Legendary Captain

Chapter 312 Something Happened

"Speaking of Xu Xian, shouldn't you thank me, you old codger? I'm asking you, who recommended Xu Xian to you? Who was it?" He Changyuan "questioned" Qin Zongyang with unusual agitation.

Qin Zongyang pushed away He Changyuan, who was leaning closer, with obvious disgust: "That's enough. This isn't how you claim credit. Don't put your old face so close, it's disgusting, isn't it? I know you have a discerning eye, okay? I'll treat you to a meal alone next time, and treat you to the best food and drink, alright?"

When Xu Xian first joined the company, Qin Zongyang didn't know him at all. However, during the simulator inspection at the flight crew's base, the inspector was He Changyuan. He Changyuan, under instructions from squadron leader Cao Jinwen, deliberately increased the difficulty for Xu Xian. As a result, in a low-altitude single-engine failure, Xu Xian, with his exquisite piloting skills, landed the aircraft so smoothly that even the trainees didn't realize the engine had failed—a truly astonishing feat.

Xu Xian's talent in flight control was already undeniable, and He Changyuan was terrified.

At that time, Qin Zongyang was looking for apprentices. He Changyuan, who had a good personal relationship with Qin Zongyang, told him about Xu Xian's performance in the simulator test and recommended that Qin Zongyang take the initiative to approach Xu Xian. Otherwise, once Xu Xian left the flight crew, his talent would shine through, and wouldn't all sorts of instructors be vying for him?

Although Qin Zongyang was already the deputy general manager of the flight department at that time, it was not good to forcibly take someone else's apprentice. Therefore, He Changyuan suggested that Qin Zongyang take the initiative and go directly to the place where Xu Xian was working before Xu Xian left the fleet.

Originally, Qin Zongyang only planned to recruit Xu Xian and have him promoted to captain within the next four or five years. He never imagined that Xu Xian would not only reach that level, but also far exceed the limits he could have imagined.

Ultimately, he really should thank He Changyuan.

"No need for good food and drink. If you want to thank me, don't make me go to the Lhasa base. I can't go there. My old bones can't take the strain." He Changyuan brought up the matter again, not because of the Lhasa base station.

Spending extended periods at high altitudes can potentially trigger cardiovascular diseases in people who are accustomed to lower altitudes. Furthermore, the thin air at high altitudes can cause prolonged periods of mild hypoxia, leading to hypercapnia and hypoxemia, which can result in chronic respiratory failure.

If a young person is physically strong and adaptable, the impact might not be so great. But He Changyuan is already so old, he really can't withstand that kind of torment.

Seeing that He Changyuan viewed going to the Luoxie base as a perilous journey, Qin Zongyang felt a pang of pity. He and He Changyuan had a fairly good relationship, and what He Changyuan said made sense. At He Changyuan's age, going to the Luoxie base for half a year could easily lead to some serious problems.

There's a local airline in Lhasa where pilots earn an average salary 40-50% higher than pilots at the same level at other airlines. Yet, they're always hiring, seemingly perpetually short-staffed.

Why? They're offering salaries almost 50% higher than the industry average, and they're still constantly hiring. It's not that the airline is growing too fast; it's that they simply can't find enough people.

Pilots' salaries are already quite high, and an increase of about 50% would indeed be very tempting. However, very few pilots would risk their health by working in high-altitude areas. If their health is ruined, no amount of money can compensate for it!

Therefore, that airline could only recruit mostly local staff. But pilots are a special profession, and if they only target one place to squeeze money out of them, where would they find enough to squeeze out? However, they couldn't recruit many people from other provinces, which led to this airline, which had one of the highest salary levels in the country, being short-staffed for a long time, which was quite strange.

A salary increase of 40-50% should theoretically create a huge competitive advantage, but some local airlines have not shown any advantage over other airlines in their recruitment. This clearly shows how much the high-altitude working environment affects the selection of pilots.

He Changyuan knew perfectly well what the physical condition of the captains and instructors in the company who flew high-altitude routes year-round was like; they were basically risking their lives to earn money. He Changyuan had earned enough money in his life and had no interest in risking his life for subsidies for those high-altitude routes.

That's why he kept pestering Qin Zongyang, asking him to help him and not force him to be stationed at the Lhasa base.

