Striving for Science C63

"What girl I like." Shen Chang'an saw a few workers walking towards him, "I'll tell you later."

"Gentlemen, thank you so much for what you did just now." The middle-aged worker fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a wad of neatly folded bills, "The car was hit with such a big dent, it's going to cost a lot to fix, right?"

"We don't have enough money, please take this first. We'll get together later and make sure you don't lose out." The middle-aged worker's face held a hint of worry. Although they had escaped from the brink of death, the cost of repairing the car was a significant expense for them. "This is my phone number, please rest assured, we will never run away from our debts."

"No need." Shen Chang'an pushed the money and the paper with the phone number back, "This has nothing to do with you. The responsible party will pay full compensation, so you don't have to worry about the repairs."

"Really?" The middle-aged worker was both happy and a little apprehensive, "You're not trying to save me money and lying to me, are you?"

"How could I? If you don't believe me, ask our boss." Shen Chang'an turned his head and nudged Dao Nian, "Boss, right?"

Suddenly becoming Shen Chang'an's boss, Dao Nian faced several pairs of burning eyes and silently nodded. Even if the young lad at home was a bit mischievous, he couldn't lose face in front of others.

"See, our boss has spoken, so you don't have to worry at all." Shen Chang'an waved his hand, "Everyone go back and rest early, it's too cold outside."

He finished speaking and pulled his coat tighter around himself.

"Then, then thank you so much." The middle-aged worker wanted to thank the young man sitting in the wheelchair, but for some reason, he felt the other's presence was extraordinary, and speaking to him felt like a sacrilege. He turned his head and stuffed the money into Shen Chang'an's hand, then picked up his paint bucket and ran off, quickly disappearing around the corner.

Watching the other workers run after the middle-aged man, Shen Chang'an wanted to chase after them, but he couldn't leave Dao Nian alone outside the car. He glanced at the direction the workers had gone, then turned back to look at Dao Nian, sighed, stuffed the money into his coat, bent down, and carried Dao Nian into the car, putting the wheelchair in the trunk.

Being carried around by Shen Chang'an often, Dao Nian had learned to adjust his posture to make it more comfortable for Shen Chang'an to hold him. After getting into the car, Shen Chang'an pulled the money out of his coat pocket. There were hundred-yuan bills, as well as bills worth tens and ones, he even saw four fifty-cent coins.

It seemed these workers had truly given him all their money.

He counted the amount, a total of over one thousand one hundred yuan. Shen Chang'an opened the donation platform on his phone, rounded up the amount, and donated one thousand two hundred yuan to the Free Lunch charity project.

After doing all this, Shen Chang'an saw Dao Nian still staring at him. He thought for a moment and handed the thick stack of money to Dao Nian, "Do you want it?"

Dao Nian: "No."

"Then why are you staring at me? Shen Chang'an felt suspicious and secretly touched his cheek.

"Continue the topic from before." Dao Nian took a plate of fruit from the refrigerator and placed it in Shen Chang'an's hand, "Tell me slowly."

"The topic from before?" Shen Chang'an was stunned for a moment, then realized, "You're asking about Cai Ran?" He didn't expect Dao Nian to seem cold and aloof, but actually be quite interested in gossip.

"Cai Ran is my college classmate, she's beautiful and talented. She's not only skilled with her hands but also has a spirit of innovation. During her sophomore and junior years, professors wanted to take her on as their student, she's incredibly capable."

For every compliment Shen Chang'an gave Cai Ran, Dao Nian's face grew colder.

"That guy who was drunk and making a scene earlier is called Cao Jin. He liked Cai Ran, so he was always sending her flowers or organizing some kind of confession ceremony, and he often followed her when she goes out, making Cai Ran extremely annoyed. I have a pretty good relationship with Cai Ran, so to make Cao Jin give up, Cai Ran lied and said she liked me."

"I didn't expect Cao Jin to be so shameless. After failing to pursue Cai Ran, he felt she had lost face, and he started to hate both me and Cai Ran." Shen Chang'an shrugged, "This kind of man, using love as an excuse to harass girls, and then feeling wronged in the end, isn't that outrageous?"

"Don't you have any feelings for her at all?"

"Any man in Cai Ran's eyes is less important than studying." Shen Chang'an shook his head quickly, "I don't want to be the third wheel between her and her studies."

Dao Nian lowered his eyelids, brooding over Shen Chang'an's statement. Chang'an only said that Cai Ran's greatest passion was learning, but he didn't say whether he had ever liked Cai Ran. Could it be...

That he had actually harbored romantic feelings for her?

Heaven and earth, yin and yang, men and women pairing up, it's the most natural thing in the world. If Chang'an liked...

Dao Nian snatched the fruit platter from Shen Chang'an's hands and shoved it back into the refrigerator.

Shen Chang'an, who had only eaten two pieces, looked at Dao Nian in confusion: "Dao Nian?"

