Legendary Captain

Chapter 216 Superstar

"Uncle Qing, you could have continued flying back then. That incident was an emergency; even if you landed illegally, it wouldn't have been a big deal. Why did you resign to take responsibility?"

This was something Xu Xian had never understood. Xu Qing's last flight was the one where Huang Ying suddenly went into premature labor on the plane. On that occasion, in order to land as quickly as possible, Xu Qing decided to land with a strong tailwind, which actually carried a certain degree of danger.

However, afterwards, the authorities expressed understanding for the crew's decision to act expediently in an emergency, and even if there was some punishment, it would not be severe. Moreover, there was no one-sided condemnation in the online public opinion.

In summary, whether from the official or the public perspective, the pressure on Xu Qing is not significant, and it does not constitute a reason for Xu Qing to directly give up his status as a civil aviation pilot.

If Xu Qing hadn't chosen to retreat and had continued flying, his reputation would likely be even greater than it is now. Most importantly, Xu Qing's hand might not have suffered the consequences.

Xu Qing raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and faced the sun, as if he wanted to grasp the heavens and earth.

He squinted, gazing at the sunlight filtering through his fingers. During the test flight accident years ago, Xu Qing's right hand was severely frostbitten. For a long time afterward, his right hand only occasionally experienced slight numbness and tingling, but most of the time it didn't significantly affect his normal life and work.

Recently, however, Xu Qing's old injury to her right hand suddenly worsened, and despite trying various methods, she was unable to return to her previous state. Now, Xu Qing's right hand is struggling to perform many fine motor skills. This condition has begun to affect her normal life and work.

For ordinary people, even if they encounter some difficulties in completing delicate tasks, it won't have a significant impact. After all, most of the lives of ordinary people do not involve delicate manipulation, and even if they do, there are many alternative methods.

Even though Xu Qing is now semi-retired, as long as he doesn't completely withdraw from the civil aviation industry, he will be subject to periodic exposure.

Normally it's fine, but if Xu Qing's right hand were to malfunction in front of the camera, it would have a huge impact on his image.

Qingyuan Group's new aircraft model is currently in the promotion phase, and Xu Qing absolutely cannot withdraw from the civil aviation industry at this time. The only saving grace is that, as long as he doesn't perform certain particularly delicate actions, the problems Xu Qing has are difficult to detect, and he can only grit his teeth and bear it. But how long he can hold on, no one knows.

"Actually, when I retired, I was a third-level co-pilot, just like you are now. I can't believe how much you've grown up! When I gave you the gold lock, you hadn't even had your 100-day celebration yet!" Xu Qing looked at Xu Xian's face, his thoughts involuntarily drifting back more than twenty years. Shortly after Huang Ying gave birth to Xu Xian, she took him to Xingfei Airlines to express her gratitude to Xu Qing. It was Xu Qing who named Xu Xian. At that time, Xu Qing, who hadn't prepared a special gift, spontaneously decided to give Xu Xian the gold lock that was originally intended for his own child as a greeting gift. Now, time has flown by, and that infant in swaddling clothes has grown to this size.

"Those veteran instructors have easily accumulated 20,000 or 30,000 flight hours. I estimate I've only accumulated a few thousand hours so far, I really can't compare to them. To have achieved so much with such a small amount of flight time is quite remarkable!"

Xu Qing's actual professional career was very short. Even including the flight training he underwent to obtain his test pilot qualification, it amounted to only a few thousand hours, roughly the same as the total experience of a new captain. Yet, in such a short period, Xu Qing established an insurmountable peak. In terms of the efficiency of his rise to fame, Xu Qing's ascent was like a rocket.

Compared to Xu Qing's sighs, Xu Xian felt that Xu Qing was beating around the bush, and he insisted, "Uncle Qing, you still haven't answered me!"

Xu Qing scratched his head in annoyance: "Why are you so stubborn, child?"

"Where am I being stubborn? Is that such a difficult question to answer?"

