Chapter 18: Black and White Swan Dance Invitation, Dance Party Turmoil

Chapter 18 The Black & White Swan Ball Controversy

The selection exam lasted three hours, consisting of fifty questions: twenty on humanities, twenty on math and science, and the remaining ten related to Mimic.

After briefly scanning the test paper, Qi Heyin noticed that most of the humanities questions were term definitions, along with some short-answer and essay questions, which would likely take considerable time to complete.

Without hesitation, she flipped the paper over and started with the sections she excelled in—Mimic and math/science.

The students bent over their papers in deep concentration, the exam hall silent except for the scratching of pens.

Three hours later, the bell rang again, signaling the end of the exam, and the tense atmosphere finally eased.

The proctors collected and packed all the answer sheets before announcing that the initial results and selection list would be posted the following Monday.

After the grueling exam, many students looked utterly exhausted, as if all their energy and strategies had been exhausted.

The crowd shuffled out like zombies. Within minutes of leaving the hall, some students were already pulling out their communicators to vent on FF (social media):

"It's a disaster! What kind of terrible questions were those?!!"

"The sky is falling! Couldn’t finish the front, couldn’t understand the back!!!"

Qi Heyin hadn’t completed the exam either.

Though she finished the Mimic and math/science sections in under an hour, the humanities section required too much writing. By the end, her hand was cramping up.

She had done her best. As for the results—the rest was in fate's hands.

After school on Friday, Qi Heyin didn’t linger. She rushed home.

Tomorrow was Jiang Yunxin’s birthday. She had spent several nights working on Yunxin’s gift and only needed to complete the final touches today.

After meticulously finishing the gift, she handmade a card. Pleased with the final product, she smiled slightly in satisfaction.

The next day, Saturday.

In the morning, Qi Heyin first went to the Veritas Institute.

Researchers at the Veritas Institute had no weekends. Even without orders from leadership, they were all hardcore workaholics.

The office area was packed, and the labs were buzzing with activity.

Immersed in her work, Qi Heyin spent half a day handling routine tasks before heading to the supervisor’s office to collect her new laptop from Leader Xie.

The laptop she had requested the previous week had been approved. With this device, she could now complete online tasks anytime, anywhere.

Around 4 p.m., after finishing up, she bid her colleagues farewell and left the institute to prepare for the evening banquet.

First, she went home to retrieve the gift, then changed into a custom dress.

With her sister Qi Yue’s help, she got her hair and makeup done.

After carefully filling in her sister’s eyebrows, Qi Yue cupped her face and studied her with a smile. "This looks perfect—understated but elegant."

Glancing at her reflection, Qi Heyin had to admit it did look nice.

"Thank you, sis," she said. "I’ll head out now?"

Qi Yue nodded and handed her a black jacket. "It’s cold outside. Don’t forget to wear this."

After a pause, she smiled and said, "Have a great time with your friends tonight, He Yin."

Qi Heyin nodded politely, waved energetically at her sister, and turned to get into the car.

Her home wasn't far from Jiang Yunxin's, and the drive took about thirty minutes.

They arrived just after six in the evening, when guests were already being admitted.

After showing the invitation to the security guard at the entrance, Qi Heyin was promptly admitted into the Jiang family's estate and guided by attendants to the banquet venue.

Tonight's banquet was held outdoors, set beside a flower garden on the left side of the estate. There were clusters of poppies, larkspurs, and daylilies, vibrant in color and richly fragrant, immediately uplifting to see.

Looking around, Qi Heyin soon spotted Jiang Yunxin, who was standing with her mother, checking the arrangements for the evening.

"Yunxin, Aunt Shen," she walked over and greeted them with a smile.

"Oh, it's He Yin! I was just telling Yunxin that I wondered when you'd arrive!" Upon seeing Qi Heyin, Mrs. Shen, Jiang Yunxin's mother, lit up with happiness.

Years ago, Qi Heyin had provided crucial information that helped the Jiang family find their missing daughter, creating a special connection between them. Mrs. Shen had always been grateful to her and greatly admired her intelligence.

"It's been too long," she said gently, looking at Qi Heyin. "I heard about your treatment abroad. Your Uncle Jiang and I have been worried about you all these years. It's good to have you back."

"Thank you for your concern," Qi Heyin replied sincerely.

"No need to be so formal with me," Mrs. Shen affectionately touched Qi Heyin's face. "It seems the treatment worked—your face is looking much healthier now."

Qi Heyin pursed her lips, her expression showing the shyness of a young woman around elders.

