Chapter 25 – Laboratory Invitation

After leaving the agency, Jiang Yushi dragged Su Lifeng to a cafe, leaving Liang Junyu-who had insisted on driving them there-stuck outside the private booth. Su Lifeng knew she was doing this to make their conversation easier, but judging by the way Liang Junyu’s expression had darkened to a point where it could practically drip ink, Su Lifeng guessed the man had likely branded him a romantic rival.

He didn’t bother saying anything about it. After ordering a coffee, he got straight to the point. “Did something happen?”

In his Precognitive Vision, Jiang Yushi had met with an accident. Was she looking to talk to him about something related to that?

However, upon hearing Su Lifeng’s question, Jiang Yushi blinked in surprise, then shook her head. “No, nothing like that…”

Su Lifeng immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then what’s this important matter you mentioned?” Su Lifeng asked, puzzled.

She had also mentioned that she might be able to help him solve his money problems… Su Lifeng knew very well that Jiang Yushi would never consider Liang Junyu’s suggestion of using money to thank him. The two of them had been friends for a long time, and they understood each other’s temperaments quite well.

“It’s like this…” Jiang Yushi took a sip of her fruit tea before looking up. “Lifeng, you know about the Jiangnan Biomedical Research Group, right?”

Before she could continue, a look of shock crossed Su Lifeng’s face.

He looked her over again as if he were seeing her for the first time. “That’s your family’s company?”

The Jiangnan Biomedical Research Group was ranked among the top ten pharmaceutical giants in the country and was quite famous even on a global scale. Su Lifeng had always known that Jiang Yushi came from a wealthy background and was just low-key about it, but he hadn’t realized she was “that” low-key.

“Not entirely. My father is the chairman. Besides, his money doesn’t have much to do with me right now.” Jiang Yushi nodded and gave Su Lifeng an apologetic smile. “Sorry for keeping it from you.”

Su Lifeng recovered from his surprise and waved it off dismissively. He was only shocked by Jiang Yushi’s true identity; as for how much wealth that identity actually represented, he wasn’t particularly interested. Once the apocalypse arrived, what use would any amount of money be?

Even Su Lifeng hadn’t realized that over the past few days, influenced by this mindset, he had become indifferent to many things. For instance, the house, Jiang Yushi’s family background, and even Liang Junyu, who had developed a grudge against him due to a misunderstanding…

“Actually, when Assistant Liang said my father wanted to find you to thank you, that was only one of the reasons. The other reason is that he plans to establish a new laboratory and hopes to invite you to participate-ideally, to lead the lab.” Jiang Yushi finally got to the point, leaving Su Lifeng stunned.

“But I imagine Jiangnan Biomedical isn’t short on graduate students? Let alone those who haven’t even graduated yet…” Su Lifeng’s voice trailed off as he suddenly realized the situation. It seemed this was the way Jiang Yushi and her father intended to thank him. It was certainly thoughtful, and truly a generous gift. Working in a major corporation’s laboratory meant having a large budget at his disposal, and it wouldn’t be difficult to mobilize personnel, especially since he would hold the authority of a director.

Su Lifeng was inclined to refuse, but then he thought about how inconvenient it was to constantly sneak in and out of the school’s lab. For a moment, he didn’t answer.

Jiang Yushi didn’t know Su Lifeng was merely considering it; she thought he was about to say ‘no.’ She quickly grabbed his hand and said, “Lifeng, I know what you’re thinking, but I’m really not doing this just to thank you. I really want to study those Xenospecies. Maybe we can figure out what they actually are… Since we already know their characteristics, we can find a way to deal with them, right? Even though you said they are absorbing other organisms, I’ve always felt they’re like a plague. As long as it’s a plague, there’s a possibility of resistance.”

“You mean… finding a vaccine to deal with them?” Su Lifeng was somewhat stunned. He truly hadn’t expected Jiang Yushi to have such a plan.

“You aren’t afraid of those Xenospecies, and for some reason, you understand them very well. After seeing Zhang Hai turn into that, I felt truly terrified. Because he wasn’t like those other Xenospecies-he still had human thoughts, didn’t he? But his appearance, his behavior… Lifeng, only you can help me! Even though we’ve returned to our normal lives, I’m always so worried. I’m scared.” Jiang Yushi held Su Lifeng’s hand, her voice earnest. This was the first time she had spoken to him about Zhang Hai. Hearing this, Su Lifeng couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.

“Since you put it that way, I don’t have a problem with it. But your father…” Su Lifeng didn’t quite believe that Uncle Jiang truly supported this, especially without knowing the full truth.

Sure enough, at the mention of this, Jiang Yushi’s expression became a bit unnatural, but her gaze remained firm. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure the lab is set up by the time the semester starts at the latest.” At this point, a hint of mischief appeared in her eyes. “I didn’t tell the whole truth in front of Assistant Liang earlier. I didn’t just come along to clear my head; I also wanted to pick a location for the lab. I think the suburbs where you’re looking to rent a place are quite good. Isn’t there an abandoned Chemical Plant? It would be very convenient for you to commute…”

“Oh, speaking of which, you still haven’t told me why you’re selling your house…” Having resolved her own issue, Jiang Yushi breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly remembered Su Lifeng’s house sale again.

