Chapter 157 Old Friends

She was a Western woman with chestnut-colored Irish-style waves, tall and slender with graceful curves. Pale purple eyeshadow, rosy thin lips, and a lazy yet bright gaze. Her fingertips were adorned with striking black nail polish, and her complexion was not very fair, appearing almost gelatinous under the lights. Her attire was quite punk, but strangely, she wore a tight cheongsam embroidered with dark purple orchid totems, exuding a strong flavor of midsummer. At first glance, it seemed a bit mismatched, with a rather intense clash of Eastern and Western cultures. However, upon closer inspection, you could see that she had managed to perfectly blend the alternative and the classical, these two extreme cultures. She interpreted the charm pursued by midsummer women from the perspective of Western women. Undoubtedly, whether it was Li Muhua, Lu Tao, or even Mo Qianni as women, as beauties, couldn't help but feel a sense of true beauty in their hearts. But the most shocked was Yang Chen! How could it be her?! A hint of profound meaning appeared at the corner of Yang Chen's mouth, seeming bitter, happy, and doubtful. But no matter what, the woman had already seen Yang Chen. She first showed a surprised expression, but then immediately threw a flirtatious glance at him. "Fourth Uncle, who is this?" Li Muhua, with the status of the host, approached, wearing a gentlemanly and modest smile, and asked Li Guangxun. Li Guangxun's voice was somewhat sharp, and he didn't show much favor to Li Muhua, his junior and employer. He introduced with some pride, "This is my mentor from my study period in the UK. She happened to come to Hong Kong today, and I invited her to review my achievements over the years and give me some advice and guidance." To be honest, no matter how you looked at Li Guangxun, he was in his forties, while this Western woman looked like she was only in her twenties. It was really unbelievable that she was his doctoral mentor! "I know this beautiful lady is your mentor, can you introduce her in detail?" Li Muhua asked calmly, but his gaze shifted to the white woman. The woman's lips curved into a perfect smile, and suddenly she spoke fluent Chinese, "Hello, everyone. My name is Christina Arthur Elizabeth Montbatten von Windsor Alexander. This is my full name, but if you don't mind, I prefer people to call me Christina." Christina?

A single word, a name so simple it's unbelievably simple, yet her long string of full name is absolutely impossible to ignore!

Western names come with various backgrounds, especially from the former British Empire, where the nobility's tradition makes their names represent noble lineage.

Whether it's Arthur, Elizabeth, Montbatten, or Alexander in this name, they all symbolize titles of power and glory, used only by nobles. Of course, many commoners also use these names, middle names, but obviously, the woman in front of us is definitely not a simple commoner!

None of the people present are ignorant. Hearing such a name, they immediately understand how complex and mysterious Christina's background might be. It's even possible that she possesses some hidden noble titles.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Christina." Li Muhua reached out his hand to Christina, displaying a sunny male smile.

Christina didn't shake his hand, politely smiled, her demeanor akin to that of a noble princess, "This must be Mr. Li Muhua, the president of the Muyun Group, right? I'm sorry, it's against etiquette for a man to initiate a handshake with a woman, so I decline."

Such a direct refusal made Li Muhua somewhat embarrassed, but those around didn't think Christina was showing off. It seemed like this was the way Christina should be.

Li Guangxun frowned and said, "Muhua, don't be rude to my teacher! Hurry up and prepare, we haven't even welcomed the teacher properly!"

"Oh, okay." Although Li Muhua felt somewhat displeased, he didn't show it, instructing an assistant to prepare and then left.

Curiously, Christina asked, "Little Li, what does '接风' mean?"

Little Li?!

This nickname was obviously for Li Guangxun. Everyone looked at Dr. Li with surprise. They didn't expect that the over-forty Dr. Li, in the mouth of his mentor, a foreigner, would be called "Little Li"!

Li Guangxun's face reddened, but he didn't dare to neglect and immediately replied, "Reporting to the teacher, it means to properly treat the newly arrived guest to a meal."

"Oh, I've learned a new Chinese word again, hehe..." Christina seemed very happy, laughing like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. Then she looked at Yang Chen and others, asking, "Who are these?"

Li Muhua immediately introduced, "These are our allies in this business cooperation. I brought them here today to visit the research lab's achievements in new environmentally friendly materials, to finalize the contract. Unexpectedly, Miss Christina happened to visit, and being my uncle's mentor, Miss Christina might be able to provide us with some professional academic advice."

Jian glanced at Yang Chen with confusion, seemingly unsure why this man suddenly became a member of the company's inspection team.

Seeing Jian's silence, Li Guangxun thought his mentor was displeased and immediately said discontentedly, "Muhua, how can you casually ask the teacher for advice? Do you know the identity of the teacher? Even if it's the Royal Society, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Lincoln Laboratory of the Provincial Institute of Technology, the Imperial Laboratories of Germany, and those top-tier institutions, they might not be able to invite the teacher to take a look. Do you think the teacher's opinion can be easily obtained?"

