Chapter 163: Chapter 163

The airport was brightly lit at night, as if it were daytime. The sound of rolling suitcase wheels slid past the ears, accompanied by the hurried footsteps of travelers.

Shen Jianian slowly withdrew her arms from around Fu Jichen’s waist, composed herself, and looked up at him with a slight smile, "I’ll see you in."

Having come this far, Fu Jichen didn’t urge her to go back, accepting her decision by default.

He took the suitcase out of the trunk and led her into the airport, asking Qu Mo to wait in the car and take Shen Jianian back to Yunding Palace later.

There was still some time before the flight departed. After finishing the luggage check-in, Fu Jichen bought Shen Jianian a nearby ticket and took her to the VIP lounge.

Lu Yanzhi had arrived a step earlier, sitting on a sofa chair, sipping coffee and reading a magazine. On the table before him was a plate with a Swiss roll, of which he had only eaten two bites. He casually lifted his gaze and saw the two people in affectionate intimacy, surprise and a hint of teasing in his eyes.

"Long time no see, Miss Shen, you haven’t forgotten me, have you?" Lu Yanzhi placed his coffee cup down, raised a hand with a smile, and greeted Shen Jianian.

Lu Yanzhi had a laid-back personality and loved to joke, making interactions with him pressure-free. They had met several times in Yicheng and were relatively familiar with each other. Shen Jianian smiled faintly and responded to his words, "Long time no see."

Fu Jichen gave him a simple nod and sat down next to him, with Shen Jianian on his right.

The VIP lounge offered a variety of buffet snacks. Fu Jichen turned his head and softly asked Shen Jianian, "Want something to eat?"

Shen Jianian hadn’t eaten much at the private dining restaurant and later threw up everything. Back home, her mood wasn’t great, and she didn’t ask Aunt Cheng to prepare a midnight snack.

Now, she was indeed a bit hungry, but had no appetite.

"How about I get you some fruits?" Before she could answer, Fu Jichen got up on his own, went to the dining table, picked out some sliced fruits with tongs, placed them on a white porcelain plate, and brought it over to her.

Lu Yanzhi had no mind for reading magazines, just watching Fu Jichen was enough.

They hadn’t met for a while, and he noticed that Fu Da’s interest in Shen Jianian hadn’t waned, but instead seemed to deepen. It was hard to describe that feeling.

In theory, Fu Da should have settled his engagement with the Xu family upon returning to Beicheng. Why is he still entangled with Shen Jianian?

However, as a friend, it’s not his place to meddle too much in affairs of the heart. He took a sip of his coffee, occasionally glancing to the right.

The high-and-mighty Fu Da held a fork, picking up an orange slice to feed the woman next to him, coaxing her with words, seemingly oblivious to everything around them.

There were people other than him waiting to board; wasn’t he worried about being photographed and posted online? Previous scandals had already stirred the city.

"I’ll do it myself." Shen Jianian tasted a piece of orange, finding it pleasant, and took the fork from his hand.

Fu Jichen sat upright, crossing his long legs, his gaze focused on Shen Jianian’s face. After a while, he reached out to tuck her stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Lu Yanzhi couldn’t bear to watch anymore and deliberately coughed once.

Hearing the sound, Fu Jichen finally shifted his gaze from Shen Jianian’s face, sparing him a glance.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Yanzhi brought up serious business, "Song Fang didn’t clarify over the phone, what’s going wrong in Switzerland?

The Lu family also invested in the Switzerland project, and Lu Yanzhi was primarily responsible due to his friendship with Fu Jichen. He wasn’t favored in the Lu family, with his father preferring the younger son.

If not for Fu Jichen’s connection, he wouldn’t have gotten such a good opportunity, so of course, he was very serious about it.

Fu Jichen leaned back in his chair and concisely said, "Lawrence wants to breach the contract. The person in charge over there couldn’t persuade him. The project’s already started, and breaching now not only affects the progress but also wastes the funds invested upfront."

Lawrence, as an investor, was not just about the money; he also contributed with technology and resources.

Shen Jianian listened to the conversation between the two men without interjecting, quietly eating the fruit on her plate.

Lu Yanzhi couldn’t help but slap the armrest, cursing under his breath, "Lawrence, that old bastard! He was troublesome from the start. After much effort to coax him into signing the contract, now he wants to back out so soon?! According to the contract, breaching it on his own won’t do him any good and might even lead to a lawsuit. Has he gone mad?!"

This project involves billions, and a single mistake could lead to bankruptcy.

Does this foreign guy have a problem with his head?

"For him to have the courage to back out, there must be someone covering for him." Fu Jichen slightly curled his lips into a smile, "He’s no fool."

