always maintained a stern and cold expression, was surprisingly cute when she smiled, revealing two small tiger teeth. Even Yuan Fang was momentarily stunned, and Chen Yang stared blankly at Liu Xinyao's radiant smile.
Liu Xinyao felt a little embarrassed by Chen Yang's gaze, quickly glanced at him, and said,
"Let's go too!"
She picked up her bag and led the way out of the cabin. Chen Yang deliberately lingered at the back. At the cabin door, he glanced at Liu Xinyao and Professor Yan not far away. Seeing that they weren't paying attention to him, he grabbed Yang Liuyi and asked,
"Sister Liuyi, there's a question I've been wanting to ask you all this way. Um… who exactly is Huanhuan?"
After asking the question, Chen Yang looked at Yang Liuyi nervously. Yang Liuyi paused for a moment, then instantly realized what had happened. Her eyes darted around, and she said with a grin,
"You mean Huanhuan? She's my child…"
"Huh?" Chen Yang's face was filled with disbelief. He muttered disappointedly, "No way! So young and already has a child? It must have been a mistake from my youthful days…"
Feeling Chen Yang's strange gaze, Yang Liuyi's pretty face flushed, and she said with a slight reproach,
"What are you thinking! Let me tell you, Huanhuan is my Samoyed. I raise it like my own child, is that not allowed?"
"A Samoyed?" Chen Yang repeated subconsciously, then burst into ecstatic joy, "A pet dog! Sister Liu Yi, don't exaggerate like that! You scared me to death..."
Yang Liu Yi's beautiful eyes darted around, she rolled her eyes at Chen Yang, pouted slightly, and said with a blushing face:
"Hurry up and get off the plane! Your beautiful classmate is still waiting!"
Seeing Chen Yang's nervous expression when he misunderstood, Yang Liu Yi felt a mix of amusement and delight, but then she saw Liu Xin Yao waiting not far away, and a hint of sourness crept into her voice.
"Aren't you leaving?" Chen Yang asked persistently.
"Where are you going?" Yang Liuyi said irritably. "We still need to tidy up the cabin; we're flying back to Rongcheng in an hour! Do you think everyone's as carefree as you? Having a beautiful woman with you even for a meeting!"
Chen Yang immediately felt overwhelmed and quickly said with a forced smile,
"Sister, you've worked so hard! I'll bring you some delicious food when I go back to Rongcheng! Coconut candy, coffee, all kinds of tropical fruits..."
Yang Liuyi chuckled, but said,
"Hurry up! Hurry up! Don't keep me from getting to work!"
...
At the departure hall of Sanya Nirvana Airport, a Mercedes-Benz van sent by the forum organizing committee was already parked at the entrance. Professor Yan is a nationally renowned expert, so the organizers were providing him with a very high level of hospitality.
As soon as Chen Yang and his companions stepped out, they saw a receptionist holding a large sign that read "Professor Yan Jun of Rongcheng University." The three of them walked straight over. Upon seeing Professor Yan, the staff member immediately put down the sign and strode over to greet him. Taking his luggage, they said with a beaming smile, "Professor Yan, hello! I'm Xiao Yu from the organizing committee. Welcome to Sanya!"
After speaking, Xiao Yu warmly shook hands with Chen Yang and Liu Xinyao, quickly loading their luggage into the car. Then, opening the door, she said, "Professor Yan, please get in!"
The car's air conditioning was on full blast, and the three felt a refreshing coolness as soon as they got in, instantly dispelling the heat they had felt upon disembarking.
The Mercedes-Benz van left the airport and turned directly onto the seaside avenue. Coconut trees swayed gently in the breeze along the roadside, waves lapping against the beach in the distance, and groups of tourists playing and chasing each other on the shore. Everything before them was completely different from Fuzhou, a relaxed tropical atmosphere washing over them. Shenlong Bay is located on the southwestern coast of Sanya, renowned for its pristine waters and white sand beaches, lined with upscale hotels and luxury residential areas. Although named Boao, the Boao International Law Forum is actually held in downtown Sanya, with the main venue and accommodations for key guests at the five-star Haojue Hotel, a prime location in Shenlong Bay.
The Mercedes-Benz van smoothly pulled up in front of the Haojue Hotel. A doorman quickly opened the door for the guests, and staff members pushed luggage carts to help with the luggage. Although it was already past 9 PM, many forum organizing committee staff were still busy in the hotel lobby. Many attendees had demanding work commitments, and many had missed the site visits in the previous days, making today a peak registration day for the conference.
Xiao Yu led Professor Yan and his two companions to the registration desk in the lobby and quickly checked them in. After distributing the room keys, Xiao Yu politely took his leave—he needed to return to the airport to pick up the next group of guests.
