Legendary Captain

Chapter 180 The Curtain Falls

Wen Jingshu suddenly spoke up, causing everyone present to be surprised. Such blunt words were rather hurtful.

This time, Wen Yiren, who was standing next to Wen Jingshu, did not stop her. His face showed a hint of shock, but after a short while, Wen Yiren's eyelids drooped and he returned to his usual lazy appearance.

"This seems a bit troublesome," Wen Yiren sighed softly, his gaze sweeping over Xu Xian on the stage. "If he really becomes my brother-in-law, it doesn't look very good!"

Wen Jingshu glanced around, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, and whispered sharply, "You keep saying 'why, why?' Just because he can land? Go ask any pilot if they can land on the Kunyang River!"

Wen Jingshu had already been provoked by those reporters to the point of bursting with anger. If Wen Yiren hadn't kept telling her to restrain herself, she would have exploded long ago. Why would she have waited until now?

However, Xu Xian was repeatedly questioned, which crossed her bottom line, so she responded with extremely harsh words.

"Is this the new head of the Wens Group?"

"How could the chairman of the group utter such impetuous words?"

"As expected of young people, they speak without thinking. If this gets out, it'll definitely cause a huge uproar."

As the person Wen Jingshu was directly targeting, the reporter who had just asked the question now had a frosty expression on his face. Of course he knew who this young woman was, but he didn't want that to be a reason for Wen Jingshu to slander him.

"Chairman Wen, is this your attitude?" the reporter said coldly. "As the head of Star Travel Airlines and Chimelong Airlines, this doesn't seem like something you should be saying."

"Even if my question just now harmed Xingyou Airlines' interests, it was for the sake of the entire civil aviation industry. Without rules, there can be no order. If this precedent is set, won't all subsequent special cases be thrown into chaos?" The reporter was actually furious at this point, but he still managed to suppress his anger. After all, Wen Jingshu was a person of status, and it was not appropriate for him to point his finger at her and hurl insults.

In his understanding, Wen Jingshu came forward entirely because it damaged the interests of Xingyou Airlines.

Originally, if he had simply kept quiet, the matter could have been quietly forgotten. But because he persisted, it will be difficult for Xingyou Airlines to recover from this emergency landing incident. However, as a member of the civil aviation media, I believe I should speak my mind; ignoring the issue is detrimental to the development of civil aviation.

The reporter kept discussing the so-called rules with Wen Jingshu, but in Wen Jingshu's mind, what rules were there? Xu Xian was the biggest rule in her heart.

"I don't understand where your so-called rules come from. Others can't fall into them, but my Xu Xian can. That's skill, that's the hard truth." Wen Jingshu slightly raised her snow-white chin, like a proud peacock, directly facing everyone present: "Rules? Those are just shackles that bind the incompetent! In a near-death situation, Xu Xian found a way to survive, so what's the point of discussing rules in the end? If you're telling a joke, then I admit, this joke is quite interesting."

Wen Yiren, standing nearby, glanced at his sister, who was engaged in a heated argument with everyone, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "My Xu Xian? Interesting!"

It must be said that everyone's focus is different. Most people heard Wen Jingshu's barrage of verbal attacks, while Lian Shanxue and Xia Qing heard the words "my Xu Xian" clearly.

"So...so she likes Xu Xian," Lian Shanxue murmured to herself. The image of Xu Xian being taken to the hospital flashed through her mind.

Not long after Xu Xian was taken to the hospital, Wen Jingshu arrived. At that time, Lian Shanxue thought that Wen Jingshu was just making a routine visit as a company leader.

Looking back now, there are many suspicious aspects to the matter.

Firstly, only Wen Jingshu came alone at the time. Don't those so-called leaders bring a group of photographers and videographers when they visit their subordinates? Otherwise, how can they record their concern for their subordinates?

Secondly, it seems rather inappropriate for someone of Wen Jingshu's rank to come and visit Xu Xian.

However, after Wen Jingshu's words today, Lian Shanxue finally realized where the problem lay.

Wen Jingshu likes Xu Xian, but she doesn't know Xu Xian's attitude.

The reporter, rendered speechless by Wen Jingshu's retort, immediately turned her attention to Xu Xian: "Xu Xian, are you really not going to give the public an explanation?"

Before Xu Xian could speak, Wen Jingshu replied directly, "Just a pilot, nothing to be nostalgic about."

Then, Wen Jingshu turned to Xu Xian: "Xu Xian, the world is so vast, why stay here and suffer? We might as well give up on flying!"

After Xu Xian's accident, Wen Jingshu had already considered having him retire from the aviation industry. Coupled with the criticism she received from various civil aviation media outlets today, she was even more furious.

