Chapter 93: Emergency

Chapter 93: Unexpected Event

Before the presentation even ended, Liu Hai had already slipped backstage, eagerly returning to Jiang Xun's side.

"Jiang Xun, Jiang Xun!" Someone was still speaking on stage, but Jiang Xun briefly diverted his attention to Liu Hai.

For a moment, he felt a strange illusion, like whispering to a classmate during class—a surprisingly novel experience for him.

Liu Hai leaned in conspiratorially, his warm breath tickling Jiang Xun’s ear as he whispered, "I’m back from my investigation."

Jiang Xun couldn’t help but smile slightly. "Mhm."

He perked up, all ears. "So, what did you find?"

"The results of the investigation..." Liu Hai said solemnly, "are that Jiang Xun checks out."

Jiang Xun: "..."

"I talked to Miss Shirley," Liu Hai continued earnestly. "She had nothing but praise for you! She also said that if there’s anything you could improve on, it’s that you should take credit when you do good."

"And she gave you a thank-you letter and a gift!"

Carefully, Liu Hai pulled out the gift tucked inside his jacket and handed it to Jiang Xun. "Look."

Jiang Xun took the booklet—it turned out to be a fish encyclopedia. No, more accurately, it seemed to be a guide to fish species reconstructed from Jiang Xun’s genetic research. It looked almost like... a handmade tribute specifically for him.

"She wanted to talk to me earlier because she was too shy to give this to you herself and wanted me to pass it along," Liu Hai said, blinking. "She told me that when she was struggling, the recommendation letter you wrote kept her going. So this time, she wanted to give you this thank-you letter in return."

"I didn’t peek, by the way!"

Liu Hai folded his arms behind him and watched him. "I thought you should read it yourself."

Jiang Xun lowered his gaze but didn’t open the letter immediately, instead slipping it into his pocket.

Liu Hai tilted his head curiously. "Not reading it now?"

"Our presentation is coming up soon," Jiang Xun shook his head. "Even though I’m not the one speaking, I need to keep an eye on those two."

He glanced at A Yu and Xiao Jin. "I’ll save the letter... for a time when I can fully process it."

"Oh—" Liu Hai edged closer excitedly. "Can I be there when you read it then?"

"You’re not planning to cry alone, are you?"

"...I don’t cry," Jiang Xun flatly replied, dashing his hopes. "But sure, you can be there."

"Quiet, they’re up next."

Liu Hai quickly straightened up and turned his attention to the podium.

Xiao Jin and A Yu took the stage together, and Liu Hai watched with rare admiration, struck by how professional they seemed.

Standing beside Jiang Xun, he felt a strange sense of belonging—as if he had finally blended into the crowd.

As their presentation concluded, the audience broke into sustained applause. Liu Hai whispered, "Jiang Xun."

Jiang Xun turned to him. "Hmm?"

"There’s one more thing I forgot to mention," Liu Hai said.

Jiang Xun waited patiently, his gaze warm.

Liu Hai smiled awkwardly. "Shirley said she’s been on a business trip and wasn’t keeping up online, so she didn’t recognize me."

"She thought I was just a regular researcher in the lab."

"Does that mean... just by looking at me, I blend right in with everyone here?"

A smirk tugged at Jiang Xun’s lips. "Yes."

"Anyone would think you’re one of us."

"Hehe." Liu Hai happily inched nearer.

---

Later that night.

"I’m here!" Liu Hai arrived as promised, slipping into Jiang Xun’s hotel room like a burglar.

Jiang Xun, holding a cup, gave him a deadpan stare. "...Why are you sneaking about like that?"

"It’s late, and I didn’t wanna wake anyone?" Liu Hai blinked innocently. "What’s wrong?"

"...Being this shady just makes you stand out more," Jiang Xun said, rolling his eyes before gesturing to the balcony. "Just saying, I still plan to read the letter alone. I just wanted you here with me."

"Got it." Liu Hai nodded dutifully. "I’m not really curious about what she wrote—I’m more interested in your reaction."

Resting his chin on his hands, he stared intently at Jiang Xun’s face. "Go ahead! I’ll just watch you!"

Jiang Xun: "..."

He was slowly getting used to Liu Hai’s relentless staring.

He unfolded the letter carefully and began reading. About five minutes later, he slipped it back neatly.

Liu Hai’s eyes lit up. "Well?"

Jiang Xun slid the letter into a nearby book and smiled. "Honestly... it means a lot."

"Ah!" Liu Hai gasped excitedly.

"What kind of reaction is that?" Jiang Xun chuckled, propping his chin up as he gazed out the window. "I’ve always thought of myself as someone with muted emotions."

