Chapter 9 – Debtor’s Treat

On the first day of 2024, the flight offered a New Year’s special service, preparing lucky bags and desserts for passengers. At the request, the cabin crew adorned themselves with red accessories, and Bian Ji was no exception. He greeted passengers as usual; aside from the splash of color on his attire, he looked no different than on any other day.

When Yan Ankuo passed by, neither of them recognized the other immediately.

Bian Ji couldn’t decide whether he wanted the other man to remember him or forget. After all, considering the awkward conversation and subsequent rejection, it was already face-saving that Yan Ankuo hadn’t complained about harassment.

Adjusting his expression, Bian Ji welcomed Yan Ankuo as he would any other passenger: “Mr. Yan, welcome aboard!”

Yan Ankuo removed his headphones and gave Bian Ji a slight nod, offering no further reaction. Bian Ji paused mid-bow before continuing to welcome guests.

Bian Ji assumed that Yan Ankuo had forgotten about their previous encounter — a good thing, at least eliminating the possibility of harassment complaints or prolonged awkwardness.

Having already experienced disappointment when visiting the law firm, today’s letdown didn’t hurt as much. Yan Ankuo’s background and experiences were hard not to be curious about, but compared to that, Bian Ji preferred a smooth and safe journey.

This flight departed from Shanghai to London, England, with an estimated flight time of eleven hours. Due to the holiday, every passenger received a New Year’s lucky bag.

Bian Ji took care to draw a smiling face on each lucky bag’s label. As the flight attendants distributed them, they would smile and say, “Happy New Year.” Every passenger in the business and first-class cabins was treated equally well.

While Yan Ankuo appeared engrossed in his documents, he had removed his headphones at some point and occasionally glanced toward the chief steward’s direction.

— Bian Ji was attentive and considerate to everyone, greeting them cheerfully and responding warmly. Therefore, contacting him about the shirt compensation likely held no special meaning, just the professionalism of an excellent steward?

Lost in thought, Yan Ankuo didn’t notice his expression turning colder than usual as he continued to review his materials.

The workload for today’s business and first-class cabins wasn’t heavy, so the chief steward didn’t need to serve meals personally. Seat 6C was taken care of by the second attendant.

The flight attendant smiled and squatted down to ask, “Sir, here’s our menu. What would you like to order?”

Yan Ankuo put down his case materials and said emotionlessly, “Same as last time, thank you.”

The new second attendant, unsure what “last time” referred to, looked to the chief steward for help.

Hearing those words, Bian Ji was momentarily stunned.

— Last time? Who was he speaking to?

Yan Ankuo looked at the chief steward as if assessing a misbehaving puppy, slightly inquiring.

Realization dawned on Bian Ji, who approached and explained to the second attendant, “Ah, beef with tomato sauce, with the special seasoning!”

Afterward, he noticed Yan Ankuo nodding at him, seemingly praising his good memory as he did last time.

Bian Ji wasn’t sure — did Yan Ankuo… still remember him? Then why had he pretended not to recognize him earlier?

To clarify the situation, Bian Ji decided to serve the meal himself instead of the second attendant.

The chief steward had an excellent physique, broad shoulders, and a slim waist. Even while serving dishes, his back remained straight. He pushed the plate in front of Yan Ankuo and was about to speak when the latter suddenly leaned forward, close to his ear.

“It’s nice to see you again,” the passenger in seat 6C seemed slightly more cheerful, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

Bian Ji was startled, turning sideways, bringing them closer together.

Yan Ankuo didn’t move away but met his gaze with straightforward, slightly heated eyes.

“Now,” Yan Ankuo spoke softly into his ear, as if afraid others might overhear, “does the compensation still stand?”

Bian Ji’s ear felt tickled by the warmth. He thought, the cabin’s air conditioning was unusually hot today.

“Of course it does!” Bian Ji smiled, squinting his eyes and tilting his head slightly. “If Mr. Yan needs it.”

Yan Ankuo replied, “Then, have a safe flight. See you later.”

Despite being on the same plane, he wished others a safe flight. Bian Ji found Yan Ankuo to be a good-natured passenger, always delivering appropriate blessings.

Bian Ji stood up, waving, “Enjoy your meal!”

