Li Lang noticed the crowd gathering around him. His eyes widened in anger as he bellowed, "What are you looking at? Get back to work!"
His voice boomed like a bell, echoing through the room with an undeniable authority.
Startled by his sudden outburst, the crowd froze mid-step, their curiosity abruptly halted.
"Oh no, the vice president is angry. Let's go back," someone muttered, their face falling as they reluctantly turned around.
"Seriously, what's the harm in letting us take a peek? So grumpy," another whispered in complaint, dragging themselves back to their spots despite their reluctance.
"Hmph, fine, we won't look. We'll find out sooner or later anyway," someone else grumbled, their curiosity burning but unwilling to defy Li Lang's orders.
Though they pretended to focus on work, most of them kept sneaking glances toward Li Lang.
"What's going on that got the vice president this riled up?" one person wondered, doodling absently with their pen.
"I really want to know—maybe it's some earth-shattering secret," another thought, pretending to read a document while stealing sidelong looks at Li Lang.
"Ah, forget it. We'll find out eventually," someone else said, forcing themselves to concentrate on their tasks.
Seeing the crowd slink back to their places, Li Lang's anger subsided slightly. He knew their curiosity was hard to suppress, but order had to be maintained at this critical moment. He thought to himself, "These people, always gossiping. Can't they stay focused even during work?"
It seemed that no matter where you were, gossip was an innate human trait.
After calming down, Li Lang spoke to the female employee in a slightly gentler tone: "Go get the energy cube Wen Qi made and bring it to me. Also, pull up the surveillance footage from before his exam."
The female employee nodded hastily and replied, "Understood, Vice President. I'll handle it right away."
She moved quickly, first retrieving Wen Qi's surveillance footage, then saying to Li Lang, "Vice President, the footage is ready for you to review."
Without a moment's delay, she rushed off to the warehouse to find the energy cube Wen Qi had made earlier. After all, backup energy cubes from the exam were systematically sent here, each with detailed records, clear labels, and full surveillance to ensure they were never tampered with.
Li Lang turned his attention to the surveillance footage. The two elders nearby, curious about Wen Qi, pulled up chairs to watch alongside him.
"Who is this Wen Qi to cause such a stir?" one elder murmured as he sat down.
The other elder chimed in, "Indeed. Let's see if this footage can clear up our doubts."
Li Lang said nothing, his eyes fixed on the screen, his expression serious and focused. He wondered what Wen Qi's behavior in the footage would reveal and whether it would answer his questions.
The room fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the faint sounds from the surveillance video.
The three fast-forwarded through the footage. Meanwhile, the female employee returned with the backup energy cube, placed it beside the vice president, and wisely kept her distance. She joined her colleagues nearby, whispering gossip.
Her eyes wide with curiosity, she leaned in and said quietly, "What do you think Wen Qi's background is? Scoring that high!"
"Who knows? Maybe he's some hidden expert," a colleague speculated, looking puzzled.
"I think it's just luck," another colleague said with a shrug, clearly skeptical of Wen Qi's abilities.
"No way. Luck wouldn't get him a perfect score on the practical test. Didn't you see the vice president's face? They were shocked," the female employee retorted.
"True. That's incredible—beyond imagination," the others agreed, chattering on about Wen Qi's background and origins.
Meanwhile, the three who had finished watching the footage exchanged glances, falling into a long silence.
Li Lang's mind churned like a storm. He thought, "Who is this Wen Qi? Finishing the exam in half an hour—I thought he was guessing, but he got everything right. The invigilators didn't disturb him while he slept and even offered thoughtful service—such special treatment. His machine operation started terribly but improved dramatically, each attempt better than the last. In the end, he produced a high-grade perfect energy cube, wasn't satisfied, and made an even better one. And he aced the test! This level of skill is insane. After all my years in this field, I can't even compare."
One elder mused to himself, "I thought this exam would be like usual, with the prominent families' children shining. But then this Wen Qi appears. This kid's talent and ability are astonishing. Could he be a secret disciple of some master? I've never heard of him. If he joins our association, it'd be a real treasure."
The other elder pondered, "So young and already this accomplished. With proper training, he could become a leader in the industry. But his sudden emergence—is there something behind it? Is it pure talent or some unique opportunity? Either way, we need to observe him closely."
The three looked at each other for a long moment before Li Lang broke the silence, saying, "Wen Qi's skill is indeed extraordinary. At least in energy cube crafting, none of us can match him."
The two elders nodded in agreement. Producing high-grade perfect energy cubes twice in a row wasn't luck—it was undeniable skill.
One elder said, "Yes, this kid is a genius. I wonder how he trained."
The other added, "But we can't rule out special circumstances. We need to investigate further."
Li Lang took a deep breath and said, "Regardless, let's call him in tomorrow and ask him directly."
Their eyes were filled with complex emotions—surprise, doubt, anticipation, and a hint of concern.
Still, they felt they needed to see Wen Qi's energy cube with their own eyes to be fully convinced.
Li Lang opened the box beside him. The moment he caught the unique fragrance, he knew—it was indeed a high-grade perfect quality cube.
After a thorough inspection, they found no issues and breathed a sigh of relief, marveling, "He really is that impressive."
With that, their anticipation for meeting Wen Qi grew even stronger.