"I can only say I'll do my best. The establishment of the Lhasa base was a collective decision made by the top management, and even the group itself was involved. Even if I were to become the Vice President of Operations, I might not have much say," Qin Zongyang said nervously. "You should know that those routes in Lhasa are profitable. If we can establish a branch base in Lhasa, we can use Lhasa as a starting point to add more Lhasa routes. Our company has a good image with the authorities, so the application for new Lhasa routes should be approved. I've even heard that we've already found office space in Lhasa, and most of the administrative staff will be local employees. Everything is ready now, except for the flight crews. Do you think the higher-ups would abandon the establishment of the Lhasa base because of the pilots' objections? Those are routes that make money hand over fist! What kind of people-oriented thinking would they have? Aren't they just after the money? There are many eyes watching any place with high profits. The more people watching, the harder it is for me to operate! And even though I'll be the Vice President of Operations in the future, among the real top management, I'm just someone who obeys orders."

"So, what's the point of all that talk?" He Changyuan squinted at Qin Zongyang, feeling like Qin Zongyang was giving him a heads-up.

Qin Zongyang patted He Changyuan's shoulder sheepishly, his manner quite intimate: "It's just that if I don't manage to get it done, don't blame me, hahaha! Isn't that right, Lao He! I've explained this to you in detail, you should understand how difficult it is to get things done through connections, so..."

"So, it's understandable that you didn't succeed, right?" He Changyuan said sarcastically.

"Exactly, exactly! It's not that I'm being unfair, but I'm just too lowly to intervene!" Qin Zongyang said with a grin, "Old He, I'm really not shirking responsibility. You should be able to tell I'm speaking from the heart, right?"

"I can tell!" He Changyuan sneered. "I can tell you're an ungrateful old man! Put your hand on your heart and tell me, if it weren't for me, would you have Xu Xian as your apprentice? Would you be the vice president of operations now? Let's speak from the heart!"

"Don't get agitated, don't get agitated!" Qin Zongyang was just about to calm He Changyuan down when he suddenly heard a commotion outside. He glanced towards the main entrance and asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

Sure enough, He Changyuan also heard the noise, and it was quite obvious, seemingly coming from the front gate. However, compared to Qin Zongyang's confusion, He Changyuan knew some of the inside story: "It's probably Cheng Jingdong's wife coming to cause trouble again, it's really annoying."

"Cheng Jingdong? He's hooking up with another woman again?"

The sudden sound from behind startled He Changyuan. He turned around and saw that Xu Xian had somehow come over to ask him gossip.

"You're really wrong! His wife is here to avenge Cheng Jingdong." He Changyuan raised his voice, like a storyteller: "Didn't Cheng Jingdong's wife cause trouble here before? You should remember that, right?"

"I remember! Wasn't it Cheng Jingdong who picked wildflowers and his wife found out? Could it be that this time it's not the same?" Xu Xian asked curiously.

Cheng Jingdong, despite being married, was having an affair with a flight attendant at the company. Eventually, his wife discovered it and took a very strong stance. She put up a banner at the company gate, determined to expose Cheng Jingdong and the flight attendant.

To be honest, this is the first time I've ever seen such a "heroine among women" as Xu Xian, and it has truly broadened my horizons.

But didn't the protests end after a few days? Why are they making a fuss again now? Is Cheng Jingdong cheating on his wife again?

"Hook up with him? What a load of rubbish!" He Changyuan said, "Now that Cheng Jingdong can't even fly anymore, who else could he possibly hook up with?"

"That's true! He's been grounded for a long time, hasn't he?" Xu Xianshen agreed.

Last year, Xu Xian and Cheng Jingdong went for refresher training together. However, during the proficiency test, Lu Xinyu failed Cheng Jingdong. At the time, Lu Xinyu even threatened that he would not let Cheng Jingdong pass the second retest.

The last word proved prophetic; Cheng Jingdong indeed failed his make-up exam.

Since then, Cheng Jingdong has become the first person in Xingyou Airlines' history, holding the rank of captain, to fail the proficiency test twice, earning him a notorious reputation. This reputation far surpasses his reputation for womanizing.

Not only Xingyou Airlines, but even some other airlines in the Southwest region knew that Xingyou Airlines had a captain who failed the proficiency check twice. Pilots from these other airlines strongly suspected that Cheng Jingdong had dug up the ancestral graves of inspector Lu Xinyu; otherwise, what deep-seated grudge could Lu Xinyu have that led him to kill Cheng Jingdong twice? It's worth noting that even co-pilots rarely fail the proficiency check twice, let alone a captain.

Unless Cheng Jingdong and Lu Xinyu are mortal enemies, logically speaking, Lu Xinyu wouldn't go to such lengths. However, the fact that a captain died twice is undeniable, and there's nowhere to seek justice.

Actually, Lu Xinyu was somewhat wronged in this matter. By the time of the second practice check, Lu Xinyu's anger had subsided, and he thought that as long as Cheng Jingdong performed normally, he would reluctantly let him pass. However, Cheng Jingdong failed to perform even with the given opportunity. For some reason, he couldn't even land a single pitch and block, so Lu Xinyu had no choice but to sign off on Cheng Jingdong's performance as unqualified a second time.

