After the initial surprise, Aegis began to feast wildly on the meat.

His passion for food left Director Zhao and Director Li a bit dumbfounded. They had assumed the expert, who sounded so domineering on the phone, would be a difficult person to get along with.

’Who would have thought he’d be won over so easily by a state-run restaurant?’

Neither of them dared to speak, just watching as Aegis continuously served himself more food. Finally—

"Now I understand why my colleagues who visit China complain about our food when they return home. The cuisine in China is just so delicious!"

Aegis wasn’t like other experts who put on airs, acting arrogant as if gracing them with his presence.

He wasn’t like that at all. He was generous with his praise.

Director Zhao and Director Li had never met a foreigner with such a good attitude, and for a moment, they didn’t know how to react. Fortunately, the translator was present, so they weren’t left stunned for long.

After dinner, they arranged for Aegis and the translator to stay at the guesthouse.

「The next day」

Xie Changning told Wang Lisheng she was going to the machine tool factory. "Li Guodong told me yesterday," Wang Lisheng said. "I heard an expert from the United States is coming. You really should go."

The machine repair was very important, so Wang Lisheng was strongly in favor of her going.

Xie Changning took Director Li’s car to the machine tool factory. Just as she got out, she saw a tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed man waiting at the factory gate.

Director Li was keeping him company.

Upon seeing Xie Changning, Director Li’s eyes lit up. He hurried to introduce her to Aegis. "Professor Aegis, this is the one who spoke with you on the phone the other day—the deputy director of the screw factory, Xie Changning."

The translator repeated Director Li’s words, and Aegis’s eyes instantly lit up.

"Hello, Xie."

He stepped forward, greeting Xie Changning with great enthusiasm.

His attitude left Xie Changning a bit stunned. Ever since she had transmigrated, all the foreigners she had met were arrogant and ill-tempered. She was a little surprised to finally see one who was so approachable (a normal person).

"Hello, Aegis."

The fluent English that flowed from Xie Changning’s lips made Aegis’s eyes light up even more.

Evidently, the previous day’s meal had completely conquered his stomach. He now had a very favorable impression of this mysterious, ancient country.

As they walked into the machine tool factory together, Aegis chattered nonstop to Xie Changning, endlessly praising the amazing food he’d had last night and this morning.

"You haven’t even tasted the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Chinese cuisine."

Aegis was clearly a foodie, so Xie Changning tailored the conversation to his interests. Upon hearing that he hadn’t even tasted the tip of the iceberg, he grew even more curious about the food in China.

"Oh my goodness, I think I want to stay on business in China forever."

The environment here might be a bit behind the times, but the food was worth its weight in gold!

To Aegis, the surroundings were actually quite nice, and the living arrangements the Chinese had prepared for him weren’t bad at all—it was just a matter of different customs.

Therefore, Aegis was perfectly willing to accept a long-term assignment here.

’This place is practically my food paradise!’

Xie Changning and Aegis were getting along quite well, so Director Li curiously asked the translator what they were discussing. When he learned they were talking about food, Director Li was completely bewildered.

"Huh?" Director Li didn’t understand.

He had never been abroad and knew nothing of the culinary scene in other countries, so he couldn’t understand why the two of them were discussing such a topic.

When Director Li followed them into the repair workshop, their topic of conversation shifted to the problem of repairing the machine tool.

"What you said on the phone the other day convinced me that I needed to make this trip myself."

Aegis’s words could easily be misunderstood to mean that he had been persuaded by Xie Changning and had come specifically for her.

In reality, he was there to take responsibility for the machine his company had provided.

Xie Changning had a rather good impression of Aegis. At the very least, he maintained the poise and politeness of a gentleman during their conversation, unlike the others who would shout and do obnoxious things.

The problem wasn’t major, and the repair was straightforward.

In less than three hours, Aegis, his assistant, and the machine tool factory staff had the machine repaired.

As noon approached, Director Li, knowing how much Aegis loved to eat, took him back to the state-run restaurant for lunch.

"That guo bao rou is simply divine!" Having tried guo bao rou for the first time, Aegis was completely blown away by Chuncheng’s version and insisted that Xie Changning had to try it.

Xie Changning nodded with a smile. "Actually, China has a vast array of delicious dishes, like braised crucian carp, sautéed pork tenderloin..." At this time, chefs tended to be somewhat limited in their repertoires.

The chefs were more skilled with local specialties and less so with dishes from other regions, which was why a large proportion of Xie Changning’s recommendations were from the Northeast.

Aegis noted down every one of Xie Changning’s recommendations and, confident in his ability to finish it all, ordered four dishes.

And then—

All Xie Changning could see of Aegis was the top of his fluffy golden head. He was constantly shoveling rice into his mouth, never once stopping.

Director Li worried that he would get an upset stomach from overeating. "Should... should we tell him to slow down?" he asked. ’He’s going to feel awful if he eats that much.’

Xie Changning saw the confusion in Director Li’s eyes.

"The food in the United States isn’t as tasty as ours. They don’t castrate their boars..." Xie Changning briefly explained Aegis’s love for Chinese cuisine, then started to eat her own meal.

The meal left Aegis stuffed.

He rubbed his round belly, expressing his love for China. "I love China! I’m going to send a fax to my company right now. I want to stay and work here!"

Xie Changning smiled faintly.

"China welcomes you."

Director Li knew how to say this sentence, so he repeated it as well.

Once the machine was repaired, Xie Changning prepared to return to her factory. However, Aegis said he still had some issues he wanted to discuss with her. At Director Li’s request, Xie Changning stayed, not getting home until evening.

After returning home, Xie Changning couldn’t wait to see the new appearance of her mechanical laboratory.

The small, two-story building, which once had peeling walls and looked extremely dilapidated, had now been repaired. The walls were no longer peeling. The iron plaque hadn’t been replaced; it still bore the same painted lettering.

However, Xie Changning sensed that the two-story building’s area had increased.

It seemed to have doubled in size.

Xie Changning pushed open the door and entered the laboratory. Sure enough, she saw that a new section had appeared inside, labeled "Design Area."

The Design Area also had a workbench, used specifically for creating blueprints. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Design Table (Locked): Requires Workbench Lv. 3 to unlock. Please upgrade the workbench level as soon as possible, Host.

Xie Changning saw that the upgrade requirements for the workbench had been met, so she tapped "Upgrade" without hesitation.

The workbench upgrade required two and a half hours. Xie Changning went outside the lab to organize some things within the space, then left the space entirely to return home, eat dinner, and do her laundry.

By the time she had finished everything, exactly two and a half hours had passed.

She re-entered the space to see that the workbench had undergone an earth-shattering transformation—