Blossom through the Cloud - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Men are all assholes.

No language could describe Ruan Sixian's internal state at this moment more precisely than this sentence.

She instinctively pulled back the letter, squeezing out a smile that was uglier than crying. She wanted to say a few words, but found she couldn't force out a single syllable.

Fortunately, after uttering those words, Fu Mingyu stopped looking at her—or rather, acted completely as if there was no one in front of him. He reached out to turn off his reading light, then pushed his seat back and lay down to rest his eyes.

The surrounding passengers were all very quiet, with only the occasional sound of page-turning or cups clicking together.

It seemed no one had noticed this corner.

Yet Ruan Sixian knew that right now, quite a few gazes were glued to her, likely treating the whole thing as a bit of cheap amusement.

After all, these guests who regularly flew in long-haul first class had either seen or heard all sorts of gossip about flight attendants and passengers.

Ruan Sixian gritted her teeth, picked up the coffee tray, and turned to walk away.

Returning to the galley, she set the coffee pot down with a heavy thud, giving Jiang Ziyue, who was standing nearby, a start.

"What's wrong with you?"

Jiang Ziyue asked.

"Nothing."

Though boiling with anger inside, Ruan Sixian didn't dare vent her grievances about the boss in front of the purser.

Even though she and Jiang Ziyue usually got along well, colleagues were colleagues, and idle gossip behind someone's back might turn into a knife one day.

Jiang Ziyue asked again, "Oh right... did you deliver Si Xiaozhen's thing?"

Ruan Sixian had a particular flaw: she could keep secrets buried in her heart, but her face could never hide them. Whenever there was the slightest emotional fluctuation within, it would quickly manifest as a flush of red across her cheeks.

Take right now, for instance. Her emotions were clearly unstable, and her eyes looked ready to spit fire, yet her crimson cheeks made her look as though she were blushing with bashfulness.

Ruan Sixian said coldly, "Forget it, I'm not giving it to him."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ruan Sixian's eyes suddenly widened. "You knew about it?"

Jiang Ziyue shrugged and turned to lean against the counter. "She came looking for me this afternoon, too."

Jiang Ziyue had longer seniority than Ruan Sixian and the others. She had previously been Si Xiaozhen's training instructor, and because she was a purser, Si Xiaozhen figured she might have more pull, so she had approached Jiang Ziyue for help first.

However, Jiang Ziyue had rejected her flat out.

Putting aside the fact that it was none of her business, the whole thing was simply too absurd—why would anyone want to bring that kind of trouble upon themselves?

As Ruan Sixian pieced the logic together, she nodded. "I just haven't found the right opportunity yet."

Talk of opportunities was merely an excuse; the person was sitting right there, so slipping it over to him would take mere minutes if she truly wanted to.

Jiang Ziyue leaned in close and asked, "Are you scared?"

"Yeah, scared." Ruan Sixian twisted her lips into a sarcastic smile. "I'm too embarrassed."

What if the guy thought she was handing him a love letter?

"How could that be? There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Jiang Ziyue picked up three steaks and squeezed past Ruan Sixian. "I'm going to take the crew's midnight snack out. As for your side... just quietly slip it over once the lights go out, and nobody will be any the wiser."

Hearing Jiang Ziyue put it that way, Ruan Sixian's train of thought took a turn.

It actually sounded somewhat reasonable.

Just now, Fu Mingyu had clearly misunderstood her, thinking she was hitting on him. How on earth was Ruan Sixian supposed to explain a misunderstanding like that when no one would necessarily believe her anyway? Her only option was to deliver the letter; once Fu Mingyu read its contents, he would realize he had been mistaken.

However, given how arrogant and insufferable he looked right now, he definitely wouldn't accept anything handed directly to him. Therefore, she had to wait until the lights went out later, when everyone was asleep, so she could stealthily tuck the letter onto his seat.

The moment he woke up, he would read the contents and the truth would come to light.

Okay.

Having made up her mind, Ruan Sixian waited obediently.

Twenty minutes later, the cabin lights went out. Most of the passengers reclined their seats and put on eye masks to sleep, while two guests kept their reading lights on to read books. The surrounding area grew quiet enough to hear the sound of breathing.

The only exception was seat 7A, where a seven or eight-year-old boy was playing cartoons out loud without headphones.

Whenever this time rolled around, the airplane felt like a massive dormitory, and Ruan Sixian felt like a strict dormitory warden.

She walked on tiptoe to the little boy's side and reminded him to put on his headphones while watching cartoons.

The child whined and whimpered twice, saying, "My ears hurt."

Ruan Sixian squatted down and spoke in a gentle, coaxing tone, "Little buddy, playing sound out loud like this will disturb other people."

The child still refused, pointing at the adult next to him and saying, "My dad isn't disturbed at all."

Ruan Sixian glanced over. His father was wearing an eye mask and noise-canceling headphones, completely oblivious and sleeping like a log; it would be a miracle if he could hear anything.

Faced with this kind of situation, Ruan Sixian had no other recourse aside from trying to persuade him with endless patience.

