CH 1

At nine o’clock in the morning, a business car parked outside the airport’s private jet terminal, and ground service personnel were waiting at the entrance to receive them.

Lu Jingshen stepped out of the car with long strides, without saying a word, and walked quickly into the building.

The accompanying staff hurriedly followed.

Secretary Liu Jie went to communicate with the ground service and learned that their plane was still refueling. She came over to inform Lu Jingshen.

“It will probably take another fifteen minutes.”

Lu Jingshen nodded and leaned back on the sofa, casually flipping through a magazine.

Liu Jie continued to report to him, “Also, Captain Deng fell ill and was hospitalized a few days ago. We don’t know if he can continue flying in the future. The private jet company has arranged a replacement for him temporarily. They said the person just returned from abroad. If we are satisfied, we can directly request to have that person join us. I looked at the resume, and although young, the person has extensive flying experience and is also a captain. If it’s possible, we can use him and avoid the need to hire someone else.”

“You handle it.”

Lu Jingshen said indifferently, throwing out this sentence. He flipped another page of the magazine, and his gaze inadvertently fell on the ramp outside the glass wall in front of him, momentarily freezing.

On the ramp, the senior captain had finished the aircraft inspection and boarded the plane, leaving Feng Si alone supervise the refueling.

His hands were casually in his pockets, and a reflective vest covered his pilot uniform. He appeared relaxed, and the pilot cap covered his eyes, but the high bridge of his nose, extending down to his slightly thin lips, and the perfectly curved jawline were clearly visible.

The corners of his mouth were also curved with a smile as he spoke to the beautiful flight attendants beside him.

“Captain Feng, will you be flying with us in the future?”

The flight attendant’s voice was overly sweet. Feng Si seemed pleased and smiled, “I don’t know. I’d like to, but I still need the big boss to accept me.”

Another flight attendant said, “President Lu seems easy to talk to and generous with his actions. If you perform well, he will definitely choose you. Flying with him pays better than outside, and it’s easier too. Besides, President Lu has a good temper, much easier to serve than those other big bosses.”

“Is that so?”

Feng Si’s voice was light, with a playful tone. The two flight attendants chatting and joking didn’t notice, nor did they see the fleeting light in his narrow eyes hidden under the brim of his pilot cap.

The refueling of the aircraft was completed, and Lu Jingshen withdrew his gaze, his thoughts unknown. Seeing him seemingly lost in thought, Liu Jie hesitated and called out to him, “Boss…”

Lu Jingshen said, “Give me his resume.”

Liu Jie was momentarily stunned.

Lu Jingshen raised his chin slightly, “The resume of that captain, let me see it.”

Liu Jie immediately regained her senses, opened the tablet, and brought up Feng Si’s resume, handing it to Lu Jingshen.

Lu Jingshen’s gaze fell on it, and in the top right corner was the person’s identification photo, wearing a white pilot shirt with four stripes on the shoulder. The person had a handsome face with a slightly mischievous curve to his lips. When those eyes looked at people, they seemed capable of captivating their hearts and souls.

Feng Si, twenty-nine years old, British Chinese.

Lu Jingshen stared at the photo quietly for a moment. Liu Jie thought he would say something, but in the end, he just handed the tablet back and stood up calmly when the ground service came to inform them that they could board the plane.

Liu Jie glanced down at the tablet in her hand, sensing that Lu Jingshen’s reaction was somewhat strange. However, she couldn’t see anything special about that young captain. If anything, he had an exceptionally striking appearance, but her boss shouldn’t be concerned about that.

Lu Jingshen walked up the air stairs, and the crew members were waiting at the cabin door to greet them.

The senior captain and two flight attendants stood in front, wearing smiles on their faces, while Feng Si stood alone behind them, still wearing his pilot cap. His tall stature made him stand out, and when he raised his gaze, his black and shining eyes stared directly at Lu Jingshen.

Lu Jingshen nodded to the others, his gaze passing over Feng Si, and he walked directly into the cabin.

Feng Si’s gaze followed his retreating figure, and a smile gradually curved on his lips.

During the pre-flight preparations, Feng Si suddenly chuckled, and the senior captain next to him jokingly said, “What are you laughing about? You seem so radiant. Could it be that Lin Ling and the others asked you to have dinner with them after getting off the plane?”

He was referring to the two flight attendants. Feng Si calmly adjusted his earpiece and asked, “Captain Chen, how long have you been flying with President Lu?”

The senior captain casually replied, “Not long. I heard that he still has other private jets in his family. This jet he bought last year is mostly for his personal use. But he can’t fly it often, so we, old Deng, Lin Ling, and I, are all on a semi-contract with him. We fly with him regularly, and when he’s not flying, we also take on other flight arrangements from the private jet company. How about you? I heard you’ve flown for Middle Eastern tycoons before. Don’t they pay even better?”

“Yes,” casually said Feng Si, “the total annual salary is seven hundred thousand US dollars.”

The senior captain exclaimed, “Such a high salary! Why did you come back to China?”

