Section 3

"Do not be agitated, for agitation signifies an attempt to cover up the truth." In the face of the furious Tang Xiaoxiao, Nie Zhuoyang remained calm and composed, "Fortunately, he did not overthink it; otherwise, when he went to the airport to pick you up that day, he would have brought roses instead of calla lilies."

With a "bang," Nie Zhuoyang was startled by the slap, causing the wonton to fall into the bowl and splatter a large amount of red oil. Just as he was about to get to know this young uncle better, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, hesitated for a moment, and then answered the call.

Tang Xiaoxiao did not see his reaction, snorted, and said: "It was you who gossiped in front of Wei Bi, right? Who said Lin Yufan is my cousin-in-law? My cousin hasn't married him!"

After turning two corners, a nine-story white building ahead is the dormitory for flight attendants, commonly known as the "Flight Attendant Building." Opposite the building is the "Rainbow Restaurant," which offers good quality at reasonable prices. Tang Xiaoxiao had just sat down and ordered a plate of oil-splashed spicy noodles when she saw Nie Zhuoyang striding in with his long legs.

"That's right! It's not mine, it's borrowed. It's inconvenient for me to drive my out-of-town license plate into the city center during rush hour," Nie Zhuoyang said, gently stroking the steering wheel. He then looked up at her, his gaze slightly shifting, "But I'm just someone who is sentimental, nostalgic, and reluctant to change. What do you think I should do?"

So it seems I have wronged you?" Tang Xiaoxiao pouted

The calla lily is her favorite flower, yet it is unrelated to love; it represents pure and untainted friendship

Tang Xiaoxiao shot him a glare, took out two five-yuan notes from her wallet, tossed the wallet into his arms, and turned to leave

Seeing that Tang Xiaoxiao no longer refuted, Nie Zhuoyang changed his tone: "Have you considered that it might be Jiehang that falsely reported the fuel levels? The fuel saved by flying in fewer circles is quite substantial"

You are talking nonsense! What do you understand? Tang Xiaoxiao was nearly provoked to lose control by his words, and she heavily slammed her chopsticks on the table

"Alright, alright, I was just talking nonsense. Come, eat some vegetables, eat some vegetables!" Nie Zhuoyang said as he picked up a piece of vegetable for her, and took a big bite himself, immediately gasping from the spiciness. He did not forget to make a double entendre, saying, "This is so spicy, it's really not something an ordinary person can handle! Especially Lin Zi, who has never liked spicy food..."

Xiao Xiao, I found you! The door of the restaurant was suddenly pushed open, and a young man dressed in gray overalls, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, walked in.

Nie Zhuoyang looked at the table full of dishes in front of him, feeling quite uncomfortable. He helplessly pursed his lips and turned to Lang Tai, saying, "Brother, how about we eat together?"

Nie Zhuoyang fixed his gaze on her and suddenly burst into a hearty laugh: "Alright, just for that remark, I must treat you to a good meal! Let's go, we should change the place!" With that, he stood up and took Tang Xiaoxiao's hand.

Your backpack was left in the safety supervision department's conference room, and they sent it to the control tower. I helped bring it back for you. My phone rang several times on the way here, and the caller ID showed 'Senior Lin,' so it might be something urgent. " Lang Tai handed over a denim backpack, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and gave a silly smile.

"From childhood to now, you have wronged me more than once!" Nie Zhuoyang shook his head, displaying a sincere demeanor as if he were pouring out his heart, "But had I known you would be so troubled, I would have flown the plane until it ran out of fuel and made an emergency landing, just to follow your instructions"

Nie Zhuoyang then composed himself, put down his chopsticks, and replied seriously: "As a pilot, I can tell you that we are indeed out of fuel"

"I have a busy schedule tomorrow and won't be back tonight." Nie Zhuoyang rested his elbow on the table, looking at her as he slowly said, "The website wwwhetushu.com only costs ten yuan, are you deliberately trying to belittle me, Tang Xiaoxiao?"

