The next day.
4:30 p.m.
Beijing Capital International Airport.
Blake and Mia got off the plane and prepared to head home.
"Yay! We'll get to see Mom and Aunt soon. I really... really missed them."
The moment they got off the plane, Mia eagerly headed straight for the exit.
Blake followed behind her, shaking his head slightly, though there was a happy smile on his face as well.
But when Mia stepped out of the airport first and looked outside from the main entrance, she suddenly froze.
Why?
Because the plaza outside the airport, the streets beside it, the roads beyond them, even the overpasses above...
Everywhere she could see was packed with people.
Crowds stretched as far as the eye could see. People were shoulder to shoulder, cars filled the roads, voices thundered through the air, and the entire area had become a sea of humanity.
Practically every expression imaginable for an enormous crowd could have been used to describe what Mia was seeing.
And everywhere she looked, countless banners of every size carried messages along the lines of:
"Welcome Home, Blake!"
It was obvious.
Every one of these people had come to welcome Blake.
"So... so many people!"
Mia stood there stunned.
At that moment, Blake came out pushing their luggage.
When he saw the enormous crowd stretching ahead like a massive dragon, even he was shocked.
The instant Blake appeared, the fans who had been waiting outside the airport erupted.
"Blake!"
"Blake is back! Our hero is back!"
"'The Emperor' Blake, welcome home!"
"Blake, you're amazing!"
"Blake, I love you!"
"Blake, you're my idol!!!"
"Welcome home, Blake!"
"..."
The deafening cheers seemed to shake the sky.
Faced with such an enthusiastic welcome, Blake was both surprised and delighted.
He hadn't announced his return at all.
Yet even under those circumstances, so many fans had come to meet him at the airport.
How could he not be happy?
Blake smiled and waved to the crowd in response.
Then he noticed a large group of uniformed police officers moving through the packed crowd, working to maintain order.
"Blake!"
Someone suddenly called his name again.
Blake turned and saw Yi hurrying toward him.
"Yi?"
Blake looked slightly surprised.
Yi quickly waved and said, "Blake, your popularity is out of control. The entire area around the airport is packed with fans.
"Traffic nearby has completely ground to a halt. The crowd is so huge that it's already affecting people commuting to and from work.
"See all those police officers? They had to come over just to keep traffic and the crowd under control.
"There are way too many people.
"Blake, you need to leave now. You can't let this keep disrupting traffic."
"Got it."
Blake nodded, realizing how serious the situation had become.
After waving to the fans one last time, Blake left through a special passage arranged by the police, escorted by Yi and several others.
Mia naturally went with him.
A short while later, they were inside a seven-seat van Yi had arranged.
The driver, Blake, Yi, and Mia set off toward Blake's hometown.
During the ride, Yi glanced at Mia before turning to Blake.
"And this beautiful lady is...?"
"My girlfriend."
Blake smiled, then added, "But she prefers to keep things private, so... I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread the word for now."
Mia smiled softly without saying anything.
"No problem."
Yi immediately understood.
Once he knew who Mia was, he stopped paying much attention to her and continued, "Blake, your popularity is unbelievable.
"I never imagined a basketball player could draw this many people to an airport.
"Do you know how many fans showed up today?
"More than ten thousand.
"And that's only because there wasn't enough space. Otherwise, even more people probably would've come.
"A welcome this huge, enough to bring traffic to a complete standstill, never happened even when Yao Ming was at the height of his popularity.
"There's really no comparison."
"Heh."
Blake scratched the back of his head and smiled.
"To be honest, I didn't tell anyone I was coming back. I have no idea how they found out."
"You didn't announce it?!"
Yi looked shocked.
"That's impossible. The news that you were coming back was all over the trending searches yesterday. Practically everyone knew.
"The reason I came today was because I saw the news and figured I might be able to help somehow."
"Huh?"
Blake looked confused.
Mia beside him was equally puzzled.
Blake frowned slightly and thought it over.
"If that's the case, it was probably those fans we ran into yesterday who let the news slip."
And that was exactly what had happened.
Those fans hadn't intended to create such a huge commotion.
They had simply uploaded their photos with Blake online to show them off.
But word spread rapidly.
Word spread like wildfire.
Within a very short time, the story shot to the top of the trending searches. Once it was confirmed, everyone learned that Blake was returning home.
That was what led to the enormous airport welcome today, with tens of thousands of fans packed together.
And because everything had happened so quickly, Blake's fan club hadn't had enough time to properly organize the reception.
That was why the scene had become so chaotic.
After hearing the explanation, Yi was stunned all over again.
"So your fans only found out yesterday that you were coming back, and by today, this many people were already here waiting for you?!
"Just how insanely popular do you have to be for that to happen?!"
Yi could hardly believe it.
Without any advance announcement, even major movie stars traveling for work or heading to a film set wouldn't normally have crowds this large waiting for them.
The news may have been trending, but Blake himself had never confirmed anything.
There was still a chance the rumor could have been wrong.
Yet even so, tens of thousands of fans had been willing to come to the airport just to welcome him home.
That alone showed how incredible Blake's popularity had become.
While Yi was still marveling at it, Blake said, "Yi, one of the reasons I came back this time was to give something back to the fans who've supported me.
"So could you help arrange something and spread the word?
"In three days, I'll hold a fan meet-and-greet at a basketball arena in the city."
"No problem."
Yi patted his chest.
"Leave it to me. You're a basketball hero.
"I'm sure countless people want the chance to meet you in person."
"Mm-hmm."
Blake smiled and nodded.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
They chatted and laughed as the van continued on its way.
Eventually, it reached Blake's neighborhood and stopped outside his residential complex.
"We're here. Thanks, Yi. Come inside and hang out for a while."
Blake invited him.
Yi shook his head with a smile.
"Look at me. I didn't bring anything with me. I can't show up at your home completely empty-handed.
"Let's save it for next time."
"Sure."
After exchanging a few polite words, Blake didn't insist.
He watched Yi leave, then took Mia's hand.
Looking around at the familiar surroundings, Blake smiled, his mood brightening even further.
"We're home~"