Blossom through the Cloud - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Oh?

Oh, what does that even mean?

The cameras arrayed around them snapped a couple of quick shots aimed straight at the cabin door, and the constant focus of eyes and lenses served as a perpetual reminder for Ruan Suxian not to let herself get bogged down by this man.

She offered a light smirk, striving to look dignified yet tinged with a mocking amusement, before stepping slightly aside to clear the path for Fu Mingyu.

Fu Mingyu didn't spare her any extra attention either; as the cameras locked onto him, he smiled faintly and nodded toward the flight crew. "Hard work."

He walked straight toward the passenger cabin. As he brushed past Ruan Suxian, he pressed the resume clutched in his hand down against his thigh, making it look much like an important official document.

Several assistants hurried along behind him, and only Bai Yang threw a parting glance back at Ruan Suxian.

He had no idea what Fu Mingyu's former secretary had said, and his understanding was still stuck at the level of knowing Ruan Suxian had once been a cabin crew member at World Aviation.

Nor did he grasp why Fu Mingyu's boiling fury had suddenly evaporated into a single, simplistic "Oh" after taking that phone call.

Of course, it was also possible that the anger had simply grown too extreme and turned into absolute calm, much like the deceptive stillness that always precedes a storm.

Musing on this, Bai Yang's gaze grew increasingly complex.

Having finished welcoming Fu Mingyu aboard, the flight crew naturally needed to head back to the cockpit.

Ruan Suxian turned to meet Bai Yang's probing gaze, only to see him withdraw his eyes with a trace of flustered panic, as if he had been caught red-handed, before quickening his pace to catch up with Fu Mingyu.

After giving it some thought, Ruan Suxian concluded that Bai Yang's expression had carried a hint of admiration, a touch of sympathy, and a generous dose of sheer bewilderment.

Judging by Bai Yang's reaction, Ruan Suxian figured her hostility toward Fu Mingyu was indeed being expressed without the slightest bit of concealment—so close to punching straight through the stratosphere that even Bai Yang couldn't handle it.

So what if it was?

She had originally joined World Aviation purely for the sake of the money; if Fu Mingyu couldn't stomach the attitude, he was more than welcome to tear up the contract and fire her. After all, plenty of airlines would gladly open their arms to her, plus she'd pocket a hefty penalty payout for breach of contract.

Thinking about that, Ruan Suxian felt significantly more comfortable.

The simplest verbal smackdown, yielding the ultimate sense of satisfaction—that was precisely what this felt like.

Yet not everyone understood her version of satisfaction, especially since witnessing her risk her life to talk back to the boss left someone else nursing a shred of lingering wishful thinking.

Standing behind the flight crew, Jiang Ziyue let out a long, slow sigh of relief.

The corners of Ruan Suxian's lips twitched upward as she followed the captain and the copilot toward the passenger cabin.

Fu Mingyu was the very first passenger to board, meaning that for the moment, the first-class cabin held only him and his entourage.

From a distance, Ruan Suxian caught sight of Fu Mingyu's back.

As she followed the captain down the aisle past his seat, she caught a low murmur: "Ruan Suxian."

Pretending she hadn't heard a thing, Ruan Suxian strode right past and was the last to step into the cockpit. As she turned around, she saw Fu Mingyu still watching her.

She tilted her head, shut the door, and locked it—a seamless sequence of actions executed in one fluid motion.

Fu Mingyu's expression darkened once more.

Standing nearby and not daring to speak up, Bai Yang noticed Fu Mingyu pick up that resume yet again.

Assuming he was done with it, Bai Yang reached out to take it.

Instead, Fu Mingyu flipped open the second page, scanned it once more from top to bottom, and then handed the resume back with deliberate slowness.

"Put it away," Fu Mingyu told Bai Yang. "Where is the engineering department's route maintenance support report for this month?"

Startled for a second, Bai Yang took Ruan Suxian's resume, tucked it into a folder, and pulled out a different document.

Fu Mingyu lowered his head to read, bringing up no further subjects.

Bai Yang glanced sideways at the corner of the resume, then snuck a look at Fu Mingyu's complexion.

He didn't seem to be reading the report at all; his gaze remained fixed on a single spot without shifting for several seconds, and the irritation in his eyes was practically overflowing.

Was this storm going to break or not? Could someone just give him a straight answer?

Unconsciously, Bai Yang shifted a bit further away, thinking that the seat layout for this new aircraft model was truly remarkably sensible—the first-class seats were spaced so far apart that even if the storm broke right now, not a single drop would land on him.

Before long, passengers began filing in one after another.

Since many of them were invited figures from related industries alongside media personnel, quite a few were acquaintances. All the way down the aisle, they chatted animatedly amongst themselves while making sure to record everything with their equipment.

On top of that, a transparently packaged model of the ACJ31 sat on every single seat, revealing its intricate interior design at a single glance.

