As soon as Ning Mei finished speaking, the media present erupted in an uproar. Many reporters crowded around, and some photographers, more astute, raised their cameras and microphones at the iPad in Ning Mei's hand.
Although young, Ning Mei was very experienced. After showing Lu Tianming the photo, she deftly closed the iPad and said skillfully,
"I'm sorry, this is exclusive news material from our Rongcheng Evening News."
Actually, Ning Mei had been picking up a friend at the airport on the night of the hijacking. She saw Chen Yang and the crew following the special police out of the VIP channel, and Chen Yang was covered in blood. Although she didn't know what had happened at the time, her keen news sense made her pick up her iPad and take this valuable photo. Of course, she only captured Chen Yang's back.
Lu Tianming recognized the photo; it was indeed a scene of Chen Yang and the crew walking out of the channel. But all he could say to Ning Mei was, "I'm sorry, no comment."
Ning Mei had already gotten the answer from Lu Tianming's expression. She shrugged nonchalantly, sat down, and didn't ask any more questions.
On the morning of June 26th, major media outlets across the country published news of the "June 23rd hijacking incident" on their front pages. "Hijackers are vicious, but a mysterious passenger saves the day"
"Both pilots are incapacitated, but a heroic passenger makes an emergency landing"
"Airline offers a ten-million-yuan reward to the passenger and crew who made the emergency landing"
...
That day, the Rongcheng Evening News broke with its usual afternoon publication schedule, and the latest issue arrived at newsstands early in the morning. The front page featured an article by intern reporter Ning Mei: "A Lone Hero at 30,000 Feet," accompanied by a precious photograph taken by Ning Mei, with the note: "Exclusive copyright of this newspaper. No media may reproduce this article without permission."
Because of this report, the Rongcheng Evening News's sales tripled on the 26th.
While the entire nation was searching for this mysterious lone hero, Chen Yang, dressed casually, was walking side-by-side with Yang Liuyi in the Luhang Garden residential area on the northern outskirts of Rongcheng City.
This is the residential area of Luhu Airlines' Rongcheng base, nestled against mountains and beside water, boasting beautiful scenery and adjacent to Rongcheng Metro Line 1. The Luhu Garden complex has two types of apartments: employee apartments, essentially company dormitories, where employees can live for free but without property rights; and "internal housing" purchased by senior employees and management, generally at significantly lower prices than market value. The villa awarded to Chen Yang by Luhu Airlines and the house for Yang Liuyi are both located in this complex.
Yang Liuyi's house is in her former employee apartment. The company awarded her a duplex on the top floor; she only needs to move her belongings there at a certain time, and the company will handle the property transfer.
Today, Yang Liuyi accompanied Chen Yang specifically to receive the villa.
The two walked side-by-side in the tranquil complex. Their shared hardships created a natural sense of closeness. After yesterday's meeting, they chatted for a long time and exchanged contact information.
Today, Yang Liuyi was also dressed in a light yellow Adidas casual outfit. Her high bun, which she usually wore for work, was now a playful ponytail. While she lacked the elegant sophistication of her flight attendant uniform, she possessed a different kind of alluring charm, brimming with youthful vitality.
She chatted incessantly beside Chen Yang, in a very good mood. Although Chen Yang was younger than her, the experiences on the plane the previous night had instilled a slight dependence on him in Yang Liuyi. She still vividly remembered his calm profile in the cockpit, and just thinking about it gave her a sense of security. Therefore, in Chen Yang's presence, Yang Liuyi was like a little girl. The two chatted as they walked towards the villa area.
The villa complex was located at the innermost part of the community. Yang Liuyi was a long-time resident, and she easily led Chen Yang to the villa that had been awarded to her by the company.
It was a detached villa, situated on the elegant shore of the artificial lake within the community. Because these were all internal residences prepared for company leaders, the buildings were spaced very far apart, offering excellent views. From the outside, the villa appears to be four stories high, with a large green space of over 100 square meters in the front yard. A brand-new Audi Q7 SUV is parked quietly in a parking space in front of the green space.
A young man in a suit and shiny leather shoes saw Chen Yang and his companion and quickly walked over, smiling broadly from afar, saying:
"Mr. Fang! Hello, I'm Xiao Fan from the public relations department of Luda Airlines. We met at the meeting yesterday."
Chen Yang shook hands with Xiao Fan and said:
"Hello! Thank you for your hard work!"
"Not at all! Not at all!" Xiao Fan quickly replied. He nodded to Yang Liuyi and then continued, "Mr. Fang, let me show you around the house first!"
Chen Yang nodded and said:
"Okay, thank you!"
Three Stepping into the villa's courtyard, Xiao Fan first pulled out a set of car keys, handed them to Chen Yang, and then pointed to the black Audi Q7, saying,
"Mr. Fang, this is an Audi Q7 SUV that the company is awarding you. It's an imported top-of-the-line model with a 6.0T engine. The paperwork is being processed, and I'll deliver it to your home once it's done!"
Chen Yang took the keys and nodded, saying,
"Thank you!"
