Chapter 20 There's no time for romance when you're flying.
When Xu Songning asked "Mediterranean" for annual leave, "Mediterranean" agreed without hesitation. Since Xu Songning always worked on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, he would always give her priority in taking annual leave.
"Why did you take your annual leave a month earlier this year? Is your mother back?" Director Liu, who has a receding hairline, asked warmly. He knew Xu Enxia; they used to be colleagues. He was quite moved to learn that her daughter had come to work as an approach officer at the airport.
"Yes, it's a little earlier this year. I'll have to trouble my other colleagues." Xu Songning took the leave slip and asked for the time around her birthday.
"It's only a five-day holiday, and your mother is always flying around, never stopping. You two should enjoy your holiday. Leave the work to your colleagues. The radar room won't collapse without you," Director Liu said with a cheerful laugh.
Xu Songning placed the tea canister from his bag on the table. "This is from my mother. She said you love this."
“Your mother is so thoughtful. When we were colleagues, I loved drinking tea from her hometown and asked her to buy me several canisters. I never expected that your mother would still send me tea every year after she left her job.” Director Liu hugged the tea canister with obvious affection.
"My mom is so concerned about these things, she's arranged everything." Xu Songning still had work to do, so after saying goodbye to Director Liu, she went to the airport coffee shop to buy coffee for her colleagues, since taking leave would increase their workload.
She ordered two of each type of coffee. After calculating the quantity and adding the coffee for her colleague who was changing shifts, the coffee filled several paper bags, and the waiter had a little trouble carrying them to her.
"Ms. Xu, there's quite a lot of coffee. Would you like to take it in several portions? Be careful not to spill it."
"This..." Xu Songning looked at the table piled high with coffee, feeling utterly overwhelmed. "Could you please deliver this?"
"I'm a bit busy right now. If you could wait a moment, I'll take it to you." The waiter said to the customer while turning back to speak to her.
Several planes had landed, and the coffee shop became busier, keeping the staff quite busy.
Xu Songning glanced at the time and decided to let it go. By the time the other person finished their work, it would be almost time for her to start work. She could just bring it herself.
She stood up, holding three paper bags in one hand, and was about to pick them up when a hand appeared in her line of sight, with four gold stripes across the black fabric.
"Xu Songning, what a coincidence, we've run into you again." Xiang Yun held two paper bags in one hand, carrying all four bags steadily, leaving only two for Xu Songning.
"Captain Xiang..."
Xiang Yun raised an eyebrow. "I'm a few years older than you. If you're not used to calling me by my name, you can call me Brother Yun."
Xu Songning chuckled, "Is this revenge for making you call me Sister Xu before I did it? Brother Yun?"
The gentle yet cool tone trailed off, and the address came out naturally. Xu Songning was surprised; how could it come out so easily? Oh well, Xiang Yun was older than her anyway, so it wasn't like he was taking advantage of her.
Xiang Yun was surprised; he hadn't expected Xu Songning to address him directly. He had thought he would have to stay in the title of Captain Xiang for a while longer.
"Let's go, I'll need you to lead the way. We haven't been to the radar room yet." Xiang Yun gesturing with both hands for Xu Songning to lead the way. "Oh, by the way, could you please put away the sunglasses on my suitcase for me? I'll come back for them later."
Xu Songning looked down and saw that Xiang Yun's flight case was standing next to him, with sunglasses and a hat stacked on top of it.
She had never seen Xiang Yun wearing glasses before, and suddenly an idea struck her. She picked up the sunglasses and said, "I can take them with me. It's not safe to leave them here. Your ID is in there, isn't it?"
This left Xiang Yun with no reason to object. "Okay, then give me another bag."
"No need." Xu Songning's fingers deftly opened her sunglasses and took a step closer to Xiang Yun. The distance between them instantly shortened, breaking the social distance barrier. They were so close that Xiang Yun could smell the perfume Xu Songning was wearing today.
He didn't know what brand of perfume it was; he could only smell a faint grape scent mixed with his body heat. It was from ripe purple grapes, and his hands would be covered in juice when he bit into one.
Xu Songning looked up and saw Xiang Yun's steady gaze. He had a straight nose, thin lips, and the charm of a mature man between his brows and eyes. His dark eyes were fixed on her as if she were a precious treasure, and he stared at her intently.
"Brother Yun, the way you look at people makes me feel quite embarrassed," Xu Songning said with a smile as she helped him put on his sunglasses.
"Sorry." Xiang Yun's gaze was obscured by sunglasses, making him less sharp and giving him a cooler, more masculine air. His defined jawline caught Xu Songning's eye, and she couldn't help but think of Mr. X again.
But actually, a man's jawline isn't that distinctive. She's observed some men with similar face shapes, and when they covered the upper half of their faces, it was hard to tell them apart, and they were easily confused.
"Well, let's go then." Xu Songning picked up two paper bags with one hand and pulled Xiang Yun's flight case with the other, walking out.
Xiang Yun followed steadily, and the two walked side by side. They encountered a familiar crew on the way and greeted them. Words could not express their gossipy nature, but their eyes revealed their curiosity. Xu Songning could only pretend not to see them. Xiang Yun was wearing sunglasses, making him even more unapproachable.
"Sister Xu, at work? Hey?"
The "樸" at the end was undoubtedly for the captain next to her. Xiang Yun's regular flights to Shanghai were short, and many people didn't recognize his face. Now, wearing sunglasses, even fewer people recognized him.
"This is Xiang Yun, Captain Xiang," Xu Songning explained patiently, this was the third time she had explained it!
"Wow, it's Captain Xiang! You guys..." The flight attendant secretly made a gesture of putting her index fingers together, smiling gossipy.
"No, no, Captain Xiang brought me coffee." This was the third time Xu Songning had explained.
"Oh, we understand." The flight attendant winked at her and adjusted her scarf. "I'm off now, you two keep chatting."
“No, you don’t understand,” Xu Songning said helplessly.
A man's low chuckle came from beside her, a very pleasant sound that made Xu Songning lose all interest in explaining.
"Brother Yun, it looks like you're going to be the subject of gossip." Xu Songning sighed on purpose, actually watching the man's reaction.
Xiang Yun shrugged nonchalantly, "It's okay."
"It's alright? It seems Brother Yun has quite a few admirers. This isn't the first time he's been misunderstood?" Xu Songning probed.
Xiang Yun paused, seemingly thinking carefully. "This is the first time I've been misunderstood. I don't have many suitors either. I'm very busy. You should understand the hardships of flying. There's no time for romance."
Having said that, Xu Songning knew everything he needed to know, so he stopped asking questions.
“As an approach, of course we have to understand. We’re all busy. You’re flying in the sky, and we’re waiting for you to land in the VHF. Nobody’s idle,” Xu Songning said with a smile.
"Do you have time to date?" Xiang Yun continued, following her lead.
Xu Songning smiled and said, "That depends on who you're talking to."
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