Miao Wenxuan finished speaking and noticed Qiao Huaiyao’s look, which made him clear his throat to ease the awkwardness.
He was used to translating on the fly and said it out of habit.
Standing to the side, Miao Wenxuan listened as the two exchanged details of the experiment in fluent English. He found himself unable to interject.
He had seen the experiment data but could only view it; he couldn’t recite it from memory like Qiao Huaiyao.
Without a PowerPoint presentation, without opening the experiment files, and without showing images, Qiao Huaiyao orally described the entire experiment process. He occasionally filled in additional data.
Miao Wenxuan squinted. Was this the level of a freshman?
Or were freshmen nowadays this impressive?
Qiao Huaiyao provided a simplified overview of the experiment process, with the remaining details understood from the data and images.
Albert nodded from time to time, clearly satisfied with what Qiao Huaiyao was saying.
Finally, Albert took the USB drive and asked a question.
Qiao Huaiyao was momentarily taken aback.
Albert asked: “Miao Wenxuan mentioned that you wanted to expedite the release of the experiment report. Are you in such a hurry because you want to join next year’s international laboratory selection?”
Qiao Huaiyao replied, “No.”
Albert had been thinking that if that was the reason, he could help out.
The international laboratory needed capable individuals, and the selection was just one opportunity; they also had internal recommendations.
Hearing Qiao Huaiyao’s response, Albert couldn’t help but ask what the reason was.
…What was the reason?
Qiao Huaiyao glanced down, thinking casually.
What else could it be… of course, it was for his boyfriend.
Dealing with Meng Zheng’s matters was far more complicated than joining the international laboratory.
Qiao Huaiyao declined Albert’s offer for help, leaving the remaining tasks to Miao Wenxuan.
Miao Wenxuan received Qiao Huaiyao’s signal and made a gesture.
In fact, he felt that even if he hadn’t helped deliver the experiment, Albert would still have expedited the report for Qiao Huaiyao.
Although the details of the experiment were unknown, considering that someone could process such a complex experiment in just a few hours, the complete report produced by this person would undoubtedly be of high quality.
Moreover, Albert valued talent highly.
If Qiao Huaiyao had shown even a slight interest in joining the international laboratory, Albert would likely have met all his requests, waiting for him to join.
And now, with just an early report, there could even be a spot for him in this year’s Chemistry Award.
After bidding farewell to Albert, Qiao Huaiyao left the office.
As the door closed behind him, Albert’s first words left Miao Wenxuan stunned.
“I want to take Qiao as my apprentice. What do you think?”
Miao Wenxuan: “…”
No, if the professors back home find out, they might fly over immediately and hit me with a cane.
…
After leaving the international laboratory, the sky outside was a bit darker than before.
The weather forecast still showed clear skies, but it was uncertain if it would rain.
Qiao Huaiyao checked the time; Bai Jinyan should now be participating in a brand endorsement event.
The brand, specializing in high-end luxury watches, had no pieces priced below six figures.
The event was naturally grand, and since their spokesperson was not always available, this rare event was particularly spectacular.
When Qiao Huaiyao arrived, Bai Jinyan was signing promotional cards.
These were brand promotional cards that were personally signed at the event. Cards bought through other channels might have printed signatures, with limited availability and noted details.
Lu Lu was downstairs taking photos, which would later be used for promotional purposes with the brand.
Busy with his tasks, Bai Jinyan felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Ugh, don’t touch me.” Lu Lu didn’t even glance away, impatiently saying, “Go behind the security line; no close contact allowed—”
“Lu Lu.”
The cold, indifferent voice stood out sharply amidst the audience’s loud cheers.
Lu Lu was about to respond, but then he stopped himself, saying, “Actually, it wouldn’t hurt to touch—”
If he said “no contact” and Brother Bai heard him, he might end up being reprimanded.
Lu Lu chuckled, forgetting about taking photos, and asked, “Young Master, what are you doing here?”
“You didn’t inform me in advance, or I would have sent the driver to pick you up.”
“I came as soon as I could.” Qiao Huaiyao put away his phone, intending to use a more professional camera. “Give me the camera.”
“Alright.” Lu Lu was struggling to get good shots anyway.
Qiao Huaiyao adjusted the camera’s strap and made an ‘ok’ gesture with one hand while holding the camera. He then took many pictures.
