Xu Zhengyang was very satisfied, secretly thinking that he had found a treasure and that he absolutely could not return it to Zheng Ronghua.
To Xu Zhengyang's surprise, Li Ruiqing called before he even arrived in Beijing.
"Zhengyang, are you going to the US?"
Xu Zhengyang paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Your information comes really fast." As he spoke, Xu Zhengyang glanced at Liu Ming, a little doubtful. Neither Zheng Ronghua nor Liu Ming would reveal his information, because if they had any other intentions, they would definitely not be able to hide it from Xu Zhengyang.
"With your identity, going to the US... wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Li Ruiqing reminded him meaningfully.
"It's nothing, go check on Bingjie." Xu Zhengyang's voice turned cold; he already understood what was going on. It turned out that his personal information was being closely monitored by Li Ruiqing and his group, and any move he made would be immediately detected.
This is understandable. People of Xu Zhengyang's stature would be wary of any country's high-ranking officials. They would hope that he would not cause trouble, or even stay away from their own country, but they would also have to hope that he would stay away from other countries.
Li Ruiqing laughed and said, "Zhengyang, don't be angry..."
"Hmm," Xu Zhengyang replied softly. After understanding this, Xu Zhengyang didn't mind it so much anymore.
"Zhengyang, I'm in a real dilemma right now." Li Ruiqing chuckled, but he couldn't directly tell her that she couldn't go to the US.
Xu Zhengyang said calmly, "Don't worry, youth will always come back."
"How about we bring Bingjie back early?" Li Ruiqing suggested tactfully.
“Yes, I will come back with her…” Xu Zhengyang said in a deep voice.
Having said that, Li Ruiqing couldn't say anything more. He couldn't very well resort to extreme measures to prevent Xu Zhengyang from leaving the country, could he?
That would probably only make Xu Zhengyang more annoyed and angry.
After hanging up the phone, Li Ruiqing immediately called Li Ruiyu.
In fact, the Li brothers already knew about Xu Zhengyang's passport and visa application when Zheng Ronghua was processing it, as Xu Zhengyang's personal information was already under surveillance by the special security department. However, they couldn't stop Xu Zhengyang from getting the passport and visa at the time because they knew from their father that Xu Zhengyang hated being monitored.
After receiving Li Ruiqing's call, Li Ruiyu thought for a moment and then laughed, "Aren't we being a little too cautious?"
Li Ruiqing said, "Yes, even though we know we can't restrict his freedom, we still do it. Besides, Xu Zhengyang has no reason to leave. He's a somewhat traditional and conservative person who values family very much. His home is here; how could he run away and never come back?"
"Hmm, Bingjie didn't even tell me. Sigh." Li Ruiyu sighed. "I'll call Bingjie in a bit."
Should we arrange for someone to follow Xu Zhengyang?
Li Ruiyu thought for a moment and said, "Let Cheng Zhong go. He is familiar with Xu Zhengyang and has a reason to visit Bingjie, so that Xu Zhengyang won't feel offended."
"Okay," Li Ruiqing replied and hung up the phone.
...
Beijing Capital International Airport.
As the black Mercedes-Benz slowly drove to the outside of the terminal, Xu Zhengyang immediately spotted Li Chengzong, dressed in a black suit and wearing sunglasses, standing there as straight as a pine tree.
Getting out of the car, Xu Zhengyang stepped forward and said with a smile, "You're here to keep an eye on me?"
“I can’t keep an eye on you.” Li Chengzong took off his sunglasses, smiled slightly, and said, “Perfect timing, I’ll go see Miss too. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her, and her family misses her.”
Xu Zhengyang sighed helplessly, deciding not to expose their thoughts; there was no need.
"Mr. Xu, who is he?" Liu Ming asked in confusion.
"I am Mr. Xu's bodyguard, Li Chengzong." Li Chengzong introduced himself proactively, extending his broad and strong right hand.
Liu Ming looked at Xu Zhengyang with a puzzled expression. Seeing Xu Zhengyang nod in agreement, Liu Ming smiled and shook hands with Li Chengzong before introducing himself: "Hello, I am Liu Ming, Mr. Xu's personal assistant."
Xu Zhengyang walked inside with a calm expression.
Li Chengzong and Liu Ming quickly followed, whispering, "Mr. Li, have you bought your plane ticket?"
"Yes, I'm with you guys."
