harleyscars Chapter 24: I Believe in You
Chapter 24: I Believe in You
The archives room was filled with the aroma of pan-fried buns and vinegar.
Nie Xiguang bit into the thin-skinned, juicy pan-fried bun, his eyes narrowing with satisfaction: "The one at the bridgehead is still the best! The ones in the cafeteria are like dough dumplings filled with minced meat."
Yu Chen sat opposite her, also holding one in his hand. "Eat slowly, no one will take it from you."
"I'm hungry," Nie Xiguang mumbled, taking another bite. Juice almost spilled out, so she quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe it off.
A little bit of soup still got on the corner of her mouth, and she subconsciously stuck out the tip of her tongue and licked it.
Yu Chen's gaze lingered on the pink tip of the tongue for half a second before naturally shifting away and handing over a clean tissue.
"Oh, right, I have some good news for you." Nie Xiguang took the tissue, her eyes sparkling.
"Um?"
"The dormitory issue has been resolved by President Lin." Nie Xiguang swallowed his food, his tone slightly excited. "The administration department issued an official notice, reiterating the queuing system and establishing a special accommodation application review team."
"It only counts after the finance, human resources, and administration departments sign off on it. These past two days, Mr. Tong has been avoiding us."
Yu Chen wasn't surprised and picked up the second pan-fried bun: "When Lin Yusen does things, he either doesn't care or he does care to the end."
"And another thing," Nie Xiguang lowered his voice, leaning forward slightly as if sharing a secret, "Yin Jie and Wan Yuhua moved into the same building! They moved in the day before yesterday, and they're so happy. They said they won't have to queue for showers anymore."
"What about you?" Yu Chen looked at her. "Why didn't you move?"
Nie Xiguang blinked: "Me? I think the old building is great. It's lively, and Yin Jie and Wan Yuhua have moved out. Now I live alone in a four-person room, which is as spacious as a suite. It's so comfortable."
Actually, there was half a sentence left unsaid.
One room is a double room, and you have to share it with someone else.
She was a little reluctant to part with her current comfortable little space where she could be alone.
Yu Chen noticed a hint of a smile flickering in her eyes.
He picked up the third pan-fried bun and naturally broke off the bottom, which was the most golden and crispy side, and placed it on the tissue in front of Nie Xiguang.
"This one is the best," Yu Chen said casually.
Nie Xiguang was stunned for a moment, looking at the golden and crispy bottom crust, feeling as if a kitten's paw had gently scratched his heart, making him feel tingly and numb.
I whispered "thank you," picked it up, and took small bites. It was indeed fragrant and crispy.
"Oh, right," she suddenly remembered something, looked up at Yu Chen, "how was your meeting this morning? It was such a big affair."
"It was alright, we just talked about the possibility of technical cooperation," Yu Chen said casually. "We might be working on a project with Hua Zong and his team."
"It must be a really impressive project!" Nie Xiguang said confidently. "Otherwise, why would it have involved President Zhang and President Lin in a meeting?"
"And that chief engineer from Sheng Yuanlai."
Yu Chen nodded calmly: "Technology is all theoretical until it's put into practice."
"I believe you can definitely do it," Nie Xiguang said earnestly, his eyes clear and firm. "You never just talk the talk."
This unreserved trust stirred something within Yu Chen.
Yu Chen looked at Nie Xiguang. The afternoon sun shone through the high window onto her face, making her soft, tousled hair look like it was edged with gold, and her eyelashes cast a light shadow under her eyes.
"Thank you," Yu Chen said softly.
Nie Xiguang felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, so she lowered her head and pretended to concentrate on eating her pan-fried buns, her ears turning red again.
Just then, her phone rang.
She glanced at the caller ID and a warm smile appeared on her face: "My cousin, Jiang Rui."
She answered the phone on speakerphone, continuing to eat her pan-fried dumplings as she said, "Hey, Jiang Rui, why are you calling at this hour? Don't you have class?"
A clear, lively male voice came from the other end of the phone, speaking quickly: "Sis! You don't have class this afternoon, can't you check on my dear cousin?"
"I heard you've been working in a factory lately, experiencing the hardships of ordinary people. How's it going? Have you lost weight from the exhaustion?"
