The story afterward
At nine o'clock, Jiang Cheng went to work on time. He went to the tea room to get a cup of coffee. When he came back, he saw his colleague wailing and holding his head.
"We're doomed! The Monster Division is conducting a surprise inspection this afternoon, and we're completely unprepared!"
His white hair was scratched until it looked like a dandelion.
Jiang Cheng wasn't surprised at all. He took a sip of coffee, changed into his lab coat, and prepared to check the results of yesterday's cell culture.
A colleague sidled up to him, "Old Jiang, aren't you nervous? I heard the Demon Supervision Committee's investigation team has a new leader, and he's super strict!"
Jiang Cheng lowered his head to put on his gloves, his expression nonchalant. "What's there to be nervous about? Every experiment in our project is legal and compliant, and there are records kept. We can just show them the records when the time comes."
My colleague nodded, "Yes, don't be nervous, don't be nervous..."
Then she covered her face in frustration, "No, I'm still so nervous."
From the very beginning, their inner alchemy restoration project aimed to promote it through cooperation with the government. If it failed the review, it would mean that all the hard work they had put into the project over the past seven years would have gone to waste.
Jiang Cheng glanced at him and said, "Instead of worrying, you should hurry up and do the experiments to wrap up the project."
After saying that, he put on a mask and went into the cell culture room.
Looking at Jiang Chengyi's calm back, his colleague couldn't help but admire him, saying, "It has to be you."
Jiang Chengyi joined the project team five years ago. At that time, he had just started his master's degree and was the least senior member of the team. As the only human, he was subjected to a lot of suppression and neglect.
However, the monster who chose to devote himself to scientific research did not have a firm grasp of the law of the jungle. Soon, Jiang Chengyi gained everyone's respect with his excellent scientific research ability and quickly grew into the backbone of the project.
"Forget about that, let's get to work!"
My colleague patted his face, took a few deep breaths, and got back to work.
-
At 2 PM, the project team members gathered in the conference room, all anxious and on high alert—except for Jiang Chengyi.
Jiang Chengyi was looking down at WeChat, the chat interface was full of messages he had sent, but there were no replies.
[I left at 8:25; breakfast is in the pot.]
[8:55 I've arrived at the office. Are you up yet?]
[10:30 I just came out of the lab. It's raining outside. Wait for me after work, I'll pick you up.]
[10:31 What do you want to eat tonight?]
[11:42 The Demon Supervision Committee is conducting an investigation today. I wish you were here too.]
[12:32 Remember to take your medicine after lunch. I've put it in your work uniform pocket.]
...
[13:55 Miaomiao, are you busy today?]
Jiang Chengyi frowned slightly.
Just then, a monster twitched its enormous ears and whispered, "They're here!"
A moment later, footsteps sounded, followed by the hearty laughter of their boss, General Manager Lin.
"Oh my, Team Leader Yu is so young and promising, even I, a monster of this age, am ashamed of myself."
"You flatter me, Engineer Lin."
The voice that responded to him was cold, yet surprisingly pleasant to the ear, like the flow of an icy spring.
Jiang Cheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly looked up at the conference room door.
Their leader pushed open the door and eagerly welcomed in the group behind him; they were the investigators from the Demon Supervision Committee.
The person in charge looked like a very young woman—but judging age by appearance doesn't work among monsters—she had pale skin, light-colored long hair, dark eyes with a hint of green, and a cold expression.
She walked into the room, glanced at the project team members, paused for a moment on Jiang Chengyi, and then withdrew without hesitation to talk to President Lin.
A colleague whispered to him, "The person in charge this time seems really strict."
She has a cold demeanor and is clearly the kind of person who is meticulous and extremely rigorous.
Jiang Cheng stared intently at the young head of the investigation team and chuckled, "She is indeed very strict when it comes to her work."
"I knew it!"
The colleague wholeheartedly agreed, then suddenly realized, "Wait a minute, what do you mean by work-related? You don't know anything about her personal life, do you?"
