The root cause of aviation accidents often lies in seemingly insignificant components. Major events can often begin from the smallest triggers.
During this flight with Duan Jingchu, there were no further incidents. Perhaps he was more cautious after the taxiing mishap, as he diligently followed procedures for the remainder of the journey. The atmosphere in the cockpit was awkward, with few words exchanged. Chen Jiayu found a peculiar peace in the quiet. It was their fourth round trip from Beijing to Hong Kong, now on the final leg back to Beijing Daxing. He needed time to steady his emotions and perhaps chat with Cao Hui to ease his unease.
Chen Jiayu sat in the co-pilot’s seat, with Duan Jingchu captaining the flight. As they approached Beijing, he tuned into the tower frequency and heard a muffled voice—not Fang Hao, but the same controller as before. He chuckled inwardly, unsure of what he expected. Lately, he’d been acting quite out of character.
He glanced at Duan Jingchu, who was obediently flying the aircraft according to procedures. Just like on thousands of flights before, they began the final approach checklist.
“Initiating approach procedure.”
“Approach procedure confirmed.”
“Approach settings.”
“Approach settings completed.”
“Airspeed.”
“Airspeed, 220 knots.”
“EICAS.”
“EICAS checked,” Duan Jingchu’s response came a little too quickly for Chen Jiayu’s liking. He hesitated, wondering if Duan had actually checked. He glanced sideways at the engine and warning system gauges. Everything seemed normal, so he said nothing and continued the checklist.
“Landing lights.”
“Landing lights on.”
“Spoilers.”
“Spoilers armed.”
“Auto-brake.”
“Auto-brake set.”
“Flaps.”
“Flaps at 5 degrees.”
As they encountered heavy rain over Beijing, Duan Jingchu continued to control the aircraft smoothly. Chen Jiayu thought they were almost home.
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.
“Beijing Daxing Tower. Good evening, Air China 3146, established on runway 04.”
Chu Yirou responded promptly from the tower frequency, confirming their landing runway: “Air China 3146, Daxing Tower, cleared to land on runway 04. Altimeter to 998.”
After a moment, Chu Yirou suddenly opened the channel again: “Air China 3146, your landing lights are off.”
Jtfc Aljse’r wlcv yehhfv. Llr lwwfvljaf gfjmalbc kjr ab mtfmx atf ijcvlcu ilutar. Ktf mbcagbir kfgf bc atf mjqajlc’r rlvf bo atf qjcfi, ktlmt kjr cba mbcnfclfca obg Jtfc Aljse ab rff, yea tf ifjcfv bnfg jcv, lcvffv, atf lcvlmjabg iluta kjr boo.
“Fw… ijcvlcu ilutar bc.” Gejc Alcumte rbecvfv fwyjggjrrfv jr tf gjlrfv tlr tjcv ab aegc bc atf ijcvlcu ilutar.
The matter of the landing lights not being turned on wasn’t a significant safety hazard. One of their purposes is to aid pilots in visually spotting other aircraft at night. A severe accident wouldn’t occur just because the landing lights weren’t on in situations with low flight density and proper tower and approach control. However, it was a step in the checklist that Duan Jingchu claimed to have executed but didn’t. This lapse reflected his adherence to procedures, making it a significant mistake. Chen Jiayu had been wary of Duan Jingchu’s reliability since their morning departure from Beijing. If his harassment towards Kong Xinyi had been severe, then Chen Jiayu could have reported him and requested a different co-pilot. That incident already spoke volumes.
With a snap, Chen Jiayu shut off the radio. After a moment, he spoke coldly: “I’ll take over.”
Duan Jingchu sensed the gravity of the command and didn’t argue. “You take over,” he said immediately.
Chen Jiayu pressed the command button to assume control of the aircraft. He reduced the airspeed, set the flaps to 20 degrees, lowered the landing gear, fully extended the flaps, disengaged the autopilot, and smoothly landed the plane.
After touchdown, he finally radioed the tower, “Air China 3146, landed, vacating at P5.”
Chu Yirou confirmed, “Copy that,” then hesitated before speaking again. “Um… the landing lights weren’t turned on just now. Please come to the tower after landing to fill out a report. Regulations require it.”
Recognizing Chen Jiayu, her voice was tinged with discomfort. “Okay,” he responded simply over the frequency.
