I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

Lu Aiai squinted. This statement had no theoretical support, yet it sounded somewhat reasonable.

“You can imagine this scenario,” Yan Yiting said to Lu Aiai in a pyramid scheme-like tone, “If you become radiant and suddenly appear in front of that guy one day, compared to you, he will suddenly feel ashamed and even his girlfriend will seem unattractive. Just imagine that scenario, don’t you think it’s awesome?!”

Lu Aiai thought about the scene for a moment and didn't find it particularly enjoyable, but seeing that Yan Yiting seemed very excited, she could only nod timidly, "Mmm, mmm..."

"Right? So now, let's get our spirits up and pick out a few outfits together. Don't complain about being tired!"

"Uh-huh……"

Yan Yiting turned around and looked again, saying, "They're gone. Come on, let's start now!"

Hearing that Chen Ya had left, Lu Aiai felt both relieved and disappointed.

Perhaps everyone has a self-destructive tendency; deep down, she actually had a tiny bit of hope that Chen Ya could see her.

Even just a glance, a moment's lingering gaze on her, would be enough.

Even though that one moment was enough to shatter my spirits once again.

Fortunately, Yan Yiting was by her side, so she didn't become a lonely beast licking her wounds.

During the rest of the shopping trip, Lu Aiai became a little more enthusiastic and started to make some subjective judgments, no longer acting like a puppet.

However, Yan Yiting's taste seems... a bit too bold for her.

“Tingting, I’ve never worn high heels in my life, let alone studded ones…”

"These high heels are sure to win over any guy! If you don't like studded styles, how about this one? You'll look like a princess, give it a try... It's amazing!"

"Ah, Tingting, isn't this skirt a little too...short? I feel like if I squat down, my bottom will be exposed..."

"It's good that they're short! You always hide your long legs, it's such a waste not to show them off!"

"Tingting, what is this collar-like thing? I think it increases the risk of suffocation..."

"Why weren't you afraid of suffocating when you had a key around your neck before? That's called a neck ring, not a collar. It makes your neck look longer... What's wrong with you? Why do you look so scary?"

"...No, it's nothing."

"Then let's try this leg ring..."

……

After several hours of preparation, the man and woman, who were about to meet, successfully completed their disguises with the help of their respective strategists.

Their attire was tailored to the preferences of the person they were meeting—merely the imagined preferences of the strategist.

So, in the afternoon, a Chen Ya appeared before Yang Changshuo, dressed in a white casual suit, wearing an expensive watch, with his hair neatly combed, and looking even dignified. It was a completely new version of Chen Ya that he had never seen before.

When Yang Changshuo saw him, he was stunned for a long time: "Why are you... dressed like this?"

The clothes Gu Yuqing chose for him were like plate armor. The advantage was that he could maintain a straight posture at all times, but the disadvantage was that he had to maintain a straight posture at all times. Chen Ya felt like he was trapped in a shell.

"What's wrong? Didn't you tell me to dress more formally?"

"I didn't mean... well, I meant... well, it's my fault for not being clear..."

Yang Changshuo's words left Chen Ya confused. He paused, looked Chen Ya up and down again, and said, "But it's alright, this image is not bad, very handsome!"

"Thank you," Chen Ya said politely.

"But this time you're meeting someone your own age. Dressing like this might make them feel flattered."

"A peer?" Chen Ya raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Yang Changshuo led Chen Ya toward the classroom where Lu Aiai often frequented, but when they arrived, the door was tightly closed.

After knocking on the door, Yan Yiting's voice came from inside:

"Wait a moment!"

Then, there was another rustling sound from inside the door, as if the person inside was in a flurry of activity. You could vaguely hear things like, "This eyeshadow needs to be fixed," or "Where did your eyelashes fall off?"

About three minutes later, Yan Yiting opened the door, panting. She first saw Yang Changshuo, and the two exchanged a knowing glance. Then she saw Chen Ya behind her.

Yan Yiting paused for half a second, then stared at him and straightened herself to make way: "...Ai Ai is inside, please, please come in."

"Okay." Yang Changshuo smiled and gestured for Chen Ya to come in.

