Chapter 41

Wu Ying sat down helplessly, propping her face on her left hand, her amber eyes full of confusion. Sunlight caught the golden strands of her hair. Jiujiu circled the sofa like a puppy, reporting on the day's greenhouse situation as it went.

She still needed to find people.

"Professor, do you think there's something wrong with my experimental direction?"

The little bitter melon wailed at the professor on the other end of the Light Brain, her face scrunched up in misery. Thanks to her endless barrage of questions, she'd managed to get on the professor's good side.

Ashery watched the little girl's troubled face, and couldn't help but smile. This girl looked soft, but in reality she was domineering and had a terrible temper—yet somehow, she made it impossible to stay angry with her.

When she wanted to coax someone, she'd say anything. Ashery had never met such an amusing kid before. Probably he was getting old, so he'd grown soft-hearted.

He went through Wu Ying's experimental data one by one. Honestly, there was nothing wrong with it—if anything, it was excellent. His students had done countless similar experiments, and he really couldn't see anything unusual.

But this girl refused to share her flower data with him. What a little tyrant.

Ashery's snow-white beard bounced as he spoke. Wu Ying stared at him, her mind briefly drifting. Just how much real expertise did this old professor have left in him, anyway?

"How about this—I have a student working on an experimental soil project right now. If you're interested, I can arrange for you to join in. See if you can draw some inspiration from it."

Ashery suggested it. Wu Ying didn't want to hand her flowers over to anyone else, so the only option was to accumulate experimental experience on her own, and then use that to feed back into her own project.

"Great idea! Thank you, Professor! Once I've figured it out, I'll send you a whole room full of flowers!"

Ashery chuckled warmly and immediately recommended a senior to her. Sheng Fang was a junior this year, about to become a senior, and his graduation thesis was related to soil improvement. He was currently involved in a project.

Wu Ying added the senior, radiating enthusiasm like a little sun. She asked about the experimental details, the schedule, and the location, hesitated only for a moment, and then made her decision.

She was going to join this experiment. Professor Ashery had given her this opportunity, and she couldn't waste it. Most importantly, understanding how other experiments worked might help her spot the flaws in her own.

No time like the present. Wu Ying called for Jiujiu, and the two of them started packing. She also filed a report—the United Star was such a hassle, requiring reports for every exit and entry. She planned to just reuse the template Asher had used before.

"Senior Sheng Fang, this is my robot. It won't wander around the lab."

Wu Ying smiled brightly, quietly sizing up the clean-featured man before her. He perfectly fit the image of a researcher: white shirt, black pants, black-framed glasses, and not particularly tall—half a head shorter than Asher.

Sheng Fang was sizing her up as well, a hint of rejection hidden in his eyes. A freshman, joining his experiment? The professor had to be losing it.

"Hello, junior. No problem, as long as it's under control, we won't interfere. Follow me."

Sheng Fang's smile was warm as he opened the door of the hovercar. The vehicle rose into the air and departed from the port.

Wu Ying spent her first day unpacking in the dormitory, and by the second day she was at the lab. Everyone there wore serious expressions; no one was chatting. They were a mature research team, and their core project was soil improvement. This experiment was just one small link in their research chain.

Joining mid-way, of course no one gave her any warm welcomes. Only Senior Sheng Fang occasionally said a few words to her, but he was busy too, and he had little interaction with Wu Ying, who was just a minor assistant.

Suddenly thrown into work mode, Wu Ying felt a bit out of sorts. To keep up with the experimental progress, she stuck her fingers into everything, bustling around in a flurry.

She absorbed knowledge frantically, studying so obsessively that she forgot about her husband, the one who rarely came home anyway.

Ashur finally managed to finish his work and return home to find the house empty, not a trace of life in it.

A flicker of confusion passed through his dark eyes. Why wasn't Wu Ying home?

He pressed the switch, and all the lights in the house turned on at once. That was something Wu Ying had changed after she arrived—the entrance door switch now controlled the lighting for the entire house. Ashur stared at the brightly lit room, struggling to remember what it had looked like before.

He couldn't recall. Before, he'd rarely come back, and even when he did, he never turned on the lights. For his vision, light wasn't a necessary condition for seeing.

"Zhi Yangyang, where's Wu Ying?"

"I'm sorry, Master. I don't know. The mistress left four days ago and didn't inform me of her destination."

Four days?

Ashur's face turned cold enough to freeze. His first message went to the administrator of Beta Star—he needed to find out where Wu Ying had gone. Then he placed a video call to her.

The Light Brain rang for a long time, but was never answered.

The empty house was so quiet that he could only hear his own heavy breathing. Ashur stared intently at the Light Brain, his mouth pressed into a thin line.

The Light Brain rang for a long time before finally disconnecting on its own. A message came back from the administrator: Wu Ying had left four days ago, heading to Sar Star to participate in a school project.

So she'd left without telling him anything. Not a word.

