Chapter 160

Chapter 160

Although Chen Ji had only been gone for a few days, it felt like it had been at least half a month since he had last seen Xiangxiang. He opened his arms, and the white tabby kitten leaped right into his embrace. Chen Ji held it close, his eyes crinkling into happy slits as he smothered it with two fierce kisses.

Second Master Huang used his tail to cover System Cat's eyes.

—It's favoritism. Don't look.

System Cat swatted Second Master Huang's tail away and shot him a disdainful look. What was there not to see? No matter how wonderful Xiangxiang was, with its inability to lay even a single egg worth a penny, it stood no chance of ever replacing System Cat in Chen Ji's heart!

"Xiangxiang!" Chen Ji showered the kitten with several more kisses—enough that if Xiangxiang were human right now, it could probably file a police report. He rubbed the kitten's soft belly. "Why do you smell so good, baby?"

Second Master Huang shrugged indifferently. Oh well, they were both fine with it. Let them be.

After Chen Ji had gotten his fill of cuddling and kissing the kitten, he headed toward his car with Second Master Huang and System Cat. The day was hot, and there was no one out lounging in the village. He opened the car door to let some of the trapped heat escape and then stuffed all three little ones inside.

Second Master Huang loved the passenger seat and automatically jumped to the front. System Cat occupied the spacious two-seater, flipping onto its back like an old master lounging, as if it might cross its legs.

Chen Ji asked mischievously, "Where does Xiangxiang want to sit?"

The tabby kitten hesitated for a moment, then made a move for the back seat. After all, Chen Ji's Wuling Hongguang was the six-seater version, and there was still plenty of space in the back.

But Chen Ji was too quick. Just as the kitten was about to jump up, he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, scooped it back into his arms, and got into the driver's seat.

The little kitten ended up settled on his lap.

The kitten looked up at Chen Ji with a silly expression, then turned and saw Second Master Huang's smug face beside it. Immediately, it buried its head in Chen Ji's chest, curling up into a tiny ball.

Chen Ji's eyes crinkled with a smile. He rubbed the kitten's back, started the engine, and headed for the airport.

Off we go! A work trip!

Chen Ji boarded the plane feeling completely relaxed. All three little ones were hitching a free ride thanks to their own abilities. System Cat couldn't very well turn invisible in front of Second Master Huang and Xiangxiang, so Second Master Huang helped out.

***

Originally, all three were crowded around his legs, but then...

"Hello, would you like a meal? Today's options are Dan Dan noodles, Maocai, tomato shrimp balls, or farmhouse chicken," a flight attendant said with a pleasant, professional smile as he pushed the meal cart toward Chen Ji.

The timing of Chen Ji's flight was a bit tricky—an 11 a.m. departure meant they'd reach cruising altitude by lunchtime. Chen Ji hesitated for a moment. "I'll have the tomato shrimp balls, please."

Hearing this, the handsome flight attendant pulled out a container resembling a Haidilao self-heating hotpot from the cart and handed it to Chen Ji. On top were thick, simmering tomato shrimp balls with five or six slices of fatty beef, and below that was a bowl of bright white rice. The moment Chen Ji opened it, he could even smell the fragrant aroma of the rice!

Chen Ji's mouth watered instantly.

Not only System Cat and Second Master Huang, but even Xiangxiang couldn't help but look over.

The flight attendant moved on to serve the next passenger.

Chen Ji took a bite and was so moved he almost cried tears of joy. He hadn't flown often, and almost all airplane meals were barely edible and just for filling your stomach. But these shrimp balls were coated in a rich tomato sauce—tender, bouncy, and so deliciously sweet and savory that he wanted to swallow them whole. The rice was sticky and fragrant yet each grain was distinct, and when mixed with the sauce, it was absolutely divine.

And the portion was huge! Definitely not like those unscrupulous takeout places that charge thirty or forty for just three or four shrimp balls!

The plane was relatively empty today, and no one was sitting next to Chen Ji. Noticing that no flight attendants were looking his way, he carefully picked up a shrimp ball with his chopsticks and lowered it to feed each of the little ones a bite.

"Delicious! Chen Ji, I want more!" System Cat chirped.

"Mmm..."

[Oh my god, there's a reason this airline's tickets are more expensive! You get what you pay for!]

Chen Ji seized another opportunity to feed each of them a piece of fatty beef. When the flight attendant pushing the meal cart passed by him on his way back, he took two steps back and asked with a smile, "Hello, sir, would you like an airplane meal?"

Chen Ji hadn't eaten much himself and had originally planned to just have some rice with the sauce. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he replied, "I already got one."

"That's alright, you can have more," the flight attendant said, lifting the cart's curtain to reveal a small mountain of meal boxes. "Though the variety is a bit limited now. How about Dan Dan noodles?"

Chen Ji nodded and received a large bowl of Dan Dan noodles, generously topped with sauce.

The three little ones, however, had no interest in noodles. Halfway through his meal, a flight attendant approached and handed him another box. "We noticed you really enjoyed the tomato shrimp balls earlier. Would you like some more?"

Chen Ji gratefully accepted it. This box contained no rice at all—just shrimp balls and fatty beef, clearly specially prepared. He glanced at the three little ones and continued feeding them on the sly. Even so, he ended up stuffed.