Professor Yan's room was a deluxe suite on the seventeenth floor. Chen Yang and Liu Xinyao, however, didn't enjoy such treatment; they each had a single room on the ninth floor, their rooms adjacent to each other.
While waiting for the elevator, Chen Yang, remembering his appointment with Captain Yuan Fang, said,
"Professor Yan, Captain Yuan will be coming to invite us out for a late-night snack later. Would you like to join us?"
Professor Yan smiled and shook his head, saying,
"You young people go ahead! This old man won't join the fun. I'm too old! A two-hour flight won't suit my body!"
Chen Yang glanced at Liu Xinyao, knowing she was unlikely to go, but out of politeness, he still asked,
"Xinyao, why don't you come along? It'll be a good opportunity to experience the local customs of Sanya."
Ever since the hijacking incident, Chen Yang had always called her "Xinyao," and since Liu Xinyao had never objected, Chen Yang called her that very naturally. Chen Yang had expected Liu Xinyao to refuse outright, but to his surprise, she replied without hesitation:
"Okay!"
Chen Yang stared at Liu Xinyao, his mouth slightly agape in astonishment. He never imagined she would actually agree. Hadn't she always disliked him? Had the sun risen in the west today?
"What are you looking at? Go upstairs and change!" Liu Xinyao rolled her eyes at Chen Yang, stepped past him, and walked straight into the elevator that had just opened.
Liu Xinyao, however, had other plans in mind: Chen Yang said Yuan Fang was treating them to a late-night snack, but she figured there would definitely be flight attendants at such an event, especially since Chen Yang had recently saved several of them's lives. Therefore, when she heard Chen Yang invite Professor Yan, Liu Xinyao had already decided to go along. She couldn't give him another chance to make a mistake and betray Su He!
"I'm saving Chen Yang! If it weren't for the fact that he saved my life, I wouldn't bother with his mess!" Liu Xinyao told herself.
Upon entering his room, Chen Yang took a shower, changed into the Jack & Jones casual outfit he'd bought after selling the music copyrights, and lit a cigarette by the window.
Before he finished his cigarette, Yuan Fang called. Their crew's hotel was very close to the Haojue Hotel, and he was already waiting in the hotel lobby.
Chen Yang packed his wallet, cigarettes, documents, and other belongings into a shoulder bag, opened the door, and prepared to go next door to call Liu Xinyao. Just as he was about to leave, Chen Yang hesitated, went back into the room, rummaged through his bag, took something out, stuffed it into his shoulder bag, then removed the room key from the power outlet, locked the door, and went out.
Arriving at the door of the next room, Chen Yang gently pressed the doorbell. Liu Xinyao quickly opened the door. Upon seeing Liu Xinyao, Chen Yang couldn't help but rub his eyes, staring at her from head to toe.
Chen Yang was so surprised because Liu Xinyao's current attire was a stark contrast to her past style. Today, Liu Xinyao had casually tied her hair in a ponytail, wearing a tight-fitting military green t-shirt that revealed a sliver of her fair, slender waist and a cute, alluring belly button. She paired it with camouflage super-short hot pants that clung tightly to her shapely thighs, exuding a breathtakingly seductive charm.
The observant Chen Yang also noticed that Liu Xinyao was wearing light pink nail polish and had a faint scent of Lancôme perfume on her. This was completely unthinkable in the past; Liu Xinyao had always maintained a cold and aloof demeanor. Her sexy outfit today was utterly unexpected and left Chen Yang utterly astonished. Liu Xinyao felt a little uncomfortable under Chen Yang's gaze. She tugged at the hem of her clothes and said,
"Are you coming or not?"
"Oh... I'm coming! I'm coming!" Chen Yang snapped out of his reverie and said awkwardly. Then, remembering something, he quickly pulled something out of his bag and handed it to Liu Xinyao, saying, "By the way, this is for you. I heard the UV rays in Sanya are particularly strong, remember to apply some before you go out."
This was sunscreen that Ning Qiaoqian had insisted on giving Chen Yang before he left. Chen Yang, a grown man, really didn't want to use this stuff, so he simply gave it to Liu Xinyao as a favor. Ever since they met, she hadn't liked Chen Yang, even though he was her savior. Chen Yang did this to try and ease the tension between them. "SkinCuticals?" Liu Xinyao glanced at the sunscreen in Chen Yang's hand, a half-smile on her face. "You didn't buy this yourself, did you?"
This was a top international brand sunscreen, naturally quite expensive. Liu Xinyao didn't think Chen Yang would be the type to spend thousands of dollars on a bottle of sunscreen.
Chen Yang chuckled awkwardly a few times. Liu Xinyao didn't press the matter, taking the sunscreen from his hand and casually placing it on the cabinet in the entryway. Then she said,
"Thanks! Let's go!"