UAAG CH59

In the dimly lit bedroom, the blackout curtains were drawn halfway, allowing the bright moonlight to filter through the white sheer curtains. Through the haze, one could see the vast expanse of the ocean outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, and the enchanting moonlight gently reflecting upon the sea’s surface.

The room was silent, save for the sound of splashing water coming from the bathroom.

Fu Cheng lowered his eyes, leaning against the headboard, quietly smoking a cigarette.

Suddenly, his phone rang, but he seemed not to hear it, only snapping back to reality after a few seconds. His phone had been tossed to the foot of the bed along with his pajamas when he undressed. Reaching out to grab the phone on the floor, an impossible-to-ignore sting made Fu Cheng’s movement freeze mid-air. He pressed his lips together, then bent down without hesitation and grabbed the phone.

Five minutes later, Zhuo Huan wiped his hair as he opened the bathroom door, only to see the young man who should have been lying in bed now standing by its side. Fu Cheng had put on his trousers, a few strands of his soft hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. He was bending over to pick up his shirt and was buttoning it up.

Zhuo Huan stood by the bedroom door, watching him silently.

He watched as Fu Cheng buttoned his shirt all the way to the top, one by one.

“You don’t need to button the top two.”

Fu Cheng paused and looked up at him.

Zhuo Huan, wearing only a white towel around his lower body, leaned against the doorframe, looking at him with a faint smile. “If you button them, you won’t be able to see your collarbone, or the hickeys on it.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

Fu Cheng buttoned his shirt all the way up, then stepped forward to leave.

Zhuo Huan grabbed his arm: “Where are you going?”

Fu Cheng said calmly, “Professor Tsunai just emailed me about the experiment.”

Zhuo Huan was suddenly stunned.

Fu Cheng shook off his hand and, with a calm expression, prepared to walk away again. Zhuo Huan grabbed his wrist. He used a bit of force, causing Fu Cheng to frown. Zhuo Huan laughed in exasperation, eyes wide, glaring at the young man before him, asking in disbelief, “You just went to bed with me, and now you’re telling me you’re going back to write a report?!”

The area where his wrist was grabbed felt hot. Fu Cheng was silent for a few seconds, then looked up at him: “This investigation report needs to synthesize records from two accidents. There’s a lot of content.”

Zhuo Huan: “…”

Zhuo Huan cursed through a grin, gritting his teeth: “I suddenly feel like I was the one who got fucked just now, not you.”

Fu Cheng shook off his hand directly and walked out of the bedroom.

However, the next moment, a pair of lean but powerful arms hugged him from behind, stopping Fu Cheng in his tracks. His body stiffened instantly. Zhuo Huan held this person from behind. He wanted to curse, but the words reached his lips only to get stuck in his throat as he felt the young man’s waist through the pajamas.

…It’s really fucking thin!

While biting the person’s earlobe, Zhuo Huan whispered in an ambiguous voice, “Go take a shower first. You haven’t showered.”

Fu Cheng remained silent for a long time: “I’ll go back and wash.”

“Want me to help you?”

Fu Cheng turned to look at him.

Zhuo Huan hooked the corners of his mouth: “Help you shower.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

He thought Zhuo Huan meant helping him write the report.

Zhuo Huan had no patience to waste time with the young man in front of him. He forcefully pushed Fu Cheng into the bathroom and threw a pair of underwear at him.

“New package, never worn.”

Fu Cheng looked at the label on the underwear, a luxury brand starting with P. It felt very new, the fabric still a bit stiff; indeed, it hadn’t been worn.

Fu Cheng wanted to say something, but Zhuo Huan slammed the door shut with a bang.

“If you want me to help you shower, just say so, if it’s inconvenient.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

“It’s very convenient!”

“Tsk.”

After closing the bathroom door, a faint smile appeared in the man’s cold eyes. Zhuo Huan never liked blow-drying his hair; in his opinion, it was a huge waste of time. He threw the damp towel on the floor, found his cigarette case in his trouser pocket, and lit one.

Twenty minutes later, Fu Cheng came out of the bathroom and didn’t see the man in the bedroom. He paused for a moment, walked out of the room, and saw the light on in the study. The large desk was cluttered with various documents—salvage location calculation data for Rogue 318 that they had organized together over the past seven days.

Zhuo Huan had just casually thrown on a pair of trousers. He sat on the sofa, one foot resting on the coffee table, looking down at the laptop screen on his lap, a cigarette in his mouth, typing rapidly.

Fu Cheng knocked on the door: “Professor Tsunai told me he sent the experimental data to you.”

Zhuo Huan looked up at him, his gaze lingering on Fu Cheng’s tightly buttoned pajamas for two seconds. He scoffed, “Mn.”

Fu Cheng walked over and sat beside Zhuo Huan: “You’re writing the experimental data report?”

