Locke on the other end of the phone seemed a bit anxious, repeatedly emphasizing that he must go back again, and at the very least complete the normal resignation procedures.
Go back? Did they take him for a fool? To the high-ups at Mengshan Company, Zhou Ziang might be low-profile, but being low-profile doesn’t mean he’s an idiot.
Yet, he still agreed to go back to handle the so-called procedures.
Knowing there was danger yet still going, it was perhaps a way to repay Locke for the meticulous care over the years.
Locke had also asked what had made him decide to stay in China, was it because there was a better research environment domestically?
In terms of research environments, there was no laboratory more suitable than the biological research labs at Mengshan.
What made him determined to stay was a young girl named Zhu Xiaoxian.
That day, Zhou Ziang, when recalling that day, couldn’t help but cough a few times.
The alcohol in the coffee seemed to linger in his mouth, stimulating every taste bud, a sensation that still couldn’t compare to the feeling when her tongue slid across during that moment high in the sky.
The spiritual power emanating from her body felt so natural and pure, it reminded Zhou Ziang of times at Yunteng Sect.
After arriving to this world, he had always thought that there was no source of such spiritual power left, but five years later, he discovered that it wasn’t that there were none, but that he had just not encountered them.
Mengshan Company hadn’t really let him into its core institution, and Zhou Ziang had reason to believe that the mutated spiritual power he absorbed over the years was deliberately provided by them.
"Locke, I hope this trip back won’t put me in a tough spot," he said, gulping down his coffee, rinsing the cup thoroughly in the water. Otherwise, he would make the entire Mengshan Company disappear.
At the same hour in the United States, it was evening. The similarly red sky there signified the end of the day.
"Locke, it’s a pity, you’ve spent two years and still haven’t swayed that kid from the East," said a rugged middle-aged man with a full face of brownish-yellow beard.
"Humph, you plant researchers are all soft-hearted," sitting with Locke and the bearded man was Aisha’s mother, Celeste.
"I have already invited him back. I am confident that once he hears what the company has to offer him, he will change his mind," Locke affirmed, but his eyes told a different story.
The weekend came in a blink, and as usual, Xiao Xian saw Feng Xing’s little Alto at the school gate.
But today, something was off about the Alto; it was dirt-ridden, looking like it hadn’t been washed for many days. Beijing is known for its windy, dusty conditions, and Feng Xing usually took great care of his little Alto, washing it often.
Moreover, the person coming to pick up Xiao Xian today was only Feng Xing, without a glimpse of Zhuo Feng inside or outside the car.
"Where’s Aunt?" Xiao Xian asked curiously.
Xiao Xian asked, and the honest Feng Xing clumsily replied: "Your aunt has gone to visit relatives."
Visit relatives? Zhuo Feng’s relatives were few, other than Xiao Xian standing before Feng Xing, the only others were the grandparents far away in Zhejiang.
Something was very off. Xiao Xian suspiciously continued to stare at Feng Xing. As she expected, it took just a few minutes for Feng Xing to completely give up.
Who could blame them? Xiao Xian and Zhuo Feng shared the Zhuo Family’s characteristic soulful eyes. Under her gaze, Feng Xing felt as if he were hiding money behind someone’s back, guilty.
"Your aunt has been detained by public security," Feng Xing had been worried about this for days, and Zhuo Feng particularly instructed him not to let slip to Xiao Xian, but he was useless, as soon as he was pressed, he spilled the beans.
"Detained by public security? What did Aunt do? Why on earth would she be detained?" She knew her own aunt well, Zhuo Feng was famously loud-mouthed but faint-hearted, even cutting fish at home felt like a squealing slaughter, such a person, detained?
"Your aunt injured someone, the person called the police, and even said they would sue your aunt. I’ve been running around for this matter these past few days, I haven’t even figured out what is going on yet. Oh, Xiao Xian, it’s all uncle’s incompetence," Feng Xing lamented, blaming himself.
"Uncle, don’t panic, tell me everything about what happened. I believe Aunt wouldn’t just hit someone randomly, there must be a reason that things got to this stage," hearing her own niece, so young yet able to analyze the situation so calmly, Feng Xing felt reassured but also a bit ashamed.