Legendary Captain

Chapter 319 We're waiting for you to come back

"Second Uncle, it's not your place to decide whether I can become the chairman." Just as Wen Ningyuan was questioning Wen Jingshu, a weak voice came from outside the door. Everyone in the conference room turned their gazes to her, and there stood Wen Jingshu, her face slightly pale, with Yang Ning beside her. Wen Jingshu looked around and said softly, "I'm sorry, something came up, I'm a little late."

After saying that, without paying any attention to Wen Ningyuan, Wen Jingshu slowly walked to the head of the presiding seat, paused for a moment while holding onto the chair as if to catch her breath, and then sat down.

Yang Ning's gaze remained fixed on Wen Jingshu from behind, ready to lend a hand whenever Wen Jingshu seemed to falter.

How could Wen Jingshu not know the board meeting's schedule? With her regular sense of time, how could she be late for an important meeting? She had severe morning sickness before the meeting and was vomiting incessantly.

Wen Jingshu's early pregnancy reaction was extremely severe. She vomited almost everything she ate. With irregular eating habits and severe vomiting, how could she possibly be in a normal state?

Wen Ningyuan was oblivious to everything. Even though Wen Jingshu's condition was clearly very wrong, he still didn't notice and kept questioning her decision: "Jingshu, what do you mean by opposing the bankruptcy of Xingyou Airlines? You don't actually think Xingyou Airlines can still be saved, do you?"

Beside Wen Ningyuan, Wen Changxing frowned and looked Wen Jingshu over a few times. He was not as oblivious as Wen Ningyuan; he could see Wen Jingshu's unusual condition, but he never imagined that Wen Jingshu was pregnant.

Wen Jingshu glanced at Wen Ningyuan indifferently: "Second Uncle, I understand what you mean. The group doesn't belong to me alone, so I won't force everyone to make things difficult for me."

Wen Ningyuan sneered, "Then why are you against the bankruptcy of Star Travel Airlines?"

"The truth is still unclear, and all the criticism is directed at Xu Xian. If Xingyou Airlines goes bankrupt, it can indeed stop the damage, but Xu Xian will have to bear the infamy for the rest of his life, which is something I absolutely cannot accept," Wen Jingshu said firmly.

According to the principle of limited liability, if Star Travel goes bankrupt and is liquidated, all assets will be inventoried and debts will be repaid. Any remaining debts that cannot be repaid will be waived.

Star Travel is clearly insolvent, so creditors of the debts exceeding Star Travel's assets will have to accept their losses. Moreover, after Star Travel's bankruptcy, while specialized personnel like pilots might fare somewhat better, all other ordinary employees face unemployment, especially long-term employees who have worked at Star Travel for several years and accumulated some experience. Even if they find new jobs, they will likely have to start from scratch, which is unacceptable to many. Furthermore, competition in today's society is incredibly fierce. For those with ambition, finding a similar or even better platform after losing Star Travel is not an easy task.

Even if bankruptcy liquidation is not legally legitimate, creditors and employees facing unemployment will inevitably vent their resentment on Xu Xian, the so-called "instigator".

Even if the flight data is recovered in the future, the situation at the time is clarified, and the truth is revealed, once the fact of Star Travel's bankruptcy is realized, the truth of the future will no longer be so important.

When the truth is revealed in the future, many people will likely think that Xu Xian did not bear any subjective responsibility for that incident, but it is also a fact that it caused Xingyou Airlines to go bankrupt.

There may be less resentment and curses, but doubts will never disappear.

Wen Jingshu didn't want Xu Xian to be surrounded by unbearable voices for the rest of his life. She had to make Xingyou Airlines hold on. As long as the flight data was restored, the truth would come out, and the doubts and even curses against Xu Xian would disappear.

However, Star Travel is now completely losing money, and the losses are so severe that even the large and powerful Wens Group feels that it can't hold on any longer. Otherwise, the board of directors wouldn't be in such a hurry to think about bankrupting Star Travel.

