Legendary Captain

Chapter 265 You're asking for it!

"Who did you say? Lu Xinyu?" Xu Xian initially thought he must be out of his mind, or he must have misheard. It was a bit ridiculous that the deputy general manager of the flight department would be in third place on a flight.

The dispatcher responded directly, "It's President Lu, we just changed him."

"Really!" Xu Xian exclaimed in surprise, "Is he just bored? Why would he follow someone on a plane like that?"

Xu Xian casually made a comment, and then muttered under his breath, "Could they be planning to do something underhanded? That shouldn't be the case. If I fail, he, as the deputy general manager of the flight department, shouldn't be in trouble either!"

Just as Xu Xian was wondering to himself, someone gently patted his shoulder. Startled by the pat, Xu Xian turned around and saw that Lu Xinyu was already beside him.

Xu Xian's heart skipped a beat. Had Lu Xinyu overheard his complaints about her?

"I don't think I violated any regulations by following the plane, so why do you seem to have such a big problem with it?" Lu Xinyu said with a smile.

Xu Xian said awkwardly, "Isn't this a conditioned reflex? I always feel like you're trying to trick me."

Lu Xinyu's face darkened. He had been making things difficult for Xu Xian, which made him look very bad to Xu Xian. Any slightly unusual behavior would arouse Xu Xian's strong suspicion.

Lu Xinyu pinched his nose and casually took the newly printed documents from the dispatcher: "If you get caught, I won't benefit either. Why would I scheme against you? Is this just your preconceived notion? Let's go, let's discuss this!"

Lu Xinyu held the documents in one hand and pulled Xu Xian with the other, preparing to give a heads-up before Sheng Shilong arrived.

Xu Xian had planned to make himself a coffee to perk himself up, but Lu Xinyu's interruption forced him to abandon that plan.

The two found a table in a corner, and after settling down, Lu Xinyu spoke first: "How confident are you today?"

"What a question. Does the success or failure this time depend on me? It's obviously on that inspector named Sheng Shilong. If he has no shame, even if I fly out of the sky, it won't make a difference," Xu Xian said helplessly.

Lu Xinyu turned his head and glanced at the entrance behind him. After confirming that Sheng Shilong was not there, he whispered, "Let me tell you, if this kid goes too far this time, we'll report him to the authorities. I can be a witness for him."

Xu Xian had planned beforehand that if Sheng Shilong acted too shamelessly, he would find a way to complain to the authorities and get them to intervene. He just didn't expect that Lu Xinyu would also have this idea, and even specifically follow his flight so that he could act as a witness.

Xu Xian clicked his tongue, adopting an air of superiority, and scrutinized Lu Xinyu closely: "You really think that? You're not planning to scheme against me anymore?"

"Why are you always scheming against me? Yes, I've done a lot of things to hurt you before, but things are different now. Who do you think you are? You've got fame and connections, we can't afford to mess with you. So, what reason would I have to scheme against you? What benefit would I get from it?"

Lu Xinyu launched into a barrage of questions, speaking from the bottom of her heart, but Xu Xian wasn't buying it at all: "You can't see into someone's heart, who knows?"

"Fine, fine, think what you want. I'm not going to mess with you two anymore. I'm making this clear. Xu Xian, we'll talk about other things later. Right now, our common enemy is that grandson of Sheng Shilong, that grandson..."

When Lu Xinyu said this, he was initially very passionate, and as he spoke, he pointed randomly with his hand in sync with his tone of voice, until he pointed to a figure that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Teacher Sheng Sheng?" Lu Xinyu froze, not knowing when Sheng Shilong had arrived. At this moment, his finger was pointing directly at Sheng Shilong, and the scene became somewhat awkward.

Sheng Shilong was wearing the uniform of Kunlong Airlines, which was slightly different from the uniform of Xingyou Airlines. The biggest difference was that the stripe on the cuff was silver-white, while that of Xingyou Airlines was gold-yellow.

"President Lu looks very energetic!" Sheng Shilong smiled as he took off his coat and hung it on the handle of the flight case, tying his tie as he spoke, as if he hadn't heard what Lu Xinyu had said.

Lu Xinyu was caught red-handed and was slightly embarrassed, but as a leader, he quickly composed himself: "Teacher Sheng is in good spirits. I had some coffee when I came over, otherwise I would be yawning non-stop by now."

Sheng Shilong quickly fastened his tie, put his coat back on, and said with a smile, "What coffee is so good? Mr. Lu's voice is loud and clear; he doesn't look sleepy at all like an early riser."

Lu Xinyu laughed heartily and said in a very cheerful manner, "You flatter me, you flatter me."

