With the roar of the engines and a powerful force pinning passengers to their seats, the plane left the ground, climbing until it broke through the clouds.

This aircraft was just a converted passenger jet. Other than the more spacious seating, there was nothing particularly special about it.

’Tch, what garbage. It doesn’t even have a king-sized bed.’

Lin Chu complained flippantly to himself.

He’d seen videos on TikTok before. Apparently, the truly luxurious private jets of those oil-rich tycoons in the Middle East had king-sized beds and were sometimes even double-deckers, like flying palaces.

Of course, since there were so many people on this flight, it was understandable that the plane was a bit more on the ordinary side.

Besides, he wasn’t this rich when he’d chartered it, so he hadn’t thought to go all out on top-tier luxury for the interior.

’I’ll just have to make do this once.’

The seat, located in what used to be the first-class cabin, was quite spacious. Lin Chu glanced behind him. A few of those bastards were already jockeying for prime positions to hit on the girls—though they’d probably already made their moves in the group chat.

Gao Haitao’s thirty-man security team had thoughtfully adopted a degree of "disguise," wearing all sorts of T-shirts and floral button-downs. They looked just like a group on a company retreat.

He even told his men to act lazier, look sloppier, not to stand so ramrod straight, and to be mindful of how they walked. It was better to be mistaken for street loafers than for retired soldiers, so as not to intimidate anyone.

’Thirty men.’

’They could practically be considered a private army.’

Two flight attendants, perpetually wearing sweet smiles, sat on the jump seats near the cabin entrance, attentively watching Lin Chu, ready to serve at a moment’s notice.

An idea struck Lin Chu, and he beckoned with his hand.

One of them hurried over.

"I’d like to see the cockpit."

Lin Chu said in a tone that brooked no refusal.

’It’s such a mysterious and unknown place, it makes one curious. Besides, the view from up there must be amazing, right?’

"Of course, Mr. Lin, but I’ll need to ask the captain first. Please wait a moment."

She gestured to her colleague, who promptly called the captain on the intercom. A moment later, Xiao Fan gave his approval, and with the two flight attendants leading the way, Lin Chu set foot inside a cockpit for the very first time.

As expected...

It was like standing on the highest peak, with all other mountains dwarfed below.

The tropical midday clouds weren’t too thick, so even in the stratosphere, he had a clear view of the blue sky, the towering skyscrapers below, the endless azure ocean in the distance, and the islands scattered like stars across the water.

"How much does a private jet cost?"

Lin Chu asked casually, admiring the beautiful scenery as he chatted with Xiao Fan.

The plane seemed to be on autopilot; he hadn’t seen the pilot touch the controls in a while, so he wasn’t worried about distracting him.

Xiao Fan glanced back with a smile. "It mainly depends on what type you’re looking for. Take the more common Gulfstream series, for example. The base price is around 65 million USD, and the operating cost is roughly one million US Dollars for every 100 flight hours."

He wasn’t sure if Lin Chu could actually afford one.

But anyone who dared to ask the price was already considered a tycoon.

Lin Chu nodded nonchalantly, suddenly realizing that with his current net worth, he could actually place an order. He felt a flicker of temptation.

’The poor show off with cars, the rich show off with watches... so what does that make someone who shows off with a plane?’

Still, buying land was a higher priority than buying a plane, so there was no rush.

After admiring the view and chatting for a little longer, the novelty wore off, and Lin Chu headed back to the main cabin.

’Honestly, I kind of wanted to try flying it myself.’

But that was obviously out of the question. Fun and games were one thing, but you don’t mess around with safety.

...

"President Lin, would you like to read? I brought a few books,"

As he stepped out of the cockpit, Gu Jiayan, having already completed her "butler" duties, looked up from the book she was reading and greeted him casually.

"Do I look like the bookish type?"

Lin Chu teased with a smile, glancing at the cover. The title was *Sparrow and Shrimp*. "What kind of book is this? What a name."

Gu Jiayan smiled, pursing her lips. "It’s a collection of ancient folk tales from the Philippines. They’re quite interesting."

"You read it, then. When you’re done, you can tell it to me as a bedtime story tonight."

