After getting out of Chen Jiayu’s car, Fang Hao hurried through the building’s entrance. His heart was pounding, and even his breathing was slightly constricted. He lifted his hand, clenched it tight, then released it — he could still feel the sensation of touching Chen Jiayu’s forearm moments ago. Chen Jiayu had been wearing his short-sleeved uniform, making the contact all the more palpable. What was wrong with him? Fang Hao was perplexed. He prided himself on his strong self-control and found this uncharacteristic loss of composure troubling.
Was it possible, he wondered, that the lack of genuine intimacy had left him so starved for simple touches? Fang Hao had never seriously considered anything between him and Chen Jiayu – such thoughts were futile, especially after their recent clash over the landing lights. He dared not think further. But stepping back, Chen Jiayu was part of their circle, and Fang Hao knew he shouldn’t entertain such thoughts. Regardless of what the other party meant, he shouldn’t break the rules he had set for himself. This thought calmed him. Since the outcome was destined to be impossible, whatever happened in between didn’t matter.
As he entered his home, intending to confide in his brother Fang Shengjie, he remembered Shengjie had returned to their mother’s house just the previous day.
His brother hadn’t stayed long this time, only two weekends with him. His mother had already called him about it. Remembering this made Fang Hao’s head throb, a dull reminder of the fever he was nursing. Fang Hao put down his luggage, fetched some fever-reducing medicine from the cabinet, drank half a bottle of water, and then lay flat on the bed. His way of dealing with many problems was simple: take a nap first, then deal with it in the morning.
He slept until noon and felt less feverish when he woke up. Taking his temperature, he found it had dropped considerably, and he felt somewhat recovered. Relieved, he reflected on the heavy schedule ahead, with shifts to cover and several administrative meetings. Falling ill now would place too much burden on his colleagues.
That afternoon, Fang Hao received a WeChat message from Chen Jiayu. Unaware of Fang Hao’s inner turmoil from the previous night and giving no time to digest it, Chen Jiayu asked, “Are you still running a fever?”
Fang Hao reported his temperature as 37.8 degrees. Seeing Chen Jiayu messaging him during the day could only mean one thing—he was also off duty. “No tasks today?” Fang Hao asked.
Chen Jiayu replied, “Off duty today. I’m flying to Zhengzhou at 8 am tomorrow. How about you?”
Glancing at his schedule, Fang Hao noted he had a day shift starting at 8 am, with a meeting at 7 am. He honestly replied to Chen Jiayu.
Almost simultaneously, they both realized there was no shuttle bus at 6:30 am, and Fang Hao’s car had been left at the airport the night before.
After a moment of silence, Chen Jiayu suggested, “It’s so early, and you don’t have a car. I’ll pick you up at your house?”
Fang Hao knew that refusing would seem contrived, especially since his car was indeed at the airport, and they shared the same route. It was simply a matter of practical circumstances. Therefore, he accepted calmly, and they settled on a time.
The next morning at 6:30 am, Chen Jiayu parked his car in front of Fang Hao’s apartment on time. Without sending a message or making a call, Fang Hao came downstairs carrying files and a water bottle. They both approached the situation with the precision of a flight mission, with a kind of tacit precision, almost like they were syncing in time.
After more than thirty hours since last, Fang Hao sat in the familiar passenger seat again, with its light-colored leather lining, immediately catching the scent of coffee inside the car. Chen Jiayu seemed to be in a good mood, greeting him with a smile.
“Good morning,” Fang Hao said, then added somewhat sheepishly, “I forgot about the morning meeting today. I should have driven back myself that day. I’m sorry to trouble you.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s on my way anyway,” Chen Jiayu replied, turning the steering wheel and gesturing towards the two cup holders in the center console. “Your coffee.”
Fang Hao glanced down and saw a large cup of cold brew, the same kind he always ordered at Koza. It had taken the bartender at Koza two months to remember his order habit, but Chen Jiayu had picked it up in just two days.
Taking the coffee, Fang Hao thanked him, “Thank you, that’s thoughtful of you.”
Chen Jiayu added, “It’s from a coffee shop near my place. Not many places to stop by while driving. I haven’t tried it myself, so I’m not sure how it tastes.”
Fang Hao took a sip and commented, “It’s good. Bitter enough.”
