Chapter 61
On a certain day in April, Haicheng University officially announced the preliminary qualifying list for the LIO competition. According to the century-old school’s tradition, the information on the school’s bulletin board was released before the mobile push notifications.
At three o’clock in the afternoon, the bulletin board in front of the biology department building was crowded with people. The contestants all squeezed forward, eager to find their names on it.
Yan Xiaorui had no hope for the results. With a long face, she looked up from the back row, one by one.
Her gaze paused. She suddenly found her project name in the middle position. Her eyes immediately lit up, and her face beamed with joy.
Not caring about the strange looks of the people around her, the Alpha jumped up excitedly and pointed to her name, saying to the young man beside her, “It’s me, it’s me! My project was selected! Bai Yan, ahhh, I’m so happy.”
“I knew you could do it. And it’s Professor Chen in charge. Congratulations, Xiaorui.” Bai Yan’s eyes curved into a smile, and he was also happy for her.
Yan Xiaorui tried hard to suppress the smile on her lips. Her gaze continued to scan the bulletin board, but after looking for a long time, she still couldn’t find Bai Yan’s name.
She turned her head in confusion. “Bai Yan, that’s not right. Why can’t I find your project name?”
Bai Yan said softly, “I wasn’t selected.”
“What a pity,” Yan Xiaorui looked up at him, hesitating, and muttered softly, “Your project clearly has a lot of research value. I really don’t know what the professors’ standards are…”
“It’s okay. I’ve already done what I wanted to do.” A faint smile appeared on Bai Yan’s lips, and he instead comforted Yan Xiaorui.
He knew that this topic was very difficult to be selected for, so he wasn’t particularly sad now.
Just a little regretful.
The two of them chatted about their experiments for a while longer. A girl from their class suddenly walked over and poked Bai Yan’s shoulder.
“Bai Yan, you’re here,” she said, biting her milk tea straw and pointing to a building in the east. “Professor Lin is downstairs at the life sciences lab building. She wants you to go find her now.”
Yan Xiaorui asked, puzzled, “Professor Lin? Isn’t she planning to retire this year? What does she want with Bai Yan?”
The girl shrugged, indicating that she didn’t know either, and walked away nonchalantly.
The Omega was also bewildered. He said goodbye to Yan Xiaorui and walked alone toward the lab building.
It was already April, and the sunlight today was noticeably stronger than before. Bai Yan opened his sun umbrella and held it over his head, and the uncomfortable high temperature quickly subsided.
A green four-leaf clover slowly moved toward the lab building.
The life sciences lab building was old and weathered. Due to insufficient funding, it had never been renovated. The outer walls were in disrepair, the waterproof layer was aging, and it was peeling and flaking. A gust of wind would send debris falling down.
And because it had been saturated with the resentment of the life sciences students who had pulled all-nighters, working on data and experiments, it had a gloomy and sinister air all year round.
According to students from other departments, even in the afternoon, when the sun was at its strongest, you would feel an inexplicable chill when passing by this lab building.
Bai Yan walked to the building, and a cool breeze happened to blow from the small grove behind the lab building.
The wind came unexpectedly. The young man was lost in thought, and not paying attention, the sun umbrella in his hand was blown by the wind, swayed, and fell straight to the side.
Bai Yan froze.
He stumbled a few steps, and just as the tip of the umbrella was about to touch the ground, a wrinkled hand suddenly and firmly grabbed the handle, righting the umbrella.
Lin Xueyin withdrew her hand, glanced at the barely steady Bai Yan, and said coolly, “Young man, you need to pay attention when you walk.”
A wave of heat rose in Bai Yan’s face. His lips moved a few times. “Thank you, Professor Lin.”
He pressed his lips together, wondering if it would be disrespectful to hold the umbrella alone. He was just about to close it when Professor Lin took a step and moved under his umbrella.
The old professor, with her head full of white hair, had her hands behind her back and walked forward leisurely, her tone nonchalant. “You don’t have class this afternoon. Why don’t you walk with this old lady for a while?”
“Okay, Professor Lin.” The young man blinked, not sure what she was thinking, and could only concentrate on holding the sun umbrella in his hand.
A few blooming green cherry blossom trees were lined up under the lab building. Compared to the lush green cherry blossom trees by East Lake, which had already withered, these few were noticeably smaller and had just entered their flowering period. The tender green petals were delicately unfurled, attracting bees and butterflies.
