Fang Hao was good at managing the pace of life. When he realized that he wasn’t in good shape after the radar incident, he called Guo Zhifang to switch shifts, though he felt embarrassed about it, given that Guo Zhifang was already seven months pregnant. He usually tried not to bother her unless necessary. But today was a special circumstance. Fang Hao understood the unforgiving nature of their profession. Their line of work allowed almost no room for mistakes.
A controller in a less-than-ideal state is like a ticking time bomb. Feeling uncertain about his condition, he naturally chose to take a break and switch shifts, taking responsibility for both himself and those around him. Despite his usual self-reliance, when it came to flight safety, his dignity had to take a back seat.
To his surprise, he ended up chatting with Chen Jiayu for over half an hour yesterday, before saying goodbye when the control tower called to announce the arrival of the electrician. As he was leaving, Fang Hao reluctantly accepted the paper bag that Chen Jiayu produced from seemingly nowhere and insisted that he take another blueberry muffin with him. The car was filled with the scent of laurel cakes on the way home which made him feel hungry. He indulged in a few bites of cake and thought about his interaction with Chen Jiayu, realizing that he needed to reevaluate his perception of him. Chen Jiayu was not as self-centered and demanding as he had imagined. Even if his invitation today was an attempt to get closer, their conversation had eased some of his stress, and a person’s sincerity can be felt in conversations. At least, during that half an hour, the Chen Jiayu sitting across from him seemed genuine and sincere.
Before Fang Hao left that day, he inquired about Chen Jiayu’s plans for the upcoming days. When Chen Jiayu mentioned, “still Shenzhen and Shanghai.” He wanted to know specifically which flights in Shenzhen. However, Chen Jiayu couldn’t recall the details immediately and promised to get back to him later. Fang Hao had waved it off, admitting he hadn’t really thought about why he asked.
Jokingly, Chen Jiayu said, “What? Are you planning to treat me to dinner?” Even though it was said in jest, in his heart, it felt like Fang Hao’s inquiry about his schedule was more than just casual interest.
At first, Fang Hao was going to brush it off with a joke, but then he thought about how Chen Jiayu had been off duty and seemed to have stayed to comfort him. Maybe he should treat him to a meal. “Well, thanks for today. Let me treat you to dinner another day.”
Once home, he had almost forgotten all about it, but then he received a message from Chen Jiayu: [Flying 3307 on Thursday, 1462 on Friday.]
“1462,” Fang Hao’s left eyelid twitched—could it be? What a coincidence! It was the same Friday evening flight booked by his brother. He had been working at Daxing Airport for nearly two years, and although Chen Jiayu had occasionally flown international routes from Daxing, they had never crossed paths. However, since they met, they had been bumping into each other constantly over the past month – first at a gathering, then at the airport, and often in the airspace. Now, even Fang Shengjie’s flight reservation seemed to align.
A plan began to form in his mind, but he hadn’t planned on telling Chen Jiayu. He decided to wait until their flights had landed.
—
On Friday, Fang Hao was on the day shift. Due to a schedule change involving radar duties with Guo Zhifang, he had to switch to the night shift on Thursday. After getting a few hours of sleep and a quick shower at home, he went back to work.
Initially, Guo Zhifang suggested they should continue swapping shifts for Friday, so he could have more rest by working the night shift again. But Fang Hao’s schedule for Friday had been specially adjusted because his younger brother was arriving on an evening flight, and Fang Hao wanted to be there to pick him up.
When Fang Shengjie sent a message saying, “Boarded the plane, see you soon,” Fang Hao happily returned to his seat and resumed working. Even though it was Friday evening, the workload was manageable. The anticipation of his brother’s return overshadowed any tiredness from his short rest, and the remaining two hours of the shift passed quickly.
As expected, around 6:30, Fang Hao was there to greet Chen Jiayu and his crew headed for Beijing. He calmly directed the plane, “Air China 1462, approaching Beijing, radar in sight. Maintain altitude at 5500, speed at 320. Estimated… Runway 17 Left, expect blind landing.”
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.
