Chapter 127 Time Bomb
When Mas saw Director Huang leading the Minister of Health into their project team's laboratory, he immediately brazenly stood next to the team leader, trying his best to strike up a conversation with the Minister of Health.
The Minister of Health glanced at everyone and asked with a smile, "How is your research progressing?"
Before the team leader could answer, Mas interrupted, "Under the team leader's leadership, our analgesic drug project team is currently progressing steadily. We have already screened suitable traditional Chinese medicine extracts, passed animal trials, and are now working on optimizing the extraction process to reduce impurities in the extracts..."
The team leader's face turned very ugly after hearing Maas's words. It wasn't because Maas was wrong, but because these words should never have come from Maas's mouth. Instead, it should have been him, as the team leader, reporting the progress of the project to the Minister of Health.
In front of Director Huang and the Minister of Health, he couldn't lose his temper. He could only wait for Mas to finish speaking, then casually push Mas aside and take over answering the Minister of Health's question.
The two finished their back-and-forth exchange with the Minister of Health. After the Minister left the laboratory, the group leader's smile vanished instantly. He looked at Mas and questioned him mercilessly, "Comrade Mas, what were you doing just now? Didn't I remind you last night? Apart from me, everyone else should try not to get too close to the Minister, so as not to disturb his inspection."
Maas smiled awkwardly and explained, "I didn't disturb the minister's work. I was just reporting to the minister on the progress of our project team."
Upon hearing this, the team leader was furious and retorted angrily, "I haven't even left this project team yet! I, as the team leader, haven't given any orders, so who are you to report to!"
Seeing his colleagues looking at him strangely, Ma Si forced himself to say, "It was Deputy Director Liu who ordered me to do this."
The team leader took a deep breath, thinking that he couldn't offend Deputy Director Liu, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I won't pursue this this time, but if you do it again, you'll be in charge of cleaning the glassware in the laboratory!"
Seeing that the team leader had given in, Mas's eyes flashed with a hint of smugness, and he said casually, "I understand, team leader."
The team leader now feels aggrieved whenever he sees Mas, and wishes he could beat him up to vent his anger. However, because of Deputy Director Liu, he cannot do anything to Mas, so he can only leave the laboratory and return to the office area to work.
The other group members looked at Mas with admiration. One of the interns whispered, "Comrade Mas, you're really something. You even offended the group leader. Aren't you worried that the group leader will make things difficult for you later?"
Mas revealed a smug expression and said confidently, "Slapping my face is the same as slapping Deputy Director Liu's face. The team leader wouldn't be so foolish."
If it weren't for Deputy Director Liu standing behind him, he wouldn't have dared to interrupt the team leader. As long as he could be remembered by the Minister of Health, even if it was just to be recognized, it would be worth the sacrifice.
Even if Deputy Director Liu finds out about this, he'll forgive him because the Minister of Health remembers him; he's not the kind of person who acts rashly.
Another intern sighed, "I really envy you. With Deputy Director Liu protecting you, you have the opportunity to speak with the Minister of Health. Unlike us, we can only bury ourselves in our work. I originally wanted to join Comrade Lin Yuanshu's project team, but I didn't succeed."
Before the intern mentioned it, Mas hadn't thought of the matter. But as soon as the intern brought it up, Mas remembered the interns' betrayal of him. His expression turned extremely ugly as he said, "Stop thinking about taking shortcuts. Doing your jobs well is what you should be doing the most."
Upon hearing this, the group members fell silent. It wasn't that they thought what Mas said made sense, but rather they were astonished at how Mas had the audacity to say such a thing. They felt that compared to Mas, they were already on the right path, and that it was Mas who was the one who really wanted to take the crooked path.
Maas's words caused them to lose their desire to flatter him, and they returned to their posts without saying a word to continue their work for the day.
Mas was not unaware of the dissatisfaction among the team members, but he didn't care. After all, they weren't on the same page. With the help of Deputy Director Liu, he was sure he would soon become an assistant researcher and, like Lin Yuanshu, be in charge of a project on his own.
After the Minister of Health inspected several project teams, Director Huang finally took him to the laboratory of Lin Yuanshu's project team.
It wasn't that Director Huang deliberately prevented the minister from inspecting Lin Yuanshu's project team earlier; rather, Director Huang had been leading the minister through the laboratories one by one in order.
As soon as the minister entered the laboratory, he greeted Lin Yuanshu warmly and asked quite naturally, "Comrade Lin, it's been a long time. How is your project going? Have you encountered any difficulties?"
Lin Yuanshu calmly walked up to the minister and began to explain how good their improved simplified purification process was, and how the progress was not going smoothly, so they could only make empty promises.
