After the Ruan family went bankrupt, Xie Youzhou didn’t pay much attention to how Ruan Jiaojiao was maneuvering in her fish pond.
Right now, he just wanted to go on a sweet date!
Lin Zhiyu had finally wrapped up several intensely busy months.
The first round of clinical results for the new drug was promising and stable. Recognizing its importance, the government allocated substantial additional funding to Professor Lin Zhiyu and Professor Bai.
China, known for its strong anti-drug efforts and leading globally in this area, saw immense significance in the new drug developed by Lin Zhiyu and Professor Bai. It was a major contribution.
The Chinese government has attached increasing importance to Lin Zhiyu, and even the top leader could not help but issue an order to protect this extremely outstanding and rare top talent.
With paclitaxel, which cut treatment costs in half, and a new addiction treatment with high efficiency and low side effects, Lin Zhiyu’s ability was of immeasurable significance to China.
Moreover, he was still young
It was not hard to imagine what great contributions he could make to the country and the people in the future!
They must never allow foreign forces to harm Lin Yu.
He must be well protected!
So that——
Just as Xie Youzhou was preparing for a sweet date, Lin Zhiyu suddenly received a call from Secretary Jiang Guoping.
The two were called to the Beijing City Government Building at once.
…
Two hours later, in the office.
Secretary Jiang Guoping smiled, and because he had said a lot, his mouth was dry, so he picked up the teacup and drank some water.
“So, this is the situation, Xiaolin. The gentleman next to me is Comrade Zhao Ye. He’ll be accompanying you as a bodyguard for a while.”
Lin Zhiyu glanced at the tall, muscular officer in front of him and hesitated. He coughed and said hurriedly, “Secretary Jiang, I truly appreciate the country’s concern, but I’m quite safe now.”
“And…” Lin Zhiyu paused, “You know that Xiaoyou and I have a very good relationship. He and I are almost inseparable. Are you still worried about him being around?”
After all, Xie Youzhou was a former elite in the military.
“But you also said that Xiao Xie can’t always be around because of his work,” Secretary Jiang replied slowly. “The capital from Country M has tried to harm you multiple times. Their intentions are extremely sinister. This protection is necessary. But…if you wish to decline, we won’t force it.”
“This…” Lin Zhiyu didn’t know what to say for a moment. If he refused stubbornly at this time, he would feel that it would be a betrayal of the leader’s kindness.
Secretary Jiang, sensing Lin Zhiyu’s reluctance, suggested, “How about this? Allow Comrade Zhao Ye to accompany you for a while. Once he’s certain you’re safe, he’ll file a report, and we’ll naturally conclude the assignment.”
Lin Zhiyu frowned slightly. “Could we try it for a week?”
“A week is too short. Let’s say half a month to a month,” Secretary Jiang replied.
“But a month is too long.” Lin Zhiyu said gently, “Besides, I have Xiaoyou by my side.”
“Then we’ll tentatively set it for half a month.” Jiang Guoping understood Lin Zhiyu’s concerns, but this was an order directly issued from above, so he had to cooperate.
In short, it’s all for Lin Zhiyu’s good, and he won’t suffer any loss.
Lin Zhiyu nodded. “Alright.”
He turned to Zhao Ye, humbly thanking him. “Comrade Zhao, thank you for your hard work over the next few weeks.”
“It’s no trouble.”
Zhao Ye looked serious.
But when he followed Lin Zhiyu out of the office, the moment he saw Xie Youzhou, his eyes couldn’t help but light up.
This was his idol!
Xie Youzhou had shattered military records, joined the elite Dragon Group as its youngest member, and had a string of honors. Unfortunately, he retired too early.
When the team was selecting people for this mission, he had not originally intended to apply, but when he heard that the target of this protection mission was Lin Zhiyu, he immediately responded positively to the assignment from the squad leader.
After all, he had tried hard to learn more about his idol. During his vacation, he also used his mobile phone to check some “vital” things, such as what his idol was doing now, who he was close to, where he lived…
And Lin Zhiyu——
He was the person closest to his idol!
As expected, he had just been assigned to Lin Zhiyu when he saw his idol!
Xie Youzhou, however, was less enthusiastic. As he spotted Zhao Ye trailing behind Lin Zhiyu, he instantly understood what was happening.
His face turned black immediately.
How was he supposed to have a sweet date with his gege like this? God knows how long he had been looking forward to this day?!!
Moreover, he was clearly by his brother’s side, and the higher-ups sent people to protect his brother, which showed an extreme lack of trust in him.
