Another Encounter

Recently, with the recovery of flight volume, Han Lu has been able to fly for about 60 hours this month.

The work schedule has naturally returned to the intensive schedule of four days on and two days off.

Today happens to be the weekend, and it's also her first day off. Han Lu specially invited her best friend, who joined the airline at the same time, and the two flight attendants went shopping together to enjoy their rare rest time.

"I'm so tired. I was only flying seven hours a month before, and now my schedule is full every week," Han Lu's best friend Liu Chang complained softly. "The customers are so demanding, and they complain if anything isn't right. You wouldn't believe it, last time I encountered a platinum card customer who was incredibly difficult and fussy."

"It's alright, most passengers are quite easy to talk to." Han Lu covered her mouth and chuckled.

"You're in first class now, how can it be the same?" Liu Chang rolled his eyes at Han Lu. "So, you little white rabbit, you've received quite a few little notes, haven't you? Did you resist the temptation?"

"Temptations are everywhere, and you still have no resistance?" Han Lu shook her head, but her eyes suddenly drifted into reminiscence. "However, there are exceptions."

"Huh?" Liu Chang stared at her friend, her eyes full of disbelief. "Could it be that you made an exception and gave her your contact information?"

"Hey, let me tell you something." Han Lu suddenly grabbed Liu Chang's arm lightly, "Yesterday I was flying the Magic City- Beijing route, right? There was this incredibly handsome guy in first class, so incredibly good-looking and charismatic, I just couldn't resist..."

"What?" Liu Chang pressed.

"I secretly handed her a little card, it was a first for me. Luckily, my handwriting is pretty good, otherwise I would have been too embarrassed to show it to her." Han Lu blushed slightly. "Let me tell you, when I was writing it, my heart was pounding..."

"Could it make you lose all your composure?" Liu Chang asked incredulously. "Is it really that exaggerated?"

"Really, I'm not lying to you at all. You'll know when you get the chance to meet her," Han Lu whispered excitedly.

"Have you added them on WeChat yet?" Liu Chang asked again.

"It's like throwing a stone into the sea; they didn't even add me..." Han Lu said with some disappointment and regret.

Liu Chang, who was standing to the side, finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Look at you, taking the initiative for once, only to be so presumptuous, aren't you?"

The two flight attendants chatted and laughed in hushed tones as they walked closer to Soup King Hotpot.

"Huh? I ate at this place when I Magic City, and now it's opened in Beijing?" Han Lu suddenly exclaimed in surprise. "Why don't we try this place? It's really delicious..."

"Isn't this taking too long?" Liu Chang asked hesitantly, glancing at the crowds in the waiting area outside.

"Since we have to wait anyway, wait a bit, I'll go get a number." Without waiting for a reply, Han Lu went forward and got a number first.

A moment later, two flight attendants sat in the waiting area.

On the large screen in front of them, the origins and preparation process of the popular ingredients were continuously played on a loop. The two watched with great interest, chatting and laughing as they waited for their number to be called.

I don't know how much time passed, but finally the number was called.

"Let's go, it's our turn." Han Lu gently pulled Liu Chang up.

Led by a shop assistant, the two sat down in a small booth.

The surrounding area was bustling with noise and the business was booming. On the menu board on the wall, tripe was the most ordered item, far ahead of the others.

Liu Chang looked around the Soup King Hotpot restaurant with great interest, feeling a sense of novelty and freshness.

"I'll order, I'll order!" Han Lu ordered enthusiastically, including mushroom soup base, New Zealand tripe, Inner Mongolia Ujumqin lamb rolls, selenium-rich potatoes, and more.

A short while later, the two drank passion fruit sparkling water, chatted about interesting things that happened on the flight, and waited for the food to be served.

"Huh?" Han Lu was smiling when she suddenly felt a familiar figure flash by.

She glanced over casually and suddenly froze.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you staring so intently? Did you see a handsome guy?" Liu Chang chuckled and waved lightly in front of Han Lu.

"What a coincidence! What did I just tell you?" Han Lu suddenly grabbed Liu Chang's arm, her voice trembling with excitement. "It's him, it's him! He's the one I met in first class!"

"Where?" Liu Chang Changshun turned his head.

Not far away, a tall figure could only be seen in profile, but the fleeting glimpse of his handsome appearance was simply breathtaking.

"Wow! What a handsome guy!" Liu Chang exclaimed.

