Chapter 37#

Can I Have the Person Now?#

Mo Xuzhi got his wish and touched the medal.

The medal was made of solid material; although it didn’t look very thick, one would find its weight was not to be underestimated when actually holding it—it was heavy. The base of the medal was metal, feeling somewhat cold to the touch.

Mo Xuzhi unconsciously rubbed the small red star on it.

Everyone else in the office laughed.

Mo Xuzhi had remembered something when he first reached for the medal, pausing and wanting to demurely withdraw his hand. But hearing the laughter, he suddenly cast aside his reservations and openly held it in his hand, which was protected by a square handkerchief.

The whole country already knew; there was no point in being secretive.

Afterward, while waiting for the data to run, Mo Xuzhi held the medal in one hand and the mouse in the other. The hand holding the mouse occasionally switched between a pen and the keyboard, while only the hand holding the medal remained constant.

Fortunately, the small red star was made of metal and wasn’t painted this time, so there was no risk of the color fading from being rubbed.

Liu Jianghao was experienced, and the data ran quickly. After proofreading and finding no issues, he handed the processed materials to Mo Xuzhi.

Mo Xuzhi was forced to part with the medal. After taking the materials, he could only put the medal back into its box and watch Wang Zhifeng take it away.

Sensing the scorching, unignorable gaze behind him, Wang Zhifeng turned a corner and almost wanted to come back. However, he was stopped by other researchers, who said that short-term pain was better than long-term pain—it was better to put the medal in the cabinet early to cut off Team Leader Mo’s longing.

Wang Zhifeng was pushed away. Mo Xuzhi sighed and resignedly picked up a stack of materials, saying, “Those who participated in the test, come to Conference Room No. 1 for a short meeting. When Wang Zhifeng comes back later, tell him to come too.”

“Group A, build the model today and tomorrow. if a physical one isn’t possible, do computer modeling. Mark the material types and general pros and cons of each component. Group B, re-examine the experimental data and summarize why the previous model was unsuccessful. We’ll have a meeting later.”

As soon as he spoke of business, his attitude changed instantly.

Sharp, agile, like a taut string, or like a high-precision robot—his entire being possessed a sharp aura that could not be ignored.

Mo Xuzhi didn’t rest again after returning to the Academy of Sciences. He spent most of the afternoon in meetings, analyzing various experiments. In the evening, he went to the school cafeteria with Wang Zhifeng for a meal, then rushed back to the Academy to continue experiments.

There were too many things to handle today—not just for Group One, but also various experiments from other groups and material approvals that required his signature. Sometimes, when he encountered something written unclearly, he had to send it back for the person to rewrite. The other party’s workload increased, and Mo Xuzhi was no better off himself.

Working until twelve o’clock, only Mo Xuzhi and Wang Zhifeng remained in the office.

Mo Xuzhi went to the pantry to pour two cups of coffee. When he returned, he happened to see Wang Zhifeng hanging up another call.

Mo Xuzhi placed one of the coffee cups on his desk and asked, “What’s going on today? You’ve been picking up and hanging up calls constantly.”

“It’s been like this these past few days,” Wang Zhifeng said. “Media outlets found my number and want to schedule interviews.”

He didn’t separate his personal and work numbers; he only had one. People from other departments who didn’t have his number saved often called him, so he couldn’t block unknown numbers. He could only pick up and hang up like this.

Mo Xuzhi understood.

Barring any accidents, it was probably because of that previous award ceremony. It was estimated that everyone who went on stage to receive an award had been bothered by these media outlets lately.

Wang Zhifeng was relatively worse off; he was still a professor, and his contact information was listed. As long as someone asked a student or teacher at Jingda, they would find out immediately.

He tapped his phone a few times and sent a file to Wang Zhifeng, saying, “I’ll give you an interception system. Although it can’t block all media numbers, it can block most of them.”

Wang Zhifeng had always disliked these things; it was really hard on him to be harassed for so many days.

“Thanks.” Wang Zhifeng gave his thanks, then asked, “How do you have this thing?”

“…Probably for emergencies.”

The small talk ended there. Mo Xuzhi returned to his seat with his coffee, leaning back against the chair, coffee in one hand and documents in the other.

Fortunately, the remaining items today were all paper documents; otherwise, his eyes wouldn’t have been able to handle facing the computer constantly.

After reading the last document, Mo Xuzhi stretched and slumped in his chair to rest for two seconds.

The sound of a phone vibrating came from the office, which was otherwise quiet except for the sound of turning pages.

Wang Zhifeng looked up and saw Mo Xuzhi pick up the phone and walk to the window.

He leaned against the windowsill listening to the person on the other end. His brow gradually furrowed, and a trace of impatience appeared on his beautiful features. He was silent for a moment, then said:

“I know, I’ll be right there.”