Xu Qing sighed helplessly, glanced behind him, and after confirming that no one was around, said with a serious expression, "Do you know why Han Qi is ranked alongside me, while I've only been flying for such a short time, and Han Qi has been flying for over ten years even after becoming famous? Can't you see the difference?"

"Difference? What difference?" Xu Xian thought for a moment, but still couldn't grasp the point of Xu Qing's words. He hesitated for a long time before finally managing to say, "If we really have to talk about a difference, is it the time it took to become famous?"

The timing of their rise to fame! This is the most frequently discussed point of comparison between Xu Qing and Han Qi online. Xu Qing's rise to fame was too fast, almost without warning, appearing before the public in the most dazzling way. In contrast, Han Qi is a true late bloomer.

To be honest, Xu Xian didn't think this was evidence of a difference in strength between Xu Qing and Han Qi; it just meant Han Qi was a bit unlucky. After all, special abilities to showcase one's strength aren't something one can simply acquire at will.

Xu Qing has the ability, and she just happened to encounter a special opportunity to showcase herself when she debuted—that's luck. Unfortunately, Han Qi is much less fortunate.

Xu Xianneng's ability to point out the difference in "time of fame" is not because he truly believes it, but because he has come up with what he considers the correct answer; he is simply making up a random answer.

But this completely nonsensical answer was affirmed by Xu Qing.

"This is it!" Xu Qing confirmed.

Xu Xian was stunned: "Uncle Qing, you must be joking! Is that even a reason?"

"Why not?" Xu Qing countered Xu Xian, "Do you consider yourself special?"

"Definitely!" Xu Xian said. "Is there another Xu Xian in the world?"

"What are you talking about? I mean, do you ever feel like you're the chosen one, unique?" Xu Qing explained, "Back when I was at your level, I already felt that all the heroes in the world were nothing special. That was true youthful arrogance! At that time, I thought I could handle any special situation, no matter how difficult, I could solve it."

Xu Xian frowned: "What's wrong with that now? That's what I thought too!"

At the press conference regarding the forced landing on the Kunyang River, Xu Xian stated that he could handle any emergency situation with theoretical feasibility, which is similar to what Xu Qing is saying now.

Since he's already said something like that, it means Xu Xian doesn't seem to have any objections. What's wrong with being confident?

"Is it possible to expect special circumstances?" Xu Qing said seriously, "Later in my career, I even hoped for special circumstances to happen so I could prove my abilities. Is that normal? That's the downside of becoming famous too quickly and too early!"

"Xu Xian, you must remember, we are not saints. Few people can maintain their integrity in the face of sudden fame and fortune. If it were an ordinary person, such arrogance might not cause any major problems, but it's different for us pilots. A pilot actually expecting to encounter an emergency, isn't that being possessed by a demon?" Xu Qing continued, "In comparison, Han Qi's foundation is much deeper. He only became famous after becoming a captain, and his mentality is incomparable to mine when I was impetuous. Moreover, Han Qi's early rise coincided with the absolute low point of Kunlong Airlines. The enormous pressure at work at that time constantly tempered Han Qi's character, so it's reasonable that he could still maintain a peaceful state of mind even after he quickly became famous."

Xu Xian was skeptical: "It sounds reasonable, but why doesn't it apply to me? I'm somewhat famous now, so why haven't I experienced any change in my mindset?"

"You?" Xu Qing glanced at Xu Xian with disdain. "The special operation involving the Chimelong volcanic ash incident wasn't particularly difficult, and you dare to bring it up? The forced landing on the Kunyang River was somewhat difficult, but unfortunately, you didn't do it well, so it doesn't count as an achievement. You've gained some fame, but I bet half of that fame is from criticizing you, right? With so many people criticizing you, of course you know your own limitations."

"However, you were worldly-wise when you were young, unlike me, a poor boy. I suppose you have much better self-control than me."

