Chen Haohai's unintentional remark caused Li Guowei's face to turn as red as a beet.
Upon arriving at the site today, he had already sensed something was amiss.
He had originally intended to keep Liu Kai Xuan guessing, and use the opportunity to discuss academic matters.
He hadn't expected Liu Kai Xuan to fix the machine directly.
Now, Chen Haohai's earlier words clearly mocked him, the so-called expert, as someone "seeking fame and reputation without substance."
If possible, Li Guowei truly wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
However, soon after, Li Guowei raised a new doubt about the matter.
"Professor Chen Guoliang also came to perform maintenance work yesterday and managed to fix this machine!"
"But this very machine broke down again within ten minutes of being repaired!"
"Therefore, for the sake of rigor, I believe we should continue testing for a while longer!"
Li Ya became anxious. "Grandpa, why are you being so stubborn again?"
"Kai Xuan has already tested it himself, and Master Wang has also personally operated it for a long time without any issues!"
Li Ya's mood at this moment was incredibly anxious.
This old man, Li Guowei, was not a narrow-minded person.
When he was teaching at the Industrial University in his younger days, he was known for his magnanimity and broad-mindedness.
How had he become so petty after retirement?
Looking at his current stance, it seemed he was determined to find fault with Liu Kai Xuan's work.
"I'm not being stubborn; the reality is as it is!"
Li Guowei said solemnly, "This machine is very special, and we must treat it as such!"
"Master Wang, please continue testing for a while longer!"
Li Guowei's words drew Chen Haohai's attention.
Chen Haohai asked the workers to continue testing the machine, while he invited Liu Kai Xuan to the guesthouse for a meal.
As a result, after Liu Kai Xuan enjoyed a pleasant meal, the machine in the workshop had still not malfunctioned.
It had been running stably for nearly an hour without any issues. This time, Li Guowei had nothing more to say.
Logically, the matter should have concluded at this point.
However, to everyone's surprise, Li Guowei went to the Hongxing Steel Rolling Plant again that afternoon and found Liu Kai Xuan.
Upon seeing Li Guowei arrive, Li Ya's pretty face flushed with embarrassment, wishing she could disappear into a hole to hide for a while.
"Grandpa, why are you here again!"
"The machine at Dongxing Heavy Industry Factory has already been repaired!"
"Director Liu has a lot of work to do!"
"If you have nothing important to do, old sir, please go back and fish..."
"No, no, no, I still want to have a good talk with Kai Xuan!"
Li Guowei said earnestly, "If the doubts in my heart are not resolved, I probably won't be able to sleep tonight!"
Li Ya wanted to persuade Li Guowei to go home, but this old man was a stubborn one.
How could he obediently listen to Li Ya's advice? In the end, the old man, steeling himself, met Liu Kai Xuan.
After they met, Li Guowei went straight to the point and asked.
"Director Liu, I need to apologize to you for this morning's events!"
"It's true that my old habits resurfaced, and I insisted on discussing academic matters with you, which delayed you quite a bit!"
"Forget it!"
Liu Kai Xuan waved his hand and said, "Professor Li is highly respected, and it's truly moving that he still cares about the nation even in retirement!"
"There is no conflict between us, and you don't need to apologize!"
Li Guowei smiled and continued, "The facts have proven my judgment to be wrong!"
"But I am still greatly puzzled!"
"Why was it that Professor Chen Guoliang, using the same repair method yesterday, could not completely fix the machine!"
"And yet, you were able to completely repair it?"
Liu Kai Xuan said solemnly, "I already answered this question for you this morning!"
"The machine that malfunctioned is an old Japanese machine."
"The manufacturing process for this type of machine is very backward and completely different from the engineering knowledge we possess."
"The spindle of this model of machine cannot be adjusted!"
"What, it cannot be adjusted?"
Li Guowei said in a deep voice, "How is that possible? There's clearly an adjustment valve on the spindle fixing groove!"
"That adjustment valve is just for show; the spindle of this machine actually cannot be adjusted."
"But this..."
"Alright Grandpa, why are you being so stubborn again!"
Li Guowei was about to continue his relentless questioning, but Li Ya was no longer willing to stand it.
"Director Liu has given you enough face now, hasn't he?"
"He has explained it so clearly to you, and you're still babbling!"
"Don't always think that you possess supreme knowledge!"
"Looking at the industrial technological level of our entire Eastern continent, it is currently still at a very backward stage!"
"You can't just keep questioning and complaining because someone knows more than you. This is not the attitude a researcher should have!"
"Oh, hehe..."
Li Guowei smiled sheepishly, "Xiao Ya is right. I was indeed too narrow-minded."
"Those of us in technology should keep up with the times!"
"Alright then, you continue your work. I won't disturb you any longer!"
After a few apologetic smiles, Li Guowei went home alone.
After he left, Li Ya's embarrassed expression intensified.
"I'm truly sorry, Director Liu. My grandfather is just that kind of person; he's liked to be stubborn his whole life, and I can't do anything about him!"
"Hehehe..."
Liu Kai Xuan smiled and waved his hand, "It's alright, we're all friends!"
After this incident, Liu Kai Xuan considered Li Guowei to be an old-fashioned stubborn man.
In reality, Li Guowei had other thoughts, but the opportunity wasn't ripe today, so he didn't express them directly.
...
Today was Zhao Feiyan's birthday.
After work, Liu Kai Xuan specifically went to the market and bought a large quantity of vegetables, intending to treat Zhao Feiyan well.
However, as soon as Liu Kai Xuan returned to the courtyard, he saw Sha Zhu being escorted away by the police with handcuffs.
Zhao Feiyan told Liu Kai Xuan, "This guy Sha Zhu is too ruthless; he directly broke Xu Damao's nose!"
This time, the matter had blown up.
Xu Damao and Qin Jingru had joined forces and accused Sha Zhu.
Xu Damao accused Sha Zhu of attempted murder and severely injuring him, while Qin Jingru directly accused Sha Zhu of hooliganism and malicious harassment.
"Alright Feiyan, this matter has nothing to do with us. We'd better not meddle in it!"
Liu Kai Xuan was not in the mood to deal with the messy affairs of those beasts right now.