Mrs. Shen gave her another warm smile.

"Well, I won't keep you two girls any longer," she said briskly, patting her daughter on the shoulder. "Yunxin, take He Yin and go enjoy yourselves. I'll take care of things here."

Hearing this, Jiang Yunxin nodded happily and naturally took Qi Heyin's hand.

The two walked over to a musical fountain, where Qi Heyin handed her the gift bag she'd brought.

"This is..."

"Your gift."

Qi Heyin smiled softly. "Happy birthday, Yunxin."

Jiang Yunxin accepted the bag with a look of delighted surprise and hesitated. "He Yin, can I open it now?"

"Of course," Qi Heyin replied.

A few minutes later, Jiang Yunxin carefully lifted a detailed miniature diorama from the opened packaging.

The scene depicted a small house where a boisterous birthday party was taking place. Many little animals were attending—bunnies, lambs, birds, puppies... The warm golden light inside illuminated them as they danced joyfully around two little girls holding hands at the center.

"This is Patchy and friends," Qi Heyin explained, watching her. "You once forwarded it to me on CONT, saying it was your favorite childhood cartoon and that you hoped to find friendships as true as Patchy's."

"A few days ago, I checked the cartoon's official website and found they had just released this miniature diorama. So I bought it and wanted to put it together as a gift for you." Pausing, Qi Heyin added hesitantly, "But I went ahead and added two little figures representing us. I hope you don't mind..."

Jiang Yunxin lowered her gaze to the model in her hands, quiet for a moment before suddenly looking up, her eyes glistening. "What are you saying? How could I not like it..."

"Thank you, He Yin," she said, hugging the model close and sniffling. "I love your gift, I really do... You must have worked on it for so long."

"It was worth it," Qi Heyin replied with a smile.

Watching Jiang Yunxin’s joyful expression, she let out a sigh of relief—this weight off her mind was finally settled.

Those sleepless nights had been worth it.

As 7 p.m. approached, the guests gradually arrived.

The band hired by the Jiang family began tuning their instruments, and the lighting and sound systems were already in place—the night's open-air ball was about to begin.

Jiang Yunxin invited Qi Heyin to join her for the opening dance.

The white grand piano played a beautiful melody, and a spotlight shone down, illuminating the two standing at the center of the venue.

Jiang Yunxin wore a pure white, diamond-encrusted gown today, her soft brown hair cascading in waves, topped with a petite jeweled tiara, like a princess from a castle.

The long skirt swirled under the lights, dazzling and brilliant, like a flowing galaxy, giving her sweet, innocent face an almost ethereal glow.

Opposite her, Qi Heyin wore an elegant black pearl-embellished corset gown. Though the dress design appeared simple, the hem was embroidered with intricate patterns—understated yet richly textured.

Qi Heyin’s hairstyle today was an updo, her smooth, glossy black hair pinned up with a classical hairpin, stray strands neatly arranged on either side, revealing her full forehead. Her golden-brown eyes sparkled, making her appear poised and tranquil under the white lights.

As the opening melody reached their ears, the two shared a knowing look before beginning their dance together.

With each twirl and step, murmurs of awe rippled through the surrounding guests.

The scene before them was too beautiful—the two lovely girls resembled a pair of black and white swans, drawing involuntary gasps of delight.

...Until the dance came to an end.

After the opening dance, it was time for the guests to freely invite each other to dance.

Jiang Yunxin was called away by her parents. As the hostess of the banquet, she now had to mingle with and toast the VIPs.

Before leaving, she told He Yin to amuse herself for a while.

Qi Heyin nodded. Her gaze shifted to a swing in the corner of the venue, and she thought she might sit there for a bit.

But as soon as Jiang Yunxin left, several nearby guests immediately approached her with dance requests.

The guests who approached her were all courteous, at least maintaining polite facades. Not wanting to seem rude, Qi Heyin first obliged one gentleman, then two ladies. She had intended to stop after these dances, but as one song ended, more and more people came forward to invite her.

About a dozen meters away, a lone figure watched silently.

"Oh dear, Ningye, you rarely dance with your mother—can’t you at least focus?" Beside him, a woman in a vintage violet gown, dignified and elegant, interrupted his gaze with a slightly sharp tone.

Ji Ningye withdrew his gaze and gave a soft "Hmm."

One hand resting on the woman’s shoulder, his steps lagged half a beat behind, seeming somewhat absent-minded. "You knew I don’t like these kinds of parties, yet you insisted on dragging me here."

