Chapter Forty-Five Picking Up

  One day while filming, during a temporary break, Jang Sung-won suddenly received a text message on his mobile phone. The content was simple: "Brother, I'm going back to Korea tomorrow morning, you have to come pick me up!" As soon as he saw the content, he knew that the sender was his beloved little sister, Zheng Xiujing, nicknamed "Shui Jing".

  What made him puzzled was that Xiaoshuijing didn't return to Korea with his family during the Spring Festival, but now it's already April and elementary schools in San Francisco have been open for several months. Why did he suddenly return to Korea? Did something big happen? Zhang Chengyuan couldn't help but feel some doubts and worries, hoping that nothing bad would happen.

  That day, Zhang Chengyuan specially asked the director for a half-day leave and prepared to go to the airport to pick up Xiaoshuijing the next afternoon. The director, considering that he had been diligent and hardworking in filming, agreed with a smile.

  The next day, Zhang Chengyuan got up early because it was a private matter and he had just obtained his driver's license, so he didn't take the company car but instead drove a car borrowed from Park Hyeon-ryeol to pick up Zheng Xiuyan, who had agreed to meet him the night before, and then headed straight to Incheon International Airport along the south bank of the Han River.

  Incheon International Airport was officially opened on March 29, and it was originally built to solve the problem of "inability to continue coping with growing air transport volume" at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, which hindered Korea's economic development. The airport started construction at the end of 1992 and took nearly eight years to complete, being called the largest project since the founding of the country by Korean media. On the day of completion, President Kim Dae-jung expressed his determination to make Incheon International Airport a central airport in Asia and a new driving force for Korea's economic development.

  It must be said that this airport is indeed very beautiful and has not wasted the huge investment of the Korean government. The airport itself is magnificent and beautiful, and the surrounding environment is also elegant and quiet. In comparison, Gimpo International Airport on the outskirts of Seoul at the time looked extremely shabby, greatly affecting South Korea's overall image. As a result, as soon as the new airport was completed, Gimpo International Airport, which had made great contributions to South Korea's economy, immediately became a secondary airport mainly for domestic flights.

  However, the new airport has one major drawback - it's a bit far from the city center of Hanzhou. Zhang Chengyuan drove for about an hour from the city center to get there, whereas going to Gimpo Airport used to take just over 20 minutes, which means he spent more than an extra hour on the round trip.

  On the road, Zhang Chengyuan drove while chatting with Zheng Xiuyan from time to time, asking about her recent situation. Zheng Xiuyan answered his questions one by one, but didn't say anything extra, appearing very indifferent. It was unclear whether she was complaining that Zhang Chengyuan had visited her much less frequently recently or if she was just used to interacting with him in this way. Fortunately, Zhang Chengyuan sometimes had the same problem, so he didn't mind.

  Upon arrival at the airport, Zheng Xiuyan's attention was immediately drawn to the various novel facilities and dazzling array of goods within. For Zheng Xiuyan, who had not gone out shopping in a long time, many things felt fresh and new.

  At this time, there was still a considerable amount of time before the flight from San Francisco arrived at Incheon Airport. Zhang Chengyuan accompanied Zheng Xiuyan to wander around and kill time, occasionally paying for snacks and some new small toys she bought. Although Zheng Xiuyan stated that she would only borrow his money and return it later, Zhang Chengyuan didn't have the nerve to ask her for it back, besides, it wasn't a lot of money anyway.

  After wandering for more than half an hour, Zhang Chengyuan pulled Zheng Xiuyan away, who was reluctant to leave, and rushed to the arrival hall of the airport. Fortunately, there were no big stars arriving or returning to Korea at this time today, so the pick-up place was not crowded. They chose a good location right in front of the exit and stood there waiting boredly.

  "Who accompanied Xiujing back?" Zhang Chengyuan asked casually.

  "My dad."

  "Then your mother won't be coming back?"