"It's late, eating too much sweets is bad for your teeth." Dao Nian's face was emotionless.

"It's okay, I'll brush my teeth before bed." Shen Chang'an grinned and took the fruit platter back, using a small fork to feed Dao Nian a piece. "The fruit is already cut, if we don't eat it tonight, it'll go bad tomorrow. It's not easy for farmers to grow fruit, we can't waste food. Come on, open your mouth."

Dao Nian turned his head away, ignoring him.

"Have another piece." Shen Chang'an fed the sweet strawberry into Dao Nian's mouth. "You're in a bad mood, did those grandpas and grandmas say something to upset you?"

Dao Nian turned to look at him, his deep eyes seemed to hold a thousand words, yet they also seemed to encompass everything. "No, they're all very nice."

"Then what's wrong with you?" Despite having seen these eyes countless times and marveled at them countless times, every time Shen Chang'an met Dao Nian's gaze, he couldn't tear his eyes away. Sometimes he even felt like these eyes could melt him, that he wanted to sleep in these eyes.

This feeling should have made him feel scared, but Shen Chang'an inexplicably felt that if he could truly lie in these eyes like a vast starry sky, it wouldn't be a terrible thing.

"I'm fine." Dao Nian lowered his eyes, his tone and expression returning to their usual coldness.

Shen Chang'an leaned his head against his chest: "Really?"

Dao Nian lazily leaned back against the chair, too lazy to push Shen Chang'an's head away, so he simply closed his eyes and said nothing.

It seemed he was truly unhappy.

Shen Chang'an carefully recalled everything he had done tonight and asked in a low voice: "Dao Nian, are you worried that Cao Jin will cause me trouble after I get off the bus, so you're angry?"

Dao Nian: "I know, he can't cause you any trouble."

It seemed Dao Nian still trusted his abilities.

Shen Chang'an grinned: "Then are you sleepy?"

"So shut up and don't talk."

Shen Chang'an: "..."

Five minutes later, Shen Chang'an spoke again: "Dao Nian, let me tell you a joke."

"No."

Just listen." Shen Chang'an reached out and put his arm around the other's neck. "I'm not in the mood for anything if you're not happy."

Dao Nian slowly opened his eyes, looking at the young man who was full of life: "Really?"

"Really, really." Shen Chang'an nodded repeatedly. "So, do you want to listen?"

"Tell me."

"Sun Wukong can travel ten thousand eight thousand li in one somersault, he's incredibly fast. But one day he raced against Cao Cao and lost. Can you guess why?

Dao Nian: "..."

"Because when you mention Cao Cao, he appears*!" Shen Chang'an patted his knee and laughed. "Let me tell you another one. A polar bear and a penguin were chatting, and the polar bear suddenly died. Do you know why?"

TN: it's a common saying

Dao Nian: "..."

"Because the penguin told the polar bear a bad joke, and the polar bear froze to death*."

TN: these are really 'dad' jokes-level T_T, a bad joke in Chinese is literally 'cold words'

Dao Nian silently turned his head, reaching out to take a jacket and drape it over his knees.

Shen Chang'an: ?

"Cold." Dao Nian said expressionlessly. "I don't want to become a frozen polar bear."

Shen Chang'an: ???

Was Dao Nian mocking his jokes for being too bad?

Shen Tu watched as Shen Chang'an, with his cheerful chatter, coaxed his master's emotions from anger to peace, and couldn't help but shake his head. Besides Shen Chang'an, there was probably no one else who could make his master angry and then happy again.

***

Back in their courtyard, Shen Chang'an suddenly slapped his forehead: "Oops, I was so busy chatting with you that I forgot the important thing."

Dao Nian lifted his eyelids to look at Shen Chang'an, was he more important than the real business?

Taking out his phone, Shen Chang'an dialed Wu Wei's number. He had lost contact with his university classmates, even Cai Ran, Wu Wei must know her recent situation.

After the call was connected, it only rang twice before Wu Wei picked up.

"Chang'an, have you been on a business trip recently? I went to the Civil Service Department to find you this morning, they said you've been out for a few days."

"I'm in the capital."

"Holy crap! Holy crap! You finally came to your senses and are willing to go back?!"

Wu Wei's excited voice rang out in the phone, Shen Chang'an moved the phone away from his ear, used the remote to turn on the TV, switched to the science channel that Dao Nian usually watched, and placed the remote on the table.

After Wu Wei calmed down, Shen Chang'an continued, "I'm just in the capital on business, I'll be back to Wuming City in a few days. I have a question for you, do you have time now?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"Have you heard from Cai Ran recently?"

Dao Nian, who was about to hand Shen Chang'an some snacks, withdrew his hand upon hearing the name "Cai Ran."

"Cai Ran? She's working on a patent development with a professor, I heard the professor might bring her into the national research department, she's amazing. Why did you suddenly ask about her, could it be..." Wu Wei sent an ambiguous laugh through the phone, "Looks like spring has sprung."

