Chapter 524: Chapter 494 Poet_1
He Shancun shook his head.
"I don’t know the specifics, but at noon, Chen Cheng called me, said he was in a bad mood, and asked if I had time to drink with him. I said I was in Tongshan and asked what was up. He said it was just an unsuccessful confession, but he wouldn’t give up.
I have no idea what she said to him to make him so upset. Chen Cheng is a good guy and really cares about Liu Yufei. They even went on a few dates at the beginning, and we all thought things would work out. I don’t know why she refused. Could her family be opposed?"
Zhou Ning waved his hand.
"Mr. Zhao is very keen on bringing those two together, but I think Mrs. Fei’s mind is on her work and not on personal matters. I don’t know why she didn’t agree. We don’t know much about her family, considering we were transferred over when Mrs. Fei was already part of the first unit."
Zhou Xiaoyu leaned in and handed Zhou Ning a peeled apple.
"I think I saw this person when we got married. You all call her Mrs. Fei, is she older than you?"
Zhou Ning laughed.
"It’s just a nickname, everyone calls her that. Actually, Liu Yufei is a year younger than me. Before, there was a Mr. Zeng in the team who pursued Mrs. Fei fiercely, but the guy’s capabilities were unstable back then, and he was transferred to the Tongshan Sub-bureau. We saw each other again during a case and he seemed to have changed, but apart from that, I haven’t seen anyone else dare to pursue Mrs. Fei."
He Shancun looked puzzled and waved his hand, deciding to think no more about it.
"Forget it, if Chen Cheng wants to pursue her, let him. I won’t worry about it anymore. Let’s get some sleep, we have to get up early for work tomorrow."
...
May 2, 2013
Early in the morning, Zhou Ning drove to the technical department, checked the time, and didn’t rush upstairs. Instead, he waited patiently downstairs. Mr. Wang and Mr. Zhao went together to Qin University to pick up Professor Li Chengbin and the double-doctorate holder. Zhou Ning was quite excited about that.
After a while, Xia Momo’s car was the first to drive in, followed by an Iveco. When the cars stopped, Zhou Ning hurried forward. Lu Chengxuan was the first to jump down, then he reached out to help Professor Li down. The two of them seemed like brothers, smiling towards Zhou Ning.
"Finally, we’ve been looking forward to your arrival, Professor and Mr. Lu!"
Professor Li smiled and waved his hand, pulling Lu Chengxuan in closer.
"Xiao Ning is calling you ’Mr. Lu’. This is the first time I’ve heard it."
Zhou Ning felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed his nose, just in time to see Peng Shinian, whom he recognized from the photos, getting out of the car. He smiled and nodded, as they hadn’t been formally introduced yet.
Lu Chengxuan dismissed it with a wave of his hand, his face unconcerned.
"Zhou Ning can call me anything, we’re that close. Don’t try to cause discord. This Research and Development Center is built for him. ’Mr. Lu’ indeed. Without him, I’m nothing. Cut the chit-chat and introduce Peng Shinian to Zhou Ning. He’s a doctoral student of yours."
Zhou Ning extended his hands warmly, firmly shaking hands with Peng Shinian and even patting his arm.
"Welcome, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. My name’s Zhou Ning!"
Peng Shinian looked a bit embarrassed.
"Don’t be so polite, it makes me uncomfortable."
Professor Li interrupted them and gestured towards the small building of the technical department with his hands behind his back.
"Neither of us is particularly good at empty pleasantries, a quick introduction is enough. Little Peng will stay and you two can get to know each other better later. First, take me for a tour of your technical department; this is my first visit."
Zhou Ning hurriedly led everyone into the technical department. After all, an announcement had been made the day before that the entire technical department had been cleaned up early. The place had already been renovated last year and was definitely spacious, with top-notch equipment and facilities.
Especially the laboratory, although they hadn’t found personnel in botany and biology yet, as soon as Mr. Pang took over, he made sure all sorts of test equipment were ready, abiding by one principle: only buy the best.
Seeing all of this, Professor Li kept nodding his head.
"I tell you, Mr. Lu, this preparation work doesn’t look like it was done at the last minute. Xiao Ning must have planned this long ago. Little Peng, are you satisfied?"
Peng Shinian’s face was somewhat flushed, not from nervousness. Zhou Ning understood this expression very well: he was excited.
A double-doctorate holder still wanting to be Professor Li’s assistant, for one reason only: interest and passion. If one could combine their field of study with their passion, then the job would be the ideal match, much like meeting the partner of your dreams on a blind date, who then enlists eagerly in your embrace—in that moment, the feeling is indistinguishable from being on a high.
"Satisfied... very satisfied. I didn’t expect... the lab to be all ready!"
At the sight of Peng Shinian’s stuttering words, Lu Chengxuan and Professor Li looked at each other and burst into laughter. Peng Shinian also looked slightly embarrassed, a reaction Zhou Ning found very satisfying.
To be honest, the one thing Zhou Ning was most worried about in letting Li Chengbin recruit someone was the fear that they might end up hiring a "banana person": someone who looks like they’re from Hua Country, but whose thinking and various values are entirely Western. A person like that, no matter how skilled, is not suitable, because character is always more important than technical ability.
