Family Dinner
News of the project's successful approval spread quickly throughout the Department of Smart Cultural Heritage. Counselor Zhou Sisi immediately shared the good news in the class group and publicly praised the "Yuguang" team.
For a time, the Yuguang team became the star team in the department.
The departure for Qingwa Town was scheduled for a week later. During this week, the team members were busy handling various procedures, purchasing equipment, and refining the inspection plan.
Lu Yu, on the other hand, was busy with a more important personal matter.
On Friday afternoon, Lu Yu received a call from Lu Yao.
"Hey, sis."
"My dear brother, I heard you guys successfully won that big project?" Lu Yao's voice sounded even more excited than Lu Yu himself. "You're incredible! Not only did you win her heart, but your career is also flourishing. You're worthy of being my brother, Lu Yao."
"Of course." Lu Yu smiled proudly.
"Okay, stop joking and get down to business." Lu Yao's tone suddenly became serious. "I'm going on a long trip next week. Before you leave, bring your sister-in-law out for a proper meal with me, your sister, and your childhood friends."
Lu Yu was stunned for a moment: "Ah? So fast?"
"What's the hurry?" Lu Yao said anxiously, "You're going to take her out to elope, so you have to let us, her family, approve it first. It's settled. Sunday night, I'll make the arrangements. You're responsible for bringing her here safely."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Yu felt a little nervous.
He knew that this meal, though in name only a practice, was actually a family dinner. The "childhood friends" Lu Yao mentioned were all close friends he had grown up with; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them family.
He turned to look at Shi Guang who was reading quietly, and found it difficult to speak.
He was afraid that Shi Guang would feel pressured and that he would not be able to adapt to such lively occasions.
"What's wrong?" Shi Guang seemed to notice that he was hesitant to speak, and raised his head and asked.
Lu Yu hesitated for a moment, but decided to speak the truth. He walked over to Shi Guang and sat down, repeating Lu Yao's "instructions" word for word.
"...My sister is just blindly enthusiastic. If you don't want to go, I'll tell her we're busy and just turn it down." Lu Yu carefully observed Shi Guang's expression.
After listening to this, Shi Guang looked at the expectation and worry that could not be hidden on Lu Yu's face, and nodded slightly.
"Okay, I'll go."
Lu Yu's eyes lit up instantly: "Really? You don't have to force yourself."
"No need to force it." Shi Guang looked at him and said seriously, "I want to... get to know your family and friends."
He wanted to enter Lu Yu's world and see what kind of environment had shaped such a warm and dazzling Lu Yu.
Sunday evening, Jiangnan Yan Restaurant.
This is a well-known private restaurant in Jiangcheng, with a quiet and elegant environment. Lu Yao had already booked a large private room with a view of the courtyard.
When Lu Yu and Shi Guang arrived, Lu Yao and two other boys had already arrived.
"Oh, our hero is finally here!" A girl with neat short hair and a cheerful temperament stood up first. She was Lu Yao.
She walked quickly up to the two of them, and her eyes immediately fell on Shi Guang.
"Hello, I'm Lu Yu's sister, Lu Yao." She smiled and extended her hand. "Finally, I've met you in person. You're a hundred times more beautiful than in the photo. Our Lu Yu must have been blessed to have found you."
Her enthusiastic and unpretentious opening remarks instantly relieved most of Shi Guang's tension.
"Hello, senior." Shi Guang shook hands with her somewhat stiffly.
"Why call me senior sister? Just follow Lu Yu and call me sister." Lu Yao pulled him and pressed him into the seat next to her, then pointed at the other two boys and introduced them.
"This shady guy is called Zhou Zizhe. My family runs a gas station, and he's nicknamed the Oil King of Jiangcheng. He's Lu Yu's number one crony. If you ever find out Lu Yu has gone astray, he'll be the first one to be punished."
When Zhou Zizhe saw Shi Guang, he immediately smiled brightly and took the initiative to greet him: "Hello, sister-in-law! I've heard of your great name for a long time, and today I finally see you alive! I'm Zhou Zizhe. If Lu Yu dares to bully you in the future, tell me and I'll help you beat him up!"
The gentleman next to him, who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looked very refined, also stood up, pushed his glasses, and said with a smile, "Hello, my name is Qin Lang, and I run a small law firm. If you have any legal problems in the future, or if you want to bully Lu Yu, feel free to contact me. I will serve you for free."
Although each of these people looks extraordinary, their words and actions reveal a heartfelt acceptance and kindness towards time.
At the dinner table, they talked about their childhood embarrassments and exposed each other's shortcomings. In front of them, Lu Yu completely relaxed, no longer the omnipotent monitor, but a big boy who would make mistakes and be criticized.
Shi Guang just sat quietly by and listened, and occasionally he would be amused by them and the corners of his mouth would unconsciously curl up into a slight arc.
Lu Yao had been observing him silently. She noticed that although Shi Guang was a quiet man, he would always use his serving chopsticks to put every dish on the table into Lu Yu's bowl first. And Lu Yu would also pick out the cilantro that he disliked.
That kind of tacit understanding that requires no words cannot deceive anyone.
Halfway through the meal, Lu Yao raised her glass.
"Come, let's toast to the new member of our family." She looked at Shi Guang with sincere eyes, "Shi Guang, I don't know what a jerk Lu Yu was in the past, but if he dares to bully you in the future, you be the first to tell me, and I will help you deal with him."
"That's right! We are all your family!" Zhou Zizhe and Qin Lang also joined in the fun.
The day after the family dinner, when the heated discussion about the Yuguang team on the campus forum had not yet died down, Lu Yu received a message from Lin Yueran on his phone.
