Stealing the Runway: My Arch-Enemy Jiang Yuanye

Jinzhou Airport Operations Command Center.

The controller’s gaze swept over the blue-lit screens, quickly picking out crucial information amid the sea of data.

“Oh no.”

The controller’s expression tightened. They immediately contacted the control tower and issued an emergency order.

“An important directive: Ensure the safe landing of the Dassault Falcon 10X private flight. Keep clear of the Cirrus SR22 and use Runway 03L...”

“I repeat: Ensure the safe landing of the Dassault Falcon...”

At 10:35 p.m., inside the 160-meter-high control tower.

The controller looked through the window at the apron, black as thick ink, keeping a close eye on every plane coming in to land.

Upon receiving the command center’s instructions, the controller immediately went to the control console and used surveillance radar and other equipment to confirm that the two aircraft’s flight paths overlapped in the airspace.

Within seconds, the controller quickly regained composure and carefully made the best possible decision.

With hands flying over the controls, the controller raced against time to instruct the ground crews to clear Runways 03L and 04R.

Then the controller picked up the radio and relayed the final instruction to the crew:

“China Southern 741, this is Jinzhou Airport Tower. To avoid a collision with another aircraft, change your original route and use Runway 06R...”

The tower and ground crews were in utter chaos because two private flights were making emergency landings at Jinzhou Airport at the same time.

One of the people involved, a young man, sat upright in a comfortable, soft armchair. As the plane passed through layers of leaden clouds, the shadows in the cabin gradually faded, revealing an exceptionally handsome face.

His brows were deep-set, his nose straight. Seated, he had a lean, refined bearing and a cool temperament. Even without a smile, he exuded the oppressive presence of someone accustomed to being in power.

Weisen, the special assistant seated across the aisle beside him, kept a close eye on the boss.

From Weisen’s vantage point, the boss’s lowered lashes cast a heavy shadow beneath his eyes. His silence gave him an aloof air that warned others to keep their distance.

On the table in front of the boss lay a tablet and neatly organized documents.

The boss seemed perfectly composed, as though completely unaffected by the outside world. With a cool expression, he methodically worked through two days’ worth of accumulated tasks as usual.

But even though the boss hid it well, the next page of the document in his hands was still turned half a minute late.

That meant—the boss was in a very foul mood.

Weisen was already used to it.

The boss was usually calm and mature beyond his years. Only matters involving Mr. Jiang could make his impatience plainly visible.

“Ding-dong.”

When a message came in on Weisen’s phone, the special assistant opened it and skimmed it before summarizing the findings for the young man. “Mr. Zhou, Mr. Jiang suddenly changed course because the young star he’s been pursuing lately is holding a concert here tomorrow morning.”

The moment Weisen saw the message, it seemed ridiculous. But the more the special assistant thought about it, the more it made sense.

Risking his life just to go head-to-head with Zhou Chaosheng over some young star really was the sort of thing Jiang Yuanye would do.

At the thought, Weisen didn’t even dare look at the boss’s expression.

It had to be awful.

And sure enough, when it came to Mr. Jiang, the boss, who usually never let his emotions show, could even cast aside the good manners ingrained in him.

“He’s insane.” Zhou Chaosheng closed the file and said coldly.

Weisen’s reaction to the boss’s profanity had gone from utter shock at first to complete familiarity. Jiang Yuanye’s increasingly outrageous behavior was the reason for that change.

Ten minutes later, the Dassault Falcon 10X, which should have landed on the private runway, touched down safely on Runway 03L.

The cabin door opened, and a set of stairs automatically extended from the side of the plane to the ground.

Several black business sedans and a Rolls-Royce were parked at the foot of the stairs. Around a dozen people stood beside the sedans.

After a short wait, a flight attendant appeared before the group. Then a figure emerged from the cabin, accompanied by several bodyguards and assistants.

The man was exceptionally tall, and his appearance stood out from the crowd.

The moment they saw him, the local bosses waiting below swarmed toward him like bees drawn to sweet nectar.

“Mr. Zhou, we’ve been waiting ages for you to come to Jinzhou.”

Zhou Chaosheng frowned slightly, but a moment later his expression returned to its usual warmth and refinement, as if no trace of displeasure had ever crossed his face.

The bosses were all prominent figures in Jinzhou, but compared with Zhou Chaosheng, they were small fry.

It was no wonder they were currying favor with him. At such a young age, he’d made a name for himself on Wall Street with achievements people in their fifties and sixties wouldn’t even dare dream of.

After graduating from Stanford with two degrees, Zhou Chaosheng took charge of over a trillion yuan in capital at just twenty-three. He correctly predicted the Black Friday market crash and made a massive short, doubling his funds.

That same year, his personal wealth reached $200 billion.

At twenty-four, Zhou Chaosheng returned to China and began taking over the family business. In less than a year, he had brought it into the digital age and launched ventures in the digital economy. He later invested in semiconductors, new energy, internet technology, and other industries that are now making a fortune.

Today, his net worth had long since soared past 100 billion, and he had consistently ranked among the top ten on the Forbes Rich List.

On top of that, with his impressive background, Zhou Chaosheng was widely regarded in the business world as the “crown prince.”

“Mr. Zhou, I just saw that Mr. Jiang is here too. What a coincidence that you two arrived around the same time.”

The remark came from the youngest son of one of the bosses. Perhaps he was out of the loop—or simply tactless—but right in front of Zhou Chaosheng, he brought up Jiang Yuanye, who was on bad terms with him.

Everyone: “...”