Spotting this gift upon boarding, the passengers beamed with delight, and the lively hum of discussion swelled.

Amidst this bustling environment, Bai Yang kept quiet, still anxiously awaiting the arrival of the storm.

Yet until every passenger was seated, the cabin checks were completed, and the flight attendants announced the impending departure, the storm beside him still hadn't materialized.

After a short while, Fu Mingyu spoke up again: "Bring me the resume."

Bai Yang: "Huh?"

Fu Mingyu: "The resume. Did you not hear me?"

"..."

Looking aggrieved, Bai Yang retrieved the resume and handed it over to Fu Mingyu.

He held it in his hands, reading it over and over again.

The person in the resume photo wore a standard, eight-toothed smile with curved eyes, gradually summoning up images from his memory.

"Want to be the boss's wife?"

"You'd have better luck dreaming."

"..."

Details that had clearly long since vanished into the recesses of his mind came surging back in a flood. Fu Mingyu even recalled that night on the yacht along the Thames, and the room key he had handed over.

"I'll give you a chance."

The alcohol must have all gone straight to his head.

Fu Mingyu drew a deep breath, his fingers unconsciously crumpling the edge of the resume.

"President Fu..."

Bai Yang started to speak, but Fu Mingyu abruptly flipped the resume face-down on the table, yanked loose his tie, and let a wave of internal heat radiate through his entire body.

He stared heavily at the seatbacks ahead, remaining silent.

Yet Bai Yang could clearly and unmistakably feel the pent-up frustration radiating off him.

Wisely shrinking back a fraction, Bai Yang silently prayed that Fu Mingyu wouldn't take out the frustration he caught from Ruan Suxian on him.

But heaven refused to grant his wish; Fu Mingyu turned his gaze onto Bai Yang with a piercing, severe glare.

With a trembling voice, Bai Yang asked, "Is... is there a problem?"

Fu Mingyu didn't answer. Swallowing hard, Bai Yang prepared to voice the arguments he had carefully rehearsed in his head—explaining how to talk Fu Mingyu out of holding a grudge against Yan An and just firing Ruan Suxian outright—when he heard Fu Mingyu ask: "Have you ever coaxed a woman?"

Back in the cockpit, Captain Fan had already checked the load sheet and announced, "Requesting clearance."

In the back row, Ruan Suxian took a deep breath, pressed her spine firmly against the seat, and softly echoed Copilot Yu: "Air China 1569, requesting clearance, standing by at Point H."

The voice of the ground controller chimed through the headset instantly.

"Air China 1569, cleared to enter runway."

The sensation of ground friction hit them, and the air inside the cockpit seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second.

Gazing at the instrument panel ahead, Ruan Suxian tightened her grip and once again softly parroted Copilot Yu.

"Entering runway, Air China 1569."

"Air China 1569, ready for departure."

A brief static hiss whispered past her ear: "Air China 1569, cleared for takeoff, runway 36L. After takeoff, contact departure on 118.60. Goodbye."

Captain Fan pushed the engine thrust levers forward with decisive crispness, roaring the throttles up as the aircraft instantly surged down the runway.

Inertia caused Ruan Suxian to lurch forward slightly, her heart leaping straight into her throat.

With her back pressed tightly against the seat, she could hear the thunderous roar even through her headset.

"V1 reached."

"V2 reached."

"Vr reached."

The moment Copilot Yu's voice trailed off, Ruan Suxian lifted her eyes to look at Captain Fan.

His expression remained calm as he slowly parted his lips.

Following right behind him like a primary school student reading pinyin after a teacher, Ruan Suxian murmured softly, "Rotate, takeoff."

The nose lifted, and the sensation of an upward tilt washed over them.

The moment the aircraft broke contact with the ground, Ruan Suxian felt every single cell in her body burst wide open. Every pore was screaming with exhilaration, and she remained caught up in that rush of excitement even after the landing gear retracted.

Forget Fu Mingyu, forget Jiang Ziyue, forget whether her annual salary was high or low—everything was cast to the winds beyond the highest clouds.

The city below shrank steadily, and the majestic runways gradually dwindled into winding little ribbons of water.

Ruan Suxian gripped her shoulder harness tight, her vision gradually blurring.

She remembered four years ago, under a captain just as benevolent-looking as Fan Mingzhi, executing a flight across the Arctic route.

Back then, she was still a cabin crew member delivering a steak to the cockpit for the purser. As she bent over to set it down, that captain had suddenly said, "Young lady, look up."

The moment she looked up.

She saw glaciers drifting and intersecting fields stretching out in a grand, magnificent expanse all the way to the edge of the sky.

Beyond what seemed like an endless horizon, auroras erupted from the earth—bursting forth in a riot of colors, with the pitch-black night serving as their velvet backdrop.

She had also caught glimpses of auroras through the cabin windows before, but like a boat passing beneath a bridge, she could only spy a tiny corner of them.

