CH 68.1

Chapter 68 – Honesty and a Sketch

The story began 20 years ago, when 22-year-old Lin Yeran finished his master’s degree, focusing on data science. He graduated early, skipping a level in high school and college. At that time, the situation was urgent. He did not choose to study for a PhD, but directly joined the data center.

At first, he was responsible for the big data analysis of infection wavelengths, and after a year, after a round of personnel transfers, he went to the audio and video analysis project team to engage in machine learning.

The data were all provided by the military, and occasionally, they had to connect with military personnel.

This was how Lin Yeran met Yan Xin.

Yan Xin was 28 years old and a lieutenant. He had become acquainted with the leader of their project team, and would occasionally come over to chat.

Lin Yeran was very dissatisfied with this behavior.

—He was always opposed to arriving late and leaving early, and he was also opposed to going to work to do nothing. If it was up to him, he would have deducted the team leader’s salary.

Although the two only chatted for more than ten minutes, Lin Yeran didn’t give them a good face. Besides, he didn’t like Yan Xin’s style either. Yan Xin was too flamboyant, like a soldier and a ruffian.

Yan Xin noticed this young researcher who gave him a stinky face all day long.

Once, when the team leader was not in, Yan Xin leaned on the rooftop to smoke.

As soon as Lin Yeran opened the rooftop door, he saw Yan Xin clutching a cigarette and looking at him with raised eyebrows.

Lin Yeran: “……”

He turned around to leave, Yan Xin shouted from behind: “Researcher Lin, what a coincidence, you also come up to get some air?”

Since he greeted him, Lin Yeran couldn’t turn his face away and leave. So Lin Yeran nodded: “Yeah, I’ll just stay for a few minutes.”

“Then let’s have a chat. I heard Team Leader Liao say that you are a top student and you are born with a good brain.” Yan Xin took a cigarette, “Have you been smart since kindergarten?”

It was this kind of chat that Lin Yeran hated the most – as if they were familiar with each other.

The topic was also meaningless.

Lin Yeran frowned and replied indifferently: “Just normal.”

Yan Xin: “I can’t do it. My brain hurts when I look at those things. Your parents must have always complimented you, right?”

“Occasionally.”

“Then when did you divide your majors? High school or university?”

“University,” Lin Yeran replied, “I was a guaranteed student and I started studying data analysis in high school.”

“Amazing!” Yan Xin whistled, “I heard them say that there are scholarships for guaranteed students.”

“Not everyone has it.”

“How about you?”

“Full amount.”

Lin Yeran was very perfunctory from beginning to end, and a nameless fire burned in his heart. However, Yan Xin was ignorant, smoking a cigarette, and asking endless questions.

When Yan Xin talked about his parents always nagging him, Lin Yeran lost patience and said, “Lieutenant Yan, I still have something to do, so I’ll go first.”

Yan Xin: “It’s only been 10 minutes. The battle situation has improved recently. Team Leader Liao said that you are free. Don’t you take a break?”

“I work seriously,” Lin Yeran replied stiffly.

“Let’s talk for a while, I’m still waiting for your team leader.”

“No way.”

“I’ll give you a cigarette, a good cigarette, top quality goods, you can’t get it outside.”

“No, be careful of lung cancer.”

Yan Xin looked at him and suddenly smiled: “Researcher Lin, do you have any opinions on me?”

“No.”

“Really, why do I think your opinion is so big.”

Lin Yeran couldn’t bear it, turned around, and said, “Are you—Cough! Cough!”

Yan Xin sprayed a mouthful of smoke on his face and then laughed: “It’s a good smoke, right? I didn’t lie to you!”

—That’s how the relationship was formed.

After that, Yan Xin always came over to hand over the work, and Lin Yeran couldn’t avoid him.

Yan Xin looked sharp in a meeting, but in private, it was different. Every time, he‘d smile and greet him, “Hi! Researcher Lin, do you drink coffee or not?”

Or he’d say: “Why do you have a stinky face, did you quarrel with your team members again? Let me tell you, it’s best to have peace of mind, or you will age prematurely if you’re always angry.”

Or: “Hahaha, you seem to have white hair, I’ll pull it off for you! Don’t hide, other black hairs won’t be scared white.”