Lin Chu said offhandedly before walking toward the middle of the cabin.

Gu Jiayan: ??? 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

She felt a hint of flirtation in his words, but it wasn’t overt. It was mixed with a bit of childlike innocence, which was even a little cute.

’Is telling my boss a bedtime story to help him sleep part of an assistant’s job description now?’

She grumbled internally, but she couldn’t very well say no.

...

In the middle of the cabin, Li Kai was busy bragging about his skydiving exploits. The surrounding crowd was roaring with laughter, and the girls were in stitches.

When they saw Lin Chu approaching, everyone immediately greeted him, calling out "Brother Chu!" over and over.

Lin Chu glanced over and saw Lin Xiwan off to one side, looking very focused as she inhaled from a small oxygen tank. "What’s she up to?" he asked.

"Sister Wan is prepping herself. You can’t go diving right after flying because of the changes in air pressure, blood pressure, nitrogen off-gassing, and all that. She has her own method for adjusting."

A fair-skinned beauty standing nearby explained with a smile. Lin Chu nodded and didn’t say anything more.

Li Kai grinned and egged him on. "Brother Chu, come hang out! The trip has officially begun! The party’s started, and we’re all waiting for you!"

His gaze swept across the crowd. Lin Chu smirked as he saw everyone, men and women alike, looking at him with eyes full of expectation and a mix of other emotions and desires.

The current situation was a little delicate:

’Lin Xiwan is probably keeping her distance because she sees Gu Jiayan with me.’

’And because of Lin Xiwan, the other girls are also intentionally "distancing" themselves from me.’

’Fuck, I’m the one who put this whole thing together, and now I’m being isolated because my status is too high?’

’So I can’t even mingle with the common folk?’

’That won’t do at all.’

’You’ve got to be kidding me!’

"Alright, fine. Come on, you know how to skydive, right? Why don’t you start us off with a big number? Perform a jump from the plane, and then swim across the ocean all the way to Bohe Island."

Lin Chu started by teasing Li Kai to liven up the atmosphere.

PFFT!

Someone immediately snorted with laughter.

The cabin filled with cheerful laughter.

Li Kai scratched his head. "Hey, come on, don’t mess with me. I’m getting too old for that stuff. Let’s just play some games, do something fun. This damn flight is boring as hell anyway."

Lin Chu thought for a moment. "We’ll have to ask Old Liu about that. I’m not the expert. Come on, Party King."

Lin Chu called out Liu Junfeng’s name.

Liu Junfeng thought for a moment, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Well, that depends. Do you guys want to play something tame, or something wild?"

’Here we go, here we go. He’s starting his usual antics.’

Quite a few of the girls were more on the shy side and started to blush, but they also felt a thrill of excitement.

The plane had already left the country’s airspace and was en route to a foreign land. Inside the cabin, with a group of young men and women and a seasoned pro setting the mood... it was the perfect atmosphere and breeding ground for letting loose.

"Come on, come on, Brother Feng, let’s hear it," Lin Chu teased with a laugh. "How wild can it get? What, are you planning on making a thousand conquests in a single day?"

Liu Junfeng was taken aback, his face flushing with a bit of embarrassment. He sucked in a sharp breath. "Shit, not that wild, definitely not. The most we’d do is play a game where the loser has to go through customs in a bikini... I’m a man with standards, you know."

Lin Chu: ?

’What... the hell kind of genius idea is that?’

’But damn, that’s thrilling.’

Once they understood what Liu Junfeng meant, even more people started blushing. Forget the girls—even Lu Ming’s face turned red. He felt like a fundamental line was being crossed.

"But... that’s embarrassing ourselves in a foreign country," he countered weakly.

Liu Junfeng retorted, "What’s there to be scared of? There are so many of us, can’t we engage in a little performance art? Hey, we’ve got the big guys in the back for protection. Who would dare give you a second look?"

Although they were only discussing the "rules of the game" and hadn’t actually decided to go through with it...

...the atmosphere was already growing wild. The tone for the trip had been set.

Lin Chu also felt it—’When you really let yourself go, it’s true happiness.’

...

...