Chapter 3531

At the boarding gate for the flight to Jin Ling, Ye Chen and Xiao Churan embraced, and he watched her walk in, looking back at every step.

At this moment, Ye Chen felt no sorrow, only reflection.

He reflected that this was what a true marital relationship should be—after going through that step, everything had undergone a complete transformation; Xiao Churan was no longer the perpetually reserved and composed woman, but had become a clingy, bird-like woman who would even show strong reluctance at brief separations, even wanting to cry.

But he did not yet know that everything he took for granted actually had another hidden truth.

As Xiao Churan turned and walked into the jet bridge, she could not help but burst into tears.

Yet she dared not wipe them, for fear that Ye Chen might see from behind and guess her unusual state.

When she turned the corner into the descending jet bridge and the cabin door was within arm's reach, she could no longer control her emotions, walking like a zombie while crying with tears streaming down her face.

The purser and two flight attendants were at the door greeting priority boarding business-class passengers; they already had the information for every business-class passenger on this narrow-body aircraft, which had a total of eight business-class seats, five of which had been sold this time, including two women—one was Xiao Churan, the other a six-year-old girl.

Therefore, the flight attendants deduced by elimination that the weeping female passenger approaching them must be Xiao Churan.

So the purser hurried over and asked with concern: "Ms. Xiao, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should we coordinate with the airport?"

Xiao Churan hastily wiped her tears and shook her head repeatedly: "No need, thank you."

The purser said nothing more, guided her to her seat, then asked: "Ms. Xiao, would you like something to drink? We have tea, coffee, and juice."

Xiao Churan shook her head: "Nothing, thank you."

The purser nodded and added: "Then please call me anytime if you need anything."

Xiao Churan sat in her seat, struggled to adjust her mood, then picked up her phone and contacted Tang Sihai, telling him: "I'm already on the flight back to Jin Ling; can you arrange for me to travel with my parents?"

Tang Sihai replied: "No problem, Madam Ye—we have two plans in place. Once you land in Jin Ling, our people will take you home, then you and your family can pack up, and if nothing else happens, we'll depart tonight."

The flight carrying Ye Chen, Master Hong Wu, and Chen Zekai will take off in two and a half hours; once Ye Chen's boarding is confirmed, his next ten hours will be spent unable to leave this aircraft, and arranging for Xiao Churan's family to depart that evening will allow everything to proceed very smoothly.

Xiao Churan had already made up her mind, so she immediately replied: "Alright, I'll tell my parents when I get back—just say we're taking them abroad tonight."

"All right, Madam Ye, our people will be waiting for you at the airport; you'll see them as soon as you arrive."

……

At this moment, Ye Chen had left Terminal 2 and headed straight for Terminal 3.

The flight to Melbourne will depart from Terminal 3.

After Xiao Churan's flight took off, Chen Zekai hurried to the airport.

Seeing Ye Chen, he asked, puzzled: "Young Master, how did you find out about Butler Tang's whereabouts? Isn't he missing?"

Ye Chen said: "My wife's friend in Australia happened to forward a news report about a Chinese national being attacked there, and unexpectedly, it was Butler Tang."

Chen Zekai looked bewildered: "Butler Tang went to Australia? That's too bizarre—he suddenly vanished without a trace back then, so how did he end up in Australia?"

Ye Chen said: "He seems to have just immigrated to Australia; I'm not clear on the exact circumstances, but I need to rush over to see for myself."

Chen Zekai frowned and said: "Young Master, I always feel this is too much of a coincidence—could it be a scam?"

Ye Chen said: "I initially thought something was off, but I trust Butler Tang—he could never stand against me; otherwise, he would have had plenty of opportunities to do so before, and there would be no need to wait until now."

"That's true," Chen Zekai agreed, nodding, and said: "I just received a call from staff in Australia; they said they've already located the hospital where Butler Tang is. I had them try to sneak in to take a look, but they only saw him lying in the ICU, and his exact condition is still unclear. These staff members are all from our Melbourne Buckingham Palace Hotel, with no special training, and their capabilities are somewhat lacking—I'll have them look for another opportunity."

Upon hearing that Butler Tang was still in the ICU, Ye Chen felt a twinge of worry and said: "Don't let them try again—Butler Tang's sudden departure back then must have had his reasons, and this time he ran into trouble, he certainly wouldn't want me to know. If you startle the snake, he might just disappear again."

"Alright," Chen Zekai said, nodding: "I'll have them prepare the car, and we'll go straight to the hospital as soon as we get off the plane."

Not long after, Master Hong Wu, who had flown in from Jin Ling, also arrived.

Like Ye Chen, he got off the plane and rushed straight to Terminal 3 to meet Ye Chen.

Upon seeing each other, he immediately asked anxiously: "Master Ye, what exactly happened to Butler Tang being beaten?"

Ye Chen said with a cold face: "Just some local Australian teenagers, similar to the petty thugs here ten or twenty years ago—except this group specifically targets foreigners, especially Asians, and the most infuriating part is that they rely on being minors to strike viciously, often leaving people seriously injured; not long ago, they even seriously injured a Chinese international student."

"Damn little bastards!" Master Hong Wu snarled, gritting his back teeth: "Don't let me catch them, or I'll cripple each one of them!"

Ye Chen said calmly: "Rest assured, not a single one of those who struck will escape."

……

At 4:45 p. m., the flight carrying Xiao Churan landed at Jin Ling Airport fifteen minutes ahead of schedule.

She sent Ye Chen a WeChat message, telling him she had arrived at the airport and asking him to rest easy.

Ye Chen had not yet begun boarding, but he immediately replied: "Wife, who is going to the airport to pick you up?"

Xiao Churan said: "My father is definitely at the calligraphy and painting association at this time, so I won't bother him—I'll just take a taxi myself later."

Ye Chen instructed her: "Once you're in the car, let me know, and remember to tell me when you get home."

Xiao Churan replied: "Alright, don't worry—I'm all grown up now; I can take care of myself during a short drive."

While replying to Ye Chen's messages, she had already walked all the way out of the plane, passed through the baggage claim area, and arrived at the exit.

She had originally intended to go straight to the taxi queue, but then remembered Tang Sihai saying someone would come to pick her up, so she instinctively glanced left and right.

Many men and women were waiting at the exit to pick up passengers, but it seemed no one was holding a sign with her name.

Just as she was about to leave directly, she suddenly heard a familiar voice call out: "Ms. Xiao! Over here!"

Xiao Churan turned toward the sound, and upon seeing the person calling her, she was instantly stunned, her eyes wide open.

"Sun……Sun Mengmeng?! You……what are you doing here?!"