Building a Sci-Fi Empire: Starting with Cold Nuclear Fusion

Saturday was a cloudy day.

The temperature is not very stable in early summer.

Yesterday it was so hot I took off my clothes, but today it feels a bit cold.

"Achoo!"

In the office, Chen Yuan sneezed.

He couldn't help but sniff; he had sneezed many times since yesterday.

Chen Yuan didn't take it too seriously yesterday, but it seems his condition has worsened today.

Should we go back and rest for a bit?

The thought had barely formed in his mind when Chen Yuan involuntarily shook his head.

No.

I need to go to Beijing for an in-person defense and review within two weeks.

He had to prepare all the materials to ensure the project could be approved.

Chen Yuan took a deep breath and continued writing on the computer.

Although the core facilities of the research institute are open year-round, most researchers rest on Saturdays and Sundays, with only a small number remaining on duty to ensure research and logistical operations.

This is under the premise that there are no projects in progress.

If so, there is basically no rest on Saturdays and Sundays, and even on weekdays, they have to work overtime until very late.

Chen Yuan didn't have these job responsibilities and should have been on vacation.

He voluntarily came to work overtime in order to finish the materials for the defense review.

After working for about two more hours, he was so dizzy he could barely stand it.

Chen Yuan felt it was necessary to rest for a while, otherwise he might really faint.

He stood up with his teacup in hand and went to the water dispenser to get hot water.

Suddenly, my phone beeped with a message notification.

Chen Yuan didn't rush to look at it. Instead, he waited until the water was in the cup before returning to his desk and picking up his phone to take a look.

The private message on Douyin was obviously from Ayu.

Chen Yuan opened it and took a look.

Ah Yu: "Take good care of yourself at the research institute. I know you've been very busy lately, so I won't bother you anymore. But remember to eat on time!"

Chen Yuan felt a warm glow inside when he saw the message from his girlfriend showing her concern.

He replied, "Okay, remember to take care of yourself too. I have a lot of things to do here, I'll talk to you later."

Ah Yu said, "Okay, work is important, you go ahead and get busy."

Chen Yuan didn't reply to the message. Instead, he took a sip of hot water and focused on writing the materials for the defense review again.

then……

Yeah, and then he couldn't stay awake any longer and just lay down and fell asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Yuan finally woke up, still feeling groggy.

Although he was still a bit groggy when he woke up, he noticed that the room temperature was off and that a small blanket had somehow appeared on his back.

Chen Yuan looked up and found that the air conditioner, which had been off, had been turned on at some point, and the hot air was 23 degrees Celsius.

He pulled on the small cashmere blanket on his shoulder and saw that it was pink, like the kind girls use.

Ok?

Who came in and turned on the air conditioner and covered me with a blanket while I was asleep?

Chen Yuan found this strange.

Today is Saturday, and Chu Yingying is off work, so logically no one should be here.

Just as he was wondering what was going on, he heard a light footstep outside.

Immediately afterwards, the office door was pushed open from the outside in.

Chu Yingying, wearing a white sweatshirt, walked in, carrying a plastic bag in her hand.

"Boss, you're awake?"

Chu Yingying stepped forward and placed the plastic bag on the desk.

Chen Yuan noticed that it was a bag from a medical clinic, containing many boxes of medicine.

He was taken aback. "Weren't you off today? Why did you come?"

Chu Yingying pulled two boxes of medicine from the plastic bag. "I'm your assistant. Since you're working overtime, I naturally have to come too..."

At this point, she placed the two boxes of medicine one on top of the other in front of Chen Yuan and instructed him: "Take one amoxicillin three times a day, and one compound acetaminophen and amantadine tablet twice a day, morning and evening."

"Oh, thank you."

Chen Yuan picked up the two boxes of medicine and looked at them, casually asking, "Did you turn on the air conditioner? Did you also cover me with the blanket?"

Chu Yingying picked up the teacup beside her and said briefly, "Mm."

She poured out the cold water from the cup and put hot water back in.

Chen Yuan sniffed...

Okay, it's congested.

Chu Yingying handed over a cup filled with hot water, saying, "Let it cool down a little before you eat."

Chen Yuan accepted it, saying, "Thank you."

Chu Yingying smiled but didn't say anything.

