The sunlight pierced through the gap in the curtains and shone on Fang Jueyu's face. He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Guo Xinyu's serene face. Sensing Fang Jueyu's gaze, Guo Xinyu also opened her eyes.
Fang Jueyu gently stroked her silky hair, "There's light outside the window, and you're beside me. That's wonderful!"
"I'll go make breakfast. Today, you just lie in bed obediently and don't go anywhere!" Fang Jueyu got up after dressing and kissed her cheek.
"You can cook?" Guo Xinyu was unaware that Fang Jueyu had this skill, as he had his chef make breakfast the last time she stayed over.
"What, you underestimate me?" Fang Jueyu protested. "Although I usually eat meals prepared by chefs, it's just because I'm too lazy to cook for myself. Back in elementary school, I used to help my mom in the kitchen!"
In this instance, Fang Jueyu wasn't being boastful; he actually had some cooking skills. Once, during a spring outing, the teacher organized a picnic, and Fang Jueyu single-handedly prepared lunch for his entire group, leaving his classmates full of praise.
"Wait for me. I'll bring it up to you once I'm done!" Fang Jueyu hurried downstairs to the kitchen. However, the kitchen in his villa was generally unused. The household chef usually cooked in a small kitchen beside the villa.
"Hey, Uncle Ding, it's me. Send me some ingredients, please. Yes! I'm making breakfast myself today, so you don't need to do anything!"
"Look, my heartfelt breakfast!" Half an hour later, Fang Jueyu returned to the room with a plate. Guo Xinyu indeed felt a bit unwell and probably needed to stay in bed today.
"Did you really make this?" The breakfast wasn't very lavish, but the taste was actually quite good. Guo Xinyu was somewhat pleasantly surprised.
"Of course!" Fang Jueyu could tell from Guo Xinyu's expression that she was quite satisfied with his breakfast. He sat beside her, gently stroking her hair. It felt almost like they were a newlywed couple!
"Xiaoyi, shouldn't I get my reward?" Fang Jueyu suddenly remembered he almost forgot about this. He had no idea what the mysterious prize was, as Xiaoyi was being quite tight-lipped.
"Alright, alright, I'll give it to you, but even if you have it now, you won't be able to use it!"
A very old-looking ancient book appeared in Fang Jueyu's personal space, seemingly written in a language not from this Earth.
"What is this? It's not something obscene, is it?" Fang Jueyu showed a look of disdain, wondering why they would give it to him only after completing something intimate.
"What's obscene about it? This is a treasure from a civilization, okay?" Xiaoyi replied with a serious tone.
"Don't talk nonsense. What exactly is it for?" Fang Jueyu asked persistently.
"It's a pretty good thing!"
"What are you thinking? Smiling so happily?" Guo Xinyu finished her breakfast and saw Fang Jueyu smiling to himself, seemingly lost in thought.
"I'm not telling you now! I'll surprise you with it later!" Fang Jueyu teased.
"Oh no, my mom asked me to take care of Xiaoyu today!" Guo Xinyu suddenly remembered, but in her current state, she couldn't even take care of herself, let alone Guo Junyu. What would she say if Yao Yefang called to inquire?
"What are you worried about? Just be honest! Your mom must have been prepared for that when she let you stay over yesterday!" Fang Jueyu teased.
"Humph, you're still laughing!"
As the two bantered, Fang Jueyu's phone rang again. Annoyed, he wondered why every beautiful morning would be interrupted.
"Hmm? Is it Professor Qi Dong?" Fang Jueyu's demeanor suddenly turned serious. "Xinyu, I need to take this call. It's related to the film city's construction!"
"Oh!" Guo Xinyu quieted down.
"Xiao Fang, congratulations on receiving the Courageous Youth Award. It's not a small title!" Qi Dong's cheerful laughter came from the other end of the line. He'd heard about Fang Jueyu's involvement in busting a child trafficking ring.
"Oh, it was just a coincidence," Fang Jueyu replied modestly. "I didn't help much; all the credit goes to the police officers of our city."
"Come on, don't be modest. I heard you knocked those people out before the police even arrived. Why are you being polite with an old man like me?"
"Haha, I learned some martial arts as a kid. Just some ordinary traffickers, nothing impressive!" To cover up those people's true identities, the news that circulated didn't mention them having guns.
"By the way, Professor Qi, you didn't call this early just to praise me, did you?" Fang Jueyu guessed his research on plant genetics had caught the attention of higher-ups.
"Of course not. Are you free this afternoon? Come to my house; someone wants to meet you and discuss the related matters in person!"
"But..." Fang Jueyu glanced at Guo Xinyu, who clearly needed someone to look after her in her current condition.
"Don't worry, Sister Xiaoying is here to take care of me. You don't need to worry," Guo Xinyu, though unaware of what was happening, could tell that someone important wanted to see him. "Just go attend to your matters!"
"Alright, I'll definitely come this afternoon!" Fang Jueyu agreed.
"Great! Oh, and bring all your documents. I think they also brought along a few academicians in biology and environment. If there's no technical issue, your conditions should be negotiable!"
"Professor Qi, thank you for your efforts this time!" Fang Jueyu knew Qi Dong must have played a significant role in this process. "By the way, do you have enough research funding?"
"It's just barely enough!" Qi Dong didn't catch Fang Jueyu's implication. Despite being a key national lab with annual funding, the costs of daily maintenance, materials, and staff salaries meant the funds were just enough. After all, the school had many key labs to support.
"How about this, Professor Qi, I plan to 5 billion to the alma mater as research funding. How do you suggest I do that?"
"Five billion!" Qi Dong was stunned. "Xiao Fang, are you serious?"
Five billion in research funding meant their research group could receive billions. With that money, some long-requested equipment could finally be acquired, and the lab's research capabilities would definitely see a significant boost!
"Of course, I'm serious. I'll also an additional billion to your lab as a thank you for your help this time!"
"Alright, alright!" Qi Dong was so happy he almost jumped up. "I'll go talk to the president now, and we can discuss this more in the afternoon..."