"But this is the only place where so many pretty girls gather," the woman said with a blink. "They don’t usually appear in your VIP lounge full of your guy friends, or on those empty mountain racetracks."

"You’re not getting any younger—it’s time you met some girls."

Hearing this, Ji Ningye’s handsome features tightened, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face.

The woman, however, acted as if she noticed nothing. She covered a giggle with her hand, glancing around excitedly as she whispered, "Ningye, I knew bringing you was a brilliant idea. Do you know how many girls are sneaking glances at you right now?"

Ji Ningye was silent for a moment before scoffing lightly. "I should thank you for giving me such a face that draws moths to a flame."

"No need to thank me," the woman replied with a smile. "Why not ask one of those girls to dance once this is over?"

"...When did you switch careers to become a matchmaker?" Ji Ningye said helplessly. "Can you stop messing with your own son?"

"What kind of talk is that? You're my son, why would I mess with you?" The lady looked displeased. "Ji Ningye, tell me, when have I ever messed with you?"

Ji Ningye squinted his eyes. "Have you forgotten how all those rumors about me started?"

The lady: "..."

As if remembering something, she gave an awkward laugh.

"Want me to jog your memory, Mother?" Ji Ningye said expressionlessly. "That summer when I was vacationing abroad, everyone somehow unanimously decided I was dating that woman from the Xie family, forcing me to rush back to dispel the rumors."

"And when I returned, not only did Xie Qingyuan—that woman with delusions—photoshopped and posted fake evidence on CONT, but the actual 'proof' turned out to be media photos of you chatting happily with her in a jewelry store? And you even gave her a bracelet?"

The lady laughed awkwardly. "Haha, I didn’t know the pictures were fake at the time. I thought you two were really together, so I gave her a gift for my potential daughter-in-law..."

"Couldn’t you have asked me first? Never mind, let’s not talk about this—it’s jinxed." Ji Ningye paused, then continued with resignation. "And then there was that A-list starlet Xia Zhi, who used photos of us entering the same hotel to start rumors. And you actually liked those photos... Mother, do you realize I suddenly gained an ex-girlfriend because of that?"

The lady blushed slightly, embarrassed. "That time, it was an accidental tap."

...How could there be such a scatterbrained mom in this world?

Ji Ningye fell silent for a moment before solemnly reiterating, "In any case, please stop pairing me up with random people from now on, okay?"

"What’s 'pairing'?... Fine, fine, I promise. I admit I was wrong before, so can you focus on dancing with me now? Why are you looking over there?"

Hearing this, Ji Ningye quickly lowered his head, his eyes darting away as his voice tensed. "Am I?"

"Yes, very much so." The lady nodded, curious. "What exactly are you looking at?"

Ji Ningye pursed his lips.

He saw... her being asked to dance by a man.

When Ji Ningye didn’t respond, the lady turned her head on her own, looking around until her gaze suddenly settled.

"Oh my, Xiao Ye, guess what I just saw?" She smiled. "I spotted a particularly beautiful girl."

"It’s that girl in the black swan dress. So many people want to dance with her—Xiao Ye, why don’t you ask her for a dance too?"

Ji Ningye stiffened. "What?"

"...No instant rejection? Hmm, you’re acting strange, Xiao Ye." The lady looked at him in surprise, giving him a knowing look. "Were you just staring at that girl earlier?"

She smirked knowingly, hesitating before speaking. "Could it be..."

"Please stop talking." Ji Ningye’s expression froze. "I’ll dance properly with you, okay? Let’s just dance quietly."

"Being cooperative now?" The lady snorted lightly.

Three minutes later, the song ended, and the guests began inviting new partners.

Ji Ningye sneaked a glance toward Qi Heyin’s direction—unsurprisingly, she was surrounded again, still very popular.

He lowered his head and wordlessly turned to walk toward her... her spot also happened to be near the exit of the dance floor.

Just as he got within a few meters of Qi Heyin, Ji Ningye suddenly heard a playful, teasing laugh behind him.

The voice said, "Good son, let Mommy give you a helping hand!"

Ji Ningye: "?"

A bad feeling shot through him, but before he could react, a strong force pushed him from behind, sending him stumbling forward.

Stumbling, Ji Ningye lurched forward a few steps and crashed straight into the crowd ahead.

Once he steadied himself and straightened up, he lifted his gaze—only to meet the eyes of the surrounding onlookers.

The crowd gaped at him silently. Someone blurted out, "...Young Master Ji?"