Upon hearing Fang Hao’s voice and the mention of “17 Left,” Chen Jiayu felt as if the skies over Beijing had suddenly cleared. He repeated the instructions, “Maintain altitude at 5500, speed at 320, runway 17 Left. Air China 1462,” then added, “What a great day it is today.” Little did he know that today was indeed special; it was Fang Shengjie’s birthday.
Ktja kjr asqlmji bo Jtfc Aljse – rqfjxlcu tlr wlcv lc atf jlgkjnf, yea Mjcu Ljb mbeiv lucbgf tlw lo atf gjvlb kjr yers jcv mbcalcef lrrelcu lcragemalbcr.
Vegf fcbeut, Mjcu Ljb vlvc’a gfrqbcv ab Jtfc Aljse’r gfwjgx, yea lcrafjv jvvgfrrfv atf qijcf jtfjv. “Vbeatfgc 1470, vfrmfcv ab 4000 jcv wjlcajlc. Qtb jeatbglhfv sbeg rqffv jvperawfca?”
The captain of Southern 1470 trembled and quickly explained. “I thought… usually after entering… I was supposed to adjust to below 300.”
When Fang Hao heard this, he thought, come on, here comes another person from the “I thought” school. But he was in a good mood and opted not to correct him, instead patiently advised, “If you haven’t received specific instructions, refrain from adjusting your speed. You were flying 280 at 5000 feet, with the plane behind nearly overtaking you. Please promptly descend to 4000 feet and adjust speed to 300.”
“Understood, descending to 4000, speed set to 300. Southern 1470.”
With the separation between Southern 1470 and Air China 1462 sorted, Fang Hao switched back to addressing Chen Jiayu and his team, “Air China 1462, heading 090. Prepare for approach on runway 17 Left.”
Chen Jiayu acknowledged, “Air China 1462, heading 090, preparing for approach on runway 17 Left.”
Fang Hao continued, “Air China 1462, maintain altitude at 1200, establish on the glide slope. You’re cleared for the ILS approach on runway 17 Left.”
“Maintaining 1200, establishing on the glide slope, cleared for ILS approach on runway 17 Left. Air China 1462,” Chen Jiayu confirmed.
To wrap up it, Fang Hao reminded, “Air China 1462, adjust your speed and altitude accordingly. Contact tower on frequency 123.4. Goodbye.”
“123.4, Air China 1462,” Chen Jiayu responded crisply, closing up their exchange.
Fang Hao had finished his shift for the day but lingered to oversee the landing procedures for Chen Jiayu’s team before heading upstairs to the control tower. Coincidentally, it was Chu Yirou’s first night shift. From their vantage point, they observed the smooth landing of the Air China on Runway 17 Left, gradually slowing down as it taxied.
Noticing that Chu Yirou wasn’t occupied with other tasks, Fang Hao took a seat beside her, “Let me call Air China 1462.”
Chu Yirou who was busy directing the landing, wondered if there was any tension between Fang Hao and Chen Jiayu. “What’s happening between you and brother Jiayu again? Are you planning to argue with him? You didn’t finish your argument on the approach frequency, and now you want to continue on another?”
Fang Hao was caught off guard by her assumption. “Absolutely not. Even if I wanted to argue with him, I wouldn’t dare interrupt his landing. Don’t worry. It’s Shengjie’s birthday today. He’s on that flight.”
Understanding the situation, Chu Yirou handed over the microphone obediently. “Ah, I see.”
Fang Hao took the microphone and called out, “Air China 1462, this is the tower.”
Hearing Fang Hao’s voice, Chen Jiayu was taken aback. Typically, the tower wouldn’t interfere with the approach once control was handed over unless there was a rare issue like a wrong frequency dialed by the crew. But since Chen Jiayu had already received instructions from the tower, he knew his frequency was correct. The only explanation was that Fang Hao had personally called him from the tower.
Quickly responding, Chen Jiayu said, “Air China 1462, go ahead.”
Fang Hao continued, “Air China 1462… I have a small request.”
Now that the flight task was completed, Chen Jiayu replied in a relaxed and laid-back tone. “Sure, tower, go ahead. Air China 1462.”
