38: Chapter 38 Dinner Party

After the presentation ended, everyone went to the pre-arranged hotel for a dinner party.

The clamor inside the private room carried a deliberately maintained warmth.

The light from the crystal chandelier fell softly onto the mahogany round table, reflecting off the glistening dishes and the faces of everyone trying their best to be lively.

Wang Zhe was waving his chopsticks, spittle flying as he recounted a joke about an experimental instrument from last year. His exaggerated body movements caused Li Wei, for once, not to roll her eyes; instead, the corners of her mouth turned slightly upward.

Professor Zhang sat at the head of the table. His usually stern features were somewhat relaxed now. Occasionally, he would chime in with a comment, but most of the time, he just watched this group of young people he had personally mentored. His gaze was complex, filled with gratification but also a sense of the approaching emptiness.

Chen Youhua sat to Professor Zhang's right, quietly eating a piece of steamed fish from his bowl.

Uncharacteristically, he participated in the conversation. Although he still didn't say much, he would accurately throw out a key retort during Wang Zhe's pauses for breath or provide a concise supplement to one of Li Wei's sharp technical questions, blending into the atmosphere in a surprisingly wonderful way.

Everyone in the lab understood the meaning behind this rare sociability.

This was the last supper; it was Chen Youhua's way of expressing his treasure for this mundane warmth.

"Youhua, try this Braised Pork Ball with Crab Meat. It just came out and is still hot."

Professor Zhang personally used the serving chopsticks to place one in his bowl, his actions carrying an indisputable concern.

"Thank you, Teacher."

Chen Youhua nodded and obediently picked up his spoon.

Just then, he put down his spoon and stood up.

"Excuse me for a moment."

The door of the private room closed gently behind him, cutting off the liveliness inside.

The corridor was covered with thick carpeting that absorbed all footsteps; only the faint sound of clinking dishes could be heard from the distance.

Chen Youhua went to the restroom and stepped out.

Just as he reached the corner, a man in a sharp black suit with meticulously combed hair approached him. A standard professional smile was on his face, but his eyes held a trace of imperceptible tension.

"Mr. Chen Youhua?"

The man bowed slightly, his voice kept very low to ensure only the two of them could hear.

"I apologize for interrupting your meal. I am the manager of this establishment, surnamed Lin."

Chen Youhua didn't stop walking, only glancing at him indifferently.

"Is something the matter?"

Manager Lin followed quickly, maintaining a distance of half a step, and increased his speaking speed.

"It's like this, Mr. Chen. A... very important guest greatly admires your talent. He asked me to convey a sincere invitation to you.

North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific... any top research institution you choose! Resources, funding, teams, top-tier laboratories... everything is not a problem! Even,"

He lowered his voice even further, his tone enticing.

"We can custom-build an independent kingdom for you. Authorship rights, patent royalties—proportions far beyond your imagination... This is a chance to change your destiny!"

Chen Youhua stopped beside a large potted plant.

The soft light of the corridor fell on his face, outlining a profile that was calm to the point of coldness.

He didn't respond immediately, just looked at this Manager Lin.

The other man's suit was a designer brand, but the style of his tie clip was slightly outdated.

His smile was standard, but deep in his eyes hid an anxiety to prove something, as well as... a nearly cult-like excitement briefly ignited by some grand narrative.

Manager Lin felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze, his professional smile nearly faltering.

He truly didn't understand.

He was just a restaurant manager, an ordinary returnee who had studied abroad to gain prestige but failed to truly distinguish himself.

When he was studying abroad, the world described by his professors and classmates as 'free,' 'advanced,' and 'respectful of talent' had once filled him with yearning.

After returning home, facing the rapidly changing infrastructure that made him feel out of place and the reality of the diminishing value of his status as a returnee, he had only secured this respectable job through his family's last bit of connections. Confusion and loss often gnawed at him.

Today, that mysterious figure had found him, promising not only a generous financial reward but also a ticket to the true elite world, making him feel as though he was participating in something great that would change the course of history.

He felt he was doing something right, something that represented an advanced direction.

Chen Youhua's gaze seemed to pierce through Manager Lin's carefully maintained exterior, seeing that confusion and that small, ignited, cheap sense of mission.

He suddenly spoke, his voice as flat as if he were discussing the weather outside.

"Manager Lin, do you know what you're saying?"

"Eh?"

Manager Lin was stunned, his prepared grand rhetoric stuck in his throat.

He thought the other party would be shocked, ecstatic, ask for details, or at least hesitate.

This His calm retort caught him off guard..

"I... of course I know! This is the highest recognition of your talent! It is..."

Chen Youhua shook his head slightly, interrupting him.

The movement of his head was small, yet it carried a sense of insight into everything, almost pitying.

It was as if he were looking at a puppet pushed onto a stage who couldn't even recite its lines properly.

"You don't know."

Chen Youhua's voice still had no inflection, but it was like a cold scalpel.

"You are just delivering a beautifully packaged bait. What is behind the bait? Blueprints of the lab? The core of an unpublished algorithm? Or do you simply want to uproot me, along with all my future possibilities, from this soil?"

Manager Lin's face instantly turned pale.

The coldness and precision in Chen Youhua's words punctured the bubble of self-indulgent fantasy in his heart.

Bait, blueprints, uprooting... these words were like icicles, instantly cooling his heated brain.

The other party didn't even have a ripple of emotion, merely stating the essence of his actions calmly.

A utilized megaphone transmitting a dangerous signal.

He opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but found that he might not even fully understand what the other party was truly saying.

Chen Youhua stopped looking at him and turned to walk straight back to the private room, leaving Manager Lin frozen in place, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on his back.

The excitement of participating in a major event from moments ago vanished without a trace, leaving only the embarrassment of being seen through and a strange palpitation.

Pushing open the door of the private room, a wave of warmth mixed with the aroma of food and familiar voices rushed toward him.

"Chen Youhua! You've been in the restroom long enough! Wang Zhe is about to claim the last piece of Braised Pork for himself!"

Li Wei, being sharp-eyed, immediately teased him, naturally turning the plate of meat on the lazy susan to face Chen Youhua.

"Li Wei, you're talking nonsense! I'm saving it for Chen Youhua!"

Wang Zhe defended himself urgently.

Professor Zhang didn't speak, but his sharp gaze lingered on Chen Youhua's face for a second, seemingly catching that trace of coldness between his brows that was even fainter than usual.

The old professor picked up his teacup and took a sip. His eyes darkened, but in the end, he didn't ask.

The layer of frost on Chen Youhua's face from the corridor quietly melted the moment he stepped into the private room.

He naturally sat back in his seat, picked up his chopsticks, accurately picked up the piece of Braised Pork Li Wei had turned toward him, and followed up on the previous joke in a flat tone.

"Wang Zhe, there's usually only a one-second gap between your 'claiming for yourself' and 'saving it.'"

"Hahahaha!"

Professor Zhang finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, and the others followed suit.

The private room was once again filled with a happy atmosphere, as if that calculating interlude outside the door had never happened.

Chen Youhua lowered his head and took a bite of the Braised Pork.

The sauce was rich, and the meat was fatty but not greasy.

He chewed it carefully, as if savoring every bit of the flavor of this ordinary food.

This mundane warmth, this brief clamor, this soon-to-pass normalcy... perhaps this was the only thing he wanted to take with him at this moment.

He needed not an independent kingdom, but the freedom to completely control the spark he created and his own future.