Huo Yao buried herself in work for over an hour before putting down her pencil and rubbing her forehead. She gathered the pile of rough paper on the table and tore them up before tossing them into the trashcan.
After contemplating for a while, she sent Lei Xiao a text message: [This data doesn’t look right. If you continue to create the viral transport medium, it would probably end up in a catastrophe.]
Huo Yao put her phone aside after sending the text message. She took out the mock test paper her teacher had assigned as homework today and started working on it.
After she finished the paper, she did not see any replies from Lei Xiao, so she washed up and went to bed.
By the time Lei Xiao came out from the laboratory, it was already 3:00 am. He had dark circles beneath his eyes. His face was disheveled and his eyes were bloodshot.
Lei Xiao took off the protective gear and went downstairs to the second floor. He went to the fridge and took out a can of beer. After he finished the beer, he went back to sit on the couch in the living room.
He leaned into the couch’s backrest and rested his eyes for a while before he straightened his back and took the phone from the coffee table.
Lei Xiao instantly felt energetic when he saw Huo Yao’s text message.
Lei Xiao tapped her message open. Even though he saw it coming, he could not help feeling sad when he saw her reply.
Did she know how many years the research institute spent to come up with the core data? How could she say that it was no good?
Lei Xiao sighed before he lowered his head and composed a reply: [What do you suggest? How can we make it a little better?]
Lei Xiao was not expecting Huo Yao to immediately reply after he sent the text message. After all, it was already late at night, so she was probably asleep.
Lei Xiao sat on the couch and contemplated for a while before he stood up. He walked over to the door to take his car keys, and leave.
*
The next morning.
Since Huo Yao was attending Old Mr. Yi’s birthday banquet tonight, she picked out a long coat that would cover her school uniform perfectly.
Yi Lianfan came over to look for Huo Yao at noon.
The moment Huo Yao saw him, she asked him. “Did you receive the package?”
Her voice sounded lively.
Yi Lianfan looked angry the moment he heard her. After some time, he replied. “You were out to get even with me.”
He gave her five test papers, and she gave him an entire box in return.
Huo Yao cleared her throat before she said with a straight face, “Since we are friends, we should help each other.”
Yi Lianfan looked at her and laughed coldly.
Some kind of help that was.
Yi Lianfan did not want to talk about the revision material. Instead, he got straight to business. “You are probably coming over to grandpa’s for dinner, right?”
He heard this grandfather calling Young Master Min yesterday and asking him to bring Huo Yao over tonight.
Huo Yao nodded.
A look of relief rose on Yi Lianfan’s face. He contemplated before he suggested. “Shall we head over together after school?”
Huo Yao glanced at him and shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m going over with a friend.”
Yi Lianfan reckoned Huo Yao’s friend was Young Master Min, so he did not insist. When he recalled his grandfather’s request, he felt uneasy and looked at Huo Yao hesitantly.