"Jing Shu, since you know the group isn't just yours, you should also know how much money the group will lose for every day Xingyou Airlines drags on. As the group's chairman, you should consider the interests of all shareholders. Bankrupting Xingyou Airlines as soon as possible is the only way to appease them. As for Xu Xian, that's your personal matter and shouldn't be brought into the group's affairs." Wen Ningyuan glanced at Old Master Wen Changxing beside him as he spoke, and seeing that the old man remained silent, he continued, "Moreover, even if you explicitly oppose the bankruptcy of Xingyou Airlines, the board of supervisors won't stand idly by. Jing Shu, this isn't about what you think anymore; it's about the inevitable trend of bankrupting Xingyou Airlines. I've also contacted several major shareholders, and they all support it. The shareholders' interests are the group's highest interests. Jing Shu, you should think this through."

Deep down, Wen Ningyuan harbored a darker ambition: to have Wen Jingshu clash with the shareholders' meeting! Currently, most shareholders of Xingyou Airlines, including many from the Wen family, supported its bankruptcy. If Wen Jingshu stubbornly refused, she would be going against the shareholders' meeting! In a corporation, the highest authority isn't the board of directors, but the shareholders' meeting. Going against the majority of shareholders, even for the chairman, would be disastrous.

If we could take this opportunity to remove Wen Jingshu from her position as chairperson, that would be wonderful.

Wen Changxing was well aware of his second son's little schemes. Regardless, he still favored his eldest son's lineage. Now, his granddaughter, because of Xu Xian's situation, was acting irrationally and trying to go against the wishes of all the shareholders—a highly unwise move.

As for Xu Xian, he took this opportunity to abandon his idea of ​​flying and enter the Wen family in peace.

"Jing Shu, your second uncle." At this point, Wen Changxing wanted to speak up and remind Wen Jing Shu, lest she continue to be stubborn and make things awkward for everyone.

"Grandpa, this is my own business," Wen Jingshu suddenly said. "I can understand that the group wants to bankrupt Xingyou Airlines to cut its losses, but my mind will not change. If Xingyou Airlines continues to exist, it will continue to cause losses to the group, so let's sever ties with the group."

"Cut ties?" Wen Ningyuan sneered, "Anyone with a normal brain knows that Xingyou Airlines is a bottomless pit of money. Who can take it over? If no one takes over this mess, how can we cut ties with the group?"

Star Travel's stock price has been hitting its daily limit down for several consecutive days, and it's clear to everyone that Star Travel will continue to suffer significant losses for a considerable period. Doesn't the Wens Group want to sell Star Travel? But others aren't fools; no one is willing to take it over.

Wen Ningyuan even found it somewhat laughable. Wen Jingshu had experience managing a group, so how could she not see the current situation clearly? She actually still harbored some illusion that she could sever Xingyou Airlines from the Wen Group. Now Xingyou Airlines was just sitting there rotten, and there was nothing they could do.

"No one's taking over?" Wen Jingshu raised her eyelids slightly. "Then I'll take over!"

"What?"

Not only Wen Ningyuan, but even Wen Changxing and the board members below were so shocked that they could hardly speak.

"My private shares in the group will be swapped with my shares in Star Travel Airlines. After the swap is completed, I will step down as chairman of the group. At that time, Star Travel Airlines will be my personal property and will have no further connection with the group. Whether it makes a profit or a loss will still have an impact on the group," Wen Jingshu said calmly.

Wen Jingshu, as a core member of the Wen family, owns group shares worth approximately seven billion yuan. These shares belong entirely to Wen Jingshu and the group, and have nothing to do with the Wen family. Wen Jingshu can dispose of them however she wants.

Xingyou Airlines' market capitalization was originally around 13 billion, but recently its stock price has been declining, shrinking by nearly half, and it shows a continued downward trend. In comparison, although Wen's Group's stock price has also fallen slightly, it is still relatively stable overall. If Wen Jingshu were willing to exchange her group shares for shares with Xingyou Airlines' shareholders, then Xingyou Airlines' shareholders would likely be quite happy to do so.

