"Why are you still following me?" Chu Zihang asked with barely contained exasperation, watching Finger gawk at the bustling crowds around Beijing Capital International Airport like a tourist seeing civilization for the first time.
The 2008 Olympics had transformed the Chinese capital into a carnival of international visitors, colorful banners, and barely controlled chaos. What should have been a simple family reunion had become complicated by his unwanted traveling companion's stubborn refusal to leave his side.
After disembarking, Chu Zihang had called his mother Su Xiaoyan, only to learn she'd come to Beijing specifically to watch the Olympic Games. His original plan of flying directly to his hometown had crumbled, requiring him to cancel his connecting flight and navigate the capital instead. Unfortunately, Finger had attached himself like a particularly persistent leech the moment they'd cleared customs.
"Junior brother, this place is absolutely magnificent!" Finger exclaimed, spinning in place to take in the modern architecture and Olympic decorations. "Your humble senior brother has just arrived in this foreign land, completely unfamiliar with local customs and language barriers. Look at these crowds—thousands of people everywhere! Do you really have the heart to abandon me? To let me drift alone and helpless through this strange metropolis?"
He grabbed Chu Zihang's arm with theatrical desperation, his expression shifting to the kind of pitiful puppy-dog look that would have been more convincing if it wasn't so obviously calculated.
"Fine! Fine!" Chu Zihang surrendered before Finger could escalate to actual tears or, worse, public scenes that would embarrass them both. "But you're paying for your own meals and transportation."
"Haha! Junior brother, I knew you were a good person!" Finger immediately dropped the pathetic act, throwing a companionable arm around Chu Zihang's shoulders as if they were longtime best friends rather than reluctant acquaintances.
They made their way to the baggage carousel, where Finger provided running commentary on every aspect of Chinese airport design while Chu Zihang practiced the meditation techniques Po had taught him. Patience, he reminded himself. Inner peace. The man was annoying but basically harmless.
After collecting their luggage, they headed toward the arrival gate where Chu Zihang expected to find a taxi queue. Instead, a familiar voice cut through the ambient noise like a bell.
"Son! My precious son, over here!"
Chu Zihang's head turned automatically toward the sound, spotting a stunningly beautiful woman waving enthusiastically from the crowd barrier. Su Xiaoyan looked exactly as he remembered—radiant, youthful, and completely oblivious to the attention her animated greeting was drawing from other travelers.
At thirty-six, she could easily pass for someone a decade younger. Her voice carried the musical quality of someone in her early twenties, while her energy seemed inexhaustible. Seeing her again after months of interdimensional adventures made Chu Zihang's chest tighten with unexpected emotion.
"Junior brother, is she calling to us?" Finger asked, following Chu Zihang's gaze to the enthusiastic woman.
"Yes, that's my mother," Chu Zihang replied, already moving toward her with increased pace.
"Wow! Your mother looks incredibly young!" Finger scrambled to keep up, his voice carrying genuine amazement. "Are you sure she's not your older sister?"
"Let's go quickly," Chu Zihang muttered, unwilling to discuss his mother's youthful appearance with someone he barely tolerated.
"Son!" Su Xiaoyan enveloped him in the kind of crushing hug that conveyed months of accumulated worry and love. Despite his usual preference for personal space, Chu Zihang found himself relaxing into the familiar embrace.
"How was your time in America?" she asked, pulling back to study his face with maternal concern. "You look taller. And more serious somehow. Are you eating enough? Sleeping properly?"
"I'm fine, Mom. Cassel College has excellent facilities—outstanding faculty, comprehensive training programs, students from distinguished families worldwide..." Chu Zihang provided carefully edited highlights of his educational experience, naturally omitting any mention of dragons, secret societies, or interdimensional restaurant adventures.
"Really? But I've never heard of this school," Su Xiaoyan said with a slight frown. "I researched American universities quite thoroughly, and even asked my friend Jenny who lives in Los Angeles. She'd never heard of it either."
Despite her generally carefree nature, Su Xiaoyan took her son's education seriously. His academic success mattered deeply to her, making her naturally suspicious of institutions that didn't appear in standard university rankings.
"Auntie, please don't worry yourself," Finger interjected smoothly, stepping forward with practiced charm. "Cassel College is indeed one of the world's most exclusive private institutions. While we maintain a low public profile for security reasons, our student body consists primarily of heirs to international business empires, political dynasties, and cultural aristocracy. The educational quality is absolutely unparalleled."
