TO SHOU WITH LOVE

3 - THE RIDE

The program recording continued until the early morning, lasting nearly ten hours.

This lengthy recording was not only tormenting for all the bands waiting backstage, but also a tremendous physical drain for the mentors who were tirelessly providing evaluations.

After the end of the show, Jennie approached and asked the mentors not to leave immediately, mentioning that Director Ping and Sister Rose wanted to treat everyone to a late-night snack.

Sailub checked his phone and noticed several missed calls, all from Way.

On WeChat, Way had already sent a few messages:

-- "Sai, I was sleeping just now and missed your calls."

-- "Sai, when can you come back? I just received a message from the director, and they've arranged my scenes early. I need to leave early this morning."

-- "The latest flight is at 3:30 in the morning, and I have to leave by 2:00."

Sailub glanced at the time in the upper left corner of the screen.

There were still forty-five minutes until 2:00, and if everything went smoothly, he should be able to make it to see Way off.

He quickly grabbed his coat and told Jennie, and "You guys go ahead and eat; I have something urgent to attend to."

Jennie was considerate, realizing that Sailub had a genuine urgency.

Without much hesitation, she took out her phone and said, "P'Sai, I'll arrange for the program's driver to take you. Shall I send you the driver's contact and license plate through WeChat?"

"Sure, thank you, Jennie." Sailub replied and swiftly walked out of the broadcasting hall.

Descending in the elevator to the underground parking lot, he was met with a sight of a densely packed and slowly moving sea of vehicles.

Sailub felt a visual shock.

The underground parking lot was filled with at least a hundred cars, which would be considered a normal volume during regular times when vehicles entered and exited smoothly.

However, now that the program recording had concluded, and everyone was in a hurry to go home, it resulted in a traffic jam.

Fortunately, the park's management had arranged for security personnel to handle the situation, preventing the underground parking lot from turning into a traffic nightmare.

When Sailub reached the spot where his car was parked, the driver was already standing by the car, ready to open the rear door for him.

But after sitting on the mentor's seat for nearly ten hours straight, Sailub now felt sore and stiff, completely unwilling to huddle in the cramped car compartment.

He pointed outside in the direction of the driver, "I'll walk to the roadside first. When the car is ready to go, give me a call."

"Sure thing, Mr. Sailub," the driver replied.

As Sailub walked toward the exit of the underground parking lot, he replied to Way's message, "I'm on my way back now. I'll try to get there before 2:00."

His phone vibrated, and Way's immediate response came, "Okay, I'll wait for you."

Two seconds later, another message popped up, "Don't rush too much. Ask the driver to drive steadily."

Putting away his phone, Sailub stepped out of the underground parking lot, pulling his black mask down to his chin.

The night was dark, and he figured he wouldn't be recognized by many people, especially since he had been retired for four years, and most people in the world were so forgetful...