UAAG CH16

“This is fraud!” Su Fei, carrying his black punk-style suitcase, glared angrily at Zhuo Huan, his eyes wide and nostrils flaring. “First, you serve us fine wine and delicacies, and when we are drunk and unconscious, suddenly a club comes smashing down. Is there any justice left in this world! Fu Cheng, tell me I’m right!”

Fu Cheng, who had been watching his performance with great interest, was suddenly called out. He nodded lightly and put on a serious expression: “Makes a lot of sense.”

Having received approval, Su Fei felt even more emboldened that Lord Zhuo’s crimes were too numerous to record. “It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but hard to go from extravagance to frugality. Falling suddenly from heaven to hell makes life unlivable. Even taking a step back… if you don’t provide a Rolls-Royce, a Volkswagen would do.”

Old Joseph originally wanted to join in the indignation, but unfortunately, his Chinese wasn’t that good. When Su Fei started using idioms, he couldn’t understand.

Old Joseph could only ask, “Do we really have to take a taxi ourselves?”

Zhuo Huan had already taken out his phone and started scrolling through a ride-hailing app. As if seeing something interesting, he raised his eyebrows and waved his phone at his team members. “Friendly tip: ride-hailing apps seem to be a few bucks cheaper than taxis.”

Su Fei: “…”

Old Joseph: “…”

Fu Cheng: “…”

Lina smiled. “Although there are no luxury car transfers, UAAG covers housing. I’ve already sent you the address of your apartments. They are very nice high-end apartments right next to UAAG headquarters; you should be able to move right in. I’ve already hailed a car, so Reid and I will head out first.”

The three watched as Zhuo Huan and Lina got into the car, stepped on the gas, and disappeared from the bustling Shanghai airport.

Su Fei wanted to cry but had no tears. “You can’t do this! I thought coming to UAAG meant living the good life with RIP, eating and drinking well. My mentor wrote me a recommendation letter for a job at Boeing. Now look, I just turned down Boeing’s offer last week. RIP is a fraud, a total fraud!”

Old Joseph also had something to say. “I’m miserable too. I’ve already handed over my duties at the NTSB; there’s no way back for me.”

The two exchanged glances and looked at Fu Cheng.

Their eyes signaled: What about you?

Fu Cheng smiled at them but didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took out his phone and opened a ride-hailing app.

“I think our top priority… might be to get home quickly.”

Not long after, the car Fu Cheng hailed arrived.

After the three got into the car, Fu Cheng looked out the window thoughtfully, recalling what Lina had just said.

Su Fei and Old Joseph had already forgotten about being scammed into UAAG. One was American, and the other hadn’t been back to China in too long. As soon as they stepped on Shanghai soil, they immediately started thinking about what to eat tomorrow.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Su Fei began envisioning the future: “Hot pot, I must eat hot pot! To be blunt, hot pot in Boston isn’t hot pot at all; it’s an insult to the top-of-the-food-chain status I’ve struggled hundreds of thousands of years to achieve!”

Old Joseph was also enthusiastic. “I had hot pot once in Chinatown; it was truly delicious.”

Su Fei chuckled. “Then I’ll take you to eat real hot pot tomorrow!” After speaking, realizing someone hadn’t spoken up, Su Fei turned around in an awkward posture to look at Fu Cheng. “Fu Cheng, what are you thinking about? Why aren’t you talking? Do you want to go eat hot pot together tomorrow?”

Fu Cheng snapped out of his thoughts. “No, I have things to do tomorrow.” He paused, thought for a moment, and added, “I was thinking about something. Lina seemed to leave with Teacher Zhuo just now.”

Old Joseph: “Of course, the three of us saw them leave together. See, I told you they have a special relationship.”

Fu Cheng was stunned for a moment. “No, I was thinking about how Teacher Zhuo asked Lina where she was going earlier and said he wanted to hitch a ride. Later, it seemed Lina was the one who hailed the car.” Although there was nothing wrong with a woman hailing a car and a man hitching a ride, Zhuo Huan’s tone had been extremely matter-of-fact, as if it were only natural.

Hearing this, Old Joseph thought for a long time, rubbed his chin, and smiled knowingly. “Given their relationship, it doesn’t seem to matter who hails the car. This is probably a cultural difference. Where I’m from, although gentlemanly conduct was very important decades ago, young people nowadays seem to care less and less about that. My Anna is like that. By the way, Anna is my daughter. When she dates, she likes treating her boyfriend to meals; going Dutch isn’t even allowed. She hates men spending money on her.”

Hearing this, Fu Cheng’s lips moved slightly, and suddenly he didn’t know what to say.

Is it because they are dating that it seems so natural…

After a long while, Fu Cheng said, “I just feel like Teacher Zhuo seems a bit… poor?”

As soon as these words landed, Old Joseph laughed unceremoniously. “Reid poor? Oh, my dear Fu, sometimes I wonder if my Chinese is bad or if yours is. The word ‘poor’ will probably never have anything to do with Reid in this lifetime. As far as I know, he owns 5% of McFly shares. That damn capitalist!”

