Chapter 42

Half an hour later, Sheng Fang's Light Brain suddenly buzzed. He thought Wu Ying had grown impatient waiting, but when he raised his hand and saw the interface, his expression shifted.

The Ministry of Education of Sal Star was calling. Why? A dozen possibilities flashed through Sheng Fang's mind. Not daring to hesitate, he stepped out of the lab and answered.

The minister's projection rose above the Light Brain. Sheng Fang calmly offered his greetings, but the minister cut through the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "No need for formalities, Mr. Sheng. I wanted to ask—is there a married woman named Wu Ying on your research team?"

Wu Ying?

Sheng Fang hesitated. He had no married woman here, but there was indeed a Wu Ying. Wait—was Wu Ying married?

"There is indeed a young lady named Wu Ying on our research team, but as for whether she's married, we wouldn't know. She only joined a few days ago, so her name wasn't on the list submitted. May I ask what business you have with her, Minister?"

"Nothing major, just a personal matter. Could you introduce us?"

The minister's tone was warm and polite, but Sheng Fang's guard went up. A personal matter? Could Wu Ying's connections really run that deep? A second later, he remembered she was still sitting in his office, and cold sweat prickled on his forehead.

"I wouldn't dare presume. I'll go fetch her right away, then come to the government building to see you—or would you prefer to meet elsewhere?"

"No need. I'm at your front gate right now. Just tell the guard to let us in. You arrange the place, and make it quick."

The minister remained courteous, but there was a soldier's no-nonsense decisiveness in his words.

Sheng Fang's heart lurched. He closed his eyes briefly, then turned and walked back toward his office, dispatching others to receive the minister and prepare the meeting room along the way.

His lab was housed in a research institute on Sal Star, fully equipped—which was precisely why he couldn't afford to offend the Ministry of Education.

Before pushing open the office door, Sheng Fang had already prepared an entire script. Replacing his expression with a familiar, genial smile, he stepped inside.

The sound of the door snapped Wu Ying awake. She sat up with a jolt, blinking, the fog of sleep still clouding her eyes.

"Senior, you're here."

Wu Ying forced a stiff smile, smoothed down her disheveled hair, and folded her hands neatly on her knees, ready to bring up the matter from before. But she'd barely started when Sheng Fang cut her off.

"Junior, there's no rush. Do you have some personal connection with Minister Chen Luoyu of the Sal Star Ministry of Education?"

"Who?"

She'd never heard that name in her life. The confusion on Wu Ying's face was clearly genuine. So what could the reason be?

"Well, I was in the middle of my experiment and forgot to let you rest, but then I got a call from the minister saying he wanted to meet you."

Wu Ying frowned. What? She didn't know him at all, so why would he want to meet her? It sounded suspicious. Maybe he was just trying to fool her—maybe he only wanted to see someone from the lab.

"Senior, I don't know any minister. I don't want to meet him. Could you turn him down for me?"

A vein throbbed at Sheng Fang's temple. He paused, then said with a helpless tone, "Junior, the minister is already in the meeting room and asked for you by name. Whatever the case, you should go see him."

"Ah... fine."

Since he'd already come, and they were on the lab's turf, it probably wouldn't be anything dangerous.

Wu Ying valued her life dearly. She had no intention of letting anything happen to her.

In the meeting room, a cup of tea sat before Chen Luoyu. He was seated upright—unmistakably the posture of a soldier.

The moment she saw him, a guess flashed through Wu Ying's mind. No way?! The main reason was that the minister's bearing felt oddly familiar—instinctively, she thought of Asher.

Of everyone she knew, only Asher was in the military. Oh, and her good friend Luo Meng. But there was no way it was him.

The moment Wu Ying appeared, Minister Chen rose to his feet. A smile that didn't come naturally settled on his face as he walked over, extending his hand. "Good day, ma'am. I'm Chen Luoyu."

"Um, hello."

Wu Ying gave his hand a quick shake, then stood there awkwardly. That ominous feeling in her gut only grew stronger.

"Mr. Sheng, could you excuse us for a moment?"

A secretary stepped forward from behind Chen Luoyu and addressed Sheng Fang. Before stepping into the office, Wu Ying would have grabbed Sheng Fang and refused to let him leave—but now? Forget it.

Sheng Fang left the meeting room with the secretary. Chen Luoyu smiled and gestured for Wu Ying to sit, pouring her a cup of tea himself. "If not for the Commander contacting me, I wouldn't have known you'd arrived on Sal Star. I'm ashamed I didn't come pay my respects sooner."

What was this? The man looked to be in his forties or fifties—and she meant by old 21st-century Earth standards; by current ones, he was probably even older. How could he say something like that with a straight face? She couldn't even bring herself to accept it.

"Minister, you flatter me."

Wu Ying played it cool, raising her cup to hide her awkward expression. God, the important thing was that this man was definitely sent by Asher—because she wasn't answering his calls?!

Minister Chen laughed heartily. When he mentioned Asher, a near-fanatical reverence appeared on his face, nowhere like the forced smile from before.

"Not at all. The Commander said your Light Brain broke and he couldn't reach you—he got worried and contacted me. I say he should've told me sooner, and I'd have arranged guards for you."

Every "ma'am" out of Chen Luoyu's mouth sent a chill down Wu Ying's spine. She hurriedly said, "Minister, just call me Wu Ying."

