Chapter 107

What did that mean?

The familiar tone suggested they were already inseparable.

They might even be living under the same roof...

Zoe Langley watched the car disappear into the distance, then slowly turned back and pinched Simon Lowell hard. "Simon, am I seeing things?"

Simon sucked in a sharp breath. "...Zoe, next time, could you pinch yourself?"

Why was he always the one suffering!

Zoe said matter-of-factly, "You're young. You recover quickly. What's a little pinch?"

Simon: "..." Thank you so much.

Professor Quincy Evans chuckled, hands behind his back, and ambled slowly toward home.

Lillian Lopez's face was so dark it looked like it could drip water. She didn't wait for Simon, just yanked the car door open and left.

Simon lowered his eyes, hiding the flicker of disappointment in them.

It was fine. He was used to it.

He told himself that sincerity could move even metal and stone. One day...

She would understand his feelings.

...

Alexander Laurent and Sophia Sullivan were completely unaware of all this.

The car entered the residential complex, and they walked upstairs one after the other.

The motion-sensor lights flickered on and off with their footsteps. Sophia watched the man's tall, straight back. The light stretched their shadows, making them overlap and merge. For a fleeting moment, it felt like they had known each other for a long time.

"Thank you for today."

Her voice was soft, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet stairwell.

Alexander seemed to be in a good mood today. She couldn't see his expression, but she could hear the relaxation in his tone. "For driving you home? Or for dinner?"

Sophia: "Both. Thank you for dinner, thank you for the ride, and thank you most of all for lending me your lab."

And for that sentence at the dinner table: "Sophia Sullivan is Professor Eleanor Watson's student."

On the seventh floor, Alexander stopped.

He turned to watch her, slightly out of breath, climb the last step and walk over to stand beside him.

"I know what you want to say. A pearl covered in dust is still a pearl. Once the dust is brushed away, its shine will return."

Sophia's heart trembled slightly. She looked up and met his gaze directly.

Alexander said, word by word, "The future is unpredictable, but the present can be grasped. It might be a little late, but I still want to say: welcome to my lab."

A smile touched the man's eyes as he held out his hand.

Sophia's eyes curved. She gently returned the handshake. "Thank you. I don't think it's late at all."

It was perfect.

...

After agreeing to go together the next day, they each went home.

Sophia took a shower, reviewed some materials, and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, she made two sandwiches. Her own had extra cream, while Alexander's had less cream and more vegetables.

She still had some beans, so she made two cups of unsweetened soy milk. Paired with the sandwiches, it was a nutritious and healthy breakfast.

At exactly seven o'clock, Alexander knocked on the door.

After breakfast, they went to the lab together.

It was still early when they arrived. Sophia and Alexander changed into their lab coats and went to their respective workstations to start their busy day.

By eight o'clock, the others had arrived one after another.

Zoe put down her bag, changed her clothes, and went over to Sophia's side for a look. "You're already halfway through the experiment? That's efficient. What time did you get here?"

Sophia's hands never stopped moving. Her eyes were fixed intently on the test tube as she recorded data.