No one expected that the Minister of Health and Lin Yuanshu had such a good relationship. The two seemed very familiar with each other. But it makes sense, because if they didn't get along, the Minister wouldn't have entrusted this project to Lin Yuanshu.
The minister nodded in satisfaction and asked, "I saw your penicillin improvement plan before, which mentioned the need to improve the strain. How is the progress?"
Lin Yuanshu deliberately sighed, his tone somber, "Progress isn't going very smoothly. We finally discovered a 'high-yield strain,' but it was just a flash in the pan. If our project team had chemical mutagens, the screening speed for 'high-yield strains' would definitely be much faster. Of course, even without them, our project team is confident that we can complete the task under difficult conditions. Even with only ultraviolet light, we can still accomplish the project..."
Lin Yuanshu's tone gradually rose from low to high, and he looked at the minister with unwavering determination.
If the team members hadn't been busy with their work, they would definitely have chimed in with a few words.
The minister was taken aback. He had initially been somewhat disappointed by Lin Yuanshu's words, but by the end, he was both amused and annoyed, and asked, "Besides the chemical mutagen, what else is your project team lacking?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanshu smiled sincerely and deliberately made an exorbitant demand: "If we could order more raw materials and replace some of the equipment with new ones, that would be even better, such as small fermenters, sterilization equipment, centrifuges, and the like..."
People like compromises. She made so many demands; if she can satisfy just one of them, she'll have made a profit.
The minister smiled helplessly and refused, saying, "I'm not a wishing well, I can't grant you so many wishes. At most, I can only allocate some more raw materials to your project team."
Lin Yuanshu blinked and readily agreed, "I'm easily satisfied. That's fine too. Thank you for your concern for our project team, Minister. Our project team will definitely live up to your expectations and complete the project as soon as possible."
The minister smiled and encouraged him, "Do a good job."
The minister then chatted briefly with the other team members before leaving the lab.
He wasn't unaware of Lin Yuanshu's little scheme, but he chose to indulge him. After all, Lin Yuanshu's little scheme was just to complete the project task as soon as possible, and it didn't bother him.
He admires those who know how to take initiative more than those who are content with the status quo, because only such people can go further.
Only after the Minister of Health and others left the laboratory did Tang Dasi and the others relax.
Hong Shuang'er said frankly, "I was so nervous that my hands were sweating just now. Team Leader Lin is really amazing. He easily got the minister to agree to approve the chemical mutagen and raw materials for us. Luckily, we didn't follow Comrade Fang Ren's plan. Otherwise, we wouldn't be happy now, but rather uneasy, worried that the truth would be exposed."
As Hong Shuang'er spoke, she glanced at Fang Ren. She was deliberately saying these things to test whether Fang Ren was being intentional or not!
Fang Ren wasn't blind, and he naturally saw Hong Shuang'er's obvious actions. As a result, his expression turned red and then pale, making him look extremely embarrassed.
Seeing this, Lin Yuanshu took the initiative to speak up for Fang Ren, saying, "Alright, let's not bring up the past. Comrade Fang Ren's starting point was also for the good of the project team, but he was just a bit too eager for quick success."
She didn't want her team members to fight amongst themselves; it was better for them to get along harmoniously.
Unable to get any answers from her attempts, Hong Shuang'er reluctantly said, "I understand, I'll keep my mouth shut."
Fang Ren lowered his head in embarrassment and took the initiative to apologize to everyone. "I thought about it all night last night. I was indeed too hasty in this matter. I wanted our project team to make a big splash in front of the Minister of Health. Comrade Maas has been bragging to me that his project team's task is almost finished, which made me unable to calm down and thus I had such a bold idea. Fortunately, you were all relatively calm and were not swayed by me, otherwise I would have really regretted it."
Actually, he couldn't sleep last night, tossing and turning over the events of the day. The more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong. He felt that he had acted too hastily and hadn't considered the consequences of his actions.
However, this is not his fault. The blame lies with Maas, who always showed off in front of him, causing him to lose his composure.
Lin Yuanshu looked at Fang Ren thoughtfully. She didn't know if Fang Ren really thought that way or was just making excuses, but none of that mattered. As long as Fang Ren was as dedicated to the project as before, she was willing to turn a blind eye.
Sometimes, you can't be too serious about things.
But then again, I never expected that the person behind her troubles was Mas! It's both unexpected and yet predictable.
"Comrade Fang Ren, although this matter did not lead to a major mistake, you should still take it as a warning. This is not for our sake, but for your own. Being impatient for quick success will only harm yourself in the end," Lin Yuanshu earnestly advised.
