I am a Big Player
Chapter 574 - 568, Finally Home (First Update)_1

Chapter 574: 568, Finally Home (First Update)_1

Ren He watched the autumn sun in the Netherlands slowly rise at the airport, a swath of orange sunlight approaching fast. Bathing travellers inside through the terminal’s floor-to-ceiling glass windows, it was like a thing named hope.

Finally heading home, Ren He sent Yang Xi a brief message about boarding and then stood up to join the larger group.

Upon seeing the crowd, Ren He nearly peed himself; each person was lugging big and small bags, looking like they were off to a fair. Indeed, it’s a rare opportunity to travel abroad!

The purchasing power of Chinese tourists had conquered foreigners.

In a previous life, following incidents related to THAAD in South Korea, the country aimed to attract new tourists from Southeast Asia. However, after these tourists arrived, Koreans discovered something significant: those darn people weren’t buying anything!

Not buying meant little contribution to economic growth. In fact, China’s influence on Southeast Asia and Africa had been very strong in the past life, with African countries even led by Chinese presidents—can you believe it?

So, many argued that the nation should not invest in African countries, when, in reality, some of the African investments were by Chinese-founded companies...

Even a motorbike manufacturing company in Africa valued over ten billion was Chinese-owned.

Not Chinese American, but genuine, pure Chinese nationals.

Some didn’t understand why the USA was always so anxious about China, but Ren He felt that seeing his country behave so aggressively abroad gave him peace of mind—it showed that his homeland was strong.

A strong country meant its people commanded more respect abroad, an ironclad truth.

"Ren He, aren’t you going to buy anything?" a senior asked curiously.

"Nope, there’s nothing I want to buy," Ren He replied with a smile. Indeed, he and Yang Xi were people who neither revered materialism nor lacked material goods.

But to his fellow students, this provided some consolation...

Ren He’s acting skills were currently beyond their reach, having won one of the highest honors in the dramatic arts and receiving special treatment and high hopes from their mentor. When they suddenly realized Ren He might not come from a wealthy background, this offered them a psychological balance.

It wasn’t out of malice but simply to compensate for their own feelings of inadequacy, making them feel there was some aspect in which they could outshine Ren He.

"Hey, where’s your cello?" someone asked out of curiosity, as everyone had previously thought Ren He must be rich due to the cello that was delivered to him upon arrival. No one knew its worth, but instinctively associated it with classical music and assumed it was something expensive. But now...

Ren He was taken aback; he hadn’t expected anyone would notice the cello case. Having previously claimed it was a gift showed a lack of foresight since he was eventually going to discard it. The knife he’d kept for protection, along with a pistol, had already been thrown away in a trash bin outside the airport, all fingerprints wiped clean.

"Gave it back to the owner. It was too valuable to accept," Ren He explained with a laugh, fixing his final oversight. Whether his classmates believed him or not was no concern of his.

"Let’s go, boarding time," Chen Da announced, and the group stopped chatting and boarded the plane home.

The flight from Amsterdam to the Capital was approximately eleven hours. Everyone felt the time was insignificant as they chatted on the plane, but Ren He thought differently—he found these eleven hours painfully long.

Because someone was there, waiting for him.

...

Outside the airport, Xia Yuting, dressed in an elegant long dress, stood watching plane after plane soar into the distant skies. The blue of the heavens seemed somewhat somber, and amidst the hustle and bustle of the airport, everything felt remarkably foreign.

She had come to Amsterdam alone this time, not even bringing an assistant, which made her solitary figure at the airport entrance appear rather fragile and lonely.

She had told everyone she wouldn’t accompany them to the airport after their meal, which everyone understood. Yet, she was here, not even knowing why she had come.

Traveling thousands of miles, she felt closer to that person, but the time was too fleeting.

She felt like a bird chasing after its mate’s tracks, never able to find the shore to land upon.

She suddenly thought of a line from Ren He in "Cang Hai," "The one I love is separated by mountains and seas, mountains and seas cannot be traversed."

My beloved is always separated from me by high mountains and vast seas, yet I cannot cross over. She wanted to get closer to Ren He but wasn’t willing to voice her feelings.

Everyone has the right to choose whom they love, but they shouldn’t hurt others, and she didn’t want to damage Ren He’s relationship with Yang Xi—that’s not what a person with integrity would do. Xia Yuting had her morals, she knew what was right and what was wrong.

Moreover, having seen the affection between them, she felt she had no right to interfere. Together, the pair seemed like a perfect whole—sharing meals, with Yang Xi passing chopsticks to Ren He just as he was about to reach for them, and Ren He helping Yang Xi with dishes she couldn’t reach with just a glance.

That kind of understanding was something Xia Yuting had never seen in anyone else, and she truly envied it.

Their bond seemed unbreakable by any force in this world. If Ren He were to leave Yang Xi to be with her, Xia Yuting felt that if such a thing were to happen, she would be truly disappointed from the bottom of her heart.

However, even wanting to be Ren He’s best friend felt challenging now—she sensed a barrier, like a wall.

It wasn’t a wall against anyone in particular, but a fortress Ren He had built for Yang Xi, seemingly impregnable.

How envious she was. Xia Yuting sighed and turned to leave.

...

"My family sent a car to pick me up; I’m headed to Gongyuan. Anyone going my way can join," one senior excitedly told everyone after disembarking the plane.

"I’m on your way!" A female senior’s eyes gleamed.

In no time, Ren He realized that many of the senior students in the troupe were locals; their families were there to pick them up after landing. Virtually everyone had a ride home, making Chen Da feel quite relieved...

When asked where he was going, Ren He simply stated that someone was coming for him. As soon as he finished speaking, his phone rang.

After picking up the call and barely uttering a few words, Ren He bolted with excitement towards the exit. The rest were also heading out, only to see a girl in sunglasses and a mask rush up to Ren He and, without a word, jump up to cling onto him...