Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Yu Lan, Embarrassed and Annoyed

Just a second before Yu Lan could look up.

For a reason he hadn’t yet had time to figure out himself, Shen Zueran dodged out of sight.

An SSS-level male’s powerful physique was nimble and agile.

He pressed his side directly against the wall.

For some reason,

when he heard Yu Lan call his name with a hint of confusion, a flicker of secret delight went through Shen Zueran.

His heart skipped a beat involuntarily.

He was waiting.

Waiting for Yu Lan’s next move.

’Will she come over and check?’

’Should I leave? Or should I speak up and explain to Yu Lan why I was hiding from her?’

For a moment,

countless emotions flashed through Shen Zueran’s mind.

His heart felt as if it were being seared by a blazing fire.

But Yu Lan wasn’t some curious kitten.

After tilting her head in confusion, she quickly decided she must have been mistaken.

She lowered her head again and continued with the experiment in her hands.

Shen Zueran let out a soft sigh, unable to tell if he was disappointed or something else.

He turned and quickly walked away from the laboratory entrance.

「An hour or so later.」

Yu Lan’s experiment had finally reached its most critical step.

Whether it would be a success all came down to this.

She had to organize each of the required materials before she could begin.

But when she checked the stock of one of the materials, Yu Lan frowned. Holding an empty test tube, she looked toward the other lab personnel.

"Are we out of this material?"

"When will the next shipment arrive?"

From the moment Yu Lan had entered the lab,

all the elite males in the lab had their eyes glued to her, racking their brains for a way to strike up a conversation with the beautiful female.

But the moment she entered, Yu Lan had worn a serious expression, completely focused on her research. They worried that trying to talk to her would disturb her work and be counterproductive, so they hadn’t dared to approach.

Now, hearing Yu Lan ask a question, the male who had long ago secured the closest position scrambled to explain:

"Lanlan, the X11 material is one of the core components of the male’s rut-cycle soothing agent. It’s expensive and rare, so you need the Director’s approval to use it."

Even in scientific research, there are budgets.

Especially for certain expensive materials. In the past, there had been incidents where lab personnel, on a whim, would use them recklessly but ultimately fail to produce any research results.

Since then, the Science Research Institute has placed corresponding restrictions on expensive materials. Only those who have reached a certain rank have the right to use them.

While explaining this to Yu Lan, the elite male researcher gave her a subtle wink, trying to flirt with her.

’Good females are hard to come by if you don’t make a move early.’

Especially with that glaring red mark on Yu Lan’s neck, a clear sign of a male’s possessiveness and a warning to others.

’A male that domineering and jealous... if Yu Lan dotes on him any more, wouldn’t that mean the rest of us will never have a chance to move up?’

Since Yu Lan was found and brought back, no photos or information about her had been publicly released. Even the Interstellar Daily wasn’t allowed to publish any front-facing photos of her.

So, these males didn’t actually know Yu Lan’s true identity.

Nor did they know that the Director—who in their eyes was cold, aloof, and perpetually abstinent and unsmiling—was actually one of Yu Lan’s fiancés.

Otherwise, even if they had ten times the courage, they would never dare try to steal someone from Shen Zueran.

But unexpectedly, this very scene happened to be witnessed by Shen Zueran, who had just come to the lab looking for Yu Lan.

The usually cold and distant man’s face instantly darkened. He rapped on the lab door with a bent index finger.

"Yu Lan, come here. I need to talk to you."

"As for the rest of you," Shen Zueran sneered, his gaze sweeping over all the males in the lab.

"Slacking off on your experiments. Are you earning the high salaries the Science Research Institute pays you?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Shen Zueran’s arrival instantly snapped the group of males—who had been captivated by the beautiful young female’s appearance, their excitement bordering on obsession—back to their usual elite demeanor.

It was like a block of solid ice being dropped into boiling oil.

Everything solidified in an instant.

All the males fell in line. Those who were supposed to be doing experiments went back to their experiments, and those who were supposed to be recording data went back to recording data.

Shen Zueran’s face was cold toward the males, but when he looked at Yu Lan, his attitude abruptly softened. It was like a gentle spring breeze and a soft rain, his expression holding a hint of warmth.

The male, not yet aware of his own feelings, had already instinctively learned how to act in front of the female.

When Yu Lan saw Shen Zueran appear, her eyes lit up as well.

She had been about to go look for him anyway.

She hastily grabbed the test tube for the X11 reagent and walked toward Shen Zueran.

"Director, my experiment has reached the most critical step. I need to add the X11 agent for synthesis. Could you approve a portion for me first?"

A pleading look appeared on Yu Lan’s pretty face. Her beautiful, amber eyes widened slightly as she held the test tube with both hands, pointing it toward Shen Zueran. She looked incredibly well-behaved.

The corners of Shen Zueran’s lips curled up slightly.

He would never admit that he found Yu Lan’s small gesture adorable.

His foul mood was instantly alleviated.

But when his gaze fell upon the red mark on Yu Lan’s neck, his dark eyes instantly deepened.

"We can talk about the X11 material later."

"Yu Lan, there is something more important right now that requires your attention."

Shen Zueran’s serious tone made Yu Lan pull herself together.

She even unconsciously straightened her posture a little, her own expression turning serious.

Only after making sure her posture was perfectly prim and proper, with no hint of frivolity, did she speak:

"What is it, Director?"

"Is there something I did wrong? I’ll correct it."

As she spoke, Yu Lan quickly reviewed everything she had done in the lab that day.

She had followed the "Laboratory Safety Regulations" to the letter with every step of her experiment. Yu Lan couldn’t think of anything she had done that would warrant a special reprimand from Shen Zueran.

A trace of distress flickered across her pretty face.

The next second,

the man’s cool fingertips tapped the soft, white skin of her neck where the red mark was, carrying a subtle hint of jealousy.

The man’s touch was brief, gone in an instant.

But it was too unexpected.

It was completely beyond Yu Lan’s expectations.

The cool fingertips suddenly touching the warm, soft skin of her neck—and in such a sensitive spot—sent an instant shiver through her.

Yu Lan jerked back two steps, her hand flying to her neck. Her beautiful eyes widened in shock as she stared at Shen Zueran, her voice rising slightly.

"Director!"

Shen Zueran’s expression remained as calm and cold as ever, as if he didn’t think his actions held any ambiguity or that he was deliberately taking advantage of the pretty young female.

"Yu Lan, you should know that you are one of only two females in our research institute."

A flash of confusion crossed Yu Lan’s eyes. Of course, she knew that. Her amber pupils stared fixedly at Shen Zueran. She wanted to see just what kind of reasoning this man could possibly come up with.

Shen Zueran continued, "Females are naturally liked by males. You’re carrying the traces of a passionate encounter with another male, making you like a little cake exuding a sweet aroma, tempting all those other males to try a bite."

"Haven’t you noticed how agitated everyone has been since you came to the lab today?"

"Yu Lan," Shen Zueran said, looking down at her, his dark eyes cold.

"If you don’t like them, then don’t give them the wrong impression."

After Shen Zueran finished speaking, Yu Lan’s face instantly turned red.

’What nonsense about traces of a passionate encounter with a male.’

’What male?! I don’t have a male!’

Yu Lan turned and looked at her reflection in the transparent glass of the hallway. She slightly loosened the hand covering her neck, revealing an extremely conspicuous red mark.

The thought that she had been working at the Science Research Institute all day with a mark like that...

Yu Lan’s entire face became beet red and boiling hot, a mixture of shame and annoyance.