Before him, a girl in a black dress was also looking at him with wide, puzzled eyes.

Ji Ningye blinked, stunned, before realizing that, somehow, he had shoved past the crowd vying for Qi Heyin’s attention and now stood directly in front of her.

"Ahaha, Young Master Ji, are you also here to invite this lady to dance? Then we won’t intrude any further..." someone sheepishly cut in.

After a brief exchange of glances, the surrounding crowd took the hint and scattered, leaving only Qi Heyin and Ji Ningye in that small space.

...Ji Ningye, taking the initiative to invite her to dance?

Qi Heyin stared at the man who had suddenly appeared before her, completely lost as to how this happened.

She had no idea he’d even show up tonight.

Qi Heyin lifted her gaze slightly, quietly studying him.

Not counting the time she hadn’t seen him in person during film class, this was her third encounter with Ji Ningye. As usual, he still had that vibrant red hair, his distinctive heterochromatic red-and-black eyes, and a face so dazzlingly gorgeous—almost unreal.

However, today, the man wasn’t wearing his usual eye-searing punk getup. Instead, he was dressed formally in a well-tailored black suit that hugged his tall frame. The understated elegance seemed to tone down his usual flashiness, making him appear more reserved.

As Qi Heyin observed him, she noticed Ji Ningye was also studying her just as quietly.

His eyes lingered on her face, a split-second of doubt passing through his expression. But soon, as if rolling with it, his features settled into calm composure.

Ji Ningye gazed at her, his bright peach-blossom eyes glimmering faintly as a rakish grin curved his lips.

Standing before Qi Heyin, he pressed one hand to his chest, bowed slightly, and then extended his other hand toward her with polished charm.

"Care to dance, beautiful?"

Outwardly, Ji Ningye appeared composed, his tone elegant and flawless in etiquette. But only he knew just how hard his heart was hammering.

...He was afraid of being rejected.

Qi Heyin studied his outstretched hand.

One of the original novel’s top-tier Celestial Noble male leads... Should she refuse him?

But she had already accepted so many invitations tonight—would turning him down look rude?

After a brief pause, Qi Heyin mentally sighed and lightly placed her hand in his palm.

She pursed her lips, offering him a faint smile. "Thank you for the invitation."

A new dance began.

Amidst the flowing melody, Qi Heyin glanced down at the hand resting lightly on her waist—it hovered there, not actually touching her.

Who would have thought the notorious flirt described in the novel would turn out to be such a gentleman in reality... She reevaluated him a little.

Ji Ningye’s face stayed tense the whole time, struggling to keep up his calm act.

His breathing grew slightly rapid, and in a daze, he seemed to catch the faint scent of the girl once more—just like the time they brushed past each other in the elevator: that familiar, crisp scent—like moonlit mountain springs.

When their gazes met again, those clear, pure golden-brown eyes almost made him dizzy.

One spaced out, the other wound up—neither of them seemed fully present in the dance.

Gradually, the music came to an end once more.

Qi Heyin stopped dancing, standing still as she caught her breath lightly. After a dozen dances tonight, she was genuinely exhausted and had no intention of continuing.

So, after nodding politely to Ji Ningye, she turned and walked toward the ballroom exit, planning to check out the other rooms.

To her surprise, Ji Ningye tailed her.

...Perhaps it wasn’t exactly following—he just trailed a few steps behind, as if he, too, wanted to step outside.

Still, thanks to his presence, the guys who’d been itching to ask her to dance finally stopped approaching.

Qi Heyin left the ballroom. Outside was a mingling area buzzing with chatter and laughter.

Beyond the lounge was the dining section. A cocktail bar stood there, with several bartenders working diligently. In front of the bar were long tables laden with fancy hors d'oeuvres and sweets for guests to enjoy at their leisure.

Near the tables, Qi Heyin also spotted a towering champagne tower, glasses sparkling under the lights, elegant and dazzling.

She was getting peckish just then and decided to head to the dessert area for a light snack.

Glancing sideways, she noticed Ji Ningye behind her seemed to have the same idea—the moment he entered the dining area, he headed straight for the sweets.

After surveying the array of pastries, Qi Heyin finally settled on a plate of orange mousse that looked downright sinful.

Taking a bite, the sweet-tart burst flooded her taste buds, the cake’s smooth, velvety texture making her squint with pleasure.

After finishing the mousse, Qi Heyin put her plate down, satisfied.

So much time had passed—she wondered if Yunxin had finished her schmoozing yet...

