132: Chapter 132 Okay, I'm a scumbag

"Old Bai, what are you smiling about? You look just like you did in your youth right after stealing a chicken." Yang Jingqiu noticed Bai Erru's peculiar smile and gave him a pat.

Bai Erru took a sip of wine and pointed upstairs. "Xiaohe's thoughts are now entirely on Zhao Yang."

Yang Jingqiu gave a bitter smile. "Is that a good thing? You can't possibly be unaware of what's going on between Zhao Yang and that Rose girl, can you? Do you think Zhao Yang will treat Xiaohe with his whole heart?"

Bai Erru showed a hint of helplessness. It wasn't just Huang Yimei; given his circles in the business world, he naturally knew that Zhao Yang also had a deep relationship with Gao Qilan, the head of Qilan Investment. She was a powerful woman who had burst onto the scene, controlling billions in capital! Compared to her, if not for the influence of the Bai family, Bai Xiaohe might not even have the right to sit at the table.

He paused and then said, "But do you think Xiaohe can take an interest in anyone else? Or rather, can anyone else walk into her heart?"

Yang Jingqiu fell silent.

Without Zhao Yang, Bai Xiaohe would likely still be trapped in the shadow of that first love, with no telling when she would have emerged. Now she had come out of it, but a man destined for extraordinary things had moved into her heart. With her life experience, Yang Jingqiu could naturally see that a man like Zhao Yang would certainly not focus all his attention on any single woman.

Yang Jingqiu sighed. "Xiaohe... this child has a hard life."

"Hard?" Bai Erru shook his head.

It was true he was wealthy, but he wasn't someone who lived a sheltered life of leisure. He naturally knew that anyone in this world who could have this kind of worry could hardly be described with the word 'hard'.

He took a sip of wine and smiled. "Zhao Yang is not an irresponsible person. Besides, my daughter, Bai Erru's daughter, isn't the type to be tied down at home by a man. As long as Xiaohe is happy, that's enough."

Yang Jingqiu thought about it and slowly nodded.

Today's Bai Xiaohe was no longer the good little girl she used to be. She managed a Pharmaceutical Company and was a leader in the field of scientific research; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a powerful woman. Such a Bai Xiaohe was destined to be more independent, and her life would be broader.

Bai Erru took another sip of wine with a look of contentment. "In the past, I always felt our Bai family didn't have any higher pursuits; I just wanted Xiaohe to live a happy life. Looking at it now, hahaha, my perspective was too small! In Xiaohe's hands, our Bai family will surely go further and stand higher in the future."

...

On the other side, Bai Xiaohe pulled Zhao Yang into the study and took an experimental report out of a drawer. "This is the experiment I mentioned just now. Take a look at this molecular formula—is it the kind you were talking about?"

"Alright, let me see." Zhao Yang flipped through it and quickly pointed out several parameter issues. Bai Xiaohe nodded as she listened, then asked about some details regarding catalytic efficiency before suddenly sighing. "Antiviral drugs are essentially in a race against viruses. Viruses mutate quickly while new drug development is slow. Will this path eventually hit a ceiling?"

"Indeed." Zhao Yang nodded. "So we can't just focus on the virus itself. We need to change our thinking—turn the immune System into the main force, with drugs only acting as support."

Bai Xiaohe's eyes lit up. "You mean like in Traditional Chinese Medicine—regulating the body and enhancing immunity so the body clears the pathogens itself?"

"Something like that." Zhao Yang smiled. "But this process can be more direct. Starting from the genetic level, we can design precise antibodies for specific viruses, as long as we have the virus's genetic sequence."

Bai Xiaohe looked excited. "Yes, yes, yes! This is a cutting-edge direction internationally! We can definitely break in from here!"

"But for it to truly be implemented, it will rely heavily on the development of medical equipment. In this regard, we can cooperate with Hongdou Technology to develop some innovative medical devices."

