Chapter 72 The weather in Los Angeles is great.
At 11 p.m., the building of the USC School of Financial Engineering was still brightly lit.
The formula on the whiteboard had already reached the Nth layer. Mark was frantically typing code while chewing on an energy bar, and the other three team members were arguing about something in front of the projector.
Yan Shuang stared at the code flashing on the screen, when suddenly a clear "gurgle" came from her stomach.
“Wow,” Mark peeked out from behind the monitor, “Yan’s stomach is protesting.”
The other group members burst into laughter. Emma, the blonde, mimicked in a high-pitched voice, "'This algorithm is wrong'... *gurgle*... 'The module must be rewritten'... *gurgle*..."
Yan Shuang awkwardly covered her stomach as there was a gentle knock on the laboratory door.
The door opened.
Lin Chengyu stood at the door, his black hair slightly damp, as if he had just walked out of the night fog of Los Angeles.
He was carrying several paper bags with red logos in his left hand, and the steaming aroma was already wafting in.
"I heard someone's hungry?" His gaze swept past the crowd and landed directly on Yan Shuang.
Mark whistled: "Our savior has arrived!"
Yan Shuang looked at him, puzzled, and asked, "How come you have time to come over?"
Lin Chengyu walked in and placed the taro bubble tea in front of Yan Shuang. "Eat something first,"
“Lin Chengyu,” Mark grinned and leaned closer, “your image as the perfect Chinese boyfriend is just too solid, isn’t it?”
Lin Chengyu chuckled lightly, not denying it, but simply laid out the Hong Kong-style dim sum from the paper bag one by one and placed it in front of Yan Shuang.
Yan Shuang laughed and said, "Don't talk nonsense, we're just friends."
Lin Chengyu paused in his hand as he was disassembling disposable chopsticks.
"Hmm." He handed her the sharpened chopsticks. "My mom insisted that I come."
"Thank you," Yan Shuang said, starving. She quickly took a bite of the shrimp dumpling and asked indistinctly, "What brings you here?"
Lin Chengyu took out an exquisite pearl handbag and handed it to her: "This is what my sister left behind last night."
"Oh, I forgot about this," she said with a smile as she took it. "Thank you for bringing it over. Were you and Auntie alright last night?"
Lin Chengyu leaned against the lab table, looking at her thoughtfully: "We're fine. But you..." He paused, "You suddenly left with President Shang last night, was it something urgent?"
Yan Shuang slowed down her chewing.
Recalling the tense atmosphere at the banquet last night, she suddenly lost her appetite. She forced down her food before saying, "It's nothing, it's just that my aunt bought me so many clothes yesterday. I'll calculate the discount based on the retail price and return the money to you."
"Sister," he said with a helpless smile, but his gaze was unusually serious, "do you really have to be so calculating with me?"
Just as Yan Shuang was thinking of how to politely decline, Mark suddenly poked his head out from between the two computers, "I know, I know!"
Speaking in broken Chinese, he proudly raised his index finger and said, "At times like these, you have to say, even brothers should keep clear accounts!"
A burst of laughter erupted in the laboratory.
Yan Shuang smiled and praised, "Your Chinese has improved so quickly."
Amidst the laughter, Lin Chengyu's lips curled up slightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
His voice was so soft it was drowned out by the noise: "Then you owe me far too much."
Yan Shuang put down her chopsticks.
"Not to your liking?" Lin Chengyu pushed the rose cheese pastry towards her.
"It's delicious." Yan Shuang picked up a napkin. "I'm just... full."
Lin Chengyu's gaze fell on her; she had only eaten one shrimp dumpling, leaving the rest untouched.
As the clock struck midnight, the team members packed up the pile of draft papers and coffee cups on the table, preparing to leave.
Mark stretched lazily, then suddenly jumped up and slapped the whiteboard: "Guys! Final sprint!"
His voice was hoarse from staying up all night, but it couldn't hide his excitement.
The laboratory suddenly became lively.
Emma chimed in, "Let's give it our all! Once we succeed, I'm going to sleep for three days and three nights!"
"I'll treat everyone to hot pot!" A Korean junior raised his hand, "The spiciest kind!"
As Yan Shuang watched the busy figures in the laboratory, a sour and swollen emotion welled up in her chest.
The worn-off letters on the computer keyboard of the laboratory operating model, each key recording the traces of their joint efforts.
She couldn't bear to end it all; she couldn't bear to part with the coffee the other members had bought for her every time she walked in at noon; she couldn't bear to part with the warmth of everyone squeezing onto the sofa for a nap when she was extremely sleepy in the afternoon; and she couldn't bear to part with the unspoken cheers and hugs after each breakthrough.
This project has long since become more than just cold code and data; it has become such a vibrant part of her life.
"Hey, Miss Yan, don't cry!" Mark came over.
"Who's going to cry!" Yan Shuang laughed and slapped his hand away.
"Yan, can you manage your time?" Emma asked with concern.
Yan Shuang silently calculated in her mind that there were only two weeks left in the project, and her annual leave this year would be just enough.
She doesn't have anything important to do at the company right now; it's just routine work.
"I'll ask my boss for a leave of absence," she finally said. "I'll focus on fully cooperating with the project during this time."
The laboratory lights gradually went out.
Yan Shuang packed her backpack and walked towards the elevator with her team members.
Lin Chengyu walked naturally to her side. "I'll take you home."
