Chapter 408
This really wasn't the right time.
The tips of his ears flushed red instantly.
Yet his expression remained stern. "If not tonight... would tomorrow night work?"
"No problem." Sophia Sullivan nodded gently.
"Do you have lab tomorrow?" he asked again.
"Mhm."
Alexander: "What time are you heading out?"
"Around eight. Do you need something, Professor?"
"I'll walk with you. I'll bring breakfast. Those potato pies and black soy milk from the shop by the university gate. You said you liked them last time."
"Okay, thank you, Professor." Sophia smiled in agreement.
"It's getting late. I should head back now."
"Alright."
Sophia saw him to the door.
Alexander turned around. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The door closed softly behind him, the motion light and almost cheerful.
Sophia fell asleep soon after lying down.
Next door, Alexander Laurent was wide awake.
Cousin?
He was actually her cousin!
He couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.
He was still full of energy at one in the morning.
He simply got out of bed and turned on his computer.
He worked on his paper until three a.m.
He was awake again before six.
He left promptly at seven-thirty to buy breakfast.
At eight o'clock sharp, he knocked on Sophia Sullivan's door.
"Good morning, Professor."
"Morning." He handed her the breakfast. "Eat it while it's hot."
"Thank you." Sophia took the bag. "Shall we go now?"
Alexander nodded.
"Together?"
"Okay."
...
At nine o'clock, Quincy Evans arrived at the lab.
Remembering Alexander's odd behavior yesterday, he decided to offer some more advice.
Sure enough, he found the man buried in work in the experimental zone.
"Alex, don't push yourself so hard. Your health matters."
"I'm not pushing."
"Still in denial? Didn't you come clean yesterday?" Quincy teased.
"Really, I'm not."
Quincy took a closer look; the man's grin was practically reaching his ears. "What's going on? Did you confess last night?"
Alexander: "...No."
"Then what's with that disgusting smile?"
"The misunderstanding is cleared up."
"Huh?"
Alexander: "It was all a misunderstanding."
"Alright then, whatever makes you happy."
"Meeting in the conference room once everyone's here."
Quincy: "What's it about?"
"I'll explain then."
By nine-twenty, everyone had gathered.
In the conference room, Alexander Laurent produced a stack of documents.
"...What's this?" Quincy leaned in to look, and immediately froze.
"This— this—"
"Professor Evans, what is it?"
Quincy flipped through a few more pages. Twelve brand new research project proposals!
"Alex, you didn't put these together last night, did you?"
Alexander nodded calmly. "The last project will wrap up before the New Year. These are potential follow-up research directions. Let's discuss and finalize them quickly so we can begin execution."
Everyone immediately crowded around.
Zoe Langley: "Am I hearing this right? Finalizing next year's plans already?"
Simon Lowell swallowed hard. "Face it, Zoe."
He looked at the thickness of the stack. "This is enough to keep us busy for two or three years."
Quincy fell silent.
Did this guy take stimulants last night?
He gets his mojo back and immediately starts working everyone else to the bone!
If he'd known, he wouldn't have given him advice. He should have just let him stay miserable!
...
Good news arrived in early February.
The winners list for the National Collegiate Life Sciences Championship was about to be announced!
Hannah Morse clung to her laptop, waiting.
At ten a.m. sharp, she refreshed the official website.
The page lagged due to heavy traffic.
Sophia Sullivan and Marcus Lawrence gathered around her.
Hannah was confident about their group project. "I think we can get the Grand Prize!"
Sophia chuckled. "That confident?"
Marcus shot her a look; she was clearly just as sure herself.
Hannah's eyes sparkled. "If we win the Grand Prize, let's go out for a huge feast to celebrate!"
Marcus: "...You're just using this as an excuse to eat, aren't you?"
"..." This guy really didn't know how to have a conversation!
Just as Hannah was about to roll her eyes, the webpage finally loaded.
She quickly found the winners list page. "There are quite a few Grand Prize groups. Let me find where we are..."
She scanned it carefully twice but couldn't find any of their three names.
Even more surprising, Ashley Lowell's group was prominently listed among the Grand Prize winners!