"Oh, your cousin Anqi..." Nie Zhuoyang suddenly revealed a meaningful smile, "I heard at the recent class reunion that she already has someone else in the United States. Otherwise, with Lin Yufan's injury from the car accident this time, it wouldn't be your turn to play the role of the caring girl, would it?"

Nie Zhuoyang neither admitted nor denied it, merely curling the corners of his mouth slightly, allowing her to vent her anger at him

"It must have been difficult to hold it in until now, right? Just look at your expression; it's just like when you were a child, sternly asking me if I really forgot to bring my homework!" Nie Zhuoyang said with a smile as he looked at her, then paused before asking, "So, are you asking as the sister-in-law of the operations director of Jiehang, or as a childhood friend of the pilot from Xinghang?"

"Look, your face is all red, yet you still haven't learned to lie," Nie Zhuoyang said with a mocking smile. "So, how does it feel to have a crush on your cousin's husband?"

The warm yellow light of the restaurant illuminated his handsome face, his eyes sparkling like those of the sunny youth who once chased his dreams. His palms were broader than they had been in the past, no longer damp but warm, dry, and strong.

Tang Xiaoxiao thought seriously for a moment and nodded: "I don't care about Jiehang, anyway, I trust you now"

The generational hierarchy is incorrect. Lang Tai had a serious expression on his face as he extended his thick, short fingers and heavily patted Nie Zhuoyang's shoulder, saying, "I am Xiaoxiao's cousin!"

Tang Xiaoxiao took the backpack and quickly pulled out her phone. There were already several missed calls on it, all from Lin Yufan, and the last message read: "Xiaoxiao, I am sorry, I just realized that I have implicated you."

Tang Xiaoxiao put down her chopsticks, her expression serious: "Was your plane really out of fuel that day?"

And the * picture * book `` is because my cousin heard that he was injured, so she entrusted me to take care of him. My cousin ... ... '' Tang Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment, `` She has something going on over there, so she can't come back. ''

"Ten yuan?" Nie Zhuoyang was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled and took out his wallet, slapping it into her palm, "Just take it all!"

"I will return the money to you tomorrow." Tang Xiaoxiao lowered her head, tearing apart the packaging of the disposable chopsticks, as if venting her frustration by pulling at the paper with force

Nie Zhuoyang shook his head, as if to shake off unpleasant memories, and gave a self-deprecating smile, his voice faintly low: "Are you implying that I am targeting Lin Yufan? Tang Xiaoxiao, do you really think so little of me? With a hundred people on a plane, is it really something I could use to vent my frustrations? Moreover, at that time, I was unaware that the following flight was from Jiehang."

Tang Xiaoxiao bit her lip, suddenly raised her head, and tapped the edge of the bowl with her chopsticks: "I almost got led astray by you, don't try to change the subject! Let's return to the matter of the plane running out of fuel. As an air traffic controller, may I ask you, is that alright?"

Tang Xiaoxiao frowned and glared at him: "I haven't settled the score with you yet! How despicable to use this as a topic at the investigation meeting!"

"Gray Wolf... what is the matter that is so urgent?" Tang Xiaoxiao quickly released Nie Zhuoyang's hand and approached. Lang Tai is the technician responsible for maintaining the equipment at the control tower, nicknamed "Gray Wolf." He is usually calm and steady, so it is rare to see him in such a hurry.

It has just rained! Nie Zhuoyang glanced at her sideways and said, "Little Chili, you haven't changed at all over the years; you still worry for no reason."

Tang Xiaoxiao quickly lowered her head in a cooperative manner, thus missing the entanglement and reluctance in Nie Zhuoyang's eyes due to her bowed posture

You are overthinking! In my heart, he has always been just the senior brother I admire." Tang Xiaoxiao spoke with a firm tone, yet her fair face slightly flushed.

