Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

Jiang Nian was extremely helpless after Zeng Maozhe's high praise, and could only try to explain humbly. He couldn't really let others think he was a genius, could he? Although it was basically true, it's always better to be modest.

"Hello, Chief Engineer Yang! Hello, Comrade Jiang Nian!"

Shen Ge then stepped forward and greeted them.

"Haha, I didn't expect Chief of Staff Shen to come here with Old Zeng! You're a rare guest indeed!"

Yang Hongkang looked at Shen Ge, still somewhat puzzled. After all, he and Shen Ge had no connection whatsoever. Shen Ge belonged to the navy, so it was normal for her to be interested in submarine and aircraft carrier research and development projects. Yang Hongkang, on the other hand, was involved in tank development, so by all accounts, he had no connection with Shen Ge.

However, Yang Hongkang didn't outwardly show any particular emotion, after all, Shen Ge had come with Zeng Maozhe. He believed that Zeng Maozhe must have had his reasons for bringing Shen Ge along.

"Chief Engineer Yang, you're too kind. I'm only able to come along today thanks to Director Zeng."

As Shen Ge spoke, her gaze involuntarily fell on Jiang Nian.

Having been through similar experiences, Yang Hongkang observed Shen Ge's behavior and immediately understood the reason for her trip.

Shen Ge is from their Southern Military Region. If she and Jiang Nian could really get together, Yang Hongkang would definitely support it wholeheartedly.

Therefore, he said no more.

"Comrade Jiang Nian, it's been a long time."

Seeing that Jiang Nian hadn't spoken to her, Shen Ge bit her lip and spoke up again.

After uttering this greeting, Shen Ge's heart pounded even faster. She gazed at Jiang Nian, the deep affection in her eyes almost undisguised.

"Chief of Staff Shen, it's been a long time."

Jiang Nian spoke, but only politely greeted him, his tone serious and revealing no emotion whatsoever.

His brows were actually slightly furrowed.

To be honest, Jiang Nian's first encounter with Shen Ge wasn't pleasant. Although the misunderstanding was later cleared up, in Jiang Nian's eyes, Shen Ge represented "trouble" to some extent.

Jiang Nian, on the other hand, is most afraid of trouble.

Therefore, upon seeing Shen Ge appear, Jiang Nian wished he could stay far away, fearing he would get involved in trouble.

Jiang Nian's stiff attitude made Shen Ge feel a little sad.

However, she still forced herself to give Jiang Nian a big smile.

"To be honest, this is my first time visiting Chief Engineer Yang. Would you be so kind as to have Comrade Jiang Nian accompany me?"

After saying those words, Shen Ge's cheeks were flushed red. She knew that Jiang Nian's attitude towards her had never been any better than that towards a stranger. Similarly, if Zeng Maozhe and Yang Hongkang hadn't been present, Jiang Nian probably wouldn't have paid her any attention at all.

The truth is heartbreaking, but Shen Ge is unwilling to give up, so she can only keep trying.

"That's right, Jiang Nian, why don't you go with Xiao Shen? It's her first time here, she doesn't know anything, and if she accidentally breaks Lao Yang's things, that old guy will fight her to the death. As a man, Jiang Nian, you have to protect Xiao Shen and not let Lao Yang bully her!"

As soon as Shen Ge finished speaking, Jiang Nian did not respond immediately, but Zeng Maozhe immediately followed up, handing over the task of accompanying Shen Ge to Jiang Nian, without thinking there was anything wrong with what he said.

Jiang Nian's forehead was covered in black lines.

If it weren't for the fact that Zeng Maozhe was a senior, he would definitely have asked: Is this Shen Ge's first time here, or is this his second time here?
This is his first time here too, okay? Jiang Nian said that he had never been inside Yang Hongkang's research lab either, so what could he possibly show Shen Ge around?

Yang Hongkang's gaze swept over Zeng Maozhe, Shen Ge, and Jiang Nian, and he immediately understood Zeng Maozhe's intention.

"Xiao Jiang, as you know, there's no one in the lab today. Lao Zeng and I are going to the office to talk about something. This is Xiao Shen's first time here, so I'll leave the task of looking after her to you."

Yang Hongkang patted Jiang Nian on the shoulder and said earnestly.

After saying this, Yang Hongkang gave Zeng Maozhe a wink.

"Yes, Lao Yang and I have something to discuss. You two young people can look around on your own for now. We'll find you again after we're done talking."

Zeng Maozhe followed up with a serious expression and tone, making it difficult to discern his true emotions at first glance.

