Chapter 294: If I Say I Miss You
Just then, a middle-aged man hurriedly walked out of the elevator nearby.
Ning Li saw the man and shouted, “Deputy Director Shen!”
Shen Kang Yuan heard her voice and looked over.
When he saw Ning Li, a trace of consternation flashed across his face. He spoke slowly. “Are you…Ning Li?”
Ning Li nodded.
The surprise in Shen Kangyuan’s eyes intensified.
The Director had told him to come over to pick someone up but had not said that Ning Li was actually a young girl.
She looked to be around 17 or 18 years old…
The guy standing next to Ning Li was also bewildered.
‘This girl actually knows Deputy Director Shen? It looks like this is the first time Mr. Shen has seen her, too…’
Shen Kangyuan quickly readjusted his expression and smiled. “I apologize. I was calibrating some equipment just now, so I came down late.”
He said and glanced to the side. He asked, “Since you’re here, why don’t you go in?”
Ning Li explained. “I don’t have a work pa.s.s for this site.”
Shen Kangyuan understood and looked at the guy next to her. He knew that Ning Li had been stopped by the guide.
He laughed and said, “Oh, dear…I forgot about this. It’s okay. I’ll give you one later.”
Shen Kangyuan looked to the guy next to Ning Li.
“Shu Hang, I’ll take over from here. You may go about your business.”
Shu Hang subconsciously answered, “Huh? Oh, okay…”
Shen Kangyuan looked at Ning Li and led her inside. As he was walking, he said, “This way, please. Director Xu has been waiting for you for some time…”
Their figures gradually disappeared.
Shu Hang stood in place for a while, still not quite understanding what was going on.
‘Ning Li? Is that her name? It doesn’t look like she came to apply to be a volunteer guide. There’s no shortage of people in the planetarium now and Deputy Director Shen was so polite to her…. Just now, he even mentioned that Director Xu has been waiting for her?’
“Shu Hang?” A staff member next to the guy called out to him.
“There’s a problem over at the 4D pavilion. Why don’t you go take a look?”
Shu Hang came back to his senses.
“Okay, coming!”
He turned around and headed for the 4D pavilion. After taking a few steps, he could not help but look back.
Although he could no longer see Ning Li, he was still impressed.
“Is she Director Xu’s relative…?” He murmured as he turned around and walked away.
…
Ning Li followed Shen Kangyuan and walked inside.
This site was the office area, so there were very few people.
The duo eventually arrived at a door.
Shen Kangyuan unlocked the door with his fingerprint.
He pointed at the lock. “You should also register your fingerprints later so it’ll be easier to come in and out of this place in the future.”
Ning Li nodded and followed him in.
After the first door, there was a second one.
It was an iris recognition lock.
“There are only three people who can enter this place in the planetarium. Director Xu, myself, and another Deputy Director. You’ll be the fourth one.”
Shen Kangyuan’s tone became much more serious.
He took the first step inside, with Ning Li following just behind him.
Xu Yin was already waiting inside.
He was in his sixties this year and had devoted his life to dark matter research. He was the leading figure in the field of astrophysics in China.
After retiring from Xijing University, Xu Yin had taken up the position of Director of the National Planetarium.
There was a computer in front of him with two fluctuating lines on the screen.
When he heard the sound, he turned around and looked over.
A smile surfaced on his face. “Ning Li, long time no see!”
…
By the time Ning Li came out of the planetarium, it was already 8:00 pm.
At this hour, the planetarium had long since closed, and only some staff members had been left to close up.
The whole venue was quiet and peaceful.
Shen Kangyuan handed Ning Li a badge.
“This is your work tag that has your ident.i.ty in it. Your fingerprints and iris data have also been registered in our system, and the permissions to all the sub venues in the planetarium are open to you. It’ll be much more convenient for you to come back in the future.”
Ning Li took it over with both hands. “Thank you.”
Shen Kangyuan looked at her, he secretly lamented in his heart.
When he had seen the first draft of the paper in Xu Yin’s office, he had thought that Ning Li had to be a powerful figure from one of the top astrophysics inst.i.tutes in China. He had not expected that she was actually a seventeen-year-old high school student.
No wonder Xu Yin thought so highly of her.
Ning Li said goodbye to him and turned to walk outside.
Just before she arrived at the main gate, she heard a somewhat familiar voice coming from the side.
“Ning Li?”
Ning Li turned her head sideways.
Shu Hang saw that it was really her and was surprised.
“Are you… only just leaving?”
There had been many people at the planetarium today, so he had been busy until now. He had not expected to b.u.mp into Ning Li again as soon as he came out.
“Mm.” Ning Li’s att.i.tude was calm and distant.
Shu Hang glanced outside.
“It’s very late. Is your family coming to pick you up?”
He thought that Ning Li was from the Capital.
Ning Li was not interested in talking to him and shook her head. She then headed outside.
Shu Hang did not mind and followed her.
“It’s very late, so it’s not very safe for you to leave by yourself. I can give you a ride…”
The National Planetarium was in quite a remote location.
There was no emotion on Ning Li’s face. “Thanks, but there’s no need.”
Shu Hang seemed to realize that what he had said might be a little too forward and hurriedly held up his hands and explained, “Don’t worry, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just think that it might not be safe for you to take a taxi back by yourself…”
Recently, there had been incidents of lone girls who had been hara.s.sed in cabs.
Ning Li was young and very beautiful, so Shu Hang thought that it would be quite dangerous for her to go back alone.
As he said that, he took out a card from his pocket.
“If you don’t trust me, this is my student ID. I’m a student of Xijing University.”
Ning Li did not look.
She could tell that Shu Hang meant well, but she did not need his help.
“The car I called for is already here.”
Shu Hang followed her line of sight and saw a car parked by the side of the road.
Knowing that Ning Li was still insisting on leaving alone, he did not say anything else.
“Then…okay then… Take care!”
Shu Hang looked at the license plate of the car a few more times.
Ning Li got in and the car quickly drove away.
Shu Hang felt a little disappointed.
Another boy came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder.
“Bro! She’s already gone, so what are you still looking at? Did you lose your soul?”
Shu Hang returned to his senses.
“Don’t talk nonsense! I just didn’t think it was safe for her to leave alone.”
“Tsk tsk… It’s rare to see the most popular guy in our school falling for a girl, but you got rejected so bluntly!”
The boy gloated.
“If the girls in our school find out about this, they’ll all be very heartbroken…”
Shu Hang slapped the boy’s hand away.
“Let’s go back to school.”
…
Shuiyuan s.h.i.+jia.
By the time Ning Li got back, it was already after 9:00 pm.
She went to take a bath, changed into her pajamas, sent her drawing to George, and closed her laptop.
Ning Li then nestled on the sofa and reached for her phone.
George quickly sent a series of messages.
Ning Li blocked him out.
The Capital was still bustling at this time of day.
There was only the sound of her own breathing in this overly s.p.a.cious room.
Ning Li clicked into her photo alb.u.m.