Yan's words of "long time no see" still lingered in the air, and it took quite a while before Ziong Mingde responded.

"Hmph, I never thought someone like you would engage in meaningless chitchat like those common folks."

Ziong Mingde did not show the respect that a junior should have towards his elder. He didn't even stand up or nod his head, just turned around to face Yan, his gaze suddenly focused, as if he was looking at him, and yet, it seemed like he was looking at empty air, devoid of anything.

Once, there was a thick bond of friendship between them for almost a decade, with a relationship that was somewhere between grandfather and grandson and father and son. But here, between these two sentences of dialogue, there was no trace of that bond.

It was as if all the memories of the past were fictional, never existed.

In this room, they were simply two strangers.

Yan smiled easily, without retorting. The lifted corners of his mouth, the wrinkled brow and eyes, deepened the lines on his face.

Instead of getting angry at Ziong Mingde's rudeness, he showed a hint of sadness.

No matter how you look at it, Yan was nothing more than a kind old man.

"Avoid talking while eating, first impressions matter, no need for small talk; once seated, the debate begins..."

Yan muttered to himself.

"When you were young, you used to love the verses of Lu You."

"Whether it's simple greetings or genuine concern, there is still a hint of care between people."

Yan found a chair and sat down next to Ziong Mingde, carefully examining him with warm eyes, the kind of warmth usually seen when long-lost relatives meet again.

"Although you left with such a tough attitude, you haven't been the same as before this past year, Mingde..."

Although he said so, Yan did not show any signs of regret.

"But surely, under this weary body, your heart has grown a lot, hasn't it?"

"You're being unnecessarily verbose, not like you, old man."

Ziong Mingde ignored Yan's concern, abruptly stood up, and glanced at the passage he had just walked in from.

Footsteps of someone approaching could already be heard, Dr. Murata, who was left behind by Ziong Mingde earlier.

"All this useless talking, what good does it do? It's better to say what needs to be said, end the experiment early, and do whatever we need to do. Doesn't that fit your decisive style better?"

Ziong Mingde said this, turned around, and for the first time, his gaze met Yan's. He didn't avoid it, and straightly looked at Yan.

Only when Dr. Murata arrived in the room did they unconsciously avert their gazes from each other.

No amount of words could compare to the questioning in those few seconds of eye contact.

"Oh, you've arrived, Mr. Yan, I apologize for not welcoming you at a distance. Please forgive me!"

Dr. Murata directly bypassed Ziong Mingde and respectfully came to Yan's side. His humble and devout attitude was like a believer meeting the Pope, wanting to kneel down and kiss the Pope's feet.

Ziong Mingde stood by, wearing a mocking smirk, observing it all.

Yan dealt with Dr. Murata's enthusiasm in passing, his focus still on Ziong Mingde.

After a conversation with Dr. Murata, Yan asked him to retrieve the "thing" he had stored here.

"Are you ready to take it, Mr. Yan, there's still time..."

Dr. Murata glanced at his watch, feeling somewhat puzzled.

"It's up to you to take it out."

Yan didn't look at Dr. Murata, but instead, he looked at Mingde Zong and said so.