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The airshow is in the city center.
Getting there from the small island requires taking a boat. Boat tickets are easy to buy on-site, but airshow tickets generally need to be booked in advance, especially the first three days which are professional days, when tickets are snapped up early and scalpers can drive up the price to exorbitant levels.
Zhong Yan only realized the ticket problem when she reached the entrance, and asked Ji Feng, "I...I haven't bought a ticket yet, can I go in?"
Ji Feng said, "Do you see the bag on Lin Yuhang's back?"
That big, conspicuous bag could be seen even by someone with 800 degrees of myopia.
Zhong Yan said, "You saw it?"
Ji Feng said, "When we get to the ground, you'll crawl into the bag, and he'll carry you inside."
Zhong Yan was so shocked that she couldn't speak.
Lin Yuhang rolled his eyes at Ji Feng, then said gently to Zhong Yan, "Little Yan, don't listen to his nonsense. You have a ticket. Yesterday, Ji Feng asked around our department to see who was free, and managed to get you a ticket at 3 a.m.
“…So troublesome.” Zhong Yan pursed her lips tightly, her hands clenching together.
She acted on a whim, yet she caused Ji Feng so much trouble and annoyance.
"It wasn't because I was trying to get votes that I stayed up until 3 a.m., it was because I already had something to do that kept me up until 3 a.m.," Ji Feng said, patting Lin Yuhang on the shoulder.
"Oh, oh, oh," Lin Yuhang said, "Don't explain, Xiaoyan will understand your feelings."
Monsoon: "Don't talk nonsense."
Zhong Yan pulled her backpack to her chest, took out a bottle of lemon vitamin C drink, and handed it to Ji Feng.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was so complicated. Let me wake you up."
Ji Feng didn't explain anything further, took the drink, and said, "Thanks."
Lin Yuhang put his arm around Ji Feng's shoulder, looking as excited as a primary school student on his first spring outing.
"The latest J-20 is coming this year! I can't wait!"
Ji Feng smiled.
Air shows are usually held every two years, but this year it happened to be an anniversary, so the exhibition was held during the summer vacation.
Lin Yuhang kept exclaiming how lucky he was the whole way.
Zhong Yan couldn't get a word in edgewise on the conversation between the two professionals; she trailed behind like a tail or a shadow.
There were many people at the airshow, and she dared not stray too far from Ji Feng, for fear that she might lose sight of them if she looked away for even a moment.
My eyes were focused intently on them, but my ears were distracted by their professional conversation.
The discussion covered the aircraft's design, material analysis, and the merits and demerits of its engines.
After having your ticket checked and entering the venue, the first building is the weapons hall.
Almost all types of firearms are on display in this museum, and visitors can touch various weapons up close and feel their weight.
Lin Yuhang and Ji Feng are both boys who usually play shooting games, so they are very familiar with these real guns.
Lin Yuhang kept exclaiming "Wow!" and was completely lost in the moment, oblivious to the world around him.
Although Ji Feng didn't show his emotions as openly as he did, he was still quite enthusiastic. He even took the initiative to introduce several guns to Zhong Yan, acting as if he were a professional arms dealer trying to sell his products to a major client.
Although Zhong Yan only understood a little bit of what she heard, she still tried her best to absorb this seemingly useless knowledge.
Behind the armory is the ground equipment depot.
Tanks and rocket launchers painted in camouflage were displayed openly among the objects. Zhong Yan had seen some of these in science fiction movies, but their realistic scale made her feel even more insignificant.
Upon arriving at the main exhibition hall, one finds not only aircraft models of various scales, but also product displays from various exhibitors.
On the professional days of the airshow, manufacturers from all walks of life in this field will showcase their latest achievements, both for exchange and for promotion.
Their potential customers may be hidden among this large group of tourists.
Here, Lin Yuhang and Ji Feng also ran into their classmates.
Zhong Yan felt embarrassed to get too close.
She stopped to the side and read the display board next to her.
The above describes a new type of unmanned aerial vehicle designed to replace humans in working in extremely harsh environments.
Product manuals always highlight key features, much like roadside advertisements, precisely targeting the pain points of the intended customers, such as preventing hair loss, whitening and removing blemishes, weight loss, and so on.
This unmanned aerial vehicle can withstand high temperatures and winds up to level 10, making it suitable for disaster relief and rescue.
It possesses a variety of excellent performance characteristics.
While she was engrossed in looking at the exhibits, a staff member from one of the exhibitors handed her a brochure and said, "If you're interested, you can take a look."
