"Chen Yang, are you home? How's Huanhuan doing these past few days?" Yang Liuyi's voice betrayed a hint of exhaustion. After two consecutive long-haul flights, she didn't want to lift a finger when she got home, but she was worried about Huanhuan, so she called Chen Yang immediately to ask.
"Sister Liuyi! You're going too far! The first thing you do when you call is ask about Huanhuan instead of checking on me!" Chen Yang teased with a smile.
"Stop being cheeky! What's our relationship? You think you can compare?" Yang Liuyi teased playfully, then pressed, "How's Huanhuan been these past few days? Eating well?"
"Don't worry! She's eating and sleeping well. I even took her on a trip!" Chen Yang said with a smile. "Sister Liuyi, are you home yet? Let me bring Huanhuan over! She must miss her mom!"
Yang Liuyi gave a low snort and softly replied:
"Okay, come on over!"
Chen Yang returned to the dining room and saw that Huanhuan had already finished dinner. With so many people suddenly in the house, she seemed a little uncomfortable, curled up alone in the corner of the dining room by the refrigerator, staring intently at her plate.
Chen Yang greeted Su He and the others, then clapped his hands and said:
"Huanhuan, come on! I'm taking you home!"
After saying that, Chen Yang turned and walked towards the door. Upon hearing Chen Yang's voice, Huanhuan immediately perked up, jumped up, and skipped after him out the door.
"Ding-dong!"
The doorbell rang only once before the door opened, and Yang Liuyi, dressed in her flight attendant uniform, opened the door. Having just returned from a flight, her makeup was still on, but it couldn't hide the fatigue on her face. Seeing Chen Yang, Yang Liuyi nodded slightly, then knelt down and picked up Huanhuan, showering her with concern.
Chen Yang entered the house, asking,
"Sister Liuyi, why are you so tired?"
"Don't even mention it! I flew two long-haul flights in a row, only resting overnight at a base in another city," Yang Liuyi complained. "Get yourself some water! I'll go change my clothes!"
With that, Yang Liuyi shuffled up the stairs in her slippers and went back to her room.
Chen Yang didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down on the living room sofa, turned on the TV, picked up an apple from the fruit bowl on the coffee table, wiped it casually on his clothes, and began to devour it.
Since his rebirth, Chen Yang's appetite had improved considerably. Although he had just eaten three bowls of rice that evening, finishing a large apple was no problem for him.
A while later, Yang Liuyi came downstairs in loose-fitting loungewear. Her hair was still wet, indicating she had taken a shower. She casually sat down beside Chen Yang, cross-legged on the sofa without a care for appearances, her cute toes almost touching his thighs.
The fresh scent of shower gel filled Chen Yang's nostrils, making him feel refreshed and invigorated.
Yang Liuyi asked,
"You just said on the phone that you took Huanhuan on a trip? What happened?"
Chen Yang replied with a grin,
"I had some urgent business to attend to back home, and I couldn't just leave Huanhuan in Rongcheng, could I? So I took her with me! The little guy was so happy, haha!"
"Oh!" Yang Liuyi nodded and said, "By the way, I have three days off this time. Didn't you say you were going to visit Captain Gu? Are you free tomorrow?"
"Sure! I'm on summer vacation! I don't have anything to do! Tomorrow then! I'll drive downstairs to pick you up at 8:30 in the morning!" Chen Yang said without hesitation.
Chen Yang sat at Yang Liuyi's house for a while. Seeing her tired face, he knew she must be very tired this time, so he got up to say goodbye. Before leaving, he reminded her to rest, then said goodbye to Huanhuan and went downstairs to go home. Back home, Chen Yang and Su He watched TV with Grandma in the living room for a while before going to rest around 9 PM. They were all quite tired after a five- or six-hour drive.
Chen Yang had originally planned to go to the school with Su He the next morning to pack their things and move their luggage back to the villa, since Grandma was now living there and Su He would likely be staying there more often. However, he had already arranged to visit Gu Xinmin with Yang Liuyi, so they had to reschedule.
The next morning, after everyone had breakfast together, Su He took Grandma for a walk by the elegant lake, Wu Ma went out to buy groceries, and Song Yi went to his training school as usual. Chen Yang then went directly from the villa to the underground garage, drove his Audi Q7, and arrived at Yang Liuyi's building.
After parking, Chen Yang checked his watch: 8:25 AM. He got out of the car and lit a cigarette. He'd only smoked a little over half when Yang Liuyi's melodious voice came from behind him:
"Chen Yang, why do you always pick up bad habits instead of good ones? Even in such a short time, you can't resist having a cigarette! Smoke less, it's bad for your health!"
Chen Yang quickly stubbed out his cigarette on the trash can beside him, forcing a smile as he said:
"Yes! I will definitely study and understand Sister Liuyi's important instructions carefully and resolutely implement them! I guarantee to complete the task, please supervise me at any time, Commander!"