After a brief thought, she decided to rest on the swing she had seen earlier while waiting for her.

Just then, a ruckus broke out close by. She looked up and saw a group of six- or seven-year-old children laughing as they plowed ahead toward the dining area.

"Careful! Watch out! Don’t run around!" some adult guests called out in warning.

But the children paid no heed, laughing as they barreled forward—until they crashed straight into a waiter slowly pushing a serving cart.

The waiter cried out in surprise, stumbling as the cart slipped from his grip and careened toward the champagne tower!

The tower was way too close to Qi Heyin.

Her eyes snapped wide the moment she heard the waiter’s shout. Her first instinct was to retreat, but her gaze flickered—just then, she noticed Ji Ningye a few meters away, still hunched over the sweets, clueless about the chaos heading his way.

With his back turned, he had no idea an out-of-control cart was about to rain shattered glass on his head.

Without a second thought, driven by the principle of not standing by when someone's in danger, Qi Heyin called out her name while summoning her Mimic. Little Snowy's originally small frame expanded several times, swiftly flying over to grab her sleeve and yank her away.

Ji Ningye froze for a second, only snapping out of it when he heard the panicked murmurs around him.

Unfortunately, though Little Snowy had pulled her most of the way, she was still a split second too late.

Watching the champagne tower topple from above, Ji Ningye clutched Little Snowy tightly against his chest and lunged forward with all his strength!

A deafening crash rang out as shattered champagne glasses scattered across the floor.

Thanks to that final leap, Ji Ningye avoided being struck directly. However, the flying glass shards still left thin red lines on his face and hands.

Little Snowy, shielded tightly in his arms, remained unharmed.

"Are you okay?" Qi Heyin hurried over, crouching down to look at the man. She had also managed to move away from the danger zone just before the champagne tower collapsed.

"...I'm fine." Ji Ningye sat up from the ground.

He carefully released Little Snowy from his arms, checking the little owl before sighing in relief. "Your owl's okay too."

"You know this is my Mimic?" Qi Heyin asked curiously.

"Mm... guessed." Ji Ningye glanced at her, mumbling vaguely, "After all, your hair turned white too."

After a pause, he looked at her silently before speaking in a strained tone, "Thank you."

"Don’t mention it." Qi Heyin recalled what she had just witnessed and said earnestly, "And thank you for protecting Little Snow. Proof that no good deed goes unrewarded."

With that, she turned toward the waiters and doctor rushing over upon hearing the commotion. "The doctor’s here. You should get those glass cuts properly treated."

Ji Ningye gave a quiet "Mm" in response.

An awkward silence hung between them.

"Well... goodbye?"

Qi Heyin stood up, dusting glass fragments from her skirt as she prepared to leave.

"W-Wait!" Ji Ningye suddenly called out urgently from behind.

"Is there something else?" Qi Heyin asked.

The man stared at her intently, his strikingly handsome face now streaked with fresh cuts, giving him a rougher, more dangerous air.

"You..." After fumbling for words, he spoke in a low voice, all pretense of composure gone. "Can I get your number?"

"Thank you for saving me today. I’d like to treat you to dinner sometime. Would that be alright?"

Hearing this, Qi Heyin wasn’t particularly surprised. It was only natural to want to return the favor, and despite his flaws, this Young Master Ji seemed the type to repay favors—especially since he had instinctively protected Little Snow.

"Dinner's not needed." She held out her phone for him to scan.

After a pause, she added, "By the way... do you know me?"

When he had first invited her to dance, she'd gotten that strange feeling.

Ji Ningye was silent for a moment before his lips quirked in a smile. "Of course I do. Aze and I go way back."

"I see." Qi Heyin gave a knowing nod. "Actually, I know you too, so no need for introductions then?"

"Yes, I do want that."

"Hmm?"

"I said, I'd like us to introduce ourselves."

"Well, okay. Then... hello, I'm Qi Heyin, a third-year Mimicry student at Faro University."

"Ji Ningye, third-year Journalism student at Faro University."

"Is this sufficient?" Qi Heyin asked.

"This is fine." Ji Ningye nodded lightly.

He watched the girl's back head toward the conference area. Even after the arriving doctor treated his wounds, even as his mother and other banquet guests gathered around to express concern, he still hadn't come back to reality—it all felt like a dream.

—They'd finally met!

And he hadn't been introduced as Aze's friend, but had introduced himself in his own name to her!

Sitting in the Jiang family's medical room, Ji Ningye stole a glance at the mirror on the wall.

