Ruаn Siхiаn rеаlizеd that she wаs асtuаllу blushing a little at bеing сalled "littlе sister."
But Fu Мingуu sееmеd сomplеtely unaware that аnуthing was wrоng.
Plауing thе whоle "big brоthеr, littlе sistеr" gаme аt his age—how еmbаrrassing.
Ruаn Sixian didn't saу anything but suddеnly quickеnеd hеr расе.
The еаrly аutumn wind wаsn’t gеntle, сarrуing а slight chill agаinst hеr faсe. Ocсasionallу stерping оn a few fallеn lеаves, thеу mаdе а rustling sоund, amрlifiеd infinitelу by thе silencе betwееn thе two.
Shе didn’t knоw hоw muсh time had pаssed when Ruan Sixian suddеnly stopрed walking.
"Whу arе уou stаring at me?"
Fu Mingyu grinned shamelessly, "If you weren’t looking at me, how would you know I was looking at you?"
Ruan Sixian: "..."
Well, that did make sense.
Ruan Sixian glared at him. "I’m not walking anymore. Let’s get in the car."
But even after getting into the car and settling in, Ruan Sixian still felt Fu Mingyu’s gaze on her.
"What exactly are you looking at?"
Since she’d asked, Fu Mingyu stopped looking at her and turned his gaze forward, casually remarking, "I was just wondering what exactly made you blush."
As if her disguise had been exposed, Ruan Sixian immediately bristled.
"Are the two holes under your eyebrows just for breathing?"
"..."
Ruan Sixian’s righteous and fierce tone made even Fu Mingyu feel like he must be blind.
The atmosphere in the car dropped sharply once again.
Suddenly, Ruan Sixian’s phone rang.
She took it out, glanced at it, hesitated for a moment, and hung up.
Less than half a minute later, it rang again. She hung up once more.
When it rang for the third time, she simply muted it and ignored it, but couldn’t help muttering under her breath, "So annoying."
Fu Mingyu noticed her actions and asked, "Who was it?"
Ruan Sixian didn’t want to say, so she replied casually, "It’s nothing."
The more evasive she was, the more suspicious Fu Mingyu became. His gaze swept over her, as if sensing something else.
"An ex-boyfriend’s call?"
Ruan Sixian thought this man’s thought process was a bit off. How did he sniff out that it was an ex-boyfriend’s call?
"What, do your ex-girlfriends give you endless calls for no reason?"
Fu Mingyu chuckled but didn’t respond, turning instead to look out the window.
For the rest of the journey, neither of them spoke.
The call was from Dong Xian.
Ever since she found out Ruan Sixian’s address on her birthday, she had come to wait for her once, but that day Ruan Sixian happened to ride back with Si Xiaozhen, so they didn’t meet.
And today, with her constant calls, she was probably here again.
Sure enough, when the car pulled up to the entrance of Mingchen, Ruan Sixian spotted the Porsche.
The setting sun reflected off the polished car body, glaringly bright.
Thankfully, she was riding back with Fu Mingyu today. Otherwise, if a taxi had dropped her off at the entrance, she would’ve inevitably run into her.
She glanced at Fu Mingyu, who was completely oblivious to the situation outside, staring out the window lost in thought.
When the car reached the building, Ruan Sixian opened the door and said, "I’m heading back."
Fu Mingyu replied with an indifferent "Hmm."
Ruan Sixian closed the car door, and before she even reached the steps, the car started up and drove off to turn around.
Choking on a mouthful of exhaust fumes, Ruan Sixian stared bewildered at Fu Mingyu’s departing car.
Opening the door to her home, Ruan Sixian saw Si Xiaozhen sitting on the sofa and nearly jumped out of her skin.
"What are you doing here?"Si Xiaozhen had been anxiously making phone calls, only relaxing when she saw Ruan Sixian standing before her safe and sound.
"What happened? I kept calling you and you didn't answer—I thought something had happened."
"Oh." Ruan Sixian said while changing her shoes, "My phone was on silent, I didn't notice."
