Shen Zhuoran froze, his dark eyes fixed silently on Yulan.
Yulan, meanwhile, was chattering away, her chest heaving as she stood her ground, clearly indignant.
"I earned this R&D assistant position through the official Scientific Research Institute recruitment process, passing all the standard interviews before formally joining the institute."
"I haven’t even officially started work yet; by what right do you say I’m not suitable?"
"Give me back my ID badge."
As she spoke, Yulan glared at Shen Zhuoran, her face flushed with anger. She held out her small, snow-white hand in front of him, clearly determined not to back down until he returned it.
Shen Zhuoran felt as if he might have gone insane, or perhaps when he was in the throes of his heat just a moment ago, his brain had soaked in water and turned to mush.
He actually found Yulan, glaring at him in such a huff, to be adorable.
Good heavens.
How could he possibly think something like that?
Shen Zhuoran refused to accept the thought.
While a fierce battle raged within him, his outward appearance remained cold and stoic.
Noticing this, Louisa’s lips curled into a smirk, and she spoke up first.
"By what right?"
"Lanlan, let me tell you by what right."
"Standing in front of you is Dean Shen, the head of the Scientific Research Institute. He has the power of veto over every single researcher in this building."
"He doesn't want you here, Lanlan. You’d better leave now."
Stop making such a spectacle of yourself.
It was truly embarrassing.
Louisa didn’t say it explicitly, but her slightly arched eyebrows made it clear how much pleasure she took in watching Yulan humiliate herself in front of Shen Zhuoran.
Ha!
She had tried to pay Yulan to leave earlier, and she wouldn't go. Now, being told directly by Shen Zhuoran to get out—what a pathetic sight.
Between Shen Zhuoran’s silence and Louisa’s mockery, the fury in Yulan’s heart surged.
All she wanted was a job with a better salary to live a decent life, to study hard, and to eventually reveal the research findings from her previous life without drawing too much attention.
But these people’s constant condescension had thoroughly ignited her rage.
The anger burned within her; she desperately needed to do something to prove her worth. Did they really think she was useless?
"Shen Zhuoran."
Yulan looked up abruptly, her crystal-clear amber eyes fixed on the tall man, addressing him by his full name. As their gazes met, she curled her lips into a provocative smile.
"How about we make a bet?"
"What?" Shen Zhuoran was taken aback, a hint of confusion surfacing in his dark eyes. He didn't know what she could possibly want to bet on.
The next second, Yulan spoke, her voice resonant and firm. "Let’s bet on whether I can prove my strength, force you to apologize to me, and make you invite me to join the Scientific Research Institute yourself."
Before Shen Zhuoran could reply, Louisa covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh.
"Alright, Lanlan."
"I know this is some new joke you've learned."
"You’ve successfully made both me and Dean Shen laugh. But we have experiments to run later and are very busy. If you want to keep telling jokes, contact me when I’m on vacation, okay?"
"For now, get out. The laboratory is an important facility; no outsiders allowed."
Louisa’s behavior made it feel as though she truly regarded Yulan as a joke. But Yulan had shifted from extreme anger to a state of calm. Why waste energy on someone who was doomed to fail and didn't even qualify as a worthy opponent?
From start to finish, Yulan’s gaze remained locked on Shen Zhuoran. Louisa was, at most, a minor nuisance; Shen Zhuoran was the one who held the real power.
"What do you say, Dean Shen? Are you willing to take the bet?"
Yulan didn't wait for him to speak—she didn't want to hear a refusal. She stepped forward to define the terms.
"I just saw on the internal network that there is an opening for a Senior Researcher. All staff at the institute are eligible to participate."
"According to the regulations of the institute, I have the right to apply for the assessment."
The Senior Researcher competition was a policy Shen Zhuoran had implemented after becoming Dean. He realized that scientific research wasn't about seniority or age.
The capable rise, the weak fall.
A genius might develop world-changing technology while still young. It was unfair to let their talents be buried among older people who had no valuable research to show for their time. He looked only at results, not background or age.
Since the policy was issued, the institute had undergone a massive reshuffling. Countless incompetent senior researchers who had occupied high positions and wasted funding were ousted. In their place came a wave of capable, visionary, and creative young Senior Researchers.
Shen Zhuoran was the creator and defender of this system. Even though he knew Yulan lacked the ability, he stared at her, observing the confidence on the beautiful female's face, and said in a deep voice:
"You want an opportunity."
"Fine."
"Then I will take that bet with you."
Louisa hadn't expected Shen Zhuoran to agree to Yulan’s bet, let alone the insane idea of a Senior Researcher competition. This was for actual researchers; as an R&D assistant, what right did Yulan have to participate?
But Shen Zhuoran had agreed.
In front of everyone, he sent a notification:
[Star Era 6888, R&D assistant Yulan has applied to compete for the position of Senior Researcher. Zhao Ping, Bai Yun, Li Jie, and Wang Fang, please arrive at Room 308 within five minutes to supervise the competition.]
After sending the message, Shen Zhuoran showed it to Yulan. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, a hint of a smile appearing.
"Now, let’s see what you can do."
"I hope you won’t disappoint me."
"Hmph."
Yulan pouted, not hearing a hint of genuine expectation in his words. Instead, he sounded like he was looking forward to a show.
She clenched her small fists. Since she had said it, she would make this arrogant Dean apologize to her today.
*
The Senior Researcher competition consisted of two parts: a written exam and a practical experiment.
The questions were randomly generated from a smart database developed by Shen Zhuoran himself, containing hundreds of thousands of complex problems, with no possibility of leaks or repetition.
Simultaneously, the entire process would be overseen by Shen Zhuoran and four randomly selected Senior Researchers. Their collective opinion would determine the outcome.
This was not just a test; it was an ordeal. If one became too nervous under the scrutiny of five experts and made a mistake during the experiment, everything would vanish like smoke.
Meanwhile, the four Senior Researchers who had received the message were already sitting in Room 308. Seeing that Shen Zhuoran hadn't arrived yet, they began to whisper.
"What’s going on with the Dean? This is the first time an R&D assistant has ever competed for a Senior Researcher position."
"I heard it's a female?"
"A female? Aren't females only meant to do assistant research? The Dean is being far too reckless," one of the older, more rigid researchers remarked with obvious dissatisfaction.
"Hmph, I want to see just how capable this female really is, to dare to compete for a senior research position."