Chapter 239 Lin Mo's Exhaustion

November 3, 2038.

1:20 AM, Hainan Base Data Center.

Li Xiao stared at the data stream on the screen and yawned. The yield data for the Carbon Nanotubes factory had just updated—32.1%, up 0.4 percentage points from yesterday. Section Chief Wu said over the phone that they had found a new formula for the draw roller coating and would try swapping it out tomorrow.

She rubbed her eyes, picked up her stone-cold coffee, and took a sip.

It was so bitter she frowned.

"Manager Li, you're still not heading back?" Little Wang from the neighboring workstation poked his head out. "It's past one already."

"I'll watch for a while longer," Li Xiao replied casually. "You guys go ahead."

Little Wang hesitated for a moment but packed his things and left anyway. Before leaving, he poured her a cup of hot water. "Don't just drink coffee; it's bad for your stomach."

Li Xiao nodded, her gaze never leaving the screen.

The data was still jumping.

The tension monitoring on the platform side was normal, the stress values of the cable anchoring base were within the safety range, and the weather forecast said it would be good weather for the next three days. The message Chen Xueming sent during the day said the new piling ship had arrived, the damaged tower crane was being repaired urgently, and they should be able to make up some of the construction schedule.

Everything was slowly improving.

But a weight always pressed on Li Xiao's heart.

Lin Mo.

Something had been wrong with her Senior Brother these past few days.

Although he still maintained that steady appearance on the surface, with clear thinking and decisive actions during meetings, Li Xiao noticed some details—he was eating less and less, he occasionally spaced out while talking, and the dark circles around his eyes were deepening.

At this afternoon's coordination meeting, he actually said "Carbon Nanotubes" as "Carbon Nanolight," then froze for two seconds and smiled to himself. "Sorry, a slip of the tongue."

At the time, no one in the conference room took it seriously. Only Li Xiao noticed that smile—it wasn't Lin Mo's usual smile; it was a kind of stiffness that comes after being exhausted to the extreme.

She decided to go take a look.

Carrying that cup of cold coffee, Li Xiao walked out of the data center and headed toward the Chief Engineers Office.

The Chief Engineers Office was on the fourth floor of the base's main building, a small room. When Li Xiao pushed open the door, only a single desk lamp was lit in the room.

Lin Mo was slumped over the desk, asleep.

The light from the desk lamp shone on the side of his face, outlining a weary profile. His eyes were sunken, dark stubble was emerging on his chin, and his hair was a mess, looking like it hadn't been tended to for days.

He was pillowed on his arm, his right hand still holding a pen, the tip resting on an open document. That document was the engineering progress report to be submitted tomorrow; halfway through, the handwriting had become increasingly scribbled, finally turning into a slanted scratch.

Li Xiao stood at the door, suddenly afraid to go in.

She had never seen Lin Mo like this.

In her memory, Senior Brother was always the one who could clearly explain data anomalies to her at three in the morning, the one who was calm and unhurried when facing skepticism, and the one who stood on the stage smiling after the success of the Nuclear Fusion ignition.

But now, he was slumped on the desk like a student who had pulled too many all-nighters.

Li Xiao walked over quietly and placed the coffee on the desk.

The sound of the coffee cup hitting the desk was very light, but Lin Mo's brow furrowed slightly as if he were about to wake up. Li Xiao held her breath and remained motionless.

A few seconds later, his brow smoothed out again, and his breathing became even once more.

Li Xiao's gaze swept across the desk.

Besides that half-written report, there was a stack of documents—the International Cooperation Department's schedule for next week, the latest intelligence briefing from the Science and Technology Security Bureau, a process parameter analysis for the Carbon Nanotubes factory, a materials requisition form for the offshore platform, technical detail confirmations for the space station modification plan... Every document had Lin Mo's handwritten annotations, densely packed, written from late at night until dawn.

There was also a medicine bottle on the desk.

Li Xiao picked it up and looked—it was stomach medicine, and it was already half empty.

Her eyes suddenly stung.

Senior Brother's stomach had always been poor. When Academician Wang Zhenguo was around, he would always urge him to eat on time. Later, when Academician Wang fell ill and no one was watching him, he completely stopped taking care of himself.

Li Xiao took a deep breath, turned to take Lin Mo's coat from the hanger in the corner, and gently draped it over him.

Lin Mo moved and muttered something indistinctly but didn't wake up.

Li Xiao stood behind him, looking at his back for a long time.

Then she quietly exited the room and pulled the door shut.

The corridor was very quiet.

Li Xiao leaned against the wall, took out her phone, and sent a message to Chen Xueming.

"Senior Brother Chen, are you asleep?"

Thirty seconds later, a reply came.

"Just laid down. What's wrong?"

