Chapter 35: Chapter 35

“Oh, Comrade Lu, you finally made it! Come quickly and help me figure out what’s wrong with this set of data.”

“We clearly confirmed it many times before, but whenever we try it out, the parameters never fit.”

“If everything is confirmed correct later, then it’s very likely that the initial algebra went wrong. You just do this for now…”

“Comrade An Ning, take another look at what I have here…”

The watch’s hands pointed to six o’clock as An Ning finished writing the last line on the document in her hand.

Closing the file, she stood up and left—every movement sharp and efficient. Before her diligent colleagues could even react to stop her, An Ning had already swiftly drifted out of the office area.

“Yo, it’s Comrade Lu!”

Seeing An Ning arrive first again, the chubby auntie at the cafeteria was no longer surprised. She expertly scooped a big bowl of dumplings without a single tremble in her hands.

“Aunt Cai’s cooking really is excellent!”

“Of course!” Auntie smiled so wide her eyes nearly became slits.

“This is a recipe handed down for years. Today we got lucky—there was a cow at a nearby farm that accidentally fell. Knowing your picky taste buds, I specially saved a piece for you, all packed into your dumplings.”

Others don’t even have any!

“Auntie is so kind!” An Ning smiled with eyes half-closed.

If there’s one thing better at Anhua Factory compared to before, aside from salary and benefits, it’s the cafeteria here. Because the nearby military district occasionally sends people over, the food supply here has always been top-notch.

It had been two months since that fiasco, after successfully canceling the terrible arranged marriage and giving the Jiang family a good hit back. The next day, An Ning moved out from the Lu family, taking advantage of her emotional setback.

The dormitory here was still fairly spacious, so she simply moved in, at least saving a lot of walking every day.

As for whether the rumors about the ungrateful Jiang family bullying the little girl would get worse after she left—who cared!

After finishing the dumplings, An Ning leisurely headed back to the dormitory. Along the way, she didn’t encounter a single colleague, probably all still battling away in the labs. She silently thanked her luck for leaving just in time.

The next day, in the office, sure enough, there were more than one pair of resentful panda eyes staring at her.

“Comrade An Ning, how exactly do you calculate so fast and so accurately!”

“Comrade Lu, you’re not fair. Every time you’re the only one running so fast.” A young man in his twenties with glasses and dark circles floated over like a ghost.

Judging by his state, he probably worked overtime quite a bit yesterday.

“Go, go, go, get lost. You’re a top student, and you’re a grown man—how can you let a little girl stay up all night with you!”

“An Ning, let’s just ignore him.”

“Oh right, An Ning, this is from Captain Yang next door who asked me to bring it to you.” The tall sister casually placed a large bag of dried beef cubes on the table, waving off the four-eyed youth while winking at An Ning.

“See, last time you accidentally saw us buying marinated beef together, that was the only time, and he took it to heart. He even specially asked comrades from Inner Mongolia to get these.”

“Shows how much he really cares!”

“So, what do you think? Interesting, right?”

An Ning made a big ‘X’ sign on her chest as usual. “Sis, I’m still young now.”

Her life was pretty good currently; she had money and tickets in hand and didn’t want to cause trouble for herself for the time being.

“Alright, alright, I knew it would be again.”

Seeing An Ning reject her once more, the tall sister said nothing else and shoved the beef cubes into the table before sitting down on a nearby stool.

“Oh, by the way, there’s an inspection coming tomorrow. The minister said a few of us need to go together.”

“Okay, but I wonder if it’s going to be a problem for me.” Glancing through the documents in her hand, An Ning casually asked.

“What are you talking about! An Ning, you’re the big contributor here—how could you not go? Besides, this time’s calculation on the cyclotron blade, you did the most work from head to toe!”

“Minister Hao specifically said that no one from our department can go without you!”

“Alright then, I’ll prepare.”

Since the higher-ups said so, An Ning naturally didn’t hesitate anymore.

The office soon echoed with the sound of pens scratching again. In the large office, no one dared to lift their head.

When she first arrived, An Ning had thought there might be office conflicts, but there was none at all.

Not because they didn’t exist, but simply because everyone was too busy to scheme.

Kun City was not an industrial powerhouse to begin with, and the government’s talent support was limited. Now, with universities suspended, the “old third generation” of college graduates was dispatched to grassroots positions.

The more skilled engineers were all assigned to the military’s more formal research institutes.

At least before An Ning arrived, there was basically no time without overtime.

No wonder Minister Hao was so proactive at the time. When he learned she wanted to come, he decisively applied for a single dorm room for her.

Indeed, it proved true: every benefit in this world required a price.

The next day, when An Ning arrived, the tall sister was already standing by a military aircraft, surrounded by rows of armed soldiers. Seeing An Ning approach, she couldn’t help but tease:

“Tsk, a beauty really is different. When she’s around, the people’s eyes light up more than once.”

“Alright, Sister Gao, cut the chatter. The people are almost here.”

As An Ning finished speaking, Minister Hao was already leading a group of people dressed in Zhongshan suits walking over. The scene felt oddly familiar to An Ning. Before she could fully react, a pair of bony, well-defined hands reached out:

“You must be Comrade Lu An Ning!”