Bai Xiaohe nodded, then changed the subject. "Then can we use the same line of thinking to create antibodies targeting cancer cells?"

"We can, but I have a more clever way." Zhao Yang's lips curled up. "The reason cancer cells are dangerous is because they are good at disguising themselves; the immune System doesn't recognize them. As long as we can make the immune System recognize them as the enemy, the human body can clear the cancer cells on its own."

"The logic is sound, but the actual operation is too difficult."

"Then we'll make it easier for the immune System." Zhao Yang laughed. "Use genetic engineering to put a tag on the cancer cells—for example, tag the characteristic proteins on the surface of the cancer cells as the α-gal antigen found in pork cells. The human immune System is extremely sensitive to this antigen; once identified, it will immediately trigger a rejection reaction."

Bai Xiaohe's gaze fixed on Zhao Yang's face, shining as if she were looking at a peerless treasure.

"If this idea can be realized, it could save tens of millions of lives!" She waved her hands excitedly, then suddenly grabbed Zhao Yang's shoulders, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a forceful kiss on the cheek. "Zhao Yang! You are the savior!"

Zhao Yang touched his cheek, not yet having processed what happened. Was he just forcibly kissed by Bai Xiaohe?

Bai Xiaohe also froze.

She covered her lips and looked at Zhao Yang, her pretty face quickly turning red down to her neck. "I-I'm sorry... I was too excited."

Just as Zhao Yang was about to tease her, a System prompt suddenly rang in the depths of his consciousness.

[Detected that Bai Xiaohe's admiration and affection for the host have broken through the threshold]

[Host has established a bond with Bai Xiaohe — Savior's Fate]

[Bai Xiaohe shares the host's Chemistry and Medical Skills; learning and research efficiency in related fields is increased by 300%]

[Host simultaneously masters Bai Xiaohe's knowledge: Biochemistry, Biopharmaceuticals, Pharmacokinetics, etc.]

[After knowledge Fusion, related skills have been upgraded]

[Host's Chemistry has increased by 1 level; Skill: Chemistry Level 7]

[Host's Medical Skills have increased by 1 level; Skill: Medical Skills Level 6]

Zhao Yang felt a tingle in his brain as a massive flow of knowledge flooded in, including the synthesis pathways for hundreds of drug molecules, experimental methods for Pharmacokinetics, clinical trial design and statistics, and more. It was all the hard-earned expertise Bai Xiaohe had accumulated from years in the laboratory.

Zhao Yang digested it for a few seconds and found that the bond with Bai Xiaohe was somewhat different from those with Gao Qilan and Huang Yimei. There was an element of affection, but it was more of a sense of being soulmates with shared goals. However, one thing was certain—'Savior's Fate' was also a partner bond. Bai Xiaohe was now tied to him for life.

That's three! Three wives and four concubines—I'm halfway there.

Fine, I really am a scumbag!

Bai Xiaohe suddenly felt the world around her was a bit different. Many fragments of knowledge connected into lines and expanded into planes, suddenly becoming fully integrated. The experimental parameters Zhao Yang had just mentioned could now be linked together in her mind in an instant, as clear as if they were engraved on paper.

She looked at the cheek where she had kissed Zhao Yang, her lips curling slightly. Perhaps... it was because things had been brought out into the open that her heart felt lighter.

Thinking this way, she became at peace with it.

"Zhao Yang, doing research with you is truly worry-free."

Zhao Yang smiled. "I can't let that kiss go for nothing. Regarding the idea of tagging cancer cells as pork, I've done some computer simulations. I'll organize the data and give it to you later; it should save you some time."

"Really? That's great!" Bai Xiaohe's eyes lit up, and her body leaned in slightly, feeling another impulse to kiss him. This time, however, her brain was a step faster than her actions and she hit the brakes in time.

Zhao Yang, however, seemed to see through her. With a slight smile, he proactively offered his other cheek.

"Don't do things halfway. This side is still empty; it's unbalanced."