He was quite frank. Yu Jiuyuan closed the file: "I can give you access, but the experimental data must be shared." She stood up, "Yuan Xu is going to do a fusion experiment of the luminescent gene this afternoon, do you want to go and take a look? Maybe you can help."
Rong Shenghan raised an eyebrow: "President, are you really that comfortable with me being alone with Yuan Xu? Aren't you afraid I'll steal your 'innocent young man' away?"
“To kidnap him, you need to know gene editing, be able to make specimens, and be able to tolerate him staying up for three days and three nights without sleep while watching experiments.” Yu Jiuyuan walked to the door, and when she turned back, she had a faint smile. “It seems that the vice president is not good at any of these things.”
The biology lab was filled with the sweet aroma of agar.
Yuan Xu was hunched over the microscope, her hair disheveled, with faint dark circles under her eyes, clearly having stayed up all night again.
His eyes lit up the moment he saw Yu Jiuyuan enter: "President! The fusion of the firefly gene and the begonia gene is successful! Look!"
The seedlings in the petri dish had leaves that glowed with a soft green light under ultraviolet light, and even the veins were clearly visible. Yu Jiuyuan leaned closer to take a look, her tone tinged with just the right amount of amazement: "You've even controlled the expression intensity so well! How did you solve the gene silencing problem?"
When the topic turned to her professional field, Yuan Xu immediately launched into a long, rapid-fire monologue: "I used a novel promoter! I referenced the paper you gave me last time, 'Regulation of Plant Gene Expression,' and the methylation inhibition method in it was incredibly useful..."
He suddenly realized he had been talking too excitedly, and his cheeks flushed slightly. "...Isn't it boring?"
“How could that be?” Yu Jiuyuan picked up the tweezers and carefully picked up a glowing leaf. “This is more beautiful than any luxury item.”
She turned her head to the side, her hair brushing against the back of his hand. "Do you have time tonight? We can take another set of high-resolution photos using a fluorescence microscope."
Yuan Xu's ears turned bright red, and she stammered, "I...I have time! I'll cancel tonight's specimen preparation!"
[Yuan Xu: Affection +3, currently 54 (Triggering "Exclusive Time" anticipation)]
Yu Jiuyuan watched him frantically scribbling something in his lab notebook when she suddenly noticed a small, simple drawing on the title page: a firefly and a glowing begonia, with the date marked next to it—the very day they first discussed the experiment.
She thought to herself, but her face remained impassive as she changed the subject: "By the way, Rong Shenghan might come to the lab this afternoon. He wants to learn about the applications of gene editing in the medical field. Don't mind him."
Yuan Xu paused, then murmured an "Mmm," her mood noticeably somber.
Yu Jiuyuan pretended not to see and continued to discuss the experimental parameters, but she knew in her heart that a proper sense of "crisis" could help the pure-hearted boy realize his own feelings more quickly, just like watering a plant properly so that it can grow stronger.
In the afternoon, Xie Zhecheng was adjusting the telescope in the astronomy club's observation room. He was wearing a dark blue windbreaker, zipped up to the top, revealing only his sharply defined jawline.
When Yu Jiuyuan pushed the door open and came in, he was pointing the screen at the Orion Nebula. The image on the screen was so clear that the dark matter bands in the nebula could be seen.
"The spectral analysis is done?" She walked over and naturally leaned against the control panel, only half a step away from him.
Xie Zhecheng nodded and pulled up a set of data charts: "The abnormal radiation intensity you mentioned last time does indeed have periodic fluctuations."
His fingertip slid across the screen, tracing a smooth arc. "I marked three suspicious peaks that may be related to the gravitational lensing effect of dark matter."
Yu Jiuyuan leaned closer to look at the chart, deliberately letting the ends of her hair brush against the back of his hand. She could feel his momentary stiffness, and the very slight erratic breathing that followed.
"Even a perfectionist can do such a beautiful data analysis." Her voice was tinged with laughter, but her gaze was fixed on the time in the lower right corner of his screen. There were still ten minutes until his afternoon class, and he was obviously going to skip class again to do observations.
[Xie Zhecheng: Positive emotions +3, current level 29; Negative emotions -3, current level 17 (triggered "indulgence and acquiescence" perception)]
"Afternoon classes..." Xie Zhecheng seemed to realize this as well, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
“I’ve already asked Rong Shenghan to help you get leave.” Yu Jiuyuan picked up the thermos he had placed beside her, unscrewed the lid and handed it to him. “It’s still hot. I added honey. Staying up all night to observe your condition can upset your stomach.”
Xie Zhecheng's hand trembled slightly as he took the thermos. The scalding heat transmitted through the ceramic, making his fingertips numb. He didn't look at her, but simply lowered his head and took a sip of honey water, the curve of his Adam's apple clearly visible.
The dome of the observation room slowly opened, revealing a clear autumn sky. The Orion Nebula spun silently on the screen, like an overturned palette.
Looking at Xie Zhecheng's focused profile, Yu Jiuyuan suddenly felt that the defenses of a perfectionist are actually like the starry sky. They seem indestructible, but at some moment, they will always crack open a gentle gap for a shooting star that suddenly enters the sky.
What she has to do is become the brightest shooting star.
As Yu Jiuyuan left the school in the evening, she ran into Lin Yanran again at the school gate. He had changed to a more understated black sedan, and his arrogance had lessened considerably. He even rolled down the window: "...My dad asked me to apologize to you."
Seeing his awkward expression, Yu Jiuyuan suddenly chuckled, "There's no need for an apology."
She bent down and leaned close to the car window, her voice low, "Want to join the student council as an officer? Sure, but you have to do me a favor first: steal the internal agreement between the Su family and those three real estate developers."
Lin Yanran's eyes widened suddenly. Yu Jiuyuan straightened up, her smile as innocent as a harmless lamb: "Of course, you can refuse."
She turned and walked towards her car, leaving behind a casual remark, "After all, not everyone has the chance to go from being 'the Su family's gun' to 'the Yu family's person'."
The sound of a car engine starting came from behind, but this time it wasn't an angry roar; instead, it carried a hint of hesitation and uncertainty.
Yu Jiuyuan got into the car, looking at the black sedan getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.
Xie Zhecheng's rules are loosening, Yuan Xu's feelings are becoming clear, Rong Shenghan's trump card is being revealed, and Lin Yanran's defenses are crumbling... This game called "taming" is finally getting more and more interesting.
As for who will be the ultimate winner?
She looked at the system panel that popped up on the car's screen, where four names were listed side by side, their favorability and mood values subtly changing.
No rush, the real show is just beginning.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
