Chapter 248 - 247: Beating a Child to Relieve Stress

Chapter 248: Chapter 247: Beating a Child to Relieve Stress

From Qi Yue’s explanation, Yu Zhiming learned that Qi Xin’s mother, Xie Mei—Qi Yue’s ex-wife—was a researcher at a highly-regarded medical institute in Binhai.

"A lot of the high-end scientific equipment in the institute’s labs is purchased from overseas."

Qi Yue further explained, "To protect intellectual property, much of this high-end equipment has anti-tampering protection."

"If any problem occurs, no matter how small, you have to contact the original manufacturer to send an engineer for repairs."

"The repair costs start at tens of thousands, or even over a hundred thousand."

At this, Qi Yue shot a glare at Qi Xin. "Fess up. What exactly happened?"

Seeing that she had been found out, Qi Xin stopped hiding it and explained everything, looking aggrieved and meek.

The main issue was that her mother, trying to meet a research deadline, had worked overtime during the National Day holiday, breaking her promise to take her on vacation.

The little girl got angry and, without thinking of the consequences, threw a coin into a piece of lab equipment.

It was only after learning the repair cost could be over a hundred thousand that Qi Xin realized what huge trouble she was in and ran to Qi Yue’s for refuge.

After hearing her confession, Yu Zhiming thought to himself, ’She looks so well-behaved, but she’s actually quite the little troublemaker.’

Seeing his daughter’s cautious and pitiful expression, Qi Yue couldn’t bring himself to scold her. Instead, he took out his phone and called his ex-wife.

"Xie Mei, Xiaoxin is with me. About that piece of lab equipment... she says she threw a coin into it..."

Qi Yue quickly summarized the situation, then hastily added, "Don’t get angry just yet."

"My student, Yu Zhiming, might be able to help get that coin out..."

When Qi Yue ended the call, Qi Xin eagerly asked, "If Brother Zhiming helps get the coin out, does that mean Mom won’t punish me?"

Qi Yue snorted. "A punishment is non-negotiable."

"Whether or not Zhiming can successfully retrieve the coin will determine the severity and intensity of your punishment."

"Brother Zhiming..."

Qi Xin quickly ran to Yu Zhiming’s side, grabbed his arm, and shook it while saying in a sweet, wheedling voice, "You’ll definitely help me get the coin out, right?"

Yu Zhiming chuckled lightly. "I can’t make any promises."

"I’ve never done anything like this before. I can only say I’ll do my best."

Qi Yue stood up. "Let’s go. Xie Mei said she’s waiting for us at the institute."

’It’s not exactly close...’

The three of them paid the bill and left the small restaurant. Yu Zhiming drove his Mercedes-Benz GLK, taking the Qi family father and daughter toward their destination.

They were headed to the High-tech Development Zone in Pujiang New District, which took Yu Zhiming an hour and a half to reach.

In front of the gate of a place called the Qidong Medical Research Institute, Yu Zhiming saw Xie Mei waiting for them.

She was a middle-aged woman who looked gentle and elegant, with a very well-maintained figure.

"Dr. Yu, I’ve heard so much about you. Thank you for going out of your way to come and help."

Xie Mei, dressed in a white lab coat, shook Yu Zhiming’s hand enthusiastically.

When Xie Mei let go of Yu Zhiming’s hand and looked at Qi Yue, her expression instantly turned as cold as ice.

"Where is that little rascal?"

Qi Yue forced a smile and answered honestly, "She’s in the car. She’s too scared to get out and see you. She said she’ll come see you after this is resolved and you’ve cooled down a bit."

Seeing that Xie Mei was about to lose her temper, he quickly tried to placate her. "Xie Mei, there’s no rush to teach the kid a lesson. We can do that after we’ve solved the problem first."

Xie Mei suppressed her anger, turned back to Yu Zhiming with a faint smile, and gestured for him to enter.

"Dr. Yu, please follow me..."

After a detailed registration at the gate, passing through three security doors, going through an air shower, and putting on white lab coats and shoe covers, Yu Zhiming and Qi Yue finally followed Xie Mei into a spacious and brightly lit laboratory.

A man and a woman, both around thirty years old, were waiting for them inside.

The man’s name was Jin Yi, and the woman’s was Wang Yun. Both were Xie Mei’s research assistants.

Yu Zhiming was led to a rectangular, cream-white machine that he estimated to be about 2 by 1.5 by 0.9 meters.

Jin Yi pointed to a palm-sized louvered ventilation grille on the upper side of the machine.

"According to Qi Xin, the coin was dropped in through here. Dr. Yu, here, take this."

"See if you can use it."

Yu Zhiming took the long, thin, and slightly rigid plastic tube that Jin Yi handed him.

An extremely thin wire was inserted into the plastic tube.

A small aluminum strip, about 0.3 centimeters long, was tied to one end of the wire.

Jin Yi explained, "Dr. Yu, you touch the coin with this end of the plastic tube, and we’ll run a current through this other end to heat it. The plastic tube will melt and stick to the coin."

"This was the best method I could think of and actually implement in the past hour."

Yu Zhiming nodded in praise. "That’s very clever. On the way here, I was wondering how we were going to get the coin out once we found it."

"I didn’t expect you’d already have a solution."

As he spoke, Yu Zhiming raised his hand and lightly tapped the machine’s casing.

