Chapter 510: Extra: Yuan Shimo - Chasing the Moon and Flowing Shadows (Part 1)

「The weekend.」

The research district within the academy was completely unaffected by the holiday. It was still bustling with people, and figures in white lab coats could be seen moving through every laboratory building.

As Chen Zhi led a few junior students into a lab building, he noticed several women milling about downstairs, their heads tilted up as they gazed at the upper floors.

He followed their gaze upward.

Sure enough, he saw an elegant figure standing by a window.

The window was open. The gentle but aloof young man seemed unaware that anyone was watching him. His gaze was fixed on a nearby tree. After a moment, he raised his terminal, took a picture, and then closed the window.

He didn’t spare a single glance downstairs the entire time.

Chen Zhi was puzzled. ‘Isn’t Senior Yuan usually a homebody who never steps out and only cares about his experiments and books? Why has he been showing up at the window so frequently lately?’

‘No wonder women are coming over to gawk… But with Yuan Shimo’s attitude, there are actually women who dare to take a liking to him?’

‘Is this really a world where good looks are everything?!’

As he passed the women, Chen Zhi said, “Excuse me.”

One of the women stopped him. “Excuse me, student, you’re a colleague of Professor Yuan Shimo, right? I’m a reporter from the New Lai Daily. We heard Professor Yuan has recently made a breakthrough in the field of bionics, and we’d like an exclusive interview…”

Chen Zhi: “…”

‘I let my guard down! They’re not admirers, they’re reporters!’

Another woman sidled up to him. “Chen! Chen! I’m from Wanyi Medical Technology…”

Chen Zhi went on high alert. “Who let you in! Security! Where’s security!”

Last year, after Jiang Qingli returned from the Twelve Cities Orphanage, Yuan Shimo began collaborating with one of his advisor’s friends to research bionic prosthetics. They aimed to refine the technology and lower costs so that even the disabled poor in the Lower District could afford them.

This move inevitably threatened the interests of several monopolistic corporations. A few of them had tried and failed to recruit him, so they resorted to undermining him in private. With Yuan Shimo’s major research breakthrough a few days ago, he had become a thorn in their side.

However, there were also a few medical tech companies eager to break the existing monopoly and establish themselves as the new tycoons.

Yuan Shimo ignored them all, simply rejecting everyone and quietly continuing his work.

The entire lab did their best to help him as well.

‘To think that these reporters and corporate reps would actually disguise themselves as students from their academy to get in. It’s outrageous!’

Chen Zhi told the junior students to go upstairs first. He then called security over to drive the people away, sternly instructing them to tighten their security measures. Only after receiving a firm assurance did he head back to the lab.

As he entered, the new junior, Xiao Wang, was working at a piece of equipment.

Chen Zhi remembered him. Xiao Wang. Hands down, the dumbest person in the lab.

He glanced at Yuan Shimo, who had somehow ended up by the window again. The latter was looking down at his terminal, his long fingers tapping away. The corners of his lips were turned up, and a smile danced in his green eyes.

It was obvious who he was chatting with.

‘Great. He barely ever comes to the lab, and when he does, he’s here showing off his relationship.’

‘Has he ever considered us single people?’

Chen Zhi pursed his lips. Just as he was about to go over, Xiao Wang called out to Yuan Shimo first. “Senior Brother Yuan, can you teach me this?”

Yuan Shimo was taking a picture of the tree. His voice was calm. “Mm.”

After taking the picture, he walked over to Xiao Wang’s side and swiftly resolved the issue for him.

He didn’t say an extra word the entire time.

Normally, Yuan Shimo had his own lab and didn’t come here often. Xiao Wang had always thought this famous senior was the “smiling tiger” type, but he never expected him to be so helpful. His eyes were practically sparkling with admiration.

Yuan Shimo gave a few instructions and then said to Chen Zhi, “I’m going to change first.”

“Alright,” Chen Zhi said. “I have something to tell you… Ah, never mind, I’ll tell you when we leave together later.”

They were having dinner with their advisor’s friend that evening to discuss recent developments.

Yuan Shimo nodded and went to his own lab, where there was a changing room.

Nearby, Xiao Wang made another mistake and asked Chen Zhi for help.

Chen Zhi couldn’t stand idiots. After fixing the problem, he didn’t spare him verbally either. “Watch me carefully. If you ask this kind of basic question again, don’t bother coming back. You think everyone has this much patience?”

Xiao Wang muttered, “…I think Senior Brother Yuan has plenty of time.”

“Him?” Chen Zhi snorted. “He used to pretend he was deaf and dumb when he heard this kind of request for help. Wouldn’t give anyone the time of day.”

Xiao Wang asked, “Then why has he changed now?”

“That’s all thanks to his female master,” Chen Zhi said.

“Huh?!” Xiao Wang looked shocked. “Senior Brother Yuan is married?”

Chen Zhi was speechless. “Dude, the semester started over a month ago, and it’s almost mid-April. You seriously haven’t noticed? Where have your eyes been? Staring at the senior sister in the lab next door all day, I bet!”

Xiao Wang rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “Not really… C’mon, Senior, just tell me. Please.”

“It’s normal that you don’t know.” Chen Zhi’s hands didn’t stop moving as he lowered his voice. “A quiet environment is crucial for academic research. Senior Brother Yuan’s face is already flashy enough. If news about him and ‘that person’ got out with a lot of fanfare, it would just be annoying. That’s why they’re pretty low-key…”

Xiao Wang: “…Brother Chen, you’ve been talking this whole time. Who exactly is ‘that person’?”

Chen Zhi, annoyed by this trouble-making junior, deliberately kept him in suspense. “You’ll find out eventually.”

After saying that, he went to the changing room and changed into casual clothes.

He ran right into Yuan Shimo on his way out.

Yuan Shimo had changed into a casual shirt. His hair was neatly tied back, his green eyes gentle behind gold-rimmed glasses. He had a temperament that was both gentle and cold, making him hard to approach.

Chen Zhi remembered what happened earlier and asked, “What were you doing taking a picture of that tree just now? Did you discover something new?”

“I was taking a picture of a bird.”

“A bird?” Chen Zhi didn’t get it. “Don’t you always complain that the birds in that tree are noisy? Did you take a picture to get the security team to catch it?”

“No.” Yuan Shimo pursed his lips, a hint of sweetness flashing across his usually gentle yet distant face. “Someone at home has gotten into bird-watching with friends lately.”

The corner of Chen Zhi’s mouth twitched.

‘Yuan Shimo was famous for loving peace and quiet. When he first moved here, he really disliked the chirping birds, which was why his lab was located the farthest from the landscaped trees…’

‘Wait a minute. So that’s why he suddenly came over here. He came to take pictures of birds for his female master!’

Chen Zhi was utterly speechless.

Fearing he’d be force-fed more public displays of affection if he asked anything else, he quickly said, “Alright, Teacher Meng has probably been waiting downstairs for a while. Let’s head over together.”

Yuan Shimo nodded.

They were silent for the rest of the walk. Once inside the car, their advisor, who had heard about the intruders, said in displeasure, “I’ll talk to the security department tomorrow and have them send more people… Shimo, do you want two people posted at the entrance to your lab?”

“Thank you, Professor, but there’s no need.”

Yuan Shimo lowered his gaze to adjust his cuffs, his movements meticulous. A flash of green gemstone cufflinks caught the light.

The advisor’s eyes lit up. “Those are nice cufflinks. I didn’t think you knew how to dress up.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shimo’s lips curved into a smile.

Chen Zhi suddenly had a bad feeling.

The next second, he heard Yuan Shimo say, “My female master gave them to me.”