Close Enough To Pluck the Stars” (GL) - Chapter 4

Chapter 04

Wu Chuchu intended to play the part of a generous person, so she smiled and tried to smooth things over: “Dr. Shu, please don’t take it to heart. Not all the young people in our institute are like Liang Ke. We have many other talents with deeper knowledge and more comprehensive abilities who are eager to work with you.”

Beep, beep-beep. Zhao Pu was silently sending out telegrams of frustration in his mind.

He nervously watched Liang Ke’s expression. Seeing that she still wore a cold, slightly cynical look of indifference, he breathed a sigh of relief, marveling that his hot-tempered friend actually had such a steady side.

The car ride was smooth. Liang Ke drove all the way into the institute’s underground parking lot and parked in the VIP section. Wu Chuchu instructed Liang Ke to handle several routine procedures while she personally guided Shu Qingchen to the elevator with a smile. Turning back, she said to Zhao Pu, “Make sure you edit the photos and text carefully. I need to review them before they are published.”

Zhao Pu gave a perfunctory “okay” and turned to pat Liang Ke on the shoulder. “Let’s go, time to get the great Dr. Shu’s ID card.”

Liang Ke stared in the direction where Shu Qingchen had left and stood still. Zhao Pu tried to comfort her: “It was just a few small questions, don’t mind it. A big shot like her was just asking casually; it wasn’t a thesis defense.”

Liang Ke still didn’t move. Zhao Pu, at his wit’s end, pulled out his phone and scratched his head. “How about I Baidu the answers for you?”

“Get lost,” Liang Ke replied amiably, then pointed out her concern: “They didn’t give me her ID photo.”

“Are you stupid?” Zhao Pu turned to pack his camera. “The administration already has all the files ready. You’re just going there as a formality—fill out a form and bring the card back.”

…

The elevator ascended slowly and quietly. Wu Chuchu continued to talk to Shu Qingchen with a superficial smile, casually mentioning Liang Ke again: “I was there when she was interviewed.” She shook her head as she spoke. “She’s a joint-program PhD between University X and our institute. You know how it is—both sides just let them run wild. There are loopholes in this system; the talents it produces get ‘waterier’ with every batch.”

Shu Qingchen looked a bit surprised at first, then slightly shook her head. “As far as I know, both University X and the research institute are top-tier platforms in the country. They’ve built this relationship over years of promotion. Since the selection mechanism is nearly brutal, those who make the cut are the most elite talents from both sides.”

“Heh, yes, I suppose.” Wu Chuchu frowned awkwardly, forced to backtrack. She added with a worried look, “They are good platforms, but there are exceptions to every rule. I’m just afraid Liang Ke will inevitably hold you back in the future.”

…

The staff in the administration department were all old acquaintances. As soon as Zhao Pu entered, he collapsed onto the guest sofa, using his sweet talk to score some good tea. Liang Ke, meanwhile, was led through the process of signing and stamping various documents.

Zhao Pu picked up the lanyard for Shu Qingchen’s ID card and looped it around Liang Ke’s neck. He stepped back a few paces, chin in hand, admiring the sight. “This prestigious pale-gold ID card… it’s the dream of so many. I’ve got no hope, but Liang Ke, you’ve got to work hard!”

“Forget it. There’s an unbridgeable chasm between me and this Dr. Shu. What’s the point of ‘working hard’?” Liang Ke irritably tried to pull the card off. The more she hurried, the more tangled it got, until her own lanyard became knotted with the gold one.

A colleague came out with a custom-made work uniform and watched Liang Ke’s struggle with a smile. “I heard you’re getting a new boss. She looks quite gentle and approachable.”

“Yeah, yeah! The photo is so beautiful. What is she like in person?”

Liang Ke finally got both lanyards off. She brushed back her bangs and said dismissively, “That’s just temporary. They say I’m a ‘lifestyle assistant.’ Once she’s settled in, I’ll be heading back to old man Hu. And don’t just stare at the photos—the big shot herself is way colder than the picture. ‘Gentle and approachable’? One look from her will send you to Antarctica to help penguins hatch eggs.”

“No, absolutely not!” Zhao Pu jumped up from the sofa to interrupt her. “She is gentle. She is approachable. There’s no Antarctica. Penguins can hatch their own eggs; they don’t need company.”

Liang Ke looked up, bewildered. “What? Did I say something wrong? You saw her just now. She’s beautiful, sure, but other than ‘stern,’ ‘composed,’ and ‘dead serious,’ I really can’t find any other adjectives.”

“The fact that you can’t find them is your problem,” Zhao Pu said, his voice rising with urgency.

“What’s wrong with me?” Liang Ke stood up and slammed her hand on the table.

Zhao Pu ignored her and turned his gaze elsewhere. “Dr. Shu, hello! I didn’t expect you to come personally for such a small matter.”

The administration colleagues all flocked to catch a glimpse of the new “big shot.” After all, there were fewer than ten people in the entire institute, including retirees, who held a pale-gold ID card.

Shu Qingchen nodded to Zhao Pu. Before she could speak, Wu Chuchu walked in, explaining with a smile: “It was my oversight. Qingchen’s ID card has very high clearance. I wouldn’t feel right leaving it in just anyone’s hands, so I suggested she come to collect it herself.”

