Volume One, Chapter Eight: He Said, Stop Following Me

Xia Chengze, having been splashed with water, maintained a relaxed expression and even cracked a joke, "Jingcheng, forget it. It was indeed our prank first. However, you really should keep your wife in check; she seems to be getting more and more spoiled."

Su Mian added from the side, "Brother Jingcheng, Jiang Shuwei doesn't even give you any face. Isn't she being a bit too arrogant?"

He Jingcheng’s good mood was instantly dampened.

"Alright, everyone, let's not let her ruin our spirits. Today is Mrs. He's birthday; we should be happy. Allow me to go change my trousers." Xia Chengze immediately smoothed things over, and the group brushed off the minor incident.

Walking along the roadside, Jiang Shuwei’s mind was filled with the image of He Jingcheng arm-in-arm with Su Mian. They were becoming increasingly blatant.

Having delivered the gift on behalf of her mother-in-law, Jiang Shuwei hailed a taxi and returned to her studio.

Seeing her return so quickly, Zhou Haixin reached out her hand, "Where’s the good food?"

Jiang Shuwei paused for a moment and immediately took out her phone, "I’ll order it for you right now."

"You’re treating me to takeout?" Zhou Haixin looked dejected. "I thought I’d get to eat something high-end."

Jiang Shuwei smiled and consoled her, "No high-end stuff, but there’s plenty of crawfish."

Only then did a smile bloom on Zhou Haixin’s face. The two girls, similar in age, chatted about work while eating, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

The next day, Jiang Shuwei received a call from Professor Jiang Bo. Hearing that she had declined to work for him, Jiang Bo wanted to speak with her about it in person. Perhaps because they shared the same surname—a connection from centuries past—Jiang Bo had always looked out for her.

Inside the restaurant, Jiang Shuwei rushed in, nearly colliding with someone. The person was about to get angry, but upon seeing it was her, they switched to mockery, "Jiang Shuwei, what are you rushing for? If you break my phone, you’ll be the one paying for it."

As Jiang Shuwei looked up, she saw the Lu siblings and Xia Chengze standing in the lobby, seemingly waiting for someone. Jiang Shuwei was here to meet Professor Jiang Bo and had no desire to deal with this group, so she bypassed them and went straight upstairs.

In the private room, Jiang Bo was a lean, elderly man. His silver hair, a trademark from years of late nights in research, looked as wild as weeds, and his glasses were quite old, yet he possessed the full air of a scholar.

"Professor Jiang, I'm sorry for being late," Jiang Shuwei said, pushing the door open with an apologetic look.

Jiang Bo frowned at her. "Why did you refuse my invitation? You clearly have more talent in pharmaceutical research. Not everyone is born with such a keen sense for medicine and an eidetic memory; you should be putting those gifts to use in more important places."

Back when Jiang Bo was still teaching three years ago, he had already recognized Jiang Shuwei’s brilliance.

Jiang Shuwei lowered her head. "Using my memory for my current work is also a kind of talent."

Her eidetic memory was the key reason she could accurately hand-draw medical atlases; in her mind, those images appeared in vivid detail, leaping from her brain to the tip of her pen.

Jiang Bo tightened his expression, clearly displeased. "Can drawing bring a patient back to life? Don't forget your dream of studying medicine."

Jiang Shuwei hung her head, not daring to take a deep breath.

"Shuwei, take your teacher’s advice. Your talent will have much greater development in the field of pharmacology, and talents like you are extremely scarce," Jiang Bo said in a softer tone.

Jiang Shuwei froze. Her mind flashed back to her mother’s warning: *Never make a name for yourself in the medical world, or you will be unable to protect yourself.*

She had always been curious why her mother, a brilliant physician, was forced to hide her identity in a small county town, only to die under mysterious circumstances later. She had never understood what her mother meant back then. Could it be that someone was systematically eliminating experts in cutting-edge medical technology?

"We are currently tackling an unprecedented cancer puzzle. If you are interested, you can join us," Jiang Bo said, placing a file before her. "This is classified data, but I believe that once you read it, you will be interested. I will wait for you."

