Ling Yue answered the phone without hesitation: "Hello."

The other party didn't say anything. If it weren't for the slight breathing sound, Ling Yue would have thought the call had been hung up.

Although I knew from No. 7 that the call was from Qian Zilin.

However, more than a minute had passed since the call was connected, and the huge silence made Ling Yue feel anxious.

"Uncle Qian?" Ling Yue asked in a low voice.

The other party did not answer, and just when Ling Yue didn't know what to do.

Qian Zilin's low voice came.

"Lingyue, the Qinghai project has been stopped."

Ling Yue was stunned. She knew every word, but when they were put together, her head was a mess.

"Wha, what do you mean."

"What they're saying is that funding is insufficient, resources are insufficient, and the drought continues. We must prioritize the people."

Qian Zilin said this and took a deep breath. He understood the difficulties above.

Unfortunately, although I understand, I just can’t accept it.

After nearly a year of hard work, starting from zero to now slowly seeing a glimmer of hope, it was suddenly stopped at this moment.

It feels like a constipated person who finally poops out a little, but has to hold it back to make room for others.

"Lingyue, I feel..." uncomfortable and sad.

She stood there, the backs of people working in Qinghai replaying in her mind over and over again.

She was not there in person, but she could imagine Qian Zilin and Mr. Zhu burying their heads in the table, drawing the blueprints.

She could imagine the technicians holding the blueprints and measuring the parameters at the base.

She could also imagine that in the dark night, there would always be people who would disobey and hide their lighting tools under the quilt to read their notes.

Ling Yue took a deep breath: "Where is the funds reserved for the second phase of the plan?"

"No," Qian Zilin sighed. "Because of the national conditions, we didn't reserve funds for the second phase when we made the plan. Moreover, even if we did, it's impossible for the higher-ups to allocate funds given the current situation."

When Ling Yue heard Qian Zilin's words, her heart skipped a beat.

As a member of the research team, she knows this feeling.

Scientific research has long been not just a job, but a responsibility.

They hatched him, nurtured him, watched him grow slowly, and finally broke out of the cocoon, becoming dazzling and illuminating the land. When this happened, it was no longer something that could be measured by the salary in their hands.

Ling Yue opened her plan. It took her a long time to come up with this plan, but even if she had many ideas, she had to put them aside for now.

'Fortunately, there is still time.'

I calculated the time in my mind and couldn't help but comfort myself.

Even though she comforted herself mentally, her throat still felt clogged. Ling Yue tried to speak, but in the end, she feigned a relaxed tone, her lips curled upwards. "It's okay, Uncle Qian. Seal up all the relevant documents, regardless of whether they are confidential or not. This plan will be restarted sooner or later. There's no rush."

The last two words were so light, so light that no one believed them.

How could Qian Zilin not know what Ling Yue could think of?

But knowing is one thing, and accepting it calmly is another.

As a scientific researcher, having my plan put on hold was undoubtedly a huge blow.

He has not been in a clear mind since he received the notice.

The two of them were on the phone for a long time without saying a word. The breathing sounds coming from the receiver indicated that neither of them had hung up.

Time always passes slowly in silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Ling Yue was about to speak when she heard Qian Zilin's voice.

"I'm fine, Lingyue, don't worry, I still have a lot to do."

Ling Yue didn't know what to say, so she could only nod.

She knew that the other party couldn't see her, but she still couldn't make a sound.

"Okay, you must not have eaten yet, go eat first, I have a meeting."

Ling Yue pursed her lips and said softly, "Okay."

"Uncle Qian, Mr. Zhu, we are old now, maybe..."

"Your Grandpa Zhu has never been a weak person. He will understand."

After hanging up the phone, Ling Yue sat blankly at the table. In front of her was the laser plan, and the screen projected by the microcomputer on her wrist was in front of her. The small office seemed even quieter.

Or maybe it was because Ling Yue had been in for too long, and Zhang Jia noticed something was wrong.

She knocked on the wooden door carrying the heated food.

The tapping sound seemed a bit eerie in the empty room, but it also brought Ling Yue back to her senses from her thoughts.

"Come in."

Ling Yue gathered her thoughts and spoke loudly.

"Academician Ling, eat first and think about it later."

If it were in the past, Zhang Jia wouldn't have said anything, he would have just given him a look.

But the atmosphere today was not right, and the voice became calmer and gentler.

"Okay," Ling Yue said nothing, took the food that had not yet been eaten, and started eating it in big mouthfuls.

The idea that you can’t eat because you’re in a bad mood doesn’t exist.

All I can do now is take good care of my health and wait for the next project to restart. I believe it won’t take too long.

Qian Zilin, who was far away in Qinghai, had the same idea.

"So, no room for maneuver?"

Mr. Zhu strode in. He was already 70 years old, his back was slightly bent, and he didn't look very well.

Qian Zilin shook his head slightly: "I didn't ask Ling Yue to go to the Forbidden City to tell her."

When he called, he really wanted Ling Yue to go and talk to him, and at least he had to insist on completing this phase of the project.

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