Chapter 479: So Late, and I'm a Decent Person

That squirrel was originally given to Ying Xuelian by Liu Hai.

He did it to divert attention, but he hadn't expected Ying Xuelian to hand the squirrel over to Chen Yang to help raise.

This was what Yu Dazhang found strange.

Since Ying Xuelian didn't want to raise the squirrel, she could have simply refused Liu Hai—there was no need to go in a circle and place the squirrel with Chen Yang.

Looking back now, her behavior was rather unfathomable.

Bold hypothesis, careful verification.

Suppose Ying Xuelian knew that squirrel's purpose was to transmit intelligence, then naturally she wouldn't dare keep it on herself.

Knowing the squirrel's purpose, she would certainly be clear that Liu Hai was a mole.

This meant Ying Xuelian had long seen through Liu Hai's true colors, yet never exposed him.

What was most puzzling was that Ying Xuelian actually chose to hand the squirrel over to Chen Yang.

No matter how you looked at it, this move seemed like she was deliberately covering for Liu Hai, helping him conceal his identity as a mole.

Thinking of this, Yu Dazhang stared at Chen Yang and asked:

"When Professor Ying asked you to help raise the squirrel, did she say where it came from?"

"No." Chen Yang shook his head:

"She only said to help raise it for a while, didn't say anything else."

That's right… Yu Dazhang felt this fit the logic.

Ying Xuelian was indeed secretly helping Liu Hai.

It may seem like coincidence, but when coincidences pile up, flaws are bound to show.

Just as Yu Dazhang was about to ask more, he suddenly noticed Ying Xuelian walking over from the experiment hall.

Coming up close, she said with some displeasure:

"What's with you two, your break has been too long, hurry back."

The two hurriedly agreed and rushed back.

Just as Yu Dazhang passed by Ying Xuelian, she spoke again:

"Hold on a moment, I have something to ask you."

Hearing her say that, Yu Dazhang stopped, somewhat surprised.

Chen Yang just glanced back, said nothing, and kept walking.

After he walked far away, Ying Xuelian turned her gaze to Yu Dazhang and asked:

"What happened to Liu Hai?"

No beating around the bush, no deliberate probing—she got straight to the point.

This caught Yu Dazhang somewhat off guard instead.

"Uh…"

He couldn't tell the truth, so his mind spun quickly, and he soon figured out how to respond:

"I'm not entirely sure either. Last night the three of us had a small get-together, had a few drinks, were chatting happily, when suddenly several people burst in from outside and took Liu Hai away without a word."

When Yu Dazhang said this, he put on a look of fright:

"It happened so suddenly, we didn't dare ask, could only watch helplessly as he was taken away."

"Chen Yang and I were just talking about this, we don't know what Liu Hai did either."

He didn't know why this Professor Ying wanted to question him alone.

But this was fine too—it meant the other party hadn't yet realized he was a policeman.

"The other side didn't identify themselves?"

Ying Xuelian looked at him suspiciously:

"They came in and just took the person away?"

Her gaze was very strange, as if sizing up Yu Dazhang, and as if probing something.

"They came in fierce and menacing, didn't even speak, and just pinned Liu Hai down on the spot."

This time Yu Dazhang didn't even blink, answering very smoothly:

"And they were wearing plainclothes, couldn't tell if they were police or military, but their movements were very deft—grabbing Liu Hai was like grabbing a chick."

He deliberately described it this way.

The more plain and easy to understand, the less likely to arouse suspicion.

"Go back."

No unusual expression crossed Ying Xuelian's face, she only instructed:

"Starting today, you'll also need to take on some of the work Liu Hai left behind. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me anytime."

Another two days passed.

Yu Dazhang was starting to fall for this place. How to put it—he suddenly found himself getting the hang of things.

He began to realize that some knowledge really does connect across the board.

Once you get into a field, those obscure and difficult bits of expertise actually became simple and easy in his eyes.

As he acquired more and more knowledge, he had already started actively seeking out new things to learn.

That evening, Yu Dazhang finished dinner, lay on the bed staring at the ceiling in a daze.

"Kind of don't want to leave," he muttered to himself.

Turns out learning really can be addictive.

He'd heard this saying before, but had always thought it was nonsense.

Now he understood—the main reason for hating school is not actually learning anything.

"The day I'm no longer a cop, I'll find these researchers and pull some strings, and someday I'll become a scientist too."

The more he thought about it, the better it seemed; as he muttered to himself, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly, and his eyes were full of longing.

Yu Dazhang was now very confident in himself.

Even if he really did join a research team, he was confident he could handle the work.

If it really didn't work out, he'd just learn on the spot.

After indulging himself for a while, he involuntarily began to analyze the current situation.

Since Liu Hai had been exposed, for some time to come the other mole wouldn't take any action.

After all, no one would be foolish enough to take risks at a time like this—unless that person was absolutely certain they wouldn't be discovered.

Besides, everyone already knew that the so-called personnel transfer was actually a trap.

Then Yu Dazhang ran through these researchers in his mind once more.

In his view, only those two academicians had no suspicion; everyone else had issues to some degree.

Among them, the one with the biggest suspicion was none other than Ying Xuelian.

He now shared the same thought as Chen Yang, increasingly feeling that this Professor Ying was no simple matter.

A woman who could navigate a top-tier research team as smoothly as a fish in water and even become a group leader—incredible.

The most interesting part was that she seemed to have a good relationship with everyone here, yet still kept a certain distance from them all.

One could say she had the measure just right.

Even Yu Dazhang, when he first arrived here, had received quite a bit of her care.

He'd seen plenty of women with high emotional intelligence before.

But someone like Ying Xuelian—able to please everyone on all sides and watertight in every detail—was truly the first he'd ever encountered.

They all say researchers have odd temperaments.

It was hard to imagine that this woman with no temper, no personality, and astonishingly good people skills was actually a professor-level researcher.

Just as his thoughts were drifting, a knock came at the door.

Hm? Yu Dazhang couldn't think who would come looking for him at this hour.

National Security was out of the question.

If they wanted him, they'd usually send someone to pick him up.

Besides, guards generally called out while knocking.

Chen Yang wouldn't either—ever since Liu Hai had been taken away, he was now afraid of getting too close to Yu Dazhang.

Do I have any acquaintances here? Yu Dazhang got up from the bed and called out first:

"Who is it?"

"It's me." A woman's voice came from outside.

Ying Xuelian?

What was she doing here so late?

I'm a decent person, after all... Yu Dazhang immediately got out of bed, went to the door, and opened it.

Seeing that only Ying Xuelian stood at the door, he quickly stepped aside and made an inviting gesture:

"Professor Ying, please, come in and sit down."

Ying Xuelian smiled and nodded, stepping into the room.

Yu Dazhang then closed the door; when he looked at her again, his gaze was caught by a small cage she was carrying in her hand.

Through the gaps in the cage, a fluffy little animal could be seen curled up, seeming to peer timidly at its surroundings.

(End of chapter)