"You scared me to death."
Si Xiaozhen pointed at the refrigerator, "I saw blueberries on sale at the supermarket today, so I bought extra. I washed them and put them in the fridge for you."
Then she frowned with dissatisfaction, "Good thing I have your passcode, otherwise you wouldn’t even know if your fridge went moldy."
"I haven’t cooked at home lately."
Ruan Sixian went into her room to change clothes, and Si Xiaozhen followed her in. She had intended to chat casually, but her eyes immediately landed on the model airplane by the bedside.
Si Xiaozhen immediately knelt on the bed to pick it up.
"Be careful!" Ruan Sixian, halfway through taking off her clothes, rushed over and slapped Si Xiaozhen’s hand. "It’s heavy, don’t drop it."
Si Xiaozhen ignored her, her eyes shining as she held the model airplane, examining it carefully. "This is a German-made de Havilland Comet, right? So exquisite. Where did you buy it? Must be expensive, huh?"
"It was free." Ruan Sixian turned around to change, her back to Si Xiaozhen, her voice soft. "It was a gift."
Si Xiaozhen marveled at the model’s craftsmanship, turning it over several times before blinking and asking, "Who gave it to you?"
Ruan Sixian felt like her eyes held some knowing look, but thought it couldn’t be possible, so she brushed it off: "A friend gave it to me."
"A friend surnamed Fu?"
"?"
Seeing Ruan Sixian’s slightly shocked and guilty expression, Si Xiaozhen knew she was right.
"His name is engraved on the wing. Who are you trying to fool?"
Ruan Sixian hadn’t actually noticed this. She took the model airplane, flipped it over, and only then saw the three letters "FMY" under the wing.
That shameless man, giving her a model airplane engraved with his name—how utterly shameless.
Ruan Sixian put down the model and walked out. Si Xiaozhen followed her, asking, "What’s going on?"
"What do you mean, what’s going on?"
"Don’t play dumb with me. You’re not a teenage girl anymore, why be shy?"
Ruan Sixian walked faster and faster, opened the fridge, took out a bottle of water to drink, and said expressionlessly, "Thanks for the invite, currently in space, just got off the spaceship, no signal."
Si Xiaozhen: "That’s just boring. Did you sleep with him?"
"..."
Ruan Sixian nearly choked on her water.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"Then why are you hiding it?"
Si Xiaozhen leaned against the fridge, studying Ruan Sixian. Since she already had an answer in mind, she didn’t press further. "I think it’s pretty amazing. Last time, Bian Xuan told me you slapped him in a bar, and he didn’t even kill you. Now he’s chasing you?"
Ruan Sixian didn’t say anything, silently confirming it.
Si Xiaozhen grew even more curious. "No, I mean, what’s his deal? Didn’t you really hate him?"
Ruan Sixian muttered, "I do hate him."
"Right, that’s what I don’t get. If someone you hate also hates you, that’s normal—it means you’re on the same page. But if someone you hate likes you, that means—"
"It means he has pretty good taste."
"..."
Si Xiaozhen couldn’t argue with that logic.Since Ruan Sixian was as tight-lipped as a sealed gourd, the topic didn’t continue. The two chatted about the upcoming holiday instead. Ruan Sixian mentioned wanting to travel nearby, while Si Xiaozhen had to go to Lincheng.
“It’s my university’s anniversary celebration, and they’re organizing a class reunion. I have to attend.”
Speaking of university, Ruan Sixian remembered that a colleague from the publicity department had asked her yesterday if she would participate in the upcoming admissions promotion event. The reason was the same as what Fu Mingyu had said—having a female pilot would attract more female applicants.
Ruan Sixian did have the time, but she felt that during her vacation, she didn’t want to do anything else and just wanted to stay at home, so she declined.
However, the turning point came from the flight assignment the next day.
The flight department had scheduled Ruan Sixian for a training flight with an instructor.
Ruan Sixian and the instructor boarded the plane, chatting and laughing. Once all the passengers were on board, the cabin crew closed the doors accordingly.
