Chapter Forty-Nine: Junzhi and Yangyi

Chen Ou watched as the man and woman approached, his face tinged with an amused smile. Of course, he appeared gentle and perfectly normal, but for reasons unknown, Junzhi saw another meaning within that smile. So, behind the pair, Junzhi shot Chen Ou a fierce glare, warning him not to say anything he shouldn't. What Junzhi didn't realize was that Chen Ou's smile wasn't directed at him at all.

He was smiling at the man and woman.

The man was dressed in a high-end tailored suit, discernible through subtle details. In his previous world, Chen Ou had been a child accustomed to luxury; his family was wealthy. After crossing over, Dr. Oak not only lacked nothing—he was, as the leading Pokémon researcher, among the richest in the Pokémon world.

As for the woman, her professional attire was also fine, but clearly a tier below the man's. Upon seeing her, Chen Ou felt much as he had when first encountering Olivia in a game from his previous life—a sense of striking beauty. Yet, whereas Olivia radiated cold elegance, this woman leaned toward a more alluring, almost dangerous charm.

A woman whose beauty was aggressively captivating.

And why was Chen Ou amused? Earlier, he had instructed Rotom to hack into the internal network of Cerulean City Water Company and acquire all employee files.

Chen Ou knew this was illegal—though the Pokémon world was somewhat lax about such laws. After all, this was a world where disputes often escalated into large-scale battles (with Pokémon).

Besides, there's that old saying: no complaint, no case. How could anyone press charges if they never found out?

Through analyzing these files, Chen Ou—more precisely, Rotom—identified two problematic employee records.

The first belonged to Junzhi.

The second was this woman standing before him.

Junzhi's file showed issues with his promotion speed, age, and achievements. His advancement had been too slow: he spent five years as a junior employee before becoming a squad leader. In those five years, he'd achieved not merely respectable, but outstanding accomplishments. Yet he remained a mere squad leader. Others with similar tenure and fewer achievements had already been promoted to team leaders, even managers.

If Junzhi's achievements had never been reported or had been credited to others, it might be understandable. But every accomplishment was meticulously recorded in his file. This couldn't be explained simply as having offended a superior.

Otherwise, there would be no record of his achievements at all.

The woman's file was also suspicious. She had joined the company only three days prior. Her record was spotless, stating simply that she was brought in as the personal secretary of the man beside her—Yang Yi.

Combining this with Yang Yi's file and personality analysis, the problem became clear.

Chen Ou trusted Rotom's judgment, and he had already surmised Junzhi's identity. As for the pair before him, Chen Ou had a good idea what they were up to. Still, he was curious to see just how they intended to play their game.

So he said nothing, only maintaining that gentle smile, laced with subtle malice.

"Dr. Chen Ou! It's an honor to finally meet you! I am Yang Yi, Vice President of Cerulean Water Company. On behalf of all our staff, I welcome you. As the youngest doctor in the research field today, your visit is a privilege for us," Yang Yi called out warmly, extending his hand from several meters away.

As the saying goes, one doesn't strike a smiling face. Though Chen Ou certainly could, he had no intention of doing so now. He too responded enthusiastically, stepping forward to meet Yang Yi's outstretched hand.

"Mr. Yang Yi, hello! I am Chen Ou. You flatter me—I merely happened to find an unexplored area and made a few insignificant contributions."

Yang Yi's smile didn't falter as he gripped Chen Ou's hand firmly, expressing both excitement and genuine welcome, yet with just the right amount of pressure so as not to cause discomfort. One had to admit, he was a man of careful measure.

Junzhi, meanwhile, covertly rolled his eyes at Chen Ou.

To him, Chen Ou's words seemed overly modest, bordering on boastful. Rarely is any achievement owed solely to luck, especially in research. There are many untouched fields, many well-known, but why hadn't others succeeded? Luck is often just the final factor. What precedes it is the body, and without that, even the finishing touch is out of reach.

Thus, luck is often the humble excuse of the successful.

Yet many still believe they are only one stroke of luck away from success...

When the wind blows, even pigs can fly; only those still airborne after the wind has passed are truly successful.

So Junzhi didn't believe a word of what Chen Ou said.

Compared to Junzhi's subtle reaction, Yang Yi simply laughed aloud, "Ah, Dr. Chen Ou, you're far too modest! It's hard enough just to make it in the research world, let alone earn a reputation!"

Chen Ou smiled and nodded.

He observed both Junzhi's and Yang Yi's responses.

Clearly, Junzhi was still too young compared to Yang Yi. He had a long road ahead.

Thinking of this, Chen Ou sighed inwardly.

[Grow quickly, Junzhi. There's not much time left for you.]

Of course, as someone who enjoyed watching events unfold, Chen Ou was deeply interested in the future between Junzhi and Yang Yi, so he had no intention of intervening.

After all, there were more important matters at hand.

"Mr. Yang Yi, I believe you already know my assessment of this place. So I won't explain further," Chen Ou said directly. "I'm aware this patch of sludge could impact your company's reputation. I know an Alliance inspector will soon arrive in Cerulean City to evaluate the gym and review the city's administration. If something goes wrong here, Cerulean's score will suffer greatly. You don't want to take the blame, and I have no quarrel with you. I'm simply interested in the problem itself."

Chen Ou watched Yang Yi's unwavering smile and continued, "I won't call the relevant authorities. You should promptly clear the sludge, assist me in my research, and thoroughly investigate the entire incident."

"No problem! Even if you hadn't said so, I would have sought your help. To have a Pokémon Doctor assist us in this investigation—it's more than we could hope for!"

Yang Yi agreed readily, just as he said: what he desired, he dared not request.

Yet Chen Ou's lips curled into a gentle smile.

"If I find anything here that interests me, it's mine. Is that acceptable?"

The atmosphere froze.

PS: Thank you to Lord Xingzhu Chen Ao for the monthly ticket, and to all the supporters!

PS2: With the collection breaking four hundred, there will be extra chapters. Saturday and Sunday, rest assured, it will be made up.