Hearing the call, Vinina turned around to look this way.
Just such a subtle movement, from the waist up, revealed a turbulent flow of curves.
Even scientists have an instinctual impulse to explore the origin of life.
Leo could hear the swallowing sounds from the three men behind him.
Unlike these obvious novices, who were inexperienced, Leo—who in his past life had seen countless faces and now controlled many people—was more an appreciator of beauty.
From a three-quarter side view to a full front view, she gained an extra point in allure.
That additional two points came from her unique temperament.
Vinina bore a strong scholarly aura; her eyes flickered with a light that seemed to see through everything.
Her expression was cold and indifferent, seemingly interested in nothing but her research.
Wearing a scholar's white lab coat only enhanced her intellectual air.
Her face was austere and ascetic, yet her figure constantly provoked male desire.
To be honest, such a human beauty awakened the hunting desire of billionaire Mr. Valentino.
For Vinina, it was the first time she saw such an admiring and aggressively intent gaze in Leo's eyes.
Moreover, Leo's clothing was different from others.
Vinina's large eyes revealed curiosity.
With Ackert's enthusiastic encouragement, the five of them went to Pharaoh's Bar.
Having achieved his goal, Ackert naturally didn't want the men who would say goodbye to his beloved goddess to get too close, so he cleverly invited Leo to sit first.
Then he and Morchley sat to Leo's left and right respectively, a plan they had agreed on beforehand under the guise of persuading Leo to invest.
The first step of their plan went smoothly, but the second step hit a snag.
Morchley was slow to react, and surprisingly Vinina sat down next to Leo—very close.
Leo felt the heat beside him while watching the exquisite expression on Ackert's face.
As for Ackert, this time he could only sit down sullenly and gulp down a glass of wine, turning his frustration into determination to persuade Leo to invest.
Ackert then began recounting the brief history of their workshop-like research lab that was more a research group than a company.
Both Ackert and Morchley were sons of large farm and ranch owners.
Back when they were in college, only those with wealthy backgrounds were worthy of advanced education.
They both attended the University of Pennsylvania and, as top students, followed their professor to participate in the supercomputer project that changed their lives and created the world's first computer.
Afterwards, the two conceived the idea of commercializing computers for business.
However, such an idea was considered heretical in the research institute.
Without support, they gathered like-minded young people, left the institute, and invested all their wealth and family startup funds to found this company.
But those who spent most of their lives in scientific research knew nothing of business operations, and they simply transplanted the research lab model to the company without realizing that research institutes received government funding, while their small workshop was funded solely by themselves.
Their research institute and their style were "whatever benefits the project, buy it," without considering costs.
As a result, their research only progressed about one-third before being forced to stop due to lack of funds.
In Ackert's own words, the company was so strapped for cash they couldn't even afford a single diode.
When money ran low, they desperately sought external investments.
Leveraging family connections, they met many wealthy investors, but these investors either had never heard of the "super brain" project and thought them con artists, or if they listened carefully, the torrent of technical jargon overwhelmed them, revealing that these two were neither good businessmen nor persuasive inventors.
Before Leo appeared today, there was only one investor left on their list.
But they no longer held hope—if Leo hadn't shown up, they would have packed up and shut the company down today.
"So, will you invest in us?"
Ackert asked.
Leo smiled and said,
"Today I came to catch up with Ruben, not to talk business. Tomorrow, bring me your plan and I'll decide.
For now, I think you haven't had much fun lately.
Enjoy yourselves! This is Richmond's city that never sleeps—the Pharaoh Bar!
Tonight's bill is on me."
After saying this to Ackert, Leo turned to Vinina and asked,
"Interested in feeling the charm of dancing?"
Ackert, rejected and annoyed, thought to himself that Leo was just a moneyed bumpkin and that a high-IQ girl like Vinina wouldn't be interested in such a lowbrow activity as dancing.
Then he was surprised to see Vinina place her hand in Leo's palm, revealing a smile he had never seen before.
