Chapter 28. Mr. Zhong's retribution was her. ...
The first time I saw Jin Huan, she was wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon.
The weather warmed up today, and the sun was shining. The lab isn't very well ventilated, so it always feels stuffy. People generally don't like wearing turtlenecks in there, and Jin Huan used to be the one who hated stuffiness the most.
"Are you having an allergic reaction?" Jing Xin asked casually. She raised an eyebrow and smiled, looking down from Jin Huan's neck, which made Jin Huan feel guilty and turn her face away.
"Um, I have a slight allergic reaction," she answered vaguely.
She has thin skin and is prone to allergies during seasonal changes. Once, her skin suddenly turned red, and it took several days of allergy medication for it to subside.
The two were chatting when Du Qingxu arrived late.
He's never late before, but he's so late today. I'd think he went on a Valentine's Day date yesterday and was too busy to get up.
However, while others might have this possibility, Du Qingxu is the only one who won't.
Jin Huan saw him and remembered to return the umbrella to him.
"Are you alright?" Jin Huan asked with concern. "Did you get soaked yesterday?"
He didn't need to give her the umbrella in the first place, but he just shoved it into her hand without a word. If she hadn't been caught off guard, Jin Huan would have given it back to him right then and there.
This was already a bad situation, and she didn't want to owe anyone a favor.
Du Qingxu didn't look well, but because he often looked like that, it didn't attract much attention. When Jin Huan asked, he shook his head and replied, "It's nothing."
Du Qingxu looked down at the umbrella she was handed.
She had carefully folded up a very ordinary umbrella, and Du Qingxu took it from her.
He lowered his eyes and composed himself.
He's usually not very talkative, and he was even more silent today.
Jingxin leaned over and gossiped, "Did you two go on a date yesterday?"
"No," Jin Huan corrected her seriously, "It's just a meal, don't talk nonsense."
Jing Xin recalled that she had been talking to Jin Huan about Du Qingxu yesterday. She turned her head, her gaze shifting between Jin Huan and Du Qingxu, and she vaguely sensed that there seemed to be a different kind of magnetic field between them.
However, before Jingxin could think more about the source of this magnetic field, their experimental group suffered a collective misfortune today.
Due to improper operation that damaged the instrument, almost all the experimental data from the past few days of school was lost. The group looked at each other in bewilderment and had no choice but to call Teacher Tan for help.
Tan Xi is attending an academic forum these past two days and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. When she heard this, her first reaction wasn't to blame them, but to tell them to find a way to make amends.
Accidents are unpredictable, but that's how it is in the lab. Mistakes happen all the time, and major ones are not uncommon. We try to salvage as much as we can, and if all else fails, we start over.
The air pressure in the laboratory became very low.
The best outcome would be to salvage a little data, but that would be useless; starting over was a foregone conclusion. As a result, their team members would probably have to stay in the lab for the rest of the week.
"No need, three days will suffice." Du Qingxu remained calm. He had already begun to revise the plan and then distribute the progress of the plan to individuals.
At this point, what's needed most is action, the faster the better; anything else is just empty talk.
Since things had come to this point, everyone had no choice but to roll up their sleeves and get back to work.
I could fully anticipate how miserable the next few days would be.
Some people are already sighing and saying they might as well move into the lab for the next few days.
Tan Xi returned the next day and came to the lab to help out.
Putting everything else aside, Professor Tan is definitely the best of all the mentors.
One of the immortals.
The best one.
Jin Huan told Zhong Yan about what was happening in their lab. She had been leaving early and returning late these past few days, and even after getting home at night, she would stay up late to organize and analyze the data.
Zhong Yan handed her a glass of fruit and vegetable juice.
This was freshly squeezed by my aunt. It contains apples, carrots, and kale. It tastes very refreshing, and Jin Huan has been enjoying it a lot lately.
Jin Huan looked haggard after staying up for two days. She glanced at Zhong Yan, sighed, and didn't want to say a word.