Zhuo Huan’s gaze remained fixed on the computer screen as he gave a lazy “Mn,” adding, “Can’t you tell?”

Fu Cheng: “That’s the report I’m supposed to write.”

Zhuo Huan laughed, “Ha.” He pulled out one hand to unbutton the top two buttons of Fu Cheng’s pajamas, looking with satisfaction at the hickey on the young man’s left collarbone, his tone self-righteous: “It would take you at least two days to write this. I only need three hours.”

“Oh, then you write it.”

Zhuo Huan was stunned. He realized what happened: “Fu Cheng, what are you doing?”

Fu Cheng stood up, looking down at him from above: “Weren’t you waiting for me to beg for your help all along, Teacher Zhuo?”

Zhuo Huan was checkmated. He froze for a moment, stopped typing the report, and tossed the computer aside. He leaned back on the sofa, looked up at Fu Cheng, and said lazily, “Is this how you beg people, Fu Cheng? This is the first time I’ve seen such an attitude of respecting one’s teacher.”

Fu Cheng lowered his eyes, watching him quietly.

Zhuo Huan spread his hands: “Tsk, not writing anymore. Go back to your own room… mmph…”

The young man placed both hands on the back of the sofa, lowered his head, and kissed the man’s lips.

This posture was always awkward, so he straddled Zhuo Huan’s lap, closed his eyes, and kissed him gently.

From his initial astonishment, Zhuo Huan also fell into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around Fu Cheng’s waist, looking up to kiss his lips. In the quiet study, low pants and the sound of lips and tongues intertwining could be heard.

After a long time, the kiss ended. Fu Cheng lowered his head, panting.

Zhuo Huan leaned back on the sofa watching him, his gaze moving slowly down from the young man’s swollen, red lips. As if possessing X-ray vision, penetrating the obstructive pajamas, he seemed to see the beautiful body before him. An hour ago, he had looked at it to his heart’s content, touched it without any barrier. But now, no matter how well the person in front of him endured, they couldn’t do it a second time.

If they really did it again, Fu Cheng might not be able to get out of bed tomorrow.

Zhuo Huan patted Fu Cheng’s waist lightly: “Get off, I’ll write the report.”

Fu Cheng sat aside, and Zhuo Huan put the laptop back on his lap. He seemed to be in a very good mood, typing much faster. Fu Cheng sat beside him, watching the complex physical formulas and mathematical equations on the computer screen flow from the man’s fingertips without a hint of stagnation.

For some reason, the world suddenly felt incredibly peaceful.

Fu Cheng felt a bit sleepy.

Zhuo Huan’s typing paused for a moment. He turned his head slightly and saw the young man leaning on his shoulder, asleep.

His fluttering eyelashes were outrageously long; under the light, they cast dense, fan-shaped shadows beneath his eyes. Zhuo Huan tutted softly, then took the unfinished cigarette and crushed the ash into the ashtray on the coffee table.

In the study, only the rhythmic sound of typing continued to ring out.

…

Since the collaboration with Teichi Tsunai on the experiment had ended, the investigators in Dubai no longer needed to accommodate Tokyo time, waiting at the warehouse at 6 AM every day for experiments.

At 10 AM, the extended Rolls-Royce waited for a long time at the hotel entrance.

Lina, Su Fei, and Old Joseph sat in the car. The investigation had thoroughly concluded, leaving only the final report writing. The three were in excellent spirits, chatting and laughing continuously.

The car door suddenly slid open, and Fu Cheng was the first to bend down and enter.

Behind him, Zhuo Huan yawned, took a large stride, and also entered the cabin.

With everyone present, Lina picked up the intercom to speak to the driver: “We can go now, thank you.”

Soon, the car began to move slowly.

After sitting down, Fu Cheng took out his phone to contact Lowrence. There were still some materials from the NTSB side that he needed Lowrence to organize for him. After Zhuo Huan got in the car, he sat next to Fu Cheng, tilted his head, leaned on his shoulder, and went to sleep.

Su Fei: “I’m telling you guys, I confirmed with the underwater restaurant staff again this morning. There is a giant squid! The waiter we asked before didn’t know anything and said there wasn’t one. I knew it. How could so many of us be mistaken? It’s not like it’s some weird Portuguese Man o’ War that we wouldn’t recognize.”

Old Joseph laughed: “Portuguese Man o’ Wars are highly venomous; they couldn’t possibly be in the underwater restaurant.”

Lina laughed upon hearing this. She looked at Fu Cheng: “It’s 37 degrees Celsius today, Fu. Why are you dressed so warmly?”

Fu Cheng’s hand holding the phone paused slightly. He looked up and smiled: “Am I?”

