She was a very pretty young woman. Even though Shen Qi had arrived weighed down by worries, his gaze inevitably lingered on her for an extra couple of seconds as he entered.
Her fair, delicate features already gave her an excellent foundation. Paired with naturally alluring, languid phoenix eyes, her gaze was like a lake rippling with spring waters and scattered petals, captivating the heart. Every curve of her full lips as she spoke compelled others to stare.
So there were beauties at the research institute, too.
The woman coaxed him gently. "Don't be so stubborn. I'll help plead your case with my godfather."
No wonder the other researchers hadn't dared interrupt Mao Xiong, while this woman alone had spoken up. She was the director's goddaughter.
"Hinako, this concerns a researcher's good name. It's a matter of principle."
"Don't be so rigid." Hinako moved closer and gently tugged Li Ke's sleeve.
Her white researcher's coat was unfastened at the front, and the glimpse of what lay beneath made Li Ke avert his face, his eyes flickering.
"No. Doing that would be equivalent to..."
"Don't waste any more words on this stubborn fool." Mao Xiong interrupted them. "Li Ke! If you won't hand over your research results, prepare to pay an enormous breach-of-contract penalty and compensation for damaging the experimental specimen!"
With theft ruled out, the security guards were also in a difficult position over whether the fossil counted as damaged.
To say the fossil wasn't damaged, it had been neatly separated rather than damaged in the conventional sense;
but to say it was damaged, it certainly wasn't in its original, intact state anymore.
It was like someone owning a beautiful uncut gemstone, only for someone else to cut it into an attractive shape without permission. If the owner called that