The next morning, Xu Mengyao woke up.
She was lying face-to-face with Lin Chen. When she opened her eyes, she saw him smiling warmly at her.
"Honey, what are you looking at?" Xu Mengyao asked, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"Just admiring the view. Who's this little lady who's so beautiful?"
Xu Mengyao replied shyly, "She's yours, of course. Honey, don't you usually get up this early to make breakfast?"
Lin Chen pouted. "Do you think I'm a fool? We rarely get to sleep in together. Why would I get up early for breakfast?"
"Honey, I'm hungry."
"Could you make me something to eat? I'd love some noodles—just a simple bowl of dried noodles would be fine," Xu Mengyao said, acting cute.
Only after Lin Chen left could she get out of bed and change.
"Alright."
Lin Chen didn't tease her further and got up quickly.
After breakfast, Xu Mengyao kissed Lin Chen on the lips before going to work. She hoped to recover from the previous night soon.
"Wife's not home, and we don't have any kids yet," Lin Chen muttered to himself.
He found himself with rare free time.
But upon logging into his secure email account, Lin Chen was immediately busy again. Three emails awaited him, two from strangers.
The only familiar sender was Academician Chen.
After reading Academician Chen's email, Lin Chen realized the other two strangers were also Academicians.
Academician Chen had mentioned Lin Chen to them.
They were both experts in aircraft manufacturing.
This time, Academician Chen didn't ask any questions. Lin Chen opened one of the emails from the strangers.
"Hmm—"
Lin Chen's eyes lit up with surprise.
Based on the questions asked, he estimated this Academician might be a fighter jet research expert.
The questions weren't particularly complex, but they spanned multiple disciplines.
This was precisely Lin Chen's area of expertise.
"Academician He, here are some of my humble thoughts—"
Lin Chen's fingers flew across the keyboard as he replied. The questions were easy for him to answer.
An hour and a half later, he finished.
"There you go!"
Lin Chen clicked "Send."
Soon, he opened another academician's email. This academician was likely an expert in military drones, and the questions were all related to that field.
Lin Chen's aircraft manufacturing skills encompassed all types of aircraft, including drones and even space shuttles!
*Click-clack, click-clack!*
Lin Chen's fingers flew across the keyboard.
At a certain secret research institute, someone approached Academician He. "Academician He, you have a new email from Zhang San, the one you mentioned."
"So soon?" Academician He's eyes widened in surprise.
He hurried to his office and opened his inbox. It was filled with emails from senders like "Zhang San" and "Li Si."
These names were randomly generated by the email system.
Academician He performed a security verification, and the names "Zhang San" and "Li Si" changed. "Zhang San" became "Academician Lin," while Lin Chen's actual name was a note he had added himself.
After the verification, Academician He could see the email's content. He opened the attachment and began reading carefully.
Initially, Academician He had been somewhat dismissive of Lin Chen's swift response. But gradually, he became completely absorbed in the material.
Since the questions involved knowledge he wasn't entirely familiar with, he spent time researching and even called other experts for clarification.
After two hours, he had only managed to review a small portion of the material.
He couldn't be absolutely certain, but he had a strong feeling that Lin Chen's answers were likely correct.
"We need to verify these findings urgently!" Academician He muttered to himself.
"Done!"
Lin Chen had just finished answering another academician's query.
After sending his email, he hurried off. Song Qingquan had invited him to lunch today.
At exactly 12:00 PM, Lin Chen arrived at the restaurant Song Qingquan had booked.
"Master Lin, hello! I'm Song Qingquan."
Song Qingquan was waiting at the entrance. Seeing Lin Chen approach, he quickly walked over and warmly shook his hand.
He had never met Lin Chen before, but he had obtained a photograph from Chen Zhian, so he wasn't particularly surprised.
"Hello, President Song," Lin Chen replied with a faint smile.
Song Qingquan continued, "Master Lin, my daughter is here too. I didn't originally plan to bring her—she's usually shy around strangers—but for the first time, she insisted on meeting you."
"Her situation is a bit special, so my wife is with her in the private room."
Lin Chen nodded. "It's good that your daughter can get out and about."
Soon, they entered the restaurant.
Song Qingquan pushed open the door to the private room.
His wife and daughter stared at Lin Chen in surprise. Song Qingquan hadn't shown them his picture.
"Wife, Wan'er, I'd like to introduce Master Lin Chen. He's very young, but achieving such a level of expertise at his age is even more remarkable."
Song Qingquan smiled. "Hello, Master Lin."
His wife quickly added, "Hello, Master Lin."
Song Wan stared at Lin Chen, her eyes widening in surprise. "I know you! You're the 'Strongman Who Carried His Wife and Daughter Up the Mountain'!"
Lin Chen: "..."
*The netizens really gave me that nickname?*
Song Qingquan cleared his throat. "Wan'er, don't be rude."
"It's fine, President Song," Lin Chen said, waving his hand.
Song Wan looked pitiful. Even if her comment had been more offensive, Lin Chen wouldn't hold it against her, a sick child. After all, she was only seventeen, still a minor. Calling her a child wasn't entirely inaccurate.
"Brother Lin, you're amazing," Song Wan said. "I tried climbing a mountain alone once, and it was exhausting."
"It was alright," Lin Chen replied with a faint smile.
Song Qingquan and his family had already ordered. The dishes arrived quickly—perhaps not the best-tasting, but each was quite expensive.
The group began to eat.
Song Wan opened a beautifully crafted lunchbox she had brought, containing the dishes Lin Chen had prepared. Her mother served her some rice to mix with them.
"Master Lin, thank you," Song Qingquan said, raising his glass with deep gratitude. "My wife and I would like to propose a toast to you."
Song Wan's spirits had improved noticeably compared to before.
"No need for such formality," Lin Chen said with a smile. "You paid for it, after all."
After exchanging a few more toasts with Song Qingquan and the others, Song Qingquan said, "Master Lin, Wan'er can't eat anything else, but she can eat your dishes. Would you consider making a few more for us?"
"Money is no issue."
"Five million per table, or even ten million—name your price."
Lin Chen shook his head. "President Song, it's not about the money. My rule is three to five tables per month. If I break that rule, how can I help anyone else in the future?"
"We already have quite a few reservations for next month. Given your daughter's condition, I can arrange one table for you next month."
"I can't promise