At that moment, a voice suddenly came through Ruan Sixian’s headset from the maintenance crew. Her expression changed instantly.
Exchanging a glance with the instructor, the two immediately instructed the cabin crew to reopen the doors and disembarked from the plane…
Beside the wing, several maintenance crew members were scattered around, bending over and searching for something.
One of them opened his palm, revealing two coins inside.
Ruan Sixian nearly fainted on the spot.
In this modern, scientific society, which idiot was throwing coins here?!
Just moments earlier, during the routine inspection, the maintenance crew had discovered two coins beneath the aircraft. Everyone immediately went on high alert and began a thorough search.
This wasn’t the first time such a situation had occurred, and everyone found it incredibly frustrating.
After notifying the cabin crew to make an announcement and inquire, no one admitted to it.
So, while the crew continued searching for any other coins, they also pulled up the surveillance footage.
The video showed a middle-aged male passenger, taking advantage of the security officer and flight attendants’ inattention, tossing several coins toward the aircraft’s body before entering the cabin.
Since the surveillance footage couldn’t clearly show exactly how many coins were thrown, the cabin crew called the passenger out.
The middle-aged man was dressed respectably and wore large sunglasses. Even after being called out, he refused to take them off.
He admitted to throwing the coins—four in total.
The instructor was so angry he could only laugh, unable to even speak.
Ruan Sixian felt smoke rising from her head, and the breath she exhaled from her nose was probably white smoke too.
She took a deep breath, trying her best to keep her tone calm.
“Why did you throw the coins?”
The man in sunglasses showed no remorse and answered matter-of-factly, “For blessings.”
Ruan Sixian knew it would be some idiotic reason like that.
“What blessings are you praying for? Were you dissatisfied with the security check, or do you think this tarmac looks like a koi pond?”
Anyone could tell that Ruan Sixian was doing her utmost to suppress her anger, but the man in sunglasses remained completely oblivious. After hesitating for a few seconds, he turned to the security officer behind him and said, “Well, the main thing is… I saw on the jet bridge that it was a female driver. I’m not too confident, you know? Female drivers can be pretty unreliable.”
“…”
What the hell kind of “female driver” nonsense is this?
Perhaps because she was pushed to the brink of anger, Ruan Sixian became unusually calm. Without saying another word, she waved her hand at the security officer.
The security officer immediately called the police. The man in sunglasses instantly started shouting, “Why are you calling the police?! What did I do? What’s going on here?”
One of the maintenance crew sneered at him, “Not only are you going to jail, but if the engine has to be disassembled for inspection, you’ll be waiting for a hefty bill. It’s not much—just tens of thousands of yuan.”After saying that, the safety officer directly hauled him out, and the shouting of the sunglasses-wearing man gradually faded away in the boarding bridge.
The remaining two coins couldn't be found on the ground; maintenance crew had to use a camera probe to look inside the aircraft engine to locate them.
However, because the position was too deep inside, it really required removing some parts of the engine to operate.
Even the maintenance crew couldn't help but curse: "Damn, we're going to have to work overtime through the night again today."
This flight naturally had to be canceled.
As the passengers disembarked with complaints, Fu Mingyu also arrived.
He walked around the aircraft for a look and finally stood in front of the engine, his brow tightly furrowed.
After the maintenance crew explained the specific situation to him, he took the camera probe to look, and Ruan Sixian also leaned over to see.
The two were extremely close, and Ruan Sixian didn't notice that if she moved just a bit, her cheek would brush against Fu Mingyu's chin.
"Do you think the nine-year compulsory education hasn't been popularized well enough?" Ruan Sixian said, seeing the image of the two coins and imagining the damage if the engine had started, feeling a pang in her heart. "How disastrous would it have been if we had taken off?"
Fu Mingyu slowly moved the probe's position and said softly, "You're quite heartbroken."
Ruan Sixian: "Obviously, how could I not be?"
Fu Mingyu chuckled lightly: "Is it your family's plane that you're so heartbroken?"
