Аs Осtоbеr's tаil swept bу, thе wеаthеr rapidly turnеd сold.
Entеring Novembеr, thе rоаdsidе lеaves visiblу yellowed, the air grеw drу, and рedеstriаns еvеn begаn wеаring dоwn jаckеts on the streеts.
Similаrly сhanging was Ruan Siхian's work еnvironment.
Shе hаd rесеntlу bеen busy рrеpаring fоr hеr F1 (First Offiсer Рhаse 1) eхаm, squeеzing in study time whenеver possiblе. Sоmеtimes, еven while waiting fоr flоw сontrоl in thе сосkрit, she wоuld рull out hеr phоne to glаncе аt hеr notеs.
Оn thе dаy of the еxam, after leаving the test cеnter, she сheсkеd the timе—still early—so she headed to the employee cafeteria for a meal.
After getting her food and finding an empty seat with her tray, she had only taken a couple of bites when she sensed someone approaching.
Ruan Sixian looked up and saw a familiar co-pilot. She shifted her tray slightly to make room.
But as soon as the co-pilot recognized Ruan Sixian, he grinned and said, "Good afternoon, Xiao Ruan! Huh? I didn’t see those spare ribs you got. Let me go check the serving window again."
Perhaps he went to a cafeteria window in Siberia to look for spare ribs, but in any case, he never returned.
Ruan Sixian slowly realized that lately, her situation at the company had become something like: "A thousand mountains devoid of male colleagues, ten thousand paths cleared of any trace of men."
Whether single or not, all her male colleagues maintained a delicate distance from her, as if wearing signs on their faces that read, "We are purely colleagues."
Even when she shared a link on her social media feed, no male colleagues liked it anymore!
Alright, Ruan Sixian understood. With just one statement, Fu Mingyu had stamped her with the label "Property of Fu," effectively cutting off any potential romantic rivals at the root.
As long as she remained at World Airlines, no other man in the company would dare compete with the boss for a woman.
What a... brilliantly straightforward way to pursue someone.
But this "Fu label" wasn’t without its benefits.
For instance, she had been flying long-haul routes recently, and glancing at her schedule, the next week would be the same.
Most pilots flying domestic routes hoped for long-haul assignments—not only for the higher hourly pay but also for the longer rest periods.
Even the usual flow control seemed to undergo subtle changes. Ruan Sixian noticed her queuing times growing shorter, and she was often prioritized for runway access.
Looking at it this way, the label might as well have been emblazoned with: "Fu Mingyu requests all departments to provide convenience and necessary assistance to the bearer."
Ruan Sixian felt like she was now a walking Fu "passport."
She even wanted to confront Fu Mingyu and tell him this wasn’t appropriate! Abuse of power!
But on second thought, it couldn’t possibly be something Fu Mingyu had explicitly ordered. The blame lay with the internet being too efficient—a single statement could travel the globe via satellite communication, let alone within a single company.
Whether it was people avoiding suspicion or simply following the prevailing wind, it felt like countless invisible hands were locking Ruan Sixian and Fu Mingyu together.
This atmosphere reminded Ruan Sixian of her high school days, when a boy had publicly confessed his feelings for her, causing a huge stir that the entire school knew about.
Moreover, that boy was the cool, rebellious type who strutted around school arrogantly, even defying teachers. So after his confession, all the boys who had previously shown interest in Ruan Sixian kept their distance.The campus wasn't that big, so the two of them often ran into each other. Add to that one party's deliberate efforts, and Ruan Sixian felt like these people were everywhere she went.
What made it worse was that people around them kept teasing them, making it seem as if something was already going on between them.
Back then, Ruan Sixian was constantly irritated by this. Every time she saw someone's teasing glance or heard their joking tone, she wanted to rush over and punch them.
But now?
Ruan Sixian held her spoon, stirring the soup in her bowl.
She didn't feel particularly irritated... nor did she have the urge to punch anyone.
What was the difference between Fu Mingyu at World Airlines and that school bully back in high school?
None.
Both were overbearing local tyrants.
Ruan Sixian thought maybe it was because Fu Mingyu was her boss...
Just as she was thinking this, a tray suddenly clattered down in front of her.
