Legendary Captain

Chapter 165 Two-person crew with a new captain

"You're really going to sue me? The court has even accepted the case?" Su Qiye laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears streaming down his face.

Xu Xian drank his rice wine in frustration, letting out a long sigh: "It's simply outrageous that they can even file a case for this."

"What's wrong? In most cases, if the complaint states the plaintiff and defendant, the claims, the facts and reasons, and it falls under the jurisdiction of the court, the court will accept the case." Su Qiye is an expert in this area: "However, the kind of thing you just mentioned will most likely be resolved through mediation."

"Mediation? Do I need to go?" Xu Xian put down his wine glass and said seriously, "To be honest, this shouldn't be my responsibility."

Su Qiye pursed his lips: "You don't have to go. You can hire a lawyer. This matter is relatively easy to handle. With a good lawyer, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"A good lawyer, huh?" Xu Xian's gaze gradually focused on Su Qiye, and the more he looked at him, the more pleasing he found the guy to be.

Su Qiye raised an eyebrow: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Isn't there one right in front of me?" Xu Xian laughed. "One of the top ten lawyers in the country, a rising star in the legal profession—who's more suitable than you?"

Su Qiye's lips twitched: "Then do you know my price range?"

"Oh dear! What kind of relationship do we have? Talking about money is too hurtful to our feelings."

"But my wallet won't allow it if we don't talk about money!"

"Didn't you drink my wine today? Consider it your lawyer's fee." Xu Xian never felt guilty about rigging Su Qiye.

Su Qiye nearly spat out his drink: "Is this wine made of gold? I've only had a few sips, and it's already enough to cover my lawyer's fees. Good heavens, are you robbing me?!"

"That's so tacky!" Xu Xian blinked. "Made from premium glutinous rice from Qianyang, pure spring water from Yunnan, and fermented with special yeast, you deserve it."

Su Qiye's face immediately darkened: "Speak properly! What glutinous rice?"

"Bulk glutinous rice from the supermarket."

"What kind of water?"

Bottled mineral water.

"What kind of yeast?"

"I bought it online for six yuan a pack."

"Then how dare you speak?" Su Qiye said indignantly.

"Don't worry about the details," Xu Xian laughed. "This is infused with my love, and that's what matters most."

"Then could you consider my sister? If you're willing to seduce her, I might waive the lawyer's fees. I'm only agreeing because of our childhood friendship," Su Qiye said quietly.

Xu Xian's gaze shifted slightly, and he seemed taken aback for a moment. Then a voice rang out: "Who are you saying you're seducing?"

Su Qiye's body trembled violently. He turned around incredulously and looked behind him: "Why are you here?"

Su Yalin pushed Su Qiye further inside, and after sitting down, continued to ask, "Who are you trying to seduce?"

Su Qiye was sweating profusely and hurriedly winked at Xu Xian. Xu Xian smiled and said, "No, I just asked Qiye for help. We were discussing serious business, right?"

"Yes, yes!" Su Qiye nodded repeatedly.

"What's wrong? Can my brother help you?"

Xu Xian: "Some time ago, someone opened an emergency exit, and a child slipped and got injured. His mother believed that we had not fulfilled our safety supervision responsibilities, and as a result, she sued our entire crew. You know, when it comes to matters involving the courts, your brother is the most helpful."

"I see! He's been pretty free lately, so this is a good opportunity for him to get some exercise." Su Yalin nodded, thinking that since Su Qiye was free anyway, he might as well help Xu Xian with something he could easily do.

"Is he very free?"

Su Yalin shrugged: "When he first entered the legal profession, he took any case, no matter what. Now that he's gained a reputation, he's become more selective. Ask him how long it's been since he last took a case."

"You're so free you won't even help me? I thought you were super busy." Xu Xian said speechlessly, "You used to be so helpful."

"Isn't he now?" Su Yalin glanced at Su Qiye beside her, her tone somewhat threatening.

"I don't think so! He's giving me a lot of trouble right now, and when I'm troubled, I can't keep my mouth shut," Xu Xian said with a laugh.