But Jiang Chengyi said nothing more.
General Manager Lin introduced the project members to the review team one by one.
"This is Han Hong, a technician from the project team..."
"This is Xing Fei..."
Everyone stammered as they introduced themselves, and some were even sweating profusely from nervousness.
When it was Jiang Chengyi's turn: "This is the only human in our project team. He's a top student from University A and an alumnus of Team Leader Yu."
"Come on, Xiao Jiang, say hello to Team Leader Yu."
Jiang Chengyi nodded. "Team Leader Yu, hello, I am Jiang Chengyi."
He extended his hand and smiled slightly, "Please give me your guidance."
The colleague standing next to him stared in surprise.
Jiang Zemin actually tried to shake hands and get closer to him. He was too audacious. This wasn't some kind of cooperation or exchange; it was a government investigation!
As expected, the other party looked at Jiang Cheng's outstretched hand without any emotion, and after a moment, slightly parted his lips.
My colleague squinted, wishing he could cover his ears, too embarrassed to face the awkward situation that was about to unfold.
But what happened next completely shocked him.
The young team leader grasped Jiang Chengyi's hand, his icy yet beautiful deep green cat eyes slightly raised.
"Yu Miaomiao, nice to meet you."
After everyone was seated, President Lin patted Jiang Chengyi on the shoulder and said, "Jiang, come here and explain our project."
Jiang Chengyi is a senior member of the project team, with a deep understanding of the project and good looks. Whenever this happens, President Lin will push him out as the face of the team.
Jiang Chengyi then stepped onto the stage, turned on the projector, and began explaining to everyone.
He was tall and straight, with a deep and clear voice that had a natural rhythm to his speech. Even though he was wearing the most ordinary white lab coat, no different from his colleagues, he still looked more handsome than the others.
He held a page turner in his left hand, pressing it occasionally, and wore a simple silver ring on his middle finger.
"This project primarily targets demons who have lost their inner core due to special circumstances. It achieves inner core regeneration through demonic energy matching, inner core cutting, transplantation, and induced repair. This technology is based on..."
Yu Miaomiao suddenly raised her hand to stop.
General Manager Lin quickly asked, "Team Leader Yu, what's wrong?"
Yu Miaomiao looked down at the project proposal and tapped her index finger lightly on the table. "Engineer Jiang, I have a question I'd like to ask."
"Speaking."
"The project states that the closer the kinship between the donor and recipient of the inner core, the higher the success rate. In other words, even if an inner core transplant is performed between two completely unrelated monsters, it won't completely fail, right?"
Jiang Cheng nodded: "The theory is correct, because the genetic diversity among monsters is relatively simple. According to our speculation, even between two monsters with the most distant kinship, the success rate of transplantation will not be less than 18%."
Yu Miaomiao immediately rattled off a string of data: "According to the latest census conducted by the Monster Department last year, there are approximately 30 million monsters nationwide, of which 5.2%, or 1.56 million, are missing their inner cores. Such a large monster population must represent a tremendous demand."
She stared intently at Jiang Chengyi, "If this technology is promoted, how can you guarantee that every inner core used in the surgery comes from a legal donation, rather than creating a huge inner core trading market; or perhaps 'voluntary' donations from some demons?"
Mr. Lin's heart skipped a beat, but he chuckled and tried to smooth things over, "Team Leader Yu, this issue doesn't seem to have anything to do with the project itself, Xiao Jiang—"
Jiang Cheng interrupted him, saying, "I've also considered the issue of Team Leader Yu."
Yu Miaomiao asked with great interest, "Oh, what are your considerations?"
President Lin desperately tried to wink at Jiang Cheng, but the latter seemed not to notice. He was so anxious that he was about to break out in a cold sweat.