"Right, you know I wasn't joking, right?" Han Lu stared intently at the figure under the distant light, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"What a coincidence! Hurry up and go over there! Don't be shy! If I were you, I would have asked for your WeChat right away on the first try!" If it weren't for the principle of first come, first served, Liu Chang would have pounced on him.

At that moment, she excitedly grabbed her best friend's hand and shook it vigorously.

"Then... then I..." Han Lu stammered, quickly taking out her makeup mirror and looking at herself repeatedly.

Then, she mustered her courage, stood up, and walked over.

Hi! We meet again.

She gently reached out and touched the shoulder of the figure standing in front of her.

Zhang Yang was inspecting the store when he suddenly felt someone touch his shoulder, so he turned around to look.

"Hmm? Who are you?"

The girl in front of me looks somewhat familiar.

"You don't recognize me so quickly, Mr. Zhang?" Han Lu asked with a smile, looking at Zhang Yang. "We just met yesterday."

"Oh..." Zhang Yang blurted out, finally recognizing him.

It turns out she was the flight attendant from first class yesterday.

It wasn't that he was forgetful; it was just that yesterday the flight attendant was wearing her uniform and had her hair styled in a bun, the kind of hairstyle where not a single strand of hair could be seen, which made her look elegant and dignified.

Needless to say, her makeup was exceptionally exquisite and elegant.

But the girl in front of me had her hair down, wore a casual trench coat and pencil skirt, and only light makeup; she looked incredibly energetic.

It's not surprising that I didn't recognize him at first glance.

"You recognize me, don't you? My name is Han Lu." Han Lu smiled softly. "Oh, right, the card I left for you?"

"Sorry, I forgot," Zhang Yang readily admitted.

"It's okay, shall I add you now?" Han Lu gently shook her phone, half-jokingly asking, "Would I have the honor?"

"No... it's just exchanging contact information," Zhang Yang said with a smile, casually taking out his phone to add her on WeChat. "My Zhang Yang. By the way, how about I treat you to hot pot? Which table are you sitting at?"

"That table over there, the one where the girl looking this way is sitting," Han Lu pointed. "Want to come sit with us?"

"You guys eat first, I have something to do, I'll do it later." Zhang Yang casually beckoned to the manager and gave some instructions, "That table over there is on a free meal."

Han Lu stood curiously to the side.

"You have the authority to offer free meals? Are you part of the management at Soup King Hotpot?"

"I guess so," Zhang Yang said casually. "Let's go eat, your friend seems to be waiting for you."

"Okay, then we'll wait for you," Han Lu said with a smile.

"Hmm." Zhang Yang nodded and left in a hurry, as if he had a lot to do.

Han Lu glanced at it from afar, then returned to her seat.

"How was it? How was it?" As soon as he got back, Liu Chang excitedly asked, "It seems like you two chatted for a bit, but he seemed a little too calm, a little aloof?"

"No way, he was very polite, he even treated us to hot pot," Han Lu defended. "He seems to be in management, he just gave us the meal for free."

"That's great?" Liu Chang asked in surprise. "Do you think... there'll be a story between you two?"

"How would I know?" Han Lu muttered, but her eyes held a glimmer of hope. "He said he'd come over for a bit later."

The two flight attendants were enjoying hot pot while chasing after Zhang Yang from afar, seemingly lost in thought.

··

Zhang Yang didn't really take the chance encounter to heart.

He personally had no prejudice or bias against the flight attendant profession; it was purely by chance. In addition, the young flight attendant had indeed provided excellent service in first class a few days ago, so he simply wanted to show her hospitality at his shop.

He quickly turned his attention to the store.

Today is the first day of the opening of Soup King Hotpot's first store in Beijing. From the management to the staff, everyone is working hard and devoting themselves wholeheartedly to the business.

It's almost certain that every guest who attended today had a very good experience.

The only downside is that you have to queue.

But having long queues is a good thing; it means that the opening of subsequent stores will only continue this booming business.

Zhang Yang walked out of the store, raised his hand to check the time, and it was a little past twelve.

As a big boss, he naturally can't be watching every little thing, big or small. He doesn't have the time. He can only ask about what needs to be asked, and his subordinates will understand.

That's good enough.

"Oh right, I almost forgot," Zhang Yang muttered to himself, remembering that there was another table waiting for him.

A moment later, he entered the shop and went straight to that table.

From afar, you could see two flight attendants eagerly waiting.

Upon seeing him, Han Lu waved excitedly.

"Sorry I'm late." Zhang Yang casually took off his coat. "How was the food?"

