Chapter 356 - 242: The Man Desensitized to Changing the World

Chapter 356: Chapter 242: The Man Desensitized to Changing the World

Su Zhi had seen photos of Shen Yu.

In person, she was even more beautiful than in the photos.

She smiled. "Hello, you must be Ms. Shen. I’m Su Zhi from the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office. I’ve been assigned by the department to serve as Leader Jiang’s dedicated assistant for his trip to the United States."

The moment she said her name, Shen Yu recognized it.

Back in the Capital City, Zhong Yi, the man who had helped her with her paperwork, had mentioned that Su Zhi was his junior.

’So that’s how it is.’

Shen Yu: "Hello. Thank you for all your hard work. Are you... waiting for Jiang He right now?"

Su Zhi: "Yes, Mr. Jiang is busy inside."

Shen Yu: "Is it something important?"

Su Zhi: "It seems so. But he’ll be done soon. Mr. Jiang just texted me from inside and told me to wait another ten minutes."

Shen Yu: "Oh, okay then."

The two of them waited together.

As they waited, Shen Yu couldn’t help but think.

’My boyfriend is so outstanding. Even an impressive woman like this is waiting patiently for him at the door.’

’It feels like no matter how I hurry, I can never keep up with the pace of Jiang He’s progress...’

Finally, Jiang He came out.

He spotted Teacher Shen immediately.

He immediately hurried over, a mix of surprise and concern in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"You were working so late, I got worried." Shen Yu’s hand naturally found Jiang He’s.

Her hand felt a little cold in his, and he chided her, "You should have bundled up more."

Shen Yu pouted. "Hmph, look who’s talking. You’re not wearing much either. And look how dark it is outside! What if it rains? You didn’t bring an umbrella. Were you planning on just running home?"

"I’m a fast runner," Jiang He said, completely self-assured.

"And being a fast runner keeps you from catching a cold? What kind of logic is that?" Shen Yu scoffed.

Su Zhi stood quietly to the side.

Jiang He finally noticed her. "My apologies, and thank you for waiting."

Su Zhi: "It’s no problem, Mr. Jiang. The itinerary has been fully finalized. Shall we do one last run-through?"

Jiang He: "I’ll leave it to you. I trust your abilities."

Su Zhi nodded. "Alright, Mr. Jiang. In that case... would you and Ms. Shen like a ride home?"

"No, that’s alright. It’s not far, and I’d like to walk. Get some fresh air."

"Understood." Su Zhi gave a slight bow. "In that case, I’ll see you at the airport the day after tomorrow. Mr. Jiang, Ms. Shen, good night."

"Good night."

Jiang He led Shen Yu away by the hand.

Su Zhi watched their retreating figures.

Her toes, which had been secretly clenched, finally relaxed.

She wasn’t sure why she did it today. It was something that could have been handled with a simple text, yet she had insisted on coming to find Jiang He in person.

Then, the moment she saw Shen Yu, she’d been seized by a momentary panic.

’What on earth am I thinking?’

...

「On the way home.」

They walked slowly, hand in hand.

Shen Yu asked softly, "Did work go smoothly today?"

Jiang He appeared calm. "It went smoothly. All the data processed without any issues."

Shen Yu glanced at him. "Your tone says otherwise. It didn’t go smoothly, did it?"

Jiang He: "..."

’They say liars have to swallow a thousand needles. Better to just tell the truth.’

He said, "I ran a sample through the miRNA early screening system today. It belonged to a friend of mine. He’s a good guy, a bartender, really optimistic. Always joking around and talking a mile a minute. We get along well..."

"You found something?"

"Yeah. The early screening results showed abnormally elevated levels of miRNA expression. In other words, it’s highly probable that he’s already in the early stages of pancreatic cancer."

Shen Yu instantly empathized.

’As the doctor who personally developed the screening system, it must be awful to have it flag one of his own friends.’

Shen Yu asked, "But discovering it early is always a good thing, right?"

Jiang He shook his head. "Not necessarily."

Shen Yu squeezed his hand. "Don’t put so much pressure on yourself, Dr. Jiang. You’ve already done so much good."

"But it’s not enough."

"Silly. You do your best and leave the rest to fate."

"But what if I don’t want to leave it to fate?"

Shen Yu froze.

She suddenly understood. No wonder she had been feeling so sad today.

’It was because she had sensed Dr. Jiang’s sadness. They were on the same wavelength...’

After a moment’s thought, she pretended to be angry:

"You have to think about me, too! You work day and night, you’re always so busy. If you work yourself into the ground, what will I do?"

Jiang He gave a wry smile. "My fault."

Shen Yu watched his expression covertly, then softened her tone and said, "Jiang He, you know, sometimes I think... maybe we just need to learn to enjoy the present. Look, just like this, being able to walk hand-in-hand with you... this makes me feel so happy. All that other stuff, about life and death... I don’t think I can worry about things so far in the future."

Jiang He blurted out, "Then what if, what if one day there’s a sudden accident, and I’m not here anymore?"

"Pah! Pah! Pah!" Shen Yu suddenly grew frantic, clapping her hand over Jiang He’s mouth. "Quick! You have to say it too!"

With her hand still over his mouth, Jiang He could only manage a muffled, "...pah... pah... pah."

Only then did Shen Yu let go. "Why would you suddenly say something like that? It’s so scary! What do you mean, ’not here anymore’? We’re going to be fine! Do you hear me? Fine!"

Seeing Shen Yu so anxious she looked ready to stomp her feet, Jiang He’s heart finally warmed a little.

’He really had been a bit emo back in the lab.’

’Do people just get angsty once the sun goes down?’

’Somebody open up NetEase Cloud Music...’

But no matter what.

’Thank goodness my girl is by my side.’

’Having her here, talking with her, made most of the bad feelings disappear in an instant.’

Jiang He smiled. "Yeah... actually, I’ve already thought of a name for our future kid."

Shen Yu was taken aback. "Where did that come from?"

Jiang He said, "It’s a perfectly logical thought to have."