After the two seniors reached an agreement, they entered the research lab together without waiting for Jiang Nian and Shen Ge's reaction.

Shen Ge and Jiang Nian were left looking at each other. Shen Ge lowered her head, but a smile played on her lips. She decided that she must thank Director Zeng properly when she got back, after all, this elder had really been helping her all along.

Jiang Nian was at a loss for words.

He even wondered if these seniors enjoyed acting as matchmakers and introducing potential partners to others.
He's not stupid. If he still can't grasp Zeng Maozhe's intentions, he'll truly become an oblivious, clueless straight man.

"Chief of Staff Shen, let's go, I'll show you around."

Finally, Jiang Nian said to Shen Ge in a dry tone.

Shen Ge nodded gently and hummed in agreement. She then followed Jiang Nian without saying much, like a well-behaved little wife.

Looking at Shen Ge like this, Jiang Nian felt his head ache even more.

He couldn't recall ever doing anything to Shen Ge. It was strange that such a capable and assertive woman was suddenly acting like this, all of a sudden.

Jiang Nianke vividly remembers Shen Ge chasing after her, shouting "hooligan" and "pervert".

"Chief of Staff Shen, what brings you to Director Zeng today?"

The two strolled silently in the garden outside the research room. After thinking it over, Jiang Nian felt that as a man, he couldn't let the woman keep finding topics to talk about, so he asked a question.

"Um... I went to the research institute today, and Director Zeng said he wanted to come and take a look around. I happened to be free, so I came along."

For some reason, after realizing her own feelings, Shen Ge always felt at a loss when facing Jiang Nian, so she even became stuttering when answering questions.

Jiang Nian also said that she is not a good conversationalist, so the atmosphere between the two became a bit awkward.

"Comrade Jiang Nian, I'm truly sorry for the misunderstanding I had about you before!"

Shen Ge suddenly stopped, turned to Jiang Nian, and apologized once again.

She knew that Jiang Nian's attitude towards her stemmed largely from the awkward misunderstanding they had when they first met, especially since she had relentlessly called him a pervert and a lecher. Any man would be angry. Shen Ge felt that if a man treated her like that, she would be equally angry and wouldn't want to talk to him.

Once he was moved, he couldn't control himself. Shen Ge only hoped that Jiang Nian could give him a chance to erase the bad impression he had left in his heart.

No one wants to look bad in front of someone they like. But now, Shen Ge has ruined her own image by making a fool of herself in front of Jiang Nian.

"Chief of Staff Shen, there's no need to keep apologizing. I've already said that what happened before was a misunderstanding."

The beautiful woman apologized again and again, and even Jiang Nian, who was hard-hearted, softened. Therefore, his tone was indeed much gentler this time.

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, he actually didn't mind the incident anymore. After all, he had indeed barged into the women's restroom.

However, Jiang Nian still felt it was better not to continue developing his relationship with Shen Ge.

He has no time to think about relationships right now. He still owes Tang Xinyi a date, and Liu Ying is currently still in the Southeast Military Region.

Suddenly, Jiang Nian felt a pang of confusion, as if he had become a scumbag. But he really hadn't done anything!
Looking up at the sky, Jiang Nian felt that this was really too much of a rip-off.

"Well, Comrade Jiang Nian, now that you've forgiven me, we're friends, right? As a friend, when you accompany me on a walk, could you at least put on a smile?"

Shen Ge suddenly smiled, her eyes darting around a few times before she spoke.

Her words left Jiang Nian speechless for a moment. He couldn't very well say they weren't friends, could he?
Jiang Nian was worried that Shen Ge would cry in front of him.

Although given Shen Ge's personality, it's impossible for her to do such a thing, there's always a chance of something going wrong, and Jiang Nian can't afford to gamble on that.

With a slight smile playing on his lips, Jiang Nian finally looked a little more relaxed.

Seeing Jiang Nian's smile, Shen Ge also smiled.

The sound of their laughter echoed through the garden.

Zeng Maozhe and Yang Hongkang stood by the office window, watching the two walking side by side in the garden, chatting and laughing, and both of them smiled broadly.

"If Xiao Shen really wins over Jiang Nian, then Jiang Nian will be our research institute's son-in-law. In that case, if anything happens at the research institute, Jiang Nian will have to rush over!"

Zeng Maozhe expressed his optimism about the outcome, hoping that the two could finalize their relationship now. After all, given Jiang Nian's status, marriage would require multiple reports and layers of review from superiors, a process that would take considerable time.
Yang Hongkang wholeheartedly agreed with Zeng Maozhe's "shameless" idea. He couldn't control other matters, but if Jiang Nian could stay in their research lab, all problems would be solved.