Yet here in the cockpit, standing before that meter-wide window, she could take in the entire panoramic majesty of the aurora.

That was a view visible only from the cockpit.

Whether she was vomiting into the fixed simulator chair, feeling her arms nearly tear apart while doing pull-ups, or experiencing dizzying flips on the trampoline, that exact aurora had flashed before her eyes through it all.

And now, with gloomy cloud layers spread out before her, Ruan Suxian felt as though she were seeing the aurora once again.

Rubbing her eyes to steady her focus, she saw Captain Fan hadn't turned around, but had raised his arm behind him to give a thumbs-up.

Ruan Suxian whispered softly, "Master."

Captain Fan smiled and turned his attention back to the instrument panel.

Half an hour later, the aircraft entered its cruising phase, engaging the autopilot.

Captain Fan turned sideways. "Xiao Yu, take the left seat. Xiao Ruan, move to the copilot seat. I'm going to use the restroom."

"Me?" Ruan Suxian pointed at herself. "I can take the copilot seat today?"

"Go ahead and sit in it. With Senior Brother Yu here keeping watch, you don't have to worry." Having already unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up, Captain Fan added, "I'll be right back."

Ruan Suxian slid into the copilot seat, fastened her harness, and cautiously stroked the instrument panel before her.

Once autopilot engaged, the cockpit grew considerably more relaxed, and the captain and copilot generally exchanged a few casual remarks.

Donning his oxygen mask, Copilot Yu chuckled, "The way you're looking at that instrument panel reminds me of how my girlfriend looks at designer handbags."

Ruan Suxian instantly pulled her hands back.

"I've only ever sat in the simulator cockpit before; this is my first time in the real deal, so I'm a bit hyped. Don't make fun of me, Senior Brother."

"I'm not making fun of you." Copilot Yu lifted his chin. "Want anything to drink?"

Ruan Suxian nodded, whereupon Copilot Yu keyed the PA system and summoned Jiang Ziyue.

Pushing open the cockpit door, she asked, "Is something needed?"

"I'll take a glass of mineral water." Copilot Yu turned to Ruan Suxian. "And you?"

With her mind entirely absorbed by the instrument panel, Ruan Suxian didn't even turn her head. "I'll have a cup of coffee."

Glancing at Ruan Suxian's back, Jiang Ziyue frowned, pressed her lips together, and walked out.

A few minutes later, she returned carrying a tray.

"Copilot Yu, your mineral water."

Then turning her gaze toward Ruan Suxian, she parted her lips, momentarily blanking on what to call her: "Your coffee."

Taking the cup, Ruan Suxian murmured a "thank you," took a small sip, and immediately turned back around. "Too hot. Get me another one."

Startled for a second, Jiang Ziyue reached out, took the cup back without a word, and turned right around to leave.

Shortly afterward, she entered again carrying a fresh cup of coffee.

Remaining silent, Ruan Suxian took the coffee from her hand, tested a sip, and smiled. "This one's right. Thanks a lot."

Jiang Ziyue flashed a stiff smile and turned to leave.

"Why does she feel a bit weird?" Copilot Yu rubbed his chin. "Did some passenger give her a hard time?"

"Who knows." Ruan Suxian set her coffee down and let the subject drop.

Captain Fan returned within ten minutes, carrying three small cakes.

"Today's commemorative cakes. I happened to grab three of them, so we each get one."

After handing them out one by one to Copilot Yu and Ruan Suxian, he remarked, "There are so many media people in the cabin, it's awfully lively back there."

Ruan Suxian showed no particular interest upon hearing this. "I'm going to use the washroom."

Treading softly, she opened the cockpit door. The cabin crew were pushing carts down the aisle distributing cakes in a bustling display, and no one paid her any mind.

A few minutes later, as Ruan Suxian pushed open the washroom door, she was startled to find Fu Mingyu standing right outside.

He had shed his outer jacket, leaving only a smoke-gray dress shirt. Standing straight and tall with a slender, commanding frame, he was quite an eye-catching sight.

Still, having any man appear directly outside the washroom the second you stepped out was rather peculiar.

Clutching the edge of the door, Ruan Suxian stayed put inside.

Fu Mingyu looked right back at her, the emotions shifting subtly within his gaze in silence.

"More trouble?"

Ruan Suxian asked.

That word "more" grated on Fu Mingyu's nerves, leaving him deeply irritated, yet the person in question was standing right there inside the washroom staring at him as if he were some kind of freak.

If he hadn't caught a glimpse of her figure moving through the crowd earlier, why on earth would he have stood around the washroom door like a fool waiting to ambush her?

"Get out here."

Fu Mingyu said in a deep voice, his tone uncharacteristically urgent.

Ruan Suxian looked him up and down twice, her brow furrowing deeply.

"In such a rush? President Fu, is your kidney function acting up?"

"..."

Impossible to deal with.