"You're being too meddlesome again, Little Li," Jian glanced sideways at Li Guangxun.

Li Guangxun, being straightforward, immediately shut up, smiling to please Jian.

Although the multitude of world-renowned scientific institutions and laboratories Li Guangxun mentioned was not entirely understood, everyone present knew that Jian was definitely a master in the scientific community, exerting considerable influence. It was truly hard to imagine, was this really just a young girl?!

Lu Tao was also somewhat shocked, hesitating due to his lack of cultural awareness, he asked, "Miss Jian, are you a Nobel Prize winner?"

Jian smiled and shook her head, "No, I've never won any awards."

"My teacher has been on the final judging panel for the Nobel Prize for three consecutive years, what's winning an award?" Li Guangxun muttered again, as if the glory belonged to him.

This information was extremely shocking. The Nobel Prize, the pinnacle of the world's awards, was decided by this girl?!

Even composed individuals like Li Muhua, a CEO of a major family-owned corporation, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe towards the young Caucasian woman in front of him. He felt ashamed of the desire for closeness that had just arisen within him. In her eyes, his wealth and status probably amounted to nothing!

"Miss Jian, if you've finished your itinerary here, why don't we go to the arranged restaurant? It's rare for you to visit Hong Kong, and we'd like to treat you as our guest," Li Muhua said with a slight cold sweat.

"Thank you, President Li, but I'd like to catch up with an old friend first," Jian's gaze returned to Yang Chen's face.

Mo Qianni, who was beside Yang Chen, was also a woman, quite sensitive. Since Jian appeared, she had been feeling that Jian and Yang Chen seemed to know each other, and their relationship was not ordinary. At this moment, she finally confirmed her thoughts.

Mo Qianni couldn't understand why Yang Chen would know such a perfect combination of beauty and intelligence like Jian. Subconsciously, there was a hint of sourness in Mo Qianni's heart. Although she also considered herself outstandingly beautiful, Jian in front of her exuded not only an elegant and charming appearance but also a noble and dignified aura of someone from the upper class, which Mo Qianni, with her grassroots background, couldn't compare to.

Yang Chen, who had been silent all along, finally attracted everyone's attention.

Except for Li Muhua and Mo Qianni, almost everyone in the laboratory could hardly believe that this ordinary young man was acquainted with such an extraordinary woman!

Li Guangxun was deep in thought, thinking that Yang Chen might be an expert in some field that he didn't recognize.

Li Muhua was sweating all over, his smile more bitter than eating bitter melon. It seemed that his decision to yield was right. To be familiar with a woman of this caliber, Yang Chen was definitely not an ordinary person!

Seeing the anticipation in Jian's beautiful sapphire blue eyes, Yang Chen sighed inwardly, nodding, "Let's go find a quieter place to talk."

With that, Yang Chen quickly removed his protective suit and strode out.

Since Jian didn't wear a protective suit when she came in, she also walked out directly.

This made many people think that they seemed to be from another world.

Li Muhua and the others were somewhat confused, while Mo Qianni's eyes showed a hint of melancholy. Jian's sudden appearance made her feel powerless for the first time in her life. It seemed that besides her close friend Lin Ruoxi, there were many other obstacles in her path.

In the rear of the research institute, there was a dense forest with a small pavilion covered in fallen leaves. Normally, there were few people around, but now it became a good place for Yang Chen and Jian to have a private conversation.

Standing in a corner of the pavilion, leaning against a pillar, Yang Chen pulled out a cigarette and leisurely smoked, bowing his head, seemingly lost in thought and not saying anything.

Jian stood quietly in front of Yang Chen, about two meters away, her bright eyes fixed on him, a smile of excitement and joy lingering on her face, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at him.

After a long time, Yang Chen finally asked in a low voice, "Are all our old friends doing well?"

"Same as before, everyone's life just lacks your presence," Jian replied.

"That's good," Yang Chen nodded with relief.

After a moment of silence, Jian asked, "Hades, are you really not going back?"

Yang Chen looked up, "Don't call me Hades. I'm using my real name now. Just call me Yang Chen. By the way, I work as a male PR at Yulei International in Zhonghai. I'm just an ordinary urban man now."

Jian's expression was quite amusing, almost reaching the point of bursting into laughter, but she forcefully restrained herself, clapping her hands, "Congratulations, Yang Chen, your transformation has finally succeeded."

Yang Chen couldn't help but smile, "Yes, after returning to the Midsummer for over half a year, not only have I made some new friends, but I also got married and started a family. Finally, I can live a somewhat normal life."

"You got married?!" Jian's complexion immediately paled, her pretty face turning ashen.