An Airbus A320, flight number JL6001, en route from LA to Tomato City, has landed at the international airport.
Wang Ziran, seated in first class, woke up Su Ruiyi, who was asleep with an eye mask on. With sleepy eyes, Su Ruiyi took a pair of sunglasses from her bag and placed them on her nose. Her face was a bit oily, and she didn't want to reapply makeup. She threw off the blanket draped over her and disembarked the plane.
Wang Ziran hurried after her, "Yiyi, wait for me! I haven't put on my shoes yet. Oh dear, you forgot your bag!!!"
While waiting to collect their luggage, Wang Ziran received a call from his father.
"Yiyi, my dad arranged for a driver to pick us up. I'll give you a ride later!" Wang Ziran told Su Ruiyi.
Su Ruiyi checked her phone, "No need. I messaged my mom before boarding, she'll pick me up."
It was winter in Tomato City, and both of them, having returned from the height of summer, shivered a little from the cold.
Wang Ziran quickly took out the cashmere coat he had prepared from his suitcase and draped it over Su Ruiyi. He then took out a camellia scarf and hung it around her neck. When it came to taking care of Su Ruiyi, Wang Ziran was never half-hearted, always attentive to every detail.
"I checked the weather. It's going to get colder these few days. We'll need some time to adjust after coming back from LA. Don't catch a cold," Wang Ziran said with concern.
Su Ruiyi impatiently pulled the scarf off her neck. She glanced at Wang Ziran, who was also dressed scantily, and couldn't bear to see him shiver.
"It's not that dramatic. I won't wear it, it's so ugly!"
"Ugly? This is a new design..." Wang Ziran never quite figured out what Su Ruiyi liked, but he knew that new designs were usually a safe bet.
Su Ruiyi shoved the scarf back into Wang Ziran's arms and walked ahead, pushing her luggage cart. Wang Ziran haphazardly wrapped the scarf around his own neck and followed Su Ruiyi closely with his luggage cart.
"Yiyi, should I come to your place for New Year's Eve? I heard there's a fireworks show this year. I'll ask my dad to pull some strings so we can watch it together?"
"We'll see."
"Yiyi, a new Italian restaurant just opened in the city center. When are you free? Shall we go try it?"
"Let's make plans later."
"Yiyi..."
Before Wang Ziran could finish his sentence, Su Ruiyi turned around and shot him a killer look, silencing him immediately.
Standing at the arrival hall, Wang Ziran immediately spotted their family driver. Su Ruiyi, on the other hand, scanned the crowd several times but couldn't see a familiar face.
"Yiyi, why don't I see Auntie?" Wang Ziran stood beside Su Ruiyi, waiting for Mrs. Su with her.
"I don't see her either..."
Su Ruiyi craned her neck, peering towards the back of the crowd, still unable to spot Mrs. Su.
Just as Wang Ziran was about to suggest Su Ruiyi take their family car, Su Ruiyi suddenly grabbed his arm.
It was then that Wang Ziran noticed Su Ruiyi's look of disbelief. She gently removed her sunglasses, revealing a pair of large eyes staring at a corner in the distance.
Wang Ziran followed her gaze. A tall and handsome man was leaning against a pillar, one arm crossed, the other holding a phone. The hand tucked under his arm casually held a sheet of A4 paper between his index and middle fingers. He was engrossed in his phone, appearing rather nonchalant despite being at the airport for a pickup.
"Is it him?" Su Ruiyi was stunned for a good while!!!
Wang Ziran frowned. Su Ruiyi was great in every way, except for her penchant for handsome men, and not just looking, but actively asking for their contact information, and even arranging to hang out with them!
Before Wang Ziran could get a clear look at the man's face, Su Ruiyi dropped her cart, took off her cashmere coat, pulled out her phone, and ran towards him.
As Su Ruiyi approached Ou Yunchen, Ou Yunchen slowly looked up.
He was startled by the red-haired girl, but he maintained a cool gaze at the slightly tousled young woman.
She remained silent, and he said nothing. The red-haired girl's eyes, however, sparkled with admiration. After a moment, Ou Yunchen impatiently uttered,
"Do you need something?"
Su Ruiyi, lost in a daze, replayed the imagined encounter scenarios in her mind for the umpteenth time during those brief seconds of eye contact!
This was the face she had never forgotten over the years. Time had only enhanced the man's charm, making him possess the allure of a mature man.
