Chapter 64: Airport VIP Lounge

The phone alarm, which had already been snoozed several times, began vibrating again.

Xia Jiuwei glanced at the phone beside Lu Nian'an's pillow, already fed up with the annoying vibration.

Before Lu Nian'an could even reach out to hit the snooze button, she snatched the phone away and turned off the alarm.

Her left hand was already reaching for a pillow, ready to smack Lu Nian'an over the head, but when she caught sight of the photo on the phone's lock screen, her raised hand slowly lowered instead.

She glanced at the time again.

8:40 a.m.

Then she looked at Lu Nian'an, who was still sound asleep beside her.

Forget it.

I'll let you sleep a little longer.

Just as Lu Nian'an had expected, by the time she slowly opened her eyes, it was already past eleven.

There was still plenty of time to get ready and leave. The 2:25 p.m. flight would be just right.

"You're finally awake."

Xia Jiuwei puffed out her cheeks and complained before pulling Lu Nian'an along to get changed.

Once they had put on their coats, the two of them left the apartment.

"We're going to catch a flight soon, right?"

Xia Jiuwei asked excitedly.

"Mm. Why?"

"Then don't we need our passports and IDs and stuff?"

"Already prepared."

Lu Nian'an patted the black backpack on her back.

"But..."

Something about it still felt wrong to Xia Jiuwei.

Then something suddenly occurred to her.

"We don't have suitcases!"

"Suitcases?"

Lu Nian'an blinked.

"We don't need them."

"But dragging a suitcase around is what makes it feel like you're actually traveling abroad!"

"This is my first time traveling abroad!"

Lu Nian'an smiled at her.

"Don't you think dragging around a huge suitcase is a hassle? Besides, we don't really have anything to bring."

"If you really want one, I can find a suitcase for you right now."

A teasing look suddenly appeared in her eyes.

"Although..."

"Just imagining you dragging a suitcase around everywhere somehow makes you look pretty cute."

"Maybe I should find one for you after all."

"Forget it. I don't need a suitcase."

"Huh? Why?"

"I said I don't need one."

Xia Jiuwei immediately pushed Lu Nian'an out the door.

The two of them took the elevator down to the underground parking garage.

The sound of an engine echoed through the parking garage as their car slowly pulled out of its parking space.

Once they left the city, they quickly merged onto the highway, and less than an hour later, they arrived at the airport.

After parking the car, the two of them headed toward Terminal 4.

There was still some distance between the parking garage and the terminal.

As they walked through the spacious, brightly lit underground passageway, Xia Jiuwei suddenly stopped and looked down at the moving walkway beneath her feet.

"Whoa!"

"Lu Nian'an, look!"

"They even have moving sidewalks!"

She excitedly pulled Lu Nian'an onto it.

Lu Nian'an couldn't help laughing.

"It's called a moving walkway, silly."

"Really? This is my first time flying. I'm so excited!"

The passageway connected several different parking areas. After walking across several moving walkways and taking an elevator, they finally reached Terminal 4.

The high-ceilinged hall stretched all the way to the roof, while vast panes of reinforced glass allowed natural light to spill across the pristine marble floor.

Even though it was only a normal weekday, the terminal was still packed with travelers.

Some were dragging suitcases behind them, while others pushed entire carts piled high with luggage.

By comparison, the two of them were traveling light, making them stand out rather conspicuously among the crowd.

"Are we going through security now?"

Xia Jiuwei vaguely remembered that passengers had to go through security before boarding a plane.

But Lu Nian'an shook her head.

"First we need to get our boarding passes."

"Do you want to use the self-service machine or go to the counter?"

"I think doing it ourselves would be more interesting."

"Then let's go over there."

Lu Nian'an pointed toward the self-service check-in machines in the distance.

But halfway there, she suddenly stopped.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"I think I forgot something."

"Forgot what?"

"I booked first class."

Xia Jiuwei looked at her in confusion.

"So?"

"We don't need to do it ourselves."

Lu Nian'an led Xia Jiuwei toward the dedicated first-class service counter.

Unlike the long lines at the regular counters, there was practically no one waiting here.

As soon as the attendant saw them, she immediately approached and invited them to wait for a moment in a small lounge area nearby.