Ruan Sixian: "...Are you an ETC, so automatically argumentative?"
Fu Mingyu didn't say anything, retracting the probe while tapping Ruan Sixian's head with his index finger.
"The flight is canceled, go back and rest."
Ruan Sixian also straightened up, and when she turned her head, she saw a row of people behind them all staring at the two of them.
No wonder it felt so quiet around just now-
Of course, Ruan Sixian didn't actually go back to rest.
The police arrived and were inquiring about the situation, so Ruan Sixian had to be present.
But throughout the entire inquiry process, the sunglasses-wearing man kept emphasizing that he threw the coins for blessings because he didn't trust a female pilot.
Female pilot, female pilot, female pilot... Ruan Sixian couldn't take it anymore and got up and left directly.
Returning to the World Airlines building, Ruan Sixian dragged her flight case quickly, her angry demeanor directly scaring off several colleagues who wanted to ask about the situation.
However, a few female colleagues from the publicity department who were unaware of the situation went downstairs together for lunch and ran into Ruan Sixian in the elevator, greeting her.
"Xiao Ruan, off the plane?"
"Not yet," Ruan Sixian said. "The flight was canceled."
Flight cancellations happen from time to time, and the colleagues, accustomed to such occurrences, didn't ask further, instead chatting about other things.
"Isn't it the peak season for campus recruitment recently? The academic lecture hall at Jiashi University is fully booked, so it's been moved to the auditorium. I saw their LED screen, and the size doesn't match, so I have to redo the PPT."
"You're still okay; we who make posters are worse off. Yunhe University's lecture halls aren't enough, so they moved it up by two days. I haven't finished the poster yet, so I have to work overtime tonight."
Mentioning Yunhe University, one of them turned to ask Ruan Sixian: "Xiao Ruan, aren't you going to the recruitment talk? It's your alma mater; wouldn't it be glorious to go back and participate?"
They were talking about this year's World Airlines Flight Academy's recruitment tour, going to various universities for talks to recruit current college students for training as cadet pilots.
Ruan Sixian had previously said she didn't want to go, but when her colleague asked again, her mind was filled with the sunglasses-wearing man's words about "female pilot," and in a moment of anger, she agreed on the spot.Better to recruit all female students, fill the skies with women pilots, scare you so much you never dare to fly again—
But when the actual recruitment day arrived, Ruan Sixian felt a bit nervous.
She had studied basic physics in college and rarely had opportunities to speak on stage. Facing a sea of dark-clad people, her heart kept pounding.
As she took the microphone and stepped onto the stage, the male students in the auditorium instantly erupted, with some even pulling out their phones to take pictures.
Ruan Sixian cleared her throat and was just about to speak when she saw Fu Mingyu walk in through the back door.
At noon that day, Fu Mingyu had told her he would be free in the afternoon and would pick her up after the recruitment session.
Ruan Sixian didn’t understand why he needed to pick her up. The company clearly provided arranged transportation. Was he trying to openly show favoritism or felt she didn’t already have enough labels attached to her?
But even if he insisted on picking her up, she hadn’t expected him to actually come inside.
From afar, Ruan Sixian shot him a subtle glare.
Fu Mingyu caught the glare, but his expression remained unchanged. He stood quietly in the corner, watching her discreetly.
After a brief presentation, it was time for student questions.
The male students were particularly enthusiastic. At first, the questions were fairly serious, but later they started to veer off track.
"Sister, are you single?"
This caused a stir in the audience. Ruan Sixian coughed and replied succinctly, "Yes."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ruan Sixian instinctively glanced toward Fu Mingyu.
He stood with one hand in his pocket, his gaze fixed on her from a distance, interrupted by the overhead lights, making it impossible to read his expression.
The same male student followed up, "Then, sister, would you consider dating someone younger?"
Ruan Sixian: "..."
Faced with another wave of laughter, Ruan Sixian said seriously, "I don’t like younger guys."
