Cheng Che frowned and looked in the direction of the light.
A few meters away, several paparazzi with cameras were taking pictures of another exit.
Cheng Che looked up and saw that it was a white man. He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Pei Jingshu away.
Seoul Incheon Airport.
Cheng Che's visit this time was completely different from the last one.
Last time, a large group of people came, including the production crew, Qin Lie, Chen Wei, and bodyguards.
This time it was just him and Pei Jingshu. He was wearing a mask and a baseball cap, and Pei Jingshu was holding his arm openly, as if she didn't want others to know that they were a couple.
Once outside the arrival gate, Pei Jingshu took a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing.
"I'm back." She lifted her face, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.
Cheng Che glanced around, turned to look at her, and smiled, "Shall we go to your rented apartment first?"
Pei Jingshu suddenly shook her head.
Then she tilted her head and looked at him, her eyes wet, like a little deer.
"I still have one day of my annual leave left." She held up a finger and waved it in front of him, saying expectantly, "Shall we go to Daegu?"
Cheng Che was taken aback.
He wasn't quite sure where Daegu was, but Pei Jingshu's expression was a mixture of tension and anticipation, clearly waiting for him to say yes.
"Okay." He reached out and patted her head, chuckling, "As long as you don't sell me out."
Pei Jingshu grinned, snuggled into his arms, buried her face in his chest, and mumbled, "I won't sell myself."
Cheng Che was knocked back half a step by her, but then regained his balance.
Several passengers nearby looked over, and someone whispered something while giving a knowing smile.
He gently patted Pei Jingshu's back and pulled her out of his arms.
"Let's go." He gestured with his chin towards the parking lot. "Don't block the way."
Pei Jingshu nodded, took his hand with one hand, and carried the suitcase with the other, walking towards the parking lot.
The last time she drove to the airport, her car was still parked on B2.
A small, white Hyundai was parked in the corner, its windshield covered with a thin layer of dust.
She took out her keys and pressed a button. The car lights flashed twice. Then she turned her head and waved the keys at Cheng Che, looking very smug.
Cheng Che got into the passenger seat and adjusted it back a little.
Pei Jingshu got into the driver's seat, adjusted the rearview mirror, and then patted the steering wheel with both hands.
"Let's go!" she called out, turning to him with a smile, "To Daegu!"
After paying the parking fee, the car exited the airport expressway.
Pei Jingshu's driving style is very similar to her personality: decisive and efficient, overtaking without hesitation, but without making people nervous.
Cheng Che leaned back in the passenger seat, looking out at the South Korea countryside scenery. On both sides of the road were large fields and low hills, and most of the houses were two or three-story buildings with colorful roofs.
After driving for a while, Pei Jingshu finally spoke.
She rested her hands on the steering wheel, looked straight ahead, and tried to sound as casual as possible.
Daegu is my hometown.
Cheng Che glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, "So you're meeting the parents already?"
Pei Jingshu pursed her lips and didn't speak, but she tapped her fingers lightly on the steering wheel twice, her excitement in her eyes impossible to hide.
Cheng Che didn't press the matter further.
Meeting the parents is fine; he's not the kind of person who feels pressured about it.
Three hours later, the car entered Daegu city.
Cheng Che glanced out the window.
This city is quieter than Seoul, with wider streets, less dense buildings, and many trees planted along the roadside, their leaves turning silvery-gray undersides in the wind.
Pei Jingshu rolled down the car window a little, and the wind blew in, carrying a smell of earth and grass mixed together.
"The city center is just ahead." She pointed ahead, "That tallest building is the department store on Dongseong-ro. There's a food street downstairs; it's very lively at night."
She drove for a while, turned into a small alley, and stopped in front of a hotel.
The hotel wasn't large, but the exterior was very clean, and there was a small courtyard with a pine tree planted in front.
Pei Jingshu turned off the engine, took her hands off the steering wheel, rubbed them on her knees, and then turned her head, looking a little embarrassed.
"We'll stay here tonight," she said softly, then added, "You don't mind, do you?"
Cheng Che was taken aback. "Aren't you going home?"
Pei Jingshu puffed out her chest and said matter-of-factly, "How could I let you live alone?"
Cheng Che looked at her for two seconds, then chuckled and said nothing more.
He opened the car door and got out, and Pei Jingshu followed him out. She quickly took both of their suitcases out of the trunk, as if afraid he would change his mind.
The receptionist was a South Korea man in his fifties. When he saw Pei Jingshu, he smiled and said something.
Pei Jingshu replied in Korean and then handed over her identification.
The middle-aged man glanced at Cheng Che, then at Pei Jingshu, a knowing look on his face, and handed over two room cards.
Pei Jingshu took them, handed one to Cheng Che, and kept the other for herself.
Then she dragged her suitcase toward the elevator. After taking a couple of steps, Cheng Che noticed that she also pulled her suitcase toward his room.
He glanced at it but didn't expose it.
Once inside the room, Pei Jingshu placed her suitcase next to his wardrobe, then opened it, took out a coat and some cosmetics, and put them on the sink.
The movements were very natural, as if they were decorating their own home.
Cheng Che sat on the bed, watching her busy herself, and couldn't help but chuckle, "Are you just burying your head in the sand?"
Pei Jingshu paused for a moment, the tips of her ears turning red, then pretended not to hear and continued tidying up.
After tidying up, the two went downstairs.
The evening in Daegu was neither too hot nor too cold; the streetlights had just come on, and the signs of barbecue and fried chicken restaurants were flashing.
Pei Jingshu reached out and took his hand, their fingers intertwining tightly.
She glanced at him sideways, her chin slightly raised, her tone a little guilty, but her words were firm. "Now that you're on my turf, I can do whatever I want."
Cheng Che didn't say anything, but simply took her hand and pulled her closer to him.
Before Pei Jingshu could react, she turned around with his pull, facing him directly.
She looked up at him, her expression shifting from smugness to nervousness, her lips slightly parted.
Cheng Che reached out and pulled down his mask, then lowered his head.
The streetlights shone from the side, casting the shadows of the two people on the ground, where they merged into one.