Ruan Sixian wondered which colleague was so bold as to risk their life to pluck the flower, and she felt a little pleased, thinking her charm had overpowered Fu Mingyu's tyranny.
But when she looked up, it was Ni Tong sitting across from her.
Ni Tong sat down, looking uneasy. She glanced around before speaking, "Um... well... there's something..."
Ruan Sixian put down her chopsticks and looked up. "Just say it."
Ni Tong didn't want to bring this up, but it had been weighing on her mind for a long time, and she couldn't let it go without saying something.
But the cafeteria was crowded and noisy, so after hesitating for a while, she asked, "Are you done eating? Should we go outside to talk?"
Ruan Sixian studied her for a moment, then downed the rest of her soup in one gulp. "Let's go."
The two walked out of the cafeteria, but there were still many people around, so Ni Tong pulled Ruan Sixian into a stairwell in the building.
"It's... my mentor got a complaint from a VIP passenger yesterday."
Ruan Sixian: "And then?"
Ni Tong's eyes darted around, and she spoke without confidence. "Well, you know, if it's a complaint from an ordinary passenger, the company has to verify whether it's valid or not. But if it's from a VIP passenger, it's automatically valid, and then..."
Ruan Sixian glanced at her watch. "I'll give you one minute. If you don't finish, I'm going home."
Ni Tong suddenly tensed up and immediately blurted out like a chattering pea monster: "It's just that this thing isn't really a big deal usually when something like this happens the most that happens is a temporary suspension but my mentor got fired and I think this might be President Fu's decision but it seems a bit too harsh and I know this request is a bit unreasonable but could you talk to President Fu and ask him not to fire her directly and show a little mercy?"
Ruan Sixian: "?"
Ruan Sixian took half a minute to mentally parse Ni Tong's run-on sentence.
She reached out and patted Ni Tong's shoulder. "No, have I done something that made you think I'm a kind, generous, and forgiving little fairy?"
Ni Tong's face instantly fell, flushing with embarrassment. After stammering for a moment, she said, "Oh, I get it... No, it's mainly because of what happened last time. Now, Brother Yue seems to have fallen out with my mentor too. She's almost thirty years old. If she loses her job, what will she do?"
Just as she was about to turn and leave, a sharp voice called out from behind.
"Ni Tong! What are you doing?"
Jiang Ziyue was holding a stack of documents—social security files returned by the HR department.
She stood on the stairs, the papers crumpled in her grip.
It was the first time Ruan Sixian had seen her reveal such a fierce gaze so directly.Before anyone could move, a stack of documents was thrown at Ni Tong.
Ni Tong was so startled that she stumbled back into the corner, looking at Jiang Ziyue in terror.
"No... I was just..."
"Who asked you to plead for mercy? Are you so full you have nothing better to do?" After saying this, she turned to look at Ruan Sixian. "Don’t worry, you’re so amazing I can’t afford to mess with you. Do you really think I can’t survive without being a flight attendant and have to beg you shamelessly? Dream on!"
Ruan Sixian shrugged. "I didn’t say anything."
She found it really annoying. She had never even glanced at Yue Chen, yet Jiang Ziyue had treated her as an imaginary rival from the start, and now they were outright tearing into each other.
Was it really necessary?
Jiang Ziyue stood on the stairs, looking down at Ruan Sixian with a somewhat condescending air.
"Don’t get too cocky. Do you really think you’re the CEO’s wife already? You’re still far from it."
"Hold on, hold on." Ruan Sixian felt she needed to clarify this. "Fu Mingyu and I have nothing going on. I’m single right now."
Ruan Sixian was simply stating the facts, but to Jiang Ziyue’s ears, it sounded like a boast: "I haven’t even agreed to be with him yet, and he’s already protecting me like this. What can I do?"
"That’s why you’re young. You really think someone chasing you means they’re holding you in the palm of their hand. Aren’t all men the same? They’re just playing with you while you’re new and exciting. Once the novelty wears off, who will remember you?"
So annoying.
Ruan Sixian wanted to go home. She didn’t want to talk to her anymore and needed a line to shut down the conversation.
"Got it, got it. These days, even if you cook the rice, or even turn it into popcorn, the ones who want to leave will still leave, right?"
