"The girl who went on a fun day trip with you!"
Jiang Fan paused for a moment after reading the remark on the friend request, then thought back to the many missed calls from Qiao Shan. It was almost certain that this "Little Wild Cat" must be Qiao Yifei.
To be honest, he was unwilling to accept the request, but out of respect for Qiao Lao, he reluctantly clicked "accept."
...
Meanwhile, in a residential area in Lingzhou
A young girl with an enchanting figure was lounging on her soft bed. She was wearing a pink silk nightgown that clung comfortably to her skin, its fabric smooth and delicate. The skirt was rather short, just enough to cover her rounded and firm hips. Her long, slender legs were exposed, enticing anyone who might happen to glance. If Jiang Fan were to see her, he would probably end up with a nosebleed.
She lay with one arm on the pillow, delicately resting her chin, her large almond-shaped eyes glancing at her phone from time to time.
"What's going on? I've sent a friend request so many times, and it still hasn't been accepted!"
"This idiot, what is he doing?"
"Could it be that I entered the wrong number?"
The girl quickly got up, and because it was already past eleven at night, a time when most people would be preparing for bed, she hadn't put on a bra. The loose neckline of her nightgown exposed a tantalizing view.
She checked the number again, "135****6688, the number's correct!"
Just as she was about to consider calling him, her phone made a 'ding' sound.
Hastily, she opened WeChat and saw that Jiang Fan had accepted her friend request.
A wide grin spread across her face, and she immediately typed a message.
"Little Wild Cat: Hello, Jiang Fan!"
"Jiang Fan: Hi."
"Little Wild Cat: Why aren't you asleep yet, so late?"
"Jiang Fan: Going to sleep now, goodbye!"
When Chu Ruoxi saw Jiang Fan's reply, her hands froze in mid-air. Her forehead was instantly covered with three black lines, a feeling of awkwardness flooding her.
She had been eagerly waiting for his reply all night, only for him to send just two sentences, seven words.
They had watched movies and played video games together before, and although Jiang Fan wasn't very talkative, his gaze had suggested that he liked her.
But now, what was this?
Oh, right. She hadn't introduced herself yet. Jiang Fan probably didn't know that "Little Wild Cat" was her.
Realizing this, Chu Ruoxi quickly figured out the problem. She then typed another message.
"Little Wild Cat: Do you know who I am? Hehe..."
"Jiang Fan: Qiao Yifei."
Chu Ruoxi froze upon reading Jiang Fan's reply.
"Qiao Yifei?"
She murmured to herself.
Just hearing that name made her think of a girl she knew. But Jiang Fan had rarely interacted with girls, and there was no one by that name in their class.
Had Jiang Fan met another girl in just two days in JingDou?
A surge of unease rose within her, though she wasn't sure why.
She was about to tell Jiang Fan who she really was, but then she deleted the message.
Since Jiang Fan had mistaken her for Qiao Yifei, she could use this to her advantage. Through Qiao Yifei's name, she could subtly explore Jiang Fan's feelings.
With that thought, Chu Ruoxi decided not to reveal herself just yet. She typed another message.
"Little Wild Cat: You're pretty 'smart,' huh?"
"Little Wild Cat: Can you tell me what you think of me?"
Chu Ruoxi sent the message and lay back down, assuming the same posture, her mind wandering as she waited for Jiang Fan's reply.
One minute passed, then two, ten minutes, an hour... until she fell asleep.
...
In the northern grasslands of Longguo, a small blade of grass that had spent the night in slumber unfurled under the first rays of morning sunlight. A dewdrop, as clear as crystal, hung from its sharp leaf, resembling a radiant jewel.
As it waved its leaf, showing off to the surrounding grass, a massive creature descended from the sky and trampled it into the earth with one heavy foot.
"Woof woof..."
The massive creature ran joyfully across the grassland, occasionally barking.
"Hei Feng, come back home for dinner!"
A burly man in the distance shouted at a black wolfdog.
The dog, named Hei Feng, stopped running, glanced ahead, and then turned to follow its master.
As it ran back, it accidentally trampled the same blade of grass again, pressing it deep into the soil.
Hei Feng finally reached its master, and they both slowed their pace, walking towards a tent in the distance.
Thirty kilometers west of the tent stood a large building resembling a factory—this was the northern controlled fusion research base.
At that moment, a young man stood on a lookout tower, gazing out over the vast grassland. Having worked through the night, he stretched lazily.
A soft breeze swept over the field, making the entire expanse of grass appear as a rolling green ocean, waves of green undulating with the wind.
Looking at this peaceful scene, his mood lightened considerably.
He smiled to himself, amazed at how well the "Stay-Up Capsule" system reward had worked. He had spent the entire night organizing the controlled fusion plan and, to his surprise, wasn't at all tired. Instead, he felt more energized than ever.
He accessed the "Stay-Up" dialog box in his mind and saw that there were still 9,992 hours remaining.
He had calculated that even if he stayed up every day, he could continue for over three years.
The system was truly powerful.
While Jiang Fan was lost in thought, a voice from below called out.
"Jiang Chief Engineer, dinner's ready!"
"Mm."
Jiang Fan descended from the lookout tower and followed Zhang Wenxian to the base's dining hall.
Seeing the almost deserted cafeteria, Zhang Wenxian couldn't help but sigh. Just a short time ago, the place would have been packed during meal times, but now it was eerily quiet, with only about ten people sitting around.
"Hello, Jiang Chief Engineer!"
The others greeted Jiang Fan warmly.
They had all been deeply impressed by his abilities the day before.
After getting his meal, Jiang Fan sat down with them.
"Jiang Chief Engineer, when will we start the adjustments on controlled fusion? After listening to your explanation yesterday, I'm fired up!"
"Yeah, even though there are fewer of us now, we'll work like a hundred people, haha!"
For these veteran researchers, their attachment to the controlled fusion base was profound. None of them wanted the project to be halted. They all hoped that Jiang Fan could lead them to complete the challenge in one month and keep the base operational.
Jiang Fan looked at their enthusiasm with satisfaction.
After eating, he retrieved the plan he had prepared the night before from his room.
Everyone was taken aback by the thick stack of documents.
"Jiang Chief Engineer, did you prepare all this in one night?"
"Yes."
"You didn't sleep the whole night?"