Chapter 112 The Epidemic
On January 7th, my aunt finished her third round of chemotherapy.
Meanwhile, several hospitals in Wuhan began admitting patients with pneumonia of unknown cause, and the Huanan Seafood Market was urgently closed.
Based on the reported suspected cases, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention quickly isolated the novel coronavirus, which was initially identified as 2019-nCoV.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Shanghai, everything remained calm and life continued in an orderly manner, unaffected by the virus.
Two months ago, Lin Yu heard Lin Min mention her plan to take her parents back to their hometown in Yantai. She said that after settling her grandparents in, they would come to Shanghai to visit Lin Feng and herself.
Therefore, she decided to stay in Shanghai this Spring Festival.
This way, I can take care of my aunt who needs to recuperate after chemotherapy, concentrate on preparing for the registration exam, and also prepare for the technical training for Mr. Zhang's company employees after the New Year.
As for work, she plans to discuss it further after the exams are over.
On the eve of the Spring Festival, Lin Yu handed over his work properly and took advantage of the break after the morning meeting to knock on the door of the dean's office.
"Director Li, I'm here to complete the final procedures and also to have one last discussion with you regarding the patent." Compared to last time, Lin Yu's expression was much calmer.
"Xiao Lin, have a seat." The dean put down the documents in his hand, a familiar smile on his face. "Did the procedures go smoothly?"
"It went very smoothly, thank you!"
Lin Yu knew that the company was short of funds, and the reason why the process and compensation were going so smoothly was largely due to the dean's special instructions to the human resources department. Although it was only to be expected, she was still very grateful.
"Hmm." Upon hearing this, the dean gently pushed up his glasses and looked at her through the lenses. "How have you decided? We've worked together for so many years, so feel free to speak your mind."
"Director Li, first of all, I sincerely thank you and the company for your training over the years." Lin Yu met his gaze, got straight to the point, and spoke sincerely.
"Especially you, I will always remember your support and guidance." She paused slightly, her attitude neither humble nor arrogant.
"It is precisely because of this gratitude that I hope we can have a clear, fair, and mutually beneficial explanation for the future."
The dean leaned back in his chair, interlaced his fingers in front of him, and nodded slightly to signal her to continue.
"Regarding the patent, I have carefully studied our company's 'Employee Handbook' and 'Confidentiality Agreement' over the past few days," Lin Yu said calmly.
"Legally, the core architecture and logic of this algorithm were completed independently by me and did not consume development resources. Strictly speaking, it is more of an invention made in my personal capacity."
"Of course, I fully acknowledge that the company provided indispensable assistance in terms of data support and testing environment in the early stages."
The dean's smile faded slightly, because he knew that the documents signed between the company and its employees did not explicitly stipulate the ownership of the core algorithm after in-depth development using general process data.
"Xiaolin, we both know the rules are set in stone. But you have to see that the value of a platform lies in its ability to transform technology into products that are recognized by the market."
"How can you handle the massive projects of optimization and marketing all by yourself?" He decided to take a step back and try to appeal to Lin Yu's emotions.
“You’re right, the platform’s value is indeed enormous,” Lin Yu continued, smoothly introducing his own point of view. “But no one understands what I have better than me, so no matter what, I still want to give it a try.”
She leaned forward slightly, her gaze candid. "My proposal is that I retain ownership of the patent, but will still license it to the company for continued use."
"We can sign a detailed licensing agreement, and the company can share in any revenue generated by this technology in the future."
"This is consistent with your previous approach of using technology as equity, only the form is more flexible and the responsibilities are clearer."
Lin Yu paused, observing the dean's reaction. He thought to himself, "It's just playing the emotional card, anyone can do that." "Dean," he said, "you've nurtured me from a graduate to where I am today, and I believe you also want to see me truly capable of standing on my own."
"Perhaps in the future we won't be superior and subordinate anymore, but we could become partners. Of course, if the company is willing to give me that opportunity..."
"This system will continue to be validated by the market and updated in the future. The experience it accumulates and the upgraded versions can also benefit the company. Isn't this more in line with your original intention of preventing it from becoming a failure than confining it to the company?"
