The matter of the interview wasn't urgent for Laila. She planned to arrange it after returning from Zhangjiajie.
"I've already arranged tomorrow's itinerary. But, BOSS, are you really going to take the train instead of a plane?"
Laila successfully concealed her dislike of flying, even her closest secretary, Demi, thought she just preferred other means of transportation and never considered that Laila's aversion to planes was the real reason.
"The train is good; I want to enjoy the scenery along the way." Laila found a perfect excuse for herself. What could be more enjoyable than sitting on a train and appreciating the scenery? Especially when there's no need to take a plane.
"Alright, I'll book the train ticket for tomorrow morning, is that okay?"
"Book a whole carriage. We have a large group."
It wasn't that Laila was being arrogant; her bodyguards didn't allow her to be in too complicated environments. Their duty was to ensure her safety, and in a train carriage, you never know who might be around. In case of an accident, it wouldn't be a joke.
In reality, in the East, Laila didn't really think she would encounter much danger, but how could she explain this to her bodyguards? Their worldview had long been skewed by brainwashing Western-style reports, and they believed the East was a world full of chaos and danger.
"Understood." Demi promptly agreed to Laila's suggestion.
For the matter of booking a whole train carriage in a foreign country, Demi wasn't sure how to proceed, but she was intelligent enough to know whom to ask for help.
Indeed, after making a call, Yao Yingxia readily took on the responsibility and assured them that she would arrange for a comfortable and clean journey. However, she didn't quite understand why Laila and her group chose a train. Spending over 20 hours on a journey seemed a bit uneconomical to her; she thought that wealthy people like Laila would highly value their time.
Perhaps it's the mindset of wealthy people? She could only use this reason to understand.
If she knew that Laila had no idea that the train journey would take so long, she would probably be speechless.
In fact, Laila had no clue. She might not be directionally challenged, but she was geographically clueless. The vastness and diversity of the East, with so many provinces and cities, had her completely ignorant of the distances between them, except for the beautiful scenery of Zhangjiajie and the peaks used in "Avatar."
So when the group arrived at the train station the next day and entered the reserved carriage, she learned from her appointed guide that she would be stuck in this small compartment for the entire day.
"..." It was truly an unfunny joke; Laila was being foolish. Why did she give up a few hours on a plane and choose a whole day on a train?
Yes, sitting on a train allows you to see the scenery along the way. However, even the most beautiful pastoral scenery can become dull after a few hours. In comparison, enduring a three- to four-hour flight with closed eyes seemed less unbearable.
But there's a saying, isn't there? One has to eat the fruit they planted.
Right now, she was in this situation. Even if she already knew that she would be stuck in a compartment for the entire day with her guide staring at her, she could only accept it. However, she made a decision: the moment she got off the train, she would notify the Moran family's plane to wait at the airport. There's no way she would take a train again!
A train journey of over 20 hours might sound terrifying, but sleeping for a bit, playing cards, chatting, reading a book—time would pass by. At least when Laila got off the train, she was in good spirits, but Demi seemed a bit unwell. Who would have thought that she would get motion sickness on a train? As soon as she got on, she vomited uncontrollably, giving Laila a different perspective and a bit of guilt.
Because of Demi's discomfort, the group, under the guidance of their guide, first rested for a night in a hotel near the scenic area and planned to enter the area the next day.
Motion sickness was something others couldn't help with. Even if she consulted a doctor, the most they could do was prescribe some motion sickness medicine. After entering the hotel room, Demi lay down to rest, and Laila asked someone to take good care of her before returning to her room.
Before coming here, Laila had collected a lot of information about the area, with a large part of it being provided by Yao Yingxia. In terms of the beauty of the scenery, it was guaranteed not to disappoint. However, Laila wondered if her fascination with the landscapes in "Avatar" was due to preconceived notions. She couldn't wait to fly there and incorporate that scenery into her own film.
At night, Laila was reading the information when she heard a knock on the door.
She stayed in a suite, with several bodyguards responsible for protection. Laila knew that someone was knocking on the door, and the bodyguards would handle it, so she didn't pay much attention to the knocking.
But soon, she felt something was wrong because she couldn't hear any voices outside. If it was room service, the bodyguards wouldn't remain silent, would they?
"Is there something?" She stood up, opened the door, and was about to check outside, worried that the bodyguards might not understand Chinese, causing some misunderstanding.
But as soon as the door opened, a large hand covered her mouth, and she was dragged into the room.
"Ugh..." Her heart trembled. The brain of a world-class director instantly started to imagine various conspiracies, trajectories, and situations from novels. Before she could react, the large hand covering her mouth suddenly retreated, replaced by lips exuding hot breath, and a kiss that almost took away her breath!
This is... an ambush of affection?
However, as she stared into the eyes of the "assailant" with her ice-blue eyes, she understood from those familiar eyes what she had encountered. Then, she wrapped her hands around the intruder's waist and twisted it 360 degrees.
"Hiss—" Roy took a sharp breath, rubbing his sore waist as he took a step back. "Haven't seen you in so long; are you tired of me and want to murder me and find a new boyfriend?"
Laila glared at him. "Considering I didn't pull out a gun and shoot you, you should consider yourself lucky, okay?" He should be grateful that she left her gun behind when she came; otherwise, in such a thrilling situation, her first reaction would definitely be to shoot!
Roy opened his arms and approached her with a smile. "Okay, it's all my fault."
Ignoring him, Laila turned and walked back to the table to sit down. She was genuinely frightened just now, and she couldn't imagine what might have happened if a stranger had done something to her. She only knew that she might do something bad out of extreme anger.
"I just wanted to give you a surprise." Seeing that she was genuinely angry, Roy apologized with a smile, "My bad, forgive this man who missed you for so long."