Chen Yang felt the airline was quite generous. The reward plan only mentioned an Audi Q7 SUV, and depending on the configuration, the price ranges from over 800,000 to over 2 million yuan. The car the airline gave Chen Yang was the 6.0T flagship version, with a market price of 2.57 million Chinese yuan—definitely a luxury car. Xiao Fan led Chen Yang and his companion, explaining as they walked:
"This villa is an internal residence prepared by the company for senior management. There are three units in total in the Luhang residential complex in Rongcheng, all with the same layout. The usable area reaches 835 square meters."
At this moment, Yang Liuyi said:
"Chen Yang, I heard that the internal purchase price of this villa is over five million yuan. If it's sold at market price, it's probably over ten million!"
Chen Yang nodded and said with a smile:
"Sister Liuyi, this shows that your airline is really rich!"
Yang Liuyi smiled slightly but didn't respond. Xiao Fan stepped forward to the door, swiped his access card, and the door opened immediately. He continued, "Mr. Fang, I'll hand over the access card and remote control to you shortly. You can also set up fingerprint recognition on the door."
Chen Yang nodded. Xiao Fan led Chen Yang and his companion into the villa and continued his introduction:
"The villa features a unique sunken courtyard design. The building has four floors above ground and one below. It includes a garage that can hold two cars. The front yard boasts a 108-square-meter lawn and four parking spaces. The backyard is a 60-square-meter..." The garden spans several square meters. The living room features a high ceiling, reaching six meters. A small swimming pool has been built on the third-floor balcony. The villa has a total of ten bedrooms and an internal elevator. The house is fully furnished; Mr. Fang, you can move in immediately. By the way, we've designed the basement as a game and leisure area, with a pool table, indoor golf, and some fitness equipment, etc.."
Xiao Fan paused, then continued:
"Mr. Fang, please take a look. If there's anything that needs improvement, please let me know."
Chen Yang stood in the spacious living room and looked around. He noticed the house's high-end decor; the leather sofa in the living room alone was estimated to cost over 100,000 yuan. He said,
"It's already very good, nothing needs to be changed! Thank you, Xiao Fan, and please convey my gratitude to your company leaders. Your arrangements are excellent!"
Xiao Fan quickly replied,
"You're too kind! This is all part of my job… Mr. Fang, I won't bother you any longer! I'll contact you again after the property transfer is completed!"
Chen Yang said,
"Okay, thank you for your help!"
Xiao Fan handed Chen Yang the house keys, access card, remote control, etc., and then helped Chen Yang set up fingerprint and facial recognition on the electronic door lock. After a brief handover, he politely took his leave. The actual transfer would take time; Chen Yang could leave it to the company to handle.
"Chen Yang, this house is so luxurious! Nestled against the mountains and beside the lake, the environment is beautiful, and it even has a private swimming pool!" Yang Liuyi said enviously after touring the villa.
"Most importantly, I have tons of beautiful flight attendant neighbors!" Chen Yang replied with a grin. "You can run into several flight attendants just by going for a stroll; it's practically a paradise for otaku!"
Yang Liuyi gave Chen Yang a charmingly flirtatious look and chuckled:
"I didn't realize, little Yang, you're such a seemingly honest guy, but inside... well, you know!"
At this point, Yang Liuyi blushed slightly and smiled, a little embarrassed to say the word "****".
Chen Yang couldn't resist his flirtatious nature again and said casually:
"What's wrong with that! Everyone has a good desire to pursue beautiful things, and I'm no exception! For example, being with the beautiful Sister Liuyi makes me feel especially happy!"
Yang Liuyi spat under her breath, glanced at Chen Yang, and said with feigned reproach:
"You smooth talker!"
"By the way, Sister Liuyi, you should be able to rest for a while now, right? Flying around all day must be tiring!" Chen Yang asked casually.
"Isn't that right? Don't be fooled by their glamorous appearance; they're just cabin crew, essentially the same as restaurant and hotel staff. They also have to endure the intense radiation at high altitudes, which quickly roughens their skin..." Yang Liuyi complained. "And they say there's a shortage of flight attendants. We don't participate in flight operations, so we don't need much of a mental adjustment period. I was scheduled for this evening, and it's a flight to Sanya! It's practically exploiting our labor!"
"NG8333?" Chen Yang exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Liuyi, we..." "What a coincidence! I'm flying to Sanya on this same flight tonight!"
"You're a passenger enjoying top service, a lifetime VIP! I'm just a poor waiter, okay? How can we be the same?" Yang Liuyi pouted, then glanced up at the time displayed on the Hecas wall clock and exclaimed,
"Oh dear! It's already twelve o'clock! I should go back and cook; Huanhuan hasn't had lunch yet!"
With that, without waiting for Chen Yang to react, she rushed out of the villa, leaving Chen Yang standing dumbfounded in the living room.
Gazing at the elegant lake not far away, Chen Yang muttered to himself:
"Huanhuan? No way, Sister Liuyi, don't tell me you already have a child! I can't take this shock!"