Chapter 59

The biennial Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Vehicle Conference will be held in Nanyue City. Zuo Xutong, the youngest hydrogen energy expert in Longjin City, has been invited to attend the conference.

Luan Mingfeng was also an invited guest and was required to speak at the meeting. Before leaving work, he opened the PowerPoint presentation his assistant had prepared for him, preparing to familiarize himself with the content of his speech in advance.

"Hydrogen energy is an important carrier for green and low-carbon transformation and a crucial pathway to achieving dual-carbon goals. It holds significant strategic importance for ensuring national energy security and promoting sustainable social development..."

After finishing the first page, he switched to the second, which also contained several densely packed paragraphs of text. Flipping further, he encountered bar charts, pie charts, line graphs… all of which required him to explain on the spot, leaving him completely overwhelmed.

After finally getting past the charts, the product introduction section is filled with a dizzying array of numbers: "The new generation HEI-180 fuel cell stack uses metal-clad bipolar plates, increasing power from 150 kW to 180 kW, with a single stack rated power of 250 kW and a power density of 2.5 kW/L. It has passed the -30℃ low-temperature cold start test, and its design life can reach..."

Luan Mingfeng turned off the PPT, rubbed his temples, and sat in his chair in a daze for a long time. In fact, he also wanted to do a good job in his career, but every time he saw those technical theories and data, he felt dizzy.

Finally, he picked up his phone and called his assistant, Xiao Zhang: "Hey, I won't be attending the meeting the day after tomorrow. Can Director Jiang attend in my place?"

After handing the task over to someone else, he felt incredibly relieved. He glanced at the diamond watch on his wrist; it was almost five o'clock, and there were still three hours until the dinner party at eight o'clock that evening.

He opened WeChat and found a profile picture of a beautiful woman. It was a pretty girl he had met a few days ago at the coffee shop downstairs. She had accidentally spilled her coffee on him while giving way to someone.

He opened the chat window with her and typed a few words: Are you free?

Yes, she replied quickly, even sending a smiling emoji. It seemed she had a good impression of him. Luan Mingfeng smiled, he always managed to gain a sense of accomplishment from this.

The two met at a hotel near the company. As soon as they entered the room, they kissed passionately. From the entrance hall to the sofa, and then to the bed, when Luan Mingfeng removed the last piece of clothing from Qin Zhenzhen's body, he suddenly asked, as if by some strange impulse, "You said last time that your husband also works nearby. Which company does he work for?"

With so many companies in the office building, he couldn't believe such a coincidence could happen.

When Qin Zhenzhen uttered the words "polar blue sky," he paused for a moment. After a few seconds, he came to his senses and looked at the face flushed with lust beneath him, and the body that made his blood boil. Reason vanished completely.

After the passion subsided, Luan Mingfeng lit a cigarette. The woman beside him was already asleep. This body, which had just been so intimately connected with him, now felt utterly unfamiliar to him. In one physical entanglement after another, devoid of emotional connection, his longing for love had been completely exhausted.

The intense physical release he had just experienced did not bring him comfort or satisfaction; instead, it plunged him into an indescribable unease and confusion. A profound emptiness spread through his body, and he felt like a soulless shell, staring blankly at the clothes scattered on the bed, as if half of his life had been condensed onto this single bed.

His hand unconsciously rested on the woman's shoulder, repeatedly caressing her smooth, delicate skin. After a while, he stubbed out his cigarette, turned his head, and stared greedily at her bare breasts, his body reacting again. He lowered his head and kissed the woman's face, trying to awaken her and have her repeat the "reproduction" game that all animals and insects in the world instinctively know.

To conform is to be human, to defy is to be immortal. Every time the devil offers him an apple, he bites into it without hesitation. Pure love leads to downfall, pure thoughts lead to flight. He watches his soul plummet into the abyss, unable to escape.

On Tuesday evening, Zuo Xutong and Peng Kun took the same flight to Nanyue. Only the two of them from Huacheng Technology attended the conference. Throughout the journey, Peng Kun behaved utterly lacking in gentlemanly manners. Upon arriving at the airport, he tossed his suitcase to Zuo Xutong, then walked ahead with one hand in his pocket and the other carrying a water bottle. Zuo Xutong, carrying a travel bag on her shoulder and pulling two suitcases, had to jog to catch up with him.

