Chapter 538
Shaking Head in Helplessness
Jiang Nian's appearance dealt a severe blow to Liu Ying's confidence.
But Jiang Nian won Liu Ying's respect with his own abilities.
There was just one thing Liu Ying couldn't understand: how could a researcher be so indifferent to their rank? Even their own research findings?
Jiang Nian was naturally unaware of Liu Ying's changing thoughts. As he spoke, he finished his meal. "I'm going back to rest now. As for the two responsible persons, just relay my words directly; they know what to do."
He glanced at Liu Ying, who was holding chopsticks but hadn't picked up any food, with a hint of doubt, then casually said that and left.
Liu Ying sat there, watching Jiang Nian's figure disappear from sight.
"You're saying Jiang Nian said he's not going to care about anything after this? He wants us to handle it ourselves?"
After listening to Liu Ying's report, Xu Lei and Xie Jianguo stared at each other, unsure of what to say.
After spending more than half a month with him, they had a pretty good understanding of Jiang Nian's personality.
That's why the two of them were speechless when they heard what Liu Ying brought back.
In the end, aside from shaking their heads helplessly, Xu Lei and Xie Jianguo didn't say anything more and focused on discussing the next steps.
The nuclear reactor has been completed. After a good night's sleep, Jiang Nianmei received a call from Feng Boyun.
"Comrade Jiang Nian, the prototype of the integrated ocean surveillance satellite has been successfully launched. We're now thinking that the real integrated ocean surveillance satellites can form a complete surveillance system to ensure comprehensive and uninterrupted monitoring of the entire ocean. We'll need your help with the testing and maintenance!"
Feng Boyun made this call precisely to ask Jiang Nian for help.
During the prototype satellite's construction, other components were also being manufactured simultaneously. Following the successful launch of the prototype, Feng Boyun suddenly had a new idea, which led him to invite Jiang Nianlai to assist him.
“Since Academician Feng has already spoken, I certainly cannot refuse. I am at the Institute of Physics now, and I will come to see you tomorrow.”
Jiang Nian replied with a smile.
He was also quite interested in satellites. If things hadn't been uneventful after the prototype launch, he would have really wanted to stay at the satellite research and development base for a while.
Jiang Nian considered that the nuclear reactor for the 004 aircraft carrier's propulsion system had already been built, so whether he was involved or not seemed to make little difference. Therefore, he readily accepted Feng Boyun's invitation.
In Xu Lei's office, he was organizing his belongings. Xie Jianguo was in charge of the nuclear reactor, and he was now returning to the aircraft carrier research and development base to prepare for various modifications to the carrier.
When Jiang Nian arrived, Xu Lei was already explaining some matters to Xie Jianguo.
"Comrade Jiang Nian, you've come at the right time. We need to keep a close eye on this reactor; we can't afford any mishaps."
Seeing Jiang Nian come in, Xie Jianguo and Xu Lei were very happy, and Xie Jianguo even said directly.
"Um... you two, I came here to say that Academician Feng needs my help with something, and I have to go to the satellite R&D base tomorrow. So I won't be involved in things here."
Jiang Nian's face remained expressionless, appearing quite calm.
His words instantly froze the smiles on Xie Jianguo and Xu Lei's faces.
"Satellite R&D base? Academician Feng? Could it be Feng Boyun?"
After a while, Xu Lei was the first to react, and asked in disbelief, his voice full of doubt.
Pan Jiayong clearly said that Jiang Nian was researching aircraft carriers, so how did he suddenly get involved with people from the satellite research and development base?
"That... is Academician Feng Boyun. I helped out at the satellite R&D base before, and I'm just going to lend a hand this time."
Jiang Nian explained.
His explanation made Xu Lei and Xie Jianguo exchange a glance, then smile wryly, unsure of what to say.
“Since it’s Academician Feng’s invitation, then you should go. However, you are now also a member of our 004 aircraft carrier construction team. I’m about to return to the aircraft carrier construction center, and Lao Xie probably won’t be staying here for long either. Once you’ve finished your work at the satellite base, go back to our aircraft carrier construction base with Lao Xie.”
That was all Xu Lei could say.
He finally understood what Pan Jiayong had said earlier—Jiang Nian was in high demand, and everyone was eager to hire him! This time, Li Lianzhong had acted quickly enough to get Jiang Nian's help. Otherwise, they really wouldn't have been able to get Jiang Nian for their 004 aircraft carrier project.
"Okay, I understand. Let's keep in touch if there are any problems."
