Chapter Twenty-Six: Liu Miaomiao Gets Airsick

With the final announcement from the intercom fading, the white Bombardier CRJ900 emitted a deafening roar, ascending into the sky like a bluebird.

As one of the most common regional airliners in the world, the CRJ900’s cabin layout accommodated 70 passengers. Excluding the 12 business class seats and 20 premium economy seats, there were only 38 economy seats, meaning Lu Mingfei’s class had essentially chartered the majority of the plane.

The restless young men naturally wouldn't let this opportunity to sit near the campus goddesses slip by. They had tried every possible way to find out where Liu Miaomiao and Qiao Yiran had chosen to sit. Upon learning that Liu Miaomiao had spent her own money to upgrade, her admirers sighed in frustration while simultaneously scrambling to find out where Lu Mingfei was seated.

Only when they heard that Lu Mingfei was in economy class, just like them, did they finally breathe a sigh of relief. They consoled themselves with the thought that while they hadn't been able to share a row with the goddess during their final year of middle school, at least that guy Lu Mingfei hadn't either.

If Liu Miaomiao hadn't chosen to sit with Lu Mingfei despite the scandalous rumors surrounding them, what did that prove? It meant she was actively avoiding suspicion! In other words, the gossip on the Shilan Middle School forum was mostly groundless speculation, and they still had a chance. Although the odds were slim, "close to zero" and "zero" were two completely different things.

However, as everyone boarded, reality dealt them a heavy blow. To their shock, they discovered that Liu Miaomiao, who should have been in business class, was squeezed into a corner of economy class, shoulder-to-shoulder with Lu Mingfei.

Moreover, Liu Miaomiao’s face was flushed with a charming shyness, her eyes so bashful they seemed ready to brim over. Her admirers were instantly struck with grief, feeling that this graduation trip had lost all its meaning. When others went on a graduation trip, it was to put a perfect period at the end of their youth. But what was the point of them going? To serve as a "third wheel" for someone else's youth?

"Lu Mingfei... he’s too much," some boys in the front rows whispered, looking dejected.

"You’re telling me," another voice added from the crowd. "It’s bad enough he secretly won Liu Miaomiao over, but to show off in front of a bunch of single guys like us? That’s just inhumane."

A wave of sighs rippled through the crowd, and a heavy silence descended. The teachers sitting in the very front were left puzzled, wondering how the students who had been so rowdy and energetic during boarding had suddenly become so morose the moment they sat down.

...

The atmosphere wasn't just gloomy for the boys who admired Liu Miaomiao. Shortly after takeoff, Lu Mingfei noticed that Liu Miaomiao’s complexion didn't look right; she seemed quite unwell.

"Are you okay?" Lu Mingfei asked, hesitating for a moment.

Even though he felt that in this climate of rampant rumors, he should avoid talking to her to distance himself from the gossip, seeing her pale face made him feel he couldn't just ignore her. After all, compared to Liu Miaomiao’s health, the rumors were a trivial matter.

"Thanks for your concern, I’m fine," Liu Miaomiao turned her head, clutching her chest, and replied with a forced smile.

*But you’re as pale as a ghost,* Lu Mingfei thought. He had never seen her looking this weak, and it made his heart tighten with worry.

"Are you really okay?" Lu Mingfei couldn't help but ask again.

"I’m fine," Liu Miaomiao shook her head. "I think I’m just a little airsick?"

"Airsick?"

Lu Mingfei hadn't expected her to say that. In his eyes, a girl of her background should have been flying around the world constantly and would have long since built up an immunity to airsickness. But seeing her pale, sweating face, those were indeed the classic symptoms.

"Yeah," Liu Miaomiao nodded with effort, her brows furrowed tightly, clearly struggling with the nausea. "I’ve always had trouble with motion sickness; I get carsick too. Whenever I flew before, my dad would always bring medicine for me. This is my first time flying alone, and I forgot to bring any, so I’m feeling a bit rough."

"Liu Miaomiao, you should’ve said something! You scared me; I thought something was suddenly wrong with you."

As he spoke, Lu Mingfei pulled a backpack from his carry-on, rummaged through a side pocket for a moment, and produced a small bottle, handing it to her. "Here, dimenhydrinate tablets. They’re for motion sickness. Keep them, I’ll go get you a glass of water."

Liu Miaomiao took the medicine, looking surprised. "Lu Mingfei, how come you... why do you have motion sickness medicine?"

"It’s my first time on a civilian flight, and I was worried I might get sick, so I bought a bottle in advance. I figured even if I didn't need it, maybe some other classmate would. I didn't expect it to actually come in handy," Lu Mingfei said.

In reality, a few years later, most domestic flights would carry motion sickness medicine, and you could just ask a flight attendant if you needed some. But in 2006, flying was still a luxury for many, and the services provided by many airlines were far less comprehensive than in the future, so one had to be prepared.

As for why Lu Mingfei had developed the habit of carrying such medicine, it was because of the lunatics at Cassel College. They loved modifying passenger jets into fighter planes, flying them like they were street racing, which left Lu Mingfei’s stomach churning every time he went on a mission. But you couldn't expect the people in the Equipment Department to provide motion sickness medicine on board. Thus, Lu Mingfei had started carrying his own dimenhydrinate, and over time, it became a habit.

He never expected that this habit would actually come in handy today.

"Stay put, I'll go ask the flight attendant for some water," Lu Mingfei said, preparing to stand up.

Liu Miaomiao giggled, reaching out to tug at the corner of his shirt. "You don't need to run over there for water, Lu Mingfei. See that button above your seat? Press it, and the flight attendant will come to you."

Lu Mingfei looked up and indeed saw a button on the cabin wall. He pressed it, and a "ding-dong" sounded over the intercom. Moments later, a flight attendant approached. After hearing that Lu Mingfei wanted a glass of water, she turned toward the galley.

"Sorry, first time on a flight like this," Lu Mingfei said with a sheepish laugh.

It wasn't that he hadn't flown before—he had flown many times—but he rarely flew on standard commercial flights; he mostly flew with Cassel College. The key was that the people in the Operations Department who flew the planes didn't exactly employ flight attendants. Thinking of how talent-rich Cassel College was, with beautiful seniors and juniors everywhere, yet they didn't recruit any for the Operations Department to handle cabin service, instead sending them off to fight dead souls and dangerous hybrids across the world—Lu Mingfei felt it was a waste of talent.

"It’s okay, it’s okay." Liu Miaomiao, fearing he might misunderstand, quickly waved her hands. "I’m not laughing at you... I just thought it was funny, that’s all. I don't look down on you at all."

"No need to explain. I know you wouldn't look down on me. You’re Liu Miaomiao, after all."

Liu Miaomiao paused, not understanding the meaning behind his sudden remark. She didn't know that Lu Mingfei was thinking of his past life.

*In my past life,* Lu Mingfei thought, *I was such a loser, and yet whenever I talked to you, you were always willing to listen. So, of course I know you weren't looking down on me just now.*