Chapter 43

"You're sick, Asher. You knew perfectly well I was ignoring your calls, and you still had the nerve to send someone all the way over here. You must be really bored!"

And he'd even threatened to keep sending Director Chen over if she didn't answer. Wasn't he supposed to write her a long, heartfelt message begging for forgiveness, following the usual script?

From start to finish, all he'd done was bombard her with messages and then summon someone to her doorstep.

"Isn't this the most efficient method?"

Wu Ying laughed in exasperation, spreading her hands wide and holding back her anger as she asked, "So, what is it? Hurry up and say it. I'm busy."

"What are you busy with?"

Asher's gaze turned dark and unreadable. He didn't like her attitude. He didn't like that she wasn't home, either.

"I'm busy with my experiment. This is an opportunity I fought hard for, and I'm taking it very seriously. So please, don't disturb me."

Disturb? Asher frowned slightly, a pang of discomfort settling in his chest. He was her husband—was it really such a bother to simply want to know where his wife was? Did sending a message or making a video call really require that much effort?

If Wu Ying knew what he was thinking, she would have scoffed. Then why hadn't he said a word before he left? Why hadn't he answered her calls back then?

Wu Ying looked at the silent Asher in the projection. His long, slender lashes drooped low, veiling his deep, phoenix-like eyes. His face was as calm as ever—handsome and cold—yet she still felt a pang, as if she'd struck him, as if he'd been hurt.

Feeling sorry for a man only brings you bad luck, remember the words of those who came before. Wu Ying squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again, slapping her own cheeks lightly as she chanted inwardly: No, I need to stay strong!

"What's wrong?"

Wu Ying rolled her eyes at him. "I'm angry."

Across from her, Asher pressed his lips together, a faint laugh muffled in his chest. When he spoke, a hint of it escaped. "Angry, and hitting yourself."

"Well, I can't exactly hit you from here, can I? Whatever, I'm done talking."

"Wait, there's something else."

Wu Ying scrunched her face in distaste. "What now?"

Asher sighed softly, lifting his eyes to her. "When are you coming back? Next time, tell me before you go somewhere, so I can make arrangements. And don't ignore my calls."

"Don't? Who are you to say don't? Can't I even control my own Light Brain?" Wu Ying had a million retorts ready. She'd never seen Asher this annoying before. She didn't want to look at him anymore.

"I already told you I'm busy. Your matters are matters, but mine aren't important? And you have the nerve to say 'don't'? You've got way too much power—one word from you and you send the Minister of Education after me. You want to control everything, even my Light Brain and my calls. Selfish, arrogant, and conceited. Do you even know what respect means? And let me get this straight: the first missed call might be an accident, the second might be too, but by the third, you should start considering other possibilities. Do you even understand how to read the room?!"

The more she spoke, the darker Asher's expression grew. She was laying into him with perfect logic, as if he'd committed some unforgivable crime.

"Wu Ying, are you deliberately trying to make me angry?"

Wu Ying tilted her head with a raised brow, a blatant provocation, yet her tone was impossibly innocent. "I'm just discussing social etiquette with you."

"Ha. Social etiquette. Fine."

Asher had no way to deal with her. His chest rose and fell heavily; anger surged from the depths of his heart, then vanished just as quickly. He had no counterattack. If someone in the military district made a mistake, he could tear them apart with military regulations and laws. But what rules was a wife supposed to follow?

He realized, for the first time, that arguing was his greatest weakness.

"So when are you coming back?"

He didn't know how long the silence lasted, but Asher skipped past the subject and latched onto the key question again.

Huh?

Wu Ying was stunned for a few seconds. Was he actually about to admit it? Admit that he was selfish, arrogant, and conceited?

Just moments ago, he'd looked like he was about to explode. His recovery was remarkable. Still, seeing him lose his composure in anger was satisfying enough for Wu Ying.

"I don't know. I'm just a grunt here, so I don't get to decide the timeline. I'll come back when the experiment is finished."

The moment the words left her mouth, Asher frowned. "A grunt? Then just come back. I'll—"

"Shut up! Even if it's grunt work, it's my business. I want to do it. Stop bothering me!"

What a smug, self-righteous man. She'd nailed it. Wu Ying's face turned cold, her delicate features radiating obvious impatience.

Asher fell silent, realizing he'd set her off again.

A second later, the video cut off, and Wu Ying vanished from sight. This time, Asher didn't even have a chance to call her back. He stared at the empty air before him, a rare look of bewilderment on his face.

Who actually liked being a grunt? And why was she so quick to anger lately? She'd been so irritable recently. What was he supposed to do?

Wu Ying ended the call and forced herself to take a few deep breaths before she could calm down.

So mad! Wait—was he thinking she was being unreasonable right now? Ugh, even madder!

Was it her fault for being too irritable? No, it was because that dog of a man, Asher, had absolutely no concept of tact or respect!

