Chapter 1 World One [1]

"I'm truly sorry. Although Professor Song didn't actually commit academic fraud, the impact of the previous public opinion won't subside anytime soon. Based on comprehensive considerations, we've decided to withdraw our funding."

"After our internal discussion, we will stop funding in the next phase. Considering the previous pleasant cooperation, we will not recover the funds already invested."

"The school's research and development budget for this year has already exceeded its target. It's already very difficult to secure 100,000 yuan. Mr. Shang, I hope you can understand us."

“…”

All kinds of sounds filled Shang Siyu's head, waking her up from her nap. She looked at the empty laboratory in a daze.

However, waking up from the dream did not bring any changes to reality. It was true that the tutor was affected by academic fraud and became ill and hospitalized. It was also true that the original investors and the school cut off most of the research and development funds for the project.

[Sign a contract with me and I can help you change your current predicament. ]

A magnetic voice that sounded like that of a young woman suddenly appeared in Shang Siyu's mind.

Shang Siyu looked around extremely vigilantly. After making sure that there was no one around him and no unfamiliar equipment, he pinched his eyebrows.

"Is the pressure really too great? I'm having auditory hallucinations again." Shang Siyu muttered to himself, and once again chose to ignore the voice in his mind.

Shang Siyu had heard the voice more than once, but as a firm believer in science, she did not believe the female voice. Shang Siyu firmly believed that it was an illusion caused by too much pressure.

After muttering to himself, Shang Siyu went to the bathroom, washed his face with a handful of water, and looked at himself in the mirror.

Shang Siyu, who often spends time in the laboratory, has fair skin, slightly three-dimensional facial features, and double-eyed eyes, making the person in the mirror look cold and unapproachable.

The strands of hair by her ears were stained by the water droplets just now, and a faint bluish-black tint could be clearly seen under her eyes. This was the result of Shang Siyu staying up all night for three days, and it was proof that she was eager to do something.

However, the small dark circles did not detract from Shang Siyu's beauty. Instead, it made the seemingly cold beauty look a little more fragile, which made it easier to arouse the desire hidden in the hearts of some people, who wanted to possess and conquer the other person.

After wiping the water droplets off her face with a tissue, Shang Siyu went to the storage area and took out some commonly used cosmetics to cover up the dark circles under her eyes and make herself look more energetic.

Generally speaking, Shangsi fish in the laboratory do not wear makeup.

But today is different. In half an hour, investors who are interested in investing in the project will arrive.

This time, the investors are the last straw for Shang Siyu and his senior colleagues in the laboratory.

If they cannot secure sufficient financial support within this month, the projects they are working on will probably be terminated and eventually suspended indefinitely.

You will soon meet a bad person and have an unpleasant experience. Sign a contract with me and you can avoid this.

A familiar voice appeared in Shang Siyu's mind again, causing her to pause.

However, Shang Siyu still ignored it and just stood behind his senior sister who had just arrived at the laboratory, waiting for the investor to come and inspect the project.

This is normal. If a voice suddenly pops up in your head asking you to sign a contract or something, it doesn't sound reliable.

You have to pay for what you get. Shang Siyu is very clear about this obvious truth. She doesn't believe in free lunch and she doesn't care about any contract.

-

Half an hour later, footsteps were heard outside the laboratory, followed by the voice of a senior brother, who was introducing the laboratory's projects and the current research progress.

"Mr. Xue, our research has reached a critical point. If we can complete the neural connection in three months, then..."

As the sound gradually grew louder, the senior brother in the laboratory opened the door attentively and walked in with a young man in a silver-gray suit.

Mr. Xue's expression looked very kind, but the contempt and complacency deep in his eyes were not well hidden. At least more than half of the people in the laboratory could see it.

Seeing through things but not speaking them out loud, that's all there is to it.

When you need help from others, you do need to be more patient.

Xue Fan really enjoyed this feeling of being superior, especially when he saw that Shang Siyu, who had rejected his confession in high school and was once very promising in the eyes of his neighbors, was also inferior to him. The smile on his face became more obvious.

After discovering that the person interested in investing in the project was once her neighbor and classmate, Shang Siyu's eyes flashed with surprise, but she didn't think much about it.

Shang Siyu did not feel any jealousy or envy, but just a little sigh in his heart.

Xue Fan, who lamented that he disappeared before graduating from high school, is now successful in his career and has money to invest in his own projects.

"Shang Siyu, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to meet you here." Xue Fan took the initiative to speak, leaving aside the lab senior who had been introducing the project to him, and walked straight to Shang Siyu.

"What a coincidence." Shang Siyu said, with a hint of happiness in his tone of meeting a classmate by chance, and a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

When Xue Fan saw this smile, it took on a different meaning, and his tone became condescending.

Xue Fan deepened the emotion in his eyes and said with a smile, "Is Siyu also a member of this project team? If I had known this, I should have asked you to introduce her to me."

