Chapter 321
Sophia Sullivan helped Alexander Laurent back to his apartment.
She only turned to leave after repeatedly confirming he was conscious and capable of taking care of himself.
Returning to her own home, she was sweating all over from the heat.
As she took off her padded jacket, a faint scent of alcohol wafted towards her.
Whether it was from their close proximity or the fabric absorbing the smell, the coat was saturated with his scent.
Her cheeks felt warm.
She fanned herself with her hand, muttering under her breath, "Why is it so hot…"
Under the same moonlight, at the Lawrence family residence.
The elderly couple was preparing to retire to their rooms when Marcus Lawrence suddenly spoke up.
"Grandma, Grandpa, please wait a moment."
"What is it, Marcus?" The grandmother turned back to ask.
Marcus looked serious.
"Grandma, this is for you.
You must attend tomorrow."
He didn't give it to his grandfather because the elder's current status wasn't suitable for public appearances anymore.
Unless it was a major occasion like a military parade or a disaster relief effort.
"...What is this?"
The moment she took the invitation, the grandmother's fingers trembled slightly.
Red... invitation... must attend tomorrow... and her grandson was being so solemn about it...
This!
"Marcus, don't do anything foolish.
Our family isn't some feudal household that interferes with the younger generation's marriages.
There's no need for you to act first and ask for forgiveness later... if there's a girl you like, would we really stop you?!"
Marcus: "?"
The grandfather's mouth twitched.
"What nonsense! I told you to watch fewer of those TV dramas.
You're always letting your imagination run wild!"
The grandmother looked bewildered.
"Did I guess wrong?"
The grandfather said, "Open it and look first!"
Only then did Marcus realize, both amused and exasperated.
"Grandma, this is an invitation, not a wedding announcement!"
The grandmother hesitantly opened it.
"An... invitation letter?"
So it was a misunderstanding.
"If it's an invitation, why use red... it's easy to misunderstand..."
She tried to save face while lowering her head to read the contents.
"Laboratory unveiling?" The grandmother looked puzzled.
"What laboratory?"
Marcus enunciated each word clearly.
"A laboratory we built ourselves."
"What? You built a laboratory?!"
"Yes."
The grandmother was stunned for a full half minute before barely processing this information.
"...Is this the big thing you mentioned?"
"Mmhmm!"
"But... you can't just build a laboratory on a whim, can you? What does it look like?"
Marcus said, "You'll see when you visit tomorrow."
He turned to his grandfather.
"Grandpa, Grandma will take photos for you live tomorrow."
"Alrighty."
"So you knew all along?" The grandmother suddenly turned her head.
"You kept it from me?"
The grandfather cleared his throat lightly.
"Well... it's getting late.
Time for bed!"
"?"
The next day was unexpectedly clear.
The soft sunlight spilled onto the earth, coating the snow on roofs and tree branches with a layer of pale gold.
The first to arrive were naturally their own people.
"Sweetie—hehe—"
Henry Lorenz, bundled in a thick down jacket, approached his daughter with his wife on his arm.
"Pops—"
Hannah Morse's eyes lit up as she threw herself into her father's arms.
"Weren't you supposed to arrive this afternoon?!"
Henry staggered from the impact, his chest aching, but he laughed happily.
"I tricked you! We arrived yesterday afternoon, wanted to surprise you!
Surprised?"
"Mmhmm! Super surprised!"
"Mom—" Hannah called out with a laugh, "You look so beautiful today.
Truly the universe's number one beautiful, rich lady!"
Although Brianna Lowell had wanted a son, her daughter was also dear to her heart.
And since she only had this one, she naturally doted on her.
She just sometimes got stuck in her own thoughts, overthinking things.
Brianna smiled, her eyes curving, and even struck a curvaceous pose.
"Of course~"
Her days were spent either collecting rent or researching skincare.
Of course she was young, beautiful, and fashionable.
Hannah's words hit right at her sweet spot.
"Come, Mom, Dad, let me introduce you.
These are my classmates, and also my comrades!"
Sophia Sullivan had been observing Henry since he appeared.
This was the lab's biggest benefactor.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he paid for half the bricks and tiles here.
Sophia: "Hello, Uncle, Auntie."
Marcus: "Hello, Uncle.
Auntie, you look so young…"
Sophia couldn't help but glance at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Hey! Hello, hello!" Henry shook their hands warmly.
"Sophia! Little Marcus! Haha... I often hear my sweetie talk about you.
Finally get to meet you today!
Uncle doesn't have anything great, just a little token of appreciation—"
With that, he directly pulled two thick red envelopes from the inner lining of his down jacket.
He shoved one into each of their hands.
Before Sophia and Marcus could refuse, Mr. Lorenz waved a large hand.
"Don't say no.
You can't refuse a gift from your elders.
Take it, take it!"
The two exchanged a look.
"Thank you, Uncle."
"Hey~ that's more like it!"
Suddenly—
A booming voice rang out.
"Well! Guests are here already? I thought I'd be the earliest!"
Sophia went to greet him.
"Professor Murphy!"
Benjamin Murphy walked up to the lab's main entrance, looked up at the five-story building that had sprung from the ground, and was eager to go inside and explore.
But before that—
"I brought a few friends along.
You don't mind, do you, Sophia?"
As soon as he finished speaking, several cars pulled up.
Two minutes later, a group of elderly professors got out.
All in black down jackets, temples slightly gray, exuding an academic aura.
Sophia's eyes widened in surprise.
"This…"
He'd invited the entire Computer Science department's "old guard"!
Benjamin Murphy said, "We've lived most of our lives and have never seen a fully robot-controlled smart bio lab.
Came together today to broaden our horizons."
Sophia's eyes grew warm.
She knew Professor Murphy was bringing all his connections to back her up!
"Benjamin, how did you beat us here?" Eleanor Watson laughed as she got out of the car.
With her came the Chair and Vice-Chair of Caltech's Biology department, the molecular science authority Professor Wei from Tech, Vice Principal Pan from another prestigious university, Professor Wang from the Information School of a top youth academy…
Any one of these people pulled out at random was a heavyweight in the academic world.
And now, they had all gathered here!
Hannah was usually bold, but seeing this scene, she couldn't help but swallow.
"Soph—Sophia, are we… playing too big?"
Every single one of these people was a walking SCI publication, bona fide research giants.
"What? Scared?"
Hannah straightened her back.
"How could I be? The bigger the play, the more exciting it is.
I love this heart-pounding feeling—it's awesome!"
Not long after, Alexander Laurent and Sebastian Evans arrived one after the other.
Sebastian: "Well, Professor Laurent, we meet again.
You're really honoring us with your presence."
Alexander replied indifferently, "Naturally, I have to give Sophia face."
Their eyes met, then quickly separated.
Sparks flew in the air.
Next to arrive were MIT's President, Shawn Hanning, Vice Principal Charlie Wilson…
The two looked at the five-story building rising before them, their faces identical masks of shock and disbelief.
They… really built a lab?!
At eleven in the morning, Blake Cunningham and Professor Victoria Lowell arrived late.
Caleb Watson, Jude Granger, Amelia Roscente, Ashley Lowell, Shane Holloway, and Fiona Valentine followed closely behind.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Blake Cunningham frowned, looking around.