Chapter 93: The Past - Letting Go
The main venue of the Xihe Life Science and Medical Summit is located at the Royal Convention and Exhibition Center of Country Y. The huge floor-to-ceiling dome frames the clear blue sky into a translucent painting.
Sunlight streamed into the hall, interweaving with the warm light reflected by the crystal chandeliers, wrapped in the faint scent of champagne in the air, and falling on the hems of the guests passing by.
The hall is filled with top talents in the medical field from various countries. They are dressed in suits and ties and exquisite dresses. Their whispered conversations are full of cutting-edge topics in the industry.
When Yu Zhi followed Yue Lingyao into the venue, several glances fell on them almost immediately.
The cooperation agreement between Heinerson and Bangs was just finalized yesterday. This powerful combination of "top technology + global capital" was the most anticipated topic of this summit.
Naturally, they, as representatives of the partners, became the focus.
Yue Lingyao turned around familiarly and exchanged greetings and clinked glasses with several familiar pharmaceutical company representatives.
Yu Zhi retreated to the corner and took a break, slowly flipping through the summit brochure with her fingertips, but her eyes occasionally drifted to the patent introduction board of Heinerson in the exhibition area.
The cooperation had already been agreed upon, and they came here today just to show their faces and see if there were any potential opportunities for technical docking, which was quite relaxing.
"I just wanted to tell you..."
Yue Lingyao had just walked over and touched her arm when a gentle yet familiar female voice suddenly came from behind her, "Yu Zhi? Is it really you?"
Yue Lingyao gave Yu Zhi a tactful look and turned to join the conversation on the other side.
Yu Zhi looked back blankly and saw that the person was wearing a beige suit and skirt, with long hair tied into a neat low bun, and the nameplate on her chest that read "Director of Novartis Biological R&D" was particularly eye-catching.
She stared at the face for a few seconds, her mind blank.
Who is it?
She blinked slowly.
The other person shook the wine glass in his hand, and said with a hint of surprise: "It's me, Su Man. You really don't recognize me, do you? We had a lot of competition when we were in college."
Isn’t it said that hate lasts longer than love?
Only when Yu Zhi heard the name Su Man did she gradually understand what was going on.
Yes, we were medical students of the same class back then, and we were equally matched. Even our course selections and lab reports were always compared by the professors.
"How is that possible? Long time no see." Yu Zhi curled the corners of her lips, and her fingertips unconsciously stroked the wall of the cup.
Su Man walked over, her eyes swept over her, and she sighed with emotion, "That's right. When you went to Peking University as an exchange student, I thought you would return to Country Y to continue your studies. I didn't expect to see you again."
These words gently touched upon Yu Zhi's memories.
During my sophomore year, the "Gene Editing and Rare Disease Research Laboratory" of the Royal Medical College of Country Y opened for recruitment.
It was a world-class laboratory. She and Suman were the two most competitive applicants at the same time, and they made a bet when they were young and hot-headed.
Anyone who did not receive an offer would voluntarily give up the qualification to study with the academician and return to China to become an exchange student at Peking University.
In the end, she lost. When Su Man received the notification letter from the laboratory, she was already packing her luggage to return home.
However, Yu Zhi didn't care too much. She has never been utilitarian and could accept any outcome calmly.
"I never thought you were working at Heinerson now, and you were even leading the patent process for targeted drugs." Su Man's eyes fell on the badge on her chest, and her tone was a little more meaningful. "And you guys would actually cooperate with Bangs."
You know, Bangs has always been a monopolistic giant and very arrogant. It is really not easy to get them to give in.
Yu Zhi paused holding the wine glass: "Are you following Bangs too?"
"As someone in this industry, how could I not pay attention?" Su Man smiled, but suddenly changed the subject, "Come to think of it, my entry into the lab wasn't entirely my own doing."
Yu Zhi raised her eyebrows and motioned her to continue.
"On the day after the interview, someone came to me and said they could get me into the lab." Su Man tapped the rim of her cup with her fingertips. "The condition is that you fulfill our bet and return to China as an exchange student."
Yu Zhi stopped shaking the wine glass instantly.
Coming for her?
"Who is that person?" she asked.
Su Man shrugged, with a bit of helplessness in her eyes: "I don't know either. You were very straightforward in college, who knows who you might have offended unintentionally."
She paused, her tone softened, but her expression became more complicated as she was lost in thought.
"To be honest, I was incredibly happy when I first entered the lab, but later on, I became increasingly uneasy... I kept feeling like if I relied on my own abilities, I wouldn't even be qualified to be there. It felt like I was stealing someone else's spot..."
Yu Zhi suddenly realized: "So this is why you left the lab?"
When she heard from her classmates in the country that Su Man had voluntarily quit the laboratory, she found it unbelievable.
Because Yu Zhi knew very well that Su Man had stayed up all night revising her application materials in order to get that spot, and even spent her weekends in pre-experiments.
"That's right." Su Man smiled, and there was no hesitation in her eyes. "I'm so outstanding, there's no place I can't shine. Instead of staying there and wasting time, it's better to let go of myself as soon as possible."
She opened her arms, spun around slightly, and said with a hint of pride, "Look, I'm not doing too badly now, am I?"
Yu Zhi looked at the frankness in her eyes, smiled sincerely, and raised her glass: "Very impressive."
As the summit was coming to an end, Su Man was about to leave with the team, but Yu Zhi suddenly called her.
"Su Man, if that person hadn't been there at the time, you would have been the one to enter the laboratory."
Su Man paused and looked up into Yu Zhi's eyes.
Those eyes were still the same as they were back then, bright and clear, without any perfunctory comfort.
She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled with her eyes curved, and waved to Yu Zhi: "Let's find some time to get together when you're free."
"Okay." Yu Zhi answered straightforwardly.
Su Man walked very freely in her high heels.
Xiaoshui's voice rang out in his mind: [Host, are you comforting her? ]
"No." Yu Zhi shook the remaining wine in the glass and said seriously, "You know me. Compared to me, Su Man is the most suitable material to enter the laboratory."
"Besides, that lab required you to change your nationality to join the team. Just based on this rule, it was impossible for me to go."
"Then why did you argue with her and make such a bet?"
"Because I have nothing to do."
Su Man from Girls' Generation was a strong-willed and stubborn person, with only the determination to be the best.
He never cared about building his social circle, so naturally his popularity was extremely poor, and he was even isolated and bullied by people around him at one point.
With such a personality and being alone in a foreign country, Yu Zhi couldn't tell whether she felt lonely or not.
But Yu Zhi saw clearly that Su Man might never need a friend to cater to, but she definitely needed an equal opponent.
An opponent who can make her push forward with all her strength and support her through those difficult days.
"Still laughing?" A hand suddenly tapped her forehead gently, and Yue Lingyao's helpless voice came, "You got drunk after a while without watching over me. You shouldn't be so happy to meet an old friend, right?"
Yu Zhi only then realized that her cheeks were burning. She held her face and smiled foolishly, her eyes full of drunkenness.
Yue Lingyao shook her head, bent down and helped her up from the sofa: "Let's go back to the hotel and sleep. If you drink any more, you'll lose your sense of direction."
"Hmm...I can't tell anymore..."
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