Sleep and Romance

Late at night, in the laboratory on the top floor of the teaching building, a table lamp glowed, emitting dim, yellow light.

Qu Xiao's back ached, and her shoulder muscles twisted into knots.

She saved the two documents and sent them to Lei Qiming's mailbox.

Before leaving the laboratory, she adjusted and cleaned the temperature-control display cabinet and threw the dregs of residual drugs into the hazard disposal bin.

By the time she stepped out of the building, the sky over the eastern horizon had lit up with the first rays of dawn. Sunlight peaked through the clouds ushering in the new day.

"Return tomorrow night. The medicinal herbs in the temperature control box need to be replanted and the soil replaced. I'll leave you in charge of both tasks. Be careful not to damage the roots; the plants must be cleaned one at a time."