Evolution - Chapter 147
Chapter 147
Perhaps too much time had passed. The people and events of those old days were still vivid in her memory, but the associated emotions—the devastation and pain, the loathing and hatred, the turmoil and coldness—seemed to have been filtered away.
The wound had healed. At most, one could only make out the faint, almost invisible scar—a trace of a once soul-crushing blow.
Compared to Yu Zhiyao’s dramatic, magnificent, and perilous life, Ji Changqing’s was simply unremarkable. By her own account, after they broke up, she forced herself to plunge into her work, moving forward numbly out of habit.
She started a business with a friend, which failed. She started another; just as it was taking off, they parted ways due to differing philosophies. Then she gritted her teeth and formed her own team. This time, her luck was better, and she achieved some small success. During this process, she had a relationship that barely lasted over a year before they politely said their goodbyes.
It was all exceptionally plain and uneventful.
If it weren’t for the global evolution, she would have been ready for an early retirement.
Yu Zhiyao had clearly learned her lesson from the past. She planned and arranged things in advance, ensuring they weren’t so busy that their only time together was in bed at midnight, managing to at least squeeze in breakfast together.
This day at noon, as if going to war, she carved out her break time for a lunch date with Ji Changqing.
Circumstances didn’t allow her to go far, so she chose a popular private kitchen on the outskirts of the Academy of Sciences. This was the preferred meeting spot for most people who couldn’t enter the Academy’s core area but needed to meet with staff from within.
Ji Changqing picked up Yu Zhiyao at the security gate of the area she was forbidden to enter. On the strictly speed-limited roads, the drive took less than ten minutes.
After a few days of indulgence, her so-called “intimacy starvation” had been effectively alleviated. She was no longer the Ji Changqing who would get restless the moment she was alone in a room with Yu Zhiyao.
Therefore, both of them had rested very well the past two days and were in high spirits.
After parking the car, the two held hands, swinging them back and forth playfully. Just as they ambled to the entrance, they ran right into Yao Huizu.
Yao Huizu looked astonished. A moment later, as if he’d thought of something, his expression changed instantly. He glanced around, seemed to make up his mind, and strode over, hissing in a low voice, “What are you doing here?”
He looked at Yu Zhiyao with suspicion. “This is a major matter concerning the cooperation between Blue Star and the Alliance Academy of Sciences. Even if you have a problem with me, in a situation like this, you should know how to act appropriately and consider the bigger picture, right?”
Before Yu Zhiyao could react, Ji Changqing let out a scoff.
There’s always some sanctimonious prick trying to guilt-trip you!
They love to hold themselves to the standards of a scoundrel while demanding others meet the standards of a saint. They’re malicious without realizing it, judging others by their own wretched measure, assuming people are as despicable as they can imagine. They think everyone has ulterior motives and is out to get them.
The nerve of this guy!
Her eyes fixed dangerously on this guy who was always trying to make his presence felt in front of Yu Zhiyao, but her words were polite. “Excuse me, please let us pass.”
Good dogs don’t block the road, you know?
The scoff seemed to empty Yao Huizu’s mind. Plus, Ji Changqing was wearing civilian clothes that Yu Zhiyao had bought for her, not her uniform, so for a moment he forgot to be afraid. He audaciously shot Ji Changqing an angry glare. Before he could get to the part where he delivered his threats, the person he was waiting for arrived.
The restaurant’s entrance wasn’t that large, and the sun was shining brightly. Unless you were blind, you’d recognize a familiar face from that short distance.
The newcomer looked at them with some surprise, seeming to hesitate about whether to come over and say hello.
Yao Huizu’s heart tightened. He lowered his voice and threatened Yu Zhiyao again, “If you don’t want your family to know what you’re doing now, don’t ruin this for me!”
That remark displeased Yu Zhiyao.
She didn’t want her family to know where she was, but only for the sake of peace and quiet, so they wouldn’t bother each other. If her father’s brain proved to be as full of holes as ever, he might show up demanding this and that, and she’d have to go to the trouble of shutting him down.
But the way he said it made it sound as if she were doing something shameful, as if she couldn’t face her folks back home.
This was so fucking infuriating!
She had been about to go in, but now she simply stood her ground, watching with cold eyes as Yao Huizu went up to greet the man.
Ji Changqing seemed to have understood the subtext of Yao Huizu’s words. She gave Yu Zhiyao’s hand a reassuring squeeze and leaned close to her ear, whispering mischievously, “Don’t be angry. Want me to find a chance to beat him up?”
She couldn’t change the fundamental mindset of these scumbags, but she could use her fists to make them sincerely admit their mistakes!
Yu Zhiyao shot her a sidelong glance. “That’s no fun. Just watch.”
Ji Changqing grinned and stood by her side, waiting for the show to begin.
The newcomer exchanged absentminded pleasantries with Yao Huizu. In the space of just a few sentences, his hesitant gaze drifted toward Yu Zhiyao twice.
Yep, a glance confirmed it: she didn’t know him, but he knew her.
Yu Zhiyao became even more composed.
The man’s eyes showed hesitation. He had come for two reasons: one, because he couldn’t refuse the request to meet, and two, to inform Yao Huizu that his company did not currently meet the requirements for collaboration and would have to wait. But seeing Yao Huizu talking with Yu Zhiyao made him hesitate—should he just reject him outright, or should he explain the rectification standards in detail and offer to cooperate once they were met?
He asked tentatively, “Mr. Yao, are these two with you?”
Of course, if Mr. Yao could actually get Yu Zhiyao to join this lunch, he wouldn’t have needed to beg him for a meeting. It was most likely a chance encounter, but that didn’t matter! What mattered was that he now had a perfect opportunity to get acquainted with Yu Zhiyao. For that alone, it would be worth giving Yao Huizu a little extra guidance on the necessary changes as a thank-you!