Li Xiao's hand paused while typing, then she began to tap:

"Senior Brother Lin is too tired. I just went to his office; he was asleep on the desk, surrounded by documents, with half a bottle of stomach medicine. He definitely hasn't eaten or slept properly for days. We have to help him."

Sent.

The screen showed "Typing," but it stayed that way for a long time.

Then Chen Xueming's message popped up:

"That's just how he is; he never lets others share the burden. It was like this back at the Nuclear Fusion power station too—he carried everything himself, feeling like we were there to help, not to carry it for him."

Li Xiao replied:

"But he's the Chief Designer now. What kind of Chief Designer does everything himself? It's not like we won't help him."

Chen Xueming was silent for another while.

"You're right. But he's used to it. Since his student days, he's been used to solving problems alone. Academician Wang said this habit of his can't be changed."

Li Xiao looked at the screen, her heart feeling stifled.

"Even if it can't be changed, it has to be. If he keeps pushing like this, his body will break down."

Chen Xueming replied:

"What's your idea?"

Li Xiao thought for a moment and began to type:

"We can take the initiative to share more of the load. Some things don't need to be cleared with him; we can discuss and handle them ourselves, then just let him know once it's done. Also, someone needs to watch him eat. I'll talk to Master Liu; have him deliver meals on time every day—he has to eat whether he wants to or not."

Chen Xueming replied:

"Fine. I'll make more decisions regarding the platform from now on and bother him less. For technical problems, we'll solve what we can ourselves, and only find him if we really can't."

Li Xiao:

"Mm. Also, I'm going to secretly categorize the documents on his desk. I'll hold back what can be delayed and pass off what can be handled by others. He looks at so many every day; his brain simply can't keep up."

Chen Xueming sent a thumbs-up emoji.

Then he sent another one:

"Li Xiao, you've grown up."

Li Xiao looked at this message and froze for a few seconds.

Then she smiled.

"Thanks for the compliment, Senior Brother Chen."

Chen Xueming:

"It's not a compliment; it's the truth. Before, you asked Old Lin about everything; now you've learned to think for him."

Li Xiao stared at the screen, remembering how she was when she first joined the team a few years ago—clumsy, knowing nothing, chasing Lin Mo all day asking 'Senior Brother, what do I do about this' and 'Senior Brother, is this right?'

Now, she could also help share her Senior Brother's burden.

"Senior Brother Chen, you too. Before, you carried everything yourself; now you've learned to say 'we'."

Chen Xueming sent a smiley face:

"Mutual progress. Alright, get some sleep. There's another tough battle tomorrow."

"Mm, goodnight."

Li Xiao put away her phone and glanced at the door of the Chief Engineers Office again.

A sliver of light peeked through the crack in the door.

She stood there silently for a moment, then turned to go downstairs.

At seven o'clock the next morning, Master Liu appeared punctually at the door of the Chief Engineers Office, carrying an insulated container.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response. Pushing the door open, he saw Lin Mo still asleep on the desk, the draped coat having slipped halfway off.

Master Liu sighed, walked over quietly, placed the insulated container on the desk, and redraped the coat properly.

Just as he was about to exit, Lin Mo suddenly woke up.

"Master Liu?" Lin Mo lifted his head groggily and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Just past seven." Master Liu pointed to the insulated container. "Breakfast. That girl Li Xiao specifically messaged me last night, saying you weren't eating properly again. She told me to start delivering it to you every morning from today on and watch you finish it."

Lin Mo froze for a moment, looking at the insulated container without speaking.

Master Liu patted his shoulder. "Eat up. Sleep a bit more after eating. The meeting is at nine; there's time."

Lin Mo opened the container; inside was steaming hot millet porridge, two buns, and a dish of pickles. They were all things he usually liked to eat.

He picked up the porridge and took a sip.

It was warm, just right for drinking.

Master Liu sat down nearby and watched him eat. "That girl Li Xiao has really grown up. Before, she only knew how to ask this and that; now she knows how to care for people."

Lin Mo nodded and didn't speak, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

Master Liu added, "Chen Xueming also messaged me, saying he'll take on more of the platform's affairs so you can worry less. And Section Chief Wu called at five in the morning, saying there's progress on the new formula for the draw roller coating and for you not to worry too much."

Lin Mo put down the porridge bowl and looked at Master Liu.

"They... all messaged you?"

"You bet." Master Liu smiled. "Those soldiers of yours have learned to band together now. That girl Li Xiao definitely spent a lot of time whispering with Chen Xueming last night; early this morning, my phone was full of messages."

Lin Mo was silent for a while, then lowered his head to continue drinking the porridge.

Master Liu looked at him with a sort of elder's affection in his gaze. "Lin Mo, don't mind my meddling. These kids truly want to help you. Only if you let them help will they feel useful. If you carry everything yourself, they'll feel bad instead."

