Building a Sci-Fi Empire: Starting with Cold Nuclear Fusion

The car fell silent immediately after he said that.

Chen Yuan clearly saw that Ah Yu's fair and rosy face turned crimson in an instant.

The rosy glow spread down from her cheeks to the base of her neck.

Upon seeing this, he was stunned.

How could young men and women of Chen Yuan and A Yu's age blush to this extent because of such a joke?

Okay, even if it's not a joke.

People in this age group have had a few relationships to some extent, so they wouldn't be so ashamed.

unless……

She's never been in a relationship?

Chen Yuan believes it is indeed possible.

As Ayu had previously mentioned, because of her hearing impairment, her classmates were unwilling to approach her at school and even called her deaf.

Later, after she entered the workforce, she apparently chatted with someone online, but the relationship ended without ever meeting in person because she was told she had a hearing impairment.

Given that, it's perfectly understandable that Ah Yu has never been in a relationship.

Upon discovering this secret, Chen Yuan's heart pounded.

I've struck gold!

I never expected to meet such a pure-hearted girl like Ah Yu in this era of rampant infidelity. I've truly struck gold.

Ah Yu lowered her head shyly and hesitantly, seemingly unsure how to respond.

After Chen Yuan vaguely sensed that the other person had never been in a relationship, he knew how "destructive" such a joke could be to an innocent girl.

To avoid embarrassing the other person, he deliberately changed the subject, saying, "Have you thought about whether or not you want to be a volunteer for human experimentation?"

Ah Yu secretly glanced up and, seeing that Chen Yuan wasn't pressing her further, replied, "Since it was an opportunity you fought for, I certainly can't miss it."

Chen Yuan blinked and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll trick you?"

Ah Yu looked very serious and said, "If you spent more than 150 days lying to me, then I would accept it. But I believe you wouldn't do that, because scammers are all about quick profits and it's unlikely that they would spend so much time on one person. Besides, you only found out yesterday that I'm hearing impaired, so those 150 days you spent getting close to me couldn't possibly have been for Bush's scheme."

I must say, she's very smart.

Chen Yuan became increasingly satisfied with A Yu.

Girls who are intelligent, gentle, considerate, and beautiful all at once are truly rare.

Ah Yu added, "Pinecone, can I ask you something?"

Chen Yuan nodded and said, "Go on."

Ah Yu said, "The cochlear implant I currently use is from Kangnuo Company, so I know that the company is the leading cochlear implant manufacturer in the country. They don't publicly recruit human volunteers for trials, but instead have cooperating hospitals and the Disabled Persons' Federation recommend candidates. They also provide a high fee afterward, which makes many poor hearing-impaired people want to participate. However, the number of places is limited, and not everyone can go. I want to know how much you went to get this opportunity for me?"

Chen Yuan didn't mention that the new cochlear implant was specially developed for A Yu, as that would put pressure on her.

He smiled and said, "There is a slight price to pay, but it's not as big as you think. I met Professor Zhang, a nuclear energy expert from China Nuclear Power Corporation, while I was working. He introduced me to Mr. Tang, the technical director of Conno Company. So don't overthink it. It's just that I owe him a favor, and there's not much of a price to pay."

Ah Yu smiled, her eyes crinkling like crescent moons. "We only met yesterday, and you've already put in a favor for me. I'll remember your kindness forever."

Chen Yuan pointed to the road ahead, "Let's go eat first, and then stroll around Guanqian Street tonight."

Ah Yu was in a good mood and said, "Okay, you said you'd treat me to dinner. If we go to Guanqian Street later, I'll treat you to milk tea, okay?"

Chen Yuan said, "Okay."

The car started, and the two chatted happily all the way.

……

It was around 7 p.m. at night.

After having dinner, Chen Yuan and A Yu went shopping on Guanqian Street.

Perhaps because he didn't look at people with hearing impairments differently, and because he did something for Ah Yu, their relationship clearly warmed up.

During dinner just now, the topics of conversation became more intimate.

Sensing that their feelings were growing stronger, Chen Yuan felt restless and wanted to take advantage of their time alone to push their relationship forward as much as possible.

such as……

Can we hold hands?

"This home-cooked meal is delicious."

"If you like it, I'll take you again next time."

"I'm afraid you'll get tired of the same thing. We can change things up so you can have something new every day."

"Everything we do together, whether we've done it before or not, feels new and exciting to me."

The two spoke in a particularly ambiguous manner as they gradually arrived in front of the milk tea shop.

During this time, Chen Yuan tried several times to touch A Yu's hand to see if he could hold it, but he never made a move.