"Gently, gently!"

Jin Yi reminded him with a nervous look, "This machine is extremely sensitive. Even a loud cough can cause the readings to fluctuate."

"Dr. Yu, please be very gentle."

Yu Zhiming murmured an "oh" of understanding, asked the others to step back, and then gently tapped the machine’s casing again.

The lab was soundproof and quiet enough. Using echolocation and 3D virtual mapping, Yu Zhiming quickly pinpointed the location of the coin resting at the bottom.

Finding the coin was just the beginning. The most difficult part was navigating the plastic tube through a dense forest of wiring to land precisely on the coin.

Fortunately, patience was one thing Yu Zhiming had in abundance.

After forty-six minutes of repeated attempts, Yu Zhiming finally managed to land the tip of the thin plastic tube on the coin.

Carefully, they applied the current to heat it.

The plastic tube melted.

It cooled and solidified.

Yu Zhiming gently pulled on the plastic tube, and sure enough, the coin lifted with it.

Following another two or three minutes of delicate maneuvering, he successfully extracted the coin...

Amid a chorus of cheers, Jin Yi powered up the machine and pressed the start button.

Fortunately, after the self-diagnostic program ran, the error message did not reappear. This allowed Xie Mei, Jin Yi, and Wang Yun to finally breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Jin Yi said excitedly, "Boss, I’ll recalibrate and adjust the machine tonight. It won’t delay tomorrow’s work."

"We’re counting on you tonight, Xiaojin."

Xie Mei offered her praise, then turned to Yu Zhiming, her face full of gratitude. "Dr. Yu, thank you so, so much."

"Saving over a hundred thousand in repair fees is a small matter. What’s important is that our research progress wasn’t delayed."

"Dr. Yu, several research projects at our institute depend on this machine for analytical data."

Qi Yue interjected, "Now that the problem’s solved, look... about Xiaoxin’s punishment?"

Xie Mei shot him a cold glance, rubbing the coin in her hand.

"You don’t need to worry about that girl’s business."

"I will make sure she understands deeply just how big a mistake she has made."

Qi Yue opened his mouth, but seeing that Xie Mei was still treating him frostily, he realized that pushing the issue might be counterproductive. He changed what he was about to say.

"Xie Mei, as you probably know, this student of mine has a unique talent for physical examinations."

"Since he’s already made the trip out here, why not have him give you a check-up while he’s at it?"

The suggestion intrigued Xie Mei.

She looked at Yu Zhiming and asked, "I hope this won’t be too much trouble for you, Dr. Yu?"

’What else could I say?’ "No trouble, not at all!" Yu Zhiming could only reply.

They went to a nearby office.

Xie Mei unceremoniously kicked Qi Yue out and had her assistant, Wang Yun, stay with her.

Yu Zhiming put on a pair of surgical gloves provided by the lab and began the physical examination on Xie Mei, who was lying across four chairs.

As he went through the examination, he actually found something.

"Researcher Xie, your left ovary... I have a bad feeling about it. I suggest you go to the hospital for a more thorough examination."

The color drained from Xie Mei’s face.

"’A bad feeling’... Dr. Yu, I’ve heard about this famous phrase of yours."

"This means it’s pretty much certain, doesn’t it?"

Yu Zhiming replied cautiously, "There’s still a chance of a misdiagnosis or an error. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself."

Xie Mei forced a smile. "I was just startled for a moment. Even if it is ovarian cancer, it would be in the very early stages. With proactive treatment, living a long life is still highly probable."

"I’m not stressed."

She stood up and said to Wang Yun, "This is a rare opportunity. You should have Dr. Yu give you a check-up, too."

Yu Zhiming examined Wang Yun.

Her health was fine.

Not wanting to leave anyone out, Xie Mei also called Jin Yi over for a physical.

After examining Jin Yi, Yu Zhiming once again uttered the words that many people dreaded hearing.

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

Suspected stomach cancer.

When Yu Zhiming’s diagnosis came out, the expression on Qi Yue, who was standing nearby, grew even more solemn.

"Out of just the three of you, one has very early-stage ovarian cancer, and another has very early-stage stomach cancer."

"Isn’t that cancer rate a bit too high?"

Xie Mei also looked serious and asked for confirmation, "Old Qi, what are you implying?"

Qi Yue said slowly, "I know your research institute often handles toxic and radioactive materials."

"Could it be that some protective measures aren’t up to standard?"

Xie Mei nodded lightly. "I will report this to the institute director and recommend a full physical examination for all employees."

"I’ll also suggest a comprehensive safety inspection of the entire institute."

Xie Mei looked at Yu Zhiming and said, "Dr. Yu, we’ll have to trouble you again for the employee physicals."

Yu Zhiming knew that if the research institute really had safety protocol breaches, this was no small matter.

"It’s no trouble, Researcher Xie. It’s my duty."

Qi Yue spoke up again. "Xie Mei, given your current situation, why don’t I take Xiaoxin home with me for a few days?"

"To keep her from making you angry again."

Xie Mei’s face darkened again.

"You know, I’ve never hit a child before."

"Now that I have cancer, I’m in a terrible mood. I really feel like hitting a child to relieve some stress."

"I doubt anyone would say anything about it."

"What do you think, Qi Yue?"

Qi Yue grimaced. Although he felt sorry for his daughter, he couldn’t say anything more in this situation...