Chapter 320
The night deepened, moonlight soft as water.
Sophia Sullivan stood at the lab entrance, taking one last look.
"Sweep Cloud, lights off."
"Please perform authorization recognition." A mechanical voice echoed in the air.
Sophia looked up.
"Recognition successful. Lights off."
Three seconds later, the lab plunged into darkness.
The main door automatically closed and locked.
Smart labs were indeed convenient.
She took out her phone to call a ride, but saw the door of a Porsche parked by the curb open.
Sebastian Evans stepped out of the car.
Sophia was surprised. "Why are you still here?"
Sebastian had come by that afternoon to check on the equipment installation.
A simple phone call could have handled it, yet he made the trip personally.
"Just wanted to see your new lab."
Mentioning the lab, Sophia immediately got excited and gave him a tour.
That tour lasted an hour.
Seeing she still had work, Sebastian took his leave.
Sophia thought he had left long ago. She never expected...
Sebastian said, "I was waiting for you."
"You really didn't have to..."
The man interrupted her. "Get in the car first. It's late."
Sophia softly thanked him.
Sebastian smiled. "That's more like it. Say something I like to hear."
He personally opened the car door for her.
On the road—
"What's the name of that smart robot just now?"
Sophia replied, "Sweep Cloud."
"Who named it?"
"My brother."
"Any meaning behind it?"
"'Sweep away a thousand armies, clouds gather and dragons soar.'"
"Didn't expect Ryan Sullivan to be so cultured..."
Sophia picked up her phone. "I'm going to record this and send it to him."
"Go ahead. I'm praising him. You didn't get it just now. Want me to say it again?"
Sophia was speechless.
When it came to thick skin, no one could beat Sebastian Evans.
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped at the mouth of the alley.
"We're here."
Sophia unbuckled her seatbelt. "Thank you, Mr. Evans. Saved me the cab fare again."
"Anytime you want, you can save. Consider me your free driver?"
Sophia shook her head. "Not considering it."
"Why not?"
"There's no such thing as a free lunch. If there is—"
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"
"I'd be the lunch."
The man chuckled lowly. "Getting smarter."
"Got burned once, so I learned my lesson."
"But you can't tar everyone with the same brush."
Sophia thought for a moment. "Better to mistakenly eliminate than to let one slip. Might as well overturn the whole boat."
Sebastian was momentarily speechless.
"...That strict?"
Sophia said, "Scientific research requires meticulousness."
Sebastian fell silent.
"Here." Sophia took an envelope from her bag and handed it over.
"What's this?"
"An invitation. The lab was built so quickly thanks to your help, Mr. Evans. How could we have the unveiling ceremony without the main功臣?"
Those two construction teams had contributed greatly.
They shortened the construction period by a third.
Sebastian took it and opened it. "Red?"
"For good luck."
"People might mistake it for a wedding invitation."
Sophia said, "The completion of the lab is a happy occasion too."
Sebastian nodded. "Good, I'll accept it! I'll be there on time tomorrow!"
Sophia pushed the door open and got out.
Suddenly, he called out to her—
"One more question."
She turned back. "What?"
Sebastian waved the invitation. "Does Ethan Roscente have one?"
Sophia frowned. "Can we not mention him?"
"Well, expected. Just confirming. What about Alexander Laurent?"
Sophia nodded. "Of course, the professor gets one."
"With building the lab, what did he contribute?"
"He helped us find a temporary lab so our research wasn't delayed."
Sebastian was silent.
Sophia said, "If there's nothing else, I'll head in."
"Alright. See you tomorrow."
He watched her go upstairs until her room light turned on before driving away.
...
Sophia finished her shower, changed into fluffy pajamas, and went to knock on Alexander Laurent's door.
"Professor? Are you home?"
No response.
She had knocked once already when she returned.
Forty minutes had passed, still no one...
Just as she was about to leave, footsteps came from downstairs.
"Professor, you're back?!"
Alexander turned the corner and paused slightly.
Under the dim yellow light, Sophia stood at the top of the stairs, smiling at him.
For a moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Only when that "Professor" reached his ears did he believe it was real.
"Sophia? Why are you standing outside?"
"I came to find you, but you weren't in. I was just about to go back."
Alexander climbed the last step and stopped before her. "Something up?"
"I wanted to—" She suddenly stopped, leaning forward to sniff. "Professor, have you been drinking?"
Alexander's ears turned slightly red. "Sorry... Does it smell strong?"
He took a few steps back, creating distance.
"No..." Sophia shook her head. The scent of alcohol couldn't cover the faint woody fragrance he carried.
"An old colleague from my time in the States is in Kyoto on business. We hadn't seen each other for years, so we met for dinner and had a few extra drinks."
"Are you okay?" Sophia wanted to ask if he was drunk.
Alexander nodded. "I'm fine. Not drunk."
"That's good. Wait a moment!" She turned and went into her apartment, soon coming out with an envelope.
"An invitation for tomorrow's unveiling ceremony. Professor, feel free to come if you have time."
Alexander took it. "Good. I'll definitely be there."
"I'll head back then." Sophia pointed to her own door.
"Alright." He nodded with a smile.
The next second, he lost his balance, stumbling backward.
Sophia quickly reached out to steady him.
The girl moved closer, her fresh scent drifting into his nostrils. Alexander felt his cheeks grow hot, as if on fire.
Just a moment ago, he had confidently claimed he wasn't drunk.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
"...Professor? Professor?!"
"...Hmm? What?" Alexander snapped back to attention.
"Are you really not drunk? Drunk people always say they're not."
Sophia sighed softly. "Alright, never mind. It's not可信 anyway."
Alexander fell silent.
She held him with one hand while the other reached into his coat pocket for the keys.