After sharing one final meal together, the group boarded the plane back to Jiangcheng.
Only after getting on the plane did they realize they were actually on the same flight as Luo Yingying. However, they acted like strangers and didn’t speak to each other.
Before she officially left, Mei Mengzhen also made a trip to see Liang Xiao.
Feeling obligated to say goodbye since she had greeted her upon arrival, Mei Mengzhen got an update from Liang Xiao about Luo Yingying and Chen Zhi’s situation.
But the falling out between Luo Yingying and Chen Zhi was entirely expected. When Chen Zhi first approached Mei Mengzhen, despite appearing cautious and seemingly harboring no malice, Mei Mengzhen didn’t buy it; as a woman, she knew things were never that simple. To her, the development of their relationship to its current state was nothing unusual.
As for Mei Mengzhen and Liang Xiao... when it came to Yu Duoduo, both had somewhat murky feelings.
Liang Xiao was embarrassed, feeling she’d failed to recognize someone and had inadvertently allowed them to cozy up to Mei Mengzhen with ulterior motives. Mei Mengzhen, on the other hand, hadn’t been able to figure out whether in their past lives she and Liang Xiao actually knew Yu Duoduo. If they hadn’t known each other, that would have been fine, but if they did, Liang Xiao was partly to blame for her death.
However, since the results weren’t clear, Mei Mengzhen naturally wasn’t willing to easily forsake the friendship forged since childhood over some uncertainties. Blurring the truth... was perhaps a better way for the two of them to deal with it.
...
Upon landing in Jiangcheng, they were greeted by the largest rainstorm the city had seen in months. The storm was sudden and fierce, trapping them all in the airport before they could even leave.
This downpour was so intense that even calling it a "torrential rain" seemed mild. It was heavy enough to be described as if someone was literally dumping water from the sky.
Looking at the heavy rain, Fan Tianyu sighed, "With the rain this heavy, it should stop soon, right?"
By normal reasoning, that would be the case. So everyone went about their business, eating and shopping at the large airport, waiting for the rain to stop. However, after over two hours of eating and browsing, the rain not only didn’t stop but seemed to be getting even heavier, which was troubling.
Being stuck wasn’t the issue; the problem was that if it continued throughout the night, flooding was inevitable.
Lai Xixi looked out at the rain and lamented, "If it keeps up like this, our school is going to flood again. There aren’t any students there now, and I guess the first floor is done for."
That ment reminded Mei Mengzhen of the previous year’s events, "Last year, the first floor flooded, right? This year’s rain seems even heavier."
"Then it’s doomed, the first floor definitely can’t be saved," said Tian Sha with a somber tone as she watched the rain.
Yan Keke, however, said, "Now’s not the time to worry about the school. Even if the rain stops, with likely flooding in many areas, can we even get home anytime soon?"
"If we can’t leave, we’ll just stay here. There’s food and drink; we won’t starve," said He Yiran pragmatically. "How about we continue to browse? We didn’t get to the good stuff earlier, and there are still lots of duty-free shops."
This suggestion was quite good. Whether waiting or watching, going shopping to pass the time seemed a better choice.
So their spirits were high, but at that moment, Mei Mengzhen felt the need to be a killjoy, "Hey, we’re having fun, but has anyone checked our semester grades? Did everyone pass their exams? Nobody needs a retake, right? Seems like we all did pretty well then."
As soon as Mei Mengzhen finished speaking, a chorus of groans filled the airport. Why? Well, everyone was in university now and no longer needed to return to school to get their grades. Without the school’s reminder, many forgot to check.
There were two ways to receive grades from school: one was via email; the other was mailed to one’s home address.
Nobody would willingly choose home delivery for their grades if they could help it. So, naturally, everyone opted for email. But... since it was vacation time, everyone had lost the impulse to check their email, and thus the grades were momentarily forgotten.
Once Mei Mengzhen brought it up, whether shopping or watching the rain, the leisurely mood was gone.
Almost simultaneously, everyone pulled out their phones to find the emails from the school. Thankfully, everyone passed, dispelling the need for concern among the group.
Relieved, Lai Xixi put her phone away and let out a sigh of relief, "Zhenzhen, you scared me to death."
Tian Sha added, "Seriously, we were enjoying ourselves. Why bring up grades all of a sudden?"
Yan Keke also said, "Yeah, you had my heart racing, and it’s still not back to normal."
The only ones who could laugh at that moment were Mei Mengzhen and He Yiran, whose grades were good enough not to worry about such things. Yan Keke then asked, "What about you two? Are you going to get scholarships again this year?"
"Of course, I mean, as long as we all passed and my grades are so good, I have to buy something to reward myself, right? e on, let’s go shopping," Mei Mengzhen said.
Even though none of them would hate Mei Mengzhen for tormenting them with her ment, it was quite an irritating thing to say.
The rest of them berated her loudly, "Mei Mengzhen."
The name-calling in the airport resumed, and to make amends, Mei Mengzhen gave everyone a small gift. Only then was the ordeal finally put to rest for the day.
With no hard feelings held, receiving gifts only made everyone happier, especially since Mei Mengzhen was generous when it came to presenting gifts. The presents were not exceptionally expensive, but definitely beyond the monplace trinkets like water bottles usually given.
As for the money, she didn’t need to worry; she simply said it was from the film crew’s payment. After all, the crew did pay her, but how much exactly was something only she knew.
Qi Yongwang would certainly not pry, but Wang Qiuhe didn’t have such restraint. Seeing Mei Mengzhen buying gifts for everyone, Wang Qiuhe’s curiosity was piqued, "Zhenzhen, how much did you actually get paid by the film crew this time? You can even afford to buy gifts for your classmates; they must have paid you quite a bit, right?"
This wasn’t something Mei Mengzhen felt fortable discussing, and she didn’t want to. Fan Tianhua took Wang Qiuhe aside, resignedly, and after Fan Tianyu joined them for a quiet discussion out of earshot, Wang Qiuhe returned, no longer inquiring and looking somewhat dejected.
Mei Mengzhen approached the Fan siblings to inquire about the situation, to which they simply replied, "Just threatened her a bit. Don’t worry; she knows to keep quiet."
Mei Mengzhen was surprised, "Qiuhe is also susceptible to threats?"
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