"Get lost!" Nie Xiguang laughed and scolded. "I'm doing fine. Have you adjusted to university life yet? Stop playing games all day."
"Don't worry, your brother here is a top student and a club legend, I'm a star wherever I go." Jiang Rui chuckled. "But you, sis, I heard... your 'know-it-all junior' has made quite a splash lately?"
Nie Xiguang paused, glancing at Yu Chen instinctively.
Yu Chen raised an eyebrow, mouthed "continue," and had a playful smile in his eyes.
"How...how did you know?" Nie Xiguang asked, somewhat surprised.
"Sis, your brother's got all the inside information!" Jiang Rui said smugly. "Our school forum has news about people switching careers. They say a really cool patent came out in Suzhou, and the inventor's name is Yu Chen. I thought about it, and isn't that the 'wild-minded' junior you mentioned?"
"Wow, sis! You have great taste, you've struck gold!"
Nie Xiguang's ears turned red again: "What do you mean, 'found a treasure'! Don't talk nonsense! He's just... just a friend of mine."
"Friend~" Jiang Rui drawled, mimicking her tone from before, "Come on, sis. The way you talked about him last time, it was like you were telling my mom about her new limited edition bag, all 'treasured' and afraid of anyone finding out.
"So, how far have things progressed between you two? Need some dating advice from your brilliant younger brother?"
"Jiang Rui!" Nie Xiguang's face turned red instantly. He hurriedly tried to turn off the speakerphone, but Yu Chen gently pressed his wrist down.
Yu Chen shook his head, a clear smile playing on his lips, signaling her to continue listening.
The warmth from his fingertips seeped through his skin, and Nie Xiguang froze, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest.
On the other end of the phone, Jiang Rui was still babbling on: "Hey sis, don't be shy, I'm doing this for your own good. This Yu Chen senior is clearly no ordinary person, you'd better hurry up! Want me to teach you a few tricks?"
"For example, I'll pretend the light bulb is broken and ask him to fix it, or I'll pretend my computer has a virus and ask him to help. I'm very familiar with these tricks..."
"Jiang! Rui!" Nie Xiguang finally found her voice, both embarrassed and anxious, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'm hanging up!"
"No, no, no, I was wrong, I was wrong." Jiang Rui quickly begged for forgiveness, but his tone was still cheerful. "Seriously, sis, if Yu Chen is really that amazing, you'd better stick close to him. It'll be so cool to take this kind of promising talent out with you in the future."
"You don't need to worry about my affairs!" Nie Xiguang said hastily, "I'm hanging up now, I'm busy!"
Before Jiang Rui could say anything more, she quickly hung up the phone.
The archives room suddenly became eerily quiet, with only the hum of the air conditioner and the two people's soft breathing.
Nie Xiguang lowered his head, pretending to concentrate on eating the now-cold pan-fried buns, his ears turning so red they were almost bleeding.
"Your cousin," Yu Chen finally spoke, his voice lower than usual, "is quite concerned about you."
"He just likes to stir up trouble..." Nie Xiguang muttered in defense, his fingers unconsciously picking at the tissue.
Yu Chen nodded, a rare, almost imperceptible hint of teasing in his tone: "However, I suggest you use your cousin's tricks with caution. They're fine for fixing light bulbs, but for computer viruses... I charge for them."
Nie Xiguang was stunned for two seconds before realizing that Yu Chen was joking. He was both annoyed and amused, grabbed a tissue, crumpled it up, and threw it at Yu Chen: "Who wants to use that kind of trick!"
The crumpled paper lightly hit Yu Chen in the chest. He caught it with a smile and placed it on the table.
The atmosphere relaxed again, but the subtle ambiguity and tension, like the smell of old paper permeating the archives, silently seeped into the air.
"Oh, right," Nie Xiguang remembered her business and tried to focus on her work, "I've finished organizing the core parts of Xinya Data that you asked me to look at closely." She opened her laptop and pulled up an encrypted file. "The situation... is more complicated than I imagined."
Yu Chen's smile faded, and his expression turned serious: "How so?"