Yan Shuang shook her head, "No need, President Shang has assigned me a driver."
She recalled how Shangqiu Zhu had instructed her in the office at noon that day.
"I'll take LeBron with me wherever I go from now on."
She was in a hurry to leave, picked up her bag, and was about to walk past him when she said, "Okay, I'm leaving now."
He noticed her nonchalance and took her hand. "He's quite skilled. He carried out undercover missions on the border for seven years. Next time... we'll take him with us wherever we go, understand?"
Yan Shuang never imagined that Lao Zhan, who would ask her with a smile every day, "Did you have a good day?", would have such a legendary experience.
Lin Chengyu stood beside her, his gaze fixed intently on the black sedan.
"Well... goodbye." Yan Shuang waved to Lin Chengyu, then turned and ran towards the car.
-
Yan You, arm in arm with the business owner's mother, stopped in front of the jewelry counter.
"How about this one?" The merchant's mother pointed to a necklace studded with diamonds in the glass case, the pendant being a rare pink diamond. "It suits you very well."
Yan You immediately broke into a sweet smile, her eyes and brows radiating just the right amount of joy: "Auntie has excellent taste." She leaned affectionately on Mrs. Shang's shoulder, "I just don't know if Qiu Zhu will like it..."
Mentioning Shang Qiuzhu, a hint of apology appeared on Shang's mother's face: "I'm so sorry to have troubled you. Qiuzhu has been busy abroad and hasn't had time to spend with you."
Yan You's smile froze for a moment.
He not only didn't have time to spend with her, but it was as if he had vanished into thin air.
We've never had a video call, and nine out of ten phone calls go unanswered. Occasionally, when the call connects, the caller quickly hangs up after a few words, saying "I'm busy."
“Youyou,” Mrs. Shang suddenly lowered her voice, “how is Qiu Zhu doing lately? He always says he’s busy and doesn’t talk much to the family.”
Yan You doesn't even know what Shangqiu Zhu is busy with right now, so what can she say about his recent situation?
"He... is fine." She lowered her head to straighten her skirt, concealing the panic in her eyes. "It's just that he's too busy with work and often stays up late."
Have you been in frequent contact lately?
“Of course!” Yan You’s voice suddenly rose, drawing curious glances from the shop assistant. “He told me yesterday…” she paused for a second, “that the weather in Los Angeles is great.”
Mrs. Shang patted her hand with relief: "That's good. I'm relieved that you two have a good relationship."
Yan You smiled and nodded, then turned to look at the shop window. The glass reflected her exquisite makeup and the barely concealed melancholy in her eyes.
After buying the jewelry, Mrs. Shang glanced at her watch and said to Yan You, "I need to go to Cuihu Villa. Qiu Zhu has a painting he wants me to pick up."
"Then I'll go with you," Yan You said with a gentle smile. "It'll be a good opportunity to see if there's anything in the house that needs decorating, after all..."
She paused at just the right moment, a shy blush rising on her face, "Our wedding room will be ready soon."
The mother patted her hand with satisfaction: "You're such a thoughtful child."
Sitting in the car, Yan You gazed at the scenery rushing past the window.
This was her first time visiting Cuihu Villa.
She asked Shangqiu Zhu countless times, but was always refused on the grounds of "inconvenience".
On what grounds?
She, the fiancée, actually had to accompany her future mother-in-law to step into her fiancé's house?
If those entertainment reporters and heiresses in the industry knew, they'd probably laugh their heads off.
A hint of resentment flashed in her eyes.
But it's okay.
Soon all of this will change.
As the car drove through the gate, Yan You's lips curled into a confident smile.
Yan You took Mrs. Shang's arm and walked into the living room. She raised her chin slightly and scanned every corner of the house like a radar.
very good.
There were no traces of a woman's life left behind.
Yan You's tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.
She walked slowly by, imagining the scene of sitting here with Shangqiu Zhu in the future.
In the morning, they ate breakfast together;
In the evening, they can watch the sunset side by side on the terrace;
at night...
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she glanced toward the master bedroom.
Mrs. Shang brought a painting from the study and saw Yan You standing by the window, lost in thought. She smiled and asked, "Do you like it here?"
Yan You snapped out of her daze, a perfectly measured blush appearing on her face: "I like it very much."
She looked around and thought, "I just feel... it seems to be lacking the presence of a mistress of the house."
Before he finished speaking, a middle-aged woman wearing an apron walked out of the kitchen.
"Mrs. Shang is here!" Aunt Zhou wiped her hands on her apron, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she turned to Yan You. "Miss Yan is here too!"
Yan You smiled sweetly and said, "Hello, Auntie."
She subconsciously thought she had seen this nanny in the old commercial building or the old house.
Aunt Zhou said warmly, "I've improved the coffee recipe you taught me last time, and I'd love to have you try it on for me!"
Yan You's smile froze on her face.
In a flash, she suddenly understood something.
"Auntie." She smiled, her voice soft yet carrying a hint of coldness, "Where...did I teach you how to make coffee last time?"
Aunt Zhou paused for a moment, then smiled and waved her hand: "Miss Yan is just too forgetful. Wasn't it right here last time?" She pointed towards the kitchen, "and you even personally demonstrated the pour-over method."
A shadow of gloom flashed in Yan You's eyes, and her carefully drawn lips drooped inch by inch.
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