Good news arrived from the Genome Group once again. The second successfully fertilized egg had thrived in the experiment under Gu Yao’s supervision.
Xu Tang came over in person to take a look. She gazed at the translucent egg in the petri dish, her expression softening. In front of everyone present, she didn’t hesitate to praise Gu Yao lavishly.
“Very good,” Xu Tang said to Gu Yao. “I wasn’t wrong about you. Your abilities are exceptional—no less than your group leader’s.”
Group Leader Liu’s face darkened at those words.
Xu Tang handed the petri dish back and removed her gloves. “Gu Yao’s bonus this month will be doubled. You’re the standout in the group, and I won’t let that go unrewarded. Hold a team meeting later and share your experience with everyone. Let them learn from you.”
Xu Tang went on to critique the Genome Group’s current work, sharply criticizing Group Leader Liu’s leadership. She capped it off with a pointed remark: “Fortunately, Gu Yao’s here to handle these matters for you.” The words left everyone feeling deeply uncomfortable, and Group Leader Liu’s face grew even stormier.
Once Xu Tang had left, a few colleagues from the Genome Group couldn’t hold back their sarcastic jabs. “Having a protector sure makes things easy. Group Leader Liu pours her heart into this, but it still can’t compare to someone tossing off a casual experiment.”
“Isn’t that the truth? We never realized our Deputy Group Leader Gu was so impressive before—she can even run experiments now.”
“Hey, what Deputy Group Leader Gu? She’s still just deputy.”
“Deputy for now. Who knows? In a couple of days, she might get promoted to full.”
Group Leader Liu snapped angrily, “What are you all blathering about? Get back to work! Do you think the experiments will complete themselves if you just stand around?”
Seeing Group Leader Liu furious, the team members glanced at Gu Yao and shuffled off amid nudges and murmurs. Gu Yao felt acutely awkward. She turned to Group Leader Liu. “Group Leader, I…”
Group Leader Liu frowned deeply. “Gu Yao, I don’t care what your relationship is with Xu Tang. This is a laboratory—keep your outside games of flattery and backstabbing out of here.”
Gu Yao tried to explain, but Group Leader Liu wasn’t having it. She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Gu Yao stared at the firmly shut door, her face draining of color.
Group Leader Liu had always been kind to her. When Gu Yao had first joined, her skills were shaky, but Group Leader Liu had never scolded her. She had even pulled her aside for extra one-on-one training sessions. Even after Gu Yao became deputy group leader and whispers started behind her back, Group Leader Liu had comforted her, telling her not to take it to heart.
Now, even this good-tempered Group Leader Liu was angry with her. Gu Yao’s mind went blank.
She couldn’t understand what Xu Tang was really after.
First, Xu Tang had fired the colleague who’d been saddling her with double the workload. Then she’d promoted Gu Yao to deputy group leader. Now, riding the wave of this experimental success, she was undermining Group Leader Liu. Was the next step—as the team members had speculated—making Gu Yao the full group leader?
Gu Yao couldn’t sit still any longer. She needed to confront Xu Tang and get some straight answers.
She headed to Xu Tang’s office. The assistant told her Xu Tang was out and to come back later, but Gu Yao couldn’t wait that long. She simply took a seat in the chair outside the office and waited for her return.
More than half an hour passed before Xu Tang finally appeared.
She glanced at Gu Yao, who sat there with a grim expression, issued a few instructions to her assistant, and then said, “Come in.”
Gu Yao rose with a stony face and followed her into the office.
Xu Tang drew back the curtains and settled into her chair. Gu Yao stood before her like someone reporting for a performance review. Xu Tang rested her hands on the desk and asked casually, “What do you need?”
It was a thoroughly professional tone. The two of them hardly seemed like lovers.
Gu Yao closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. She leaned forward, hands braced on the desk. “Why?”
Just two words, but Xu Tang understood exactly what she meant. Her dark eyes met Gu Yao’s steadily, and she replied calmly, “Your skills are the best in the Genome Group. There’s nothing wrong with praising you in front of everyone.”
“Then why not praise the team member who succeeded first? Why sing my praises in front of a crowd—and tear down Group Leader Liu? She didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Neither did she make any real contributions,” Xu Tang countered. “She was just doling out assignments as instructed from above. Anyone could do that job. She can, and so can you.”
Gu Yao drew a deep breath. “You want me to take over as group leader?”
Xu Tang arched an eyebrow slightly. “I do. But this project might not pan out for it. When the next one comes along, I’ll appoint you as full group leader, putting you in charge of the experiments. You’ll be first author on any papers from the Experimental Group, too. It’ll make your resume shine.”
Xu Tang smiled lightly at her. “I’ve planned it all out for you. Once the experiment succeeds, you’ll be the rising star of gene science.”
Just like how she’d groomed Shen Qingming all those years ago, Xu Tang now wanted to nurture Gu Yao with the same care.
An expert in genetics could do so much for her and her people.
Gu Yao listened to Xu Tang’s words in a daze. She frowned and said, “I’ve never wanted to be group leader. I don’t want to be some rising star. I just want to do solid experiments. I don’t want any of that.”
