Zhao Qiming realized this was no time to lose composure; like he'd been shocked, he yanked his gaze away and plastered on a fawning smile as he turned to Jiang Cheng.
"President Jiang, why don't you and Miss Zhou rest in the VIP lounge for a moment? Although the aircraft has stopped, for safety's sake we still need the fire crew and airport security to check the fuel and parts. The Aerospace Bureau just called personally to insist we safeguard your security.
Jiang Cheng showed no reaction to the words.
With no alert from his Danger Perception Skill, what danger could there be?
Zhou Ying, leaning against Jiang Cheng, was the one startled.
Ever since watching the flag-raising ceremony in the capital, she'd known Jiang Cheng's background was far from simple.
But after hearing this, she realized her earlier guesses had barely scratched the surface; the power behind Jiang Cheng was deeper than she'd imagined.
Jiang Cheng glanced at the messy first-class cabin.
Seats were askew; food and drinks littered the floor along with scattered newspapers.
Zhou Ying had disembarked safely, but tonight Xia Meng would be returning.
At the thought, Jiang Cheng's face chilled, his eyes sharp with displeasure: "My safety? What could happen to me? I'm the one who flew; the passengers on this plane—and the hundreds on flight B5332—are whom you should worry about. More important, why did this happen, and will it happen again..."
Scolded to his face, Zhao Qiming felt his cheeks burn as if slapped in public.
He admitted that when the incident occurred his first thought had been his own career.
After narrowly escaping the crisis and learning Jiang Cheng was no ordinary man, all he wanted was to curry favor and see if it might help his future promotion.
For the moment he hadn't considered the wider aviation implications.
"Yes, yes, Young Master Jiang, you're absolutely right; we neglected our oversight," Zhao Qiming said, bowing repeatedly while nervously wiping his forehead—though there wasn't a bead of sweat.
The gesture was pure reflex, his eyes full of dread. "I'll personally supervise at once and make sure everything's handled properly—rest assured!"
After leaving the airport in haste and climbing into the status-symbol red flag car, Zhou Ying acted out of character.
As though resolved, she raised the privacy partition, cutting off outside view.
Then she shifted closer, slipped her arms around Jiang Cheng's neck, her gaze hot and tender.
Before he could react she pressed her red lips urgently to his.
The accident had already made Jiang Cheng cherish Zhou Ying more; now, seeing her take the lead, a fierce urge to protect her surged within him.
Little Jiang's reaction was even stronger.
Though this wasn't their first back-seat tryst,
usually Jiang Cheng took the initiative, sometimes even forcefully, while Zhou Ying stayed passive.
Now she shed all reserve, lowering herself with fiery eagerness.
Without any guidance she sank to her knees.
Just as Zhao Qiming had thought moments earlier,
Zhou Ying might not be the most proactive or skilled among his women,
but her stunning face and the inadvertent seductive glint in her lifted eyes were the hardest for a man to resist.
Had the ride been longer Jiang Cheng would have thrown her down already.
Ten minutes later Zhou Ying shyly took tissues from her bag and wiped her hands with girlish coyness.
Then she sipped several mouthfuls of mineral water.
Jiang Cheng refrained from teasing her about culinary critiques;
instead he quietly read the WeChat messages she'd sent him on the plane,
while drawing her gently into his arms.
Reading them stirred waves in his heart.
At the critical moment between life and death, Zhou Ying's final text had been to him.
Moreover, the system informed him her favorability value toward him had risen five points to 99, unlocking the title Never Part Ways Until Death.
No wonder she'd been so forward in the car.
Was this the intensification of her feelings after surviving the crisis?
A fear of losing him again?
His gaze fell on her last message—"Take care of Fang Yuan"—and guilt rose within him,
along with the sigh that being a decent man was truly hard.
Shaking off the thought, Jiang Cheng opened the favorability-99 reward pack.
Ding! Congratulations, Host: you have received a Boeing 737MAX and two exclusive personal pilots with 120% loyalty.
Ding! Congratulations, Host: you have received the Offspring-Be-Gone Card.