Mirabe felt another pair of eyes on her from inside the car. She nced up and could barely make out a shadowy figure in the passenger seat, their features indistinguishable.


    Whoever it was, they were definitely the source of the gaze.


    Quickly, she shifted her eyes away and gave a polite shake of her head. "No worries, Wade. You go ahead."


    Wade nodded, not pushing it. He waved at Mirabe before the windows rolled up, blocking their view of each other, and the car slowly pulled away.


    Before long, Mirabe''s silhouette disappeared from the rearview mirror.


    "Was that one of your students?" The man in the passenger seat asked, absentmindedly fiddling with a ck ring on his finger.


    Wade, gripping the steering wheel, nodded. "Yeah, she''s a great kid. Top of this year''s finals."


    The man looked genuinely impressed. "That''s something."


    "Yep," Wade smiled, ncing at him. "She''s a real gem."


    He considered mentioning that she might join the synthetic life research team but thought better of it since nothing was confirmed and decided to keep it to himself.


    Ben''s eyes drifted to the scenery outside, his expression shifting with the passing light and shadows.


    Definitely a gem-surrounded by hidden talents and formidable minds.


    **


    That evening, after dinner, Mirabe was still deep in conversation with Adler on her phone, taking her time before heading home. Papers scattered across the coffee table were filled with data and equations.


    James walked out from the kitchen and saw Mirabe sitting on the carpet, sprawled over the coffee table like an octopus, head down, still writing.


    Her phone was propped up against a vase in the middle of the table, the front camera aimed at her, asionally showing the face of a mature man and his voice during their video call.


    James gave the phone a cursory nce before heading back to the kitchen. A momentter, he returned with a te of sliced apples and casually sat down on the sofa behind Mirabe.


    Now, the video call showed not just Mirabe''s bowed head but also a man''s figure in the background. Due to the phone''s angle, James''s face wasn''t visible on the screen.


    Even without showing his face, his rxed posture behind Mirabe exuded a subtle assertiveness that came through the screen.


    Adler, ready to continue their discussion, looked up and saw the scene, "...". He was speechless.


    James, not paying attention to the video, picked up an apple slice and casually offered it to Mirabe''s mouth.


    Still focused on her equations, Mirabe instinctively bit into the apple, her concentration unbroken, oblivious to everything else.


    One feeding, one eating-the scene was full of warmth.


    Pink hearts might as well have been floating around them.


    Adler''s face flushed. He quickly grabbed the phone and mmed it down on the


    table, covering the camera. Once done, he let out a heavy sigh.


    Could they not consider his single status for a moment?


    Being outmatched intellectually was one thing, but having to endure their disy of affection was too much.


    Adler stared at the critical data on hisputer screen, feeling utterly lost. How was he supposed to continue now??!