Marrying My Bestie's Ferocious Brother - He Calls Me His Baby!-Chapter 235 - 234: You Dare Cut Off My Power?

Night.

Just past seven o’clock.

The warm yellow light inside the house went "snap," and went out.

The entire house plunged into darkness.

In the corner, the specially-made smokeless stove’s last bit of flame also extinguished.

The warmth quickly began to dissipate from the air.

The cold seeped in through the window cracks, making the skin tighten.

"Ugh..."

In the cradle, Gu Ning stirred, seemingly sensing the cold, and started to whine softly.

Gu An, who was dismantling a radio on the carpet, also paused his actions.

In the darkness, his bright black eyes turned towards his mother’s direction.

Lin Wan Yi sat on the sofa without moving.

She didn’t even get up to check the circuit breaker.

Director Meng.

Meng Dehai.

The tactics of this father and daughter came faster than she imagined.

And more foolish.

"Don’t be afraid."

Lin Wan Yi’s voice was light, yet unusually calm.

She stood up and adeptly fished through her cloth bag.

The next second.

A thick, soft cashmere blanket with a faint scent of sunshine was pulled out by her.

She walked to the cradle and wrapped Gu Ning tightly.

Then she pulled out a smaller one and covered Gu An with it.

"Mom."

Gu An called out in a babyish voice.

"It’s okay."

Lin Wan Yi then took out a small thermos from the bag.

She unscrewed it.

A puff of warm steam emerged.

She poured a little into a cup, checked the temperature, and fed it to the two children.

It was warm spiritual spring water.

After drinking it, the chill dissipated completely.

Gu Ning smacked his lips and fell back asleep.

Gu An hugged his little blanket and continued fiddling with his parts in the faint moonlight from outside the window.

As if the power outage had no effect on them.

Outside, the corridor of the apartment building erupted into chaos.

"What’s going on? Why did the power go out?"

"I just started boiling water, and it suddenly went dark!"

"How can we live in this cold weather without electricity?"

The sounds of doors opening, complaints, and children crying all blended together.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The door to Lin Wan Yi’s home was knocked on.

Heavily.

With anger.

Lin Wan Yi walked over and opened the door.

Standing at the door was the wife of Professor Zhang from across the hall, with a sharp look on her face.

Behind her were several neighbors.

"Teacher Lin."

Professor Zhang’s wife spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"How did the power just go out all of a sudden?"

"Did your family get some new gadget? I’ve heard about it, with the sofas and carpets."

"The wiring in this building is old and can’t handle the way you capitalists mess around!"

She spoke loudly, as if deliberately for everyone in the corridor to hear.

"Exactly, we’ve never had something like this happen in this building for decades."

"Since certain people moved in, bringing in cabbages and special favors, now even the electricity is gone."

The words directly pointed at Lin Wan Yi.

As if she was the source of the disaster.

Lin Wan Yi crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

She wasn’t angry.

Just watched Professor Zhang’s wife as if looking at a clown.

"Mrs. Zhang."

Lin Wan Yi spoke, her voice not loud but clearly heard by everyone.

"Isn’t your husband a physics teacher?"

Mrs. Zhang was taken aback: "Yes, so what?"

"Then you should know a simple fact."

Lin Wan Yi spoke in a calm tone.

"If it were just one household using too much electricity, it would only blow their own fuse."

"But now, the entire building is out of power."

She paused, glancing towards the main circuit box at the end of the corridor.

"This indicates a problem with the main line."

"It has nothing to do with what appliances anyone has."

One sentence.

Clear, calm, logical.

The corridor fell silent.

Those who had joined in the commotion fell silent.

Indeed, everyone understood this logic.

Mrs. Zhang’s face turned from red to white.

"You..."

She was too choked to speak.

"Moreover."

Lin Wan Yi continued.

"Even if it were our family’s fault, the school logistics department should inspect it."

"Since when was it the neighbor’s job to play judge?"

"Mrs. Zhang, are you being so active because you want to help the logistics department, or be the ’electricity tiger’ in this building?"

This statement was a bit probing.

Mrs. Zhang’s face changed to an unpleasant expression.

"I... I was just concerned about it!"

She left a perfunctory remark, turned around, and went back to her own home.

With a "bang," she closed the door.

The other neighbors dispersed awkwardly as well.