And Lin Yeran changed from Researcher Lin to Team Leader Lin.

And from “Lieutenant Yan, I have something to do”, he changed to “Yan Xin, don’t you have anything else to do?”, and finally developed into “Get lost!”.

Later, he couldn’t bear it, and asked Yan Xin, “Why do you always pester me?”

“It’s interesting to see your reaction,” Yan Xin said, leaning against the wall, “the way you curse is also interesting.”

Lin Yeran said coldly: “You should be glad that you are not under my hands, otherwise you will have to pack up and leave on the first day, and you will have to receive disciplinary action, and you will never be able to enter the system again in this life.”

“Team Leader Lin, how can you say that—” Yan Xin still laughed foolishly, “But you really can’t tell? I like you very much.”

“If you have a disease, go for treatment.”

“I’m serious, hey, hey, don’t go—Team Leader Lin, let’s date!”

Lin Yeran slammed the door in front of him and almost hit the tip of his nose.

Then later, Yan Xin’s pursuit became more and more fierce.

Sometimes it was a bouquet of flowers, sometimes it was a packed supper, sometimes it was a monster’s skull – Lin Yeran couldn’t figure out why he’d send such a gift.

The team members gradually got used to it. Once Yan Xin was in the city, he would definitely come to see Lin Yeran. Lin Yeran then got used to it, and didn’t yell ‘get lost’ anymore, anyway even though he said it, he wouldn’t leave.

He was like a piece of dog skin plaster.

But this plaster was handsome, had a good temper, and was very annoying.

Once, when Lin Yeran finished debugging the model, it was late at night.

He returned to his office, where his colleague had forgotten to turn off the public radio, and the female voice on the radio broadcasted the battle situation.

Yesterday, a fierce battle broke out in Iron City.

Yan Xin went to Iron City and must have participated in the battle.

Lin Yeran paused for a while, and for some reason, he sat down with a coffee cup in his hand and finished listening to the broadcast. Only a few sentences mentioned Yan Xin, saying that he guarded the northern defense line of Iron City and fought a very difficult battle.

It was three o’clock in the morning when the broadcast ended.

Lin Yeran put on his jacket, walked out of the data center, and suddenly stopped.

Yan Xin stood by the car with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

He was only wearing a single coat and was shivering from the cold. When he saw Lin Yeran, he smiled: “You’ve come down. Didn’t I tell you, you’ll be bald sooner or later if you stay up late like this? Come here quickly, I have hot water.”

Lin Yeran asked, “Why are you here? Why don’t you stay in the car?”

“I rushed back from Iron City overnight and wanted to see you.” Yan Xin stuffed the flowers into Lin Yeran’s hands, and then took the thermos bottle from the car. “I see that it’s almost time for you to get off work, so I wanted to wait for you and let you see the flowers as soon as you come down. I just stood for more than 20 minutes. The f*cking weather is too cold… Come and drink some hot water. Don’t freeze your delicate body. You are not like me, who is rough-skinned and thick-skinned, smoking cigarettes will cure everything.”

Lin Yeran said, “You take me as a sick child?”

“Look at what you said!” Yan Xin rubbed his hands. “The punch you gave me last time was so powerful, it could kill a cow.”

Lin Yeran smiled.

The bottle of hot water was shared between the two of them.

After that, they got together like this.

The first two years of dating were sweet and beautiful. Yan Xin traveled to and from Fengyang City and Iron City, and he’d always try his best to pick Lin Yeran up every time he came back. And after Lin Yeran went home from overtime, as long as Yan Xin was at home, he would definitely be able to drink a glass of hot milk – Yan Xin always said that hot milk helps sleep, which is most suitable for researchers like them who have been thinking hard all day long.

They went to dinner, went on a date, and kissed in the night.

“You know what?” Yan Xin said in his ear, “I fell in love with you from the first time I saw you.”

Lin Yeran: “Love at first sight?”

“Well.” Yan Xin said, “Actually, I found out later that you must like me too. It’s just that you are not honest enough.” He smiled, “You have always been like this, you can’t tell your true thoughts, and you are very face-saving, just like now, you were obviously feeling good—”

“Shut up,” Lin Ye Ran said.

Yan Xin smothered a laugh.

However, life was not always so happy.