Chapter 53 Lu Tian, Do Not Give Up!!!

"Teacher Lu, when Captain Li's flight vanished from the radar, no distress codes were transmitted."

"Tiantian, among the first-class passengers on board, there is someone you know very well."

As this was the precursor to a catastrophic air disaster, Director-General Liu personally led a team to the Jinggang Control Tower to take charge.

He produced a passenger manifest with photographs and handed it to Lu Tiantian.

Feng Yinan, Professor of Aircraft R&D at Jinggang University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

"Professor Feng?!"

He had spotted her talent during her freshman year, weathering pressure from higher-ups to insist on bringing a newly enrolled college girl into his research team.

To Lu Tiantian, the name "Feng Yinan" represented one of the few true mentors and guiding lights in her life.

And he was only thirty-eight years old this year.

"Tiantian, Captain Li hasn't been flying for long, and this time he vanished from the radar entirely without warning. We suspect pilot error," Director-General Liu analyzed.

Lu Tiantian sat before the radar monitor, her fists clenched tightly, attempting to access alternative frequency bands and asking other flights on the same route to keep a lookout.

Yet the replies were all the same.

"Southeast 3611, cruising at flight level 3000, I don't see Captain Li's flight."

"Southern 7600, cruising at 5000, no flights in the vicinity."

Vanished! A complete and utter disappearance!

Li Yanchen, Feng Yinan, and more than two hundred passengers on board—their lives and deaths now hung in the balance because of her.

Another WeChat message arrived from Fei Jing.

It was a photograph.

The dining room of the Fei family's estate villa, set with flowers, red wine, and a table of her absolute favorite Cantonese dim sum.

—[Wife, come home early. I'm waiting for you.]

Lu Zhi forwarded Lu Youyou's nine-grid Moments post.

Every single photo featured exquisite Cantonese dim sum, alongside mountains of various luxury gifts.

She wrote, "I'm so happy! Husband said our family of three will officially live together starting today. I hope big sister will like me~"

Lu Tiantian had to admire such a wholehearted and willing embrace of the role of a mistress.

And Fei Jing orchestrating all of this ultimately had only one purpose.

That was to make her obediently return to being Mrs. Fei, while cheerfully accepting Lu Youyou as her "good sister."

"Oh god! Teacher Lu, the youngest passenger on board is only a year and a half old! What do we do? Wuwuwu, are they all going to die?"

"Professor Feng Yinan is still so young; it would be such a pity if he dies."

"Captain Li has a daughter—how old is that child? She's about to lose her father..."

Chattering voices filled the air around her.

Lu Tiantian abruptly stood up from her chair.

She knew she could try—try using her professional expertise to rescue that aircraft.

However, could the blank void of stepping away from the industry for over seven years be bridged so easily?

And what of the consequences of failure? How could she bear the weight of two hundred and more human lives?

"Give me one hour, and I will resolve this. The air disaster will not happen, and Li Yanchen will bring everyone back safely." Lu Tiantian took a deep breath, making the most difficult decision of her life.

Yet, almost simultaneously,

Li Tuantuan barged in, holding a private satellite phone, trailed by several sweating airport security guards.

Tuanquan rushed up to Lu Tiantian and shouted, "Mommy, it's Daddy! It's Daddy!"

Mommy...

Instinctively, countless pairs of eyes turned uniformly toward Lu Tiantian with complex expressions.

Immediately following, Li Yanchen's steady, magnetic voice resounded throughout the entire tower control hall.

"Ms. Lu, do you dare to take a gamble with me?

"If you simply surrender to that scumbag, I will look down on you!"

His trademark sharp tongue unexpectedly steadied her flustered and anxious heart.

She demanded, "What on earth is the situation on board? Why can't the regional control radar pick up your signal?"

"Someone damaged the communication module. It seems your ex-husband truly has reach that extends to the heavens."

"We aren't divorced yet." She simply stated the factual truth.

Li Yanchen could still manage a laugh. "It seems Ms. Lu is still interested in that scumbag down below? Can't bear to let him go?"

