Blossom through the Cloud - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Ruan Sixian's raised hand remained frozen in mid-air, her mind reeling for a long moment amidst a chaotic tangle of emotions.

There was shock, horror, guilt, and even a faint trace of... heartache.

The sound of that slap wasn't overwhelmingly loud, but it immediately drew the attention of nearby patrons, who turned their heads one after another to look over.

Then, in rapid succession, nearly everyone in the bar turned to watch, whispering among themselves with a deeply enthusiastic appetite for gossip.

Recovering from this dramatic upheaval, Bian Xuan happened to have some ice cubes close at hand; she quickly wrapped them in a dish towel and rushed out to hand them to Ruan Sixian.

With her heart still pounding heavily, Ruan Sixian saw Bian Xuan's action and didn't think much of it, automatically reaching out to help apply the ice pack to Fu Mingyu's cheek.

However, he tilted his head away, dodging the ice, and gazed straight into Ruan Sixian's eyes.

"Have you vented your anger?"

Hearing Fu Mingyu ask this for the second time, the explanation that had already risen to the tip of Ruan Sixian's tongue was swallowed back down.

The tip of her tongue pressed against her lower jaw. After a brief silence, she nodded and said, "Mhm, I've vented it."

"Good, we're even now." Without any superfluous words or even an extra glance, Fu Mingyu turned around and walked straight out.

Bian Xuan hadn't quite grasped the trajectory of this development.

"Wait, why didn't you just explain it to him? You didn't mean to hit him, it was a complete misunderstanding! What on earth are you doing? He's your boss!"

Amidst Bian Xuan's nonstop nagging, Ruan Sixian kept her eyes fixed on Fu Mingyu's retreating back.

Only after the door clicked shut did Ruan Sixian say, "If I explained to him that I hit the wrong person and didn't mean to strike him, then what? The two of us would never hear the end of it."

Bian Xuan nodded with a look of half-understanding. "So since you owned up to it, this whole business is completely over and done with?"

"Right."

It was only at this moment that Ruan Sixian understood why Fu Mingyu's attitude toward her had suddenly shifted earlier—he must have found out about that past incident.

It was just that, accustomed to his own arrogance, he had probably never considered offering her a proper apology.

Yet all his indulgence toward her over these past few days could actually be counted as a special kind of apology.

Besides, she realized she wasn't mad anymore anyway, but since the matter lacked a neat, definitive conclusion, rather than letting it drag on ambiguously, it was better to use this slap as a clean break. Whatever happened in the past was now completely turned over and put behind them.

"Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, it's over."

Having spent a long time trying and failing to figure out what she meant, Bian Xuan checked the time and waved her hands to shoo her away. "Fine, fine, hurry back and get some rest. Don't you have a flight tomorrow?"

Ruan Sixian was indeed exhausted, so she picked up her bag and prepared to head home.

The moment she pushed the door open, however, she saw Fu Mingyu still standing by the roadside.

His driver had already taken Zheng You'an home, and at this late hour, he couldn't be bothered to call anyone else to come pick him up.

He raised his gaze to watch the distant flow of traffic. From Ruan Sixian's angle, under the dim and shifting lights, the palm print on his face was startlingly clear.

"..."

Is my slap really that devastating?

Since there was only one designated spot to wait for cabs here, Ruan Sixian had no choice but to walk over and stand there as well.

Sensing another person step beside him, Fu Mingyu turned his head for a brief glance. Their eyes met, but neither seemed to know what to say, so they tacitly looked away again.

A wave of awkwardness instantly and completely enveloped them both.

The midsummer night was heavy with heat, and the evening breeze carried a scorching warmth. Standing out in the open air for just this brief moment, Ruan Sixian felt sweat starting to break out across her skin.

Fortunately, a taxi finally pulled up.

The driver stopped right in front of the two of them, leaned over, and asked, "Need a cab?"

Fu Mingyu turned his head and said, "You first?"

Ruan Sixian: "You go ahead."

Even as she spoke, her gaze kept drifting toward Fu Mingyu's face.

Fu Mingyu averted his gaze, refusing to let her look.

"You go first."

"No, you go ahead. I can wait a bit longer."

One person had delivered a slap, and the other had taken it, yet here they were exchanging polite deferrals—truly a surreal sight.

