Chen Yang walked over and opened the door, smiling as he said,
"Xiao Yi, what are you standing there for? Come in!"
Song Yi was clearly still in a daze. After a long while, he pointed at the outrageously luxurious villa and muttered,
"Brother Yang, don't tell me this house is yours too! You didn't rob a bank, did you... No, even robbing a bank wouldn't allow you to carry this much cash, unless you're a drug dealer or arms dealer..."
Seeing the incoherent Song Yi, Chen Yang couldn't help but chuckle,
"Don't talk nonsense! Come in first, I'll tell you slowly!"
Saying this, he let Song Yi in. Huanhuan, seeing a stranger, bared her teeth at Song Yi warily, revealing a fierce expression. Chen Yang quickly went over and stroked its head, saying,
"Huanhuan, this is your brother Song Yi, he's family, don't be rude!"
Chen Yang then added a touch of mischievousness, calling himself Huanhuan's uncle while referring to Song Yi as its brother, subtly elevating his own generation. However, Song Yi was still in shock and didn't understand the hidden meaning in Chen Yang's words. Looking at the spacious yard and the magnificent villa, he felt his eyes couldn't take it all in.
Huanhuan seemed to understand Chen Yang's words, whimpering a few times before running off to play.
"Xiao Yi, come on! I'll show you around! We'll talk as we walk!"
Song Yi followed Chen Yang into the living room and was immediately stunned by the luxurious interior design. He felt his brain was about to shut down; the contrast between Chen Yang and the person he hadn't seen for months was simply too great. In Song Yi's memory, Chen Yang was still that struggling college student in the suburbs, helping his mother grow vegetables for a living. He knew about Chen Yang's recent windfall.
However, Song Yi also knew that Chen Yang had already spent most of that money, mostly on that dilapidated secondhand apartment in the alley. The sudden appearance of such a luxurious villa left Song Yi utterly astonished.
Seeing this, Chen Yang had to temporarily abandon his plan to show Song Yi the house. The two sat down on the sofa in the living room, and Chen Yang recounted in detail his experience of being robbed on his plane, from his successful emergency landing to receiving cash, housing, and a car as a reward from the airline.
"My God! Brother Yang, this… this could be a Hollywood blockbuster!" Song Yi exclaimed in astonishment. Although he hadn't personally experienced it, Chen Yang's calm narration conveyed the perilous nature of that day. After hearing all this, and looking at the house again, Song Yi felt much calmer. It's only because Brother Yang is capable; anyone else would be dead by now, let alone have a mansion and luxury cars!
"Come on! I'll show you around!" Chen Yang stood up and patted Song Yi on the shoulder. "Then you can pick a room you like."
"Huh?" Song Yi was taken aback, then asked in surprise, "Brother Yang, I can stay here too?"
"Of course!" Chen Yang lightly tapped Song Yi's head, annoyed. "There are so many rooms here. Even if you change rooms every hour, it'll take all night! Do you think I'd let you stay holed up in that shabby little house in the alley?"
"Hehe... So, does that mean I'll see flight attendants in the neighborhood more often?" Song Yi chuckled, grinning from ear to ear, and continued, "Come on! Brother Yang, show me around!"
...
That evening, Chen Yang leisurely lay on a lounge chair by the pool on the third-floor balcony, gazing at the stars. On the small table beside him sat a glass of red wine, its amber color shimmering under the lamplight. Huanhuan lay quietly beside Chen Yang, the man and the dog enjoying a rare moment of leisure. At noon, Chen Yang and Song Yi ate at a small shop near their apartment complex. Although the villa's kitchen was fully equipped with a double-door refrigerator, electric oven, microwave, and other appliances, Chen Yang found grocery shopping and cooking troublesome, so the large refrigerator was empty.
Song Yi had training classes in the afternoon and evening, so he left after lunch. Chen Yang greeted the security guard at the gate and registered Song Yi's ID card; he would be living in the complex from now on, avoiding the need to report his presence every time he entered.
Recently, Chen Yang had been running around quite a bit and was exhausted. He slept the entire afternoon, relieving his fatigue. After another simple meal nearby, Chen Yang took Huanhuan to the third-floor balcony to enjoy the breeze and the view of the elegant lake—it was truly pleasant.
Just as Chen Yang closed his eyes to rest, his cell phone rang urgently.
"Chen Yang! Something's happened to my grandma!" came Su He's anxious and helpless voice from the other end of the line.
Hearing Su He's panicked voice, Chen Yang felt a pang of pain in his heart. He quickly said, "Su He, don't panic, tell me slowly, what happened to Grandma?"
