"Hi, Ningguang!"
Hu Tao smiled and waved to the Tianquan, who stood in the pavilion admiring the lake.
"Hehe, you're as lively as ever, Director Hu."
Ningguang casually tucked a strand of platinum-blonde hair behind her ear and turned to face them. After addressing Hu Tao with a soft chuckle, she looked at Li Qiuzhi and smiled.
"Mr. Outstanding Citizen, have you come to discuss matters concerning the Bicycle with me?"
"Uh, Miss Ningguang, just call me by my name. Outstanding Citizen and all that... ahem, it's a little too conspicuous."
Li Qiuzhi walked into the wooden pavilion with Hu Tao, looking slightly embarrassed.
"All right, Mr. Li Qiuzhi. Director Hu, please have a seat."
Making no effort to hide her smile, Ningguang invited them to sit on the round stools beside the circular wooden table in the center of the pavilion. She also picked up the teapot on the table and poured a few cups of tea.
"Mm, thank you." Li Qiuzhi accepted the tea without standing on ceremony, then looked at Ningguang and answered her earlier question. "Didn't you tell me last time to come find you when I had time? That's why I came today."
"Just as I thought."
Ningguang lifted her fair right leg beneath her qipao and crossed it over her left. The pressure of her elegantly contoured knee flattened her soft, rounded calf slightly.
They were all friends on good terms.
So she dispensed with further pleasantries and went straight to the point.
"Yes, Baiwen submitted a detailed report on the Bicycle to me a few days ago.
"Testing showed that on level roads, an ordinary adult could maintain an average riding speed of thirteen kilometers per hour on that kind of Bicycle.
"By pedaling faster, they could even reach twenty kilometers per hour