CHAPTER 64: CHAPTER 64: AN AWKWARD AND AMBIGUOUS NIGHT

The night falls, and the lights in the drug research institute are brightly lit.

In the laboratory, Victoria Sinclair wears a white coat and a mask, sitting in front of a one-way mirror, observing the situation inside the big cage.

The two monkeys finally start feeling something.

Angela Austin packs her bag and walks up to Victoria Sinclair, "Let’s call it a day; aren’t there cameras watching anyway?"

Victoria Sinclair stares intently at the monkeys behind the one-way glass, "The cameras have captured them doing it several times, but the female monkey just can’t get pregnant. I need to check whether anything was actually discharged inside her. Being meticulous is always better."

"Alright, take your time, I’m off now."

"Okay, tomorrow’s the weekend, have a good rest."

"Bye!" Angela cheerfully steps out of the laboratory.

She walks down the corridor, pushes open the large door, and pauses, seeing Eugene Vaughn approaching not far away.

After the last incident with Vivian Miller, Angela still harbors some reservations towards Eugene Vaughn.

Thinking he might hold a grudge against her because of Vivian Miller.

Unexpectedly, the man’s smile is rather gentle and polite.

"Angela, Victoria hasn’t finished work yet?" Eugene Vaughn politely asks as he approaches her.

Angela pushes the door open, making way for him, "She’s in Lab 6 watching two monkeys do their thing. It’ll probably take a while; you can wait at the door or sit inside and wait."

Eugene Vaughn passes by her, "I’ll wait inside."

Angela turns her head to look at him and calls out, "Hey, Eugene!"

Eugene stops, looks back at her, his eyes are also gentle.

"About the last incident..."

"It was Vivian Miller’s fault." Eugene interrupts, "Don’t think about it too much."

Angela is kind-hearted by nature, hearing this, she happily waves her hand generously, "I’m not that petty; I was just worried you’d be upset with Victoria because of that whole ’buddy tea’ incident."

"What’s ’buddy tea’?" Eugene looks slightly puzzled.

Angela smiles and shakes her head, feeling rather sentimental.

No wonder he doesn’t understand the delicate boundaries; turns out he doesn’t know what ’buddy tea’ is.

Angela explains, "’Buddy tea’ is an internet slang term describing some girls who always hang out and get along well with guys under the guise of being ’bros,’ without understanding boundaries, or intentionally create intimacy, causing misunderstandings with their friend’s partner."

Eugene stiffens, his eyes deep and dark.

Angela knows he’s a wise man, this explanation is quite clear.

"I’m off work, bye." Angela waves her hand and turns to leave with large strides.

Eugene clenches his fist, takes a deep breath, and continues walking inside.

Lab 6’s door is open, Eugene knocks on the door panel, standing at the entrance and looking inside.

Victoria Sinclair says warmly, "Angela, you leave work first; it might take them a while longer."

Eugene sees inside the glass, a male monkey is riding a female monkey, carrying out reproductive activity.

He’s unsure whether to retreat or enter, hesitating.

"Victoria." He greets.

Hearing the voice, Victoria Sinclair feels her heart almost jump out.

Looking back towards the door, seeing Eugene, even through the mask, she can feel her face heating up with redness.

She quickly gets up, walks to Eugene, and pushes him outside, "Wait for me outside for a while; they’ll be quick."

"Alright." Eugene steps back a few steps, following her nudge.

Victoria Sinclair dares not look him directly in the eye again, re-enters the lab, and closes the door.

She leans against the door panel, breathing.

Oh God, she’s done so many experiments; what has she not seen? Why, in this particular scenario with Eugene, does she feel so embarrassed and unable to show her face?

She calms her heartbeat, returning to her work position.

Eugene waits outside the lab on a long bench.

Half an hour later.

Victoria Sinclair removes her lab coat and mask, turns off the lights, and leaves the laboratory with her bag.

She walks out, Eugene pockets his phone and stands up.

"Sorry to make you wait so long." Victoria Sinclair appears slightly embarrassed, still somewhat shy.

