126: Jealousy transforms into tacit understanding in a "threesome" relationship.

After the comical failure of the "Quantum Egg" and the severe ethical storm triggered by the star map research, the overall atmosphere of the "Homeland" underwent a subtle change.

The excitement and urgency brought about by the cosmic-level discovery seemed to have been splashed with a bucket of cooling spring water, gradually settling down.

Wang Jianguo's cautious decision-making caused the cutting-edge exploration to temporarily shift toward more basic, safer technological research directions, such as the "Shield" shielding project and the sentry-7391b monitoring system.

The pace of life seemed to slow down, devoid of that breathless, race-against-time urgency.

However, this superficial "slowdown" provided precious space and opportunity for the relationship between Excellence, Su Mu, and Evelyn to deepen further.

No longer caught up in endless crises and high-tension scientific research tasks, they had more time for daily, enduring interactions.

It was precisely within this relatively gentle rhythm that the relationship between the three began to quietly warm up, entering a more natural and profound new stage.

The Transformation of Jealousy: From Subtle Grudges to Appreciation and Reliance

The lingering, subtle jealousy in Su Mu's heart toward Evelyn, stemming from female instinct and her identity as a guardian, did not simply disappear; instead, through the little things in daily life, it gradually transformed into a more complex and healthier emotion.

This transformation stemmed from Su Mu seeing more and more of Evelyn's true side.

She saw Evelyn sitting in the laboratory for hours staring at complex data, brows furrowed, and that focus and rigor made her feel admiration; she saw Evelyn speaking out about risks under pressure at ethical meetings, and that sense of responsibility for Excellence's safety moved her; she even saw the sincere respect and occasional reliance Evelyn showed her in daily life—such as asking for her opinion on Excellence's diet, or flashing a relieved smile after receiving her simple comfort.

Su Mu began to realize that Evelyn was not a "rival" trying to "snatch" Excellence, nor was she a cold scientist.

Like her, Evelyn was a fellow traveler with a complex past, carrying immense pressure in her heart, yet equally regarding the protection of Excellence as the most important mission.

It was just that their ways of expressing care were different: she leaned more toward daily companionship and emotional warmth, while Evelyn manifested it through the guidance of knowledge and the defense of safety bottom lines.

They were not in a competitive relationship, but were complementary partners.

A typical example occurred one afternoon.

Excellence was scratching his head, at his wit's end while staring at the symbols and waveforms in a textbook, trying to understand a Fourier transform formula used to analyze "constant ripple" data.

Su Mu patiently explained it to him several times, attempting to use the life-oriented metaphors she was best at ("It's just like breaking a complex symphony down into the sounds of different instruments"), but Excellence's eyes remained confused, only half-understanding.

Just as Su Mu was feeling a bit helpless, Evelyn happened to pass by.

She stopped, looked at the distressed Excellence and the slightly frustrated Su Mu, and walked gently to the whiteboard.

She didn't repeat Su Mu's metaphor; instead, she picked up a pen and sketched a few simple geometric models in just a few strokes—using the projection of a rotating vector on a circle to explain frequency and phase, and using stacked block diagrams to illustrate spectral decomposition.

Her language was precise and clear, and combined with the graphics, within a few words, Excellence's furrowed brows suddenly smoothed out, and he let out an "Oh! So that's how it is!" of sudden realization.

Su Mu watched from the side, not a hint of jealousy or loss rising in her heart, but rather a wave of relief and gratitude.

"It's fortunate that she's here."

This thought naturally emerged.

She knew clearly that the ability Evelyn possessed to convert abstract concepts into intuitive models was something she herself did not have.

And this ability was crucial to Excellence's growth.

After this incident, Su Mu began to adjust her role more consciously, forming a tacit division of labor with Evelyn.

This division was not a strict boundary, but a natural complementarity based on their respective strengths and personalities, aimed at providing Excellence with a more comprehensive and balanced growth environment.

Su Mu took the initiative to shoulder the roles of "rear guard" and "emotional anchor."

