Floating life reflects two lotuses

The atmosphere in the laboratory was as calm and serene as ever. Chu Wanlian pushed open the heavy glass door, and Li Chenyao was already standing in front of the holographic screen, adjusting complex symbol projections. Hearing footsteps, he didn't turn around, but said calmly, "You've come at the right time. There's some important content I need you to look at today."

Chu Wanlian pursed her lips, trying to calm herself, and slowly approached: "Is it research on these symbols again?"

Hearing this, Li Chenyao turned slightly to the side, his gaze falling on her with a hint of probing: "It's not just symbols. Last night's experiment revealed a new phenomenon—the arrangement of these symbols seems to resonate with a specific energy field." As he said this, his tone lowered slightly, and his gaze became even more profound, "The complexity of this phenomenon far exceeds our expectations."

Chu Wanlian's gaze was drawn to the holographic projection. The symbols swirled and intertwined in the light and shadow, radiating a strange sense of rhythm. They were no longer just static patterns, but moved slowly as if they possessed life, eventually forming a continuously flowing spiral pattern. She couldn't help but hold her breath, as the runes before her seemed to gradually overlap with the engravings on her bracelet.

Suddenly, a subtle vibration came from her wrist, as if the bracelet was responding to the symbols projected on the screen. Chu Wanlian was slightly taken aback, suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, and asked in a calm but tentative tone, "Is this... a new arrangement?"

Li Chenyao smiled slightly, a profound meaning in his eyes. He tapped the screen with his fingertip, making the spiral trajectory in the projection clearer: "That's right. This arrangement has shown unique energy properties in our latest experiments. More interestingly, according to our test results, this arrangement seems to directly affect the human body's perception."

"Perception ability?" Chu Wanlian tried her best to make her tone sound just right, but alarm bells were already ringing in her mind. She knew what he meant by "perception ability," and even suspected that Li Chenyao had already discovered her secret.

“Yes.” Li Chenyao moved slightly closer and said in a low voice, his tone as steady as a murmur, “Why don’t you try it yourself?”

His gaze held an inexplicable mystery that made it impossible for Chu Wanlian to refuse. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out her hand, her fingertips touching the center of the projection.

The moment they touched, the symbol seemed to sense her arrival; the light and shadow suddenly brightened, and a warm energy burst forth from the center of the vortex. Chu Wanlian felt a strange warm current surge from her wrist into her body, spreading through her blood to every limb and bone. At the same time, a series of indescribable images flooded her mind.

She saw an ancient palace, a deep altar, and candlelight flickering on a high platform; faintly, ancient incantations echoed in her ears, and in the hands of the priests were magical artifacts identical to the runes on her bracelet. Her breath caught in her throat, and a blurry figure flashed before her eyes, carrying a familiar yet untouchable aura.

"Xiao Jinlian." Li Chenyao's voice suddenly rang out, pulling her back from the brink of losing control.

She suddenly opened her eyes, took a step back, abruptly pulled her hand back, and stumbled, almost losing her balance. The runes on the bracelet emitted a faint blue light, which quickly faded away, as if nothing had happened.

Li Chenyao immediately reached out to support her, his tone filled with concern: "What did you see?"

"N-nothing..." Chu Wanlian replied softly, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her nails almost digging into her palms to calm her racing heart. She tried to make her voice sound calm: "It might be the reflection of the light that made me a little dizzy."

Li Chenyao's gaze never left her face, his deep eyes seemingly able to see into her heart. He pondered for a moment, but ultimately did not ask any further questions, his tone growing increasingly low: "The power of these symbols is stronger than we imagined. Xiao Jinlian, my intuition tells me that there is some extraordinary connection between you and them."

Chu Wanlian paused slightly, concealing the turmoil in her eyes, and smiled faintly: "Director Li, your intuition is a bit too sharp."

"Maybe so." He chuckled softly, releasing his hand from hers. "But my intuition never lies."

Chu Wanlian didn't respond further, only lowering her eyes as her gaze swept over the symbols again. Her doubts deepened—Li Chenyao clearly knew more than she imagined, but she couldn't reveal anything. Only by finding the laboratory's core password as soon as possible could she uncover the true secret of these symbols.

Chu Wanlian lowered her eyes, her fingertips twitching slightly as if she were pondering: "If these symbols are related to energy fields, do they hide even deeper secrets?"

Li Chenyao looked at her, his gaze deep, his tone subtle yet suggestive: "Of course. However, to unravel their full meaning, we need to enter the core area of ​​the laboratory. And the access to the core area..." He paused here, as if intentionally whetting her appetite, "...cannot be opened for the time being."

Chu Wanlian looked up at him, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her tone was relaxed yet probing: "Then it seems I'll have to work harder to earn your trust as soon as possible."

Li Chenyao raised an eyebrow, a meaningful glint in his eyes: "Perhaps you don't need to work so hard. There's an even simpler way."

"Oh?" Chu Wanlian tilted her head slightly, asking casually, "What method?"

Li Chenyao approached slowly, his figure almost looming over her. His voice was deep and magnetic, carrying a hint of barely perceptible tenderness: "If you agree to be my girlfriend, I can make an exception and give you the core access password."

Chu Wanlian froze instantly, her lips parted slightly, unable to speak for a moment. She hadn't expected him to be so direct and bold. The air seemed to freeze at that moment, and the surrounding silence made her heartbeat unusually clear.

In his mind, Xiao Jinlian's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with tension and displeasure: "Chu Wanlian! We absolutely cannot agree to this, it's clearly an attempt to seduce you!"

Chu Wanlian sighed silently in her heart, barely managing to calm herself down, and replied with a hint of teasing: "When you and Brother Liheng were exchanging glances, didn't you feel any danger?"

“Chu Wanlian!” Xiao Jinlian’s tone turned stern. “Li Heng and Li Chenyao are completely different. His identity is far too complicated. You can’t take this risk!”

Chu Wanlian took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions within her, and looked up at Li Chenyao with a faint smile on her lips: "Director Li, aren't these conditions a bit too generous?"

“I never do anything meaningless.” Li Chenyao leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed intently on her. “And I feel that being with you will not make me regret it.”

His tone was sincere yet undeniable, as if each word was etched into the air, carrying an irresistible power. Chu Wanlian felt a slight tremor in her heart, but quickly regained her composure, her tone neither humble nor arrogant: "It sounds like a great temptation, but I'm afraid I can only say 'thank you' for now."

"Temporarily?" Li Chenyao's lips curled up, as if he understood the implication. "That's already a good answer."

Their eyes met, and the atmosphere instantly became ambiguous and subtle. Chu Wanlian felt Li Chenyao's gaze fall on her face, carrying a hint of inquiry and persistence. She quickly lowered her head to hide the fluctuation in her eyes: "However, it's better to let these things take their natural course, isn't it?"

"Let nature take its course?" Li Chenyao's voice was deep, with a hint of amusement. "Then I'll wait for your 'natural' approach."

Chu Wanlian's heart tightened, and she silently warned herself not to be led astray by him. But when she looked up at him, she couldn't deny that there was an irresistible attraction deep in his gaze.

The two walked out of the laboratory in silence. A night breeze brought a touch of coolness, but it couldn't dispel the ambiguous atmosphere that lingered in the air. This conversation, though silent, was full of undercurrents; their thoughts surged like the deep sea, with undercurrents still running.