"I see…"
Mo Yu nodded, a weight lifted from his heart. How to put it? With the boost of absolute rationality, his ideas were somewhat wild and imaginative. Even with meticulous logic and data behind them, they still required numerous verifications and experiments.
Receiving his mentor's approval was already a great boon for him. If everything went smoothly, perhaps… this research topic could even be turned into a project, and ultimately—he could live off it for the rest of his life.
Of course, that was a bit too idealistic.
It was merely a fantasy of a researcher before dying from exhaustion after finishing a hard-earned meal.
Mo Yu silently complained to himself. He wasn't someone who aimed too high.
"Speaking of which, how long have you been into cosplay?"
Just as he was thinking, Xing Qinglan's voice rang out again.
This question caught Mo Yu off guard.
"Uh… can I say I haven't really been into it?"
"…"
Xing Qinglan didn't speak, but her expression clearly said, 'You're joking, right?'
Mo Yu could only shrug.
"Roughly… only a few days?"
This was the truth. Although Mo Yu had prepared for a long time to cosplay Ruan Mei, in reality, it had indeed only been a few days. Preparing those things was mostly done in his spare time.
He was very busy, after all.
"Then you truly are exceptionally gifted."
Xing Qinglan genuinely exclaimed. She knew that although her Little Junior Brother liked to joke around, overall, he wasn't someone who liked to lie.
"Then, are you interested in helping your Senior Sister out?"
"What?"
"Naturally—cosplaying Ruan Mei again, and doing a proper photoshoot with me."
As she spoke, Xing Qinglan leaned in with a smile. At this distance, Mo Yu could smell the faint scent of perfume on her, lavender, a scent he didn't dislike.
"Yuri… marketing?"
Mo Yu frowned, and his absolute rationality talent immediately activated, quickly calming him down. Being so close to another girl in such an environment was a first for him.
However, in the Laboratory, there wasn't too much to worry about, because—the surveillance here was quite reliable, and besides, his Senior Sister wasn't that kind of T0 version.
The yuri marketing for Ruan Mei and Herta was actually somewhat subtle. In Mo Yu's opinion, the two of them didn't really constitute yuri, but the official PV had some ambiguous elements, coupled with some fan-created works and some related voice lines between the two, which is what hyped up the yuri between Herta and Ruan Mei.
It's just that, he's a guy, for his Senior Sister to do this… could it be… "You're not trying to confess to me, are you?"
For some reason, as Mo Yu thought, his initial rationality gradually gave way to emotion, and then, in a moment of impulse, he blurted out this sentence.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Mo Yu immediately regretted it.
"Hmm—if you want to think that, it's not impossible."
Xing Qinglan's gaze subtly shifted to the side, and she said softly, truthfully, she did like this Little Junior Brother. He was understanding and talented, with virtually no flaws, and he was handsome and good-looking. For a science-oriented woman like her, who had been single since birth, this was very attractive.
Furthermore—besides their mentor and the Senior Disciple, she didn't come across any other reliable men in the Laboratory. Damn it—she also wanted to have a proper relationship! The pressure of scientific research was really immense!
Moreover, such an excellent Little Junior Brother should be kept within the family and not let out to benefit those wicked women!
As the words spilled out, Xing Qinglan's mind also became a jumble, various thoughts intertwining in her head.
"Ah ah ah ah—what on earth am I thinking…"
"…"
Mo Yu was silent. In fact, at this moment, his mind was also a bit chaotic. Uh… he spent all day reading various jokes and often teased himself about being a goblin or something. This… how could a goblin also encounter a wild saintess?
No, no… what is all this… It couldn't be helped, Mo Yu himself was also the type who had been single since birth. Of course, in the past, some people did like him, but he was rather dull back then and didn't quite understand. Now… this… this could already be considered a direct confession, right?
Although, in terms of wording, there was still room for maneuver.
In a few seconds, Mo Yu thought a lot, but ultimately, he managed to calm himself down.
"Seriously, though?"
He chose to throw the question back out, in a sense, as a final inquiry. If Xing Qinglan said she was just joking, then it could end there.
Although—in fact, some words, once spoken, basically leave no room for turning back. Even if retracted, the relationship between the two would absolutely never return to how it was before.
After all—neither of them were seasoned veterans in romance, but rather two absolute novices.
"It's real…"
Xing Qinglan was about to say that, but the rest of her words didn't come out. Instead, she changed the subject.
"Don't worry about that so much, just tell me if you agree or not! Anyway, I can find someone else, can't I?"
Xing Qinglan turned around, her back to Mo Yu, and said proudly. If these words were spoken by another experienced cosplayer, there would be no problem, but clearly, Xing Qinglan wasn't one.
"Alright."
With things said to this extent, what else could Mo Yu say?
Putting everything else aside, she was his Senior Sister, someone he saw all the time. If he didn't agree, it… it wouldn't be good, mainly—it would be too awkward.
As for the rest—anyway, neither of them had any experience, so if it didn't work out, it was no big deal. It could just be considered a simple attempt.
"But, let me say beforehand, I don't really know much, so don't expect too much from me."
Mo Yu added another sentence, which also served as a disclaimer.
"It's okay, I don't know much either. We can figure it out together slowly."
Upon receiving Mo Yu's agreement, Xing Qinglan also breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile reappeared on her face. Hearing her words and tone, Mo Yu knew he had fallen into a trap again.
Yes—Senior Sister was always like this!
When he said he didn't understand or couldn't do something, Senior Sister would say they'd figure it out together, making a good-natured person like him unable to resist taking on the burden, and then he'd be doing all the hard work. Although, Senior Sister would indeed take care of him and pay him, but… "…"
In the end, Mo Yu could only shake his head and sigh.