After a couple of back-and-forths, Fu Mingyu nodded with a placid expression, pulled open the door, and got into the car.

"Mingchen Apartments."

The driver acknowledged the destination, then turned back out the window. "Beauty, where are you headed? Is Mingchen Apartments on the way?"

Ruan Sixian figured Fu Mingyu probably didn't want to lay eyes on her right now, so she shook her head and said, "You guys go ahead, I'll wait for another cab."

The driver uttered an "oh," and just as he was about to press down on the gas pedal, Fu Mingyu looked out through the car window from afar.

After holding her gaze for a couple of seconds, he spoke up. "Come on, let's ride together."

His voice was very soft, almost a breathy whisper tinged with exhaustion, and Ruan Sixian caught it mostly by reading his lips.

"Okay."

The entire ride passed in silence. Even after returning to the apartment building and stepping into the elevator, the two of them exchanged no conversation; the enclosed space felt even more awkward than the taxi.

Yet as they stood side by side facing the elevator doors, Ruan Sixian couldn't help but catch another reflection of Fu Mingyu's face in the mirrored walls.

Is this guy's skin perhaps just a bit too fair? That handprint looks downright vivid—

Back inside her apartment, tired and famished, Ruan Sixian kicked off her shoes and headed straight for the bathroom.

Just as she was about to strip off her clothes for a shower, her eyes caught sight of a bottle of serum sitting on the vanity.

It was the facial serum she always loved using, specifically formulated for skin repair with remarkably clear results.

After a moment's thought, she picked up the bottle and walked back out, grabbing a bucket of ice cubes from the kitchen along the way.

However, once she reached the elevator doors outside, she remembered that while she had watched him press the button for the 16th floor earlier, she had no idea which specific apartment unit was his.

She sent a direct message to Fu Mingyu.

[Ruan Sixian]: What's your unit number?

After waiting a few minutes, she received no reply.

Ruan Sixian then asked Bai Yang, quickly obtaining the answer.

Two minutes later, she pressed the doorbell of unit 1601.

The hallway was dead silent. Ruan Sixian stared down at the tips of her shoes, her mind drifting back to the handprint on Fu Mingyu's face.

Considering how arrogant he was, if he saw it was her on the security monitor, he might not even open the door.

Hardly had that thought formed when the door before her clicked open.

Fu Mingyu had already changed into a set of loose, casual clothing. Standing in the doorway, he took in the items in Ruan Sixian's hands, and when his gaze shifted back to her face, a complex, hard-to-describe emotion flickered in his eyes.

"Visiting me, your injured patient?"

"..."

Without denying it, Ruan Sixian handed the items directly to him. "Here, put an ice pack on it. It'll look a lot better by tomorrow."

As for the ice cubes, Fu Mingyu ignored them, looking instead at her other hand. "What's that?"

"Repair serum. It works wonders."

Fu Mingyu twitched the corner of his mouth, took the ice bucket from her hand, and said flatly, "I don't need that."

He then turned and walked back inside. The door remained ajar, so Ruan Sixian followed him in, chiming in, "It really works, I've tested it myself!"

Fu Mingyu paused his steps, turned back to look at her, and frowned. "Do you get beaten up often?"

Ruan Sixian: "…No! Back when we flew certain routes with severe high-altitude radiation, my face would always flush red."

Fu Mingyu set the ice bucket straight onto the coffee table, sat down on the sofa, and leaned loosely against the soft cushions with a blank expression.

"Then apply it for me."

After freezing for just a fleeting second, Ruan Sixian walked right over to the sofa and sat down beside Fu Mingyu.

Seeing her draw close with such nonchalant ease, Fu Mingyu felt a sudden wave of self-consciousness instead.

He pressed his lips tightly together and turned his face away.

Fussing with the bottle on her own, Ruan Sixian squeezed a dollop of thick liquid into her palm, dipped the index finger of her other hand into it, and gently smeared it toward his face.

Yet the moment her fingertips made contact with his skin, Ruan Sixian's movements stuttered for a fraction of a second.

With a handprint that prominent, it probably wouldn't vanish completely anytime soon. As a director, how on earth was he supposed to face people tomorrow?

Sensing her hesitation, Fu Mingyu turned his head to look at her, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"What, feeling a pang of heartache?"

What is wrong with this guy?