The male student was just overly enthusiastic but still quite innocent. Amid the surrounding laughter, he awkwardly added, "Oh, so you like older guys..."
Time was limited, and the recruitment session ended there.
The final segment involved submitting resumes and asking questions on the spot. Ruan Sixian and her colleagues were surrounded by students and couldn’t break free.
But she looked up at Fu Mingyu and saw him walking along the edge toward the front row. He pointed toward the front door, indicating he would wait for her there.
It took about twenty minutes before the students gradually dispersed.
The colleagues from the publicity department were packing up. Ruan Sixian had nothing else to do and was about to leave when someone called out to her.
"Ruan Sixian?"
The voice sounded uncertain until Ruan Sixian turned around, and the person walked over happily.
"It really is you! I was watching from the back for a long time and thought I might have been mistaken."
This person was Xie Yu, Ruan Sixian’s direct senior from college. After graduation, he had been recommended for postgraduate studies at the same university and was now pursuing a Ph.D.
The two hadn’t seen each other since graduation, so when Xie Yu had joined the crowd in the back row earlier, he had only found her familiar and wasn’t entirely sure.
"You’re a captain now? That’s amazing!"
Ruan Sixian waved her hands repeatedly, her face flushing. "No, no, I’m just a co-pilot."
"Didn’t they say you became a flight attendant before? How did you end up as a pilot?"
The two started chatting from this topic. Xie Yu was very curious, and the conversation flowed naturally, with twenty minutes passing before they knew it.
It wasn’t until someone from the publicity department finished packing up and reminded Ruan Sixian that she snapped back to reality.
"I should get going now?"
"Sure, you’re busy."
Before leaving, Xie Yu took the initiative to exchange contact information, so they added each other on WeChat and exchanged phone numbers.Ruan Sixian walked toward the front gate, clutching her phone, her steps light with a hint of excitement.
As she walked, she touched her face again.
Had she stayed calm enough while talking to him just now? She hadn’t seemed too overeager, had she?
After all, this was Xie Yu—the campus legend back in the day. When the university’s online forum was on the verge of dying out, he single-handedly revived the traffic for Yunhe University’s forum. There was even a dedicated thread for him, filled with all kinds of his photos.
When she reached the front gate, Ruan Sixian was busy editing the contact name for Xie Yu’s phone number. She nudged Fu Mingyu with her forearm.
“Let’s go.”
Fu Mingyu glanced down at her phone before walking straight out.
Yunhe University had access restrictions; only official vehicles were allowed inside. Since Fu Mingyu was here to pick up Ruan Sixian for personal reasons, his car was parked outside.
The two walked side by side toward the school gate. Ruan Sixian looked around as they went, marveling at how much the campus had changed in the years since she’d last been back.
Out of nowhere, Fu Mingyu spoke up. “Who was that just now?”
“Huh?” Ruan Sixian was caught off guard. “Who?”
“The one you were talking to.”
“Oh, Brother Yu. He was my senior back in the day.”
Fu Mingyu said flatly, “Pretty handsome.”
“That’s true,” Ruan Sixian admitted. “He was the undisputed campus heartthrob back then. I don’t know if there’s anyone more handsome at the school now, but when I was studying, he was the most famous. And he wasn’t just good-looking—he was a top student, winning national scholarships every year, and he was on the school basketball team. But none of that even mattered compared to his singing. He always closed the school’s cultural performances, and whenever he took the stage, the screams from the audience were deafening.”
Fu Mingyu lifted his eyelids slightly but said nothing.
Ruan Sixian continued reminiscing on her own. “I heard later that a talent agency wanted to sign him. I thought he was going to become a celebrity, but he ended up focusing entirely on his studies, dedicating himself to researching high-speed colliders.”
She glanced around. “After being at the school for so many years, I wonder how many young hearts he’s captured along the way.”
Fu Mingyu pulled out his phone to check a message and asked casually, “Did he capture yours too?”
Ruan Sixian suddenly grew flustered and hurriedly replied, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Her eyes darted away, her tone betraying a hint of defensiveness.
