In his final words, he offered Ji Ting a distant "blessing": "I hope Academician Ji Ting can settle down and grow from a 'wall breaker' into a true 'city builder,' forging that dazzling bolt of lightning into a beacon that will never go out on the map of human knowledge."
As he bowed slightly, applause rose through the venue, though everyone clapping had their own thoughts.
Ji Yanzhi did not raise his hands.
Yet his smile deepened, like a pattern painstakingly carved into cold jade, set among his sharply defined features.
The upward curve of his lips was flawless, but somehow, his eyes instead reflected a sharp, cold light that made hearts tighten.
Professor Bergman stepped down from the stage, his posturing figure disappearing from view. According to the proceedings, it was now Ji Yanzhi's turn to go up as the "proxy recipient."
Just as Ji Yanzhi was about to rise, his eyes gleaming coldly-
An aged yet remarkably steady hand gently clasped his wrist, its strength leaving no room for argument.
It was Lu Yongkang.
Ji Yanzhi turned. The man still wore a mild, official smile and looked straight ahead, as though he had merely given a younger colleague a casual pat.
But his voice was lowered to a whisper, carrying a peculiar reassurance and deeper meaning as it reached Ji Yanzhi's ears clearly. "Little Ji, don't be hasty. Have you forgotten... that 'little surprise' I mentioned?"
A surprise? Who cared about a surprise right now!
Bergman's barbed, maliciously disparaging remarks still rang in his ears. All he wanted was to stand at that microphone immediately and use the coldest, sharpest words to shove every rancid, spiteful word that old bastard had spewed straight back down his throat!
Just as he was about to wrench free of Lu Yongkang's