Chapter 28: Between Steel and Schemes
Seeing Liu Shang's figure appear, Mr. Zhong was taken aback for a moment, then he was instantly overjoyed and walked out of Xu Tiande's office with a big smile.
"Liu Shang! You kid, you came in today?"
"Haha, you came just in time! Come to my office!"
"To tell you the truth, I was so tempted to go to your school to find you just now!"
Under the surprised eyes of everyone in the office, Liu Shang was directly dragged into Mr. Zhong's office. They immediately got down to business, continuing to deliberate on and perfect the design of specific tools for ground injection.
It took a whole day, but with Liu Shang's assistance, Mr. Zhong was able to nearly finalize the complete process flow and the design of the relevant pipe strings and tools.
He estimated that it would be finalized by tomorrow, at which point the designs could be sent to a fabrication plant to have a few sets custom-made.
In the next few days, they could begin experiments to confirm the success or failure of this technological process.
During a short break at noon, a stranger on QQ named [Drawing the Ground as a Prison] sent him a friend request.
Liu Shang frowned but accepted. The other party introduced himself very politely.
"Hi, I'm Zhou Liang from the Student Union. I'm also the deputy admin of our freshman group chat."
Liu Shang was stunned for a moment, then politely exchanged a few pleasantries with him.
At this point, Zhou Liang sent out a formal invitation, wanting him to attend the group dinner on Friday night.
The location was the famous Hyatt Hotel near the school.
Liu Shang, who had a lot on his plate at this stage, was naturally not interested in this, so he politely refused.
However, his refusal made Zhou Liang, on the other end of the network, frown.
Originally, their intention in establishing the group chat was simply to help Tan Feng create more opportunities to get close to Jiang Ruolin.
They had even imagined a grand, sensational, and romantic ceremony for this scheduled gathering, planning to use the group effect to persuade Jiang Ruolin to agree to Tan Feng's pursuit.
But what they had never expected was that the platform of this new group chat would become a springboard for Jiang Ruolin and Liu Shang to get acquainted.
So much so that before the party had even started, Jiang Ruolin had already become Liu Shang's girlfriend.
If this were before Liu Shang and Jiang Ruolin had confirmed their relationship, Zhou Liang wouldn't have cared about Liu Shang at all.
In fact, if he didn't come to the party, it would be even better, keeping him away from Jiang Ruolin.
But now, they had hastily arranged the party for Friday night, a week earlier than planned, with the explicit purpose of intimidating Liu Shang and making him back down.
So, how could Liu Shang, the main event of this party, refuse to participate?
"Hehe, Liu Shang, you may not know, but many people in our group are Jiang Ruolin's high school classmates and friends."
"Many of them are curious about you and want to get to know you."
"Also, Jiang Ruolin, as the group admin, has already confirmed that she will attend."
"She's a girl. As her boyfriend, you can help her fend off toasts, can't you?"
Seeing that he had put it that way, Liu Shang, who didn't much care whether he participated or not, agreed to go.
...
Same as yesterday, when everyone else in the office left for the day, Mr. Zhong kept Liu Shang late again.
Perhaps because he knew Mr. Zhong was determined to finalize the design today, Liu Shang sent a text message to Jiang Ruolin and then devoted himself to the schematics and work.
By the time the two of them finished, it was almost nine o'clock in the evening.
In any case, Liu Shang's plan to meet Jiang Ruolin tonight was off the table.
"Kid Liu, I kept you for overtime again today, so you can't be with your little girlfriend. Are you unhappy?"
In a popular and well-regarded tavern in the city, Mr. Zhong laughed as he looked at Liu Shang.
Since Liu Shang had come to the company, Mr. Zhong's technology project had proceeded very smoothly, perfectly even.
This also meant a heavy weight had been lifted from the old man's shoulders; at least for this year, he could breathe a sigh of relief and relax.
His mood was naturally very good.
Hearing his words, Liu Shang smiled and waved his hands. "You can't be stuck together every day when you're in a relationship, right?"
"Also, to be honest, Mr. Zhong, this kind of selfless atmosphere of focusing on technology is really great."
"Especially when a technical problem is on the verge of being solved, there's a thrill that makes every cell in my body buzz with excitement."
Liu Shang's first sentence was, naturally, against his true feelings. He wished he could be with Jiang Ruolin all the time, for a lifetime even.
But the latter words were a genuine reflection of his own thoughts. In his bones, he was also a technical madman.
"Good!"
"You kid, it's like you were the perfect apprentice sent straight to me from heaven. You suit my temperament perfectly."
"Liu Shang, have a good drink with me today. If it gets late, don't go back to the dorm. I'll get you a room at the star-rated hotel next door."
Those who work in oil technology, especially those who are often on the front lines, all like to drink high-proof liquor.
Generally, oil fields are located on saline-alkali land, and the wilderness is brutally cold and battered by storms; the natural conditions are quite difficult.
After a day of hard work and exhaustion, there was nothing more comforting than eating a rich, greasy meal and drinking a strong spirit.
Liu Shang, who had also struggled on the front lines, could never forget the feeling.
So, he and Mr. Zhong ordered a large table full of dishes and drank high-proof Erguotou from blue and white porcelain bottles.
This time, Mr. Zhong became even more enthusiastic about drinking and was unwilling to stop for a long time.
In the end, still a little unsatisfied, Mr. Zhong sent Liu Shang back to school just before the dormitory closed. As they were about to part, Mr. Zhong was still complaining nonstop.
"Hah! I was just getting a good buzz going, and we have to call it a night. It's so frustrating."
"Liu Shang, next time, no matter what, you have to have a real drink with me. The two of us won't go home until we're drunk!"
The next day, Liu Shang went to work for half a day.
When he arrived at the company, Mr. Zhong wasn't in the office. He was told that he had taken some people to the fabrication plant early in the morning to supervise the customization of the tools.
As for Liu Shang, after doing some specific work, he informed Xu Tiande and returned to school before eating lunch.
Jiang Ruolin didn't have class this afternoon, so they had agreed to go to the park together.
"Liu Shang, don't you have a big lecture this afternoon?"
"Is it okay to skip?"
Liu Shang shook his head. "It's a huge lecture with several classes combined, so it's easier to slip by. The professor can't possibly call roll for everyone."
On a scenic, sun-dappled forest path, the two of them walked aimlessly while holding hands, basking in the warm sunshine.
Quiet, comfortable, and serene.
After a long time, Jiang Ruolin raised her head and looked at Liu Shang. "Liu Shang, there might be a freshman group gathering on Friday."
"There will be people from all majors, and I won't know many of them. It should be quite boring."
To Jiang Ruolin's surprise, Liu Shang nodded. "Yeah, I know about the party. They invited me too."
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