12
Already Moved On
Within a few days, Director Chen announced the list for the research team.
There were six people in total.
Apart from Qin Ruoshi, everyone else was an outstanding graduate from the Artificial Intelligence program at Jing University, all with excellent GPAs.
Among them, Lin Yuxi and Li Junze had graduated with the highest GPAs in their class.
The group created a chat.
Li Junze took the lead in suggesting that they all have dinner together at the restaurant across the street after work to get to know each other better and discuss the starting point of their research.
In Lin Yuxi’s eyes, this was no different from unpaid overtime.
But she had chosen this path herself.
Lin Yuxi exited the group chat, found Haohao’s profile picture, and typed: “Sweetie, Mommy has a department dinner tonight. Can you manage dinner on your own after school?”
To make communication easier, Lin Yuxi had bought Haohao a smartwatch.
It was lunch break now, so she figured it wouldn’t disturb him.
A reply came quickly—a cartoon “OK” sticker.
Lin Yuxi smiled faintly.
It was only online that Haohao showed the innocence of a six-year-old.
Noticing Lin Yuxi’s smile, Qin Ruoshi curiously leaned over and quickly glanced at her phone screen.
What she saw left her stunned.
The contact name was clearly labeled “Sweetie.”
It seemed her guess last time was right—Lin Yuxi really had someone else in her life.
Qin Ruoshi felt an indescribable unease.
She had always thought it was Lin Yuxi who couldn’t let go of Fu Tingchuan, but it turned out Lin Yuxi had already moved on and was being affectionate with another man.
So, who had actually initiated the divorce?
Did Fu Tingchuan know about this?
Qin Ruoshi withdrew her gaze, her heart feeling as heavy as lead.
Until she confirmed the man’s identity, she couldn’t say anything rashly.
…
For the entire afternoon, Lin Yuxi focused intently on her studies.
She read through the latest research literature in the field of algorithms in the shortest time possible. It gave her some inspiration, but not much.
Many advanced algorithms had extremely high demands on chips, and the best chips currently available on the market were all imported, expensive, and not necessarily affordable for Yuntu.
Thus, how to achieve the highest efficiency at the lowest cost was the biggest challenge their research team faced.
Lin Yuxi sighed softly. If only she had two brains.
One for researching algorithms, and the other for researching chips.
“Yuxi, shall we go together?”
Qin Ruoshi suddenly interrupted her train of thought.
Lin Yuxi looked up and noticed that almost everyone in the department had already left.
“Miss Qin, I don’t think we’re that close.”
Qin Ruoshi, recalling the intimate contact name, smiled without taking offense. “We’re the only two women in the department. Besides you, I don’t know who else to turn to.”
Did she really have to turn to someone?
Couldn’t she survive on her own?
Lin Yuxi packed her bag and left without looking back. “My surname is Lin, yours is Qin. We’re not related in the slightest.”
Qin Ruoshi froze for a few seconds before grabbing her bag and hurrying after her.
…
The matter of their different surnames was something they had Lin Yuxi’s mother to thank for.
The Lin family only had two daughters, so before getting married, Lin Yuxi’s mother had decided that her first child would take her surname.
Her father had known about this before the marriage and had agreed.
Unexpectedly, after her mother became pregnant, her father suddenly changed his mind, insisting that the child in her womb must take his surname, Qin.
Naturally, her mother disagreed.
During her pregnancy, the couple had countless arguments, some even turning physical.
This situation continued until Lin Yuxi was born.
Upon learning the baby was a girl, her father became less concerned than before, not even bothering to give her a name.
Thus, in Lin Yuxi’s heart, home was wherever her mother was.
After moving in with her maternal grandparents, Lin Yuxi only heard that her father smoked and drank heavily every day, and later developed a gambling addiction, even mortgaging their house.
After that, there was no news of him.
It was as if he had died.
So, the only family she had left in this world was Haohao.
“Lin Yuxi, what do you think?”
Director Chen’s booming voice snapped Lin Yuxi back to reality. She looked around at her colleagues, feeling a bit dazed.
“About what?”
Director Chen, who valued this project highly, had joined the team dinner, hoping that as an industry veteran, he could help the team progress more smoothly.
But he never expected Lin Yuxi to daydream openly at the dinner table!
Seizing the opportunity, Director Chen decided to assert his authority, saying sternly, “If you space out again, don’t blame me for being ruthless and removing you from the research team!”
The threat was clearly effective.
Having worked hard to join the team, being removed would mean dealing with Director Chen all over again—just thinking about it was exhausting.
So, for the rest of the evening, Lin Yuxi listened intently, not missing a single word from the moment the dishes were served until they were cleared away.
Chen Junze, a talented graduate from the artificial intelligence program at Jing University, was indeed impressive. He confidently referenced a top-tier journal in the field of algorithms while speaking to the group.
After sharing his thoughts, Chen Junze extended an olive branch, “Ruoshi, what do you think?”
Under his intense gaze, Qin Ruoshi couldn’t hide her embarrassment.
Truthfully, she hadn’t understood much of what he said. Knowledge outside her field wasn’t something she could catch up on in just a few days.
“I think it’s a good idea. We could try following your direction.”
Chen Junze felt a surge of joy inside.
He was almost thirty, and his family was pressuring him to get married.
But the tech industry had few women, making dating difficult. The other female colleague, Lin Yuxi, was an unwed mother.
As a local of Jing City, he felt he deserved someone who matched his status, and Qin Ruoshi seemed like a good fit.
She dressed elegantly, and her jewelry looked expensive.
Most importantly, he thought he’d seen a hint of shyness on Qin Ruoshi’s face earlier—surely, she must be interested in him too.
After that, everyone took turns sharing their opinions, but Lin Yuxi was deliberately skipped over.
In fact, Lin Yuxi had also read the paper Chen Junze mentioned, but the algorithm it used relied too heavily on chip performance, making it less than ideal.
As an industry veteran, Director Chen was aware of this as well.
However, with no better alternatives, he had no choice but to temporarily agree and let Chen Junze lead the team in their research.
Qin Ruoshi didn’t dare to voice her opinion casually. Just then, her phone lit up, saving her from her awkwardness.
The message was from Fu Tingchuan.
“What time will you finish? I’m off work and can give you a ride home.”
Qin Ruoshi couldn’t help but smile.
According to her friends, since returning from the U.S., Fu Tingchuan had been living at the company.
A ride home?
There was no route that would make it “on the way.”
Smiling, she typed back, “Not sure when it’ll end.”
Fu Tingchuan replied almost instantly, “Let me know when you’re done.”
After replying, Qin Ruoshi put down her phone, her face glowing with even more radiance.
Chen Junze’s gaze inadvertently drifted over, and for a moment, he was captivated.
Although Lin Yuxi was also quite beautiful—with the kind of beauty that suggested a virtuous woman—Qin Ruoshi carried the aura of a noble young lady, a beauty that was even more dazzling.
Moreover, the two had vastly different demeanors.
Compared to a fallen good girl, someone like Qin Ruoshi, who had received a proper upbringing, was clearly the ideal choice for him.