Lina smiled: “Yes. Long-sleeved shirt, aren’t you hot?” She thought for a moment: “Is it because the hotel hasn’t finished laundering the clothes you brought? Should I buy you a new one? I’ve been to Dubai a few times and know the best places to buy clothes.”

Fu Cheng: “Thanks, but no need, Lina. I think it’s fine, not that hot.”

Lina’s gaze lingered for a second on Fu Cheng’s fully buttoned shirt. She smiled and shook her head: “You’re welcome.”

After arriving at the investigation headquarters, everyone began collecting and organizing the report materials for Emirates 411.

The Emirates 411 crash happened twenty-three years ago. Back then, they investigated for over a year and wrote a 183-page investigation report. writing another investigation report now required detailing the investigation process, accident cause, and results from back then, as well as the current findings. At the same time, every detail in both accident reports had to be elaborated upon.

An air crash investigation report is not as simple as merely stating the cause.

It needs to cover all aspects, down to the finest detail.

Because an airplane is a giant machine precise to the micrometer, and air crashes are accumulations of countless inconceivable coincidences.

Lina brought cups of coffee from the pantry and placed one on everyone’s desk.

Lina: “By the way, the PR departments of Rolls-Royce and Boeing have started contacting each other.”

Su Fei said excitedly: “What does that mean? Are they going to fight?”

Old Joseph waved his hand: “How could these two behemoths really go to war? Rolls-Royce is the best among aircraft engine manufacturers, and Boeing isn’t far behind. Besides aircraft, there are various other aerospace vehicles; they cooperate in too many fields. Never mind that Rolls-Royce’s stock price only dropped less than 1 point twenty-three years ago because of the Emirates 411 crash—even if it had dropped 3 points, these two big companies would still be the best partners. Neither can afford to lose the other.”

Fu Cheng was also a bit curious. He looked at Lina: “What does Rolls-Royce say?”

Lina held her coffee and smiled: “They just want an extra, not very important bargaining chip for the upcoming Boeing 797 project. But they always have the upper hand. After all, the McFly F485 has had a huge impact on Boeing’s passenger aircraft business. If the Boeing 797, which is still in the design phase, can’t reverse this disadvantage, Boeing might really suffer serious damage.”

“Who signed an order for the F485 again?”

Everyone turned to look at Zhuo Huan.

Master Zhuo had woken up at some point. Though Fu Cheng felt he might not have been asleep to begin with. In such a noisy environment, someone with neurasthenia absolutely couldn’t fall asleep. He had just been lying on the sofa, resting his eyes.

Lina raised her coffee cup towards Zhuo Huan in a toasting gesture. “Reid, you really predict things like a god. I just mentioned it casually, and you knew an airline signed another order with McFly.”

Zhuo Huan sat up straight, his face full of irritation, impatiently tugging at his collar. “Who?”

Lina: “Far away in the sky, yet right before your eyes.”

Zhuo Huan: “Emirates?”

Lina nodded with a smile: “Correct. It’s been five years since Emirates last purchased a batch of passenger aircraft. You know, their average fleet age is only 55 months. The McFly F485 is currently the most advanced large civil airliner. Aside from being a bit expensive, it has no flaws. And what Emirates lacks least is money, right?”

Fu Cheng glanced at Zhuo Huan and asked, “How many did they buy?”

Lina looked at him: “16 McFly F475s and 72 McFly F485s.”

Zhuo Huan: “Are they crazy? Running out of planes? Buying 72 large long-haul airliners at once?”

Lina looked at him seriously: “Because it’s Emirates Airlines.”

“…Shit.”

Zhuo Huan stood up, took a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, and left the office.

Only after he left did Su Fei dare to ask, “Why is RIP unhappy that Emirates bought McFly planes?”

Old Joseph: “You noticed he was unhappy too?”

Su Fei: “…”

Su Fei: “I’m not blind!”

Master Zhuo practically had the words “I am very pissed” written on his forehead.

Fu Cheng was silent for a moment: “Why?”

Lina glanced at him and smiled: “I might not be able to answer other questions, but I can guess a bit about this one. Four years ago… oh no, to be precise, it’s been five years now. You all know about the Rogue 318 crash five years ago, right?”

Su Fei: “Of course! The biggest crash involving the McFly F485 model, and the only crash with fatalities since its maiden flight. I also know RIP almost went bankrupt salvaging that plane!”

Lina: “You know quite a lot, ten points to you. Then it’s simple. An air crash where the cause hasn’t been found yet—if there really is a problem with the aircraft’s design itself, then every McFly F485 flying in the sky is a ticking time bomb.”

Everyone froze in unison.

Fu Cheng’s gaze turned to the end of the corridor outside the office. Zhuo Huan happened to have reached that point, turned a corner, and disappeared.

After a long time, Su Fei said in disbelief, “That reason is too weird. According to that logic, there’s more than just one or two crashes worldwide where the cause hasn’t been found. Boeing, Airbus, McFly—they all have them. In that case, isn’t every plane in the sky a ticking time bomb?”

