Arriving at Golmud

Sun Family Old House, Sumu Ancient Town.

Sun Zhongyong sat in the courtyard with his father and younger brother, Sun Zhongshi, brewing tea.

"Zhongyong, are you worried about him returning to the Xia Science Academy?" Sun Aiguo looked at his eldest son.

"A little, after all, it's the Xia Science Academy," Sun Zhongyong nodded.

"Then why don't you ask him?" Sun Aiguo said slowly.

Sun Zhongyong frowned slightly, not answering.

"Are you afraid that if you ask, he'll tell you?" Sun Aiguo asked.

"Somewhat."

Sun Aiguo turned to his second son. "Zhongshi, go get Weijie's clothes."

Sun Zhongshi stood up, went into the house, took out a piece of clothing belonging to his son, and handed it to his elder brother.

"This is the shirt Weijie was wearing the day he fell into the water," Sun Zhongyong recognized the garment but couldn't guess why his father wanted to show it to him. Was it to remind him of the debt of gratitude?

"See the tear on the chest of the shirt."

Sun Zhongyong nodded, indicating he saw it.

"The Chen family kid tore it with his teeth. The hook for the fruit was round-headed and not sharp, so it couldn't catch the clothes. The Chen family kid tore it open with his teeth to hook it," Sun Aiguo said, raising his cup for a drink.

"The Chen family kid got into the Xia Science Academy at 28 and became independent, that's wisdom; jumping into the Luo Yin River to save Weijie, that's righteousness; tearing the clothes with his teeth to hook the pole, that's courage. You two are inferior to him in these aspects. If he returns to the Xia Science Academy, that would be supreme loyalty. Zhongyong, do you understand?" Sun Aiguo looked at his eldest son.

Sun Zhongyong held his teacup, lost in thought.

After nightfall, Sun Zhongyong's phone rang.

"Xiaoxiao."

"Brother, it's done!" Gu Xiaoxiao said with a smile on the other end of the line.

"I'm on my way."

After hanging up, Sun Zhongyong drove to Suke University.

When they met, Gu Xiaoxiao got straight to the point, taking out thirty to forty documents.

"These are the lists of all the items that need to be purchased, along with the procurement authorization letters."

"Why so many?" Sun Zhongyong picked up an authorization letter. The dense English text put him under considerable pressure.

"America's export of supercomputer components is quite complex. However, if a certain quantity of components is procured from different manufacturers under the name of an American company in Huaxia, it becomes much easier to operate," Gu Xiaoxiao explained.

"You mean, our supercomputer can be split into thirty to forty orders to bypass the supervision of American regulatory bodies?" Sun Zhongyong asked curiously.

Gu Xiaoxiao shook her head. "That's roughly the idea, but it's not that simple. The entire order has been split into over 400 parts, and there are many complex procedures for customs declaration and tax payment. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it. The service fee of 300,000 US dollars is just a strategic quote from the Americans. They won't take too much of our profit initially. After the supercomputer is set up and needs upgrading, the subsequent service fees will increase significantly."

Sun Zhongyong nodded. It was only natural for people to earn money when you asked them to do things for you.

"These, these, and these... all require signatures and seals. Brother, you sign first, and then I'll fax them. Any news from Brother Chuan? He's not really going back to the Xia Science Academy, is he?" Gu Xiaoxiao asked.

"He's handling some personal matters and will be back in a month. We'll do our own thing," Sun Zhongyong said with a smile.

"You should at least call him," Gu Xiaoxiao said.

"I've called a few times, but his phone is off. He's probably on the plane," Sun Zhongyong said. After talking with his father, he felt much calmer. He believed he hadn't misjudged the person.

It was past 10 PM when Chen Mengchuan got out of Golmud Airport. Golmud was much colder than Xiyuan.

Chen Mengchuan changed into a down jacket at the airport. He looked at Zhao Wanyu, who was shivering beside him and complaining about not having warm clothes, and sighed, kindly advising her, "Miss Zhao, are you sure you want to come with me?"

On the plane, Zhao Wanyu had reluctantly told Chen Mengchuan that she had received a strict order from her superior to secure Chen Mengchuan, and a ticket to Golmud had been booked for her.

