Close Enough To Pluck the Stars” (GL) - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Liang Ke huffily opened the visual intercom, staring at the screen. “Who is it?”

“Liang… I mean, Senior Liang Ke?” Luo Han’s head peeked into the frame timidly, speaking cautiously as if she were talking to a bomb.

“Ah, ha, haha! Is something wrong? Come in, come in.” Facing her junior intern, Liang Ke’s annoyance instantly vanished into embarrassment. She quickly buzzed her in and opened the door to the elevator hall to welcome her.

A cold wave was passing through today, and the temperature was well below zero. When Luo Han entered, she brought a gust of chilly air with her. The sudden temperature change made Liang Ke sneeze. Rubbing her nose, she ushered Luo Han inside and went to pour water and wash some fruit.

Luo Han followed her, repeatedly saying there was no need. Liang Ke chatted about random things before asking, “How did you know where I live?”

“Senior Zhao Pu told me. I couldn’t get through to your phone and I was worried, so I took the liberty of coming over. I hope you don’t mind.” Luo Han clasped her hands, trying her best to organize her thoughts. “About that report regarding ‘academic bullying’… I really don’t know who used my name. But please don’t worry, Senior; I’ll make sure the academy clears your name no matter what.”

“Oh…” Liang Ke let out a long sigh and nodded. “So the person I was supposedly bullying was you. Haha, I guess that makes sense. I did ask for your help a lot in the fourth quarter. You’re a huge reason why Old Hu’s big project was submitted before the end of the year.”

Liang Ke’s tone was sincere. Luo Han, flattered and overwhelmed, waved her hands frantically. “No, no! It’s all thanks to your guidance, Senior. I learned so much. I was genuinely happy to help; it definitely wasn’t bullying.”

Luo Han was telling the truth. Although she had crossed departments to participate in Liang Ke’s lab projects, she received the proper compensation and credits. Everything followed official procedures. Moreover, Liang Ke treated her and other students like Ye Tianze to dinner every other day—the food bills alone were a significant amount.

This was why Liang Ke always seemed so strapped for cash; she was arguably one of the “poorest” students in the institute.

Knowing Liang Ke’s financial situation, Luo Han had fulfilled the promise she made yesterday to buy her fireworks. She had left them in front of the small storage room downstairs.

Hearing that her name was about to be cleared and that there were fireworks to play with, Liang Ke’s mood soared. She snapped her fingers and personally walked Luo Han downstairs. She saw her out of the dilapidated unit door and gave her a warm hug before saying goodbye.

“Senior, that looks like your car.”

Luo Han rested her head on Liang Ke’s shoulder and tapped her to point it out.

High-spirited, Liang Ke turned her head casually, just in time to see Shu Qingchen park the car. The window rolled down, revealing that same cool expression. Shu Qingchen’s elegant brow furrowed slightly. “Luo Han? What are you doing here?”

Luo Han wanted to walk over quickly, but Liang Ke stubbornly held onto her hand, swinging it back and forth as they walked. Luo Han was confused, but the real confusion was yet to come. Liang Ke’s gait and posture became strange—like the opening of a bold Mongolian dance—wide, sweeping, and full of bravado.

By the time she dragged Luo Han to the car, Shu Qingchen had already stepped out and was standing firm, hands in her coat pockets. The cold wind had turned the tip of her nose slightly red, but it only added to her grace. Forget Liang Ke—even Luo Han was a bit dazed by the sight.

“Bullying investigation, haha!” Liang Ke stood before Shu Qingchen, puffing out her chest to boost her momentum. She said proudly, “See? Rumors always crumble on their own, while sincere revolutionary friendship will bloom forever.”

Shu Qingchen looked at their interlaced fingers, then at Liang Ke. “Your suspicion has indeed decreased further, but we cannot rule out—”

“Rule out what?” Liang Ke was immediately on guard.

