The researcher saw his confused look and slapped his thigh. "You newbies, seriously! All you do is run around all day! Just wait, when Dr. Aisa comes, you're gonna be in trouble!"

"Come with me, quickly!"

The researcher walked ahead. Ruan Xing hesitated, then, almost against his own will, turned away from the stairs leading upward and followed behind the researcher.

Was he really a newcomer here?

A voice in his head told Ruan Xing, You have always dreamed of joining the Research Institute. You've graduated with a doctorate and just joined the Tower, and today is your first day reporting for work.

Your childhood dream has come true. Aren't you happy?

Yes, he should be happy.

The shadow over Ruan Xing's heart faded quite a bit. The unreal feeling also began to weaken, and he gradually felt more grounded.

"In the future, just take the elevator. Don't take the stairs. It's too slow."

Ruan Xing followed him downstairs to a room where many people in white coats were busy. No one paid attention to the arrival of a newcomer.

"I'll familiarize you with your workstation later, then go over the rules. The Tower isn't like other organizations. Even though we were only recently established, our rules and regulations are still very complete and strict!"

The man in the white coat led Ruan Xing around.

Everyone looked rushed, holding documents and talking on their phones. Ruan Xing didn't know why, but this scene felt strangely unfamiliar to him.

Passing by a mirror, he saw himself. Blond hair, blue eyes, and a handsome, upright face.

It was him, but somehow it didn't quite feel like him.

"Old Wang, who's this?" A woman in a white coat blocked the mirror. She wore black-rimmed glasses and looked at Ruan Xing with curiosity.

"This is the newcomer in our department. Su Xiaona, I'm warning you, don't get any funny ideas!"

The researcher leaned close to Ruan Xing and whispered, "Stay away from her. This woman also writes for a certain… colorful website. Be careful, she might use you as material. I got careless once and—"

At this point, the researcher couldn't help but pound his chest in regret.

Ruan Xing looked at Su Xiaona. She scratched her cheek with a finger. "You said it yourself, I could use you. The name was just a pseudonym. I even gave you the identity of a rich second-generation heir!"

Unable to win the argument, the man led Ruan Xing away from her.

"This is your workstation. Settle yourself."

He brought Ruan Xing to an empty desk and left.

Ruan Xing stared at the blank desk, unsure of what to do at the moment.

Laughter came from the next workstation. A man with gray hair tied in a small ponytail at the back of his head was staring at his computer with shining eyes. On the screen was a beautiful woman.

There were even entertainment activities here. It seemed the work was not very demanding here.

Perhaps with enough time, he could investigate…

Ruan Xing froze at his own thought. Investigate what?

Noticing his gaze, the man leaned over. "Newbie?"

Ruan Xing nodded and saw the badge on his chest: Pei Ye — Senior Researcher.

"Want me to recommend something? My goddess, Su SuZun, is gorgeous!"

Pei Ye chuckled and pointed at the screen. "Beautiful, right?"

Ruan Xing nodded. "Beautiful."

Pei Ye seemed pleased with his answer. At lunchtime, he even dragged him along to eat together.

"Brother." Someone who looked very much like Pei Ye appeared. Ruan Xing looked up, feeling like he had seen this person somewhere before.

"Come, Ruan Xing, let me introduce you. This is my younger brother, Pei Yi! He's already a special researcher and Dr. Aisa's right-hand man!"

Ruan Xing heard Aisa's name again.

"Hello." Pei Yi greeted him coldly, then sat next to his brother, eating in silence.

Ruan Xing felt Pei Yi had some kind of hostility toward him, but he didn't know why.

Back at his desk, Ruan Xing received his first assignment.

"Enter this data into the system." The researcher who had brought him here tossed a stack of files to him.

Ruan Xing was unfamiliar with the keyboard, so he slowly typed with two fingers. The nearby Pei Yi remarked, "I seriously doubt you've ever used a computer."

Ruan Xing opened his mouth but realized he had no memory of using a computer. A dazed look crossed his face.

A voice told him, It's only because you're too excited and forgot some unimportant things for the moment.

Ruan Xing started typing again.

As he typed, he found that he could actually understand the data. He could even spot errors in it.

Thinking for a moment, he added his own interpretations and correct reasoning to the original data, without altering the intended meaning, thereby further improving it.