He was laying it on thick, but his sincerity seemed genuine enough to be convincing.
"Excuse me, but who are you exactly?" Su Xiaoyan asked, finally taking proper notice of the stranger who'd been praising her son's school.
"Mom, this is my senior at Cassel College," Chu Zihang explained with resigned acceptance of the situation.
"Indeed! Allow me to introduce myself properly." Finger executed a perfect European bow, his posture suddenly radiating aristocratic breeding. "I am Finger von Frings of Frings House, originally from Deutschland. You may call me Finger, if it pleases you."
The transformation was remarkable. Gone was the shameless information broker and persistent nuisance. In his place stood someone who genuinely looked like minor German nobility—cultured, educated, and impeccably mannered.
Su Xiaoyan's eyes widened with recognition. Through her friend who'd married into German society, she'd learned enough about European naming conventions to understand the significance of that particular surname. The "von" indicated aristocratic heritage, while names like Frings carried considerable historical weight in German noble circles.
"Your Chinese is remarkably fluent, Finger," she said with obvious approval. "Only the world's finest educational institutions could produce such cultured international students."
"You're too kind, Auntie. Though I must say, your own beauty is quite striking—if you hadn't mentioned being Chu Zihang's mother, I would have assumed you were siblings when I saw you together!"
The compliment was delivered with exactly the right blend of respect and admiration. Chu Zihang rolled his eyes at the shameless flattery, but had to admit Finger's social skills were genuinely impressive when properly applied.
"Oh, you're such a charmer!" Su Xiaoyan laughed, clearly delighted. "But I'm showing my age more than I care to admit. Can't compete with all these young Olympic athletes I've been watching."
"Nonsense—true elegance transcends age," Finger replied gallantly.
"You boys must be exhausted after such a long journey," Su Xiaoyan continued, taking charge of the situation with maternal efficiency. "Come along, I'll take you somewhere comfortable to rest. The driver's been waiting."
She guided them through the crowded terminal toward the exit, chattering about Olympic events and the city's festive atmosphere. Outside, a professional chauffeur stood beside a luxury sedan, confirming that Lu Tianming's resources were being put to good use.
The drive took them through Beijing's rapidly modernizing landscape toward one of the city's most exclusive residential districts. Even in 2008, properties in this area commanded prices that would make most people dizzy. When they finally stopped before an elegant villa surrounded by manicured gardens, Chu Zihang felt his eyebrows rise involuntarily.
"Mom, where exactly are we?" he asked as they approached the imposing front entrance.
"This is our home, of course! Your father just purchased it recently." Su Xiaoyan's casual tone suggested she found nothing unusual about acquiring Beijing real estate on short notice. "When he heard I was coming for the Olympics, he was concerned about hotel accommodations during such a busy time. So he had his people find something more suitable."
Whatever else could be said about Lu Tianming, his devotion to Su Xiaoyan was absolute. The man spared no expense ensuring her comfort and happiness.
"Come inside, darling. Aunt Xixi and Aunt Xiaomei have been cooking all afternoon—they were so excited to hear you were coming home!"
Su Xiaoyan had brought her two closest friends along for this Olympic adventure. When she'd left to collect Chu Zihang from the airport, they'd volunteered to prepare a proper homecoming feast despite her complete lack of culinary skills.
"Junior brother, your family is rich," Finger whispered as they entered the villa's marble-floored foyer.
"It's my stepfather who has money, not me," Chu Zihang replied quietly.
His relationship with Lu Tianming remained complicated—perfectly cordial and textbook appropriate, but lacking the natural warmth that should exist between father and son. The man tried hard and provided everything necessary, yet somehow their interactions always felt slightly formal, like business meetings conducted with mutual respect but no real intimacy.
Lu Tianming had remained in Shanghai handling business matters, though he'd promised Su Xiaoyan he would try to attend the Olympic closing ceremony if his schedule permitted.
After a restful night and leisurely day recovering from jet lag, Chu Zihang and Finger accompanied Su Xiaoyan and her friends to the Olympic basketball venue. Tonight's game was particularly significant—China versus Germany, Finger's homeland, in what promised to be an intensely competitive match.
The timing had worked out perfectly, and Su Xiaoyan had leveraged her considerable social connections to secure premium tickets. For such a high-profile international matchup during the Olympics, seats like these were nearly impossible to obtain through normal channels.
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