On the second day of her leave, Jiang Fuyue officially joined Xie Dingyuan’s research team. Besides her, there were five other members, all male—three PhD candidates from Q University, one postdoc from B University, and one high-achiever from the University of Pennsylvania.
All of them were over thirty, with a variety of builds and styles. If there were only two things they had in common, they’d be high IQs and a complete disregard for fashion.
Plaid shirts, casual pants, even their watches were from the same brand and model—it looked like they bought in bulk.
“It was bulk!” one of them cheerfully confirmed Jiang Fuyue’s guess. “Group deal during the Double 11 sale, saved a bunch.”
Everyone nodded.
“I handled initial product selection.”
“I analyzed the deals, calculated discounts, and found hidden coupons.”
“I consolidated opinions, made the optimal purchase, and handled checkout and unboxing.”
Well-oiled teamwork—assembly line-level efficiency.
Jiang Fuyue: “…”
“Hey, kiddo, what grade are you in? Did your teacher bring you here to tour Hanqing? Why are you alone?”
“Don’t tell me you got lost?”
“Some of these labs are dangerous—no random wandering unless you want trouble.”
Not wrong. Things like bacteria or toxic gas—those were not jokes.
“Quick, call your teacher to come get you.”
“Forget it, just have Little Liu take her out.”
One comment after another, and before Jiang Fuyue could even speak, her fate had already been decided.
Just as she was about to explain, Xie Dingyuan walked in wearing a new lab coat, carrying another in hand.
He tossed it to her casually. “New, never worn.”
“Thanks.” She held it up in front of her. Perfect fit.
The other five were clearly stunned—
“Professor Xie, she is…?”
Xie Dingyuan walked over and stood beside Jiang Fuyue. “Formal introduction—this is Jiang Fuyue, new member of the X-tree Project. She’ll be in charge of modeling and tree data analysis.”
Gasp! “This… this kid is a member?! Is she even… legal?”
Xie Dingyuan: “Kid?”
“Yeah, isn’t she here on a student field trip?”
Jiang Fuyue: “First of all, I’m not a kid—I’m of age. Secondly, I am a student, but I’m not here for a visit. You all didn’t give me a chance to explain. So, don’t blame me for not clarifying earlier.”
And with that, everyone was even more shocked.
“What year are you in for your PhD? Which school? What’s your research focus? Who’s your advisor?”
“Published in any journals?”
“Worked at any institutes?”
They bombarded her with questions—not malicious, just genuinely curious about their new teammate.
After all, for someone to be personally invited by Professor Xie and put in charge of modeling, her qualifications must be solid.
Reality, however—
Jiang Fuyue smiled slightly. “I’m in my final year of high school.”
Dead silence for two seconds.
“Haha… young girls these days sure are jokesters!”
“‘Eighteen and cute’ jokes are out—now it’s ‘I’m a senior in high school,’ huh?”
“If you’re in high school, I just graduated elementary school. What’s that line from the internet? Oh right, ‘I’m just a baby!’”
“Hahaha! Old Bai, stop acting young! A baby? More like your brain’s got a bump!”
Jiang Fuyue: “…”
“Come on, Little Jiang, don’t be shy. Just tell us the truth—maybe one of us is even your senior.”
“Yeah, we’ve got people from Q University and B University here.”
“Hey! UPenn still counts, alright? Don’t gang up on me just ’cause I’m alone.”
“Well, unless she studied abroad, she’s more likely from Q or B.”
All eyes turned to Jiang Fuyue, waiting for the reveal.
Still smiling, she said, “I really am a senior at Linnan No. 1 High. Just took leave yesterday. If you don’t believe me, ask Professor Xie.”
Everyone went quiet, and all eyes shifted to the man next to her.
Xie Dingyuan nodded calmly. “I helped her get the leave.”
Holy cr*p.
The sky collapsed.
From that moment on, Jiang Fuyue became the center of attention. The five grown men looked her over like she was some rare species—up and down, back and forth.
Thankfully, their gazes were purely curious and respectful.
“So, little sister, what’s your specialty?”
Before Jiang Fuyue could answer—
“Her hair’s really long,” another chimed in.
“Ugh, can you turn off your lame jokes for once?”
“…”
“Alright,” Xie Dingyuan finally spoke, “you’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other. For now, prepare—we enter S1 at 10.”
S1 stood for Lab S1—the highest security lab, and the primary site for the X-tree Project.
Jiang Fuyue changed into her lab coat and followed them to the prep room for disinfection.
Of course, she got bombarded with questions again.
Everyone was still curious—what kind of ability must she have for Professor Xie to lower his standards and personally invite a high schooler?
Jiang Fuyue didn’t have a clear answer either. Why was she chosen?
There were plenty of geniuses out there, and tons of capable researchers—yet he passed all of them to choose her?
Tch. Who could guess what a man was thinking?
At 10 a.m., they were ready.
Xie Dingyuan led all seven into Lab S1.
First, they had to register their fingerprints. Entry and exit required scans—miss even one, and there’d be consequences.
Jiang Fuyue wasn’t surprised. She knew top-tier labs had strict rules and had mentally prepared herself.
To the others, this composure looked like unshakeable confidence.
With security protocols done, they began planning the early stages of the experiment together.
Xie Dingyuan assigned tasks.
For the most part, Jiang Fuyue just listened. One, she wasn’t familiar with the project yet. Speaking up too early could backfire. Two, these men were all talented and sharp—she might as well observe and learn.
Through the discussion, everyone’s personalities were on full display.
As expected, she was assigned the modeling work.
“That’s a massive amount of data—can she really handle it alone?”
Xie Dingyuan didn’t hesitate: “Yes.”
So firm and resolute that even Jiang Fuyue couldn’t help glancing at him again.
Tasks assigned, everyone went to their stations.
Jiang Fuyue sat down at her computer. Since they didn’t have data yet, she began building the framework first.
Xie Dingyuan walked over and rested one hand lightly on her chair. She didn’t notice.
“See if the computer works well for you. If there’s any issue, let me know.”
“Alright.” Jiang Fuyue responded confidently, but quickly found there was no need.
The machine was practically flawless in specs, performance, and usability.
Soon, the first batch of data came in.
But Jiang Fuyue had finished the framework an hour earlier and had already explored the entire lab—from window angles to obscure wall corners.
“Little sister, the first wave of data’s coming to you.”
“Got it,” she replied.
Morning flew by in a blur.
When lunchtime rolled around—
Xie Dingyuan said, “Let’s take a break. Time to eat.”
Hanqing Bio had its own cafeteria. Two, actually—on the third and thirteenth floors.
Xie Dingyuan led Jiang Fuyue straight to the thirteenth.
Because—it was quieter, less crowded, and conveniently close.
“You don’t need to worry about me—I can go on my own.”
“Do you have a meal card?”
“…No.”
“Then if I leave you alone, you won’t even get to eat.”
Jiang Fuyue pouted. Geez, this guy really doesn’t know how to make conversation.
The food at Hanqing was top-notch—“good” didn’t even begin to describe it.
Chicken, duck, fish—everything looked amazing. Fresh veggies, too. And for dessert—mandarins, apples, bananas. Take as much as you want.
Beep—
Xie Dingyuan swiped his card. Jiang Fuyue carried her tray and picked a nearby seat.
The man sat opposite her, their eyes meeting.
She asked, “Where are Old Bai and the others?”
“No idea,” Xie Dingyuan replied.
In truth, the others were too chicken to eat with him and had fled at the first chance.
So later, when they found out Jiang Fuyue had lunch with Xie Dingyuan—
“Warrior.”
“Please accept my kneecaps.”
