Chapter 40: Luzhou

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“Stop dawdling. I need to be back at school before nine. Someone’s bringing over some documents.”

“Relax, relax. I’ll be ready to leave in half an hour, absolutely.”

Half an hour later, Li Ping’an appeared right on schedule at the door of his younger sister Li Ya’s room.

He was just about to call her when the door opened.

Li Ya stood there with her hair tied in a little bun and a cute schoolbag on her back. She planted her hands on her hips and said with a grin, “I said half an hour, and it’s been exactly half an hour.”

“You’re incredibly punctual. Not a minute early or late.”

“Of course!”

“Come on. You’re coming to school with me.”

Following her brother out of the hotel, Li Ya saw him head straight for the subway station and hurriedly called after him.

“Big brother, are we taking the subway again?”

Li Ping’an, empty-handed, glanced back at her and continued walking.

“If you want to save time, take the subway.”

“You think taking a taxi would be faster?”

“Wouldn’t it?”

Li Ping’an did not explain. Once they had collected the documents and gone out to have some fun, he would let his sister experience it for herself. Then she would know.

“Hurry up and keep up. The subway is packed during the May holiday. Don’t get lost.”

At first, Li Ya thought her brother was joking.

But after entering the station and seeing the sea of densely packed heads, she immediately became obedient and anxiously grabbed the corner of his shirt.

They finally squeezed onto the subway, only to find it even more crowded inside.

If her brother had not shielded her, Li Ya felt that, with her short stature, her feet might actually have been pushed off the ground.

When they finally emerged from the station and stood by the roadside, Li Ya saw the smug grin on her brother’s face and waved helplessly.

“Big brother, I don’t think I’m as eager to visit big cities anymore.”

“It’s terrifying.”

“What do you know? You haven’t even seen the morning rush hour when everyone’s going to work.”

“Big brother, can we take a taxi when we go out later? That was torture.”

“Fine.”

Li Ping’an agreed to his sister’s small request without hesitation. It was just the perfect opportunity to let her discover that taking a taxi could actually be slower than riding a bicycle.

The May sunlight fell warmly upon them, neither too cold nor too hot, just pleasantly comfortable.

Because Shuimu University’s laboratories housed all sorts of precision equipment and required a relatively stable environment for experiments, the subway did not run directly past the university, despite Shuimu University being one of the country’s finest institutions.

After exiting Line 13, they had to walk another thousand meters to reach the university’s east or south gate.

Once inside Shuimu University, Li Ya looked around with curiosity.

That curiosity lasted until Li Ping’an opened the door to Room 201 of the Incubation Base. Li Ya stepped inside and took one look around.

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“Big brother, is your company really this shabby?”

“There are only a few desks and a handful of computers?”

Li Ping’an took a bottle of soda from the refrigerator and tossed it to her.

“How is it shabby?”

“There are eight people in the company, counting me.”

“Look, I remember you told me last time that you had eight employees. Has one of them run off?”

Li Ping’an took a bottle of water as well and drank a couple of mouthfuls. He merely hummed in response and offered no explanation.

His sister would be taking her middle-school entrance examination in another two months. There was no need to expose her to the complicated world of adults.

Although Li Ya kept calling her brother’s company shabby, she still looked around like an endlessly curious child.

“Big brother, are there computers in this room? It’s making a buzzing sound.”

“That’s the server room. Nothing interesting to see.”

Li Ping’an pointed beside the water dispenser.

“There are snacks in the box beside the dispenser. Take whatever you want.”

“There’s fruit in the refrigerator too.”

At around half past ten in the morning, after Li Ping’an and his sister had waited at the Incubation Base for nearly an hour, a knock finally sounded at the door.

Li Ya, who had become unbearably bored, sprang to her feet and ran over to open it.

“Hello…”

Outside stood a newcomer sent to deliver the documents. When he saw that the person who had opened the door was a little girl who bore no resemblance to the contact person his mentor had described, he briefly wondered whether he had knocked on the wrong door.

He looked up at the number.

Incubation Base, Room 201.

It was the right place.

At that moment, Li Ping’an pulled his sister aside and asked with a smile, “Hello. Are you here to deliver some documents?”

The newcomer finally saw the person he was supposed to meet and nodded.

“Yes, Mr. Li. Please look over the documents. If everything is in order, sign this receipt.”

Li Ping’an gave them a quick inspection. After confirming that there were no problems, he signed the receipt.

Once he had received the land documents and the algorithm patent, Li Ping’an put everything away and turned to his sister.

“So, where are we going first?”

“The museum, of course!”

“And tomorrow morning, we’re going to watch the flag-raising ceremony!”

“Then you’ll have to get up early tomorrow morning. Otherwise, you won’t even be able to squeeze your way in.”

Half an hour later, after getting into a taxi, Li Ya finally understood why her brother had said they might as well take the subway.

They had to wait a full minute just for the traffic light to change.

When their turn finally came, guess what happened?

The light turned red again.

…………………………

After two days of an exhausting whirlwind tour, Li Ya was completely worn out.

Lying in a first-class seat on the high-speed train, she fell asleep beneath the blanket thoughtfully brought by the attendant.

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The only reason the girl could sleep so completely defenselessly was that her brother was right beside her.

In the spacious first-class cabin, none of the passengers stared at the siblings with curiosity merely because Li Ping’an and Li Ya were dressed plainly.

The attendant even considerately helped adjust Li Ya’s seat.

These days, one could say that the service industry had it hardest of all.

Whether a complaint was justified or not, punishment was practically guaranteed.

After running around after his sister and spending all that time sightseeing, Li Ping’an was exhausted as well.

Somewhere in his groggy haze, he had no idea when he finally fell asleep.

In his dream, Li Ping’an was kicking zombies and punching monsters.

The next moment, he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder.

“Sir…”

“Sir…”

The attendant bent over and gently patted Li Ping’an’s shoulder, calling to him in a soft voice.

Li Ping’an opened his eyes and drew a deep breath. His entire body felt drained of strength.

It was exactly the same feeling he used to have after waking from a midday nap at school during high school.

His whole body felt sluggish and lifeless.

When the attendant saw that he was awake, she reminded him quietly, “Sir, we’ll soon be arriving at Luzhou.”

Li Ping’an nodded and pulled himself upright with the help of the armrest.

Seeing that his sister was still asleep, Li Ping’an was nowhere near as gentle as the attendant. He simply patted her on the arm.

“Don’t bother me. Let me sleep a little longer.”

The girl rolled over and went right back to sleep.

Li Ya’s voice was not loud, but in the relatively quiet first-class cabin, it sounded especially abrupt.

Several other passengers turned to look.

Then, perhaps remembering that she was still on a high-speed train, the girl suddenly sat bolt upright.

“Get your things together. We’re getting off soon.”

“Oh, okay…”

Li Ya nodded sleepily.

Just then, the train’s announcement came over the speakers.

“Dear passengers, the train will shortly arrive at Luzhou Station. Passengers who are getting off, please take your luggage in advance and prepare to disembark.”

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