Zhong Yan blushed.
She doesn't have the money to learn about airplanes.
"It's alright, take a look. Are you a college student? Did you come here by yourself? Are you perhaps a student in a related major?" The enthusiastic staff member asked a series of questions, but before she could answer, they smiled and handed her two badges. "Keep it up! You can consider joining our company after graduation; the benefits are excellent."
Zhong Yan blushed and said, "Thank you."
Clutching the brochures and badges, Zhong Yan turned around, but Ji Feng was nowhere to be seen.
They came in clumps, and they went away in clumps.
We lost them.
Zhong Yan felt a chill run down her spine. She first ran forward a few steps, then sidestepped to a corner of the display case and took out her phone.
Unfortunately, I've already missed Monsoon's voice call.
She immediately called back, but it took a long time to get through, whether because there were too many people in the exhibition hall and the signal was poor or because her phone was old.
Zhong Yan bit her lower lip, her eyes fixed on the flashing dial notification on the screen.
The diverse array of strangers around her made her breathless, her back drenched in cold sweat, and the heavy, cacophony in her head drowned out everything else.
Logically speaking, an 18-year-old college student who gets lost shouldn't panic like a child.
But Zhong Yan grew up under her mother's watchful eye. She was like a kite tied to a spool, always being pulled by a string, whether near or far.
When I was in the first year of junior high school, my mother remarried and changed my name.
She was heartbroken but didn't know how to cope, so she found a secluded corner in the library and sat there for an entire afternoon until security guards and staff found her.
She was lectured earnestly by her mother and two strangers until late into the night.
The mother never mentioned the note she left behind.
She wanted to instill fear in a twelve-year-old child through this method.
Indeed, this method is very effective.
Many years later, she still never leaves her mother's sight.
Going to Niling Island was the biggest "indulgence" my mother had given me in the past ten years.
She doesn't admit that she's wrong.
Zhong Yan only got this precious "breathing out" after being discharged from the hospital.
Zhong Yan recalled a movie she had seen, "The Shawshank Redemption," in which the elderly librarian, Brooks, found that freedom had become a new prison after his release from prison.
The long period of imprisonment reshaped his soul. He could not adapt to the outside world and finally chose to carve "BROOKS WAS HERE" on the beam of his apartment and hang himself.
Zhong Yan was terrified from the bottom of her heart.
Will she, like Old Bu, find herself unable to adapt to a life free from constraints?
"Zhong Yan".
A voice came from behind, and the kite was re-strung.
Zhong Yan gripped the strap of her schoolbag tightly and turned around in a panic.
Ji Feng poked his head out from behind the crowd, looking in her direction.
Zhong Yan jogged forward, about to explain that she had gotten lost, when Ji Feng asked, "Are you hot? We just saw a place selling handmade ice cream, do you want some?"
He didn't care about her disappearance just now; he only came to ask her if she wanted ice cream.
Zhong Yan was like an inflated balloon that was quickly pricked by an extremely fine needle, slowly deflating, and nothing happened.
She pursed her lips and said, "Okay."
There was a sense of ease in her tone that she herself was unaware of.
Ji Feng glanced at her and asked again, "Is there anything you're interested in?"
Zhong Yan handed over the brochure she had just received.
Monsoon carefully flipped through a few pages, then looked up and said:
I was also worried that you might find it boring here.
"Not boring."
Actually, when Zhong Yan was quite young, her father wasn't so busy with work, and he brought her to air shows.
Even Ji Feng might not believe it, but when she was a child, her toys included airplanes, cannons, excavators, and more...
It doesn't look like something a girl would play with.
The mother argued with the father about this, saying that he didn't raise his daughter as a girl.
Zhong Yan said, "It's very interesting. It feels like science fiction movies are coming to life, and everything is becoming a reality."
Ji Feng laughed: "That's right."
When they got to the ice cream counter, Ji Feng's classmates were no longer there. Only Lin Yuhang was taking big bites of ice cream and waving happily when he saw them.
"They're going through the exhibition in the opposite direction to us. I told them the weapons hall is really crowded right now, but they didn't believe me." Lin Yuhang then asked Zhong Yan, "Little Yan, what flavor do you want to eat? Pistachio is good..."
“Go over there and see what you want to eat,” Ji Feng interrupted Lin Yuhang’s sales pitch.
Zhong Yan was about to nod, but when Ji Feng interrupted, she had no choice but to step forward herself.