That was also why Zhou Ning let Mr. Hu make the offer. In this way, getting a recruit through Mr. Hu could be seen as an official act, and the candidate was also keen on taking a position at Qin University, which provided a guarantee for their academic capabilities, as well as a secure income. With such conditions, Zhou Ning felt somewhat more reassured.
"I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. The lab here is essentially an extension of the Qin Da Research and Development Center. Although we’re currently focusing on software development, I have some very long-term plans for the future development and planning, and of course, gathering talent is the first step."
Peng Shinian nodded vigorously, as though only such a gesture could convey his feelings at that moment.
"I’ve heard a part of those plans from Professor Li, just a part, and it made me very eager to join and hope for a chance to be involved."
Li Chengbin was very pleased and patted Peng Shinian on the shoulder.
"Truthfully, there are many dual doctorates these days, and plenty of people specialize in forensic science, but after much consideration, one very important reason for inviting you here is that you are from Hua Country, you take pride in that, and unlike many other students who choose to stay abroad, you are set on returning. That’s what I value most.
I hope you and Xiao Ning can cooperate well. From now on, when I recount case studies, I want to be able to use the cases you handle as examples. I also hope your research center will see substantial development, as Xiao Ning said before; not to catch up, but to become the rule-setters, to raise the industry standards in Hua Country, and to match or even surpass international levels."
Peng Shinian’s eyes lit up with stars as he looked at Zhou Ning with admiration. Li Chengbin was a legendary figure in Mi Country, and to work with his proudest student on research was enough for him to boast about for a lifetime.
"I suddenly realize my Chinese has gotten a lot worse, and I don’t know how to express myself. All I can say is, I’ll give it my all. Regarding the various insect and plant species in the Ludong Region, I’ve made a thorough summary and even created a distribution map. I can’t cover the entire country yet, but I hope I can complete this map someday. For now, consider it a gift to you."
As he spoke, Peng Shinian took out a scroll from his backpack and handed it to Zhou Ning with both hands. Zhou Ning unrolled it and almost had a panic attack on the spot at the sight of the densely packed images and names of various insects and plants. But he still looked interested, and the sheer number on the chicken-shaped map made him shudder.
"Thank you, you put a lot of work into this map. I hope your dream comes true."
Li Chengbin glanced at his watch and waved at Lu Chengxuan.
"Alright, after seeing Qin University and this place, I’m at ease. As for your accommodation, Mr. Lu will give you the best arrangements. Well, Mr. Lu, please take me to the airport. We still have some things to discuss. You guys stay here."
Zhou Ning had a few more words with Li Chengbin before sending him downstairs. Watching the car drive away, Peng Shinian came over, shaking the keys in his hand.
"Mr. Lu says, we are neighbors."
This revelation was somewhat unexpected to Zhou Ning; Mr. Zhao came over, slung an arm around Peng Shinian’s shoulder.
"Xiao Nian Nian, let’s go upstairs and talk. Which building are you in? Are you in the same compound as Zhou Ning or in the expert building behind?"
As he spoke, he dashed to the stairs. Zhou Ning shook his head with a smile and followed behind. They reached the lab, and along the way, Mr. Zhao’s ability to communicate shone through. He chatted with Peng Shinian as if they were long-lost friends, and soon work passes and uniforms on a tray were presented by Mr. Qu.
"Welcome to our lab. Call me Mr. Qu. I’m in charge of the software tracking and internet-related applications."
Peng Shinian nodded firmly and shook hands with Mr. Qu.
Then, one by one, everyone came forward to introduce themselves. Peng Shinian did his best to remember everyone and said with a somewhat awkward smile:
"Actually, Mr. Lu had told me about you before I came and even showed me your photos, but I’m a bit face-blind, so it’s quite difficult for me to remember everyone. I hope you won’t mind, but I’m very familiar with your names."
Mr. Zhao leaned in, pointing at himself and said:
"Don’t bother with the full name; just remember the nickname. It’s easier to remember and has character. Oh, by the way, where are you from originally? I can’t place your accent."
Peng Shinian seemed to find these people very approachable and opened up readily, sitting down and saying with a smile:
"I’m from Fuping. My parents passed away before my college entrance exams. After I graduated, I sold our house and went to study in Mi Country. After learning both disciplines, I felt that just burying my head in the lab was too dull and didn’t showcase my capabilities.
After much thought, I approached Professor Li Chengbin, followed him around many places, and began to understand more about forensic science. I hadn’t expected that later, Professor Li would tell me about Qindao’s search for someone like me, and so here I am."
By speaking so freely of his personal history, he was clearly letting his guard down. Mr. Zhao came closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
"Let’s forget the unhappy things. Being able to work back home is a good thing. The house Qin University provides is also nice. Maybe if you make some achievements, they might even give you a house, so let’s just focus on our work. Welcome to the team!"
Peng Shinian smiled, and just as he was about to say something, Mr. Zhao seemed to remember something else and continued:
"Right, calling you by your full name all the time seems too formal, and with outsiders around I can’t call you Xiao Nian Nian. Let’s all think of a nickname for Xiao Nian Nian, something catchy and that sounds impressive."
Gao Tie chimed in, cautiously suggesting:
"I have an idea, why not call him ’Poet’!"