Seeing Chen Jiayu’s silence, Duan Jingchu’s heart sank. “I remember switching on the landing lights…”
“Are you suggesting it’s a mechanical failure?” Chen Jiayu glanced at him.
Duan Jingchu hesitated. “It’s possible… I was actually checking the EICAS and then forgot about the lights. I’m really sorry.”
“Shut down the aircraft, and we’ll discuss it further at the tower,” Chen Jiayu replied neutrally.
After disembarking, they headed straight to the tower. Chu Yirou greeted them politely, apologizing profusely as she opened the door. “Jiayu, I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Chen Jiayu replied calmly, masking his emotions. “Let’s go find your supervisor.”
He wasn’t in a good mood. Being called out by the tower for a simple oversight was not pleasant, especially for someone who had never made such mistakes.
Chu Yirou’s face took on a complicated expression. She was the type whose emotions were written all over her face, making it easy for others to read her. Chen Jiayu noticed and suddenly realized something.
Sure enough, Chu Yirou informed them, “Today… Fang Hao is the acting supervisor. He’s downstairs. You just need to fill out an incident report.”
Chen Jiayu’s expression shifted slightly. Running into anyone other than Fang Hao would have been better at this point—even encountering other strict supervisors. However, he couldn’t turn back and leave at this point.
Fang Hao had been informed that two pilots who had failed to turn on their landing lights were being summoned to the tower for reports. He sighed inwardly—this meant another late night. But when he saw the two captains approaching, he was surprised to see that one of them was Chen Jiayu.
Why is it you? His gaze held a question, but he didn’t voice it, due to Duan Jingchu’s present.
Chen Jiayu looked deeply at him, struggling to find the right words. He was dressed in his pilot uniform, every part of it neat and tidy, exuding an aura that said ‘Stay away’.
Fang Hao finally broke the silence. “Well… come on in and fill out a report.” Seated in his office, he pulled out two tablets and placed them on the desk.
Duan Jingchu appeared lost. “I… I remember that I did it. It was clearly on the checklist.”
Fang Hao’s gaze flickered between the two of them, and appeared to have understood what was going on. Duan Jingchu was the pilot in command, and Chen Jiayu was responsible for the checklist. However, Duan Jingchu had somehow missed this crucial step.
When Chen Jiayu observed Duan Jingchu’s flustered demeanor, and remembered the earlier incident on the taxiway, he couldn’t contain his frustration, and his words came out a bit harshly, “If you want evidence, we can review the flight data recorder when we get back.”
Though aimed at Duan Jingchu, Fang Hao seemed displeased. “Chu Yirou said she didn’t see it. Isn’t that evidence enough?”
Chen Jiayu hesitated before asking. “Is it possible she misjudged?” He asked calmly, as there was always the possibility of a malfunction in the landing light indicator or circuitry.
Fang Hao felt uncomfortable when he heard this, as he thought Chen Jiayu’s attitude was more cold and rigid than usual, and he felt like his trust in Chu Yirou and her judgment was being questioned. So, he didn’t back down: “The tower carefully watches each aircraft. It’s unlikely they would make such a mistake. All right, go ahead and review the data if you wish.”
Reflecting on the situation, Fang Hao remembered that Chen Jiayu and Chu Yirou knew each other and were on friendly terms. They even called each other “Brother Jia” and “Xiao Chu”. Fang Hao was confused about why Chen Jiayu suddenly doubted Chu Yirou’s observations when it came to matters affecting his own interests.
Chen Jiayu wasn’t too pleased with Fang Hao’s tone either. He tried to clarify, “I’m just saying. Is it possible?” Having never worked in the tower, Chen Jiayu didn’t know how far their visibility extended at night, especially in rainy weather.
Fang Hao interpreted this as an attempt to protect Duan Jingchu. Seeing Duan Jingchu’s hesitant demeanor, Fang Hao grew annoyed and adopted a stern tone, directing his words at Duan Jingchu, “First Officer Duan, do you think this is a trivial matter? If you forget to turn on the lights today, what about tomorrow? Will you forget to extend the flaps?”
When Chen Jiayu heard his harsh tone, his brow furrowed, “It’s not your place to make such assertions, Fang Hao.”
