Chapter 102: She lowered her eyes. After several years apart, he still remembered...
Wen Yi raised her head and met his gaze from among the crowd.
She subconsciously clenched her hands.
Time had left no trace on him; he remained the same as when we first met. A whirlwind of thoughts flashed through his mind, then receded like the tide, leaving only one thought: fate had brought them together.
Gu Yifeng casually adjusted his glasses, his gaze fixed on her, distant and indifferent, before looking away for a moment. A female colleague beside him was whispering in his ear, her movements familiar and intimate.
Wen Yi awkwardly averted her gaze, her heart sinking. There was probably no place for her by his side now. After all these years, he might have married. Unspeakable sadness made her lower her head, halting her steps as she tried to get closer.
Before she came back, she had guessed that there was no future between them. Unfortunately, she was wrong this time. The undercurrent in his eyes was missed because she lowered her head.
Before everyone could react, Gu Yifeng had already walked quickly to the front desk, exchanged a few words in a low voice, and glanced at her from time to time.
Wen Yi noticed his gaze and felt inexplicably nervous. She couldn't help but clench her hands hidden at her sides.
When she was at a loss, he strode towards her and stood in front of her, with a distance between them that was neither far nor close.
"You want to see me?" He looked at her with a deep gaze.
As a result, the eyes of the people around her fell on her, and they couldn't help but feel a little curious.
She felt a little embarrassed, raised her hand to smooth her hair, and nodded slightly.
The receptionist's voice came from not far away: "Gu Bo, do you need to register the visitor's information into the system? Is this Miss... 'Wen Yi'?"
The moment the name was read out, the room seemed to be quiet for a second.
Gu Yifeng's gaze froze slightly, then returned to normal.
He looked at her again, nodded slightly, and his tone was still distant:
"Miss Wen."
"I'm the person in charge here, Gu Yifeng."
There was no greeting smile on his face, no intention of shaking hands, and even his nod was extremely restrained.
"Just tell me what's going on." His tone was calm, and no emotion could be heard.
Wen Yi glanced at him quickly, pretending to be indifferent.
The last time they parted, he was still a high school student. Now he was a distinguished physicist, wearing glasses, mature and reserved, with a scholarly and calm demeanor that made her a little uncomfortable.
But he was still himself, every movement, every expression, exactly as she remembered. His left ring finger was smooth and slender, without a trace of a ring. She lowered her eyes. After several years apart, did he still remember her?
Wen Yi hid her surging emotions and tried to steady her voice: "I, I'm a little interested in your research on space-time disturbances and supernatural powers."
Gu Yifeng looked at her and raised his eyebrows: "Oh?"
"Have you read my paper? Which one?"
Wen Yi's eyes twitched. She had previously talked with Gu Yifeng in the interrogation room, but now, she went straight to the theoretical physics defense site.
She took a deep breath and, relying on the research institute's annual report she had just casually flipped through at the front desk, recited the title verbatim: "Last year... your publication, 'A Study on the Correlation between Supernatural Events and Local Spacetime Curvature Anomalies in the Cloud Triangle Region,' mentioned a connection between supernatural powers, which shocked me greatly."
After she finished speaking, she silently prayed that he would not ask any more questions. It would be fine if he fooled her for a while, but if he continued to ask, she would probably not be able to say a single word.
Gu Yifeng's eyes moved slightly, but his gaze was more scrutinizing. "Which organization are you from? Do you have a formal letter of intent for cooperation, or are you visiting personally?"
After a pause, he added: "We do not accept media interviews on our research, nor do we provide popular science explanations to non-professionals."
There was silence between the two of them for a moment.
Her fingertips trembled slightly, but she forced herself to remain calm and continued the previous topic, "I know you mentioned the concept of 'power deconstruction' in your paper. Does this mean that it will be possible to reverse the deconstruction of power in the future?"
Gu Yifeng didn't answer immediately, his eyes behind the glasses darkened a little: "It's not accurate to say 'peel off'."