[Lin Yueran: Lu Yu, you are now a big celebrity in school, congratulations.]
The tone of the message was calm, but Lu Yu could sense a hint of complex emotions hidden within it. He knew that he had been in such a hurry to leave the welcome party that night that he hadn't had time to explain things to them clearly, which was very irresponsible.
He glanced at Shi Guang, who was sorting professional books beside him, and replied on his phone:
Lu Yu: Thank you. Are you free this afternoon? I'll treat you to a drink at the South Gate Cafe. There's something I want to discuss with you in person.
【Lin Yueran: Okay.】
Lu Yu and Shi Guang arrived early and chose a quiet booth by the window.
"Are you nervous?" Lu Yu held Shi Guang's hand under the table and asked softly.
Shi Guang shook his head, but his pursed lips still revealed that his heart was not completely at peace. He knew that the person he was going to meet today was the girl who had once plunged him into the abyss of despair.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Lu Yu squeezed his hand.
A few minutes later, Lin Yueran, dressed in casual clothes, walked in. She immediately spotted Lu Yu and Shi Guang, who was sitting quietly beside him. When she saw their clasped hands, her eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't show much surprise.
"I saw the post on the forum," Lin Yueran said straight to the point as she sat down across from them. "So, on the night of the welcome party..."
"I'm sorry, Yueran." Lu Yu spoke first, his tone very sincere, "I was wrong that night. I left you and ran away, and I didn't explain to you right away afterwards."
He paused, and placed his hand, which was clasped with Shi Guang's, on the table without covering it at all.
"Let me introduce you formally." Lu Yu looked at Lin Yueran with a frank and serious look in his eyes. "This is Shi Guang, my boyfriend."
Then, he turned to Shi Guang, his tone softening: "Shi Guang, this is Lin Yueran. I mentioned to you before that our two families are old friends. She is like my own sister."
Shi Guang raised his head and nodded slightly to Lin Yueran as a greeting.
Lin Yueran looked at them, silent for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing. In that smile, there was a sense of sudden enlightenment, relief, and a hint of self-mockery at feeling foolish.
"Okay, Lu Yu." She looked at Lu Yu, shaking her head and sighing, "You hid it well enough. After all this time, the surprise I and my sisters carefully prepared ended up becoming the key prop used to create misunderstandings in your grand confession script?"
Lu Yu touched his nose awkwardly and said, "I swear, it was a complete accident. If I had known you were coming, I would have definitely stopped you in advance."
"Okay, I understand." Lin Yueran picked up the lemonade brought by the waiter and took a sip, then looked at Shi Guang who had been silent all the time.
"Hello, Shi Guang." This time, her tone became very sincere. "Although what happened that night was a misunderstanding, it must have caused you trouble. I apologize to you on behalf of me and my friends."
She was a smart girl, and from Lu Yu's nervous and protective attitude, she immediately figured out the whole story.
"It's okay." Shi Guang finally spoke in a soft voice.
"That's good." Lin Yueran smiled generously and stood up. "Alright, just explain it clearly. I won't disturb your world of two, or I'll become some weird prop again."
She walked over to Lu Yu and patted his shoulder vigorously, just like when they were little. "Anyway, congratulations, brother. Be nice to my sister-in-law in the future, or we won't agree."
After saying that, she waved her hand and left gracefully.
Lu Yu didn't say anything. He picked up his cup and gently touched Shi Guang's cup, making a crisp sound.
The sunlight shone on them through the glass windows, warm and bright.
All the waves caused by misunderstandings have calmed down. What remains is the sunny journey to Qingwa Town that is about to begin together.
Qingwa Town is remote and the conditions are unknown. This is not only an academic investigation, but also a test of teamwork and emergency response capabilities.
The next morning, when Lu Yu was still communicating and coordinating the progress with the team members, Shi Guang had already knocked on the door of the school's Asset Management Office alone, holding a project proposal with the college's official seal.
The person who opened the door was a middle-aged teacher wearing glasses.
"Hello, Professor." Shi Guang nodded politely. "I'm Shi Guang, a freshman in the Department of Wisdom and Cultural Heritage. We're part of the Sichuan West Ancient Town Innovation Project, and we'd like to borrow some professional equipment."
Teacher Li pushed his glasses up, took the documents he handed over, glanced at the project name and the list of responsible persons: "Oh, Yuguang Team, right? I've read your defense report, it's excellent."
Although his tone was flat, there was a hint of approval in his eyes.
"Thank you, teacher."
"Tell me, what do you need?" asked Teacher Li.
"We need to borrow a handheld 3D scanner and two mobile graphics workstations." The names of the equipment Shiguang listed were all the most advanced equipment in the laboratory, which were rarely loaned out.
Teacher Li raised his eyebrows slightly. "Those are quite demanding. These devices are very expensive and complicated to operate. Are you sure you can use them properly?"
"Yes," Shi Guang answered without hesitation. "I've studied the operating manuals and technical specifications of all the equipment, and have performed multiple simulated operations using virtual simulation software. I can guarantee that, following the standard procedures, no damage will be caused to the equipment."
His composure and professionalism, which transcended his age, gradually transformed Teacher Li's scrutiny into admiration. He nodded and pulled out a form from the drawer.
"Okay, I'm relieved to hear you say that." He handed the form to Shi Guang, "Fill out the loan application, specifying the purpose and return date. You're bringing honor to the school, and the school will definitely fully support your equipment needs. But remember, these are our treasures, so you must take good care of them."
"Of course, thank you, teacher."
Half an hour later, Shi Guang successfully completed all the formalities and rushed to attend the team meeting.
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