Having failed both proficiency checks, Cheng Jingdong is no longer qualified to be a co-pilot and has been grounded for a long time. Even worse, the push Cheng Jingdong made actually injured Lu Xinyu's back.

For safety reasons, Lu Xinyu took a full quarter of rest, which resulted in lost wages, medical expenses, and compensation for emotional distress totaling over 800,000 yuan. Given Lu Xinyu's skills and management level, charging Cheng Jingdong over 800,000 yuan for three months of unpaid rest is not considered cheating Cheng Jingdong; it's quite reasonable.

But Cheng Jingdong can no longer fly, and with no income, he suddenly needs to come up with 800,000 yuan, leaving his family with almost no savings. Lately, driven to desperation, Cheng Jingdong has been going to the flight department every day, hoping to be allowed to return to flying as soon as possible, even if it's just as a co-pilot. This shows just how dire Cheng Jingdong's situation is.

"What exactly is the reason? Besides his penchant for flirting, does Cheng Jingdong have any other hobbies?"

"What other hobbies could he have?" He Changyuan pulled Xu Xian to his side meaningfully, chuckling, "Isn't it all about money? You probably don't know, but Cheng Jingdong and his wife have a child. Although Cheng Jingdong is a scoundrel in relationships, I've heard he dotes on his child. If they divorce, Cheng Jingdong will be at fault, and the child will most likely stay with his wife. His wife can rely on the child as a bond to keep taking money from Cheng Jingdong. But now Cheng Jingdong can't even fly, so where will he get the money? Besides, it seems that Cheng Jingdong is the one paying their mortgage and car loan. If Cheng Jingdong continues to be grounded, and then can't make the payments, his wife will be affected too. So, even if the feelings are gone, the interests are still aligned. His wife will definitely get a divorce, but she can't lose Cheng Jingdong, her money-making machine. Isn't it normal for his wife to put up banners? But last time it was to expose her husband's dirty deeds; today it's just for her own money-making machine."

"What kind of banners is his wife displaying?" Qin Zongyang asked.

He Changyuan scoffed, "What else could be new? It's just the same old stuff about the company deliberately targeting Cheng Jingdong, or some personal grudge involved. It's all just fabricated rumors to attract public attention and put pressure on the company. Isn't that how all scoundrels operate these days?"

"Teacher He, how do you know so much?" Xu Xian couldn't help but give He Changyuan a thumbs up. He Changyuan's explanation just now was almost as if he were there, which was really captivating.

"Hehe!" He Changyuan said smugly, "I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. I've seen plenty of the dirty stuff in society. I can see through his wife's little schemes at a glance! Xu Xian, you're still too naive. You haven't seen the dark side of society."

He Changyuan was quite satisfied with his earnest words, after all, there weren't many opportunities to educate someone of Xu Xian's status these days.

"Hmph! Haven't I seen the dark side of society?" Xu Xian glanced at He Changyuan. "During the simulator inspection when I joined the company, Instructor He, were you deliberately targeting me?"

Instructor He's smile vanished abruptly, and he awkwardly touched his nose: "How come you still remember this? And it's not my fault. I was just following Cao Jinwen's instructions, it's not like I have a personal grudge against you."

"Cao Jinwen, Captain Cao? What personal grudge do I have against him?" Xu Xian asked, frowning.

"He didn't do that; he was just following orders from his superiors," He Changyuan explained.

Xu Xian: "Who's the person above me?"

"The CEO's office!"

Xu Xian pondered for a moment: "President's Office? The President's Office is for listening..."

"Listen to me!" Just then, Wen Jingshu appeared out of nowhere, standing gracefully beside Xu Xian, her clear blue eyes fixed on him with a mocking gaze: "Back then, I was the one who informed the president's office to contact the fleet to trip you up. Now you want to bring up the past?"

"Why bring up old grievances? There's nothing to dredge up." Xu Xian opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't dwell on the time Wen Jingshu tripped him up when he first joined the company. Instead, he changed the subject, pointing towards the main entrance: "They're just letting them hang up this banner like that? Doesn't it cause any problems?"

"We've already called the police. And the video of Cheng Jingdong's second thorough inspection has been submitted to the bureau for review. The truth will come out then." Wen Jingshu said calmly, not taking the matter to heart at all: "This matter should have nothing to do with Cheng Jingdong. It's probably his wife's personal behavior. It's a small matter, don't worry about it."

Generally, except in very rare cases, the authorities will not proactively request the video footage of the first thorough inspection. An inspector does have the authority to reprimand someone once, even if the reason is sometimes somewhat far-fetched. However, reprimanding the same person a second time is a different matter. The authorities need to determine whether the second inspection involved exceeding standards or being influenced by personal grudges.

