Beautiful beauties in the 80s courtyard

Chapter 801 Don't Add Burden to Others

So Lou Zhe changed the subject and began to inquire about Lu Qiaoge's situation.

Principal Ge didn't want to say much, but since it wasn't a secret, he briefly introduced Lu Qiaoge's past.

Lou Zhe listened, a meaningful smile curving his lips. After a few moments, he glanced intently at Lu Qiaoge, who was standing next to Qin Hengzhi, looking as beautiful as if she were glowing. Then he turned to Principal Ge and said, "I agree to your proposal. Tomorrow, I will bring people to the laboratory to report for duty."

Principal Ge was initially overjoyed, but upon catching Lou Zhe's fleeting glance, he suddenly felt that something was amiss.

But then he thought, forget it. Young people these days have different views than his generation, and their thoughts are hard to fathom.

He can't say what he shouldn't say, but he probably knows better than anyone else what he should say.

But does Lou Zhe simply know Qin Hengzhi, or... does he also know Lu Qiaoge?
Principal Ge had some doubts.

But he knew one thing: Lou Zhe was indeed an oddball.

Both his work style and his love life are completely different from those of today's conventional young people.

In the last two years alone, this guy has dated at least seven or eight women.

The organization even had a special talk with him about this, but he spoke with great conviction, saying that he was both respectful and polite when he was with the woman, and strictly speaking, they never even held hands. His words were also impeccable.

You can't find any evidence of him being a scoundrel. On the contrary, the girls who were dumped have a pretty good impression of him, and some of them still think about him to this day.

Thinking of this, Principal Ge glanced out the window again.

Lou Zhe remained in that position, gazing into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

The head of the Lou family is now in charge of the energy sector. Although this kid and Qin Hengzhi are not on the same path, they were classmates and teammates back in the junior class and training team.

As for whether the two had any deeper interactions in private, that was beyond his control as the principal.

If young people all thought like the older generation, then they wouldn't be young people.

"Welcome, welcome!" Principal Ge suppressed his doubts and put on a warm smile. "The newly established petrochemical products laboratory is a key national construction project. With you joining us, the research progress will definitely be able to reach a new level."

This is a truly rare chemical engineering genius!

Qin Hengzhi, who was leisurely walking out of the school gate with Lu Qiaoge, was completely unaware of this.

He had no idea that among those scrutinizing gazes was a "familiar person" who wasn't really an acquaintance.

Qin Hengzhi took Lu Qiaoge to a state-run restaurant for dinner. It wasn't the one near the school; it was a ten-minute drive away. The two went into a private room.

While waiting for the food, Lu Qiaoge told Qin Hengzhi about the conversation she had with the security department earlier.

Qin Hengzhi listened quietly. At this moment, his usually fast-paced brain temporarily stopped thinking, focusing solely on watching her. He shouldn't think about it or ponder it; just listen.

After Lu Qiaoge finished speaking, he slowly said, "Sister Lu is right. For you, this procedure is just a matter of sooner or later."

"Based on your experience," Lu Qiaoge asked, "does this mean I've passed?"

Qin Hengzhi smiled and took her hand: "It wasn't a hurdle, it was just a process."

Just then, the steaming hot food was served. It was all Lu Qiaoge's favorite dish, and she thoughtfully ordered two of Qin Hengzhi's favorites as well.

Although it was the dead of winter and green vegetables were extremely rare, even ordinary dishes like stewed cabbage with tofu or braised radish with pork were made incredibly fragrant and delicious by the chefs of this state-run restaurant.

After the meal, Qin Hengzhi took Lu Qiaoge back to the family compound. She had come back a couple of days ago, and Grandma Qin had already prepared a lot of local specialties and food for her, all neatly arranged in the storage cabinet on the first floor, just waiting for Qin Hengzhi to come back and take them away.

Lu Qiaoge keenly noticed that her grandmother seemed somewhat absent-minded today. She sat down next to the old woman and asked with concern, "Grandma, is something on your mind?"

Grandpa Qin wasn't home at the time. Although he had retired to a less demanding role, he hadn't completely relinquished his responsibilities; he still had official duties to attend to from time to time, and sometimes he had to go down to the grassroots level to inspect work. Before Qin Hengzhi fully took over the reins, Grandpa Qin's job was to maintain stability. Today, he happened to be out at the grassroots level.

Qin Hengzhi and Lu Qiaoge's parents didn't return either. The couple both worked at a research institute and didn't go home for lunch. At this moment, only Grandma Qin was left in the large house.

The old man was genuinely happy to see his two children return, but the worry in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Upon hearing Lu Qiaoge's question, Grandma Qin sighed, and her eyes instantly reddened.

She held her granddaughter-in-law's hand, her voice choked with emotion: "Xiao Luo called me this morning... saying that your eldest sister, Qin Ruixue, committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills..."

Upon hearing this, even the usually composed Qin Hengzhi abruptly stopped in his tracks. However, he knew in his heart that since the patient could call back, she must have been saved.

Grandma Qin was an old woman who had experienced many ups and downs. After that moment of sadness, anger welled up in her heart.

She slapped her thigh in anger: "That wretched child! He's always causing trouble for us! Can't we just live a peaceful life? If he regretted it, why did he have to make such a scene in the first place?"

She paused, then said weakly, "I heard Gu Jingwen applied to go abroad for support work, and he's taking his lover with him this time. I think he's just afraid of Ruixue and wants to avoid some peace and quiet..."

Then, Grandma Qin looked at Qin Hengzhi with worry: "Xiao Luo said that she is in very bad condition and her mood has been low. She was rescued in time this time and her life was saved. But what if there is a next time? What if she is determined to take her own life? Xiao Luo hopes that we can take this seriously and bring her back to recuperate for a while. Otherwise, if something really bad happens, he said he will have no face to see your grandfather again."

Xiao Luo was an old subordinate of Old Master Qin, and they had maintained contact over the years, which is why the old master kept Qin Ruixue under his watchful eye.

The area is remote, close to the border of Jiang Province, and the main livelihood is cotton farming. Transportation is difficult and conditions are harsh.

Xiao Luo was genuinely afraid of taking responsibility. If something serious were to happen to her and she wasn't rescued in time, he couldn't bear the blame. In any case, Qin Ruixue hadn't broken the law. The reason she was sent there was simply to give the Gu family an explanation, and it was also a form of "exile."

Lu Qiaoge pondered for a moment, then calmly analyzed, "Let's discuss it again when Mom and Dad come back tonight. Personally, I think that keeping my eldest sister 'exiled' to Uncle Luo's place is definitely not a long-term solution. If she really has this tendency, or if she thinks that she can use this method to blackmail the people around her, making them feel guilty, worried, or afraid, she might escalate her methods. Uncle Luo can't afford such consequences."

(End of this chapter)