"Quick, those Celestian exchange students who left are suspicious. Notify the airport immediately and detain them! Don’t let them leave. They might have been the ones who stole the data!"

"Lock down the university first. Contact the airport and lock it down too. Don’t let anyone leave." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Everyone, move out! We absolutely cannot let anyone get away with the data!"

"Has anything unusual happened in the lab recently? Everyone, think back carefully."

Important experimental data was missing, and everyone was on edge.

Steve’s expression was grim. He knew better than anyone how important that data was. His sharp, cold gaze swept over everyone present.

It couldn’t have been Grace Winslow who took the data. Every time she came to the lab, so many people were watching her. There’s no way she could have silently walked off with that information under so many watchful eyes.

It wasn’t just one or two pages of documents, but a large cardboard box filled with several hundred pages.

"About a month ago, we cleaned out the lab. A lot of stuff was thrown out then. Could it have been accidentally discarded?" someone ventured cautiously.

"Impossible. All documents are checked before being thrown out. We wouldn’t make such a basic mistake," someone immediately retorted.

"Why is it impossible? The same thing happened two years ago. The data was sent to a scrap collection station, and the old geezer there sent it to the dump. By the time we got it back, all the documents were contaminated. I spent a full three months sorting through it all. I nearly puked."

"It happened five years ago, too."

"Alright, this isn’t the time to talk about that. The most critical thing right now is to figure out exactly how the materials went missing."

"I watched Grace Winslow every time she came to the lab. She never had a chance to get near that stuff. Besides, she always brought a pen and notebook and was focused on taking notes. She wouldn’t have had time to steal any data."

"A box of documents that big? There’s no way she could have stolen it and carried it out. But these Celestian students are definitely suspicious. Maybe one of them snuck into the lab in the middle of the night and stole it."

"Lock down the airport. We have to get them back."

While the university was in chaos, Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase had already arrived at the airport.

Because they had anticipated that the missing data could be discovered at any moment, Liam Callahan had already arranged a flight for the two of them.

After arriving at the airport, they immediately went through security and boarded the plane.

They had just gotten on the plane. Ten minutes before takeoff, a call came in from the university, demanding that all Celestian passengers be detained and prevented from leaving the airport.

However, the airport director refused, demanding they produce the relevant official documents. Otherwise, they would not comply with such a request.

By the time the back-and-forth was over, the plane carrying Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase had long since taken off.

Seated on the plane, Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase looked at each other and smiled.

’Finally leaving this place. We’re going home.’

Before going abroad, they had thought the food in other countries would be pretty good.

After all, the bread and steak in the books looked so delicious.

Only after leaving the country did they realize just how awful the food in Country Y was, in all its varied forms. It couldn’t compare to the food back home in the slightest.

In just six months, both of them had become visibly thinner.

And that was even after they had brought a large amount of food with them. Otherwise, they probably would have wasted away to skin and bones.

They hadn’t told their families they were coming back. After a flight of over twenty hours, the plane finally landed at the capital’s airport.

As they stepped off the plane and breathed in the familiar air, Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase almost couldn’t hold back their tears.

They had never missed their country so much.

No wonder so many people who leave their hometowns always want to make one last trip home when they get old.

"We’re finally back! If we hadn’t come back soon, I feel like I would have died over there," Joanne Chase couldn’t help but exclaim.

Grace Winslow patted her on the head. "What nonsense are you spouting? Come on, let’s go home."

It had been summer when they left. Now that they were back, it was already winter. A cold wind howled outside, and it had started to snow.

There were taxis outside the airport, but their prices were vicious. Hearing Grace and Joanne’s destination, one driver demanded twenty yuan right off the bat.

Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase were tempted to call the police.

Twenty yuan! It was only 1980. Even for someone from a well-off family, a monthly salary was only around forty or fifty yuan. The nerve of these drivers.

But it was snowing, and all the taxi drivers had banded together, all demanding twenty yuan. Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase asked around for a long time but couldn’t find a single driver willing to take them.

Joanne Chase couldn’t help but curse, "How can these people be so heartless? For twenty yuan, they might as well just rob us!"

Grace Winslow patted her. "Alright, don’t be angry. The New Year is almost here, isn’t it? These guys are just trying to earn a little extra."

"If we really can’t find one, I guess we’ll just have to..."

Before she could finish, a car horn sounded from behind them, followed by a familiar voice. "Miss Winslow?"

Grace Winslow turned her head and saw Dylan Lockwood sitting in a black sedan. The window was rolled down, and he was smiling and waving at her.

Grace Winslow looked at him, surprised. "Mr. Lockwood, what are you doing here? Are you in Coronet on business?"

"Yes, I had some business to attend to. I saw you from behind and thought you looked familiar. I didn’t expect it to actually be you. Are you in some trouble?" Dylan Lockwood asked with a gentle smile.

Grace Winslow nodded. "Yes, we just got back to the country. We didn’t expect taxis to be so expensive now. We haven’t been able to find a ride yet."

"Get in. I’ll give you a ride home," Dylan Lockwood said, opening the car door.

Grace Winslow hesitated for a moment, but quickly pulled Joanne Chase over. "Then thank you, Mr. Lockwood. I’ll treat you to a meal some other day."

"Alright, then I’ll be waiting for that meal, Miss Winslow," Dylan Lockwood said with a smiling nod.

Grace Winslow glanced inside. Dylan Lockwood was in the back seat, and there was an empty spot in the front passenger seat.

Joanne Chase stood to the side, hesitating, unsure whether she should get in the car or what to do.

Grace Winslow thought for a moment, then pointed to the front passenger seat. "Joy, you sit there. Bring the luggage over, I’ll put it in the trunk."

Joanne Chase helped put the luggage away and then got into the passenger seat.

Grace Winslow also got into the car, sitting down next to Dylan Lockwood.

"Mr. Lockwood, is there some business you’re here to discuss in Coronet this time?"

"Indeed there is. A custom-tailoring business has popped up in Coronet. They’re doing well, and their clothing styles are quite good. People in Portara have even heard about it. I was thinking of coming to see if there’s any opportunity for collaboration," Dylan Lockwood replied with a smile.

Grace Winslow felt that the custom-tailoring business he mentioned sounded a bit familiar. ’The ones doing that in Coronet... aren’t those my sisters-in-law?’