Boarding
Friday, continued…
After bidding Ji Feng farewell, Hou Yi and Anna gathered their belongings and followed him out the door. Since Anna was not yet publicly known as Hou Yi’s wife, there was no need to protect her identity. When they reached the elevators, the bodyguards gently intervened, stopping Anna from entering the same one as Hou Yi. One of them spoke politely, “Miss Jones, we would appreciate it if you could wait for the next elevator.”
As the doors of the elevator Hou Yi was in closed, it began its descent. Anna summoned another elevator to take her down to the foyer. Stepping out, she saw Hou Yi getting into his car, and she made her way to the vehicle waiting for her.
About 30 minutes later, when they arrived at the City’s International Airport, Anna was surprised to see they weren’t heading to the commercial terminal. Instead, their car pulled up beside a large corporate jet. As she stepped out of the vehicle, Hou Yi approached her, and Anna couldn’t help but ask, “Who owns this jet?”
“Hou Enterprises, technically,” Hou Yi replied, “but it’s for the convenience of the CEO, for both personal and business use. The flight staff rotate between this and other corporate jets we have.”
He paused for a moment, letting Anna absorb the situation, but he knew they couldn’t afford to linger. “I’d love to stay here on the tarmac, but we’ve got a departure slot in about 20 minutes. Butler Ge already sent our luggage and your gifts ahead, so all we need to bring are my briefcase, your laptop, your handbag, and the papers—all of which we have.”
With that, Hou Yi led Anna onto the plane and helped her settle into a seat that was more like an armchair than anything she’d experienced on a commercial flight. He fastened her seatbelt before securing his own, and they both settled in. Moments later, immigration officials boarded to complete the necessary procedures, which they did quickly and efficiently. Once they left, the plane door was closed, and the aircraft began taxiing toward its departure slot.
When they reached cruising altitude, instead of the usual announcement to unbuckle seatbelts, the flight deck door opened, and a crew member entered.
“Sir, Madam,” the co-pilot said, addressing them both. “We’ll be making a stop in Singapore to refuel. You can choose to depart in 3 hours or 8 hours after we land, depending on your preference. After that, we’ll stop in Darwin for about 30 minutes to complete Australian immigration procedures, which will make our flight to Melbourne a domestic one. While refueling…”
