The night before last, she got up to use the bathroom and overheard Mr. and Mrs. Lin talking about this, unable to sleep. It turned out that the machinery factory had gone to great lengths to secure this design from higher-ups. If they couldn't finish the design before the deadline, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing face, but also a matter of losing the trust of their superiors, which would affect their future development.
She vaguely understood why Lin's father wanted to meet Xu Ningyan that day after she told him that her fiancé was from the capital and also knew mechanical design.
It's probably a desperate measure!
Thinking about the dull atmosphere at home these past few days, Lin Hong thought that even if her father hadn't come home, she would find a way to call him back, not only because he had been going home early every day and staying in his room looking at documents until late at night.
He readily replied, "Of course it's convenient! Let's go back together after get off work! We can try these dried mushrooms."
Xu Ningyan felt relieved.
Because Gu Zhiyuan was there at noon, Xu Ningyan went to the cafeteria to get food, and the two ate in the dormitory.
Because of him, Xu Ningyan, who had planned to take a nap, had to force herself to stay awake.
Gu Zhiyuan noticed it, shook his head, and said he was going out for a while and would be back after get off work.
Xu Ningyan knew perfectly well that Gu Zhiyuan was probably going to find Sun Zhou, but she pretended not to know, waved her hand to see Gu Zhiyuan off, and then took a peaceful nap.
When Gu Zhiyuan returned, it was just after get off work.
It was Lin Hong's first time meeting Gu Zhiyuan. Being young, she was too shy to look at him for long and only glanced at him briefly before exchanging greetings.
She pulled Xu Ningyan ahead and whispered in her ear, "Your fiancé is really handsome! But he looks a bit intimidating!"
Although Lin Hong usually seems a bit naive and innocent, she has been exposed to many people since she was young and had been around her parents. After just one glance at Gu Zhiyuan, her sixth sense vaguely sensed the aloofness and indifference emanating from him.
Xu Ningyan chuckled and said, "He's just naturally not one to smile!"
Lin Hong turned her head and looked at Gu Zhiyuan, who was naturally not fond of smiling, with some doubt. She muttered to herself: So Xu Ningyan likes people who don't smile much and don't look like their boyfriends, but like their fathers?
If she knew that there was a term called "dad-type boyfriend" in later generations, she would probably wholeheartedly agree.
However, this only flashed through her mind briefly before she quickly forgot about it.
She pulled Xu Ningyan aside and started talking intimately about Lu Kai.
Since she complained to Xu Ningyan about the Lu family and Lu Kai last time, she seems to have finally found a safe space to vent. Now she wants to tell Xu Ningyan everything.
Lu Kai has been under a lot of pressure lately. He was praised to the skies before, but now the backlash is coming.
Rumors are circulating that since Lu Kai is so capable and a college graduate, how come he hasn't solved such a small design problem for so long? Was his previous skill just hype?
Some people made sarcastic remarks, saying that Lu Kai might have broken his brain instead of his leg last time, which is why he can't design anything now.
Some people said that even though he broke his leg, he got a partner!
These words were only spoken privately among the women in the family quarters and had not yet reached Lu's mother's ears. Otherwise, given Lu's mother's temper, she would probably have made a scene.
Lin Hong spoke of this with obvious schadenfreude. She disliked Lu Kai, and even though she wasn't directly involved, she was still secretly pleased that he was being talked about like this.
But after the initial joy subsided, a touch of guilt crept in. She pulled Xu Ningyan aside and whispered, "Do you think I'm being too petty? After all, Lu Kai and the others aren't doing well at work, and my dad, my brother, and things aren't going well at the factory either! I just can't help being happy—"
Xu Ningyan patted Lin Hong's hand to comfort her, "Then let's be happy in secret and not tell anyone! Besides, our happiness doesn't stop us from worrying about Uncle and your second brother, does it?"
Lin Hong's eyes lit up, and she held onto Xu Ningyan's hand tightly: "Now that you say that, I feel much more at ease!"
The two girls were whispering to each other, and Gu Zhiyuan heard every single word they said.
Gu Zhiyuan couldn't help but shake his head as he listened to Xu Ningyan once again leading Lin Hong astray with her twisted logic.
This girl, I don't know where all those twisted theories come from, it's impossible to laugh or get angry at her.
Xu Ningyan was chatting and laughing with Lin Hong when she felt that Gu Zhiyuan was watching her from behind. She couldn't help but turn around and met Gu Zhiyuan's ambiguous smile. She knew that he had heard her words of comforting Lin Hong.
He smiled sheepishly, then turned away guiltily, no longer daring to talk nonsense.
With Lin Hong leading the way, they entered the machinery factory without any problems.
It was rush hour, and the factory area was packed with people.
Lin Hong and the other two were caught up in the chaos, and the two of them were so preoccupied with themselves that they couldn't even turn around to look at Gu Zhiyuan behind them.
After being squeezed through the crowd to the entrance of the family quarters, the two squeezed to the side and stood on tiptoe to look back at the road they had come from. After searching for a while, they finally saw Gu Zhiyuan strolling leisurely at the back of the crowd, as if taking a leisurely walk.
Xu Ningyan and Lin Hong breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at each other somewhat guiltily, and couldn't help but laugh.
As Gu Zhiyuan approached, the three of them walked into the family quarters.
The Lin family lived at the very back of the residential area. As they walked along, everyone who saw Lin Hong and her group greeted her, saying, "Little Hong, have you had guests at your home?"
Lin Hong nodded.
Some people wanted to ask where the guest came from, but Lin Hong directly shut them down.
The three quickened their pace and left the tenement building ahead, feeling somewhat better.
When they arrived at the entrance of the Lin family's courtyard, the gate was ajar, indicating that the family had already returned home.
Lin Hong called out into the courtyard, "I'm back!" and led the people inside.
He thought it was Lin's mother who had returned, but when he entered the living room, he found that it was actually Lin's father.
He was standing in a daze in front of the orchid that Xu Ningyan had given him when he heard Lin Hong call him "Dad" and then Xu Ningyan call him "Uncle," which startled him out of his daze.
Turning around, she saw Gu Zhiyuan standing at the door. She was taken aback at first, but quickly recovered and asked with a smile, "Comrade Xiao Xu, is this your Brother Gu?"
Xu Ningyan hurriedly introduced, "Uncle, this is my fiancé Gu Zhiyuan, Brother Gu, and this is Uncle Lin."
Gu Zhiyuan nodded to Lin's father with neither servility nor arrogance: "Director Lin, I am Gu Zhiyuan!"
Lin's father looked Gu Zhiyuan up and down before saying, "I heard you have some knowledge of mechanical design?"
Gu Zhiyuan nodded: "I minored in mechanical design at Beijing University."
Lin's father's eyes lit up. "Do you know Professor Yu Hongzhi?"
"Yes, I know! I even took Professor Yu's class."
As soon as Gu Zhiyuan finished speaking, Lin's father's attitude changed immediately.
He warmly gestured for Gu Zhiyuan to sit down, indicating that he wanted to have a detailed talk with him.
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