Not far away, the shop assistants who had noticed the big boss's presence jogged over and rushed to help Zhang Yang put away his coat.

"It's delicious!" Han Lu said with a smile. "I tried this restaurant when I Magic City before, and it left a deep impression on me. I didn't expect it to open in Beijing. I'll definitely be a regular customer from now on... By the way, this is Liu Chang. He joined Air China at the same time as me."

"Hello, handsome Zhang." Liu Chang smiled and extended his hand.

"Oh, hello." Zhang Yang glanced at Liu Chang.

She was also a girl with delicate and dignified features.

To be fair, flight attendants have a knack for selecting people and for training them in etiquette. Take these two, for example; even when they're not on a plane, their manners, speech, and even their posture exude a sense of dignity and elegance in everyday life.

"Zhang seems a bit aloof and unapproachable," Liu Chang said with a smile. "By the way, Han Lu told me you're in management at this chain hot pot restaurant?"

"There are about six or seven stores opening in Beijing, so I came to take a look." Zhang Yang picked up his chopsticks and started cooking hot pot without any hesitation.

He didn't eat much tonight, so it's good to have something to eat now.

"You must be very busy..." Han Lu asked with concern, "By the way, do you live here permanently?"

"Magic City," Zhang Yang replied. "And you? From Air China Beijing base?"

"Yes, but we don't live at the airline's base; we rent apartments outside." Han Lu's eyes were filled with curiosity. "So, you're going to be staying in Beijing for quite a while, right?"

"We'll probably have to stay for a while," Zhang Yang said with a smile as he scooped up some shrimp paste.

Air China seems to assign bases based on the nearest place of origin, so these two flight attendants are most likely locals or from the surrounding area, maybe even girls from Northeast China.

He didn't ask any further questions; they just chatted casually.

"Then... then we can meet up sometime when we're free," Han Lu suddenly said boldly, glancing at Liu Chang without leaving a trace.

"What are you looking at me for? Do you think I'm in your way?" Liu Chang exclaimed in annoyance.

Zhang Yang looked at the young flight attendant in front of him with amusement; he hadn't expected her to be so proactive.

He's long past the stage where he feels compelled to do something with every pretty girl he sees. Now, he goes by his feelings. If he feels something, he won't pretend to be a gentleman. If he doesn't feel anything, he's not that casual.

After all, he doesn't lack anything.

As for this young flight attendant... well, he's currently in Beijing and doesn't have time to get to know other girls yet. But this young flight attendant is quite to his liking in terms of looks and temperament, so he's not resistant to her advances.

"Okay, we'll talk about it when I have time," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

"You don't need to be free, this afternoon is fine. I can always go back first." Liu Chang gently nudged Han Lu, "See, I'm creating an opportunity for you."

"Don't talk nonsense." Han Lu looked over and gently scolded, "They have important business to attend to, they're not here to play around."

Zhang Yang smiled and chatted with the two flight attendants while eating hotpot, enjoying a leisurely time.

After finishing their hot pot meal, the three of them walked out of the restaurant together.

"Thank you for treating us to hot pot today. I'll treat you when you're free," Han Lu said with a smile.

"You're welcome," Zhang Yang said with a smile. "Then you two go shopping first, I won't keep you company any longer."

He waved goodbye to the two flight attendants and turned to walk into the store.

Han Lu and Liu Chang walked away before she finally couldn't help but speak.

"He seemed incredibly calm; you couldn't tell if he was interested in you at all," Liu Chang couldn't help but say.

"That's how a mature guy should be," Han Lu said, taking it for granted. "Does he have to be so attentive and overly eager to see me? We've only met once, and he's only slightly better than a stranger. Is this the attitude he should have?"

"But you're so enthusiastic," Liu Chang muttered. "Well, okay, he certainly has the qualities to back it up."

Recalling her close encounter at noon, she had to admit that throughout her life, including her long career as a flight attendant, she had never met a guy with such outstanding charisma and appearance.

Even on several occasions when I saw some popular young male celebrities up close, they were just so-so in real life.

"However, I heard he's in management at this hot pot chain. I don't know if he's a senior executive, but his conditions must be pretty good." Liu Chang added inexplicably, "Hmm, you have your own business, and you're so good-looking and have such a great presence. Han Lu, you're really lucky."

"We're not even friends yet, okay?" Han Lu said with a helpless smile.

"If I were to take action as well, it wouldn't be too much of a problem, would it?"

"Roll··"