Xu Tang looked at her, puzzled. “How could you possibly want nothing?”
Humans were greedy by nature. What they desired was both profoundly complex and disarmingly simple.
Take Shen Qingming, for instance. He craved fame and fortune—to become the top expert in the field and bask in academic renown. Xu Tang and her kind had granted him that, securing his place in human society.
So Xu Tang assumed Gu Yao wanted much the same.
She would steadily elevate Gu Yao’s position, funnel her research funding, help her conquer groundbreaking challenges. Gu Yao would achieve global fame at a young age. And with her connection to Xu Tang, even if she learned the truth later, she wouldn’t refuse to help.
But Gu Yao insisted that wasn’t what she wanted.
Xu Tang pressed her. “A single month’s bonus as group leader would outstrip your annual salary. I’ll help you crack tough problems, making you the youngest gene scientist ever. What’s not to like about that?”
“It’s not good,” Gu Yao said flatly. “I want to work steadily and honestly. I don’t want to be the youngest scientist. I don’t want it like this.”
Xu Tang’s brow furrowed. “Then what do you want? Haven’t I been good to you?”
Gu Yao froze at the question. She stared at the woman she loved, suddenly feeling like a stranger was looking back.
Xu Tang’s actions all seemed geared toward her future—paving the road ahead. But Xu Tang had never once asked what she actually wanted. It was the same with their outings for meals or shopping. Xu Tang never consulted her; she simply booked the spot and drove them there.
It felt like she was just going through the motions.
Gu Yao couldn’t feel the love.
She gripped the edge of the desk and bowed her head. Xu Tang heard her murmur softly, “You don’t understand me at all.”
Xu Tang leaned back in her chair, irritation bubbling up inside her.
Why was it like this?
Why couldn’t Gu Yao be straightforward like Shen Qingming—appeased with a bit of fame and profit? Why did she demand that Xu Tang truly understand her?
Why were humans so demanding?
Silence stretched between them. After a long moment, Gu Yao pulled her hands back and stood straight before the desk. “Let’s break up.”
Xu Tang was caught off guard.
Gu Yao met her eyes steadily. “We were never public anyway. You don’t want anyone knowing we’re together, so let’s just end it.”
Without waiting for Xu Tang to respond, Gu Yao turned and walked out.
Xu Tang felt a pang in her chest. She wanted to rise and chase after her but held herself back. She watched the door close behind Gu Yao, convincing herself it was just a tantrum. Gu Yao liked her that much; talk of breaking up was surely just angry words.
She’d come crawling back with an apology in a few days.
Xu Tang told herself as much.
Gu Yao’s days in the laboratory grew miserable. After the blowup, her teammates ignored her outright, unwilling even to speak. Group Leader Liu found an excuse to attend a meeting and never returned by the end of the day.
The last team member to leave even flicked off the lights, ignoring Gu Yao as she sat right there.
In the darkness, Gu Yao lingered for a long time before gathering her things to head home.
Isolation felt awful. On her way back, she furtively wiped away tears. She’d proposed breaking up with Xu Tang that day, yet not a single message had come from her—even though they worked in the same building.
Gu Yao felt her life had become a complete mess.
The sun had already set when Zhao Shuqing stepped out of her car, takeout bags in hand. She spotted a familiar figure huddled by the flower bed, crying. She hesitated for a moment, then walked over.
“What’s wrong?” Zhao Shuqing sat down beside Gu Yao on the edge of the flower bed. “Why are you crying so heartbroken? Who bullied you?”
Hearing a familiar voice, Gu Yao hurriedly wiped her tears—but they only flowed faster. She gave up and sobbed openly in front of Zhao Shuqing.
“I broke up with Xu Tang,” Gu Yao wailed. “She’s heartless. I said we were done, and that was it—no pleading, nothing. Why did I ever fall for someone like her?”
Gu Yao went on. “What’s so great about Xu Tang? Sure, she’s pretty and poised, with that cool voice that gets to me. But there are plenty like her. I’m not going to hang myself on one tree.”
She added, “I’m young and attractive. Tons of people like me. I dump them—they don’t dump me. When I’m ready to marry, I could grab any guy off the street, and he’d love me forever.”
Wiping her tears, Gu Yao delivered a tearful summation. “Damn Xu Tang. I never want to see her again in this lifetime.”
Zhao Shuqing said nothing, simply letting Gu Yao rant against Xu Tang for a good ten minutes or more. When Gu Yao finally seemed talked out, hoarse and dry, Zhao Shuqing voiced her question. “Out of nowhere, why break up? Weren’t you head over heels for her at first sight?”
Gu Yao cried even harder and poured out the full story of recent events.
Zhao Shuqing had started out treating it as juicy gossip, but the more she heard, the more off it felt. She crossed her legs and asked dubiously, “She… why would she do all that?”
“I don’t know,” Gu Yao said, honking into a tissue on her red, runny nose. She hiccuped through her sobs. “She talks about grooming me into the youngest gene scientist, handing me every future project as group leader. She just wants me climbing the ladder and cashing in. She has no idea what I really want… wuwuwu…”
Zhao Shuqing frowned at that, lost in thought for a long while.
