The Burden on Xingya

In the laboratory of the Computer Science Department.

This lab didn't originally belong to Professor Luo. It only became his territory after the end of last semester.

The significance of this was self-evident.

Among associate professors on the rise, whoever could secure more resources was destined for a smoother academic journey.

In this day and age, academia was no longer just a battle of intellect; it was more about having the right connections and background. And both of these, at their core, came down to resources.

Professor Luo had his network within academic circles, but the senior professor above him had three associate professors under his wing. Luo was just the least favored among them... or at least, he used to be.

Now, he was his mentor's prized pupil.

The reason was simple: he could bring in the money.

The funding from White Night Venture Capital was far more important than it appeared on the surface.

Nowadays, the scrutiny of research funds was becoming stricter, and the competition for natural science grants was growing fiercer. As for seeking corporate partnerships through normal channels, that involved way too much red tape.

Su Bai's sponsorship was different. It was almost the most lenient in every aspect. He was generous with the money, and even during the initial investment phase, he had already factored in the research group's share of the profits. Of course, essentially, he was just paying to get his girlfriend into the group. So, since Su Bai had shown such courtesy, Professor Luo returned the favor by giving Chen Yusheng the best possible treatment.

Chen Yusheng did not disappoint. Before the end of her first semester, she produced several excellent papers... strictly speaking, they were accepted near the end of the term and officially published during the winter break.

In reality, if a student was talented enough, an undergraduate publishing papers was no longer breaking news these days.

However, for a freshman to produce publications with significant academic weight required the perfect alignment of timing, resources, and support. Obviously, Xiao Chen had all of these.

Envy.

The senior students in the group were exploding with envy. Fortunately, their own compensation also rose with the development of the research group. If Xiao Chen was eating meat, they were at least drinking the broth. It was a win-win!

Tonight, however, the star of the show, Chen Yusheng, wasn't in the lab. She was still at the East Lake Club playing video games.

She absolutely wouldn't return until the undergraduate holiday was over!

Therefore, in this room designed for two people to work, only Li Xingya remained.

After all, she was from another university, and the environment here was much better than her dorm room back at her school. Her roommates were a bit noisy, making her dorm truly unsuitable for scientific research.

As for going home... she had too many relatives and it was too chaotic, so that was out of the question.

Thus, at a time when even many graduate students hadn't returned to work, Li Xingya was already studying academic literature diligently.

The literature itself wasn't difficult to read; the hard part was integrating it and extracting useful information.

Thinking of this, Li Xingya couldn't help but recall the fun little reading literature game Su Bai and Chen Yusheng had played in this very room.

At the time, Chen Yusheng had been stubbornly boasting about her intense focus, claiming that no matter what happened, she could always continue her work and that her anti-interference ability was maxed out.

Su Bai didn't believe her, so he stood behind her, and then... woo woo~

Just thinking about the scene made Li Xingya's cheeks flush and her legs go weak.

How could it be so... sigh, nowadays, Su Bai and Teacher Chen didn't even shy away from her when doing those embarrassing things.

Chen Yusheng even treated her as a good sister fighting side by side.

Should she consider it an honor, or was it a bit weird?

Anyway, the feeling wasn't bad.

As her thoughts drifted, Li Xingya found herself missing Su Bai again.

This was another point that made her feel melancholy.

Being with an outstanding man like Su Bai inevitably meant spending less time together and more time apart. Li Xingya didn't need anyone to teach her this; she could easily draw this conclusion just by observing the marriages of her relatives and friends.

The kind of domineering CEO who had plenty of free time every day to accompany you around the clock only existed in romance novels for women.

Actually, Su Bai wasn't even that busy with his career. It always felt like he had strong learning abilities; he could just coast by and still get good grades. But he was busy picking up other girls... what a playboy!

When she missed Su Bai, Li Xingya couldn't resist checking his WeChat Moments and Douyin. Su Bai frequently posted updates.

Back when he was low-key, he couldn't be bothered to post, mainly because he had nothing to share.

Now, of course, he would show off whenever appropriate, embracing a carefree lifestyle.

There were far too many girls eager to interact with Su Bai. Every day, the comment section of his Douyin turned into a massive marriage proposal scene.

It was really strange. Su Bai wasn't the type of influencer who loved to flaunt his wealth; he was simply sharing his life.

Li Xingya checked Douyin first. There were no new video updates.

Then she checked her Moments and saw the night photos of the sports field that Su Bai had posted. She quickly sent him a private message, hinting that she was in the lab.

Well... it wasn't like she was demanding he come over. Li Xingya knew she had no right to demand anything of Su Bai.

Overall, she still had a rather inferior mindset.

Unexpectedly, Su Bai appeared in the lab shortly after, and he even brought a late-night snack.

A luxurious seafood rice bowl.

Actually, eating a seafood rice bowl in the lab is a pretty considerate thing to do... The smell doesn't drift very far, the lingering scent isn't unpleasant, and most importantly, it doesn't make weird noises when you eat it.

Su Bai talked nonsense as he laid out the late-night snack on the table.

Li Xingya's tense nerves relaxed under Su Bai's presence. Her boss was always very cheerful and loved to talk, but his words rarely contained much actual information. It felt like casual, nonsensical chatter.

She sniffled, and her stomach growled embarrassingly.

Li Xingya felt a bit awkward about this. She had definitely eaten a little something for dinner... alright, compared to the late-night snack Su Bai brought, what she ate practically amounted to nothing.

Su Bai, however, looked quite pleased with himself. See, I told you. I remembered you like eating this.

Huh? D-do I...

Don't you like it?

I do...

It was just a bit expensive.

Thinking back to the first time Su Bai brought her a raw fish rice bowl, it was just like last time.

That time, Su Bai had even prepared the fish himself at home.

All she could say was that this stuff had completely surpassed the imagination of a poor girl like her. Large botan shrimp, the meat and roe from arm-length mantis shrimp, and Australian lobster sashimi—these served as toppings for the rice. Paired with the right sauce, it was hard for it not to be delicious. The sweet, tender, and soft texture of the seafood naturally went perfectly with the premium Wuchang rice.

Because she felt it was too expensive, Li Xingya didn't dare say she loved eating it.

Su Bai felt he should change her consumption habits, so he needed to bring it for her more often. The little girl working overtime in the lab had it hard, too.

As Shengsheng's assistant, her dedication had to be maxed out. Doing research required racing against time, and Chen Yusheng's personality was a bit lazy; she wasn't the type to stay constantly high-strung... Even though she was a highly anticipated rising star in research, her primary thought was actually about having a baby for Su Bai.

Actually, that wasn't a problem. Having a child first and then focusing on academics was perfectly fine in his eyes.

In that case, the burden on Xingya would be even heavier! In every sense of the word...