Looking at the somewhat plain waiting area, Xia Jiuwei secretly leaned toward Lu Nian'an's ear and whispered,

"The first-class VIP lounge..."

"It's not quite what I imagined."

"VIP lounge?"

Lu Nian'an nearly laughed.

She leaned toward Xia Jiuwei's ear and whispered back,

"But this isn't the VIP lounge."

Not long afterward, the attendant soon returned with their passports and boarding passes.

"Ladies, please follow me."

The attendant led them up an escalator to the dedicated first-class security checkpoint.

Unlike ordinary passengers, who had to wait in line, the longest part of their journey was actually the walk to the security checkpoint.

After completing security and immigration procedures, the attendant brought over a golf cart used to transport passengers around the terminal.

The cart weaved through the terminal corridors, quickly taking the two of them to the actual first-class VIP lounge.

"Please wait here."

"At 2:15 p.m., a member of our staff will escort you to your gate."

With that, the attendant drove away in the cart.

Lu Nian'an turned toward Xia Jiuwei.

"This is the actual VIP lounge."

She gave her a meaningful smile.

"Now you know, right?"

"Stop laughing."

Xia Jiuwei reached out with both hands and used her index fingers to push down the corners of Lu Nian'an's raised lips.

The two of them stood outside the lounge, teasing each other.

"Alright, alright."

Lu Nian'an laughed as she gently caught Xia Jiuwei's wrists.

"Don't you want to experience the real VIP lounge?"

"I guess I do."

The two of them finally walked inside together.

It was less of a lounge and more like an upscale restaurant.

Comfortable seating, an elegant bar, and enormous floor-to-ceiling windows stood in stark contrast to the bustling boarding corridor outside, making the two spaces seem like entirely different worlds.

Xia Jiuwei looked around before choosing a table for two.

She sat down, and Lu Nian'an took the seat opposite her.

An attendant immediately approached.

"Please let us know if there is anything you need."

"You can also scan this QR code to order."

"All food and beverages are complimentary. Please enjoy yourselves."

With that, she handed them an elegant little tag.

Xia Jiuwei took out her phone and scanned it.

The moment the menu appeared, she froze.

There was everything from main courses and desserts to drinks, and just from the photos alone, it was obvious that none of it came cheap.

"Don't just stare at it."

Lu Nian'an reminded her with a smile.

"Go ahead and order."

"This is way too fancy!"

Xia Jiuwei couldn't suppress her smile at all, revealing a few of her little canine teeth.

Fortunately, there weren't many people in the lounge, so aside from Lu Nian'an, no one noticed how adorably overwhelmed she looked.

Before long, the dishes Xia Jiuwei ordered began arriving at the table.

Steak, lobster, and all kinds of exquisite desserts she'd never even seen before soon filled the entire table.

Meanwhile, Lu Nian'an had only ordered a few slices of cake and a specially prepared milk tea.

She watched Xia Jiuwei happily enjoying her food and couldn't help smiling softly.

Someone who normally couldn't even bring herself to spend a little extra money on a good meal probably had no idea that the price of this first-class ticket alone would have been enough to buy her dozens of extravagant meals outside.

Still, watching Xia Jiuwei eat all this food without the slightest hint of guilt was genuinely adorable.

"Have some."

Xia Jiuwei offered Lu Nian'an a piece of peeled lobster meat.

Lu Nian'an opened her mouth and ate it.

"If you like it this much, I'll take you out for a nice meal next time."

"No, it's fine."

Xia Jiuwei's mouth was stuffed with food as she spoke somewhat incoherently.

"Eating out costs a lot of money."

"Then do you know how much this first-class ticket cost?"

"Hm?"

"About as much as a dozen or more expensive meals outside."

Xia Jiuwei immediately stopped chewing and stared blankly at her.

Lu Nian'an couldn't help laughing.

"Didn't I tell you before?"

"Money really isn't that important to me."

"And besides, spending a little once in a while isn't nearly as extravagant as you think."

Xia Jiuwei muttered under her breath,

"If you can save money, you should still save it..."

Watching her puffed-up cheeks as she continued eating, Lu Nian'an suddenly had the urge to bite her.

But remembering that they were still in public, she could only quietly restrain herself.

The two continued chatting and enjoying their brunch.

Less than an hour later, a rather unusual guest stepped into the VIP lounge.