Chapter 151: A Magnanimous Heart

Hearing his tone, which was clearly protective, Zhou Han realized he had spoken out of turn. He quickly changed his tune, saying, "It’s nothing major, just a small misunderstanding. It’s my fault for speaking without getting the facts straight."

"What happened?" Lu Yan’s tone was indifferent.

Zhou Han was reluctant to say, but under Lu Yan’s piercing gaze, he felt a bit sheepish. "You asked me to check on her back then, since she wasn't responding to your letters or calls. I told you later that she was doing fine. When I went to visit, I saw a man holding An'an and reading to her on the sofa. Later, I heard some rumors while passing by and got annoyed, so I said some harsh things."

Lu Yan’s expression darkened. "Find a time to apologize to her."

"She wasn't exactly polite to me either! She threw out everything I brought and told me to get lost. That fiery temper of hers still makes me shudder when I think about it."

Lu Yan said nothing, his face grim as he placed his keys on the table.

Seeing this, Zhou Han quickly added, "I’ll apologize."

Lu Yan nodded. "On Saturday, help me arrange for two friends from the newspaper and the radio station to stake out Dongjiang Garden on Fanhua Road in the North District."

"What time? And what exactly should they do?"

"Around four-thirty, just before they get off work. Make sure the narrative sides with the victim," Lu Yan instructed.

"Got it!" Zhou Han agreed immediately, then hesitated for a moment. "The batch of VCRs we’re producing at the factory keeps jamming. Could you take a look when you have time?"

"Bring it over."

Zhou Han jumped up and bolted out of the office. He ran to the sample room, grabbed a faulty VCR, and rushed back. Lu Yan took it, placed it on the table, and grabbed a screwdriver. Within ten minutes, he had completely dismantled it into its various components.

After about half an hour, Lu Yan reassembled the VCR and handed it back to Zhou Han. "Go try it now."

Zhou Han took it. "Thanks. I’ll have our factory technician ask you for guidance later."

"Did you learn nothing all those years in school?" Lu Yan glanced at him sideways.

"Get real. Was that even our major? Who’s like you? You’re proficient in every subject and field."

Zhou Han was deeply grateful to Lu Yan. Upon graduation, due to his family background, he was blocked from entering any national top-tier research institutes and was instead assigned a dead-end job. When economic reforms began and the country encouraged private business, Zhou Han quit in frustration to start his own venture. He sold an electronic technology patent he and Lu Yan had co-developed for a hefty sum. He wanted to split it fifty-fifty, but Lu Yan, thinking long-term, had told him, "Expensive tech products are currently monopolized by foreign companies. A VCR costs two to four thousand yuan, and there’s a huge market for them. Use your capital and expertise to bring the assembly rights into the country."

After several attempts, he actually pulled it off. The assembly process wasn't highly technical, and any minor issues were easily handled by Lu Yan. The profit margins on such premium items were staggering. Within a year, he made his first pot of gold and then set his sights on the emerging real estate market. The apartment complex where Shen Qingyi bought her home was developed by Zhou Han.

Lu Yan’s status prohibited him from engaging in business, and his superiors strictly monitored his income sources. Aside from patents, published research, and unconditional gifts from close relations, any large sums would be investigated. Therefore, Lu Yan held no shares or dividends in the company. Given their relationship, the only way to transfer funds was through "unconditional gifts between close relations," but Lu Yan had almost no material desires.

Zhou Han felt that if it were him, he would have quit the institute long ago. With Lu Yan’s talent and the current climate, he could earn far more anywhere else. Because of this, Zhou Han felt both admiration and guilt, and he would do anything for Lu Yan without hesitation.

After sitting for a while, a knock sounded at the conference room door. Zhou Han called out, "Come in!"

A technician in work clothes entered, holding the VCR Lu Yan had just fixed. "Mr. Zhou, it's solved!"

Zhou Han took the device and asked Lu Yan, "Can you explain the principle?"

Lu Yan picked up a pen from the desk, and Zhou Han quickly handed him a notebook. Lu Yan bent over and sketched the circuit structure, marking the key points. After finishing, he pushed the book toward Zhou Han. "The main issue was here."

Zhou Han understood at a glance. "My goodness, as expected of Lu Yan. I spent ages researching this and never thought of that." He handed the notebook to the technician. "Go ahead, follow this plan to make the adjustments."

With business settled, Lu Yan stood up to leave. Zhou Han offered to drive him, adding, "I’ll drop you off and apologize to your wife."

They drove to the research institute’s residential compound and parked in front of Lu Yan’s home. When they entered, Lu Caiqing and Shen Qingyi had just finished lunch. Shen Qingyi glanced at Zhou Han, recalling his previous behavior, and gave him a cold look. She asked Lu Yan, "Why is he here?"

Zhou Han rubbed his hands together. "I’m here to apologize. I spoke without thinking back then. I hope you’ll be the bigger person and grant me the honor of taking you out for a meal."

Shen Qingyi said nothing and started to walk away. Zhou Han nudged Lu Yan, signaling for him to put in a good word. Lu Yan glanced at him, then turned to Lu Caiqing, who was watching the scene, and said, "I haven't eaten yet."

Seeing that the initial approach failed, Zhou Han stepped in front of Shen Qingyi. "I will fully cooperate with you and Lu Yan to investigate the professor's case."

Shen Qingyi stopped. "Thank you. If you haven't eaten, go ahead and sit down."

Zhou Han was stunned for a moment; it seemed this girl was as easy to appease as she was difficult to provoke. He happily sat next to Lu Yan and said to Lu Caiqing, "Little sister, serve me a bowl of rice, too."

Lu Caiqing handed him a bowl and chopsticks. "Get it yourself." She thought that if her sister-in-law, who had such a mild temper, could be provoked into staying angry for so long, this guy must have been truly insufferable.

Zhou Han didn't take offense at her coldness. He walked to the rice pot and served himself. After taking a bite, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed dramatically, "Wow! The food you made is delicious, sister-in-law!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a chilly voice came from behind him: "Caiqing made it."

Flustered by his mistake, Zhou Han turned to Lu Caiqing and laughed awkwardly. "Caiqing, you have great skills."

"Then eat more!"

After lunch, Zhou Han took Lu Yan’s ID card and left.

On Saturday, seeing that Lu Yan hadn't mentioned anything, Shen Qingyi couldn't help but ask, "Are we going today?" By rights, neither of them should appear, but she was worried that Wang Chunhua wouldn't be able to handle it alone.

"No need," Lu Yan said calmly. "The newspaper and radio people are our own. Once they've established that Wang Chunhua is the victim, they will maintain that stance and perspective regardless of how things unfold."