Su He, sobbing, recounted the events in fits and starts. It turned out that after her parents passed away unexpectedly, her grandmother had been raising her and her younger brother, Su Jun, supporting their education. However, in the past two years, the old woman's health had deteriorated significantly, and she had developed mild symptoms of dementia. Therefore, she moved in with Su He's uncle, Su Weimin. But Su He's aunt, He Chunzhi, was very shrewish and didn't treat the old woman well, especially when Su Weimin wasn't home; she often bossed her around.
Su Weimin was the manager of the Nanpu County Party Committee Guesthouse and often had to entertain guests. Tonight, Su Weimin went out again, and somehow the old woman had gone out alone and hadn't returned for several hours. He Chunzhi was also panicked and called Su Weimin back. The two searched the county town for a long time, but the old woman was still nowhere to be found. After finishing his college entrance exams, Su Jun enrolled in an intensive prep course to prepare for the Beijing Film Academy's directing program interview in Beijing. So, while Su Weimin was searching everywhere, he thought of his niece, Su He, who was studying in the provincial capital. He called her, knowing she was closest to his grandmother and that he had to inform her of this situation.
When Su He received her uncle's call, she was completely stunned. She knew her grandmother had Alzheimer's and that her aunt was a bit harsh on her. She had planned to bring her grandmother to live with her after graduation; she never imagined something like this would happen.
In her utter confusion, the first person Su He thought of was Chen Yang. She had developed a deep dependence on him lately, subconsciously believing that any problem could be solved by him.
"It's all my fault. I should have brought Grandma to Rongcheng sooner. No matter how difficult it was, I would have taken good care of her!" Su He said, breaking down in tears.
Chen Yang quickly said,
"Su He, don't worry! Where are you now?"
"I'm working at a bar..."
"Okay, just wait there, I'm coming right now!" Chen Yang hung up the phone and began to think. The most urgent thing now was to find the elderly woman; the longer it dragged on, the more dangerous it would be for her. Originally, Chen Yang planned to pick up Su He in his Audi SUV from his garage and drive back to his hometown that night.
But then he thought, firstly, he didn't have a driver's license, and the 300-kilometer journey would be delayed if they encountered a police checkpoint; secondly, Chen Yang suddenly remembered that Fang Xu had a luxury RV. After learning about Su He's family situation, Chen Yang decided that after finding the elderly woman, he would bring her to Rongcheng to take care of her. He already owned a villa, and could hire a caregiver later. Moreover, Fang Xu had extensive connections in Southeast Province; if he could come back with him, it would be easier to coordinate things. Having made up his mind, Chen Yang didn't hesitate and dialed Fang Xu's number immediately:
"Fang Xu, I have some urgent business to attend to. Could you come back to my hometown in Nanpu with me?"
The sound on Fang Xu's end was noisy; who knows where he was having a good time again! But Young Master Fang was quite loyal. Hearing Chen Yang's question, he replied without hesitation:
"No problem! Where are you?"
Chen Yang thought for a moment and said:
"Let's meet at the Blazing Flame Bar on Hubin Road... Oh, and bring your Mercedes RV! I need it."
"Alright! See you in a bit!"
Before Chen Yang hung up, he vaguely heard Fang Xu say on the other end of the line:
"Mingliang, I have something urgent to attend to, I have to go..."
Hu Mingliang? Chen Yang frowned. This name was familiar to Chen Yang; it was the one who almost killed Fang Xu in his previous life. However, Su He's matter is more urgent right now, and other things can't be considered too much for the time being. He'll find an opportunity to remind him after things in Nanpu are settled.
After hanging up the phone, Chen Yang hurriedly carried Huanhuan down to the underground parking garage, put her in the car, and drove off into the night in his Audi SUV.
On the way, Chen Yang also found an ATM and withdrew 5,000 yuan in cash, which was the daily limit for ATMs. Otherwise, Chen Yang wanted to withdraw more, as he might need to spend money somewhere on the way back!
Just as he parked the car in front of the bar, Chen Yang saw Fang Xu's flashy Mercedes-Benz RV driving up from a distance.
"What's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry? I'm discussing something important with some friends!" Fang Xu poked his head out of the driver's seat and asked, somewhat annoyed.
"A classmate had a family emergency!" Chen Yang replied casually. "Wait a minute! I'll call her!"
After hanging up, Chen Yang caught a glimpse of Fang Xu taking out a cigarette out of the corner of his eye. He snatched the cigarette from Fang Xu's mouth and said,
"Stop smoking! A girl will be on the bus soon!"
Hearing there was a girl, Fang Xu reacted like a cat smelling fish, asking with great interest:
"Oh! A female classmate! No wonder you're so concerned, making such a fuss in the middle of the night! What does she look like? Is she prettier than Liu Xinyao?"
