Better Not Pursue Deep Cooperation with Us

At 2:30 in the afternoon.

Sunlight streamed through the car window, spilling onto the passenger seat.

Li Xingya leaned softly into the leather seat of the black Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, her fair cheeks still carrying a faint, lingering flush.

She tilted her head slightly, gazing at Su Bai, who was focused on driving. Her moist eyes were filled with tenderness and devotion that seemed almost ready to spill over.

“Boss...” Li Xingya’s voice was a little hoarse, soft and sweet, carrying a hint of shyness.

“What’s wrong? Still feeling sore?” Su Bai said, resting one hand on the steering wheel and turning to wink at her, a mischievous grin curling at the corner of his mouth. “Want me to give you another ‘local treatment’?”

At the word “treatment,” Li Xingya’s body gave a slight shiver, and the embarrassing scenes from the villa at Yasige instantly flashed through her mind.

She shook her head frantically, like a rattle-drum, and mumbled in a low voice, her face reddening: “N-no need... I’m completely better now. My head doesn’t hurt at all, and my whole body feels warm and cozy.”

“Glad to hear it,” Su Bai said with a smile. “This afternoon, though, when we’re meeting with those PhDs from the Sports Science Lab, you’ll need to be sharp and help me take notes.”

“Mm, I know,” Li Xingya nodded obediently.

She looked down at her neatly rearranged hoodie and quietly squeezed her slightly sore legs together, her heart brimming with sweetness.

Though her body was a little tired, the unprecedented sense of lightness and comfort made her feel like she could write tens of thousands of lines of code in one go.

The black G-Wagon glided smoothly into the campus of Jiangcheng University.

At this hour, students were heading to class.

The rugged, imposing luxury Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon cruising down the main road instantly drew the gaze of countless passing students.

The eyes of nearby male students were filled with envy and jealousy, while many female students paused, gazing yearningly toward the car windows, hoping for a glimpse of the legendary figure at Jiangda.

Su Bai was long accustomed to such attention, keeping a calm demeanor as he parked the car at the building.

“Let’s go,” Su Bai said, turning off the engine and smiling at Li Xingya.

“Sure, Boss.”

Li Xingya pushed open the car door. As she tried to step out, her knees felt a little weak, and she nearly stumbled.

She quickly grabbed the doorframe, her face flushing even redder as she shot Su Bai an annoyed glare. It was all his fault—he had been too intense at noon, leaving her legs still trembling.

Su Bai came around from the back of the car, casually supporting her slender waist. He whispered teasingly in her ear, “Xingya, your stamina isn’t up to par. You’ll need to exercise more with me from now on.”

“Boss! Stop it...” Li Xingya stomped her foot in embarrassment, hurriedly pushing his hand away and rushing into the lab building with a red face.

Su Bai laughed heartily, hands in his pockets, and strolled leisurely to the third-floor meeting room of the lab.

By the time he arrived, the meeting room door was already open.

Inside, five or six people were sitting around the conference table, discussing loudly and noisily.

At the head of the table sat a man in his fifties with graying hair—Professor Tang, the lab’s doctoral advisor.

Beside him sat four doctoral students in plaid shirts and thick glasses.

When Su Bai pushed the door open and stepped in, the noisy room fell silent instantly.

Professor Tang shot up from his seat, his face brimming with a warm, eager smile as he trotted over to greet him.

“Ah, President Su! You’ve finally arrived, please, have a seat!”

Professor Tang clasped Su Bai’s hand with both of his, his manner as respectful as it was fawning.

His enthusiasm was hardly surprising.

These days, everyone at Jiangcheng University knew Su Bai was a big-money backer.

With the investment from White Night Holdings, Shengxi Technology now had all the money and equipment it needed, churning out one research breakthrough after another, making other lab professors green with envy.

Professor Tang’s Sports Science Lab, usually neglected and struggling to secure funding, had finally managed to lure the cash cow Su Bai over. To him, Su Bai was practically a deity to be worshipped.

“Professor Tang, no need to be so formal. Just call me Su Bai,” Su Bai said with a slight smile, taking the seat at the head of the table with an easy manner.

The doctoral students stared at the young, handsome, and commanding Su Bai with awe and reverence in their eyes.

“President Su, knowing you’d be coming to hear our report this afternoon, we’ve prepared thoroughly,” Professor Tang said, sitting back down and gesturing to a slightly balding man in his thirties beside him.

“Guobing, you’re our senior doctoral student and the lead on this project. Please give President Su a detailed briefing on our core technology and research findings so far.”

“Of course, Advisor.”

Li Guobing, the senior doctoral student, quickly got up, nervously adjusting the collar of his shirt.

He walked over to the projector, opened the PPT he had prepared, cleared his throat, and began the presentation.

“President Su, our Sports Science Lab is currently focused on interdisciplinary research in human motion biomechanics, muscle electrical signal feedback, and smart athletic equipment...”

As Li Guobing spoke, he flipped through slides showing charts, data, and impressive 3D models of the human body.

“What we can currently achieve is real-time acquisition of three-dimensional spatial coordinates of the human body during movement, using high-precision infrared optical motion capture systems, accurate to the millimeter level.

“At the same time, combined with our self-developed surface electromyography signal collection system, we can monitor, in real time, the strain levels and fatigue of each muscle group during different movements for athletes.”

Li Guobing spoke with enthusiasm, his face radiating pride.

To impress Su Bai, he deliberately peppered his presentation with complex technical jargon, making the technology sound extremely advanced.

The presentation lasted over half an hour.

Throughout it, Professor Tang chimed in occasionally, echoing Li Guobing’s praises of the lab’s prowess and constantly hinting that Su Bai should invest money soon.

Su Bai leaned back in his chair, a faint smile on his face, listening quietly.

After it was over,

Su Bai stood up, walked to the window of the meeting room, and gazed out at the campus scenery, stretching his slightly stiff neck.

Just then,

A soft sound of footsteps came from behind him.

Su Bai turned around.

He saw a young man in a slightly faded white shirt and black-rimmed glasses, standing nervously not far behind him.

The man looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, thin and bookish, with a pale complexion—the typical look of a research student who spent too little time in the sun and too little time moving.

Su Bai remembered that during the earlier meeting, this guy was introduced as Zhou Jian, also one of the lab’s doctoral students.

But throughout the presentation, he had been sitting quietly in the corner, saying nothing, utterly unnoticed.

At this moment, Zhou Jian looked nervously at Su Bai, his hands tightly clutching the hem of his clothes, his palms seemingly sweating.

He glanced around to make sure Professor Tang and Li Guobing had not returned and that the corridor was empty, then gritted his teeth as if he had made a tremendous decision and quickly walked over to Su Bai.

"President... President Su." Zhou Jian lowered his voice, his tone tinged with an uncontrollable tremor.

Su Bai raised an eyebrow, observing this unusually timid young man, and smiled gently. "Is something the matter, Dr. Zhou?"

Zhou Jian took a deep breath, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead.

He cast another cautious look at the meeting room door, then stepped closer to Su Bai and whispered in an extremely low voice:

"Boss, I suggest you don't pursue deep cooperation with our lab."

Hearing this, Su Bai's gentle smile froze slightly.

He looked at the timid PhD student with a hint of surprise, his eyes narrowing as his deep gaze fell on the other's face, which was etched with tension and resolve.

"Oh?"

Su Bai kept his hands in his pockets, sizing him up with keen interest, and lowered his voice to ask, "Why?"