[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-arrival-in-1994":3,"chapter-arrival-in-1994-arrival-in-1994-chapter-67":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Arrival in 1994",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2352548,4601,"Chapter 67","arrival-in-1994-chapter-67",67,"\u003Cp>The library was old, filled with a damp, musty odor that clearly hadn’t been cleaned in years; but as Ye Nan stepped inside, he realized it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shelves were neatly lined with books, all categorized and arranged, with labels beside each shelf indicating their types.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are we doing here?” the short man asked Ye Nan, puzzled. “Aren’t we supposed to head straight to Hamunaptra?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Going to Hamunaptra can wait—I have personal matters to handle. Wait outside for me.” Ye Nan shooed them all away and entered alone. “Ellie, are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After parting in New York, Ellie had come to Egypt alone, saying she wanted to do archaeology; Ye Nan let her go, knowing she had her own career—he didn’t want her to become a decorative ornament by his side, clinging to him. Attachment wasn’t necessarily love; distance created beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, since he was handling an unorganized matter, he’d come to Egypt to see Ellie. From Smila, he learned she’d been here all this time, doing something unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ye Nan?” A delighted voice rang out. Ellie, dressed in a black classical robe, her face flushed with excitement, asked, “How did you get here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I came to see you,” Ye Nan smiled slightly. “You haven’t reached out in so long. If I don’t come check on you, how can I rest easy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re afraid I’ll run off with someone else.” Ellie walked over and tidied his hair. “How could I run? Ever since I gave myself to you, I’ve been yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You Westerners are so open-minded,” Ye Nan thought inwardly. Even in ancient China, women couldn’t bear loneliness—how much more so in the freer West? That’s why he worried, why he’d sent someone to follow and protect her, though there was also a hint of surveillance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I’m not worried you’ll run off—I know my charm is irresistible,” Ye Nan said, self-absorbed and smug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Careful—I really might run off with someone,” Ellie waved her tiny fist at him. “Someone like you, a kid, I wouldn’t even look at. I’m drawn to mature, charismatic men—with intellect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But didn’t you choose me?” Ye Nan chuckled. “This place reeks of mold. Let’s go get coffee.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one’s cleaned here in ages,” Ellie said, frowning at the surroundings. “My parents used to bring me here and stay for a while. But after they left, no one ever cleaned it again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been here these past few days, cleaning it up. But this musty smell? I can’t get rid of it. Still, after living here so long, I’ve gotten used to it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you don’t want to leave, we can stay here,” Ye Nan said understandingly, not wanting to pressure Ellie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, let’s go. We can clean it up tomorrow,” Ellie shook her head. “Over the years, the library’s been a mess—books scattered everywhere. Sorting them all would be too much trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Nan took Ellie outside and found a random café, where they sat facing each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, long time no see, Mr. Ye Nan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bright, cheerful voice reached Ye Nan’s ears. He turned instinctively and saw Stark, the playboy from Macy’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stark? What are you doing here?” Ye Nan asked, surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stark walked in and sat beside Ye Nan. “The Egyptian military invited me to demonstrate missile launches, so I came.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s great—a big order, big profits,” Ye Nan praised. Missiles brought huge margins; if you were ruthless, you could easily make a few million profit per unit. His Terminators barely scraped out tens of thousands—even accounting for market expansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense. Compared to ICQ, Stark Arms is just a baby. I’ll need your continued support, Mr. Ye Nan,” Stark said humbly. “By the way, this beautiful lady—won’t you introduce me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is Ellie. She’s also one of my future wives,” Ye Nan introduced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Ellie. Nice to meet you,” Ellie said, her spirits dimming slightly at hearing Ye Nan call her one of his future wives—but she hid it from outsiders, forcing a cheerful expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An honor to meet you, beautiful lady,” Stark shook her hand, then turned back to Ye Nan with admiration. “I envy you, Ye Nan—such a beautiful woman as your wife. Poor me, I still haven’t found a girlfriend. They all abandon me, refuse to marry me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Nan burst out laughing at Stark’s pathetic act. “Who doesn’t know you’re a notorious playboy? The cover girls from Glamour magazine have all slept with you. When are you going to introduce a couple to me… Oh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Nan felt a kick to his foot and turned sharply to see who dared. But when he met Ellie’s furious gaze, he shrank back. “That’s not what I meant—I just meant introduce them to me, just to meet them, nothing more! Don’t misunderstand, don’t think that!