“Air China 1462, my younger brother is on your flight, and today happens to be his 18th birthday. Could you… make a broadcast to wish him a happy birthday, please?”
There was a brief flicker of surprise on Chen Jiayu’s face before he quickly acquiesced. “Tower, no problem. What’s your brother’s name? Do you have his seat number? I’ll ask someone to verify.” After all, confirming is necessary; otherwise, it will be embarrassing if you get the wrong person.
“Fang Shengjie, seated in 27C.”
Chen Jiayu signaled the flight attendant and requested verification of the passenger list. Suddenly, he realized the purpose behind Fang Hao’s earlier inquiry about flights to Shenzhen. It became clear why Fang Hao had responded with a thumbs-up emoji and then remained silent after receiving the flight number. Chen Jiayu felt a mix of emotions. Despite considering himself outgoing and thinking he knew Fang Hao quite well, he hadn’t been aware of Fang Hao’s beloved younger brother.
While waiting for the flight attendant, Chen Jiayu picked up the radio again and remarked, “Who would’ve thought, Fang Hao, You’re quite the romantic.”
“Mmm…” Fang Hao wasn’t sure how to respond, mindful that others might be listening in. Being addressed so informally by Chen Jiayu made him feel slightly embarrassed.
Fortunately, the flight attendant swiftly confirmed everything. Chen Jiayu reported, “We’ve confirmed everything. Let me, the captain make an announcement. Just hold on a moment.”
He activated the broadcast system and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, hello everyone. Welcome to Beijing. Currently, the weather is clear with a temperature of 11 degrees Celsius. In addition, we have a special message—for the passenger seated in 27C, Fang Shengjie. Wishing you a happy 18th birthday! Let’s all sing a birthday song to Fang Shengjie.”
Fang Shengjie was completely caught off guard. He was still occupied with packing his headphones and iPad when he was suddenly showered with birthday wishes from those around him. As someone who loved celebrations, he was delighted when everyone joined in to sing him a birthday song. He even recorded it on his phone.
Upon disembarking, he noticed Chen Jiayu smiling at him. His first thought was, “Isn’t that the celebrity pilot who completed that emergency landing?”
Chen Jiayu stopped him and personally congratulated him again, “Fang Shengjie, right? Happy birthday.”
Fang Shengjie was pleasantly surprised and a little flattered, “Thank you, Captain. Are you… a friend of my brother?”
Playing along with Fang Hao’s plan, Chen Jiayu responded, “Yes, that’s right. It was all his idea.”
“Thank you. I feel very much blessed.”
Chen Jiayu smiled, “Turning eighteen is a milestone. Do you have any checked baggage? I’ll take you to meet your brother in a moment.”
Of course, Fang Hao hadn’t asked him to do this. He took the initiative on his own.
As a considerate person, Fang Shengjie immediately asked, “Yes. Um… would that be too much trouble for you?”
Chen Jiayu waved it off, “No trouble at all. I just need to sign a few forms, and then I’ll wait for you at the baggage claim.”
Translator notes: Happy weekend everyone!
Hoho, what a smooth sneaky plan~
Thank You for the new chapter (ฅ’ω’ฅ)♥
Fang Hao is so caring 😍
Fang Hao is such a caring and loving brother and Chen Jiayu is already taking care of his soon to be brother-in-law.
Thank you for the chapter!
Chen Jiayu really know how to get on Fang Hao’s good side. 😂 I can’t wait till they are together. So much fluff!!!!
I can’t wait either, these two are the perfect pair!
Ah! They look like family already. 💕😝
Thanks for the chapter. 😘
They are already so domestic, even though they aren’t together yet
╰(⸝⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝⸝)╯
Aweee I love this sorta slice of life with plot. It’s so cute and wholesome it feels like they’re a small family already. 🥰
They are well on their way already! Fang Hao voluntary contacting Jiayu is huge, since he usually keep to himself. (〃▽〃)
😊😊
Thank you for the chapter. ☺️
this chapter was so cute waaa Fang Shengji is adorable