These words caused an uproar, especially from Wen Changxing, who was furious: "Nonsense! Those seven billion shares were your dowry, how can they be transferred to Xingyou Airlines? No way, absolutely not! Second brother, notify the investment committee that they will not cooperate with the share swap application!"

All of Wen's Group's external investments and acquisitions are decided by an investment committee, and the largest shareholder of Xingyou Airlines is now the group's investment committee. Wen Changxing knows that Xingyou Airlines is a bottomless pit; hundreds of millions of yuan can be poured in without even making a ripple. Even Wen Jingshu's seven billion yuan wouldn't last long under the current circumstances. He absolutely cannot allow his granddaughter's dowry to be wasted on Xingyou Airlines, this bottomless pit.

If the group's investment committee does not agree to the share swap with Wen Jingshu, then Wen Jingshu can only trade with the remaining minority shareholders who account for less than 30%, which would defeat the purpose of the share swap and fail to achieve the goal of severing ties with the group.

"Jing Shu! I know that from a rational point of view, you must understand that going bankrupt Xingyou Airlines is the best option. It's just that you can't accept it emotionally because of Xu Xian's existence. You want to use your own money to support Xingyou Airlines until the day when evidence to prove Xu Xian's innocence appears, but Xingyou Airlines is too big a hole for you to handle alone. Listen to me, listen to your grandfather!" Wen Changxing said urgently.

Faced with Wen Changxing's earnest advice, Wen Jingshu shook her head, her slightly pale face gleaming with unwavering determination: "Grandpa, I've always listened to you since I was little, but this time, please allow me to be willful just this once!"

After Xu Xian and Ye Qing reached a deal, with Ye Qing agreeing to provide manpower to help Xu Xian recover the data, Xu Xian specifically contacted the bureau's investigation team, requesting that the damaged flight data recorder be handed over to the Advanced Technology R&D Department of Luoyang Aerospace Industry.

The Advanced Technology R&D Department of Luohang Industry is where Ye Qing works. It specializes in researching various cutting-edge technologies. Ye Qing was a core researcher in the department before. It is said that Ye Qing will succeed the current director as the director of the Advanced Technology R&D Department soon after the current director retires.

During this time, Xu Xian also asked Ye Qing what exactly this "ultimate fighter jet" he was talking about was. Was it the C42 he had seen at the Bisu Airport? Ye Qing said no, the C42 was basically finalized, and his so-called ultimate fighter jet was still under construction, even the prototype was still under construction. It was said to use a scramjet engine, with a maximum speed of Mach 7, and could even fly in extraterrestrial space. At that time, strictly speaking, it should be called a space fighter jet.

However, there are still some problems with the scramjet engine that can be put into actual operation, so Ye Qing's so-called ultimate fighter jet has not yet completed the construction of its prototype.

However, according to Ye Qing, although problems still exist, they should be resolved within a year. The prototype's fuselage structure is now basically complete, with only the power system remaining. Once the challenges of the scramjet engine are overcome, it can be installed on the prototype at any time.

This fighter jet, which embodies almost all of Ye Qing's hard work and dreams, he believes that only a pilot with exceptional talent is worthy of it, and the person Ye Qing has his eye on is Xu Xian.

As Xu Xian had expected, shortly after he applied to send the damaged flight data recorder to Luoyang Aerospace Industry, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) approved the request, along with a decision to suspend Xu Xian's commercial flights.

In this incident, given the lack of flight data, the authorities certainly cannot convict Xu Xian based solely on some weak and peripheral evidence; that would be extremely irresponsible.

However, although the lack of evidence makes it impossible to definitively determine Xu Xian's responsibility, this does not affect the authority's decision to suspend his commercial flight license. The authority's intention is that Xu Xian will remain suspended from commercial flights until the flight data recorder is repaired. Of course, if the flight data recorder cannot be repaired, Xu Xian will be out of the civil aviation industry for life.

