Chapter 1268: Returning to Harbor City
Xia Ruya’s flight was scheduled for ten in the morning and, all thanks to the dense population of Capital city, the heavy traffic was a major headache for the government and had also resulted in major transport inconveniences. The long waiting times at traffic junctions were enough to cause a major delay. Hence, Xia Ruya, Uncle Yu and Auntie Yang headed to the airport bright early in the morning.
There were only a few people in the airport’s VIP waiting room. Xia Ruya remained seated quietly, suddenly reminded of the time when she first returned to Capital city.
After disembarking from the plane, Auntie Yang accompanied her and waited with her in the VIP room while Uncle Yu proceeded to collect their luggage.
No one knew how terrible she felt whenever she stepped in Capital city, which seemed like a living h.e.l.l to her.
She felt indignant for being left with nothing after getting set up by Wen Xinya, and helpless when she got kidnapped by the Xia Family and got beaten up and humiliated by the gangsters. She felt hopeless and dejected when she was forced to flee Capital city, the resentment that she felt towards them engulfing her like waves.
All of those emotions reminded her of her humiliating past and her filthy body.
Her thirst for revenge, which was initially hidden deep beneath her heart, seemed like a stallion that had broken free and a demon that was continuously controlling her and urging her to take revenge.
From the moment she stood beneath the sun in the land of Capital city, she knew that she had overcome her fears.
However, less than two months later, she returned to this very seat and had arrived back in Harbor City. This time, the fears that she had to overcome were way more complicated than she had imagined. In fact, they were rather terrifying and she was not confident at all, though she did not have another choice.
“You silly child. Why did you leave without telling me?” asked Ning Shuqian, who was dressed in a lilac dress, a pair of medium-length boots and a fur cardigan from Autumn. She exuded a mature sultriness, completely devoid of the grace and elegance she possessed when she was still Madam Wen.
Xia Ruya looked up slowly, revealing the look of vulnerability in her bloodshot eyes. “I didn’t want to trouble you by making you come all the way here. I was initially planning to call you after I return to Harbor City.”
She did not wish to let anyone know that she had fled Capital city in a pathetic state. Hence, she did not inform anyone about her 10 AM flight.
Ning Shuqian took a seat beside her and said, “Don’t stand on ceremony with me. Besides, I wanted to come and send you off too.”
Extremely grateful, Xia Ruya exclaimed, “Thank you, Aunt Ning!”
Ning Shuqian looked at Auntie Yang smilingly and said, “Auntie Yang, there’s a fried pastry store near the airport that sells delicious pastries which Ruya loves. Could you go buy some of those? Ruya will be in high spirits after eating them.”
She then gave her the address.
Although Ning Shuqian’s request was a little sudden, it was not overboard. Hence, Auntie Yang did not think much of it and simply thought that she had only made such a request because of how close she was to Xia Ruya.
However, the intelligent Xia Ruya knew that Ning Shuqian was deliberately trying to steer Auntie Yang away. Although she did enjoy eating the fried pastries from that store, she did not like them to the extent of needing Auntie Yang to buy some for her. Clearly, Ning Shuqian had something to tell her.
After Auntie Yang left, Xia Ruya said with much grat.i.tude, “I didn’t expect you to still remember that I like those pastries, Aunt Ning.”
Ning Shuqian smiled and said, “You won’t get to eat them again once you return to Harbor City.”
She glanced at Xia Ruya with a mysterious look.
Xia Ruya’s eyes glistened and she slowly hung her head low.
Ning Shuqian extended her hand and grabbed Xia Ruya’s hand which was placed on her knee. She then held it in her palm and said, “Ruya, you may not have said this, but I know that it’s not easy being the successor of the Li Family. You’re definitely going to face some more trouble when you return to Harbor City this time.”
She had specially sent her people to find out more about the situation going on in the Li Family. Hence, she especially headed to the airport to look for Xia Ruya.
Xia Ruya raised her head abruptly to stare at Ning Shuqian with a complicated yet menacing gaze in her eyes. However, she soon stopped and put on a pitiful look instead.
Seeing that she had turned as pale as a sheet and was looking extremely pitiful, Ning Shuqian said smilingly, “Ruya, I watched you grow up and I’ve always treated you as my own daughter. You’ve been very obedient as well. If you encounter any problems in Harbor City, feel free to call me. I’ll see what I can do to help!”
She stressed the last sentence because she wanted to sound solemn, though she began to look smug.
Xia Ruya’s heart pounded rapidly all of a sudden and she wondered, What does Ning Shuqian mean?
Help me? Is it what I’m thinking?
Does Ning Shuqian really have what it takes to help me?
Could it be something to do with the mysterious supporter behind Ning Shuqian?
Xia Ruya’s eyes glistened and she murmured, “Aunt Ning… I know you’re worried about me and you want to help me, but the things in the Li Family are far more complicated than you think. I…”
She was trying to sound Ning Shuqian out, in a bid to understand more about her supporter.
In the past three years, she had been watching Ning Shuqian and Wen Xinya go against each other. Although Ning Shuqian had never defeated Wen Xinya before, she knew that Ning Shuqian had never lost either, because Ning Shuqian would always be able to stand up again after she had fallen.
This time, Ning Shuqian had clearly become an abandoned p.a.w.n with no means of making a comeback. Yet, she managed to manipulate Wen Haowen again within just a few months. She even managed to cause a stir in the Wen Family by making use of the entertainment city project.
Ning Shuqian wouldn’t have been able to do that by herself.
The only possibility was that Ning Shuqian had a mysterious and powerful person to back her up. So they did not have to be afraid of the Wen Family at all.
Ning Shuqian raised her brows nonchalantly and said, “Since I offered to help, I can definitely give you a hand. Don’t worry about it. You’ll only realize some things in the future.”
She was still unsure about some of the details and hence, could not mention it to Xia Ruya yet. Besides, she wouldn’t talk to Xia Ruya about those matters out of the blue. She believed that Xia Ruya was smart enough to know what she was saying.
Ning Shuqian’s mysterious att.i.tude made Xia Ruya raise her suspicions. “Aunt Ning, I know. I’ll definitely tell you when I need help.”
Although she wanted to make use of Ning Shuqian, she did not want to be affiliated to her instigator for now. Given how mysterious they were, there was definitely something terrifying about them. She was afraid that there was a huge scheme behind this and hence, had to be conscientious.
Her answer was seamless and she did not sound perfunctory, either. Hence, Ning Shuqian obviously wouldn’t know what she was thinking. After all, no one would turn down a helping hand, especially in times of need.