The dean remained silent. Having been in the workplace for many years, he knew that Lin Yu's calmness and composure at this moment meant that she had made thorough preparations behind the scenes, and might even have received guidance from an expert.
He realized that Lin Yu was no longer the subordinate who needed his protection; she deserved a wider world.
Forcibly retaining the patent would only result in a lose-lose situation. It's not worth it to fall out with a subordinate he personally promoted over a research technology with an uncertain future, and it's certainly not his intention.
Conversely, by accepting this plan, the company not only avoids substantial losses but also saves on subsequent R&D investment and can share in future profits.
After a long silence, he sighed and said with emotion, "It seems you've really thought it through."
"Alright, it's good that young people have their own ideas. Let's go with your approach and have the legal department draft the authorization agreement. We can discuss the profit-sharing ratio in more detail later."
A huge weight lifted from Lin Yu's heart. She stood up and bowed deeply to the dean. "Thank you for your understanding and support, Dean. No matter where I am, I will never forget everything I learned from you."
In the end, Lin Yu successfully retained ownership of the patent, while the company gained risk-free usage rights and the expectation of future profits.
Just as Jiang Chuan predicted, this outcome was a successful negotiation based on rationality and a win-win mindset.
On the eve of the Spring Festival, the compensation arrived in his account. Lin Yu cleared his remaining annual leave and compensatory leave in the system and took an eight-day long vacation.
After handing over my work, packing up my personal belongings at my workstation, and saying goodbye to several colleagues in my team who had also been laid off, I walked out of the company gate with my cardboard box in my arms without looking back.
A chilly early spring wind blew in his face, and Lin Yu took a deep breath as he stood at the foot of the office building. The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and there were very few pedestrians on the street.
At that moment, she suddenly felt a strange sense of freedom, experiencing for the first time what it was like to be unemployed on a weekday, as if she had rediscovered the reality of life.
Chen Guang had work to do, so he only accompanied her to the subway entrance. Before parting, he reminded her to check the package at the door.
When he got home, he saw a huge package blocking the doorway. Lin Yu braced the cardboard box in his arms with his knee, turned the doorknob with one hand, and dragged it into the house.
Upon opening the package, it was found to be neatly packed with masks, alcohol, and various medical supplies. Lin Yu couldn't help but chuckle, thinking that Chen Guang was making a mountain out of a molehill.
She casually took a picture of the opened package and sent it to him. "There's too much. I'll come over tonight to pick up some."
Chen Guang replied quickly. "These are epidemic prevention supplies sent by my company. I filled in your address. You can send some to the hospital, just keep some for me."
"Didn't you go back home for the New Year?" Lin Yu asked, somewhat puzzled. She remembered Chen Guang saying that a new colleague would take over his work after the New Year.
"I won't go back for now; I'll stay and spend the New Year with you."
Chen Guang, on the other end of the line, instinctively gripped his phone tighter. Ever since he learned that Lin Yu was going to accompany Lin Feng to Shanghai for medical treatment, he had applied to his unit for a two-month extension of his overseas posting.
He couldn't leave Lin Yu before he could convince her, at the moment when she needed him most. Even if it meant missing out on a rare promotion opportunity, even if it meant his mother would be angry with him again.
When Qin Fei heard that her son wouldn't be coming home for the Chinese New Year, she flew into a rage and gave him a thorough dressing-down over the phone.
For the first time ever, Chen Guang argued with his mother over the phone. But after hanging up, he felt a huge weight lift from his chest, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and even his breathing became much easier.
Lin Yu had no time to ponder Chen Guang's intentions. After exiting the chat window, he immediately dialed Lin Min's number. He instructed her to take precautions, wear a mask, and, after settling the elderly person in, to come to Shanghai to meet him as soon as possible.
On January 20, the National Health Commission's expert panel confirmed that the virus could be transmitted from person to person and that some medical staff had been infected.
On January 23, Wuhan announced a city-wide lockdown, suspending all public transportation and closing off outbound channels, becoming the world's first city with a population of over 10 million to implement lockdown measures due to the epidemic.
My aunt finished her last chemotherapy session before the holiday that day. Lin Yu and Zou Lang picked her up from the hospital and took her back to their rented apartment, repeatedly telling her to rest well and promising to come back later the next day to celebrate the New Year with them.