Tsk. Just a few tiny, insignificant scratches.

...Completely worth it.

Returning to the conference area, Qi Heyin encountered Jiang Yunxin and told her about what had happened in the dining area.

Hearing that Ji Ningye had been injured, Jiang Yunxin became concerned until Qi Heyin explained the situation and confirmed it was only minor injuries, at which point she relaxed.

"Fortunately, the Ji family's young master wasn't seriously hurt!" She patted her chest in relief, her eyes bright as she looked at Qi Heyin. "Thankfully you came to his aid... you've helped me and the Jiang family again, Heyin!"

"I must inform Father and Mother immediately. Even though it was an accident caused by kids fooling around, placing the champagne tower in that spot was inherently risky. We'll have to be more careful next time."

Then she looked at Qi Heyin apologetically. "I'm sorry, Heyin. I've been so busy today that I couldn't properly spend time with you. How about we go out together sometime soon—just the two of us for a special girls' day out?"

"Sounds good." Qi Heyin smiled understandingly. "Go handle your business then. It's getting late, so I'll just take our car home now."

"Mm!" Jiang Yunxin nodded. "Let me see you to the car!"

And so, the day's birthday banquet finally came to an end.

That night, Qi Heyin leaned against her bedside, scrolling through her contact list, deep in thought.

Without meaning to, she had already come into contact and established connections with several of the original-novel's Celestial Nobles male leads.

Shang Wenze, Ji Ningye, Jiang Yanche, Li Chen... great, they could already make up a mahjong game together at this point.

Seems like only Chairman Zhu Xuan was missing.

Somehow, Qi Heyin had a feeling she'd soon be adding Zhu Xuan to this contact list too, for some reason.

Qi Heyin—...

However, as she got to know and interact with these original male leads, she gradually developed some new thoughts.

As the wildcard in the original story, whose wings flapped, the fates she rewrote shouldn't be limited to just herself and the female lead.

Perhaps the original male leads had also undergone imperceptible changes due to the butterfly effect she triggered. These changes might be in their personalities or experiences.

A very obvious example is Ji Ningye. After their interaction today, Qi Heyin felt that he didn’t seem as... playboyish as described in the original novel?

He seemed alright, too—for now, she hadn’t noticed any obvious red flags in him.

This was definitely a change. Among the male leads, his personality deviated the most from the original story. As for the others, she couldn’t spot any differences yet—they still seemed awful in their own ways.

So... when exactly had her butterfly wings flapped in Ji Ningye’s case?

Qi Heyin paused, lost in thought.

The next day was Sunday.

As usual, Qi Heyin got up early and headed to the research institute for work.

Today was the official kickoff of her Level 5 Mimic observation project.

Li Chen had sent her a rare late-night message, saying he wouldn’t arrive until the afternoon. So, after reaching the office in the morning, Qi Heyin focused on other tasks, finishing up some overdue data analysis reports.

After a busy morning, she handed the reports to Leader Xie and leaned back in her office chair, quietly stretching.

She lifted her gaze and glanced at the colleague across from her.

It was fascinating—this guy named Zhou Kuang radiated permanent tiredness. In the office, he always slouched like a zombie, his green eyes peeking through his shaggy hair.

The keyboard clacked like a broken machine under his flying fingers, the sound fluctuating as if emitting intermittent groans—much like his overall state... barely clinging to life.

Noticing Qi Heyin’s gaze, Zhou Kuang mumbled, "Junior, you finished your reports already?"

Qi Heyin nodded.

Zhou Kuang grunted and said casually, "Let me take a look."

Qi Heyin handed him a copy of the report.

"Thanks, junior." The guy lowered his head, propping his forehead on one hand, yawned weakly, then started reading with surprising concentration.

Qi Heyin eyed him skeptically.

When they first met, he had called her "the new S-rank," and later, he only ever referred to her as "junior." She strongly suspected Zhou Kuang had never actually bothered to remember her name...

At noon, Qi Heyin grabbed lunch with Senior Su Ying and Leader Xie.

Leader Xie asked her about the project’s progress.

"The first data assessment for the target subject will begin this afternoon," Qi Heyin replied after a beat. "I’ll need to use the Mimic data lab later."

"No problem," Leader Xie nodded. "I’ll send you the keycard and permissions shortly."

"By the way, I didn’t get to ask last time..." She paused, eyeing Qi Heyin. "You must have met the Marshal’s kid by now."

"So?"

"...Actually, it was fine," Qi Heyin shrugged. "Strictly professional."