Lin Zhiyu noticed Xie Youzhou’s depression, watched him walk over with his head down, and quietly blocked him with his body. Lin Zhiyu reached out to hook Xie Youzhou’s fingers.
“It’s only for about half a month.”
Xie Youzhou’s heart melted instantly.
How could his gege be so sneaky and so gentle and cute?
He coughed. “Gege, let’s go have Cantonese food tonight. I heard there’s a new restaurant on Minsheng Road. I heard it’s delicious.”
Forget it, he was not depressed—his gege was worth it! The country’s attention to his safety just showed how outstanding he was.
According to the mission cycle, it was indeed about half a month, but the premise was to ensure that there were no other dangers.
Xie Youzhou stepped forward and extended his hand to Zhao Ye in a friendly manner. “Thanks for helping us out these next couple of weeks. What’s your name?”
“Zhao Ye.”
Zhao Ye had a stern expression on his face, but he was extremely excited in his heart. Although this was not his real name, at least he had shaken hands with his idol.
Truthfully, even Zhao Ye felt that Xie Youzhou’s presence rendered extra protection unnecessary.
But he understood that this mission conveyed the government’s respect and commitment.
With this attitude in place, anyone who wanted to harm Lin Zhiyu must think twice.
This would also pave the way for Lin Zhiyu’s future. As long as Lin Zhiyu wanted to research something, there wouldn’t be many obstacles.
Sure enough, having the ability made people different.
*
As close protection, Zhao Ye didn’t need to be physically close at all times.
For instance, at meals, Zhao Ye could sit separately.
Still, as a gesture of gratitude, Lin Zhiyu and Xie Youzhou invited him to dine with them.
“Comrade Zhao, think of us as friends. No need to stay on edge,” Lin Zhiyu said.
But it was almost a habit for soldiers to stay tense all the time. Zhao Ye stood straight like a pine tree, with only his chin moving.
He nodded slightly.”Thank you, Professor Lin.”
Lin Zhiyu was about to say something when suddenly a voice came from behind him, with uncontrollable excitement and joy.
There was also a hint of shyness hidden in it.
“Brother Zhiyu!”
Lin Zhiyu turned to see Zhao Hua, who beamed with a warm smile. “What a coincidence! Are you here to eat too?”
“Yeah, my brother and I are grabbing a takeout to bring home. Mom and Dad are at home,” she explained.
Over the past few months, their family has been reunited, and their mother has gotten much better and rarely goes crazy.
Occasionally, Mom could leave the nursing home and come home to live with them for a few days.
She believed her mother will be fully recovered soon!
Zhao Hua’s eyes sparkled with optimism, full of hope for the future. Suddenly, she remembered something and pulled out her report card from her bag.
“Brother Zhiyu, look! I’ve improved a lot this week. By the end of the semester, I’ll be in the top ten!”
Lin Zhiyu took the math test paper, his gentle eyes filled with admiration.
From struggling to now scoring 110 points—this little girl Zhao Hua’s progress was remarkable, a testament to her hard work.
“I believe in you,”
Lin Zhiyu looked at her with a smile: “Then call Qiuqiu to celebrate with you.”
Zhao Hua originally wanted to let Lin Zhiyu see that she was working hard and making progress, and she wanted brother Zhiyu to have a better impression of her.
But she didn’t expect to get a promise!
Zhao Hua was so excited that her face turned red, but she didn’t dare to show it too obviously. She just nodded repeatedly: “I will work hard!”
Xie Youzhou watched the exchange, feeling sour all over.
But he would not be so petty as to haggle with a little girl, otherwise he would have been too distrustful of his charm and ability.
What’s more, it also showed distrust towards his gege.
He narrowed his eyes, picked up a shrimp dumpling put it on Lin Zhiyu’s plate, and said with a smile: “It’s great that you have improved so much. I will sign up for the banquet when the time comes. Let’s treat it as a reunion before the New Year and have fun together.”
Zhao Hua, taken aback, stammered, “No, no…you don’t have to spend so much. I can cook, just come to our house.”
Zhao Hua knew Xie Youzhou but hadn’t interacted with him much.
Still, she felt incredibly happy, basking in a hopeful, vibrant life she had never dared dream of.
She was so happy!
On the other hand, Ruan Jiaojiao felt increasingly tired and resentful.
Though Marceau and the others continued to dote on her, their mothers’ sarcastic comments on social media weighed heavily on her. Why was this happening to her?