This made him believe even more in his "doctorate" title. How could an ordinary person think so critically?

Before getting out of work, Pei Ye stretched and invited him, "Tomorrow afternoon, there's a concert by Su Su. Do you want to go watch?"

Ruan Xing didn't even look up. "No, too smelly."

Pei Ye blinked. “What?”

Ruan Xing was also stunned. Smelly? Who was smelly?

Su Su?

Why would he say such a rude thing about someone he had never met?

The voice came again, telling him it was just work stress and not to push himself too hard.

He quickly explained, "I have a lot of tasks. I'm still not familiar with the new job, so I'll skip it this time."

Pei Ye didn't press him and left after taking off his white coat.

Ruan Xing worked until nightfall before finishing, then received a message from his family urging him to come home.

It felt strange to him. Why, in his memory, did his parents feel almost nonexistent?

He packed up and walked home. The moon was bright, and the surroundings were quiet, except for the sound of crickets.

This world was peaceful, and he had a good job.

The Tower might not be the top research institute, but working there was something any parents would be proud of.

Everything was perfect.

When Ruan Xing came through the door, he was greeted by a middle-aged couple.

"Why are you back so late?" his mother asked.

He hung his coat by the door. "It's my first day. I'm not familiar with the work."

"Don't overwork yourself at a new job," the man said, putting down his newspaper. "Your mother saved you some dinner. Eat quickly."

The woman went into the kitchen and brought out rice, spare ribs, and vegetables.

"Your sister is on holiday today. Take her out to play if you have time."

While he was eating, a small figure came out of a room, shyly saying, "Brother."

She had long silver hair. A cute cartoon ant hair clip holding her bangs while the rest of her wavy hair cascades over her shoulders. She held a strange rabbit in her arms.

The rabbit had mammoth-like tusks, red eyes, and protruding teeth that split its mouth into three parts, giving it a far from friendly appearance.

"Have you eaten?" Ruan Xing set down his chopsticks and waved her over.

The girl climbed onto a chair, smiling slightly at him, showing two dimples.

"I already ate. If you had come home earlier, we could have eaten together today!"

Her father set aside his newspaper and came over. "This little girl has been waiting for you for a long time. You could've at least called home."

"Sorry, work was busy," Ruan Xing said.

The silver-haired girl shook her head. "It's fine, brother. I'm just happy to have a holiday today!"

He asked her how school was.

She happily replied, "I made lots of new friends, and I met a new teacher. Her name is Li Yue. Her voice is so nice, and she is really pretty!"

Ruan Xing patted her head and looked at her school drawings. Apart from not understanding why she liked ants so much, her work was excellent. He praised her, earning a sweet smile in return.

That night, lying in bed, the voice said again.

Life is truly wonderful. A promising career, a cute sister, and a healthy family. If things could stay like this forever, it would be perfect.

Maybe this is what you truly want. Don't dig too deep into things. Just live like this, plain and peaceful.

In the middle of the night, as he slept, a golden light appeared at his brow.

It spread like a snake, shrinking back when it touched the pendant on his chest, then trying to wrap around his head entirely.

But just as the light flared brightly, Ruan Xing stirred. The light seemed startled and instantly retreated back into his brow, no longer daring to move.

The next morning, he was awakened by a loud voice on the phone.

"Hey! Xing Xing! Look downstairs!"

Ruan Xing stuck his head out the window.

Downstairs, a pink-haired young man was holding a huge bouquet of roses, waving at him. When he saw Ruan Xing, he tilted his head, held his phone between his ear and shoulder, and blew him a kiss.

This was Ruan Xing's boyfriend, Bai Xu.

Ruan Xing didn't understand how he had ended up with such a boyfriend. But when asked about his ideal type, he could only vaguely think of a figure, unable to describe it clearly.

Bai Xu was a wealthy second-generation. His family was wealthy, and he drove a Mercedes to take Ruan Xing to and from work.

"You don't need to drive me. It's too flashy," Ruan Xing said, rubbing his forehead.

Bai Xu refused. "No way. I have money, and I want people to know!"

Sometimes, Ruan Xing wondered if he had been possessed by something when he agreed to Bai Xu's confession.

