"I feel like this safety helmet doesn't seem right—it's much lighter than before."
Hearing this, everyone instinctively weighed their helmets in their hands.
"You’re right, it does feel a lot lighter!"
They had often visited construction sites before, and each time, their necks would ache afterward.
Even after just a few hours of wearing them, they felt uncomfortable.
It was easy to imagine how much the workers must dislike these helmets.
Then, someone observant noticed that aside from the reduced weight, the internal structure of the helmets was also different.
Each helmet had a cross-shaped suspension system inside, made of canvas straps and rivets.
Chris couldn’t help but complain to Chi Heng, "This helmet feels so flimsy—can it really protect anyone?"
Professor Li happened to be nearby and, with a smile, explained,
"Don’t worry about the safety. We’ve already conducted tests."
"Don’t underestimate these canvas straps inside. If something hits the shell,
this cross-shaped suspension system provides excellent shock absorption—far more effective than simply thickening the helmet!"
Hearing that tests had been done and with an expert like Professor Li vouching for it, everyone finally relaxed and cheerfully put on their helmets.
"Whose brilliant idea was this?"
Just then, a few deans familiar with Professor Li joked,
"Old Li, you should’ve told us sooner!"
"We only got them recently," Professor Li replied, sounding rather proud. "This was all Little Jiang’s idea!"
Chi Heng’s hand paused slightly at the words.
"Little Jiang?" Which Little Jiang?
"Who else could it be?" Professor Li gestured toward Jiang Si, who wasn’t far away.
"This was Engineer Jiang’s idea?" The group was even more surprised now.
"Exactly."
Seeing their disbelief, Professor Li briefly recounted how Jiang Si had approached him two months ago about improving the safety helmets.
He only gave a general overview—the specifics were better explained by Jiang Si herself.
By now, everyone had their helmets on.
Jiang Si used this topic to officially begin the day’s site visit.
Originally, many in the delegation had come with the intention of nitpicking or just watching for drama.
But as soon as they arrived, their attention was completely captured by these unassuming helmets.
Jiang Si took the opportunity to briefly explain her improvements.
In later years, safety helmets would mostly be made of high-density HDPE or ABS engineering plastics.
But given the technological limitations of the time, that wasn’t feasible.
So, she came up with an alternative solution.
The method was simple: adding short-cut cotton or wood pulp fibers to the helmet’s raw materials.
Of course, these weren’t as effective as fiberglass.
But fiberglass was typically reserved for military and aerospace use, making it hard to obtain.
As for the cross-shaped shock-absorbing straps inside, Professor Li had already covered their function, so Jiang Si didn’t waste time repeating it.
She only emphasized that the improved helmets balanced comfort with maximum safety for workers.
There were many foreign guests present, and while they didn’t fully grasp Jiang Si’s technical explanations at the time,
her calm confidence and professional demeanor left a strong impression.
After hearing the translations, their gazes toward her were filled with admiration and respect.
Chris stayed silent, mulling over what she’d heard earlier at the state-run store.
Casually, she glanced at Chi Heng beside her.
He was turned slightly away, so she couldn’t see his expression.
But she was certain—from start to finish, his eyes had never left Jiang Si.
Thinking this, Chris’s gaze toward Jiang Si grew noticeably more complicated.
So much so that she didn’t hear a single word Jiang Si said afterward.
Jiang Si, unaware of these thoughts, led the delegation into the construction site, using the helmets as a segue.
Perhaps due to thorough preparation, she effortlessly answered every question—whether skeptical or curious—with concise, well-rounded responses.
She elaborated on obscure design details, later modifications,
and even topics like earthquake resistance, wind resistance, and architectural harmony—all with ease.
What was expected to be a tense visit turned out to be surprisingly smooth.
Even those who had doubted Jiang Si earlier were now red-faced with embarrassment.
Yet, amid the praise, Jiang Si remained composed and humble.
Before they knew it, noon arrived—the hottest part of the day.
The morning visit concluded, and the group headed to the Friendship Restaurant for lunch.
Jiang Si finally had a moment to relax.
At such diplomatic gatherings, few actually ate.
Most used the time to network and socialize.
Jiang Si seemed to be the only one quietly enjoying the meal.
She had worked tirelessly for weeks preparing for this visit,
and had arrived at the site before dawn that morning.
By now, she was starving.
But even so, her table manners remained refined.
As she finished eating, Chi Heng casually approached with a glass in hand. "You did very well earlier."
Jiang Si turned to him. "Thank you."
Chi Heng swirled his drink absently, his eyes quickly scanning the room.
Making sure no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice and spoke a few more words—this time in Shanghainese.
He was explaining something.
Jiang Si understood immediately.
So that was why Chi Heng had suddenly brought up their past in front of everyone earlier…
Sure enough, as the afternoon visit drew to a close, Chi Heng did as he’d said.
On behalf of the French embassy, he formally extended an invitation to Jiang Si.
France had established diplomatic relations with China early on, initially building only two structures in the embassy district:
one for offices, the other for staff housing.
But with increasing exchanges between the two countries, the existing dormitory could no longer meet daily needs.
The embassy urgently required a new, better-equipped residential building.
Of course, the scale and investment couldn’t compare to the foreign-related hotel.
Knowing Jiang Si was busy, they didn’t expect her full involvement.
They mainly wanted her as a design consultant.
The construction side would be handled by the Ministry of Construction.
Their role was simply to provide funding.
This was a mutually beneficial arrangement for both parties.
Moreover, there were deeper reasons behind it.
After a brief moment of consideration, Jiang Si agreed.
Seeing her nod, Deputy Minister Xu from the Construction Ministry immediately declared, "Then let’s toast in advance to our collaboration—"
Before the word "success" could leave his lips, he was abruptly interrupted.
"I object—"