"It's not just the price discrepancy." Nie Xiguang pointed to the chart on the screen. "Look, from 2009 to 2011, the purity test reports for seven batches of polysilicon supplied to us by Xinya did not match the actual warehousing inspection records. The reports stated that it met solar-grade standards, but the inspection data showed that the impurity content exceeded the standard, with some batches even approaching metallurgical grade."
She pulled up another document: "What's even stranger is the payment. According to the contract, this kind of quality problem should result in a deduction or even a claim. But the financial records show that for these batches of defective materials, we not only paid in full, but the payment cycle was also almost twice as fast as normal."
Yu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Inflated prices may be a way to transfer profits, but selling inferior goods as superior ones and paying promptly goes beyond simply making money; it systematically damages the company's interests.
"Is there a chain of evidence?" he asked.
"Yes, but they're scattered across different departments." Nie Xiguang quickly operated her computer. "Purchase contracts and pro forma invoices are archived in the purchasing department, original quality inspection records are in the quality section of the technical department, receiving slips are in the warehousing department, and payment vouchers are in the finance department. Each document looks normal on its own, but when you string them together chronologically..." She pulled out a summary timeline she had created, densely covered with red lines and arrows, "the problem becomes impossible to hide."
She looked up at Yu Chen, her eyes clear and firm: "I suspect this isn't just a few individuals profiting, but... a complete chain. The purchasing department is responsible for selecting suppliers and setting prices, someone in the quality department is involved in issuing false reports or relaxing spot checks, the warehousing department is just going through the motions when receiving goods, and the finance department pays upon receipt of the goods."
Looking at the clear logic diagram on the screen, Yu Chen gained a new understanding of the girl's abilities.
She is not only meticulous, but also has excellent information integration and logical reasoning abilities.
"Have you backed up these files?" he asked.
"Yeah, I hid cloud storage, external hard drives, and even printed copies under my bed." Nie Xiguang nodded, a little embarrassed. "Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
"Not at all." Yu Chen looked at her seriously. "You did a great job, and it was necessary. Keep this data safe for now and don't show it to anyone."
"I understand." Nie Xiguang nodded. "Then... what's next? Should we tell President Lin?"
Yu Chen pondered for a moment: "Let's not rush. Now is not the best time. Lin Yusen has just arrived in Shuangyuan. Although he is willing to make big moves, General Manager Mo of the Purchasing Department has too deep a foundation. If we act rashly, we may alert the enemy and cause them to act desperately and destroy the evidence."
Yu Chen thought for a moment and looked at Nie Xiguang gently, saying, "Continue to organize the data and make the chain of evidence more solid, but be careful not to attract attention."
"Yes!" Nie Xiguang nodded vigorously, feeling the heavy responsibility on his shoulders, but his heart was filled with a sense of mission to participate in something important.
"And what about you? What are you going to do with this data?"
Yu Chen looked out the window, his gaze distant: "Once I have a seat in Shuangyuan, these data will become one of my most valuable assets."
He turned back and smiled at Nie Xiguang: "So, we're on two fronts, working towards the same goal."
The word "we" warmed Nie Xiguang's heart.
She nodded vigorously: "I will definitely do my best!"
"I believe you," Yu Chen said naturally, as if stating a fact.
The two discussed some more data details, and before they knew it, their lunch break was almost over.
Yu Chen packed up the pan-fried buns and stood up: "I have to go over some technical details with President Hua this afternoon, so we probably won't be able to have dinner together tonight."
"Oh, okay." A slight sense of disappointment crossed Nie Xiguang's mind, but she didn't show it.
"However," Yu Chen walked to the door, then turned back, "tomorrow afternoon, if you're free, I'll take you somewhere."
"Where?"
"It's a secret for now." Yu Chen rarely kept things a secret, but his eyes were filled with a smile. "Consider it... a thank you gift for helping me organize the data."
After saying that, he opened the door and went out.
Nie Xiguang sat there, savoring the smiling look in his eyes and the words "thank you gift," and couldn't help but smile.
She felt as if she were standing on a clearer and broader road.
The fog that once clouded her judgment and caused her to hesitate and doubt herself has cleared up through her down-to-earth work, visible growth, and this simple and direct relationship.
They dispersed without us even realizing it.