The Mysterious Night of Beijing

"I don't want to do anything."

Chen Ziming threw the twisted chopstick on the table, making a loud clanging sound.

"I just think you guys are too talkative, you need to find something to do."

He pointed in the direction of the cafeteria's kitchen.

"You guys are in charge of washing the dishes tonight. You can leave when they're all clean."

"Why should I?!"

"Just because of this."

Chen Ziming picked up another chopstick.

Just then, an engineer from the next table rushed over and grabbed the blond-haired guy who was still trying to yell.

"Are you crazy! Do you even know who he is?"

The man lowered his voice and whispered in the blond-haired man's ear, "That's Chen Ziming! The one who was making fighter jet parts with his bare hands a while ago!"

"Even Dr. Qin got taken down by him, if you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

Huang Mao froze. In the military industry group, the name Chen Ziming was now a legend, or rather, a taboo. Looking at Chen Ziming's ordinary face, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"I...we'll swipe, we'll swipe."

Yellow Hair's legs went weak, and he dragged his companions along, slinking away to the kitchen.

The cafeteria fell silent again. Everyone pretended nothing had happened, eating in silence with their heads down. Only when they occasionally glanced at Chen Ziming did they feel a greater sense of awe.

Cheng Yao sat there, her feelings indescribable.

Chen Ziming, carrying his tray, sat down opposite her.

"Have a meal."

He was concise and to the point.

Cheng Yao lowered her head, picking at the rice in her bowl, and after a long while, she whispered something.

"Thanks."

"No need," Chen Ziming said without looking up. "I just hate flies buzzing in my ears."

Cheng Yao: "..."

Can't this guy speak properly? She took a small box out of her pocket and pushed it in front of Chen Ziming.

"Here, take this."

When Chen Ziming opened it, he found it was a tube of imported burn ointment.

"I asked the military doctor, and he said this is the most effective treatment for arc burns."

Cheng Yao's voice was very soft.

Chen Ziming glanced at the bandage still wrapped around his arm; he had indeed been seriously injured that night while pulling the power switch.

[Ding, friendliness level increased, 10 points gained.]

"Oh ho, is that really true?" Chen Ziming thought to himself with amusement, but said aloud:

"Ten points are better than nothing."

"What?"

Cheng Yao didn't hear clearly.

"It's nothing," Chen Ziming put the ointment away. "Don't do anything reckless in the future. The materials are very expensive, and you can't afford to pay for them."

Cheng Yao's face flushed again. Talking to this man made her emotions feel like a rollercoaster.

Since then, there have been far fewer rumors circulating in the base, and Cheng Yao has become Chen Ziming's assistant.

Her daily work involves recording every step Chen Ziming takes and every parameter setting.

She discovered that Chen Ziming's work habits were very strange; all his designs and operations seemed to appear out of thin air in his mind.

He never draws sketches or conducts computer simulations.

Moreover, he is extremely lazy. He will never stand if he can sit, and he will never use two machines if one can solve the problem. Sometimes he will even walk a few steps to save time.

He would even come up with some strange ways to simplify the process, yet, every single thing he produced was flawless.

Cheng Yao felt like she was watching a science fiction movie. In order to keep up with Chen Zimin's pace, she could only work overtime and stay up late to study the data he left behind.

That night, it was late at night, and only the two of them were left in the laboratory.

Cheng Yao had been staying up for three consecutive nights. Her eyelids were drooping and her head was spinning.

She stood up, intending to get a cup of coffee to perk herself up, but after taking only two steps, everything went black, her body swayed, and she fell to the ground. A hand caught her just in time; it was Chen Ziming.

"Are you out of your mind?"

He frowned, looking at her pale face.

Cheng Yao leaned against him and smelled a mixture of engine oil and sweat, which surprisingly wasn't unpleasant.

"I...I'm fine."

She tried to stand up straight, but found that she couldn't muster any strength at all.

"Go back to sleep."

Chen Ziming's tone was harsh. He half-supported and half-carried Cheng Yao back to her dormitory entrance.

"Don't come to work tomorrow. Stay home and rest."

He said those words and turned to leave.

As Cheng Yao watched his departing figure, a sudden warmth filled her heart.

This man, although he has a sharp tongue and is lazy and arrogant, doesn't seem... that bad.

The next day, a notice was suddenly issued at the base: in order to relieve the pressure on researchers and enhance the relationship between colleagues, the base decided to hold a social dance party.

All unmarried young men and women are required to participate in principle.

The announcement excited the single male engineers at the base.

You know, there's a gender imbalance in the military-industrial complex. Someone as beautiful and talented as Cheng Yao is practically a national treasure. Suddenly, requests to invite Cheng Yao to be a dance partner flooded her office.

Cheng Yao declined all the invitations. Looking at her face in the mirror, which looked somewhat haggard from staying up late for so long, she felt a little annoyed.

prom……

For some reason, Chen Ziming's lazy face appeared in her mind. Would he go?

Who will he invite as his dance partner?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, she was startled and quickly shook her head, trying to shake off these chaotic thoughts. What was wrong with her?

Why would I think about that guy?

He's just a technically strange and awful repairman, yes, that's it.

On the night of the ball, Chen Ziming felt that such a time-wasting activity was meaningless.

He originally didn't want to come; he'd rather spend his time in the lab making more parts and earning some points. But Zhou Qin personally invited him, saying it was a group activity.

The person in charge had to be present, so he had no choice but to change into an ill-fitting suit and arrive at the ball.

The atmosphere at the dance was very lively, with Cheng Yao being the star of the base.

She naturally became the focus of attention. Today, she wore a light blue dress and light makeup, making her a completely different person from the serious-looking female engineer she usually was, dressed in work clothes.

Several self-proclaimed outstanding male engineers, each holding a wine glass, tried to invite her to the first dance.

Cheng Yao was getting a little tired of dealing with everyone. She scanned the crowd and quickly found Chen Ziming in the corner, where he was sitting alone.

He devoured a plate of fruit salad.

It seemed like the entire ball had nothing to do with him. Cheng Yao felt inexplicably relieved, yet also a little disappointed.

Just then, Zhou Qin walked onto the stage, smiling as he picked up the microphone.

"Comrades, to make the dance more fun, our first dance will be a random selection of partners!"