"Little buddy, it will be early morning when we arrive in London. If you don't sleep now, you'll be nodding off tomorrow after getting off the plane and won't have any energy to play."

Her voice was mild and softened on purpose, making it hard for anyone to refuse, even a child.

The little boy thought about it seriously for a moment, then turned off his iPad. "Then I need to pee."

Ruan Sixian held out her hand to him. "Let's go, I'll walk you there."

Even though they were currently in a cruising state, the aircraft could encounter turbulent air currents at any moment, and keeping children safe was Ruan Sixian's responsibility.

As she passed by Fu Mingyu's seat, Ruan Sixian glanced down. He was lying flat on his back, his breathing steady, fast asleep in utter serenity.

Suddenly feeling that this was an opportunity, Ruan Sixian paused in her tracks and said to the child, "Little buddy, wait for me for a second."

Then she bent down and placed the letter right beside Fu Mingyu's pillow.

The moment her finger brushed against the pillow, Fu Mingyu pursed his lips. It gave Ruan Sixian such a start that she nearly jumped, thinking he hadn't been asleep at all.

Fortunately, he merely tilted his head slightly.

Yet while Fu Mingyu didn't open his eyes, the child standing right beside them saw the whole thing crystal clear.

"Big sister, are you delivering a love letter?"

Ruan Sixian: "..."

Why did this little brat understand so much?

"No, I'm not." Ruan Sixian didn't care to explain further to him. "Hurry up and walk, or someone else is going to take the restroom."

The child completely ignored Ruan Sixian's words, putting on the airs of a little adult. "That older brother is very handsome, but big sister, don't be too shy either. I've already received love letters myself; it's nothing, it's totally normal."

Ruan Sixian nearly choked on her own breath.

Could you please not hold a public seminar here, you little rascal? What if Fu Mingyu wasn't actually asleep and was just resting his eyes?

Taking the third deep breath of her day, Ruan Sixian grabbed him and dragged him toward the restroom.

The trip there and back took no more than a few minutes. When Ruan Sixian brought the child back and walked past, she discovered that Fu Mingyu wasn't sleeping anymore; he had adjusted his seat back upright and turned on his reading light to look at his iPad.

Moving at such lightning speed, Ruan Sixian even suspected whether he had actually been awake all along.

Still, seeing that his expression was normal, he probably hadn't heard anything.

She wondered if he had seen that letter or not.

Passing by Fu Mingyu again, Ruan Sixian couldn't help craning her neck to peek over.

Fine, it appeared the letter hadn't been noticed by him at all; instead, because he had adjusted his seat upright, it had slid down onto the floor.

Ruan Sixian felt a chaotic mix of emotions. Not only did she have to deliver it all over again now, but she also had to pick it up right in front of him without him noticing.

She wasn't the only one who spotted the letter; the little kid next to her saw it, too.

As if seeing it wasn't enough, he shouted out loud, "Big sister, your love letter fell on the floor."

Ruan Sixian: "..."

I saw it, you don't need to flap your gums!

And no, this is not a love letter!

Hearing this, Fu Mingyu looked over.

Catching just a brief glimpse and realizing the person beside him was Ruan Sixian, he quickly turned his head back, a trace of an inscrutable smile lingering at the corner of his lips.

Well, it wasn't even truly inscrutable; Ruan Sixian could clearly sense the full-blown mockery written all over his face.

What was he smiling at?

What was so funny?

This damn thing really wasn't a love letter!

Ruan Sixian realized that ever since Fu Mingyu boarded the plane, he had spoken a grand total of five sentences to her—two of which consisted of just a single word—yet they had already transformed her from a gentle, amiable fairy into a ticking time bomb capable of detonating the high altitude at any moment.

What kind of demon was this?

Of course, Ruan Sixian only dared to roar internally; outwardly, she maintained a flawless smile.

"Little buddy, that is not a love letter, oh."

"Then what is it?"

"It's a statement of grievances."

"Isn't that just another kind of love letter?"

"..."

Ruan Sixian turned her head back to look. Thankfully, Fu Mingyu didn't seem to have paid attention to their conversation.

After depositing the little brat back into his seat, Ruan Sixian squatted down to fasten his seatbelt for him and patted his forehead.

"Get some rest early."

With that, she took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and turned to face Fu Mingyu.

His attention appeared to be completely captured by the iPad, and he didn't spare Ruan Sixian a single glance.

That was for the best.

Ruan Sixian walked up beside him, swiftly scooped up the letter from the floor, and held it out before him.

At this point, she didn't even bother pretending not to recognize him or hypocritically addressing him as "Sir" anymore.

"President Fu, please don't misunderstand. This is something I..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the aircraft suddenly and without warning began to pitch and roll violently.

The turbulence was somewhat severe; many passengers were jolted awake, and the seatbelt sign rapidly lit up.

Having flown for two years, Ruan Sixian knew from experience that this might not just be ordinary air turbulence—it was even possible they were brushing past a cumulonimbus storm cloud.

