After preparing his draft, Luan Qing knocked on Zhuang Yiyun’s office door.
“Come in,” Zhuang Yiyun’s voice came through, as flat as an inorganic substance.
Luan Qing entered and saw that Zhuang Yiyun was comparing experimental data. He raised his head only when Luan Qing’s footsteps neared. Seeing Luan Qing, he was somewhat surprised and he put down his pen. Luan Qing rarely approached him alone now and never discussed matters outside of work. They had established a new way of interacting with each other.
Coming without a clear explanation, and judging from his expression, it didn’t seem like it was about work.
Zhuang Yiyun didn’t ask. He just waited for Luan Qing to speak. Whatever he wanted to say, he would naturally say it.
Seeing Zhuang Yiyun about to continue writing, Luan Qing’s prepared draft went out the window, leaving only one key point about his personal intentions. Almost urgently, he blurted out, “Team Leader, there are some comments about Yan Yan on Weibo.”
He directly handed over his phone as he spoke.
Zhuang Yiyun took it, and the more he read, the deeper his frown became. After reading, he stood up, took his coat, lightly tapped the desk, and said to Luan Qing, “Finish verifying the data and give it to me tomorrow.”
Luan Qing nodded hesitantly. The team leader left without asking more questions. His reaction was unusually swift.
After arranging the papers in his hands, Zhuang Yiyun opened his office door and left. The door was already open when he suddenly turned back and said, “Thank you.”
It wasn’t until the door closed that Luan Qing came back to his senses. Those few words struck him like lightning. When he disregarded the friendship of the past three years and after Zhuang Yiyun judged that considering him a friend was not the right decision, he became indifferent. So indifferent that he didn’t ask a single question outside work, so indifferent that even a “thank you” sounded extravagant. But when it came to Yan Yan, he became genuinely anxious, enough to even make him abandon his work and leave.
Luan Qing’s gaze fell on the data sheet on the table. It was indeed important. Although he could handle it, he could only ensure the normal progress of work. For the team leader, he would definitely set aside time to personally review the crucial information.
But what was there to be surprised about? The team leader had always been a person dedicated to his work, he had just added another element. It used to be only work, now, it included Yan Yan. Simple as that.
The door to his heart was as firm as iron, opening only to the people he chose.
Luan Qing smiled. It was not a self-consoling relief but a genuine letting go. Regardless of how Yan Yan and the team leader started, he was declaring with his actions that he had dived into this relationship headfirst. No one could pull him out, and he didn’t want to come out either. And when it came to him, Luan Qing was clear; Zhuang Yiyun couldn’t return to the past, but he maintained politeness in the goodwill he showed.
Yes, was there a need to deliberately mend this friendship? Let it flow naturally; time would eventually wash away everything.
Feeling a sense of relief, Luan Qing carefully organized the scattered materials on Zhuang Yiyun’s desk. After sorting them out, he took them and prepared to bring them back to his own office. Actually, it would be more convenient to deal with them here since the team leader had already set up part of the work. However, now that the team leader was in a relationship, it wasn’t appropriate for him to stay alone in his office.
Luan Qing walked out with the documents smiling, and bumped into Zhong Lu, who was waiting for him at the door.
Zhong Lu asked anxiously, “How did it go?” Luan Qing said, “The team leader left after listening. He should have gone to deal with it. Don’t worry.”
“Dr. Luan, are you helping the team leader organize the data? Can I assist you?”
“I can handle it alone.”
“No, you can’t.”
“Huh?” Luan Qing looked around, and Zhong Lu leaned closer, whispering, “I can’t play on my phone at my desk. I want to help Yan Yan fight the black fans.”
He felt uneasy after talking. He knew he shouldn’t say such things to a superior within the team, but Luan Qing had just helped him, making him feel like he could give it a try. After speaking, he stared at Luan Qing, waiting for his reply.
“What about the work you have in hand?”
“I’ll work overtime tonight.”
“Alright, come along then.”
Zhong Lu was overjoyed and followed behind Luan Qing excitedly. Luan Qing went to inform the researcher who supervised him, ensuring a clear path.
Back in his own office, he finished the work given by Zhuang Yiyun while glancing at Zhong Lu who was playing on his phone.