Everyone seemed to have been frozen in place, not daring to say another word for fear of displeasing Zhou Chaosheng.

The previously warm and harmonious atmosphere abruptly turned awkward and tense.

The boss glared furiously at his disappointing son, then hurriedly smiled apologetically at Zhou Chaosheng. “Mr. Zhou, I’m terribly sorry. My youngest son doesn’t know any better and speaks without thinking. If he offended you in any way, I apologize on his behalf...”

Zhou Chaosheng glanced at the young man, whose head was nearly bowed to the ground. Seeing from the anxious expression that he hadn’t meant any harm, Zhou Chaosheng didn’t pursue it. “It’s fine.”

Those words, “It’s fine,” were like a pardon, and everyone present immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mr. Zhou is not only young and accomplished, but remarkably magnanimous as well...”

Everyone did their utmost to flatter, praise, and fawn over him, like court officials doing their best to suck up to the emperor.

Zhou Chaosheng handled them with ease, settling the upcoming investment conference amid their chatter.

When they were nearly done, one of the bodyguards walked over to the Rolls-Royce and spoke to the driver. Then the bodyguard stood beside the car door, eyes forward, waiting for Zhou Chaosheng to finish his conversation.

“So, Mr. Zhou, we have a deal?” one of the bosses asked tentatively.

Zhou Chaosheng nodded. “Mm.”

Seeing that they’d achieved their goal, the group beamed like sunflowers basking in the morning sun.

“Mr. Zhou, next time you visit my estate, I’ll make sure to give you a proper welcome!”

“Take care, Mr. Zhou.”

“Mr. Zhou...”

The moment the car door shut, all the chattering voices outside were automatically shut out.

Zhou Chaosheng leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes to rest.

Xu Guang, seated in the driver’s seat, glanced at his young master in the rearview mirror. He turned on the car stereo and selected a soothing piano piece before starting the car and driving away from the tarmac.

Just as Zhou Chaosheng thought he could finally enjoy some peace and quiet, someone suddenly blocked the car at the airport exit.

“Young Master...”

Uncle Xu’s voice sounded beside him. Zhou Chaosheng slowly opened his eyes and looked through the window at the flashy red Ferrari up ahead.

The window rolled down, and a handsome face appeared before his eyes.

The instant he saw that person, the little patience Zhou Chaosheng had left vanished completely.

He really was like a persistent ghost, Zhou Chaosheng thought.

Zhou Chaosheng sat in the car, turning his head to watch the other man walk toward him.

The apron lights were dim in the evening. Only when the man came closer did the outline of his face become clearer—

The line from his nose to his brow was sharp and exquisitely defined. A carefree smile perpetually played between his brows, making him look flamboyant and rebellious.

It was a face he hated, yet knew all too well.

“Knock, knock.”

The man couldn’t be bothered to bend even slightly. He stood brazenly beside the car and rapped his knuckles twice against the window.

Zhou Chaosheng kept a cold expression and let him knock intermittently.

After knocking for about two minutes without the window coming down, the man seemed to lose patience. He bent slightly and brought his face toward the window—

Just as his face was about to touch the glass, Zhou Chaosheng lowered the window.

The instant a small gap opened, a mocking snort came from outside.

“Fussy.”

Zhou Chaosheng ignored the taunt and looked at him with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “What do you want?”

“Can’t I come see you if I don’t need anything?”

Zhou Chaosheng lifted his eyes to look at him, his brows as cold as snow that hadn’t melted in ten thousand years. “Jiang Yuanye, if you’ve got nothing to do, go mine in Africa. Don’t come looking to pick a fight with me.”

“Ha.”

Ignoring Zhou Chaosheng’s icy expression, Jiang Yuanye rested his hand on the window ledge and taunted him. “I’m going to look for trouble. What are you going to do about it?”

Zhou Chaosheng was speechless at his brazen tone.

Sometimes he wondered if Jiang Yuanye had put a spell on him. Why did he keep wasting time arguing over this pointless nonsense with him?

Zhou Chaosheng couldn’t be bothered to engage. Ignoring Jiang Yuanye’s hand still resting on the window, he pressed the button to raise it.

Jiang Yuanye yanked his hand back. Once he realized what had happened, he grew even angrier. “Hey, I haven’t finished talking! Zhou Chaosheng, if you’ve got the guts, get out here! Let’s fight! What kind of move is it to pull tricks behind my back?”

Hearing that, Zhou Chaosheng finally understood why this man had suddenly come to steal his runway in the middle of the night. It was because of the dirty tricks he’d pulled two months ago on the development project in Lingnan.

He’d only just figured it out now...

Was he a little too stupid?

Zhou Chaosheng expressionlessly rolled up the window. Only after completely shutting out Jiang Yuanye’s racket did he order Xu Guang, “Drive straight into him.”

Xu Guang raised his brows in surprise. “Young Master?”

Zhou Chaosheng replied concisely, “Hit him.”

Seeing that his young master wasn’t going to reconsider, Xu Guang followed orders. He stepped on the gas, turned the wheel, and headed straight for the front of the Ferrari, worth forty million yuan.

“Bang!”

At an extremely tricky angle, the Rolls-Royce smashed one of the Ferrari’s headlights to pieces and scraped its body several times before sweeping away in style.

“I... fuck.”

Jiang Yuanye stared dumbfoundedly at his beloved car after it was hit. Clenching his fists, he watched the departing Rolls-Royce and the three business sedans following behind it.

Aish.

That pretentious show-off. He even brings a whole entourage of bodyguards everywhere. Does he think he’s starring in some domineering-CEO drama?