Xu Xian was about to say something when a sudden exclamation rang out from the kitchen. Xu Xian and Xu Qing tensed up, thinking something had happened, and quickly ran towards the kitchen.

Xu Xian and Xu Qing were not the only ones who heard the screams. Li Xianyi and his wife on the opposite balcony also heard it and rushed over. Together with Xu Jingyang and Mei Tingting in the hall, the kitchen entrance was crowded with people in an instant.

"What's wrong?" Xu Xian rushed into the kitchen first, only to see Huang Ying holding a phone with a look of horror on her face, while Lian Shanxue next to her covered her mouth, trying hard to suppress her laughter.

Seeing that it was just a false alarm, Xu Xian breathed a sigh of relief: "Mom, why are you making such a fuss! I thought something serious had happened!"

Huang Ying seemed to have lost her soul, muttering to herself, "Something really bad has happened!"

"Hmm?" Xu Xian glanced around. "What's the big deal?"

Huang Ying slowly raised her phone screen, flipped it over, and stared blankly at Xu Xian, asking, "Xianbao! Is this you?"

"What?" Xu Xian frowned, his gaze shifting to the phone screen. Just one glance, and his entire face turned green.

"Mom! What are you looking at?" Xu Xian's throat erupted with a sharp whistling sound, as if his fate had been choked, leaving him only able to utter miserable cries.

The group behind Xu Xian were about to disperse after seeing that nothing was wrong in the kitchen, but when they heard Xu Xian's obviously excessive commotion, they immediately gathered back and focused their attention on the phone screen that Huang Ying was holding.

"This is... Xu Xian?"

Mei Tingting, the chairwoman of Qingyuan Group, who was standing at the very front of the crowd and right behind Xu Xian, was almost dumbfounded.

On the phone screen, a video of Xu Xian dancing was playing. In the video, Xu Xian was dressed in a Japanese school uniform style and was clearly wearing makeup, which made the already somewhat effeminate Xu Xian look even more "beautiful beyond compare".

In addition, Xu Xian's dance was also on the cute side, making the whole video effect very...wonderful.

At first, Li Xianyi, Xu Qing, and the others at the back of the crowd couldn't see very clearly because of the distance and the small size of the phone screen. But after Mei Tingting reminded them, the two grown men looked like they had discovered a new continent, their eyes darting back and forth between the phone screen and Xu Xian.

"You can't judge a book by its cover! You can't believe it!" Xu Qing and Li Xianyi exclaimed in surprise.

Sensing the unusual noise around him, Xu Xian's face instantly turned red to the roots of his ears. He grabbed his phone, turned off the video, and complained angrily, "Mom, why do you put everything out there?"

That's right, the video is a promotional video created for Xu Xian by Xingyou Airlines. It was recorded some time ago with Lian Shanxie's help, and then edited and rendered overnight. Once the finished product was released, it was released without delay.

The company did spend some money on promotion on some well-known self-media platforms, but of course, it didn't cost much; it was just a token gesture.

But unexpectedly, this slight push caused it to spread online.

While Huang Ying was cooking, she was bored while waiting for a dish to cook, so she casually scrolled through her phone and came across this video.

When Huang Ying first saw this video, her worldview was shattered; she simply couldn't believe that the person in the video was her own son.

"Xianbao, is that really you in there?" Huang Ying grabbed Xu Xian's hand, her face showing shock.

Forced into a corner by Huang Ying, Xu Xian had no choice but to tell the truth: "The company has some kind of publicity project, and they asked me to film this video. They said my online image is too rigid and they need to repost it a little."

"So now it's turned too sharply and turned into a curve?" Li Xianyi teased from behind.

This joke immediately caused a burst of laughter in the room. Even Mei Tingting and Yang Jiyue covered their mouths and chuckled. Xu Qing laughed so hard that he almost fell over. If he hadn't been holding Mei Tingting, he probably would have laughed himself to the ground.

Xu Xian's face turned from green to black after Li Xianyi's words. He snorted, "It's just dancing. What era are we living in? Why are you making such a fuss?"