Ashur abruptly closed his eyes and yanked open his collar button. His tall frame suddenly dropped onto the sofa, long legs propping up from the cushions, upper body slightly hunched, radiating dejection.

He didn't know whether what surged through him was anger or worry—or both. But right now, the one thing he couldn't wait to do was see her.

Ashur called Wu Ying's comm again. The ringtone sounded, and somehow, the villa no longer felt quite so empty.

But Wu Ying still didn't pick up.

Was she really that busy? Ashur rose and paced unhurriedly up to the top floor, where Wu Ying's precious greenhouse was. The greenhouse door was custom-made, adorned with rings of small floral patterns, and the doorknob was a soft pink—the kind of color Wu Ying would love.

Ashur reached out, pressing his long, powerful fingers against the door. The next moment, the greenhouse came into full view.

She'd taken excellent care of the flowers inside. Every bloom basked in sunlight, and some that needed shade had their own little rooms. What kind of flower was this? Ashur couldn't identify it. Perhaps it was a rare variety, which was why Wu Ying loved it so much and had specially custom-built a little house for it, with humidity and temperature monitors.

Ashur's dark eyes examined the plant carefully. Its leaves were withered and yellow at the edges, petals scattered in the pot, leaving only a bare stem.

Ugly.

The Light Brain was still ringing. Still no one answered.

Ashur stood in the greenhouse, sunlight pouring down from above. Half his face was hidden in shadow, carrying a hint of inexplicable gloom.

He'd have to try a different approach. Wu Ying might never pick up his calls. Sar Star... Ashur tapped his fingers lightly, and finally tasked Wei Li'an with the matter.

Wu Ying was deliberately not answering Ashur's calls. So what? He could leave without a word, ignore his messages and calls whenever he wanted. She was just busy.

"Assistant Wu, could you make your Light Brain shut up?"

The colleague across from her held a test tube, staring at her expressionlessly. The cold goggles reflected blue light, daggers practically shooting out. Wu Ying's movements froze for a moment, then she immediately put on an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'll keep it quiet."

"Then if you're this busy, why rush to join a junior-level research project? Can't do the work right, and you're nothing but trouble."

The colleague on the other side sent a taunting remark her way. He was a junior, also working as an assistant in the lab, and he'd had it out for her since day one.

Wu Ying put on a fake smile. "I've already switched it to silent. I didn't realize even that would bother you, senior. Sorry I didn't account for such a special circumstance."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing at all."

Wu Ying put on a puzzled expression, tilting her head and pouting, looking deeply wronged and scared. She took a step back, and around her, people cast curious glances their way.

The senior across from her was red-faced with anger, even more flustered now. He pointed at Wu Ying's Light Brain and said that she kept getting calls, which was very distracting to him.

He tried to explain himself to the others, but Wu Ying timidly stepped forward. "Don't be angry, senior. It's my fault. I—I didn't know you were so sensitive to light. The Light Brain is on silent, but it does still light up. Sorry. Then I'll go talk to Senior Sheng Fang and just take today off."

With that, she sniffled a couple of times and immediately turned and left, leaving behind a dumbfounded trash of a senior and a room full of disdainful looks.

To the researchers, it was nothing more than a squabble between rookies, and over something as ridiculous as Light Brain notifications.

Wu Ying stepped out of the lab and her expression snapped back. What a psycho!

Men were all insane. That garbage senior must have had a screw loose—knowing she was here through connections, he still picked a fight with her so openly. No wonder he was still an assistant like her even as a junior!

And Ashur was an idiot too. The second time she didn't pick up, wasn't it obvious enough?

He kept calling!

Finally figured out he had a Light Brain, huh? Infuriating man.

Wu Ying stood in the hallway, too angry to keep her face in check. She looked like she wanted to eat someone, cheeks puffed out, almond eyes wide.

Suddenly, the door behind her opened, and footsteps sounded. The fury drained out of her in an instant. She turned, forcing a pathetic, about-to-cry expression onto her face.

...The person walked past her without a single glance, expression blank.

This cold, heartless society!

Wu Ying deflated, shoulders slumping. Dragging her half-dead feet, she went to find Sheng Fang. She was done working today.

Sheng Fang was busy too. When he received Wu Ying's message, irritation flickered in his eyes, and he casually replied with "hold on" before continuing his work in the lab.

Busy? Understood. Running such a big project meant he couldn't spare a moment. Wu Ying sat in his office and waited. Either way, she was getting that day off.

As she sat, her mind rapidly sorted through the work she'd done over the past few days. The assistant's work was a lot, and it was all messy and scattered. Now that she was dropping it, who knew how flustered that garbage senior would get.

But Professor Ashery had said she was just an addition—the original staffing hadn't changed. She'd only been taking on some of the load. Besides, no salary, no benefits—they should be thanking her.

After thinking it all through, Wu Ying felt perfectly justified in dozing off in the office.

Sheng Fang had originally intended to leave her hanging. But by the time he got back, she'd managed to talk herself into it—and even into a nap.

He was furious!