One was a thank-you letter for her donations to the families of fallen soldiers. Very official in tone. Another was from her father's comrade-in-arms, who knew she had donated all her money to others and that she was doing well now. He also advised her not to go to the military base recently, as Ms. Lin had apparently not given up, and he was afraid it might affect her life. As for her father, they would take care of him.
Another letter was from Gu Jing Nian. It wasn't anything major, mainly about him enlisting in the army. This letter was the earliest, sent around the time she went to the research institute.
The last letter was from Kyoto. No one knew who sent it, insisting on sending it the long way around. Upon opening it, it was from Feng Chang Ze. The letter was short, containing only one sentence: "Let's get acquainted again, I'm Feng Chang Ze."
However, there was another piece of paper inside the envelope. The contents of this paper were not so simple. Ji Xing Mi quickly read it and then put the letter away.
After greeting her mother and aunt, she returned to her room. She replied to all the letters that needed a response, and she also wrote back to Feng Chang Ze. Once done, she had Xiao Ji mail them all out.
Ji Xing Mi stayed at home for two nights. Except for the first day when she went into the study with her father, she spent the rest of the time with her mother. If her mother went to work, Ji Xing Mi would follow along, acting as her mother's little shadow.
She also learned from her mother that Xu Rui had been discharged from the hospital for a long time and her face had recovered well. However, her elder brother seemed a bit slow, and she didn't know when he would bring her home. Her mother was also anxious, but there was nothing she could do; her anxiety alone was useless!
Early on the third morning, Ji Xing Mi, with a large bag of things prepared by her mother, set off for the research institute. When she arrived at the laboratory, she saw that everyone was extremely busy, especially Lou Qi Ming, who seemed very agitated. Even Zhang Heng was being scolded!
"Ahhhh~ When will that little rascal Ji Xing Mi come back? How can you be worse than a young girl!!! Ah!" Lou Qi Ming's voice echoed throughout the entire laboratory. She wondered how the people inside could tolerate him. Couldn't they just cover his mouth?
"You're the rascal! Your whole family are rascals!" As this voice rang out, all eyes turned to Ji Xing Mi. Everyone rushed towards her, welcoming her back while telling her how Lou Qi Ming had bullied them during her three days away. They dared not retaliate, so they could only hope Ji Xing Mi would return to uphold justice for them.
"Stop!" Ji Xing Mi shouted. Everyone's voices instantly ceased. Ji Xing Mi cupped her ears. Everyone was talking at once, she couldn't understand a word, it was like a marketplace! "You all speak one by one, not all at once, who am I supposed to listen to? What happened? Data explosion? Programs not running? Is it that serious?"
"Xing'er, you don't know, Director Lou has been exploiting us since you left. Look at my eyes, I haven't slept for two days!"
"Me too!" There were quite a few who echoed this sentiment!
"Xing'er, Director Lou also scolds you every day, calling you a little rascal, saying you wouldn't come back once you left! He also said he'd make you pay!" Here, someone was tattling, but why were so many people nodding in agreement? Ji Xing Mi shot a glare at Lou Qi Ming. At that moment, Lou Qi Ming was looking up at the ceiling, or something, definitely not at her.
"Alright! You all need to rest, go get some sleep. Without good rest, where will you get the energy to keep coding!"
Upon hearing Ji Xing Mi's words, everyone cheered and then looked at Zhang Heng. Zhang Heng himself hadn't slept for two days and simply nodded. Seeing this, everyone dispersed, and Zhang Heng, unable to hold on any longer, slipped away with the crowd.
Now, only Lou Qi Ming and Ji Xing Mi remained in the laboratory.
"Director Lou, are you going back to sleep, or shall I escort you?" Seeing the syringe in Ji Xing Mi's hand, Lou Qi Ming took a step back. "Everything is on your original computer here. The data is here, look for yourself. I'm going back to catch up on sleep!"
Lou Qi Ming handed the folder he had been using as a weapon to Ji Xing Mi. Once she took it, he fled.
The once noisy laboratory was instantly empty except for Ji Xing Mi. Ji Xing Mi sighed, returned to her seat, and began her own hard work.
The cafeteria at the research institute was unusually crowded today. More importantly, everyone had arrived very early, which surprised the aunties. However, they didn't ask why, as they had been instructed not to ask questions they shouldn't.
But today, everyone seemed particularly happy. Ji Xing Mi was also happy. Although she was the only one working, it was quiet! She was thoroughly enjoying this peace.
Ji Xing Mi left work particularly late today. Towards evening, Lou Qi Ming arrived. They discussed the issues of this phase for a long time. Lou Qi Ming's frustration was indeed due to genuine problems; he was pushing them to work continuously because he wanted to resolve them as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, with Ji Xing Mi's return, he felt that the problems could be solved, otherwise, he wouldn't have told them to go rest that morning.