“I’ll send you off.”
Jiang Fuyue naturally had no objections.
Xie Dingyuan fetched the car, drove over, and stopped in front of her.
Jiang Fuyue bent down and got into the passenger seat.
It was rush hour, so the road was a bit congested.
Suddenly, the man turned to look at her, eyes questioning: “What did you just give Old Bai?”
“You saw?”
“Yeah.”
Jiang Fuyue had nothing to hide. “An auxiliary program. It boosts data processing speed.”
“How much?”
“Hmm?”
Xie Dingyuan: “Boosts it by how much?”
“Tenfold.”
“…”
The man was stunned silent for a while.
Jiang Fuyue raised an eyebrow. “What, you don’t believe me?”
“…No, I do. I was just thinking—are you going to write one for Ding Yu and Old Jin next?”
“Huh? Why bring them up all of a sudden…” Jiang Fuyue paused mid-sentence and suddenly realized.
Old Jin and Ding Yu were downstream of Old Bai. Once Old Bai’s speed increased, they’d start feeling the pressure.
If they didn’t have auxiliary programs too, even if Old Bai sped up, Ding Yu and Old Jin would still operate at their original pace. That meant the data reaching Xie Dingyuan and Jiang Fuyue wouldn’t change much either.
Xie Dingyuan said, “That’s the drawback of chain-based collaboration. Optimizing just one link doesn’t help much unless every link keeps up. Only then can you improve the overall progress.”
So, Jiang Fuyue would not only have to write acceleration programs for Ding Yu and Old Jin, she couldn’t even ignore Liu Guan’s part.
Xie Dingyuan gave a faint smile. “If possible, I’d like one too.”
Jiang Fuyue: “?”
That basically meant—if the team wanted to come in first place, she couldn’t just sprint ahead alone; she’d have to drag all the slower members along too.
“Professor Xie,” she chuckled, red lips curled up, a mischievous glint in her eyes, “Isn’t that your job? Why’s it falling on me?”
“…Those who are capable do more work.”
“That your new excuse for slacking?”
“Well, I don’t know how to write code.”
“Oh, then I only know how to code Old Bai’s port.”
Xie Dingyuan didn’t believe that for a second. This little fox never told the whole truth!
“Good thing if you don’t write it—they’ve been too comfortable for too long. Time to shake them up.”
Jiang Fuyue: “…” You really have a way of saying everything, good and bad.
How come she never noticed how smooth-talking Xie Dingyuan could be?
Half an hour later, the black Mercedes pulled into Yutianhua Residence and stopped in front of the Jiang family villa.
“We’re here.”
Jiang Fuyue got out, turned to thank him: “…May I ask if I’ll be lucky enough to hitch a ride with Professor Xie again tomorrow morning?”
The man paused, then smiled and nodded. “Of course.”
“Then 7:30 tomorrow morning, same place?”
“Sure.”
He watched Jiang Fuyue walk in before driving away.
But he didn’t go home. Instead, he headed straight out of Yutianhua Residence toward the DNA Building.
He’d been staying in the staff dorm these days, planning to return only after Xie Yunlan left.
“Hmm? Was that Little Nine?” Xie Yunlan sat in the back of a Bentley and barely missed the black Mercedes at the gate.
Zhong Ziang glanced briefly and looked away. “Uncle didn’t drive when he went out.”
“Really? Then maybe I was mistaken.” Xie Yunlan didn’t think much of it.
But the driver, Old Zhang, clutched the steering wheel a bit tighter—he had clearly seen Ninth Master in that car!
As for not driving…
He just hadn’t left from the villa’s garage. That didn’t mean there weren’t cars in the company lot.
If Ninth Master wanted to drive, he could do it anytime.
As soon as she got home, Xie Yunlan dropped her bags and picked up her phone.
Zhong Ziang: “Calling my uncle?”
“Yeah, he didn’t answer at lunch. Must’ve been busy. Not sure if he’s free now…”
As she spoke, she dialed.
After a few rings, the call connected. “Third Sis.”
“Little Nine, where are you? Aunt Liu said you’re going away for a few days? On a business trip?”
“No. I’ve got a big experiment going on, too much hassle to keep commuting, so I’m staying over here for now.” Xie Dingyuan wasn’t lying—he really was busy.
“Can’t you come back just for a meal?” Xie Yunlan probed.
“Third Sis…” he sighed helplessly.