"Not at all," Ruan Sixian said immediately. "I was just wondering—I don't even have a broken-palmed crease, how on earth did I manage to hit with so much force?"

Fu Mingyu let out a soft huff from his nose.

Ruan Sixian dipped her finger for a bit more serum, carefully smoothing it across his cheekbone, dot by dot, spot by spot.

The rising and falling chorus of summer insects droned on outside, slipping through the window and blending with Fu Mingyu's breathing as it drifted into Ruan Sixian's ears.

She applied pressure with extreme gentleness—so light it felt almost like tickling. After enduring it for a couple of minutes, Fu Mingyu finally couldn't take it anymore and frowned.

"Am I pressing too hard?"

Fu Mingyu pondered for a moment. "No, keep going."

Ruan Sixian uttered an "oh," but her touch grew even lighter than before.

Fu Mingyu's brow remained furrowed, and his breathing gradually grew a bit heavier.

Seeing this, Ruan Sixian made her movements lighter still, and then lighter yet.

Finally, unable to bear it a moment longer, Fu Mingyu spoke up. "Are you applying medicine or just stroking me?"

Ruan Sixian: "..."

She suddenly poked his face a little more firmly. "What do you think?"

Letting out a sharp hiss, Fu Mingyu gritted his teeth as he glared at Ruan Sixian. "Are you even a woman?"

"If I were a man, one slap like that might have killed you."

Fu Mingyu let out a sudden chuckle, leaned in close to her, and said in a low voice, "If you were a man, would I tolerate you like this?"

In that split second, the distance between them narrowed to almost nothing. She could clearly hear his breathing and see her own reflection mirrored in his pupils.

Hearing his husky voice rolling that word "tolerate" over his tongue and murmuring it right beside her ear, the sensation lingered long after.

Ruan Sixian felt as though he wasn't trying to claim he was being a gentleman; rather, he was simply stating a factual reality between the two of them—just regarding her, and her alone.

She had no way to refute his words because they were indeed the truth, yet she had no idea how to respond either.

Fortunately, her stomach rescued her from the predicament.

—Timely emitting two distinct rumbling growls. -

Early the next morning, Ruan Sixian set out on an early flight and flew back by the afternoon. When she returned home, she ran into a few colleagues near the entrance. As they chatted idly, she learned that today's Flight Operations Department monthly routine meeting had actually been postponed for unknown reasons—though it apparently stemmed from an arrangement by Fu Mingyu.

Hearing that, Ruan Sixian subconsciously glanced down at the palm of her hand.

Seriously, I really don't have a broken-palmed crease.

Another day passed, and Ruan Sixian heard once more that this month's Dispatch Department routine meeting had also been canceled.

She froze for a moment when she heard the news.

No way? Fu Mingyu's face is that delicate? It still hasn't healed?

It wasn't until the morning of the third day, as she walked out after finishing the pre-flight briefing and caught a distant glimpse of Fu Mingyu's back, that she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Looks like it's all healed up now.

For this flight, she was paired with Captain Fan again. After the meeting, she headed to the cafeteria with the cabin crew for breakfast.

At the table, after some casual small talk, Ruan Sixian mentioned that she had been scheduled for an instructor-supervised training flight next week.

After transitioning to a first officer, to accumulate flight experience, the company would arrange for flight instructors to supervise them based on flight schedules.

When that happened, Ruan Sixian would occupy the pilot's seat to fly, while the flight instructor sat alongside her, monitoring, guiding, and ensuring the safety of the entire flight throughout.

She had been assigned instructor-supervised flights before, so she wasn't particularly thrilled this time, just mentioning it in passing.

Captain Fan asked casually as well, "Flying where?"

"Lincheng," Ruan Sixian replied. "I'm quite familiar with that route."

"Familiarity is one thing, but having an instructor sitting right beside you is still a different story."

Even though Captain Fan had been a captain for twenty years, he would still feel nervous if he occasionally ran into an instructor conducting spot checks, or if an instructor temporarily hitched a ride on his flight for convenience.

"Have you checked which instructor is assigned this time? Let me see if I know him. If I do, I can ask him to take good care of you."

Ruan Sixian tried to recall. "I don't quite remember his full name, but his surname is He?"

Captain Fan opened his mouth, mulling it over. "Helan Feng?"

"Ah right, that's the name."