It was rare to see her so exhausted. Zhong Yan looked at her from the table; her eyes were bloodshot. He frowned slightly but didn't say anything.
Zhong Yan also had his own work to do. Around midnight, he finished his work, while Jin Huan was still sitting there.
The fruit and vegetable juice was half-finished and still lying beside him, indicating that he didn't even have time to drink anything.
He sighed with delight.
She often wondered what terrible thing she had done to choose this major.
During her undergraduate studies, she mostly learned theoretical knowledge, which she was still able to manage. She remembers the first time she entered the lab and received a thick operation manual, she had a premonition that her brain cells were about to be destroyed.
Jin Huan even sought advice and counseling from Teacher Tan.
Professor Tan told her from the beginning that this major requires meticulousness, patience, and a strong memory. After all, not everyone can stay in the lab, as they are always facing the double blow of data collapse and emotional collapse.
With her gentle personality, Ms. Tan is very good at giving advice. After talking with her, Jin Huan felt much better.
But now, talking about it won't lift my spirits.
"How long are you planning to hold out?" Zhong Yan asked her.
"I don't know," Jin Huan sighed.
"Want me a cup of coffee?" Since I'm not planning to sleep anyway, I might as well wake myself up.
“That works too.” Jin Huan nodded.
Zhong Yan then went downstairs to prepare coffee for her.
Zhong Yan is very particular about coffee beans. When he travels for work, he often searches for good coffee beans all over the world. The ones he gave to his uncle Jin Huan last time were brought back from Colombia. Zhong Yan liked the taste very much and gave them to several friends.
If Zhong Yan were drinking it by herself, she definitely wouldn't add sugar or milk. But considering that Jin Huan loves sweets, she added one part sugar and one part milk, and also got her some snacks.
I ate a few bites of dinner quickly and didn't eat much else.
Zhong Yan went upstairs and placed coffee and food in front of her.
Zhong Yan gently reminded her, "Be careful, it's hot."
Jin Huan glanced down at the coffee cup, the steam rising into her eyes. She looked up and said "thank you," picked it up, blew on it, took a sip, and swallowed it with the small cake in one gulp.
Zhong Yan took the laptop and sat down next to him.
He had already finished his work for the day and had nothing to do at this time.
The room quieted down.
Jin Huan is brainstorming.
The later it gets, the clearer her mind and the more focused she needs to be when facing this data. The coffee made her a little more awake, but it was still hard to fight her physiological instincts.
Zhong Yan looked up from the screen and saw Jin Huan looking at him with an incredibly pitiful, pleading gaze.
Zhong Yan looked at her and understood what she meant. He stood up and walked to her side.
Jin Huan felt like she had grasped a lifeline. She pointed to a line of numbers on the screen and earnestly asked, "I can't seem to get this right."
Zhong Yan leaned over.
Actually, it's been a long time since he did experiments, so he's become somewhat rusty. But his professional skills are ingrained in him, and he's pretty much on the same level. Guiding a student like Jin Huan shouldn't be a problem for him.
The most important aspect of this experiment is the screening and identification of recombinants, which happens to be one of the projects that Zhong Yan's company is currently developing and researching. He participated in the research in the early stages and has some understanding of this technology.
“I have checked this sequence word by word, but it just doesn’t match. I can’t find the problem.”
Zhong Yan fixed his gaze on her, his eyes lowering, causing Jin Huan to unconsciously straighten her back, obediently place her hands at her sides, hold her breath, and wait for Zhong Yan to give her guidance.
This is probably a natural reaction developed by obedient students in school. When faced with someone who makes them hallucinate about their teacher, they subconsciously become obedient, feeling a sense of awe and tension from the bottom of their hearts. Often at this time, they are unsure whether they will receive criticism or praise.
Everyone wants to be praised.
“There’s a leak here,” Zhong Yan pointed out, and said in a deep voice, “Take a closer look.”