These past two days, they've been exchanging a few words and chatting amiably, without mentioning at all the time Lu Xinyu had insulted Sheng Shilong. If someone who didn't know the situation saw the two of them talking, they would think they were good friends.

Xu Xian watched from the side, his lips twitching. These two were truly acting geniuses. They clearly wanted to strangle each other, but they still put on a show of being nice to each other. Xu Xian was ashamed of his own acting skills.

Lu Xinyu and Sheng Shilong acted for a while, and perhaps feeling that it was enough, their conversation abruptly ended. One moment they were inseparable "friends," and the next they were complete strangers who loathed each other. The speed of the change almost made Xu Xian applaud their performance.

Lu Xinyu and Sheng Shilong had nothing to say to each other, and Xu Xian naturally had nothing to say to Sheng Shilong either. As a result, the three of them sat around a table, unable to utter a single word for a long time, making the atmosphere particularly strange.

In the midst of this somewhat tense atmosphere, Sheng Shilong broke the deadlock and said to Xu Xian, "Although today's inspection is no different in form from a regular flight route inspection, it will be more difficult because this inspection is cross-regional. I hope you can understand."

"A moderate increase?" Xu Xian asked with a half-smile, emphasizing the word "moderate" to imply something more.

Sheng Shilong, with his thick skin, said, "If you have any objections to the results of this inspection, you can file a complaint with the bureau at any time, and I will fully cooperate."

"Of course, I'm not the kind of person who suffers in silence without fighting back." Xu Xian retorted sharply, determined to let Sheng Shilong know that he was not someone who could be easily manipulated.

Sheng Shilong nodded, but did not respond to Xu Xian's words. In just two short sentences, he basically understood Xu Xian's attitude and began to think about where he could find fault.

Although Kunlong Airlines Chairman Yun Shang assured Sheng Shilong that he would be safe, Sheng Shilong wasn't the kind of fool who would believe everything he was told. He had been in the civil aviation industry for many years and had some inside information. It seemed that all signs indicated the authorities intended to cultivate Xu Xian, so even with Yun Shang's assurance, he needed to think carefully.

According to his plan, if Xu Xian truly performed flawlessly, then even against Yun Shang's wishes, he couldn't force Xu Xian to sign off on his performance as unqualified. Otherwise, blaming Xu Xian without reason would be a slap in the face to the authorities, and even if Yun Shang could protect him temporarily, he'd likely face difficulties in the future. Moreover, Sheng Shilong strongly doubted the authenticity of Yun Shang's guarantee. Was it possible that if he really ran into trouble, Yun Shang wouldn't just not protect him, but would also be eager to sever ties? Yun Shang was the chairman, and he was his subordinate; he had no power over Yun Shang, and whether or not Yun Shang protected him depended entirely on Yun Shang's whim. Therefore, he had to leave himself a way out.

Of course, this was the worst-case scenario for him, but Sheng Shilong felt that such a situation only existed in theory. He really didn't believe that Xu Xian would never make a single mistake. As long as Xu Xian misspoke and shouted the wrong standard greeting, he could use that as leverage to make Xu Xian lose face.

If Xu Xian's performance is truly impeccable, then Sheng Shilong will accept defeat wholeheartedly.

"By the way, what about that female pilot from your company? Lian Shanxue, right?" After a brief silence, Sheng Shilong suddenly asked about Lian Shanxue's whereabouts: "I heard she's no longer with Xingyou, is that true?"

Xu Xian was slightly displeased: "I didn't expect Instructor Sheng to be interested in this kind of gossip?"

"It's not that I'm interested, it's just that I think it's inappropriate for a young girl to get involved in flying. Is this something they should be doing? I heard she injured her eye, right? Tsk tsk tsk, this is the result of meddling in areas they're not good at." Sheng Shilong said, "So, people should act according to their own character, and what's the point of showing off?"

Xu Xian's expression was extremely unpleasant: "Judging from what Instructor Sheng is saying, she still has a case of reaping what she sowed?"

"I didn't say that," Sheng Shilong said with a smile. But looking at Sheng Shilong like this, Xu Xian really wanted to punch him.

Tianning City, Qingyuan Group Headquarters X10 Routine Promotion Meeting.

Xu Qing felt his sleep schedule was becoming more and more like that of an old man. He couldn't fall back asleep by six in the morning, and he started feeling sleepy after ten at night. Although going to bed early and waking up early is a healthy routine, he always felt that this didn't fit the general situation of young people. Shouldn't young people go to bed late and wake up late?

Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I've really gotten old.

