Chapter 120
Chapter 120
“What are you doing here?”
“It wasn’t exactly my idea.” Wen Xin spread his hands and shrugged. “But she didn’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone, so what could I do?”
Hearing that, Nan Mu smiled helplessly.
Wen Miao had insisted on coming with him before, but Wisdom Biotechnology was Xu Lei’s “home turf,” after all. If he really dared to make a move, this place would give him every possible advantage.
That was why Nan Mu had firmly refused to let Wen Miao come along. He hadn’t expected her to turn around and send Wen Xin instead.
Nan Mu warned him, “For safety’s sake, while we’re in the company, let’s pretend we don’t know each other. If anything comes up, send a message.”
Nan Mu’s old phone had been smashed. As for the new one, Wen Miao had already given it to Wen Xin to install counter-surveillance software, so it should be secure.
“OK.” Wen Xin finished washing his hands, pulled out a paper towel, and dried them. “Oh, right. When I was touring the company just now, I noticed there are more than twice as many cameras on the seventh and eighth floors as there are downstairs. They also have tracking functions, and judging by the model, the resolution isn’t low. Do you have a privacy screen protector on your phone?”
The topic changed so abruptly that Nan Mu didn’t react at first. A little taken aback, he patted the phone through his pants pocket. “Why? It’s just an ordinary tempered-glass protector.”
“Then I suggest you get one.” Wen Xin tidied his hair in the mirror. “With cameras that high-res, they might even be able to see what you’re sending on your phone.”
Nan Mu’s expression tightened. He said in a low voice, “Got it.”
“Oh, right. One more thing. Consider it good news.” Wen Xin turned to look at Nan Mu. “The person I’m shadowing is Meng Ran. I hear she’s Xu Lei’s wife, so I guess that counts as a nice bit of convenient access.”
Nan Mu wasn’t as optimistic as he was. He reminded him, “It is good news, but it also comes with risks. Don’t let your guard down.”
Wen Xin gave Nan Mu a strange look. He felt that the Nan Mu standing before him today was very different from the one he had seen a few days ago.
But the moment he thought back to what had happened on the hospital rooftop, he couldn’t help laughing at himself inwardly. He used to think Nan Mu was just a simple-minded big guy. Clearly, his judgment of people had never been all that accurate.
“I’ll go out first. You leave after a bit.” As Wen Xin spoke, he pushed the door open to leave. But after opening it just a crack, he couldn’t help turning back. “Can I ask you something?”
Nan Mu was in the middle of undoing his belt. Hearing the voice behind him, he rolled his eyes and stopped what he was doing. “If you’ve got a question, ask it.”
“Back in front of Wen Tangtang, you were always putting on that innocent little puppy act. Now you’re telling Wen Tangtang you’re going home for a funeral, while at the same time helping Wen Miao investigate Wisdom Biotechnology… What exactly are you trying to do?”
Nan Mu froze for a moment. So Wen Miao hadn’t told him.
Nan Mu remembered how, back when they were in school, Wen Xin had thought he and Wen Tangtang were dating and had even warned him off. Then he thought of the news that later came out about the two of them being together…
He turned to look at Wen Xin. Though there was a faint trace of a smile in his eyes, they still seemed unfathomable. “Relax. I’m not interested in Wen Tangtang, and she’s not interested in me either. The two of us are just ordinary classmates and friends. Don’t overthink it. I’m not your imaginary rival.”
Nan Mu turned back and added, “You can leave now. Remember to close the door.”
Wen Xin stared at the back of Nan Mu’s head, then shut the door and left. Only after taking a couple of steps did he suddenly react. “What does he mean, I see him as an imaginary rival? What could I possibly see in him?”
===
Nan Mu had just finished washing his hands when he received a message from Wen Miao.
Wen Miao: [First day at work. How does it feel?]
Nan Mu: [Complete facilities. Tight security.]
Wen Miao: [Suspicious?]
Nan Mu: [At any rate, I think there’s more to this place than meets the eye.]
Wen Miao: [Oh, right. I forgot to tell you-Wen Xin went to Wisdom Biotechnology too.]
Nan Mu: [I just ran into him.]
After sending that, Nan Mu thought for a moment, then sent another message.
Nan Mu: [You shouldn’t have let him come. It’s not safe.]
That one sentence seemed to poke a hornet’s nest. Wen Miao fired off three messages in a row.
Wen Miao: [You wouldn’t let me go, so I could only let him go.]
Wen Miao: [Besides, you’re seriously underestimating him.]
Wen Miao: [Between the two of you, who knows which one will infiltrate the place first?]
That made Nan Mu feel a little annoyed. Gritting his teeth, he thought, What, so in her eyes, I’m really that much worse than other people?
Irritated, he typed that into the input box. But just as he was about to send it, he felt it wasn’t appropriate.
He edited and deleted bits of it for a long while, but before he could send anything, Wen Miao had already sent a new message.
Wen Miao: [Do you know why I said that?]
Nan Mu simply deleted everything he had just written and sent over an unhappy emoji.
Nan Mu: [unhappy.jpg]
Wen Miao quickly sent back a question mark.
After a while, she sent him a link.
Nan Mu opened it and found that it was the experimental content from their school’s materials science department. It seemed to be a research model related to “quantum computers.”
The page was filled with academic terminology. Nan Mu was completely lost, so he could only back out.
Nan Mu: [What does this mean? Is our school also researching a time machine?]
Wen Miao sent three exclamation marks to express her shock.
Wen Miao: [What are you talking about? A quantum computer is not the same thing as a time machine. A quantum computer is used to solve specific problems. For example, right now, one of the more presentable quantum computers in our country is used to solve the mathematical problem of Gaussian boson sampling. Beyond that, general-purpose quantum computers can also play a role in fields like code-breaking, weather forecasting, materials design, and drug analysis.]
Nan Mu realized he had gone completely off track.
Nan Mu: [So?]
Wen Miao: [What I’m trying to say is that the topic we’re currently researching at school is “quantum computers,” and Meng Ran’s research topic just happens to be the same. In other words, I can help with Wen Xin’s research. We have two people, while you only have one.]
Nan Mu finally understood what she was trying to say. In short, Wen Xin had outside support for his research, while he didn’t. That was why she had boasted that Wen Xin might be able to infiltrate the place faster than him.
If this had been back when he was younger and hot-blooded, he definitely would have taken on a competitive stance and tried to beat the other guy-thinking that defeating him meant winning her heart. But now…
Nan Mu: [I see. Looks like you two are guaranteed to win. Sigh, I’m so pitiful. All alone with no one to rely on. Wen Xin has someone helping him, and I have nothing at all.]
At that moment, on the other side of the phone, Wen Miao-who had only been trying to make Nan Mu understand what a huge loss it was that he hadn’t let her go to Wisdom Biotechnology-fell into deep thought as she stared at his message.
Had what she said just now really been that much of a blow?
Nan Mu hadn’t been someone who got discouraged easily before…