Then Wang Zhifeng watched him take off his work badge, simply take a key from the desk, put his phone in his pocket, and prepare to leave.

Noticing Wang Zhifeng’s gaze, Mo Xuzhi turned his head and said, “Something suddenly came up, so I’m leaving first. You should rest early too.”

He left after speaking, the frosted glass door blocking Wang Zhifeng’s view.

He looked down at the steaming coffee in his hand and took a slow sip.

After leaving the Academy of Sciences, Mo Xuzhi booked a taxi. By the time he reached the school gate, the taxi had just turned around and stopped steadily at the entrance.

The driver opened the door, his gaze pausing on Mo Xuzhi’s white coat before looking away.

Mo Xuzhi sat in the car and said, “To Bamboo Garden.”

The driver’s expression became even more puzzled.

Bamboo Garden was a high-end club that only wealthy people could enter. He only knew of such a place after carrying a drunk second-generation rich kid before.

He didn’t expect this young man who had just come out of Jingda, still wearing a white coat, to ask for Bamboo Garden as soon as he opened his mouth.

Mo Xuzhi didn’t notice the driver’s expression. After getting in the car, he leaned against the window and closed his eyes to nap.

He had been active around Jingda these past few days, so his time back at Jingda had increased, and he didn’t have to rush to process documents and send them back. He had wanted to rest well tonight.

However, a call came through, made by a friend of Xue Feng using Xue Feng’s phone, saying Xue Feng was drunk and asking him to come pick him up.

He had originally wanted to send over Xue Feng’s butler’s number, but remembering his “devoted lover” persona, he could only go.

He probably wouldn’t have many hours to rest tonight, so he should catch whatever sleep he could.

However, because there weren’t many vehicles at night and the driver was honest and didn’t take any detours, Mo Xuzhi arrived at the destination not long after closing his eyes.

The moment the car stopped, Mo Xuzhi opened his eyes, initially a bit dazed but regaining clarity in an instant. He took out his phone to pay, said thanks, and got out.

It was already late at night, and the whole city had quieted down, but Bamboo Garden was brightly lit with people coming and going.

A yellow taxi suddenly appearing among the luxury cars was strange and eye-catching.

Mo Xuzhi got out, ignoring the gazes of others, and walked straight toward the main entrance.

The doorman standing at the entrance saw him and immediately came forward, saying with a smile: “Hello, Mr. Mo. Mr. Xue and the others are inside. Please follow me.”

He was clearly professionally trained; his expression didn’t change at all seeing Mo Xuzhi get out of a taxi, and he still smiled enthusiastically.

The lobby of Bamboo Garden was brightly lit, living up to its name with several bamboo plants growing inside. Under the lights, the bamboo leaves appeared excessively green.

Past the lobby was a spacious and long corridor.

The doorman pointed to a passage on one side and said, “Mr. Xue is in there.”

Mo Xuzhi looked up and saw the flashing lights in the dim hall and various people constantly shaking their bodies on the dance floor.

“Brother Ji, have a drink. You’ve been here so long and only had two glasses of milk. Are you incapable?”

In the neighboring ballroom, the lights flashed incessantly. The men and women sitting on a circle of sofas occasionally shook their heads to the music, with occasional cheers from people playing King’s Game or Truth or Dare.

The person sitting next to Ji Baiwen pushed his arm and said, “Want to play a game? There are several good-looking ones among the friends Chen Hui brought today. We…”

“Milk is fine.” Before the other could finish, Ji Baiwen took another sip of milk, looked down at his watch, and said, “How much longer are you planning to play?”

“Want to go back?” The person sitting next to him shouted in disbelief, “You’ve only been here for how long and you want to go back? The guys specifically set this up to celebrate you regaining your vigor. Don’t waste it.”

Ji Baiwen took a sip of milk and didn’t speak.

A bit boring.

This was his original life.

Studying at school, then finding a place to drink with several fair-weather friends he grew up with. Life felt fake, but it was still passable.

He was used to this life, but now he felt it was meaningless.

He used to think he was okay, having gotten into Jinghua University on his own merit and having excellent grades in the department. Although he didn’t know what these were useful for, at least he felt he wasn’t too bad.

Only after entering the Academy of Sciences did he realize how naive his thoughts were.

During the first few days, others saw him as a newcomer and didn’t give him too much to do. It was only after Mo Xuzhi returned that things became busy. Although it was a bit overwhelming, he at least completed the tasks. Everything seemed fine.

But since the experimental testing began, he found he was of no use.

Technical terms poured from the mouths of others; he listened for a long time and didn’t even hear clearly what they wanted him to calculate.

Having sat in the Academy for an entire morning, he hadn’t accomplished anything.

In the end, he left the Academy in a sorry state under the guise of needing to recover his foot, returning to his usual life.

