Chapter 33: A Chance Encounter at the Hotel, Part 1

After making their plans, the two got into the car and headed towards the airport.

Airport Duty-Free Shop

This was Qin Ruyan’s first time visiting the airport duty-free shop, and Zhang Qiyao hadn’t been here either.

Most of the time, Zhang Qiyao received her luxury goods directly from brands, a privilege enjoyed by the true top-tier socialites of Beijing.

Qin Ruyan walked beside Zhang Qiyao, her interest in these things lacking.

She hadn’t even carried the luxury handbag  Shen Meng had given her yesterday, leaving it in her closet. However, she had packed the cheongsam that was gifted to her in her suitcase.

Hangzhou had a strong traditional Chinese atmosphere and a deep cultural heritage, so there might be an opportunity to wear it.

Leaving today, she only carried a suitcase and a backpack, wearing a simple high-waisted white T-shirt that revealed a small section of her fair waist. She paired it with slim-fitting jeans, making her legs appear long, straight, and slender. She also wore a baseball cap to shade her delicate features.

After browsing for a while, Zhang Qiyao seemed to have nothing she wanted to buy either. Turning around, she looked at Qin Ruyan, her expression a little stunned.

“Ruyan, isn’t there anything you want to buy?”

She was also empty-handed and seemed a bit absent-minded.

Qin Ruyan shook her head, “My aunt just sent me a bunch of things yesterday, so I don’t need anything for now.”

Zhang Qiyao hummed in response and nodded.

“Then should we go grab something to eat? We can then spend some time in the lounge browsing our phones, and it’ll be almost time to board.”

Qin Ruyan nodded, “Okay.”

They had booked business class tickets, so they could sit in the lounge and wait.

They walked around again and found a Hunan restaurant.

Qin Ruyan could handle spicy food, but she didn’t like eating it much, fearing it would cause her to get a canker sore, something she was prone to.

Zhang Qiyao’s taste was more flexible, able to handle anything.

The two walked into the restaurant and casually ordered a few dishes.

“Can we also get some desserts?” Zhang Qiyao said as the waiter took the menu and was about to leave.

The waiter smiled and agreed, then left.

Zhang Qiyao looked at Qin Ruyan with a smile.

“Ruyan, you’re too thin. Eat some sweets and gain some weight.”

She was already considered thin, but compared to Qin Ruyan, she seemed to have gained a whole circle.

Qin Ruyan smiled, “Maybe it’s because I just came back, I’m a bit acclimated to the change in environment. I’ve lost three or four pounds since I came back.”

She had always eaten quite a bit. When she first arrived abroad, she couldn’t get used to Western food, and there weren’t many Chinese restaurants. At that time, she was also a bit strapped for cash. Qin Chaoyang and his wife gave her a lot of money, but they were also struggling at the time, so she didn’t use it.

She relied on part-time jobs to get through her first year abroad. In her second year, she started taking on online translation and design work.

In her junior year, she participated in a clothing design competition held by the Xiangjia brand and won first place. She was noticed by a judge and became his apprentice. It was only later that she learned that this judge, her teacher, was also the founder of Xiangjia.

When she graduated, her teacher asked her to stay abroad and offered her shares in the company.

The temptation was truly great.

Her teacher was Jennifer, the founder of Xiangjia. Just by being Jennifer’s apprentice, she could walk sideways in the fashion industry, let alone being offered shares.

But Qin Ruyan couldn’t leave her uncle and aunt in China, and most importantly, she had always suspected that her parents’ car accident was not an accident. She wanted to return to her family and also wanted to find out the truth about her parents’ death.

Qin Zheng and his wife were professors in the Department of Medicine at Beijing University, and they had always been dedicated to various drug research projects.

So Qin Ruyan politely declined Jennifer’s offer, fearing she would be disappointed, and explained her reasons.

…

Jennifer, seeing that she couldn’t keep her, was sad but still reminded her not to give up on fashion design. She was born to do this, and she had an extraordinary talent.

Qin Ruyan didn’t want to disappoint her and promised that even if she returned, she wouldn’t abandon fashion design. When she got the chance, she would open her own design studio.

Hearing this, Jennifer nodded in relief and stopped trying to keep her.

Qin Ruyan also kept her promise and started working on her studio after returning home for a few days of rest.

Jennifer had helped her a lot, and she didn’t want to disappoint her. Besides, she truly loved design, and most importantly, she needed money. She needed to investigate her parents’ car accident, which wouldn’t be solved overnight and would require a lot of manpower and financial resources.

Zhang Qiyao waved her hand in front of Qin Ruyan’s eyes, and she finally snapped out of her memories.

“Why are you spacing out?”

All the dishes were served, and she was still in a daze.

Qin Ruyan came back to her senses and smiled.

“Nothing, just thinking about where we should go after we check out the fabric market in Hangzhou.”

Qin Ruyan picked up her cup and took a sip of water, then picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

“I’m okay with anything. There seem to be a lot of trinkets there, and my mom really likes the traditional Chinese style. We can go shopping there.”

Zhang Qiyao thought about her mother, Zhang Wanyu, who was quite interested in these antique things.

Qin Ruyan nodded, “My aunt made me a cheongsam, and I brought it with me this time. I just thought Hangzhou would be a good place to wear it.”

Zhang Qiyao’s eyes lit up.

“Can you put it on for me to see when we get to the hotel?”

She had never seen Qin Ruyan wear anything other than casual clothes, not even a dress. She had only seen her in dresses when she hosted school events and performed dances in high school.

The rest of the time, she kept a low profile and dressed for comfort.

Qin Ruyan thought for two seconds and nodded.

“Okay.” It was just the two of them in the hotel, and they could close the door.

After dinner, they sat for a while. Qin Ruyan checked the time and saw that they had three hours before their flight.

“Should we go to the lounge?”

The dining area was quite crowded and noisy, and Qin Ruyan wasn’t used to it, so she subconsciously frowned.

Zhang Qiyao nodded, “Okay, my phone’s about to die, and I can charge it in the lounge.”

They got up and walked towards the airport lounge.

Qin Ruyan looked at the bustling airport, lowered her gaze, and pulled her baseball cap down further.

After a few minutes, they reached the lounge.

Zhang Qiyao scanned a charging treasure and sat down to charge her phone, while Qin Ruyan took out her phone to reply to messages. They didn’t talk much, but their aura seemed to be very compatible.

Meanwhile, Lu Jingchen had arrived at the Hangzhou branch of Lu Corporation.

After arriving, he immediately called a high-level meeting and spoke concisely.

“Something has happened, and I expect you to come to me with solutions, not wait for me to come up with a solution and then run over to fix it.”

He sat in the main seat, exuding an aura of authority, and showed no sign of restraint. His domineering presence put pressure on everyone.

The executives sitting below looked at each other. The meeting room was very quiet, and no one dared to say a word except Lu Jingchen.

Chen Zhong stood beside him, raising an eyebrow.

He didn’t understand what was wrong with his boss today. Honestly, it was normal for a large company to have minor accidents. They had encountered one or two before, but Lu Jingchen had never been this angry.