Chen Ya walked into the room and saw a beautiful girl dressed in an extravagant manner sitting among a pile of textbooks, her hands quietly placed on her knees.

She had long, thick black hair that draped over her shoulders like silk. She wore a blue sailor-collar short-sleeved top, the hem of which almost revealed her flat stomach. A red polka-dot belt was tied around her waist, and below that was a cream-colored pleated skirt. She wore asymmetrical white stockings of different lengths on her calves, and small flat high heels on her feet.

There seem to be two completely different forces clashing within her—one desperately pulling her toward boldness and sexiness, while the other strives to be conservative and simple. It is the interaction of these two forces, the extreme disharmony, that leads to the ultimate allure.

Chen Ya had no doubt that if she were placed on the side of any random street, she would be approached by someone every five minutes on average.

But his only thought right now is to escape.

After recognizing the lovely girl sitting there, all he wanted to do was run for his life.

Help.

Why is it Lu Aiai?

Chapter 348 She said she was heartbroken.

The moment Chen Ya realized that the pretty and adorable girl sitting in front of him was Lu Ai'ai, the first thought that came to his mind was: Yang Changshuo deserves to be killed.

Of the 70 billion people in the world, the one he pushed in front of him was the one he least wanted to see.

It's a one in 70 billion probability, an impossible probability.

An impossible event happened in the first place. If Yang Changshuo wasn't malicious, then it must be that fate had brought misfortune upon Chen Ya.

And where is the auntie who was supposed to be there?

Where is my gentle and kind aunt who likes boys?

The girl before him had a face like a peach blossom, as beautiful as a peach or plum, with a clear, dewy glow, and could be both happy and angry. She was nothing like the aunt Chen Ya had imagined.

Lu Ai'ai was already stunningly beautiful without makeup, but now, with a touch of makeup, she is even more gorgeous.

If it were just her and an auntie, and people were given a choice, they would choose her even if it happened ten thousand times.

But Chen Ya felt no joy whatsoever. It was her, of all people. It was Lu Ai'ai. The last person he wanted to see.

These past few days he's been immersed in his work, and on the surface he hasn't had time to think about Lu Aiai or Gu Yuqing, and he would never admit that he's wavering inside.

It's impossible for him not to waver. He couldn't say he felt regret for Lu Ai'ai; he felt extremely guilty.

As the saying goes, "Why flirt if you're not going to marry?" He knew perfectly well that he could never be with Lu Ai'ai, but he still couldn't resist entering her life, which led to him losing a friend.

What's worse, the girl he irresponsibly flirted with was the one he later asked for favors from.

He looked at Lu Ai'ai's expression and noticed that her expression was also strange.

Her expression was like that of a dog that had been abandoned by its owner for many years, suddenly reunited with its owner, unsure whether to pounce on him or bare its teeth at him.

Moreover, this dog's owner knows all its itchy spots, and with just a flick of the finger, the heartless owner can expose all the disguises it has built up over the years of being a stray, and kill it on the spot in front of other dogs.

So this dog... no, Lu Ai'ai's expression was a mixture of surprise, joy, grief, fear... a mix of emotions that made Lu Ai'ai's face extremely distorted for the first time in her life.

The two men and women were so embarrassed they were practically digging their toes into the soles of their shoes, while Yang Changshuo, standing nearby, seemed completely oblivious to the atmosphere, his gaze drifting among the group of young men and women with a smile on his face.

In his view, both sides were stunned when they saw each other's faces, clearly impressed by each other's good looks.

This is the effect he wanted to achieve.

Yang Changshuo wasn't stupid; of course he knew that Chen Ya and Lu Aiai both had some misunderstandings about each other's image.

He deliberately didn't explain, letting them misunderstand.

Laboratory leaders are usually highly qualified academically, and a young leader like Lu Aiai is unprecedented in the history of Peking University.

He deliberately only told Chen Ya that the other party was a woman. He knew that Chen Ya would definitely mistakenly think that the other party was a kind and gentle old lady, and maybe even a little ugly.

