Chapter 46

Wu Ying looked up, glaring at him with a sense of being mocked. Was this not something worth agonizing over? If she handed it to Asher, it would be a direct ticket to the experimental stage, and she could even borrow his authority to conduct the experiment in peace. But then she'd lose the chance to train herself. The opportunity to lead an experiment independently was rare—her senior had said that leading a team was exhausting but also a great way to grow.

In the future, she might need to lead teams for experiments; she couldn't always rely on Asher.

Wu Ying screamed internally in indecision, but ultimately collapsed at the dining table, her plump cheek slapping against it. "Wuwuwu, I want to do it myself."

Even as she said it, she mentally chanted: Stop me, stop me!

"Alright, then arrange it as you see fit."

Hedonism ultimately lost, and the clarion call of bravery charged slowly from the corner. Fine, now she only had one path.

"Remember to tell me in advance when you go out." Of course, Asher had already instructed his administrative assistant that Wu Ying's outing requests must be shown to him first.

The experiment issue was set aside for now, but there was something else Wu Ying had been wanting to bring up.

The Yun 8 Star Gene Research Institute kept adding her comm number. She'd rejected them, yet they still tried, and the infuriating part was she couldn't block them. This damned whitelist system—robber's logic! Research staff numbers couldn't be blocked!

"It's so annoying. She said they want me to join some experiment or other, as if I'm the subject. Hilarious." She had no time for such experiments, and why should she join just because they asked? Was she some kind of gorilla?

Her refusal should have been perfectly reasonable, but Ivy actually questioned why she'd declined. If she weren't so fed up with adding contacts, Wu Ying would have video-called to curse her out.

Wu Ying wasn't a forceful personality. She was a bit spoiled and willful, but not quick to anger. She could bend and stretch, even to the point of being soft and somewhat timid.

Of course, she didn't see herself that way.

"The institute worships the Compatibility Rate as their creed. Just a bunch of self-righteous fools."

Asher's tone was mocking, and Wu Ying nodded vigorously. Utterly self-righteous, to the point of talking to themselves.

Wu Ying loved lively conversation and could chatter endlessly. She said she'd given Ivy, that researcher, a piece of her mind, then moved on to talk about the last practical.

She only mentioned things she found interesting or infuriating, darting from one topic to another with no logic. If it came to mind, she said it. Asher never interrupted, and even asked for clarification when he didn't understand.

With someone to respond, Wu Ying only talked more.

She could talk happily to Jiujiu alone, so with Asher, a living person, she was positively eloquent.

"Luo Meng said he'd send me something. If you hadn't flipped out, I'd have already pestered him to send it." At that, she glared at him again. It had been awkward enough, and when she'd woken up, she found Asher had dared to reply to her messages without permission.

"That was my mistake, but I think you need to change too."

Wu Ying wouldn't reply to his messages but chatted up a storm with others—Asher had always objected to that and was extremely uncooperative.

Wu Ying couldn't be bothered with him. She stood up to leave. "Pfft, I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to—"

"Wait, it's been a while since I checked your training progress. I have time today." Asher called her back, waving a hand to overrule her refusal.

"Ahh, I don't want to!"

Wu Ying pushed at him with all her might, but she was too weak, and ended up half-dragged, half-carried toward the training room.

Was he a demon? Wu Ying struggled fruitlessly, then let her body go limp, letting him drag her. Her feet trailed along the floor, like a salted fish resigned to its fate.

She'd only woken up close to afternoon, and now she had to train? Did he think she was made of iron?!

"Let go of me!"

At the thought, Wu Ying flailed her arms and legs again. Why was she suddenly being forced to train for no reason?

Asher scooped her up around the waist, ignoring her muttering.

"I remember you took an energy supplement when you got up. Now stop fussing. Let me see if your mecha skills have regressed."

They had definitely regressed. Wu Ying smiled bitterly. She'd been slacking in training to begin with, and after joining Sheng Fang's experiment, she'd been too busy to practice.

The training room had been unused for a while, but the circulation system meant no dust. Wu Ying, who'd been unhappy about it, didn't resist much once they arrived. She really hadn't practiced in a long time.

—

Nova hadn't seen Wu Ying in a while, and the two arranged to meet in the mental power training room via the link.

"Wu Ying, your mental power is becoming more and more stable. Looks like you've been training hard lately."

Nova teased, and Wu Ying smiled bitterly. Where did she have time? Her experiment was halfway through and she couldn't get away.

"You're joking at my expense. I'm being ground down by the experiment right now; where would I find time? You don't know—that He Fu, with a few people he brought along, lords it over the lab every day. It's infuriating."

Nova reached out and pinched her cheek. Well, she did look tired; the flesh on her face had dwindled.

"Your husband offered to help, and you refused. Now you see the consequences, don't you?"

