novelraw Chapter 049 The Spilled Coffee
Chapter 049 The Spilled Coffee
Four o'clock in the afternoon.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was slightly more relaxed than in the morning.
But only a few.
Su Qing took a document out of the safe.
The yellowed paper was covered with handwritten formulas and annotations.
"This is the original manuscript of the encryption protocol handwritten by my mentor, a Turing Award winner."
Su Qing placed the document in the center of the table with great care, as if she were offering it as a sacred object.
"Only one in the entire world."
"The core algorithm inside can solve all our current security vulnerabilities. But I haven't had time to scan and input it yet, so please look at the original document first."
Jia Pengxiu and Zhang Annian even held their breath.
Turing Award winner's manuscript.
In the computer world, this is no different from a martial arts secret manual.
Jiang Ci also sat up straight.
He has a natural reverence for technology.
Reach out your hand, ready to turn the pages.
【Ding--】
[Key item detected: Unreplicable rare copy.]
[System Analysis: This is a perfect opportunity to destroy the male protagonist's career progress!]
[Mission issued: Destroy it!]
[Mission Method: Pretend to accidentally spill this scalding hot coffee on it!]
Wen Ning's hand holding the tray trembled.
Three freshly brewed Americanos were placed on the tray.
Steaming hot.
Destroy the rare book?
That's incredibly unethical.
This is not just ruining the project, it's destroying cultural relics!
If Jiang Ci knew she did this, would he tear her apart?
[30 seconds left in the countdown.]
[Failure penalty: Pain receptors are amplified tenfold for one hour.]
Wen Ning looked at the steaming coffee in her hand.
I looked at that precious manuscript again.
My heart skipped a beat.
Forget it.
Anyway, she's a vicious supporting character, and she was bound to do this sooner or later.
"Thank you for your hard work, everyone."
Wen Ning carried the tray over.
Her voice was sweet, yet carried a subtle, almost imperceptible tremor.
"Let's have some coffee to perk ourselves up."
She walked to the table.
He stood right between Jiang Ci and Su Qing.
That is, right above the manuscript.
Su Qing looked up at her warily.
Perhaps it was a woman's intuition, but she subconsciously reached out to protect the documents.
But it was too late.
Wen Ning's left foot "clumsily" tripped over her right foot.
"oops--"
The body loses its balance.
The tray is tilted.
A steaming cup of Americano, falling straight down due to gravity.
"Splash!"
The brown liquid exploded on the table.
There was absolutely no deviation.
The yellowed manuscript was instantly soaked in dark brown coffee.
The ink smudged when it came into contact with water, turning those precious formulas into a blurry stain.
Worse.
Because they were so close, coffee splashed up, and a lot of it got onto the back of Wen Ning's hand as she held the tray.
"hiss--"
Wen Ning gasped.
Excruciating pain.
This was made with freshly boiled water, definitely 90 degrees Celsius.
"What are you doing?!"
A sharp, angry roar echoed throughout the conference room.
Su Qing suddenly stood up.
The chair was knocked over, making a loud noise.
She looked at the wad of soaking wet scraps of paper on the table, and her eyes instantly reddened.
Completely devoid of reason.
"Wen Ning! Are you insane?!"
Su Qing rushed over, trying to salvage the documents, only to find they were too rotten to pick up.
She suddenly looked up, staring intently at Wen Ning, her voice trembling:
"This is a unique copy! It's a unique copy, don't you understand?!"
"Can you afford to pay for it?! Even if you sold yourself, you couldn't afford it!"
The entire room fell silent.
Jia Pengxiu was so frightened that he dared not move.
This is a huge mess.
This is a manuscript by a Turing Award winner! Priceless!
Wen Ning stood still.
A large red patch appeared on the back of my hand, and blisters were forming rapidly.
She was trembling with pain, tears welling up in her eyes.
Half of it was from the pain, and the other half from the fear.
"I'm so sorry..."
She had just opened her mouth.
The chair next to me was suddenly kicked away.
A loud "bang" was heard.
Jiang Ci stood up.
His expression was even worse than Su Qing's.
It was so gloomy it looked like it was about to kill someone.
Su Qing assumed he had destroyed the documents in Wen Qining and immediately complained:
"Jiang Ci! Look what she's done! This project is doomed! She's more trouble than she's worth..."
"Shut up!"
Jiang Ci let out a loud shout.
He interrupted Su Qing directly.
He didn't even glance at the documents on the table.
Even if it was the technical solution he had always dreamed of.
Even if that piece of paper has now become a pile of waste paper.
He strode across the mess on the ground.
He grabbed Wen Ning's scalded hand.
The once fair back of my hand is now red and swollen, with two shiny blisters.
The dark brown coffee stains made it look shocking.
Jiang Ci's pupils suddenly contracted.
My heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly.
"Does it hurt?"
His voice was hurried, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible panic.
Wen Ning was in so much pain that she couldn't speak, she could only nod, tears streaming down her face.
Jiang Ci didn't say a word.
He grabbed her and pulled her outside.
"Flush it! Quickly!"
Su Qing blocked their way in disbelief.
"Jiang Ci! Are you crazy?"
She pointed to the scraps of paper on the table.
"The documents are ruined! That's worth billions! And now you only care about her hand?"
"A little burn won't kill you!"
Jiang Ci stopped in his tracks.
He turned his head.
Those eyes held no warmth, only a chilling coldness.
"Su Qing".
He stared at her, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"If a document is destroyed, it can be rewritten, recalculated, or even started all over again."
"If billions are lost, I can earn them back."
He raised Wen Ning's swollen, red hand.
They moved with extreme care, as if handling a fragile treasure.
"But there's only one of her."
"If it's for this inanimate object, let her have even a scar."
"I found the whole project disgusting."
Done.
He shoved Su Qing, who was blocking his way, aside.
He rushed Wen Ning to the restroom.
The room was left with a room full of people, staring at each other in bewilderment at the pile of priceless waste paper.
……
Toilet.
Turn the tap on full blast.
The cool water washed over Wen Ning's hands.
Jiang Ci stood behind her.
He held her wrist with one hand and gently poured water on her with the other.
His brows were furrowed tightly, and his jawline was taut.
He exuded a low-pressure aura.
Wen Ning looked at himself in the mirror.
The heartache and self-blame in his eyes were so intense they were almost palpable.
A wave of guilt washed over me.
She did it on purpose.
She was the one who ruined his hard work.
He blamed himself for not protecting her.
"Jiang Ci..."
Wen Ning's voice choked with emotion.
"Sorry... the file..."
"Don't mention the documents."
Jiang Ci interrupted her.
He looked at the blisters on her hands, his voice hoarse.
"Next time you want to cause trouble, try a different method."
"Smash a cup, smash a computer, anything is fine."
Don't hurt yourself.
"Are you a pig? Spilling it on your own hands?"
Wen Ning cried even harder.
She buried her head in his chest, wiping her tears and snot all over his expensive shirt.
I am a bad person.
I am really a bad person.
I don't deserve your kindness.