Chapter 43: Major Aviation Events

“Zhang Yuan, we’re over here!”

As soon as they arrived at the waiting area in front of the terminal, Liu Xixi waved at him excitedly, looking as if she were about to run over.

However, after receiving a glare from Liu Xiaoli standing nearby, she immediately tucked her head in.

“Why is Liu Xiaoli here too... oh, right.”

Zhang Yuan thought about it. The group traveling this way consisted entirely of young people, half of whom were young men in their prime; it would be a miracle if Liu Xiaoli felt comfortable letting her daughter travel alone.

“Yuan, long time no see. You seem to have gotten even more handsome.” Chen Kun stepped forward to greet him. Qiao Zhenyu was also there.

Shu Chang also stepped forward, nodding to him with a gentle smile. Holding a Gaokao English textbook, she looked very quiet and studious behind her rimless glasses.

Bringing a textbook on a trip and memorizing vocabulary during the time spent waiting for a plane... she truly lived up to her reputation as a top student.

“Zhang Yuan, long time no see!” Liu Xixi approached with small, quick steps.

Xixi was wearing a white floral print T-shirt and light blue jeans, holding a light-colored straw hat in her hand, looking full of youthful energy.

“It’s been a few weeks, and you seem to have grown taller.”

After saying this, Zhang Yuan glanced toward her chest.

Not everything had grown...

Oh well, the girl is still young; there’s still a chance.

“Hehe, my mom says so too.” Xixi used her palm to gesture, reaching just to the level of Zhang Yuan’s lips.

“Hello, Zhang Yuan.” Liu Xiaoli also stepped forward to greet him elegantly, asking casually in a very adult manner, “What have you been busy with lately?”

“I moved to a new place, and then I picked up a new drama,” Zhang Yuan replied candidly, describing his recent situation.

“Ah, you only left the film set a few days ago and you've already landed a new one!” Chen Kun’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Big brother, please, give us the scoop!” Qiao Zhenyu directly grabbed his arm, refusing to let go for anything.

Liu Xiaoli hadn't expected to receive such unexpected news from a casual question.

*His private life might be a bit messy, but he certainly has talent...* Auntie Liu thought to herself.

“What kind of drama is it?” Liu Xixi looked at him like a curious child, while Shu Chang’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

“Brother Yuan is amazing...”

“I’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement. Sorry, I can’t reveal it for now.”

“Hmph, stingy,” Liu Xixi pouted and tossed her head.

“Is it a big production?” Chen Kun also felt envious; even for him, it was difficult to keep his schedule so packed.

“It should be bigger than *The Story of a Noble Family*.”

“Whoa, that’s a blockbuster then!” Qiao Zhenyu’s grip on his arm tightened even more.

“You’ll find out once filming starts,” Zhang Yuan responded with a smile, without going into detail.

Having not seen each other for a long time, the group enjoyed a pleasant conversation with Zhang Yuan.

Talking for a while inevitably made them thirsty. Shu Chang and Liu Xixi had already bought drinks and brought them directly into the airport.

In those days, security wasn't as strict, and large amounts of liquid could be carried into the waiting area.

Zhang Yuan stood up, intending to find a vending machine to buy a Coke to beat the heat.

At this time, there were no card-operated vending machines like in the future, let alone facial recognition; they were all old machines that required coins.

The vending machine wasn't far, right next to their waiting area. As Zhang Yuan walked, he pulled a few coins from his pocket.

*Clink!*

Perhaps because he wasn't used to using coins after a long time, one coin rolled out during the insertion process.

His luck was decent; the coin didn't roll under the machine but instead bounced toward a nearby seat.

Coincidentally, a passenger was sitting in the chair, and the coin hit the side of the man's shoe and fell to the ground.

Zhang Yuan hurried forward and leaned down.

“What are you doing!”

To his surprise, the middle-aged passenger let out a loud shout upon seeing him approach, which gave Zhang Yuan a fright.

“I’m sorry, it’s my money,” Zhang Yuan looked up with a smile and pointed to the coin on the ground.

“Phew...” The male passenger’s face was pale and he was covered in cold sweat. After understanding Zhang Yuan’s intention, he moved his feet aside.

“Thank you.” As Zhang Yuan picked up the coin, his gaze briefly brushed over a travel bag placed on the seat, which presumably belonged to the man.

“Are you alright? Is it your first time flying? Are you nervous?”

Seeing the man's terrible state and his flickering eyes, Zhang Yuan spoke out of kindness.