Fang Ren nodded with a serious expression, feeling a lingering fear in his heart. Fortunately, Team Leader Lin was relatively clear-headed; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
On the other side, Director Huang stayed by the Minister of Health's side until the Minister left the Dongfanghong Research Institute that evening. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, everyone behaved well and nothing unpleasant happened to the Minister. The inspection by the Ministry of Health was successfully completed without any unexpected incidents.
He didn't care much about the conversation between Lin Yuanshu and the minister. After all, it wasn't the first time Lin Yuanshu had met with the Minister of Health. They had their own way of getting along, and he didn't need to care so much.
After the institute's closing bell rang, Tang Dasi and the others packed up their things and left the office area one after another.
Lin Yuanshu sat at his workstation, watching Fang Ren prepare to leave, and said in a serious tone, "Comrade Fang Ren, please wait a moment before leaving get off work. I have something to tell you."
Upon hearing this, Fang Ren felt uneasy. Was Team Leader Lin planning to settle scores later? Was he deliberately acting indifferent in front of others, only to keep him behind and give him a good scolding after work that night?
He shook his head, clearing his mind of all the random thoughts. How could Team Leader Lin be that kind of person? If he wanted to give him a good scolding, he wouldn't be doing it in front of others. He must have something important to tell him.
Although Hong Shuang'er was curious about what Lin Yuanshu would say to Fang Ren, Lin Yuanshu didn't say anything, and she was too embarrassed to stay and watch the show, so she could only leave the office area reluctantly.
After everyone left, only Lin Yuanshu and Fang Ren remained in the office area. At this moment, Fang Ren walked up to Lin Yuanshu and cautiously asked, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Lin Yuanshu sighed and said with a serious expression, "There are some things you may not know. I had some unpleasant things with Comrade Maas before, so he is hostile towards me. It's better for you to stay away from Comrade Maas. We've avoided it this time, but it won't be so easy next time."
Fang Ren was stunned for a moment, and asked, puzzled, "What do you mean we've dodged this time? What is that bastard Mas planning to do to me?"
In fact, he knew about the conflict between Team Leader Lin and Mas. After all, Mas openly disliked Team Leader Lin, so it would be difficult for him not to know.
"The less you know, the better. I won't say much, since these are all unverified matters," Lin Yuanshu said deliberately.
Upon hearing this, Fang Renyi's expression became anxious, and he hurriedly asked, "Team Leader Lin, you can't not tell me. What if I fall for your trap again next time? You have to explain the whole story clearly so I can be on guard against that bastard Mas."
Lin Yuanshu's lips curled up slightly, and he said vaguely, "Actually, I don't have any evidence. It's just a guess. Just listen to it and don't take it too seriously. I suspect that Comrade Maas deliberately showed off in front of you to make you eager for quick success and then make a mistake. Then he would expose the truth, and our project team would be affected. He might even want to use this as leverage against me. It's all my fault. I dragged you into this and made you a target of Maas's manipulation."
She had specifically investigated Fang Ren's affairs beforehand and knew that Fang Ren and Ma Si did not have a good relationship, which is why she dared to say such things to Fang Ren.
Hong Shuang'er's scheming ideas weren't entirely useless; they're coming in handy now! Dealing with Mas is a last resort, and she prefers to use others to do her dirty work.
Although she didn't know the purpose of Mas showing off in front of Fang Ren, it didn't stop her from planting a time bomb next to Mas. Even if it didn't explode now, it would definitely explode in the future.
However, on the other hand, Maas is also a ticking time bomb for her.
Upon hearing this, Fang Ren's first thought was not to doubt Lin Yuanshu's words, but to curse loudly: "It's not that you implicated me, but that Mas wanted to kill two birds with one stone, not only to get rid of you, but also to get rid of me. No wonder he's been acting like he's taken the wrong medicine and has been showing off in front of me lately. So that's what he was planning. He's really too vicious. I just had a little argument with him, and he wants to destroy me."
Lin Yuanshu gave a helpless smile and reminded him, "You should avoid Comrade Mas for the time being! I heard that he was very popular in front of the Minister of Health today, even more so than the head of his project team. He also has Deputy Director Liu backing him up. We small people should avoid him if possible."
Fang Ren looked very unconvinced and said through gritted teeth, "I think you are even more powerful than Comrade Maas. We have no reason to be afraid of Comrade Maas."
"It's not out of fear, but rather a matter of assessing the situation and avoiding conflict with him for the time being. Alright, that's enough of this small talk. You can go home now. Don't forget what I said: don't pay any attention to Comrade Mas during this period. He's currently Deputy Director Liu's most trusted subordinate. It's not worth it to clash with him now," Lin Yuanshu deliberately added fuel to the fire.
Fang Ren's expression grew increasingly unpleasant. He was already unhappy that Deputy Director Liu valued the incompetent Ma Si more, and now, after hearing Team Leader Lin's words, he became even more dissatisfied.
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