Chapter 168: Returning to the Country

"Huh…" As the plane descended from the sky, Jiang Hai yawned and stumbled out of the airport in Ice City. However, as soon as he stepped outside, a cold wind blew, instantly wiping away his lingering sleepiness.

"Finally back!" Jiang Hai stretched and looked at the foggy sky with a smile.

But as soon as he spoke, he couldn't help but cough twice. The air in the Boston area was much worse than in Texas and Montana, but even so, Jiang Hai thought it was still quite good compared to cities like New York and Los Angeles. Compared to domestic cities, cough… well, New York was actually better. Of course, this mainly applied to the first-tier cities.

With the rapid development of first-tier cities in China in recent years, it was becoming hard to ignore the poor air quality.

After the All-Star Game, Jiang Hai attended a banquet that night. For him, it was just a matter of getting two women's phone numbers before leaving because he was full…

The next afternoon, he boarded a flight from New York to China. There are only three cities with direct flights to China from the United States: Imperial Capital, Magic City, and Guangdong East. Guangdong East is a new route, and it only flies to Los Angeles, while Imperial Capital and Magic City have more frequent flights. Jiang Hai took the Imperial Capital route this time.

After thirteen and a half hours of flying, Jiang Hai arrived. He boarded the plane at 3:50 pm and landed at 6:20 pm. He didn't immediately transfer back to Bingcheng; after all, there was still a day to go. He booked a flight for the following day through American Express and flew back to Bingcheng.

Here, Jiang Hai once again marveled at the greatness of Yunyong Company. After all, it was the time of the year when the largest migration of people in the world takes place. During this time, he could still get a plane ticket—amazing! He sat on the plane, heading back to Bingcheng at around 4 pm on February 17, 2015.

Thinking about how tomorrow was New Year's Eve, Jiang Hai felt a wave of emotion. It was better to be home for the New Year, even if there was no one there.

"Jiang Hai, this way!"

Just as Jiang Hai was sighing about the loneliness of life, a voice called out to him from a distance. He looked carefully and saw two of his friends waving at him—Fu Yuan and Xiang Hua.

These two were his classmates from junior high school, and they had always been good friends. The last time Jiang Hai was back, they had gone out to eat and drink together. Fu Yuan had always said he wanted to visit Jiang Hai's manor. He'd even signed the contract. Despite the cold weather, Fu Yuan was prepared to spend the New Year at home and then travel to the United States with Jiang Hai for a few days.

"Hey, you're here!" Jiang Hai said, tightening the strap of his backpack as he walked over.

"You're finally back! Let's go. Get in the car." Seeing Jiang Hai approaching, Fu Yuan and Xiang Hua immediately came over. They had originally planned to help Jiang Hai with his luggage, but when they saw he only had a backpack, they felt a bit awkward.

"Here, these are for you." Once inside Fu Yuan's car, Jiang Hai smiled and opened his backpack, taking out a few autographed photos. There were also two sets of clothes—one of which Jiang Hai had brought from home. Apart from that, there were only a few autographed photos, which he had gotten at the NBA dinner from various stars.

The stars had been very kind to Jiang Hai, happily signing autographs as long as he provided a pen and photo, so he had collected quite a few.

"What else did you bring? Your beef is really good." Fu Yuan grinned.

Jiang Hai couldn't help but give him the middle finger. "Of course, it's good. That's premium grade A marbled beef. A pound of it costs more than two thousand yuan."

"What? More than two thousand yuan for a piece of beef? Is it so good that you can ascend to heaven after eating it?" Fu Yuan was shocked, and Xiang Hua was even more surprised. How could a piece of beef be worth more than two thousand yuan?

"That's just the cost price. In a western restaurant, it would cost at least double that." Jiang Hai said proudly. When he first heard about it, he had been just as stunned as these two, but now he had gotten used to it.

"Damn, are you serious? You're trying to blackmail me, aren't you?" Fu Yuan joked, looking at Jiang Hai in the rearview mirror.

"I'm not blackmailing you. I originally planned to bring it back for you to try. Let's share the beef tomorrow. Also, don't you like Wade? I got his autographed photo for you. And Xiang Hua, I know you don't like basketball, so I won't bother you with that." Jiang Hai laughed, tapping the backseat.

Fu Yuan had loved basketball in school, but after entering society, he lost interest. Jiang Hai, on the other hand, had been disinterested in basketball during school but became fascinated with it later in life.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they drove, eventually entering the city. Although Jiang Hai hadn't been home in a few months, he still remembered the way. When they entered the city, Fu Yuan missed a turn.

"Why are we not going to Hasi? Are we heading to Xuefu Road instead?" Jiang Hai asked, surprised.

"You're back home, so let's eat first," Fu Yuan replied with a smile.

"Eat? Since when did you become so thoughtful, taking me out to eat first?" Jiang Hai smirked, moving to the back seat.

"There's a junior high reunion tonight." Xiang Hua rolled his eyes at Jiang Hai when he heard the comment.

Upon hearing about the reunion, Jiang Hai's expression darkened. He had no interest in reunions. In his opinion, they were just an opportunity for men to flaunt their wealth, women to show off their husbands, and lonely individuals to chat aimlessly.

Those attending reunions usually had some agenda, like seeking connections. But Jiang Hai had plenty of money now and a career in Boston. There was no one at the reunion he wanted to meet, so why bother attending?

"Well, I don't really want to go. I want to go back to sleep. They don't know I'm back, so just take me home," Jiang Hai said after thinking it over.

"No, I already told them you're back, and we paid for your share. It would be a waste if you didn't go. Besides, the school beauty from our junior high is also going. It'd be a shame if you didn't show up. Didn't you have a crush on her back then?" Fu Yuan said, glancing at Jiang Hai in the rearview mirror.

Hearing this, Jiang Hai gave him a middle finger. "A crush? It's got nothing to do with me. I was too busy playing games in junior high to care about any love drama." Jiang Hai said nonchalantly.

Thinking it over, Jiang Hai realized that it was true. He had been obsessed with games in junior high, particularly AR3. He was unbeatable in the Internet cafes near school and was even invited to participate in an offline CG competition. Unfortunately, he got eliminated in the first round, but that didn't stop his passion for gaming.

"So, who had a crush on her then?" Fu Yuan asked, pointing out someone else.

"That's Xiang Hua. He had a crush on her," Fu Yuan teased.

"Boss, I'm married," Xiang Hua replied matter-of-factly, giving Fu Yuan a contemptuous look.

"Fine, I had a crush on her," Fu Yuan admitted, shaking his head and helplessly giving up. Jiang Hai couldn't help but laugh in the back seat.

Although Jiang Hai didn't want to go to the reunion, his brothers convinced him that it was just a meal, so it didn't matter.

"I can't believe you. Let's go!" Jiang Hai patted Fu Yuan's seat and leaned back, stretching. He didn't know what the reunion would be like, but he needed to conserve his energy first. The flight had been tiring.

With Jiang Hai's reluctant agreement, Fu Yuan smiled widely. If Jiang Hai had refused, he would have had to send him home before attending, but this way, everything was easier. As the car sped toward the reunion, Jiang Hai still hadn't regretted his decision.

Soon, they pulled up outside a four-star hotel where the reunion was being held. (To be continued.)