"Yes." Shang Siyu nodded and returned to the businesslike state. "If Mr. Xue has any questions, you can ask me."

"No rush. It's rare to meet you, Siyu. How about we go out for dinner together tonight?" Xue Fan said with a smile, and took a small step forward. "Let's get together first, and then talk slowly."

After hearing Xue Fan's slightly intimate address, Shang Siyu frowned, obviously a little uncomfortable with it.

"I'm sorry, I've been busy with the project lately, so it might be a while before I have time." Shang Siyu said politely, "Mr. Xue must be here to inspect the project. Should we get down to business first?"

In Shang Siyu's opinion, Xue Fan was just a former neighbor and classmate, and their relationship was not close enough to the point of having dinner together privately.

Compared to personal matters, whether the project at hand can continue is more important.

"A project inspection cannot be completed in one or two days. Besides, if we have dinner together, we can also talk about the project." Xue Fan said, and the smile on his lips faded a little because of Shang Siyu's refusal.

"Siyu, I still remember that you were a good student in the eyes of your class teacher. You were the top student in the class. Everyone said that you would have a bright future."

"And I'm just a piece of useless mud that Ban Ren said I couldn't get up from." Xue Fan said with a smile, a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "It seems that Ban Ren's evaluation is not very accurate."

"Siyu, since we were classmates, can you please do me a favor?" Although Xue Fan didn't say it explicitly, the hint he gave was already very obvious.

It's true that Shang Siyu is obsessed with research, but she is not completely ignorant of the ways of the world.

Shang Siyu didn't understand why Xue Fan was so insistent on having dinner with her, but she knew that Xue Fan was threatening her. If she was unwilling to have dinner with him, then the investment project would definitely not be implemented.

[Because you rejected Xue Fan, he liked you in high school, but you rejected him, which made him feel that he had lost face.]

A familiar voice appeared in Shang Siyu's mind again, answering her confusion in a timely manner.

Xue Fan is now a successful and famous man, so he wants to redeem himself by letting you experience the feeling of being rejected, and redeem the face he lost eight years ago.

The voice in his head made Shang Siyu frown slightly. After meeting Xue Fan's gaze, the little calculation hidden in his eyes was revealed.

"Siyu?" Xue Fan raised his voice and reached out to hold Shang Siyu's hand.

Shang Siyu took a step back and lowered his eyes to hide the complicated thoughts in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Mr. Xue, the project is at a very important stage. I will be living in the lab for a while and may not be able to spare the time."

Tsk——

Xue Fan showed an unhappy expression after being rejected repeatedly, and his hypocritical mask could no longer be maintained.

"Mr. Xue, let me continue to introduce you. This is..." Seeing that the atmosphere between the two was a little bad, the senior brother in the laboratory quickly spoke.

"Okay, I'm in a bad mood today, so let's end the inspection here." Xue Fan interrupted his senior brother in the laboratory and his gaze fell directly on Shang Siyu.

The lab colleague maintained a fake smile on his face. "Okay, then when is Mr. Xue free next time? I can..."

"Student Shang is very busy, and I am busy too. When Student Shang has time, I may have time too." Xue Fan interrupted his senior in the laboratory again.

"My business card should still be there, right? Contact me when the time comes." After saying that, Xue Fan gave Shang Siyu a meaningful look, and then left surrounded by a group of people.

Xue Fan knew very well how important this project was to Shang Siyu and her beloved mentor, so he was very confident that Shang Siyu would bow to him for the project funds.

-

After Xue Fan left, the senior students in the laboratory began to comfort Shang Siyu.

"Xiao Yu, Mr. Xue doesn't look like a good person at first glance. You don't have to pay attention to him. If he doesn't want to invest, we can always find someone else."

"That's right, I disliked him the moment he came in. It's just a little money, but he really takes himself so seriously and thinks everyone should flatter him."

"If it really doesn't work out, we still have some money. We can pool our money together and maybe we can hold on until the project is successful."

Shang Siyu was not so upset as to lose his composure just because of Xue Fan. After responding to the words of comfort from his senior sisters and brothers with a smile, he quickly continued to devote himself to the experiment.

【Are you still unwilling to sign a contract with me? 】

Xue Fan will not give up. He will continue to put pressure on you.

Shang Siyu skillfully ignored the voice in his head and carefully checked the freshly-made experimental data.

【You can not care about yourself, but do you not care about your mentor? 】

After hearing the word "mentor", Shang Siyu paused and subconsciously began to exert force on the fingers that were pinching the experimental data.

"What do you mean?" Shang Siyu said in a low voice.

【Are you finally willing to respond to me? 】

[Sign a contract with me, and you will be able to know the news related to your mentor. ]

The voice in Shang Siyu's mind had a hint of temptation, "Shang Siyu, are you willing to sign a contract with me?"

Shang Siyu lowered his eyes and looked around calmly, "Who are you?"

【I am just a trading system that helps others.】

[You can call me System, or you can call me by my name, Jing Ke.]