"Don't joke around, be careful Cai Ran finds out, she'll beat you to death." Shen Chang'an recounted the events of the night to Wu Wei, "I'm worried that Cao Jin is petty and will do something behind the scenes, affecting Cai Ran's future development."

"I heard that the project Cai Ran is involved in is highly valued by the state, even if Cao Jin's family has money and power, they wouldn't dare to tamper with the project." Wu Wei hesitated for a moment, "But Cao Jin is not quite right in the head, and there are many radical people in the news nowadays. Why don't you go remind Cai Ran to be more careful? My relationship with Cai Ran is not good, she still scolded me for stealing your paper back then, I'm afraid if I call her, she'll directly block me."

Shen Chang'an fell silent for a moment: "I haven't been in touch with everyone for a year, I'm afraid if I call, I'll get scolded."

"It's good you're scared." Wu Wei gloated, "Hurry up.

Listening to the beeping sound on the phone, Shen Chang'an scratched his hair in frustration, let out a long sigh, and flopped onto the sofa, resting his head against Dao Nian's waist.

Dao Nian's face remained expressionless.

You're making calls to a woman you're romantically involved with, and you're still leaning on me?!

Lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the window, a torrential downpour seemed imminent. Liu Mao, Shen Tu, and Old Zhao huddled together in the corner, watching the flashing thunderclouds in the sky, too scared to breathe.

The Heavenly Dao is furious!!

Seeing Shen Chang'an still leaning against the man's waist, playing with his phone, the three of them continued to shrink back. Ignorant people, truly blessed.

After changing his phone and number, Shen Chang'an didn't delete his friends' contact information. He scrolled through Cai Ran's number for a long time, took a deep breath, and dialed.

The phone rang for a long time before someone finally picked up: "Hello, this is Cai Ran."

"Cai Ran, it's Shen Chang'an…"

"Get lost!"

Listening to the busy tone on the phone, Shen Chang'an was dumbfounded. What was this operation? When he tried calling again, his phone said the number was unavailable. Great, he'd been blocked.

"Dao Nian." Shen Chang'an lay on the sofa, reaching his hand towards Dao Nian's waist and abdomen. "Lend me your phone for a bit, my friend blocked me."

He waited for half a minute, but the phone didn't come back.

"Dao Nian?" He sat up and looked at the emotionless Dao Nian with confusion. "I'll lend you my phone, so lend me yours for a bit."

Dao Nian stared at him for three or four seconds, then shoved his phone into his hand and took his phone away.

Shen Chang'an lay back down in his original position and continued to dial Cai Ran's number. The phone rang a few times before Cai Ran picked up.

"Cai Ran, don't hang up, I have something very important to tell you!" Afraid that Cai Ran would block him again, Shen Chang'an quickly emphasized, "Sister Cai, elder sister, I was wrong, just let me finish this call, okay?"

"Heh." A cold laugh came from Cai Ran over the phone.

Shen Chang'an felt a chill down his spine: "There was a reason why I suddenly cut off contact with you all. I can't explain the specifics, but you have to believe me, I didn't take our friendship lightly."

Cai Ran was silent for a moment: "How have you been this past year?"

"Okay." Shen Chang'an said, "What about you?"

"Anyway, better than you." Cai Ran's tone was a little awkward, "What do you want to tell me? Just say it and then get out, I'm busy with data, I don't have time to talk to an ingrate like you who disappears without a word."

Shen Chang'an quickly told Cai Ran about Cao Jin's matter, then apologized to her: "The most beautiful and intelligent sister Ranran in the world, I really know I was wrong, will you forgive me this time?"

"Shen Chang'an, you're a grown man, twenty-three years old, can you stop using that 'puppy-dog' act on me?" Cai Ran yelled over the phone, "Fine, I have time tomorrow at noon, you better explain yourself properly, otherwise our friendship is going to sink and be used for firewood."

"Tomorrow at noon?"

"What, you're not willing?!"

"Yes, yes." Shen Chang'an quickly said, "But I want to bring a very important friend, would you mind?"

Cai Ran was silent for two seconds. "A very important friend?"

"Mm." Shen Chang'an tilted his head up, looking at Dao Nian, whose face was stiff. "Very important."

Cai Ran chuckled, her meaning unclear. "Good."

Then, she hung up the phone.

Dao Nian looked down at the young man who was secretly relieved, and casually lit up Shen Chang'an's phone screen.

The phone's lock screen picture was a photo of him and Shen Chang'an.

In the photo, Shen Chang'an was smiling, showing off his white teeth, while he was looking down at a book.

Gently rubbing his thumb across the screen, Dao Nian handed the snacks to Shen Chang'an: "Remember to brush your teeth after you finish."

The moon outside was bright and clear, the wind had stopped and the thunder had subsided.