"Oh." Liu Ming was a little puzzled. When was this bodyguard arranged? How did he know which flight they were going to take, and whether it was first class or economy class?
Xu Zhengyang asked as he walked, "What time is the flight?"
"Mr. Xu, it's 8:30 PM." Liu Ming stepped forward and led the way towards the lounge.
"Oh." Xu Zhengyang nodded and said, "Assistant Liu, although this Mr. Li is my bodyguard, we will not be responsible for any of his expenses on this trip."
Liu Ming was taken aback. What did he mean by that? Was he being stubborn? Stingy? Neither of those things seemed right!
Li Chengzong said with a wry smile, "President Xu, you wouldn't be so stingy, would you?"
“Being stingy and being miserly are two different things!” Xu Zhengyang didn’t even glance at Li Chengzong.
Liu Ming was completely bewildered.
Li Chengzong looked embarrassed.
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 230: First Arrival in a Foreign Land
On this flight to Country M, Xu Zhengyang went through the entire process, from the captain to the flight attendants and all the passengers, leaving no one out.
Well, after analyzing whether they are good or bad people, let's put aside the good ones and see how bad the bad ones are...
There was nothing he could do. Having grown accustomed to a down-to-earth life without any risks, Xu Zhengyang felt a strange sense of panic as he experienced the tremors of the plane taking off.
How valuable is his life now? If his identity were made public, it could be said that all the presidents of the world combined wouldn't be as valuable as him, right? At least, that's what he thinks for now, because he is currently the only deity and the only human being with the hope of achieving true immortality.
There have been quite a few plane accidents over the years, and each one is no small matter. They either result in the destruction of the aircraft and loss of life, or the plane is kidnapped by terrorists. Who knows which plane might be used as a missile to attack a building?
The large, comfortable sofa in first class reclined, and Xu Zhengyang sat back, seemingly resting with his eyes closed. But inwardly he was thinking: "Damn, no wonder they say the richer people are, the more afraid they are of death… When did I become a coward?"
Liu Ming felt that Xu Zhengyang was probably just like that, because on the way from Fuhe to Beijing, Xu Zhengyang hardly spoke, but his calm expression and deep, steady gaze clearly told others that he was not a shy or timid person because he was young and knew little.
Occasionally, when Xu Zhengyang spoke up, he would always ask questions that were practically common sense to Liu Ming. Yet, Xu Zhengyang showed no embarrassment, and Liu Ming, in turn, didn't think of Xu Zhengyang as a country bumpkin.
Seeing Xu Zhengyang resting with his eyes slightly closed, Liu Ming felt a secret envy and admiration. He then closed his eyes to rest as well. He knew that after arriving in the United States, he needed to have enough energy to work because Xu Zhengyang... obviously didn't know anything.
The moment Liu Ming closed his eyes, he glanced at Li Chengzhong, who had already reclined his chair and was sleeping comfortably, as if nothing, no matter how big, mattered to him.
Is this what a bodyguard looks like?
Xu Zhengyang wasn't sleepy. After pondering the possible plane crashes, he started daydreaming about plots from novels, like having a beautiful encounter with a flight attendant, or facing racial discrimination in the US, or running into thugs and gang leaders. Then, like in movies or novels, he'd act like a chivalrous knight-errant, pretending to be weak while secretly being powerful, and showing off his arrogance...
I think about these things not for any other reason than to get rid of that anxious feeling in my heart.
Flying is definitely not as safe and reassuring as flying on your own!
...
When the plane arrived at the old international airport in San Francisco, it was already past 7 p.m. local time.
Liu Ming asked Xu Zhengyang if he wanted to stay in Jinshan for a couple more days to visit its famous attractions. Xu Zhengyang shook his head; he had never been particularly interested in sightseeing, and it was all the same to him. He said, "Let's hurry up and go to Don Sibo."
Liu Ming didn't say anything more. After completing all the formalities, he said apologetically that he couldn't buy tickets for the evening flight and could only stay there temporarily and take the flight the next morning.
Xu Zhengyang thought to himself, "It's not your fault that I couldn't buy a ticket, so why are you apologizing to me?"
However, Xu Zhengyang didn't say anything and just nodded in agreement.