At that, Wu Ying's already watery eyes grew even more so. Don't even mention it. The word now was 'regret.' According to the original plan, the experiment should have been finished before the semester started. Now, the lab was just fighting internal battles.

The sophomore year start date had passed, and she had to take leave. Most importantly, she still didn't know when the experiment would end.

The academic advisor said she could file for a leave of absence since she'd submitted the experiment, but she was afraid of missing too many classes and not learning enough. What if she couldn't get her professional certification later?

Damn it! There was always a rotten apple to spoil the whole barrel!

"Little Wu, you didn't come to the lab this morning, did you? Let me tell you, experiments need to be done step by step. Slacking off won't do."

He Fu held a water cup, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha, but his words were anything but kind. He openly and subtly mocked her, refused to do the tasks she assigned, always had objections, and pulled the team members to talk behind her back.

"Researcher He, so how did the experiment progress this morning?" Wu Ying probed with a fake smile. Sure enough: "Oh, you weren't here today, so we didn't know what to do."

Wu Ying trembled with anger. Didn't know what to do? Then when she assigned tasks, they had plenty of opinions. So they knew about the assignments then?

I'll endure!

Wu Ying forced down her anger and quickly pulled out the progress schedule. They said they'd follow her arrangements, so she'd arrange it right away.

He Fu coughed, raised his eyes, and flicked the schedule, clearly about to spout nonsense.

"Researcher He, let's get started quickly. Oh, you know, the Commander asked about the progress today. I nearly got scolded. We can't afford more delays."

Wu Ying smiled and pulled rank, knowing only Asher could suppress him.

He Fu's expression shifted instantly, a flash of anger in his eyes. He knew it—this woman had quietly contacted the Commander's people. She was really on guard; he hadn't found a single opening.

"We really should speed up. Little Wu, you too—next time, just have the Commander's people come to the lab directly. That way, our reports would be clearer, wouldn't they?" And it would let him get in touch with the Commander.

"Ah, I'll ask next time."

Wu Ying replied awkwardly. He Fu, seeing her response, was marginally pleased. "Come on, Little Wu. This afternoon's experiment is important. Stick with me and learn more."

I'll endure again!

"So you're planning to use this opportunity to practice the art of endurance?"

Cynthia was Cynthia—her casual jabs were the most painful. Huo Lin laughed heartily, and seeing Wu Ying's bitter expression, laughed even harder.

"I've figured it out. That old man is stalling just to use you to get to your husband."

"That's Asher·Siser! Who wouldn't want that? I want it too. From the moment I learned who Wu Ying's husband was, my college plan was to become her best friend before graduation!"

Su Yi finally stopped what she was doing and glanced at the smug Cynthia across the room. Huo Lin had left; it was just the two of them in the dorm, and Cynthia, annoyed that Su Yi wouldn't talk to her, had sought out Wu Ying.

"With the way you talk now, it probably won't work."

Su Yi's words came through the holographic screen, and Wu Ying was delighted. She loved watching these two argue.

"Sister Su Yi, please scold her for me. She's always mocking me, and she calls herself my best friend. Hmph."

Su Yi: Scolding, scolding...

Wu Ying watched them, rolling around happily on her bed. She'd been worried that after they found out about her 'man behind the scenes,' these girls would change.

Based on past experience, people would first be surprised, then skeptical, and finally think it was a mismatch, finding fault with her in every way.

She'd been scared, but it turned out fine. Everyone was normal, at most they'd tease her a bit more.

Asher said that smart people know what she wants and thus know how to act. Maybe so. Anyway, she felt good. Of course, if she could, she'd still keep it a secret, because the future...

Speaking of which, it was all Asher's fault!

Who knew what had gotten into him, making the 'Luo Meng incident' happen again. He'd barged in mid-video call and exposed everything completely.

Just as she was thinking, the door opened.

Asher came in holding his hat, white gloves on, fingers long and elegant as he brushed his hair back. His cold eyes softened when they landed on Wu Ying.

"Why are you here again? Aren't you busy?"

Wu Ying propped her head on her arm, pushed her hair aside with the other hand, and looked him up and down.

Lately, this man was surprisingly diligent. Before, when she just stayed on Beta Star, he'd be so busy he wouldn't come home for a month or two. Now that she was out here, he had more time, showing up almost every week.

A slight smile tugged at Asher's lips. He leaned down, placed his hat on the nightstand, his gaze locked on her. He intertwined his fingers and slowly pulled off his gloves, one by one. The white gloves stood out starkly against his black military uniform.

What was he planning? Wu Ying craned her neck to look up. His long legs pressed against the edge of the bed, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he stared at her with a hungry, wolfish look, as if he were about to devour her.

Wu Ying blinked, sitting up uncomfortably, her fingers twisting the blanket into a small ball. She couldn't help it—his gaze was all too familiar.

She knew exactly what he wanted to do.