"How could I—" Before he could finish, his Light Brain vibrated. Someone was urging him along.

"Ma'am, how about I connect a video call with the Commander so you can tell him you're safe in person?" It would also let him see the Commander—he hadn't laid eyes on him since retiring from service.

Minister Chen wore a hearty, honest smile. With Wu Ying's permission, he dialed the video immediately. A moment later, a projection appeared above the Light Brain.

It was Asher. His cold, stern features seemed untouched by the sunlight even as it bathed his face. The background looked like her flower room—so the man hadn't gotten so angry he was taking it out on her flowers, had he?

"Commander, sir! Chen Luoyu reporting!"

A boom exploded beside Wu Ying's ear, rattling around in her skull and scrambling her thoughts. She shot a subtle glare at Minister Chen, then shifted her gaze to the projection.

Asher looked at Wu Ying with a calm, indifferent gaze—as if he hadn't been the one who'd sent Minister Chen all this way.

What a poser.

Wu Ying silently curled her lip and waited quietly for Minister Chen to speak with him. There wasn't much conversation. After a few exchanges, Minister Chen turned his gaze to her, as if expecting her to say something.

She couldn't be bothered. Asher didn't seem surprised by her attitude.

"Wu Ying, if your Light Brain is broken, you should replace it. I asked Minister Chen to bring a new one, so there's no excuse to be unreachable."

Is he mocking me? Wu Ying thought, then casually replied, "Oh." The air slowly thickened. Minister Chen glanced from Asher to Wu Ying, and a quiet understanding settled in his mind.

Whether the Light Brain was actually broken or not, one thing was clear: there was some friction between the Commander and his wife.

"Right, I specially picked the newest model—waterproof and with positioning features turned off. Apparently it's quite popular with young people. Take a look, ma'am."

Minister Chen opened the packaging and personally handed the new Light Brain to Wu Ying.

"If Minister Chen personally picked it, it must be quality. Thank you, Minister."

Wu Ying smiled, taking the device in hand. Seeing this, Asher said, "Whether it has problems or not, you'll only know by using it. Otherwise, if you can't get through on a call again—Minister Chen, who should I come looking for?"

"Me, naturally. Don't worry, Commander. I'll take responsibility for the Light Brain."

Wu Ying tilted her head to look at Asher, daggers flashing from her eyes. Finally, she spoke with a smile that wasn't quite one. "It's already trouble enough to have the Minister bring it over—why say such things? I can take responsibility for myself."

"Good. I hope your calls go through smoothly next time." Asher returned the same meaningful expression, then turned to the still-silent Chen Luoyu. "Minister Chen, I've troubled you with this trip. Thank you for your effort. You may go now."

Chen Luoyu sensed the delicate tension in the air and had no desire to linger. He readily agreed and took his leave, ending the video call and heading out with his secretary.

The moment they were gone, Wu Ying's new Light Brain lit up again. She didn't need to look to know who it was.

She held the device up and let out a long, heavy sigh. This man—first he told her to get a new Light Brain, and now he was calling her immediately. He was doing this on purpose.

"Junior? What's wrong, standing there in a daze? If you need anything, just say the word."

Sheng Fang walked in, his face wearing that same polished smile.

Wu Ying smiled back at him, letting the Light Brain keep buzzing. "Senior, I came to your office earlier to ask for the day off."

"Of course. If you're tired, you should rest properly. Are you going to be alright? Maybe take tomorrow off too?"

Wu Ying waved her hand and quickly said one day was enough. When she saw Sheng Fang about to say more, she pointed at her Light Brain and said there was a family emergency.

It was indeed an emergency—in that short span, Asher had already dialed a second time.

Wu Ying's voice trailed down the hallway as she answered the call. Behind her, Sheng Fang watched her go, a smile on his lips and a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.

Who exactly was she connected to? Minister Chen most certainly wasn't here because of his mentor.

Sheng Fang mulled it over, then squeezed the bracelet on his wrist. He turned, pushed the door open, and pressed his Light Brain against it, locking the meeting room. Immediately, he contacted Ashery. His mentor might know about Wu Ying's background—and perhaps the very reason he'd been willing to place her in Sheng Fang's care.

Ashery looked at his prized student and shook his head. This student was excellent in every way except that his family background was lacking, which made him overly sensitive in this regard.

"You—this girl never shows it. What made it come to light for you all of a sudden?"

Sheng Fang forced a wry smile and recounted the whole chain of events, afraid his mentor wouldn't speak. In the end, he could only look at him with pleading eyes.

Pleading wouldn't help either. Ashery shook his head. Wu Ying intended to keep her identity hidden, and he didn't dare reveal it lightly either. "Drop it. At the end of the day, it's a connection we can't afford to offend."

Sheng Fang froze at those words. He knew his mentor's family influence was hardly insignificant—already beyond his wildest reach. After thinking it through, he concluded he'd need to tread far more carefully around her.

Back on Wu Ying's side: "Got the new Light Brain set up?"

Asher's tone was calm, but Wu Ying somehow picked up a note of mockery.

"Ha. So, is the house on fire? First time I've seen you this eager to reach me."

Wu Ying spoke as she walked, voice kept low. When she reached her dormitory door, she slipped inside quickly. The moment the door clicked shut, the anger she'd been holding back could no longer be contained.