"It's a friend thing."
Lin Chuan laughed heartily.
Both parties had signed the contract and were very satisfied.
Over the past week, Lin Chuan had drawn up the blueprints for the weapons needed by the Haas Armed Forces and had contacted Sun Cheng from the National Weapons Research Institute in advance to help order a batch of equipment.
Now, they just waited for the funding to come through, and then Anling Toy Factory could officially start production!
Lin Chuan walked out of the Baoying Grand Hotel.
After autumn arrived, the sky looked vast, and white clouds floated halfway up, resembling the azure drawings of children. It was midday, the sun was bright and a bit dazzling.
Lin Chuan squinted his eyes, momentarily not quite used to the light.
Next, he got into a private car where Shen Qianqian was sitting.
In front of the hotel, there were several cars like this one.
Among them was the chief of the Criminal Police Brigade, Hu Daqiang.
These days,
they had received special instructions from their superiors to stay on guard here in plain clothes, ready to respond to any situation Lin Chuan might face to avoid leaving him unsupported.
As for what Lin Chuan was actually doing, neither Hu Daqiang nor the others knew.
Shen Qianqian knew, but she wouldn't tell.
This matter was top secret.
Lin Chuan sat in the passenger's seat of the car, buckling his seatbelt and said, "All set."
At that moment,
Shen Qianqian sat in the driver's seat, wearing a moon-white dress with small, light purple flowers printed on it, which made her look full of youthful vitality. Her face was fair and sweet, and with a pair of sunglasses perched on her nose, she looked somewhat cool: "Got more business to take care of?"
"Today I can take a day off, doing this is more tiring than writing novels," Lin Chuan complained a little.
"Well, let me take you out for a meal then," Shen Qianqian said, pushing her sunglasses up slightly, her lips curling into a smile.
"Sure!"
Lin Chuan assented.
"Let's go."
Shen Qianqian, as Lin Chuan's private driver and an expert behind the wheel, swiftly whisked Lin Chuan away, disappearing from the Baoying Grand Hotel.
As for Leo and the rest, Lin Chuan had also made arrangements for them.
—The itinerary was absolutely confidential.
However, once they left the country, Lin Chuan couldn't guarantee their safety anymore.
Shen Qianqian had taken the day off specially to drive Lin Chuan around the city. From the Baoying Grand Hotel, they entered Qingxiu District, then stopped outside an older neighborhood.
The environment here was much better than the Happiness Community where Lin used to rent, but compared to the newly built neighborhoods, it felt like a relic from a bygone era.
"Aren't we going to eat?"
Lin Chuan got out of the car and turned to Shen Qianqian with some confusion.
"Right, I'll do the cooking!" Shen Qianqian took off her sunglasses, revealing bright eyes with a glint of humor.
"Hmm?"
Lin Chuan was startled, "You, cooking?"
"Have you never seen that before?" Shen Qianqian lifted her chin slightly and hummed.
"Should I have?" Lin Chuan retorted.
"Well, it seems you actually haven't."
Shen Qianqian smiled a bit awkwardly and then explained the situation, "Actually, my dad wants to invite you for a meal."
"You mean Uncle Shen."
Lin Chuan finally understood, "You should have said so earlier; I'd have brought a couple of bottles of liquor. It's a bit embarrassing to show up empty-handed."
Shen Qianqian walked around Lin Chuan to the car's trunk, took out two bottles of Wuliangye, and handed them to Lin Chuan: "Here, he likes this. But make sure he doesn't drink too much."
Lin Chuan looked at Shen Qianqian thoughtfully: "You had this prepared too?"
"No, I just bought it on the fly."
Shen Qianqian took Lin Chuan's hand, hanging the two bottles of Wuliangye on it, "Let's go. I still need to wash the veggies and cook. It's going to take quite some time."
Lin Chuan smiled and followed behind Shen Qianqian.
The community wasn't large; it was an apartment building previously allocated to workers of the Anling Iron and Steel Factory. Shen Jianhua had been given a two-bedroom flat, which was considered quite good treatment back then.
Shen Jianhua lived on the fifth floor.
Creak—
Pushing open the old iron gate, Shen Qianqian called out, "Dad, Mom, Lin Chuan is here."
At that moment, Shen Jianhua immediately came out to greet them, and behind him, was a woman wearing an apron.
