Chapter 55: Ominous Signs Emerging

The four of them were only about ten meters apart, and they stared at each other for at least ten seconds.

Despite the passing crowds and the noisy surroundings, the four of them felt a sudden stillness in the air.

Ultimately, it was Sun Xiaorui who took the initiative to step forward with a smile, breaking the awkwardness and shock.

After Sun Xiaorui asked a few questions to ease the atmosphere, she learned the reason for their presence there.

One could only say they were quite unlucky.

Last night, their flight was first delayed by an hour before finally taking off. Then, not long after takeoff, the plane suddenly malfunctioned, forcing an emergency landing at Heixian Airport.

There weren't many planes at this airport, and the airline couldn't possibly send a dedicated aircraft just for the passengers of this single flight. If they wanted to fly back to Xiuzhou, they would either have to take a bus to a nearby city to catch another flight or simply wait—and they had been waiting until now.

After hearing about their ordeal, Sun Xiaorui asked sympathetically, "Are you going to keep waiting? When will there be another flight? What did the airline say?"

"They said there would be one tonight, but they can't guarantee it 100%. If there isn't one tonight, we'll have to take a bus to the nearest Qi City to catch a flight. I just don't know how much of the ticket price we can get refunded. It's infuriating."

Lin Wan looked exasperated, while Wu Mengting appeared somewhat listless.

Sun Xiaorui said, "They should definitely be able to refund it. It was both a delay and an emergency landing."

Lin Wan nodded. "Yeah. If they don't, I'll file a complaint until they're dead."

Chen Feng remained silent, feeling a faint sensation in his heart that their bad luck was likely a prank from the heavens, targeted specifically at him.

Just like his previous several chance encounters with Zhang Jingwen—from a scientific and probabilistic standpoint, it was almost impossible. The odds were harder than winning the first prize in a major lottery.

And yet, it happened.

Could this really be a coincidence?

In Chen Feng's view, this was clearly a cruel joke by fate, as if some unseen hand was manipulating everything.

A sense of warning arose in Chen Feng's heart.

Last time, he had already "ruined" Zhang Jingwen. Although he felt a bit of guilt about it, it wasn't much; after all, she had practically delivered herself to him back then.

Moreover, he never had much affection for Zhang Jingwen to begin with.

But if it happened again this time, and it was Wu Mengting or Lin Wan, he wouldn't be able to accept it.

He might carry the guilt until the day he died.

He didn't have much time left, and he didn't want to die with a heavy conscience.

He wanted to leave this world with a clear conscience so he could be at peace.

Therefore, he absolutely could not stay with them.

"Then you should keep waiting for now. If you still haven't found a flight by tonight, find a hotel to stay in and get some rest. You can take a flight from Qi City tomorrow; it'll be the same thing."

Chen Feng finally spoke. His words were standard and polite, and Lin Wan nodded slightly, seemingly appreciative.

However, Chen Feng immediately added, "We're heading to our reserved hotel now. If you run into any trouble, you can contact me. I'll help as much as I can. Goodbye."

Having said that, Chen Feng signaled Sun Xiaorui to say goodbye to them.

"We'll be going then. Contact us if anything happens. Bye-bye."

Sun Xiaorui felt a bit embarrassed, but she still stood up from the seat next to Lin Wan to bid them farewell.

Lin Wan's expression instantly soured, and she didn't even respond to them.

In contrast, the listless Wu Mengting was still polite enough to say "Goodbye" and wave to them.

"Honestly, what kind of people are they? We're in this situation, and they won't even stay to keep us company for a bit."

Lin Wan expressed her resentment with a face full of indignation.

"They just got off a plane. And it's already so late," Wu Mengting said, being more easygoing.

"You're always so considerate of others. I think they're just cold-hearted, especially Chen Feng. I used to think he was very manly, but it turns out he's just heartless. A man like that is useless no matter how much money he has. It's your luck that it didn't work out with him, otherwise, you'll regret it later."

Wu Mengting could only respond with a bitter smile.

***

On Chen Feng's side, they left the airport and took a taxi to their reserved hotel.

"Feng-ge, why did you suddenly want to leave? It's a rare coincidence to run into them; we could have chatted a bit. We weren't in a rush."

Sun Xiaorui felt somewhat helpless. Chen Feng's sudden departure just now had made her feel very awkward.

After all, the four of them had been on good terms before—traveling, eating, and laughing together.

Then, everything suddenly took a sharp turn, and they became like strangers.

It all started when Chen Feng refused to let them continue traveling together.

He said he didn't want to date Wu Mengting, but they could certainly remain friends.

But looking at his current attitude, it seemed he didn't even want to be friends anymore.

*Sigh, why bother?*

Sun Xiaorui lamented in her heart but didn't say it aloud.

Chen Feng didn't know her thoughts, but he could guess to some extent, so he asked back, "Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence? We've been apart for over a day, and yet we still run into each other here."

"Yeah, it really is a coincidence! That's why when I saw them, I almost thought I was seeing things or having hallucinations. But isn't such a coincidental reunion proof that we are destined to meet? We should cherish it."

Chen Feng said irritably, "Aren't you afraid I'll tell Wu Mengting about 'destiny,' start dating her, and then dump you?"

Sun Xiaorui smiled confidently. "What is there to fear? If you're willing, you can dump me right now."

Her words were quite spirited, yet her small hand was tracing circles in his palm, and her phoenix eyes were looking at him with a watery gaze.

Chen Feng's heart momentarily faltered.

This woman was born with a natural charm; he really couldn't bring himself to dump her right now.

Holding hands, they shared a moment of peace and comfort.

After a while, Sun Xiaorui spoke up, "Speaking of which, you and Wu Mengting really do have a connection. First, an unexpected encounter in Beiji Village, and now here. That's quite a deep connection. Are you really not tempted?"

"This kind of 'connection' is not what I want," Chen Feng shook his head helplessly.

"If you said that to any other man, you'd get beaten to death."

"You don't believe me?"

"I believe you. It's just that if I were you, I definitely wouldn't let it go. Wu Mengting looks like the kind of pure and innocent girl. Women like that are the best to marry. If you miss out, don't regret it in the future."

"Since when did you become so generous? You were still jealous of her yesterday," Chen Feng looked at her suspiciously.

Sun Xiaorui laughed. "Wasn't that just to satisfy your vanity? Having two beauties fighting over you—your male vanity must have been greatly satisfied, right?"

Truth be told, Chen Feng couldn't deny it.

"That's true. However, it seems you're still lacking something when it comes to me. As they say, 'lovers not yet reached, only lovers in secret,'" Chen Feng said, feigning disappointment.

"Hee hee, that mostly depends on you. If you treat me as a lover, then of course I can only treat you as a lover. But if it's a real relationship, I will certainly be a qualified girlfriend."

Chen Feng said, unromantically, "I think we're fine just the way we are now."

Sun Xiaorui couldn't help but give his hand a hard pinch, making Chen Feng cry out in pain.

Pinching the back of the hand really hurt, especially when caught off guard.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel?" Chen Feng glared at her, feigning anger.

"Alright, master, I was wrong," Sun Xiaorui immediately pleaded with a coquettish voice, leaning her body into Chen Feng's embrace.

"Ahem!"

The driver in the front finally couldn't take it anymore and let out a loud, forced cough to remind them of his presence.

Chen Feng and Sun Xiaorui looked at each other and burst into laughter.