Lin Xueyin looked up at the green cherry blossoms, her eyes behind her glasses slightly narrowed as she asked slowly, “I hear your project wasn’t selected this time?”
“Yes.” Bai Yan touched his face in embarrassment and said in a small voice, “There are probably still some shortcomings.”
Lin Xueyin raised an eyebrow and said slowly, “As I said before, your idea is very bold. But bold also means a greater failure.”
“The professors not choosing you doesn’t mean they don’t recognize the value of your project. It’s just that compared to others, the cost-performance ratio of your project is too low.”
The old professor frowned, suddenly raised her hand, and quickly broke off a few underdeveloped branches.
“Scientific research is definitely not something that can be achieved with just hard work. Even if you invest a lot of time, money, and manpower, you may not necessarily achieve a satisfactory result.”
Lin Xueyin: “The school’s research funding is limited. They have to have more rigorous considerations when choosing from limited resources.”
A warmth spread through Bai Yan’s heart. A smile touched his lips, and the dimples that appeared were soft and cute. “Thank you for your guidance, Professor Lin. I understand.”
Lin Xueyin lifted her eyelids and glanced at him, saying coolly, “I don’t think you understand yet.”
After a long moment, she finally asked, “I ask you, if the result is destined to be a failure, are you still prepared to continue?”
Bai Yan’s back instantly tensed. He met the professor’s scrutinizing gaze and looked back with a fervent and steady gaze.
The young man’s clear, mellow voice was resounding. “I am willing! Professor Lin, even if the result will be a failure, I still want to try.”
“Even if I find a path of failure, isn’t that better than standing still?”
Only after he had spoken did he realize what he had said. He apologized sheepishly, “I’m sorry, Professor Lin. I misspoke.”
Lin Xueyin said nothing. She looked him up and down and suddenly offered a satisfied smile. “Mm, this is what a student of our Haicheng University should be like.”
“Haiqin was right. You really are to my liking, hahaha!” The more she spoke, the happier she became. She clapped her hands and laughed, and even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes appeared.
Eh? Bai Yan was completely stunned, blinking in disbelief. Is this really the stern and unsmiling Director Lin of their department?
After she had finally laughed enough, the Omega professor remembered her public image and coughed into her fist.
She said, covering it up, “You’re lucky. you just happened to run into a professor like me who is rich, has free time, and isn’t afraid of being laughed at.”
“If you still have ideas for in-depth research, I can be your mentor—”
Before she could finish, Bai Yan’s eyes lit up. With a flushed little face, he said repeatedly, “I’m willing, Professor Lin. I’m so willing!”
Lin Xueyin looked up and slowly added, “Let me be clear first. To be my student, you can’t be afraid of hardship.”
“And you have to be mentally prepared. There are no school quotas. If you want to participate, you can only do so as an individual in this year’s international competition.”
She deliberately put on a straight face. “I’m not pouring cold water on you. With your current qualifications, you’re not yet qualified to compete for the trophy.”
“But if you’re lucky, getting into the finals will also give you some exposure internationally. Maybe you’ll catch the eye of some research lab, and it’s not impossible to team up in the future.”
A smile touched Lin Xueyin’s lips, and her eyes behind her glasses rarely reflected a gentle light.
“Thank you, Professor Lin. I’ll work hard!” Bai Yan couldn’t hide his excitement. His small face flashed with a lively excitement, and he was so happy he didn’t know what to do.
He pressed his lips together, his clenched fists loosening and tightening. After a long moment, he took a deep breath and asked cautiously, “Professor Lin, may I hug you?”
The young man bit his lip nervously, but his two moist, shimmering eyes were filled with anticipation.
Lin Xueyin’s heart softened. Her serious expression instantly broke, and she raised an eyebrow helplessly. “Only once.”
The overjoyed young man threw away his umbrella and hugged the Omega professor’s shoulder, his soft eyes curving into crescent moons.
Pei Corporation Twin Towers, Top Floor Conference Room
A tense atmosphere filled the vast, cool-white space. The twenty-person square conference table was full.
Yu Xuanying tapped the file in his hand and raised an eyebrow with a smile. “Mr. Pei, you’ve seen the sincerity of the Yu Corporation.”
“Our laboratory is top-notch in the country. With the same conditions, I’m sure you won’t find a more suitable partner than the Yu Corporation.”