Su Fei: “Exactly. My mentor also said that when RIP was appointed as McFly’s chief designer, he was questioned by the industry for a long time. It was because he was too young and owned shares in McFly. Everyone thought he got the position through connections.”

Fu Cheng: “I know.”

Su Fei: “You don’t know, let me tell you, RIP as a person…”

The car drove off the airport expressway and entered the busy, congested main roads of Shanghai.

Inside the narrow cabin, the punk teenager and the white-haired American old man chatted more and more happily. They heartily criticized the evils of capitalists. In the face of enviable wealth, Old Joseph didn’t mind exposing his own ugly face: “If I owned 5% of McFly shares, I would be willing to be insulted by everyone. I welcome you to spit on me, this filthy capitalist. But since Reid owns it, we don’t need to be polite—let’s drown him, the happiest man, in cheerful curses!”

An hour later, the car arrived at the high-end apartment arranged by Lina.

Looking at the modern, upscale residential complex before him, Su Fei sighed with emotion. “Shanghai’s housing prices are very expensive, and this is the CBD financial center. A small apartment here must cost at least ten million. UAAG’s benefits are a bit better than I imagined.”

However, after getting out of the car, Su Fei and Old Joseph suddenly realized…

“Fu Cheng, aren’t you getting out?”

Rolling down the window, the young man had a hint of a smile on his gentle and refined face. “I am from Shanghai; I have a house.”

Su Fei: “Oh, but your home is quite far from UAAG headquarters, right? Anyway, it’s a free apartment arranged by UAAG; might as well stay there.”

Fu Cheng didn’t change his expression. “It’s quite close.”

Su Fei didn’t hear clearly for a moment. “What?”

Fu Cheng pointed to another high-end residential complex across the street and smiled. “That’s it.”

Su Fei: “…”

Old Joseph: “…”

I didn’t expect a traitor among us!

Saying goodbye to Su Fei and Old Joseph, Fu Cheng returned home.

The house had always been cleaned by hourly workers, so even after being away for two months, it was still as tidy as new.

Changing his shoes in the entryway, Fu Cheng walked to the coffee table. He reached out and set upright a white oak photo frame that had been placed face down on the table. His gaze quietly rested on the four people in the photo, lingering for a long time on a pair of kindly smiling middle-aged men and women.

This was a family photo taken on a lawn.

On the left side of the picture stood a dignified and elegant middle-aged woman. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, but her hair was carefully styled, and her makeup was exquisite; just from the photo, one could see her pursuit of romance in life. On the right side of the picture was a middle-aged man wearing a tennis outfit and holding a tennis racket. His right arm was around the shoulder of a long-haired girl, and the two laughed heartily toward the camera.

And to the girl’s left was Fu Cheng, wearing a military uniform with a nervous expression.

The sunlight was warm, softly reflecting on the four happy faces. Fu Cheng in the photo looked only about eighteen or nineteen years old, still childish, his brows full of youth and vigor.

After a long while.

Bang—

Fu Cheng placed the photo frame face down again expressionlessly.

The next day, Shanghai, Qingpu District.

It had rained the night before, washing away the anxious summer heat. A cool breeze blew through the forest, carrying the slightly astringent scent of grass and trees, brushing past the blue bouquet held in the mourner’s hands. Amidst the pale wilderness, this touch of blue became the brightest color, a faint fragrance in the moist air after the rain.

Holding a large bouquet of cornflowers with both hands, Fu Cheng strode up the hill and stopped in front of a marble tombstone.

Gazing at the loving couple smiling in the photo, he watched for a while and couldn’t help but smile.

Gently placing the cornflowers in front of the tombstone, Fu Cheng squatted down and reached out to brush away the withered leaves knocked down by the storm from the stone. While looking at the people in the photo, he smiled softly and said, “I know you like romance, and white flowers don’t suit your taste, so I brought cornflowers this time. Do you like them?”

“Don’t be angry; I brought a gift for you too. A lighter, S.T. Dupont. I picked it out especially for you at the airport on my business trip to Finland.”

“I’ve met a lot of new people recently…”

He was silent for a long time.

“Mn, there’s Zhuo Huan. The very impressive Zhuo Huan I told you about back then.”

“And the others are all excellent…”

The young man’s low whispers were drowned out by the mountain mist whistling through the trees.

8:30 AM, Shanghai CBD Financial Center.

Fu Cheng bought a cup of coffee downstairs and took the elevator to the 17th floor. At a glance, he saw the golden embossed nameplate of UAAG.

UAAG’s appearance was deceptively like that of a wealthy family; he wondered how Lina managed it. Fu Cheng heard that when they went to Finland last month, the renovation of UAAG’s headquarters had just begun. Being in Finland, she could still manage the renovation issues of the Shanghai headquarters and create such a luxurious modern style.

Upon entering, there were large glass walls and an indoor plant garden, with a miniature landscaped fountain flowing slowly in the lobby.

