Chapter 296: Chapter 274: Chain Mission, Finally Reaching Jiangyou

"You little demon, setting a trap for me now, are you?" Ye Ling immediately deleted the photo, then pulled Ning Ruoxi into his arms and pinched her small face.

"Mph... you... Mph... Don’t be mad..." Ning Ruoxi blinked her big eyes, an innocent look on her face.

"Hmph!"

Ye Ling was completely unmoved. He huffed lightly and said, "Nope. I need to be compensated. I’m mad."

"Alright then..."

Ning Ruoxi pouted, propped herself up, gave Ye Ling a quick kiss on the cheek, and asked, "Feel better now?"

"Not enough."

As he spoke, Ye Ling held the back of her head and kissed her.

The movie was still playing, but by now, neither Ning Ruoxi nor Ye Ling was paying it any attention...

...

Before they knew it, Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi had been in Yazhou for about a week. The Lantern Festival was the day after tomorrow, so the two planned to head back.

"Sad to leave?"

Ye Ling, having just booked their return tickets on his phone, saw Ning Ruoxi staring blankly out the window. He walked over and asked with a soft chuckle.

"Of course I’m a little sad to leave."

Ning Ruoxi said, pouting.

The leisurely pace of life in Yazhou was truly enjoyable. More importantly, with Ye Ling by her side, she never felt lonely or isolated.

On the contrary, she felt exceptionally happy and fulfilled because here, she could be alone with the person she loved most.

Why did so many couples choose Yazhou as their vacation destination?

It was simply because no one knew them here. They could escape from unnecessary social obligations and, simply and leisurely, leave everything behind... to enjoy time that belonged only to the two of them.

"How about we come back next year?"

Ye Ling wrapped his arm around Ning Ruoxi’s slender waist and placed a kiss on her hair.

"Mhm!"

Ning Ruoxi nodded, then turned to look at Ye Ling and smiled. "It’s not about where we are. The important thing is that you’re by my side!"

The girl’s smile was like a blossoming flower—as pure and beautiful as the drifting clouds in the sky!

...

A little after two in the afternoon, Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi boarded their return flight to Modu.

According to Ye Ling’s plan, they would arrive in Modu in the evening, rest for the night, and then drive to Jiangyou the next day.

"Are you nervous?" Ning Ruoxi asked, turning her head and blinking.

"Me, nervous?"

Ye Ling retorted with a disdainful look.

"You said it." The corners of Ning Ruoxi’s lips curled slightly, but she didn’t say anything more.

’This guy is so stubborn!’

"Hmph!"

Of course, Ye Ling knew she didn’t believe him. He huffed lightly and reached out, his hand landing on Ning Ruoxi’s waist.

"We’re on a plane, keep your hands to yourself."

Ning Ruoxi quickly slapped his hand away, glaring at him in annoyance.

"I won’t. I’ll just hold you."

Ye Ling slid one arm around Ning Ruoxi’s waist, letting out a satisfied hum. With his other hand, he pulled out his phone and started playing on it intently.

"You promised you wouldn’t do anything funny."

Ning Ruoxi stared at Ye Ling for a long moment. When she saw that he wasn’t making any other moves, she let him keep his arm around her.

Having stayed up a bit too late binge-watching a show last night, Ning Ruoxi’s eyelids started to feel heavy after the plane took off. Her head habitually came to rest on Ye Ling’s shoulder, and she closed her eyes.

The very instant her eyes closed, Ye Ling, who had been playing on his phone, suddenly froze. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the now-sleeping Ning Ruoxi, a smile touching his lips.

’Hmph! Still so smug, little girl?’

Ye Ling huffed lightly. Applying a little pressure, he pulled Ning Ruoxi closer, and his mischievous hand came to rest on her stomach.

Since Ning Ruoxi was in the window seat, no one else could see Ye Ling’s little antics.

Perfectly safe!

Ye Ling caressed her stomach. While there wasn’t much fat, it was still soft and incredibly pleasant to the touch, almost as if she were boneless.

Just as Ye Ling was enjoying caressing Ning Ruoxi’s stomach, his phone suddenly dinged—a WeChat message notification.

DING!

Caught in his mischief, Ye Ling jumped. He glanced guiltily at Ning Ruoxi, and seeing she was still asleep, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He quickly put his phone on silent mode and opened the WeChat message.

’Zhu Yun: President Ye, I’ve made the preliminary arrangements for the research institute. Is a location near Shengding Group okay?’

While they were still in Yazhou, Ye Ling had mentioned the laboratory to Zhu Yun.

He had been incredibly busy lately... Although they were returning to Modu, it was only for one night before he had to leave for Jiangyou the next day. He simply had no time to deal with these things himself.

So, he had delegated the task to Zhu Yun.

’Near Shengding Group is fine. Oh, and besides the lab itself, make sure all other aspects are taken care of—accommodations, security, and meals, for example.’

Ye Ling typed out a message and sent it.

’Understood!’ Zhu Yun replied instantly.

With the laboratory matter settled, Ye Ling’s brow furrowed once more.

Next...

...came the most troublesome issue: funding!

According to Hua Deyun, putting a 3nm chip into official production would cost at least ten billion US dollars, and that was just the initial expense.

The subsequent costs... would likely be even higher!

However, Hua Deyun had also mentioned that they didn’t necessarily have to jump straight to 3nm chips. They could start with 5nm, or even 7nm chips.

By comparison, the initial investment would be much lower.

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