She was mainly responsible for: Daily Life: Ensuring Excellence's nutritional intake, regular sleep schedule, clothing and warmth, and creating a safe, comfortable "Homeland" atmosphere with the warmth of a home; Emotional Counseling: When Excellence encountered setbacks, felt low, or was confused, she was the first person to listen and comfort him, using her optimism and warmth to resolve his troubles; Common Sense and EQ Education: Teaching him basic social rules and life knowledge, guiding him to understand and manage his emotions, and learning how to get along with others; "Down-to-earth" Entertainment: Taking him for outdoor activities, doing crafts, and playing games, allowing him to touch the real world and maintain his childlike curiosity and vitality.

Meanwhile, she entrusted more professional guidance tasks to Evelyn: Academic Tutoring: Systematically teaching him basic knowledge of mathematics, physics, programming, etc., and answering professional questions he encountered in his research; Scientific Research Guidance: Under safe premises, guiding him to participate in simple data analysis or experimental design, cultivating his scientific thinking and hands-on ability; Safety Boundary Education: Explaining the safety protocols of various equipment and experiments to him, helping him understand the potential risks of his own abilities and how to control them.

This division of labor allowed both of their strengths to be maximized.

Su Mu was like sunshine, nourishing Excellence's soul with warmth and tolerance, letting him feel the sense of security of a home; Evelyn was like rain and soil, irrigating his wisdom with knowledge and rationality, providing a solid foundation for his growth.

At night, after Excellence fell asleep, Su Mu and Evelyn often gathered in the lounge, brewed a pot of herbal tea, exchanged observations about the subtle changes in Excellence during the day, and discussed the next steps.

They talked about his learning progress, his occasional quirky ideas, and how to deal with the little troubles in his growth.

At this moment, they shed their daytime roles, more like two "parents" worrying about a child's healthy growth together, sharing worries and relief, their relationship growing tighter with each frank conversation.

In this increasingly close cooperation, Evelyn also completely opened her heart to Su Mu.

She was no longer that scientist who always carried a hint of distance and wore a professional mask.

She began to share some of her work-related confusion with Su Mu, such as her struggles with a certain data pattern or concerns about the safety of new technologies.

Occasionally, when the atmosphere was relaxed, she would also mention fragments of her past—those desensitized stories about lonely growth, rigorous training, and the confusion and struggle when making major decisions.

She rarely expressed emotion, but Su Mu could feel the deeply hidden heaviness from her occasionally flickering eyes and understated tone.

And Su Mu, with her natural optimism and open-mindedness, quietly warmed Evelyn's somewhat gloomy and heavy heart.

Su Mu wouldn't ask for details, nor would she give empty comfort; she would just listen quietly, then share a funny story from her own life, or use a slightly teasing metaphor to break the heavy atmosphere.

Her existence was like a ray of sunshine piercing through the clouds, making Evelyn feel that life was not just about responsibilities and crises, but also about simple warmth and laughter.

Evelyn discovered that when she was with Su Mu, the corners of her mouth would unconsciously curl upward, and she would let out a genuinely relaxed laugh.

This experience was strange and precious to her.

The Center of Happiness: Growing Under the Shine of Sunshine and Moonlight

As the center of all this, Excellence saw his sense of happiness increase day by day under the dual illumination of this "sunshine" and "moonlight."

He completely adapted to and enjoyed the distinct yet equally sincere care from his two "sisters."

He was used to Su Mu's meticulous care, and gladly accepted her occasional "violent" corrections that carried doting—for example, when he secretly picked out the vegetables he didn't like, Su Mu would be quick to pick them back into his bowl, or when he was addicted to experiments and forgot to eat, she would directly "drag" him from the studio to the dining table.

He also became increasingly dependent on Evelyn's knowledge irrigation and rational analysis.

In front of her, he would unconsciously sit straighter, and work harder to organize his language when asking questions, as if wanting to perform better.

He even mastered a little wisdom of "knowing who to appeal to" without being taught:

When he wanted to eat Su Mu's signature dishes or needed comfort, he would circle around Su Mu like a puppy, launching a "coquettish" offensive with sparkling eyes.

