MoboNovels
Chapter 1
Before being urged to meet her blind date, Meng Liyue never imagined that the person she was going to meet was her crush from her student days, whose name she had written countless times in her diary.
After marrying him, everyone thought Meng Liyue had married above her station, after all, Li Qinzheng was the youngest Airbus A330 captain in the history of China Airlines, with top-notch family background and looks.
When asked about his feelings on marriage, Li Qinzheng casually replied, “It’s just okay.”
Everyone was waiting for the day Meng Liyue would be dumped.
Later, the proud Captain Li was humbly begging his wife at the approach control position at an altitude of three thousand meters.
“Weather ahead, requesting detour to the right.”
Meng Liyue, with the sweetest voice, said the harshest words over the VHF.
“Right airspace restricted, request denied.”
After landing, Li Qinzheng waited for Meng Liyue to finish her break, then pinned her down at the base of the control tower and bit her lip: “Tonight, even if you cry and beg, it won’t help…”
Accidentally learning that Meng Liyue had a crush, someone was filled with jealousy, always wanting to know whom she loved more.
Until the day his plane encountered an emergency in the air, squawking 7700.
He finally got his answer.
“He City Approach, China South 8562, at your command.”
“China South 8562, He City Approach, radar contact.”
Before handing over control to the tower, Meng Liyue told him: “It’s you.”
“Captain” & “Controller”
“Returning from a voyage at thirty thousand feet, I’ll take you home.”
Chapter 2
Every year starting in June, the civil aviation industry enters its darkest thunderstorm season.
Large swathes of weather color blocks on the meteorological center’s radar screen, ranging from green to yellow-red, and even purple, indicate the severity of the weather.
The meteorological station has issued a warning that from 20:00 tonight, He City will experience moderate to heavy showers accompanied by short thunderstorms.
In the approach control hall of He City Airport, Meng Liyue is staring at the automated system in front of her, issuing real-time instructions to the aircraft within her sector.
“Eastern 5478, climb to standard pressure 3600.”
“Sichuan 6943, identified by He City approach radar, descend to 2700 and maintain.”
“Southern 8244, cancel altitude restriction, climb to standard pressure 2100.”
“Lucky 1060, reduce speed to 180.”
After continuously directing multiple aircraft to adjust their altitudes, through orderly operations, she sends the aircraft within the airspace covered by bad weather to reasonable positions. Meanwhile, the yellow and red colors on the radar display at the meteorological center continue to increase.
At this moment, a flight in the area calls on the frequency:
“He City Approach, Northwest 7855, altitude 2400, maintaining heading 180 degrees.”
Meng Liyue watches the aircraft signal marked with the flight number slowly moving on the system screen and issues instructions based on the current situation: “Northwest 7855, He City Approach radar sees you, unable to maintain current heading, turn right to heading 210.”
Unlike tower control, approach control is responsible for guiding aircraft within the range of 500 meters to 6000 meters above the airport.
Tonight’s thunderstorm has restricted normal flight paths, so this Northwest 7855 flight cannot fly according to its predetermined heading.
However, the other party does not want to simply follow the instructions and even questions over the VHF: “Can only detour from the right? The weather in Guangzhou is not good tonight, already delayed long enough, Northwest 7855.”
With a somewhat complaining tone, it’s clear that the long delay has given this captain some temper, unable to help but vent.
Meng Liyue, having been working solo for three years, is already a mature approach controller. She doesn’t indulge the other party either, presses the PTT (Push To Talk) microphone, and directly refuses: “Northwest 7855, I didn’t cause your delay, continue to detour as per procedure.”
The monitoring colleague beside her gives her a thumbs up.
As controllers, sometimes there’s no choice, with so many aircraft in the airspace, encountering thunderstorms, the safety margin is already very small. Everyone wants to fly straight, save time, and land early, but how is that possible?
Meng Liyue is about to issue new instructions when, on the same frequency, a lazy, deep voice, with a hint of schadenfreude, chimes in: “That’s right.”
She immediately looks at the radar screen, an additional aircraft has appeared in her sector.
Soon, in her headset, that lazy, magnetic voice appears again: “He City Approach, good evening.”
Mixed with the noise of the radio waves, his voice almost makes one’s ears tingle.
Simultaneously appearing in her mind is a cold, handsome face.
His thin lips part, continuing to speak words that tug at the heartstrings.
“China South 9822, at your command.”
…China South Airlines?
Meng Liyue is a bit surprised, wasn’t he with a foreign airline?
Mostly operating international routes, rarely flying to He City, and the few times he did, it wasn’t during her shift.
When did he switch jobs?
All these unexpected thoughts last only for a moment, Meng Liyue quickly regains her usual composure and calmly issues instructions: “China South 9822, descend to 3000 and maintain.”
Flying from Pudong Airport to He City, preparing to land, China South 9822 is an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft, with three crew members in the cockpit.