"I don’t do big emotional displays, so my relationships with my mentors have never been all that close. I’m grateful to them, and they’re proud of me, but that’s about it."

"When I wrote that recommendation letter for her, I was just doing my duty. So receiving this gift and such a genuine thank-you note, with her telling me to 'believe in myself'... it does make me happy."

"Yeah, yeah." Liu Hai nodded with a pleased smile. "Hehe, Jiang Xun is learning to open up more."

"Yeah, just occasionally." Jiang Xun rested his chin on his hand, eyes softening. "You know me—this is just how I am."

"I know." Liu Hai tilted his head and nodded seriously. "And I like you exactly as you are."

Jiang Xun: "..."

"You... could at least blush a little when saying things like that."

"Huh?" Liu Hai pointed at himself in confusion, "Do I need to change things up sometimes too?"

"Not exactly changing," Jiang Xun muttered, "It's just that sometimes it gets to be a bit much."

He sighed lightly, "Let's turn in early. Tomorrow we'll probably have to face many students with questions and talk a lot."

Liu Hai blinked innocently, "But I don’t have to. I don’t know the lab well enough to answer very professional questions."

Jiang Xun: "..."

"Still, you don’t need to worry," Liu Hai patted his shoulder reassuringly, "I’ll root for you all."

"I’ll also prepare snacks for everyone. Oh, right! Now that I have legs, I can even run errands for everyone!"

Liu Hai proudly wiggled his legs, and Jiang Xun couldn’t help but smile slightly, "Then we'll put you to work. Tomorrow I’ll tell everyone not to hold back and to put you to good use."

Liu Hai choked a little and mumbled, "Well, maybe take it easy on me..."

...

On the day of admissions, something unexpected happened at the venue.

Just as the previous student had taken their seat, there was a commotion outside the door. From the noise, it sounded like someone was arguing.

Many inside were distracted and looked curiously toward the door.

Liu Hai also peeked out and perked up, saying, "I’ll go see what’s happening outside..."

"Hey!" Jiang Xun couldn’t stop him and hesitated for a moment before deciding not to follow.

"Don’t worry too much," Xiao Jin said with a grin. "There’s no danger on campus. Besides, Chief, you went through all the trouble to get Liu Hai his documents so he could occasionally step out of our sight and do things on his own, right?"

"Now’s the time to start learning to let go a little."

A Yu chuckled, "I think, Chief, more than letting go, what’s important is easing your mind."

"Now then, this student, what kind of work are you more inclined toward? I see you’re from the math department—do you prefer purely data-related work, or would you also like to move into biology later?"

The student finally refocused and began answering nervously.

...

Meanwhile, Liu Hai curiously ran to the entrance and looked outside.

Outside stood a man with slicked-back hair in a suit, giving a passionate speech to the students. Many had stopped to listen, and some were even holding cameras.

Because he was blocking the auditorium door, students who arrived a bit late couldn’t enter and were forced to stop and listen.

A few security guards stood nearby, seemingly reluctant to engage with him.

"As I’ve said," the man declared confidently, raising his head, "you brilliant students, standing at the most crucial crossroads of your lives, can walk in there and live the same dull nine-to-five existence as countless uninspired predecessors—or you can join me, the so-called 'internet celebrity' you might look down on, the wolf chasing the flow of traffic, and feast on the riches of the digital age!"

"Honestly, my company’s earnings dwarf those of these humble, obscure labs and firms behind me. I submitted an application to join the university’s recruitment fair, but alas, the school’s leadership seems completely out of touch."

He shook his head theatrically, "They rejected me, and in doing so, they denied you the chance to step onto the real game."

"Kids, working at a company only makes you a caged sheep. The real money goes to the herders cracking the whips. Let’s be like wolves, hunting for ourselves!"

Liu Hai, leaning against the door, tilted his head after listening for a while and said, "But wolves are pack animals."

The man turned to look at him.

Liu Hai corrected him, "They hunt for the pack, not just for themselves. If you want to make that analogy, you should use a solitary animal instead."

"Like a polar bear."

The man hardly heard him. His eyes lit up as he pushed closer to Liu Hai, raising his camera, "Look who we have here! The internet-famous fake merman of the moment!"

"Look, everyone, he really does have legs!"

Only then did Liu Hai notice the man was filming—and worse, he had the nerve to try lifting Liu Hai’s pant leg to show his legs to everyone.

"Hey, what do you think you’re doing? Stop harassing the school’s guest!" The security guards, who had been hesitant to confront the man, exchanged glances. Only one younger, less experienced guard stepped forward, "Who let you in here? Get out!"

"The campus has an open visitor policy. I came in legitimately," the man spread his hands, then thrust the camera in, toward the guard’s face, "What, you gonna get violent?"

"We're in a civilized society."