Su Qiye immediately burst into laughter: "Of course I'm always happy to help others! How could I let my good friend suffer? I'm so kind and compassionate, right, Xu Xian?"

To prevent Su Yalin from discovering his inner schemes, Su Qiye shamelessly yielded to Xu Xian. One of the nation's top young lawyers was thus used by Xu Xian as free labor.

"Do you have time tomorrow? Come to my office; I need to get a closer look at the situation," Su Qiye said.

"No problem! I've been idle the whole time because I couldn't handle that matter," Xu Xian said.

Su Yalin: "Xu Xian, are you really going to choose Xia Qing? Aren't you going to reconsider?"

For the past few months, Xu Xian has been pursuing Xia Qing, and recently, the lucky Xu Xian has entered a substantial stage of dating.

As someone who is quite indecisive in ordinary times, Xu Xian specially invited Su Yalin, Su Qiye, and Xia Qing to have a meal together. One reason was to let Xia Qing get to know his friends, and the other was to ask Su Yalin to help him make a decision.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Xu Xian asked curiously, "Wasn't the atmosphere at dinner the other day quite nice?"

"I didn't say Xia Qing was a bad person, it's just that she's not right for you," Su Yalin said very sincerely. "If you're really set on her, what's so great about her?"

"Then what's wrong with her?" Xu Xian asked rhetorically.

"That's the problem!" Su Yalin spread her hands. "She's too ordinary! She has no outstanding strengths, no outstanding weaknesses, and apart from her face, she has no distinguishing features. Of course, her face isn't quite at the point of being considered distinctive, but I really can't find any unique characteristics in her, so I've lowered my standards."

Faced with Su Yalin's merciless mockery, Xu Xian smiled bitterly: "You're still so honest."

"Isn't honesty a virtue?" Su Yalin said, "Xu Xian, I know what kind of person you are. In time, you'll grow to dislike Xia Qing's ordinariness. I know what you're thinking; you feel cared for by Xia Qing. But Xu Xian, you need to understand that it's just your recent family troubles that have made you doubt yourself. In fact, once things get better, you'll find that what you need isn't someone to take care of you, but someone to support you. Xia Qing isn't that kind of person; she doesn't have that kind of courage!"

"Courage? You make it sound like I'm about to do something stupid. What courage do I need?" Xu Xian said speechlessly.

Su Yalin: "Who knows! You weren't exactly well-behaved when you were little."

"I'll just behave myself for now," Xu Xian retorted.

"But who knows if you'll find yourself again someday? Marriage is a lifelong commitment, you should think it through," Su Yalin advised. "Sister Wen, are you really not going to give her a chance? If all else fails, what's her name again, Lian Shanxue? She's beautiful! And has a strong personality! If you choose her, I won't have any objections. Why did you choose this soft-spoken, gentle woman?"

"Isn't this the template for a virtuous wife and loving mother?" Xu Xian asked curiously.

Su Yalin: "But you don't need a virtuous wife and loving mother!"

"Do you really want to live an ordinary life? Find an ordinary wife and live an ordinary life? That's not like you!" Su Yalin said.

Xu Xian: "This is me! I don't want to cause any more trouble."

"Fine, whatever you want! It's your turn to get married anyway," Su Yalin said. "A couple of days ago, my dad said he wouldn't restrict us from helping you anymore. If you ever don't want to fly anymore, you can come to my family's office."

"My firm!" Su Qiye corrected.

Su Yalin rolled her eyes: "I just didn't intend to compete with you for it."

Su Qiye was greatly alarmed. He realized that he needed to find an opportunity to marry off his younger sister to eliminate any issues related to the inheritance of the family property.

However, what Su Yalin said was indeed a bit strange. Originally, their father was strongly opposed to them having any contact with Xu Xian. But, for some reason, a couple of days ago, their father clearly stated that he would not stop them from helping Xu Xian, which seemed unusually strange.

Although they didn't understand what their father was planning, Su Qiye and his sister didn't care much.

"Speaking of which, our firm is full of elite personnel. What can Xu Xian do there?" Su Qiye asked.

Su Yalin: "Serving tea and water, cleaning, there's always a job that suits me."

"I still feel that being a pilot is better," Xu Xian said.