This guy's personality was just so strange.

"We're here." Bai Xu opened the car door for him.

As expected, many people looked at their way on the street.

Seeing Ruan Xing's face, their whispers grew louder.

Bai Xu was unfazed, even puffing out his chest proudly, as if saying, Come look at how rich I am. Envy me.

Ruan Xing's face darkened. "You're not allowed to pick me up after work."

Bai Xu instantly wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, eyes watery. "Why not…"

"I don't like being too high-profile," Ruan Xing said coldly.

“Yo! Ruan Xing!” Pei Ye glanced at Bai Xu and greeted Ruan Xing. "Your boyfriend seems a bit dumb."

The last part was muttered under his breath.

Ruan Xing frowned. Even if he didn't like Bai Xu's flamboyance, he didn't appreciate others speaking about him that way.

"Let's go." His voice was cold.

Pei Ye touched his nose and followed him inside.

Around ten o'clock, there was a stir at the entrance.

"Dr. Aisa? Why is he coming down here?"

"My god, it's really him!"

Ruan Xing looked up at the black-haired youth walking toward him.

No... perhaps "boy" was more fitting.

Black hair, black eyes, and a proud expression. It made Ruan Xing pause for a moment.

This was the Tower's top researcher, the 18-year-old genius doctor.

"You are Ruan Xing?" Aisa looked down at him bluntly.

People around them whispered.

Ruan Xing felt no fear. In fact, he found the posture amusing, like a little bird puffing its chest out.

"Yes," he replied.

"I read your report. Very well done. Interested in being my assistant?"

Becoming Dr. Aisa's assistant on his second day, this was practically a meteoric rise.

The crowd buzzed. Aisa glanced at them before looking back. "Well? The pay is generous."

Ruan Xing looked into his eyes and saw a trace of nervousness.

After all, he was just a newly grown child.

Ruan Xing was briefly startled. He had just graduated himself, so why did he feel like he was much older?

Pushing aside the odd thought, he agreed.

"Good. Pack up and come in the afternoon." Aisa left quickly. His project was busy, and he had only come down in passing.

Some people were envious, but Ruan Xing didn't care. He packed his things and headed to the top floor.

This time, he took the elevator.

For some reason, whenever he took the stairs, he felt a strange disorientation. As if from the first day he joined, his life had veered onto another path.

In the elevator, as he looked at his blond hair, he suddenly felt an aversion.

Why was this color so unpleasant? If only it were black.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened.

A baby-faced young man greeted him. "Hello, I am Chen Yihang. Dr. Aisa sent me to pick you up."

That feeling again. Familiarity. Even though it was their first meeting.

His mind told him Chen Yihang was a stranger, but he still felt like he knew him.

The cognitive dissonance made him irritable.

Maybe it was just the stress lately, his mind told him.

"Dr. Aisa's research is important. You can look over this material first." Chen Yihang handed him a file.

"This is the experiment data. Go through it first. You'll join the lab this afternoon."

Ruan Xing glanced at it and realized he couldn't understand a thing.

He understood the logic, but when it came to extracting and analyzing the numbers, he was at a loss.

That shouldn't be possible.

He had studied biological research. This should be basic knowledge. Why couldn't he understand it?

It felt like...

He was only wearing this identity like a costume. Inside, he was still himself, without any exceptional skill.

The thought startled him, and he quickly cleared his mind and kept reading.

Before long, he was called to the lab.

"Our research is centered on a corpse found some time ago," Chen Yihang explained as he led him in.

"He has lost all signs of life, yet his cells are still alive."

"Did he just die recently?"

"No. In fact, from the time we found him until now, twenty years have passed."

The sterile lab doors slid open with a hiss. Everyone inside wore full protective suits to keep bacteria from affecting the experiment.

"For twenty years, we have replaced countless researchers, yet no results were found."

Ruan Xing walked up to a glass wall.

Behind it, submerged in liquid, a human body floated, gently rising and falling.

It was a well-built man, around twenty-three to twenty-eight years old. He had black hair, eyes closed, and tubes inserted into his body. His hair was drifting in the fluid, like a sleeping beauty.

The moment he saw the man's face, Ruan Xing was frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.

The surroundings began to waver noticeably, like a glitching and freezing game screen.