Chapter 0438

"I'm full, take it away."

Granny Wang thought Lin Ran didn’t like the food. "Was it not tasty?"

Lin Ran shook his head. "No appetite. Give it to someone else."

He didn’t want such good ingredients to go to waste and gave the order.

Granny Wang didn’t understand what was wrong with Lin Ran but could only carry the dishes out.

Uncle Fu was outside and looked puzzled when he saw her return so quickly with the food. "What? Didn’t Young Master Lin like it? Should we ask the chef to make something else?"

Granny Wang: "I think he just has no appetite. And I have a guess—though I’m not sure if it’s right."

"What guess?"

"Young Master Lin must be missing Miss Luo. I heard Miss Luo has lost her appetite lately. He’s probably worried she isn’t eating properly at the company, so he lost his appetite too."

Uncle Fu frowned. "That’s a stretch. You’re really reaching with that one."

"Sigh! I hope I’m just overthinking it."

After Granny Wang left, Uncle Fu thought for a moment and sent a message to Luo Yao.

[Young Master Lin lost his appetite because he’s worried you’re not eating well.]

In Luo Corporation’s office, Luo Yao saw the message and instantly felt a surge of happiness.

She knew it was wrong to feel happy that Lin Ran wasn’t eating, but she couldn’t help it.

What did this prove? It proved that Ah Ran cared about her.

She immediately called him.

"Ah Ran."

"Yao Yao, I miss you. Did you eat properly at lunch?"

Luo Yao nodded, even though Lin Ran couldn’t see it.

"Yes, I ate a lot. You need to eat well too, okay?"

"Okay."

After chatting for a while, they hung up. Lin Ran then called out,

"Granny Wang, bring the food back."

Granny Wang: ???

Luckily, the food hadn’t been put away for long and didn’t even need reheating.

At Luo Corporation, Luo Yao also called out.

"Liu Meng, have the assistant prepare another lunch for me."

Liu Meng’s eyes widened, double-checking she hadn’t misheard, before passing on the order.

The CEO had barely touched her earlier meal—now she was asking for more?

Liu Meng knew how indifferent Luo Yao usually was about food. The only times she ate properly were when Lin Ran was around to coax her.

Could this be because of Young Master Lin?

After lunch, Luo Yao continued her meeting with the executives, while Liu Meng left Luo Corporation.

At the headquarters of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the prestigious institution overseeing the nation’s most advanced technological research, a gathering of top-tier experts had assembled.

Every person present had achievements impressive enough to astonish the world, including nominees for the Nobel Prize.

Each was a distinguished contributor in their field, recipients of state-level honors.

Chen Buhui was among them, summoned by notice.

At that moment, they were all waiting for someone.

"Director Wei, why have you called us here during the New Year holidays?" Chen Buhui asked, puzzled.

Seated at the head of the table was a silver-haired man in his seventies, dressed simply—unremarkable to outsiders, yet he was none other than Wei Junjie, the current director of the Academy.

"Xiao Chen, I called you here for an important matter. You’ll soon be reassigned to work in the capital."

Chen Buhui was stunned. She had only recently been transferred to the University of Science and Technology in Shanghai, an institution under the Academy’s jurisdiction. With the launch of Shanghai’s Sci-Tech City project, the university was a key participant, and she had been internally designated as its representative.

The director’s decision to recall her now sent a clear message.

"What did I do wrong? Why are you treating me like this? I’m the lead expert behind China’s chip technology breakthrough. You can’t do this—I’ll appeal to higher authorities!"

Wei Junjie sighed. "Xiao Chen, I know your contributions are significant, but that doesn’t excuse your actions. You orchestrated a smear campaign against Luo Yao online, framing her in a way that stirred public outrage. The fallout has been severe."

Chen Buhui refused to admit it. "Without proof, even as director, you can’t just accuse me like this!"

"Accuse you? Chen Buhui, this is the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Do you really think we can’t uncover the truth if we investigate? Your little scheme couldn’t fool me—or Luo Yao, for that matter. I’ve already reported this to the higher-ups. Hu Shuo has confessed everything. Wasn’t it your own disciple who gave him the orders? Don’t tell me you had nothing to do with it—I’d lose all respect for you."

Sometimes, Wei Junjie wished he could crack open the heads of certain experts to see what was inside.

They might be brilliant in research, but when it came to anything outside of it, they acted like utter fools.

Chen Buhui felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her. All her defiance and tactics evaporated.

Had it really been exposed so easily?

Worse yet—what about her reputation?

Even if this scandal didn’t go public, among the Academy’s top brass, the label of "slanderer" would stick. Her peers would look down on her.

Sure enough, after Wei Junjie’s words, the others exchanged glances, shocked that a leading expert would stoop to such behavior.

They had wondered how such a scandal could erupt during a major collaboration, damaging both the project and the Academy’s reputation.

Chen Buhui: "I refuse to accept this! Lin Ran and Luo Yao are my juniors. I was only putting pressure on them to help them grow stronger through adversity!"

Wei Junjie’s frown deepened. "Adversity? Hasn’t Luo Yao faced enough hardship already? Why can’t she thrive in good times now? You call yourself their elder—is this how an elder behaves? Do you realize how this looks to outsiders? They’ll think the Academy—or even the government—orchestrated this rumor. Who would dare collaborate with us after this?"

"I’ve invited Luo Yao here. You will apologize to her."

Chen Buhui’s eyes bulged. "What? You want me to apologize to a junior?"

"What else?" Wei Junjie’s tone was firm, brooking no argument. "Not just you—even I must personally apologize for this incident."

Chen Buhui still didn’t grasp the gravity. "Director, isn’t this excessive? At worst, we can just switch partners."

"Who do you think you are? The collaboration isn’t something you can change on a whim. You overestimate yourself."

Wei Junjie’s retort was merciless.