Chen Jiayu actually had ordered a coffee for himself, placed next to Fang Hao’s cold brew. Fang Hao glanced at the receipt on Chen Jiayu’s cup and recited his order, “Medium latte, skim milk, two espressos?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Chen Jiayu nodded. “I’m quite basic. I need milk in my coffee to drink it.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Chen Jiayu shrugged it off, smiling, “Skim milk is healthier. The one you bought tasted better, though.” It was true, but whether it tasted good in terms of coffee sweetness or personal satisfaction was something only he knew.
Five minutes away from the airport, Chen Jiayu’s phone rang. It was attached to a holder, displaying “Chen Zheng” as the caller ID. Chen Jiayu glanced at it briefly and then hung up. Normally, he wouldn’t easily dismiss his father’s calls, but he knew if his father was calling, it must be something important. Given the timing, it was likely about family matters, which he preferred not to discuss in front of Fang Hao.
However, half a minute later, it rang again.
Seeing this, Fang Hao guessed it was Chen Jiayu’s father and said, “You should take it. Don’t mind me.”
Chen Jiayu hummed and activated the call through Bluetooth.
“Dad,” he greeted, “Is there something urgent? I’m driving with a friend.”
Chen Zheng’s voice sounded a bit hoarse as he greeted him, “Heading to the airport, right? You have a flight today?”
Chen Jiayu replied. He didn’t specify the flight mission because he didn’t want to delve into his father’s long-winded aviation discussions, especially with Fang Hao in the car.
Chen Zheng didn’t steer the conversation in that direction either. He went straight to the point and said, “Jiayu, I just received a call. The doctors at the hospital called a meeting on Friday afternoon. Are you free then? They want a quick reply.”
As expected, whenever Chen Zheng called, it was either about flight operations or his mother’s matters. He had guessed correctly.
“Hang on, I need to check,” he said, slowing down, signaling and switching to the slow lane. He operated the phone with one hand, trying to pull up the shift record. It was hard to navigate the small screen while driving, and he tried several times without success.
Fang Hao whispered, “Let me help you?”
Chen Jiayu didn’t refuse, “Can you help me click on the mailbox and search for Wang Xiang?”
Taking his phone, Fang Hao swiftly navigated through it with ease. He was very familiar with various software and found it within a few seconds: “October 21st week schedule?” He also saw that Chen Jiayu had more than a thousand unread emails. He was really a busy man.
“Yes. Let’s look at Friday…” Chen Jiayu prompted.
Though not a pilot, Fang Hao was familiar with their schedule format and quickly read out, “Friday, October 25th, from Beijing Daxing to Guangzhou Baiyun, leaving at 14:30, returning at 18:15.” He read out the coordinated time, with preparations and flight checks at 10 am and one at 4 pm, so naturally he was not free in the afternoon.
Chen Jiayu sighed, acknowledging the inconvenience. He said to the other end of the phone: “I have to fly to Guangzhou during the day on Friday. I will change my shift.”
“Don’t change it if it doesn’t have a good impact. If rescheduling is a problem, we can find another time next week,” Chen Zheng said with a serious tone.
“It’s only Friday, and adjusting the schedule three days in advance is okay. Securing time with doctors is more challenging, The sooner you see them, the more at ease you’ll be” Chen Jiayu replied, keeping his tone even due to the presence of an outsider, despite always feeling annoyed when Chen Zheng cut in on aviation matters.
Chen Zheng ended the call with a terse “Then you can handle it yourself” before hanging up.
Chen Jiayu then hung up and immediately dialed the number from the email, reaching out to Wang Xiang, who should be the company’s overall scheduling manager, to discuss the shift change. Wang Xiang proved accommodating, quickly finding a suitable swap for Saturday, informing him that Yue Dachao and another captain were scheduled that day, and anyone willing to swap would suffice. Before Wang Xiang could even respond, Chen Jiayu took the initiative to say, “I understand swapping weekends for weekdays isn’t ideal. Let me speak to Dachao first. If he agrees, I’ll confirm with you.”
Relieved by the reduced workload, Wang Xiang agreed happily. Chen Jiayu expressed his gratitude, adding, “Considering the incident in Shanghai as well, I owe you another favor. I’ll treat you to dinner when I meet you in the company another day.”
After ending the call with Wang Xiang, he promptly dialed Yue Dachao. While waiting for the connection, he glanced at Fang Hao, who appeared somewhat embarrassed by overhearing his various work and personal calls and seemed to be busying himself with his phone. Chen Jiayu wanted to say something, but at that moment, the call connected.
Before Chen Jiayu could explain, Yue Dachao, recognizing it was him, agreed readily to the shift change. Chen Jiayu thanked him and was about to hang up when Yue Dachao suddenly asked, “By the way, Jiage, can we gossip a little?”