Sure enough, with Su Qiye's intervention, Xu Xian quickly resolved the matter of the injured boy.

After this incident, Xu Xian signed the promotion certificate and the flight inspection form. Soon after, Xu Xian's technical level was promoted to level three, and from then on, Xu Xian became the first co-pilot.

After that, although Su Yalin tried her best to dissuade Xu Xian from choosing Xia Qing, hormones took over, and who could control themselves? At least in a short period of time, Xu Xian and Xia Qing had practically established a romantic relationship, except for the final step.

However, it's clear that Su Yalin wasn't the only one dissatisfied with Xu Xian's choice of Xia Qing; Xu Jingyang also expressed considerable pessimism. Or, to be precise, of all Xu Xian's relatives, only his mother, Huang Ying, had a positive impression of Xia Qing.

Wens Group headquarters, Chairman's office.

"Miss, the order for X10 and the first batch of pilots to be upgraded have been finalized." Yang Ning placed a document on Wen Jingshu's desk. "Pilots who participate in the upgrade will receive half of the average salary, plus an upgrade allowance, which is roughly the same as the average salary of pilots within the group."

"In addition, Xiangyu Training Center has already communicated with Feibiao in advance. Currently, only Xiangyu Training Center in China has instructors for the new aircraft model, and all instructors for this training will be hired from Xiangyu Training Center. At the same time, only Xiangyu's Tianning headquarters has an X10 simulator, so all conversion training will be conducted in Tianning. The training center hotel at the Tianning headquarters is already full, so we need to find additional accommodation for the participating pilots," Yang Ning continued.

The new model hasn't been rolled out yet; only the Xiangyu Training Center has instructors and simulators. If the new model is rolled out in the future, the training fees alone will be a significant source of income.

"These are all minor details, you don't need to tell me. I only care about the overall direction of the group, you can handle the rest," Wen Jingshu said.

The so-called general direction is whether or not to gamble on the future of a new aircraft model by spending deposits on ten aircraft and training fees for a large number of pilots.

Clearly, Wen Jingshu's decision was to follow up on Qingyuan Group's new model.

"Miss, would you like to reconsider? If the new aircraft model affects the operation of other flights in the group, the loss would be quite significant," Yang Ning said.

The group can withstand the initial risks of deploying ten aircraft; it won't be crippling. However, Yang Ning is worried that operating the new aircraft model will affect the flight operations of other aircraft types.

When the China Airlines MAX incident occurred, the operation of other aircraft models was also greatly affected. Of course, these two situations are not the same, since the new aircraft models of the Qingyuan Group have not yet had any problems.

Yang Ning's biggest fear is that the new model will experience a black swan-like malfunction.

Some aircraft are perfectly fine in design, yet problems still arise. That's purely a matter of luck. However, if a low-probability black swan event occurs during the early operational phase of a new aircraft model, it can severely shake public confidence in the model's safety—something no one can control.

Therefore, the success of a new model hinges on gaining public acceptance and enabling its commercial operation, thus validating its economic viability. Afterward, at least during the initial operational phase, before the public develops sufficient tolerance for the new model, no design or non-design-related problems can arise.

If the problem lies in the design, then it can only be said that there's simply not enough capability. But problems that aren't related to design are much harder to control; to a large extent, it's a matter of luck. Uncertainty is quite frustrating for business owners.

The fastest possible outcome wouldn't be that the initial investment in ten aircraft and pilot training would go down the drain, but rather that it would affect the operation of other aircraft types within the group, which would result in much greater losses.

To be honest, Yang Ning felt that the group's aviation industry hadn't reached the point where it needed to fight to the death. Maintaining its current scale without shrinking for several years was achievable. Furthermore, Chimelong Airlines, the main entity of the group's aviation industry, held a very good grip on its niche in the high-end market, a situation fundamentally different from China Airlines.

China Airlines may need to take a desperate gamble, otherwise they will be completely suppressed by the Kunlong and have no way out.

"Although you may not want to admit it, our group's aviation industry has indeed reached a bottleneck. We cannot change external factors, so we can only break through from within," Wen Jingshu said.