"Li Yanchen, is this really the time to bicker with me?"

Cold sweat dampened the palms of Lu Tiantian's hands.

She sat back down before the command console.

Someone gasped in disbelief, "Chief Lu, surely you don't intend to bypass the radar and guide the aircraft down manually?"

In the sky, an airplane was essentially blind.

To land safely, it relied entirely on the instructions of air traffic controllers.

Yet!

"Tiantian, don't do anything reckless! Currently, the radar cannot detect Li Yanchen's aircraft, and the data cannot be corrected. You..."

"Lu Tiantian, I believe in you! I trust you and you alone!

"Bring me home. Bring us home."

Li Yanchen's voice cut right over Director-General Liu's warnings.

Standing beside her, little Tuanzi firmly grasped Lu Tiantian's hand, offering encouragement in a milky, childish voice, "Mommy, you're the best! You have to believe in yourself, don't bow down to bad guys!"

"Alright, Li Yanchen, listen to my commands. I am bringing you home."

"Jinggang 4678, standing by for your instructions."

The man was calm, devoid of even a shred of panic.

Lu Tiantian methodically began clearing the runway, then contacted commercial radar to attempt a rough triangulation of flight 4678's position.

Finally, she utilized the avian monitoring system surrounding Jinggang City to capture the descent of the aircraft.

Clenching her teeth tightly, she spoke, "Final step: Runway R21 is ready. Li Yanchen, adjust and confirm according to the parameters I provide."

"Roger, Jinggang Approach, 4678 is on it."

Within the cavernous control hall, absolute silence reigned.

Director-General Liu closed his eyes and whispered quietly to a subordinate, "Alert the emergency rescue team and prepare for deployment."

Clearly, he harbored zero hope that Lu Tiantian could guide the aircraft down to a safe landing.

"Li Yanchen, re-verify parameters. Are you ready?"

"4678, ready for final approach."

Beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the aircraft glided smoothly onto the runway, entirely unscathed.

Inside the passenger cabin, thunderous applause erupted alongside cheers, "We survived! We survived! Thank you, Captain! Thank you, Captain!"

Over the captain's intercom system, Li Yanchen laughed out loud in front of so many people—a rare occurrence.

He announced, "The person who saved you all is the Air Traffic Control Chief of the Third Zone at Jinggang International Tower, Lu Tiantian!"

In an instant, the former aviation university prodigy who had been mocked as inferior and fallen from grace

was now hailed across the internet as a "National Heroine."

Numerous online media outlets also unearthed the fact that Lu Tiantian's meeting with Lu Youyou had been entirely born of deception, undertaken in complete ignorance.

—[Fei Group Chairman Suspected of Infidelity During Marriage? Schemes Against Legal Wife to Please Mistress!]

—[Lu Youyou, Once Touted as a World-Class Child Prodigy by International Magazines, Degrades Herself to Become a Homewrecker for Love?]

—[Fei Group Stock Prices Plunge Yet Again!]

Lu Tiantian sat upon the wing of a decommissioned aircraft, scrolling through trending searches while lifting her gaze to the brilliant, starry night sky.

Turning her head slightly, she asked, "Did you really trust me that much back then? You handed your life over to my hands just like that?"

"Your ex-husband was trying to kill me. Shouldn't Ms. Lu take responsibility for me?"

Was that considered answering the question?

For the N+1-th time, Lu Tiantian was left utterly speechless by this sharp-tongued, nagging man.

Jumping down from the aircraft wing, she walked toward the exit and waved a hand dismissively. "Don't thank me too much; I just didn't want to rack up too much bad karma! Also, I'm not divorced yet."

Moonlight cascaded like a silver waterfall, blanketing the earth.

Li Yanchen possessed intoxicating eyes, their slender outer corners curving upward slowly.

He called out to the back that had lingered in his thoughts for over a decade: "Lu Tiantian, I'm quite poor, and I come with extra baggage. How about you support me?"

"Sorry, not interested."

Lu Tiantian left Jinggang International Airport without looking back.

Just as she prepared to step into her car,

a Cullinan came careening wildly toward her...