Chapter 82 Difficult to Lead

Lu Caiqing walked out of the police station, her taut nerves finally relaxing. When Shen Qingyi had mentioned two hundred just now, she thought she’d misheard, but felt too embarrassed to question it.

They walked quite a distance before Lu Caiqing spoke, “Sister-in-law, my hand isn’t as serious as you said. I haven’t even spent the medical expenses you gave me yesterday.”

Shen Qingyi smiled, “I know.”

“But… if people find out, won’t they say we’re extorting him?” Lu Caiqing said anxiously.

“There were police officers present. There’s no chance for us to extort him. This money isn’t just for medical compensation—it’s also for your emotional distress,” Shen Qingyi explained patiently.

Lu Caiqing didn’t really understand what emotional distress meant, but thought having some education was truly wonderful.

Receiving both an apology and compensation, Lu Caiqing was in high spirits. Yet, thinking of the boss’s attitude left her a bit disheartened. “I never thought, after working for the boss for so long, she wouldn’t even bother to testify. I suffered this misfortune because of her.”

Shen Qingyi laughed, “Don’t worry. Now that man has lost another two hundred, he won’t let her off so easily. He’s learned his lesson this time, but next time, his methods will surely be more concealed.”

Lu Caiqing was startled, “Really?”

“It’s just my guess. It might not be so,” Shen Qingyi smiled.

“That boss is really lacking in integrity.”

The two walked for a while and passed a watermelon stand. Shen Qingyi hesitated briefly, then picked one up to take home.

Dinner that night was cooked by Shen Qingyi.

Lu Caiqing ate with a sense of regret—the dishes were so good, and it was rare to taste them like this. An’an barely took a few bites. She truly hoped her hand would heal by tomorrow.

After dinner, Shen Qingyi began slicing the watermelon.

An’an, munching on the sweet fruit, sighed, “It would be wonderful if Dad were here—he loves watermelon too.”

Lu Caiqing laughed while gnawing on her slice, “Who wouldn’t like such a sweet watermelon?”

An’an couldn’t seem to find a retort and simply shouted towards Shen Qingyi’s room, “Mom, play some music!”

Yes, those songs were favorites of Lu Caiqing as well.

As the familiar melody played, Lu Caiqing felt the watermelon tasted even sweeter.

Before bedtime, Shen Qingyi applied medicine to Lu Caiqing’s hand again. “Once your hand heals, I’ll go find Xia Xiyue and discuss how to procure goods in Sheep City.”

“Really?” Lu Caiqing couldn’t wait for her arm to get better, eager to start working hard.

Shen Qingyi nodded, “Yes.”

“Can you talk to him tomorrow? My hand will heal eventually anyway. If you find out the result, I can prepare in advance,” Lu Caiqing said.

Shen Qingyi hesitated. Going ahead to meet him was possible, since he wasn’t always in the capital. “Alright!”

After applying the medicine, Shen Qingyi returned to her room to keep An’an company.

Without his father, An’an still didn’t dare sleep alone and spoke awkwardly, “Mom, can I wait until I’m five before I sleep by myself?”

“Of course!” Shen Qingyi looked at her son, whom she had single-handedly raised, and couldn’t bear to let such a young child sleep alone.

An’an lay beside Shen Qingyi. The lights went out, and his big eyes blinked, “Mom, do you think our world was designed by someone? Maybe it’s not just a coincidence?”

“Why?” Shen Qingyi couldn’t answer, so she asked back.

“Look, the whole biological chain is so perfect—frogs eat mosquitoes, snakes eat frogs…”

An’an rattled off a long list, and not a single thing was wrong. “Who told you all this?”

“Dad!” An’an grinned.

“He tells you these things every night?”

“There’s also the galaxy, star systems, and artificial satellites,” An’an added.

Shen Qingyi was speechless, “Go to sleep!”

She didn’t want to answer these questions.

As expected, An’an continued, “Dad says artificial satellites include weather satellites, communication satellites, broadcast satellites, earth observation satellites, and navigation satellites. Which do you think is the most important? When I grow up, which field should I study?”

Shen Qingyi: …

After a long moment, she finally spoke, “Don’t think about so many things before bedtime, or you’ll have insomnia.”

He was becoming harder to manage. She used to tell stories before bed.

Lu Yan lay in bed and sneezed heavily. Unable to sleep, he put on his coat, turned on the light, and recalculated the tests he’d done today.

There couldn’t be the slightest deviation in the observation orbit. So many people working simultaneously, so many materials—including those imported fibers, MA mirrors, spectrometers—all of them were bought with foreign exchange. Who knew how much the country had invested, and Hua Nation was not wealthy at present.

He opened his manuscript and calculated point by point, making deductions, verifying again and again…

Only when he was certain there wasn’t a single error did he close the manuscript.

He glanced at his watch. It was already half past one in the morning. Only then did he feel the first hint of sleepiness.

The next day, at half past six, he woke up on time. Just as he opened the door to wash up, a logistics staffer brought him breakfast. “Engineer Lu, we thought we’d have to wait, but you woke up right on time.”

Lu Yan took the breakfast from him. “Thank you!”

Two meat buns, two eggs, a glass of milk—he set the tray on the table and went to wash up.

After washing, he finished his breakfast and went out, pondering problems as he walked toward the laboratory, when a voice interrupted him, “Comrade Lu Yan, have you had breakfast?”

Lu Yan looked up and saw Wang Sisi. “Yes, I have.”

“Have you decided about going with us for the fundraising this weekend?” Wang Sisi’s face wore a sweet smile.

“Mm!” Lu Yan nodded in response, without slowing his pace.

His long legs took big strides, and Wang Sisi had to trot a few steps to catch up. “Thank you in advance. If you have time, I’d like to treat you to lunch today.”

“No need!” Lu Yan refused outright. “I’m busy right now. If there’s nothing else, don’t follow me.”

Wang Sisi stopped in her tracks. Watching him walk off without a backward glance toward the laboratory, she felt a wave of defeat.

When had Wang Sisi ever been so bluntly rejected by a man?

Was he really that busy? Didn’t he have time for even a few words?

She turned back angrily and immediately spotted Su Yang, who often followed Lu Yan.

“Comrade Su Yang!” Wang Sisi called out.

Su Yang stopped, responding politely, “Comrade Wang Sisi, what is it?”

“I wanted to ask, does Engineer Lu have something against me?” Wang Sisi looked aggrieved.

Su Yang laughed, “How could he?”

“He agreed to join us for the weekend fundraiser, but when I invited him for lunch, he refused without a second thought and said he was busy. Is he really that busy?” Wang Sisi complained.

How many men would refuse to work with her?

Su Yang laughed, “When Lu Yan works, he’s absolutely focused—he doesn’t distinguish between holidays or weekdays. It’s a rare surprise that he agreed to join you for fundraising.”

Wang Sisi’s composure instantly turned to excitement. “Really?”