Seeing Chen Yang's playful antics, Yang Liuyi couldn't help but chuckle, though her face couldn't maintain its composure any longer. Thinking about what she had just said, which sounded like a wife criticizing her husband, Yang Liuyi felt a burning sensation on her face. Chen Yang, oblivious to Yang Liuyi's complex inner turmoil, successfully dealt with her situation. He then eagerly opened the passenger door, gesturing invitingly, and said with a grin, "Chief, please get in!"
"How rude!" Yang Liuyi gave Chen Yang a charmingly reproachful look, then gracefully walked over and got into the car.
It seemed to be the weekend; around 8 a.m., the roads weren't too busy, and they arrived at the Provincial People's Hospital without any problems. On the way, Chen Yang thoughtfully bought two fruit baskets and two bouquets of flowers, placing them all on the spacious back seat of the Q7.
Led by Yang Liuyi, the two went directly to the tenth floor of the inpatient department. The airline was taking Gu Xinmin and Yang Liuyi's treatment very seriously, arranging them for VIP rooms. They first went to Gu Xinmin's room, number 1008. Through the small glass window by the door, Chen Yang saw a middle-aged man in a hospital gown, half-reclining on the bed, reading a book.
Yang Liuyi gently knocked on the door, then pushed it open and went inside. Chen Yang, carrying flowers and a fruit basket, followed behind her.
Gu Xinmin's abdomen was still heavily bandaged, and his face was slightly pale, but he looked to be recovering well. Seeing Yang Liuyi enter, Gu Xinmin put down the "Boeing 757 Aircraft Standard Specification Manual" he was holding and greeted her with a smile:
"Little Yang, you're here again! Hehe, you don't need to go to the hospital so often... And this is... your boyfriend?"
Gu Xinmin had been in the cockpit that day, and later, during a fight with a criminal, his gun accidentally discharged, leaving him seriously injured and unconscious. Therefore, he had never met Chen Yang before. Seeing a young man come in with Yang Liuyi, his first thought was that Chen Yang was Yang Liuyi's boyfriend.
Yang Liuyi blushed instantly upon hearing this. Before she could speak, Chen Yang went over and placed the fruit basket and flowers on the bedside table, then said with a grin:
"Captain Gu! I'd love to! Unfortunately, Sister Liuyi isn't willing!"
"Chen Yang! If you keep talking nonsense, believe me, I'll tear your mouth apart!" Yang Liuyi retorted playfully. "Chen Yang…" Gu Xinmin was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then his face lit up with excitement. He struggled to sit up, saying, "You're Xiao Fang! Oh! I'm so glad to finally see you! I haven't missed a single day of trying to see you, I've been wanting to thank you in person!"
"Captain Gu, you're injured, don't move around!" Chen Yang quickly pressed Gu Xinmin down, saying, "I should have come to visit you a long time ago, but I've been so busy with other things that I'm only getting around to it now, I'm so sorry!"
"What are you saying! You're my savior!" Gu Xinmin feigned anger, "Xiao Fang, after I woke up, I heard from the company leaders about what happened that day…" "I'm still terrified! If it weren't for you that day, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
"Captain Gu, please don't say that. I was on the plane too. I was just trying to save myself!" Chen Yang said. "Sister Liu Yi said your recovery is going very well. Just focus on recovering and try to get back to your flying post as soon as possible!"
Gu Xinmin chuckled and said:
"I want to fly again soon. Staying in the hospital all day, I'm practically bored to death! No spicy food, no alcohol, just lying in bed gaining weight!"
Gu Xinmin was also from the military, just like Chen Yang in his previous life, having served in the flight unit. He spoke in a very straightforward manner, which suited Chen Yang's taste. "Don't stand there, sit down and let's talk!" Gu Xinmin invited. "I usually don't even have anyone to talk to, so it's good that you're here to keep me company!"
Chen Yang and Yang Liuyi sat down on the chairs by the hospital bed. Gu Xinmin continued,
"Xiao Fang! After hearing your story, I truly admire you! The Boeing 757 is highly automated, full of precision instruments. Even pilots of other aircraft types might not be able to land so smoothly, let alone someone who has never touched a plane before. My colleagues in the flight safety department told me that the subsequent inspection found that the damage to Flight 8773 was quite minor. Considering that a layman was piloting the plane..." "That was a perfect landing!"
"Captain Gu, please don't flatter me!" Chen Yang, a little embarrassed by Gu Xinmin's words, joked, "That landing was a joint effort between Sister Liu Yi and me. Does that mean I can take it as your Xiamen Airlines praising itself?"
"The captain is praising you, why are you dragging me into this?" Yang Liu Yi feigned annoyance, "I just helped you check the landing checklist during the approach phase..."
Gu Xinmin laughed heartily and suddenly asked:
"Xiao Fang, I heard you're still in university. Many civil aviation pilots are doing major conversions these days. Would you be interested in being my colleague after graduation?"