“Haiya, he really likes to dawdle around. When he arrives, I’ll make him drink this entire bottle! He really shouldn’t be this late!” One of the elders said with a smile.
“Yes! He must drink for all of us!”
Everyone began to talk to Yao Tang. The atmosphere started to lift up, especially when they found out that she’d be taking her college entrance examination soon. “We’ll be sure to hold a banquet for you once you get into your university of choice,” they cheered.
“Yes! What university are you most interested in?”
The elders were quite happy as their memories shifted from the old friend to the young visitors in front of them. Before long, half an hour had already passed and Elder Chen still hasn’t arrived.
“Edler Chen should be here soon. Let’s wait a little longer.”
Deng Hai took out his phone and sent a message to Elder Chen. He then asked the waiter to serve some tea or snacks for all of them.
Everyone continued to chat.
However, once they have finished the teapot on their table, they realized that more than an hour had already passed from their agreed time.
Elder Chen still hadn’t appeared.
Deng Hai received no reply from the elder as well.
“Could something have happened?” This time, even Elder Xu was invested as he grabbed his phone to call his friend.
There was no answer.
His face darkened.
“Don’t worry. I’ll call his disciple too. I’m sure his phone probably ran out of battery.”
Deng Hai quickly called his apprentice.
Even then, there was still no answer.
This time, the elders couldn’t sit still.
“Something must’ve happened. Elder Chen never leaves his phone unanswered! Hurry! We should find them.” Everyone began standing up. They couldn’t care less about their unserved meals. They just wanted to find their friend.
Elder Xu looked at Yao Tang?apologetically. “Tangtang, I’m afraid we couldn’t hold the banquet this time around for you. Next time, I’ll bring you to the library, okay? For now, we should send you back.”
He quickly asked his apprentices to buy airplane tickets for them.
Yao Tang gazed at them seriously. “Do you need my help?”
Although the situation was urgent, Yao Tang was merely a high school student. She wouldn’t be able to help much anyway.
“No, it’s fine. Just the three of you reaching City A safely is enough help to all of us,” Elder Xu?said comfortingly with a smile.
Without another word, the other elders quickly left in their respective cars.
Yao Tang and President Tan?also got into the car arranged by one of the disciples. They quickly drove to the hotel to where they were assigned to pack their things.
After doing so, they all got into the car again.
This time, however, the driver appeared to be very tense. He was speeding through several intersections, dodging everything in their path.
Yao Tang raised her eyebrows. “Stop the car.”
“What’s wrong, Miss Yao?” The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “Elder Xu has asked me to send you to the airport safely. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”
He secretly stomped right on the accelerator, and they sped down the lane.
In the car, President Tan stuck his head out and glanced at the scenery around him. A trace of doubt flashed in his eyes.
This was a road he wasn’t familiar with. There were fewer crowds populating the area, and the atmosphere appeared to be less bustling than he had thought.
“Where is this?” President Tan questioned.
“There’s really no traffic here. That’s why I take this road every time I take Elder Xu to the airport.t The scenery also isn’t bad,” he said. “Look around!”
President Tan nodded. The doubt in his heart slowly subsided.
“There’s an open space one kilometer away,” Yao Tang said again. “Park there.”
“Miss Yao, why are you so intent on stopping the car? There are wild dogs around the area, you know,” he said. “It wouldn’t be good if you get bitten.”
The driver stomped on the accelerator yet again.
Tan Jian glanced at Yao Tang?in confusion. Why was she so intent on getting out of there? Was there something she wasn’t telling them?
“Tangtang, what’s the matter? Also, how did you know there was an open space there?”
Yao Tang pursed her lips. “It’s fine. It happens to be more spacious there,” she slowly said. “So it’s more convenient.”