Chapter 271 - 205: Legs Went Soft

The two security guards were slacking off during work hours, surfing the internet and gossiping together, which was against the rules.

Normally, if a resident caught them, they would have tried to hide it. But today’s news was just too terrifying. Overwhelmed with emotion, they couldn’t resist the urge to talk about it with someone.

Besides, when they saw it was Ni Bingyan and Sang Yuan approaching, they knew the two were good-natured, young, and not so strict. Forgetting to even greet them, they pointed at a phone to show Ni Bingyan.

"Oh my god! This is terrifying! Remember that plane that went missing around noon? The news just released a video of the moment it crashed! It nosedived from way up high, straight into a mountain! Man! My heart’s still pounding!"

"I know, right? I’m definitely going to have nightmares tonight! I don’t think I’ll ever dare to fly again!"

Ni Bingyan had been at the Xu family’s home for lunch, so she hadn’t heard the news yet. Hearing it now, she was startled.

"What? Let me see!"

Ni Bingyan leaned against the window of the guard booth, poking her head inside.

Air disasters were rare in the country, so an incident of this magnitude immediately shot to the top of the trending lists. On every platform, the related topics were all marked with a blood-red "Exploding" tag.

Ni Bingyan always kept up with current events. On top of that, her father had flown to Guisheng today, saying he was going to help her uncle’s family with wedding preparations. How could she not panic at this news?

The guard didn’t hesitate and handed over his phone.

When Ni Bingyan saw the news report—Flight XXXX from Rongcheng City to Liucheng—her hands began to shake uncontrollably.

Sang Yuan had just walked over. Seeing that something was wrong, he rushed forward to support her.

"What’s wrong?"

Ni Bingyan tried to stay rational. She returned the phone to the guard and fumbled for her own phone in her bag, but her trembling hands couldn’t grasp it.

"I... I... I..."

Ni Bingyan’s mind went blank. Before she could finish her sentence, her legs gave out, and she started to crumple to the ground.

Sang Yuan immediately caught her, gently patting her back. "Don’t panic, don’t panic. Take your time, just tell me... I’m here."

The two guards also realized something was seriously wrong. They quickly opened the door to the guard booth. "Quick, quick! It’s so hot out here, don’t get heatstroke. Come inside and get some AC!"

Sang Yuan didn’t hesitate. He carried Ni Bingyan directly into the guard booth and set her down on the guard’s chair.

The residents in this community were wealthy and didn’t like the sight of a simple metal shed at their gate, so every guard booth was a proper brick-and-mortar structure. Though small, it had a door and windows, and was about four or five square meters.

It was just past two in the afternoon, and the ground outside was hot enough to burn your feet. Inside the booth, however, the air conditioning was on. The cool air instantly cleared her head.

As Ni Bingyan emerged from her daze, tears immediately started to fall.

The two guards exchanged a look, put on their hats, and went out to patrol.

Ni Bingyan paid them no mind. Sang Yuan thanked them quietly, his eyes never leaving her.

"SOB... My dad was on that plane!!"

Tears streamed down Ni Bingyan’s face as she finally managed to get the words out.

Sang Yuan immediately hugged her, patting her back with one hand while pulling out his phone with the other to call Ni Guangli.

The call couldn’t be connected. His heart sank. He then tried calling the airline, but the line was constantly busy.

Ni Bingyan refused to believe the terrible news. She stubbornly opened WeChat and played this morning’s voice message conversation with her dad.

"Sweetheart, I’m heading to your uncle’s place today to help him get things organized. Your cousin’s wedding is a big deal. You can’t help much anyway, so just come the day before."

"Okay, Dad. Which flight are you on? I’ll ask Uncle to pick you up. Are you going alone?"

"Why would I need a whole entourage to visit family? It’s the flight just after eleven. I can get there myself when I land; it’s not like I can’t find the place. Besides, they must be swamped these days, and your uncle doesn’t have many people to help out. I shouldn’t add to their troubles."

That’s what he had said, but before boarding, Ni Guangli had taken a photo of his ticket and sent it to her, telling her he was about to board.

