Chapter 109 – Laboratory Renovation

Ningnan suburbs, the factory laboratory.

After Su Lifeng set out that morning, Su Lian and the others arrived early.

Today was an incredibly important day for them.

But as soon as they reached the factory, they were surprised to find that the place seemed to have turned into a construction site.

“What’s going on?” Jiang Yushi hurriedly called Qiu Yuming over.

The female college student had practically become the logistics assistant here. Shen Fei, along with the few experts Jiangnan Biomedical Group occasionally sent over, were all under her management. On top of that, she handled raw material purchases, breaking up fights whenever these scholars started arguing over academic issues and even came to blows, and so on… Qiu Yuming was getting more and more comfortable with all of it.

“Your father… I mean, President Jiang sent people over overnight to do all this. He said they were going to reinforce the perimeter wall, add an electric fence, and set up full-coverage surveillance and management. Once it’s finished, even if this place isn’t exactly an impregnable fortress, it’ll be very hard for anyone to sneak in. He also wants to install a few residential areas for the experts and staff to live in. Oh, right, and apparently solar power too, so even if the whole city loses electricity, we won’t be affected… But why would the whole city lose electricity?” Qiu Yuming reported item by item from the little notebook in her hand.

“You haven’t watched TV today?” Jiang Yushi asked.

“No. I was here taking inventory of the medicine last night.” As Qiu Yuming spoke, she suddenly remembered another very important matter. “Ah… speaking of which, I have to go back to school today.”

“Is that so…” Jiang Yushi then asked, “Are those experts going to be stationed here long-term?”

“Yes!” Qiu Yuming immediately forgot about her own matter again and said, “I heard one of the experts say that President Jiang plans to heavily develop this research project, though he doesn’t actually know what they’re supposed to be researching… Those were that expert’s exact words.”

“I see… That’s fine too.” Jiang Yushi nodded. Compared with young people like them, Jiang Fusheng was indeed more thorough when it came to these matters, and his usual style carried over into his work: swift and decisive.

“In that case, I might as well call him and have him handle the renovations at Lifeng’s house too. Also, for better security, we should build a house here on the factory grounds as well. As for the interior style, Su Lian would probably like postmodern, Xiaomei might prefer pink, and Yuming has been working so hard. Living in a dorm isn’t convenient either, so she might as well live with us…”

As Jiang Yushi thought about it, she suddenly felt her face grow a little hot. Why did it feel like she was planning a newlywed home?

Two people with several little sisters in tow… Ah! She couldn’t let her thoughts keep running wild.

Right now, she still had no idea what Su Lifeng was thinking. Even if what he felt for her wasn’t only friendship, in such a chaotic world…

“That’s right. Today, I’m still going to become one of the Mutants.” Jiang Yushi’s mood instantly sank. She glanced at Qiu Yuming, who was still looking down and flipping through her notebook as she reported other matters, then suddenly said, “Yuming, you shouldn’t go back today. For the next while, it’s best if you ask for leave. Check the news online and you’ll understand…”

Qiu Yuming froze for a moment, then smiled sweetly. “Got it. I know what I’m doing. It’s just that there’s something I really have to go back for.”

“In that case, it won’t be safe for you to go back alone. Just wait until…”

Before Jiang Yushi could finish, a shout came from nearby. “Yushi!”

“Manager Liang is here! Then I’ll make myself scarce.” Qiu Yuming immediately seized the chance to slip away.

“Hey…” Jiang Yushi failed to stop her, and a trace of annoyance flashed across her face.

She had already seen Liang Junyu just now. After what happened last night, she had thought he would at least stop coming to places where Su Lifeng might be and asking for trouble. She hadn’t expected him not only to show up, but to directly interrupt her conversation with Qiu Yuming.

“What are you doing here?” Jiang Yushi asked with a frown.