Xu Qing had previously discussed the X10 aircraft procurement project with senior executives of various airlines, but so far, only Chimelong Airlines has expressed interest in purchasing it. At least in terms of airline promotion, the X10 aircraft has not been progressing smoothly.

However, Xu Qing wasn't too worried about the obstacles the airlines were facing in promoting the aircraft. Domestically produced large aircraft was the historical trend, and relying on aircraft from other countries would leave them vulnerable in many ways, such as in price negotiations. Even though the process wasn't smooth now, it should only be temporary.

Compared to promotion within airlines, Xu Qing also placed great emphasis on promotion among the general public. He needed to make the general public aware of and accept the existence of the X10 as soon as possible.

Based on this idea, Xu Qing holds a promotional briefing for X10 every month, where he talks about the latest updates to the X10 project, the progress of its promotion, and answers questions from the public.

As a large domestically produced aircraft, the X10 has received considerable attention. Coupled with Xu Qing's own influence, the monthly promotional briefings still attract a lot of media and members of the public.

Since the routine promotional events are open to the public, there are no entry requirements; anyone can attend as long as there is enough room. Because of this lack of restrictions, many of Xu Qing's fans treat these events as opportunities to see their idol, resulting in frequent appearances of Xu Qing's support signs at the venue, much to Xu Qing's amusement and exasperation.

However, Xu Qing's fans are always very disciplined and never make noise or disrupt the order of the venue, so Xu Qing doesn't care.

This month's updates to the X10 project were minimal, and Xu Qing finished his presentation in just over half an hour. Following the normal procedure, Xu Qing began by asking the audience: "Now it's time for a Q&A session. You may ask your questions in an orderly fashion. Just a heads-up, you can ask me personal questions, but whether I'll answer them is uncertain."

As Xu Qing finished speaking, a series of knowing laughs rippled through the audience. Earlier, a fan had asked a very personal question, making Xu Qing extremely embarrassed, which is why he added this extra sentence.

Many of the people present had attended the meeting more than once before, unlike the clueless newbies they were at the beginning. They had a general idea of ​​what they could and couldn't ask, so the atmosphere in the meeting room was relatively harmonious.

Compared to his status, Xu Qing is quite unpretentious in his interactions with others. No one feels pressured talking to Xu Qing; it's like chatting with an old friend.

Mei Tingting sat next to Xu Qing without saying a word, just watching and listening, appearing extremely serene.

"Anything else?" Seeing that fewer and fewer people were asking questions, Xu Qing felt it was about time, so he asked. If no one answered, he was ready to adjourn the meeting.

Just then, a reporter raised his hand: "I have a question."

Xu Qing had already stood up, and hearing that someone still had a question, he decided not to go back to his seat. Instead, he went straight to the front of the stage, leaned against it, and stretched out his hand to the reporter: "Go ahead."

The reporter's gaze shifted slightly, then, as if gathering courage, he asked, "Mr. Xu, do you have any plans to retire in the near future?"

"Hmm?" Xu Qing was slightly surprised, but remained quite composed: "Not yet, but it shouldn't be long."

It is common knowledge that Xu Qing will retire from the civil aviation industry in the foreseeable future, so Xu Qing's answer is not exactly new information.

The reporter swallowed hard and then said, "I recently received a medical report that seems to indicate that Mr. Xu is no longer suitable to serve as a benchmark figure in civil aviation."

At this point, several people in the airline representative area of ​​the venue, especially those from Kunlong Airlines, all showed a slight smile.

"A medical report?" Mei Tingting stood up abruptly and immediately shouted to the audience, "This meeting is over. Leave now."

After saying that, Mei Tingting quickly went to Xu Qing's side, pulled Xu Qing, and was about to leave.

However, Xu Qing remained motionless, staring intently at the reporter: "What medical report?"

The audience was somewhat confused by the conversation between Xu Qing and the reporter, but some astute individuals had already sensed a different meaning behind it.

The prepared reporter took out a mini projector, connected it to his mobile phone, and after a series of operations on the phone, immediately projected a medical report image onto the large screen in the venue.

"Mr. Xu, is this hand nerve damage report yours?"

These words caused an uproar in the room, and almost everyone turned their attention to the medical report. Some media personnel who had already turned off their equipment quickly turned their cameras back on, as if something serious was about to happen.

"The name on this report is Xu Qing?"

"Numbness in my hand. Is there something wrong with my right hand?"

"What exactly is going on?"

The images in this report on hand nerve injury are very clear; those in the audience can easily discern the contents. The name, date of birth, address, and ID number of Xu Qing match perfectly, suggesting no forgery.