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think I’m interrupting. I should go,” Stark said, sensing trouble. Before leaving, he whispered to Ye Nan’s ear: “If you want to meet any cover girls, I can arrange it. I’m sure they’d be thrilled to meet the CEO of ICQ.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No thanks. I’m not interested. I was just joking,” Ye Nan said. Seeing the tigress roar, he had no intention of meeting any cover girls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahahaha…” Stark laughed and walked off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Smila, send a Terminator to follow him. I feel something’s going to happen. But stay hidden—I don’t want him thinking I’m spying on him,” Ye Nan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What could happen? He’s here at the Egyptian military’s invitation,” Smila asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just a hunch. Maybe he’ll run into an accident,” Ye Nan said calmly. Though the world sometimes had movie-like events—people, plots—it was unreliable. Locations, timelines? Already completely scrambled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stark, who should’ve been captured in Vietnam, might just as easily be captured in Egypt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. I’ll send a T-1000,” Smila said. Among Terminators, only the T-1000 was stealthy enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After giving the order, Ye Nan noticed Ellie’s pale expression. He felt awkward, unsure what to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew why she was angry—but he didn’t know how to explain. No matter how sweetly he spoke, it wouldn’t undo what he’d just said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ellie, are you upset?” Ye Nan asked cautiously, eyes fixed on her, hoping to read her emotions. But from earlier until now, her face remained blank, utterly expressionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know about my parents?” Ellie said. “My father was an explorer. My mother was an explorer. They met on an expedition, fell in love, and had me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I met Grant, I thought I’d be just like my mother—traveling with an explorer, dying somewhere on an expedition.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But just as I thought I’d die with Grant, you saved me—from the dinosaur’s jaws. I was grateful. That gratitude slowly made me forget Grant, and fall for you. I realized then: I’m not like my mother. Our lives have taken different paths.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That divergence is good. Your mother and father being together doesn’t have to affect your life. Everyone’s path is unique,” Ye Nan said softly. “So don’t burden yourself. Let things unfold naturally. Let things unfold naturally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes… let things unfold naturally,” Ellie murmured. “And you? Do you want to let things unfold too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…” He understood her meaning. He didn’t know how to answer. Saying yes would hurt her. Saying no would be clearly hypocritical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know. I’ve always known this would be the outcome. Yet I threw myself at you anyway. Am I foolish? Like a moth flying into the flame,” Ellie said, tears falling like broken pearls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no, that’s not true,” Ye Nan rushed to her side, wiping her tears. “It’s not like that. I admit I’m passive—but I care deeply for everyone. I promise you that. My ability is enough to make sure you all live well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But your wife—your wife can only be one,” Ellie said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can change my nationality. Then I can have many wives,” Ye Nan grinned. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. Let’s talk about something fun. You love exploration, right? Want to find Hamunaptra?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hamunaptra?” Ellie looked at Ye Nan, puzzled. “That’s the legendary tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. But it’s just a legend—rumored to hold great treasures, though most importantly, the Book of the Dead and the Book of the Sun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know where Hamunaptra is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?” Hearing Ye Nan knew Hamunaptra’s location, Ellie instantly forgot all her earlier sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Ellie’s reaction, Ye Nan could only sigh: such a workaholic.\u003C\u002Fp>",1394,"2026-06-21T03:32:50.781Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","563abd170608ac1dc2df715f5744902c243e9f22d9df4fdb6342bd6bd8aeee9c","arrival-in-1994-chapter-68","arrival-in-1994-chapter-66",643,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Farrival-in-1994-cover.jpg"]