The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

A week later, Professor Li Jing successfully signed a contract with Yunyi AI and obtained a research project.

Yunyi's horizontal projects require collaboration with Professor Jiang Lin's team from the School of Computer Science.

So the two professor teams set up a laboratory, each sending a group of people to complete the project.

Professor Jiang Lin's team is led by a PhD student named Tang Shi.

As morning light streamed through the laboratory's glass windows, Tang Shi entered carrying four large bags of milk tea.

Tang Shi is 180cm tall, wearing a hoodie and jeans, revealing a section of his fair neck, exuding a youthful vibe.

"Everyone, you've all had a hard week, so I'll treat you to milk tea." His voice was clear and bright, and his gaze swept over the bustling crowd, landing precisely on the seat by the window.

Shen Qingyao was debugging code with her head down, her fingertips tapping out a crisp rhythm on the keyboard. Her gold-rimmed glasses slid down to the tip of her nose, and as she raised her hand to push them up, the stray hairs at her temples swayed like butterfly wings touched by light.

Cheers erupted in the lab as several graduate students rushed over to share the milk tea.

Tang Shi carried several cups of taro paste towards Shen Qingyao, her steps carrying a hint of barely perceptible joy.

They handed out milk tea to everyone, leaving the last cup for Shen Qingyao.

"Junior Shen," he stopped in front of the table, his hand tightening slightly as he handed her the milk tea, "I heard you like taro milk tea, less sugar and less ice, I wonder if it suits your taste."

Shen Qingyao looked up, the reflection of her glasses brushing against Tang Shi's flushed ears. She took the milk tea, her fingertips touching the warmth of the cup, and smiled, "Thank you, senior, for your trouble."

"You're too kind, junior," Tang Shi said with a smile. "I'll treat everyone to lunch."

"The restaurant is Tinglan Restaurant near the school. Let's try something different today and sample some Jiangnan cuisine."

A burst of excitement erupted in the lab. "Thank you, senior!"

"I heard you need to book a table at this restaurant two weeks in advance."

"It seems like our senior wanted to treat us to a meal about two weeks ago."

Tang Shi smiled, his gaze landing precisely on Shen Qingyao.

She saved the code and got up. She herself preferred the Jiangnan style, but most of the people in the lab were from Hunan and Jiangxi. They usually chose restaurants with heavy oil and spice for their meals. Why would Tang Shi choose such a restaurant with such a completely different style?

Shen Qingyao suppressed the barely perceptible doubt in her heart. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, she thought. After all, she couldn't always cater to everyone's tastes.

The group chatted and laughed as they entered the restaurant. The carved windows reflected the white walls and black tiles, and the room was filled with the sweet aroma of osmanthus-flavored lotus root.

The younger students from Hunan and Jiangxi looked at each other in bewilderment at the table full of light dishes, their movements as they picked up their chopsticks were somewhat hesitant.

Tang Shi began, "Would you all like to try this drunken crab? I specifically asked the owner to choose female crabs, as they have the most roe."

The sweet aroma mingled with the chatter of the group as the food wafted across the table.

Tang Shi put down his chopsticks, casually glanced at the girls at the table, and asked with a smile, "What do you all like to do during your free time?"

Upon hearing this, the Jiangxi junior sitting next to Shen Qingyao chimed in, "Me? I just like to stay in my dorm playing games, and occasionally go out for delicious food with friends."

Another girl nodded in agreement: "I'm pretty much the same. I watch TV shows and pet my cat, and I can lie in bed all day on weekends."

Everyone was talking at once, and Tang Shi listened attentively, occasionally chiming in, but his gaze kept inadvertently drifting towards Shen Qingyao.

Shen Qingyao was slowly scooping crab roe tofu with a small spoon. Her ear tips twitched slightly, but she kept her eyelashes down and didn't say anything.