There was no time to ponder anything else; safety was paramount. Daring not to move carelessly, she immediately grabbed the back of Fu Mingyu's seat to steady herself.

In her panic, she glanced down to see Fu Mingyu unhurriedly putting away his iPad, lifting his eyes to look over.

As if he were about to say something.

Right then, the aircraft's PA system suddenly crackled to life, cutting off whatever Fu Mingyu was about to say.

"Ladies and gentlemen, due to our aircraft encountering strong convective currents causing turbulence, please return to your seats, fasten your seatbelts, and note that the lavatories are temporarily closed."

At that exact moment, the little boy beside them shrieked in terror, desperately trying to lunge toward his father's side, only to start untying his seatbelt the moment he realized he was restrained by it.

Ruan Sixian immediately shouted, "Little buddy! Do not undo your seatbelt! This is just turbulent airflow, don't be scared!"

Yet how could a child possibly listen to Ruan Sixian's words? The boy's father had just been jolted awake and sat up in a daze, clearly still having no clue what was happening around him.

She couldn't let the kid actually unbuckle his seatbelt and leave his seat; stumbling and crashing around the cabin later would only make things troublesome.

Without time for careful consideration, Ruan Sixian instinctively moved to rush over and hold the child down.

The moment she released her grip, however, the plane lurched violently with another jolt of turbulence. Her footing slipped, her center of gravity shifted, and she pitched downward.

—Landing dead-center in Fu Mingyu's arms.

Ruan Sixian: "………………………………"

His scent enveloped Ruan Sixian completely. As their bodies made contact, the upper half of Ruan Sixian's torso was pressed almost entirely against his chest.

Lifting her head, she locked eyes with him.

He tilted his head slightly, making zero attempt to conceal the playful mockery and disdain swimming in his gaze.

Translated into words, Ruan Sixian interpreted his look as: "Let's see how the fuck you plan to explain your way out of this one."

In that split second, Ruan Sixian's heart betrayed her by hammering away frantically, threatening to leap right out of her chest as a blush rushed straight up to the tips of her ears.

She could distinctly hear the pounding rhythm of her own heartbeat: thump, thump, thump.

This was beyond mortifying.

To the cadence of that heartbeat, Fu Mingyu finally spoke: "What misunderstanding?"

Ruan Sixian: "..."

Silence reigned, followed by even more silence.

If I tell you in this exact scenario that I never intended to hit on you, would you believe me?

I wouldn't even believe myself.

Right on cue, the airplane gradually smoothed out, returning to a steady state.

The two of them remained locked in a stare.

One was flushed bright red from head to toe; the other was so chillingly composed that not a single ripple of emotion showed in his eyes.

After a long pause, having received no reply, Fu Mingyu spoke up once more: "How much longer do you plan to sit on my lap?"

Ruan Sixian: "……………………"

Ruan Sixian scrambled to her feet instantly. Not knowing where to put her hands, she grabbed a handful of her hair, her fingers inadvertently brushing against her burning cheeks.

At this temperature, if she had a mirror handy, she was certain she'd see her face looking as red as if she'd just crawled out of a sauna.

"I..." Closing her eyes and steeling her resolve, Ruan Sixian dropped the letter right onto his tray table. "This was entrusted to me by a colleague for you. Inside are a few little thoughts of hers regarding the Soaring Plan."

Having left it behind, Ruan Sixian didn't dare linger to check his expression, turning and walking straight away.

Stepping into the galley, she ran right into Jiang Ziyue, who said, "Ruan Ruan, just now you..."

Jiang Ziyue stopped mid-sentence and patted Ruan Sixian on the shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just got startled by the turbulence earlier." Ruan Sixian stood still for a moment to steady her nerves. "The kid in 7A got scared to tears just now. Could you help take a cup of juice over to him? I'm going to go rest for a bit."

For the next ten hours or so, Ruan Sixian walked past Fu Mingyu's seat countless times.

Fortunately, he slept for nearly five hours, and spent the remaining five hours completely engrossed in his own work, without throwing a single glance in Ruan Sixian's direction.

Even so, every single time Ruan Sixian walked past him, her entire body felt prickly and uncomfortable, as if at any second he might lift his head, look at her with that mocking glare, and unleash another string of humiliating remarks.

Luckily, that scenario didn't play out.

After landing and seeing off all the passengers, Ruan Sixian felt as though she had been peeled alive; she had never felt so utterly exhausted after a long-haul flight.

Yet as she rubbed her aching shoulders and walked back into the cabin, passing by Fu Mingyu's seat, she nearly choked with fury all over again.

—That letter was sitting on the tray table, completely untouched and unopened.

How was Ruan Sixian so certain it was unopened?

—Because to show her utmost solemnity, Si Xiaozhen had sealed the opening with wax.

Taking the untold-th deep breath of her day, Ruan Sixian picked the letter up.

To think she had endured such a wildly roller-coaster of a flight today, only to realize the whole thing had just been a one-woman show?!