Why did you provoke me?

Yu Meng was unaware of all this. Now that this alien creature had such a significant role, she was even less likely to let it go. However, she knew that such a large-scale operation at Jingchuan Base would eventually be discovered by those with ulterior motives, and that would be the true beginning of the contest. That would be the test of the base's cohesion and its attitude towards her, its new leader. Yu Meng was eagerly anticipating what would happen then.

Qingyuan clearly understood these things as well. "Yu Meng, we just need some aliens for research; it's just that we'll be using a lot of materials. There shouldn't be any problems for now."

Yu Meng looked at her. "Are you looking for an ally? And the Skyhunting Base would be a perfect fit."

Qingyuan didn't hide anything, "We usually share our research findings with each other."

Yu Meng tapped her fingers on the table. "Aunt Qing, when you say 'usually,' you mean when Grandma was alive. But now that Grandma is gone, how likely do you think that is?"

"There shouldn't be any problems. This time, the aliens weren't particularly dangerous, and the fact that Nangong Tianshou came in person says it all, doesn't it?"

Yu Meng's face was very serious. "Aunt Qing, the aliens aren't dangerous, so why did you ask for help from other bases? Besides, you called me back overnight."

Qingyuan didn't know what Yu Meng was trying to say. "Yu Meng, just tell me what to do. Don't make me think about these things anymore. I really can't figure it out."

Yu Meng looked at Qing Yuan and said, "Aunt Qing, we don't have any allies in this matter. When we are not strong enough, we must not let others know, otherwise we will become targets and everyone's goal."

"Even Sky Hunting isn't an option?"

Yu Meng nodded firmly, "No, I'm not Grandma. Nangong Tianshou won't treat me like he treated Grandma. You've met him; he's very aggressive. This place is Grandma's life's work, and he plans to take over this place. Don't ask me how I know; that alien was the best test. If I hadn't been lucky, I don't know where I would be now."

Qingyuan asked doubtfully, "Is it really as serious as you say?"

"Aunt Qing, if you're rushing to catch a flight to attend an important seminar, but you're delayed because you have to carry some luggage, will you regret taking those things?" Yu Meng asked softly.

"I'll just throw it away, right? It's just luggage, it's not anything important."

"But what if your luggage contains important materials for the seminar? Would you throw it away?" Yu Meng asked again.

Qingyuan hesitated. For her, the seminar was important, and so were these materials. She seemed to have no choice.

Yu Meng then asked another question, "So tell me, for the seminar, are you more important, or are those materials more important?"

"They should all be important."

"If you had to choose one, would you go by yourself and throw away your luggage, or would you rather not throw away your luggage and miss your flight?"

"Yu Meng, how could such a thing happen? This is just a hypothetical scenario; such a thing would never happen in reality."

Yu Meng didn't answer Qing Yuan, but continued, "Actually, the most important thing for the conference is for people to come. After all, if you don't take the luggage, someone else will bring it to the conference. If people can't come because of the luggage, do you think the conference organizers would want to burn all that luggage if they were people?"

Qingyuan was even more confused. "Yu Meng, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Yu Meng sighed, "Aunt Qing, I was just saying." What Yu Meng didn't say was that Granny Hua had already made a choice decades ago regarding the question that Qingyuan couldn't choose.

After saying these words, Qingyuan left. Her mind was focused on studying the alien, and she didn't understand what Yu Meng meant at all.

Yu Meng sat in the chair in a daze. She missed the old lady a little. No matter what you said to her, no matter how nonsensical the words were, her mother-in-law could understand the meaning behind them and express her inner thoughts.

In the small town.

The first batch of trainees had arrived in this remote town. When Dali received the notification that everyone had arrived and that she was to give a lecture, she was still a little dazed.

She had just finished getting ready when she arrived. It seemed a bit fast.

When Aunt Yu saw someone looking for Dali, and Dali hurriedly leaving, she pulled Yu Hai aside and asked, "Where is your older sister going? Why is she in such a hurry?"

Yu Hai laughed and said, "My older sister said she has to go to class, so don't wait for her at noon. She might not be able to come back."

Aunt Yu nodded and went about her business.

Dali arrived at the three-story building. On the first floor, she still saw many men she didn't recognize.

Dali looked at Wang Qiang beside her and asked in a low voice, "Who are these people? Why are they here?"

Wang Qiang said with a smile, "I arrived with the other trainees; they were just accompanying me."

Dali didn't quite understand. She just came to learn how to peel noodles, so why were there so many people? If they learned quickly, it might not even take a day.

In the days that followed, Dali truly learned that appearances can be deceiving. These film-making technicians were of noble status, elegant in demeanor, and witty in conversation, but they genuinely lacked talent in the techniques they were learning. Out of ten, only one could barely pass muster, and even then, some parts were still uncoordinated.

Dali became withdrawn. Had her skills dropped so much? Back when she taught people how to peel the skin off stones, everyone got full marks.

Dali was heartbroken; she had embarrassed her younger sister. When Jiang Mingfeng arrived at the small building, he saw Dali there, her face full of sorrow. "What's wrong?"

Dali looked at Jiang Mingfeng and asked, "When did you get back?"

"I just unloaded the goods from the truck today and came straight here. We've made a lot more of the kind of dough you ordered. When can I deliver it to you? What's wrong with you? You look so listless."

"My younger sister asked me to teach them how to peel off the dough, but I just can't seem to get it right."

"It's not your fault, it's that they're too stupid," Jiang Mingfeng said without hesitation.

"But they are all level 5 mold makers, which is much higher than my level. If they were stupid, how could they be so strong?" Dali asked rhetorically.

Jiang Mingfeng swallowed hard. "They're already so strong, why do they need to learn how to peel off the mask again?"

Dali shook her head. "Who knows? If they can't learn it, do I have to refund the tuition they paid?"

"Dali, are you stupid? All the masters in the martial arts school teach the same students, but some learn well and some don't. So tell me, is it the master's fault? Should the master refund their tuition?"

"But these people are all advanced film-making technicians. They're not stupid. If they can't learn, it's just because I don't know how to teach them, right?" Dali rested her arms on the counter and then put her head on her arms.

"Big sister teaches very well, it's just that they're slow. Niannian has been learning for several days, and they're still asking questions." Little Niannian sat on the chair, her little feet swinging back and forth.

"Yes, my Niannian is the smartest, those people are stupid," Jiang Mingfeng quickly chimed in.

"No, I'm the second smartest. The first is my fourth sister."

Jiang Mingfeng's lips twitched. Who could compare to that Xiao Si? That would just be asking for trouble.