“It’s none of your business, get lost!”

With that attitude... Zhang Yuan obediently left, treating it as if he had simply meddled in someone else's business.

Returning to his seat, Liu Xixi looked at the Coke in his hand with great envy.

“Flight XXX, the flight from Beijing to Qingdao is about to depart. Passengers, please prepare to board.”

“It’s our turn.” The group stood up. Liu Xixi was already pulling Shu Chang aside, planning how many shrimp and fish they would eat for dinner.

But at this moment, Zhang Yuan froze in place.

“Brother Yuan, what’s wrong?” Seeing him not following, Shu Chang turned back.

At that moment, Shu Chang saw that the color was rapidly draining from Zhang Yuan’s face, leaving him deathly pale.

Even though the terminal's air conditioning was strong, a ring of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

In that year, two major events occurred in China's aviation industry.

First, the restructuring of the aviation industry, which led to the establishment of the three major companies—Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern—laying the foundation for the country's aviation landscape.

Second, a notorious criminal case.

When Zhang Yuan had picked up the coin earlier, his gaze had brushed over the travel bag on the seat, and at that moment, he had smelled a strange odor.

Only now did he recall exactly what that smell was.

It was the smell of gasoline!

He glanced at the date on his phone and understood everything that was about to happen.

His hands trembled, and he had to grit his teeth just to maintain his footing; he felt as if he were on the verge of collapse.

His instinct was to turn and run, but seeing that the man with the bag had already entered the boarding gate and his friends had begun checking their tickets, Zhang Yuan bit down hard on his tongue, using the pain to force himself to stay awake and regain his rationality.

“Changchang, go tell Kun-ge and Xixi to not board yet.”

Shu Chang didn't understand what Zhang Yuan intended, but she trusted him instinctively and nodded seriously.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan found a nearby service counter that had not yet begun boarding, pulled an employee aside, and recounted his discovery.

Why didn't he look for the flight attendants checking tickets in front of him?

Because with so many people around, if he caused a panic, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After hearing Zhang Yuan's words, the employee's eyes went as wide as lightbulbs. Like him, her hands and feet began to shake. She stood dazed for several seconds before getting up to find airport security.

In less than five minutes, two teams of burly men in police uniforms came sprinting toward them, carrying professional equipment such as anti-explosion forks, batons, blankets, buckets, and fire extinguishers.

At the same time, two police officers arrived at Zhang Yuan's side, one on each side, clearly to prevent him from fleeing.

A significant number of people filed false police reports at the airport every year.

In less than ten minutes, under the encirclement of over a dozen officers, the middle-aged man from before was seized by four police officers by his arms and legs and carried out of the boarding gate like a pig being hoisted.

Behind them, two officers cautiously carried a large bucket covered with a black cloth, moving carefully toward an empty area.

In 2002, a man named Zhang X-lin boarded a China Aviation flight carrying gasoline in seven large Coca-Cola bottles.

Once the plane finished its climb and entered level flight, he pulled a lighter from his pocket and ignited the gasoline.

The passenger jet, traveling at a speed of over 700 kilometers per hour, was instantly engulfed in flames, becoming a fireball falling from 8,000 meters in the sky.

Only after seeing the police complete their task did Zhang Yuan let out a long breath. Clutching his wildly pounding heart, he slumped into a seat in the waiting area.

Chen Kun and the others had been called back by Shu Chang. Having witnessed the "major action" by the police just now, they were wondering what was happening.

“What happened?”

Having regained some color in his face, Zhang Yuan beckoned them to gather around him and recounted everything—how he discovered it and how he reported it.

*Gulp!*

Liu Xiaoli, who was the most experienced and had the fastest reactions, felt her legs go weak after hearing the story, nearly collapsing onto the floor. Even with her bright red lipstick, she could not hide the deathly pallor of her lips.

Liu Xixi hurried to help her mother sit in a chair.

As for Chen Kun and the others, they were like elderly people with Parkinson's, trembling as they slowly took their seats.

No one made a scene; there was only an endless, heavy silence.

Two lines of hot tears flowed down Shu Chang's cheeks, though her face remained expressionless.

Chen Kun stared blankly, his eyes wide and lifeless.

Dong Jie hugged herself tightly, trembling as if she had been stripped naked and thrown into the snow in the dead of winter.

Zhang Yuan looked to his left and right.

*Well, they should be experiencing what I felt these past few months.*

*This is what it means to live a second life!*

Note: Because this is a real event, the location and time have been modified.

(End of Chapter)