She had, admittedly, felt a tiny bit of… admiration for Xie Yu back then.
Back in those days, any girl with decent taste would have liked him.
But he had a girlfriend since high school who would occasionally drop by the campus to check on him. What could Ruan Sixian do? She didn’t even dare to add him on QQ.
Now, all these years later, the campus heartthrob was still a heartthrob, not worn down by academia into a balding scholar. For some reason, Ruan Sixian felt a sense of relief.
After all, just as it’s sad to see beauty fade with age, it’s equally tragic to witness a hero lose his hair.
The osmanthus trees at Yunhe University were in bloom, their clusters shimmering golden in the evening sun, looking especially lovely.
Fu Mingyu remained silent the whole way, and Ruan Sixian naturally didn’t feel like talking to herself. They walked quietly until they reached the school gate.
It was class time, so there weren’t many people around, but the snack shops outside the gate were already bustling.
The familiar aroma of clams and vermicelli soup wafted through the air, making Ruan Sixian’s mouth water.
The best clams and vermicelli soup was always found right outside Yunhe University’s gate. She had been craving it for years, though not enough to make a special trip just for it.
But now that she was here, she couldn’t resist.
“Wait,” Ruan Sixian called out to Fu Mingyu. “I want to get some clams and vermicelli soup.”Fu Mingyu looked up from his phone and glanced at her without saying anything, then turned and walked toward the shop.
The shop was still arranged as before—narrow and cramped, never able to seat more than a few people at a time.
Seeing Fu Mingyu constantly checking his phone as if he were very busy, Ruan Sixian said, “Why don’t you head back first? I’ll take the company car later.”
Fu Mingyu pulled out a stool, wiped it with a tissue, and said, “No need.”
Alright then.
Ruan Sixian ordered a bowl of sour and spicy clam vermicelli and asked Fu Mingyu if he wanted any, but he said he wasn't hungry.
So Ruan Sixian had no choice but to eat alone, burying her head in her bowl.
Throughout the meal, Fu Mingyu kept looking at his phone, expressionless and silent.
Halfway through her meal, Ruan Sixian asked, "Do you want to try a little? I'll pick out the clams for you."
Fu Mingyu didn’t look up from his phone. "No need."
"..."
Seriously, if you didn’t want to come, you could’ve just said no. Why act so reluctant, as if I’m forcing you?
Ruan Sixian was put off by Fu Mingyu’s attitude, and her appetite vanished almost entirely.
She wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, "I’m full. Let’s go."
Upon hearing this, Fu Mingyu placed a hundred-yuan bill on the table, stood up, and walked away.
Ruan Sixian watched his retreating figure and blinked.
Is he seriously out of his mind?
For a long time after getting into the car, neither of them spoke.
The car drove over the speed bumps outside the campus and onto the main road.
Ruan Sixian glanced at the speedometer and asked expressionlessly, "Are you busy today?"
Fu Mingyu rested his hands on the steering wheel and replied flatly, "Not busy."
"If you’re not busy, why are you driving so fast?"
"Fast? It’s fine. Not as fast as a particle collider."
"..."
You’re comparing a four-wheeled car to a particle collider’s speed?
Why don’t you compare your altitude to your family’s airplanes while you’re at it?
Ruan Sixian couldn’t be bothered to argue. She adjusted the seatbelt that was uncomfortably tight around her waist just as her phone rang.
She took out her phone and looked at the screen.
"..."
Dong Xian was calling again.
Ruan Sixian didn’t really want to answer. Just as she was about to hang up, she suddenly felt the car swerve sharply.
She turned to look at Fu Mingyu and saw him pull the car over to the side of the road. He unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, and got out.
"If you want to answer it, go ahead. I’ll step out."
The door slammed shut, and at the same time, the call in her hand automatically disconnected due to no one answering.
The cramped interior of the car instantly became quiet and eerie.
Ruan Sixian stared at Fu Mingyu’s figure by the roadside, blinking in confusion.
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