"Superpowers are not external objects, nor are they removable tissues or implants. Our institute is currently working on a project to deconstruct superpowers in decoherent states. This involves applying reverse perturbations through quantum fields, forcing the system back to a classical state."
This single sentence was an exception, and the eyes of several surrounding researchers flickered slightly. Who had just said that we wouldn't explain this to non-experts? This wasn't just a general discussion; it was directly addressing the core of the research!
This girl didn't look like someone from the academic world, yet she dared to come to Dr. Gu to discuss research. Furthermore, Dr. Gu never actively received visitors; even partners had to make appointments in advance. And now, he was patiently giving her scientific advice?
Who is this person?
But looking at how unfamiliar the two of them are, it doesn't seem like they know each other.
Not sure, let’s see.
Wen Yi wanted to ask more, but Gu Yifeng turned slightly and looked away from her face: "Ms. Wen, your understanding of 'superpower deconstruction' is still at the level of popular science."
He raised his eyes and glanced at her calmly: "You have no academic background, no research qualifications, do you think I would let you get involved in this research?"
After saying that, he raised his hand and glanced at his watch, "Besides, it's already time to get off work."
“Don’t talk about work after get off work.”
Before he turned and left, he reminded everyone, "For all academic consultations, please make an appointment in advance and submit a visit application form to the Research Administration Office."
Before Wen Yi could open her mouth, she heard him add, "I'm free from nine to eleven tomorrow morning. Don't come the day after tomorrow. I have experiments that day and won't be receiving visitors. Also—" He paused, his eyes glancing at her face, "Last-minute appointments can be made through the expedited channel."
The receptionist was stunned, then quickly tapped on the keyboard.
The female researcher who had just whispered to Gu Yifeng smiled slightly.
Everyone looked at each other in confusion – how come they didn’t know that there was an expedited appointment system?
Wen Yi was stunned. Did he mean that she should come tomorrow?
But her time down the mountain was limited, and she needed to rush back to take care of family affairs, so she couldn't wait. She took a half step forward and decisively blocked Gu Yifeng's way: "I don't have time to go through the formalities and I don't want to waste time. I want to participate in this research project immediately."
"Not just understanding, but cooperation!" She pursed her lips, displaying the aura of a patriarch. "I can provide financial support for your research project, supernatural data samples, and even... support for human experiments."
The air was still.
Several researchers were stunned. Human experiment support? Did she even know what she was talking about? Inquiring eyes fell on her.
Gu Yifeng raised his eyes and slowly swept his gaze over the crowd of onlookers, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression slightly dissatisfied.
"Come to my office and talk."
No one spoke, but everyone's eyes were filled with shock - who had just said that get off work shouldn't be discussed after work, and now not only did he make an exception, but he also let someone into the office? If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, who would believe it if they told others?
Wen Yi's heart beat faster and she immediately stepped up to catch up.
Gu Yifeng walked to the office door and turned his head to the intern Xiao Wang and said:
"Make tea."
"Tell them I'm here."
When Xiao Wang heard this, he immediately understood that this meant that the area was cleared and no one was allowed to disturb.
As soon as the office door was closed, the two of them sat across from each other at the table.
Gu Yifeng didn't say anything, his eyes scanned her carefully inch by inch, the lenses reflected the light, and the emotions in his eyes could not be seen clearly.
Wen Yi took the opportunity to look around his office. His desk was piled high with books and documents, but no photos or personal belongings. She couldn't help but wonder if he was still single.
No one spoke for a moment. She stared at him, as if she were back in the interrogation room. Wen Yi finally lost her temper and said, "Yes or no? Give me a definite answer."
He then raised his eyes slightly and said, "I would like to hear first why Miss Wen participated in this project."
Wen Yi lowered her eyes, avoiding that gaze, and said vaguely: "I have a friend..."
Gu Yifeng scoffed and tapped the edge of the table with his fingertips: "Then ask your 'friend' to find someone else to do the project."
