Xiao Zhan looked at his watch and said, "Let's start boarding then" he raised his head and smiled, "Wishing everyone a pleasant flight."
"Thank you, Captain Xiao. Have a pleasant flight"
Li Hongmian returned to the front cabin door and informed the passengers, while the rest of the cabin crew returned to their positions. Wang Yibo, who was the last one, turned around and happened to catch Xiao Zhan looking at him. He glanced at Song Li, who was on Xiao Zhan's left, and whispered, "Major, have a pleasant flight."
Xiao Zhan didn't expect him to address him that way and felt a little embarrassed. After a moment's pause, he said, "Have a pleasant flight, see you on the announcement."
"Okay." Wang Yibo turned and left. Xiao Zhan watched him take his position near the front cabin door before turning around and saying, "Let's go, let's go back."
"I must say, Xiao laoshi, I didn't expect that" Song Li leaned in and whispered to Xiao Zhan. Xiao Zhan didn't know what he was up to this time and gave him a side glance. Song Li teasingly smiled and said, "So Yibo ge is so sweet in private. Calling you 'Major' is quite special. It's really making me feel overwhelmed by the sweetness."
That didn't sound like something he made up. Xiao Zhan silently commented, but he maintained a calm demeanor and closed the cockpit door, saying, "The sweetness has nothing to do with you. Why are you getting overwhelmed?"
"Oh, possessiveness is kicking in." Song Li returned to the co-pilot seat, rolled his eyes, and said, "I lack love, I feel sour, am I overwhelmed enough?"
Xiao Zhan took off his cap, hung it up, and smiled as he turned his head, "Hmm."
"Dear passengers, welcome aboard Sichuan Airlines flight 3U8314 from Chengdu to Lhasa. The doors will be closing soon. Please double-check your tickets or boarding passes. To ensure flight safety, please switch your mobile phones and other electronic devices to flight mode or turn them off."
The scenery outside the window began to move, and Wang Yibo recalled his first time on an airplane. At that time, Chengdu Shuangliu Airport hadn't been expanded yet, and it was much smaller than it is now. The terminal building was not as grand as it is now. He was only six years old back then, before starting elementary school, and his parents took him on a trip to the capital.
He still remembered that it was his father who carried him to the boarding gate. Because the gate was downstairs, quite far away, and it was early in the morning, he hadn't fully woken up and yawned all the way. His father was always efficient, and he didn't let him walk himself, jokingly saying, "Wang Yibo, why are you so delicate? Can't handle getting up early, can't handle walking too much. I think you'll be an Omega in the future."
He got angry at that time and said, "No way! I'm an Alpha."
His father said, "Forget it, just look at your pale little face. You're not an Alpha."
His father rarely spoke so much and entertained him all the way. He was mad for many days and ignored his father.
Now thinking back, it was really prophetic.
Wang Yibo looked at his face through the window, and the plane took off.
Xiao Zhan used to say that he had fair skin, and many people agreed. At first, he was dissatisfied and went out to sunbathe on sunny days, hoping to tan into a healthy wheat color. But instead of getting darker, he got sunburned. His face turned as red as a monkey's butt, itchy and unable to scratch. It took a whole three months to recover.
Later, he stopped bothering, thinking, "What's wrong with being fair? Who said Alphas couldn't have fair skin, it's superficial." And then, he stopped bothering about everything, unable to bother about anything. He differentiated into an Omega, and he could only choose to become an art troupe soldier when he enlisted. Becoming a pilot was even more out of the question for an Omega.
He closed his eyes, feeling the familiar weightlessness, and his mind jumped back to the summer of his fourteenth year.
The twenty-year-old Xiao Zhan was completely different, looking a bit dazed. He helped him take down the airplane model from the shelf and introduced himself seriously.
He was shy, and Xiao Zhan was a military man, especially tall. He looked up at him and didn't dare to be impolite, obediently saying thank you. Xiao Zhan might also be a little shy, or maybe he was afraid of his father, so he sat next to him quietly, staring at him, pouring water and fanning him without saying a word.
It wasn't until the end of the whole summer vacation that they became more familiar with each other. Xiao Zhan started smiling and talking more. Eventually, he annoyed him and even made him angry.
He remembered asking Xiao Zhan at that time, "Zhan ge, when I attend military school in the future, can you be my instructor?"
Xiao Zhan smiled and said, "I'm afraid I don't have the qualifications. It's more realistic to expect your dad to teach you."
He said, "I don't want him to teach me."
Xiao Zhan asked, "Why not? The Instructor is very capable, and he has practical combat experience. Don't underestimate him just because he's your dad."