Fu Cheng’s eyelid twitched at the sight. Holding his coffee, he walked to the office area. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt that he should speak a sentence in French at this moment to match the romantic luxury meticulously prepared by Lina.

Pausing, Fu Cheng said, “I thought there were only five members in UAAG?”

Su Fei, who arrived early in the morning, was also stunned by this astonishing scene. “Don’t talk; I’m still suspecting that this actually isn’t the UAAG headquarters. To be honest, I just went to check the restroom. The men’s room has ten stalls. Even if the four of us use two each, we can’t use them all. Each one is exceptionally large; you could lie down in it with no problem!”

Fu Cheng: “…”

Why would I want to lie down in the restroom?!

Old Joseph’s eyes lit up, looking expectantly at Lina. “Didn’t you say UAAG is poor, very, very poor?”

Everyone turned to look at her together.

Could it be that it was all a lie?!

Lina smiled. “These parts have special funding and can be directly reimbursed. Didn’t you know? UAAG is a multinational cooperative air crash investigation organization. China, the US, the EU… all participate. By the way, your apartment rent is also reimbursed.” She winked.

Everyone: “…”

Just as they were speaking, Zhuo Huan walked in from outside.

Just as he reached the entrance, his footsteps paused. He looked at the indoor plant garden and fountain at the door and stood quietly for a while. Then he backed up a few steps expressionlessly, returned to the doorway, and looked back at the nameplate made of golden metal embossing at the elevator entrance.

UAAG.

Oh, didn’t go to the wrong place.

Wearing a casual white T-shirt and jeans, Lord Zhuo walked to Lina’s desk. “Your design?”

Lina responded with a smile.

Seeming not fully awake, Zhuo Huan didn’t make another sound. He walked directly to the sofa and lay down. Suddenly remembering something, he sat up straight and said to Fu Cheng and the others, “Let’s review the American Airlines 3157 case together later.” After speaking, he fell back down stiffly, grabbed a random document to cover his face, and before long, the sound of steady breathing could be heard.

Everyone: “…”

Su Fei said in disbelief, “No way, he just sleeps like that?! As soon as he comes to headquarters, he starts sleeping?!”

“He’s still jet-lagged,” Lina kindly reminded. “You can too. It’s just us five here.”

Su Fei: “…”

Is there any organization in this world weirder than UAAG?!

Do the sugar daddies know you spend public funds like this!

Su Fei silently criticized a lot internally, but in the end, didn’t let out a single word, digesting it all himself.

Fu Cheng got up and went to the reference room to get the accident investigation materials for American Airlines 3157. When he returned, he saw Old Joseph and Su Fei huddled together, pointing and gesturing at a certain sleeping Zhuo. Seeing Fu Cheng arrive, Old Joseph waved to him.

Fu Cheng walked over.

Old Joseph: “Fu, do you remember that bad joke you told yesterday?”

Fu Cheng: “…?”

Fu Cheng: “In fact, I don’t recall telling any bad jokes.”

Old Joseph slapped his thigh. “That one, the joke about Reid being poor.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

Old Joseph got excited. “Look at Reid’s T-shirt.”

Fu Cheng turned to look.

White, no obvious pattern, very plain, not much different from what Zhuo Huan wore before.

Old Joseph: “Look at the cuff logo, Kiton!”

Fu Cheng: “…?”

Old Joseph: “Did you see the pants?”

Fu Cheng: “Also K… Kiton?” He wasn’t very familiar with this brand.

Old Joseph shook his head. “ZILLI.”

Fu Cheng: “…?”

What is that?

Old Joseph sighed to the heavens. “This is called poor? Truly an evil capitalist!”

“Have you finished reading the materials for American Airlines 3157?” A cool male voice sounded from behind. Everyone instantly fell silent and looked up.

Zhuo Huan’s brows were furrowed tightly. He had gotten up at some point, rubbing his already messy black hair even messier. He looked around and found that only Fu Cheng’s desk had the materials for American Airlines 3157. Giving a meaningful “Oh,” he raised his eyes to sweep over Su Fei and Old Joseph, who quickly looked away.

Zhuo Huan walked to Fu Cheng’s desk, bent down, and reached out to open the accident file for American Airlines 3157.

“Where are you up to?”

Because of his leaning posture, the man’s slightly warm breath gently sprayed by his ear. The distance was extremely close; if he turned his head, he would bump into this person’s raised chin.

Fu Cheng’s eyes darkened slightly. The next moment, he turned his head abruptly.

Zhuo Huan was startled and retreated half an inch.

The nine o’clock morning sunlight shone into the room through the large floor-to-ceiling glass. The handsome young man looked at Zhuo Huan with sincere and clear eyes, his voice somewhat apologetic. “Just got it, haven’t really looked at it yet.”

Although appearing apologetic, it was mixed with a trace of indescribable boldness and rejection that only the person involved could feel.

Zhuo Huan was silent for a moment. He straightened up and cast a glance down at Fu Cheng.

Then he turned to Lina and said, “Photocopy a set for everyone. Everyone reads it once.”

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