Above the clouds.

The black-and-white painted Gulfstream G650 cruises steadily in the air, with piercing sunlight overhead and scattered clouds below.

Inside the cabin, the sound of high heels tapping on the thick carpet echoes, as a mature and charming flight attendant, about twenty-eight or nine years old, wearing a professional suit skirt, places a freshly prepared drink in front of Zhou Wang, who sits by the window and lightly sniffs a cigar with his nose.

"Mr. Zhou, your lemon cola with ice, enjoy~"

"Thank you."

After placing the drink, the flight attendant hesitates slightly. Seeing Zhou Wang just staring at the clouds outside in a daze, seemingly without any urgent matters, she thinks for a moment before crouching down. Her suit skirt stretches into a rounded curve under the black silk covering the full moon.

"Mr. Zhou, President Cui asked me to inquire face-to-face regarding the crew configuration you’ve been considering. He sent you an email, but you haven’t replied..."

Upon hearing the gentle inquiry, Zhou Wang comes to his senses, recalls that among his many "read without response" emails, there’s one from Cui Yeqing, who has been promoted to the deputy general manager of Feitian General Aviation.

The Gulfstream G650 has been acquired for a long time, but Zhou Wang still doesn’t have his own crew. Both the pilots and flight attendants are temporarily recruited from Feitian General Aviation.

However, the issue isn’t hiring people, but rather having too many choices. Those recruited to the crew are expected to sign extremely secretive, long-term labor contracts with Zhou Wang...

In other words, these individuals will involuntarily enter many of Zhou Wang’s private moments, so selecting people is quite particular.

Cui Yeqing lists out suitable candidates on resumes and experience, but he can’t directly make decisions for Zhou Wang, and temporary recruitment always presents many risks, which makes Cui Yeqing anxious about possible mistakes.

Zhou Wang, on one hand, is busy with various matters, and on the other hand, there are too many resumes that Cui Yeqing sent over. Pilots are fine, but the flight attendants section is dazzling because there are full-body photos. Zhou Wang initially looked with enthusiasm, but after realizing the long list is endless, he lost interest.

But this is understandable.

After all, when Zhou Wang entrusted Cui Yeqing to help him find candidates, Cui Yeqing asked him about standard salary and benefits.

After Zhou Wang roughly understood the industry’s average wages, he casually replied:

"Pilot’s annual salary of three million, flight attendant’s fifty thousand, comprehensive six insurances and two fund... Hourly fee for each flight, overnight allowances, moreover, after fulfilling years of service, they enjoy salary increases and employee benefits, including housing and vehicle allocation in specified cities."

Taking into consideration, as Cui Yeqing mentioned, that a private jet’s crew is akin to being semi "close associates," Zhou Wang adheres to a principle of generosity, mirroring the benefits enjoyed by his assistants and drivers.

Of course, in Zhou Wang’s view, these benefits aren’t exaggerated, but he doesn’t realize how much of a ripple effect his offhand comment created within specific circles.

Take, for instance, the flight attendant nearly kneeling before Zhou Wang at this moment, named Du Jie, who was originally a first-class cabin attendant for a large domestic airline. Two years ago, caught by a wave of literary aspiration, she abruptly wanted to pursue poetry and distant lands, resigning from a job envied by many and giving up the chance of becoming a flight attendant supervisor.

Upon truly gaining "freedom," Du Jie initially lived quite comfortably.

She traveled to many places, indulging in food and fun. Even though she could fly everywhere while being a flight attendant, when work and life were entirely separate, Du Jie felt a long-lost ease and joy.

But this lifestyle didn’t last long before Du Jie sensed something was amiss.

Originally, she had some savings with plans to have fun for a year or two before finding a legitimate job to start anew. Unexpectedly, her savings of nearly hundreds of thousands didn’t even last three months, running dry...

She suddenly realized that, as a flight attendant, travel fares and accommodations were fully covered wherever she flew.

Now, however, she has to bear these expenses herself.

Additionally, having been accustomed to high-quality living, even without purchasing luxury items, monthly expenditures couldn’t fall below five digits...

Thus, when Du Jie realized her plans were unrealistic, she could only find a way to honestly return to work.

Unfortunately, in the current climate, major airlines are experiencing downturns, unlike previous prosperous times. While small airlines are willing to accept her, they can’t possibly let her start as a first-class cabin attendant, nor do they offer previous levels of compensation...

As Du Jie simmered on whether to sacrifice some pride and find another path, she unexpectedly stumbled upon a forwarded recruitment message in a professional flight attendants group.

"Annual salary of fifty thousand with full insurance, and hourly fees?"

Just reading these made Du Jie feel it must be fake, not to mention the later parts about "buying houses and cars."