Chapter 274

Ryan glanced at the girl with glasses but said nothing.

He agreed with the suggestion.

However, when it was his turn to write a question, he deliberately chose something simple.

He didn’t want Yvette to embarrass herself.

Honestly, he didn’t expect her to get all the answers right anyway–just hoping she could answer one more question to avoid looking too bad.

The petite girl named Isabella Jarvis was right after Ryan..

After getting the test paper, she purposely glanced at Ryan’s question.

She thought, ‘Isn’t this way too easy? His intention is quite obvious.’

She sneakily looked around and after seeing that everyone around her was busy, she leaned over to Ryan and whispered in his ear, “Ryan, this question is way too simple! Aren’t you afraid people will notice that you’re giving her such an easy question?

You’ve made it so obvious. Do you like this girl, Yvette?”

Ryan was momentarily stunned as he looked at Isabella. His expression flickered with discomfort.

He thought, “This girl is obsessed with pairing people up. She even read those cheesy romance novels while eating. Why do people like reading such brainless stuff anyway? They’re obviously just trying to deceive young girls.’

Ryan looked seriously at the excited Isabella and said, “No, I don’t. I already like someone else.”

Hearing Ryan’s serious answer, Isabella was momentarily taken aback.

Then she casually waved her hand and said, “Alright, alright, no need to be so serious. You don’t like her–fine.”

Ryan sighed and said nothing more.

Meanwhil es was leading Yvette to the core lab.

Halfway there, he glanced at Yvette’s expressionless face and asked, “Yvette, are you sure you’re okay with them coming up with random questions like that?”

James didn’t doult Yvette’s abilities, but with such an open–ended challenge, nobody could guarantee a perfect score.

Yvette’s lips curved slightly. She looked at James, who seemed a bit uneasy, and said lightly, “No problem.”

The two words were like a stabilizing force, instantly easing James’s worries.

He had complete confidence in Yvette–if she said there was no problem, then there truly wouldn’t be.

Besides, even if she missed a question or two, she would still be impressive.

The core lab of the National Physics Lab had only five people.

These five had an average age of over thirty.

Three were out conducting experiments, and only two remained in the lab.

The two were intensely debating something, their faces flushed, neither willing to back down.

It looked like they were about to come to blows.

James coughed lightly, causing both of them to turn toward the door.

“Mr. Owens!”

“Mr. Owens, you’re here.”

These two were Jay Maxwell and Marcus Decker, who had been working with James on the renewable energy project.

James raised an eyebrow and asked, “What are you two arguing about now?”

Jay and Marcus shared the same department and dorm room at Betrico University.

Their relationship could best be described as that of bickering buddies, and they shared one major thing in common: both were highly intelligent and, at 35, still single with no romantic experience.

Jay, looking more refined, better fitted the current ideal of the “mature man” that many women liked.

He was staring blankly at Yvette. When he heard James’s question, he snapped back to reality, remembered what had happened earlier, and pointed accusingly at Marcus.

He said angrily, “Mr. Owens, Marcus insists that part of my research on Experiment No. 1 is wrong. How could that be? I’ve conducted this experiment countless times!”

Marcus, calm and composed, glanced at the furious Jay through his thin gold–rimmed glasses.

His eyes flickered as he said, “He made a mistake, so I told him to redo it. Right is right, and wrong is wrong.”

Jay, whose refined demeanor gave way to an explosive temper, shot back. “He’s just being petty, trying to get back at me for eating his sausage yesterday when I was starving! Now he’s making me redo the experiment again and again! Such a miser.

Fine. I’ll pay you back for the sausage!”

Marcus glanced at Jay, who was angrily sticking his neck out, and replied, “The sausage you ate was made from Silaria ham That little piece cost at least 1,500 dollars. Cash or card?”

Jay was du founded.

He thought, ‘No wonder the sausage tasted so good–it is so expensive!‘

In the next second, he scooted closer to Marcus with a fawning expression. “Hey, look, I’ve already eaten it. Talking about money between us feels so crass. How about I wash your white shirts for a week to make up for it?”

Marcus glanced at Jay’s soft hand resting on his shoulder and, without any expression, nodded. “Deal.”

One moment they were ready to tear each other apart, and the next they were acting like best friends again.

James felt quite embarrassed by the behavior of his co–workers.

He turned to Yvette with an apologetic smile. “These two are Jay and Marcus, core researchers here. They’re always like this.”

He then introduced Yvette to them. “This is Yvette, the person you’ve both been eager to meet.”

Jay’s face instantly flushed red.

He sheepishly scratched his head, clearly shy.

Marcus’s eyes, however, turned cold as he glared at Yvette, his gaze filled with hostility.

He sized her up sharply, a hint of anger in his eyes.

Yvette looked up at Marcus, who had suddenly grown hostile, her bright eyes slightly narrowing, brimming with calm indifference and quiet arrogance.

“Trying to intimidate me?‘ she thought. ‘He’s not even close.‘

Instinctively, Marcus felt a chill and took a step back.

At that moment, the bashful Jay glanced at Yvette, and his face turned even redder.

He stammered, “Uh, Yvette, hi. I’m Jay Maxwell. I’m 35. I have residency in Betrico, a car, a house, no major loans, and some savings. If you find my qualifications acceptable, maybe we could explore a relationship. I’m a really obedient guy, and my biggest dream is to find a wife. I might be a bit older than you, but no worries. Older men take better care of their partners.”

He rattled all this off in one breath, not giving James a chance to chime in.

The other three stared at the bashful Jay, each wearing a different expression: shock on one face, sadness on another, and a hint of murderous intent on the third.

James sensed that Jay wanted to say more and quickly stopped him.

He thought, “This guy is about to get carried away with his imagination again. If he keeps talking, he’ll probably end up planning the future of his kids with Yvette. It isn’t easy for me to cultivate such a talent. If Jeremiah knows Jay is imagining a future with Yvette, he’d probably want to skin Jay alive.

“Jay, you’ve misunderstood. Yvette isn’t here for a blind date. What were you thinking? Stop talking now!” James said.

Marcus visibly relaxed, his earlier hostility toward Yvette fading.

He even greeted her, something he hadn’t intended to do earlier. “Hello, I’m Marcus Decker.”

Yvette’s lips curled into a smirk. Her bright eyes sparkled with mischief as she glanced at both men, her posture relaxed and her expression unreadable.

“Yvette 7–ler,” she replied curtly.

Jay, realizing he had made a fool of himself, wished he could crawl into a hole.

He asked awkwardly, “So who is she then, Mr. Owens?”