Yu Xuanying occupied one end of the conference room. The few suited subordinates in front of him had serious expressions, with the sole exception of a smiling, slightly chubby assistant on his left.
The Alpha sat with his legs crossed, his long hair cascading over his shoulders. His beautiful peach-blossom eyes were raised, and the scent of camellia pheromones naturally filled the conference room, a look of smug satisfaction on his face.
The Alpha at the other end of the conference room had a calm expression. He lowered his gaze to scan the file in front of him, his eyes behind his plain glasses filled with an icy coldness.
The man hadn’t even spoken, but the suppressive presence of a top-tier Alpha was already naturally exuded.
“CEO Yu is young and talented. I, Pei, am truly impressed.”
After a moment, he put down the file in his hand and said coolly, “But I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint CEO Yu. A few days ago, Xuyuan Pharmaceuticals in Shen City already submitted a cooperation invitation to the Pei Corporation.”
“Xuyuan Pharmaceuticals’ newly developed scent-blocker product last year took a 50% market share in one fell swoop. CEO Yu should be familiar with it.”
“And, compared to your company, their cooperation requirements seem to be easier to meet. The Pei Corporation is already considering related contact matters.”
A very faint smile touched Pei Tingyu’s lips as he unhurriedly clasped his hands.
“CEO Yu has just taken over the company. Now is the time for adjustments. I, Pei, think, why should CEO Yu be in such a hurry?”
The smile on Yu Xuanying’s face almost couldn’t be maintained. Veins popped out on his forehead, and the knuckles of his fingers under the table cracked.
You, Pei Tingyu! You know I’m in a hurry to treat my pheromones, and you’re raising the price on the spot. This is trying to skin the Yu Corporation! You profiteer!
His Buddha-like assistant saw this, his brow twitched, and he quickly pointed to the tie on his chest as a hint.
Yu Xuanying took a deep breath and forced a smile back onto his face.
The words seemed to be squeezed out of his mouth, one by one. “You’re too kind, Mr. Pei. You are the leader of the business world. How could I, Yu, dare to compare myself to you?”
“How about this? To show the sincerity of the Yu Corporation, I am willing to give another three percentage points.”
“Mr. Pei, are you satisfied now?” The Alpha’s tone was tinged with a hint of gritted teeth.
Pei Tingyu offered a satisfied smile. “CEO Yu, it’s a pleasure to work with you.”
“To avoid any unexpected changes, Mr. Pei, why don’t we sign the cooperation agreement today? How about it?”
“Of course.”
The two parties signed duplicate agreements under the witness of their accompanying lawyers.
When shaking hands with Pei Tingyu, Yu Xuanying gritted his teeth, his knuckles cracking. He wanted to eat Pei Tingyu alive.
But Pei Tingyu was calm and composed, a faint smile on his lips as he returned the handshake nonchalantly.
The conference room was filled with two mutually repellent S-class pheromones. The suppressive presence of the top-tier Alphas made it impossible for anyone present to lift their heads.
The Pei Corporation employees wiped the sweat from their foreheads, smiling triumphantly. The Yu Corporation staff were trembling, not daring to breathe, afraid that their boss would take out his displeasure on them.
Yu Xuanying’s face was ashen, his smile not reaching his eyes. “It’s not easy to cooperate with Mr. Pei once. I have a party on my private yacht tonight. Mr. Pei must do me the honor of attending.”
Pei Tingyu politely declined. “CEO Yu is too kind. But I already have plans for tonight. I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to attend.”
Yu Xuanying, who would be going home to an empty house, was stabbed again. His tone was sour. “Mr. Pei, you have a beauty in your arms now. You’re a busy man.”
Pei Tingyu slowly looked up, glanced at the green bruise at the corner of his eye, and nonchalantly raised his left hand, turning the wedding ring on his ring finger. He chuckled lightly. “Yes, after all, there’s someone at home now. It’s not like it used to be.”
Not only had he not managed to win his wife back, but he had also been beaten by his wife. Smoke was coming out of Yu Xuanying’s ears, and he was so angry he was about to jump.
Song Jian looked at the wretched CEO Yu with pity and shook his head to himself.
CEO Yu, CEO Yu, who could you have provoked? Why did you have to provoke Mr. Pei?
Haven’t you heard that those who love their wives will prosper?
