Luo Jingyi handed her passport to the woman at the counter. The latter checked and smiled with exuberance. "Glad to have you onboard, Dr. Luo. Please follow me."
Luo Jingyi felt something odd but went after the woman. They passed through a special channel and entered the aircraft. That question she had earlier was answered when the three of them were ushered to the first-class section. Two flight attendants bowed respectfully. "Welcome aboard, Dr. Luo! The first-class section was reserved for you and your group."
Nicolette shot her a questioning look. Luo Jingyi changed her flight at the last minute because of Nicolette and Assistant Wan.
"It was." Luo Jingyi answered. She was surprised too.
"Did your hospital arrange it?"
"I don't think so." It crossed her mind seconds ago, but Medlife wouldn't splurge like this.
"Well, whoever it was, I am thankful that be included. I guess my ordinary life will start tomorrow." Nicolette happily sauntered in and chose her seat.
Upon occupying a seat and buckling her seatbelt, the flight attendant came forward and passed a bouquet to Luo Jingyi. Although feeling perplexed, she took it. She put the flowers against her nose, noticing the card nestled on them. She lifted it and opened it up.
There was a short note. It read:
Miss me? May your day be as bright as these flowers. Have a safe flight, darling! - YJH
"What does it say?" Nicolette suddenly appeared behind her and peeked. Luo Jingyi quickly hid the card, inserting it in the pocket of her cardigan. "Secret admirer?" Nicolette teased, noting how red Luo Jingyi's cheeks were. "I'll report you to Yun Jinghan." She leaned closer to wrestle the note. She was very curious.
"It's from him." She reigned Nicolette from jumping onto conclusions.
"Oh my gosh!" Nicolette placed two palms on her chest. "You are so in love. You are blushing."
Luo Jingyi touched her face. "I'm not!"
"Yes, you are." Nicolette continued teasing her. She was genuinely happy for Luo Jingyi. "He knows his way to a woman's heart. You are making me so jealous. Are you sure he has no twin?"
Luo Jingyi gave an exaggerated eye roll at Nicolette's antics. "Back to your seat."
Laughing, Nicolette sashayed away and no longer bothered her. Luo Jingyi studied the flowers. Taking the note and rereading the content, she felt warm and fuzzy.
…..
That feeling didn't last long, though. Disembarking from the plane, the three collected their luggage and made their way to the arrival area. The Director informed Luo Jingyi this morning that the hospital
Luo Jingyi was appalled. The heart balloons and the streamer in front of her were too much to take in. Especially the car, her face plastered on the side door. It was a grainy photo of the original during her med school days. There was a crowd that gathered and sang a welcome in unison. The melody was off. It was attracting too much attention that people formed halted and watched what was happening.
"If Yun Jinghan did this, I'm changing my mind about him." Nicolette blurted out in amusement.
"They are from Medlife." Assistant Wan said after she noticed some of them were wearing uniforms that belonged to Medlife University.
"That figures. After the plane and flowers, why would your Prince Charming do something tacky as this?" Nicolette shook her head and looked Luo Jingyi. Her lips were pursed at the moment.
'Tacky. That's right.' Luo Jingyi affirmed. It was the most idiotic thing she'd seen ever since coming to this world. She raised her hand to stop them and got inside the vehicle. Two young men sat in front while the rest took the bus that was parked behind. When they were seated inside, Luo Jingyi pushed the heart balloons that filled the car's back. They heard a popping sound from the back. Craning her neck, Luo Jingyi saw
"What are you? You even beat A-list actresses with this kind of reception. What's only lacking is asking you to sign autographs. I should have recorded it. It's the funniest welcome I've ever seen in my life." Nicolette was still cackling in laughter, holding her stomach. She'd never seen anything like this. While they probably thought of giving Luo Jingyi a warm reception, however, they overdid it.
"Stop laughing. It's not really funny." Luo Jingyi hissed.
The two interns in front looked at each other. When they were assigned to do this, they were ecstatic, but after carefully observing Dr. Luo's expression, they felt the opposite.
Luo Jingyi pushed her unhappiness away. She pretended the episode never happened. She looked outside and studied the streetscape. A lot of things changed. There were more buildings, seemingly competing to outdo each other in terms of height. Electronic billboards were everywhere. She even saw a perfume advertisement with her half-sister endorsing it.
Thirty minutes later, the car traversed a circular drive and pulled over at the big hotel entrance. "You will be temporarily staying here, Dr. Luo. Within the week, the renovation of your apartment will be completed. The Director sincerely sends his apologies." The intern wearing black-rimmed glasses spoke.
Luo Jingyi nodded in silence and climbed off the car. Assistant Wan took a taxi to her arranged accommodation. Luo Jingyi asked her to stay, but Assistant Wan had plans with some of her university friends who she hadn't seen for a long time.
Luo Jingyi and Nicolette settled into the penthouse with the help of the other two. Luo Jingyi thanked them with a smile that caught the two by surprise. The rumor was that Dr. Luo wore poker face all the time.
"We are glad to be of assistance Doc." The black-rimmed glasses guy returned with a gentle smile, showing his braces. Seeing him like this, he was named Mr. Braces, according to Luo Jingyi's naming habit.
When they left, Nicolette plonked herself on the sofa. "At least they didn't make a mistake with this one," Nicolette uttered, then closed her eyes. She was exhausted. She took a red-eye flight the previous day and flew to Shanghai. Then went straight away to Luo Jingyi's apartment. The trip just now was very comfortable, but it was very short, so it wasn't considered resting.
"Who knows?" Luo Jingyi mumbled as she held the handle of the fridge, pulling it open. She grabbed a bottle of water, uncapped it, and swallowed a mouthful. She had a different opinion. It was either her apartment wasn't ready for occupancy, or there's another reason. But Luo Jingyi no longer delved on it. It was a temporary arrangement anyway while she was looking for a house to move in to.