15: Chapter 15: The Dark Blue Blanket Covered the Fans' Hearts

The peanuts from the Kung Pao chicken in his mouth seemed to actually taste like shell casings.

The red text of the military news flash wouldn't leave his mind. Three destroyers, the Strait of Hormuz, airspace closed...

Li Li felt a bit restless.

He stood up abruptly.

Jiang Rumu, in the seat next to him, turned her head at the sound: "Where are you going?"

"Rinse my mouth."

He didn't go to the restroom, but headed straight for the curved bar at the very front of the first-class cabin.

The entire wall of liquor cabinets, illuminated by LED strips, looked like a small jewelry exhibition. There was no bartender here; everything was self-service.

Li Li went behind the bar, opened the freezer, and scanned the limes, mint leaves, and various fruit juices inside.

The logic was simple: the taste in his mouth was too mixed, and he needed a shot of strong liquor to wash it away.

While he was at it, he could make an extra non-alcoholic one. After all, the ingredients shouldn't go to waste.

He had worked in a bar kitchen for two months in his past life, and the recipes for over thirty classic cocktails were already etched into his muscle memory.

He grabbed a Boston shaker, weighed it in his hand, and found the weight just right.

Ice cubes crashed into the bottom of the shaker with a crisp sound.

Then, his movements were as fast as a sped-up video. Opening bottles, pouring liquor, cutting limes, slapping mint leaves—every action was fluid and accomplished in one go, without a single wasted movement.

He snapped the lid shut.

With a flick of his wrist, he began to shake it in short, rapid bursts. This wasn't the flashy performance seen in nightclubs, but purely a practical technique honed for efficiency during peak hours in the kitchen.

The sound of ice shattering at high speed inside the shaker pierced through the low hum of the engines.

He strained the ice and poured it into a glass.

A light green Mojito, flecked with fine ice shards, was instantly ready.

He pushed the glass aside without stopping. He rinsed the shaker, switched to coconut milk, pineapple juice, and soda water, and gave it another few deft shakes.

The second drink, a milky-white non-alcoholic Piña Colada, had a slice of lime floating on top.

One green, one white, placed side by side on the walnut bar counter.

All of this was faithfully recorded by the miniature livestream camera on his collar.

In the livestream chat, the comments froze for two seconds.

[??? Did my eyes deceive me? What was he just doing?]

[That shaking technique is more professional than the bartenders at the lounge I go to!]

[Wait, why does an amateur know how to bartend? Just how many jobs did he work in his past life?!]

[Following his mukbang, Master Li has unlocked the bartender profession...]

Li Li walked back to his seat carrying the two drinks.

Jiang Rumu was flipping through an airline magazine; hearing footsteps, she looked up. Her gaze landed on the milky-white drink in Li Li's right hand.

Li Li steadily placed the Piña Colada on the small table in front of her.

"Yours, non-alcoholic."

Then, he picked up his own Mojito.

He raised his glass naturally.

Across the half-lowered partition, it was the simplest of gestures.

Jiang Rumu's glass paused in mid-air.

Then, she raised it too.

The rims of the glasses touched gently.

"Clink."

The crisp sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet first-class cabin.

The livestream chat was instantly flooded with golden "cross-cupped wine" comments.

Li Li took a sip of his Mojito, the cold liquid mixed with the tartness of lime sliding down his throat, and he glanced at the comments on his phone screen.

"You have to cross arms to drink cross-cupped wine; this is just a toast."

His tone was flat, like he was explaining a piece of trivia.

"Besides, strictly speaking, cross-cupped wine has to be the same drink. Yours doesn't even have alcohol."

He took another sip and concluded.

"A meaningless toast."

Jiang Rumu's glass was still against her lips, the sweetness of pineapple and coconut milk instantly coating her taste buds. She said nothing, just silently took another large sip.

When she put the glass down, it was already one-third empty.

Li Li leaned back in his chair; the restlessness brought on by the bad news was finally suppressed a little by the strong liquor.

Then, sleepiness hit him without warning.

It didn't creep up on him; it felt like a concrete slab had slammed onto his head, knocking him out. This was a lingering effect from his past life of pulling all-nighters delivering food—once his mind relaxed, he could power down within three seconds.

He rested his head against the back of the seat.

And he was out.

In the livestream, the camera faithfully recorded the side profile of a man sleeping with his head tilted, mouth slightly open, breathing evenly, sleeping completely unguarded.

The number of online viewers began to slowly drop. Who would spend time watching an amateur sleep?

But on the other side, in Jiang Rumu's livestream with eight million viewers, an astonishing scene appeared.

She put down the magazine in her hand.

She turned her head and glanced at the sleeping Li Li next to her.

She only looked for two seconds.

She stood up, moving so lightly as if afraid to startle a cat. From the luggage compartment above her seat, she pulled out a neatly folded dark blue blanket.

The chat began to stir.

[Mumu stood up? What is she going to do?]

[Wait, what is she holding in her hand? Is that a blanket?]

Jiang Rumu walked to the partition, unfolded the blanket, and gently, slowly, covered Li Li with it. From his chest all the way down to his knees.

Then, she leaned down and used both hands to tuck the edges of the blanket near his shoulders.

In the very instant she tucked the corner of the blanket, her fingertips brushed extremely quickly against the back of his hand resting on the armrest.

It was a fleeting touch.

She straightened up and returned to her seat, completely silent throughout.

But the livestream chat exploded.

It wasn't a waterfall; it was a nuclear explosion.

[Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!]

[She covered him with a blanket!! She personally covered him with a blanket!!!]

[A top-tier celebrity with 32 million fans! Covering an amateur with a blanket and even tucking him in! I'm going crazy! This isn't scripted! Absolutely not!!]

[A fan for five years, I swear, I have never seen Mumu actively take care of any man!!!]

[He bought her wontons, she covered him with a blanket! If this isn't mutual affection, what is!!!]

Jiang Rumu leaned back in her seat, picked up the magazine, and turned a page.

But her gaze drifted past the pages and landed on the dark blue blanket.

The blanket rose and fell in small, steady rhythms with Li Li's breathing.

Just then, the phone Li Li had casually placed face down on the armrest lit up with a "buzz."

On the screen, a newly pushed military news flash displayed a red headline that was blindingly bright in the darkness.

[Breaking] Ala Country Air Force shoots down an unidentified drone over the Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf airspace enters highest combat readiness state!