Not long after, a flight attendant came to collect the meal boxes, followed by another flight attendant carrying a small bamboo basket. From it wafted an incredibly enticing aroma of bread. When she reached Chen Ji to collect his box, she deftly used serving tongs to hand him a bread roll. "Would you like a buttery roll?"

Chen Ji hadn't planned on taking one, but the roll looked too tempting. Without thinking, he nodded and found himself holding three rolls.

Didn't they only give one to everyone else?

The flight attendant gave him a friendly smile before moving on.

Chen Ji took a bite of the roll. The warm, buttery aroma wafted up, and inside was a butter filling that, surprisingly, wasn't overly greasy—just incredibly delicious.

He shared the remaining two rolls with the three little ones.

All three unanimously gave their approval.

Next, a flight attendant pushing a beverage cart came by and gave Chen Ji a large cup of passion fruit sparkling water. Just as he finished half of it, the flight attendant with the bamboo basket returned, once again asking warmly and enthusiastically if he'd like another roll. At that moment, a flight attendant emerged with a basket, saying they had freshly baked potatoes that paired especially well with the rolls.

Chen Ji downed two more rolls and a baked potato, feeling like the food was about to reach his throat.

Then, another flight attendant asked if he'd like a slice of lemon cake. Fighting back tears of joy, Chen Ji nodded. The flight attendant gave him a slice of cake, along with a small packet of daily nuts and a piece of chocolate.

This chocolate was only distributed in business class and looked quite expensive.

Chen Ji forced himself to eat the chocolate. He had an epiphany: this airline was trying to stuff him to death on the plane, wasn't it?

It was so delicious, truly better than many restaurants.

Just as Chen Ji ate until he was burping, someone on the plane suddenly screamed. Everyone turned to look and saw several flight attendants quickly emerging, each with a clear task, heading toward the source of the scream while others began calming the other passengers.

The passengers stayed in their seats, not getting up. Soon, the conversation over there ended, and an announcement came over the plane's intercom asking if there was a doctor on board.

Chen Ji overheard other passengers saying that a young man had suddenly started convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

What a coincidence—an elderly man stood up and headed toward the passenger.

Chen Ji felt reassured, but Second Master Huang and System Cat had already run over to see what was happening. They returned shortly, with Second Master Huang shaking his head. "The world is full of wonders. To get your soul jolted loose just from sitting on a plane—now that's interesting."

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow slightly, ready to hear more, when the elderly doctor said, "Tell the pilot to fly faster!"

Just then, someone else exclaimed, "Quick, quick! He's stopped breathing!"

Chen Ji looked back and saw a fresh wave of commotion breaking out in the rear. He hesitated for a moment, then stood up—as the saying goes, it takes ten years of cultivation to share a boat ride. He and this person must have some fate connecting them!

He walked over and saw the elderly doctor still performing CPR. A flight attendant quickly stopped him. "What are you doing?"

Chen Ji said, "I know a folk remedy..."

The old doctor shouted without turning his head, "Get over here, don't dawdle!"

Chen Ji immediately stepped forward, placing one hand on the patient's wrist. With so many people around, the old doctor said quickly, "It looks like epilepsy."

Chen Ji replied, "Hmm... it could also be convulsions."

Chen Ji was just parroting the answer. Without waiting for the old doctor's response, he pressed one hand on the patient's Baihui acupoint at the crown of his head, then turned to the flight attendant: "Got any raw rice? What's his name? Find out, quick!"

The flight attendant immediately went to check.

The old doctor frowned at Chen Ji but said nothing. In this situation, it was a case of treating a dead horse as if it were alive. Any chance at saving him was worth a try.

Luckily, it was a small plane, and the flight attendant soon brought back some raw rice. Chen Ji unbuttoned the young man's shirt and placed the rice on his chest. "What's his name?"

"Liu Ji."

Chen Ji rapped firmly on his Baihui point and shouted, "Liu Ji, wake up!"

The young man let out a sharp cry and suddenly opened his eyes; the convulsions stopped instantly. He looked around at the crowd in shock, while everyone else stared at him and Chen Ji in amazement, even the old doctor.

Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the soul hadn't wandered too far.

Chen Ji pressed the rice against the man's heart: "Alright, get him to a hospital once you land. Keep the rice on him; if you have to, secure his shirt so it doesn't leak. Take it off in about half an hour."

The young man said in a daze, "...What happened? Why do I feel like I was flying in the sky?"

—He wasn't wrong. He was indeed flying in the sky. His soul had been trying hard to catch up with his body, but the plane was just too fast and it couldn't quite keep up.

Chen Ji smiled at the old doctor and said, "I'm not good at what comes next. Please take over, sir."

With that, Chen Ji walked back to his seat.

As soon as Chen Ji sat down, the plane began its descent. The crew quickly got things under control. After a brief period of turbulence, the flight smoothed out again. Then, two flight attendants came out to distribute small gifts.

In addition to the gift, Chen Ji received a large bag of butter rolls. It seemed like the crew had pooled all the stock on the plane and packed it into a large paper bag for him.

"Since you seemed to really enjoy our rolls, we prepared some extra for you. Please accept them, and have a pleasant journey," the flight attendant said, winking and gesturing for him to check the bottom of the bag.

Chen Ji: "..."

He squeezed the bag and felt over a dozen hard objects inside that felt very much like the chocolates from earlier.

They had gone to all this trouble; it would be rude not to take it, wouldn't it?