Eugene with one hand in his pocket, "It’s fine, I didn’t wait too long, but relative to their duration, they were quite persistent."

Eugene spoke frankly, but hearing it through Victoria Sinclair’s ears, she felt both awkward and embarrassed, with a hint of shyness.

"It’s not that they were persistent; I needed to collect experimental data, so I had to wait for the male monkey..." Victoria Sinclair couldn’t speak any further, her eyes wandering to the lab door, thick-skinned, she continues, "Once finished, I had to conduct a series of checks on the female monkey to ensure data accuracy."

Eugene’s eyes are warm, he extends his hand to her.

She glances at Eugene with her clear, lively eyes, then at his outstretched large hand.

She feels hot and restless, her heart beating uncontrollably.

She worries that she might misunderstand, unsure if he’s intending to hold hands, hesitating.

Eugene lowers his hand and takes hers.

At this moment, Victoria Sinclair shyly lowers her head, reserved and modestly smiling with pursed lips.

The man’s large hand is warm, broad, firm, and full of security.

Holding her hand, they walk side by side out.

Leaving the laboratory.

The street outside is sparsely populated, with few vehicles on the road.

The evening air has a bit of chill, with dim yellow street lamps.

They hold hands, walk along the pedestrian path, surrounded by lush green bushes, the lamp casts their shadows overlapping, imprinted on the road behind them.

They walk very slowly, hands tightly clasped.

Between the two, it’s very quiet.

"Is there still an issue with the new drug?" Eugene breaks the silence with the topic she’s most concerned about.

Victoria Sinclair responds, "Yeah, that male monkey has been taking the new drug, and the female hasn’t gotten pregnant yet. I’m worried the drug causes infertility. If it can lead to reproduction, I also need to check for any potential birth defects and other issues. I need to tackle these challenges one by one."

"You’re Victoria Sinclair! I believe you can do it."

Victoria Sinclair’s heart warms. His words of encouragement are particularly empowering, in an instant she feels as if she can accomplish anything, brimming with confidence.

She feels a little shy, nervously touching the back of her neck, suddenly remembering something, takes a big step to block Eugene’s path.

Eugene pauses, looking down at her.

The two stand under a streetlamp.

The light is dim yellow, the road is quiet, nearby tree branches partly obscure the light, mottled shadows cast upon them.

Victoria Sinclair’s cheeks are slightly red, her eyes clear and carrying a hint of doubt, staring at Eugene’s handsome face.

He’s wearing a white shirt and black pants, the shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, elegantly casual and warm. His broad back contrasts her slender and graceful figure, forming a charming comparison.

"What’s wrong?" Eugene’s lips slightly raise, looking at her unexpectedly.

Victoria Sinclair swallows hard, gathers courage, and touches her neck, "Is the red mark on my neck your doing?"

Eugene’s eyes flicker with a hint of subtle panic, he pulls away her hand and tilts his head to look, "Where?"

Victoria Sinclair lowers her hand, gently tilts her head, raising her neck, revealing behind her earlobe.

A gentle breeze blows, in the dim yellow light of night, the bright red mark resembles delicate petals floating on her fair skin, highlighting his nearly uncontrolled actions from last night.

Overly indulged, the intensity of the kisses wasn’t controlled well.

Eugene’s fingers tremble slightly, his breathing slightly deepens, his Adam’s apple moves, voice becomes husky, "I didn’t mean to."

Victoria Sinclair isn’t entirely sure it’s a hickey.

It could be when he supported her, accidentally scraping a button or bumping into something, it’s hard to say.

She curiously asks, "How did it happen?"

Eugene doesn’t answer, quietly gazing at her enticing pink lips, his Adam’s apple moving up and down.

Then, he shows her through actions how it happened.

Eugene gently touches her chin with his large hand, fingertip hooking around her neck.

Victoria Sinclair’s body stiffens slightly, his warm and solid large hand feels like carrying low-frequency electrical currents, numbing her skin through the palm, gradually spreading to her limbs, heart rate progressively quickens.

Eugene’s eyes are very warm, his handsome face slowly lowers, bending his waist low, tilting his head to approach Victoria Sinclair’s lips.