He shook his head and said, "No, it's not that. He's too strict. He scolds me every day even at home. If he becomes an instructor, he'll probably scold me to death. I like you because you have a good temper and never scold anyone."
Wang Yibo's words amused Xiao Zhan, and he laughed so hard that he bent over, laughing for a long time. He felt a bit embarrassed and said, "It's not like that. It's normal to be scolded for making mistakes. I'm not that petty. It's just that I think you're amazing..."
Xiao Zhan definitely sensed that Wang Yibo was trying to make up for something, considering how nervous and stammering he was. But Xiao Zhan didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "Alright then, I'll work hard and strive to achieve a promotion and a commendation before you turn eighteen. By that time, I'll become your instructor."
He used to be very mischievous when he was young, and Xiao Zhan was always patient with him. His gentle and warm demeanor often made him doubt his military identity.
The two and a half-hour flight passed in a busy blur, and the plane landed at Gongga Airport. The sky in Lhasa was much bluer than Chengdu's. Wang Yibo stood at the cabin door, smiling as he bid farewell to the passengers. After the last passenger left, he suppressed his smile and patted his face.
Li Hongmian went back to the cabin to pack up and called for the other cabin crew members to have lunch together. Wang Yibo turned around, facing away from them, silently packing up without hearing his name being called, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
"Hello, Captains. Let's have lunch together later, alright?"
"Sure. It's my first time at Gongga Airport. How's the food here?"
Wang Yibo picked up the trash from the ground and threw it into the garbage bag before turning around.
Song Li, holding his hat, was engaged in a lively conversation with the passengers. Xiao Zhan held a manual and was talking to Captain Yu. He glanced at the noisy Song Li and clicked his tongue, saying, "You're starting even before we've landed. Your work isn't done yet, listen."
"Oh." Song Li received a reprimand and obediently stopped talking, leaning in to listen to the two captains. But his mouth couldn't stay idle, as he teased Xiao Zhan, saying, "So fierce. Do you scold people like this in the military, Major?"
"If I had a trainee like you in the military, I would have taken action long ago" Xiao Zhan replied, and just as he finished speaking, there was a loud "bang."
He looked up, and everyone turned to the source of the sound.
Wang Yibo looked at the closed luggage compartment, his hand still not lowered, and awkwardly turned around, saying, "Sorry, my hand slipped. It's nothing."
"No need to tidy up there. The cleaning crew will take care of it" Li Hongmian glanced at Wang Yibo with a slight hint of sarcasm but refrained from saying anything, as he was being watched by Xiao Zhan. She walked back to the crew area to pack her things.
Wang Yibo stepped aside to let her pass, and the cabin fell silent. After a while, the other crew members also went to pack their things.
He lowered his head and noticed his wrist. The watch he was wearing was still the one from before, the one that Xiao Zhan had given him. It was sitting on the bedside table, and he felt too embarrassed to wear it.
Why was that title 'Major' suddenly inappropriate? Why did it make him feel as if he had been slapped? In the past, in the military, wasn't it common for many people to address Xiao Zhan that way? What difference did it make with the addition of Song Li?
Wang Yibo just stood there, silent and with his head down. Xiao Zhan quickly finished his tasks and handed the manual to Yu Heng, then walked up to Wang Yibo.
"It's okay, don't take it to heart, Yibo" Xiao Zhan assumed Wang Yibo was being sensitive again, extending his hand to embrace him and releasing pheromones to comfort him. "Shall I accompany you to pack up? Let's get off the plane first."
Wang Yibo smelled the refreshing scent of spruce and instinctively wanted to nod, but he remembered the teasing 'Major' from Song Li.
The playful look on his face made him feel so sad.
Wang Yibo couldn't just pretend everything was fine and move on. He couldn't smile and turn the page so easily. He pushed Xiao Zhan away, raised his head, and asked, "Do you still remember? When I was fifteen, you said you would work hard to advance in rank and become my instructor in the future."
Xiao Zhan didn't know why he suddenly brought up that matter, but he nodded, "Of course I remember. What about it?"
Wang Yibo shook his head and smiled, saying, "I just remembered. You kept your promise, you made it. You were promoted to Major at twenty-five." He stood up straight, no longer leaning on the seat, and spoke softly, "But I missed it"
Xiao Zhan immediately frowned, "Yibo..."
Wang Yibo waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say anything, adjusted his tie, and turned around. "It's fine, I'll go pack up. You don't have to accompany me."
The dreams of soaring in the blue sky shattered at the peak of his youth.
Xiao Zhan, who had always taken his demanding requests seriously, had been flying on that route without fail. He never broke his promise. It was he who failed to board the plane, so why should he care about who was sitting next to Xiao Zhan?
In the end, it would never be Wang Yibo again.