Under Liu Ming's arrangement, the three of them checked into the North Holiday Hotel. However, because Xu Zhengyang had given them a rather stingy heads-up beforehand, Liu Ming could only awkwardly express his apology to Li Chengzong with his eyes when checking in. Li Chengzong didn't mind, but since his foreign language skills weren't very good, he went with Liu Ming to complete the procedures, paying for it himself, of course.
The spacious and comfortable hotel rooms feature bright colors and luxurious decor.
Liu Ming had already turned on the TV for him and found a domestic news channel.
Xu Zhengyang leaned lazily against the sofa, took out a cigarette and lit it, watching the news with a bored expression, without even glancing at Li Chengzong.
"Zhengyang, are you angry with me?" Li Chengzong walked forward with a smile and sat down next to Xu Zhengyang.
Liu Ming thought to himself, "Well, so these two are old acquaintances. This bodyguard doesn't even address Mr. Xu as 'President Xu,' he just calls him by his first name." Liu Ming tactfully got up, said he was going out to order food, and left the room.
"Of course," Xu Zhengyang said without denying it.
Li Chengzong didn't mind. He reached for a cigarette on the table, lit it, and said with a smile, "Wasn't it enough that Chen Chaojiang broke one of my arms?"
“Being angry and holding a grudge are two different things,” Xu Zhengyang said calmly.
His behavior and words were full of youthful or childish affectation, but his expression showed a very serious attitude.
Li Chengzong smiled bitterly and remained silent.
Xu Zhengyang was silent for a moment, then said, "I thought you would treat Bingjie very well, but I didn't expect... you disappointed her."
Li Chengzong paused for a moment, a hint of guilt appearing on his face, and said softly, "I was only doing this for Miss's own good."
"Don't you think what you said is hypocritical?" Xu Zhengyang's expression remained calm, without any sarcasm or anger.
Li Chengzhong remained silent.
"Have you thought about what Bingjie will think when she sees you come with me this time?"
"My duty is to obey orders," Li Chengzong said softly but firmly.
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and said calmly, "That's why I said I was angry, not because I held a grudge. No matter what, you still feel guilty. You are indeed better to Bingjie than to her parents and brother."
Li Chengzong smiled bitterly.
When Li Bingjie went abroad, she didn't let Li Chengzong, who had protected her for many years, go with her. Li Chengzong knew the reason perfectly well. Everyone has feelings, and Li Chengzong was the most loyal subordinate of the Li family. When Old Master Li was alive, out of respect for his father's generation, he specifically allowed Li Chengzong to address Old Master Li as "Grandpa" at home, demonstrating the trust placed in him. Li Chengzong had protected Li Bingjie for so many years, like watching his own sister grow up, from a pitiful autistic patient to a healthy person. Didn't Li Chengzong feel joy and gratitude?
He had no choice but to report Xu Zhengyang's illness to Li Ruiyu last time, but he had always felt guilty. That's why, during his fight with Chen Chaojiang, he deliberately held back a move, allowing Chen Chaojiang to break his arm.
Xu Zhengyang didn't hate him, but he was really angry because Li Chengzong's behavior, while not exactly wrong, had genuinely hurt Li Bingjie's feelings for him as an older brother.
Li Bingjie was a pitiful girl. She didn't have much sense of security or trust in people, and she had even fewer people she had feelings for. Yet, someone she considered a brother betrayed her once.
Xu Zhengyang's words just now reminded Li Chengzong that when he saw Bingjie this time, could she not guess why she had asked him to come with Xu Zhengyang?
"Retire," Xu Zhengyang said casually.
"Huh?" Li Chengzong was taken aback.
Xu Zhengyang turned his head and looked at him. He said seriously, "I don't blame you. I'm just standing in Bingjie's shoes and want to give you a choice: be Bingjie's bodyguard, instead of a bodyguard with a military rank. What do you say, Major?"
"I am a soldier," Li Chengzong answered without hesitation.
“Stubborn.” Xu Zhengyang pursed his lips.
Li Chengzong did not speak again.
After a while, Li Chengzong seemed to have figured something out and smiled, "Zhengyang, just a reminder, your phone doesn't seem to be turned on."
"Huh?" Xu Zhengyang slapped his forehead and muttered a complaint: "Damn, you should have said so earlier!"
He quickly pulled out his phone, found Li Bingjie's number, and dialed it...
...
At 9:30 a.m. on the second day, Xu Zhengyang and his two companions boarded a plane from Jinshan to Dunsbo.