Li Xianyi clapped his hands and laughed: "There's no problem, but I think there's a big problem with this video."

"Problem? What problem?" Xu Xian was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously turned his head to ask.

"I think you should wear women's clothing in the video; it would look better that way," Li Xianyi said seriously.

"Hahahaha!" Xu Qing burst into loud laughter again, tears streaming down her face. She was so laughing that she could hardly breathe and had to rely on Mei Tingting to pat her back to help her catch her breath.

Xu Xian looked at Xu Qing, who was laughing unrestrainedly, and said through gritted teeth, "Uncle Qing, you'd better take it easy, or you might run out of breath."

"If I die laughing, you're a murderer. You're really something, Xu Xian! Hahahaha!" After saying just two sentences, Xu Qing burst into laughter again upon seeing Xu Xian's face.

Mei Tingting soothed Xu Qing, saying, "Stop teasing Xu Xian! This is just something to laugh about, it's never going to end!"

When Mei Tingting spoke, Xu Qing and Li Xianyi toned down their expressions slightly, but the smiles on their faces, which they couldn't hide, were particularly irritating to Xu Xian.

"However, Xu Xian is really handsome. Of the three children, Xu Xian is the best looking," Yang Jiyue said with a smile.

Xu Xian, Xu Zijing, and Li Jinyan grew up together and were often compared by their elders. Although Xu Zijing and Li Jinyan were both quite good-looking, they paled in comparison to Xu Xian.

"Yes! If she were a girl, she would definitely be a stunning beauty!" Mei Tingting chimed in.

"Beauty!" Li Xianyi and Xu Qing almost burst out laughing when they heard their wives' evaluation of Xu Xian.

Xu Xian handed the phone back to Huang Ying, saying helplessly, "I'm straight, very straight! This was just to cooperate with some company promotional plans, can you please stop with the personal attacks?"

"Is this a personal attack? This is a compliment!" Li Xianyi said with a smile.

Xu Xian's forehead veins bulged, knowing that this place was not safe to stay in for long. He quickly slipped out of the crowd, found a small room, closed the door, and went into seclusion.

With the main character gone, the show became unwatchable, and the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Xu Jingyang at the door.

Seeing Xu Jingyang still at the door, Huang Ying quickly pulled him over and whispered, "Do you think there's something wrong with Xianbao?"

"What's the problem? It's just dancing, everyone was just joking, did you really take it seriously?" Compared to Huang Ying's deep worries, Xu Jingyang seemed much calmer.

"Why can't we take it seriously?" Since Lian Shanxue was still nearby, Huang Ying lowered her voice again: "Look at that girl from the Wen family, she's practically throwing herself at him, but our Xianbao still hasn't accepted her. And this girl this time, she's top-notch in looks. Has our Xianbao ever had any intimate dealings with them?"

"I certainly wouldn't let you see us being intimate! What are you worrying about?"

Xu Jingyang's nonchalant attitude completely enraged Huang Ying, who grabbed Xu Jingyang by the waist, causing his blood pressure to spike immediately.

"What good are you as a father? You never think about what your child is thinking. I'm his mother, do you think I wouldn't see what he's thinking? Xianbao clearly hasn't established a relationship with either the Wen family girl or this girl yet, and you say that's normal?"

Whether it's Wen Jingshu or Lian Shanxue, they are both top-notch in terms of looks and figure. But Xu Xian just won't take a bite of the two pieces of meat that are already in his mouth, which is outrageous.

Knowing men's nature well, Xu Jingyang clicked his tongue and rubbed his chin: "This does seem a bit strange! But, our Xianbao doesn't seem to have any problems, does he?"

Xu Jingyang and Xu Xian have always lived together, and he didn't notice anything unusual about Xu Xian's behavior!

"What do you know? Our Xianbao is so cute. Even if he doesn't have any ulterior motives, can you guarantee that others don't? How dangerous is society these days? Can you guarantee that?" Huang Ying said solemnly, seemingly seriously considering the question.