There weren’t many people in line for signatures.
It wasn’t due to the fans’ purchasing power, but simply because of purchase limits.
There were only a few signatures available.
If it weren’t for the brand’s request, this segment might have been skipped altogether.
Fans holding promotional cards queued up in order for signatures.
Seeing that there were fewer than ten people in line, Qiao Huaiyao wondered if he had arrived too late and missed an earlier batch of signatures, so now there were fewer people.
From the schedule, the event was nearing its end.
Lu Lu stayed by Qiao Huaiyao’s side, keeping some media and fans at bay.
In a low voice, Lu Lu said, “Young Master, I’ve got something good for you.”
“Hmm?” Qiao Huaiyao reviewed the photos he had just taken, selected a few to upload to the cloud account, and casually asked, “What is it?”
Lu Lu handed him a promotional card. “Look!”
There were only a few promotional cards; Bai Jinyan wouldn’t keep these, and other brands usually sent a portion to the company. Lu Lu didn’t have many.
Qiao Huaiyao took the card, which had the brand’s logo on the back. The high-end brand’s confidence was evident as they didn’t even print the specific model of the watch they were promoting.
Rather than promoting the watch, it seemed more like they were promoting the brand.
As soon as the card was in his hand, the host announced that the event had ended.
Lu Lu made a clicking sound, realizing too late that he should have kept the promotional cards with him all along. Having someone else run an errand for him had wasted time.
The opportunity for signatures was lost. Lu Lu looked at the crowd and said, “Young Master, let’s head to the lounge and wait. It’s quite crowded with the audience leaving.”
Qiao Huaiyao handed the camera back to him. “Alright.”
Lu Lu led the way. “This way.”
The lounge wasn’t far from the backstage.
During the event, the staff would change into outfits to match the latest watch models. To save time on the day, the lounge location was arranged during the event planning phase.
The single-occupancy lounge was empty.
Lu Lu showed him in and said, “I’ll arrange for some drinks. Young Master, just wait here for a moment; Brother Bai will be back soon.”
Qiao Huaiyao responded, “No need to trouble yourself.”
Lu Lu said, “It’s not trouble, just part of the job.”
As Lu Lu left, he busily placed an order from his phone, realizing he couldn’t buy the custom flavor in-store in time.
Before Qiao Huaiyao could say anything else, Lu Lu had already left.
He looked down at the promotional card in his hand, thinking about the watch Bai Jinyan had worn earlier. It seemed to match Bai Jinyan’s style perfectly, so he planned to contact the brand to buy it later.
As the brand ambassador, Bai Jinyan probably received many watches from the brand, though Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t seen him wear many of them.
While absentmindedly contemplating this, he suddenly felt the card was no longer in his hand. He looked up and saw Bai Jinyan standing there. “Brother?”
The lounge door was very quiet, making no sound when opened or closed.
“Hmm.” Bai Jinyan took off his pen and wrote on the back of the card, which had no logo. “Why didn’t you come up to get my signature?”
Qiao Huaiyao replied, “This isn’t from the event’s batch, and by the time I got the card, the event was over.”
Going back now would seem a bit awkward.
While they spoke, Bai Jinyan had already written quite a bit.
Qiao Huaiyao sat in the chair, unable to see what he had written, only observing his continuously writing hand.
Curious, Qiao Huaiyao asked, “Brother, what are you writing?”
Bai Jinyan finished with the last stroke, adding a small sketch at the end. He turned the card around and lowered his hand for Qiao Huaiyao to see.
Typically, signatures were only on the front, with names written in the available space. But Bai Jinyan had written three lines of text on the blank back of the card, finishing with his signature.
The words—
Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes widened slowly, a faint blush spreading unexpectedly, bringing warmth to his cheeks.
He parted his lips to speak when Bai Jinyan said, “Oh, there’s one more thing.”
“What?”
Confused, Qiao Huaiyao followed Bai Jinyan’s hand and saw him lifting the card to his lips.
“Brother!” Realizing what he intended, Qiao Huaiyao quickly reached out.
But the next moment, Bai Jinyan clasped his hand.
The promotional card was casually held between his fingers as Bai Jinyan bent down to kiss the back of Qiao Huaiyao’s hand, his eyes crinkling with a smile.
As if this had been his intention all along.