With so many unpleasant things happening in the flying industry, why even bother flying?

Xu Xian was caught off guard by Wen Jingshu's sudden suggestion to withdraw, while Xu Qing on the other side of the stage also stiffened.

He was counting on Xu Xian to inherit his mantle, so why did Wen Jingshu directly tell Xu Xian to quit flying?

Indeed, Xu Xian's decision to withdraw from the aviation industry was a clean break. But wasn't all that he did ultimately hoping that Xu Xian would stay?

Good heavens, now this little girl Wen Jingshu is directly whispering sweet nothings in Xu Xian's ear, this is really hard to handle!

Han Qi, standing next to Xu Qing, was trying hard to suppress his laughter, but Xu Qing, who couldn't stand it, shoved him hard, so he could only laugh and say, "Brilliant, brilliant!"

Before Xu Xian could answer, the reporter interrupted his thoughts, asking, "Chairman Wen, are you really not considering the future reputation of Star Travel Airlines and Chimelong Airlines?"

Wen Jingshu's domineering approach was certainly straightforward, but if word got out, it would be seen as disregarding civil aviation safety. Furthermore, given Wen Jingshu's special status, the saying "if the head is crooked, the subordinates will be crooked" applies; the public would naturally have concerns about Chimelong Airlines and Star Airlines, both under the Wen Group, and the reputations of the two companies would inevitably suffer.

"Hmph! The person who saves your life is the one who gets held accountable afterwards. What kind of logic is that?" Wen Jingshu retorted sarcastically.

The company is pressuring her? That's a huge mistake!

The reporter was utterly bewildered. Had this woman gone mad? Did she even know what she was saying?

"It was lucky that no one died! But can you guarantee you'll be this lucky next time? And the time after that?"

Wen Jingshu's last bit of patience had been worn down. She was just about to end the conversation when, to her surprise, Xu Xian beat her to it.

"I can guarantee it!" Xu Xian's resounding words echoed throughout the venue: "I can guarantee safety in all theoretically feasible emergency situations!"

The once chaotic meeting room fell into complete silence, as if it had entered a vacuum.

mad!

That's insane!

That's absolutely outrageous!

"All emergency situations that are theoretically feasible, do you know what you're talking about?" At this point, even the reporter was startled by Xu Xian.

Shen Yansi's heart pounded: "They're insane! These young people these days are all crazy!"

Xu Qing smiled slightly, while Han Qi clapped his hands and laughed, "Interesting, very interesting!"

Xu Xian's gaze was more resolute than ever before: "I know what I'm talking about. You say my forced landing on the Kunyang River was due to luck, but I want to prove that what I hate most is luck."

The reporter's expression froze. Reason told him that Xu Xian couldn't possibly be talking nonsense. Otherwise, Xu Xian wouldn't have used the qualifier "theoretically feasible."

The so-called "theoretically feasible" means that it can be intervened by human intervention. For example, if an airplane suddenly breaks apart while flying, only a divine being could save it.

After a long period of contemplation, the reporter finally calmed down slightly but still insisted on his point of view: "That's just your opinion; why should I believe you?"

Just then, a deep, resonant voice reached the reporter's ears: "How about I vouch for you?"

The reporter tensed up, his gaze suddenly shifting to a corner of the stage.

"Mr. Xu, are you going to vouch for him?" The reporter couldn't believe that Xu Qing had stepped forward at this critical juncture.

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Actually, no matter what you say, Xu Xian's legal responsibility is what it is, and it won't change because of your reasons. However, quite a few people were indeed injured this time. Some people think Xu Xian was punished too lightly, and some people think that Xu Xian can't guarantee safety if he continues to fly, but I think Xu Xian is still a promising young talent, so I'm willing to vouch for him."

When Xu Qing was speaking, no one present dared to interrupt him; that was a testament to his status and influence.

Xu Qing raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers: "Five years. Five years should be enough to distinguish whether a person relies on luck or ability. I'll vouch for Xu Xian for five years. If Xu Xian makes a major safety blunder within five years, I will permanently retire from the civil aviation industry. How about it?"

The reporter was speechless for a moment; he never expected things to develop to this point.

Seeing the reporter speechless for a while, Xu Qing chuckled and said, "Could it be that my guarantee isn't enough? Should I pull in Brother Han Qi next to me?"

Han Qi was originally just a bystander, but Xu Qing dragged him into the mess. His face turned pale and then purple, but he didn't refute Xu Qing's words.

From this, Han Qi's meaning is quite clear. If needed, he can also vouch for Xu Xian!