Jin Huan's eyes were even a little blurry from looking at the screen. She tried to open her eyes wide and followed the direction Zhong Yan was pointing. It took her two seconds to process what she was seeing before she seemed to realize something: "Ah... right."
It was a very simple, obvious problem, but she looked at it several times and still couldn't figure it out, as if she had been just sitting there doing nothing all night.
The first lesson in experimentation is rigor; this is what the teachers told them as soon as they enrolled.
Jin Huan felt ashamed, realizing she had completely wasted her time. Zhong Yan glanced at the time and reminded her, "Jin Huan, it's not good to be too tired."
Being too tired actually reduces efficiency. She's busy in the lab during the day and hardly ever rests when she gets back. No one can withstand that kind of physical strain.
Jin Huan sighed and nodded in agreement: "I know."
Zhong Yan, whose face remained indifferent, seemed to chuckle slightly. He asked in a low voice, "And what about my retribution?"
They're both studying this, but the retribution and all that... what kind of descriptions are used...?
"Me?" Jin Huan tilted her head and pointed to herself.
Mr. Zhong's retribution is her.
If it weren't for her, why would he still be here in the middle of the night?
Zhong Yan brought over a chair and sat down next to her. He casually raised his chin, indicating that Jin Huan should continue.
"You continue, I'll keep an eye on things."
Zhong Yan said calmly, "Are you afraid of me?"
Jin Huan wanted to say no, but instinct made her nod and answer seriously, "I'm afraid."
She felt a deep sense of awe for Mr. Zhong, which made her hold her breath from the very beginning in his presence.
It seemed as if even taking a few extra breaths was an offense to him.
Zhong Yan looked at her quietly without saying a word.
His gaze exerted an invisible pressure on Jin Huan. She took a deep breath and continued her work of organizing and analyzing.
With Zhong Yan watching over her, her muddled mind cleared up considerably, and the process began to speed up. Occasionally, when she made a mistake, Zhong Yan would remind her from the side.
Although I was nervous, I was able to get into the flow and it was alright.
Finally, she finished her part and Jin Huan breathed a sigh of relief.
Her part wasn't actually that difficult, but the more difficult it was, the more carefully we had to complete it. We couldn't afford to make any more mistakes with her, or it would drag down the whole team.
I looked up at the time; it was already 2 a.m.
"Thank you." Jin Huan turned around and handed him the coffee beside her. "Here, have this."
"Okay, thank you." Zhong Yan took the cup; it was already cold, and only half full. He smiled, "Why are you using my flowers to offer to Buddha?"
Exhausted, Jin Huan slumped onto the table and said helplessly, "Next time I'll make you a cup myself."
She can't do it today; all her strength has been drained.
It was even drier than when I had to turn over and over again that night to clean it.
Zhong Yan's aura gradually softened at this moment. He had been staring at her like a strict teacher just moments before, but now his eyes were full of tenderness. He said softly, "Then can we go back to sleep now...?"
Jin Huan struggled to lift her head and said, half-jokingly, "Can I just lie here? I only have a few hours left anyway."
Zhong Yan sighed softly.
He bent down to hug her and whispered, "What kind of behavior is this, lying here like this?"
Even if you only have a few hours, you should get a good night's sleep.
Jin Huan didn't even have the strength to lift her hand to hold his neck. She nestled in his arms, leaned over and gently kissed his Adam's apple. Her breathing was shallow, and she was so tired that she couldn't even lift her eyelids. She almost fell asleep next to him like that.
She gently pressed her lips against the skin of his neck and murmured, "You're so kind."
He helped her look at the data, kept an eye on things for her, and even stayed up all night with her... How could he be so kind?
"Mmm." Zhong Yan responded softly, raising his hand to pat her back. "Sleep well."
How could you be so tired?
She fell asleep right there in his arms.
Zhong Yan gently squeezed her fingers, and when he put her down, he leaned down and whispered something in her ear. Jin Huan let out a soft moan and frowned, then he lay down again and pulled her into his arms.
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