Chapter 270
If we don't tackle the root cause, we'll just have more trouble later..."
The light in Hannah's eyes dimmed. She slumped onto the sofa.
She looked utterly defeated.
Marcus frowned deeply. "Is there really no other way?"
Just as Sophia was about to speak, Hannah suddenly exploded.
"What a rotten institute! So corrupt! We've been wronged, and the administration turns a blind eye! Why? Just because we borrowed a lab? Then fine, let's not borrow! It's just a crummy room anyway. My dad has plenty of properties!"
"Just because my dad owns buildings—countless buildings! He's always been the one evicting people. No one evicts him!"
"Things only feel secure when they're your own. That's when you can stand tall! The institute lends us a dump. No CPRT equipment, incomplete safety gear. We kill ourselves to produce results, and the institute takes the credit?"
"Since when does that happen? I call bullshit—"
The young landlady had never been treated so unfairly.
"What's the big deal? A crummy room, and we bought the equipment ourselves!"
Her temper was quick to ignite.
She ranted furiously, her words flying. Marcus and Sophia stared, stunned.
"Um... did I scare you?" Embarrassment flickered across Hannah's round face. She hurried to explain, "I'm not usually like this, really. I just occasionally lose my temper and can't stop... ahem!"
Marcus swallowed. "..."
Sophia, however, looked thrilled, nodding vigorously. "Hannah's right! As long as the lab is borrowed, we have no control."
The institute could reclaim it anytime, find fault anytime, lend it to anyone they pleased.
They were just meat on the chopping block, completely vulnerable.
"So... we don't borrow from the institute anymore?" Hannah ventured tentatively.
Sophia nodded.
Marcus asked, "Then where do we borrow from?"
Sophia replied, "Why borrow? Like Hannah said, why don't we just build our own?"
B-build one?
Marcus was completely dumbfounded.
Hannah was stunned for a second, then jumped up excitedly.
"Right! We can build our own!"
Their own lab. No worries about it being taken back. No fear of petty people targeting them.
Sophia said, "I've checked MIT's rules and the School of Life Sciences regulations. There's no prohibition against students building independent labs. As long as we have all the proper permits and meet the qualifications, it's allowed."
Hannah immediately raised her hand. "I can provide funding! How much? Five million? Ten million?"
Marcus was baffled. What kind of conversation was this?
Sophia thought for a moment. "I can contribute funding too. And also... a piece of land."
Hannah exclaimed, "!"
Marcus was shocked. "?!"
"Sophia, you own land?"
"Yes." Sophia smiled. "Plot 3-5, Block 72, East. It's still undeveloped."
Even Hannah, the young landlady, couldn't help but gulp.
Land...
Not a house. Not a commercial space. Land!
They could build whatever they wanted on it!
"Sophia, how many more surprises do you have?!"
Sophia chuckled. "Now that funding and land are settled, there's just one final hurdle."
"What is it?"
"Approvals."
You can't just build a lab, especially a bio lab, without permission.
Microorganisms, particularly viruses, pose biosafety risks. Using organic solvents in experiments requires considering waste disposal.
If radioactive materials are involved, there are national regulations...
In short, the various approvals and paperwork are the hardest part!
A single delay in the process could set them back a year or more. Forget building the lab; they could harvest several seasons of vegetables on that land in that time.
Hannah said, "This requires connections, doesn't it?"
Sophia nodded.
"Um..." Marcus, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke up. "Maybe I can try."
"!"
Both of them turned to look at Marcus Lawrence.
He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.
"Why are you both looking at me like that?"
Hannah Morse's gaze turned inquisitive. "Marcus, what does your family actually do?"
Sophia Sullivan added softly, "I remember you mentioned before that your parents are civil servants?"
It seemed these civil servants were not ordinary.
She wisely stopped the conversation there, not probing further.
Though Hannah was straightforward, she knew her boundaries.
She'd heard that kids from certain special family backgrounds tended to be very low-key. His previous evasiveness was understandable.
She tactfully didn't press further.
Marcus visibly relaxed.
"I'll do my best to handle this."
"Good."
Hannah raised her fist. "For the lab—"
Marcus raised his hand too. "For not getting kicked out again—"
They both turned to Sophia.
She was slightly taken aback and instinctively added, "Go for it?"
"Go for it!!!"
...
The three of them immediately split up to take action.
Hannah pulled out her phone to make a call as soon as she left the building.
"Pops~ Have you eaten yet?"
"Finished! How about you?"
