Lin Shuang squinted at him for a few seconds before laughing. “Others will think that you’re jealous if they don’t know any better.”


  While He Yidu did not respond to her, Qin Fang had a fist in his mouth as he tried his best to hold back his laughter. Lu Chengzhou continued peeling prawns for Gu Mang and neither of them spoke.

  As Jiangsui switched his gaze between Lin Shuang, He Yidu, and the taciturn couple, he took out his phone to send Yun Ling a message. [I suddenly feel sorry for you, buddy.]

  He did not have to wait too long before receiving a question mark from Yun Ling. He explained, [I’m having dinner with Sister Mang and Nine Tails, as well as Lu Chengzhou and his gang. Something’s not right between Nine Tails and He Yidu.]

  It took a while to get a response. Just when he thought that Yun Ling must have gone to sleep, he received a reply. [You’re overthinking it, buddy. Lin Shuang is always cursing He Yidu at the base. It’s impossible for them to get along.]

  Inwardly, Jiangsu lit a candle for his friend. [Sometimes, self-deception is a form of comfort.]

  [Don’t provoke me.]

  Jiangsui sent a candle emoticon over, along with the message: [Condolences to you.]

  The others chatted briefly about the contract before the subject of the conversation changed to something else. Meanwhile, Gu Mang’s phone, which was on the dining table, buzzed. She picked it up and took a look at it, only to see that she had received a message from Yu Zhongjing. It read, [Master, do you want Mufeng to go fetch you tomorrow or will you come over by yourself?]

  She put down her chopsticks, leaned back lazily in the chair, and typed, [I’ll go there on my own.]

  [Alright], replied Yu Zhongjing.

  When they were almost done with their meal, He Yidu went to settle the bill. The store owner looked as if he was seeing a god of fortune when he heard that He Yidu was paying for everyone. Lin Shuang, however, was annoyed. ……

  “Sister Mang, I’ll come pick you up at 8 AM tomorrow,” said Jiangsui to Gu Mang, who was preparing to get into Lu Chengzhou’s car.

  She hummed an assent, then said, “See you.”


  Lu Chengzhou gave Jiangsui a profound look before making his way to the other side of the car. When he realized that his fiancé was feeling a little sleepy and intended to nap in the car, he took a blanket out from the trunk so that she could sleep in his embrace.

  Upon noticing this from the rearview mirror, Lu Yī slowed down and drove steadily on the road. It was a quiet ride and all that could be heard was the soft whirring of the car’s engine. The journey, which was supposed to only take twenty-odd minutes, lasted for forty minutes before they finally arrived at the parking lot of Royal Garden.

  As soon as the car’s engine was turned off, Gu Mang opened her eyes. Lu Chengzhou whispered softly to her, “We’ve arrived. Let’s go.”


  “Mm,” she responded.

  With her hand in his, Lu Chengzhou led her to the elevator while asking, “Where are you going tomorrow?”


  She looked up and realized that she had not told him about her plans for the next day, so she said, “I’m going to Yu Zhongjing’s lab. He’s facing some troubles.”


  He pressed the elevator button. “Will you be back in the afternoon?”


  “I don’t think so.” To be honest, she was not sure how many days she would have to spend in the lab either, but when the man pressed down on her fingertip, she did the same back to him and explained patiently, “It’s an urgent matter. I’ll see how soon I can return.”


  When the elevator arrived, Lu Yī followed the couple in and squeezed himself into a corner, trying his best to minimize his presence.

  Lu Chengzhou fell silent for a few seconds before he said warmly, “Let me know when you’re done and I’ll go fetch you.”


  Gu Mang nodded. “Okay.”
……

  The next day, Gu Mang arrived at the research institute with Jiangsui at 9 AM. Yu Mufeng was also there. Because Jiangsui knew zilch about experiments, he waited in Yu Zhongjing’s office instead.

  Gu Mang put a lab coat, then followed the father and son into the Physical and Chemical Analysis Laboratory. There, Yu Zhongjing handed her the recent progress report. “Master, take a look at this and see if I’ve made a mistake somewhere. There’s something wrong with the results.”


  She took a seat in front of the computer that was connected to the lab equipment, then quickly scanned through the report before putting it aside to use the computer. She pulled up a structural analysis chart, which showed complex and twisted lines on the screen. After looking through three structural diagrams, she said, “There’s no problem. It’s just that you failed to detect something.”


  Yu Zhongjing blinked in disbelief.