The ice cream display case contained a dozen or so neatly arranged tubs, with flavor labels clearly displayed.
Zhong Yan chose a milk flavor, while Ji Feng wanted dark chocolate.
After finishing their ice cream, the three of them strolled around the area for a while before following the crowd to the outside of the venue to attend the highlight of the exhibition—the air show.
The entire air show lasted about four hours, but fortunately Lin Yuhang had a knack for finding good spots.
He opened his bag, took out two simple stools, glanced at Ji Feng, and then gave one to Zhong Yan.
"He'll give it to you anyway, so I'll be the one to do the favor."
Zhong Yan, holding a small stool, asked Ji Feng, "Where will you sit?"
Before Ji Feng could speak, Lin Yuhang slapped his thigh, "100 yuan per hour, want it?"
Monsoon laughed and said, "Get lost."
Because Ji Feng was "occupying" the position, Zhong Yan had to check his expression from time to time. If he showed signs of fatigue, she would immediately get up and give up her seat.
But Ji Feng watched intently, sometimes raising his binoculars, sometimes turning his head to follow the tail of the plane.
His eyes shone brightly in the sunlight.
Zhong Yan could tell that he genuinely loved airplanes and aircraft, and that he wasn't there to attend the exhibition just to fulfill his academic obligations.
Lin Yuhang multitasked, glancing at the sky and his phone intermittently, occasionally exclaiming in surprise, "Wow, that plane that just flew by was flown by a female pilot! That's amazing!"
Zhong Yan was drawn in by his words, "Is it a girl?"
"That's amazing!" Lin Yuhang exclaimed in admiration.
"So girls can do these things too," Zhong Yan murmured to herself.
The monsoon said, "Why not?"
Zhong Yan hesitated, "Because it seems difficult, and pilots are usually one in ten thousand..."
Pilots are required to meet high physical standards, and there are natural physical differences between men and women.
"The best people in every industry are one in a million," Ji Feng said.
Before they knew it, the four-hour air show was over, and the audience erupted in applause. Lin Yuhang immediately packed his things, saying, "Hurry up, there will be more people coming on stage later."
Zhong Yan helped pack up the stools, while Ji Feng's gaze remained fixed on the sky, which was now empty except for the white trail left by the aircraft as it streaked across the sky, and the colorful smoke gradually dissipating in the wind.
"Ji Feng, why did you choose this major? Aircraft propulsion engineering?" Zhong Yan asked. "Is it also because you want to participate in the design of fighter jets?"
She noticed that Jifeng was particularly fond of combat aircraft, and watched them with the most focused attention.
"Um."
Zhong Yan said, "Because it's cool?"
Lin Yuhang said "cool" to Zhong Yan hundreds of times today, and she's been brainwashed.
Boys view airplanes and tanks like children look at big toys.
Ji Feng smiled. "Because I want to protect the world, defeat the bad guys, and become a hero."
Zhong Yan was surprised, "...Huh?"
“That’s how it’s portrayed in movies,” Ji Feng said.
Zhong Yan looked unsure of what to say.
After a moment, Ji Feng spoke again: "To protect our home and country."
His expression was serious.
"The bottom line of kindness is not to intentionally harm others, but the foundation of kindness is the ability not to be harmed." Ji Feng looked at Zhong Yan and said, "This applies to countries as well as individuals."
Zhong Yan met his gaze and was slightly taken aback.
The monsoon changed to a more relaxed tone:
"I have my own selfish reasons. I want to leave a mark and prove to the world that I was here."
"Our Chief Engineer Ji has lofty ambitions." Lin Yuhang put his arm around Ji Feng's shoulder and said enthusiastically, "He always wants to build engines with better performance and greater safety, and to earn a resounding title of founder or pioneer!"
Ji Feng shook off his arm and laughed, scolding, "Aren't you the same? You still want the Nobel Prize."
Lin Yuhang retaliated with his elbow, "That's it, I can die without regrets!"
The two were playfully bickering, and Zhong Yan followed behind, watching and unable to help but smile.
Ji Feng walked backwards, facing Lin Yuhang who was gesturing wildly with his hands, but his eyes kept glancing at what was behind him.
The summer sun generously illuminated the girl's smiling face, her fair skin, her dark pupils, and even the strands of hair that were ruffled by the wind curled up in just the right arc.
Everything is wonderful.
It's as if, at this very moment, her fairy tale is slowly unfolding its first page.
/
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
It turns out that everyone can dream of achieving such great things without worrying about being ridiculed.
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