"No one else can do this!" She looked up suddenly, "You are the only one in the world who can do this!"
She blinked at him and changed her tone. "Is the reason important? Aren't you an independent scientific research institution? It's okay to take money to do things, right?"
"You name a price."
Gu Yifeng was almost laughing out of anger, and said in a mocking tone: "Miss Wen, what do you think this place is? A vegetable market? Just give me money and I will do the job?"
"Then what do you want?" She frowned slightly, "I'm really sincere."
"Then let me see your sincerity, Miss Wen." He turned his eyes away, his tone irritable, and unconsciously raised his hand to loosen his tie.
Wen Yi was just about to offer him tea when she looked up and saw him loosening his tie with one hand and unbuttoning the top button of his shirt. His Adam's apple rolled slightly. She blushed and quickly looked away.
This person is clearly dressed very abstinently, but it's hard not to think too much.
Wait... so this is what he meant by sincerity!
She leaned back cautiously and opened her mouth: "Well... maybe my sincerity is not enough. I'm discussing serious matters with you. Why are you taking off your clothes for no reason?"
Gu Yifeng's hand that was unbuttoning his shirt suddenly stopped.
“…” The calm expression finally showed a crack.
He was silent for two seconds, then gritted his teeth and said, "Because it's hot."
"Also, I don't accept unspoken rules. The door is over there. Miss Wen, please go out, turn right, and press the elevator button yourself."
Wen Yi:...Eh?
The atmosphere became a little awkward.
Gu Yifeng had lost all his patience. He raised his hand, drank the tea in the cup, stood up and left.
Wen Yi immediately followed him, her heart sinking to the bottom: this mission might have gone awry. She quickly thought of a remedy: "Mr. Gu, I didn't mean that. I really want to cooperate with your organization. Why don't we negotiate a price?"
Gu Yifeng didn't stop walking, but a hint of sarcasm appeared on the corner of his mouth. As he walked towards the elevator, he asked, "How much money do you plan to pay to 'seduce' me, Miss Wen?"
Wen Yi felt a headache when she thought of the large number of funding gaps in the report. She rolled her eyes and took out her phone to send a message to Wen Chi:
[Brother, can I use the wedding funds? What is the budget?]
After sending the message, she recalled the wedding budget, looked up, and tentatively asked, "Is 30 million okay?"
The finger pressing the elevator button stopped in mid-air.
He turned slowly, and his gaze behind the lenses fell back on her face, with a hint of disbelief: "...How much did you say?"
The elevator door opened with a ding, and Wen Yi immediately stepped in and pressed the door-opening button for him.
"Thirty million." She said calmly, "Is this sincerity enough?"
Gu Yifeng stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled, "Then I take it seriously, Boss Wen."
My phone happened to vibrate, and it was Wen Chi who replied:
【Up to three million.】
Wen Yi's pupils trembled.
I remembered it wrong!
…The funding gap is a little bit large.
The elevator dinged again, and Gu Yifeng walked towards the parking lot. After walking about ten meters, he realized that there was no one behind him. He turned around and found that Wen Yi was staring at her phone in a daze and had not followed him.
"Boss Wen," he said in a light, teasing voice, "are you planning to crowdfund for scientific research?"
She snapped back to her senses, quickly put away her phone, and smiled as if everything was under control: "I have to leave Yunhu City for a while."
Gu Yifeng was obviously stunned, and subconsciously asked: "How long will you be gone?"
"I will come back." She said firmly, "I will raise the funds even if I have to sell everything I have."
"You didn't answer my question." Gu Yifeng's face darkened and his voice became colder. He subconsciously disliked hearing her say the word "leave". "How long are you going to be gone?"
Wen Yi blinked and thought to herself that she didn’t know either, so she would wait until the funds were secured.
Gu Yifeng looked at her quietly and suddenly said, "Boss Wen, you know nothing about our research institute's project, yet you're going to invest 30 million? If you don't know, you'd think it was your first day making investment decisions."