While waiting for the hot water to cool down, Chen Yuan picked up his phone to see if A Yu had sent any messages.

Unfortunately not.

Chen Yuan guessed that A Yu was afraid of delaying his work, so she didn't send a message.

He then checked WeChat to see if anyone had contacted him.

WeChat was also quiet.

Just as Chen Yuan was about to log out, he suddenly noticed several unread messages in the work group.

He thought something was wrong, so he clicked in to take a look.

Scroll to the top of unread messages.

Ma Weixing: "I just started working and saw Associate Researcher Chen. He didn't look too well."

Chu Yingying: "He went to work?"

Xiao Su teased, "Your boss is working overtime, and you're not hiding at home, are you? Really?"

Chu Yingying: "Shut up, or I'll smash your head in on Monday!"

As expected, this is consistent with her usual style.

There was another message sent half an hour later.

Ma Weixing exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, Xiao Chu, you're at work too?"

This time, Chu Yingying did not reply.

Chen Yuan checked the message time and found that Chu Yingying had arrived here more than two hours ago.

He involuntarily glanced to the side. "It's 12:30 now. Have you had lunch yet?"

Chu Yingying shook her head and said, "Not yet."

Chen Yuan said, "Go to the cafeteria and get something to eat first. There's nothing to do this afternoon, so go back and rest. I'm fine here by myself."

Chu Yingying didn't argue, but simply asked, "Would you like some?"

Chen Yuan shook his head and said, "I have no appetite. Don't worry about me, just fill your own stomach first."

Chu Yingying hummed in agreement, then got up and left the office.

Chen Yuan was panting heavily even while sitting down, and he seemed very listless.

He didn't even take his medicine before falling asleep again, slumped over the table.

I didn't sleep as soundly this time.

A short while later, he heard footsteps.

Immediately, Chu Yingying called out anxiously, "Boss? Boss? Wake up!"

Chen Yuan groggily raised his head, his words slurred, "What's wrong?"

Chu Yingying's expression changed drastically. "I just touched your forehead and it's so hot! No, you can't continue working. You have to go to the hospital for an IV drip."

Chen Yuan tried to hold on a little longer, saying, "It's okay, I can still manage."

Chu Yingying insisted, "Don't push yourself, okay? Your forehead is burning hot. What if you get burned if you keep going? Don't you think about yourself? Think about the projects we might be working on next. If you get sick and something happens to you, who will lead the projects?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan realized what was happening.

Yes.

If I fall ill, who can work on the controlled nuclear fusion project?

Putting aside the project itself, the upcoming defense and review process will still depend on myself.

Chen Yuan felt extremely dizzy and lightheaded, as if he might faint at any moment.

He suddenly became a little scared and stopped trying to hold on. He struggled to his feet and walked outside, saying, "Okay, let's go to the hospital for emergency treatment."

He had just stepped out of the desk's reach when, because he felt completely powerless, his legs suddenly went weak, and he fell to the ground.

"Ouch!"

Chu Yingying was startled.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly and helped Chen Yuan up, saying, "You're really too sick, let me help you downstairs."

Chen Yuan refused, "No, no, no, it won't look good if others see us."

"That's true." Chu Yingying nodded slightly. "If others see me helping you, they might think we're arm in arm, which wouldn't be good for you."

Chen Yuan explained, "No, I'm worried it might affect a girl like you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chu Yingying changed the subject, saying, "I'll carry you on my back, that way it won't cause any problems."

Chen Yuan: "..."

Before she could even speak, Chu Yingying threw Chen Yuan's arms over her shoulders without saying a word, then turned her back to him.

Chen Yuan was startled and quickly said, "Put me down..."

"Don't speak!"

Chu Yingying seemed to be struggling to say those three words, almost squeezing them out, but her tone was fierce, giving the impression that she was about to hit Chu Yingying if she didn't listen to her.

Chen Yuan, who was about to say something, saw that her face had turned red from the effort.

He wanted to refuse again, but he knew that Chu Yingying was determined and was using all her strength to persuade him.

If I say anything more, it will only make things more difficult for them.

Apart from that, Chen Yuan really couldn't muster any strength at all.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have nearly fallen when he stepped out of his desk.

Left with no other choice, he had to ask a girl to carry him on her back.

To be honest, Chen Yuan felt both touched and extremely guilty.