Close Enough To Pluck the Stars” (GL) - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Old Hu was back to finalize some paperwork and happened to run into Zhang Zhang at the entrance of the Research Institute.

The two old men chatted for a while, mostly sighing about how time spares no one, how each generation brings forth its own talents, and how the young people today are truly enviable—their research environment is far superior to that of their predecessors, and their futures look promising.

Just then, a young woman who was running late rushed right through the middle of the two old men.

She wore a baseball cap, a blue work jacket with welding burn holes, and denim overalls. Her snow boots were stained with metal dust and engine oil. The expression on her face evoked an abandoned factory: dark, cold, and mechanized.

Old Hu called out in surprise, “Liang Ke, my disciple!”

Liang Ke didn’t look back and kept walking.

Old Hu’s face darkened slightly as he tried a different name: “You little brat!”

Still no response.

Hu Yizhi stood in the cold wind, feeling increasingly disoriented. Zhang Zhang chimed in angrily, “Liang Ke, what is wrong with you? Security, stop her for me.”

Liang Ke swiped her card, but the guard wouldn’t let her through. He winked and gestured for her to look behind her, saying, “A wise man submits to fate. You’re just a worker ant—why throw a temper at such high-level leaders? Have some sympathy for my difficult position.”

“What leaders? What difficult position?”

Liang Ke turned around, bewildered. At first, there was no reaction, then she “melted.” She cried out, “Teacher!” and started jogging back, her backpack clanking and rattling as it slammed into Hu Yizhi.

The latter let out a muffled groan, nearly moved to tears—mostly from the physical impact—regretting that he hadn’t padded his cotton coat with a heart-protector before leaving this morning.

Old Hu comforted his disciple and asked Zhang Zhang accusingly, “What happened? In just three months, how has my clever and cute student become so dull and clumsy?”

Zhang Zhang was at a loss for words. He stammered for a moment before saying, “Clumsy? I think her hearing has just declined.” He then asked Liang Ke, “Your dark circles are very heavy. Have you been staying up late working overtime?”

Liang Ke nodded, thought about it, and then shook her head.

“Is that a yes or a no?”

Liang Ke was indeed half-asleep. To trace the source of the competition Trojan, she had led her team through three consecutive all-nighters. Ye Tianze and Luo Han went without saying, and even the “glasses senior,” whose technical skills were slightly lacking, had sacrificed his personal rest to assist. Yet, even today, they had no solid leads.

Her mind was hazy, and she attempted to “act cute” to get by, but Hu Yizhi interpreted it as a dazed smile. His protective instincts flared up. He said to Zhang Zhang relentlessly, “Is this still our star of scientific research? She’s turned into an idiot. Someone must be bullying her! I’m telling you, Zhang Zhang, the country spent a fortune training a talent like this. If she isn’t utilized properly, that’s your dereliction of duty. You’re failing the country and the people…”

He wanted to escalate the rhetoric further, but Zhang Zhang stopped him. The Director was, after all, more composed. Zhang Zhang pulled the old man along, advising, “Come on, let’s go to the Intelligent Computing department ourselves. One look and we’ll see what the problem is. If that doesn’t work, you can ask Director Shu face-to-face.”

Hu Yizhi grumbled that he intended to do exactly that and followed Zhang Zhang.

…

The two old men planned to sneak in quietly, but upon entering, they found the office area nearly empty, with only a few core researchers at their desks. They asked Luo Han, who was on duty, and learned that a meeting was in progress.

Things were different now. As the saying goes, “to each their specialty.” Shu Qingchen knew that Wu Chuchu was hostile toward Liang Ke and liked to suppress her for no reason, yet she still chose to use Wu Chuchu heavily. The reason was that the lab’s administrative and “political learning” requirements were extremely tedious and were seriously eating into actual research time.

While Wu Chuchu was technically inept, she was a natural administrative talent. Ever since she entered the Institute, she had focused on the quality and standardization of official documents. Her years of experience in administrative writing could easily KO a hundred Liang Kes. She handled the various non-research activities with ease. Shu Qingchen had ignored all objections to put her in Liang Ke’s old position, solely for the sake of “energy conservation.”

In public, Wu Chuchu frequently praised Shu Qingchen for her keen eye and took her own role very seriously. She described her work as: “Supporting scientific innovation and sharing the historical mission.”

Consequently, in the rewards and commendation phase, she would crush Liang Ke. Naturally, she didn’t feel the need to scheme against the Calico over trivial details anymore.

Luo Han was the first to notice this, which was why she stopped Ye Tianze from complaining to the leadership: “The Leader loves Senior Liang Ke. Can’t you see that?”

Ye Tianze said, “Well, her way of expressing love is a bit… unique. I’d prefer Sister Wu’s more direct approach.”

Luo Han scoffed at this, saying that Sister Wu, as a newcomer, had intentionally started the rumors of ambiguity between herself and Liang Ke to suppress her own bad reputation. Her goal was to use Liang Ke’s popularity to establish her own authority for future management.

Ye Tianze asked suspiciously, “Does that really work?”