Seven years ago, a case of trafficking in baby monsters shocked the nation. Most of the monsters who used the babies to make elixirs were sentenced to death, and organ trafficking was also severely investigated. Since then, the ethics of organ transplantation has become an extremely sensitive topic.
Jiang Chengyi actually dared to reply; he's really courting death.
"Those of you here are all monsters, so you may not be aware that the human medical community is also arguing endlessly about the buying and selling of organs in organ transplantation, but no one thinks that organ transplantation technology should not exist, because it has truly saved many people's lives."
...
"The same applies to internal alchemy transplantation. It can save the lives of many monsters. Perhaps after it is widely promoted, some illegal activities will inevitably occur. What we need to do is to conduct more detailed reviews and formulate stricter regulations, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach."
After saying that, he looked at Yu Miaomiao and said, "Team Leader Yu, this is my consideration."
General Manager Lin cautiously scanned the members of the investigation team. Seeing that they all looked satisfied, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But Yu Miaomiao's expression didn't change. "Engineer Jiang, your answer is very clever."
Jiang Cheng smiled slightly, "Team Leader Yu asked a difficult question, so I can only give a clever answer."
Yu Miaomiao sneered, "Does Engineer Jiang think I'm making things difficult for you?"
"That's not my intention."
Mr. Lin, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly felt a surge of emotion again.
Yu Miaomiao stared at Jiang Cheng for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up. "Engineer Lin, bring out the other documents and let us take a look."
Mr. Lin wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Alright, alright, I'll take you to the records room."
Before leaving, he glared at Jiang Chengyi.
Xiao Jiang is really something else, always doing unexpected things. Although he hasn't caused any trouble, his 300-year-old heart can't take it if he keeps doing this. I'll definitely give him a good talking-to later.
As most of the people left, the room quieted down.
Jiang Chengyi was organizing the materials on the podium when a colleague came over to help him. They chatted as they talked, "Damn, Lao Jiang, you scared me to death just now. I was afraid the investigation team would turn around and leave."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Jiang Cheng said. "She asks normal questions, and I answer them normally."
"This is normal!"
My colleague rubbed his arms. “I was sitting right across from Team Leader Yu. When you argued with her, the look on her face! It gave me goosebumps.”
"I never expected that she would let you go in the end!"
His colleague lowered his voice, "Old Jiang, tell me secretly, did you give money to the Demon Supervisory Committee?"
Jiang Cheng slammed the computer shut. "I don't have any money, maybe..."
He chuckled softly, "Perhaps she fell in love with me at first sight."
"You're so narcissistic!"
My colleague exclaimed dramatically, "You think everyone judges people by their looks?!"
After packing his things, Jiang Cheng went to the restroom. While washing his hands at the public sink, another person came out of the women's restroom across the hall. It was none other than Yu Miaomiao, the team leader who had just been at odds with him.
After Jiang Cheng finished washing his hands, he didn't leave. Instead, he brazenly observed Yu Miaomiao through the mirror.
The girl was wearing a black business suit, with the top button fastened, revealing a slender neck. He had personally ironed the suit yesterday, and at that time he was wondering why Yu Miaomiao, who never wore work clothes, had suddenly become so enthusiastic.
Her face was pale, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes, because she had been staying up late to finish her programming project.
There was a very light red mark on his cheek, which looked like some kind of abrasion that had just healed. But Jiang Cheng knew that it was caused by him sucking too hard in bed the night before last. Yu Miaomiao was so angry that she bit him hard on the collarbone. The next day, when facing everyone, she had to bring up the clumsy excuse that she had been bitten by a mosquito in the autumn.
His gaze shifted downwards to Yu Miaomiao washing her hands. She was meticulously scrubbing each finger under the running water. After washing them clean, she dried them with a paper towel, then picked up a silver ring from the side and slipped it onto the middle finger of her left hand.
After doing all this, she raised her head and met Jiang Cheng's gaze in the mirror, her eyebrows slightly raised.
"Jiang, have you seen enough?"
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