“Okay, okay, I get it. You’re busy. You’re doing important work. Just take care of yourself and don’t overdo it.”
“Mm.”
“Alright, I won’t bother you anymore. Don’t forget to eat.”
The call ended, but Xie Yunlan’s mood remained upbeat.
Over the years, the whole family had gotten used to Xie Dingyuan being constantly busy. When the Nova virus outbreak happened, he didn’t come home for a year—not even a phone call.
Grandma had panicked and used some connections just to get through to him.
But the person who answered was a senior officer who politely explained the situation. Only then did the old lady finally calm down.
After that, Xie Dingyuan moved to Linhuai full-time and barely came back to the capital. Everyone had gotten used to it.
All eight older sisters knew their younger brother was serving the country—putting his life on the line.
The old man and old lady knew too. Their son was chasing his purpose, fulfilling his dreams.
So, whenever he said he was “busy,” the family knew not to disturb him. It was an unspoken agreement.
Only Zhong Ziang remained skeptical.
Was Uncle truly busy, unable to spare a minute?
Or just pretending—to dodge blind dates?
After dinner, as Xie Yunlan was about to head to her room, her phone suddenly rang—
“Hello?”
“Auntie Xie, it’s me, Yawen.”
“Oh, it’s you. So? Did everything go well?”
Indeed, the reason Xie Yunlan had brought Zhuang Yawen along was because she also had some business in Linhuai.
According to her, it wasn’t anything urgent—just an excuse to get out of town.
Xie Yunlan figured traveling alone was boring, so they came together. It was also a chance to introduce her to Little Nine.
Whether anything came of it didn’t matter—at least they’d get to know each other. Maybe sparks would fly?
After all, Zhuang Yawen came from a good family, had a great appearance, poised and proper—a textbook lady. Most importantly, her gentle nature was the perfect complement to Little Nine.
In Xie Yunlan’s eyes, the girl had a lot going for her.
And where there’s an edge, there’s hope.
So she was happy to give them a little push.
Unfortunately…
Little Nine didn’t have time.
So—nothing came of it.
All day, Zhuang Yawen hadn’t heard from Xie Yunlan and was already feeling uneasy. This call wasn’t so much a check-in as a test.
“Just a small matter—it’s all handled. How about you? Do you need help with anything?”
Xie Yunlan: “No, no. I’m good too.”
“Great. I heard there’s a really nice spa here in Linhuai. I’ve been walking in heels all day, planning to check it out. Would you like to come with me?”
Already feeling tired, and now reminded of her aching feet, Xie Yunlan agreed. “Sure, I need to relax too. Send me the address—I’ll come over.”
“Okay, see you soon.”
After successfully arranging the meetup, Zhuang Yawen let out a breath of relief.
Soon, they met outside the spa. Zhuang Yawen waved a VIP silver card. “Let’s go—everything’s ready.”
They had called ahead, so the spa arranged the best masseuses.
Inside a quiet, spacious room, the two women lay on massage beds, enjoying their oil treatments.
Zhuang Yawen: “Auntie Xie, how is it? Comfortable?”
“Very skilled.”
“I’m glad. I’d be sore all over tomorrow if I didn’t get this done after walking so much today.”
“That bad? You young folks are worse than us old-timers…”
Zhuang Yawen stuck out her tongue playfully. “How could I compare with you? You must be tired today too. Did Professor Xie or Zhong Ziang keep you company?”
“Zhong Ziang ran around helping a lot—such a sweet boy. Just like his dad, though they don’t get along…” Realizing she might’ve said too much, Xie Yunlan quickly stopped.
Zhuang Yawen’s eyes flickered but she didn’t pry.
She knew her boundaries.
“As for Little Nine—ugh, don’t even bring him up…” Xie Yunlan waved her hand, sounding helpless.
“What’s wrong with Professor Xie?” Zhuang Yawen asked gently, steering the conversation his way.
Xie Yunlan didn’t think twice. “What else? He’s busy!”
“Not even time for one meal?”
“I wish he had time,” she sighed softly.
“That busy?” Zhuang Yawen murmured, heart sinking.
If Xie Dingyuan didn’t even have time to eat with his own sister, how would he ever make time for her—a stranger?
She had worked so hard to secure this opportunity, been cautious and considerate, but… would it all come to nothing?
No.
She had to see Xie Dingyuan on this trip. No matter what.