Su Lifeng felt a bit helpless. Since she still had the deed to his house, he had no choice but to tell her the truth.

“I want to buy some food supplies.”

“Food? Are you so broke you can’t even afford to eat?” Jiang Yushi’s eyes widened. “How much do you need? A few hundred? A few thousand?” She was already calculating that no matter the amount, she could just buy it for him. Surely he wouldn’t refuse a few bags of rice.

“About a hundred thousand or so. Actually, the more the better,” Su Lifeng replied, estimating the cost in his head.

“A hundred…” Jiang Yushi was completely stunned. This wasn’t just buying food; he practically wanted to build a granary!

She thought for a moment and said, “In that case, you don’t need to sell your house. I’ll give you an advance on your salary. But from now on, you’ll have to work hard for me to pay off the debt.”

Jiang Yushi had a decisive streak in her personality. Almost as soon as she finished speaking, she pulled out a bank card, scribbled the PIN on it with a pen, and handed it to Su Lifeng. “Take this. There’s about two hundred thousand inside. My laboratory is definitely going to have a rough start, so… if the financial situation gets difficult later, this might end up being your entire year’s salary.”

Seeing her apologetic expression, Su Lifeng found it hard to refuse. He wasn’t the type to be overly sensitive about such things, but as he took the card, he said seriously, “Don’t worry. It won’t take a year. Maybe six months, or even less, and your lab will become your company’s biggest money-making machine. Maybe the biggest money-making machine in the World…”

Jiang Yushi smiled and nodded. “Alright, let’s work hard together then!” However, it was clear from her eyes that she thought Su Lifeng was just trying to encourage her.

“By the way, has anything unusual really happened around you lately?” Su Lifeng asked again, his concern lingering.

Jiang Yushi began to realize that Su Lifeng was being serious about this question. She rested her chin on her hand, thinking for a while before shaking her head. “No. I mostly stay at home. Other than Assistant Liang, no outsiders really come over… Because of what happened recently, my father doesn’t want too many people bothering me. There are security guards near the house, and I’m always accompanied when I go out. I’m really fine.”

“I see…” If that was the case, it should be impossible for her to be suddenly harmed…

Su Lifeng gave her one more warning: “Once you get back, try not to go out, and don’t interact with strangers. If you encounter anything that feels off, call me. This is my new number… Pay attention, you must be careful. Make sure to call me. No matter how insignificant it seems, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Jiang Yushi felt that Su Lifeng was being a bit overly paranoid, but she nodded in confusion and replied, “I will.”

“And…” Su Lifeng hesitated for a moment before adding, “If possible, tell your father to stock up on supplies as much as he can. All kinds of supplies, as much as possible.”

Jiang Yushi glanced at him, her fingers subconsciously tightening.

She seemed to understand something…

“Reporter Li, have we reached your destination yet?” Inside the car, the Girl had been trying to strike up a conversation with Li Yi out of curiosity. To her frustration, Li Yi had remained silent in the back seat the entire way, staring intently at the road ahead and at the two of them. When she asked if he had a place to go, he would simply point in a direction…

But they had been driving around the city for over half an hour now, and he still wasn’t speaking.

He could at least say the name of the place!

Her boyfriend kept shooting her looks, so the Girl spoke up again, trying to be tactful.

To her surprise, Li Yi didn’t answer immediately this time. Instead, he closed his eyes and sank into deep thought for a long moment. When he finally opened them, he spoke his first words since getting into the car: “I’ve found it.”

Found it? So he was looking for this place? Why didn’t he just say so earlier…

“In that case… is there anything else we can do for you?” the Girl asked, turning her head back.

She figured it was only polite to offer one last time.

Li Yi showed that smile again. Then, he lunged forward and bit into her neck.

As blood gushed out and something crawled frantically into her body through the wound, the Girl’s body froze. Her eyes bulged, and her final thought was: “Why?”

…Bang!

Nearby pedestrians only saw a small car suddenly lose control and crash into a guardrail.

Amidst the gasps of the crowd, the rear door suddenly flew open. A figure stumbled out, glanced blankly at the surrounding people, and then took off running at full speed.

“What happened?” Liang Junyu, who was about to start his own car, was startled by the muffled crash nearby, dropping his car keys on the ground.

As he leaned down to pick them up, he heard Su Lifeng say in a steady voice, “There’s been a car accident.”

Even Jiang Yushi wasn’t particularly frightened, though she said with a heavy heart, “I hope it’s not too serious. Oh… someone came out. Huh? Why is he running away? He’s covered in so much blood, shouldn’t he wait for help?”

Su Lifeng didn’t answer. For some reason, in the moment that figure had looked around, he felt as if the other person had seen him…