The moment Yin Ming embraced the man in white, the staff present exchanged bewildered glances, and even Shi Yun froze in shock. For a moment, the huge laboratory was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long silence, the man in white robes broke the silence first, "This participant, are you alright?"

The voice was familiar, yet the tone was politely distant, shattering Yin Ming's fleeting dream of a beautiful encounter.

Realizing something was wrong, Yin Ming finally regained his senses. He distraughtly released his grip and stepped off the white-robed man.

"Sorry, I... mistook you for someone else."

He's obsessed.

No matter how similar they look, this man is not Lingyao.

He wasn't wearing flowing ancient costumes, but rather a white lab coat issued by the laboratory.

The moment he pushed open the door, a warm and radiant smile appeared on his lips, slowly overlapping with the boy in his memory, clear and real.

This reminded Yin Ming of the boy who would always obediently stand behind him if he turned around, and he couldn't help but drift into a dream.

"It's alright." The man still smiled gently. "The A-Yao you mentioned, is it Ling Yao, the male protagonist of 'The Supreme God and Demon'?"

His cheeks suddenly flushed pink, as if he were a little embarrassed, but he still said generously, "That character was based on me, so it's not surprising that you mistook me for him."

Yin Ming blinked blankly. Based on him? Does that mean Ling Yao's appearance was given to him by this Dr. Ling?

He rushed up and hugged her as soon as they met. Won't he be misunderstood as a pervert who lusts after her good looks?

The thought of a group of staff watching behind him made Yin Ming freeze instantly.

He didn't dare turn around to see what expressions those people had, and could only brace himself and bow slightly to Dr. Ling in front of him.

This Dr. Ling seems to be someone special; pleading with him might offer a chance for a change of fortune.

"Dr. Ling, can I discuss something with you?"

"You want to buy this equipment?" Dr. Ling seemed to know what he was thinking and smiled as he spoke for him.

"...Okay, is that alright? I'll buy it no matter the price."

Yin Ming nervously looked up at Dr. Ling, and his heart skipped a beat when he suddenly met his eyes, which were filled with a hint of regret.

Sure enough, he said—

"I'm sorry, this equipment is the most advanced product in the lab at present, and there is absolutely no possibility of it being sold. Moreover, in order to protect the privacy of the participants, the cloud database is automatically cleared and reset when the participants finish the experience, so even if you can take it back, it won't be of any use to you."

"but……"

Yin Ming's eyes, which had been downcast, lit up again after hearing the pause at the end of his sentence.

Eyes full of anticipation: "But what?"

"We will release a public beta version later, then you won't have to worry about the data being reset."

Dr. Ling spoke sincerely, but Yin Ming couldn't be optimistic, and didn't even feel like complaining.

So what if it's a public beta version? It's not the original Lingyao anymore.

Moreover, given the popularity of "Gods and Demons Supreme", there will definitely be many more people vying for Lingyao with him...

Just thinking about it is so annoying!

As if sensing Yin Ming's dissatisfaction, Dr. Ling suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered:

"Once I get back and organize the experimental data, I might be able to restore your original data in the public beta version... So, would it be convenient to leave your contact information?"

Yin Ming's heart pounded wildly in his chest. "Is it really possible?!"

Dr. Ling smiled and nodded, extending her long, slender, fair hand to Yin Ming, "Give me your phone."

***

After leaving a number on Yin Ming's phone, Dr. Ling took the confidential filing cabinet from the ground.

The recovery mission has been successfully completed, and the staff present have all left the laboratory.

Yin Ming, no longer in a low mood, quickly packed up the items he had brought.

Although he can't see Lingyao for the time being, the thought of reuniting with him after the public beta fills Yin Ming with longing for the future.

Yin Ming also realized that he simply loved Ling Yao, even though he was just a virtual character.

Anyway, there are plenty of people who are sexually active these days, so what's wrong with adding Yin Ming to the mix?

However, the thought of other people being able to flirt with Ling Yao made Yin Ming feel a pang of jealousy.

Suddenly having a billion rivals in love would really make him jealous!

Yin Ming didn't have much stuff, and he could pack it all by himself. Shi Yun couldn't help, so he looked him up and down with a look of surprise, clicking his tongue in amazement:

"Ah Ming, what did you talk about with Senior Ling just now? How come your mood changed so quickly? Also, what did he do with your phone at the end? Did he leave you his phone number?"

Yin Ming paused in packing his things, then turned back to look at him with some curiosity, "Why do you call him Senior Ling?"

Could Dr. Ling possibly be from the same university as Yin Ming? If that were the case, they couldn't have gone almost four years of university without ever seeing each other.

Moreover, with Dr. Ling's face, he's definitely a campus heartthrob. Even if Yin Ming hasn't met him, he should have heard of his name.

But he didn't recall ever hearing of any prominent figures with the surname Ling at the school.

Shi Yun replied, "Don't doubt it, he is our senior. I sent you here because I found out he was involved in this project."

"As for why you haven't seen him, with your life of staying at home between the classroom, the cafeteria, and the dormitory, how could you expect to run into him? Besides, when you first entered university, he was already pursuing a direct PhD. How could he have time to walk around campus and bump into you?"

"But you must have heard his name, Ling Yue, a super academic genius and a super male god, who is very popular with girls and wins awards every year. He is very impressive."

A sense of familiarity welled up in Yin Ming's heart, and he subconsciously replied, "I think I've heard this name before."

Shi Yun shrugged, glanced at his watch, and urged, "Are you done packing? If we don't leave soon, we'll miss the last bus back."

"Alright, alright."

Urged on by him, Yin Ming unconsciously felt a sense of urgency. He nodded haphazardly, quickly packed the last item, then slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out of the laboratory with Shi Yun.