It wasn't that he was afraid, but he was worried that Ah Yu, who had never been in a relationship, would have a strong aversion to it, which would make things awkward for both of them.

Ah Yu paid for two cups of milk tea.

The two continued shopping.

Suddenly, two children came running towards them, one after the other.

When Chen Yuan saw the chubby-faced little boy in front of him, he realized that he might bump into A Yu if they followed the path, so he quickly reached out to pull the boy away.

Fortunately, the rope was pulled open, and the little boy ran past where Ah Yu had been.

At the time, Chen Yuan didn't think much of it and just wanted to pull him along. But after the little boy walked away, he felt the warmth of his palm and the soft and delicate touch of A Yu's hand.

This made his heart race, but he never took the initiative to let go.

Chen Yuan had decided that if A Yu made any slight struggle, he would respect her decision to let go.

If there's no sign of struggle, then just keep holding on.

Surprisingly, Ayu didn't struggle at all, and even pretended to be nonchalant, saying, "I read in a travel guide that there's a place here that makes really good pastries. Let's go buy some, I want to take them back for my parents to try."

Chen Yuan continued to hold the other person's hand, "You mean Huang Tianyuan Rice Cakes? It's not far from here. Their mint-flavored rice cakes, lard rice cakes, and osmanthus-flavored taro are all quite delicious."

Ah Yu said, "Hmm, this is the place... Oh, I forgot to book a hotel. Could you let me book one first?"

Chen Yuan thought she was making excuses to get him to let go, so he had no choice but to agree, "Okay, you book the hotel."

He originally wanted to suggest that Ah Yu stay at his house, but since it was only the second time they had met, it wouldn't be appropriate to say that, as it might make people think he had ulterior motives.

Well, most normal men would have these kinds of thoughts about the girls they like, more or less.

Chen Yuan was no exception, but he cared a lot about A Yu and wanted to get along well with her, so he tried his best to leave a good impression instead of rushing into her life...

Yes, it should be done in one step.

Before long, Ayu had booked the hotel.

To Chen Yuan's surprise, his hand, which he had been holding down naturally, was warm again.

Looking down, I realized that it was Ah Yu who had taken my hand, and they were even holding hands tightly!

Seeing this, Chen Yuan felt sweet. Although the two had not yet explicitly said they were dating, he felt that his actions with A Yu were a sign of being in a relationship.

This feeling is just so wonderful.

……

Joy is always fleeting; too much joy leads to dissatisfaction.

Soon, it was around 10:30 p.m.

Chen Yuan drove A Yu to the Hanting Hotel, which was relatively close to him.

In the parking lot, he looked at the passenger seat and said, "I'll pick you up at six o'clock tomorrow morning to go to the station. Um, I'm not very good at driving, otherwise I would have taken you back to Jinghai."

Ah Yu waved her hand and said, "No need, no need, you sleep a little longer, I'll take a taxi there myself."

Chen Yuan insisted, "No, I need to see you get on the bus before I feel at ease. Besides, don't you want to see me a little more tomorrow?"

Ah Yu said softly, "I do want to, but I can't bear to see you get up so early."

Chen Yuan laughed and said, "Early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy. Don't be reluctant to go to bed. Go upstairs and get some sleep. Just wait for me tomorrow morning."

Ah Yu didn't refuse again, but instead gave a sweet smile and said, "Okay, you're so kind."

Chen Yuan pointed to the hotel. "Let's go up."

Ah Yu didn't move, but glanced out the window with a hesitant expression on her face.

Seeing that she didn't seem inclined to get out of the car, Chen Yuan asked, "Is there something else you haven't said?"

"I..." Ah Yu took a deep breath, as if making a decision, "Could you... close your eyes first?"

Chen Yuan was baffled. "Why would I close my eyes?"

Ah Yu blushed slightly and said in a slightly coquettish tone, "Oh, please listen to me just this once."

The slightly clenched sound made Chen Yuan's bones melt.

Men, when faced with a girl they like acting cute, can never resist.

He was no exception; enjoying it, he closed his eyes and joked, "Don't try to ambush me while my eyes are closed..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Yuan smelled a faint fragrance approaching.

Immediately afterwards, he felt a cool, soft sensation on his right cheek.

Chen Yuan was no virgin, so he naturally knew that he had been kissed.

what?

Did Ah Yu really kiss me?

Although it was just a light touch, it was definitely a kiss.

Chen Yuan was surprised and immediately opened his eyes.

Ah Yu's face turned completely red again, like a blooming red rose, looking so delicate and beautiful.