The two old men didn't have much to talk about, so when Jiang Nian and Shen Ge walked in side by side, they deliberately acted as if they had just finished talking.

"Perfect timing, we've finished discussing everything, let's go have dinner together!"

Young people need to be interacted with more. Based on my understanding of Jiang Nian, once he's immersed in his work, everything else is no longer on his mind.

Since Yang Hongkang's lab is currently empty and Jiang Nian can't immediately get to work, it's a good opportunity for him and Shen Ge to cultivate their relationship.

As an elder, Zeng Maozhe felt that he had also been very worried about Jiang Nian's personal relationships!
Jiang Nian couldn't taste the food at all. Faced with the two seniors' earnest attempts to match him with Shen Ge, he really couldn't find any words to refuse.

You can't expect your elders to never worry about you, can you?

Jiang Nian felt that he should talk things out with Shen Ge privately. He had no feelings for her and didn't want to hold her back.

Shen Ge was naturally unaware of Jiang Nian's thoughts at that moment; she only felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

Through her persistent and unreasonable insistence, Jiang Nian has now accepted that they are friends. Friends, female friends, girlfriends! Shen Ge feels that she has taken another big step towards becoming Jiang Nian's girlfriend.

During their conversation, Shen Ge learned that Jiang Nian would likely be staying in Yang Hongkang's lab for the time being. She had already made up her mind to visit Jiang Nian in the lab whenever she had the chance.

If there's no romantic feeling now, just see each other more often and nurture the relationship, and that will be enough.

She genuinely believed that there was still a possibility between her and Jiang Nian. She would absolutely not give up.

If Jiang Nian knew what Shen Ge was thinking, he'd probably spit out a mouthful of blood. He hadn't done anything right, so why was Shen Ge acting all lovey-dovey?
"By the way, Lao Yang. Have you finalized the deal with the operators for your new tank?" Zeng Maozhe, who was watching Jiang Nian and Shen Ge interact with satisfaction, finally remembered this matter and asked.

At this point, Yang Hongkang's expression became serious.

“I didn’t talk to Company Commander Zhang about this directly.” Shaking his head, Yang Hongkang sighed first.

"When I saw Zhang Ze with his tank, I suddenly felt a little sorry for him and didn't want him to be separated from his tank."

During his nearly two weeks in the tank company, Yang Hongkang had countless opportunities to talk to Zhang Ze about this matter, but in the end, he always gave up the chance to speak.

"Based on the comprehensive evaluation so far, Zhang Ze's tank operation skills are the strongest. If Zhang Ze operates the new tank during testing, he will definitely be able to fully test all of the tank's performance!"

This is no time for jokes. If an accident were to occur during the testing of the new tank, the responsibility would be enormous.

The initial selection of Zhang Ze was based on a comprehensive evaluation.

Given Yang Hongkang's situation, he wouldn't need Zhang Ze's special consent to directly order Zhang Ze to come to the research lab.

However, Zhang Ze's tank had an accident and was at the point of needing to be retired. He was in a bad mood and was immersed in sadness, looking everywhere for someone to repair his tank.

It was precisely because Yang Hongkang valued Zhang Ze's affection for the tank that he decided not to use force, but to choose a gentler approach: to go to Zhang Ze himself and try to persuade him.

In the end, Yang Hongkang was too busy, so he asked Zeng Maozhe to talk to Zhang Ze about this matter.

No one expected what happened to Jiang Nian later, which delayed Yang Hongkang's plans.

If Zeng Maozhe hadn't brought it up again, Yang Hongkang would still be immersed in the joy of Jiang Nian coming to the research lab with him, and would have overlooked this crucial matter.

"I know, let me think about it some more. If it really doesn't work, I'll go talk to Zhang Ze again."

He didn't want to force Zhang Ze, but the immediate problem was equally important. Yang Hongkang rubbed his aching temples and said in a heavy tone.

Listening to Zeng Maozhe and Yang Hongkang's conversation, Jiang Nian realized that Zeng Maozhe's appearance at the tank company was entirely for Zhang Ze.

He hadn't expected that Zhang Ze's tank handling skills, after comprehensive evaluation, were already the best in the entire Southern Military Region.

Thinking about how Zhang Ze treated his own tank, Jiang Nian could understand again: only by giving your heart to the partners who accompany you and fight alongside you can you achieve success.

"Brother Yang, I wonder if I'm allowed to drive this prototype of the new tank?" (End of Chapter)