Chapter 555: Hospital Visit

Walking down the hospital corridor, Yang Yin kept looking around and muttering, "These all seem to be private rooms; that must be a high‑ranking official."

Soon we entered the ward, where Lei Nainai was also present; she glanced puzzled at the little girl who had come in with Lu Cheng.

"Xiao Lu, this is…"

Lu Cheng smiled and told Yang Yin to greet her: "Call her Lei Nainai."

Yang Yin loves to smile; even when she isn't smiling, her pure looks give a sense of calm, and when she does smile, her eyes curve into crescents, warm and sincere.

"Hello, Lei Nainai, I'm Yang Yin, a classmate of Lu Cheng; you may call me Xiao Yang."

"Oh, Xiao Yang, come quickly, come quickly, sit here…" Lei Nainai greeted warmly.

"Hey, look, it's a bit messy here; Xiao Lu didn't even give a heads‑up, so I can tidy things up."

"No problem, Lei Nainai, I'll help you clean up together."

Seeing the enthusiastic and bright Yang Yin, Lei Nainai smiled with satisfaction; she naturally knew that Lu Cheng could bring a classmate here, so it wasn't just an ordinary schoolmate relationship.

Coupled with the fact that they were a talented gentleman and a beautiful lady, Lei Nainai's mind was as clear as a mirror, certain that both sides felt affection.

Seeing Yang Yin's poised demeanor, she could tell she didn't come from an ordinary family.

"Xiao Yang, let's go outside to chat so we don't disturb their work."

Lei Nainai sensed that Lu Cheng must have something to discuss with Captain Lei.

Yang Yin also nodded understandingly, got up, and handed the sliced apple to Lei Zhan Ge on the bedside.

"Lei Yeye, please have the apple."

"Alright!"

After Lei Nainai took Yang Yin to the corridor, Lei Zhan Ge finally looked away and handed the apple to Lu Cheng: "You eat it."

"No trouble, I sliced it for you; I'll eat it, what's the issue?"

Lei Zhan Ge smiled helplessly; back in the day he wouldn't have been so modest—Lu Cheng would have just snatched the food.

Now, it's truly pitiful for this dying old man.

And every visitor who comes to see him lets him eat whatever he craves.

Lei Zhan Ge couldn't help sighing; he disliked the atmosphere, too solemn.

"What's your relation to this female classmate?" Lei Zhan Ge still tried to steer the conversation to something light.

Lu Cheng sat nearby, smiling, and said, "Captain Lei, you have eagle eyes; I needn't say it, you should be able to see it yourself."

Lei Zhan Ge nodded slightly, "Hmm, not bad."

Lu Cheng leaned in, "You think she's good too? I brought her over especially for you to evaluate. She's currently studying at Qingbei University; her father is an academician of the Engineering Institute and also a professor at our school."

Lei Zhan Ge listened with satisfaction, "That's indeed impressive. Aside from her family background, her looks are delicate, comparable to Xiao Qing Yan…"

Realizing something, Lei Zhan Ge saw the little girl was just outside in the corridor and stopped his words as abruptly as a car braking.

"Look at me, I almost said the wrong thing! This man is near death and keeps reminiscing about the past."

Whenever the word "death" is mentioned, the atmosphere inevitably turns heavy.

"Captain Lei, you must not let your thoughts wander now; stay cheerful, rest well, and you'll recover for sure."

"All the staff of the Railway Bureau are still waiting for you to return to command; without you at the helm, we're clueless and everything's a mess."

Lei Zhan Ge smiled, "You, you always know how to cheer me up… sigh, of course I want to go back, even think of…"

Just as he had unintentionally mentioned Lin Qingyan earlier, Lei Zhan Ge paused again.

Lu Cheng knew Captain Lei wanted to bring up the internal‑combustion engine, but he held little hope; mentioning it would only add to the melancholy.

"Captain Lei, do you trust me?"

Lei Zhan Ge turned his head; the severe illness had dulled the once bright eyes.

But when he heard Lu Cheng's words, his eyes flickered.

"Xiao Lu, I still remember you were the one I wrested from Team Captain Zhou; that really upset Zhou, and even now you still complain…"

"If I hadn't taken you, he would already be getting a promotion thanks to your achievements, so it's not just me who sees the shine in you."

Lu Cheng understood that elsewhere, merit would lead to a promotion, but with Lei Zhan Ge, his rise was solely due to his own efforts.

"Captain Lei, you must hold on and at least remember our promise: to ride a train after it's been speed‑up‑graded. If you break that promise, even if you die, I won't burn paper for you."

Hearing Lu Cheng's slightly childish words, Lei Zhan Ge rarely showed a kindly smile.

After leaving the hospital, Yang Yin stayed close and said, "So this is why you need to borrow a computer; if you can't get one, will you be unable to complete the mission?"

Lu Cheng pedaled his bicycle, "Of course not; I just don't want Captain Lei to leave with regrets."

Yang Yin nodded as if understanding, "Hmm, then I'll go back and press my father hard."

Lu Cheng smiled and glanced, "Then I'll thank you, Xiao Yang, right here. Let's go; I'll take you back to school."

Yang Yin hopped onto the bicycle, smiling, "So you brought me to the hospital to meet your Captain Lei today; does that count as formally meeting the parents? How does Captain Lei evaluate me?"

Lu Cheng, seated on the bicycle and putting on his gloves, replied, "Hmm? The evaluation is extremely high."

Yang Yin brightened, "Are you serious? You can't lie to me."

Lu Cheng, gloved, patted the spot over his heart, "My sincerity is right here; if you don't believe it, feel it. But if you've touched mine, I'll have to touch yours later."

Yang Yin looked down, instantly realizing the spot, and immediately twisted Lu Cheng's waist.

"You rogue… where are you going later?"

"I still have to go back to the team, so I won't be meeting you tonight."

Lu Cheng was planning to settle the soy‑sauce story about his sister; if Captain Lei were fine, he could just ask him directly, but now it's not a good time to disturb him.

After escorting Yang Yin back to school, Lu Cheng went to the team, where the team's duties are temporarily handled by Bureau Chief Tang Qiusheng.

After meeting Director Tang, Lu Cheng didn't bring up the soy‑sauce issue first; instead he talked about the internal‑combustion engine.

"You said you wanted to borrow a computer?"

"Yes, Director Tang, to shorten development time we mainly need to compute this problem; only by borrowing a computer can we make up for the lack of manpower."

Tang Qiusheng gave an approving nod: "I've heard of computers, but as far as I know, there aren't many domestically that can handle large-scale computations; for the time being, where am I supposed to get you one?"

Lu Cheng laughed: "This little thing—how could I bother Director Tang? I've already taken care of it."

Although he hasn't yet heard back from Professor Yang, Lu Cheng believes that, since Professor Yang has agreed, the chances of success are basically nine out of ten.

Upon hearing this, Tang Qiusheng was shocked—this is no small matter, after all; he knows how precious computers are, and even if the department's leaders step in, it might not be possible to get one.

"Sure, kid, if you really can pull this off, you'll have made a major contribution—tell me, what reward do you want? Since Captain Lei isn't here, I'll make the call."

Lu Cheng had been waiting for exactly these words; as for the soy sauce matter, there's no need to discuss it now—when else would be better?