Under the eaves stood a tall girl.
The girl was dressed plainly, with straight black hair falling over her shoulders, fair skin, and glasses, giving her a well-behaved and quiet appearance.
She was speaking to the person beside her, occasionally offering a reserved smile.
As she turned her head, she saw Ji Mohan walking over. Unhurriedly, she waved goodbye to a few friends nearby and then approached him, wearing an expression of disbelief. "How did you get so tanned?"
Ji Mohan scratched his head, about to explain.
She continued, "You're back just in time. Come with me to the lab. There's a set of data I need your help analyzing."
"Jiaojiao, I'm sorry, I'm a bit busy right now," Ji Mohan said. "My family is in Beijing, and I need to have a meal with them."
Lu Jiaojiao pushed her glasses up and sighed. "You can spend time with your family anytime, but this experiment of mine has failed over a hundred times. I finally waited for you to return to Beijing. Can't you help me?"
"But..."
Ji Mohan hesitated.
This was his first meeting with his great-grandmother. Leaving in the middle would be terribly rude.
"Today is the final deadline," Lu Jiaojiao looked at him. "If I still can't submit the relevant report, the project will be transferred to someone else, and I won't be promoted to senior researcher this year... Forget it. It's truly my lack of capability. How can I always seek your help? Mohan, go ahead and spend time with your family. I'll be going now."
She turned around.
"Wait..."
Ji Mohan's voice sounded.
A smile of anticipated success curled on Lu Jiaojiao's lips.
Every time, as long as she retreated to advance, Ji Mohan would ultimately compromise.
"One hour," Ji Mohan glanced at his wristwatch. "Hmm, make it an hour and a half. I'll definitely be at your lab on time."
Lu Jiaojiao frowned.
Most of the day was already gone. Waiting another hour or more for him, and the opportunity would be completely cold.
But, Ji Mohan was doing this for his family...
If she pushed too hard, it might backfire.
Lu Jiaojiao turned back. "Then I'll wait for you."
Carrying her handbag, she walked out of the restaurant.
Watching her get into the car, Ji Mohan then headed towards their private dining room.
The elegant private room had a hexagonal windowpane with potted plants. Old Master Ji pushed aside the branches blocking his view and leaned there, looking out. "That girl is really pretty, has a scholarly air, quiet and well-behaved. Could she be A'Mo's girlfriend?"
Ji Yanting's face darkened. "Old Master, could you please sit properly?"
At his age, leaning out the window with his backside sticking out was really undignified.
Old Master Ji's gossipy heart was stirred, and he paid no mind to such concerns.
Rong Yu lowered her head to drink tea.
Mainly, she was afraid she couldn't resist kicking him. If anything happened, she'd be the one feeling bad.
Forget it. At his age, let him do whatever he wants.
After Lu Jiaojiao left, Old Master Ji immediately turned back, sat down beside Rong Yu, pretending he had been drinking tea all along, and asked Ji Mohan with an air of composure as he walked in, "Who was that girl just now?"
Ji Mohan sat down. "Old Master, you probably remember. When I first came to Beijing for university, I once fell into the water and was rescued. I stayed in the hospital for over a week. At the time, I didn't know who saved me. Much later, I found out it was her. Not only that, she happened to be at the same university, the same major, and after graduation, we both work at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Materials Institute."
"What a coincidence," Old Master Ji was about to tease a few words but paused. "Although you and she are classmates, before getting involved, you should still inquire more about her family background."
His eldest and second sons were cautionary tales.
Ji Mohan was taken aback, then showed a helpless smile. "Old Master, what are you thinking? Jiaojiao and I are just good friends. How did it get to 'getting involved'?"
After the meal, Ji Mohan had to go to the materials institute.
Ji Yanting took the two elders to the large flat they had stayed in last time.
Previously, Qiu Sang would arrange for people to clean here every few days. After Qiu Sang left her job, no one came, and a layer of dust had settled everywhere.
Ji Yanting quickly hired a few cleaners and simultaneously had people immediately recruit a manager and a personal assistant.
That evening, he also had to attend a script reading gathering, where all the actors involved in this production would sit together and discuss the script and their roles.
After settling the elders, he drove quickly to the film set.
Just as he got out of the car, he encountered Chi Fangfei arriving at the same time.
The two nodded slightly and walked in together.
Rong Ruoyao played a minor role. She sat in the farthest corner. When Ji Yanting entered, she looked up along with everyone else.
She looked behind Ji Yanting, but there was no sign of Rong Yu.
Didn't Rong Yu also have a role in this major production? Why wasn't she here?
Could she be late?
Making so many people wait for her alone?
She wouldn't think that just because she filmed a promotional video for the aerospace institute, she could put herself above others and start throwing her weight around, would she?
"Now everyone is here," the director said. "Please open your scripts. The screenwriter will first explain the main storyline and the script's themes..."
Rong Ruoyao was instantly delighted.
Everyone was here, meaning Rong Yu was not part of this production.
Heaven knows how long she had been worried.
As long as Rong Yu wasn't here, she would naturally carve out a place for herself in this production, turning this small role into a major stepping stone.
For a moment, Rong Ruoyao felt completely at ease.
The script reading ended around midnight. It was Rong Ruoyao's first time participating in such a high-level discussion. She benefited greatly, but her mind was also nearly fried. She just wanted to return to the hotel quickly and rest.
Then, a voice sounded beside her. "You're Rong Ruoyao, right? I'm Nan Nan. I look forward to working with you."
Rong Ruoyao turned to look.
Nan Nan, a radiantly beautiful actress, a popular star, played the mastermind behind the scenes in the film.
And Rong Ruoyao played the younger sister of this antagonist, with only two brief scenes of appearance, both involving being brutally abused by Nan Nan and ultimately meeting a tragic end...
"Sister Nan, hello," Rong Ruoyao shook her hand. "I hope Sister Nan can give me more guidance."
Nan Nan's finger lightly tapped her palm before she walked away.
For some reason, Rong Ruoyao felt a very uncomfortable sensation.
Hopefully, she was just overthinking it.
The night passed.
Rong Yu had a good night's sleep. When she woke up in the morning, Ji Yanting had already arranged for breakfast to be prepared.
Ji Yanting had to attend the production's opening ceremony.
Rong Yu was going to the First Aerospace Institute to film the promotional video.
Old Master Ji contacted a few old friends to attend some charity events in Beijing.
Arriving at the First Aerospace Institute at nine in the morning, a staff member was waiting and led Rong Yu into the exhibition hall of the publicity department.
The silver-gray alloy door slid open silently. In the center of the twelve-meter-high arched exhibition hall, suspended, was the genetic code of China's aerospace endeavors. The holographic projection array on the left cycled through the historical milestones...
Rong Yu gazed at the Five-Star Red Flag at the far end of the hall. Displayed beneath it was a proportional model array ranging from the "Dongfeng-1" to the "Long March-12," like a dragon soaring into the sky.
The efforts of generations are contained within mere dozens of steps in this exhibition hall, yet it distills an entire nation's journey from gazing at the stars to embracing the cosmos.
The future has arrived.
And Huaxia stands at its forefront.
