Chapter 169: Waiting

“Masashi, how do you plan to spend the summer vacation?” Takeda suddenly asked during lunch.

“Summer vacation? Has it already come around that fast?” Lei Yin looked up in surprise, feeling like it was just a short time ago that he started school.

“Are you even a student? How can you forget such an important break?” Takeda teased.

Lei Yin calculated the dates and realized that summer vacation was indeed approaching.

In Japan, the school year runs from April to March of the following year, divided into two terms: the first term from April to September and the second term from October to March. School breaks in Japan typically include three main holidays: summer vacation from early July to late August, winter vacation from late December to early January, and spring vacation from late February to early April.

Summer vacation? Lei Yin recalled that two years ago, he had promised to take Naoko to Switzerland to visit Amy, but the plan had been delayed due to Lei Li being kidnapped, and it had been postponed ever since. He hoped this year would be the year he could finally follow through on his plan.

“Masashi, why don’t you come over to my house for the summer vacation? Bring your girlfriend too,” Takeda said, having been curious to see what she looked like.

“Can’t do that. I might be going overseas,” Lei Yin replied.

“Going on a trip?”

“Something like that.”

“I see. Well, never mind then. I thought it would be more fun if we had more people,” Takeda said, looking a bit disappointed.

“Where are you planning to go?” Yoshikawa asked.

“Switzerland.”

“Switzerland? Can I come too?” Takeda’s eyes lit up, and he quickly moved closer.

“Absolutely not,” Lei Yin said firmly.

“You heartless guy, I even invited you to my house,” Takeda grumbled.

“Will you be joining the school’s field trip this summer?” Yoshikawa asked after wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“Field trip?”

“It’s similar to the high school study trips. It’s a tradition at Teikyo, held in the days before summer break each year. Depending on the destination, the trips last anywhere from four days to a week. The seniors said last year’s destination was Tokushima in Shikoku, but it’s not known yet for this year.”

“I probably won’t go. As soon as the break starts, I’ll be heading to Switzerland,” Lei Yin said, taking a sip from his teacup.

“Will your sister be going with you to Switzerland?” Takeda suddenly asked.

“She probably won’t go.”

“Then she’ll likely join the summer field trip, right?” Takeda asked with an eager expression.

“Your interest is suspicious. Why are you suddenly so concerned about her?” Lei Yin looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

“It’s normal to be concerned about a good friend’s sister. Isn’t that touching?”

“Go die, you pervert. Don’t have any ideas about my sister,” Lei Yin said, recognizing what he was thinking.

“Hey, isn’t it a brother’s job to want his sister to be happy?” Takeda said, deciding to be honest now that he’d been caught.

“You make a good point. As long as she keeps a safe distance from you and doesn’t get overwhelmed by your bad breath, she’ll already be happy enough,” Lei Yin sneered.

“Bastard, I don’t have bad breath!” Takeda said, making an exaggerated, angry expression.

“I advise you to give up. You’re not the type my sister likes.”

“What type does your sister like?”

“To be honest, I don’t know, but I do know it’s definitely not you.”

“That’s pure prejudice. Maybe she does like someone like me,” Takeda said dismissively.

Just as Lei Yin was about to respond, his phone rang.

He stepped away a few paces and answered the call.

“That guy always acts so mysteriously when he gets a call, like he’s some secret agent,” Takeda said to the other two friends, glancing at Lei Yin talking on the phone from afar.

Yoshikawa, uninterested in Takeda’s antics, turned to Shiraishi Akira and said, “Come over to my house during the summer vacation. I’ll take you to the mountain roads to race cars. It’s really thrilling.”

“Maybe I can’t go. The kendo club is planning a training camp that’ll last half a month during the summer break. As a freshman, I can’t miss it.”

“You kendo club members are too ruthless; you don’t even give up the important summer break. I’m glad I quit early. How about this? Come over after your training camp is done.”

“Depends on the situation,” Shiraishi Akira replied, as he was in the habit of not making definite decisions.

At that moment, Lei Yin returned after finishing the call, but there was an odd expression on his face.

“Maybe I won’t have to go to Switzerland after all,” he suddenly said as he sat down.

“Why?” Yoshikawa asked, confused.

“Because the person I was planning to visit is coming to Japan,” Lei Yin said, taking a sip from his teacup and revealing a genuine, happy smile.

***

At three in the afternoon, a young man was quietly waiting in the reception hall of Narita Airport.

The flight he was waiting for was nearly half an hour late, but it didn’t matter; as long as it landed safely, he would be relieved. At that moment, he finally let out a breath of relief.

He kept his eyes fixed on the stream of people flowing from the exit.

After a while, the crowd thinned, but he still didn’t see the person he was waiting for.

Just then, a tall, model-like beauty walked out of the exit.

She was an outstanding beauty who would not go unnoticed anywhere. Her dark brown hair, slightly wavy, cascaded down her back, and her pale, delicate face featured a high nose bridge uncommon among Asians. What left the most impression was her pair of light green eyes.

With skin as fine as an Asian’s and European-like eye color and nose, this was not the result of colored contact lenses or makeup—she was clearly a mixed-race woman. Perhaps due to the long-haul flight, she appeared slightly tired, but her eyes were still full of life.

Her right hand held a rolling suitcase, while her left hand gripped a little girl who, although a bit weary, was still full of energy.

Compared to the mature and tall beauty, the young girl was easy for adults to overlook.

But the young man who had been waiting at the airport had his eyes fixed on the little girl without blinking.

Though he had received photos sent by her, there was a difference between seeing a picture and meeting her in person.

