PDLP Chapter 362 Lingyun Zhangguo
Chapter 362 Lingyun Zhangguo
When Ling Yun walked out of the Xingchen Technology office building, Zhao Hu had already parked his car at the entrance. Seeing him come out, Zhao Hu opened the car door. Ling Yun put his bag in the back seat and got in himself. Zhao Hu didn't say anything and started the car. The car drove out of the parking lot and merged into the traffic on Highway 101. Ling Yun leaned back in his seat, looking out the window. The office buildings, parking lots, and palm trees receded into the distance, one by one.
Zhao Hu glanced at him in the rearview mirror and then asked, "Mr. Ling, shall we go straight to the airport?"
Ling Yun replied, "Yes, let's go straight there."
Zhao Hu nodded and didn't say anything more; the car continued driving forward.
At 11:00 AM, Ling Yun arrived at San Francisco International Airport. Zhao Hu parked the car at the departure level, got out, and helped him take his bag. Ling Yun took the bag, looked at Zhao Hu, and then said, "You should go home and get some rest too."
Zhao Hu stood there, his lips moved slightly, and then he said, "President Ling, take care."
Ling Yun nodded and then said, "Take care too. Once you've finished your business, come back to China as soon as possible. There's no need to wait for the results." After saying that, he turned and walked into the terminal.
Checking in, checking his luggage, going through security—Ling Yun did all this without a care in the world. The security line was long, so he stood in it, inching forward with the person in front of him. When it was his turn, he handed over his passport. The immigration officer glanced at it, looked up at him, and asked, "Mr. Ling, when are you returning from the United States this time?"
Ling Yun thought for a moment, then said, "I'm not sure."
The immigration officer nodded, stamped the passport, and returned it to him. Ling Yun took it and continued walking inside.
The waiting area was crowded. He found a window seat and sat down, watching the planes on the tarmac. One after another, they flew by, some big, some small, some white, some silver. He watched for a long time, then took out his phone, found An Shiyu's number, and typed: "I'm on the plane, everything went smoothly." He stared at those three words for a few seconds, then pressed send.
The announcement began urging boarding, and Ling Yun stood up and walked towards the gate. He had a window seat, which he preferred. The plane began to taxi and then accelerated away from the ground. Outside the window, the outline of San Francisco grew smaller and smaller, the bay smaller and smaller, and the entire California coastline became a thin line before finally disappearing beneath the clouds.
Ling Yun leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
After a flight of more than twenty hours, the plane landed at Jinan Yaoqiang Airport. As Ling Yun stepped out of the cabin, a gust of cold wind hit him, and he tightened his coat. February in Jinan was still very cold, much colder than California. He walked along the jet bridge into the terminal, his pace quickening compared to usual.
There weren't many people at the baggage claim area, and he spotted An Shiyu immediately. She was standing outside the railing, wearing a beige coat, her hair a little longer than when she left, looking at him happily. She was holding her daughter in her arms; the little one was wearing a red down jacket, the pom-pom on the hood jiggling, and was sleeping on An Shiyu's shoulder.
Ling Yun pushed the luggage cart out and stopped in front of An Shiyu. He gently hugged An Shiyu and her daughter, kissing An Shiyu on the cheek. "Have you been waiting long?" An Shiyu replied, "Not long at all. You must be tired after such a long flight."
Ling Yun replied with a smile, "It was alright, I slept several times on the plane."
An Shiyu looked at him and saw that he didn't seem very tired, then said, "Let's go home."
Ling Yun nodded and took her daughter from her arms. The little one was woken up, opened her eyes groggily, saw an unfamiliar face, and paused for a moment. Then her lips trembled, her eyes reddened, and she burst into tears.
Ling Yun quickly patted her back and whispered, "It's Daddy, Daddy's back." The little girl ignored him, twisting her body and struggling towards An Shiyu, crying even louder. An Shiyu took her daughter back, and the little girl immediately stopped crying, burying her face in An Shiyu's shoulder, only showing half of the back of her head.
Ling Yun stood there, his hand still outstretched, unsure of where to put it.
An Shiyu glanced at him and then said, "It's been two months since we last saw each other, and she doesn't even remember me."