Chen Yang glanced at him and said,
"You'll see for yourself in a bit, but I'm warning you, don't you dare make a move on her!"
"I don't like hearing that at all! What, you already have Liu Xinyao, and you still want to monopolize this pretty girl?" Fang Xu expressed his strong protest and dissatisfaction with Chen Yang's domineering behavior. "I have nothing to do with Liu Xinyao..." Mentioning this made Chen Yang want to explode.
Ever since returning from Sanya, Fang Xu had frequently teased Chen Yang, intentionally or unintentionally. Chen Yang, however, felt somewhat guilty about Liu Xinyao, so every time Fang Xu brought her up, Chen Yang couldn't help but want to curse.
As they spoke, Su He's slender figure appeared at the bar entrance. She wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans, her face bare, exuding a natural and fresh beauty. Her eyes, still slightly red and swollen from crying, looked pitiful, evoking feelings of pity.
Fang Xu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Chen Yang gently patted his face and said,
"Hey, hey, hey! Wipe your drool away, don't scare the beauty!"
Then, Chen Yang waved to Su He and called out,
"Su He! Over here!"
Su He's eyes reddened again upon seeing Chen Yang. She quickly walked over, and Chen Yang said to her,
"Get in! We're going back to Nanpu tonight! Don't worry! Grandma'll be fine!"
Su He couldn't wait to fly back to Nanpu, so she didn't even bother with formalities and got into the car.
Fang Xu's Mercedes RV was very spacious; three people could sit comfortably in the front without feeling cramped. Chen Yang carried Huanhuan out of the Audi, opened the back door of the RV, patted Huanhuan, and said,
"Get in! Huanhuan!"
Huanhuan kicked off with her hind legs and scurried into the RV. Chen Yang closed the door, went around to the front, and got in. As Fang Xu started the car, he turned to Su He and flashed what he thought was a very handsome smile. Although Su He didn't know him, she was grateful that he was driving her home so late; he must be a good friend of Chen Yang's. She smiled politely in return.
Seeing this, Chen Yang introduced him:
"Su He, this is a buddy of mine, Fang Xu! He's incredibly loyal. As soon as he heard you needed a ride, he dropped a multi-million dollar business deal and rushed over without hesitation!"
Su He quickly said:
"Thank you so much! Brother Fang Xu!"
Upon hearing Su He call him "Brother Fang Xu," Fang Xu's bones almost melted. He smiled broadly and said:
"It's nothing! It's nothing! You've already called me brother, why are you being so polite?"
"Yes! Don't be so polite with him, he's my best friend!" Chen Yang said.
The car sped along the Rongyin Expressway, finally exiting at the Nanpu exit at 2 AM. Although Su He was extremely worried about her grandmother's safety, she was so exhausted that she unconsciously fell asleep in her seat.
The county town was still more than ten kilometers away. Seeing that Fang Xu was also exhausted, Chen Yang said,
"You're not familiar with the road conditions below, let me drive!"
"Are you sure you can handle it?" Fang Xu was also so tired that his eyelids were drooping, wishing he could just collapse and sleep, but he was worried about Chen Yang's driving skills.
"Stop talking nonsense. I can land a plane that big, this is nothing!" Chen Yang said. "Pull over!"
As soon as the car stopped, Su He woke up. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked blankly,
"Are we there yet?"
Chen Yang and Fang Xu had just switched seats. Chen Yang, fastening his seatbelt, said,
"We just got off the highway, we'll be there soon!"
Seeing they were almost home, Su He was wide awake. She glanced at the car's infotainment screen; it was already past 2 AM. She said gratefully,
"Brother Fang Xu, thank you for your hard work today!"
After Su He woke up, Fang Xu seemed to have woken up too. He yawned and said,
"Su He, can you not be so polite? It's too formal!"
Su He smiled sheepishly. Chen Yang drove smoothly along National Highway 203. It was late at night, and the road was nearly empty, so he was driving quite fast. Soon, he rounded a sharp bend, and a row of bright streetlights appeared. Below this long, straight downhill road lay the sleeping town of Nanpu.
Just then, the sharp-eyed Fang Xu suddenly spotted a figure staggering towards the car from the side, head down. Fang Xu shouted a warning:
"Watch out!"
Almost simultaneously, Chen Yang also noticed the situation. He slammed on the brakes. The Mercedes' excellent braking performance played a crucial role at this moment, and the car stopped just before hitting the person.
Equally terrified, Su He, upon seeing the elderly woman's terrified face illuminated by the headlights, suddenly opened her mouth wide, her lips trembling with excitement…