Whеn thаt аffirmаtivе "Yеs" landed аnd rеасhеd Ruan Sixian's еаrs with perfеct clаritу, shе finаllу rеalized hоw off her conversatiоn with Fu Мingyu hаd just beеn.
Еvеn Нe Lаnfеng wаs squinting аt thе two оf them.
Even bеtwеen strаngers, being forсefully рaired uр bу sоmеоnе еlse would сrеatе аwkwаrdness, lеt alоnе for Ruan Siхiаn and Fu Мingyu, who saw еach othеr аll thе time. Оnce the tорiс was stееrеd in this dirесtiоn, the аtmоsphеre inеxpliсablу turnеd subtlе.
Bеsidеs, this wаsn't thе first time such a сonversation had оccurred. Ruаn Sixian rеmembеrеd asking Fu Мingyu once before, "Are you trying to be my boyfriend?"
But Fu Mingyu hadn't answered then, and she had only asked in a fit of pique, not taking it seriously.
Now, however, it was as if Fu Mingyu was just short of saying outright, "Try being my girlfriend, and you'll see what I'm like."
Once she understood this implication, Ruan Sixian naturally shut her mouth.
But when her mind began to drift in that direction, it became somewhat uncontrollable. Illogical thoughts popped up, bouncing around in her head.
She discovered that ever since she had slapped him, her negative feelings toward Fu Mingyu seemed to have been completely wiped clean.
He wasn't so annoying anymore; in fact, he was quite nice most of the time. His temper, especially, seemed exceptionally good.
Aside from his infinite tolerance for her unreasonable behavior, many of the things he did seemed to have long since crossed the line of normal interaction between a man and a woman.
For instance, insisting on going to her place for dinner, accompanying her to the police station, or going to the bar to find her that night just because of one message.
Ruan Sixian even recalled a small detail like him standing in front of her in the elevator to block the dog.
Looking at Fu Mingyu now without the filter of her emotions, she finally realized that things had been off for a long time.
As her thoughts wandered, Ruan Sixian glanced at the main instrument panel. The cold data on it promptly pulled her back to reality.
She frowned and said with a cold expression, "The instructor is still here. Don't talk nonsense, or we can order you to leave the cockpit, even if you are the boss."
Fu Mingyu pressed his tongue against his cheek and chuckled, then turned to look out the window.
He Lanfeng pursed his lips and twitched his eyebrows, also falling silent.
For a moment, the cockpit became quiet.
There were two knocks on the cockpit door, and the chief flight attendant made a PA call to get in.
He Lanfeng cleared his throat, answered the PA, and said, "Let's all have something to drink."
The cockpit door opened, and the chief flight attendant came in, asking, "Mr. Fu, Instructor He, Co-pilot Ruan, what would you like to drink?"
Ruan Sixian and Fu Mingyu said in unison, "Coffee, no sugar."
The air froze for a moment. He Lanfeng suppressed a laugh. "You two seem to have quite the rapport."
—
After they deplaned, Bai Yang had already arranged for a driver to take Fu Mingyu directly to Xicheng.
The heavy morning fog had not dissipated by noon, and traffic on the highway was at a standstill. Bai Yang glanced at his watch from time to time.
Recently, Fu Mingyu had been staying up late and eating irregularly due to the flight quality monitoring reform, which had caused him stomach problems. The doctor had instructed him to eat his meals on time, but given the current situation, it was unlikely he could grab lunch before the meeting.
To make matters worse, today was the International Import Expo. Major manufacturers from all over the world were here to bid on contracts covering aircraft engines, aviation equipment, special vehicles, cabin equipment, in-flight entertainment, and more. It was one of World Airlines' most important projects this year, and the meeting was expected to last the entire afternoon.
As Bai Yang had predicted, they arrived at the conference center just in time two hours later.
The attendees and manufacturer representatives were already seated. The venue was packed, yet quiet and orderly.
A staff member led Fu Mingyu to the VIP seat in the front row, where a nameplate with his name was placed on the table. After he sat down, the surrounding attendees came up one after another to exchange pleasantries.