Ling Yun withdrew his hand, smiled, and said, "You've grown so much." An Shiyu didn't reply, and walked out with her daughter in her arms. Ling Yun followed behind, pushing the luggage cart. As they walked out of the terminal, the cold wind blew again. He saw his daughter nuzzle her face against An Shiyu's neck. An Shiyu wrapped her in her coat and whispered something in her ear.
The car was parked in the parking lot; it was the same red Golf. An Shiyu opened the back door, placed her daughter in the child seat, and fastened the seatbelt. The little one had stopped crying, but was still sobbing, her eyes red, looking out the window, not at Ling Yun.
Ling Yun put the luggage in the trunk and got into the passenger seat. An Shiyu started the car and drove out of the parking lot. Once on the highway, the fields outside the window receded one after another, all withered and yellow, not yet green.
My daughter fell asleep in the back seat, her breathing was very soft, and she would occasionally move, making a rustling sound with her clothes.
After driving for a while, An Shiyu spoke first, asking, "Has everything been taken care of over there?"
Ling Yun replied, "It's all taken care of."
An Shiyu asked again, "Have all the shares been sold?"
Ling Yun replied, "They were all sold; not a single piece was left."
An Shiyu was silent for a moment, then asked again, "Don't you feel sorry for me?"
Ling Yun thought for a moment, then said, "I wouldn't say I'm heartbroken, after all, it cost so much money."
An Shiyu nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
The car exited the highway and entered the city. There weren't many people on the streets, the shops were open, and the stalls selling New Year's goods hadn't closed yet. The plane trees along the roadside were bare, their branches stretching out like fingers.
An Shiyu parked the car at the entrance of the residential area, and Ling Yun got out and carried their daughter out. The little one woke up again, this time without crying, but she wouldn't look at him, her eyes fixed elsewhere. An Shiyu locked the car, walked over, and took her daughter from her. The daughter leaned on her shoulder, blinking her eyes.
Once inside, An Shiyu placed her daughter in her bedroom bed and tucked her in. The little one rolled over, hugged a plush rabbit, and fell asleep again. An Shiyu gently closed the door and returned to the living room. Ling Yun was still standing in the entryway, holding his travel bag, not yet put it down.
An Shiyu looked at him and then said, "What are you standing there for? Come in."
Ling Yun changed his shoes, placed his bag next to the sofa, and sat down. An Shiyu went to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, brought it over, and placed it in front of him. The water was lukewarm, not hot. Ling Yun got up, took a sip, and put it down.
An Shiyu sat down next to him, with a person's distance between them. Outside the window, someone set off firecrackers, which crackled and popped for a while before stopping.
An Shiyu spoke first, "Tell me about it."
Ling Yun leaned back on the sofa and recounted what had happened in the United States. He talked about the board of directors, stocks, Microsoft, Anderson, and Dell. He spoke very simply, glossing over everything in just a few sentences, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs. An Shiyu listened without interrupting or asking any questions.
In conclusion, Ling Yun said, "All the shares have been transferred out."
An Shiyu asked him, "Since you don't have any businesses in the US now, you don't need to go back, right?"
Ling Yun thought for a moment, then said, "No, there's also Xingyu and aliens, as well as some game companies we've invested in. These have nothing to do with Xingchen; they're all independent."
An Shiyu nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
The two sat there in silence. The sky outside the window gradually darkened; the room was dark as the lights were off. An Shiyu stood up, walked to the window, and drew the curtains. Then she walked back and sat down next to Ling Yun, this time sitting a little closer.
She turned her head to look at him, then asked, "Do you regret giving up on Xingchen?"
Ling Yun thought for a moment, then replied, "I have no regrets. Some things just have to be compromised."
An Shiyu didn't speak. She reached out and took Ling Yun's hand. Her hand was a little cold, but she held it tightly.
She said softly, "It's good that everyone is back safe and sound."
Ling Yun turned to look at her. Her profile was obscured in the dim light, but he could see the corner of her mouth move slightly, as if she were smiling, yet not quite. He took her hand in his, and her hand slowly warmed in his palm.
The sound of her daughter turning over came from the bedroom, a rustling sound, then silence. An Shiyu stood up and said, "I'll go check on her." She went into the bedroom; the door opened a crack, letting in the warm yellow light of the bedside lamp. Ling Yun heard her humming something softly, the words indistinct, the melody slow. After a while, she came out and closed the door behind her.