“What gossip?” Chen Jiayu was focused on the shift swap and couldn’t remember what he meant for a moment.
Yue Dachao’s tone was quite mysterious: “After we landed the other day, did the beautiful Kong Xinyi come to see you?”
Chen Jiayu remembered this and then thought carefully. Wasn’t it the day when Fang Hao also came to see him?
He replied, “Ah, I flew a flight with her before.” He thought to himself, I didn’t realize that Yue Dachao, who looked carefree, actually had a gossipy soul. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t mind and would simply laugh it off. But today was different, with Fang Hao right beside him in the car. No amount of explanation would avoid suspicion.
“Oh,” Yue Dachao sounded somewhat disappointed and elaborated, “My sister knows Kong Xinyi, and Xinyi asked her to find out if you were free for dinner. I was just checking for her.”
Chen Jiayu felt even more embarrassed but diplomatically deflected, “Let’s not dwell on this.”
Yue Dachao, understanding yet playful, added, “Sure, Jiage. But since I swapped shifts for you, I owe my sister an explanation.”
If he had known that calling Yue Dachao would cause so much trouble, he might as well have contacted another captain instead. Given his extensive connections within Air China, he generally didn’t like owing favors to people he didn’t know well.
He thought about it and said, “I’m really sorry. Just say that I have someone I like.”
Yue Dachao felt that he was telling the truth and appreciated his candor, responding warmly, “Alright, thanks Jiage. Then I wish you good luck.”
After finishing this social combo, and having navigated through a series of social negotiations, they had already arrived at the airport, leaving him with no time to even chat with Fang Hao. With only a few moments to spare, he apologized, “Sorry about that. The shift change was urgent.”
Fang Hao smiled at him, didn’t mention Kong Xinyi’s earlier matter, and just replied, “No need for apologies. I appreciate the lift.” Then, he asked carefully, “Are your parents unwell?”
Chen Jiayu provided a non-committal answer, merely noting, “Yes, it’s been a while.”
Fang Hao’s mind was spinning fast, and everything became clear at that moment. “You’ve been avoiding international routes for these exhausting shorter flights, all to stay closer to home, haven’t you?”
Chen Jiayu pressed the brakes, causing the car to jerk and brake suddenly. He didn’t apologize for his driving skills but instead turned to look directly into Fang Hao’s eyes, admitting without reservation, “Ah, you guessed it.”
Sensing that further probing might overstep the boundaries of their friendship, Fang Hao simply acknowledged, “You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s nothing really.” Chen Jiayu said. When it comes to family responsibilities, he never felt that he could choose or give up anything.
Their conversation fell into a contemplative silence as the car reached its destination. Chen Jiayu let Fang Hao out at the tower gate. Further in was the restricted area, and a card was required to enter.
Fang Hao thanked him politely again, and Chen Jiayu casually suggested, “Don’t mention it. We should catch up over dinner when time allows.”
Fang Hao verbally agreed, but in his heart, he thought it was probably the same as with Wang Xiang over shift schedules, merely extending a courteous but obligatory invitation. Chen Jiayu said that he had invited many people to dinner many times, and this was all social etiquette.
After Fang Hao finished the meeting at 7 am, it was not time for him to go on duty yet, so he went to Terminal 1 for breakfast. There, quite unexpectedly, he ran into Chu Yirou and Zheng Xiaoxu who were sitting and chatting in a coffee shop. Coincidentally, Chu Yirou was also scheduled for the 8 am shift.
After exchanging greetings, Zheng Xiaoxu soon excused himself, mentioning his upcoming trip, “I’ll be in Europe for a few days this week, returning next week. Is there anything you want me to bring from the duty-free shop? Send me a WeChat message.”
After he left, Fang Hao remarked: “Xiaoxu seems quite attentive.”
Pleased with her blossoming relationship, Chu Yirou agreed, “I think he’s wonderful, and we really connect well.”
Fang Hao smiled warmly, “You two seem like a good match.”
Chu Yirou hesitated briefly before voicing a concern, “He’s great in many ways, but… he’s thirty-one and still unattached, never married. Isn’t that odd?”
Fang Hao considered this for a moment and responded, “I’m nearly thirty myself, not in a relationship or married. It seems quite normal to me. Perhaps he’s had past relationships?”
Realizing her possible insensitivity, Chu Yirou apologized, “I didn’t mean to imply anything about age. I’m just curious about his past.”
With a knowing nod, Fang Hao teased, “Should I do a little digging for you?”
