Close Enough To Pluck the Stars” (GL) - Chapter 5

Chapter 05

“Nao Nao is a trash can,” Liang Ke explained. “Very cute. Aside from being a bit of a chatterbox, having a loose screw in its logic, being overly emotional, and having huge mood swings… it’s very cute.”

She placed a heavy emphasis on “cute,” but after saying it, she felt she was rambling. She glanced at Shu Qingchen, worried the other woman might be getting impatient.

Fortunately, the “big shot” had a good temperament and surprisingly showed concern for the trash can. Shu Qingchen asked, “Why is it in a bad mood?”

“Just the usual workplace bullying,” Liang Ke said, her face tightening as she turned the steering wheel, thinking of Wu Chuchu’s attitude toward Nao Nao.

“I see. Its level of intelligence must be quite high,” Shu Qingchen remarked. “The designer must be an interesting person to have infused it with so many human traits.”

Liang Ke lifted her chin, smiling proudly. “That’s for sure. Like mother, like daughter. When I first…”

She was about to say that when she was modeling Nao Nao’s personality, she used her own traits as a blueprint while adding elements of her “ideal” personality. However, she quickly realized it wasn’t wise to reveal so much personal information to a new colleague. She cut herself off and focused on driving toward the institute’s newly built apartment complex.

Liang Ke placed the parking permit under the windshield, and the security guard happily waved them through. This residential area had only recently been put into use, and the hardware facilities were still incomplete. Only a few lights were on in the low-rise single rooms occupied by PhD students; most professors and employees preferred to commute back to the city after work.

As a result, the entire campus felt vast and dark, the night rain adding a layer of desolation. The guard, rarely seeing a living soul—especially a cheerful, familiar one—became quite helpful, diligently directing the backup and offering to help with the luggage.

“No need to trouble yourself.” Liang Ke, confident in her own strength, politely declined the guard’s help. She popped the trunk and casually grabbed the handle of Shu Qingchen’s suitcase.

Wait. What is the density of this thing? A white dwarf star?

With Shu Qingchen and the guard standing behind her, Liang Ke felt their eyes on her back. She told herself to stay elegant, helping transport the luggage all the way to the room without changing her expression.

The guard opened the door with a key and flicked on the hallway light. Liang Ke stepped inside, only to immediately back out in annoyance, reaching for her phone.

“What’s wrong?” Shu Qingchen asked.

“The post-construction cleaning hasn’t even been done! How can anyone stay here?”

“It seems okay,” the guard said, actually quite impressed by the decor. He touched the shoe cabinet, which was covered in a thin layer of white dust, and added hesitantly, “New houses are all like this.”

“Forget it. It’s not just about the dust.” Liang Ke pulled the guard out, making him stand in the foyer, and pointed to the closed windows. “The ventilation hasn’t been handled. It smells wrong. You can’t ignore the toxic gases left over from the renovation process.”

As she spoke, she was already through to Zhang Zhang’s secretary. The person on the other end was extremely polite. After hearing Liang Ke’s complaint, they offered about a dozen apologies and finally suggested that Shu Qingchen stay at a hotel for the night while professional cleaners were called in the next day.

By now, the rain outside was pouring harder. The guard ran downstairs to borrow an umbrella. Shu Qingchen mentioned she would contact a hotel herself so Liang Ke could head home and rest.

“What ‘hotel’?” Liang Ke turned back, her annoyance flaring. Seeing Shu Qingchen’s exhaustion and her habit of being overly considerate of others, Liang Ke acted on impulse: “If you don’t mind, stay at my place tonight.”

Shu Qingchen hesitated to speak, but Liang Ke boldly interrupted her again: “Even if you do mind, you’re staying at my place!”

The guard, just returning, was startled by Liang Ke’s booming voice, but he quickly took her side. Seeing them to the gate, he said to Shu Qingchen, “Engineer Liang is extremely thoughtful and good at taking care of people. Going to a hotel really isn’t as good as staying with her.”

…

Liang Ke remained immersed in her irritation all the way home, to the point where Shu Qingchen couldn’t even get a polite word in about “being a bother” or “disturbing her.” Before she knew it, she was ushered into a five-story red-brick building.

A chubby girl greeted them, fully armed in pajamas and cotton slippers. However, the outfit couldn’t hide her innate warmth and vitality. She gave Liang Ke a hug first, then easily took over the luggage.

Liang Ke marveled that kids from “big families” really were something—well-nourished as children and strong as adults. She introduced her: “This is Dr. Shu, my temporary leader.”

Then she said to Shu Qingchen: “This is Xiaoxiao. She’s my… daughter.”

Shu Qingchen’s eyes widened in surprise. Xiao Xiaoxiao, however, didn’t bat an eye. She took Liang Ke’s hand and greeted her tenderly: “Hello there, my idiot mother.”

Liang Ke shot back affectionately: “Unfilial child.”

“Move aside.” With a swift “parting of the clouds,” Xiao Xiaoxiao pushed Liang Ke away and warmly shook hands with Shu Qingchen. “Leading a subordinate like Liang Ke must be incredibly exhausting for you.”

Shu Qingchen couldn’t help but laugh. “Hello, I’m Shu Qingchen. I’m Liang Ke’s colleague, not exactly her leader.”

