Flight Traces

---[Mr. Bian, good news! The house you had your eye on last year, the landlord is eager to swap it out and has slashed the price by 500,000 yuan!

[There are already three parties negotiating with him; from the sound of it, there could be another reduction of 200,000 yuan. Are you free in the coming days? We can arrange a meeting with the landlord!]---[Xiao Bian, I have some bad news to tell you. The child's recovery isn't going well, they're still hospitalized.][I know you didn't violate any rules, rescue operations in bumpy conditions inherently carry risks, and the fault doesn't lie with you. But the child's parents insist it was your mistake that caused the issue, making things difficult for the company.][Apologize to the passengers, deduct this year's bonus just to make a statement, and the company will handle all compensation. Let's consider this matter settled, okay?]The messages came in almost simultaneously. Bian Ji sat hugging his knees on the sofa, staring blankly at his phone on the coffee table without moving.

He didn't feel like replying to any of the good or bad news. After experiencing so many ups and downs, Bian Ji had come to deeply understand the phrase "do one's best and leave the rest to fate." His philosophy now was essentially to live if he could, die if he couldn't.

Regardless of the consequences, he had done everything he could to remedy and explain the situation. Overthinking it wouldn't help.

Director Li wasn't as patient as he was. Around two in the afternoon, after repeated text bombings failed, he simply called.

Bian Ji, who hadn't slept through the night since waiting for these messages, was napping when the ringtone woke him up, so his voice carried a hint of irritation. "Who is it?"

Director Li heard that he sounded like he had just woken up and said anxiously, "How can you still sleep! Have you seen the investigation results?"

"Saw the WeChat, didn't check the intranet, what's up?" Bian Ji rubbed his eyes, got up to open the window, trying to wake himself up.

Director Li forwarded the PDF file directly to him. "I've downloaded it, take a look."

Bian Ji was too lazy to open it. "Not interested, I can guess the result."

Director Li asked, "You know again?"

Bian Ji said half-jokingly, "Sacrificing me won't damage the company's interests, yet it can soothe the passengers' emotions. If I were the company, I'd award whoever came up with this idea."

Director Li was speechless, after all, the other party was right. He could only say helplessly, "Bian Ji, there has never been a question of sacrificing anyone. I'm already working with the company to ensure that you're given priority in all evaluations and awards next year, as compensation."

Bian Ji snorted coldly. "Director, do you really think these little tricks will satisfy the passengers?"

The line fell silent for a moment.

Bian Ji cleared his throat and continued, "Insufficient rescue personnel is due to the company cutting the number of attendants; having to perform CPR by attendants is because no specialized rescue equipment is provided. With so many factors piled together, the company sends just me to apologize. If you were the passenger, would you accept it?"

"..." Director Li, after much thought, reached the same conclusion, "No."

Bian Ji sat back on the sofa, looking out at the vast sky, feeling strangely unfamiliar with it for the first time.

"So, Director Li," Bian Ji opened the investigation results document, laughing indifferently, "Asking me about the investigation results is actually meaningless."