"Occasional entertainment helps me stimulate my brain and aids my research.
I'm just not good at dancing," Vinina said seriously.
Leo smiled slightly and said,
"That's fine—I'm quite good at it."
But as Vinina had said, her dancing was awkward, and it seemed all her survival points had gone into intelligence.
She had almost no athletic ability, so her dance progress was slow.
Yet she seemed unconcerned, actually enjoying the feeling of moving with the crowd and music.
With experienced Leo deliberately guiding, their bodies kept brushing together.
"Are you deliberately stirring my desire?
I can feel my body heating up," Vinina said.
Leo looked at her, surprised, seeing her clear eyes still held that knowing expression.
Even with his experience, this was a first.
Sensing Leo's surprise, Vinina explained,
"Sufficient intelligence allows me to separate my reason from my body."
"Then why do you still…"
Leo started to ask, why dance with me if you understand my intentions.
Before he could finish, Vinina interrupted,
"Though I can distinguish and often fully control my body's desires,
I know suppressing instincts harms my health.
For better research, I need to respect my body's urges when they are strong.
So, can we start mating now? I don't want to use my fingers tonight."
Hearing such words, Leo could only sigh—genius worlds are hard to comprehend.
He thought he was the hunter, but now it seemed he was the chosen prey.
Looking at this somewhat fragile female researcher and thinking about the night ahead, Leo felt a subtle excitement.
Since the goal was clear, there was no need to linger—so they left the bar directly.
Ackert drove over, and Ruben and Morchley followed in.
Seeing Vinina leaning on Leo's arm, Ackert said,
"Vinina, we should leave now."
Vinina shook her head,
"You all go back. Ackert, tonight I intend to fully activate my brain."
In Ackert's despairing gaze, Leo smiled and told everyone,
"Guys, don't forget to come see me tomorrow."
With that, he and Vinina got into MianTiao's car.
Watching the Lincoln disappear in the distance, Ruben said to the motionless Ackert,
"We should go back and figure out how to persuade Mr. Valentino.
He's a billionaire—if he throws some money our way, it'll be enough to complete a generation."
"I know! Remember Ruben, if I don't get the money tomorrow, I swear, you're done!"
Ackert said with reddened eyes.
Only he knew how heavy today's loss was.
As a real estate tycoon on the East Coast, even Leo didn't know how many houses he owned in Richmond.
The Lincoln parked steadily in front of a villa in a private community in Jackson Ward.
Leo greeted the place briefly and took Vinina—who clung to him like an octopus—inside.
As soon as the door closed, her full red lips eagerly slid over Leo's face.
Looking at Vinina now, her beautiful eyes were filled with lust.
Yet Leo exerted strong willpower to restrain himself—not because he planned to be chaste, but because a phrase Vinina said on the dance floor piqued his curiosity.
With great strength, he easily threw Vinina onto the big bed, grinning,
"You want me to help release your desire, and as a successful businessman, I must charge a fee.
For example, show me how you usually relieve your cravings."
As Leo finished, Vinina's eyes instantly cleared, saying,
"That doesn't seem like a reasonable proposal."
Leo took off his shirt; his solid muscles under the light looked like marble sculptures.
"I promise this extra charge will make you feel it's worth it."
Vinina sighed softly,
"I find myself unable to suppress my body.
I hope you mean what you say."
With that, Vinina completely abandoned control over her body.
Those delicate white hands began moving downward.
This was jackpot—Leo devoted himself wholeheartedly to making Vinina feel it was worth it.
"The advent of the computer completely changed our lives.
But its initial commercialization was very bumpy.
Their research had entered a critical phase by the end of 1947.
However, due to lack of funding, it wasn't until May 1948 that the research could continue.
During this period, some shareholders withdrew, once forcing the founders to consider selling the company.
It wasn't until 1951, with the support of Remington Rand Corporation, that the first commercial computer was delivered to their initial client, the U.S. Census Bureau."