Liang Ke let out a cold laugh. “Her ID card is pale gold.”

Whoa—

Xiao Xiaoxiao sucked in a breath of cold air and turned to run back to her room to grab the autograph book she used for celebrities. As she ran, she shouted, “A scientist among scientists! It’s rare to see a live one!”

Liang Ke exchanged an embarrassed glance with Shu Qingchen, thinking to herself that her friends were rarely “normal.” She forced herself to be polite: “Leader, I apologize once-once-once again. I brought you home mainly because I feared you’d be lonely at a hotel. Subjectively, I didn’t mean for my friend to harass you.”

“No, it’s not harassment.” Shu Qingchen smiled, a rarity for her. Liang Ke led her on a tour of the apartment, starting with Liang Ke’s own room.

The guard hadn’t lied; Liang Ke had decorated the small room to be simple, warm, and comfortable. There were bedside cabinets, desks, chairs, stationery, and green plants. At the bottom of a shelf filled with figurines sat a basketball.

The only flaw was the desk. It was scattered with blueprints—some hand-drawn, some mechanical—and a small whiteboard covered in scribbled formulas and notes.

“Looks like ghost scribbles,” Xiao Xiaoxiao commented.

“This is my work,” Liang Ke said seriously. Then, remembering something, she immediately flipped the whiteboard over while watching Shu Qingchen’s face for any reaction.

The latter’s expression became slightly more animated. Xiao Xiaoxiao asked her, “Leader, do you think my drawing looks like her?”

Confused, Liang Ke followed their gaze to the back of the whiteboard. Right in the center, someone had used black ink to draw a happy, flamboyant pig’s head. An arrow pointed to it with the caption: Portrait of Classmate Liang Ke.

Xiao Xiaoxiao had already fled two kilometers away (metaphorically) while laughing hysterically. Liang Ke chased after her with the whiteboard held high, only stopping when Shu Qingchen let out two awkward coughs.

“Leader, I apologize once-once-once-once again,” Liang Ke rubbed her waist, sitting dejectedly on the arm of the sofa to rest. She offered a concluding remark on Xiaoxiao’s behavior: “Spare the rod, spoil the child.”

Xiao Xiaoxiao held her ground. Breathless, she defended herself: “Domestic violence is a serious social issue in our country. Covering it up and suppressing it is the usual practice of relevant departments. Today, we finally have a leader visiting. Please, Ma’am, do justice for this little woman and condemn this violent mother!”

Shu Qingchen stood between the two of them. She didn’t look embarrassed or caught in the middle; instead, she looked quite composed. She first asked Liang Ke, “Did you bring me home just to watch you and your friend play around?”

Liang Ke was the first to fall silent. Xiao Xiaoxiao chimed in with a beaming smile, “Exactly! Look at the time. Are you going to let the leader rest? Who’s going to lead the work tomorrow?”

Shu Qingchen shot a glance at Xiaoxiao. Feeling the pressure of a powerful aura, Xiaoxiao very wisely shut her mouth. “I’ll go make the bed,” she said, scurrying away.

With “mother and daughter” tucking their tails between their legs, the atmosphere returned to peace. When Liang Ke focused on a task, she was very efficient and had a particular knack for housework. In ten minutes, she had replaced all the bedding.

She didn’t use the ones provided by logistics. Instead, she used a set of her own that she had folded neatly, criticizing: “Those were never washed. How could you use them directly?”

Xiao Xiaoxiao peeked in from outside with a set of toiletries. Shu Qingchen thanked her. Both Xiaoxiao and Liang Ke waved their hands frantically in a “don’t mention it” gesture. Once everything was settled, the two of them ducked into Liang Ke’s study (which was also Xiaoxiao’s bedroom) to “conspire” loudly.

“Your leader has a very strong aura. The pressure is heavy!” Xiaoxiao said seriously.

Liang Ke collapsed into a rocking chair, rubbing her waist. “Let it be strong, let it be heavy. It’s only temporary anyway.”

“Temporary?”

“Two weeks tops.” Liang Ke touched her forehead. “Zhang Zhang just arranged for me to help her with the minor details of life and work temporarily. There’s no long-term plan. Besides, I still have Old Man Hu. Serving two bosses of this level… even Optimus Prime couldn’t handle that.”

“Then why are you being so nice to her?” Xiaoxiao moved her chair closer.

“For the scientific research of the motherland! For the progress of humanity!” Liang Ke squinted, drifting off.

“No. Way.” Xiaoxiao rocked the chair violently. Liang Ke surrendered with a wave of her hands: “Okay, okay! I just thought she looked pitiful.”

“Her benefits are five or six levels higher than yours. How is she ‘pitiful’?”

“Just…” Liang Ke scratched her hair. “The people like Zhang Zhang… you know. Ugh, forget it. Fine, she’s not pitiful. I’m the pitiful one. I have to sleep on the sofa for a few days.”

“You can sleep with me,” Xiaoxiao said, her eyes lighting up.

Liang Ke covered her chest. “What are you planning to do to me?”

“Nothing! Don’t be nervous. Big sister just wants to take in a little kitten who lost its nest.”