However, the regulatory authority's decision clearly stated that it only involved commercial flights and did not completely cut off Xu Xian's flying opportunities. Of course, the authority only oversees civil aviation and can only handle matters within that scope; it cannot regulate other areas. Furthermore, Xu Xian's situation is not a punishment, but rather a temporary control measure implemented due to unclear evidence. Therefore, if Xu Xian wants to participate in the selection process for Luoyang Aerospace Industry's fleet and fly fighter jets, this indefinite suspension of flights does not conflict with the decision.

Since Xu Xian has been unable to fly commercially for an extended period, he needs to return his boarding pass to the company. Xu Xian had originally planned to take the opportunity to go back to the company for a visit, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Prior to this, Xu Xian had heard about Xingyou Airlines' impending bankruptcy, and he expressed his deep regret, but it was beyond his control. All he could do was prove his innocence as soon as possible; whether Xingyou Airlines would go bankrupt was up to fate.

When Xu Xian arrived at the company, the once bustling Star Travel Base was deserted. The administrative staff who used to be constantly coming and going on the first floor of the base building were rarely seen. Entering the building, one could feel a very obvious sense of desolation.

After entering through Gate 2 of the base building, turning right leads to the entrance to the flight preparation room. Xu Xian went in and glanced inside. He found that there were no crews preparing, no one at the data desk, and the dispatcher was dozing off with his head propped up. The entire flight preparation room had a relaxed atmosphere.

"What are you looking at so suspiciously?" Just as Xu Xian was secretly observing, someone patted him on the back, and a voice came from behind, startling Xu Xian.

Xu Xian turned around as if by reflex, and saw Qin Zongyang looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Qin Zongyang sized Xu Xian up a few times: "Looking for someone?"

"No! I'm not looking for anyone, just browsing around." Xu Xian rubbed his nose. "Master, what about you? Do you have a mission today, or are you on duty?"

Qin Zongyang was wearing a casual shirt, not a pilot's uniform, and he didn't look like he was preparing to fly a flight, but rather like he was about to fly a flight.

"Where are the flights now? I'm just on duty, trying to persuade every departing flight to take off," Qin Zongyang said with a wry smile. "The number of flights has dropped by two-thirds compared to a month ago. There are no flights at all."

"What kind of ideological work?"

Qin Zongyang curled his lip: "There are far fewer flights now. Whether it's a first officer or a captain/instructor, one flight a week is the norm. Some pilots with heavy loan burdens are very resentful about this. So, the flight department requires department leaders to take turns being on duty in the flight preparation room to talk face-to-face with the crews of departing flights and appease their dissatisfaction, so that the crews don't bring their emotions onto the plane. However, this is just self-deception. The root cause of everyone's dissatisfaction is the lack of flights and the heavy financial pressure. If the root cause can't be addressed, do you think we can convince the flight crews to suppress their dissatisfaction just by talking? Are you kidding me!"

Before last month, the average flight hours of Star Travel pilots were 67 hours, but this month they have plummeted to a mere 20 hours, a truly astonishing drop.

Many pilots have financial burdens such as mortgages and car loans, and a sudden drop in salary can easily lead to pressure regarding these loans. If parents and friends cannot provide additional financial assistance at this critical juncture, and the pilot is unable to repay the loans on time, it will negatively impact their credit score, which is a very serious matter.

Many pilots are aware of the current situation at Star Travel Airlines, and they can predict that this situation will not change in the short term. They might be able to hold on for a month or two, but if it continues like this for a year or two, the pressure will be truly palpable for them.

Faced with such real pressure, how can many pilots not feel anxious and remain calm?

The flight department was aware of the pilots' growing dissatisfaction and anxiety, and feared that the pilots might bring these negative emotions onto the aircraft, thereby affecting flight safety. Therefore, the flight department required department leaders to take turns going to the flight preparation room every half day to have a "coaxing" talk with each departing flight, hoping to reduce the pilots' negative emotions.

But Qin Zongyang knew that this kind of pointless conversation, which didn't solve any practical problems, was just the flight department deceiving itself. To be honest, Qin Zongyang himself didn't know how long this emotion would accumulate or when it would erupt.

