Chapter 1160: Chapter 1162
Zhao Guangran and Gong Jiaxin had driven a business car early to pick someone up, and they waited for a long time at the airport pickup point.
"Why haven’t they come out yet?" Gong Jiaxin, waiting for a long time without seeing anyone, couldn’t help but start to panic.
Though Zhao Guangran was also anxious, he couldn’t show it. "They must be waiting for their luggage," he suggested.
Well, waiting for luggage shouldn’t take this long. Gong Jiaxin recalled the unfriendly customs officer she encountered last time she entered the country.
"Could Ni Zi and the others have met someone like that too?" In over a year here, Gong Jiaxin had encountered many people.
Some were friendly to her, others were unfriendly or even hostile, but Gong Jiaxin had grown more indifferent and didn’t bother wondering why anyone might dislike her so much.
To her, spending time thinking about these things was better spent figuring out how to learn effectively, as that was her priority.
Seeing Gong Jiaxin looking so anxious, Zhao Guangran knew she was thinking about last year’s incident, "It’s okay, don’t worry."
With someone as smart as Ni Zi around, nothing would go wrong. But if issues truly arose, what should he do?
Zhao Guangran started leveraging his connections, pondering how to resolve the matter, like which type of lawyer to consult.
"Ni Zi."
"Jia Ming."
Just as Zhao Guangran was considering what to do, Gong Ruini slowly walked out of the airport, pushing a luggage cart.
Gong Jiaxin, seeing Gong Ruini and the others, breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Zhao Guangran as they went to greet them. "Why did it take so long?"
She casually took over the luggage cart Gong Ruini was pushing.
"Nothing happened, right?" Zhao Guangran breathed a sigh of relief too. With all four safely out of the airport, everything was better.
"No, we just ran into a few compatriots who had some issues." After experiencing traveling abroad twice, Gong Ruini and the others knew well what items couldn’t be brought and certainly wouldn’t violate the rules.
But those traveling abroad for the first time wouldn’t know these things, so some of the items they brought weren’t compliant with customs requirements and were unceremoniously blocked by customs.
Gong Ruini didn’t want to engage with them, yet due to the many hours of flight companionship and the possibility of future encounters, she decided to lend a hand.
Upon realizing the situation, Zhao Guangran didn’t give it any more thought. After two years abroad, he had also attended the so-called student gatherings.
The experiences varied, but since last year, Zhao Guangran had not been too keen on such gatherings.
"After staying longer, you’ll realize that even the people who come from home change a lot once they’re in the United States." Zhao Guangran subtly hinted.
Understanding that implication meant not mingling too much with those people; Gong Jiaming understood this.
Though they seemed rather friendly on the plane, engaging in pleasant exchanges, that hint of envy wasn’t unnoticed by Gong Jiaming.
Dai Liren appeared, pushing his luggage and saw Gong Ruini and the others about to leave the airport. He quickened his steps, "Thanks for your help earlier."
In fact, Gong Ruini regretted assisting a few people, as they seemed dissatisfied, perhaps due to the fact that the items they painstakingly brought from home were discarded.
They wouldn’t direct their frustration at customs but rather felt Gong Ruini’s translation wasn’t accurate enough.
Reflecting upon it, Gong Ruini was frustrated. Knowing they were like opportunists, why volunteer to help?
Being sponsored to go abroad meant they should possess sufficient English skills to communicate with customs personnel, otherwise, how would they attend classes?
Dai Liren was also at a loss with those people. Items that clearly couldn’t be brought into the United States were ones they were frequently told not to bring, but they persisted and ultimately blamed Gong Ruini.
After such an ordeal, Gong Ruini was quite displeased with Dai Liren.
"I study at Massachusetts, maybe we can connect sometime." Dai Liren remembered someone studying at Harvard, recognizing who it was simply by scanning the group.
Massachusetts? "MIT?" Zhao Guangran was surprised, "Wow, that’s impressive!"
Really, studying at Massachusetts? He genuinely didn’t see that coming, especially since, during discussions, Dai Liren never mentioned his school.
Even Gong Ruini and the group assumed his university was nothing special and didn’t press further.
"If you had mentioned studying at MIT initially, I think those people wouldn’t have ignored you." Despite the short flight, small groups had formed.
But Dai Liren, perceived as having average academic performance and attending an ordinary university, hadn’t entered a group, or rather was subtly excluded.
Being ignored was something he pursued, "If they truly value me, they won’t disregard me because of the school I attend."
"Can we be friends, Dai Liren?" Dai Liren enthusiastically greeted Zhao Guangran and the others.
Observing Dai Liren’s enthusiasm felt odd to Zhao Guangran. Hearing Ni Zi talk about his average relations with fellow passengers made his cordial greeting puzzling.
"I’m just hoping you guys, having traveled abroad earlier, might offer some guidance?"
"And also, could you help me leave the airport?" Dai Liren scanned around, found no one picking him up, and asked helplessly.
Helping him leave the airport? Where should they take him? Surely he wasn’t planning to follow them?
Zhao Guangran gazed at Dai Liren suspiciously, sensing something was off.
Gong Ruini also felt uneasy; this guy is from home and traveling with them, could he mean them harm?
Seeing everyone tense, Dai Liren burst out laughing, "My grandpa is Dai Xiangguo, who knows Chu Ling’s grandpa."
Ah, being the grandson of Dai Xiangguo, upon hearing that, Gong Ruini and the group relaxed. Though they hadn’t met Dai Liren before, they knew about him through Chu Ling.
Especially Gong Ruwen’s admiration for Dai Liren, "Hey, why didn’t you say earlier?"
Gong Ruini suddenly recalled the playful look in his eyes when he first saw their group.
"Now I understand why my brother said to be cautious around you." Hmph, knowing their situation, to pull such a stunt on the plane was like putting them under pressure.
Absolutely devious.
Dai Liren shrugged, indicating this really wasn’t his doing, "I can’t just announce who I am to everyone, imagine what people would think."
While some thrive by leveraging family ties, Dai Liren disapproves; he prefers self-reliance.
Hmph, despite his explanation, Gong Ruini and the group wouldn’t buy into it, finding it lacking sincerity.
"Actually, I didn’t ask much, you were the ones who initiated," Dai Liren genuinely felt innocent, considering he had little to do with the situation. Without someone joining in, such discussions wouldn’t arise.
Ah ah ah, never seen someone so shameless, and Gong Ruini couldn’t even argue, given the straightforwardness of his words.