Grandma Xu’s wedding was underway at that moment, so she hadn’t replied right away. A little after twelve, she found a moment to text back, "Have a safe flight. Call me when you land." But her dad never replied.

The incident had just happened, and the airline was in chaos. It was difficult to check airport information, and the official announcement only stated that an investigation was underway. With no results yet, no one dared to say anything definitive.

Now her father was unreachable, and there was no definite news.

Ni Bingyan bit her lip, suppressing the panic and forcing herself to calm down.

She wiped her tears, her expression grim as she meticulously compared the flight information. After checking it repeatedly, she confirmed it was the same one.

With no time for tears, she bolted.

Seeing this, Sang Yuan had no choice but to put down his phone and run after her.

Ni Bingyan ran home and immediately went upstairs to find her ID. Without packing any luggage, she grabbed her phone and car keys and headed for the garage to get her car.

Her old Volkswagen had problems and hadn’t been fixed yet. Luckily, she had found time yesterday to go to the airport and drive her dad’s bright red Maserati back. It was perfect for leaving now.

’Worrying and crying from so far away is useless. I have to get to the scene as quickly as possible. Life or death, I need an answer.’

’What if?’

’What if he was lucky, got caught in a tree, and was only injured?’

’The accident investigation results aren’t out yet, and they don’t know what happened to the plane. I can’t lose hope.’

’There have been survivors in plane crashes before!’

’If something as impossible as transmigration could happen to me, why couldn’t my dad be blessed by a lucky star?’

’There’s no problem at all!’

When a tragedy occurs, everyone’s first reaction is disbelief. To prove to themselves that it couldn’t have happened, they often come up with all sorts of excuses to convince themselves otherwise.

It takes time to accept a cruel reality.

"Hey, take it easy!"

Sang Yuan, afraid she would get into an accident in her haste, quickly grabbed her arm.

Ni Bingyan shot him a cold look. "Take it easy? That’s my father! How can you tell me to take it easy?"

"That’s not what I meant! I’m saying you’re too emotional right now. You absolutely cannot drive! I’ll go with you! Don’t be impulsive! Otherwise, what if you get into an accident? Your dad would be so worried if he knew."

Ni Bingyan looked away, embarrassed. "Then you drive. Let’s go now."

This was no time for false pride. With something like this happening, having her boyfriend by her side would make her feel much better.

Sang Yuan took her ID. "It’s not like we can leave the moment we get to the airport. I’ll have my assistant book the tickets first. That way, we can pick them up and depart as soon as we arrive."

At this, Sang Yuan asked, "Are you... are you okay with flying right now?"

A plane had just crashed, with her family member on board. Most people would be terrified.

Ni Bingyan’s eyes were red and her tone softened, but she gritted her teeth and insisted:

"I have to go, no matter how scared I am. Any other form of transportation is too slow. I have to get to Liucheng immediately! No matter what... I just have to... I have to be closer to him..."

After a few words, she felt on the verge of tears again, but she stubbornly bit her lip and held them back.

Sang Yuan quickly arranged for his assistant to buy the tickets, then told her to go upstairs and pack a bag.

"The crash site seems to be in the mountains. Once we’re deep in the mountains, money won’t do us any good. We might be there for many days. You should at least pack a few changes of clothes. I’m going home to get my ID. I’ll pick you up out front in ten minutes."

Sang Yuan’s plan was logical, and ten minutes wouldn’t make a difference right now. Ni Bingyan nodded. "Okay."

Seeing her quickly head upstairs, Sang Yuan didn’t say another word. He picked up Wangcai and went to start Ni Bingyan’s car.

’The dog can’t be left home alone, and I can’t leave the car where she can see it.’

’What if I just left, and the next second she floors it and takes off by herself? That would be asking for trouble.’

He parked the car in his own garage, handed Wangcai over to his parents to look after, and after a brief explanation, rushed upstairs to pack.

He grabbed his important documents, his wallet with cash and bank cards, packed two changes of clothes, and brought his charger and phone. When he came downstairs, however, he found his mother already dressed, wearing a backpack and waiting at the foot of the stairs.