Nie Zhuoyang felt slightly displeased by his inquiry, as he was unsure how to respond. Childhood friend? Classmate? Friend? None seemed quite accurate. He then sat down and picked up a red oil dumpling, saying: "Brother, if you don't want to eat, feel free to do as you please"

Nie Zhuoyang was momentarily taken aback, as if transported back to her childhood. The two had become desk mates; just a minute ago, she had been crying in fright after discovering a dead cockroach he had placed in her book. In the next moment, she wiped her tears, sniffled, and stared at him earnestly: "Azh Zhuo, you didn’t memorize the text last night, did you? You got so many wrong." After a while, she furrowed her delicate brows and poked his arm sharply with the tip of her pencil, saying, "Azh Zhuo, write it yourself, you are not allowed to copy my homework!"

Tang Xiaoxiao snorted and said, "If it weren't for our chief director seizing the microphone to give orders that day, who knows what kind of big mess would have ensued."

"It's fine, she won't be coming back anyway. Why don't you just tell Linzi directly? Are you afraid it will hurt his feelings?" Nie Zhuoyang glanced at her and softened his voice, "You wouldn't have developed feelings for him, would you?"

Tang Xiaoxiao met his gaze, and her heart skipped a beat. She quickly turned her face away, but after a moment's thought, she turned back, extended her hand in front of him, and said with a look of righteous indignation: "Forget about your car, lend me ten yuan first!"

I do not eat spicy food. "Lang Tai shook his head, then scrutinized him up and down several times with a discerning gaze, "You are Xiao Xiao's..."

I just received news that Lin Yufan went to the hospital this afternoon to have his cast removed. However, on the other end of the phone, Wei Bi paused ambiguously for a moment before slowly uttering a sentence: "He was unable to stand up"

Tang Xiaoxiao looked up and glanced at him, raising her hand: "Boss, add some dishes: sour and spicy cold noodles, red oil dumplings, spicy hot pot, boiled fish, spicy chicken, and, hmm, one more serving of mapo tofu, that should be all."

Nie Zhuoyang looked at her as she recited the names of the dishes with great familiarity, and suddenly smiled gently: "How about we go out to eat? This is not a Sichuan restaurant. Besides, eating something so spicy in this hot weather, aren't you afraid of getting heaty?"

Tang Xiaoxiao stared at him for a while, then suddenly lowered her voice: "Azh Zhuo, did you know about the reform of the fuel quantity for the airline beforehand?"

A Zhuo, how many years has it been since she last called him that? Ever since they entered the same school again in high school, she has always called him Nie Zhuoyang by his full name, or half-jokingly referred to him as Young Master Nie like the other classmates. ... And this character "Zhuo" later became the character he hated the most.

Does this mean they have reconciled? Tang Xiaoxiao stood up with some hesitation

It seems that the news spreads really fast. Tang Xiaoxiao, worried about Lin Yufan, said, "I have something to do, I will leave first!" and turned around to run out.

Nie Zhuoyang sighed: "You know the weather that day; I was surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds and thunderstorms the entire way. The flight path was diverted, going around in circles. I finally managed to fly over, but due to the severe thunderstorm here, I was directed to divert to Linchuan Airport. To my surprise, they couldn't accept flights there either. I circled and waited for nearly an hour, and I had no choice but to fly back. After much difficulty, I finally got in line to land, but I was left with only a few minutes of fuel. Tell me, could I give way? Would I dare to give way?"

How could he understand what a crush truly is? A crush is the finest silent drama; when spoken of, it may turn into a tragedy. A crush is when she is wounded all over, yet the one who hurts her remains completely unaware. Even more tragically, she must pretend that he does not occupy her thoughts at all

Tang Xiaoxiao snorted: "Why aren't you driving the Porsche again? Isn't that your car too?"

"Boss, a bowl of beef noodles, please!" Nie Zhuoyang walked straight to her and sat down, sighing, "Little Chili, you have been the same for over a decade, always eating the oil-splashed spicy noodles. Don't you ever get tired of it?"