Thinking about his son's behavior in the video, Xu Jingyang couldn't help but panic: "What should I do?"

Huang Ying gritted her teeth and pointed to Lian Shanxue not far behind her: "Whether it's this girl or that maid from the Wen family, hurry up and urge Xianbao to get things done! His marriage absolutely cannot be left to him; we must intervene."

Xu Jingyang's eyelids twitched, and he repeatedly agreed: "Absolutely, absolutely! This matter cannot be delayed any longer."

Having reached an agreement, Xu Jingyang and Huang Ying exchanged glances. Huang Ying immediately adjusted her expression, turned around with a smile, and walked towards Lian Shanxue.

"Xiaoxue! Auntie has something serious to ask you!"

Lian Shanxue looked at Huang Ying's malicious smile and felt a little scared: "Auntie, what do you want to say?"

"What do you think of our Xianbao?"

"So cute!" Li Chuan watched the video of Xu Xian playing on his laptop screen and felt a surge of heat rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making his head feel several times larger.

Wang Xian, the vice president of maintenance who was playing in his office, twitched his lips a few times: "What's the meaning of you getting all red and swollen watching a video? Wasn't this supposed to be a work video? Is it that exciting?"

Wang Xian had come to chat with Li Chuan out of boredom to kill time, but halfway through the conversation, Li Chuan said he had received an email and asked Wang Xian to wait a moment while he opened the email. The email contained this video.

This was a video that Li Chuan's assistant had prepared for Xu Xian, and then sent the finished product to Li Chuan. Li Chuan was completely unaware of this beforehand.

Regarding Xu Xian's publicity plan, Li Chuan only provided a general direction and didn't get involved in the details at all. Cases of Xu Xian's caliber weren't worth Li Chuan's personal involvement; the actual execution was handled by his subordinates. Therefore, when Li Chuan saw the finished video, it was actually the first time he had seen it.

But this first viewing had an extremely significant impact on Li Chuan.

"No, what are you looking at?" Wang Xian couldn't sit still any longer and got up to walk towards Li Chuan's desk.

Upon seeing the laptop screen, Wang Xian, who had walked up to Li Chuan, stared wide-eyed in shock and exclaimed, "This is Xu Xian?"

"You know Xu Xian?" Li Chuan was taken aback. Xu Xian might be somewhat famous in the flight department, but he had no connection to the maintenance engineering department. How come even Wang Xian knew Xu Xian?

Wang waved his hand dismissively: "Just a brief encounter! But what is this thing anyway!"

"It's just a promotional video, I made it! No, I suggested it!" Li Chuan replied, "I really didn't expect this! The effect... the effect... so..."

Li Chuan couldn't find the words to describe it for a moment.

"So, you're up in the boss's shoes!" Wang patted Li Chuan on the back. "I never expected our company to have such an extraordinary person!"

Just then, a person entered from outside, carrying a stack of documents.

"Mr. Li, here are the merchandise sales data for the past week that you requested!"

Li Chuan closed his notebook, took the documents, glanced at them, and said, "Yes, this is what I wanted. You can go back now!"

After dismissing the visitor, Li Chuan ignored Wang Xian and immersed himself in his work.

Wang Xian wasn't annoyed that Li Chuan had ignored him. Instead, he curiously moved closer to Li Chuan and whispered, "What is it?"

Li Chuan didn't answer Wang Xian immediately. Instead, he quickly scanned a few pages of documents. After a few glances, his smile widened. He closed the documents and exclaimed excitedly, "It seems like our company is about to produce a superstar!"

While writing this chapter, I suddenly felt like writing about the special circumstances surrounding Xu Qing's test flight accident. It seems Qidian is currently running an event, offering bonus chapters only to readers who have subscribed to the full series. If I have the chance to participate, I'll write about Xu Qing's accident and share it with those who have subscribed—consider it a bonus.

(End of this chapter)