"Yan Xi..."
Wan Yunting walked over, and Fang Yanxi also met him, smiling, "You're here."
"Yeah, am I late?" Wan Yunting chuckled.
"No, just in time to board the plane," Fang Yanxi smiled.
"That's good." Wan Yunting nodded, looking at Lin Xiaoqi, "Is your secretary going too?"
"She's not," Fang Yanxi shook her head.
Lin Xiaoqi smiled, "Mr. Wan, I'm entrusting President Fang to your care. You must return her to me intact!"
Intact... Wan Yunting nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll bring President Fang back to you, whole and complete."
Fang Yanxi turned and glared at Lin Xiaoqi playfully, "Hurry back to work."
"Okay!"
Lin Xiaoqi giggled and left, no longer disturbing their impending private time.
"Then let's go inside."
Wan Yunting stepped forward, pulling her suitcase. Fang Yanxi said, "Let me..."
"I'll handle this kind of thing."
Wan Yunting smiled, and Fang Yanxi had to let go. Seeing the man's handsome smile, she realized that ever since his acquittal in court yesterday, he seemed to have become much more liberated and cheerful.
The two entered the airport together, checked in, passed security, and boarded the plane bound for Anhui and Hefei.
They were flying first class. After the plane leveled off, they chatted about the upcoming inspection of medicinal herbs and the construction of the new pharmaceutical company.
The flight from Huadu to Hefei City took about two and a half hours. By 2:30 PM, the plane slowly landed at the airport. Wan Yunting carried his bag, escorting Fang Yanxi off the plane. After collecting her suitcase, they left the airport and got into their pre-booked car, heading directly for Huoshan County in Lu'an City.
Dendrobium officinale, a medicinal herb, had always been a specialty of Anhui. From its wild form to its current simulated wild cultivation, it was found in Taiping Township, Wangjiadian Village, Huoshan County, Lu'an City, Anhui.
The dendrobium from that area, whether wild or simulated wild, was famous nationwide. Currently, pharmaceutical merchants from all over the country procured dendrobium from there.
Wan Yunting and Fang Yanxi had arrived in Wangjiadian Village, Taiping Township, Huoshan County, to inspect the farm of a grower named Wang Meng. They had contacted him in advance, but the visit could only happen tomorrow.
By the time Wan Yunting and Fang Yanxi arrived in Huoshan County, Lu'an City, it was already past 5 PM. Thus, they checked into two separate rooms at a small hotel in Huoshan County town, planning to head to Wangjiadian Village in Taiping Township the next morning.
"Yan Xi, are you ready?"
Their rooms were next to each other. After putting his bag down, Wan Yunting came out and knocked on Fang Yanxi's door. The door opened quickly, and Fang Yanxi smiled, "I'm ready."
"Let's go, we'll find something to eat and take a stroll," Wan Yunting smiled.
"Okay."
The two then left the hotel and began strolling along a pedestrian street in Huoshan County town, sampling local delicacies, looking at specialty products, and even checking out the dendrobium in pharmacies. They found their simulated wild cultivation to be quite impressive.
"Are you tired from walking? Let's sit down for a drink."
Leading Fang Yanxi through the pedestrian street, the two sat down on chairs outside a beverage shop after getting tired. Wan Yunting went inside, ordered two drinks, and brought them out. "Here, your caramel macchiato."
"Thank you."
Fang Yanxi took the milk tea and looked at it. She was inwardly delighted, looking at Wan Yunting sitting beside her, surprised that he remembered she liked caramel macchiato.
It reminded her of their university days, when Wan Yunting, after playing basketball, would often bring back a cup of caramel macchiato for Fang Yanxi. Back then, she had fallen in love with the caramel flavor, which seemed to be the flavor of their caramel-colored love.
"How is it, is the taste here okay?" Wan Yunting turned, looking at Fang Yanxi as she took a sip, and smiled.
"Mmm, it's pretty good."
Fang Yanxi looked up, revealing a sweet smile at that moment. The taste of caramel stirred up memories from deep within her mind.
Wan Yunting smiled, his gaze sweeping across the bustling street. Although it was just a small county town, the lives of the people here were simple. He watched a group of high school students, just out of evening study, queuing up to buy milk tea, which also brought back memories of Wan Yunting and Fang Yanxi often queuing for milk tea at the school gate during their university days.
The two sat there quietly, neither speaking, because a single glance from each of them conveyed what the other was thinking. This feeling was beautiful.
"Let's go back."
Seeing that it was getting late, Wan Yunting stood up. Fang Yanxi nodded, stood up, and quietly followed the man towards the hotel.
Looking at the man's right hand, Fang Yanxi, with her clasped hands, seemed to be anticipating the man holding her hand as they walked, just like in the past.
"Careful..."
Suddenly, an electric scooter turned into their path. Wan Yunting's large hand immediately grabbed Fang Yanxi's out-of-focus hand and pulled her closer. The woman stumbled and fell into Wan Yunting's embrace, their eyes meeting instantly.
In that moment, it felt as if time around them had stopped, leaving only the two of them, seemingly able to feel each other's heartbeats.
Beep beep...
"What are you two doing? If you want to do something, go home and do it..."
The pedestrian on the electric scooter, seeing them blocking the way, honked his horn unceremoniously, interrupting Wan Yunting and Fang Yanxi. The embarrassment made them quickly step aside to let him pass.
Fang Yanxi's pretty face flushed, her heart pounding with excitement and nervousness, as if she were back to that magical feeling of their first kiss.
"Let's go."
Wan Yunting was also embarrassed. Fang Yanxi nodded silently and followed the man obediently back towards the hotel.
When they reached the hotel room door, Wan Yunting realized he had been holding Fang Yanxi's hand all along, which made him even more awkward. He quickly released the woman's jade hand, smiled sheepishly, "Let's go back. We can sleep in, we're not in a hurry to travel tomorrow."
"Okay..."
Fang Yanxi, flushed with excitement, nervously fumbled through her bag for the room card, her hands trembling. After searching for a while, she found the card, glanced at Wan Yunting in a flustered manner, and then quickly opened the door, smiling awkwardly, "You too, get some rest early."
"Mmm."
Wan Yunting nodded, watching her enter first before entering his own room.
Fang Yanxi, closing the door, leaned against it, her excitement palpable. After listening for silence from outside the door, she let out a sigh of relief, touching her pounding heart. Being held by the man's hand all the way had made her so excited and shy that she patted her flushed cheeks, feeling as if she had returned to the feeling of being twenty years old, experiencing first love.
Wan Yunting felt the same. After showering, he sat on the bed, smoking, his mind constantly replaying the beautiful memories of his university days with Fang Yanxi.
"Sigh..."
After finishing the last puff of his cigarette, Wan Yunting extinguished the butt in the ashtray, sighed softly, and then turned off the light to sleep.