Chapter 319: Scalpers and Sasaeng Fans
The directors were still waiting for a glimpse of the hero that saved the day. Tan Ningfu was already getting off the plane, but there was still no sign of Xiao Luo. So, where was he?
The two directors from the Airport and Civil Aviation Authorities gave the purser a questioning look, and they were getting a little impatient. Where was the man who single-handedly piloted the plane to a safe landing?
The purser hurried over to Tan Ningfu, who had just disembarked and was joining the rest of the waiting crew members. “Little Fu, where is Mr. Xiao?”
“Hasn’t he disembarked yet?” Tan Ningfu replied, blinking in surprise.
“Huh, when did you see him disembark?” the purser asked, speaking with some urgency.
“As soon as the door opened, he collected his baggage and walked down the ramp.”
The purser cringed, knowing this wasn’t going to go down well with those two.
“What’s happening here, where’s the man?” A firm voice came from where the two directors stood.
The purser looked embarra.s.sed as she turned around and said, “Sir, it seems that he disembarked along with the other pa.s.sengers as we were talking earlier.”
“What?!”
The two directors frowned. Such an able pilot walking away right under their noses, and to think that they were going to hire him as a pilot and offer him an attractive remuneration package.
“What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you? Can’t you even keep track of your pa.s.sengers, let alone the very person that saved everyone’s lives?”
“I’m sorry, sir, I take full responsibility, I…” the purser responded, lowering her head.
The other director waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry, it’s not your fault. Who could guess that he would just sneak away? But it’s okay; we can check the pa.s.senger manifest, and besides, all the flight information will be updated in the system, so it won’t be a difficult task to locate him.”
Listening in, Tan Ningfu quickly stepped forward to a.s.sist where she could. “Sir, I’ve got his contact information.”
The directors were delighted to hear that. “Then contact him quickly, and tell him we want to get to know him.”
“Okay.”
Tan Ningfu nodded and made the call, but Xiao Luo’s phone could not be reached.
At that precise moment, both the cell phones of the directors rang simultaneously. They both had a glance at their screens, and when they saw the caller ID, their faces took on a solemn expression. The call came from a superior, and they were both instructed not to investigate the case or find out the pa.s.senger’s ident.i.ty any further!
When they ended the call, they both looked bewildered. This person had just safely landed a Boeing jet in an emergency, so why did his ident.i.ty have to be kept confidential? Was the information so sensitive that their superior had to give a direct order for them to desist?
…
As he exited Gate A at Xiahai airport’s main concourse, Xiao Luo was on the phone, dragging his suitcase.
“Director Gu, thanks a lot for your help.”
Xiao Luo did not want to attract undue attention, and so he immediately informed Gu Zhanguo about the incident the moment he touched down. Gu Zhanguo promptly used his network of connections to get through to the top man of the ACAA to ensure that nothing involving Xiao Luo would be exposed.
“You don’t have to be so polite to me, too much attention is bad for the organization. But here you are, impressing me again—why, you can even fly a civilian plane! I’m now wondering if there is anything in this world that you can’t do, haha.”
Gu Zhanguo was becoming even more interested in Xiao Luo now. From all the information he had received on Xiao Luo so far, it was apparent that he possessed an impressive array of skill sets, and each of these skills seemed to be honed to a high level of excellence. For example, computer technology was just one of the skills that Xiao Luo possessed. Gu Zhanguo found this man to be a genuine all-rounder, capable in every way. He wondered if Xiao Luo was blessed with a highly developed brain that could unlock the human mind’s true potential.
“I just happened to read a book on how to pilot airplanes.” Xiao Luo said, attempting to make light of the situation.
“You managed to fly a plane just by reading a book? Mie, you must be a genius.”
Gu Zhanguo was generously appreciative in his a.s.sessment of Xiao Luo and added, “By the way, I will make time to bring you to meet those so-called computer wizzes in NSA. They aren’t even comparable to your little finger if you ask me, so do help me provide some guidance.”
So It seemed that Xiao Luo had a debt to pay after all.
Xiao Luo c.o.c.ked an eyebrow and smiled wryly. He never for a minute thought that Gu Zhanguo had freed him from imprisonment for nothing in return, and this was turning out to look like a convenient arrangement between him and Gu Zhanguo. Certainly, Xiao Luo did not want to remain in prison, and Gu Zhanguo, on the other hand, wanted a blade to serve his country, so it was a quid pro quo.
“Okay, sure.”
After the perfunctory pleasantries, the two ended the call.
Xiao Luo put the phone back in his pocket and breathed in the air of Xiahai as he scanned the night view of the city. He had spent four years living here, and not much had changed since then, at least the airport still remained the same.
Then a woman walked over to him. She had sa.s.sy, shoulder-lengthed hair and a pet.i.te figure.
She smiled and asked, “Are you, Mr. Xiao Luo?”
“I am, and you are?”
“h.e.l.lo, Mr. Xiao. I’m Miss Su’s a.s.sistant, Luo Pingxiang, but you can call me Little Luo. Miss Su asked me to come over to pick you up,” she said as she bowed slightly.
Xiao Luo returned the smile and replied, “Oh, great, thank you!”
“Not at all, Mr. Xiao, I should be the one thanking you,” Luo Pingxiang said as she reached out to help Xiao Luo with his suitcase.
Xiao Luo politely declined her a.s.sistance. “It’s okay, I’ll handle the luggage myself, just lead the way.”
He wasn’t the type to willingly trouble others, and especially not by having a woman help him with his luggage. That was something he would feel awkward about, regardless of the circ.u.mstances.
Luo Pingxiang didn’t push the matter, as being an experienced personal a.s.sistant, she had learned to be sensitive to people and was quick to pick up subtle cues. She knew that Xiao Luo wasn’t just trying to be polite.
“This way, Mr. Xiao.”
She gestured with her hand, then continued with where she had left off earlier. “When I was in Jiangcheng, I was the one who lost Bei Bei, but luckily you rescued her, or I would be in a lot of trouble.”
“You’re not to blame for that, those thugs were,” Xiao Luo said.
“If I had been brave enough to resist, maybe Bei Bei wouldn’t have been s.n.a.t.c.hed away,” Luo Pingxiang replied, evidently, the incident was still fresh in her mind, and she blamed herself for it.
Xiao Luo smiled but didn’t say anything.
It wasn’t long before they came to a black vehicle parked by the road. Luo Pingxiang opened the rear door for Xiao Luo, then she got into the driver’s seat and started to drive slowly. Suddenly, a white van flashed pa.s.sed them and swerved in front of their vehicle.
Luo Pingxiang screamed in fright and quickly slammed on the brakes.
The black vehicle came to a hard stop, barely avoiding a collision with the white van by several centimeters.
“Oh, no, it’s a scalper,” Luo Pingxiang said.
“Huh, what’s a scalper?”
“Scalpers are illegal ticket sellers, and they spy and keep track of the undisclosed daily schedules and jobs of all celebrities, and hound them relentlessly,” she said, “they make a living out of this and have even formed a chain with those crazy fans, known in our circle as ‘sasaeng fans.’ They must have thought that Miss Su was in this vehicle and forced us to stop.”
As she was speaking, four or five men could be seen alighting from the white van with cameras in their hands, and they began shooting and taking pictures of the black vehicle.
“G.o.ddess Su, please let us have a look at you.”
“We’ve been squatting here at the airport for over ten days to see you with our own eyes.”
“I’m a huge fan of yours, Miss Su, please let me have a look, I’ve been dreaming of standing face to face with you.”
The small mob surrounded the vehicle and kept thumping on the windows, screaming out for their idol.
…