Zhong Lu’s fingers moved swiftly, his hands typing so fast they left a blur. His expressions shifted from angry to triumphant. Luan Qing couldn’t help but be curious.
“Zhong Lu, did you know Yan Yan before?”
“No, we only met at the annual meeting.” While Zhong Lu continued editing text, he replied, “What’s wrong, Dr. Luan?”
“Nothing, I just noticed that you’re very close to him.”
“Yeah, he’s interesting and loyal.”
“Oh?” Luan Qing continued to ask.
“He often plays games with me. You can tell a lot about a person’s character by playing games. Although his skills are average, he’s daring and protective of his teammates. He’s also good at trash-talking. He doesn’t mind my talkativeness; sometimes, he argues with me, but he’s willing to listen to me chat. Most importantly, he gives me advice on how to pursue my goddess.” Zhong Lu scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. “He’s full of ideas. If I manage to win over my goddess, I will send him a gift In thanks.”
Yan Yan, someone Luan Qing had only met once, gradually became more vivid in his mind. He seemed to understand why the team leader liked Yan Yan. Recalling the young man he had met, he possessed a vigor, optimism, freedom, and kindness, like the warmth of the sun. Even if it wasn’t for love, it would make a young man like Zhong Lu feel close and accepted.
Luan Qing paused his work, deciding to work overtime with Zhong Lu today. He walked over to Zhong Lu and sat down, taking out his phone and asking, “Give me the link; I’ll join in too.”
Zhong Lu was very surprised, especially when he noticed Luan Qing had just registered a Weibo account. The usually aloof Dr. Luan was willing to help with such matters?
Nevertheless, Zhong Lu instinctively advised, “Dr. Luan, it’s chaotic on Weibo, it’s not suitable for you. Plus, you don’t know how to deal with these trolls.”
Luan Qing didn’t give up because of this. “I saw many students participating. I can debate with them.”
“Huh?” Zhong Lu paused and picked up his dropped jaw. “Then don’t use this newly registered account. Log in to my small account; otherwise, you might be reported as a navy.”
“Really? But I have real-name authentication on this account. I just applied for membership in the International Pharmacological Society. It shouldn’t take long to be approved. With real-name verification, I can tell the netizens that the team leader and Yan Yan are in a marital relationship. Isn’t that even better?”
Zhong Lu was dumbfounded and gave a thumbs-up. Right, Dr. Luan was different from him. Dr. Luan was a member of an international academic society; what a convincing identity! But now that he mentioned it, why didn’t Yan Yan just show their marriage certificate? Once that was shown, the rumor would debunk itself, right?
Of course Yan Yan was going to show the marriage certificate, but it wasn’t the right time yet. Let the bullets fly a bit. How would a reversal and a slap in the face feel so good?
Yan Yan tried on clothes while listening to Jiang Librant, mainly scolding about the netizens who edited the dog photos. Yan Yan casually agreed a few times, and he had a complete plan in mind.
If he was to do it, he would make a grand entrance. He wanted to shine and portray Long Fei as a loser as soon as the broadcast started.
So he was quite busy—choosing clothes, scheduling a makeup artist, and rearranging his strangely designed “live broadcast room” at home. It felt like a whirlwind afternoon of errands. He vaguely felt like he had forgotten something. He kept trying to recall, but was constantly interrupted by Jiang Li’s angry voice.
He didn’t recall until he saw Zhuang Yiyun calling. He had forgotten his appointment with Zhuang Yiyun. But it wasn’t even six yet; it wouldn’t be considered standing him up if he canceled now, right?
“I have something to do; I won’t be going today,” Yan Yan answered the phone. Thinking about the romantic scene from yesterday, he sounded genuinely disappointed. His movements of choosing clothes stopped. He felt like the one he held was too thick, and he would feel hot.
“Where are you?” The sound of Zhuang Yiyun closing the car door came from the other end.
Hearing Yan Yan’s voice, Zhuang Yiyun stopped unconsciously, as if he was carefully savoring his voice and discerning his emotions.
“You’re coming to find me?” Yan Yan’s anticipation was aroused, and he didn’t conceal his emotions.
“Yeah.”
After checking the time, Yan Yan said, “Then let me send you my location.”
