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Ruan Mei had the kind of subtle smile where she was trying hard to restrain herself but her lips couldn't help but curl up, while Herta laughed without any disguise, full of mockery.
"I say... Ruan Mei," Herta laughed so hard she was a bit out of breath, "I told you a long time ago this guy was an idiot, right? Look, I was right!"
Ruan Mei looked at me, her clear eyes full of amusement, shaking her head as she said, "My dear, you really are... naive in a somewhat cute way."
"What do you mean?" I was dazed by their laughter.
"What do you think the Genius Society is?" Herta interjected bluntly from the side, her tone full of disdain, "Research projects of geniuses at my and Ruan Mei's level are almost all things the company scrambles to support unconditionally! They can't give enough money and resources, how could they possibly turn around and ask for research funding? It's a joke!"
Ruan Mei also nodded and added: "That's right. Setting aside the company's heavy investment in basic scientific research, just the related expenses for this villa of a mere 100 million credits probably aren't even one-thousandth of the daily operating costs of Herta Space Station, it's not worth a high-ranking executive like a Stoneheart coming to collect in person."
Ruan Mei seemed not to notice my shocked expression and continued to analyze: "Furthermore, the site and operating costs for such long-term collaborative projects are usually automatically deducted from the project funds every year, there's no need for an individual to worry about it. For Topaz to come with a so-called 'bill' this time and use such means to force you to comply..."
She and Herta glanced at each other, both seeing clarity in each other's eyes.
"It seems the goal is very clear." Ruan Mei said in a calm tone, "The company must have learned part of our research content through some channel and wants to bypass us to directly contact you, the core 'sample,' to obtain first-hand Path research results. It seems the company higher-ups couldn't sit still and want to cultivate their own 'Pathstriders'."
"Hmph, those profit-seeking old foxes at the company certainly have a sharp nose." Herta snorted coldly, "Villa outbound information is strictly monitored by us and won't leak, and we haven't officially publicized any results yet, yet they could get news, probably through some unsavory technical means, like cracking part of the data from the backend of the space station or Ruan Mei's side. It seems the company has top hackers too, the network security level will need to be raised further in the future."
Then, she turned her disdainful gaze towards me: "With an idiot like you, even if you sign a contract to be an assistant, what help could you possibly provide to this manager? It's obvious at a glance, she is using 'supervision' and 'assistant' as a pretext to legitimately occupy your time, facilitating her own 'experiments' to cultivate controllable 'Pathstriders' for the company as soon as possible!"
She even glanced at Ruan Mei's bulging belly and added bluntly: "I really hope your low IQ won't be inherited by the child."
"..." Being analyzed and mocked mercilessly by Herta, I just felt my face burning with shame and lowered my head in embarrassment.
So... so that was it? I was actually played by Topaz and foolishly thought I had sacrificed my freedom to save everyone...
"Alright, Herta," it was still Ruan Mei who came out to smooth things over, she looked at me and comforted in a gentle tone, "My dear, don't take it to heart too much. The company directly sending a high-ranking executive like Topaz to intervene also shows their high regard for this research. From a certain perspective, this might make it more convenient for us to mobilize company resources in the future, it's not entirely a bad thing. As for her little schemes..." A confident curve appeared at the corner of Ruan Mei's mouth, "Topaz is a smart person, the villa is my private project, she won't dare to cross lines recklessly, otherwise she'll just be asking for trouble. Just stay there peacefully."
After hearing Ruan Mei's comfort and analysis, the depression and worry in my heart eased slightly.
It seems things aren't as bad as I imagined? At least, with Ruan Mei and Herta, these two big shots, around, Topaz shouldn't dare to do anything to me... right?
"I... I understand. Thank you, Ruan Mei, and... uh... Herta." I thanked them.
Yes, since the contract is already signed, the die is cast. Looking on the bright side, at least I don't have to worry about being kicked out of the villa and can continue living with everyone, that's enough.
As for being Topaz's assistant... I'll take it one step at a time.
After figuring it out, my mood stabilized a lot.
After a few more brief exchanges and wishing each other well, I closed the communication.
At night, I finished washing, changed into clean pajamas, and lay on the soft large bed, preparing to have a good rest.
Just then, the mobile terminal on the nightstand vibrated once, the screen lit up, showing a new chat message received.
The sender was none other than the boss who just "took office" today—Manager Topaz.
The message content was concise and clear, full of an indisputable commanding tone: "Assistant, come to my room immediately."
"..." Looking at this message, the corner of my mouth couldn't help but twitch.
It's only the first day, and she's already truly starting to boss me around as a "personal assistant"?
And at this time of night?
Although I was a bit apprehensive, thinking about the contract I had, I still immediately climbed out of bed and quickly replied: "Alright, Manager!"
I didn't dare to be slow, put on my slippers, walked quickly out of my room, and came to the door of the guest room Topaz had selected at the other end of the hallway.
Gently knocking, her crisp voice came from inside: "Come in."
I pushed the door open and entered, the sight before me making me freeze for a moment.
In less than a day, this room had been completely remodeled by her.
The original warm and elegant style was gone, replaced by a cold, hard business style full of IPC flair.
Some abstract modern art paintings hung on the walls, and a mini-bar had even been set up in a corner of the room, stocked with various wines and beverages that looked expensive.
And at this moment, Manager Topaz herself was leaning against her also very high-end large bed.