Ye Chen said, “It seems he only recently immigrated there. I’m not clear on the exact details; I’ll have to go and see for myself.”
Chen Zekai frowned and said, “Young Master, I can’t shake the feeling that this is all too coincidental. Could it be a trap?”
Ye Chen said, “I had the same suspicion at first, but I trust Butler Tang. He would never side against me. If he intended to, he had plenty of opportunities before and no reason to wait until now.”
“That’s true,” Chen Zekai agreed with a nod and said, “I just got a call from our staff in Australia. They’ve located the hospital where Butler Tang is. I asked them to try sneaking in for a look, but they only glimpsed him in the ICU. We don’t know his exact condition yet. These staff members are from our Buckingham Palace Hotel in Melbourne; they haven’t had any special training, and their operational skills are a bit lacking. I’ll have them look for another chance.”
Upon hearing that Tang Sihai was still in the ICU, Ye Chen felt a twinge of worry and said, “Tell them to stop trying. Butler Tang’s sudden departure back then must have had its reasons, and this time, with trouble finding him, he clearly didn’t want me to know. If you spook him, he might vanish again.”
“Understood,” Chen Zekai nodded and said, “I’ll have them prepare a car so we can head straight to the hospital once we land.”
It was not long before Hong Wu, who had flown in from Jinling, arrived as well.
Like Ye Chen, he disembarked and hurried directly to T3 to rendezvous.
The moment they met, he asked anxiously, “Master Ye, what exactly happened to Butler Tang getting beaten?”
With a cold expression, Ye Chen said, “It was some local Australian teenagers, much like the street punks we had here a dozen or twenty years ago. The difference is these lads target foreigners, specifically Asians. The worst part is they rely on being minors, so they strike viciously, often leaving people severely injured. Not long ago, they apparently beat a Chinese international student into critical condition.”
“Those bloody little bastards!” Hong Wu ground his teeth in fury, “If I get my hands on them, I’ll cripple every last one!”
Ye Chen said coolly, “Rest assured, not one of the attackers will escape.”
…
At four forty-five in the afternoon, the plane carrying Xiao Churan landed at Jinling Airport fifteen minutes ahead of schedule.
She sent Ye Chen a WeChat message saying she had arrived safely, to set his mind at ease.
Ye Chen had not yet begun boarding, so he replied at once, “Darling, who’s picking you up from the airport?”
Xiao Churan said, “Dad’s bound to be at the calligraphy association at this hour, so I won’t trouble him. I’ll just grab a taxi outside in a bit.”
Ye Chen reminded her, “Let me know once you’re in the car, and remember to tell me when you get home.”
Xiao Churan replied, “Alright, don’t worry. I’m a grown woman; a thirty-minute drive is nothing I can’t handle.”
As she messaged Ye Chen, she made her way off the plane, through the baggage claim area, and to the exit.
She had intended to queue for a taxi directly, but then recalled Tang Sihai mentioning someone would meet her, so she instinctively glanced left and right.
There were plenty of people waiting to pick up arrivals at the exit, but none seemed to be holding a sign with her name.
Just as she decided to head off anyway, a familiar voice called out, “President Xiao! Over here!”
Xiao Churan turned towards the sound, and upon seeing who had called her, she stood frozen in shock, mouth agape.
“Sun… Sun Mengmeng?! You… how on earth are you here?!”
