Two days later, after Qin Ningyi had finished making all his arrangements, he packed his luggage.
"Go with peace of mind. You can stay for a while longer," Qin Feiwang's red lips curved upwards, her defiant demeanor returning.
At this moment, she finally felt like an older sister, witnessing her seemingly invincible younger brother in a state of dejection. After so many years, she was finally experiencing the feeling of being a sister again. No matter how complicated or difficult the company matters were, it was all worth it.
After giving a few more instructions, Qin Feiwang got into the car under Xiao Konglin's earnest gaze and headed to the company.
"Mr. Qin," the butler brought an insulated thermos cup, "the car is ready. Please take this with you to drink on the road."
"There's no heating in Daocheng Village. I've packed extra clothes for you. Please take care of yourself when you get there."
The butler was very worried. Although Qin Ningyi had stood in the snow for so long in such thin clothing a few days ago without catching a cold, he couldn't let his guard down.
"Thank you," Qin Ningyi said, and the driver pulled the car out of the garage and stopped in front of him.
Qin Ningyi turned back to look at the snowman in the courtyard, a flicker of a smile in his eyes, which was quickly replaced by a sense of loneliness.
He quickly got into the car and sat down, not looking back again.
As the car drove away, the butler watched the black speck disappear into the vast expanse of white, sighing softly. He turned around; the snowman was still in the courtyard.
The butler walked over to the snowman and looked at the expensive decorations on it. He paused and scooped up snow from the ground to reinforce the snowman.
He could only hope the snow would fall for a longer time, so that the young master could see the snowman when he returned.
The road to the airport was much livelier than usual, and the oppressive atmosphere inside the car was much lighter.
"Is a celebrity coming today?" Old Zhang muttered in confusion, looking at the long queue ahead and stepping on the brake. "Why are there so many cars..."
Qin Ningyi glanced up and vaguely remembered that there was some kind of press conference or event scheduled to be held in Yuchang City today.
He rubbed his forehead and massaged his temples. His recent poor sleep was affecting his memory.
At night, he tossed and turned, always catching a faint scent from the pillow beside him. When he returned home, it was even harder to fall asleep than in Taichuan City. He never expected to suffer from insomnia one day; he could sleep soundly even when facing a business deal worth hundreds of millions for the first time.
As far as he could recall, the last time he had insomnia was the day before he left Fenghuo.
He repeatedly urged Guyan's people to accelerate their search and expand the scope. He had originally intended to search quietly, but now he couldn't care less. He wanted to know her news, and if possible, he wanted to see her.
He wouldn't ask anything; he wouldn't make things difficult for her.
Just to see her once.
He could hear the wind outside and the sound of water flowing through the pipes clearly. All sounds were disturbances to his sleep. Tossing and turning, he had no choice but to get up and go out for a stroll.
Snow was falling in the courtyard at night.
The tree that An'an had helped to revive stood tall and vigorous. He leaned against the tree, gathering snow from the ground, and unconsciously built a snowman.
"Mr. Qin, there's still plenty of time. Don't worry."
Old Zhang's voice pulled him back from his thoughts. What was he thinking about just now?
Qin Ningyi lowered his gaze and replied absentmindedly, "Mm." If it really came down to it, he could ask the plane to wait; it wasn't a big deal.
As for the delay...
He was already counting the days, and time felt so long. What did it matter if a little more time was wasted?
Receiving his response, Old Zhang's heart finally settled. He had been scared earlier. Seeing Qin Ningyi's ashen face, he thought the traffic jam had angered him, so he quickly tried to pacify him.
The car moved slowly. To ease his awkwardness, Old Zhang turned on the car radio.
The morning news was broadcast, with the host discussing the day's hot topics: a child who ran away from home for over a month was found deceased; a recent movie had damaged its public image; and the new song by top male star Qin Jian, a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, had received official commendation... The broadcast moved from daily life to entertainment, and then from entertainment to science.
"Recently, our beloved Grandpa Nong and his team have made a breakthrough in technology..."
The radio had just reached this point when they had passed the most congested part of the road. The cars ahead resumed normal speed, and Old Zhang quickly turned off the radio and accelerated.
After hearing the first half of the broadcast, Qin Ningyi's memories began to resurface.
He had been trying to recall this earlier. Grandpa Nong seemed to be planning to give a live report on this breakthrough technology, and the press conference was scheduled to be held in Yuchang City.
It seemed to be happening in the next few days.
His cheeks, which had been tense for days, relaxed slightly, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It was good that so many people were now willing to pay attention to agriculture.
It was truly good.
Old Zhang glanced at the smile on Qin Ningyi's lips through the rearview mirror and felt relieved. Recalling the content of the radio broadcast, he guessed that Qin Ningyi must have heard about that and smiled.
He spoke familiarly, "Mr. Qin, the second young master is indeed impressive. I heard his new song on my child's computer yesterday. Even someone my age gives it a thumbs up!"
He went on at length praising Qin Jian. As he got more animated, Old Zhang glanced at the rearview mirror and saw that the smile on Qin Ningyi's lips had completely vanished, and his expression had returned to its usual impassivity.
Uh oh, he seemed to have flattered the wrong person!
No wonder his wife told him to talk less...
Old Zhang remained silent and drove Qin Ningyi to the airport without another word.
"Go back and check the news. Don't just watch entertainment programs all day," Qin Ningyi said coldly, pushing his luggage into the waiting lounge.
Old Zhang scratched his head. As he turned, a live news report was playing on the television in the airport lobby.
"...Grandpa Nong's flight has taken off. We await his arrival in Yuchang City together..."