Hands reached out one by one, accompanied by self-introductions, in a continuous stream.
The last person to chat with him only left when the host on stage began to test the microphone.
Fu Mingyu sat down and straightened his cuffs, only for another hand to extend in front of him.
He looked up, then his gaze lazily drifted away.
"What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" Yan An sat down next to Fu Mingyu and turned the nameplate on the table to face him. "Of course I'm here representing North Air."
Yan An's appearance was unexpected for Fu Mingyu, but it also made sense.
In the past, the Yan family would not have let Yan An represent them at such an expo. Usually, Chairman Yan would attend personally, or his special assistant would. But this year, Chairman Yan's health was not great, and no matter how much of a loafer Yan An was, it would be unreasonable for him not to step up.
Fu Mingyu had no intention of making small talk with Yan An; a glance was a sufficient response.
Yan An, too, was unenthusiastic. He looked at the content on the LED screen for a moment, found it uninteresting, and decided he'd rather chat with Fu Mingyu.
"I heard you're working on a flight quality monitoring reform recently?"
Although the two didn't usually get along, their companies had deep ties in business, and he and Yan An had always maintained a peaceful coexistence on work matters.
"Mhm."
Ever since Co-pilot Yu's flight had diverted to Fudu a while back, Fu Mingyu had started working on something.
It was no secret within the airline industry that he had proposed a comprehensive reform of flight quality monitoring, starting with World Airlines, to overturn the standards that had been in use for over twenty years. The proposal had also stirred up a huge storm.
But Yan An wasn't surprised. Someone was bound to do it sooner or later; he just hadn't expected it to be Fu Mingyu, who was about his age. "What made you suddenly decide to do this?"
Fu Mingyu's expression was calm, as if he were discussing something trivial. "I've wanted to do it since the year I took office. The recent incident with a co-pilot's acute cholecystitis diversion was a catalyst."
Fu Mingyu said it lightly, but Yan An was not unaware of how difficult this task was.
The flight quality monitoring introduced by QAR had indeed played a positive role in standardizing pilot operations in the early days and provided a management model for fledgling airlines.
But in recent years, the consequences of QAR abuse had become increasingly apparent, and these effects far outweighed its positive significance.
For example, the frequent tail strike incidents and the incident last year where an aircraft landed with only about 20 minutes of fuel left could almost all be traced back to the fact that QAR management and penalties had become counterproductive.
The root cause was that pilots, fearing QAR penalties, would escalate a simple incident into a serious one.
In many people's eyes, QAR should be used for technical analysis and supplementary training, not as a tool for the safety supervision department to punish pilots.
But it was difficult for anyone to actually take that step. Due to its deeply entrenched history of use and authority, any reform required a more convincing trial plan.
Yan An shook his head pessimistically. "Why bother? It's a thankless task. You can't win against that group of hidebound old-timers."
Fu Mingyu stared at the LED screen, his eyes bright and clear, but his tone was unyieldingly firm. "Don't speak too soon."
Just as he finished speaking, the meeting officially began.
—
By the time the nearly six-hour meeting concluded, Yan An had reached the limit of his patience. He rolled his neck, his eyelids so heavy they were fighting to stay open. He turned to look and saw that Fu Mingyu, on the other hand, had shown no signs of fatigue.
The person on stage had begun their closing remarks. Bored, Yan An took out his phone and scrolled through it. He opened Weibo and saw that World Airlines' official account had posted an update a minute ago.
Pretending to be doing work, he clicked on it. It was a promotional post for the launch of World Airlines' flight academy national recruitment tour for the year, with nine pictures attached.
He recognized Ruan Sixian in the center picture at a single glance.
After opening the full-size image and staring at it for a long time, he couldn't resist holding up his phone and asking the person next to him, "These promotional photos from your company, do you have the originals?"
Fu Mingyu's gaze swept over Yan An from head to toe, then he turned away and said indifferently, "No."
Yan An was long used to Fu Mingyu's attitude, so he didn't say anything and went back to his phone.