The sweet voice coming through the communication system makes the co-pilot shiver: “Brother Zheng, I didn’t lie to you, recently many crews flying to He City, whenever they encounter this female controller, they find ways to chat a bit more!”
The observer sitting in the back smiles: “The voice is indeed quite sweet.”
They chat enthusiastically, the man staring at the instruments casually replies: “Not bad.”
“Only not bad? Could it be that when you were with the foreign airline, you encountered a sweeter controller than this?”
Li Qinzheng takes a sip of coffee, his tone casual: “Didn’t notice.”
“Then why did you help her scold the Northwest captain earlier, I thought you liked her voice too.”
“Just bored.”
After some guidance over the VHF, that clear, sweet voice hands him over to the tower control.
Li Qinzheng twists his neck, this trip is almost over, but landing in a thunderstorm is an absolute test of a captain’s flying skills.
Lowering the flaps, the aircraft slows down, captures the glide path, lowers the landing gear, reduces throttle, lands at the right moment, activates the aircraft’s reverse thrust…
This time, he deliberately lands a bit harder, although the fuselage shakes relatively noticeably, it still lands steadily on the runway, avoiding any accidents.
“That thunder outside… the passengers must be scared.” The observer looks back, listening intently, “Someone is clapping.”
“I see that in the last half hour, only our flight has landed, lucky Brother Zheng took us around from the south twice.”
Releasing the brakes, Li Qinzheng’s lips curve slightly, he switched to China South Airlines, becoming the youngest A330 captain, many are watching his performance.
There’s pressure, but he’s never worried.
After completing the post-flight checks and handing over to the maintenance crew responsible for the aircraft, the crew members disembark, leaving the controlled area.
At the parking lot, as soon as he sits in the car, his phone rings.
It’s a call from home, his mother concernedly asks: “The thunder tonight is really scary, you landed safely, right?”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
“That’s good…” His mother changes the subject, starting to urge him to marry, “Even if you bring back a blonde, blue-eyed daughter-in-law, I’d accept, the key is there’s nothing at all!”
The rearview mirror reflects the man’s sharp eyebrows, he leans back in the seat, casually says: “Don’t beat around the bush, just say it.”
“My son understands me! Tomorrow you’re off, at 2 PM, at the coffee shop on Lin Yu Road, I’ve arranged a blind date for you, go meet her?”
Knowing that refusing would only lead to continuous nagging, Li Qinzheng finally agrees: “Got it.”
…
Meng Liyue’s work schedule is one day on, two days off, during her working hours, she commands for two hours, then rests for two hours.
It sounds easy, but approach control is highly stressful, sometimes having to issue a dozen instructions in just a few minutes, with no room for error.
Yesterday, from 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM, the last instruction she issued was to have China South 9822 contact the tower.
Li Qinzheng.
After waking up from sleep, the voice unique to that person in her dreams continues to disturb her.
Clearly, it’s been a while since she last thought of him.
She shakes her head, after lunch, after a simple wash, she goes out, Meng Liyue has promised her mother, today she will go… on a blind date.
It’s really just to go through the motions, she doesn’t take it to heart, going with a bare face, and casual clothes.
Arriving at the place, she walks in with a relaxed mindset, her gaze falls on the figure leisurely drinking coffee by the bar, and her whole body stiffens.
Chapter 3
Li Qinzheng, why is he here?
Meng Liyue thought it was just a coincidence, and immediately lowered her head to check WeChat.
Regarding this blind date, Meng’s mother didn’t provide many details, only telling her the time and place, not even a photo. She didn’t take it to heart and didn’t bother to ask.
Originally, she planned to just meet, sit for a few minutes, have a casual chat, and then it would be over.
But looking around… Meng Liyue raised her head, at this moment, the entire coffee shop, apart from the staff, only had that man in a black shirt, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
As if noticing her gaze, he casually looked up, his cold and stern eyes exuding a sharp aura.
He looked aloof and not easy to mess with.
“Hello?” Li Qinzheng’s slender fingers holding the cup moved slightly, as if recalling her name after some thought, “Meng Liyue?”
“…It’s me.”
She answered softly, trying to ignore her suddenly racing heart, and bravely walked towards him.
Li Qinzheng was looking at her.
In three years of high school, he might not have looked at her as much as he did now.
“What would you like to drink?” After she approached, he slightly turned his body, his arm resting on the bar, asking casually.
Li Qinzheng was always like this, possessing excellent control, wherever he appeared, he could easily become the most dazzling presence.
“An iced Americano, thank you.” Meng Liyue said to the staff, she didn’t dare to look at him.
Although the current Meng Liyue would no longer be like in high school, just accidentally meeting his gaze, would blush and lower her head to quickly run away.
But she was still affected by those palpitations.
She secretly grabbed the hem of her oversized T-shirt, instantly regretting her sloppy appearance.
Just then, the glass beside her reflected her current state, her long hair casually tied back with a clip, a shapeless short sleeve almost completely covering her figure, paired with beige wide-leg pants.