Xu Qing frowned slightly but remained silent. Mei Tingting, however, stepped in front of Xu Qing and asked, "Which media outlet are you from? What are your intentions in questioning Xu Qing based on this report whose authenticity cannot be verified?"

The reporter immediately retorted, "Everyone, look at the patient information above. Doesn't it all match Xu Qing's? How can there be any mistake?"

"Much of Xu Qing's information is publicly available. You think you can prove this so-called report is real based on this publicly available information? Isn't that ridiculous?" Mei Tingting rebuked sharply.

"That's right! The patient information on this report can all be found online, so it's not that difficult to fake it."

"That seems to make sense; the patient information alone is simply not enough to prove the authenticity of the report."

"Xu Qing's hands don't seem to have any problems. Is this a frame-up?"

Mei Tingting's mind worked quickly, and she immediately grasped the fatal flaw in the report. But the reporter changed the subject, saying, "In that case, why doesn't Mr. Xu undergo a public nerve damage test in his hand to prove it to everyone? Mr. Xu is a benchmark figure in our civil aviation industry, enjoying endless resources and benefits, but if Mr. Xu's health is no longer sufficient to hold this position, I feel it would be best for him to step down and make way for someone more capable."

The reporter's point was simple: a person with a partially disabled right hand is unfit to be a role model in civil aviation. Xu Qing has enjoyed the enormous benefits of his position; if he is no longer worthy of it, he should voluntarily step down and not continue to reap the benefits for nothing.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the airline representative area fell silent; not a single person spoke up for Xu Qing, and they seemed to be pleased with this outcome.

The rest of the public whispered among themselves, saying that if Xu Qingzhen was alright, why not have a medical test done under public scrutiny? That would silence all doubts, and he could continue to be a benchmark in civil aviation without losing anything.

However, Mei Tingting didn't see it that way. She retorted directly, "Today you're threatening my husband with some dubious evidence to get him to undergo some kind of medical test. If this precedent is set, does that mean my husband will have to cooperate and prove anything just because some Tom, Dick, or Harry produced a medical report? Don't you understand the principle of 'whoever makes the claim must prove it'?"

Mei Tingting knew very well that some things were absolutely off-limits. If they cooperated when this reporter said Xu Qing had a problem with his hand, what if tomorrow someone said Xu Qing had a problem with his leg? Would they cooperate with that too? Then Xu Qing wouldn't have to do anything but go to the hospital every day.

The moment she saw the report on the nerve damage in her hand, she knew it was real. She didn't know why the report had been leaked, but if someone thought they could bring down Xu Qing just by relying on this report, they would be underestimating Mei Tingting.

The principle of "whoever makes the claim bears the burden of proof" is a deeply ingrained concept, and Mei Tingting's statement brought this to the attention of the audience. Many also began to feel that Xu Qing indeed had no obligation to cooperate with the reporter's claims and undergo testing.

"What a sharp-tongued Mei Luoshuang!" the Kunlong Airlines representative gritted his teeth. They hadn't expected Mei Tingting to defuse their attack so easily; it was quite unexpected.

Standing next to the representative of Kunlong Airlines, Li Chengyu asked worriedly, "What do we do now?"

If we fail to corner Xu Qing this time, we will have no chance later.

"I knew Xu Qing wasn't so easy to deal with!" the Kunlong Airlines representative whispered. Xu Qing's existence had blocked the path to wealth for countless people. It's said that blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents, yet Xu Qing has been standing strong for over twenty years; he must have something special about him. Leaving aside Xu Qing, his wife, Mei Luoshuang, is a difficult woman to deal with.

Just then, seeing that the reporter who asked the question had been rendered speechless by her rebuttal, Mei Tingting decided to grab Xu Qing and leave first. This place was not safe to linger; it was best to leave this troublesome place.

Seeing Xu Qing and Mei Tingting about to leave, Li Chengyu became extremely anxious. When he came earlier, he had confidently assured the board of directors that he would definitely cripple Xu Qing in one fell swoop, but now it seemed that he hadn't even scratched the surface of her. How could he explain this?

Perhaps truly blinded by desperation, Li Chengyu abruptly stood up the moment Xu Qing moved, shouting, "Xu Qing, what is your relationship with Xu Xian? Is he your illegitimate son?"

Xu Qing heard Li Chengyu's words. He originally didn't intend to pay any attention to him, but when he heard the words "illegitimate child," he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Are you fucking crazy!" The representative of Kunlong Airlines looked extremely shocked. He never expected that Li Chengyu would dare to say this in public.

"illegitimate child!!!"