"Him?" Captain Fan looked astonished, dropping his chopsticks directly onto the table. "You're sure it's him?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"Then your luck is through the roof." Captain Fan said, "This instructor is no ordinary man. An Air Force veteran with an exceptional track record, he joined Century Airlines after retiring. Back when Century Airlines was just building its fleet, he was a huge deal—our very first chief captain. His technical skills were something few people could ever hope to match. I remember one year, because of an air traffic control error, the plane he was piloting nearly collided with another Airbus 320 in mid-air. Even the air traffic controller actually passed out from fright back then—truly passed out cold—yet he somehow managed to turn the situation around and avert a mid-air disaster. He even received commendations from the Civil Aviation Administration for it."

As Captain Fan launched into the story, everyone at the table perked up their ears to listen.

"And what makes this old senior truly legendary is that whatever he turns his hand to, he excels at it. When he later transitioned to being an instructor, his training outcomes were in a league of their own." Captain Fan sighed mid-sentence. "However, his daughter got sick later on, and he wanted to spend more time at home taking care of her, so flying with him became exceedingly rare. Besides, back then, whoever got assigned to his training flights would show it off everywhere. Furthermore, four or five years ago, I heard he was recruited to go abroad to serve as an instructor for flight cadets. I honestly thought he'd never show up again—how on earth did he suddenly pop back up to lead a training flight..."

Initially, Ruan Sixian's excitement had already worn off, but hearing Captain Fan put it like this reignited her enthusiasm entirely, leaving her completely unconcerned by his puzzlement.

"Was that the near-collision in '07? I read about it in the news! So that was him all along!"

"Mhm." Seeing the eager anticipation shining in Ruan Sixian's eyes, Captain Fan lowered his voice and added, "Keep in mind, though, he's also notoriously strict. Once, when supervising a first officer who didn't fly well, he sent the guy straight back to fly pattern circuits at the home base."

Flying home base pattern circuits was another method of supervised training, but instead of operating actual commercial flights, trainees would repeatedly practice takeoffs and landings in empty aircraft at the airport.

No first officer ever wanted to suffer through that, because it was a glaring sign that your technical skills weren't up to par.

A junior flight attendant sitting nearby clicked her tongue twice. "Instructors have that kind of authority?"

"Leaving aside whether instructors have that kind of authority," Captain Fan chuckled, lowering his voice further, "do you even know who he is? He's President Fu's uncle, the Chairman's brother-in-law. Relegating a captain back down to a first officer is literally just a matter of a single sentence for him."

With that, he turned back to look at Ruan Sixian. "So your luck is great, sure, but you also have to be very careful. He's fiercely strict. If you make any rookie mistakes, watch out—you might just end up flying pattern circuits yourself."

Ruan Sixian nodded repeatedly. "I'll definitely be on my best behavior."

Because of this news, Ruan Sixian remained in high spirits all day. When she pulled her flight case behind her on her way home after the afternoon return flight, she even hummed a tune while waiting for the elevator.

"I want to fly higher~ fly higher~ dancing like a fierce gale~ breaking free from the embrace~ I want to fly higher~ fly higher..."

Yet the moment the elevator doors slid open, Ruan Sixian's ethereal singing abruptly cut off.

Fu Mingyu was standing inside holding a bag of medicine, wearing a face mask, and looking at her with a lazy expression.

"Did air traffic control give you clearance to fly higher?"

Ruan Sixian: "..."

She silently stepped inside, standing shoulder to shoulder with Fu Mingyu as the two of them remained quiet.

As the elevator slowly ascended, Ruan Sixian glanced twice at Fu Mingyu's face mask, then down at the bag of medicine in his hand, and asked, "Catch a cold?"

Lowering his gaze to look at her without a word, Fu Mingyu simply reached up and peeled off his mask.

"Do you think it's quite a thrill for me to go into meetings and face my subordinates and employees looking like this?"

Ruan Sixian: "..."

No way, three days had passed, and Fu Mingyu still had a faint outline left on his face.

Her fifty-kilo arm presses really hadn't been in vain, and those pull-ups definitely hadn't gone to waste either.

Studying his face for a moment, Ruan Sixian pondered briefly before asking in a low voice, "Does it hurt a lot?"

With a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Fu Mingyu said, "It hurts. It hurts so much I'll never forget you for the rest of my life."