Still Frame Chapter 1

Chapter 1: An Escapist Romance (1)

[Yinzhou Time, 13:30 today: Wen Jin, Chief Professor at the Life Sciences Institute of the Yinzhou Academy of Sciences, and his husband, Zhang Liuxin, a well-known host from Yin Jingtai, departed for Weitingzhou to begin a three-day academic and cultural exchange trip. It is understood that this visit was jointly invited by Weitingzhou State University and the State Cultural Communication Association. Professor Wen Jin will participate in the seminar “Scale Analysis: Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics,” sharing the latest research findings in the field of spatial omics; Mr. Zhang Liuxin is invited to deliver a keynote speech at the “New Light Project” Pioneer Summit and participate in a media professionals roundtable dialogue. Notably, the Wen-Zhang couple, representing academia and media, have continuously promoted interdisciplinary dialogue in recent years. During this trip, the two will also inspect the Weitingzhou High-Tech Development Zone, providing think tank support for the integration of industry, academia, and research between Yinzhou and Weitingzhou. The flight is expected to arrive at Weitingzhou Xincheng Airport at 19:00 local time, where high-level officials from the State Science, Education, and Culture Committee will greet them. — Yin Hui News Agency Report]

“Mr. Zhang, are you feeling alright? Would you like to try some preserved plums?”

This was not the first time Carter had traveled for work with Zhang Liuxin, but it was the first time he had traveled with Zhang Liuxin and his husband.

As someone working under Levi, Zhang Liuxin’s chief assistant, Carter was usually only responsible for Zhang Liuxin’s professional affairs. Levi handled everything else personally, especially Zhang Liuxin’s private life.

So, although he was nominally Zhang Liuxin’s assistant, in reality, he was no different from an outsider. He knew the couple from the news and had always believed that this well-matched pair—perfectly suited in everything from family background to personality—was a match made in heaven. Naturally, he had also secretly envied Zhang Liuxin for being born into a family like the Zhangs and still finding perfect true love. Truly, a winner in life.

Thinking of this, Carter couldn’t help but glance sideways at the man sitting on the adjacent sofa.

He sat still, thirty-two years of time having refined a cold, handsome demeanor. The Wen family’s signature phoenix eyes were slightly upturned, the outer corners extending like faint lines of ink, while his pupils were an inorganic black. His face was like a piece of finely carved, precious cold glaze, without a single flaw. Every line was clean and sharp, revealing the keen edge of an ice sculpture.

He wore a low-key, elegant light gray cashmere sweater over a crisp, dark-patterned shirt, with one button casually undone at the collar. The cool, pale skin of his neck and his Adam’s apple briefly appeared in the shadow. A distant aura of “do not approach” surrounded him, like jade burning with a cold flame.

“I’m feeling better.”

A clear, gentle voice pulled his thoughts back. He instinctively focused, meeting a pair of smiling olive-green eyes.

“Just leave the plums here. You should go rest in the back for a while. We still have over three hours until arrival.”

“Yes, Mr. Zhang.”

Carter’s heart skipped a beat. He put down the fruit plate and hurried toward the rear cabin. Before closing the door, he dared to look back one last time. The man on the sofa was looking straight ahead, raising a hand to turn a page of his book; the ring on his ring finger flashed. Zhang Liuxin was resting his chin in his hand, his smooth black hair slightly disheveled. He looked listless and low-spirited, slowly picking up a plum and putting it in his mouth, chewing it slowly. His gaze drifted somewhere, but definitely not toward the sofa.

Did this atmosphere truly belong to a couple who were seven years married and still deeply in love?

Carter dared not dwell on it. He withdrew his gaze and closed the door.

An assistant of his level was not permitted to bring communication devices when traveling with the two principals. Carter had no choice but to read the newspaper in the cabin. Although print media had long been obsolete in this era, reading physical newspapers was a personal hobby of Zhang Liuxin, so a few copies were usually kept wherever he was.

This edition was from Yin Jian News Agency, an old-established Yinzhou paper, mainly covering local news.

Carter skimmed two lines, pausing at a recent car accident report. The bloody victim in the picture was pixelated, showing only a vague, pitiful mass of red.

He thought of his employer outside the door—Zhang Liuxin’s leg had been injured in a car accident.