Catching his implication, Chu Yirou realized, “You… you and Jiage have made up?”
“Sort of,” Fang Hao confirmed, then sipped his coffee, nearly finishing the large cold brew Chen Jiayu had brought him that morning.
Chu Yirou urged, “What happened? Tell me.”
Fang Hao rubbed his temples. Thinking back, he didn’t really understand what happened, “Maybe he was under a lot of pressure, plus he was strained after flying from Hong Kong and found it hard to overlook such a basic mistake as forgetting to turn on the lights.”
“He shouldn’t have taken it out on you, though.” Chu Yirou, who recalled how Fang Hao’s shirt was soaked in the rain that night, naturally stood on his side. However, as soon as she finished speaking, she saw the word “Chen” on the coffee cup in his hand. Although there are many people with the surname Chen in the world, considering their encounter at Koza before, Chu Yirou could certainly guess which one of the people with the surname Chen bought him coffee. She was surprised: “Did he apologize to you later?”
Following her gaze, Fang Hao saw it too. He hadn’t noticed the implication on the coffee cup earlier that morning. Now, seeing it, it did seem ambiguous. He had to explain, “It’s a long story. He drove me home after work the day before yesterday, but my car was still at the airport, so he came to pick me up this morning. Hence, this.” After speaking, he held up the coffee in his hand that was almost empty.
“Ah, I knew it…” Chu Yirou finally couldn’t hold it back, saying, “Fang Hao, the way you two go back and forth, it really doesn’t seem like just ordinary friends.” Would ordinary friends behave this way, then make up like this? Would ordinary friends check each other’s flight details, knowing you have a car, yet insist on driving you home? Because Fang Hao was usually tight-lipped, Chu Yirou wasn’t fully in the know, unaware of all the backstory. It was as if she was watching from afar, having seen through it all without saying anything before. But after observing for weeks, she finally understood that the fire was blazing fiercely, ready to be spread.
Even though Fang Hao could be slow to catch on sometimes, he understood what she meant at this moment and earnestly replied, “I’ve always just intended for us to be friends,” Fang Hao said, then added reluctantly, “If there’s anything more, it’s just him and his inconsistency.” He was referring to their previous disagreement over the landing lights, naturally wanting to mend their friendship with simple sincerity, so he felt he had a clear conscience.
“Ah…” Chu Yirou speculated, “Have you heard of these four words, ‘care leads to confusion’.”
Fang Hao dismissed the idea, “Unlikely. Wasn’t he involved with another flight attendant a few years back?”
He didn’t mention what he had heard Chen Jiayu say about having feelings for someone else in the car as he was still processing this revelation. Now thinking about it, there were only three possibilities: First, Chen Jiayu really didn’t think about it that way and just made up an excuse under Yue Dachao’s pressure —however, Kong Xinyi was beautiful and poised, as Fang Hao had seen for himself, leading him to believe a genuinely single straight guy wouldn’t refuse a meal from such a girl. Second, he had someone else in his heart, which seemed the most likely possibility to Fang Hao. Third, as Chu Yirou had suggested, Chen Jiayu might be interested in him. But he was always slow to warm up and disliked presuming too much. His life principle was to believe there was nothing rather than assume there was. However, a seed of interest had been planted in his mind. Maybe the high fever had confused him, possibly causing a delirium by Chen Jiayu’s subtle, perhaps unintended care.
Either way, Fang Hao was starting to feel uneasy about the situation now.
Translator notes: I’m back! Thank you for the wait and for the well wishes. 🙂 This is the first update out of three. 🙂 Enjoy!
yeees I’ve missed them, welcome back 💜
I love how gossipy everyone in this line of work is haha and Chu Yirou is so wise, I’m whispering a loud kiss kiss fall in love right now 🤭
They are so gossipy, but I dig it hahahah. They are already all over each other’s life, worrying about this and that. They should get together soon!
Thank you for the update😙
My favorite non-yet boyfriends are back.
Thank you for the chapter!
This crack me up. 😂 It’s so true and so sad at the same time. They should just get on with it. hahahah. Thanks for reading! 💜
Thank you!! I’m looking forward to what happens next… It’s a slow burn, but it really works. ( ╹▽╹ )
You wouldn’t think that an 80-chapter novel would be a slow burn. 🤧 Thanks for reading! 💜
Thank You for the new chapter -ω(´•ω•｀)♡
-ω(´•ω•｀)♡ ♡ ♡
where do you find these? O.O ♡
Look for kamoji emoji (I’m mostly using ones from the site ‘japaneseemoticons’) ^^