Jiang Nian smiled and agreed.
The next day, Jiang Nian traveled by car to the satellite research and development base.
However, he encountered someone at the satellite base who shouldn't have been there.
"Comrade Jiang Nian? What brings you here?"
Liu Ying was sitting in Feng Boyun's office, leisurely sipping her coffee. Hearing a knock, she answered the door, only to be startled to find Jiang Nian entering. She was so startled that she spat out the coffee she had just drunk.
This is truly astonishing—someone who should be at the Institute of Physics suddenly appears at the satellite base; it just doesn't make sense!
"I came to see Academician Feng. He said he was going to get some documents first, so I came over. But... what are you doing here?"
Jiang Nian never expected to meet Liu Ying.
Isn't she Xie Jianguo's student? Why isn't she at the Institute of Physics? Why is she in Feng Boyun's office? That's really strange.
"Academician Feng is my uncle. I've come to see him about something."
Liu Ying explained nervously, her voice trembling slightly.
"Comrade Jiang Nian, why don't you sit down first? Oh, right, I almost forgot to introduce you: This is Liu Ying, my niece. She works at the Institute of Physics and is currently a Level 3 Researcher. I know she's far inferior to you, but she's also very outstanding. She's currently studying under Xie Jianguo. You know Xie Jianguo, right? He's the one who researches nuclear power. I'll introduce you to him later."
Feng Boyun walked in from outside and saw that Jiang Nian was not sitting but standing in the center of the office. He walked over to him, patted Jiang Nian on the shoulder, pointed to Liu Ying who was sitting, and introduced her with a smile.
Upon hearing her uncle's introduction, Liu Ying blushed, but didn't know what to say.
"Uncle, I'll go pour you some tea!"
After saying that, Liu Ying hurriedly stood up and rushed out of Feng Boyun's office.
"Why is this child so flustered? There's no one chasing her. Is she shy because Comrade Jiang Nian is too handsome?"
Feng Boyun watched his niece run off with a puzzled look – she was so fast that he didn't even have time to call her back and tell her that there was tea in the office.
He glanced at Jiang Nian sheepishly and teased her like this. In his opinion, his niece had indeed been somewhat impolite in front of outsiders.
“Um… Academician Feng, actually I already know Liu Ying. During this period, I was at the Institute of Physics, working with Engineer Xie Jianguo on the issue of nuclear power reactors.”
Jiang Nian touched his nose and offered a somewhat embarrassed explanation.
He hadn't expected that Liu Ying was actually Feng Boyun's niece. What a small world! Feng Boyun was truly stunned this time.
He stared at Jiang Nian for a long time without saying a word.
"Haha, haha... I see! What a coincidence! What a coincidence!"
Finally, Feng Boyun just said this with a smile.
His gaze toward Jiang Nian suddenly became much kinder, as if he were looking at a junior—no, as if he were looking at his own son-in-law!
Jiang Nian felt a chill run down his spine from Feng Boyun's gaze, as if something was amiss.
However, Feng Boyun didn't say anything more, so Jiang Nian didn't feel comfortable saying anything more either.
Liu Ying stayed in the tea room for about half an hour, until the blush on her face had faded, before returning to Feng Boyun's office with two cups of tea.
"Xiaoying, you know Jiang Nian, why didn't you say so sooner? You didn't tell me beforehand that Jiang Nian and your advisor were researching nuclear power. If I had known, I would have gone straight to your lab to find them!"
After Liu Ying sat down again, Feng Boyun took the initiative to "fire" at his niece.
A few question marks popped into Liu Ying's head. She wondered if her uncle was losing his mind.
Jiang Nian was transferred from above, and her official title was Level 1 Researcher. She herself was only a Level 3 Researcher, still learning from Xie Jianguo. If Xie Jianguo hadn't chosen her as his assistant for the final experiment, she would never have met Jiang Nian, okay?
Besides, my uncle knows Jiang Nian, but he didn't tell me, did he?
What kind of nonsense is this! Liu Ying thought her uncle had gone mad, he had lost all basic logic, otherwise how could he say such a thing?
"Uncle, I didn't know you knew Comrade Jiang Nian! Why did you call me here? If there's nothing else, I'll go back now."
Liu Ying said to Feng Boyun in an annoyed tone. She felt strange being in the same space as Jiang Nian, especially after Feng Boyun's words, which gave her an indescribable feeling—her uncle wouldn't harm her, would he?
In the end, Liu Ying could only think this to herself, trying to comfort herself that nothing would happen.
