Floating life reflects two lotuses

The crisis in the core area of ​​the laboratory was temporarily over, and Chu Wanlian breathed a sigh of relief. However, Li Chenyao suddenly dragged her out of the laboratory and headed straight for the parking lot with an attitude that left no room for negotiation.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Chu Wanlian was half-pushed and half-pulled into the car, still clutching her bag with both hands, and protested, "I haven't had time to back up my documents yet!"

Li Chenyao fastened his seatbelt and glanced at her calmly: "How many hours of sleep have you had in the last few days?"

"...How come I remember this is the third time you've asked me this?" Chu Wanlian rolled her eyes and pouted. "You're not my mother."

“You’re even more meddlesome than your mother.” Li Chenyao replied casually, stepping on the gas pedal, and the car shot off like an arrow.

Startled by the inertia, Chu Wanlian leaned back, clutching her bag and glaring at him: "What's your rush! Will speeding solve the rune problem?!"

Li Chenyao raised an eyebrow, looked ahead, and said in a meaningful tone, "I'm just taking you to dinner, and to catch up on some sleep that humans should have."

"Eat?" Chu Wanlian looked at him suspiciously. "President Li, you don't think of me as some kind of 'recyclable item' due to overwork, do you?"

Li Chenyao chuckled for a moment, a slight smile playing on his lips: "'Recyclable items'? You certainly know how to name yourself."

Half an hour later, Chu Wanlian was completely stunned when she saw the table full of delicious food in front of her.

"Are you sure the two of us can finish this?" She looked at the three main dishes, two bowls of soup, four stir-fries, and a large plate of their signature grilled fish, her expression complicated as she looked at Li Chenyao. "Are you planning to make me eat this for the rest of my life?"

Li Chenyao calmly looked up, his voice deep yet humorous: "Don't worry, you can pack up what you can't finish. You don't need to go out for the next three days."

Chu Wanlian put down her chopsticks and couldn't help but rub her forehead: "Why are you even more nagging than my mother? Do you think I'm acting crazy in the lab and need some kind of dietary therapy to cure me?"

Li Chenyao gave her a half-smile: "Look at yourself lately, your dark circles are almost like a panda's, and you still dare to say you're fine?"

"Tsk." Chu Wanlian sighed and picked up her chopsticks helplessly. "Fine, since you're the one treating, just eat."

"Don't just talk, pick up your chopsticks." Li Chenyao raised an eyebrow and said in a calm voice, but he had already quietly put a few pieces of tender grilled fish on her plate.

Chu Wanlian narrowed her eyes as she looked at the sudden pile of fish in her bowl and teased, "Oh, Director Li is being so considerate today. Is there some kind of conspiracy behind this? Are you planning to bribe me to tip you off in the lab?"

“Your intuition is quite accurate.” Li Chenyao looked up at her, a smile flashing in his eyes. “However, if you want to tip someone off, I don’t mind giving you an extra bonus.”

"Then forget it." Chu Wanlian immediately refused, "I'd feel guilty if I accepted a gift."

Li Chenyao shook his head and put down his chopsticks: "You have plenty of things that make your conscience uneasy."

"...You! Li Chenyao, you're so mean, are you prejudiced against me?!" Chu Wanlian put her hands on her hips, glaring at him exaggeratedly, but her eyes held a hint of undisguised laughter.

Li Chenyao was rarely amused by her and chuckled. He replied in a calm and unhurried tone, "I have no prejudice against you. I just think you've been causing too much trouble lately. If I don't keep an eye on you, I'm afraid you'll wear yourself out."

Hearing this, Chu Wanlian felt a warmth in her heart, but she still retorted, "You can't feed me like a pig."

“You could win even if you turned into a pig,” Li Chenyao added casually, a serious look in his eyes. “At least you’d be smarter than those people in the lab.”

Chu Wanlian choked for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle softly: "Alright, alright, let's eat. If you keep praising me like this, I won't split the bill with you today."

“I wasn’t planning on you paying anyway,” Li Chenyao added meaningfully. “But remember this: you owe me quite a bit.”

"Huh?" Chu Wanlian looked up at him warily. "What do you mean?"

"Life." Li Chenyao replied with a single word, his eyes softening slightly, "A life-saving grace."

Chu Wanlian's heart skipped a beat, and her expression stiffened slightly: "Don't talk like I owe your whole family something..."

"That's more or less true." Li Chenyao looked at her, a faint smile playing on his lips, his voice low and gentle. "So, stop torturing yourself. Eat well and live well."

At that moment, Chu Wanlian was stunned. The smoke from the cooking fire on the table rose in the air, and the man in front of her had a calm expression, but his concern truly touched her heart.

She suddenly realized that Li Chenyao, who was always calm and serious, also had a warm heart, but he rarely showed it easily.

"Alright, since you're being so 'nagging,' I promise you I'll eat properly from now on," Chu Wanlian muttered, continuing to eat with her head down.

Watching her wolf down her food, Li Chenyao's eyes revealed a helpless yet indulgent smile. He picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

This meal lacked the tense atmosphere of a laboratory and the danger of rune crises; it was simply filled with the ease and tacit understanding between the two. In this time of impending storm, perhaps this brief moment of warmth was their greatest comfort.

"Li Chenyao." After finishing her meal, Chu Wanlian suddenly looked up and stared at him intently.

"Hmm?" Li Chenyao raised his eyes, his gaze indifferently fixed on her.

"Thank you," Chu Wanlian said softly, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Although you're annoying, you're also quite reliable."

Li Chenyao was slightly taken aback, then the corners of his lips curled up slightly: "Should I celebrate for being praised as 'reliable' by the young lady?"

"Come on." Chu Wanlian rolled her eyes and stood up first. "Let's go back to continue our great 'rune' project."

"Yes, Boss Chu." Li Chenyao stood up and followed behind her, feigning respect.

As night deepened, the streetlights cast a soft glow, stretching the two figures long beneath them. It was as if the tranquility and ease of this moment temporarily concealed the storms they were about to face.