But he always felt something was wrong.

Without the laboratory that was always as bright as day and the piled-up data, he felt like he had lost the meaning of existence overnight.

But as for going back to the Academy, he didn’t have the courage.

His going back would have no effect.

Ji Baiwen twirled the glass in his hand, looking down in silence.

“Holy shit!!”

The fair-weather friend beside him slapped Ji Baiwen’s back hard. The force was so great that he unconsciously leaned forward.

The friend had no awareness of having harmed his friend and was still shouting loudly, “Look at the door! That person is incredible!”

The friend forcefully turned his head to look toward the door.

In just one glance, Ji Baiwen was stunned.

The young man standing at the door had beautiful and stunning features, wearing a white coat that was completely out of place here. His back was straight, and a cold aura emanated from him, sharp and cold.

He narrowed his eyes, appearing unable to see clearly, so he took out a pair of glasses from his white coat and put them on, his posture casual yet extremely orderly.

It was Mo Xuzhi.

He must have just come out of the laboratory; perhaps because he came out in a hurry, he even forgot to change out of his white coat.

What was he doing here?

“Who is this?” the friend’s voice lowered, as if talking to himself, “I seem to have seen him somewhere…”

It shouldn’t be; he shouldn’t be unable to remember someone so uniquely good-looking.

The doorman beside him said a few words to him. Mo Xuzhi nodded, scanned the hall, and followed the doorman into the hall.

He was coming this way.

Ji Baiwen’s heart suddenly pounded violently.

Could he be here to…

“Brother Ji, lend me some strength,” the friend beside him grabbed Ji Baiwen’s arm, saying nervously, “No, my heart is beating so fast now. Do you think he saw me… Hey, what if he takes a liking to me? I…”

The figure came closer and closer. Ji Baiwen slapped away his friend’s hand and said: “Shut up.”

The friend quieted down, but his hand still tightly gripped Ji Baiwen’s arm.

The figure came closer and closer; Ji Baiwen could even hear the whistles and cheers starting up all around.

He arrived in front of them.

Ji Baiwen unconsciously opened his mouth, “Mo…”

Mo Xuzhi passed by him and went straight to the table behind him.

He heard Mo Xuzhi ask: “Where is Xue Feng?”

The people at the table behind also didn’t expect the person coming to pick up Xue Feng to look like this.

Especially the one who used Xue Feng’s phone to call—it took him a while to regain his senses and ask: “Are you Mo Xuzhi?”

He didn’t want to flip through Xue Feng’s contacts, so he called the first number in the call history. Seeing that name, he didn’t think much of it, only knowing that Xue Feng had mentioned the name before and he should be trustworthy. He didn’t expect that a random call would reach someone so dazzling.

Xue Feng actually kept such a person hidden without telling them. If he hadn’t called today, they probably would never have known there was such a person.

“Wait,” that person was startled, then his eyes widened and his voice suddenly rose, “You are Mo Xuzhi?!”

Mo Xuzhi nodded.

The others almost had a heart attack.

It really was Mo Xuzhi.

He had changed his attire, and his entire aura looked completely different from what was on the news and variety shows. If not for the same name and appearance, they would never have believed this was the same person.

The friend pointed to his white coat and asked: “This is…?” Mo Xuzhi didn’t want to waste too much time and said: “Just came from the film crew, didn’t have time to change. Where’s Xue Feng?”

“He’s here.”

That friend reacted, smiling as he stepped aside to let Mo Xuzhi see Xue Feng sitting on the inside of the sofa.

Mo Xuzhi looked down.

Xue Feng was definitely drunk; although he was sitting, he was slumped. His shirt was a bit messy, his tie had been pulled down slightly, and his eyes were closed.

Mo Xuzhi wanted to go over and pull Xue Feng up. That friend stretched out a leg to block the way and said with a smile: “Don’t be in a hurry. Director Xue was still playing with us before he fell asleep. He still owes a drink; he can only leave after drinking it.”

“Or you can drink it for him.”

He smilingly handed over a full glass of wine. Seeing this, the others were initially stunned, but once they reacted, they began to cheer.

His ears were filled with cheers. Mo Xuzhi’s expression remained unchanged as he looked at Xue Feng, beginning to consider the possibility of pinching Xue Feng’s mouth and making him drink the wine.

Not very feasible.

He didn’t really want to have that kind of contact with someone, and doing so seemed to violate his character’s persona.

Looking down at the time, Mo Xuzhi took the wine and drained it in one gulp.

His jawline was beautiful, with a crisp smoothness that became more apparent when he tilted his head back.

Someone made a gulping sound, and a circle of people heard it, but no one laughed.

Mo Xuzhi wiped the wine stain from the corner of his mouth and asked: “Can I have the person now?”