Chapter 169: Chapter 170: She Wants to Climb to the Summit
The two of them are not that far apart in age, so there’s really no generation gap.
Plus, with Silas Cheney involved, Thea Lynch would look after Melody even without being asked.
Silas Cheney: "This girl seems clever, but she’s actually just a ditz. Make sure she sticks with you, she probably can’t even tell north from south when she steps out."
"That’s not how people usually compliment others." Thea Lynch was speechless. "Anyway, she’s a grown adult in her twenties."
Silas Cheney sounded extremely helpless, "You have no idea how much my cousin dotes on her. Oh, and her husband too, they call me in turns, afraid I’ll lose her. It’s so annoying."
"I don’t have time to go over, so I’ll leave this heavy responsibility to you. I’ll treat you to dinner later."
"Of course, she’s quite obedient. Just tell her what you need, no need to stand on ceremony with me."
"Got it." Thea Lynch already knew how much Silas Cheney adored his little niece, so she just listened to his words without taking them too seriously.
In reality, he pampered her a lot.
When they returned to the hotel, Thea Lynch discovered she was sharing a suite with Melody.
But it was a suite, so they weren’t exactly sharing a room.
This also took into consideration Thea Lynch’s insomnia and her issue with sharing a bed with others.
"I sleep very soundly at night, I won’t wander around," Melody immediately assured her as they walked in.
"What did your uncle tell you?" Thea Lynch asked with a smile as she closed the door.
She thought Silas Cheney only called her, but it seems he also had quite a few words with Melody.
Whatever she asked, Melody would answer, "He said you don’t like too much noise and asked me to talk less. Also, you have light sleep, so I should try not to disturb you. On the plane, he said you’d be uncomfortable during takeoff and landing and told me to keep you company."
Melody listed everything down meticulously, "Oh, and something about an auction? He said I should go with you."
Just as she thought.
It was all pretty much what Thea Lynch had expected.
"No need, I’ll go to the auction myself. You can just rest at the hotel then."
"Isn’t that bad? I can just follow you and not talk," Melody thought she was being dismissed for being too chatty.
"It’s not that, I just think it’s unnecessary."
After a pause, Thea Lynch asked a question, "You won’t wander off, right?"
Melody blinked innocently, "That I can’t promise."
"..."
That sounded like a threat.
Thea Lynch thought for a moment and compromised, "Alright, you can come with me. I don’t mind, I’m just worried you’ll feel exhausted after a busy day."
"I won’t! I’m full of energy!"
Thea Lynch acknowledged with a hum, "I’ll go take a shower first, wait for me, and we’ll go down together."
"Okay!"
Thea Lynch pushed her luggage into the bedroom but hesitated and came back, her gaze wandering over the figure on the ground.
Melody crouched on the floor rummaging through her suitcase, looked up at the sound, bewildered, and called out "sister."
Calling her "sister" felt a bit like addressing someone from a different generation, but given their age difference, Melody thought calling her anything else would lead to a scolding.
"Wait for me to come out. You can’t leave this room before I do."
"..." Melody thought she was about to say something important, given her seriousness.
Turns out, it’s just this?
She scratched her head and couldn’t help but softly remind, "Sis, I’m already a graduate student."
Her appearance might look young, in case Thea Lynch thought she was still a child.
"I heard." Thea Lynch said, "Your uncle told me to keep an eye on you because it’s not safe here at night."
"...oh."
Thea Lynch felt like she was taking a kid out, worrying she might sneak out while she was washing up.
In the evening, everyone had dinner at the hotel, checked the schedule for tomorrow, and then went upstairs with Foreman Leigh and Foreman Warren to set up equipment.
Even though Foreman Warren had a bit of an ego, he was meticulous when it came to work.
He didn’t like taking orders from Thea Lynch, but since the higher-ups decided it that way, they represented Stratus while abroad, and beyond that, they represented their country.
He understood the importance and didn’t want to let the team down with his actions.
Melody was almost glued to Thea Lynch’s side.
Seeing they were still setting up, and Thea Lynch not busy, Melody couldn’t resist gossiping, "Sis..."
"Just call me Foreman Lynch."
Thea Lynch looked down at the data on her tablet and replied quietly.
Melody acknowledged, "Okay, Foreman Lynch."
"Mm." Thea Lynch signaled her to speak her mind.
"Did you go to college here? At the school we’re going to tomorrow for the exhibition?"
"Yes."
"Wow, you’re amazing!"
Thea Lynch: "You’re excellent too."
Melody shook her head, "Not compared to you. Foreman Lynch, why did you choose this field? I feel like I’m just muddling through my studies with no firm goals before."
"Did you decide early on to study this and work in this field later?"
Her voice was soft, but Foreman Warren and the others heard it. They kept their hands busy but were all ears, eavesdropping a bit.
"More or less, around high school." Thea Lynch replied, "At first, my family really wanted me to become a doctor."
"My grandparents were in traditional Chinese medicine, and my parents used to deal with medical equipment, my uncle still does. It was only when I inadvertently saw a piece of news that I realized our country had a significant disadvantage in this area, so I chose this path."
"I never intended to make a huge contribution or change anything, just wanted to do my best, even if it’s just a little."
"Plus, I don’t like hospitals, so once this idea hit me, I never wavered."
"And my brother was very supportive of me."
"I see."
"I heard you’re from a family of soldiers and thought your family would want you to follow that path," Melody said.
Thea Lynch gave a faint smile, "Just the opposite. They were very resistant. From a young age, they wanted me to give up that notion."
Both her elders and Aaron Lynch made it clear they didn’t want her joining the army. She even thought about enrolling in a police academy, but Aaron Lynch didn’t agree either.
Later, her grandfather suggested she study medicine, Aaron Lynch thought it was tough but didn’t react as strongly as to the previous options. So she considered it briefly.
Then she mentioned studying electronic engineering, and Aaron Lynch agreed without a second thought. Once they reached a consensus, she didn’t change her goal again.
Initially, she didn’t plan on studying abroad.
But aside from the change in institution, everything else went according to the original plan.
She didn’t let Aaron Lynch down.
"Your grades have always been excellent, right?"
"Pretty good."
"You’re really amazing!" Melody exclaimed, as Thea Lynch was an MIT graduate after all.
"Having talent is one thing, but you’re also so hardworking."
Thea Lynch smiled, "Because I want to move faster."
If she stayed halfway up the mountain, Aaron Lynch wouldn’t see her.
She wants to climb to the top.