In a university classroom, a professor was lecturing.
Soon, he was interrupted by snoring sounds from the back.
A chalk piece flew precisely at the culprit, Leo, who was dozing off.
The moment Leo woke up, he opened his eyes in America.
Looking at the limp, sleeping Vinina beside him, Leo knew he had just entered a lucid dream again.
He quietly got out of bed and went to the study.
He discovered a problem. Although he often dreamed lucidly, most dreams were useless; only when primal desires were involved did the dream provide strong guidance for reality.
Recalling the recent dream, Leo caught several key pieces of information:
First, Morchley and Ackert's company did successfully develop the first commercial computer.
Since it could handle the huge data volume of the U.S. Census Bureau, making a computer for retail stores was naturally no problem.
Second, if the professor in his past life hadn't made a slip of the tongue, then Ackert must have lied.
According to the professor, by this time they had already overcome the technical difficulties, far beyond the one-third progress Ackert claimed.
Based on what Leo saw at the workshop, those researchers would rather starve than leave, indicating their confidence in the company's future.
Clearly, Ackert's lie was more probable.
Third, they really were short of money right now.
With funding, even an unknown small gambling company could take 40% shares in this company.
A plan gradually formed in Leo's mind.
At dawn, Vinina woke up very punctually.
Her clear eyes showed that reason was fully in control of her body.
She felt as if every cell in her body was cheering for the joy of last night.
Vinina felt this release could support her research for a long time.
She got back into Leo's car, because he told her their destinations were the same.
At the factory, Leo happened to meet the three who were about to find him: Ackert and the others.
Seeing Vinina limping out of the car, a subtle, almost imperceptible pain flickered in Ackert's eyes.
But the pain did not end there.
Vinina looked at Leo and asked,
"If I need help, can I still contact you?"
Leo smiled and said,
"Yes, but I'll require different forms of payment."
Vinina was serious and nodded, answering,
"I'll go back and study that."
Their ambiguous conversation almost drove the jealous Ackert mad.
But the next thing Leo said instantly filled him with joy.
"Gentlemen, I had a great time last night, so I don't mind giving some pocket money to support your research.
Let's talk about cooperation."
The group sat down and Leo got straight to the point,
"I'm short on time, so be straightforward. How far along is your research, and how much more money do you need to complete it?"
"Mr. Valentino, as I said yesterday, our research is one-third done, and we need at least one million to finish. Hey! Mr. Valentino, please don't go."
Having learned from initial experience, seeing the investor willing to pay, Ackert played a trick.
In fact, the research was already 80% complete; the remaining 20% was just waiting for equipment.
He dared to lie because Leo didn't understand technology, especially with the morning's tone clearly trying to please a woman.
But as soon as he mentioned one million, Leo stood up and walked out.
Seeing their last hope leaving, Ackert—almost mad for success—immediately blocked Leo and said,
"Mr. Valentino, you can name your terms."
Leo raised his hand and poked Ackert's chest, saying,
"Ackert, get your position straight. Vinina already told me you only need money for equipment.
Let me guess, three hundred thousand?"
Vinina hadn't told Leo anything about her research—they were busy with matters of human reproduction all night, not discussing work.
Leo's guess was based on what the professor had taught in his past life, mainly to bluff Ackert.
But Ackert didn't know that and cursed Vinina internally as a promiscuous woman who leaked company secrets.
He spoke flatteringly,
"Mr. Valentino, I apologize. You're right—we only need thirty thousand more now."
"Forty percent, you agree, I'll call my lawyer now; if not, let's pretend we never met,"
Leo said coolly.
Thirty thousand to buy the almost-successful project—Ackert was naturally unwilling.
Before starting the company, thirty thousand would have been easy, but he had already borrowed too much from his family, who made it clear they would no longer support him.
Facing their only investor, Ackert closed his eyes and weakly said,
"Okay, Mr. Valentino, forty percent it is."