Xu Xian, whose seat was very close to Xu Qing, was shocked and immediately lowered his voice, hurriedly saying to Xu Qing, "Uncle Qing, there's no need for this. If it really doesn't work, I won't fly. Your guarantee is too heavy; it's not worth it!"

Why did Xu Xian make such a boast?

On one hand, he saw that Wen Jingshu had become the target of public criticism for protecting him. If he kept quiet and didn't say anything, what kind of man would he be?

Furthermore, Xu Xian was understandably annoyed by the constant questioning he received. He possessed a certain pride and knew perfectly well whether his success was due to luck. How could a young man in his early twenties, full of pride and ambition, not feel a surge of rebellion when subjected to a series of unfounded accusations?

Xu Xian wanted to prove to the world that he, Xu Xian, was a true flying genius!

However, if all of this was based on Xu Qing's guarantee, then Xu Xian began to waver.

If Xu Qing were to completely withdraw from the civil aviation industry, it would be a devastating blow to Qingyuan Group, which relies on Xu Qing, though not a catastrophic one, but at least a significant one.

He absolutely did not want to bear such heavy expectations.

"Whether it's worth it or not, I know myself!" Xu Qing smiled at Xu Xian: "Just remember, you only need to owe me a favor! I'll ask you for it when you become successful."

After Xu Qing finished speaking, he glanced at everyone in the audience: "Anyone else have objections?"

Upon hearing this, all the media present fell silent. Even Xu Qing had guaranteed his withdrawal from the civil aviation industry; what objections could they possibly have?

However, some media outlets expressed considerable resentment towards the reporter's behavior. If he hadn't pressed the reporter relentlessly, why would Xu Qing have stepped forward to vouch for him? And if Xu Xian proves ineffective in the future and something goes wrong, will Xu Qing really have to leave the civil aviation industry?

If Xu Qing, a top figure in civil aviation, were to retire, how would those of them in the media make a living?

The reporter clearly realized his own problem. If Xu Qing were to leave the civil aviation industry because of his own reasons, wouldn't his colleagues hate him so much that they wanted to eat his flesh and drink his blood?

At that moment, the reporter no longer thought about maintaining civil aviation safety. Under the pressure of reality, he quickly prepared to call out to Xu Qing in hopes of getting him to change his mind.

Just as he was about to speak, Xu Qing slowly stood up and smiled at Shen Yansi beside him: "Team Leader Shen, isn't the meeting almost over?"

Shen Yansi was taken aback, then nodded after a moment. Xu Qing had already pledged to leave the civil aviation industry, so there probably wouldn't be any objections. Continuing to operate it really wouldn't make much sense.

"Mr. Xu, this is all over," Shen Yansi confirmed.

Xu Qing hummed in agreement, yawned, and lazily prepared to leave.

As soon as Xu Qing left, the entire venue began to descend into chaos. However, as Xu Qing was leaving the stage, he suddenly stopped and smiled at the media below, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, you can keep the video evidence of what I just vouched for; please don't broadcast it."

Xu Qing's intention was to protect Xu Xian. If word got out that he was guaranteeing Xu Xian's safety, Xu Xian would face another round of criticism, which didn't align with his plan.

Anyway, he has already left video evidence of what he said, and he has no intention of going back on his word.

Before the media could respond, Xu Qing had already walked away.

Reminded by Xu Qing's words, Wen Jingshu immediately called Yang Ning over and asked him to give a proper explanation to some of the Star Travel pilots who had been brought in as spectators, ensuring that they would not mention a word about what had happened that day.

Not long after Xu Qing left, Xu Xian caught up. Noticing Xu Xian walking silently beside him, Xu Qing put a hand on Xu Xian's shoulder: "Don't overthink it. I have my own motives. We're doing this for a deal, a deal!"

"What personal motive could justify saying he'd quit the civil aviation industry?" Xu Xian still had a nagging feeling.

Xu Qing chuckled and patted Xu Xian on the shoulder: "So you better fly high, kid!"

He then gestured for Xu Xian not to follow him and disappeared from Xu Xian's sight on his own.

While Xu Xian was still lost in thought, he heard Xia Qing calling his name from behind. When Xu Xian turned around, Xia Qing looked apologetic: "Xu Xian, I'm sorry!"

"No, no! You don't need to apologize to me. This whole thing started because of me, so I should be the one apologizing," Xu Xian said with a smile.

Xia Qing's face lit up slightly: "Then what about us?"

"Xia Qing! A friend once told me I wasn't suited for a stable life and that I shouldn't be with you. At the time, I thought she was being unreasonable," Xu Xian laughed. "But now it seems we really aren't a good match!"

(End of this chapter)