As for Lu Aiai, although the two had discussed Bai Yujing's academic achievements, he never revealed any personal information about Bai Yujing.

Those who can produce results of this caliber are usually old scholars.

Lu Aiai grew up surrounded by Peking University and had met many highly respected senior figures.

In her mind, Chen Ya was definitely a kind-looking middle-aged man, perhaps even bald.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Yang Changshuo couldn't help but feel secretly smug:

Surprised? Astonished?

Didn't expect?

Bai Yujing is not some old scholar, and Lu Aiai is not some old auntie.

The other person's looks far exceed your imagination!

Your good looks, which you are so proud of, are not your exclusive property!

Our academic community isn't entirely composed of people with poor looks; we also have handsome men and beautiful women!

With a hint of smugness, Yang Changshuo licked his lips and said:

"Hey, let me introduce you. This is Bai Yujing, whose real name is Chen Ya. Those papers that caused a sensation at Peking University and were so popular that they were all written by him, and he did them independently."

Lu Aiai looked at Chen Ya with piercing eyes, her expressive gaze seemingly asking: Why have you never said this before?

Chen Ya subconsciously turned his head away, feeling guilty.

"This Ms. Lu Ai'ai is one of the most outstanding geniuses in the history of Peking University. At only 21 years old, she is already an associate professor, and the youngest associate professor in the history of Peking University. The room temperature superconductivity laboratory she leads has also produced a lot of results..."

Chen Ya stared intently at Lu Aiai, as if to question her with his eyes: Didn't you say you were a student?

Lu Aiai looked flustered, her hands on her knees entwined tightly with her fingers.

After Yang Changshuo finished introducing himself, he shook hands and smiled, saying:

“You two are both young and promising geniuses, so you must have a lot to talk about. Ai’ai, didn’t you say before that you wanted to ask Bai Yujing for advice in person? Now you can have a chat with him.”

Lu Aiai was extremely embarrassed and wished she could shut Yang Changshuo up.

She didn't know at the time that Bai Yujing was Chen Ya. If she had known, she definitely wouldn't... she wouldn't...

Lu Aiai glanced at Chen Ya secretly, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Chen Ya, didn't you say before that you had a lot of ideas about superconductivity? Didn't you want to have a good talk with this person in charge? Now, the opportunity has come."

Upon hearing Yang Changshuo's words, Lu Aiai's blush deepened, turning a deep red like a ripe peach, almost overflowing with crimson.

Yan Yiting, who had been hiding to the side for a long time, finally spoke up: "Wow, this Bai Yujing is so handsome!"

“Of course,” Yang Changshuo said with a smile. “Back then, he was a librarian at Peking University, and the number of female students in the school library increased by several percentage points, all because they wanted to see him.”

Yan Yiting nodded in complete agreement, her eyes still fixed on Chen Ya, and said, "I can understand!"

"However, Chen Ya doesn't have a girlfriend yet. He's quite chaste, right, Chen Ya?"

Chen Ya was satisfied with Yang Changshuo's assessment of him and did not correct him. He immediately nodded and said, "Yes, currently, I don't have a girlfriend."

Blood surged through her eardrums, her skull resonated, and Lu Ai'ai's entire world was deafeningly loud in the sound of rushing blood.

No girlfriend...

At that moment, only those words remained in her ears.

Yang Changshuo clapped his hands and said, "Alright, you two young people should have a good chat."

Chen Ya: "..."

Lu Aiai: "..."

The wind blows, turning a page of a book on the teacher's desk in the classroom.

A long silence followed, and no one dared to break it.

Yang Changshuo stood there, looking slightly embarrassed.

This was different from what I had expected. Lu Ai'ai was a studious person, and Chen Ya was eloquent.

When two people meet, they should be like a spark igniting between them, chatting endlessly. Why are they silent?

This shouldn't be happening, right?

"Cough cough."

To start the conversation, Yang Changshuo said, "By the way, Chen Ya, do you know about the recent new achievement of the Gias Laboratory regarding room temperature superconductivity?"

Chen Ya nodded and said, "I know, lutetium-nitrogen-hydrogen materials."