Su Ruiyi, with a thick skin, asked adorably, "Brother, can I have your WeChat?"
Ou Yunchen sized up the girl, impressed by her boldness.
"No."
The refusal was so swift it left Su Ruiyi feeling awkward. But with her thick skin, she could still make small talk!
"Are you here for a pickup? Which flight? Returning from LA?"
"Mm," Ou Yunchen replied.
"What a coincidence! I'm on the same flight. So..."
Ou Yunchen suddenly realized he was holding the A4 paper with 'Su Ruiyi' written on it upside down, with the written side facing inwards. He glanced at the paper, quickly flipped it over, and pretended to look towards the arrival hall. His actions conveyed to the girl that he was waiting for someone and she should not bother him.
Su Ruiyi quickly caught sight of the name on the A4 paper. Wasn't it hers?!
Su Ruiyi could no longer hide her excitement, her mind racing with fantasies of "Has the world chosen me?" She pointed at the paper, then at herself, her face beaming.
"Me, me, it's me! You're here to pick me up!"
Ou Yunchen finally showed a hint of interest in the girl. He smiled, and that smile nearly killed Su Ruiyi.
Ou Yunchen folded the paper a few times and put it in his pocket. Then, in a cool tone, he said, "Let's go."
Su Ruiyi nodded eagerly and skipped along with Ou Yunchen. Wang Ziran, who had just rushed over, immediately grabbed her.
"Who is he?" Wang Ziran sounded a bit jealous.
"My idol."
"What?"
"Oh, he's here to pick me up. My mom actually asked such a handsome man to pick me up without telling me. I didn't even dress up properly."
Su Ruiyi pushed Wang Ziran's hand away, took out a small comb, tidied her bangs, and then, as if afraid of falling behind Ou Yunchen, she scurried after him.
Getting into Ou Yunchen's car, a white luxury Range Rover. The interior was impeccably clean, devoid of any accessories. The scent of Jo Malone's Sea Salt and Sage mingled with the leather interior, effectively masking a faint hint of cigarette smoke.
Ou Yunchen took off his jacket, about to toss it onto the back seat. As he turned, he noticed Su Ruiyi, dressed scantily, her shoulders hunched, her hands clasped together, clearly chilled from following him.
Ou Yunchen still threw his jacket onto the back seat and started the car. He silently pressed the button for the passenger seat heater and turned up the car's air conditioning by two degrees.
It was Su Ruiyi who broke the silence.
"I still don't know your name?" Su Ruiyi said, looking at Ou Yunchen.
"Ou Yunchen."
"I'm Su Ruiyi." The heiress then extended her hand, intending to shake his.
"I know."
Unfortunately, Ou Yunchen merely nodded, and Su Ruiyi awkwardly withdrew her hand.
With one hand on the steering wheel, the car pulled away from the airport parking lot.
"Do you know my address? Should I navigate for you?" Su Ruiyi continued to ask.
Ou Yunchen didn't intend to answer. He tapped the LCD screen with his finger, and Su Ruiyi's home address appeared on the navigation route.
"So you already have my address."
"Then, why did my mom arrange for you to pick me up?"
Ou Yunchen, looking straight ahead, drove seriously. "She had something to attend to."
"So, are you... are you an employee of our family?"
Su Ruiyi was full of questions!
Ou Yunchen glanced sideways at the ever-curious girl. He didn't know how to describe his relationship with Mrs. Su, but he couldn't tell Su Ruiyi that he was a male escort.
"You can ask her," Ou Yunchen could only reply.
Su Ruiyi responded softly, still eager to know everything about this man.
Since getting into the car, Su Ruiyi had noticed the pendant hanging from the rearview mirror, now clinking against a string of clam shells with a soft sound.
Ou Yunchen focused on driving while Su Ruiyi discreetly glanced at him.
The man always answered just enough, and his demeanor exuded an aura of aloofness, which only made the twenty-year-old Su Ruiyi more infatuated.
An interesting combination, one fiery, the other icy.
Sometimes, he resembled a solitary hunter in the forest, drawing a young girl's heart like a rash fawn into his world.
Su Ruiyi marveled inwardly, "Look, his profile is so flawless!"
In the silence, someone desperately wanted to ask, "Are you okay? What happened back then?" But ultimately could only gaze at him dreamily.