Feng Si smiled and replied, “Who knows? Maybe I was bored.”

In the cabin, the two flight attendants finished serving snacks and drinks to the passengers and glanced towards the rear bedroom, hesitating whether to knock on the door.

Liu Jie reminded them, “Mr. Lu said he wants to rest and doesn’t want to eat. No need to disturb him.”

They nodded and returned to the galley to prepare two cups of coffee. Lin Ling went to deliver the coffee to the cockpit.

As she handed over the coffee, Feng Si suddenly asked, “What does Mr. Lu eat?”

Lin Ling smiled and winked, “Captain Feng, are you trying to find out the boss’s preferences? I don’t think I should tell you, right?”

Feng Si tilted his head, leaning closer to her side, and took a light sniff, saying, “Hermes Orange Céleste. It’s quite sweet, and suits you well.”

Lin Ling blushed slightly, surprised that Feng Si had correctly identified the perfume she was wearing. She playfully scolded him with a glance and said, “Mr. Lu is resting and hasn’t eaten anything.” Then she turned and left the cockpit.

The senior captain marveled, “Lin Ling isn’t usually so friendly in front of others. It seems you’re good at coaxing people. But you don’t need to deliberately find out Mr. Lu’s preferences or try to please him. Mr. Lu doesn’t appreciate that approach. It’s better to be straightforward. If it works, great. If not, look for other job opportunities.”

Feng Si sipped his coffee slowly and chuckled, “How will you know if you don’t make an effort?”

In the rear cabin, Lu Jingshen leaned against the sofa, attempting to read a book but hardly turning the page. He couldn’t focus on anything, his mind repeatedly recalling the intense gaze from earlier near the cabin door.

After a while, he seemingly gave up, tossed the book aside, lay down, and covered his eyes with his arm, forcing himself to clear his mind.

When the plane was preparing to land, Lu Jingshen came out of the bedroom and sat down. He picked up the tablet to read some documents, but the resume of Feng Si popped up again.

Lu Jingshen flicked his finger and scrolled down.

Feng Si entered the Royal Air Force College in the UK at the age of sixteen to study aviation. After graduating, he served in the British Air Force for three years before choosing to retire early at the age of twenty-two. In the past seven years, he has been flying private and corporate jets, frequently changing jobs and locations, from Europe to the Americas, Australia, East Asia, South Asia, and even the Middle East. He always signed short-term contracts, changing places every six months or a year.

Lu Jingshen couldn’t help but furrow his brows. Liu Jie, who was beside him, said, “I heard he is skilled in flying, but he seems unpredictable. I’m afraid he’ll leave after a while, and it would be troublesome to replace him. Should I take another look? If not, we can find someone else.”

Lu Jingshen dragged the resume back to the top and stared at the photo just like before, his gaze fixed on that image. He remained silent.

Sensing the oddity in Lu Jingshen’s reaction, Liu Jie wisely refrained from asking further.

In the end, Lu Jingshen didn’t express his decision on whether to hire Feng Si or not.

At half-past eleven, the plane landed at Shanghai’s airport.

After walking a short distance, Lu Jingshen suddenly stopped and told Liu Jie, “I left something on the plane.”

Liu Jie quickly asked what it was and offered to retrieve it for him.

“No need, I’ll go myself. You go with the others and wait outside.” Lu Jingshen dismissed them and turned back towards the plane.

The flight attendants were tidying up the cabin when they saw Lu Jingshen returning, slightly surprised. “Mr. Lu, did you forget something? Do you want us to help you find it?”

Lu Jingshen asked, “Have you entered the bedroom yet?”

“Not yet,” Lin Ling replied, “we’ll clean it once we finish here.”

“Good, clean it later.” Lu Jingshen instructed and then went into the bedroom alone.

Inside, he had left a black leather strap on the sofa. He had worn that leather strap for seven years, and it had worn out and become shabby under his multi-million-dollar watch. It held no special meaning, just a habit of wearing it continuously.

When he was absent-minded earlier, he took off the rope and later forgot to put it back on, only remembering when he was about to exit the plane.

“Mr. Lu hasn’t left yet?”

Feng Si’s voice unexpectedly resounded from behind. Lu Jingshen swiftly tucked the rope into his pocket and turned to look at him.

The man leaning against the door seemed to smile mockingly. This time, he was hatless, his short hair neatly trimmed. His gaze locked onto Lu Jingshen’s eyes, seemingly harboring deeper intentions.

Lu Jingshen shifted his gaze, avoiding eye contact.

As he was about to leave, Feng Si blocked his way with one hand.

Lu Jingshen halted, and Feng Si leaned forward, bringing his head closer, lowering his voice, “Mr. Lu, don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Lu Jingshen glanced ahead, unable to see the flight attendants who were still tidying up in the front cabin due to the partition blocking his view.

His eyes remained calm, and his voice was composed. “If you’re interested in applying with me, talk to my secretary.”

Just that one sentence.

A scoffing laughter echoed near his ear.

“So, you do understand Chinese and can speak Chinese after all?”