The nights of late autumn arrive especially early. The public lab area on the top floor of the Shenzhen University School of Life Sciences laboratory building is brightly lit.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows are the dazzling lights of thousands of homes in the city, like an inverted galaxy.
Ning Xiwan, wearing a clean white coat, goggles and latex gloves, was concentrating on operating a sophisticated microinjection instrument.
The cell samples in the petri dish before her are the key to her latest gene-editing project.
The slender, cold metal needle tip moved steadily under the microscope, its movements precise and smooth. The air was filled with the unique smell of disinfectant and culture medium.
The hustle and bustle of the day, Wang Qiang's accusations, Ning Yunmeng's collapse, the discussions of others... everything seemed to be isolated outside this experimental space full of rational light and a sense of order.
Only the cells in front of her, the sophisticated instruments, and the conjectures that need to be verified are her entire world at this moment.
"Click." There was a slight sound of the door opening.
Ning Xiwan didn't turn around, and her hands didn't stop moving at all. She just said lightly: "The data is in the F drive of the third computer on the left, in the 'Project Aurora' folder. Take a look for yourself. Don't touch my sample number 3."
It was Ye Qingliu who came in. He was also wearing a white coat, with his dark blue public high school uniform jacket casually draped over his arm.
Instead of walking towards the computer, he went straight to the lab table next to Ning Xiwan, carefully folded the coat in his arms, and placed it on a clean chair.
Then he picked up an experimental record book next to him and flipped through it quietly.
The light fell on his cold pale profile, his long eyelashes cast a faint shadow under his eyes, his expression was focused and calm.
He flipped through the records very quickly, his slender fingers occasionally pausing on a certain data or formula, and his gray-blue eyes reflected the clear ink on the paper.
For a moment, the only sounds in the laboratory were the slight humming of instruments, the rustling of flipping papers, and the extremely subtle metal collision sounds as Ning Xiwan operated.
Neither of them spoke, but there was a strange tacit understanding flowing in the air, as if this silent companionship had long been the norm.
After about a quarter of an hour, Ning Xiwan finally completed a set of complicated injection operations, exhaled lightly, and took off her goggles.
She rubbed her sore brows and turned to look at Ye Qingliu: "What did you see?"
Ye Qingliu closed his notebook and looked up at her, his gaze fixed on her slightly tired yet still clear eyes. His voice was cool and calm: "The off-target rate of CRISPR-Cas9 is 0.7% higher than expected. The problem may lie in the sgRNA binding domain you designed. The high GC content affects the specificity."
He pointed to a set of data in the notebook. "The activity of the cells in the 17th batch of transfection dropped sharply. Did you change the serum batch in the culture medium?"
Ning Xiwan's eyes lit up, and her fatigue was swept away. "That's right! The serum supplier suddenly changed the batch, and I haven't had time to do a comparison test. I also noticed the problem with the sgRNA and am preparing to redesign it."
She walked over to Ye Qingliu, picked up the notebook, and pointed to a formula she had marked on it. "Look here, I suspect it's..."
The two of them discussed the experimental data and problems in low voices. Ye Qingliu didn't talk much, but whenever he spoke, he got straight to the point, and his suggestions were concise and precise.
Ning Xiwan's thoughts became clearer with his guidance, and her frown gradually relaxed.
The problems that troubled her seemed to find a solution in the collision of pure logic and knowledge.
The discussion concluded. Ning Xiwan put down her notebook, picked up the thermos on the table, and drank a sip of water. The warm water flowed down her throat, dispelling the tension brought on by the experiment.
She leaned against the lab table, her eyes fixed on the dazzling night view outside the window, and asked casually, "Is Ning Yunmeng quiet now?"
Ye Qingliu followed her gaze out the window, his gray-blue eyes reflecting the city lights. His voice remained flat, "Qin Yuheng has taken action. The forum posts have been deleted, and several small media outlets have been paid to keep quiet. On the surface, the situation has been suppressed for the time being."
"Heh," Ning Xiwan scoffed softly, her laughter filled with knowing sarcasm. "The Qin family's money is certainly useful. Unfortunately, you can silence their mouths, but you can't silence their hearts."
She recalled a few girls gathered in the cafeteria during the day, pointing and whispering at their cell phone screens. Although she couldn't hear what they were saying, the contemptuous looks and gloating smiles clearly showed that the target was no one else.
"Yeah." Ye Qingliu replied lightly, agreeing. He retracted his gaze and looked at Ning Xiwan, "Does the Qin family need a 'reminder'?"
His tone was as calm as if he was asking "What's for dinner?", but the meaning behind his words was enough to send chills down the spine of anyone who knew about it.
Ning Xiwan shook her head, her fingers unconsciously stroking the smooth wall of the thermos. "No need. If Qin Yuheng is willing to be the scapegoat, then let him be. This dog-eat-dog drama is quite interesting to watch."
The corners of her lips curled up in a slightly cold arc, "Ning Yunmeng is feeling a hundred times worse right now than if I had just beaten her up. Let her have a good taste of what it feels like to fall from the clouds into the mud, and be scorned by everyone bit by bit."
She paused and added, "Besides, if we move against the Qin family now, it will easily alert the enemy. The Ning family... there are still some termites that haven't been completely eradicated."
Ye Qingliu glanced at her and said nothing more.
The door of the laboratory was pushed open again, bringing with it a cool breeze from outside and the aroma of food.
"Oh, are you all here? Qingliu is here too? Just right!" Duan Shuce walked in lazily, carrying a few large takeout paper bags.
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