Old Joseph also found it incredible: “Reid is angry because of this?”

Lina blinked innocently: “I’m guessing.”

Everyone: “…”

Lina: “Do you really think anyone in the world can guess what Reid is thinking every day? Among my friends, Reid is the most elusive. I never know what he’s thinking. The first time I met him, I was six, and he was seven, at a dinner party for the Patrick family. Do you know what Reid was doing then?”

Su Fei: “What was he doing? What was he doing?”

Lina recalled for a moment. Her smile gradually faded, her gaze deepened, and she mimicked Zhuo Huan’s expression from back then, looking indifferently at everyone.

“I heard that the trajectory of a falling leaf follows a pattern and can be calculated. I want to calculate which cobblestone the next falling leaf will land on.”

After saying this, Lina laughed again: “That’s what he said to us when I first met Reid in the garden. I think I’ll never forget it in my life because it was just too cool.”

Old Joseph laughed heartily: “When I was seven, I was still playing with Legos!”

Su Fei: “I was different; I had already started learning Math Olympiad. And what’s cool about RIP? Everything he said was wrong. To calculate the falling trajectory of a leaf under non-experimental conditions—you ask him to calculate it! If he has the ability, let him calculate it. I want to see if he can!”

Lina showed a look of disdain for the first time: “Su Fei, you really aren’t romantic. You truly are just a child.” Saying that, she turned to Fu Cheng and smiled: “Fu, do you think it’s romantic?”

A few seconds later, Fu Cheng smiled: “Romantic.”

Old Joseph: “I also think it’s very romantic, and very cool!”

Su Fei said unconvinced, “But he just can’t calculate it. What does a seven-year-old brat know? RIP was such a show-off at just seven years old, yikes.”

“Boast. Do you know what it means?”

A slightly sarcastic voice came from the direction of the door. Everyone looked up at the newcomer.

Zhuo Huan stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the glass door frame, looking at Su Fei with disdain. He raised an eyebrow: “Don’t know the word? B-o-a-s-t, boast. Ever heard of it?”

Su Fei: “Of course I know it, okay? Boast. To brag, to show off. Isn’t that you, RIP?”

Zhuo Huan stepped into the room: “I allow you to use ‘boast’ to describe me because its verb meaning is ‘to possess things worth bragging about.’ Coincidentally, I have many things worth bragging about, so using it to describe me is very apt. But if you want to use ‘pretentious’ to describe me… heh, minor, did you learn Chinese with your toes?”

Su Fei: “…”

Lina clapped her hands: “Applause for you, Reid.”

Master Zhuo didn’t deign to give this group another glance. He walked to his seat and opened his computer.

A while later, Fu Cheng’s phone rang. He opened it to look.

[Zhuo Huan: Buttoned so tight.]

Fu Cheng looked up and saw a certain man looking expressionlessly at the computer screen, typing the report listlessly.

After a moment of silence, Fu Cheng replied: [Mn.]

[Zhuo Huan: Undo the first button, let me see.]

[Fu Cheng: See what?]

[Zhuo Huan: See where I kissed.]

Fu Cheng: “…”

Simply stopping his report writing, Zhuo Huan held his phone, looked at the words on the screen, and laughed. Unfortunately, Fu Cheng didn’t reply to him again.

Zhuo Huan tutted. Just as he was about to type again, he heard Lina make a surprised “Huh” sound, then say, “There’s something I think you should know.”

Everyone looked at her in unison.

Lina held her phone, smiling helplessly: “I was in contact with the UAE immigration authority earlier. Since the cause of the accident has been investigated, the witness, Yamila Betty, could be extradited back to her country. It was originally scheduled for this afternoon that she would board a plane back to Yemen. But just now, people from the immigration authority told me she won’t be leaving. Someone bailed her out.”

Everyone was surprised: “Who?”

Yamila Betty, the survivor of the Emirates 411 crash and the witness to key evidence.

She should have returned to Yemen long ago, back to her war-torn homeland. But for various reasons, she was temporarily kept here. And now, someone actually wanted to keep her in Dubai?!

Lina: “Specifically who is confidential. But it doesn’t have much to do with this accident; it’s just that Yamila Betty has other uses. Don’t misunderstand, that’s not my adjective. I would never compare a person to a commodity and describe her as having a use. Those were the other party’s exact words. Also, if my information isn’t wrong…”

Looking up at her colleagues, Lina smiled helplessly: “She might be publishing a book.”

__

Author’s Note:

Zhuo RIP: Fu Cheng is so fucking hard to handle! Just slept together, and he tells me he’s going back to work? Fuck?!

Fu Chengcheng: Didn’t you assign me the work? [Expressionless]

Support me on Ko-fi