Compared to two years ago, she had grown quite a bit. Her limbs were slimmer, no longer round like before. Her features had become more delicate and charming; the only things that hadn’t changed were her big, round eyes and her creamy, tender skin. But no matter how she had changed, she still looked like a finely crafted doll, only now larger.

As he took in the sight of the little girl, she happened to spot him as well.

In that instant, a series of expressions crossed her face, from anxious to surprised to overjoyed, creating a moment that could have been filmed as a classic ten-second advertisement.

“Lei!” the little girl shouted, letting go of the mixed-race woman’s hand and running towards the young man.

Afraid she might fall along the way, Lei Yin ran to her as fast as he could.

Just less than a meter away, the little girl, like an athlete charging toward the finish line, threw herself into Lei Yin’s arms with more force than her small frame seemed capable of.

Holding the familiar yet slightly unfamiliar little body close, Lei Yin felt a mix of emotions wash over him.

***

Narita Airport was not located within Tokyo but in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture, approximately 90 kilometers east of downtown Tokyo. After about half an hour on the bus back to Tokyo, Amy had finally fallen asleep on Lei Yin’s chest due to fatigue and jet lag.

Gently stroking the girl’s silky hair, Lei Yin turned to the mixed-race woman. “Are you tired? I’ve already booked a hotel for you in Shinjuku. You can rest there for a while.”

“Thank you,” the woman said with a nod of gratitude.

“When you called me at noon saying you’d be arriving in the afternoon, it surprised me.”

“Just so you know, it wasn’t my idea; it was Amy’s. She wanted to surprise you,” Ailin said with a smile.

“A surprise is a surprise, but it’s more of a shock. Does elementary school in Switzerland start summer vacation already?”

“Yes, she just got out two days ago, and she immediately urged me to buy the plane tickets. I had to rush to finish my work and come with her,” Ailin said with a hint of helplessness.

Lei Yin looked down at the little girl, now peacefully asleep, her serene expression angelic.

“She really missed you. The highlight of her week is talking to you on the phone. I’m even a little jealous now,” Ailin said softly.

Lei Yin affectionately pinched the girl’s face before looking up at Ailin. “How long do you plan to stay this time?”

“It’s up to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“To be honest, I still have a lot of work waiting for me back in Switzerland. If you’re willing to take care of Amy for the rest of the summer, I’m planning to leave tomorrow,” Ailin said with a smile.

“Hey, aren’t you being a bit reckless? Leaving your future boss in the hands of a stranger—don’t you worry that her uncle, Rolando, will come after you?”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Rolando has already agreed.”

Hearing this, Lei Yin looked at her intently. “Don’t tell me you’ve already told him everything. If not, there’s no way he’d agree to leave his heir in someone else’s care, even for a short period.”

Ailin gave a wry smile. “Can you sometimes act like a normal young person? If you’re too shrewd, you’ll end up bald.”

“Is that your way of complimenting me?”

The mixed-race beauty laughed. “You guessed right. I’ve told Mr. Rolando all about Adams and Murphy. Since he’s the only one who can hold things together now, even though Adams is dead, Murphy is still around. To prevent him from taking any action against Mr. Rolando, I felt it was my duty to let him know and keep him on guard.”

“So, Rolando already knows that Adams’ death is related to me?” Lei Yin said with an amused smile.

“Yes, but Mr. Rolando asked me to tell you something. He said Adams brought it upon himself and holds no grudge against you, so he wants you to focus on taking care of Amy without worrying.” Ailin spoke with a serious expression.

“The old fox is as cunning as ever; he even anticipated what I’d want to ask. In my opinion, the most capable member of the Defoe family is Montreux, the most scheming is Murphy, and the wisest is that old fox. Compared to them, Adams was just a simple-minded arms dealer. Anyway, enough of that. How have you been lately?”

“Mr. Rolando has assigned me a lot of work. I’ve been so busy I don’t even have time to catch my breath,” the mixed-race beauty said with a smile.

“Have you thought about reporting that old man for abusing his employees?”

“To be honest, I’m actually grateful to him. It’s rare for him to still trust me,” Ailin said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Come on, that old fox is just using your guilt to exploit you. I can’t believe you’re still speaking well of him. I’m starting to realize that women are so easily deceived,” Lei Yin said teasingly.

The mixed-race beauty smiled without saying a word.

“Have you ever thought about finding a good man?” Lei Yin asked casually, noticing her lighthearted mood.

“Not for now. Since breaking up with Murphy, I’ve been feeling a bit tired. Right now, I just want to focus on my work,” she said, a hint of weariness in her eyes.

“Let things happen naturally. With your qualities, all you’d need to do is show some leg and whistle, and men would come running from all over. You could pick and choose at your leisure.”

“Go die.” Ailin laughed and smacked him playfully.

“Hey, don’t wake the little one. By the way, how is she adjusting to the others? Is she still as resistant as before?” Lei Yin suddenly thought of a question.

“I’m not sure if it’s because of your strange therapy, but she’s much more open now. She’s made some friends at school and is no longer as withdrawn as before, though she still has a strong resistance to strangers,” Ailin explained.

“Take it slow. She has plenty of time, so there’s no need to rush.” Lei Yin began to gently stroke the little girl’s hair again.

During this time, Ailin carefully studied the young man she still couldn’t fully understand.

After two years, he seemed more mature. His once slightly youthful features now carried the charm of a grown man. His facial features hadn’t changed much, but there was a different feeling about him. She couldn’t quite place what it was that was different.

Looking down at Amy, who lay comfortably like a little cat in his arms, she thought the scene was unexpectedly warm and natural.