Suddenly, he felt the floor beneath his feet violently shake. The aircraft experienced severe turbulence. The white lights overhead flickered incessantly, and a piercing alarm instantly echoed through the cabin.

Carter instinctively rushed toward the door, shouting, “Mr. Zhang? Professor Wen?”

Unexpectedly, the normally smooth cabin door would not open. It was sealed shut, refusing to budge no matter how hard he pushed.

“What’s wrong with this door?” The alarm sounded faster and faster. Carter frantically pounded on the door, smelling a pungent odor. This was followed by a slight sense of weightlessness. He immediately realized the plane was in trouble. “Mr. Zhang? Are you alright? Professor Wen?”

He heard no movement outside the door. Suddenly, the broadcast prompt sounded: “Captain? Can you hear me, Captain? What’s wrong with the plane? Are Mr. Zhang and Professor Wen okay?”

The voice that answered was not the captain’s, but a strange, cold, unfamiliar voice: “Behave yourself, and you might keep your life.”

Carter’s mind instantly went blank. He managed to steady himself by grabbing a nearby handle. His trembling voice betrayed his panic: “Who are you?”

He remembered there was emergency escape equipment in the cabin. Taking a deep breath, he tried to keep his voice steady: “What is your objective? I’m just an assistant, I don’t know anything.”

“Squat down! Don’t try any tricks. Put your hands up, over your head.”

The voice on the broadcast suddenly turned harsh. Under the stern command, Carter’s legs involuntarily weakened. He slowly squatted down, raising his hands shakily over his head.

“There’s a parachute rig in the box behind you. Take it and put it on.”

Carter searched and soon found it: “I—I don’t know how to parachute. I’ve never jumped before…”

The voice on the broadcast was utterly cold and devoid of humanity: “Then fall to your death.”

“No! I—I’ll jump, I’ll jump!”

In this situation, Carter had no choice. He began fitting the parachute rig onto himself. During the process, he briefly regained clarity, realizing this must be a hijacking…

Wait, how would hijackers know that Wen Jin and Zhang Liuxin were on the Wen family’s private jet instead of the special plane arranged by the State Committee? Furthermore, there were bodyguards on board, and the pilot was also the Wen family’s own man.

The pungent smell of smoke in the air grew stronger. Carter was drenched in cold sweat. The alarm continued to buzz. Aside from his own breathing, there was no human sound. The atmosphere grew increasingly bizarre, and a sense of conspiracy spread.

Was there an insider in the Wen family? Where were the bodyguards?

Suddenly, the emergency escape door beside him was yanked open. Carter wasn’t paying attention and slipped, pulled by the external suction. If he hadn’t reacted quickly and grabbed the nearby handrail, he would have plummeted out of the plane.

“Go back and tell the Wen family that the things they try to hide have never been secrets.”

Carter didn’t have time to think. He felt the plane violently shudder, and the alarm instantly pierced his eardrums.

He swallowed unconsciously, his fingers gripping the parachute harness until his knuckles were white. At this moment, he couldn’t spare a thought for Zhang Liuxin; saving his own life was paramount. He closed his eyes, took the plunge, and the unfamiliar, intense feeling of weightlessness tore at his insides. Carter desperately pulled the ripcord in the howling airflow.

The parachute burst open with a pop. The suddenly tightened straps dug painfully into his shoulders. The ground rapidly enlarged in his vision. The endless green spun before his eyes. He rolled continuously for over ten meters, his mouth full of grass clippings and the taste of blood.

Carter struggled to prop himself up, squinting as he looked up at the sky. He only saw the towering, dense canopy of trees. Through the gaps between the branches, he thought he saw the silver-gray plane. He strained his eyes, but couldn’t fight the searing pain at the back of his head.

“Hiss, where am I…”

His vision gradually blurred. In the last moments before losing consciousness, Carter’s mind echoed with that cold, strange voice from the broadcast—”the things they try to hide have never been secrets.”

What secrets could the illustrious Wen family possibly have? Could this secret… be related to Zhang Liuxin?

New story begins! There are two timelines: present and past. Past chapters will be marked with an asterisk (*). I will ask for leave on the fishpond in advance if there are special circumstances. Otherwise, I will update daily. I hope everyone enjoys reading!