Chapter 647 - 662: Going Abroad

’Li Chengze?’

An Ning sat up a little straighter, her attention captured by a nearby conversation.

"There’s no way he’s coming back. If he wanted to return, he would have done so a year ago. Since he hasn’t come back by now, it must mean he can’t."

"That can’t be right. He went abroad on a paid assignment. To just not come back... wouldn’t that be incredibly ungrateful?"

"What’s the big deal? They must be paying him a lot more over there. He wouldn’t be the first person to go abroad and never return."

"I heard Li Chengze is An Ning’s apprentice."

"Really? I doubt it. I’ve never heard An Ning mention it publicly."

An Ning understood now. They were discussing the fact that Li Chengze hadn’t returned to the country.

In fact, she had been thinking about this recently as well. According to Li Chengze’s plan, he should have been back six months ago, but he still hadn’t returned.

The last time Li Chengze had contacted An Ning was three months ago. He’d said he was joining an experiment at a research institute and wouldn’t be able to contact the outside world for a while. An Ning hadn’t thought anything of it; this was quite normal for researchers.

But now...

"Getting bored waiting?"

Jiang Xia was back.

The two of them sat on a four-seater sofa, which instantly became their own private space.

Jiang Xia’s reputation was formidable, and An Ning’s identity was no secret at the banquet. Even those who might have considered causing trouble wouldn’t dare to openly provoke her.

Besides, anyone with half a brain knew better than to bother An Ning, or Jiang Xia for that matter.

"I’m fine. I was just listening to some people talk."

An Ning leaned a little closer to Jiang Xia and quietly told him about Li Chengze.

"What do you think? What is he doing, and where could he be?"

"Do you suspect him?" Jiang Xia asked in return.

An Ning shook her head.

"I don’t know. Deep down, I don’t want to believe it, but it’s really hard to say for sure. If it were you, I would never have any doubts. But with other people, I can’t be as certain."

"What are you planning? Let me make this clear: whatever you decide to do this time, I’m coming with you."

Jiang Xia instantly saw through her little scheme. An Ning smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, I’m taking you with me this time."

They set aside the topic of Li Chengze for the moment and continued chatting on the sofa.

Half an hour later, An Ning was invited on stage to speak.

She walked to the podium, wine glass in hand. Looking out at the elegantly dressed crowd below, she raised her glass.

"Thank you all for having me. Enjoy the food and drinks. I’ll get off the stage now."

There was a moment of silence from the crowd, followed by a burst of applause.

When you have real power, anything you say is taken as a sign of strength and confidence.

An Ning and Jiang Xia didn’t stay for long and were the first to leave.

In a way, their departure allowed the rest of the guests to finally relax, and the atmosphere of the banquet became much more cheerful.

After leaving, Jiang Xia made arrangements for them to get new passports and temporary overseas work visas in preparation for going abroad.

With no one following them, the two left the country discreetly.

Li Chengze’s last known whereabouts were in Country M. An Ning planned to go to the university he had been attending first to check things out.

Whether Li Chengze had truly decided to stay abroad or was missing for some other reason, she had to see for herself.

If he really had dared to do such a thing, An Ning would make sure he learned just how wrong his decision was.

Having decided to go abroad at the last minute, they could only get tickets for economy class, and even those were outrageously expensive.

It wasn’t that they didn’t have the money, but paying business-class prices for economy-class seats left An Ning feeling rather displeased.

As they boarded the plane, she grumbled to Jiang Xia beside her about how expensive the tickets were.

Jiang Xia, handling their luggage, nodded in agreement. "They really were. We bought them so late, these must have been last-minute cancellations."

"True, it just feels like such a rip-off."

"How about we buy a private jet for next time?"

"That’s not out of the question. I’ll think about it."

The two of them were just having a normal conversation, but to anyone overhearing, the topic sounded like an outrageous brag.

’Buy a private jet?’

’Why don’t you just take a rocket while you’re at it?’

Many of the people nearby were probably thinking along those lines, pegging Jiang Xia and An Ning as a couple who liked to brag despite having no money.

Jiang Xia noticed the stares and veiled ridicule from the other passengers, but so what?

’They really were rich!’

In situations like this, genuinely wealthy people don’t get angry. It’s usually the ones who lack money that get offended.

Regardless, the two boarded the plane without a hitch, and soon they were taking off.

An Ning slept for nearly the entire flight.

She still felt exhausted. However, this trip abroad did have one other benefit: she could acquire grain.

If she was found out while purchasing grain overseas, it wouldn’t matter; she could make a quick getaway anytime.

The airplane seats were a bit cramped, and An Ning didn’t sleep very comfortably.

There was nothing Jiang Xia could do. Business class was completely full, so an upgrade was impossible. As for throwing money at someone to get them to switch seats, that was a line they weren’t quite willing to cross just yet.

"We’ll definitely book business class for the return trip."

"Okay. So, when are we buying that jet?"

"We’ll buy it whenever you want."

"Won’t that be a bit too flashy?"

"Not at all. What’s the point of earning money if not to spend it?"

"You have a point."

This conversation caused the man next to Jiang Xia to make two fake gagging sounds, his mouth twisting in a contemptuous sneer.

The flight had a layover on Xia Island, which involved going through immigration and security checks.

After all the procedures were complete, the two finally set foot in Country M.

An Ning remarked wistfully, "The last time we came here, we were held up at customs for ages and had to stay in the cheapest motel we could find."

"We’ve gotten stronger now."

"Yes," she agreed. "We’ve gotten stronger."

The way the customs officers conducted their inspection, their polite attitude—it left a deep impression on An Ning. ’This must be one of the reasons so many people work tirelessly, generation after generation, to make their homeland strong,’ she thought.

Jiang Xia and An Ning left the airport. The plan was to find a hotel for the night and then catch a connecting flight to Li Chengze’s city the next day.

However, when they started looking for a hotel, they found that every place was fully booked.

After trying five different hotels, they finally gave up. They had run straight into peak tourist season.

"If you don’t mind," a helpful hotel receptionist suggested, "some of the local residents rent out rooms. It’s quite convenient, and the prices are very reasonable."

Jiang Xia got the address, and they took a taxi to a local homestay.

As luck would have it, they ran into the man who had been sitting next to them on the plane.

The moment he saw Jiang Xia and An Ning, he felt a sense of vindication. ’Just as I thought.’

’They’re just as broke as I am, but they insist on acting rich.’

After speaking with the landlord, Jiang Xia and An Ning decided to take a room.

The landlord was an elderly woman. The house had four bedrooms in total: one was already rented out, the landlady occupied another, leaving two available.

An Ning and Jiang Xia chose the slightly larger of the two and settled in for the night.

After all, they would be leaving first thing in the morning.