Jiang Shuwei was stunned, reaching out to take the file and beginning to read.

When lunch was served, Jiang Shuwei was still reading, with Jiang Bo offering occasional insights. After finishing, she was truly shocked by the research technology contained within, her eyes shining with excitement.

Jiang Bo sipped his tea. "Human genes are infinitely mysterious. Our pursuit is getting closer, and the direction of exploration is right before our eyes; we must not stop."

Jiang Shuwei’s heart surged. She remembered how her mother used to run a clinic in their small town, treating those on the brink of death and bringing them back to life, eventually being hailed as a "living deity." The genetic code of humanity held too many unknowns; if she could explore it alongside Professor Jiang, it would be her lifelong wish.

"Alright, that’s all for now. Shuwei, I’ll wait for your reply," Jiang Bo said as he stood up and left, taking the file with him.

Jiang Shuwei remained dazed in her chair. It wasn't until she regained her senses that she remembered she should have gone downstairs to see him off, and she still had to settle the bill. She had rushed out in such a hurry.

At that moment, at the checkout counter, Jiang Bo was already surrounded by a group of people. It was the same group she had seen downstairs: the Lu siblings, He Jingcheng, and Su Mian.

"Professor Jiang..." Jiang Shuwei called out, her voice urgent, but it was too late to hold back. The group surrounding Jiang Bo turned in unison to look at her.

Jiang Shuwei’s flustered and hurried appearance gave the impression that she was chasing after him to prevent him from leaving.

Su Mian cast a cold glance at Jiang Shuwei, then turned to Jiang Bo with a smile. "Uncle Jiang, I have always admired your talent, and my father has long wanted to collaborate with you. Would you be willing to do us the honor of having a casual meal at our home?"

Jiang Bo maintained a detached expression. "I thank President Su for his kindness, but my institutions are quite busy at the moment. We shall see when there is time."

"Very well, Uncle Jiang, do come visit us when you are free." Su Mian’s voice was sweet and moving, sounding incredibly sincere.

Jiang Bo nodded. When he went to pay the bill, he was informed it had already been settled.

"Professor Jiang, let me see you off." Seeing Jiang Bo heading downstairs, Jiang Shuwei hurried after him.

Jiang Shuwei’s fawning and sycophantic expression caused the young socialites to look at her with visible disdain.

At the restaurant entrance, Jiang Shuwei watched as Jiang Bo got into his car and left, and she prepared to depart as well.

Just then, Lu Youyou mocked, "Oh my, some people try so hard to suck up, but others don't even care. Tsk tsk, how embarrassing."

Jiang Shuwei frowned and looked back at the group. Her gaze lingered on He Jingcheng, who watched her with cold, indifferent eyes, showing no intention of helping her out of the situation.

Su Mian walked over with an amused look. "Jiang Shuwei, are you hoping to do research with Uncle Jiang? I could introduce you, but Uncle Jiang has very high standards; he doesn't look at anyone who isn't a top-tier talent. Even if you can write some pretty, flowery papers, you might not catch his eye."

Jiang Shuwei said coldly, "Keep your fake kindness to yourself."

Su Mian’s expression darkened.

Lu Yanzhi spoke up, "Jiang Shuwei, there's no need to act like a hedgehog every time you see us. We’ve known each other since we were kids; can't you just chat like normal friends?"

Jiang Shuwei turned to look at them. "Normal friends? Would you ever lower yourselves to that?"

Xia Chengze crossed his arms, his tone certain. "See? What did I say? She doesn't want to talk to us properly at all. Jingcheng, she’s your woman—aren't you going to say something?"

He Jingcheng’s face darkened instantly, as if the words "your woman" were a curse.

Jiang Shuwei looked at He Jingcheng, wanting to see his reaction, wondering if he, too, thought she was being unreasonable.

"Jiang Shuwei, stop following me from now on. It’s really annoying." Having dropped this line, He Jingcheng drove away with his friends.