An Urgent Departure

Noran sat in the luxurious first-class cabin of Skylight Airline, an arrangement made by Beatrice after the five-hour flight delay. Much to her relief, Noran didn't object to the upgrade. After all, the seating arrangement mattered little to him; his priority was simply returning to New Valley.

He stared out of the window. The landscape below blurred into insignificance as he thought about what Beatrice had said, "You shouldn't have returned here if you're going to remain this powerless…"

Since when had he forgotten the significance of having authority? Was it during the twelve years he spent with Shuri, surrounded only by good people, that he overlooked how cunning some humans can be?

Looking back, even though they weren't wealthy at the time, he marveled at how much easier life was with Shuri. Somehow, she had the ability to attract the most kind-hearted people, whether they were friends, neighbors, or colleagues. With her, he never needed to worry about anyone plotting against them like now; therefore, he never saw the need to pursue power.

He regretted coming back to the state. While life in Midori Town, where they had lived for twelve years, wasn't luxurious, it was much simpler and happier. Just when he thought about moving back to Midori Town with Shuri, a flight attendant entered his cabin and handed him a tray of dessert with a name card at the side.

"Mr. Kingston, Mrs. Lancaster had asked me to hand this to you." The flight attendant was referring to Beatrice's name card.

Noran glanced at the name card on the tray and nodded quietly. He understood Beatrice's intention. She likely thought he would refuse to contact her if she handed him her contact information back then.

"Umm, Mr. Kingston, there's one more thing…" The flight attendant hesitated as she handed him a pink handkerchief and a pen, her face flushing with embarrassment. "Ca-Can I have your autograph, please? I-I love your music! I am your fan!"

Noran glanced at the blushing flight attendant without showing any expression. Normally, he would offer a friendly smile and a few words of appreciation, but he wasn't in the mood to put up such a persona now. Moreover, he hated being called Kingston.

However, he still took the pen and signed on the handkerchief. Even though Noran didn't exchange any words with the flight attendant, she was still thrilled to receive her idol's signature. Then, she quickly thanked him and left the cabin with joy.

A moment after the flight attendant left, Noran picked up the name card and kept it in his suitcase. As he looked at the dessert in front of him, he was reminded of something Shuri had made for him before his trip.

From his suitcase, he carefully took out a bag of cookie –– the Noran Cookie. Twelve years ago, it was this cookie that led him to meet her. The shape and design of the cookie resembled a miniature version of himself.

When Shuri and Karlene had first opened their café near his school, Shuri baked these cookies and sold them there. They quickly became a hit among Noran's fans.

However, now she baked them exclusively for him, just as he played the piano exclusively for her.

Noran smiled warmly as he thought about his beloved wife. He couldn't even bear to eat these cookies because he had missed her so much.

After the long-haul flight, the first thing he did upon landing was to contact Shuri. He had received a text from her, letting him know she was flying to Fushin, but he still hoped he could meet her or at least hear her voice. However, as expected, he couldn't reach her since she was likely on the plane at that moment.

Planning to fly to Fushin to meet her, Noran hurried home to make further arrangements. Upon opening the door, he was surprised to see Karlene seated on the sofa with Snowball.

While Snowball was overjoyed to see Noran, Karlene clearly didn't show the same sentiment. "Do you know what kind of shit we had to go through because of you?"

Noran ignored Karlene's frustration and simply carried Snowball into his arms. "Why didn't you accompany Rin to Fushin?"

"Do you think I don't want to? I can't! Thanks to you, I have a lawsuit to handle, and I can't travel as I please!" Karlene replied in frustration.

"Why is Rin in such a rush to go there?" Noran asked, showing no concern for Karlene's current circumstances.

"Isn't it obvious? With all the harassment my sister had been getting here, why would she want to stay here? Do you think she would wait for you to come back and settle everything? Ha! You think too highly of yourself," Karlene replied, her expression filled with disdain.

However, Noran wasn't a bit offended and simply asked, "Which part of Fushin did she go?"

"Oh, you don't know? I thought you were the closest to my sister, but I guess I was wrong," Karlene continued to taunt Noran.

Noran remained expressionless as if he was used to Karlene behaving in such a way. "Never mind, if my Rin hadn't told me, I'm sure she wouldn't have informed you either."

Noran was indirectly implying to Karlene that she was no better than him when it came to their relationship with Shuri. Feeling challenged, Karlene retorted, "She might not have told me, but unlike you, I know where she is."

"Sure," Noran replied sarcastically, with a slight smirk, as he continued to play with Snowball.

Thinking that Noran didn't believe her, Karlene puffed her cheeks in frustration. "Listen, I have put a tracker on my sister, so even without her telling me, I'd know where she is!"

"A tracker?"

When Karlene saw Noran looking at her in surprise, she was pleased. A smug smile quickly spread across her face. "Yes! I saved up for a whole year to get her a bracelet with a GPS tracker inside! It might look like an ordinary bracelet, but this device is so powerful that it can track her and tell me her exact location even if she were to travel overseas! Don't you think I'm way smarter than you now?"

"Yeah…" Noran replied instinctively as he recalled the bracelet that Shuri had always been wearing.

Why hadn't it thought of putting a tracker on her?

How could he be so thoughtless?

Now, he felt he wasn't qualified to be Shuri's number one!

"Hahaha! You have been dethroned!" Karlene laughed with a smug expression as she stood on top of the sofa and pointed down at Noran. "Now, get down on your knees and beg me to tell you where my sister is!"

Karlene was relishing her victory as she looked down at Noran, who appeared dejected. Just as Noran contemplated how to persuade Karlene to reveal Shuri's whereabouts, his phone rang.

Noran took out his phone and noticed the caller was an unknown number. Since Noran had kept his personal number highly confidential, shared only with a select few, he doubted that the call was an unwanted one from reporters or promoters. Thinking it could be Shuri using an anonymous phone to contact him for some reason, Noran didn't hesitate to answer.

"Hello, is this Shuri Lee's husband, Noran Lee?" the caller asked.

"Yes, who is this on the line?"

"Mr. Lee, this is Evergreen Medical Center calling. Your wife's complete medical report is ready for review, but we couldn't contact her. We're wondering when it would be convenient for her to come in for further consultation and schedule her upcoming treatment."