“It works! Look, we all call her Sister Wu now. She handles everything—fire drills, countless seminars, exchange meetings, and summary meetings for ‘implementing spirit.’ Meanwhile, Senior Liang Ke only knows how to scream for help. In summary: the Leader’s love for Senior Liang is extremely deep, though I have ruthlessly seen through it,” Luo Han said.

Ye Tianze scratched his head and said something wasn’t right. Shu had a keen eye for talent, true, but Liang Ke wasn’t the only one benefiting.

Right?

“Doesn’t that mean that besides Liang Ke, I also have a chance to be ‘favored’ by the Leader?”

Liang Ke happened to pass by just then. She gathered the power cords and laser pointers on the desk, stuffing them into her backpack while asking, “What are you whispering about me? Also, is ‘favored’ the right word to use there?”

Ye Tianze felt a bit of jealousy bubbling up, but thinking of Liang Ke’s high-pressure situation, he felt relieved. He asked her sympathetically, “Are you still the main speaker for today’s proposal seminar?”

“Mhm.” Liang Ke aligned, stapled, and stuffed a massive stack of materials into her bag with lightning speed.

Ye Tianze tried to lift her nearly bursting bag. “Comrade Liang, is this a shipping container or a backpack?”

Luo Han tried to lift it too; not only did she fail, but she almost sprained her wrist. “You could fit me inside this thing.”

“Not a whole person, the shape is wrong. Only body parts.” Ye Tianze tried to make a dark joke, but seeing Liang Ke’s face darken, he stopped. She shouldered the bag with great displeasure and walked away.

She even got her bag caught on the handle of the conference room door. The two of them rushed up to help. Ye Tianze asked cautiously, “What’s wrong? You took the joke seriously?”

Liang Ke stubbornly turned her head away, muttered “It’s nothing,” and walked to the projector to prepare.

Ye Tianze and Luo Han grabbed their laptops and found seats, only to realize they were sitting next to two “ancient deities.”

“Hu-hu-hu-hu…” Ye Tianze stammered in excitement.

Hu Yizhi made a “shush” gesture, and Zhang Zhang signaled the surrounding researchers to keep quiet.

As the main speaker, Liang Ke held a laser pointer in one hand and habitually gripped the edge of the table with the other. The process lasted forty minutes, during which participants could interrupt for questions and discussion.

Ye Tianze raised his hand once, Luo Han twice.

Most unexpectedly, the “green-rimmed glasses senior” actually contributed his own ideas at a key point, interrupting Liang Ke four times to speak. It seemed as though Shu Qingchen had directly prompted him. Whenever he seemed cramped or lacked confidence, he received encouraging glances and even specific pointers from the Big Shot.

Luo Han maintained her good habits from school, taking notes rapidly. Hu Yizhi interrupted her and asked Ye Tianze, “Who is that little girl?”

Ye Tianze said, “Dr. Shu poached her from the lab next door. Her strength is no less than Liang Ke’s, she’s just too young and lacks confidence. She’s admired Liang Ke for a long time, so she agreed to change research directions without hesitation.”

Luo Han covered her face in embarrassment.

Hu Yizhi nodded, then pointed to the middle-aged man with green frames who was currently speaking. “Lü Qiang has changed a lot.”

“Yes. He used to be someone who couldn’t squeeze out a word even if you hit him with a stick. Now he’s actually participating in the internal job competition and has been preparing very hard.”

The old man continued to nod, then spotted Wu Chuchu by the door taking notes. His blood pressure rose. “What is she doing here? Did she come to bully Liang Ke? Is anyone going to do something about this?”

Zhang Zhang felt embarrassed and said that was in the past. He’d heard they were getting along famously now, like sisters.

Old Hu was skeptical, but listening through the meeting, he felt his disciple’s research level had improved significantly—gradually transforming from a “malleable talent” into a professional technical backbone. Even if that “backbone” was still being easily crushed by Shu Qingchen and looked quite unhappy about it.

After the meeting adjourned, many people asked Liang Ke for materials, and others asked Luo Han for her notes. Old Hu chatted with some of the others.

Ye Tianze walked over with a faxed document from Liang Ke, marveling, “People still use faxes these days?” He then asked Liang Ke what was drawn on it.

At a glance, it was two stick figures—one tall, one short. The short one was holding a little chick.

“This chick has a very long neck,” Ye Tianze commented.

“Maybe it’s a duckling,” Senior Lü added.

The crowd of onlookers soon dispersed. Liang Ke stared at the drawing alone for a while. Slowly, she put her head in her hands, her face showing a look of conflicted agony.

Shu Qingchen happened to pass by with some files. She stopped and asked, “Liang Ke, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Liang Ke slowly raised her head, looking at her with deep, clear eyes. The person who had just been making a high-spirited presentation and debating with colleagues now looked like a wounded animal—begging for mercy, seeking comfort.

Shu Qingchen felt confused and bewildered, but mostly heartbroken. She had been a bit strict with Liang Ke lately, but those tasks were assigned after fully considering Liang Ke’s personal abilities. There was no reason for them to cause such damage.

While she was thinking, the Calico—receiving no response—actually stood up. First, she opened her arms and hugged Shu Qingchen tightly, then buried her “big head” into the other woman’s neck.

Luo Han was the first to gasp. The air in the room went silent instantly. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look.