While recognizing Fang Hao’s straightforward manner and Duan Jingchu’s mistake, Fang Hao’s tone trivialized the complexity of flying, as if it were a task anyone could perform.
They had previously shared some heart-to-heart conversations where Chen Jiayu had opened up about personal matters, but in this current situation, Fang Hao didn’t even ask how he was doing. It appeared that Fang Hao hadn’t even realized that Chen Jiayu had flown in from Hong Kong. Instead, Fang Hao assumed an authoritative stance and seemed eager to conclude the conversation. Chen Jiayu couldn’t hide his displeasure. When the tower pointed out the issue with the landing lights, Chen Jiayu had remained composed, but now his expression betrayed his frustration.
Seeing his attitude, Fang Hao’s frustration boiled over. “Why can’t I say it? If he forgets the flaps or lands on the wrong runway, whose responsibility is it? And then they’ll blame it on air traffic control.” He lamented the unfortunate circumstance where pilots received credit for successful flights while air traffic control was scapegoated for accidents. If things went smoothly, it was credited to the pilot’s skills, but if there was an accident, it was blamed on the controllers. This wasn’t something new. Exhausted from his third consecutive night shift and with the looming incident report about radar failure, Fang Hao’s emotions were at their breaking point.
Chen Jiayu lowered his voice. “How we fly and land is our responsibility. You’re in charge of coordinating.” Despite his frustration, Chen Jiayu still tried to hold back and attempted to explain the situation to Fang Hao.
However, Fang Hao was no longer interested in hearing about it. He felt a rush of pent-up frustration, almost as though he couldn’t breathe. He retorted directly, “Do you mean that I shouldn’t hold you accountable? Fine then. Report it to my superiors. Maybe they’ll listen to you. After all, you’re a celebrity.” As the words left his mouth, Fang Hao felt a mixture of relief and regret, realizing he’d perhaps crossed a line.
Chen Jiayu shot him a look devoid of any emotion, then sat down, grabbed the tablet, and began filling out the accident report. Within two minutes, he completed the form, signed it with a flourish, snapped the tablet shut, slammed it onto the table, and swiftly walked out.
Duan Jingchu glanced between Fang Hao and Chen Jiayu, completely dumbfounded. They didn’t let him interject a word from beginning to end, as if the content of their dispute had nothing to do with him. Tentatively, he attempted to speak up, “Um, Director Fang, I…”
Fang Hao simply looked outside for a few seconds and said, “Just wait a moment,” before following Chen Jiayu out. Whenever he and Chen Jiayu quarreled before, it was never directly face-to-face. Their previous conflicts were always contained within the department and had never escalated to this level before. He felt a bit apprehensive.
Outside, the rain was pouring down in torrents, but Chen Jiayu didn’t seem to care. He didn’t even bother with an umbrella and strode straight to the parking lot.
Fang Hao caught up with him after a couple of steps, calling his name, “Jia Ge, wait.”
Chen Jiayu stopped.
Seeing a glimmer of hope for reconciliation, Fang Hao asked, “What happened just now?”
Chen Jiayu still held back his temper and replied, “I’ve detailed everything in the accident report.”
Fang Hao insisted, “I want to hear it from you.”
Chen Jiayu turned around and looked at him. Fang Hao was drenched in his shirt, came out without a jacket, and with raindrops adorning his cheeks, lacking his usual authoritative air at that moment.
Chen Jiayu didn’t want to talk about it. Whether it was the turmoil of emotions over the past two days, the profound sense of vulnerability he felt upon returning to Hong Kong, or the unfortunate timing of Fang Hao catching this incident while on duty, everything made him feel embarrassed and ashamed. He restrained himself and curtly said, “Don’t worry about it.”
Fang Hao, however, seemed to sense something amiss. Knowing the itinerary of China Airline 3146, he cautiously broached the subject: “Was it the flight from Hong Kong…?” Rainy nights were notorious for accidents, and he was already mentally exhausted, not to mention the pressure of having to write an incident report. He found himself at a loss for words and couldn’t find any comforting ones. At this point, this was already his limit.
But Chen Jiayu truly didn’t want to talk about it. Fang Hao’s probing and persistence only made him more upset. With a raised voice and a severe expression, he said to Fang Hao, “I said, don’t worry about it! Just go back.”
