62: Chapter 62 He, the youngest pillar of the Dragon Kingdom!
Su Che hung up the phone, looking at the pair of watery big eyes in his arms, not knowing how to bring it up.
This girl had been so nervous just riding in a military plane.
If he told her they were going to the Central Great Hall tomorrow to meet The Elder and receive the Dragon Kingdom's top science and technology award...
Wouldn't she faint on the spot?
"Su Che, wh-what's wrong?" Lin Waner asked softly, seeing that his expression was off.
"It's nothing." Su Che cleared his throat. "Tomorrow morning, accompany me... to attend a meeting."
"A meeting?" Lin Waner blinked, looking a bit confused.
"Yeah, an award ceremony." Su Che said nonchalantly. "I won an award, and they insisted I go receive it. It's quite a hassle."
Upon hearing this, Lin Waner's eyes lit up. "You won an award? What kind of award? It must be something amazing!"
"It's alright, the Dragon Kingdom's top science and technology award."
"..." Lin Waner's expression shifted.
Although she was a teacher from the village, she had heard the name of this award on the news.
That was an award only for the white-haired, elderly scientists who had made monumental contributions to the country. Su Che?
"You... you're not lying to me, are you?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Su Che pulled her closer. "Dean Liu just called and said family members can attend too."
"I... I..." Lin Waner's mind went blank, and she became incoherent. "I'm just a teacher from the village. If I go to a place like that, I'll... I'll embarrass you."
As she spoke, that sense of inferiority welled up again.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Su Che reached out and pinched her slightly chubby cheeks. "With me here, who would dare say a single word against you?"
His tone was as overbearing as ever.
The next day, at eight in the morning, Wang Hai brought two female assistants, carrying several exquisite dress boxes, and knocked on the door of the Expert Apartment.
"Engineer Su, Teacher Lin, sorry to disturb you." Wang Hai smiled politely. "Lieutenant General Peng specially arranged for formal wear for both of you to attend the ceremony."
Lin Waner was invited into the bedroom by the female assistants, while Su Che was pressed by Wang Hai to change into a crisp black suit.
Wearing this thing felt uncomfortable all over. Su Che tugged at his tie, feeling that this outfit was even more uncomfortable than soldering circuit boards.
While Su Che was still feeling itchy all over, the bedroom door opened. He instinctively turned to look.
He was completely stunned, the kind where he almost drooled.
Lin Waner was wearing a light blue long dress. The style was simple and elegant, yet it outlined her exquisite figure perfectly.
The fabric of the dress was very soft and clung to her skin. The pair of rather sizable mounds on her chest were perfectly supported, rising and falling slightly with her nervous breathing.
The waist was cinched tightly, and below it were her perky peach-like hips, outlining a breathtaking curve.
Her originally pure face, after the female assistants applied light makeup, had gained a hint of stunning beauty. Pure yet sexy.
This silly girl, she was actually so well-endowed. Su Che felt his throat go dry.
"Su... Su Che, is it... very strange?" Lin Waner's cheeks burned under his gaze, her hands nervously clutching the hem of her dress, feeling somewhat at a loss.
"Not strange at all." Su Che walked over and naturally took her hand. "My wife looks good in anything."
Nine in the morning. The main venue of the National Science and Technology Ceremony.
When Su Che held Lin Waner's hand and followed Wang Hai into this magnificent hall that she had only ever seen on television, Lin Waner felt her legs go weak.
Above the dome were brilliant lights. All around were solemn palace pillars. The venue was already packed with people.
On the left were leading experts in the field of national defense research, all looking extraordinary. On the right were top scientists and academicians from all over the country, each one looking spirited with eyes like torches.
They were arranged in the very center of the first row. As soon as they sat down, Lin Waner felt countless gazes cast their way all at once.
There was curiosity, surprise, but more than that, a sense of scrutiny and expectation.
"To be able to enter this venue at such a young age, he must have quite the background." "Look at the girl beside him, she must be a family member; she has a very quiet and gentle temperament."
An elderly, white-haired, and highly respected academician adjusted his glasses, looked at Su Che with a gentle gaze, and whispered to his assistant beside him.
"To be able to stand here at this age is certainly no coincidence."