Lin Mo didn't look up, only giving an "Mm" in response.

But Master Liu noticed that his movements in drinking the porridge had slowed down.

At nine in the morning, the coordination meeting began on time.

The conference room was full of people—Chen Xueming from the platform side joined via video, Section Chief Wu from the Carbon Nanotubes factory joined by phone, representatives from the space station modification team were present, along with Li Xiao, Zhao Gang, and the heads of various subsystems.

Lin Mo sat in the main seat, a cup of tea in front of him.

Li Xiao observed him quietly—his complexion was a bit better than last night, but the dark circles were still there. At least he had eaten breakfast, and his spirit seemed to have recovered somewhat.

The meeting proceeded very smoothly.

Chen Xueming reported on the platform repair progress: "The new piling ship is in place, and the damaged tower crane will be fixed in three days. The construction schedule is expected to be caught up by a week, and we will start laying the first cable this time next month."

Section Chief Wu reported on the Carbon Nanotubes progress: "The draw roller coating has been changed to the new formula, and we're doing a trial run today. If it goes well, the yield is expected to rise above forty percent."

The expert from the space station modification team reported: "The modification plan for the 'Tianhe' core module has passed the final review, and construction will begin on-site next month."

...

Lin Mo listened while taking notes in his notebook.

When it was his turn to speak, just as he was about to open his mouth, Li Xiao suddenly raised her hand.

"Chief Designer Lin, I have a suggestion."

Lin Mo looked at her. "Speak."

Li Xiao took a deep breath. "The monitoring system at the data center is now running stably, and I can handle the daily affairs with full authority. From now on, for issues involving data, there's no need to report to the Chief Engineers Office every time; we'll issue conclusions directly and just CC the Chief Engineers Office."

The conference room went quiet for a moment.

Chen Xueming took up the thread from the video feed: "It's the same for the platform side. We'll solve routine construction issues ourselves and only report major technical difficulties. Chief Designer Lin, you can't manage everything; you won't be able to keep up."

Section Chief Wu also spoke up: "Chief Designer Lin, the factory side is the same. We'll slowly work through formula adjustments and process optimizations ourselves. Only if we really can't figure it out will we find you."

Lin Mo looked at them and didn't speak for a moment.

Zhao Gang smiled from the side. "Chief Designer Lin, look, these kids' wings have hardened; they want to fly on their own."

Li Xiao glared at him. "Brother Zhao, we're trying to share Senior Brother Lin's burden!"

Zhao Gang raised both hands. "Alright, alright, sharing the burden."

A ripple of light laughter rang through the conference room.

Lin Mo also laughed.

That was the first time in days he had truly laughed.

"Fine," he said. "Each will take their responsibility, and keep each other informed in a timely manner. From now on, I'll only handle the big matters."

Li Xiao's eyes lit up.

Chen Xueming gave a thumbs-up on the video screen.

Section Chief Wu let out a long sigh of relief over the phone.

When the coordination meeting ended, it was almost eleven o'clock.

Lin Mo returned to his office to find another insulated container on his desk—lunch sent by Master Liu. Beside it was a note in Li Xiao's handwriting:

"Senior Brother, eat lunch on time. I'll come by to check at three in the afternoon; if you haven't finished, I'll call Academician Wang to tattle. —Li Xiao"

Lin Mo stared at that note for several seconds.

Then he laughed, folded the note, and put it in his drawer.

That night, Lin Mo rarely left the office before ten o'clock.

He walked to Li Xiao's workstation and knocked on the desk.

Li Xiao looked up. "Senior Brother?"

"Go back and sleep," Lin Mo said. "Don't stay too late yourself."

Li Xiao was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Got it."

Lin Mo nodded and turned to walk out.

When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped, turned back, and said, "Li Xiao."

"Mm?"

"Thank you."

Li Xiao looked at him and didn't speak, just smiled.

Lin Mo also smiled, then pushed the door and went out.

Li Xiao sat at her workstation, watching his back disappear at the end of the corridor.

Then she took out her phone and messaged Chen Xueming:

"Senior Brother went back at ten today."

Chen Xueming replied instantly:

"??? Did the sun rise in the west?"

Li Xiao sent a snickering emoji:

"Maybe my note worked."

Chen Xueming replied:

"What note?"

Li Xiao sent the content of the note over.

Chen Xueming saw it and sent a string of laughing emojis:

"The tattling trick is brilliant. I'll use it next time too."

Li Xiao smiled and put away her phone, looking at the night scene outside the window.

The sea breeze drifted in through the window gaps, carrying a salty scent and a faint, elusive fragrance of flowers—the row of osmanthus at the base entrance had bloomed.

She took a deep breath and felt that tonight's air smelled exceptionally good.