The CEO is domineering, the devil Boss is addicted to pampering

Chapter 1244 Yun Rui's sincerity: the nitpicking Zhou Zhengming

The incandescent lamp in the laboratory suddenly flickered twice, casting a flickering light and shadow on the operating table.

Wang Lei paused as he held the pipette, watching his new supervisor Zhou Zhengming write a large, glaring comment in red on the experimental record: "The data error exceeds 0.01%, redo it."

This was the third time today that the experimental results had been overturned. His back teeth were sore from biting them, but he just whispered "OK".

The sycamore leaves outside the window swirled and fell on the vent, making a rustling sound.

In the past, Gu Yunxi would always say with a smile at such moments: "Data fluctuations are the medal of exploration." But now, when the sound of Zhou Zhengming's leather shoes rang out in the corridor, everyone would subconsciously straighten their backs - this new professor even required the tilt angle of the lab bench label to be accurate to five degrees.

"Lin Xu, come here and check the spectral data." Zhou Zhengming's voice came from behind.

Lin Xu, who was sorting out reagents, froze all over, and the glass bottle made a crisp sound when it hit the metal table.

When he got closer to the computer, he caught a glimpse of Wang Lei and his senior sister Li Wen looking at each other. Their quickly averted gazes were like two thin thorns, making his eyes hot.

I can still vividly remember the scene of team members sitting around in the conference room when the project was halted.

The action of Gu Yunxi taking off his glasses and rubbing his brows, the sudden darkness when the projector went out, and Li Wen's whispered promise, "Let's wait for Professor Gu to come back."

And now, the new process manual brought by Zhou Zhengming was spread out on the table, and every bold word was declaring: This is no longer Gu Yunxi's laboratory.

"Your operation method is too casual." Zhou Zhengming pointed at Lin Xu's experimental steps with a laser pen, and the red light flickered on the back of his trembling hand. "If you can't even do the basic specifications, how can you participate in core research?"

These words plunged the entire laboratory into silence, with only the dull hum of the ventilation system making the sound.

Lin Xu stared at his shadow cast on the operating table and found that it was shaking slightly with his intense heartbeat.

Lin Xu was the only one left in the laboratory late at night. He repeatedly checked the experimental data that had been rejected during the day, and suddenly found that the "absolute precision" required by Zhou Zhengming would lead to a sharp drop in catalyst activity in actual application.

This discovery made his breathing pause. His finger hovered over the send button for a long time, and in the end he just saved the file into an encrypted folder.

He remembered what Gu Yunxi said, "Scientific research requires sharp questioning," but now, even the courage to raise questions was crushed by invisible pressure.

In the days that followed, the depressing atmosphere grew stronger. After working all night to redo the experiment, Wang Lei smashed his coffee cup onto the operating table, and the brown liquid splashed onto the newly posted operating instructions;

Li Wen revised the experimental report seventeen times, but it still failed to pass Zhou Zhengming's review. When she walked out of the office biting her lip, Lin Xu heard her suppressed gasp.

At such moments, team members would subconsciously avoid Lin Xu's gaze.

They politely shared reagents and nodded and greeted each other when they met in the cafeteria, but Lin Xu clearly felt that the nights of heated academic discussions and the high fives of mutual encouragement had disappeared with Gu Yunxi's departure.

This silent cold violence suffocated him more than any accusation.

At the morning meeting on the seventh day, Zhou Zhengming slapped a list of reorganizations on the table: "From today on, Lin Xu will be responsible for auxiliary work."

The air conditioner in the conference room made a slight hum. Lin Xu stared at the words "Supply Management" behind his name, and suddenly remembered the title of "Core Researcher" that Gu Yunxi had written when he brought him into the team.

Wang Lei stood up suddenly, and the chair made a harsh sound on the ground, but after meeting Zhou Zhengming's cold gaze, he sat down slowly again.

"I will try my best." Lin Xu's voice was so hoarse that even he himself was unfamiliar with it.

After the meeting, he stayed alone in the conference room, watching the sunlight filter in through the gaps in the blinds, cutting out alternating stripes of light and dark on the reorganized list.

The suppressed emotions suddenly burst out, he grabbed the list and tore it into pieces, the pieces of paper fell like snowflakes on the seat where Gu Yunxi had sat.

The autumn wind outside the window rolled up the fallen leaves, which hit the glass with a dull sound. Lin Xu knew that this silent storm would eventually swallow him up completely.

Perhaps, only when he takes the initiative to leave, will this broken team have the possibility of healing again.

The dusk cast a layer of gray-blue on the glass windows of the laboratory. Lin Xu was standing on tiptoe to sort the consumables on the top shelf when he suddenly heard the sound of leather shoes hitting the ground behind him.

Zhou Zhengming stood in the shadows with his hands in his pockets, his tie clip glowing coldly in the dim light: "Lin Xu, come to my office."

The small office was filled with a strong smell of tobacco. Zhou Zhengming pushed the thermos across the table, and the wolfberries floated up and down in the hot water.

"I heard that you discovered a new catalytic pathway?" He tapped his fingertips on the table, the rhythm coincident with Lin Xu's intense heartbeat, "It's a good thing for young people to dare to think. Back then, Gu Yunxi..." He paused suddenly, and smiled meaningfully, "When she first came, she was as sharp as you."

Lin Xu stared at the steam rising from the cup and his throat tightened.

Of course he had heard about it. This project was the result of Zhou Zhengming's years of hard work, but it was shelved due to Gu Yunxi's joining.

At this moment, the other person's seemingly kind gaze was like a slide under a microscope, magnifying and examining every subtle expression of his.

"There will be a provincial academic seminar next month." Zhou Zhengming twirled his pen, the tip of which left a winding mark on the paper. "I plan to have you make a presentation on behalf of the team."

This sentence made Lin Xu look up suddenly, but he saw the gleaming light behind the other person's glasses, "After all, you are Professor Gu's most promising student."

The sound of the wind outside the window suddenly became sharp, making the blinds creak. Lin Xu thought of Wang Lei's red eyes, Li Wen's rejected lab report, and the team members' deliberately evasive looks.

Now Zhou Zhengming asked him to stand under the spotlight with just a few words - was this an opportunity, or a deeper trap?

"I... I'm afraid I can't do this." He clenched his hands on his knees until his knuckles turned white.

"Young man, don't underestimate yourself." Zhou Zhengming stood up and patted his shoulder with such force that he leaned forward slightly. "If you can't even handle this little pressure, how can you inherit Professor Gu's legacy?"

This sentence was like a thorn piercing his heart. Lin Xu suddenly realized that this was not encouragement at all, but a way to put him on the spot - if he succeeded, it would be because Zhou Zhengming had made good use of people; if he failed, he would become the sinner who delayed the project.

When leaving the office, the sensor lights in the corridor flickered. Lin Xu touched the crumpled reorganization list in his pocket and remembered that Wang Lei deliberately moved his hands away when moving the experimental equipment today.

He finally understood Zhou Zhengming's plan: using the outside world's attention to force him to withdraw voluntarily would not only clear up the "trouble" but also shock the entire team.

The late autumn night wind blew up the fallen leaves and hit them against the window. Lin Xu stood at the door of the laboratory, looking at the reagent bottles neatly arranged on the operating table.

The instruments that once made his blood boil now glowed coldly under the moonlight. He knew that this silent war had just begun, and he had already been forced into a corner with no place to retreat.