If the earlier report about hand nerve damage had merely piqued the curiosity of the audience, the words "illegitimate child" completely ignited the emotions of everyone present. The media personnel were trembling.

Xu Qing and Xu Xian, illegitimate children!

They believe that these three words together will be the most explosive news in China's civil aviation industry in the past two decades.

Mei Tingting's face also turned extremely gloomy at this moment, but she was more worried about Xu Qing's condition.

Perhaps he was really going all out, because Li Chengyu hurriedly connected his phone to his projector and adjusted the projection position to project onto another blank area.

Li Chengyu released a video—a press conference about the Kunyang River forced landing incident. This video was not released to the public; it was kept secret by agreement between Xu Qing and the media present at the time.

In the video, Xu Qing vouched for Xu Xian by promising to completely withdraw from the civil aviation industry, and also expressed his hope that the media present would not release the video.

"Mr. Xu, aren't you going a bit too far by using yourself as a guarantor to protect Xu Xian? I really can't think of any reason why you're being so good to Xu Xian."

As Li Chengyu spoke, he performed another series of operations, and a photo of Xu Qing's son, Xu Zijin, appeared on the projected screen.

In these photos, the gold lock necklace that Xu Zijing is wearing is clearly visible and particularly eye-catching.

"Mr. Xu, you said that this gold lock necklace for your son was custom-made for him, and that it's the only one of its kind in the world. But how come I found an identical gold lock around Xu Xian's neck?" Li Chengyu said excitedly, "This gold lock is a keepsake you gave to your son. One for Xu Zijin and one for Xu Xian, doesn't that prove something?"

It's common knowledge that Xu Qing commissioned a custom-made gold lock necklace for his son. Everyone understands what this gold lock signifies, and if Xu Xian truly possesses an identical gold lock, it would indeed be quite intriguing.

As he spoke, Li Chengyu then released another video, the one from the day he and a group of other reporters had staked out the gate of Xingyou Airlines, hoping to interview Lian Shanxue.

On that very day, Xu Xian suddenly became curious and wanted to see if the reporters were gathered at the gate, so he went out to take a look, only to be pulled and tugged by Li Chengyu.

During the tug-of-war, Xu Xian's clothes were pulled open, revealing the gold lock necklace he was wearing. It was then that Li Chengyu noticed the gold lock necklace.

Coincidentally, someone in the group of reporters had a camera on that day, and Li Chengyu asked that person for the video footage, which is what was shown at that time.

In the video, Li Chengyu immediately paused the video the moment Xu Xian revealed the gold lock. In the video footage, the gold lock on Xu Xian's chest and the gold lock hanging on Xu Zijin's neck were completely identical.

The contrast between the video footage of Xu Xian's pause and the photo of Xu Zijing was so striking that many people in the audience were speechless with shock. Many media reporters had already started calling their headquarters; this was truly huge news.

Li Chengyu was about to continue speaking when he suddenly realized that Xu Qing had somehow arrived in front of the Kunlong Airlines representative's seat.

At this moment, Xu Qing showed no joy or sorrow, his gaze deep and unfathomable. After lingering on Li Chengyu for a moment, he turned his attention to the representative of Kunlong Airlines: "Is this Han Qi's idea?"

The representative from Kunlong Airlines was pounding with anxiety, but there was no turning back now. He could only grit his teeth and say, "We just want an explanation from Mr. Xu."

"Explanation? What explanation?" Xu Qing asked calmly.

Li Chengyu's breathing trembled slightly. Xu Qing's current state was putting too much pressure on him, to the point that he could hardly breathe. But he still mustered up his courage and said, "A person with such poor morals is not qualified to represent civil aviation."

See you in the picture!

Representatives from other airlines following Kunlong Airlines turned their heads away, indicating that it had nothing to do with them.

"Mr. Xu, you—" Li Chengyu had barely opened his mouth when he suddenly noticed Xu Qing raise his right hand. Before he could react, Xu Qing slapped down, pressing directly onto Li Chengyu's temple, and then with a sudden burst of force, slammed Li Chengyu's head firmly onto the table.

Li Chengyu's head was slammed hard onto the table by Xu Qing with lightning speed, making a dull thud as it hit the table.

Xu Qing's eyes flashed with an uncontrollable chill: "You called me a cripple, and I didn't argue with that. But now you're insulting my character!"

Xu Qing gradually increased the pressure with his right hand, and Li Chengyu felt as if his head was about to be crushed, letting out painful moans.

Just as Li Chengyu was howling, Xu Qing's gaze shifted to the representative of Kunlong Aviation, and he slowly uttered four words: "You're courting death!"

(End of this chapter)