Liang Junyu’s eyes darkened, but his face was piled with a smile as he said, “President Jiang told me to focus on my work at the group, so I don’t need to hold a concurrent position here anymore. But I still have to come over and hand things off, don’t I? And as luck would have it, you’re here, Yushi…”

Jiang Yushi really wanted to give him a cold sneer. What work could he possibly have to hand over? And to come all the way out here at a time like this…

Liang Junyu seemed to see what she was thinking and went on, “After the group took on the military contract, a unit was stationed nearby, and security has gotten much tighter than before. Besides, that news this morning had to be fake, if you ask me.”

“There’s no need to hand anything over. You’ve seen it yourself. It’s a mess here, so you should head back to the group as soon as possible.” In the end, Jiang Yushi still couldn’t bring herself to sneer. Her upbringing made her reject Liang Junyu in a cold yet tactful manner, and then she turned and left.

She had seen very clearly how much Su Lifeng disliked Liang Junyu. Naturally, she had no patience to socialize or make polite small talk with someone like him.

Watching Jiang Yushi’s retreating figure, Liang Junyu’s expression instantly turned ugly. “Stupid bitch. I gave you face, and you threw it away.”

He lowered his head and took out his phone, glancing at the text message on it as he thought, So what this number said was true after all. Something really did happen today… In that case, the part about the world falling into chaos must be true too.

A vicious glint flashed through his eyes. If Jiang Fusheng hadn’t moved so quickly, sending a specialized security company over to set up facilities and dispatching a large number of bodyguards to supervise the work, he would have made his move and taken Jiang Yushi away right now!

He had prepared plenty of excuses, but who could have expected Jiang Yushi to reject him so decisively?

As he left the factory in frustration, Liang Junyu suddenly spotted Qiu Yuming coming out with a backpack on her shoulders, talking to a driver from the security company.

Hadn’t she just been talking to Jiang Yushi? Why did she look like she was trying to sneak out now? She also seemed rather distracted…

Liang Junyu’s eyes flickered. He pressed the gas pedal and slowly drove the car over beside Qiu Yuming.

“Need a ride?” Liang Junyu gave her an extremely warm smile.

Qiu Yuming hesitated for a moment. “I’m not sure that’s appropriate…”

“This is the suburbs. It’s hard to get a car here. Instead of asking them for help, you might as well let me give you a lift on my way.” Liang Junyu kept smiling as he leaned over and opened the car door. “Get in. You look like you’re in a hurry too, so don’t trouble them.”

Seeing how enthusiastic he was, Qiu Yuming finally nodded and got in. “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

Inside the car, Qiu Yuming glanced at her phone again. On the open screen was a message: “Yuming, your sister has come to Ningnan University. I’m here to take you home.”

Home… Ever since receiving that message, Qiu Yuming’s emotions had been in turmoil.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t know that all sorts of rumors had been spreading more and more lately. The students at school had long since lost any interest in attending class.

On the rare occasions she returned to campus, all she heard was either that someone had gone missing or that something had happened to someone’s family.

When people gathered together, they were either cursing and denouncing the government, speculating that an epidemic was spreading, or guessing that it was a terrorist attack.

Qiu Yuming had only managed to push those effects to the back of her mind through work. She understood the situation very clearly. No matter how much these incidents spread, before the government took further action, ordinary people like them could only wait quietly. The only people she worried about were her sister and her mother, but with several phone calls every day to check in, they seemed to have been safe all along.

Qiu Yuming knew she couldn’t contribute much at home, but here with Su Lifeng, she could earn quite a lot of money.

At the same time, however, she also knew that her sister and mother would probably ask her to go home sooner or later. Now, that moment had finally come.

“I won’t say goodbye. I’ve reported everything I needed to, and I finished what was left last night. If I say goodbye… I probably won’t be able to leave.”

Although she hadn’t been here for long, and especially hadn’t met Su Lifeng that many times, Qiu Yuming already felt very close to everyone.

There was Yushi-Jie, Xiaomei-Jie, even Su Lian, who was younger than her… Even the neurotic Shen Fei wasn’t as annoying as he had been at first.

“Manager Liang, why did you turn onto this road?” Qiu Yuming suddenly asked.