But a few seconds later, he replayed the words in his mind. The tone of that sentence was off.
Sensing something, he put down his phone and tapped on the table.
"Fu Mingyu." He raised an eyebrow and said, word by word, "I've been wanting to say this for a while. Are you in love with Ruan Sixian?"
"Yes."
The affirmative answer was just as he expected, without a hint of hesitation.
Yan An was so angry he laughed. He opened his mouth for a long time, but couldn't find the words.
"Fu Mingyu, you're really, really..." Yan An truly didn't know what to say. After calming down for a moment, he recalled their past interactions and suddenly laughed again.
Ruan Sixian's attitude toward Fu Mingyu?
At least with him, she was gentle and polite. Toward Fu Mingyu, she was simply...
"Fu Mingyu, are you not aware of Ruan Sixian's attitude toward you? What are you getting involved for?"
What attitude?
It was like that slap. Once it was over and the mark on his face had faded, their grievances were completely written off.
But whenever he thought of her, his heart would sometimes sting, and other times, it would itch.
Rather than being stuck in this limbo, it was better to grasp it firmly. Then he would know whether she would become a needle that pierced him or a soft place to rest in his heart.
Fu Mingyu raised an eyebrow and shot Yan An a sidelong glance.
The same tone, the same words.
"Don't speak too soon."
—
"Achoo!"
At that moment, in the staff cafeteria, Ruan Sixian suddenly sneezed.
The cafeteria lady asked, "Caught a cold, girl?"
"No." Ruan Sixian wiped her nose. "Someone's probably talking behind my back."
She got her food and looked for a place to sit with her tray.
The staff cafeteria was more crowded than usual in the evening. Besides the flight crew, many office staff were also there for dinner, so there were hardly any empty seats.
She found the only remaining table and sat down, but her spoon accidentally fell to the floor.
Ruan Sixian bent down to pick it up. Just as she reached out, another hand picked up the spoon.
She looked up to see Yue Chen standing in front of her with a smile.
"Little Ruan, what a coincidence."
Ever since Ruan Sixian had run into him in London and had a meal together, the two had not contacted each other privately.
After returning, they flew different aircraft types and had no opportunities to work together. Moreover, he was with Jiang Ziyue now, so Ruan Sixian deliberately kept her distance. When they occasionally met at the company, she would say nothing more than a necessary greeting.
After all, Jiang Ziyue knew that Yue Chen had pursued her before. Less contact meant fewer suspicious situations.
But one doesn't hit a smiling face. At a time like this, Ruan Sixian could only offer a polite smile. "It is a coincidence."
Yue Chen placed the spoon he had picked up to the side and asked, "Is this seat taken?"
Ruan Sixian shook her head. "Do you have a flight tonight?"
"Yes." Yue Chen sat down, his gaze casually sweeping over Ruan Sixian's face. He asked, "Where did you fly today?"
Ruan Sixian answered succinctly, "Lincheng."
"Oh, my hometown."
The two chatted idly, a faint, almost imperceptible awkwardness between them, which both skillfully concealed.
"By the way, I'm getting married at the end of the year. I'll send you an invitation later," Yue Chen said after a while, finally getting to his main point.
"Congratulations." Ruan Sixian picked the chili peppers out of her food, her tone light. "Which month?"
"December 7th or 8th, I can never remember." Yue Chen laughed as he spoke. "I should just get it tattooed on me. Otherwise, I get scolded every time I'm asked and have to go home to check."
Ruan Sixian laughed too, but she was laughing at the fact that prodigal sons really could return. She never would have thought that a man as flirtatious as Yue Chen would be so thoroughly tamed by Jiang Ziyue.
They each laughed at their own thoughts, not on the same wavelength, until a co-pilot carrying a tray walked past and coughed lightly.
Yue Chen looked up, confused, at the co-pilot.
The co-pilot squeezed his eyes shut and nudged his chin to the right.
Yue Chen had a bad feeling. He looked over and, sure enough, saw Jiang Ziyue standing at the entrance with a dark expression.
