Luxurious Life, Effortless Ascendancy

The fish fry had been bought, and the feed stored in the warehouse. The rest of the work wasn't much of Eddie's concern anymore. So, he started planning to go back and attend his childhood friend's wedding.

Now that he was rolling in money, Eddie wasn't about to scrimp on himself. He booked two first-class tickets—flying nonstop from St. John's to Toronto's YTO airport, then connecting to Beijing Capital International Airport. The tickets cost 16,000 Canadian dollars each!

Two tickets for this trip would cost 80,000 yuan, which made Eddie wince a bit.

But thinking back to the terrifying panic attack he had in economy class due to his fear of heights, he felt it was worth taking care of his health.

The luxury of a Boeing 777 was only truly experienced in first class. The huge cabin was divided into eight small private suites, each with thick curtains held by leather straps. Once closed, whatever happened inside remained completely private.

The quality of the flight attendants in first class was also noticeably higher than in economy. Eddie and Kuripa boarded early through the VIP lounge and were immediately guided by a stunning, sexy flight attendant.

Generally, people who could afford first class on international flights were either rich or important. Since Eddie had merged with the Heart of the Ocean, he carried a commanding, fearless aura over the seven seas. With Kuripa obediently following behind like an attendant, the flight attendant instantly recognized the distinguished status of this young Chinese man.

After making this judgment, the beautiful flight attendant flirted with Eddie, blinking her charming big eyes and smiling gently as she gracefully extended her arm. "Two passengers, please this way."

Unfortunately, Eddie was a total country bumpkin. He was completely stunned by the first-class luxury and didn't even notice the attendant's flirtatious, suggestive glance.

Eddie's suite had a spacious recliner with buttons to adjust the backrest angle. When tired, it could be flattened into a soft bed over two meters long and nearly eighty centimeters wide.

In front of the recliner was a huge 24-inch HD touchscreen TV. The luxury suites offered partial or full privacy.

The attendant explained that if Eddie wanted to sleep, he just needed to ask, and she would lay out a mattress on the seat, provide large pillows, and a Sofitel MyBed down comforter.

Moreover, first-class passengers could directly use the plane's airborne kitchen, equipped with a grinder coffee machine, microwave, rice cooker, toaster, and other appliances—a miniature presidential suite.

"This money is well spent," Eddie said, leaning back on the recliner and telling Kuripa.

When the plane took off, Eddie wore headphones listening to rock music, and his fear of heights didn't hit him as hard as it had when he watched the plane ascend from economy class.

Upon arriving in Toronto, the plane had a short stopover. Eddie and the others had to change planes—still a Boeing 777, with the same first-class setup.

Just after boarding the new plane, Eddie suddenly heard a commotion at the entrance. The first-class flight attendant hurried over, and curious, Eddie followed to see what was happening.

A crowd had gathered around a middle-aged man in a wheelchair. He looked immobile and in poor condition.

A flight attendant spoke softly, "Sir, I'm sorry, but your condition does not permit you to fly on this flight…"

A young man beside him protested emotionally, "He's fine! As long as my mom and I help him to his seat, and we take care of him during the flight, it won't affect you."

Eddie listened for a while and understood: the family had recently immigrated to Toronto but had been unlucky. The middle-aged man suffered a stroke recently.

Though timely medical intervention saved him, follow-up care in Toronto was difficult. For serious illness, unless one paid a lot in private hospitals, patients had to wait in line for the national health system's hospitals.

Stroke patients could not afford to wait. So the family decided to return to China for treatment.

China's healthcare had its issues, but coverage was still commendable, with many hospitals and affordable domestic medicine. Combined with insurance, treatment cost wasn't too high—though the outcome was uncertain.

The man could not care for himself, and economy seats were narrow. After takeoff, passengers couldn't leave their seats at will. The airport worried about what might happen if the man were on the plane, so they didn't want to let him board.

Watching the family's anxious pleas and the man's desperate gaze, Eddie stepped forward and asked the flight attendant, "If someone can take care of him, is that okay?"

The attendant nodded but said hesitantly, "It's more than that—the airport doctors say he can't sit too long. He needs to lie down sometimes…"

"Simple," Eddie smiled, showing his boarding pass. "This is my seat in first class. There's a bed where he can lie down. I also have a companion. We can swap seats with this family, problem solved."

The attendants exchanged looks and agreed. The crowd nearby gasped in surprise.

Someone whispered, "How much is first class?"

"One ticket easily costs 30 or 40 thousand!"

The shocked murmurs grew louder.

The young man looked at Eddie in awe, stammering, "I-I don't think this is proper…"

Eddie patted his shoulder, smiling warmly. "It's okay. We're all Chinese. If we don't look out for each other abroad, who will? Go ahead—you don't want to delay your father's treatment back home, do you?"

At these words, the gathered Chinese passengers applauded. A middle-aged man with a beer belly gave Eddie a thumbs-up, saying in a Beijing accent, "Young man, you're a real man! You make us Chinese proud!"

Eddie didn't want the spotlight but knew life abroad was hard. If he could help, he would. He waved and prepared to return to first class to get his carry-on luggage.

Then a clear voice sounded from behind, "Julia, what's going on? Why is everyone blocking the way? Please make way for the passengers. I'm Winnie Schlower, the flight's chief purser."

The crowd parted, and a tall, beautiful figure appeared before Eddie—it was the long-legged flight attendant who had held his hand and guided his nerves on a previous flight.

Her pretty face wore a gentle smile. Her sky-blue uniform fit her slender figure perfectly, highlighting her ample chest, slim waist, and captivating curves.

Unlike last time's sheer nylons, she now wore ultra-thin transparent black stockings, making her long legs look even more graceful. Sunlight shone through, giving her a mysterious allure.

She first went to the attendant handling the family to explain the situation. With the matter resolved, the crowd dispersed back to their seats.

Upon hearing that Eddie had voluntarily given up his first-class seat, the tall attendant's eyes sparkled with admiration.

She blinked her big eyes at Eddie, her long lashes fluttering like butterflies in the sunlight.

Eddie hesitated whether to greet her, but she extended her delicate hand first.

"Hi, I'm Winnie Schlower, the chief purser on this flight. Thank you so much for your generosity, sir. You're a true gentleman."

Gently shaking her hand, Eddie said, "It's nothing. Anyone with the means would have done the same. Actually, I should thank you, Winnie. You helped calm me when I had a fear-of-heights attack on a previous flight."

Winnie furrowed her brows, thinking hard. Embarrassingly, Eddie realized she didn't remember him.

"Okay, no problem. Maybe you don't recall—it was about a month ago, on the flight from Beijing. I had a panic attack, and you comforted me," Eddie awkwardly explained.

Winnie smiled, her lips curling. "Mom, am I gross?!"

Kuripa burst out laughing. Eddie spread his hands helplessly, "I must have been so lame back then, huh?"

Winnie shook her head, laughing softly, "No, you were just adorable like a child."

With that, she covered the man in the wheelchair with a blanket and led the group to first class.