A storm aimed at Lin Wan Yi was thus lightly resolved by her.

But Lin Wan Yi knew, this was just the beginning.

She closed the door.

Said to Gu An, "An An, take good care of your sister."

Then she put on a coat and grabbed a flashlight.

She was going to meet that "electric tiger" in person.

...

Peking University Logistics Department.

There was only a young staff member in the duty room.

In his early twenties, wearing an ill-fitting uniform, he was lounging with his legs crossed, reading a newspaper.

Seeing Lin Wan Yi come in, he didn’t even lift an eyelid.

"What do you need?"

"Comrade, hello. The entire building No. 3 for faculty has lost power, could you please check it out?" Lin Wan Yi said.

The staff member put down the newspaper and gave her a once-over.

"Building No. 3?"

He lazily stood up and walked to the registration board on the wall to have a look.

"Oh, there is such a case."

"The wiring is aged and needs comprehensive maintenance."

"When will it be fixed?" Lin Wan Yi asked.

"Hard to say."

The staff member spread his hands, looking indifferent.

"Could be three days, or maybe five."

"You’ll just have to manage these days."

"The country is calling for energy savings now, so you’re contributing to the nation as well."

He said with a smug smile at the corner of his mouth.

That expression was identical to Meng Ting’s.

Lin Wan Yi understood it all.

"Manage?"

She took a step forward.

"Comrade, the building houses faculty members, many are elderly professors."

"And there are infants who need care."

"In this weather, below minus ten degrees, no power and no heat could be fatal."

"Will you take responsibility if something happens?"

The staff was somewhat unnerved by her gaze, but still stiffened his neck.

"How can I be responsible? This is the regulation!"

"Besides, others can manage, why can’t you?"

"Aren’t you Gu Tuan Zhang’s wife? Military families should set an example!"

He emphasized the words "military family" heavily.

With blatant threat.

Just at that moment.

"Let’s see who dares to lead military families to their doom!"

A hoarse shout came from the doorway.

The voice, though raspy, carried thunderous anger.

The door of the duty room was banged open.

Dean Li stormed in, wrapped in a cold aura.

His hair was disheveled, glasses askew on his nose, chest heaving violently.

Obviously, he ran all the way.

Behind him were two serious-looking assistants.

"Dea... Dean Li?"

The staff’s legs went weak, almost losing his balance.

Why did he come?

Dean Li didn’t even glance at him, headed straight to Lin Wan Yi.

"Wanyi! Are you okay? Where are the kids?"

"I just heard Building No. 3 lost power, so I rushed over!"

"The data! Your experimental data hasn’t been affected, right?"

What he was most concerned about was the notebook that could change the fate of the nation.

Lin Wan Yi shook her head: "I’m fine, teacher. I have the data with me."

Dean Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Then.

He turned around.

Bloodshot eyes fixated on that young staff member.

"Was it you?"

"N...No, not me! It was... the wiring’s aging!" the staff stammered in fear.

"Wiring’s aging?"

Dean Li laughed angrily.

"Let me tell you! That building! That room!"

He pointed in Lin Wan Yi’s direction.

"Is the zero-zone experimental area of the ’National New Cold-Resistant Crops Cultivation Project!’"

"Every sample, every piece of data inside is the nation’s highest secret!"

"Do you dare cut power to a state secret experimental area?"

The staff felt a chaotic ringing in his head.

The staff’s mind buzzed.

St... state secret?

That crummy apartment building?

He was just following Director Meng’s orders to cause some trouble for Gu Yanshen’s family.

How did it become sabotaging state secrets?

"I... I didn’t know, Dean Li, I really didn’t know!"

He pleaded, almost on his knees.

"You didn’t know?"

Dean Li’s hand was shaking.

He pointed at the staff’s nose, shouting each word forcefully.

"It’s okay for a small staff member of the Logistics Department not to know."

"I’ll call the leader of the Agriculture Ministry and ask if he knows!"

"I’ll ask him who gave you the courage to mess with the lifeline of our agricultural project!"

Finished.

Dean Li gave no time for a reaction.

He took a black phone book from the assistant, opened it.

Walked to the desk, and picked up the red telephone.

In the terrified and twisted eyes of the staff.

Digit by digit, he dialed.

"Ring... Ring..."

The sound of the call connecting in the deadly silent duty room.

Like the tolling of a death knell.