Chen Mengchuan had kindly warned her multiple times that the place he was going to was not a place of scenic beauty. In the end, he confessed that he was going to a remote village to a primary school to deliver stationery. To his surprise, Zhao Wanyu became even more interested upon hearing this. She wasn't afraid at all and kept begging and requesting him to take her along.

He took out a down jacket he was wearing and handed it to her.

"Miss Zhao, this is my jacket. If you don't mind, please wear it. It's cold here."

Without hesitation or complaint, Zhao Wanyu took Chen Mengchuan's jacket and put it on.

Seeing Zhao Wanyu put on the jacket, Chen Mengchuan's head began to ache as he asked her again, "Miss Zhao, this is the last time I'm asking: are you really going with me?"

Zhao Wanyu nodded. "Wherever you go, I go!"

"Then will you follow me into the men's restroom?" Chen Mengchuan complained helplessly.

"Hmph..."

With a laugh, Chen Mengchuan stopped thinking about it. It might be good for this pampered Shanghai girl to experience hardship. In today's world, too many people don't know how to appreciate what they have or to cherish it.

He shouldered his luggage and walked straight out with Zhao Wanyu.

The night was already very deep in Golmud, past 10 PM. In the airport parking lot, only a few scattered black cars were waiting for the last flight's passengers.

Chen Mengchuan found a black car driver who looked young and thin, handed him a 100 yuan bill, and said, "Driver, the vocational school at the entrance, the Radio and Television University."

"Sure thing, it's close by. Brother, Sister, get in." The black car driver smiled broadly. The Radio and Television University was just outside the airport, about 3 kilometers straight north along Airport Avenue. 100 yuan was a good fare.

The car drove straight north, and after a few minutes, it stopped outside a school.

Chen Mengchuan walked into the school and found the school's guesthouse.

"Who are you looking for?" a middle-aged woman cracking melon seeds at the guesthouse asked Chen Mengchuan.

"I'm Chen Mengchuan from Jiaotong University. I'm looking for Principal Li tomorrow. Here are my credentials," Chen Mengchuan said, handing over his ID card, doctoral certificate, and 300 yuan in cash.

Golmud Radio and Television University was next to the vocational school and affiliated with it. The principal of the vocational school was surnamed Li. Chen Mengchuan had met him once before. He figured this guesthouse was the closest place to stay to the Golmud airport.

After looking through Chen Mengchuan's documents, the middle-aged woman's face immediately broke into a smile. "Dr. Chen, hello, hello. Are you here for accommodation?"

Chen Mengchuan smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'd appreciate it."

"Dr. Chen, are you two together?" the middle-aged woman asked.

Chen Mengchuan smiled. "Ma'am, we are."

"That's great. The guesthouse is being renovated, so there's only one double room left that's available," the middle-aged woman said with a smile.

"Huh? No, no, she and I aren't... like that," Chen Mengchuan said, waving his hands quickly.

"Just one room?" Zhao Wanyu's face turned slightly red.

"All the other rooms are under renovation and can't be occupied. They've even knocked out the floor tiles. There are two beds in the room," the middle-aged woman explained.

Chen Mengchuan looked at Zhao Wanyu. "Miss Zhao, if we go east from here and follow the provincial road, we'll reach the town. There are hotels there. Shall we go check them out?"

"Dr. Chen, I'll do whatever you say," Zhao Wanyu said with a smile, her face flushed.

After apologizing to the middle-aged woman, Chen Mengchuan led Zhao Wanyu out of the guesthouse.

The two walked onto the provincial road in Golmud.

They waited for half an hour, but no one answered their calls on the ride-hailing app. They had taken the last flight of the day. Not even a black car was in sight.

They were freezing on the main road, so they eventually had to return to the guesthouse.

"Go up to the third floor, turn right, and it's room 303," the middle-aged woman said, smiling as she handed Chen Mengchuan a set of keys.

After going upstairs, Chen Mengchuan, holding the keys, opened the door. The room was simple but quite clean, with snow-white quilts on the two beds.

As soon as the door closed, the atmosphere became instantly awkward.

"Miss Zhao, how about I take a shower first?" Chen Mengchuan said awkwardly after putting down his backpack and laptop.

Zhao Wanyu nodded, her face completely red, feeling her cheeks burning.

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