Of course, even Cheng Jingdong himself was unwilling to submit the video of his first proficient inspection, because in that video, he was seen pushing and shoving the inspector. If the bureau found out about that, it would be a big problem.

Cheng Jingdong, as the person involved, was well aware of how badly he performed in the second proficiency test. As long as he handed over the video of his second proficiency test to the bureau, the rumors that the company was maliciously targeting him would be completely unfounded, and he would only be branded as unreasonable and blaming others.

Therefore, anyone with a modicum of rationality wouldn't resort to actions like displaying banners, spreading rumors, or pressuring the company. Such behavior, destined to fail and only exacerbating the conflict between oneself and the company, is something no one with a modicum of sense would do.

Only Cheng Jingdong's clueless and ignorant wife would do something so childish and ridiculous.

Although Cheng Jingdong's wife seems to be making a big show of it with her banners, once the bureau releases its review report on the second thorough inspection of the video footage, that will be the strongest evidence, and all the rumors will be dispelled. Therefore, Wen Jingshu doesn't take this matter seriously at all.

"Come with me, I have something to tell you." With that, Wen Jingshu pulled Xu Xian's arm and led him to a secluded corner, whispering, "Lian Shanxue is coming back, probably within a week or two."

"Is it confirmed this time?" Before this, there had been many times that Lian Shanxue was going to come back, but she never did, which made Xu Xian somewhat numb.

"It's confirmed, the plane tickets are all bought," Wen Jingshu said. "I've already spoken with the group, and when Lian Shanxue returns, I'll give her 30 million worth of Wen's Group shares. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, that's enough to ensure she'll be set for life."

"Thirty million? That should be my responsibility, it has nothing to do with you," Xu Xian said with a wry smile.

Wen Jingshu laughed and said, "She saved your life, it's only thirty million! Does she think your life isn't worth thirty million?"

Xu Xian didn't call out Wen Jingshu's obvious attempt to change the subject. Instead, he suddenly asked another question: "More than a year ago, I met your brother in Hanjing. He said that your grandfather's idea was that if we got together, the first child had to have the surname Wen. Is there such a saying?"

Wen Jingshu's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a nervous expression: "Do you mind? If not, we can have two, then there won't be any problem."

Xu Xian gazed intently at Wen Jingshu and said quietly, "I feel it's time to talk to your grandfather. I heard he's been escaping the summer heat in Yunnan recently? I have a flight the day after tomorrow; after I finish, I'll go and talk to him face-to-face."

Upon hearing this, Wen Jingshu was both excited and nervous: "Then...what will we talk about?"

"What else is there to talk about?" Xu Xian said, dissatisfied.

Wen Jingshu nodded repeatedly: "I...I'll go arrange it right away!"

The day after tomorrow at 3 PM, inside Wen Jingshu's mansion in Ningyue Residential Area.

In the large living room on the first floor, Wen Changxing and Wen Jingshu sat facing each other. Wen Changxing's expression was normal, but Wen Jingshu's pretty face was full of tension.

"Jing Shu, didn't Xu Xian say he'd be here at 2 PM? He's already an hour late. What's he trying to do? Is he trying to intimidate me?" Wen Changxing said calmly.

Wen Jingshu quickly explained, "Grandpa, something might have happened to Xu Xian. Grandpa, please don't be angry."

The original plan was that after Xu Xian finished her early morning flight a few days ago, she would go home to wash up and get ready, and then come to her house to have a face-to-face meeting with Wen Changxing.

Wen Jingshu had seen Xu Xian's class and landed before 10:00 AM. Logically speaking, she had plenty of time and shouldn't be late. However, the meeting, originally scheduled for 2:00 PM, was almost 3:00 PM, and Xu Xian, one of the main characters, still hadn't shown up. This lateness was a bit outrageous.

Wen Changxing was two generations older than Xu Xian, yet he was made to wait for an hour in vain. This behavior was extremely impolite.

Wen Jingshu also tried calling Xu Xian, but no one answered. Wen Jingshu had no idea what Xu Xian was up to.

"Xu Xian, what are you thinking?!" For something this important, arriving an hour late is really unusual for Xu Xian, given his personality.

For some reason, Wen Jingshu felt a little uneasy.

Suddenly, the door opened, but instead of the long-awaited Xu Xian, Yang Ning walked in, looking hurried.

When Wen Jingshu saw Yang Ning's appearance, her heart skipped a beat: "Aunt Ning, what's wrong?"

Yang Ning hurried to Wen Jingshu: "Miss, Xu Xian is in trouble!"

(End of this chapter)