This woman looked almost like she was cast from the same mold as Shen Qianqian, well-kept, but age had left its mark, and the traces of time were evident on her face.
She must be Shen Qianqian's mother.
Mother Shen's face lit up with a smile, wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes as she craned her neck, eagerly trying to get a glance at Lin Chuan's face.
"Uncle, Auntie."
Lin Chuan entered, politely greeting them, a good virtue from his university days.
"So you are Lin, what a handsome young man!"
Mother Shen nodded approvingly, as if sizing up a son-in-law.
The one-bedroom and two-living room apartment was not big, and with four people standing at the door, it felt a bit crowded, so Shen Qianqian said, "You two are blocking the door, how is Lin supposed to come in? Right, Lin?"
As she spoke, Shen Qianqian turned to Lin Chuan with a beaming smile.
'Taking advantage of me,' Lin Chuan thought to himself with disdain.
Father Shen and Mother Shen hurriedly pulled Lin Chuan inside, serving him tea and fruit with great enthusiasm.
Shen Qianqian put on her apron with some fussy movements and joined Mother Shen in the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"Qianqian, this boy is not bad."
In the kitchen, Mother Shen whispered to Shen Qianqian.
"What's so good about him?" Shen Qianqian retorted, thinking to herself that she had never been treated this way at home, but as soon as Lin arrived, the enthusiasm spiked.
"Everything is good about him!"
Mother Shen nodded affirmatively by herself, "How far have you two gotten?"
Shen Qianqian looked at Mother Shen in confusion, then touched her forehead, "Mom, what are you babbling about?"
"Shen said he was inviting an important guest today, isn't this young man your boyfriend?" Mother Shen asked in surprise.
Shen Qianqian took a deep breath and scoffed, "That Shen, never tells the whole story."
So, Shen Qianqian explained the reason for inviting Lin Chuan to dinner, omitting the confidential parts, only mentioning that Lin Chuan was the savior for the revival of the Anling Iron and Steel Factory.
Mother Shen opened her mouth as if to speak but then closed it, and then asked, "This Lin is really nice, don't you have any thoughts?"
"He has a girlfriend!" Shen Qianqian declared solemnly!
"So, you mean you do have thoughts?" A mother knows her daughter best, Mother Shen said with a knowing smile.
"Uh, shouldn't the focus be on the fact that Lin Chuan has a girlfriend?" Shen Qianqian was somewhat puzzled by her mother's train of thought.
"I'm just considering your lifelong happiness, you're always on missions, when do you have the time for romance? A potential target finally shows up, and you won't take the initiative, like a blockhead," Mother Shen muttered while washing the vegetables.
"I only take the initiative against criminal suspects!" Shen Qianqian huffed.
Outside in the living room.
Lin Chuan was chatting with Shen Jianhua about some matters regarding the Anling Toy Factory, and the men's conversation was much more straightforward.
Almost two hours later.
The two seated themselves at the dining table.
It had to be said, the Shen family's hospitality towards Lin Chuan was of the highest standard.
A full table of dishes, all to Lin Chuan's liking, was the result of Shen Qianqian's attentive record of Lin's preferences after several meals together.
However, Shen Jianhua wasn't as meticulous, urging Lin Chuan to drink, "Lin, I toast to you for the Anling Iron and Steel Factory!"
"Dad, Lin Chuan doesn't drink," Shen Qianqian interjected, she had never seen Lin Chuan drink.
"Lin, do you drink? If not, we can have some juice instead."
Taken aback, Shen Jianhua didn't force the drink but instead inquired about Lin Chuan's preference.
"I can drink a little," Lin Chuan said with a smile.
Shen Qianqian glared at Lin Chuan as if to say, if you get drunk later, I won't take care of you.
Shen Jianhua glanced at Shen Qianqian, reading her thoughts, and smiled, "Qianqian, if Lin gets drunk, just take him to sleep at that house of yours, there are plenty of rooms anyway."
"Cough, cough!" Shen Qianqian coughed twice.
Soon after, Shen Jianhua and Lin Chuan started drinking.
Lin Chuan didn't drink much.
Shen Jianhua, excited about the factory's revival, drank several glasses, gradually becoming tipsy and started to talk less coherently, "Lin, I feel a bond with you, although there's an age difference, it doesn't prevent us from becoming sworn brothers!"

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