The external factor is the monopoly held by Xu Qing and Han Qi, and this situation is unlikely to change, at least for the foreseeable future. The group's aviation industry will have to find another way to achieve a breakthrough.

Clearly, Wen Jingshu is not the kind of person who would stay within her own small circle; she prefers to find opportunities for breakthroughs on her own.

"But isn't this too risky? We don't need to take such a big risk. If something goes wrong, it will shake the foundation of the group's aviation industry." Yang Ning still disagreed with Wen Jingshu's decision.

Wen Jingshu remained unmoved: "So you're just waiting for Kunlong Aviation and Qingyuan Group to decline on their own? How long would that take? Even though Xu Qing has semi-retired, Qingyuan Group still prospered for twenty years. Are you willing to wait another twenty years?"

"Miss, you're really bold, a complete opposite of the former chairman," Yang Ning said with a wry smile. She said this because she didn't want to argue with Wen Jingshu about this anymore. Of course, if Wen Jingshu was determined to introduce the new model, there was nothing she could do.

Wen Mingyuan had always been cautious and meticulous in managing the group's businesses. But when it came to Wen Jingshu, her business philosophy was far more open and unconventional, completely contradicting Wen Mingyuan's cautious approach.

Wen Jingshu said nonchalantly, "Anyway, my dad said as long as we preserve the family business of Renxin Hospital, I can do whatever I want with the rest of the assets. Since that's the case, am I supposed to continue my dad's style?"

Yang Ning was momentarily at a loss for words to object. It turned out that Wen Jingshu intended to use all the businesses besides Renxin Hospital as a testing ground for her brutal management philosophy.

Winning means huge profits, losing means no loss! That's Wen Jingshu's plan.

"Miss, we're going to visit Star Travel Airlines the day after tomorrow morning to see their new emergency communication system. This system was built in collaboration with the authorities, and there will be a live demonstration that day. If it performs well, it will be applied to the entire group's aviation industry," Yang Ning reported.

The emergency communication system, developed by the group's technology department, primarily connects the airline's operations control center, air traffic control, and flight crews. In the event of an emergency, it enables seamless communication between the airline's operations control center, air traffic control, and flight crews.

Airlines are typically at a disadvantage in communication during emergencies. However, this emergency communication system can break down these communication barriers between the three parties.

Wen Jingshu nodded without saying anything. Even as the leader of the group, she still had to act as a tool from time to time.

Originally, this emergency communication system wasn't even at the level of requiring the group's chairman to appear in public. However, the authorities seem to value the system's prospects quite a bit and intend to promote it to the entire civil aviation industry after its successful application at Chimelong Airlines and Star Airlines.

If the authorities do take a liking to this emergency communication system, they certainly won't take the benefits for nothing; they'll most likely provide compensation in other ways. For example, they might offer certain conveniences in route approvals or flight schedules.

If this deal goes through, the group will be the one to benefit.

"Hmm!" Wen Jingshu said expressionlessly, "Xu Xian wasn't in the company at that time, was he?"

"I checked his flight. He should be on the plane by then," Yang Ning said.

Ever since Xu Xian started getting close to Xia Qing, Wen Jing Shu has been extremely jealous and is very unwilling to see Xu Xian.

"That's fine! I'll just go over there for a few words and come right back. I don't want to stay there too long," Wen Jingshu added.

Yang Ning had no intention of trying to mediate Wen Jingshu's petulant tantrum. Wen Jingshu was extremely sensitive right now, and bringing up Xu Xian's matter rashly might ignite her anger. Besides, no matter how much these two bickered, as long as it didn't affect the group's operations, everything was fine.

Star Travel Aviation, Flight Preparation Room.

After blowing into the alcohol, Xu Xian collected the documents, made some flight preparations, and then stretched his muscles a little.

After the flight crew coordinated with the flight crew, Xia Qing stayed behind. Indeed, quite coincidentally, Xia Qing was also on this flight.

"Are you still feeling unwell?" Xia Qing asked with concern as she handed Xu Xian a cup of hot water.

Xu Xian took the paper cup and took two sips: "It's okay, but I still feel a little sore."

