Chapter 45

On a certain day during filming, while taking a temporary break, Zhang Chengyuan suddenly received a text message on his phone. The content was simple: "Brother, I'm going back to South Korea tomorrow morning, you have to come and pick me up!" Upon seeing the content, he knew the sender was his beloved little sister, Zheng Xiujing, whose nickname was "Shuijing."

What puzzled him was that Little Shuijing had not returned to South Korea with her family during the Spring Festival, and it was already April, with the schools in San Francisco having been in session for several months. Now, she was suddenly returning to South Korea. Could something significant have happened? Zhang Chengyuan couldn't help but feel some doubt and worry, hoping nothing bad would happen.

That day, Zhang Chengyuan specially asked the director for a half-day off to prepare to pick up Little Shuijing at the airport the next morning. The director, considering his hard work and dedication, smiled and granted his request.

The next day, Zhang Chengyuan got up early. Since it was a personal matter and he had just obtained his driver's license, he didn't take the company car but drove a car borrowed from Park Byung-yeol. He first picked up Zheng Xiuyan, whom he had arranged to meet the night before, and then drove along the highway south of the Han River to Incheon International Airport.

Incheon International Airport officially began operations on March 29th of that year, built to solve the problem of the inability of Gimpo International Airport in Seoul to handle the growing volume of air traffic, which was hindering South Korea's economic development. Construction began at the end of 1992 and took nearly 8 years to complete, being hailed by South Korean media as the largest project since the founding of the country. On the day of its completion, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung expressed his intention to make Incheon International Airport the hub of Asia and a new driving force for South Korea's economic development.

It must be said that the airport was indeed beautiful, not wasting the substantial investment by the South Korean government. The airport itself was grand and aesthetically pleasing, and the surrounding environment was also beautiful and tranquil. In comparison, the original Gimpo International Airport in the outskirts of Seoul seemed very shabby, greatly affecting South Korea's overall image. As a result, once the new airport was built, the Gimpo International Airport, which had made significant contributions to South Korea's economy, was immediately downgraded to a secondary airport mainly for domestic flights.

However, the new airport had one significant drawback: it was quite far from the city center of Seoul. It took Zhang Chengyuan about an hour to drive there from the city center, while it used to take only about 20 minutes to get to Gimpo Airport, adding more than an hour to the round trip.

On the way, Zhang Chengyuan drove while chatting casually with Zheng Xiuyan, asking about her recent well-being. Zheng Xiuyan answered only when asked and said nothing extra, appearing quite cold. It was unclear whether she was complaining about Zhang Chengyuan's fewer visits recently or was just used to interacting with him this way. Fortunately, Zhang Chengyuan sometimes had the same issue, so he didn't take it personally.

Upon arriving at the airport, Zheng Xiuyan's attention was immediately drawn to the various new facilities and the wide array of goods. For someone who hadn't gone out shopping for a long time, many things were quite novel.

There was still a considerable amount of time before the flight from San Francisco would arrive at Incheon Airport, so Zhang Chengyuan, bored, accompanied Zheng Xiuyan as they wandered around to pass the time, occasionally paying for snacks and some novel trinkets for her. Although Zheng Xiuyan stated that she was only borrowing the money and would pay it back later, Zhang Chengyuan didn't have the heart to ask for it, and besides, it wasn't much.

After about half an hour of wandering, seeing that it was almost time, Zhang Chengyuan pulled Zheng Xiuyan, who was still enjoying herself, and hurried to the exit of the arrival hall. Fortunately, there were no big stars arriving or returning to South Korea at this time, so the pick-up area wasn't crowded. They found a good spot right in front of the exit and stood there, waiting idly.

Zhang Chengyuan casually asked, "Who is accompanying Xiujing back?"

Zheng Xiuyan replied, "My father."

Zhang Chengyuan asked, "Is your mother not coming back?"

Zheng Xiuyan glanced at Zhang Chengyuan and said, "My mother returned to South Korea during the Spring Festival and hasn't gone back to the United States."

This news surprised Zhang Chengyuan. He had always thought that Zheng's mother had already returned to the United States. He felt a bit guilty, realizing that he had been too busy with work and hadn't paid much attention to Zheng Xiuyan recently.

After a while, he asked again, "Why is Xiujing coming back now? Isn't she still in elementary school there?"

Zheng Xiuyan said, "According to my mother, my father is returning to South Korea to develop his career, and Xiujing will also come back to attend school."

With both parents returning to South Korea and being concerned about their young daughter, it was natural for them to arrange for her to return to South Korea for school. Since it wasn't a bad thing, Zhang Chengyuan no longer worried about Little Shuijing and smiled, saying, "It's good that she's coming back. We can see each other more often in the future."

Zheng Xiuyan muttered, "Then you won't have to come and see me anymore." Although her voice was low, it didn't escape Zhang Chengyuan's ears.

Zhang Chengyuan looked at Zheng Xiuyan's pretty face with a hint of confusion, sensing that her mood seemed a bit gloomy. He wanted to ask the reason but was afraid she wouldn't confide in him, so he shook his head and decided not to ask.

The two fell silent again.

After waiting for another ten minutes, Zheng's father and Little Shuijing finally came out. Zheng Xiuyan called out loudly, "Dad! Dad!" Unfortunately, the scene was too noisy, and neither her father nor Little Shuijing heard her. Instead, it was Zhang Chengyuan's tall and imposing figure and his casual wave that caught Little Shuijing's attention. She immediately let go of her father's sleeve and ran excitedly towards Zhang Chengyuan, completely ignoring her older sister standing next to him.

Zhang Chengyuan bent down and picked her up, feeling that she had gained at least eight pounds since last year. He pinched her round cheeks and said with a smile, "Oh! You've gained so much weight, brother can hardly carry you anymore."

Little Shuijing pouted and said, "Nonsense, I'm not fat, I've just grown taller. Naturally, I would weigh more. But, brother, you're still so tall. I wonder when I'll be as tall as your mouth."

Zhang Chengyuan felt a bit puzzled and asked, "Why do you have to grow as tall as my mouth?"

Little Shuijing said, "Brother, you're so silly! If I grow that tall, I can wear high heels and match you. When we go out, others will definitely envy me."

Zhang Chengyuan laughed and said, "Is that so? Then you should eat more and exercise more to grow quickly."

At this moment, Zheng's father, after a few heartfelt words with his elder daughter Zheng Xiuyan, turned to Zhang Chengyuan and extended his right hand. Zhang Chengyuan quickly put down Little Shuijing and respectfully shook Zheng's father's hand. Before he could let go, Zheng's father suddenly extended his left hand, lightly patted his palm twice, and then held it, saying gratefully, "Thank you for coming to pick up Xiujing and me, and for taking care of Xiuyan this past year."

Zhang Chengyuan felt a bit uncomfortable; it was the first time someone had held his hand like this. Although he knew this handshake was a sign of an elder's affection for a junior, his etiquette habits from his previous life made him very resistant to physical contact with men. Normally, he would never shake hands or put his arm around a man unless necessary. He bent down to pick up Zheng's father's luggage, taking the opportunity to pull his hand away, and said sincerely, "It's my duty. In my heart, Xiuyan and Xiujing are both my sisters." It was clear that he spoke these words with great sincerity.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xiuyan's eyes immediately brightened, and her mood improved. Little Shuijing, on the other hand, held Zhang Chengyuan's left hand with a sweet smile.