Chapter 54: An Unexpected Encounter at the Airport

The next morning, Lin Feng was still in bed, indulging in a lazy sleep, when Liu Runli stormed into his room, her voice blaring like a loudspeaker: “See? I told you to go to bed early last night, but you wouldn’t listen. You must have stayed up playing games again. Why are you always so troublesome? Get up, brush your teeth, wash your face, and pack your luggage—we’re about to leave.”

Squinting sleepily, Lin Feng winced at the sunlight pouring in as Liu Runli yanked open the curtains. He tried several times to open his eyes, failed, and then rolled over to keep sleeping, mumbling, “Mom, what time is it? Didn’t we agree on a nine o’clock flight? Let me sleep a little longer.”

Watching Lin Feng act as if rising from bed was a matter of life and death, Liu Runli frowned, strode over, and yanked the blanket off him. “How old are you now? Why do you still get so grumpy in the morning? Get up! We’re leaving soon—Ruoxi might already be waiting at the airport!”

In the end, Lin Feng couldn’t resist his mother’s persistence and reluctantly got up to wash and change clothes. After everything was settled, he dragged his luggage downstairs to join his parents.

“Hey, you’re finally up! Only your mother can cure your laziness—who knows who you inherited it from!” Lin Chuanzi joked as Lin Feng came down.

“Hmph, inherited from whom? Isn’t it your genes?” Liu Runli retorted, clearly annoyed.

“Ha, don’t blame me! I don’t have such bad habits,” Lin Chuanzi protested, distancing himself from the accusation.

Lin Feng looked at his father, unimpressed. “Let’s just go. I’m still sleepy—I’ll catch up on sleep on the plane!”

“Lucky for you, the flight from Zhantai to Yan Capital takes three hours. Otherwise, how would you show your face in this state? Did you rob a bank last night, to be so tired?” Lin Chuanzi seized the rare opportunity to preach, growing more excited as he spoke.

Liu Runli, growing impatient, pushed her husband and glared at him. “I say Lin Feng hasn’t grown up, but you haven’t either! So much nonsense—do you even know what time it is? If we don’t leave now, we’ll miss the flight!”

Seeing Liu Runli about to lose her temper, Lin Chuanzi quickly stopped talking, grabbed his luggage, and headed out.

“Heh heh!” Lin Feng couldn’t help but laugh as his father was silenced by his mother.

“You’re still laughing? Is it that funny? Hurry up!” Liu Runli scolded as Lin Chuanzi went out, seeing Lin Feng still dawdling.

Afraid the scolding would turn to him, Lin Feng quietly picked up his luggage and followed his father. Liu Runli breathed a sigh of relief once her husband and son finally left, then followed them out.

At the airport, Xia Ruoxi was already waiting for Lin Feng’s family. Liu Runli, feeling a bit embarrassed, took Xia Ruoxi’s hand and apologized, “Sorry to have kept you waiting so long!”

“Auntie, you’re too polite. I just arrived early, and there’s still plenty of time before the flight. I haven’t been here long,” Xia Ruoxi replied, holding Liu Runli’s hand.

Liu Runli nodded with satisfaction, thinking, “This child is wonderful. Bringing her to meet the Lin family elders early is a good idea; settling the marriage sooner means I’ll have a grandchild sooner.”

Seeing Xia Ruoxi, Lin Feng happily snatched her hand from his mother and pulled her to his side, as if venting his displeasure at Liu Runli for monopolizing Ruoxi.

“You child, jealous even of your own mother’s affection, really!” Liu Runli was speechless at Lin Feng’s childish antics.

Lin Feng ignored her, holding Xia Ruoxi even tighter in a display of defiance, making Ruoxi both embarrassed and helpless. She scolded him softly, “How can you act like this? Don’t upset Auntie!”

“Ruoxi, you don’t know—he’s always lazy. We’re late this morning because he wouldn’t get up. He’s grown but still has such a bad temper when waking!” Liu Runli, seeing Ruoxi on her side, gleefully exposed Lin Feng’s shortcomings.

“Mom, how can you talk about your son like that everywhere?” Lin Feng protested angrily as his mother started revealing his embarrassing stories to Ruoxi.

Liu Runli ignored Lin Feng’s protest and chatted even more happily with Ruoxi. Lin Chuanzi, listening to the three, laughed heartily, creating a warm and cheerful atmosphere.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted, “Hey, Lin, what are you doing here?” The family turned to see two people—a man and a woman, both familiar faces—standing behind them.

“Weihua, what a coincidence! What brings you to the airport?” Lin Chuanzi exclaimed in surprise after recognizing them.

“Heh, it really is you! The voices sounded familiar, but I wasn’t sure until I came closer. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have called out,” Ling Weihua replied, equally pleased.

“Good morning, everyone!” Ling Shixuan appeared from behind Ling Weihua, greeting them.

“Ah, Shixuan, you’re here too! Are you two flying somewhere this morning?” Lin Chuanzi asked, surprised.

“Heh, we have a project to discuss in Yan Capital, and Shixuan is back at the company. With the New Year approaching, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it back to Zhantai for the holiday, so I brought her along for the experience,” Ling Weihua explained, cheerful.

“Shixuan is a fine child. If you nurture her, she’ll become a rare talent in business. The Ling family’s industry will certainly flourish under her leadership!” Lin Chuanzi praised Shixuan, whom he always held in high regard.

Delighted by the compliment, Ling Weihua replied modestly, “Not at all—compared to Lin Feng, those are just minor achievements.”

Shixuan, after greeting them, stayed quietly by her father, listening to the conversation, though her attention drifted to Lin Feng.

Liu Runli and her companions, drawn by the conversation, moved closer. Liu Runli greeted them warmly, “Heh, what a coincidence meeting you here!”

Ling Weihua, in a good mood, turned to Lin Feng, “Young man, aren’t you going to greet your elders?”

Lin Feng hadn’t planned to greet Ling Weihua, as they had little interaction, but faced with elders, he dutifully took Ruoxi’s hand and stepped forward. “Uncle Ling, you’re teasing. With my parents here, I’d never presume to greet you first. Now it’s my turn. Let me introduce you—this is my girlfriend, Xia Ruoxi, President of Future Technology.”

“Chairman Ling, it’s a pleasure to meet you! I’ve heard much about you in Zhantai. I hope we’ll have opportunities to learn from you in the future,” Ruoxi greeted Ling Weihua warmly.

“Oh, President Xia, you’re too kind. Lately, you’ve been prominent in the media. Your company is making headlines! Lin Feng mentioned he had a girlfriend, but I didn’t expect her to be the beautiful president of his company. This boy is stealing from his own house! And please, don’t call me Chairman Ling, it’s too formal. You’re Lin Feng’s girlfriend, so just call me Uncle Ling.”

“All right, I’ll call you Uncle Ling, and you can call me Ruoxi,” she agreed cheerfully.

“Good! Let me introduce my daughter—she’s now the General Manager of Ling Group, though she doesn’t have your talent, building Future Technology from scratch. In business, I hope she can learn from you,” Ling Weihua said, elevating Ruoxi while introducing his daughter, though many things would later surprise him.

Shixuan, hearing her father praise Ruoxi and place her on equal footing, felt a pang of discontent. Yet, being clever, she concealed her feelings and stepped forward. “Dad, you may not know, but Miss Xia and I have already met!”