Zou Lang saw his sister off at the subway entrance, and before leaving, he grabbed Lin Yu's hand. "Sis... have you and your husband made up?"
Lin Yu was taken aback. She and Jiang Chuan had indeed been in contact occasionally during this period, but it was limited to polite concern and greetings.
She suddenly remembered that Jiang Chuan had told her in Hong Kong that he would have a serious talk with her after returning to Shanghai. But ever since he left her house that day, he had suddenly become cold towards her.
Therefore, Lin Yuzai meticulously reviewed every detail of the meal that day. It wasn't until she remembered the cup of tea spilled on the table when she went back to Chen Guang's house to retrieve her phone that she remembered it.
She then realized that Jiang Chuan might also be injured. That was why he had been holding a grudge against her for showing favoritism.
Lin Yu sent him a WeChat message of concern and sympathy afterward, but Jiang Chuan simply replied that he was fine.
Lin Yu couldn't figure out his thoughts. Did he want to cut ties with her completely, or was he taking a step back to wait for her to take the initiative? So, for a moment, she didn't know how to answer Zou Lang's question.
She avoided her brother's gaze and asked casually, "Who told you we're not doing well?"
“I’m not stupid.” Zou Lang scratched the back of his head. “Mom has been sick for so long, and you’ve never come to the hospital together. Every time you ask about him, you change the subject.”
Lin Yu lowered his head, grinding the pebbles on the sole of his shoe, and sighed. "Relationships aren't as simple as you think. You'll understand later."
“But…” Zou Lang hesitated, but his sister interrupted him before he could finish speaking.
"Alright, let's go back now. It's terribly cold." Lin Yu reached out and patted the snowflakes off his younger brother's shoulder.
"Don't tell your family about this yet. I haven't figured out how to tell them." After thinking for a moment, she added, "Remember to wear a mask when you go out. There's a sick person at home now, so we need to be extra careful."
Lin Yu returned home and casually tossed his keys into a ceramic bowl in the entryway. Knowing that supermarkets would likely be short-handed due to the approaching Lunar New Year, he decided to stock up on holiday groceries through a food delivery platform.
Chen Guang sent a message saying that he was still working overtime at the company and would probably be able to pick up the supplies he had stored there tomorrow morning. He told her not to wait for him and to get some rest.
The next morning, Lin Yu was awakened by noises outside the window.
Her rented apartment was on a low floor, and the doors and windows were poorly soundproofed. Noisy voices and piercing horns from outside were blowing directly into the room.
But after living in Shanghai for so many years, she still couldn't understand the local dialect very well, so she was unaware of what was happening outside.
She frowned, threw back the covers, and walked barefoot to the window. An ambulance with flashing blue lights was parked downstairs, and several medical personnel in protective suits were going in and out of the next unit.
A yellow police tape had been put up at the entrance of the residential area, and Lin Yu immediately sensed that something was wrong. At the same time, his phone suddenly vibrated in his hand.
Chen Guang's call confirmed Lin Yu's guess. He went out for a morning run this morning and learned from the security guard that there was a close contact in the community who had returned from Wuhan, so the entire community would be quarantined for fourteen consecutive days starting from New Year's Eve.
Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat. Thinking of his aunt's family who were still in their rented apartment, he immediately called them after hanging up Chen Guang's call.
Fortunately, the epidemic in Shanghai is not serious yet, and Lin Feng's community is safe for the time being. Lin Yu instructed Zou Lang to expedite the hospitalization procedures for his aunt to avoid similar emergencies that could delay her chemotherapy at the end of the month.
After hanging up the phone, she sat on the edge of the bed and thought for a while. She felt there was no need to worry too much. After all, as a first-tier city, Shanghai should be better able to deal with public health emergencies than other places.
The fourteen-day quarantine period isn't long or short, but it came rather suddenly. Luckily, I had just stocked up on some supplies yesterday, so I wasn't caught off guard. The thought of spending the Lunar New Year alone in a rented room just makes me feel a little lonely.