She turned to look at him, frowning, "So what should we do? You can't let me see your experimental data, right?"
"I'm not asking you to look at the data. Instead, I'm helping you understand the project framework, technical path, risk level, and phased goals." He paused, then added, "Then, you'll sign a confidentiality and investment intention agreement."
Wen Yi was stunned for a moment, this routine seemed familiar.
Agreement? Why sign another agreement?
What's wrong with Gu Yifeng? Why does he always like to force her to sign an agreement?
She shook her head subconsciously: "No. I believe in your scientific research ability. Wait until I prepare the funds and come back."
“This is standard procedure.”
"Any organization or individual who wants to participate in the project must go through the process. I'm not forcing you, but it's business as usual."
Wen Yi tilted her head: "If I sign now, can I see your laboratory?"
Gu Yifeng finally nodded slightly:
"Yes. I will personally walk you through the non-classified experimental procedures."
The next day, the agreement was finalized.
Gu Yifeng took her down dozens of meters in a special elevator and entered the deconstruction laboratory underground in the institute.
The moment the door opened, the entire experimental area came into view, and Wen Yi was so shocked that she was speechless.
They looked down from the long observation corridor and saw a magnificent annular vacuum chamber sleeping in the bottomless abyss, staring into the void like a huge metal pupil.
Circles of superconducting magnetic rings are nested layer by layer, the cold metallic light is interwoven with the dark blue tubes, the dark light flows in the central vacuum chamber, and a low-frequency hum is emitted during operation, like the pulse deep in the earth's crust.
On the covered bridge, Wen Yi gazed at the circular cavity at the center of the abyss, her heart pounding. If the experiment succeeded, she might be able to sever the connection with her inner supernatural powers. She gripped the railing tightly, her voice trembling slightly, "When can I directly participate in the experiment? Will it be enough once the funding is in place?"
Gu Yifeng noticed that she was in a bad mood, and calmly took her back half a step. His tone was cold and stern: "The experiment is too dangerous and has not yet entered the human testing stage. All the data currently comes from animal models."
"Then I'll be the first experimental subject!" She turned her head and vowed, "I can sign a waiver. You won't be held responsible for anything."
"Are you crazy?" He frowned, his voice furious. "The decoherence process could destroy neural networks! What makes you think you can survive?"
"I promise, I'll be fine!"
"You're here to invest, not to die." His tone softened, but his attitude remained firm. He then turned around and said, "That's all for today. I'll get you out first."
She remained motionless, her eyes looking over his shoulder into the abyss below the bridge.
Gu Yifeng suddenly stopped and approached her: "If you are a mutant, forcibly breaking the structure will only accelerate your own collapse." He stared into her eyes, "Why take such a risk?"
"Are you hiding something from me?"
Wen Yi lowered her eyelashes and refused to answer with silence.
"Don't want to tell me? Then give up. I won't let you enter the experimental cabin." He said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
She suddenly raised her head, took a half step back, leaned her waist against the cold railing, and smiled at him. But that smile made Gu Yifeng's breathing stagnate, and his knuckles tightened unconsciously.
"I don't need you to understand, I just need you to know that I'll be fine."
"Don't believe it?"
Before she finished speaking, she suddenly turned around and jumped onto the railing of the corridor bridge, her hair fluttering like a butterfly's wings.
"Wen Yi! What are you doing—come down quickly!"
Gu Yifeng's pupils suddenly shrank, he took a step forward and reached out to grab her arm.
She stood on the edge of the railing, her back facing the abyss, and slowly opened her arms.
"Look."
She closed her eyes and without hesitation, jumped back, her figure fell into the abyss and disappeared in the dim light.
Gu Yifeng's eyes were bloodshot and he rushed forward, his fingertips only brushing the corner of her clothes.
“Wen Yi——!!!”
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The author has something to say: Thank you for subscribing [Come on]
Wen: Our love is like jumping off a bungee. [Sunglasses]
Gu: Ahh ...
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