Chapter 63: Where on earth did this bring me? Is this still abroad?

The departure hall of the T4 Terminal at Xiaoshan Airport was, as always, bustling with people, though fortunately spacious enough to avoid feeling cramped.

Qiu Yan pushed a luggage trolley piled high with three suitcases, while Zhou Yun and Deng Yonghua walked alongside him. Only the three of them were making this trip for the conference.

They had already completed their check-in online, but Zhou Yun still preferred to print out a physical boarding pass. He always felt that something was missing when boarding a plane without one in hand.

Checking in luggage, going through security... the routine process took nearly an hour. It was now nine-thirty in the morning, exactly one hour before their flight was scheduled to depart.

Taking advantage of the remaining time, they had a meal before boarding. The food was undeniably expensive, but at least it was better than the notoriously unpalatable airline meals.

As for the items in the duty-free shops, he had zero interest in them. Buying things in Vancouver on the way back might make sense, but purchasing domestic goods within one's own country at exorbitant prices was nothing short of an outright tax on stupidity.

After finishing their meal, passengers were already lining up to board at the gate. All three of them were flying economy—not because they couldn't afford first class, but primarily because first class wasn't eligible for reimbursement.

They found their seats in the front rows. The front section was relatively quiet, ensuring they wouldn't be overly disturbed while trying to sleep, and with enough legroom to stretch out comfortably compared to the rear.

Once everyone was seated, the aircraft slowly taxied onto the runway. The roar of the engines steadily intensified, followed by a powerful surge of acceleration that lifted the massive plane off the ground.

Their journey to Vancouver required a layover in Hong Kong, taking roughly eighteen hours in total. This meant they would not touch down at Vancouver International Airport until around this same time tomorrow.

Eighteen hours later, the aircraft touched down at Vancouver International Airport.

Due to the sixteen-hour time difference between Vancouver and China, it was still December 7th local time when they arrived.

Although it was still daytime upon landing, both Zhou Yun and Qiu Yan were utterly exhausted. Deng Yonghua fared much better; having attended numerous international conferences of this nature, he was well-accustomed to it.

Moreover, losing a day of sleep posed no real problem for him.

Stepping off the plane, the group was immediately greeted by the fresh, moist air of Vancouver.

Deng Yonghua had visited the city before, and his impressions of it were exceptionally deep. Everything from the local cuisine, attire, and housing to transportation remained vividly etched in his memory.

While waiting for a ride, he gave Zhou Yun and Qiu Yan a brief overview: "Vancouver is considered by many to be one of the most livable cities in the world. Winters aren't too cold, and summers aren't too hot—supposedly never exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, though I can't vouch for the absolute truth of that since I've never been here during the summer."

Compared to the sweltering forty-degree summer heat back home, thirty degrees could indeed be considered pleasantly cool.

Several of them boarded a taxi and headed toward the hotel near the conference venue, which was still quite a distance away.

Though sleepy, it was daytime and they were in a moving car, making it impossible to drift off. They could only gaze out the window.

Zhou Yun noticed that the greenery in Vancouver was exceptionally lush. Even in December, patches of green were visible everywhere. Just as Deng Yonghua had mentioned, despite it being December, the weather did not feel particularly biting.

A windbreaker was more than enough, unlike certain cities back home where stepping outside in December required wrapping oneself up like a panda.

Furthermore, few cities back home boasted such vast expanses of urban greenery. No wonder some claimed Vancouver was one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Shortly after the taxi set off, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

Deng Yonghua smiled. "See? That's one of Vancouver's drawbacks. They say the local weather only comes in two types—raining or about to rain. That's why Vancouver has another nickname: 'Raincouver'."

"Raincouver?" Zhou Yun echoed, laughing heartily.

"Still, this kind of rain isn't very heavy. Many locals are so used to it they don't even bother with umbrellas. They apparently call this kind of weather a 'drizzle'."

The taxi wound its way along the highway, briefly climbing in elevation, through the hazy mist where distant mountain peaks could be faintly glimpsed.

"This is also a world-renowned tourist destination. You can take the opportunity to look around during the conference. Many people attend these events precisely to use them as an excuse for a vacation."

Zhou Yun nodded, planning to slip away for some sightseeing once his presentation was over. He had to admit the scenery was genuinely picturesque.

The closer they got to the downtown area, the more modern glass-façade buildings appeared, though sizable urban parks remained scattered throughout.

About forty minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of a hotel near the convention center.

Zhou Yun looked around, his gaze finally resting on a storefront sign.

The characters on it were actually in Chinese, giving him an inexplicable sense of familiarity while being in a foreign land.

Qiu Yan also noticed the surrounding Chinese signboards and remarked, "Where on earth has this brought me? Are we even abroad anymore?"

Hearing Qiu Yan's exclamation, Deng Yonghua couldn't help but chuckle. "Vancouver has one of the highest proportions of Chinese residents in North America—roughly one-fifth of the population is of Chinese descent. You might even find authentic Chinese cuisine here.

"And because of the high immigrant population, you can sample culinary delights from all over the world right here."

Zhou Yun nodded. He could even hear people chatting in Chinese on the street, a truly wondrous sensation.

The three of them pulled their luggage into the hotel, instantly enveloped by the warmth of the indoor heating.

They checked into their respective rooms. While Qiu Yan's research capabilities were mediocre, his English proficiency was decent—at least sufficient for fluent daily communication. As for Zhou Yun, his English was practically indistinguishable from a native speaker's.

After receiving their room keys, Deng Yonghua said, "Let's rest for a bit, and we'll head out for dinner later."

With that, each of them headed to their respective rooms.

Zhou Yun unlocked his door, unpacked his clothes from his bag, and hung them up. Through the window, he could see the convention center in the distance—the venue where they would be attending the conference in a couple of days. They would need to go there tomorrow just to familiarize themselves with the layout in advance.

However, since he only had one accepted paper and nothing else pressing on his agenda, his primary focus remained his oral presentation. According to the conference schedule, his slot was slated for the morning of the 11th.

After hanging up his clothes, he made a quick phone call home to let his family know he had arrived safely.

It was still the middle of the night back home, so they would likely only see the message in the morning.

He placed his phone on the bedside table, took a quick shower, collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep within a second.

When he woke up again, the room was shrouded in dimness. Zhou Yun checked his phone—it was already a little past five in the afternoon. He had adjusted his watch to local time right when the plane landed.

In December, night fell early in Vancouver, and the streetlights outside were already beginning to twinkle.

Though his sleep had been brief, the fatigue had largely dissipated.

There were messages from home on his phone, and he chatted with his family for a while until seven o'clock, when Deng Yonghua sent a message suggesting it was time to go out for dinner.

Half an hour later, the three of them gathered in the hotel lobby.