April 1st, departing for the capital.
It was a fine day.
Xia Qingtian tilted her head, squinting at the sky, then raised a hand to adjust the brim of her hat.
"Be careful," Xia Qingyu said from the doorway, her lips pursed. "Don't get hurt again."
"Don't worry, I won't," Xia Qingtian chuckled, flashing the protective amulet she carried. "This is a charm my sister personally prayed for me, it guarantees my safe return."
Seeing Xia Qingtian wearing the amulet she'd obtained, Xia Qingyu smiled shyly.
"Take good care of Xia Shang," Aunt Liu paused before adding, "and Er Ya too."
"Mhm, rest assured," Xia Qingtian nodded. She glanced at Er Ya, who had already boarded the car and was curiously touching everything, and then at Xia Shang opening the car door. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I promise to bring everyone back safe and sound."
After three days of moping, Xia Shang had finally pulled himself together, deciding to go to the capital to see his birth parents and the elder who wished to see him one last time.
Er Ya insisted on not being separated from Xia Shang, so she had to be brought along.
Fortunately, despite her unreliable appearance, Er Ya wasn't a bad person. After spending two or three days together, they discovered her straightforward and endearing nature.
Although Xia Qingyu was reluctant to part with Xia Qingtian, she knew it was her maternal grandfather's birthday celebration, and it wouldn't be right for her to interfere.
Furthermore, her own identity was rather unique, making it inconvenient for her to accompany them. All she could do was silently watch the car carrying Xia Qingtian drive further and further away.
After seeing Xia Qingtian and the other two off, Xia Qingyu also headed to school with her backpack, Xia Honglang left for the company, and Aunt Liu stayed home to rest.
Later that afternoon, a black private car arrived at the Xia family's doorstep.
A young man in a dark suit stepped out and rang the doorbell. "Hello, I'd like to ask if a girl named Er Ya has been here?"
"Er Ya?" Hearing the name, Aunt Liu immediately had the young man invited in. "Er Ya has already gone to the capital with my daughter."
"The capital?" The young man seemed surprised. "What is she doing in the capital?"
"It's not convenient for me to say. However, I can give you my daughter's phone number. If you're looking for Er Ya, you can contact my daughter." Aunt Liu sized up the young man. "May I ask, are you Er Ya's...?"
"I am Er Ya's brother." The young man smiled faintly as he accepted the slip of paper with a phone number from Aunt Liu. "Thank you for taking care of Er Ya these past few days. Please accept this small token of my appreciation."
With that, the young man placed down a square, old, black box, and before Aunt Liu could refuse, he left.
After the young man departed, Aunt Liu reluctantly opened the black box. Expecting a box of local specialties, she found instead a box full of neatly stacked gold bars.
Aunt Liu's eyes widened, and it took her a while to recover.
The young man left the Xia residence and directly got into the driver's seat of the car. He turned his head and respectfully said to the person in the back seat, "Master, Er Ya went to the capital with the eldest daughter of this family, likely concerning Xia Shang."
"I see," replied the man in the back seat. His voice was deep and sounded as smooth as jade, but a frightening scar ran across his entire face. "What a mischievous girl."
"Master, should we bring Er Ya back? She is the last hope of the entire Tang family. If the Miao family discovers her... the consequences would be unthinkable..." the young man hesitated. "And isn't it not good for Er Ya to be too close to ordinary people?"
"It matters not. Go contact Third Brother and inform him of Er Ya's whereabouts," the man in the back seat said. "Have Third Brother look after Er Ya in the capital."
"That girl has also reached the age of rebellion. She hasn't learned much about poison arts, but she's already learned how to run away from home." The man in the back seat chuckled with a hint of indulgence. "Let her experience some hardship. We'll head to headquarters first to resolve these messes, and then we'll go to the capital to bring her home."
"Yes," the young man replied and started the car, driving forward.
Meanwhile, on the plane, Er Ya was sleeping soundly. The boarding pass she had been holding tightly and refusing to show Xia Qingtian had fallen to the floor. Xia Qingtian, sitting next to her, helplessly picked it up and glanced at the name on the boarding pass: "Tang Youli. What's this? She has a beautiful name!"
Murmuring, Xia Qingtian shook her head helplessly and placed the boarding pass back into Er Ya's hand. Er Ya, sleeping soundly, showed no reaction.
Shifting her gaze away from Er Ya's face, Xia Qingtian also felt sleepy. She closed her eyes and drifted into a daze.
They arrived in the capital at precisely 11 AM.
Xia Qingtian stretched and led Er Ya and Xia Shang out of Gate 2 of the airport. As soon as they emerged, they were met by Yue Chengfeng, who had come to pick them up.
The three boarded the car and left the airport. Moments later, Mr. Gu walked out, talking on his phone. "I understand. Send the files to my email, I'll reply tonight. Mhm, got it."
A black commercial van stopped in front of Mr. Gu. The door opened, and the person inside nodded in greeting. Mr. Gu also nodded and got into the car.
The two cars, one after the other, exited the airport, and after exiting the highway, they drove in two different directions.
Having slept through the entire flight, Er Ya was not sleepy at all. She looked around with an excited and curious expression.
"I heard from your father about Xia Shang's situation," Yue Chengfeng said. "After the birthday celebration tomorrow, I'll send people to take you."
"Thank you, Uncle," Xia Qingtian replied. She wasn't very familiar with the capital, and Yue Chengfeng's help would likely make things much smoother.
"However..." Yue Chengfeng looked at Xia Shang through the rearview mirror, as if hesitating, then closed his mouth, swallowing the words he intended to say. "Never mind, let's go back to the Yue family for a casual meal first. We'll discuss other matters later."
Soon, the vehicle arrived at the Yue family residence. It was similar to Xia Qingtian's memory of it: the familiar Chinese-style manor, grand and astonishingly spacious, with pavilions and towers and lush foliage in view.
Strangely, upon arriving here, Er Ya appeared calm, as if she had seen such courtyards before. She even yawned lazily after entering.
Tomorrow was the main day of the birthday celebration, and the entire Yue family seemed very busy today. Servants bustled about, and the stewards' voices were quite loud.
Yue Chengfeng led the three through the corridors to the main hall. Unlike the liveliness outside, it was eerily quiet here. The shattered porcelain on the floor seemed to suggest that a fierce argument had erupted before the atmosphere turned icy.