The surrounding discussions were not loud, but just enough for Lin Waner to hear. A hint of shyness appeared on the girl's face, and she instinctively leaned closer to Su Che.
Su Che sensed her nervousness. He didn't say anything, just tightened his grip on her small hand, then nodded slightly, offering a polite smile to the seniors around him.
Seeing this, the elderly academician also nodded slightly in return, a flash of approval in his eyes.
Nine-thirty. The ceremony officially began. Several meritorious seniors in the field and the organizers of the committee walked onto the podium. The whole audience stood up, and thunderous applause erupted.
After a long process, the most critical part finally arrived. The host walked onto the stage, voice impassioned.
"Next, we will reveal the recipient of this year's highest honor in Dragon Kingdom technology!"
"This year's winner, through their own efforts, has driven leapfrog development in multiple cutting-edge fields in the Dragon Kingdom, including Quantum Information, Quantum Laser, Controlled Nuclear Fusion, Artificial Intelligence, all-terrain transforming mechs, and Anti-gravity irrigation!"
The host's words caused a low commotion in the venue. After all, insiders knew how stubborn the problems in these fields were. For one person to span so many fields was unheard of.
Everyone sat up straight in unison, wanting to hear the full story.
"He solved the long-distance quantum communication problem that has plagued the world's physics community for half a century!" "He realized the civilian and military application of miniaturized Controlled Nuclear Fusion technology!" "His technology has allowed the Dragon Kingdom to stand at the pinnacle of world technology overnight!"
The moment the words fell, the venue fell silent. Even the sound of breathing was clearly audible.
The elderly academician from earlier shuddered slightly, his hand holding his glasses frozen in mid-air. He opened his mouth, his face full of disbelief, and a trace of doubt even flashed deep in his eyes.
Could it... be this kid? After all, with his decades of research experience, he had never heard of anyone who could simultaneously achieve world-class breakthroughs in so many fields. Any one of these achievements would be enough to make someone famous worldwide; could they really all be collected by one person?
Everyone stretched their necks, their eyes fixed motionless on the podium.
The host calmed their mood, adjusted their breathing, and announced in a tone bordering on pilgrimage, "He is our Dragon Kingdom's youngest pillar of the nation—Su Che, Engineer Su!"
Boom! The entire venue was completely stirred up! Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the young man in the first row who had been calm from beginning to end!
It's him?! It really is him! The white-haired elderly academician slowly stood up, solemnly performed a standard cupped-hand salute to Su Che, his face showing deep emotion.
Amidst the shocked, solemn, and reverent gazes of the whole audience, Su Che stood up, somewhat impatiently. What a drag, it's finally my turn. Let's hurry up and finish; I still need to go back and debug the Quantum Computer!
He patted Lin Waner's hand and whispered, "Wait for me." Then, under the eyes of all, he walked step by step onto the stage that symbolized the highest honor in the Dragon Kingdom's scientific and technological circles.
Under the spotlight, Lin Waner looked up, watching the man who shielded her from the wind and rain, now accepting the respect of the entire Dragon Kingdom. Tears, once again, uncontrollably blurred her eyes. But this time, it was happiness, it was pride.
On the podium. "Comrade Little Su, thank you for your hard work." The Elder's voice was not loud, but it carried a weight as heavy as a mountain. "The country thanks you."
Su Che stood at attention and gave a not-so-standard military salute. "Duty to the country, tackling difficulties for the people!"
The award ceremony ended. As soon as Su Che stepped off the stage, he was "grabbed" from the left and right by Lieutenant General Peng and President Liu Qianghua. On the faces of the two big shots was irrepressible ecstasy and excitement.
"Engineer Su! Awesome!" Lieutenant General Peng was so excited he even cursed. "Let's go, let's go! Don't waste time here!"
President Liu Qianghua was even more direct, grabbing Su Che and walking out. "All the equipment and materials you asked for have already been transported into the 'Pangu Quantum Computer' Laboratory No. 3!"
Dean Liu's eyes were flashing with an almost crazy light. "Hundreds of top expert teams are all standing by!" "Now, we are just waiting for you, the Chief Commander, to fire the first shot of the 'Southern Gate'!"