Yan Ankuo returned to his normal posture and graciously said, “Thank you.”

During the flight, Yan Ankuo didn’t initiate any conversation with Bian Ji, and there were no further special interactions between them. However, Bian Ji would pass by seat 6C during safety checks. Strangely, there was nothing unusual when they faced each other, but whenever his back was turned to Yan Ankuo, he felt as if there was a direct gaze upon him.

Before landing, Bian Ji made an announcement to remind passengers and arranged for the cabin crew to prepare for inspection. After escorting all the passengers off the plane, the crew stayed behind to clean the cabin.

Seeing that Bian Ji had too many things to carry, Chang Qing offered to help, “Brother, let me carry the treasure chest for you!”

The treasure chest referred to the chief steward’s bag, filled with essentials for flights. Not wanting to trouble anyone, Bian Ji declined, “It’s alright, I can manage myself. You guys should go back and rest. It’s been quite tiring today.”

After working through the night, everyone was exhausted. The newcomers were more energetic, flying internationally for the first time and eager to explore London: “Do you want to go to Oxford Street? Let’s have dinner together?”

Bian Ji wasn’t sure what Yan Ankuo meant by “does it still count” and the details of their arrangement, but since he had promised “it counts,” it was better to honor it. Thus, he declined his colleagues’ invitation: “Go ahead! I won’t join.”

“Do you have other plans?”

“Yes, I might need to find someone.”

Chang Qing then asked other flight attendants, among whom several hadn’t flown to the UK much, and left with them.

Bian Ji was the last to disembark, dragging his suitcase across the bridge.

Although they flew for eleven hours, due to the eight-hour time difference westward, it was only nine o’clock locally. Bian Ji, accustomed to dealing with jet lag, walked briskly, showing no signs of fatigue.

Upon reaching the terminal, Bian Ji saw a familiar figure working at a nearby booth.

“Hello, Attorney Yan!” Bian Ji greeted him. “I thought you’d already left.”

Yan Ankuo stood up at the sound of his voice and said, “I couldn’t leave; I’m waiting for the debtor.”

“Is that so?” The debtor himself first asked if he had changed into a new shirt, receiving an affirmative answer, then suggested, “Shouldn’t the debtor treat you to a meal?”

Yan Ankuo didn’t decline, agreeing with a meaningful tone, “Your airline’s service is pretty good.”

Bian Ji smiled, inviting further speculation, “This isn’t the airline’s service.”

Yan Ankuo raised an eyebrow, studying him closely.

“The shirt was damaged by me; it wouldn’t be right to have the company compensate.” Bian Ji finally got to the point, “So, tonight is a personal matter.”

Yan Ankuo seemed to be in a better mood, his stern features softening.

“I’ve picked out a few restaurants, Attorney Yan, take a look? Which cuisine do you prefer?” Bian Ji said.

Choosing a restaurant was actually quite intricate. When people weren’t very familiar with each other, factors like type, location, and price needed to be considered. Bian Ji first asked where Yan Ankuo was staying, if he had any dietary restrictions or preferences, then selected several highly-rated options, featuring cuisines from various countries.

In the end, Yan Ankuo chose a French restaurant. Bian Ji told him to go ahead, and he would change out of his uniform and meet him there. This time, Bian Ji didn’t spend half a day getting ready as he did before going to the law firm. Since someone was waiting, he simply threw on a casual jacket and headed to the restaurant.

Yan Ankuo sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, waving at him from afar when he spotted him.

After they both seated themselves, the atmosphere wasn’t cold, but dining with someone you barely knew was still somewhat awkward.

Given the experience of having his request for contact information rejected, Bian Ji assumed Yan Ankuo wasn’t fond of small talk with strangers, so he deliberately maintained social boundaries.

Noticing the boarding pass on the table, Bian Ji found a new topic, asking, “Attorney Yan likes seat 6C very much? I noticed you chose the same seat today as last time.”

In fact, if you looked closely, even the shirt and shoes were similar to last time, but Bian Ji didn’t think too deeply about it.

“Not particularly, I bought it randomly,” Yan Ankuo glanced at the street scene outside the window and said, “But you have a good memory, knowing where I sat last time.”