Arriving in Golmud

Suma Ancient Town, Sun Family Mansion.

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

"Zhongyong, are you worried he'll return to the Xia Science Academy?" Sun Aiguo looked at his eldest son.

"A little. It is the Xia Science Academy, after all." Sun Zhongyong nodded.

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

Sun Zhongyong furrowed his brow slightly but did not answer.

"You're worried that if you ask, he'll tell you yes?" Sun Aiguo asked.

"A little."

Sun Aiguo turned to his second son. "Zhongshi, go get that piece of clothing Weijie wore."

Sun Zhongshi got up, went inside, took out one of his son's garments, and handed it to his older brother.

"This was what Weijie was wearing the day he fell into the water." Sun Zhongyong recognized it, but he could not guess why his father wanted him to see it. Was he reminding him to remember this debt of gratitude?

"Look at the tear on the chest."

Sun Zhongyong nodded, indicating that he saw it.

"That Chen boy tore it with his teeth. The hook used for catching fruit had a rounded tip—it wasn't sharp, so it couldn't catch on the clothes. Chen boy tore it open with his teeth before he could hook it."

Sun Aiguo raised his cup and took a sip.

"Chen boy entered the Xia Science Academy to pursue his doctorate at twenty-eight and was able to stand on his own—that is wisdom. He jumped into Luoyin to save Weijie—that is righteousness. He tore clothes with his teeth to hang them on the hook pole—that is courage. The two of you are inferior to him. If he returns to the Xia Science Academy, that would be great loyalty. Zhongyong, do you understand now?" Sun Aiguo looked at his eldest son.

Sun Zhongyong held his teacup and fell into thought.

After nightfall, Sun Zhongyong's phone rang.

"Xiaoxiao."

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

"I'll come over right away."

After hanging up, Sun Zhongyong drove to Suke University.

Once they met, Gu Xiaoxiao did not waste words. She took out thirty or forty documents.

"These are the lists of everything that needs to be purchased, along with the procurement authorization letters."

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

"The United States has rather complicated export controls on supercomputer components. But if a certain quantity of components is purchased separately from different manufacturers under the names of American companies in Huaxia, it becomes much easier to handle," Gu Xiaoxiao said.

"You mean our supercomputer can be split into thirty or forty orders to avoid the scrutiny of American regulators?" Sun Zhongyong asked curiously.

Gu Xiaoxiao shook her head. "That's more or less the idea, but it isn't that easy. The whole order has to be split into more than four hundred portions, with all sorts of complicated customs declarations and tax procedures. You wouldn't understand even if I explained. The three hundred thousand US Dollar service fee is merely the Americans' strategic quote. At the start, they won't take too much of our profit. Once the supercomputer is set up and it needs upgrading, the follow-up service fees will start rising sharply."

Sun Zhongyong nodded. It was only natural to let people make money when asking them to handle something.

"These, these, and these... all need signatures and seals. Brother, stamp them first, then I'll fax them over. Any news from Brother Chuan? He isn't really going back to the Xia Science Academy, is he?" Gu Xiaoxiao asked.

"He went to handle some personal matters and will be back in a month. We'll do what we need to do." Sun Zhongyong smiled.

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

"I called several times, but his phone was off. He's probably on the plane." After talking with his father, Sun Zhongyong felt much calmer. He believed he had not misjudged the man.

By the time they left Golmud Airport, it was already past ten at night. Golmud was far colder than Xi'an.

Chen Mengchuan changed into a down jacket at the airport. Looking at Zhao Wanyu, who was shivering beside him after telling him she had not brought any thick clothes, he sighed and kindly advised her, "Miss Zhao, are you really planning to come with me?"

On the plane, Zhao Wanyu had helplessly told Chen Mengchuan that she had received a death order. Her superior had told her she absolutely had to win over Chen Mengchuan and had even booked her a ticket to Golmud.

Chen Mengchuan had warned her many times that the place he was going was hardly some scenic paradise. In the end, he even frankly told her that he was going to deliver stationery to an elementary school for volunteer teaching in an abandoned village. To his surprise, Zhao Wanyu became even more interested upon hearing that. She was not afraid of him in the slightest and kept begging him to take her along.

He pulled out one of his own down jackets and handed it to her.

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

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

Seeing Zhao Wanyu put on the jacket, Chen Mengchuan asked again with a headache, "Miss Zhao, this is the last time I'm asking. Are you really coming with me?"

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

"Then if I go to the men's restroom, are you coming too?" Chen Mengchuan grumbled helplessly.

"Pah..."

Chen Mengchuan laughed. He stopped overthinking it. Letting this pampered girl from Shanghai see things for herself was not a bad thing. These days, too many people did not know how to appreciate their blessings after seeing hardship, or think of blessings when faced with hardship.

He shouldered his luggage and led Zhao Wanyu straight outside.

At past ten o'clock at night, Golmud was already swallowed by deep darkness. In the airport parking lot, only a few unlicensed taxis waited for the last passengers of the day.

Chen Mengchuan found a driver who looked relatively young and thin, then handed him a hundred-yuan bill. "Sir, the vocational school at the entrance, Radio and Television University."

"Sure thing. It's close. Big brother, big sister, get in." The driver beamed. The Radio and Television University was right outside the airport. It was only three kilometers straight north along Airport Avenue. A hundred yuan for that was a great deal.

The car drove straight north and stopped outside a school a few minutes later.

Chen Mengchuan walked into the school and found its guesthouse.

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

"I'm Chen Mengchuan from Jiaotong University. I'm here to see Principal Li tomorrow. Here are my documents." As he spoke, Chen Mengchuan handed over his ID card, doctoral certification, and three hundred 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. This was the nearest guesthouse to Golmud Airport that Chen Mengchuan could think of.

After looking through Chen Mengchuan's documents, the middle-aged woman immediately smiled. "Dr. Chen, hello, hello. Are you two looking for a room?"

Chen Mengchuan nodded with a smile. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry for the trouble."

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

Chen Mengchuan smiled. "Yes, ma'am, we're together."

"Perfect. The guesthouse is being renovated, and the only habitable room left is one standard double room," the middle-aged woman said with a smile.

"Huh? No, no, it's not like that between me and her." Chen Mengchuan hurriedly waved his hands.

"Only one room?" Zhao Wanyu's face reddened slightly.

"The other rooms are being renovated and can't be occupied. The floor tiles have all been torn up. There are two beds in the room," the middle-aged woman explained.

Chen Mengchuan looked at Zhao Wanyu. "Miss Zhao, if we head east from here along the provincial highway, we'll reach town. There should be hotels there. Shall we go take a look?"

"Dr. Chen, I'll listen to you." Zhao Wanyu smiled, her cheeks flushed.

Chen Mengchuan then apologized to the middle-aged woman and left the guesthouse with Zhao Wanyu.

The two walked onto Golmud's provincial highway.

They waited for half an hour. No one accepted their ride-hailing request, and they had taken the last flight of the day. At this hour, they could not even find an unlicensed taxi.

The two were nearly frozen stupid on the roadside and could only return to the guesthouse in the end.

"Go up to the third floor, then turn right. Room 303." The middle-aged woman smiled as she handed Chen Mengchuan a ring of keys.

After going upstairs, Chen Mengchuan opened the door with the key. The room was simple but quite clean, with snowy-white quilts spread over the two beds.

Once the door closed, the atmosphere instantly became awkward.

"Miss Zhao, how about I take a shower first?" After setting down his backpack and laptop, Chen Mengchuan spoke awkwardly.

Zhao Wanyu nodded, her face completely red as she felt her cheeks burning hot.

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