The sudden quietness of Su Ruiyi made the atmosphere in the car awkward. Ou Yunchen felt as if someone was staring at his right cheek. He cleared his throat and pressed the play button on the steering wheel.
As the upbeat melody began, Su Ruiyi softly hummed along to the chorus. It was a song she had recently shared on Weibo. She had practiced the female duet part many times.
Ou Yunchen lowered the volume slightly. The sensitive Su Ruiyi immediately stopped singing. Ou Yunchen turned his head and smiled at her.
"You like this song too?"
Su Ruiyi nodded immediately.
Ou Yunchen turned the volume up again and hummed a bit himself, gesturing for Su Ruiyi to continue singing.
As if receiving validation, Su Ruiyi began to sing with gusto, occasionally adding some cool little gestures, as if performing in a music video.
Ou Yunchen observed the vibrant young Su Ruiyi out of the corner of his eye. He had met many women in clubs, but truthfully, this was his first time interacting with such an infectious young girl. However, this was perfectly in line with his pre-prepared research.
A Leo girl: passionate, bold, unrestrained, sometimes sensitive, and so devoted to love that she would give up the most important things, like her pride.
However, while researching Su Ruiyi, Ou Yunchen had also unexpectedly discovered that girls of her zodiac sign often fell for scumbags. Heh, how interesting!
Thus, the relaxed atmosphere shortened the journey. They soon arrived at the Su family's mansion. Because the license plate number was not noted, they were stopped at the grand iron gate. Su Ruiyi poked her head out, her face was captured by the surveillance camera, and only then were they allowed in.
The car drove into the front courtyard. Mrs. Su was already waiting by the fountain for her precious daughter.
Ou Yunchen parked the car. Su Ruiyi quickly got out and rushed into Mrs. Su's arms. As Mrs. Su looked up, she saw Ou Yunchen's face. Ou Yunchen caught a fleeting look of shock on her face.
"Mom, you asked an outsider to pick me up and didn't tell me!"
Mrs. Su awkwardly exchanged glances with Ou Yunchen. She hadn't expected Sister Hong to send Ou Yunchen to pick her up.
Mrs. Su: "He is... is a friend of a friend of Mom's!"
Ou Yunchen stood behind Su Ruiyi, looking at Mrs. Su with a cold smile as she forcibly assigned him an identity. Now they were friends.
Ou Yunchen: "Mrs. Su, I've delivered your daughter. I'll be going now."
Mrs. Su quickly stopped him, "Wait a moment, Yiyi, you go inside first. Mom has something to say to Yun... Xiao Chen."
After watching her daughter reluctantly leave, Mrs. Su's smile faded.
"Why did you go to pick up Yiyi?"
Ou Yunchen seemed indifferent. "I was just following Sister Hong's arranged task."
"You didn't say anything to my daughter, did you?"
Ou Yunchen naturally understood what Mrs. Su feared. He looked indifferently at the woman who had cried in his arms just a few days ago. Now he possessed something she feared, and he was already thinking of how to utilize it.
"Say what? Talk about our inappropriate relationship?"
"You can't let my daughter know you're a male escort!"
"Mrs. Su, have you forgotten so quickly? Thanks to you, I already have a new identity."
Ou Yunchen opened the car door, rolled down the window, leaned on the door, peered over Mrs. Su, and looked towards Su Ruiyi, who was secretly peeking from the doorway in the distance. He waved in that direction. Su Ruiyi, from behind the door, immediately peeked out and waved back.
Ou Yunchen then looked at Mrs. Su and said, "Next time you're sad, I won't offer my shoulder to lean on."
Ou Yunchen made a sharp turn, reversed, and quickly left the Su residence.
He paused the current music and navigated back to the original music folder.
A song titled "Sleep Talk" began to play. This was his preferred genre of music.
As for the songs Su Ruiyi liked, he had downloaded all of them by checking her Weibo beforehand. After all, Ou Yunchen was best at pandering to people's tastes.
Ou Yunchen rested his left hand on the steering wheel, tapping his fingers to the rhythm of the music. With his right hand, he slowly took out a glittering diamond bracelet from his pocket.
He held it up in the air for a moment, then hung it on the rearview mirror.
This bracelet, originally worn on Su Ruiyi's wrist, now became his means to return here and see the girl again.
Everything seemed to be ordained by fate, everything perfectly arranged.