Drawing a Prison to Confine Oneself

As soon as Liu Shang appeared, Manager Zhong was stunned, then overjoyed, and walked out of Xu Tiande's office with a laugh.

"Liu Shang! You're actually here today?"

"Haha, you've come at the perfect time, quickly come to my office!"

"To be honest, I almost considered going to your school to find you just now!"

Under the surprised gazes of everyone in the office, Liu Shang was directly pulled into the office by Manager Zhong, and then they got straight to the point, continuing to refine the specific tool design for the surface sub-distribution.

After spending a whole day, with Liu Shang's assistance, Manager Zhong could almost confirm the complete process flow and the design of the related tubing and tools.

They estimated that the draft could be finalized tomorrow and then delivered to the processing plant for custom manufacturing of a few sets.

Within the next few days, experiments could be conducted to confirm the success or failure of this technology and process.

During a short break at noon, a stranger named "Drawing Circles" on QQ applied to add me as a friend.

Liu Shang frowned and accepted. The other party politely introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm Zhou Liang from the student union, and also the vice-leader of our freshman group."

Liu Shang suddenly realized and also politely chatted with him for a few meaningless words.

At this point, Zhou Liang extended a formal invitation, wanting him to attend the group gathering dinner on Friday night.

The location was the well-known Kaiyue Grand Hotel near the school.

With a lot of things to do at this stage, Liu Shang naturally had no interest and politely declined.

However, his refusal made Zhou Liang, on the other end of the network, frown.

The original intention of establishing this group was very simple: to create more opportunities for Tan Feng to get close to Jiang Ruolin.

They had even envisioned a grand, sensational, and romantic ceremony for this originally planned gathering, and then using the group effect to make Jiang Ruolin accept Tan Feng's pursuit.

What they never expected was that this platform for the freshman group would become a stepping stone for Jiang Ruolin and Liu Shang to meet and get to know each other.

Even before the gathering began, Jiang Ruolin on the other side had already fallen for Liu Shang and become his girlfriend.

If it were before Liu Shang and Jiang Ruolin confirmed their relationship, Zhou Liang wouldn't have cared about Liu Shang.

In fact, it would have been better if he didn't attend the gathering and stayed away from Jiang Ruolin.

But now, this gathering, which was moved up by a week and hastily arranged for Friday night, had a new purpose: to suppress Liu Shang and make him retreat.

Therefore, how could Liu Shang, the protagonist of this gathering, refuse to attend?

"Heh, Liu Shang, you might not know, but many people here are Jiang Ruolin's high school classmates and friends."

"Many of them are curious about you and want to get to know you."

"Also, Jiang Ruolin, as a group administrator, has confirmed she will attend this gathering."

"She's a girl, and you can help her fend off drinks, right?"

After he said all that, Liu Shang, who had no particular preference whether to attend or not, nodded and agreed to the matter.

Just like yesterday, after everyone in the office had left work, Liu Shang was still kept in the office by Manager Zhong.

Perhaps knowing Manager Zhong's intention to finalize the design today, Liu Shang sent a text message to Jiang Ruolin and then fully immersed himself in drawing and work.

By the time they finished and knocked off, it was already close to nine o'clock in the evening.

Regardless of anything, Liu Shang's plan to meet Jiang Ruolin tonight was ruined.

"Little Liu, you must be unhappy that I kept you working overtime today and couldn't let you spend time with your girlfriend, right?"

Manager Zhong said this while laughing at Liu Shang in a popular and well-regarded pub in the city.

Since Liu Shang joined the company, Manager Zhong's technology had been progressing very smoothly, almost perfectly.

This had also lifted a heavy burden off the old man's mind, allowing him to relax at least for this year.

Naturally, his mood was very good.

Hearing his words, Liu Shang smiled and waved his hand, "You can't be together all the time even when dating, can you?"

"Also, to be honest, Manager Zhong, this kind of immersive technical research atmosphere is really great."

"Especially when a technical problem is about to be solved, it feels like every pore of your body is excited."

Liu Shang's first sentence was obviously insincere; he wished he could be with Jiang Ruolin every moment, even for a lifetime.

The latter part, however, was a true reflection of his own thoughts; deep down, he was also a tech enthusiast.

"Good!"

"You kid, you're simply a disciple sent by heaven specifically for me, you're so much to my liking."

"Liu Shang, accompany me for a good drink today. If it gets too late, don't bother going back to the dorm. I'll just get you a room at the star-rated hotel next door."

People in the petroleum industry, especially those who often work on the front lines, really enjoy drinking high-proof white spirits.

Generally, oilfield production areas are located in saline-alkali lands, in the wilderness, whether it's freezing cold or stormy weather, the natural conditions are quite harsh.

And after a day of hard work and fatigue, having a hearty, greasy meal and a strong drink is the most comfortable thing.

Liu Shang, who had also fought hard on the front lines, couldn't forget that feeling or sentiment.

So, he and Manager Zhong ordered a table full of dishes and started drinking Qinghuaci Erguotou, which had a high alcohol content.

This further fueled Manager Zhong's enthusiasm, and he was reluctant to call it a night.

Ultimately, Manager Zhong, still feeling a bit unsatisfied, took Liu Shang back to school before the dorms closed. As they parted, Manager Zhong kept complaining.

"Ah! Just as I was starting to feel the buzz, we have to break up. It's so unsatisfying."

"Liu Shang, next time, no matter what, you have to drink with me until we've had enough. We guys have to drink until we drop!"

The next day, Liu Shang went to work for half a day.

When he arrived at the company, Manager Zhong wasn't in his office. He heard that Manager Zhong had gone directly to the processing plant early in the morning to supervise the customization of a series of tools.

Liu Shang, after doing some specific work, informed Xu Tiande and returned to school for lunch.

Jiang Ruolin had no classes that afternoon, and they had agreed to go to the park together.

"Liu Shang, don't you have a big class this afternoon?"

"Is it okay if you don't attend?"

Liu Shang shook his head. "This class has several grades attending together, so it's easier to manage, and the teacher can't possibly call attendance for everyone."

On the small, scenic path through the woods bathed in the afternoon sun, they walked hand in hand without a specific destination, letting the warm sunlight shine on them.

Quiet, comfortable, and pleasant.

After a long while, Jiang Ruolin looked up at Liu Shang. "Liu Shang, they might organize a gathering for the freshman group on Friday."

"There will be people from all different majors, and not many acquaintances. It should be quite boring."

To Jiang Ruolin's surprise, Liu Shang nodded at this point. "Yeah, I know about this gathering. They invited me too."