"Master, what about your promotion?" Xu Xian asked. He remembered that Qin Zongyang's promotion to vice president of operations seemed to have stalled after his accident. At least Luo Qing, who should have stepped down by now, was still at Xingyou Airlines. Did that mean Qin Zongyang's promotion was off?

"Promotion? Don't even mention it." Qin Zongyang smiled bitterly. "Whether Xingyou Airlines can even survive now is another matter entirely. The news of Xingyou Airlines going bankrupt has been coming from the group for a while now, and it seems to be true. Actually, this kind of news is to be expected. Our Xingyou Airlines is already doomed, what's the point of keeping it alive if it doesn't go bankrupt?"

At this point, Xu Xian knew perfectly well that Qin Zongyang's promotion was probably out of the question, and he immediately felt a pang of guilt: "Master, I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

"What do you mean, 'your fault'? It's just that damn black box wasn't sturdy enough. It's fate," Qin Zongyang sighed. Some planes crash and the black boxes are intact, but this time, just by overshooting the runway, the black box was severely damaged. It can only be said that the luck was really bad. "Don't overthink it. You came here to hand in your boarding pass? Why don't you give it to me? If you go to the flight attendants now, you might get a cold shoulder from them. Let's not put up with that."

Currently, very few people in the entire Xingyou Airlines company like Xu Xian. Qin Zongyang also knows this, which is why he said he would go to hand in the boarding pass for Xu Xian, so that Xu Xian wouldn't have to suffer in the Feibiao office.

He didn't care about being mistreated; what concerned him more was something else: "Master, is Star Travel Airlines' bankruptcy a done deal? Is there no way to salvage it?"

"That's it. The company is in such a state, it's useless except for losing money. What's the point of not going bankrupt? If it were me, I would also want to go bankrupt sooner." Qin Zongyang said, "Now many people in the company are very resentful of you, and a few seem to be very resentful. Why don't you go out for a while and avoid those people causing you trouble?"

Qin Zongyang knew that some people in the company had a lot of opinions about Xu Xian, and Xu Xian's file showed his home address. If these people acted rashly and went to his door, who knows what might happen. Therefore, Qin Zongyang advised Xu Xian to go out for a while and avoid the limelight.

"Is it that serious?" Xu Xian asked dejectedly. He figured many people in the company probably resented him, and the thought made him feel bad. "Master, are you busy right now? If you're not, could you come with me to see the chief physician? I need to get my medical records."

"Medical records? What do you need those for?" Experienced pilots like Xu Xian don't even need medical records during routine physical exams. They only need to take their medical records with them when changing jobs.

"This...it's nothing, I just need to use it." Xu Xian stammered, not wanting to tell him that he needed it for an Air Force physical exam: "Master, please don't ask, I have a use for it."

Medical records require the personal accompaniment of a deputy general manager of the flight department or a higher-level leader to retrieve. Xu Xian had originally intended to call Qin Zongyang to ask him to accompany him. However, since they unexpectedly ran into each other, a phone call was unnecessary.

"If you won't let me ask, then I won't. Anyway, Star Travel Airlines might not last much longer, so it doesn't matter where your file is." It's clear that even Qin Zongyang was filled with pessimism.

"Is bankruptcy really unavoidable?" Xu Xian hung his head in dejection, feeling that the root of all this lay with himself.

Just then, a beautiful figure flashed into Xu Xian's field of vision. Standing tall and graceful, it was Wen Jingshu.

Qin Zongyang noticed Wen Jingshu's arrival and tactfully stepped aside, giving Xu Xian and Wen Jingshu some space to be alone.

"Star Travel Airlines won't go bankrupt!" Wen Jingshu was unusually dressed today, wearing slightly loose clothes, her temples a little disheveled, but her eyes were incredibly firm: "Go do your thing, I'll protect Star Travel Airlines for you. You don't need to feel guilty, I will absolutely not let it go bankrupt. Just do your thing, we'll wait for you to come back."

(End of this chapter)