Two days ago, Xu Xian and Xia Qing came out to each other, officially confirming their romantic relationship. That night, Xu Xian unusually took Xia Qing out for drinks, and they even got drunk in the end.

Even amidst the joy of finally leaving single life behind, Xu Xian remained rational. There were more than two days between the time he drank and the time he took off.

There was indeed no risk of exceeding the alcohol limit, but Xu Xian still drank too infrequently. Even two days after his rare bout of intoxication, his muscles were still sore and numb, and his mental state was not very good.

"If you can't drink, then don't drink. You're just making yourself uncomfortable by drinking so much with just a few acquaintances." Xia Qing gently massaged Xu Xian's arm muscles. "You had such an early shift again today. Look, your eyes are all red."

Because he felt very unwell, Xu Xian hadn't been sleeping well for the past two days. Last night, he only managed to sleep for three or four hours, which is why he looked so tired.

"It's nothing serious. I don't have to fly today, so I'll just cooperate. It'll be fine," Xu Xian reassured him.

The captain he was paired with this time was a new captain who had only been flying solo for a short time, so he definitely couldn't take over the piloting duties. Therefore, Xu Xian was just assisting on this flight, and his workload wasn't heavy.

"After you finish flying today, go and skip the shift the day after tomorrow. Don't you co-pilots have some kind of group chat? You can switch shifts there. Just rest at home. You shouldn't fly in this condition," Xia Qing instructed.

Xu Xian nodded: "After I finish flying today, I'll check the group chat to see if anyone can pick me up. I still can't drink alcohol in the future; my body can't handle drinking so much at once."

The shift the day after tomorrow is not only an early shift, but also a high-stakes, four-stage shift. If Xu Xian continues in this state, he most likely won't be able to handle it. Although making money is important, sacrificing his health for it is simply not worth it.

Moreover, today's flight only involves the two short segments, so the intensity isn't too high; he can manage. The situation is less certain about the early morning flight the day after tomorrow, which involves a longer segment. Xu Xian might become disoriented by the last two segments.

To be honest, this physical and mental state is not conducive to fulfilling one's responsibilities. In case of any emergency, it is uncertain whether one will have the energy to handle it well.

Xu Xian has rarely skipped his shift since he started flying, but for his own sake and for operational safety, he decided not to fly.

"By the way, I'll cook you dinner tonight. After you land, don't rush off. Take my car back." Xia Qing knew that Xu Xian lived with her father and might not be very particular about food, so she had the idea of ​​improving Xu Xian's meals and invited him to her house for dinner.

Of course, another reason is that Xu Xian lives with her family, while she lives alone. It's more convenient to go to her house, but she always feels restricted when she goes to Xu Xian's place.

"Okay, I'll tell my dad when the first section is completed." It's still early, and his father, Xu Jingyang, probably hasn't woken up yet.

Just then, Captain Li Zhiming shouted towards Xu Xian, "Xu Xian, let's go!"

This flight had a two-person crew, so there was no second co-pilot to assist Xu Xian.

"Go wait outside." Xu Xian finished the rest of his water, crumpled the paper cup into a ball and threw it into the trash can, then strode towards the captain. He needed to pack his things before calling a taxi.

Xu Xian packed his things, asked for the license plate number of the car that was coming in, and the two of them pulled the flight case out of the flight preparation room and met the flight crew that had been waiting for a long time.

Xu Xian and Xia Qing exchanged a glance, then silently followed Li Zhiming.

The flight crew walked ahead first, and then the cabin crew followed.

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" Li Zhiming asked, looking at Xu Xian beside him after getting into the car and sitting down. "You look a bit tired!"

Li Zhiming had only been flying solo for a short time and was still somewhat lacking in confidence. He was quite concerned about the co-pilot's performance, fearing that the co-pilot would hold him back.

"Captain, I'm fine. It's just that the flight was a little early. I'll be fine after I catch my breath on the plane," Xu Xian said.

"Oh, okay then!" Li Zhiming didn't say anything more after hearing what Xu Xian said.

Just seconds after the vehicle carrying the crew left the company gate, a luxury car drove in through the gate.

(End of this chapter)