Lu Yanzhi found his expression intriguing, pondered for a while, and tentatively asked, "Do you know who’s manipulating things behind the scenes?"

Fu Jichen didn’t elaborate, and first discussed the arrangements for this trip with him: "When we get to Switzerland, you’re responsible for handling things on Lawrence’s side. Song Fang will assist you. I’ll go talk to the people behind him."

Lu Yanzhi had no objections and completely followed his orders.

During their conversation, Shen Jianian finished the fruit on her plate, and Fu Jichen turned around just in time to see her placing the empty plate at the dish collection area.

When she returned, he handed her a napkin to wipe her hands: "Want to eat something else?" Considering her small appetite, he hadn’t taken much fruit.

Shen Jianian met his gaze, and shyly pressed her lips together. Initially, she really didn’t want to eat, but after a few pieces of fruit, she suddenly felt very hungry.

It was as if her appetite had been awakened.

Noticing her expression, Fu Jichen couldn’t help but smile slightly and led her to the food counter to choose a filling main course. Shen Jianian looked at the display sign at a window and suddenly said, "I want to eat sauerkraut shredded pork noodles."

Fu Jichen stopped, glanced over, and walked to the noodle soup counter: "If you want it, have it. You’ve been busy with performances recently and seem to have lost quite a bit of weight."

The chef quickly prepared a bowl of noodles, and when adding toppings, Shen Jianian said, "No scallions, more sauerkraut, please."

"Eating so much sour at night, aren’t you afraid your stomach will be uncomfortable?" Fu Jichen gently frowned, reminding her.

Shen Jianian said it was okay.

Fu Jichen helped carry the tray to a window-side table and sat with her, not going over to where Lu Yanzhi was.

From a distance, Lu Yanzhi glanced at the window, resting his hand on the armrest of the sofa to support his head, momentarily unable to tell if this trip was about business or accompanying a couple on holiday.

Soon, Song Fang arrived with some documents from the company, only seeing Lu Yanzhi sitting alone and asked, "Mr. Lu, isn’t Mr. Chen here yet?"

Lu Yanzhi turned a page in the magazine and pointed in a direction: "Does your Mr. Chen always handle business this way?"

Song Fang looked in the indicated direction and indeed saw the boss, as well as Shen Jianian across from him. The boss held a coffee with a gentle expression, his gaze on the person in front of him.

In response to Lu Yanzhi’s question, Song Fang didn’t feel it appropriate to casually comment on his superior and brushed it off with a slight smile.

Shen Jianian finished a bowl of sauerkraut shredded pork noodles and felt a bit nauseous, telling Fu Jichen she needed to go to the restroom and left her seat.

Fu Jichen stood up, one hand in his pocket, returning to his original spot.

Seeing him approach, Song Fang quickly stood up, took out a document from the black briefcase, and handed it over for him to review. Fu Jichen took it, looked it over, ensured there were no issues, and handed it back.

Lu Yanzhi checked his watch and asked Fu Jichen in a teasing tone, "Are you taking Shen Jianian to Switzerland?"

"No," Fu Jichen lowered his eyes, a gentle smile on his face, "She insisted on coming to see me off; later, I’ll have the driver take her back."

Lu Yanzhi silently clicked his tongue; just seeing someone off and he was so cheerful about it. But it showed how much he cared for that person.

Seeing Shen Jianian coming from afar, Fu Jichen stood up, fearing she might not find him. Shen Jianian immediately spotted his tall and straight figure and walked directly towards him.

Noticing her slightly pale face, Fu Jichen took her hand, asking with concern, "Are you uncomfortable?"

Not wanting him to worry, Shen Jianian shook her head and said she was fine. Seeing he didn’t believe her, she explained, "Probably just ate too much, feeling a bit queasy."

Fu Jichen thought about it. The noodle portion wasn’t large enough to cause discomfort. It was likely because she had cold fruit and then hot food, causing stomach discomfort.

"Is it very uncomfortable?" He held her hand a bit tighter, his voice tinged with concern.

"Not very uncomfortable," Shen Jianian couldn’t quite describe it, "It’ll get better after a while."

Lu Yanzhi squinted his eyes, suddenly thought of something but felt it was unlikely, so he didn’t say it out loud to avoid embarrassing the girl. Despite his usual indifference, he understood basic boundaries.

Half an hour later, a staff member came to notify them that they could board.

First-class passengers could use a special channel, avoiding the queue with regular passengers.

Upon hearing this, Shen Jianian’s heart tightened, and she instinctively clutched Fu Jichen’s fingers, looking at him with her face tense and eyes filled with deep reluctance.