By evening, when she was writing her experiment log, she was still stewing over it. The thought that Asher might have already completely forgotten about her anger made her feel even more restless.

She was the one picking a fight, venting her fury, and yet her opponent remained unruffled while she was so worked up she couldn't sleep. Seriously, this was the greatest shame of her life.

"No, no, I can't think about this anymore. Men will only slow me down. My experiment log is what matters most!"

This was tied to her future plans for making money, tied to her sea of starflowers.

"I'll write!"

—

"Ah, I finally finished!"

Sheng Fang's experiment was nearing its end, and so was Wu Ying's experiment log. Her log was probably different from others'—she'd pulled out every individual experiment item and process and compared them side by side with her own experimental steps.

Every detail and discrepancy was laid out clearly. If her assumptions were correct, she'd found her direction.

Brilliant!

She decided to incorporate her special ability into the entire set of experimental soil formulas and include the flower seeds as a core part of the whole formula. The seeds, which had already been stimulated by her ability, had a certain guaranteed survival rate. Combined with the improved soil, the survival rate could be boosted across the board. And most importantly, this made her soil formula far harder to replicate.

The experimental soil could be further refined, but she was confident enough to start looking for a research team now. This experiment's experience would keep her from being lost in a team setting. She was the one who proposed the experiment and led it, so her share of the research patent wouldn't be small. That was enough.

"Ladies, I've successfully come out of seclusion!"

On her first day back on Beta Star, Wu Ying announced the good news in the dorm group chat. She really had been swamped during that time—she wanted to understand every aspect of the experiment, and Senior Sheng Fang had been enthusiastic too, practically eager to drag her into joining his team.

She'd learned a lot, but she'd also been working like a dog.

Thankfully, it was all over now.

"Congratulations, Wu Yingying! You've finally returned with your hard-earned knowledge. With you gone, I had no one to chat with."

Cynthia was the first to congratulate her. In the four-person dorm, only two of them were slackers—Cynthia and Wu Ying. They'd agreed to coast through life together, but then Wu Ying suddenly joined an experiment, sending Cynthia into a panic that had her spamming the group chat every day.

There was no helping it, though. She wanted to just lie back and do nothing, but reality wouldn't allow it. She'd actually started wanting to make money—maybe because she kept fighting with Asher and felt the pressure?

Whatever. Wu Ying sent messages to all her close friends, warning them that she might be blowing up their inboxes in the coming days. She treasured every friend she had—they were important proof of her existence in this world.

But what was this?

Wu Ying had been cheerfully scrolling through her contacts when she suddenly spotted a strange message—a friend request notification from someone she'd blocked.

"I'm Ivy, representing the research institute. I'd like to talk with you."

Who's this? Wu Ying's first reaction was confusion. Wait—no, she remembered! It was that woman who'd praised Asher and belittled her, the one who'd made her blood boil!

"Do I even know you? Talk about what? Nothing good's going to come out of your mouth anyway."

A dog's mouth doesn't produce ivory. Wu Ying quickly deleted the notification. She wasn't going to let that ruin her good mood.

"Dear Teacher Nova, do you still remember your dear friend far away?" Wu Ying showered Nova with a good dose of affectionate coaxing before finally setting her Light Brain down, satisfied. Nova was from the Mental Power Research Institute—she had to deal with her own students while being borrowed by other colleges to watch over theirs, so she was always running around with various students, with hardly any free time.

As for her other good friend, he was still in the middle of grueling training.

After completing the full set of catch-up greetings, Wu Ying finally turned all her attention to the greenhouse.

"My darlings, our bright future has taken another step forward. Give me a few days to rest, and then I'll show you."

Wu Ying clasped her hands behind her back, walking one step at a time along the path between the flower beds, her gentle gaze quietly sweeping over every flower striving to live in the greenhouse.

It was wonderful—this greenhouse was getting more crowded by the day.

Wu Ying pinched her chin and raised it proudly. Yes, it was time to start thinking about where her next garden would take root. Once she graduated and got her business license, these beautiful flowers would be seen by so many more people.

Hahahaha.

And then she'd achieve her dream and reap the gold coins! Perfect, brilliant~

Just thinking about it made her want to laugh out loud.

She remembered that Asher owned many small planets under his name. She'd decided that, in the future, she'd pick a suitable little planet and cover it with all kinds of gorgeous flowers. Anyone who came to that planet just had to leave behind a story, and they could take a bouquet with them.

Brilliant~

A few days later, Luo Meng finally managed to get in touch. He looked at Wu Ying in the video, already lost in her daydreams, and hit her with the soul-searching question: "So, did you find anyone?"

Wu Ying immediately wilted. Don't even mention it—she couldn't find anyone on her own. She'd tried both talent websites and recruitment agencies, but so far, only a handful had contacted her, and the few who did were even less qualified than she was.

"I asked Su Yi, and she said that people with real talent don't choose a team based on salary alone. But all I have is money!"