While it was still early, Lin Yu decided to prepare the ingredients for making dumplings. After all, it was the Lunar New Year, and it was bad enough that he was alone in his rented room, but it would be too miserable if he could only make do with frozen dumplings.
Although her cooking skills are average, she handles simple noodle dishes with ease, especially dumplings. She learned this skill from her mother and grandmother when she was in elementary school.
In previous years, she was the main force in making dumplings for her family during the Lunar New Year. It was only after she started working that her family, understanding how hard she worked, stopped letting her do these things.
Lin Yu opened the refrigerator door and counted the few ingredients: half a lotus root, a small piece of pork, and a few eggs. Including the bunch of chives he had just stocked up on yesterday, it should be just enough to make two kinds of fillings.
After going through the whole process of kneading dough, chopping meat, cutting vegetables, and preparing filling, she finally put the last dumpling into the tray and looked up at the wall clock. It was almost noon.
She rubbed her aching back and looked at the fruits of her labor covering the entire counter. She decided to just eat dumplings for the next couple of days, since she was too lazy to cook any other dishes anyway.
Lin Yu left a plate of freshly cooked dumplings and was about to put the rest of the dumplings in the refrigerator to keep them fresh when he turned around and caught a glimpse of the bag of epidemic prevention supplies that Chen Guang had not yet taken from the corner of the wall.
After hesitating for a moment, she picked up her phone and sent Chen Guang a WeChat message: "Do you still want the things you left here?"
Less than ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. Lin Yu was staring blankly at the dumplings bobbing in the pot. He turned and walked to the door, and after confirming through the peephole that it was Chen Guang, he opened the door and let him in.
Chen Guang placed the two insulated lunch boxes on the table, peeked into the pot of dumplings bubbling around, and couldn't help but laugh, "Did you call me over to poison me?"
Lin Yu was stunned for a moment. He seemed to remember someone saying the same thing to him, but he couldn't recall it at all.
She pointed to the supplies at her feet, added a ladle of cold water to the pot, and rubbed the back of the ladle in circles along the rim. "There wasn't any for you to begin with, so take what you need and get out of here."
Chen Guang, however, took the strainer from her hand and leaned closer with a fawning expression. "It's the New Year, don't be so heartless," he said, pointing to the insulated lunchbox on the table. "I made it especially for you, please do me the favor."
Lin Yu glanced at it, a playful smile playing on his lips. "No, there's poison in my dumplings. If you eat them, you'll bleed from all seven orifices immediately."
Chen Guang tossed the cooked dumplings in a strainer, flipped his wrist, and placed them on a plate prepared to the side. Without looking up, he replied, "Fine, I accept dying at your hands."
Lin Yu had no intention of making things difficult for him. He turned around, opened the lunchbox, and the aroma immediately wafted out.
This was the second time she had tasted Chen Guang's cooking. It was New Year's Eve, and the dishes in front of her were much more plentiful than last time. There were three dishes and a soup, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, all of which were elaborate dishes that Lin Yu couldn't make.
She turned and rummaged through the cupboard for tableware, glancing at the few sets of bowls and chopsticks, and couldn't help but complain, "You made so many dishes all at once, are you planning to eat steamed buns with Lao Gan Ma chili sauce every day for the next two weeks?"
“If anyone’s going to dip it, it’ll be me.” Chen Guang pulled out a chair and sat down, placing a glistening piece of braised pork into Lin Yu’s bowl. “Do you think I’ll let you make do with this for the New Year while I’m here?”
Lin Yu didn't say anything, but looked down at the meat in the bowl. He subconsciously broke it in half and picked out only the upper half of the lean meat.
This habit was formed when she was with Jiang Chuan. She has a weak stomach and feels nauseous if she eats too much meat, so he always cleans up the fatty parts. Now that they are separated, she still maintains the habit of only eating lean meat.
Before Lin Yu could react, Chen Guang snatched the fatty meat from the bowl with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth. "Hey, you..."
Lin Yu didn't have time to stop him. She saw him sitting opposite her, his cheeks puffed out as he smiled at her, his lips glistening with oil.
Throughout the meal, Lin Yu didn't touch the braised pork again. Chen Guang, on the other hand, would always separate the lean and fatty meat when picking up some, as if he had already figured out her habit.
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