Sail across the sea

Chapter 479 Nothing is delayed
Summer 1992, Beijing Capital International Airport.

Xia Shihui pushed a cart full of luggage out of the terminal with light steps. Beside her was an elderly scholar with white hair, Professor Feng Yue of the Department of Geology at Peking University. Behind them were seven or eight companions, their dark skin indicating that they all had experience working outdoors for extended periods.

"Finally back! The sky in Beijing is still so blue!"

Standing outside the terminal building, Xia Shihui looked up at the sky and said excitedly.

"Sigh, it's my fault. We agreed that I would only stay for three months, but I ended up staying for a full six years. I really feel sorry for you."

Feng Yue looked at her beloved student and felt quite apologetic.

He could still remember the scene six years ago when he set off from here to travel far away. At that time, Xia Shihui was a 19-year-old girl, innocent and carefree. Now, she is still lively, but her face clearly has a more mature air about her.

Six years of living outdoors and working hard have made Xia Shihui's skin rough, and a few silver strands can be vaguely seen in her black hair.

Xia Shihui, however, seemed carefree and chuckled, "Professor Feng, what are you saying? I went voluntarily. Africa is so much fun! Elephants, rhinos, zebras—I've never seen any of them before. Besides, I didn't lose out at all. I just ate and drank every day and got a doctorate without neglecting anything. I don't know how many of my classmates envy me."

"How could it possibly not cause any problems..."

Feng Yue only said half of what he wanted to say before stopping. Having spent six years in Africa, unable to contact family and friends directly due to secrecy requirements, he was fully aware of what his students were neglecting.

Hopefully, there's still a chance to salvage the situation.

"Teacher Feng, isn't that the car that's picking us up over there?"

Xia Shihui pointed ahead and saw a minibus with military license plates driving towards them.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, several people jumped out of the doors. They were all in military uniforms, the leader sporting a gold star on his shoulder. The general walked up to Feng Yue, first giving her a military salute, then firmly grasping her hands with both of his, and said warmly:

"Professor Feng, welcome back! You have made indelible contributions to the country. The leaders are waiting for you at headquarters to present you with awards."

"It's what we should do," Feng Yue replied with a smile.

The general's entourage had already taken over the luggage that Xia Shihui and the others were pushing, and quickly loaded it onto the minibus piece by piece, without even giving Xia Shihui and the others a chance to interfere.

Afterwards, everyone boarded the car, which drove onto the airport expressway and headed towards a mysterious location.

Two days later, Xia Shihui appeared at the Peking University Resources Building. She went to an office area, stood at the reception desk, and stared blankly at the gold lettering of "Canghai Chemical Group Co., Ltd." on the backdrop.

"Hello, ma'am, how can I help you?"

The receptionist asked the question in a very professional manner.

"Oh, hello..." Xia Shihui replied hastily, then calmed herself down and asked, "Excuse me, does Gao Fan work here?"

"Yes, Mr. Gao is the chairman of our company."

"So, is he there now?"

Do you have an appointment with him?

"No. My name is Xia Shihui, you can just tell him that."

"Hold on."

The receptionist picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said, "Mr. Gao, a Ms. Xia Shihui would like to see you. Is that a convenient time for you?"

After someone said something into the phone, the receptionist nodded repeatedly, then put down the phone and said to Xia Shihui, "Ms. Xia, please wait a moment. Mr. Gao said he will come out to pick you up personally."

“Personally…” Xia Shihui grinned and smiled slightly.

Less than ten seconds later, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, and Gao Fan appeared before Xia Shihui.

He looked Xia Shihui up and down with some disbelief before saying in an exaggerated tone:

"Oh my god, it really is you! You didn't just come back from Africa, did you?!"

"How did you know I just came back from Africa?" Xia Shihui asked, quite surprised.

"You didn't really go to Africa, did you?"

Gao Fan's eyes widened. He had only joked that Xia Shihui had just returned from Africa. Xia Shihui had been missing for six years, and everyone was saying she had gone abroad. When he first saw her, he noticed she was much darker than before, so Gao Fan instinctively said "Africa," unwittingly getting it right.

"You didn't spend six years in Africa, did you?" Gao Fan asked tentatively.

Xia Shihui smiled but remained silent.

"What did you do in Africa? Why haven't you contacted anyone for so long? I asked your classmates in the geology department, and none of them knew anything about you. Yuan Xiaoyan and my sister Gao Min also asked me about your whereabouts," Gao Fan said incessantly.

Xia Shihui simply smiled brightly, not answering Gao Fan's question. Her whereabouts were something she couldn't tell anyone in the past, and she still couldn't tell anyone now; silence was the most appropriate response.

Gao Fan was slightly taken aback, and a thought flashed through his mind: "You went to Namibia?"

"How did you know?" Xia Shihui was shocked again.

Gao Fan had just joked about her going to Africa. But this time he directly mentioned the specific country, which couldn't help but shock her. The matter of Namibia is currently a highly classified matter; ordinary people wouldn't know about it. How did Gao Fan guess?

Gao Fan didn't explain, but just looked at Xia Shihui with very complicated feelings.

If a geologist spends six years in Africa, cutting off all contact with family and friends, and still cannot reveal his whereabouts after returning home, then there is only one explanation.

Gao Fan couldn't say that he learned about this through declassified documents from later generations, and he was even more moved by Xia Shihui's dedication.

Decades later, as the tractor-trailer majestically rolls down the long street to the tune of "The Steel Torrent," will anyone know that the long sword represents the six years of youth this girl sacrificed?

Just then, a series of light footsteps echoed down the corridor. A slender girl with large eyes walked over, stood beside Gao Fan, looked at Xia Shihui, and asked Gao Fan, "Gao Fan, who is this?"

Gao Fan finally snapped out of his emotions and smiled at the girl, saying, "Ruoyi, let me introduce you. This is Xia Shihui, the geology senior I told you about who is known for her elusive nature."

After saying that, he turned to Xia Shihui and introduced her in the same way: "Xia Shihui, let me introduce you as well. This is Lin Ruoyi, a junior from our school. She was an undergraduate student in the Computer Science Department in 86 and is now a second-year graduate student in the Computer Science Department. She is interning at our company and is responsible for giving me computer literacy training."

　Let me explain...

　　Actually, it was a story that had been planned long ago.

　　I made a slight oversight when I started the book and left a plot hole: the female lead, that's right, is Lin Ruoyi, the girl I was betrothed with since childhood. She entered school in 1986, and I plan to finish the first volume around that time.

　　If I force myself to continue writing about the process of picking up girls, the pacing will be disrupted, and the farming plot is too long for me to write.

　　So, a brilliant idea struck me: I'll just skip it. Since you guys always criticize me for not being able to write romance, I'll just show my face in the previous chapter and bring out a baby in the next. You're not here to read about picking up girls, are you...?

　　Xia is definitely not the female lead; the preceding setup wasn't geared towards her becoming the female lead. Also, the Namibian story was made up by Orange.

　　(End of this chapter)