Chapter 2: Thrown Out of the Airport

The plane landed safely at Hong Kong Airport three and a half hours later.

The moment Xu Yanran stepped out of the airport, countless bodyguards swarmed around her, protecting her in the center.

She looked like a queen.

In contrast, Lu Yao appeared invisible, isolated outside the protective circle of bodyguards.

This was probably the chasm between her and the Xu family that she could never cross in her previous life.

No matter what she did, the Xu family’s hearts were always driven by self-interest; they never saw her true worth. Whenever trouble arose, just like in her past life, they would choose to abandon her without hesitation.

“Aren’t you getting in the car?”

After Xu Yanran sat down, she noticed Lu Yao lingering outside for a long while and grew irritated.

“What’s wrong with you today?”

Straightening up, she confronted Lu Yao. “Why do you look at me like I’m some kind of pest? It’s already a big deal that I took a whole day off to pick you up from the mainland. Who are you sulking for with that sour face?”

Was she hoping Lu Yao wanted to see her miserable expression?

“If you’re unhappy that I’m here to bring you back and don’t want to ride with me, then walk home by yourself using this address. I don’t want to see your deadpan face in the car anymore.”

With that, Xu Yanran slammed the car door shut without giving Lu Yao a chance to reply and angrily commanded the driver to leave.

The airport was vast and bustling, with women dressed in glamorous dresses and qipaos, each carrying exquisite leather bags.

Lu Yao, however, still wore the patched gray jacket and pants she had on in Baiyan Village.

On her feet were a pair of hand-stitched cloth shoes, faded and worn.

Frankly, Lu Yao looked like a beggar in this place.

Yet, she was neither nervous nor lost, nor confused or afraid.

She appeared calm.

So calm, it was as if she were watching a play that had nothing to do with her.

This scene had already played out in her past life.

Back then, Lu Yao was like a clown, abandoned by Xu Yanran at the airport, bewildered and helpless. When she saw Xu Yanran order the driver to leave, she had tried to chase after them but stumbled and fell.

At that time, she was humiliated and terrified. Facing the contempt and mockery of onlookers, she covered her face with her hands, trying to hide the bitterness and sorrow in her heart.

This time, Lu Yao did not do that.

Her eyes remained calm and unwavering as she stared straight ahead, ignoring the scornful and mocking gazes around her.

As she lifted her head and squared her shoulders, she noticed a familiar figure.

Her expression flickered in surprise.

Xiang Zhihua!

How could he be here?

The man everyone had only dared to observe from afar in her past life.

Rumor had it that one touch meant death!

“Mr. Xiang, here is your test report!”

Cheng Gang handed the freshly obtained report to Xiang Zhihua, only to see a dark figure suddenly fall heavily against him.

At that moment, Cheng Gang’s first thought was to quickly move forward and grab the person to prevent any harm from coming to Xiang Zhihua.

But before Cheng Gang could act, Lu Yao, cheeks flushed, swiftly pushed herself up from Xiang Zhihua’s body.

“Sorry, sorry.”

She had been pretending to walk but accidentally tripped over something beside her, causing her to fall onto him.

But this accident served her purpose well—it allowed her to hitch a ride home, saving her considerable trouble and effort.

“Did I hurt you?”

Lu Yao asked with concern.

Xiang Zhihua was known throughout Hong Kong to have a physical disability. Her fall had been quite forceful—she hoped she hadn’t caused him any harm.

The noble man’s face bore a trace of weariness, his sharp gaze suddenly piercingly fixed on Lu Yao.

“Scamming me?”

She recalled how the last person who had tried to approach Xiang Zhihua in such a manner was now long dead, with grass over their grave growing more than a meter high.

Lu Yao’s unusual attire and appearance stood out starkly.

Had those people thought their previous methods of approaching him were ineffective and decided to try a new tactic?

“No, no!”

Under his sharp and unwavering gaze, Lu Yao’s heart pounded wildly as she waved her hands, explaining continuously, “I’m not scamming you. I tripped accidentally. It wasn’t on purpose.”

Would he understand her explanation?

Would the assistants around him really strangle her on the spot?

“Cheng Gang!”

Xiang Zhihua was not about to listen to Lu Yao’s explanations.

In his eyes, anyone approaching him was after something.

There was no such thing as “accidental.”

“Miss, please come with us.”

Immediately, several black-clad bodyguards appeared behind Cheng Gang, surrounding Lu Yao.

Although Lu Yao needed this outcome, she couldn’t help but feel nervous inside, though she showed no signs of it.

She had heard of Xiang Zhihua’s ruthless and cunning nature in her past life.

If she wanted to leave the Xu family, she had to find a powerful ally like him.

In her previous life, after being abandoned at the airport by Xu Yanran, she never encountered such a big shot.

But just as Xu Yanran ordered the driver to leave, Lu Yao happened to see this influential man being pushed out nearby by Cheng Gang.

That was how the recent scene had unfolded.

What surprised her was how vigilant he was.

But that didn’t mean she would back down.

“I told you, I’m not scamming you.”

Lu Yao repeated firmly in front of Xiang Zhihua and Cheng Gang, “Xu Yanran deliberately abandoned me here. You can check if you don’t believe me. I have no reason to lie!”

Xiang Zhihua’s eyes darkened, unreadable if he truly believed her words.

Regardless, he decisively ordered Cheng Gang to take her into the car.

*

At the Xu household, Madam Xu had been waiting at home since early morning. As night fell and no one had returned, she was about to send someone to inquire when Xu Yanran’s car finally drove into the driveway.

“Mom, big sister is back!”

Xu Yujing, the youngest son of the Xu family, bounced into the house excitedly.

“Yanran’s back?”

Madam Xu’s face lit up, and she hurried forward to greet her, though her eyes kept glancing outside.

But only Xu Yanran came in; there was no sign of Lu Yao. Madam Xu’s eyes filled with doubt as she turned her gaze to Xu Yanran.

“Where’s Yao Yao? Didn’t you go pick her up? Why isn’t she with you?”

She stepped forward, grabbing Xu Yanran’s hand anxiously.

Could it be that Lu Yao refused to come?

Hmph!

Thinking of this made Xu Yanran irritated.

“Mom, can you stop mentioning her?”

Xu Yanran’s tone was less than pleasant. “She’s developed quite an attitude now.”

Remembering Lu Yao’s deadpan face and shabby, poor appearance earlier, she didn’t want her riding in her car.

Madam Xu frowned and released her grip on Xu Yanran’s arm.

“Did you two have a fight on the way?” she probed cautiously.

As a mother, she knew her daughter’s temper well.

Temper but no brains.

Otherwise, Xu Yanran wouldn’t be acting like this.

Xu Yanran frowned and pursed her lips. Given today’s situation, this was worse than a mere quarrel—infuriating and unpleasant.

“Mom, is it because we’ve ignored Yao Yao for the past three years that she harbors resentment and refuses to come back with big sister?”

Xu Xingyue suddenly stepped forward, her face full of guilt and worry, linking her arm with Madam Xu’s.

“If I had known, I shouldn’t have asked Yao Yao to go to the countryside on my behalf. Now she must be holding a grudge against you all. It’s all my fault.”

“What reason does she have to be resentful?”

Xu Yanran said angrily, “Yueyue, don’t blame yourself for everything. She was supposed to go to the countryside in the first place. If it weren’t for that nanny’s selfish revenge against us Xu family, switching you two, you wouldn’t have suffered so much in the countryside.”

“Now she only spent three years there, walking the path she was meant to. What right does she have to resent? What about the fifteen years you spent in the countryside?”