"Not yet..." Her voice suddenly took on a sob.
He MinSheng immediately sensed something was wrong.
For his precious daughter to skip a meal, it must be something serious.
"Tell me quickly, what's going on?"
Hannah poured out the whole story about the lab's ordeal.
"...It's just too much!"
Smack!
He MinSheng slammed the table. "Outrageous! The university turns a blind eye to what it should manage and protects what it shouldn't! This is the conduct of a prestigious institution?"
"Exactly!" Hannah nodded vigorously. "Pops, you don't know, when I said I'd build my own lab, those two students from Professor Victoria Lowell's team laughed at me for daydreaming and even called me fat... Boo hoo..."
"What?! They dared call you fat?! Sweetie, you're not fat at all, this is called having good fortune! We don't bother with those ignorant people."
"Hmph! It's just a lab, right? With money, anything can be built! Let them see what real capability means, what a slap in the face looks like!"
"So, Dad, you agree?!"
Hannah's voice shot up with excitement, all traces of grievance gone.
He MinSheng paused. "...Agree to what?"
"Agree to build the lab for us!"
?!
"Dad? You just said yes..."
He MinSheng suddenly understood. "You led me in circles just to ask for this?"
"Hehe..." Hannah laughed. "It really won't cost much, honestly! Just a tiny bit!"
"How much is a tiny bit?"
"Probably... around ten million."
"Ten million is fine... What?! Ten million?! A lab costs that much?"
That was enough to build three buildings back in his hometown!
The monthly rent alone would be over a hundred thousand...
"Sweetie, don't get scammed! There are so many fraud cases lately..." He stood up abruptly, worried his naive daughter might be targeted by bad people.
Fraud...
Hannah was utterly speechless.
"Dad, it's not a scam. Sophia is contributing even more than me! She's even providing the land. That's solid, tangible land!"
A long silence followed on the other end. "...You're really building the lab yourselves?"
"Of course!"
"Not just a spur-of-the-moment thing?"
Hannah: "We're dead serious!"
"Alright, ten million, right? Transferring it to your card now!"
"Wow—Thanks, Dad! Love you, mwah~"
"Hehe..." The doting father chuckled foolishly.
That night, Hannah posted the transfer screenshot in the three-person group chat.
Seven glaring zeros were particularly eye-catching.
Hannah Morse: [Done~]
...
Marcus looked at that "~" and couldn't help but smile, easily imagining her proud little expression when sending it.
Seems like he needed to step up his game too.
He put away his phone and walked to the sofa. "Grandpa, it's been a while since we played chess. How about a game?"
"Sure! It's rare for you to come back. No one ever plays seriously with me anymore."
The old man got up with his cane and sat down before the chessboard.
Two rounds later, he was thoroughly enjoying the battle!
Marcus subtly let him win, delighting the old man.
"Marcus, not in top form today?"
Marcus sighed, feigning distress. "It's clearly that your skills have improved. Honestly, have you been practicing in secret?"
Flattery never fails.
Sure enough, "Hahahaha..."
The old man laughed heartily.
Marcus: "No, no, another game!"
This time, he didn't go easy and naturally won.
The old man snorted, complaining childishly. "And you said I practiced? Clearly, you're better! Not playing anymore, no fun!"
After a pause, he spoke again. "It's not the holidays. Why the sudden visit home? And offering to play chess? Spit it out, what trouble are you in?"
"Ahem!"
As expected, nothing escaped the old man's sharp eyes.
Marcus truthfully explained the academic bullying and suppression he'd faced at school.
"...Rather than putting up with it, it's better to start fresh! We want to build our own lab. We have the money and the land now, all that's left is the approval process..."
Here, he paused, sneaking a glance at the old man's expression.
He might as well have written "I've made it so obvious, please say yes" on his face.
Yet the old man remained silent.
He just sat upright, his gaze profound.
Marcus didn't dare rush him, silently tidying the chessboard, his heart aching...
After what felt like an eternity, the old man suddenly sighed. "I never thought the academic world could become so corrupt... If it's truly as you say, I support you starting fresh."
"The approval process... Go ahead and do it. Don't worry about the rest."
"Thank you, Grandpa!"
"Remember—do it well, don't give up halfway and become a laughingstock!"
"Mm! Don't worry!"
Marcus's side, though with some twists, was ultimately resolved perfectly.
That night, he also followed Hannah's lead in the group chat: [Done~]
Meanwhile, Sophia, who should have had the smoothest sailing, unexpectedly ran into trouble…