Hank locked eyes with J, feeling a sudden tightness in his chest, a suffocating pressure building up. He opened his mouth, slightly bewildered, "Mr. Monks, you..."


    By then, J had regained his usualposure, as if the intense nce exchanged moments before was merely an illusion. Resting a hand on his knee, he casually asked again, "That girl we were discussing, she''s still a university student?"


    Hank nced at J, puzzled by his renewed interest in Mirabe, but nodded in response, "Yes, so, being young, she might be a bit too proud. Please, don''t take it to heart."


    J squinted slightly, asking, "The major database for the Artificial Life System, was it her work?"


    Hank hesitated before nodding again.


    "So, if the database was her project, what does it have to do with your Tech Institute?" J''s voice was soft, yet probing as he looked at Hank.


    Caught off guard, Hank didn''t immediately respond. Calvin, noticing Hank''s hesitation, quickly exined, "Because Prestige College has a partnership with the Tech Institute, and this Artificial Life System was specifically developed for the institute."


    "Oh?" J''s gaze shifted to Calvin, noticing his earlier defensiveness, a slight smile ying at his lips, "And who might you be?"


    Calvin stiffened, and after a moment, replied quietly, "I''m the head of the Biology Department at Prestige College."


    Prestige College, huh?


    Having pieced together some clues, J fell silent, then stood up and headed for the door without a backward nce, the epitome of aloofness.


    Seeing J leave, Hank, unable to fathom the sudden turn of events, hurried after him, "Wait, Mr. Monks, there might have been some misunderstanding today..."


    Just as J reached the door and heard the word "misunderstanding," he paused slightly turning his head his tone indifferent, "I also believe it was a misunderstanding, Mr. Wei. Let''s pretend we never crossed paths today."


    His profile was almost chillingly expressionless.


    Hank was taken aback.


    Those words... did they mean no further cooperation?


    J had already stepped outside, and his assistant efficiently packed up theptop and documents, following suit.


    As the assistant passed by Hank, Hank couldn''t help but reach out, "Mr. Joseph, Mr. Monks might have misunderstood us. Could you please exin our side to him?"


    Joseph nced at Hank, perhaps out of past acquaintance, and offered a few more words, "Forget about the partnership, Hank. If Mr. Monks says it was a


    misunderstanding, then there''s no chance of revisiting it."


    "But we were getting along so well before. If it''s about that student, I can have her apologize to Mr. Monks," Hank quickly added.


    Considering his boss''s earlier reaction, Joseph simply said, "Perhaps, but a partnership is highly unlikely now."


    With that, he didn''t wait for Hank''s response and walked out of the meeting room.


    Hank stared towards the door, his expression dark,pletely blindsided by how a promising meeting had soured.


    Rubbing his throbbing temples, Hank turned to Calvin, his voice frighteningly cold, "Mr. Calvin, so this is the kind of student your college produces, truly adept at creating problems for me."


    Calvin, drenched in cold sweat, didn''t dare meet Hank''s gaze, "I''m sorry, Hank. I didn''t expect things to turn out this way. I''ll speak to her sternly and ensure she apologizes to Mr. Monks."