Yue Chen silently cursed his bad luck, said goodbye to Ruan Sixian, and left with his tray.
At the entrance, Jiang Ziyue, dressed in her uniform, waited for Yue Chen to walk toward her.
She had been standing there for nearly fifteen minutes, yet Yue Chen hadn't noticed her at all, his eyes completely glued to Ruan Sixian.
She didn't know what the two of them were talking about, but they were laughing so happily.
Why didn't he laugh like that when he was eating with her? All he did was stare at his phone and play games.
"Finished eating?" Jiang Ziyue looked coldly at Yue Chen in front of her. "Why not eat a little longer?"
"What are you on about all the time?" Yue Chen hated this tone of Jiang Ziyue's the most. Just because he used to have many girlfriends, she now had to interrogate him for ages whenever she saw him talking to a woman. "Don't you have a flight soon? Hurry up and eat."
"What's there for me to eat? As long as she's full, that's all that matters. I don't need to eat."
Yue Chen looked at her impatiently. "Why are you getting angry for no reason? So I'm not allowed to say a few words to a female colleague now?"
"That depends on which female colleague. Can she be the same as others?"
"Fine, think whatever you want."
"Think whatever I want? What do you want me to think? Hiding in a corner to eat with her, who are you afraid will see?"
"If I was fucking afraid of being seen, would I be eating with her in the cafeteria? We could have just gone out to eat, couldn't we? Are you crazy?"
Yue Chen's tone was harsh, and his steps were even heavier as he turned and walked away.
Jiang Ziyue chased after him, grabbing his sleeve. "What do you mean by that? You couldn't wait any longer, could you? Your heart's itching, isn't it? You still like her, don't you? I know you men, the one you can't have is always the best. Yue Chen, don't you forget you're getting married."
"You're insane." Yue Chen couldn't even be bothered to speak and strode away.
Jiang Ziyue had a flight soon and couldn't chase after him to argue it out. She turned her head to look at Ruan Sixian, who was still unhurriedly clearing her tray.
In truth, from the day Ruan Sixian returned, she hadn't had a single good night's sleep.
One reason was the fear that Ruan Sixian would find out about the rumors she had spread back then and seek revenge.
The other was because of Yue Chen.
The fact that Yue Chen had failed to win over Ruan Sixian back then had always been a thorn in her side. She knew Yue Chen too well; he was a huge flirt who couldn't control his mouth if she wasn't watching him. This was especially true for someone he hadn't managed to win over, someone he saw day in and day out. That's why she had been checking up on him whenever she had free time recently, which often led to arguments, but she didn't stop.
But how could she possibly guard against it?
When she saw Yue Chen and Ruan Sixian laughing and talking just now, all the insecurity that had built up over the past few months erupted at that moment.
To make matters worse, when Ruan Sixian came out after clearing her tray, she even smiled and greeted her, "Are you looking for Captain Yue? He just left."
Jiang Ziyue said with a cold face, "I know."
Seeing her strange expression, Ruan Sixian couldn't be bothered to say more and walked straight away.
But she hadn't taken more than a few steps before the person behind her called out to her.
"What is it?" Ruan Sixian turned back. "Is there something else?"
Jiang Ziyue took a deep breath, trying hard to keep her expression and tone calm.
"Little Ruan, we both know that Yue Chen used to pursue you."
Ruan Sixian stopped walking and slowly turned around, waiting for her to continue.
"But we're getting married, so—" She looked up, directly at Ruan Sixian. "I hope you can keep your distance from him."
Ruan Sixian tried her best to hold it in, but she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Sis, don't you worry. I wasn't interested in your precious treasure back then, and I'm even less interested now. You just hold on to him tight."
Such humiliating words, paired with that smiling face, made Jiang Ziyue so angry she laughed in response, nodding with a cold snort. "Right, how could an ordinary captain be worthy of you? You have high standards. Why are you still sitting in the co-pilot's seat? You should just sit directly in the passenger seat of Mr. Fu's car."
Ruan Sixian's lips twitched.
Awkward.
I've actually done that.
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