Fang Hongda received not only Chen Yang and Yang Liuyi, but also Lieutenant Colonel Hao Shaobin of the People's Liberation Army, who bravely fought off hijackers, and representatives of the flight crew. The meeting took place in the reception room of the Hilton Hotel. Besides Fang Hongda, other leaders present included Major General Liu Guoqiang, Chief of Staff of the A Group Army, the Vice Governor in charge of public security, and the Director of the State Security Bureau.
These leaders highly praised Chen Yang's performance, exclaiming "remarkable!" Chen Yang deserved these compliments; on this night, he had accomplished a feat unprecedented in the history of aviation—if not for his past life's experiences. Fang Hongda and Liu Guoqiang, in particular, whose children were on the plane, would have undoubtedly suffered the unbearable pain of losing their parents' children without Chen Yang's help. Therefore, they were especially kind to Chen Yang, expressing their gratitude and offering words of encouragement.
Fang Hongda kept his promise to host a celebratory banquet. In a luxurious private room at the Hilton Hotel, he personally funded a feast to entertain the heroes he had met. Chen Yang was naturally seated to Fang Hongda's right, the main guest of honor, and became the primary recipient of toasts. However, the banquet was short-lived, as everyone had already eaten dinner, and both the leaders and Chen Yang's group had much work to do afterward; the aftermath of the hijacking incident was only just beginning.
Chen Yang checked into the Haitian Hotel, arranged by Luda Airlines, at 1:00 AM. After a brief meeting with the provincial leaders, Chen Yang, accompanied by a vice president from the airline who had been dispatched to Fuzhou that night, gave a statement at the Hilton Hotel, detailing the incident to the security department. After all this was completed, the airline specially arranged a luxury suite for Chen Yang at their partner hotel, the Haitian Hotel.
On the way to the hotel, news came from the hospital. According to the doctor's examination, the co-pilot's neck injury was serious and he was still in critical condition. Captain Gu Xinmin was luckier; he was shot in the abdomen, but miraculously, no internal organs were damaged, only excessive blood loss. Upon hearing this, Chen Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least the captain was not in mortal danger, and the co-pilot was being treated; this was a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune.
The next morning at nine o'clock, in the conference room of the Haitian Hotel.
A coordination meeting regarding the aftermath of the hijacking of Luda Airlines flight NG8773 was being held. The meeting was chaired by Lu Tianming, the airline's deputy general manager, and attended by the emergency response team composed of relevant department heads, as well as the crew members of flight NG8773. Chen Yang, a key figure in the hijacking incident, was also present.
Chen Yang was invited to the conference room by someone from Lu Tianming in the latter half of the meeting. As soon as he sat down, Lu Tianming smiled and said to Chen Yang,
"Xiao Fang, we were just having a meeting to discuss how to handle this incident. We needed your input on a few points, so we invited you here. I'm sorry to disturb your rest!"
Chen Yang replied,
"Mr. Lu, you're too kind. Please let me know if there's anything I can help you with!"
Chen Yang knew this matter was far-reaching, and as one of the key parties involved, he couldn't remain uninvolved. He would even be involved in many of the airline's follow-up actions.
Lu Tianming nodded and said,
"Here's the thing, Xiao Fang. The first thing is the press conference. The company plans to hold a press conference tomorrow morning to release some details about this incident. We've drafted a press release; please take a look and see if there are any issues. Also, as a key figure in successfully handling this hijacking incident, we hope you can attend the press conference in person."
Lu Tianming paused, took a sip of water, and continued,
"As for the second thing, at the press conference we will announce the reward plan for those who have contributed, and of course, most importantly, the company's reward plan for you. So we also need to solicit your opinion first. The company held a board meeting last night, and the preliminary…" The awards were as follows: Captain Gu Xinmin, First Officer Liu Yuhong, First Class Flight Attendant Yang Liuyi, and Lieutenant Colonel Hao Shaobin, a military officer who participated in preventing the hijacking, were each awarded 800,000 RMB, a property worth 2 million RMB, and an Audi A6 sedan; the remaining crew members were awarded 500,000 RMB, a property worth 1 million RMB, and an Audi A5 sedan. Lieutenant Colonel Hao had already returned to his unit due to urgent military duties. We communicated by phone, and he had no objection to the award plan.
Hao Shaobin was carrying top-secret documents and had almost caused the Air Force to shoot down the passenger plane with fighter jets, so he couldn't stay in a hotel anymore, as the military also had a lot of follow-up work to do. After the meeting last night, he was directly picked up by a special car.
Lu Tianming paused, then continued:
"For you, Xiao Fang, our preliminary reward plan is as follows: a cash reward of 1 million Chinese yuan, plus a villa worth 5 million yuan, and an Audi Q7 SUV. Furthermore, we have decided to award you and Lieutenant Colonel Hao Shaobin the title of lifetime VIPs of Luda Airlines, meaning all your future flights with our company will be free. Xiao Fang, what do you think of this reward plan?"
After explaining the reward plan, Lu Tianming looked at Chen Yang, awaiting his reply.
