Chapter 801: Do not increase the burden on others

With that, Comrade Comrade Lou Zhe changed the subject and began to inquire about Lu Qiao's situation.

Principal Ge did not want to say much, but since this was not classified information, he briefly introduced Lu Qiao's past.

After listening, the corners of Comrade Comrade Lou Zhe's mouth curled into a meaningful arc. A few breaths later, he cast a deep, heavy gaze at Lu Qiao, who was standing beside Qin Hengzhi, looking so beautiful she seemed to be glowing. He then turned his head and said to Principal Ge, "I agree to your proposal. Tomorrow, I will bring my people to report to the laboratory."

Principal Ge had been full of joy, but upon catching that fleeting look in Comrade Comrade Lou Zhe's eyes, he suddenly felt that something was not quite right.

However, he thought to himself, *Forget it, never mind. * The young people of today have different values than their generation; their thoughts are hard to fathom.

He could not speak of things that shouldn't be cautioned against, and as for things that should be, this person likely understood them better than anyone else.

It was just that this kid Comrade Comrade Lou Zhe—did he simply know Qin Hengzhi, or... did he also know Lu Qiao?

Principal Ge felt a bit uneasy.

But he knew one thing: this Comrade Comrade Lou Zhe was indeed unconventional.

Whether in his work style or his romantic life, he was completely different from the rule-following young people of the current era.

In just these past two years, this kid had dated at least seven or eight people.

The organization had even specifically invited him for a talk about it, but he had been perfectly articulate, claiming that when he was with the women, he was both respectful and polite; strictly speaking, he hadn't even held their hands, and his words were beyond reproach.

You couldn't find any evidence of him being a scoundrel, and on the contrary, the girls he broke up with still had a good impression of him, with some even still pining for him to this day.

Thinking of this, Principal Ge glanced out the window again.

Comrade Comrade Lou Zhe was still maintaining that same posture, looking into the distance, wondering what he was thinking about.

The head of the Lou family was currently in charge of the energy sector. Although this kid and Qin Hengzhi were not on the same path, back in the days of the youth class and the training team, they were genuine classmates and teammates.

As for whether the two had deeper private connections, that was not for a principal like him to comment on.

Young people, after all—if they all thought the same way as the older generation, they wouldn't be young people.

"Welcome, most welcome!" Principal Ge suppressed his doubts, a warm smile spreading across his face. "The newly established Petrochemical Products Laboratory is a key national construction project. With a 'great Buddha' like you joining, the research progress will certainly be able to reach a new level."

"This is a rare chemical genius!"

Meanwhile, Qin Hengzhi, who was walking slowly out of the school gate with Lu Qiao, knew nothing of this.

He had no idea that among the gazes sizing them up, there was an "acquaintance" who couldn't quite be called an acquaintance.

Qin Hengzhi took Lu Qiao to a state-run restaurant for a meal. It wasn't the one near the school; it took more than ten minutes to drive there. The two entered a private room.

In the interval while waiting for the food, Lu Qiao told Qin Hengzhi everything about the security department's talk with her earlier.

Qin Hengzhi listened quietly. At this moment, his brain, which was accustomed to high-speed operation, temporarily stopped thinking; he just looked at her intently.

He couldn't think about it, nor should he ponder it; he just needed to listen.

When Lu Qiao finished, he spoke slowly: "Sister Lu is not wrong. For you, this procedure is just a matter of a day sooner or a day later."

"Then, according to your experience," Lu Qiao asked, "does this count as me passing the test?"

Qin Hengzhi smiled and held her hand: "It was never a hurdle to begin with; it was just a process."

At this moment, the steaming hot food was served. It was all food Lu Qiao loved, and she had also thoughtfully ordered two dishes that Qin Hengzhi liked.

Even though it was the bitter cold of midwinter and green vegetables were extremely rare, even simple dishes like stewed cabbage with tofu or braised radish with pork were made fragrant and incredibly delicious under the exquisite craftsmanship of the state-run restaurant's head chef.

After the meal, Qin Hengzhi took Lu Qiao back to the family compound. She had returned once two days ago, and Grandma Qin had long since prepared plenty of local specialties and food for her, all neatly stacked in the storage cabinet on the first floor, just waiting for Qin Hengzhi to come back and take them away.

Lu Qiao keenly noticed that Grandma seemed a bit absent-minded today. She sat down beside the old woman and asked with concern, "Grandma, is there something on your mind?"

At this time, Master Qin was not at home. Although he had retired to the second line, he had not completely let go; he had official business to attend to from time to time, and sometimes he had to go to the grassroots level to inspect work. Before Qin Hengzhi completely took over the burden, what the old man had to do was stabilize the overall situation. Today, he happened to have gone to the grassroots level.

Qin Hengzhi's and Lu Qiao's parents had not returned either. The couple both worked at the research institute and did not come home for lunch. In the large house, at this moment, there was truly only Grandma Qin left.

Seeing the two children return, the old woman's happiness was heartfelt, but the worry between her brows could not be hidden.

Hearing Lu Qiao's inquiry, Grandma Qin sighed, and her eyes instantly turned red.

She took her granddaughter-in-law's hand, her voice choked with sobs: "Little Luo called me this morning... saying that your eldest sister, Qin Ruixue, committed suicide by taking sleeping pills..."

Hearing this, even the usually steady Qin Hengzhi stopped in his tracks. However, he knew in his heart that since they could call back, she must have been rescued.

Grandma Qin was, after all, an old woman who had experienced great storms; after that moment of sadness, anger immediately surged into her heart.

She was so angry she slapped her thigh: "That wicked creature! Just adding to our trouble! Can't she live a good life? Since she regretted it, why did she have to make such a scene in the first place?"

She paused, then said powerlessly: "I heard that Gu Jingwen applied to go abroad for support, and this time he wants to take his beloved with him. I think he is just afraid of Ruixue and wants to hide for some peace..."

Afterwards, Grandma Qin looked at Qin Hengzhi with worry: "Little Luo said that her state is very bad now, and her mood has been low. This time, she was rescued in time and saved her life. But what if there is a next time? If she is determined to take a dead end, what can be done? Little Luo hopes we can take it seriously and it would be best to bring her back to raise her for a period of time. Otherwise, if something really happens, he said he would have no face to see your grandfather again."

Little Luo was an old subordinate of Master Qin, and they had been in contact all these years, which was why the old man had placed Qin Ruixue under his nose.

That place was remote, near the border of Jiang Province, mainly living by planting cotton; transportation was blocked, and conditions were difficult.

Little Luo was truly afraid of taking responsibility; if there was any mishap and the rescue was not timely, he could not bear the responsibility. Regardless, Qin Ruixue had not broken the law; the reason she was sent there was nothing more than to give the Gu family an explanation, and it could also be considered a disguised "exile."

Lu Qiao pondered for a moment and analyzed calmly: "Let's discuss it when Mom and Dad come back tonight. Personally, I think that keeping Eldest Sister 'exiled' at Uncle Luo's place is definitely not a long-term solution. If she really has this tendency, or feels that she can use this method to threaten the people around her, making others feel guilty, worried, and afraid, she is very likely to use this means even more intensely. Uncle Luo cannot bear such consequences." *** **CHAPTER 802**