Shen Zueran realized something was wrong with him.
He struggled, wanting to get the soothing agent he kept in the break room.
He couldn't go into heat in the Science Research Institute.
The deep blue soothing agent was taken out of the medicine box, its entire casing radiating a cold aura.
Shen Zueran was all too familiar with how to inject it. Ever since becoming an adult, he had relied on the soothing agent to forcefully suppress every heat.
Once the cold liquid was injected into his body, the surging, fiery tide of passion would quickly begin to recede.
But...
The moment he got his hands on the soothing agent...
Shen Zueran hesitated.
'Do I really have to inject the soothing agent?'
'Do I really have to do this?'
'So fragrant... so incredibly fragrant.'
It was as if his very soul was trembling for it.
Shen Zueran abruptly looked up at his reflection in the mirror. His damp black hair was plastered to his forehead, still dripping water that ran down the side of his face and onto his clothes.
The fabric of his shirt was completely soaked through at the chest, which heaved as he panted heavily. A wicked glint shone in his dark eyes—the complete opposite of his usual cold demeanor. It was the face of a man whose desires urgently craved satisfaction.
Shen Zueran raised a hand and wiped his face hard, clearing away the dripping water.
When he looked up again, he had transformed back into the cold, cultured, and courteous elite Dean of the Science Research Institute.
Shen Zueran turned and walked out the door.
On the washstand, the unused, deep blue soothing agent glinted coldly.
No one likes the cold. People are naturally drawn to warmth.
*
「Meanwhile, in the hallway.」
The confrontation between Yu Lan and Louisa had not subsided.
Louisa was acting high and mighty, looking down on her, and even subtly conveying that she was just waiting for Yu Lan to lose her temper and make a scene.
Yu Lan's lips curled into a smirk. She tightly gripped the identity tag Zhao Song had just given her.
It was the badge of a research assistant at the Science Research Institute—her pass to move freely within its walls.
The two faced off in silence for a long moment before Yu Lan spoke, her voice breaking the tension:
"On what grounds?"
"What?" Louisa frowned, her gaze sizing up Yu Lan.
The next second, Yu Lan looked up. She had beautiful eyes—long, curled lashes framing slightly rounded eyes. When she was happy, her smile was incredibly healing. But now, angered by an enemy, the corners of her eyes lifted, revealing a rare sharpness.
"I said, on what grounds."
Yu Lan enunciated each word, her eyes fixed on the identity tag hanging from Louisa's chest.
The corner of her mouth lifted into a mocking arc.
"You're nothing more than a research assistant at the Science Research Institute yourself."
"In terms of position, we're equals now. What right do you have to tell me to leave?"
"Princess Louisa."
Yu Lan bit out the last two words with a mocking glint in her eyes.
'If the original owner of this body hadn't disappeared, would Louisa have ever had the chance to be named a princess?'
'She's just the daughter of a Marquis.'
'When it came right down to it, in terms of status and bloodline, she was leagues ahead of Louisa.'
Louisa caught the subtle mockery in her tone, and the gentle facade she'd carefully constructed nearly shattered.
Just as she could mock Yu Lan for being a useless female, less favored than her, Yu Lan could likewise mock her bloodline.
Louisa clenched her jaw, but just as she was about to say more, a tall, cold figure slowly approached them.
Louisa's expression instantly became gentle and considerate. "Dean Shen, what brings you here?"
"Are you here to check on the research progress? Regarding the new soothing agent for male heat periods, our second lab—"
"What are you doing here?"
Louisa hadn't even finished her sentence before Shen Zueran cut her off.
Shen Zueran had followed the bewitching, faint fragrance all the way here. His nose twitched in the air, like a hungry dog lured by a meaty bone; no matter how far, he could find the fragrant female.
When Shen Zueran saw the slender, graceful figure with her back to him, it felt as if his head had been struck by a heavy hammer.
Now that he was close, the tall man stood directly in front of Yu Lan, his towering figure capable of completely enveloping the petite female. His dark eyes were half-lidded, sweeping inch by inch over the pretty girl's face—who clearly had no idea what was going on—as an unreadable emotion flickered within them.
After a long moment, he asked again:
"What are you doing here?"
'Does she like me that much?'
'Like me enough to infiltrate the Science Research Institute.'
Shen Zueran's thin lips were pressed into a tight line, his brow slightly furrowed. He should have been displeased, but deep down, a flicker of secret delight sparked within him.
'To think she would go to such lengths for me.'
"Huh?"
Suddenly questioned, Yu Lan was taken aback.
She held out her small hand, palm open, revealing an identity tag resting on her fair skin.
"I saw online that the Science Research Institute was hiring research assistants, so I submitted my resume and came for an interview."
"Zhao Song just told me I passed the interview, and that I've joined the big family here at the Science Research Institute."
Yu Lan's face was beaming with the happy satisfaction of having found a job, and her soft-looking lips curved into a sweet smile.
Anyone could tell she was delighted.
Seeing this, Louisa hurriedly chimed in:
"Dean, as you know, Lanlan has no idea how to conduct experiments."
"I think Zhao Song handled this poorly. If the lab is really short on female research assistants, I have friends who are females with A-level Healing Power. I can invite them to come try out for the Science Research Institute."
In the past, Louisa knew full well that the Science Research Institute was chronically short of female research assistants, but she never mentioned it, wanting to ensure she remained the one and only.
The one and only kind, intelligent, and dedicated female who could handle the arduous work at the Science Research Institute.
This was the image she projected to the world.
Once she was no longer unique, her public image wouldn't be so special anymore.
But things were different now. When it came to Yu Lan, she would rather find a few A-level females herself. At least they, from their Healing Power to their figures, looks, and family backgrounds, would only serve to make her look better. She wouldn't have to worry about them stealing the spotlight.
But Yu Lan... Louisa's gaze swept over Yu Lan's pretty, soft face, a flash of jealousy in her eyes.
"Mm."
Shen Zueran nodded, seeming to agree with Louisa's suggestion.
He reached out and took the research assistant's identity tag from Yu Lan's hand.
His voice was utterly cold:
"The research assistant position isn't suitable for you."
"Zhao Song made a mistake. I'll have him apologize to you."
In fact,
it wasn't that Shen Zueran actually believed Louisa's words and thought Yu Lan was lazy and useless, just here at the Science Research Institute to collect a stipend.
He simply felt that the labs were full of males. Yu Lan was soft, like a beautiful little cake, and though she had no Healing Power, she was exceptionally pretty.
'Who knows how those vile elite males might bully her?'
The very thought of Yu Lan standing in a crowd of males was something Shen Zueran found he absolutely could not accept.
So, for the sake of her liking him so much, he decisively made the decision for her.
The soft smile on Yu Lan's pretty face vanished instantly. Her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched into tight fists. She stared straight at Shen Zueran, who was a head taller than her—at this cold, heartless bastard.
"On what grounds?"