Lu Tianming was confident that Chen Yang would have no objections to the reward plan. According to past practice, airlines would heavily reward crew members after successfully handling similar major emergencies. After all, the value of an aircraft was secondary; there were over two hundred lives on board! In the event of a catastrophic accident with loss of life, the tangible and intangible losses to the airline would be incalculable. This time, the averted disaster was almost entirely due to Chen Yang's personal efforts, therefore his reward was much higher than that of ordinary crew members. Chen Yang hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"President Lu, your reward plan is very comprehensive. I have no objections, and please convey my gratitude to your company!"
Regarding the material reward, Chen Yang didn't politely decline. On one hand, he felt his contributions fully deserved the reward; on the other hand, the reward plan also included the crew members. If he didn't accept the plan, how could the other crew members accept the reward?
Besides, the airline wasn't short of money, and Chen Yang had no need to save money for them.
Hearing Chen Yang's words, Lu Tianming secretly breathed a sigh of relief—Chen Yang's contribution was too great; if he made any other requests, the company would definitely consider them.
"This young man is quite pragmatic and won't be greedy," Lu Tianming nodded inwardly.
However, Chen Yang continued:
"I won't attend the press conference. Also, I hope your company will keep my identity confidential when reporting on the incident."
"Why?" Lu Tianming was surprised by Chen Yang's request. By appearing at the press conference, Chen Yang would instantly become famous, a hero in the public eye, and the Civil Aviation Administration of China would certainly offer corresponding rewards. It was a golden opportunity for both fame and fortune; how could he possibly refuse?
Yang Liuyi, also in the conference room, looked at Chen Yang with a puzzled expression. Seeing her beautiful eyes meet his, Chen Yang smiled faintly and said,
"There's no particular reason. I've already recounted the events in detail, and there's corroboration from other crew members. I think there's no need for me to attend this press conference. Furthermore, I don't want my future life to be disturbed. Therefore, I hope Mr. Lu can agree to my request to keep my identity confidential."
Lu Tianming thought for a moment and nodded, saying,
"Xiao Fang, you can keep a low profile if you want. Here's the arrangement: we'll process the press release. The detailed events will definitely be disclosed to the public, but we will keep your identity confidential. At the same time, I will instruct my colleagues involved in handling the incident not to reveal your identity."
This arrangement was simple. The military had previously made similar requests, and Hao Shaobin's identity naturally needed to be kept highly confidential, so Lu Tianming readily agreed.
Chen Yang nodded with satisfaction and said,
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Lu!"
Lu Tianming smiled and said with emotion,
"Xiao Fang! It's rare to see someone so humble! Young people like you are scarce these days!"
Chen Yang smiled faintly,
"Mr. Lu, you flatter me. I just dislike trouble. I'm naturally lazy and just want to live a simple life!"
Lu Tianming laughed heartily,
"Simplicity is true happiness! How many people still don't understand this truth even in their old age!"
Lu Tianming found himself increasingly admiring this young man before him. He was courageous, resourceful, responsible, and had a calm and clear mind, not blinded by sudden fame, applause, or honor—all highly valuable qualities.
...
On the afternoon of June 25, 2010, Luda Airlines held a press conference at the Haitian Hotel in Fuzhou City to inform invited media reporters about the shocking "June 23 hijacking incident." The airline's press release stated:
"On June 23, 2010, flight NG8773 from Fuzhou to Jinan took off on time at 18:30. At 18:55, five hijackers violently hijacked the aircraft. With the combined efforts of the crew and passengers, four hijackers were killed and one was subdued. With the captain and first officer both seriously injured and unable to fly, a passenger stepped forward and, with the technical support of ground control and Captain Yuan Fang of Luzhou Airlines, piloted the aircraft safely back to Fuzhou Airport and successfully made an emergency landing. The hijacking resulted in serious injuries to two crew members. Apart from three passengers who sustained minor injuries during the emergency evacuation after landing, there were no passenger casualties. Investigations by relevant departments revealed that these hijackers had committed multiple crimes domestically and were all Class A wanted criminals by the Ministry of Public Security. This hijacking was intended to seek asylum in Bello. Furthermore, there is no evidence to suggest that this hijacking was related to any terrorist organization."
This news immediately caused a huge stir. The attending media focused their attention on the passenger whose name hadn't been mentioned in the press release—a lone hero from an American blockbuster, bravely fighting off criminals and making an emergency landing! It was a major news story!
A young female reporter with short, neat hair, dressed in a beige business suit, stood up and asked:
"Hello, host, I'm Ning Mei from Rongcheng Evening News. Could you provide information on the identity of this passenger who made the emergency landing?"
The host, Lu Tianming, gave a very official reply:
"I'm sorry, reporter. This passenger wishes to remain anonymous, so I cannot answer that question. Please refrain from asking similar questions from other media outlets."
Undeterred, Ning Mei took out an iPad and showed a photo, saying:
"This is a photo I took at Rongcheng Airport at 8 PM the night before last, in the VIP lane. One of the people in the photo is the flight attendant attending today's press conference. Host, is the person in the t-shirt in the photo the passenger who made the emergency landing?"