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

After dinner.

Chen Yuan let A Yu, who was tired after a long day, take a shower first, while he went to wash the dishes.

Before long, he finished washing the dishes.

Chen Yuan saw that the bathroom light was still on, so he went back to his room first.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

Chen Yuan, who was staring at his phone, casually said, "Please come in."

The door opened from the outside, and Ah Yu's voice rang out, "I'm ready, you can go take a shower now."

Chen Yuan smelled the fragrance and looked up. He saw that A Yu had a towel wrapped around her head and had already changed back into the clothes she had been wearing before.

He said speechlessly, "Isn't it uncomfortable to wear clothes you wore during the day?"

Ah Yu said helplessly, "I didn't plan to stay out overnight tonight, and I didn't bring any clothes with me. Do you have any extra phone chargers? My phone is dead."

"Yes, please wait a moment."

Chen Yuan unplugged the charger from the bedside and then rummaged through the closet to find his pajamas.

He took his things and walked to the door. "If you don't mind, you can wear my pajamas tonight."

Ah Yu hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took it, saying, "Okay, I'm going to sleep now. You should also get some rest after you take a shower."

Chen Yuan said, "Okay."

Ah Yu turned around and went into the guest room next door.

Chen Yuan didn't think much of it, found another set of pajamas, and went to the bathroom.

Inside, steam rose in the air.

A fragrant aroma wafted over.

Chen Yuan, who hadn't thought much about it before, felt a sudden jolt in his heart after smelling the fragrance.

The thought of Ah Yu taking a hot shower inside just now stirred up an uncontrollable unease within him.

There was no way around it. Chen Yuan was a normal man, in the prime of his life, and his last relationship was over a year ago. Now, he was alone in a room with A Yu at night, and he could smell her faint fragrance. How could he not have thoughts?

Don't overthink things, or you'll leave a bad impression on others.

Chen Yuan suppressed his emotions as much as possible and took a comfortable bath.

Boys tend to shower quickly; he finished in less than ten minutes.

Throw the dirty clothes into the washing machine.

Then, Chen Yuan came out of the bathroom and was about to go into the bedroom.

Suddenly, he noticed that the light in the guest room was still on.

Chen Yuan hesitated for a moment, then went over and knocked on the door.

Ah Yu's voice came from inside, "Come in, the door's unlocked."

Chen Yuan turned the doorknob and pushed it in, jokingly saying, "You trust me so much that you didn't even lock the door?"

As he spoke, he leaned against the door frame and peered inside.

Ah Yu sat rubbing her lower back, as if she had been tired all day and her back ached.

She looked up and smiled sweetly, saying, "I trust you completely; I know you're not that kind of person."

Chen Yuan asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is your back sore?"

"Hmm," Ah Yu said casually, "It's okay, a few rubs will do the trick."

Chen Yuan said affectionately, "You've worked so hard today, shall I give you a massage?"

He had no bad intentions; he simply wanted to repay the other party for their hard work that day.

Ah Yu's expression turned unnatural.

She clearly thought Chen Yuan wanted to do something in the dead of night.

It's normal for her to have this thought, since there are only two people in the house.

Ah Yu said warily, "No need, no need, I can rub it myself."

"How can I massage certain areas on my back myself?"

Without a word, Chen Yuan walked in and pointed to the bed, saying domineeringly, "Lie down properly."

"oh."

Ayu originally wanted to refuse, but for some reason, she instinctively obeyed Chen Yuan's domineering attitude and turned to lie on the bed.

Chen Yuan sat down on the edge of the bed, extending his right hand to press against the middle of A Yu's lower back. "Is it sore here?"

Ah Yu was very tense, and she let out a soft "hmm".

Chen Yuan didn't say anything more, but instead started massaging the other person through their clothes very seriously.

He was so focused that he didn't even notice the feel of the touch.

Ah Yu felt that earnestness, and her body gradually softened.

She whispered, "Pine Cone, you're really amazing."

Chen Yuan looked over and smiled, "Why are you suddenly saying that?"

Ah Yu turned her head and said, "Look, even Huazhong Nuclear Power Group wants to cooperate with you on the nuclear battery you developed. Later, the paper you spent more than an hour writing attracted so many people from research institutes. Although I don't understand nuclear fusion, I can see how much they value it. You are really amazing."

She spoke very sincerely, without a hint of flattery.

Chen Yuan, his emotional appeal fully aroused, smiled and said, "Since you think I'm so capable, how about becoming my girlfriend?"

After saying this, he became nervous, afraid that Ayu would refuse.

Although their behavior was not much different from that of a couple, they never actually crossed that line.

If one had to describe their relationship, it would be more like a sophisticated flirtation.

Ambiguity is like the blues moment twenty minutes before sunset—beautiful, but an uncertain relationship will always have its sunset.

Therefore, Chen Yuan wanted to take advantage of the moment when the two of them calmed down to ask if they could establish a formal romantic relationship.

Some things are better explained more clearly.

If a girl is stringing a boy along, she will most likely give vague and irrelevant answers at this point.

Instead of keeping Chen Yuan hanging, Ayu showed a delighted expression and asked, "You... really want me to be your girlfriend?"

Chen Yuan looked into the other person's bright eyes, nodded firmly, and said, "Yes, I like you."

Ah Yu replied shyly, "I...I like you too."

This was the first time the two of them had explicitly told each other that they liked each other.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan's emotions were heightened. He immediately stopped massaging her waist, leaned close to A Yu, and said, "From now on, you're my girlfriend. You're not allowed to chat with other guys."

"You're so domineering." Ah Yu didn't flinch, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she smiled. "I won't chat with other guys; you're the only one in my heart."

As she spoke, a damp, warm fragrance wafted over.

Chen Yuan couldn't help but kiss her, a quick and fleeting kiss, "Good girl, I'll take good care of you from now on."

Ah Yu, who had just been kissed, blushed slightly and said, "Mmm."

Chen Yuan wrapped one arm around the other's waist and asked, "Then can I... tonight?"

Upon hearing this, Ah Yu, whose eyes had been somewhat dazed, instantly snapped back to reality and decisively said, "No way!"

Chen Yuan: "..."

Afraid that Chen Yuan might do something reckless, A Yu quickly explained, "Although we've known each other for a long time, there are some things I... I'm not mentally prepared for yet. You... you shouldn't be in such a hurry, okay?"

Chen Yuan said, both amused and exasperated, "You're thinking the wrong thing. I didn't mean to do those things with you. I just wanted to ask if I could hold you while we sleep tonight."

Ah Yu said rationally, "I don't believe your nonsense. Your reaction betrays you."

Ok.

Chen Yuan bowed slightly, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "You figured it out."

Ah Yu reached out and stroked his chest, whispering, "Pine Cone, we just officially started dating tonight. Don't rush things, okay? Let's take it slow and let things happen naturally. When I'm ready, I promise I won't reject you again, okay?"

Chen Yuan reached out and tucked the hair from her cheek behind her ear. "Okay, I respect you."

Ah Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

The next moment, Chen Yuan blinked and said, "I'm not in a hurry about this, but can you make up for what we didn't finish this afternoon?"

Ah Yu's face flushed red instantly. She didn't answer, but simply closed her eyes, giving the best possible response.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan slowly leaned in, gently kissed her lips, and then tenderly pried open her teeth.

The rain outside was pouring down harder, but the atmosphere inside was incredibly lively.