Chapter 175: Board The Flight

Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Board The Flight

Qiao Meixia had no desire to be surrounded by noisy, unfamiliar tourists throughout the journey. After all, her primary objective was to observe the landscape and gather artistic inspiration, not socialize with a crowd.

After filtering through listings for quite some time, she finally located a seasoned guide whose operational preferences matched her criteria perfectly. According to his profile, he strictly refused to lead large tour groups, preferring to escort only small, select parties.

Qiao Meixia immediately dispatched a private message inquiring about his availability for the upcoming weekend.

A few minutes later, her phone chimed with a reply.

The guide confirmed that he could accommodate the trip. However, before finalizing the booking, he asked how many people would be in her personal party.

Qiao Meixia messaged back instantly, stating that she would be traveling entirely alone.

The guide replied shortly after, expressing genuine delight at the news. He explained that he already had two other hikers registered for that specific weekend slot, so adding a single solo traveler fit his strict small-group limit seamlessly.

In fact, he candidly admitted that had she brought along multiple companions, he would have been forced to decline her request to preserve the party’s tight size.

Fortunately, her solo status worked out perfectly. With those details locked in, the arrangements were officially settled.

Qiao Meixia immediately transferred the required fifty percent deposit to lock in her reservation. The guide would be supplying all the core heavy gear, including high-grade mountain tents and survival supplies, saving her the hassle of procuring and hauling bulky camping equipment herself. She only needed to prepare her personal rations, water supply, specialized apparel, and individual necessities for the trek.

With her guide confirmed, Qiao Meixia turned her attention to sourcing appropriate hiking gear.

She had zero intention of visiting a physical retail store to shop. She viewed wandering through crowded shopping malls and dealing with pushy sales associates as a complete waste of time when she could easily procure superior gear online.

Opening her favorite e-commerce platforms, she began browsing through technical outdoor wear. After selecting several high-performance items that met her strict functional standards, she placed her orders for expedited delivery.

Even if the packages did not arrive the following day, she still had plenty of lead time before her departure. Her flight to Huishan Country was not scheduled until later in the week, so there was no need to rush.

As for her trail rations, she decided to purchase those closer to her departure date.

Since she would only be spending a single night on the mountain, she did not need to carry an excessive volume of food, just enough nutritional supplies to sustain her through the climb and her stay at the summit.

Once those final details were squared away, her preparations for the excursion would be completely seamless.

...

"Lord Jiu, the arrangements have been fully finalised." Duan Yin Shan reported respectfully, standing before Yin Jiuqi.

"That’s great. It will be just the two of us making the trip." Yin Jiuqi replied, his voice calm and measured. "Ensure all necessary preparations are handled quietly."

"Understood, Sir." Duan Yin Shan nodded.

"Also, put out word to the household that I am confined to my quarters due to another sudden relapse in my condition. Strictly forbid anyone from visiting the residence while I am away." Yin Jiuqi reminded his trusted subordinate.

"I will handle the cover story personally." Duan Yin Shan assured him.

Yin Jiuqi gave a subtle nod before recalling another pressing matter. "What about the background intelligence I asked you to trace? Have you managed to uncover anything yet?"

"Regrettably, no, Sir. We have yet to break through." Duan Yin Shan explained, his expression grave. "Our intelligence networks are still digging, but all evidence points to someone deliberately scrubbing and concealing the data at a high level."

"Concealed by someone?" Yin Jiuqi raised an eyebrow, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes.

"Yes, Lord Jiu. This is not a case of ordinary lost or misfiled records. A powerful force has intentionally buried the details, making it exceptionally difficult for us to unearth anything actionable." Duan Yin Shan stated.

Yin Jiuqi’s face darkened into a stern, menacing mask.

"The moment you identify the party responsible for suppressing that information, report back to me immediately." Yin Jiuqi commanded coldly.

"Understood, Lord Jiu." Duan Yin Shan bowed respectfully before turning on his heel and exiting the private study.

Left alone in the quiet room, Yin Jiuqi remained still for a long moment before adjusting his wheelchair to face the window.

He genuinely could not fathom why that specific information had been so meticulously wiped from existence. If the data pertained to something trivial, no powerful entity would have gone to such extraordinary lengths to scrub it clean.

What exactly are they trying so desperately to hide?

And why is someone so determined to keep those secrets buried in the dark?

.....

The moment school ended, Qiao Meixia packed her bag and left without delay. She returned to her apartment first to park her superbike safely inside the underground garage. She had no intention of leaving her superbike parked at the Jiang Family residence while she was away for the weekend. It was far better to leave it in her own assigned space. At the very least, her building’s security team made regular rounds around the premises, so she did not have to worry about anyone tampering with her ride.

Once her bike was secured, she picked up the duffel bag she had packed for the trip and booked a private ride to the airport. Five minutes later, her driver arrived at the lobby entrance to pick her up. It took approximately half an hour of smooth driving to reach the departure terminal.

After completing check-in, she headed straight to the executive lounge to wait for her flight. She was sitting quietly in a corner armchair, scrolling through her phone, when a sudden commotion broke out and drew the attention of everyone nearby. Several passengers turned around to stare in the direction of the disturbance.

A group of travellers appeared to be arguing heatedly with the airline staff over some ticketing issue. Their raised voices were loud enough to echo across the waiting area and attract curious glances from surrounding passengers.

Qiao Meixia did not pay much mind to the drama. She simply shifted her gaze back down to her screen. Realising it was almost time for boarding, she decided to send a quick text message to Jiang Suhan first, informing him that she would be staying over at her friend’s house for the weekend again.

The moment she tapped the send button, a clear chime sounded over the airport speakers, calling all passengers travelling to Huishan Country to proceed to the gate.

Qiao Meixia immediately switched her phone to flight mode, gathered her belongings, and headed toward the boarding bridge.

She had purchased a first-class ticket for the journey. It was vastly superior that way. She did not have to squeeze herself into tight spaces alongside strangers or deal with a crowded cabin. Considering the level of physical comfort and quiet privacy it afforded, it was money exceptionally well spent.

Meanwhile, across town, Jiang Suhan received her text notification right in the middle of a high-level briefing with his department heads. One of his senior managers was right in the middle of presenting a quarterly report when a distinct phone notification suddenly echoed through the silent boardroom.

Everyone in the room flinched at the sound.

Who on earth forgot to put their phone on silent mode during an executive meeting?!

The managers exchanged nervous, terrified glances, silently trying to spot the guilty party. After all, Director Jiang was notoriously strict regarding boardroom etiquette. There had been a previous incident where a manager forgot to mute their device during a presentation, and Director Jiang had delivered a terrifying, uncompromising dressing-down that left the entire floor shaken.

Consequently, not a single person present wanted to be the next victim to experience his wrath.

However, Jiang Suhan recognised that specific notification tone instantly. It was assigned exclusively to his younger sister, Qiao Meixia. He had intentionally programmed a custom alert tone for her contacts so he could immediately identify when she reached out to him, regardless of where he was.

While his subordinates were frantically looking around at one another, trying to figure out who had dared interrupt the meeting, Jiang Suhan casually reached into his suit jacket, pulled out his phone, and unlocked the message.

The entire executive team turned toward him with utterly bewildered expressions.

Normally, during high-stakes corporate meetings, even if an important client called his line, Director Jiang would let it go to voicemail and finish the presentation before checking his device.

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