Chapter 8: Dinner (Please Bookmark)_1

Jiang Yu sensed a strong atmosphere of caution from Ye Wenjie's scrutiny, clearly aware that this dinner was a significant test for him.

Only by passing Ye Wenjie's test could he hope to gain the trust of the Redemptionists.

And a wily old hand like Ye Wenjie wouldn't overlook a single detail.

At that moment, Jiang Yu's mind whirred swiftly, and he suddenly thought of the passage in the original work where Wang Miao first met Yang Dong; with that, he had an idea:

"Sorry, I just can't help marveling that the famous Yang Dong is actually such a beautiful girl."

Deception Points from Yang Dong +1.

Yang Dong, upon hearing Jiang Yu's reply, seemed to be accustomed to such reactions: "It seems that physics as a subject has a natural bias against women."

Deception Points from Ye Wenjie +1.

The scrutiny in Ye Wenjie's eyes also disappeared.

Deception Points from 17166 +1.

Deception Points from 17163 +1.

...

Jiang Yu grumbled to himself: Are you Trisolarans that free, coming all this way just to join in the fun?

After a brief conversation, the three of them took their seats in the restaurant.

Ye Wenjie brought out a bottle of Baijiu given by an old comrade-in-arms, and Yang Dong said she would also like a drink to relieve fatigue, so Jiang Yu poured her a cup, half a cup for Ye Wenjie, and finally one for himself.

Yang Dong spoke of her travel experiences while casually sipping half a cup.

Jiang Yu thought the alcohol content wasn't high and took a big gulp.

Little did he know that as soon as the liquor touched his mouth, all the tastebuds inside exploded, a hot stream flowing from his throat to his stomach, making Jiang Yu feel like the hair on the back of his head was standing on end.

Yang Dong laughed like a blooming flower: "I forgot to tell you, my mom's old comrades are mostly from the Northeast; for them, even 52-degree liquor is considered mild."

Jiang Yu hurriedly ate a couple bites of food: "Why do I have the feeling that you intentionally didn't tell me?"

Yang Dong laughed even more cheerfully: "No, not at all."

Jiang Yu's embarrassed look also brought a smile to Ye Wenjie's face. Seeing her daughter laugh so joyously, she found herself unconsciously warming to the convivial atmosphere of the dining table.

As they ate and chatted, Yang Dong's cheeks flushed after half a cup, making her look even more beautiful and charming.

Jiang Yu thought to himself that it was no wonder Ding Yi was fascinated by Yang Dong, Wang Miao had special feelings for her, and even the boss, Luo Ji, would visit her grave.

Despite her delicate appearance, Yang Dong had a lively spirit in her words and actions, like a combination of water and fire, naturally mesmerizing men.

After Yang Dong finished talking about her business trip, Ye Wenjie asked Jiang Yu what his major was.

Jiang Yu answered, "Social science."

Yang Dong, holding her chopsticks said, "My high school classmate, Luo Ji, seems to have switched to studying sociology."

"Right, Teacher Luo Ji is now teaching in our department; I've attended a few of his classes."

Initially, Jiang Yu didn't know the name of that seemingly indifferent male teacher until he purposefully made contact with the men in the department after learning about the Trisolaran World.

When he found out that the dryly instructive male teacher was Luo Ji, Jiang Yu immediately felt the presence of an influential figure nearby.

Yang Dong asked curiously, "What is this discipline like?"

"I won't recite textbook definitions to you, but let me share how one of my teachers understands sociology. I find his interpretation more precise," Jiang Yu said:

"This is a discipline that draws strength from history, can see the rules beneath all current social manifestations, and can make predictions about the future."

This was something Kong Xiang seemed to say to Jiang Yu offhandedly, but Jiang Yu immediately realized that these words must be a summary of all Kong Xiang's research.

Even though Kong Xiang was a major leader of the Adventist faction, it didn't affect his status as a master of contemporary sociology. Jiang Yu indeed learned a lot from him, willingly calling him "Teacher."

Ye Wenjie followed up with, "What's your own view on this discipline?"

Here it comes, thought Jiang Yu, time to showcase myself.

"To speak of views, I have but humble opinions," said Jiang Yu, his expression growing much more serious. "Due to favorable conditions for development, our nation has had a much denser population since ancient times compared with other ethnicities of the same period."

"This forced our ancestors to study sociology from a very early time, which is evident in the fact that almost all thinkers during the Warring States period were engaged in discussions on sociology."

"Personally, I believe that in sociology, we can't just learn from the West; we have to appreciate the achievements left by ancient scholars. That's a unique treasure for us."

After a quiet moment that lasted a second or two at the dinner table, Ye Wenjie smiled and said, "Your perspective is quite interesting."

Jiang Yu raised his wine glass and smiled modestly.

By the end of the meal, Jiang Yu distinctly felt that Ye Wenjie's previous wariness towards him had vanished, indicating that he had withstood the "Commander's" test.

...

In the blink of an eye, it was Thursday, and Shi Qiang was in his office, smoking while going through the statements of the Zhonghua Pastoral members.

Since Monday, Shi Qiang had been arresting several members of Zhonghua Pastoral on charges of "spreading rumors and disrupting social order."

It took two days, but he finally got them to talk.

Through their statements, Shi Qiang learned that Pan Han had been deliberately spreading the word that Genetic Technologies had made new advancements.

According to the members, the new advancements in Genetic Technologies could effectively prevent hereditary diseases and even "customize" beautiful, masculine, or handsome appearances, long limbs, and so on.

Could this be Pan Han's big move? Research to prevent hereditary diseases using Genetic Technologies was already yielding results! But this "customization" was something he was hearing about for the first time.

Shi Qiang felt there might be more to this.

Right then, the phone on his desk suddenly rang.

Shi Qiang saw it was Director Liao calling, slightly stunned, he got up immediately, took the call, and stuffed the statements and the just applied for anti-eavesdropping and surveillance equipment into the backpack he had prepared beforehand.

Director Liao's voice came through the phone, cursing furiously, "Are you deaf from stuffing donkey hairs in your ears? Openly defying orders! You think you have the guts, Shi Qiang? Now you're making arrests on your own!"

Shi Qiang responded with a chuckle, "Leader, I really found something."

"What's the use of what you found?" Director Liao roared. "Now that Pan Han bastard is accusing us of arbitrarily arresting environmentalists, causing a lot of criticism and attention! They're just short of blocking the police bureau entrance in protest!"

"Eh, he's getting nervous," said Shi Qiang.

"I don't give a damn if he's nervous or having kidney failure!" Director Liao took a couple of deep breaths on the other end of the line, and his tone softened a bit:

"The business last year about forced confessions still hasn't been settled with you; I'm officially notifying you now that because of your forced confessions, as of today, you are suspended from duty, go home and reflect!"

Shi Qiang laughed hearing the "beep beep beep" of the dial tone and said, "Just perfect, time for me to take a break."

After hanging up the phone, he quickly tossed his backpack into the flower bed outside.

Only a second or two later, two officers opened the door, smiling wryly, "Sergeant Shi, we're just following orders, please understand."

Shi Qiang proactively threw his handcuffs and badge onto the desk, "The files are all in the computer, find them yourselves."

One officer said, "We need to do a handover..."

"Handover, my ass! Am I still obliged to hand over to you guys when I'm suspended?" Shi Qiang snapped as he walked out, picked up the backpack from the flower bed, and left.