CHAPTER 213: CHAPTER 213: TAKING A PLANE

He sent a one-line reply.

"No need."

Xia Liang then hurriedly went offline. After dealing with everything, he glanced at his phone. The text from Kong Man had finally arrived.

"Mister Xia, the engagement date has been set for October 15th. For the next ten-plus days, her family will be arranging wedding matters, so there won’t be many reports. However, I will update you immediately if anything comes up."

Looking at the text, a smile touched Xia Liang’s lips.

It’s settled so quickly? I thought it would take a month. The sooner, the better. I’ll just have to come back on the 14th. It won’t interfere with my plans.

Thinking this, Xia Liang simply replied with two words.

"Got it."

Although it was only a brief reply, on the other end of the line, Kong Man was filled with fighting spirit.

I have to remember, there’s still a fifty-cent reward riding on Xia Liang. With just a little more effort, I can get my hands on it.

Turning off the phone screen, Xia Liang fell asleep.

「The next day」

Xia Liang was woken up by Luu Qi. Just as the family was finishing breakfast, Shi Qiang came in with his suitcase.

"Shi Qiang, perfect timing," Luu Juan said warmly. "Come sit down and eat."

"Alright, thank you, Auntie."

Shi Qiang wasn’t bashful and sat right down. Xia Liang couldn’t help but tease him.

"So? You’re about to leave Shangluo with me. Are you feeling reluctant to part with Xiang Qiao?"

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

Shi Qiang had been eating peacefully, but when Xia Liang mentioned Zhou Xiangqiao, he glared at him in annoyance.

At this, Luu Qi and Luu Juan perked up.

"That name definitely sounds like a girl’s. Shi Qiang, are you dating someone?" Luu Qi was also curious to see what Shi Qiang’s girlfriend looked like.

"No, Auntie, Brother Xia is just talking nonsense," Shi Qiang said, quickly waving his hands dismissively.

Seeing Shi Qiang’s embarrassed expression, Luu Juan chuckled.

"Alright, alright, Auntie won’t ask."

Shi Qiang breathed a sigh of relief that the topic was dropped.

If they kept asking and Luu Qi found out about my simping, she would have died laughing.

After the group finished eating, Xia Liang didn’t call a taxi to the airport. Instead, Xia Weiguo drove the three of them.

Once at the airport, even though they were all adults, Xia Weiguo still felt a bit worried and reminded them, "Remember to be safe on your way."

"Of course, Dad. You be safe on your way back, too," Xia Liang replied.

"Goodbye, Uncle Xia!" Shi Qiang said.

"Goodbye, Uncle!" Luu Qi added.

The three of them waved goodbye, then turned and entered the airport.

This time, Xia Liang had naturally bought first-class tickets again. Shi Qiang, however, didn’t know this and asked as he normally would.

"Brother Xia, where’s our boarding gate? We should find it first, or it’ll be too late when they start boarding."

He was already looking around as he spoke.

"No need," Xia Liang said, patting him on the shoulder. "I bought first-class tickets. A beautiful flight attendant will even escort us to the plane later." He added, giving him a teasing wiggle of his eyebrows.

First-class?

Shi Qiang blinked. He had never been on a plane before, let alone in first class. All he knew were some basic facts.

To my former self, the money for a plane ticket was better spent on a green-skin train. I could have saved a large sum to send Xiang Qiao a 520 Yuan red packet.

Shi Qiang actually felt a bit uncomfortable about Xia Liang buying first-class tickets. He already felt that Xia Liang taking him along was a huge favor. Now, he was even buying him a first-class ticket. He couldn’t help but feel guilty. After all, they had been best friends since they were kids.

Just by looking at him, Xia Liang knew what his friend was thinking. He slung an arm around Shi Qiang’s shoulder.

"If you dare ask me how much the tickets cost, I will strangle you."

"Er..."

Shi Qiang immediately fell silent. That was indeed exactly what he had been about to do. After all, just the day before yesterday, Xia Liang had spent hundreds of thousands for him—that was a real, tangible amount. Even as brothers, he felt indebted to Xia Liang.

Xia Liang looked at him seriously. "There’s no need for that between us. You’re always keeping track of me treating you and spending money, but how come you never remember the time you took a knife for me? Or when I was broke in college and you scrimped and saved to send me money?"

Hearing this, Shi Qiang felt a little embarrassed. "Well... aren’t we brothers?"

"Exactly!" Xia Liang patted his shoulder. "Look, right now it’s my turn to spend the money. I don’t know anything about this industry, but you’ve always wanted to get into it. It’s a perfect match: I’ll provide the capital, you provide the labor. We’ll be an unstoppable team. Then, once you’re making good money, you can just treat me back. That settles it, right?"

"Yeah." Hearing Xia Liang put it that way, Shi Qiang nodded vehemently. "Don’t worry! I’ll definitely make our company a success."

Seeing the fighting spirit in Shi Qiang’s eyes, Xia Liang nodded in satisfaction.

This guy is great in every way and actually very smart. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten into Huaqing University. It’s just that his weakness is also obvious. Without a driving force, he can easily settle for the status quo and stagnate. He needs someone to push him. In the past, it was his mother, who pushed him to get into the best university in Dragon Country. Now, it’s me, pushing him to become excellent.

Luu Qi looked at Shi Qiang with satisfaction. "That’s more like it!" she said. "In the future, I want to sign with Brother Xia’s company, too. If I go into acting, you’ll have to write my scripts for me, Brother Qiang!"

"Of course, no problem!" Shi Qiang immediately promised, patting his chest.

He might lack confidence in other areas, but when it came to screenwriting, he was very self-assured. The few scripts he had sold in the past had, without exception, become huge hits when filmed. He even had several excellent scripts on hand right now, just waiting for the right moment to shine.

The trio arrived at the first-class lounge and registered their information. Shi Qiang’s eyes were drawn to the drinks and snacks inside. There was a full spread of snacks and drinks like mineral water, Sprite, and Coke. There were even beers, available at both room temperature and chilled. Their rest area consisted of four sofas arranged around two small tables, along with some high-top tables and chairs like those at a bar. It was very quiet, insulated from much of the noise outside.

When Shi Qiang heard that everything was free, he suddenly felt hungry again despite having already eaten breakfast. He brought over a large selection of desserts and snacks.

With their enhanced physiques, Xia Liang and Luu Qi were never ones to refuse food. Since sitting around was boring anyway, they joined him in eating.

About ten minutes later, a flight attendant came to inform the three of them that it was time to board.

As she led them through a special corridor, Shi Qiang glanced toward the main hall, where a crowd was packed in line for ticket checks. He then looked at their side—it was spacious and empty, with a dedicated flight attendant leading the way.

He once again realized the benefits of being wealthy.

I swear, the next time I come back, I’ll be the one paying for us to fly first-class.

Upon reaching the first-class cabin, they saw there were a few more passengers than on his last flight. The other passengers glanced at the trio, a flicker of surprise in their eyes.