“We cannot rule out that you forced Luo Han to show affection toward you in order to clear your guilt and have the complaint withdrawn. In short, let’s stick to the procedure and undergo the investigation.”

“…”

Liang Ke was speechless. In a daze, she thought of Nao Nao’s usual tactic: “I’ll die for you to see!” or something along those lines.

But in the end, she didn’t do it. She saw Luo Han off with a dark face, returned to the car with a dark face, and asked Shu Qingchen for the keys with a dark face.

The resentment radiating from her now was enough to make passing ghosts take a detour.

“Where are we going?”

“To cook and then eat.”

“Hmm?” It was Shu Qingchen’s turn to be confused.

“I’m going to look after an ’empty-nest’ elderly person. I don’t have time today, and I certainly don’t want to serve you!” The resentful Calico Cat dared to talk back to her boss.

“I see.” Shu Qingchen nodded. “You don’t need to serve me. Please, suit yourself.” With that, she turned around with indifferent grace.

The cold wind cleared Liang Ke’s head a bit. Realizing she had spoken too harshly, she immediately jumped in the car, started it, and pulled up next to Shu Qingchen. She poked her head out and offered a sycophantic invitation: “Um, so… look, I go see my grandmother every week. I really don’t have time to cook today. That is… if the Leader doesn’t mind, why not come over for a bit?”

Liang Ke thought to herself: I’ve swallowed my pride and invited you. If you refuse, perfect—I’ll just floor it and escape.

Just as she was feeling smug, the passenger door opened. Shu Qingchen climbed in, bringing a pleasant fragrance with her.

Liang Ke stared at her in shock, her eyes screaming: You’re actually coming?

“Stop at the fruit stand ahead; I need to buy some gifts for the elder.” Shu Qingchen directed Liang Ke’s driving and asked kindly, “What does your grandmother like? Name a few things that are easy to buy right now. Why are you staring? Let’s go.”

Liang Ke was urged into shifting gears. She said pretentiously that her grandmother was different from most elderly people—she didn’t like health supplements or Qigong. Her biggest expenses were on music. Her house was full of string instruments, not to mention the speakers, record players, and vinyls. The most expensive part was the renovation of the music room, which Liang Ke had arranged herself. It cost her over 70,000 yuan; her heart still bled thinking about it.

“She doesn’t lack anything. If you really want to give her something, give her the Vienna Golden Hall,” Liang Ke said, trying to decline Shu Qingchen’s kindness indirectly so she wouldn’t spend too much.

Shu Qingchen glanced at her and forced the car to stop at the city’s largest shopping mall. Without a word, she got out to shop, returning later pushing a full shopping cart.

“Good heavens, Leader, you’re too generous! The ’empty-nest’ elder in my house can’t possibly eat all this.” Liang Ke helped load the items into the trunk, regretting that she hadn’t followed her inside. But the foot traffic here was heavy and parking was difficult; by the time she found a spot, Shu Qingchen was already out of sight.

“Well, there’s also us,” Shu Qingchen said, also feeling she might have bought too much. To hide her embarrassment, she turned her head and smoothed a stray lock of hair. She added hesitantly, “If not, ask her to share it with the neighbors?”

Liang Ke was speechless. She had seen countless female students do that exact same movement in countless situations, but none of them were as pleasing to the eye as this woman. Something green and tender seemed to break through the soil of Liang Ke’s heart, growing wild.

…

The Professor had already received the phone call. Hearing that Liang Ke was bringing a leader home, she was a bit uneasy.

“Are you in trouble again?” Grandma Professor asked.

“No. Don’t you know me? ‘Heavy snow weighs down the green pine, but the pine stands straight and tall.'”

“Hmm. If there’s a mistake, correct it first, otherwise don’t step into my house.”

“There really isn’t. The leader is just coming to mooch—I mean, to eat,” Liang Ke comforted her.

Sure enough, Madam Liang Jiyue’s doubts vanished the moment she saw Shu Qingchen.