"What's the rush? I called you here for a reason. You sit down properly!"
Feng Boyun realized that what he had just said was indeed a bit strange. But hearing that Liu Ying was about to leave, he still said it in an annoyed tone.
“Um… Comrade Jiang Nian, you see, I didn’t expect you to have some knowledge of nuclear power. My niece is studying this, so I’d appreciate it if you could take care of her and teach her so she can learn more from you.”
Unlike his stern attitude towards Liu Ying, Feng Boyun was practically beaming with joy when he spoke to Jiang Nian, his tone incredibly gentle, with an indescribable undertone.
Feng Boyun's attitude made Jiang Nian frown slightly.
For some reason, he felt as if he had seen Feng Boyun's appearance in someone else as well.
“Uh… Academician Feng, although I am involved in the nuclear power research and development project, I will not be staying for too long. Engineer Xie is very capable, and with him mentoring Ms. Liu Ying, I believe Ms. Liu Ying will make faster progress.”
After hesitating for a while, Jiang Nian finally spoke.
There was no way he could take on any students. Besides, his tasks were varied, but he mainly did equipment repair work. What would it be like to take on a young girl?
Liu Ying blushed immediately after Feng Boyun finished speaking. She finally understood why her uncle had called her here.
Before the lingering shyness in her heart had faded, she heard Jiang Nian's words. Liu Ying suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
He really is a straight man. Even with her uncle's blunt words, Jiang Nian still managed to interpret it as her wanting to be his student. What could she say?
Feng Boyun, who had originally intended to act as matchmaker, suddenly found himself unable to bring himself to say it.
He was also taken aback by Jiang Nian's words.
"Jiang Nian, look, my niece is about your age, and she's a researcher, so her work is very similar to yours. You young people have a lot in common. What do you think... what if you two got together?"
Feng Boyun simply made his point clear.
He sought out Jiang Nian partly for work, but also for a personal reason—his niece had always stayed in the research institute and didn't interact much with young people her age. He felt that Jiang Nian and Liu Ying were quite a good match.
Jiang Nian and Liu Ying were both stunned for a moment.
Jiang Nian looked at Liu Ying, not expecting that Feng Boyun had such a plan.
Liu Ying was stunned by her uncle's blunt words.
She almost instinctively looked at Jiang Nian, only to meet his gaze.
Her cheeks flushed bright red instantly, and Liu Ying hurriedly looked away and lowered her head.
She was starting to resent her uncle.
Even if it's a blind date, shouldn't they at least tell me beforehand?
The current situation has made her so ashamed that she feels like she has nowhere to hide.
Not knowing what to say, it seemed that nothing she said would be appropriate at this moment. Liu Ying felt helpless and uncomfortable all over.
"Um... Academician Feng, I just want to focus on my work right now and I don't have any plans to date for the time being."
After a moment of silence, Jiang Nian spoke first to explain. He was telling the truth—at the moment, he was only focused on completing the mission and improving the Dragon Kingdom's defense capabilities; nothing else was on his mind.
"Haha, you little rascal, I didn't tell you to start dating right away. Just get to know each other first, and who knows if you'll end up together, right?"
Feng Boyun was very open-minded. He thought Jiang Nian was very outstanding, and his niece was equally excellent. It would be great if the two could develop a relationship; but if they weren't meant to be, it wouldn't matter.
He was optimistic, but this left the two young people feeling rather helpless.
"Um... Uncle, I just remembered, my mom told me to go home early for dinner today. I'll head back now, we can talk another day. Comrade Jiang Nian, I'll be going now, goodbye!"
Liu Ying couldn't hold back any longer. Jiang Nian had already made her point so clearly, yet her uncle still said it like that, which made her even more embarrassed. She stood up abruptly, awkwardly uttered those words to Feng Boyun, then blushed as she said goodbye to Jiang Nian, grabbed her bag, and hurriedly ran out.
Jiang Nian watched Liu Ying's retreating figure without saying a word.
He really doesn't plan to be in a relationship right now.
It was because of Feng Boyun's commotion that Jiang Nian finally remembered why this matter felt familiar—back in the Southeast Military Region, Old Tang had also tried to match him with his granddaughter, and it seemed that he still owed someone a date that he hadn't yet fulfilled.
Thinking of this, Jiang Nian's mood also became somewhat gloomy.
He hadn't been back to the Southeast Military Region for a long time.
"Academician Feng, your new satellite is still under construction. I'll come over to help with testing and maintenance once all the equipment is almost complete." (End of Chapter)