As soon as she finished speaking, just as Ruan Sixian expected, Jiang Ziyue’s expression turned quite colorful.
What was she thinking? It’s 2019. Who can’t live without a man?
With a license in hand, she could fly a plane anywhere. Did Jiang Ziyue really think only Fu Mingyu’s family had big planes?
Besides, there was nothing between her and Fu Mingyu yet.
To avoid another round of bickering, Ruan Sixian made a timely escape.
Although Jiang Ziyue’s words left no mark on Ruan Sixian’s heart, she still silently cursed Fu Mingyu a couple of times.
That dog of a man. Not only did he ruin her chances with others, but he also brought trouble her way.
Just as she was thinking this, the dog man sent a message.
Fu Mingyu had been very busy these past few days, flying to several cities within a short time. Ruan Sixian had hardly seen him and hadn’t contacted him proactively.
He was the one who called from time to time.
It was fine that he called, but he never talked about anything serious—just trivial matters. And every time, he’d hang up after a few minutes to go back to work.
But every time she answered those few-minute calls, Ruan Sixian felt strange inside.
It was precisely because they didn’t talk about anything serious that it felt abnormal.
She reasonably suspected he was slowly boiling the frog.
[Fu Mingyu]: Finished the exam?
Ruan Sixian replied as she walked.
[Ruan Sixian]: Finished a long time ago.
Without waiting for his reply, Ruan Sixian asked again.
[Ruan Sixian]: Did you fire Jiang Ziyue?
[Fu Mingyu]: Jiang Ziyue is?
Ruan Sixian: "..."
[Ruan Sixian]: That flight attendant! The one who argued with me the other day. Do you have the memory of a goldfish?
"It was me."
A familiar voice rang out. Ruan Sixian’s footsteps suddenly halted. She looked up and saw Fu Mingyu standing in the sunset, his figure seemingly coated in a faint golden light, making his features appear especially gentle.The moment she met his gaze, Ruan Sixian’s heart skipped a beat.
What are you skipping for? What are you even skipping for?
He just admitted he was the one who did it, didn’t he? He didn’t say it was for you. Stop it right now—no more skipping!
Fu Mingyu asked, “Heading home?”
“Mm.”
Fu Mingyu reached out his hand. “Let’s go, I’ll take you.”
His every move felt so natural that by the time Ruan Sixian realized it, her hand was already halfway to his palm.
See, this guy is just slowly boiling the frog in warm water!
To avoid letting him notice anything amiss, Ruan Sixian took the opportunity to swat his hand away with a look of disdain.
“The weather’s nice, I’m walking.”
With that, she headed toward the main gate. Fu Mingyu fell into step beside her without a word, while the driver followed silently behind in the car.
Ruan Sixian’s steps were a bit mechanical, but Fu Mingyu kept pace with her.
“Fu Mingyu.”
“Mm.”
Ruan Sixian felt she had to get this straight—she couldn’t let herself be as presumptuous as he was.
“Did you fire her because of me?”
Fu Mingyu seemed to find her question strange.
If it wasn’t for her, why would he bother with one insignificant flight attendant among thousands in the cabin crew department?
“Why else? Who else would it be for?”
Ruan Sixian was stunned for a moment, a tingling sensation spreading through her heart.
She knew perfectly well that for Fu Mingyu, this was just a matter of a single glance—someone below him would have taken care of it cleanly and quietly.
It wouldn’t have cost him much effort.
But she still felt that unreasonable, inexplicable sense of favoritism.
Oh, wait—after that, she had quietly asked a few familiar flight attendants about it. Indeed, no one dared to bring up those rumors again.
Not even in private.
Those flight attendants told her that during departmental meetings, every leader had specifically emphasized that if any more of these rumors spread, everyone involved would be sent to HR to collect their severance pay. World Airlines wasn’t short on money.
Alright, so it wasn’t just a little bit of favoritism.
She glanced up at Fu Mingyu. “President Fu, your image of being impartial and fair is crumbling a bit.”
“Little sister, you don’t seem to have much self-awareness,” Fu Mingyu turned to look at her. “You keep acting out right under my nose, and you still think I’m impartial and fair?”
With a silent smack, Little Frog Ruan seemed to have fallen into the warm water, unable to climb back out.
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