The Spread, Part One

Planet 228, Silver Belt District.

Pharmacology Center.

Freud picked up the coat draped over the back of his chair and looked outside at his daughter and granddaughter, who had driven over to pick him up.

Today was the Empire's traditional family reunion day—the Heming Festival.

Over all these years, although they had each lived their own lives, they still gathered for a meal every year on this holiday.

Freud walked out of the Pharmacology Center, greeted the colleagues who came out with him, then opened the car door and sat in the back seat.

"Dad, where do you want to eat today?" Li Hanyue was driving. She had not been mingling in social circles for some time now.

Constant failure had left her heart worn and haggard, so after careful consideration, she decided to try a different approach.

If used well, this approach might easily hook those newcomers who had just broken through. After all, it was a brand-new image of a prodigal daughter returning to the right path, carefully crafted by her.

She was dressed with innocent purity today. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, her bare face cool and understated. A white blouse paired with gray women's trousers and a wide belt patterned with paper clips gave her a clear, refined air where intelligence met beauty.

Anyone unaware of her past might really have been fooled by it.

Freud glanced at Li Qingman beside him, still playing games on her tablet, then lowered his head and coughed softly several times.

"Let's go to Qing Family Old Building. Their private kitchen has updated its menu lately. I heard from a new young colleague that it's pretty good."

These past years, he had always worked diligently and conscientiously, but his health still worsened day by day.

The university research