After the two finished checking their luggage and going through security, he handed her the water cup he was holding and said, "Go get me a cup of water."

Fortunately, the two were not seated next to each other on the plane, which saved her from being enslaved for more than two hours.

After getting off the plane, she became a laborer again, carrying his luggage to his hotel room before she could catch her breath. Just as she was about to go back to her own room to rest, he said, "There's a buffet restaurant upstairs, let's go check it out."

"I'm not hungry, I don't want to eat," Zuo Xutong said.

"I didn't ask you to eat; I wanted you to help me carry the plates." Actually, Peng Kun's right hand had regained about 30-40% of its strength. Although he couldn't lift heavy objects or perform fine motor skills, carrying a plate was still no problem. But he deliberately acted as if he couldn't take care of himself, just to make her give up.

To my surprise, she readily nodded and agreed.

They stayed at the hotel closest to the conference center, and their transportation and accommodation were arranged in advance by the company. The hotel had a high-end buffet restaurant on the top floor, offering Chinese food, Western food, seafood, all kinds of desserts and fruits... everything imaginable.

The restaurant was filled with steaming heat and delicious aromas. Zuo Xutong kept putting food on her plate while swallowing hard. Peng Kun stood to the side gesturing and saying, "Tiger skin green peppers, curry shrimp... two xiaolongbao... yeah, and a bowl of pumpkin soup... take less, you want me to stuff myself to death?"

She finally breathed a sigh of relief when he sat down.

"I'm going back now," she said.

"Don't go! What if I want to eat something else later?"

Zuo Xutong was a little speechless. He was holding chopsticks in his left hand, his movements as practiced as if he were left-handed. She deliberately asked, "Is your hand okay? Do you need me to feed you?"

“No need,” Peng Kun said without looking up. “If you’re bored, go get me a glass of orange juice.”

Zuo Xutong brought over some orange juice, placed it in front of Peng Kun, and asked, "Don't you feel uncomfortable when people are watching you eat?"

"What's there to be upset about? I'm not the one who's envious." He put down his chopsticks, took a sip of orange juice, and saw her sitting across from him watching him eat. He couldn't help but laugh. "Anyway, it's your choice whether you eat or not, but your meal has already been paid for."

When was it paid?

"The company booked a room that includes a buffet dinner."

"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Zuo Xutong was filled with regret. If she had known that the room rate included dinner, she would never have eaten airplane food. Now, even the most delicious dishes were no longer palatable.

A few minutes later, she wandered between the various buffet areas with her tray, picking and choosing before finally managing to grab a few items. On her way back, she saw from afar that there was another person at Peng Kun's table. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Jiang Zhuo.

"What a coincidence, you're here for a meeting too?" Zuo Xutong greeted him with a smile.

"I'm here on behalf of President Luan."

Upon hearing this person's name, she fell silent, took a bite of the radish cake, and changed the subject, saying, "This XO sauce radish cake is so delicious; I doubt there's any more authentic one in the world."

“If you want to eat here again, just come to Nan Yue and I’ll treat you,” Jiang Zhuo said.

Zuo Xutong looked at him in surprise, clearly not understanding what he meant.

“I’m going to resign soon and come to a new energy company in Nanyue.” After saying that, Jiang Zhuo sighed heavily and explained, “The Luan Group is going to sell Polar Blue Sky, and Chaoma is also laying off a lot of people. I heard that they will cut off the fuel cell business next year.”

"Why?" Zuo Xutong was even more surprised.

"The Luan Group's real estate business is suffering heavy losses, and the group's other industries are all funding its real estate business," Jiang Zhuo said.

"Is the Crown Prince unaware of the group's situation?" Zuo Xutong couldn't help but ask.

"President Luan is only interested in the group's service industry. A few years ago, his father handed over the management of the group's hotels and restaurants to him, and he managed them in an orderly manner. However, he is not interested in the technology industry such as new energy, so now he ignores the 'politics' all day long and is just waiting for the company to be sold."

Zuo Xutong was still shaken. Luan Mingfeng had said last time that after marrying her, all the family property would be hers. Who knew she might end up with a mountain of debt instead of the property? The ancients said, "Moral character passed down through generations lasts for more than ten generations; farming and reading are next; poetry and books are next; but wealth rarely lasts more than three generations." It seems the wisdom of the ancients should not be underestimated.