To make everyone think she was close friends with the new expert, Wu Chuchu addressed her directly as “Qingchen.” Seeing that Shu Qingchen didn’t mind, she felt emboldened to continue bullying Liang Ke, who was still holding the tangled mess of lanyards.

Wu Chuchu’s smile blossomed even wider. “See? What did I tell you?” She shook her head and sighed.

Zhao Pu couldn’t even be bothered to check Liang Ke’s expression anymore. He figured that by this time tomorrow, Liang Ke’s resignation letter would already be printed and sitting on Zhang Zhang’s desk—and probably his own as well.

…

After the necessary meetings and a small welcome dinner, Shu Qingchen was escorted out of the institute’s main entrance. Zhang Zhang personally saw her off. Everyone was exchanging pleasantries, making the atmosphere both hypocritical and lively.

“Oh, it’s raining.”

“A good rain knows its season; this rain is here to moisten the road for our honored guest,” a hardware team leader chimed in.

“Exactly, exactly.”

“Where’s Little Liang? Tell her to drive slowly later,” Zhang Zhang asked the crowd.

Everyone asked around, but naturally, the “big shots” had no idea where Liang Ke had gone.

Finally, an intern from a neighboring lab stood up and said timidly, “Dr. Liang said she had an emergency. She’ll be down in five minutes.”

“Is it right to make our honored guest wait for her?” Zhang Zhang intentionally put on a stern face. “Dr. Shu, take my car. I’ll find another driver for you.”

“Dean, that won’t work,” a logistics officer immediately intervened. “The daily necessities prepared for Dr. Shu have already been loaded into Liang Ke’s car.”

Zhang Zhang frowned, then turned to the intern. “What’s your name? Which department?”

“Oh, her name is Luo Han,” Wu Chuchu cut in. “She’s a new intern in our office. She was working late today, so I invited her to join the dinner.”

Zhang Zhang nodded, then said to Luo Han, “Call Liang Ke immediately. Tell her to put aside whatever ’emergency’ she has. If she continues to show such lack of discipline, I’ll have to have a word with Old Hu.”

Luo Han hurried to comply. Zhang Zhang and the other leaders offered to wait for Liang Ke with her, but Shu Qingchen politely declined. After some back-and-forth and handshakes, the leaders departed in their respective cars. The front of the institute became cold and quiet again, with only Luo Han left holding an umbrella for Shu Qingchen.

Liang Ke came down shortly after the call, running until she was out of breath, taking the stairs three at a time with agility. She swung her keychain around her index finger, finally skidding to a halt in front of Shu Qingchen, coughing with her hands on her knees.

Shu Qingchen instinctively reached out to steady her, but Liang Ke stepped back to dodge her hand. Seeing Shu Qingchen pause, Liang Ke quickly explained between breaths, “My… my hands are dirty.” She turned to Luo Han. “Got a tissue?”

Luo Han quickly pulled out a pack of tissues and stared at the stains on Liang Ke’s hands. “Why are you doing maintenance on Nao Nao again? That’s the third time this month.”

“It’s all… because of… Wu Chuchu!” Liang Ke stopped coughing and complained. “Zhang Zhang threatened me with the old man again. He never has anything new.”

Luo Han glanced at Shu Qingchen, feeling that Liang Ke speaking this way in front of her was truly inappropriate. Liang Ke, however, maintained her indifferent look. She took the umbrella, urged Luo Han to go home early, and then politely shielded Shu Qingchen as they walked toward the car.

She had made peace with it. After today’s chaos, if Shu Qingchen was any kind of normal “big shot,” she would surely apply to the institute for a new assistant in a few days. Their destiny together wouldn’t last more than two weeks.

…

It was a cold, rainy night. The front plaza was deserted. The streetlights reflected off the shimmering puddles, making the newly transplanted saplings look particularly frail.

Liang Ke held most of the umbrella over Shu Qingchen, letting her own shoulder get soaked in the rain.

It wasn’t that she was intentionally trying to suck up; it was just that in this environment, thinking of Shu Qingchen being all alone, newly arrived and far from her old friends and mentors, Liang Ke felt her heart must be feeling particularly desolate and lonely.

“Cold?” Liang Ke looked at Shu Qingchen’s beautiful profile with some sympathy, making small talk to break the silence.

Shu Qingchen was about to answer when her phone began to ring incessantly. Calls from family and friends came one after another. It wasn’t until the car was halfway to its destination that things finally quieted down.

Heh. Liang Ke was annoyed at herself for overthinking. “Desolate and lonely,” my foot. A big shot is a big shot—even on a business trip, ten thousand people are worrying about her.

“What are you thinking about?” Shu Qingchen reminded Liang Ke to start driving at a green light.

“Nothing… uh, I just zoned out,” Liang Ke cleared her throat.

“If you have an emergency, you can deal with that first. I can just take a taxi to the apartment myself,” Shu Qingchen said, recalling the earlier mention.

“Nah, it was nothing important.” Liang Ke found an excuse and relaxed. “It was just Nao Nao being moody. It didn’t want to charge, and it refused to go into sleep mode.”

“Oh?”