After listening to Josie’s speculation, Jeremy furrowed his brows. He said, “This is merely your conjecture and cannot serve as evidence. We cannot, on the basis of such conjecture, push someone into a criminal predicament.” After all, stealing research data within a research institute, when taken seriously, was indeed a crime.
Josie’s brows furrowed slightly. She said, “It’s easy to find out the truth. I have heard that, to prevent research data from leaking, concealed surveillance equipment has been installed throughout the institute. We can check the surveillance records.”
“That makes sense.” Jeremy stood up. “Follow me. I will take you to see Herman!”
An hour had passed when the three individuals exited the monitoring room. The faces of all three did not look good.
Upon returning to the office, Jeremy reminded them, “Until the director has released the results of the investigation, all surveillance footage viewed today must be kept strictly confidential. You must not disclose this to anyone outside.”
Josie and Joseph exchanged a glance and nodded in unison, “Understood!”
As soon as Jeremy left, Joseph strode over to Josie. He asked, “Did you already know their true nature, which is why you left their team without hesitation? When you previously advised me to apply for a patent, was it also because you anticipated they would take action against us?”
Josie shook her head and said, “That’s not exactly the case. My departure from the team was indeed out of necessity, but it was also related to their personalities. After spending a long time together, we inevitably came to understand each other to some extent. It’s just that I didn’t anticipate the theft of research materials. My earlier reminder for you to apply for a patent was simply because I understand David and know that he is eager to achieve success. He has always been adept at leveraging the media, seizing upon even the smallest achievements. Whenever their research shows even the slightest progress, he is sure to promote it extensively to the public. Their team and we are working on similar fundamental research. They may also figure out the methods we’re using. If they end up applying for a patent before we do, we’re afraid we won’t be able to use those methods ourselves.”
Ultimately, Josie was merely taking preventive measures, but she did not expect that the theft of the research materials would be discovered so coincidentally. Kyle’s character had once again reached a new low in her mind.
Joseph sighed and said, “I finally understand what it means to never harbor the intention to harm others, but always remain vigilant against being harmed. I have learned my lesson. Next time, I must be more cautious. Thanks, you’re much more attentive than us. Come on, let me buy you a meal. Adeline, Ian, and the others are coming, too.”
He thought, ‘Such a wonderful girl shouldn’t be let go to someone else so easily. No matter what, I am determined to help my friend win her over. Ian, you have to give it your all!’
Unaware of Joseph’s ulterior motives, Josie agreed cheerfully. She said, “Alright. If I refuse, I know you won’t let it go. Joseph, we are now a team. By helping you, I am also helping myself. You must understand that I dislike those people!”
“Understood. Rest assured, those you dislike are also our adversaries. We will stand firmly by your side, and this promise holds at all times.” Joseph extended his hand, which counted as a promise.
Josie reached out and bumped his fist. “For real?”
“For real!” Joseph didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Josie was pleased, as she understood the significance of this promise. It meant that she would gain many loyal partners in her future research endeavors.
The cafeteria at the research institute offered an à la carte service. They would take orders from people. However, the prices for these dishes were higher than those for standard cafeteria meals. Josie did not want to go out again to look for a restaurant and decided to have the meal in the cafeteria.
The group assembled in the cafeteria. From a distance, Adeline rushed over and embraced Josie. “Josie, you and your team are incredible. I saw the paper, and its popularity is remarkable!” Within a single day, the level of attention these two papers received had already surpassed that of all recent articles published in medical journals. Furthermore, with the addition of prefaces to two of the papers, these works quickly became the subject of intense discussion among professionals in the field.