Apart from her strikingly pale skin and thin arms, it seemed there were no other advantages.
If only she had known earlier… Meng Liyue felt a bit discouraged, she regretted not asking more about her blind date’s identity.
“You must have been pushed by your family too.” Noticing her nervousness, Li Qinzheng’s gaze fell on the girl’s particularly thick and long eyelashes, which were trembling slightly.
His observational skills were astonishing, a professional habit of a pilot, staring at numerous instruments in the cockpit during flights, not missing any detail.
“You too…” Her voice was naturally soft, with a hint of helplessness, “My mom thinks it’s a great sin that I’m twenty-eight and still not married.”
“Twenty-eight?” Hearing Meng Liyue’s age, Li Qinzheng raised an eyebrow, “I thought you just graduated.”
She looked very young, with round and obedient almond eyes, quiet, like a college student fresh out of school.
Meng Liyue was stunned.
Li Qinzheng didn’t recognize her.
Indeed, during high school, she wore glasses, had short hair with bangs, wasn’t lively, and her presence in class was always very low.
In three years, she barely spoke a few words to him.
It’s normal that he doesn’t remember her.
“Actually, I…”
“Ma’am, your iced Americano is ready.”
The words she was about to say were interrupted, and the little courage she had just mustered completely dissipated.
Meng Liyue pursed her lips, suddenly giving up on herself, after all these years, she was still so unimpressive.
“Elders all have similar thoughts, just go through the motions.”
“…Yeah.”
If it were a normal blind date process, they should talk about each other’s jobs, mate selection requirements, expectations for future marriage, but today was clearly not.
Li Qinzheng glanced at his watch, he had an appointment with a coach to play tennis, it was about time to go.
His gaze returned to the woman in front of him, he could see her perfunctory attitude, appearing in such a state showed that she didn’t take this blind date seriously either.
In that case, it could end early.
But… he finally confirmed where this slightly familiar voice came from, the corner of his mouth imperceptibly hooked up, it was quite a coincidence.
Li Qinzheng stood up straight, his 185cm height giving off a strong sense of oppression, he asked, “I have other arrangements later, where do you live, do you need me to take you home?”
Meng Liyue understood very well, this was just a polite courtesy, if she were bold enough, maybe she could seize the opportunity, regardless of Li Qinzheng’s thoughts, she could ask him to take her home, creating a space for interaction.
But she couldn’t do it, Li Qinzheng was like a star she could only admire from afar, secretly adoring, tossing and turning countless nights, dreaming of him, but never daring to express these feelings to anyone.
“I live near the airport, it’s quite far, no need to trouble yourself.”
Meng Liyue smiled, revealing a very beautiful smile, her eyes slightly curved, her originally clear and non-aggressive features suddenly became much brighter and lively.
Li Qinzheng took another look at her, then nodded, “Okay.”
He should leave, in the past he had a few blind date experiences, all agreed to after his mother’s persistent persuasion.
They all ended within ten minutes, even if the other party showed great interest, he always had a way to keep them at a distance.
Li Qinzheng was twenty-nine, he didn’t think he needed to be bound by marriage too early, besides, there had never been a woman who made him willing to nod.
But today was a bit different.
He took out his phone, “Let’s add WeChat, so it’s easier to explain when we go back.”
This was indeed a reason, even though he had many ways to prevent his mother from worrying about it.
Probably, he was just too lazy to bother?
With WeChat, his mother could be at peace for a while without urging him.
“Oh, okay…” Meng Liyue’s movements were a bit flustered, after pulling up the QR code, her heart raced again.
Sometimes, even when six or seven crews made requests simultaneously on the very high-frequency channel, she had to respond clearly in the shortest time, but her heart wouldn’t be as chaotic as now, losing its normal rhythm.
“Added.”
Meng Liyue looked at the new friend in WeChat, she had Li Qinzheng’s QQ, but he hadn’t used it for a long time, the high school class monitor also created a WeChat group, Li Qinzheng was in it.
She was actually in it too, but in a group of dozens of people, he definitely wouldn’t be idle enough to check everyone’s names and avatars, so he wouldn’t know they had been in the same group all along.
And she never found a reason to add him as a friend.
Never thought it would happen this way.
“Be careful on your way back, let me know when you get home.”
Li Qinzheng nodded casually, bidding farewell to Meng Liyue at the coffee shop entrance.
The man’s car was parked by the roadside, a black Land Rover, quite fitting his temperament.
This should be the end, right.
Meng Liyue opened WeChat, Li Qinzheng’s avatar was a photo of him learning to fly abroad, he went abroad after high school, following the foreign pilot training system, and became a captain at twenty-five.
Just staring at his spirited appearance in a daze, the long-silent high school WeChat group suddenly popped up a new message, “I wonder how many people are in He City, haven’t seen each other for a long time, let’s get together tomorrow?”