She lightly traced the rim of the porcelain spoon with her fingertips. After everyone had finished speaking, Tang Shi turned to her, her tone gentle: "What about you, Junior Shen? What do you like to do during your free time?"

The table fell silent for a moment; everyone stopped eating and looked over.

Shen Qingyao looked up, her eyes clear behind her glasses. She put down her spoon and smiled faintly: "Watching dramas, eating delicious food, playing badminton."

Tang Shi's eyes lit up, and he quickly replied, "I also like playing badminton. Let's play together next time!"

"Let's go together sometime," Shen Qingyao replied politely.

-

The warm yellow light from the wall lamp spilled across a corner of the sofa, where Shen Qingyao lay in Meng Jiangyu's arms.

Shen Qingyao's fingertips were still stained with the sweet juice of a freshly peeled orange, and her gaze was fixed on the scene of Sheng Minglan and Gu Tingye bickering on the TV.

Her phone vibrated, and she glanced at the contact name "Senior Tang Shi" on the screen. "Junior Shen, are you free tonight? Want to play badminton together?"

Her fingertips paused on the chat box, and as she turned her head, she happened to meet Meng Jiangyu's smiling gaze.

"Baby, he's interested in you," Meng Jiangyu chuckled.

"How could that be? He's really nice to everyone in the research group. He often treats everyone to meals and milk tea."

"A man's intuition."

"Impossible. He probably just found out I like playing badminton when we had dinner together last time, so he asked me to play a game." Shen Qingyao didn't take it seriously.

"How's your project going?"

"It'll probably take about another week," Shen Qingyao said, eating a cherry. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Meng Jiangyu's eyes darkened.

She curved her lips into a smile, typed a few lines with her fingertips, and said in a polite yet distant tone: "Senior, I'm really sorry, I'm not free tonight."

After thinking for a moment, she added a sentence that sealed off all possibilities: "I'll be busy with my research group's work lately, so I probably won't have time."

After sending the message, she placed her phone face down on the coffee table. As she turned around, Meng Jiangyu pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head and chuckling, "Why did you refuse? Didn't you say he was a nice guy?"

Shen Qingyao nuzzled against his neck, her nose filled with the crisp scent of cedarwood emanating from him, and said softly, "It's his business that he's a good person, it has nothing to do with me."

Night fell through the French windows, casting an ambiguous and tender glow on the living room's light and shadow.

Meng Jiangyu was pleased and turned off the TV. "Go back to your room and go to sleep."

Meng Jiangyu picked up Shen Qingyao, and she instinctively hooked her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek against his warm neck, where she could clearly hear his steady and powerful heartbeat.

A man's arms are strong and reliable.

The warm light from the island platform fell on his well-defined profile, highlighting the smooth curve of his jawline.

He looked down at her, the smile in his eyes long since replaced by surging emotions, dark and heavy.

Shen Qingyao's fingertips gently traced the delicate skin of his Adam's apple, causing him to pause slightly. His deep laughter, mixed with his hot breath, brushed against her ear: "Don't play with fire, baby."

She tilted her head back, her nose brushing against his chin, her voice as soft as spring water: "You were the one who carried me in first."

Before she could finish speaking, Meng Jiangyu had already pushed open the door and gently placed her on the soft velvet mattress.

He leaned down, his warm palm slowly moving upwards along her waistline, the places his fingertips brushed against seemed to ignite tiny flames.

Shen Qingyao's breathing quickened slightly. She raised her hand and wrapped it around his shoulder, her fingertips sinking into his well-defined flesh.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling precisely on their intertwined shadows.

He kissed her lips with an irresistible possessiveness, yet with unbelievable tenderness, his tongue swirling around, swallowing all her soft breaths.

Shen Qingyao's skirt was gently lifted by his fingertips, and the moment their skin touched, it was like dry wood meeting a raging fire, burning them to the point of madness.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his voice terribly hoarse: "Baby..."

She heard her own heartbeat intertwined with his, deafeningly loud in the silent night.