When he encountered academic problems he couldn't solve or had crazy ideas about a new invention, he would be the first to run to knock on Evelyn's door, with a stack of draft paper and a head full of questions.

And when he occasionally caused trouble, such as accidentally breaking some equipment, he would choose, based on the severity of the "case," whether to confess and beg for mercy from the soft-hearted Su Mu, or to first find the rational Evelyn to help analyze how to "technically" make amends.

The halo colors recently recorded by his Emotion-Visualization Device had also changed significantly.

The solid-colored halos that used to represent single emotions (such as happiness, focus) now often presented a dynamic pattern where a warm, sunset-like orange-pink (associated with the warmth, sense of security, and happiness brought by Su Mu) intertwined and merged with a steady, deep blue-purple (associated with the knowledge enlightenment and rational sense of security brought by Evelyn).

These halos sometimes projected images of vines intertwining and growing together, and sometimes groups of light spots dancing harmoniously and circling each other.

Excellence's own explanation for this was: "The Class Monitor and sister Evelyn's energy fields are 'singing' together! Although the tunes are different, they sound very good together, making me feel especially... secure."

On a sunny afternoon, the three of them were working together in the "Homeland" ecological Greenhouse.

The Greenhouse was full of greenery, and the air was filled with the fragrance of soil and plants.

The tomato seedlings that Excellence had planted earlier had grown lush and were starting to bear fruit.

Su Mu held a watering can, carefully watering each tomato seedling, her movements gentle, humming a tune that lacked a melody.

Evelyn held a tablet and a measuring ruler, seriously recording data such as the height, number of leaves, and fruit size of each seedling, her expression as focused as if she were in the laboratory.

As for Excellence, he squatted by the nursery, solemnly "chatting" with the largest tomato seedling: "You have to work hard to grow! Look, the little brothers and sisters next to you are all watching you! You need to do more photosynthesis and absorb cosmic energy! Strive to become the Tomato King!"

Sunlight shone through the glass ceiling onto the three, outlining a warm and peaceful picture.

Su Mu finished watering, straightened her waist, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, and her gaze fell on Evelyn, who was lowering her head to carefully measure the leaf width, her profile looking exceptionally soft in the sunlight.

Looking at Evelyn's focused expression, and then looking at the energetic Excellence who was "giving orders" to the tomato seedlings, a wave of indescribable warmth and satisfaction suddenly welled up in Su Mu's heart.

She couldn't help but laugh softly and said: "Evelyn, sometimes I feel that the three of us like this... noisy, yet keeping each other company... is also quite good."

Hearing this, Evelyn raised her head, snapped out of the data, and paused for a moment.

She looked at the warmly smiling Su Mu, then at the self-amused Excellence beside her; the Greenhouse under the sunlight seemed to isolate everything from the outside world.

Her tense mouth corners gradually softened, finally outlining a shallow, yet incomparably real and relaxed smile, and she responded softly: "Hmm, yes, it is."

Excellence's sharp ears immediately caught their conversation, and he immediately leaned his head over, squeezed between them, and declared triumphantly: "Of course it's good! The Class Monitor is like the sun, warm! Sister Evelyn is like the moon, bright, able to illuminate so many things! As for me... I am that happiest little planet orbiting around you both!"

Su Mu and Evelyn were both amused by his childlike and fitting metaphor.

Su Mu reached out, poked his forehead gently, and chided: "You, you're no little planet, you're clearly that comet that worries people the most! Dragging a long tail, causing trouble everywhere, and we have to follow behind to clean it up!"

Laughter echoed in the warm Greenhouse, blending into the scent of sunlight and plants.

This harmonious "trio" atmosphere, full of trust and understanding, had become a warm and solid landscape within the "Homeland."

It did not come out of thin air, but was built on the firm goal of jointly protecting Excellence, having experienced initial probing, subtle jealousy, the test of crises, and daily grinding, finally sublimating into a bond that transcended simple romantic love, becoming deeper and more resilient.

This hard-won rapport and warmth would become the most solid and reliable reliance when facing any future storms.