Their research project was split into two teams—Group A and Group B. Professor Ge had taken a few faculty members out on a business trip.
Now, within Group A, she was the only one left.
The message from her colleague made the meaning pretty clear: she was expected to attend tonight's meeting.
"Sure, what time tonight? I'll make it work," she replied.
Since taking this job, she hadn't driven her luxury car. She mostly relied on taxis to get around.
She arrived at the designated venue on time. Her colleague texted her to head upstairs to the second floor.
She'd received a flurry of messages throughout the day, but not the one she'd been hoping for.
She wasn't late—at least not compared to the others. When she took her seat, neither the dean nor the supposed host of the evening had arrived.
They showed up thirty minutes past the agreed time.
But when the door to the private dining room finally opened, only the dean stepped in.
From the expression on his face, it was obvious: Mr. Huang—tonight's expected guest—had stood them up.
Dinner was tasteless in every sense of the word. The dean didn't pressure her outright, but his words carried all the weight of bureaucratic threat. Unless Professor Ge managed to secure investment, the school wouldn't be able to help her. That was the message, thinly veiled.
Shen Ming raised glass after glass, drinking with him in good faith.Her respectful attitude spared her from being scolded, but not from the underlying pressure.
"Miss Shen, this project directly affects your full-time appointment. If things don't work out, you might want to consider going out to pitch for funding yourself. Can't stay cooped up in the lab all day."
She smiled politely. "Of course."
Now she finally understood why Jiang Tian had walked away midway through this mess.The internal politics at Dongjiao University's Physics Institute were, frankly, a disaster.
After two glasses, the dean, clearly annoyed, left early.
And as everyone knew, the dean's attitude was the weather vane around here.
Shen Ming had taken over Jiang Tian's position, and her presence had already stirred up discontent. Once the dean was gone, the masks came off.
"Miss Shen, you've been here for a month now. If Professor Ge really thought highly of you, he'd have sent you out himself. Yet here you are, tucked away in the lab. Funny, huh?"
It was a member from Group B, his tone mocking.
People around here assumed her only asset was her face. After all, everyone knew what kind of man Professor Ge was.
"Hey, let's not make things hard for Miss Shen. She's young and inexperienced. Let's just wait for the professor to return. We wouldn't want to make her cry, would we? What if he comes back and holds us accountable?"
That came with a smug, theatrical concern.
As if failing to secure funding was somehow entirely her fault.As if she were the one expected to cry.How little they thought of her.
Still smiling, Shen Ming responded lightly.
"Whether or not Professor Ge would blame you, I can't say. But I'm sure Professor Wang would be very interested in what happened to your experiment, Chen. Didn't your lab have an incident yesterday? Did the students get out unharmed?"
"What? That's nonsense—Shen Ming, don't make things up—"
Professor Chen nearly snapped at her, but a colleague pulled him back in time.
Her comment was serious. If the lab had actually exploded, it wouldn't just be a departmental issue—it could get people suspended.
Chen had found himself embarrassed, and now the look in his eyes wasn't just hostile—it was venomous.
A grown man, holding grudges like a child. Shen Ming let out a soft snort and didn't bother engaging further.
Dinner finally ended.
Someone went to settle the bill—and returned with a look of disbelief.
"Shen, the bill's already been taken care of. Table 206 next door paid it."
And not just that. A waiter came in with a high-end bottle of wine.
"This is from Mr. Huang in Room 206. He asked me to bring it over, complimentary, for Miss Shen."
Everyone went quiet.
That name—Mr. Huang. Could he be the same Huang the dean had been waiting for?
Shen Ming remained silent.
After a long pause, she asked the waiter,"Did Mr. Huang leave any other message?"
The waiter nodded. "He said he has an engagement tomorrow night and was wondering if you could accompany him, Miss Shen."
Once the waiter left, the atmosphere in the room turned… odd.
The looks people gave Shen Ming changed instantly.
Especially that same sarcastic Group B colleague.
"Miss Shen, if you already knew Mr. Huang, why didn't you say anything earlier? You let the dean stress over nothing."
Shen Ming gave a dry smile.
"I'll let him know when I get back. It must've slipped my mind."
That little twist gave her a brief chance to save face.
But nothing in this world comes for free.This Mr. Huang—whoever he was—would need to be investigated thoroughly.
As she headed home with a mix of relief and unease, the message she'd been waiting for finally came through.
Zhuo Hang called her.
"Miss Shen, our boss wants to see you. Please come to Hengshui Bay."
She took a cab straight there.
On the way, she passed a flower shop with its storefront covered in bright yellow daisies.
She got out and bought a bouquet.
Shen Ming was aware she had some beauty, but she had never relied on it.Tonight, though—tonight she had to admit: sometimes, good looks could open doors.
After all, Rong Zhaonan probably only liked her for her face.
But how long could that kind of affection really last?
She knew he had been stewing all day, and now that he'd finally summoned her, he was definitely planning something.
They were to meet in his study.
When she entered the house, the maid tried to take the flowers from her.
She shook her head. "I'll deliver them myself."
Her heart felt unsteady—a rare sensation for her.
Not even the first time she stepped into the Su estate had she felt this way.
She knocked lightly on the door.
Rong Zhaonan turned around at the sound.
There she was, in a soft green dress, hair tied in a low bun. She looked every bit the graceful, respectable teacher. A far cry from the cunning, calculating woman he knew hid beneath that lovely exterior.
She stood at the door, holding the bouquet in front of her like a peace offering.
He didn't see the flicker of emotion that crossed her eyes when she noticed his face—still bruised and swollen from last night's encounter with Su Yuyan.
Whatever complex thoughts she had harbored melted away in that moment. Her tone softened to one of sincere apology.
She held the bouquet out to him.
"I'm sorry for what happened last night."
She doubted this man had ever received flowers from a woman before. He hesitated for a moment before taking them from her, slowly bringing them to his nose.
His voice was low, measured.
"You think a bouquet is enough to smooth things over? Shen Ming, do you really take me that lightly?"