Chapter 2818: Chapter 2818: Encounter Qin Xia

Leaving his office, Professor Shen immediately issued a directive to all staff and researchers, suspending all public guided tours and external visits for the foreseeable future. Since word of the asset’s disappearance had already leaked internally, the personnel understood the severity of the situation and obeyed without complaint.

Naturally, wild speculations began to circulate among the staff. Many suspected that a rival organisation, envious of Shenxie Research Centre’s breakthroughs, was behind the sabotage. Tiantang Research Centre, the top-tier facility owned by Yu Qi, quickly became one of their prime suspects, though they lacked a single shred of concrete evidence to back up their claims.

Meanwhile, a major scandal broke out in the public eye as news hit the media regarding Shenxie Research Centre’s unlawful detention of innocent visitors. The main catalyst behind the exposure was none other than Researcher Wang from the prestigious Manjing Centre, who launched a scathing public critique condemning Shenxie Research Centre for holding her daughter and the student group against their will.

As it turned out, Lin Suyi had paid no mind to the security guard’s warnings. The moment she arrived home, she threw a dramatic tantrum and complained bitterly to her father. Before long, her mother, Researcher Wang, caught wind of the incident as well.

Harbouring a long-standing grudge against Shenxie Research Centre, Researcher Wang immediately published an explosive post online under her verified real identity to expose their actions. The post went viral and quickly drew the attention of major news outlets, who reached out to Researcher Wang for an exclusive interview. Lin Suyi was invited onto the program as a key witness to share her experience, officially turning the containment incident into a nationwide media storm.

The exposure caused an immediate wave of public backlash against Shenxie Research Centre. Professor Shen promptly ordered his public relations department to issue a formal statement denying all allegations. They claimed that the staff had merely requested the visitors to provide their identification details as part of a routine safety protocol before promptly allowing everyone to return home.

To smooth things over, Professor Shen arranged for representatives to visit the homes of every visitor who had been present that day. They delivered sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused during the lockdown and offered lavish gift sets as compensation. Facing their polite approach, every visitor accepted the gifts and apologies, with the sole exception of Lin Suyi, who was committed to blowing the scandal out of proportion.

When Lin Suyi reached out to her peers to urge them to come forward with their accounts of being detained at gunpoint, her classmates, and even her boyfriend, adamantly refused to support her. One of the students publicly clarified that the security guards had not acted aggressively toward the group, pointing out that Lin Suyi had been the one foolishly provoking the situation by refusing to cooperate.

With that clarification, the public sentiment shifted dramatically against Lin Suyi and her mother, Researcher Wang. The backlash quickly dragged Manjing Centre into the controversy as well. Internet users began speculating that Manjing Centre was attempting to smear its rival’s reputation, alleging that Researcher Wang had deliberately dispatched her daughter to cause trouble at Shenxie Research Centre.

None of the corporate drama mattered to Yu Qi and Long Hui, however. After departing the facility, the pair headed to a restaurant for dinner, only to spot a familiar figure as they approached the entrance.

"Senior Brother Xia?" Yu Qi called out softly.

Despite standing roughly fifty feet away, the man caught her voice and turned around immediately. It was indeed Qin Xia. The moment his gaze landed on her, his cold, distant expression melted into a gentle smile.

Yu Qi stepped forward and greeted him with a brief hug, which Qin Xia warmly returned by hugging her back.

The group accompanying Qin Xia was stunned to see the notoriously cold man embracing a young woman. Among them, a young girl stared at Yu Qi with a glare of pure malice.

"What brings you to FINN City, Senior Brother Xia?" Yu Qi asked curiously.

"Just handling a few business transactions." Qin Xia replied smoothly.

"I see..." Yu Qi glanced subtly at the individuals standing around him. "We can catch up another time then."

"Why don’t the two of you join us for dinner?" Qin Xia offered warmly.

"Is that convenient? You are already with companions." Yu Qi said, glancing toward his group once more.

"They would not mind, right?" Qin Xia turned to his associates, his tone leaving little room for objection.

A middle-aged man in the group immediately stepped up with a polite smile. "Of course not! The more, the merrier."

"Brother Hui, let’s dine with Senior Brother Xia." Yu Qi turned to inform Long Hui.

It was only then that Qin Xia’s companions paid close attention to the man standing beside Yu Qi. When they recognised Long Hui’s striking presence, shock flickered across their faces. If the man was Colonel Long Hui, then the young woman before them could only be Tang Yu Qi.

The party was ushered into a private dining suite that had been reserved in advance and took their seats.

"Excuse me... if I am not mistaken, you must be Colonel Long Hui?" The middle-aged man inquired politely.

"Mhm." Long Hui acknowledged with a faint nod.

"In that case, this must be Doctor Tang Yu Qi." The man continued, turning to her.

"That’s right." Yu Qi nodded with a gentle smile.

"What an unexpected honour to meet you both. I am Shen Wangjing. This is my wife, Ma Ruixi, and my daughter, Shen Quoxi." Shen Wangjing introduced his family smoothly.

Ma Ruixi offered a polite nod, while Shen Quoxi merely rolled her eyes at Yu Qi before shifting her gaze to stare dreamily at Long Hui.

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