  Zheng Xiuyan glanced at Zhang Chengyuan and said, "After my mother returned to China for the New Year, she never went back to the United States."

  This news came as a surprise to Zhang Chengyuan, who had thought that Zheng Mama had left the country long ago. He felt a little ashamed and thought that he had been too busy with work and hadn't paid enough attention to Zheng Xiuyan lately.

  After a while, he asked again: "Why did Xiujing come back at this time? Isn't she attending elementary school on the other side?"

  "Mom said Dad is going back to China for work and Xiujing will also come back to school."

  Both parents have returned to South Korea, and it's only natural that they would arrange for their young daughter to return home to study. Since it's not a bad thing, Zhang Chengyuan stopped worrying about Xiaoshuijing and smiled: "It's good that you're back, now we can often meet with Shuijing."

  "Like this, you won't need to come see me again." Although her voice was small, it didn't escape Zhang Chengyuan's ears.

  Zhang Chengyuan looked at Zheng Xiuyan's pretty face with a puzzled expression, feeling that her mood seemed somewhat melancholy. He wanted to ask the reason but was afraid she wouldn't reveal her concerns to him, so he shook his head and decided not to ask after all.

  The two fell silent once again.

  After waiting for another ten minutes or so, Zheng Fu and Xiao Jingyu finally came out. Zheng Xiuyan shouted loudly: "Dad! Dad!" Unfortunately, the scene was too noisy, and neither Zheng Fu nor Xiao Jingyu heard her. Instead, it was Zhang Chengyuan's tall and majestic figure and his elegant waving motion that caught Xiao Jingyu's attention in an instant. Xiao Jingyu immediately let go of her father's sleeve and excitedly shouted as she ran towards Zhang Chengyuan, completely ignoring her own sister standing beside him.

  Zhang Chengyuan bent down and picked her up with one hand, weighing her for a moment before realizing she was at least eight pounds heavier than last year. He pinched her round cheeks and laughed, saying, "Oh my! You've gained so much weight, brother can barely carry you now."

  Xiao Jing's voice was filled with a hint of pride: "Nonsense, I'm not fat, I've just grown taller. Of course, when you're taller, you'll naturally be heavier too." She said as she reached out to touch the tip of Zhang Chengyuan's nose.

  Zhang Chengyuan felt a bit strange and asked: "Why must it grow as high as brother's mouth?"

  "Brother, you're so stupid! I've grown up to this height, and once I wear high heels, I'll be able to match up with you. In the future when we go out, others will definitely be jealous of me."

  Zhang Chengyuan smiled and said: "Really? Then you must eat more, exercise more, and your height will grow very quickly."

  At this time, Zheng Fu hugged his eldest daughter Zheng Xiuyan and said a few words of comfort. Then he turned around and stretched out his right hand to Zhang Chengyuan. Zhang Chengyuan hastily put down the small crystal and respectfully stretched out his hand to grasp Zheng Fu's palm. Before he let go, Zheng Fu suddenly stretched out his left hand and gently patted the back of his hand twice, then grasped it tightly without letting go, saying gratefully: "Thank you for coming to pick me and Xiujing up, and thank you for taking care of Xiuyan this year."

  Zhang Chengyuan was a bit awkward, and being held like this by someone else was the first time for him. Although he knew that this way of shaking hands was just a sign of affection from an elder to a younger person, his habits of courtesy cultivated in his past life made him extremely resistant to skin contact with men. In daily life, unless necessary, he would never shake hands or pat shoulders with males. At the moment, he bent down and picked up Zheng's luggage for him, taking the opportunity to pull his hand out, and said sincerely: "This is what I should do, in my heart, Xiuyan and Xiujing are both my younger sisters." It could be heard that his words were quite sincere.

  As soon as she heard this, Zheng Xiuyan's eyes lit up and her mood suddenly improved, while Xiaoshuiying giggled and held Zhang Chengyuan's left hand, smiling sweetly.