With that, he didn’t wait for Fang Hao’s reaction and turned to leave. He was sure Fang Hao wouldn’t continue pestering him. After all, what could he do? Physically restrain him? Come up and hug him to stop him from leaving?
It was only after he had walked a considerable distance that Chen Jiayu allowed himself to turn around. Only then did he see Fang Hao still standing in the rain, exactly as he had left him. From that distance, he couldn’t make out Fang Hao’s expression clearly, but he seemed to be in a daze.
The moment Chen Jiayu got into his car, regret washed over him. The image of Fang Hao standing bewildered in the rain kept flashing through his mind. He knew his anger had been misplaced and unjustified. His frustration was with Duan Jingchu for not focusing on flying properly and making such a basic mistake, causing both of them to lose face. He was also angry with himself for not directly reporting Duan Jingchu to the company when he had clearly broken the rules and kept bothering Kong Xinyi instead. Moreover, of all the people to encounter this situation, it had to be under Fang Hao’s supervision as the acting chief. Had it been someone else, he might have just processed the paperwork without uttering a word, sparing himself any unnecessary conversation.
But what disappointed him the most was Fang Hao’s last sarcastic remark about his fame. Chen Jiayu had always been uncertain about Fang Hao’s view of him, and now it was painfully clear. Fang Hao’s initial coldness and distance, as well as his polite refusals to all requests, despite having shared meals and drinks as colleagues, were because he looked down on him.
He cared about Fang Hao’s opinion and was even more troubled by how much it mattered to him.
He wanted to send Fang Hao a message to ask if he was alright in the rain and to reassure him that what happened wasn’t a big deal and that he hadn’t done anything wrong.
But in the end, he said nothing. His pride prevented him from reaching out, unwilling to embarrass himself further.
Translator notes: Sorry for the delay. The conversations back and forth were a bit difficult to translate. XD I’m not even sure if I managed to get the tone right. TT___TT The next chapter is even worse. The FEELS.
I hope they both get some well deserved rest (away from shitty superiors and colleagues preferably) and reconcile later on.
Also, thank you for the chapter! I’m glad I encountered this story
Chen Jiayu’s reaction does feel a bit over the top, but then again, there’s a lot of cultural reactions underneath all that. I’m not sure I managed to translate it all that well. I might have to go back and edit it some more. However, I want to preserve the original text as much as possible, if you know what I mean. XD
Chen Jiayu internalised a lot, and he definitely got PTSD. But don’t worry, they’ll reconcile soon and then lots of fluff. 😀 Thanks for reading!
Glad to know there’s fluff to come!
When I first read it, I binged the whole novel after this chapter. There are still a few more chapters before it really takes off, but I can promise… it’s delicious. 😍
They aren’t even that close to be having such big arguments. Their relationship is simply as colleagues and both of their reactions are a bit severe in my opinion. It’s like they both took out all of their frustrations on the other.
Thank you for the update!
IKR?! It’s like they skipped all those steps and were already emotionally in a relationship. 😂 Especially the rain scene. It’s so Kdrama.
Exacstly! That scene was so dramatic, as if they’ve been married for 20 years and found out some deep secret. It’s a bit odd 😅
It is a bit weird! I’ve been thinking about how to make the scenes in this chapter flow better when translating them. Occasionally, certain scenes seem a bit sudden. I don’t know if it’s because it’s slice-of-life, but sometimes it feels like the transitions between scenes are somewhat abrupt. I also think the emotions were running high. They were both stressed and exhausted. After the last heart-to-heart conversation, I think they subconsciously leaned on each other for support. Hence the situation.
I understand that, it’s just that at this point in the story, they aren’t even that close yet to have such a huge intense argument, so it felt a bit out of nowhere. I don’t think the timeline in the chapter is confusing, I think you worked it well, it’s the happenings themselves that appeared strange for me.
Ai, what a mess! ><
Thank You for the new chapter ( ∩ˇωˇ∩)♡
💜
I hope Fang Hao will apologise for his outburst that happened due to superior blaming him for” inappropriate” management during the radar radio silence. I also hope that Chen Jiayu will gather his wits report his copilot and apologised to Fang Hao as he was a little overboard.
All in all both had a hellish week …
Thanks for the update ❤
Thank you for the chapter
uhhg this chapter was a hard read 😔 they are both having a tough week and met each other in the worst possible moment