Unexpectedly, Yao Huizu denied it flatly. “No.”
“Oh.” The man was a little disappointed, feeling like he’d just missed out on a fortune.
Yao Huizu didn’t read his disappointment. He took a deep breath and said with a troubled expression, “This is my ex-wife…”
Ex-wife! The man’s body jolted, his eyes flashing with the joy of catching some fresh gossip. He encouraged him with his gaze and prompted with his words, “Since it’s such a coincidence…”
Then let’s all have lunch together!
He felt the situation was still salvageable. They were once married, so there must be some connection left. If he could get an introduction and they all had a meal together, he could basically round up and say he’d had dealings with Assistant Yu!
Who knew that Yao Huizu would fail to receive his telepathic message. He glanced at Yu Zhiyao and said pointedly, “We had a bit of a falling out before. She heard I’ve been active around the Academy recently, so here she is, with a backer in tow…”
Even in the dead of winter, the man broke out in a cold sweat.
Stop talking, I’m begging you!
For a second, the man wanted to clutch his chest in solitary anguish. Assistant Yu needs a backer? She’s terrifying enough on her own, okay?!
He looked at Yao Huizu with a pained expression. My god! You’re a lost cause!
His mind was flooded with a screen full of “holy shits.” He hesitated for only a split second between clutching his chest and covering the mouth of Yao Huizu, who was so eagerly and insanely offending someone powerful. He made the difficult choice to eliminate the future trouble.
He exasperatedly clamped a hand over Yao Huizu’s mouth. When he turned back to face Yu Zhiyao, his expression was perfectly managed—impassive and exceptionally calm. “Assistant Yu, are you here for lunch with a friend? I’ll take him away right now. We won’t disturb you. My apologies for the rudeness.”
Yao Huizu was all too familiar with this attitude. Wasn’t this exactly the posture of a low-level manager trying desperately to make amends in front of a high-ranking leader who wasn’t his direct superior?
He was dumbfounded, unable to believe it! He began to struggle, making muffled sounds—“Mmmph, mmmph”—which, translated, meant: “What did you say? What Assistant Yu?!”
Yu Zhiyao smiled and asked with great interest, “Yes, I’m here for lunch with my girlfriend. And you two are…?”
Girlfriend!
Ji Changqing proudly puffed out her chest, looking subtly smug.
Yao Huizu looked up in shock. At a moment like this, the thought that actually crossed his mind was: So Yu Zhiyao only likes women. No wonder I could never win her heart.
The man couldn’t help but glance again at Ji Changqing, who was holding Yu Zhiyao’s hand and watching calmly as if it were a play. Then he subconsciously looked down at Yao Huizu, whose expression was contorted in shock under his hand.
The contrast was too stark. The current partner was so much better!
Having been fed another mouthful of gossip, the man took several deep breaths. Since Assistant Yu had so openly introduced her girlfriend, it meant she wasn’t going to hold a grudge.
He said with great shrewdness, “Mr. Yao might have some misunderstandings. I came here today specifically to tell him that his company, on the whole, does not meet our Academy’s requirements for collaboration.”
Yao Huizu fell silent. This wasn’t what they had agreed on!
“Oh, is that so.” How perceptive of him! Having received a satisfactory answer, Yu Zhiyao’s smile became more genuine. “Well then, please, carry on.”
Only after Yu Zhiyao and Ji Changqing had left did he release Yao Huizu. He said indifferently, “I really did come to tell you that you don’t meet the requirements.” He pulled up the latest guidance document on collaborations with various planets. “Look.”
A truly talented person must be able to open up new situations and clean up disastrous messes! He would never pass the buck and let Yao Huizu think Assistant Yu had sabotaged him and caused him to resent her!
He thought with righteous awe, deeply moved by his own integrity.
Yao Huizu’s gaze was vacant as he scanned the document. It didn’t really matter if he read it or not; after what had just happened, he knew the deal was dead. He just wanted to know, “What kind of assistant is she?”
“She’s the Dean’s Special Assistant.” The man explained earnestly, “She oversees everything from research projects up top to how research outcomes are commercialized down below.”
And he was merely a minor supervisor in one of the sections responsible for commercializing research outcomes.
Although he didn’t report to her directly, she was on equal footing with his biggest boss. In the past, the researchers had a vague understanding of the market at best, which made their work difficult to implement. But ever since Yu Zhiyao, who understood both research and the market, took over, everyone’s lives had gotten much easier.
So, she had to be shown the proper respect!
“Under normal circumstances, we aren’t even qualified to meet her, understand?”
The most they could hope for was to applaud her at the Academy’s annual conference and awards ceremony! To be part of her unfeeling cheerleading squad.
Yao Huizu was utterly devastated. He muttered, “I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it! A woman who failed her differentiation, how is that possible?”
The man quickly performed a reading comprehension exercise on his words. He identified the keyword “woman” and the resulting conclusion “impossible.” He suddenly grasped the spirit of the new guidance document—gender inequality on Blue Star was apparently a very serious problem. Just look at this moron, still looking unconvinced.
“Now, I have to disagree with you there. Assistant Yu is an outstanding and respectable woman. It’s a shame that because Blue Star has too many people like you, who baselessly question and deny others because of their gender, a pearl like her is covered in dust, unable to receive the glory she deserves.”
He finished his speech, his voice sonorous and forceful, completely ignoring Yao Huizu’s thunderstruck expression. He was thinking nervously, Assistant Yu and her friend seem to be sitting by the window. I spoke so loudly, they should have been able to hear me, right?
His performance must have been absolutely perfect and flawless!
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