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In a quiet, cozy café, Jacob and Nina sat together, both wearing masks to maintain their privacy. Having just confirmed their romantic relationship, they still displayed the natural shyness and restraint typical of a young couple - arguably the most beautiful phase of any relationship.
During this precious time, both individuals always present their most perfect qualities while carefully concealing their personal flaws and imperfections.
Love at this stage can manifest as silent devotion and tender care, or it might burn with intense passion and fire. It can be as beautifully romantic as classical poetry or an exquisite painting brought to life.
However, as time inevitably passes, each person's shortcomings gradually become exposed to their partner. The initial beauty of love often proves to be merely temporary joy and superficial decoration. Arguments have the power to extinguish love's flame entirely and tear apart even the most romantic of bonds.
Love is inherently a fleeting existence - transient and temporary by nature. Yet it is precisely this ephemeral quality that makes people perceive it as particularly beautiful and precious, attracting countless individuals to pursue it relentlessly, one after another, like moths drawn irresistibly to a flame.
Love always requires careful nurturing and skillful management to flourish. Although Jacob possessed limited practical experience in romantic relationships, this limitation didn't prevent him from potentially becoming a master of love's intricacies.
He possessed extensive theoretical knowledge on the subject. In his previous life, he had even enrolled in several relevant elective courses during college, including specialized education courses and comprehensive studies on love, marriage, and family dynamics.
His soul had already experienced the profound changes and challenges that life could offer, earning him the playful nickname of "Little White Dragon of the Sea of Love" among those who knew him well.
Sitting directly across from them was Eleanor. Eleanor stood approximately 1.65 meters tall, with a perfectly proportioned figure that could be described as having a classic, almost anime-like physique.
Her face was strikingly beautiful and naturally charming. Her skin appeared as fair and smooth as freshly fallen snow, while her hair was as thick and lustrous as finely woven silk fabric. She possessed a pair of captivating peach blossom eyes that seemed to draw people in effortlessly, naturally exuding an subtle hint of irresistible charm. Her lips were colored like the finest vermillion, her hands appeared elegantly slender, and every single gesture she made radiated an almost shocking degree of natural allure.
Additionally, her voice naturally carried that same hint of enchanting charm.
It was soft and melodiously sweet, reminiscent of the gentlest whisper carried on a warm evening breeze.
Although her actual personality was completely unrelated to deliberately charming behavior, this disparity didn't diminish her truly astonishing natural appeal in the slightest.
This was especially evident when she sat quietly on the comfortable café sofa, leisurely sipping her coffee with practiced grace. The scene added several distinctive touches of unique feminine elegance, noble bearing, and utterly captivating charm to her overall presence.
If someone were forced to use a single word to describe Eleanor accurately, that word would undoubtedly be "enchantress." Based purely on her physical appearance alone, Eleanor was unquestionably a complete and natural enchantress.
Since her earliest school days, she had never experienced any shortage of eager suitors. The love letters she received from admirers could easily fill an entire dresser drawer to capacity, yet remarkably, she had never actually been in a serious romantic relationship.
Nina also removed her mask at this moment, revealing her own exquisite facial features to the café's ambient lighting. As the old saying goes, birds of a feather naturally flock together.
The two stunning beauties sat side by side, each possessing their own unique and distinctive charm, like the classical four gentlemen of flowers - plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums - each beautiful in their own special way.
The delicate peach blossoms still glistened with rosy dewdrops from the previous night's gentle rain, while the graceful willows appeared even greener and more vibrant with the fresh morning mist.
This enchanting scene made Jacob, who was sitting comfortably beside them, feel genuinely pleased and content with the moment.
The two longtime best friends hadn't seen each other for an extended period and had been enthusiastically chatting about recent interesting events and developments in their lives, which naturally included numerous discussions about Jacob himself.
Eleanor continued to voice her various grievances, dramatically accusing Jacob of his supposed evil deeds in forcing her to work excessive overtime hours.
"Recently, because I've been intensively working on writing this thesis, I basically go to bed at three or four o'clock in the morning every single day, and then I still have to force myself to wake up at seven or eight in the morning. I spend practically all my time staying in the research laboratory and never have opportunities to go out anywhere."
"I've been so incredibly busy that I don't even have sufficient time to take proper showers or wash my hair thoroughly. Fortunately, I've only had to endure this grueling schedule for a few days so far. If this demanding routine continues much longer, I honestly think I'll start going completely bald from the stress."
Nina listened to Eleanor's theatrical complaints with an amused smile, observing her friend's face, which displayed such an expression of deep resentment and suffering. Yet Nina's own face showed nothing but bright, genuine happiness, and her gaze occasionally drifted toward Jacob with obvious hints of playful teasing in her eyes. She couldn't help but ask with curiosity, "You're making the entire situation sound absolutely miserable, but didn't you also receive credit as the second author on the research paper?"
Eleanor always maintained an elegant, dignified, and somewhat unapproachable demeanor when interacting with strangers or outsiders. She only allowed herself to truly relax and let loose when she was in the comfortable company of familiar people.
"Yes, that's true," Eleanor replied. When speaking about being credited as the second author, Eleanor's eyes immediately sparkled with obvious excitement and pride. "Although the work was undeniably hard and exhausting, the research report made everything completely worthwhile. Being officially named as the second author, plus having the privilege of knowing about the Mega Evolution news well in advance, made my grandfather extremely happy and proud."
When Eleanor mentioned this particular achievement, she also remembered Jacob's notably close relationship with the Long family. She couldn't help but pout slightly and voice her complaints. "But our family's connections still can't compare to your family's influence and position. You must have known about this experimental project much earlier than anyone else, right? It's really frustrating and infuriating when you start comparing yourself to others."
"Maximus remains truly far-sighted in his strategic thinking, directly taking Jacob as his personal apprentice and protégé. My grandfather even joked that Maximus shouldn't be classified as a Dragon-type Trainer at all. With his exceptional shrewdness and cunning intelligence, he should probably be considered a Primeape-type Trainer instead."
Listening to Eleanor's good-natured teasing and playful commentary, Nina also smiled warmly in response.
As the very first junior member from Eleanor's family to deliberately pursue a dedicated scientific research career path, Eleanor had successfully become one of Capital University's youngest doctoral candidates. She was following the well-established academic path of the prestigious Lin family, complete with personal recommendation letters written directly by Professor Scott and Professor Jude themselves.
Eleanor was also among Professor Jude's final group of students before his retirement. With this important academic connection firmly established, the relationship between Eleanor's family and the Lin family remained quite harmonious and cooperative. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been Eleanor's turn to serve as Jacob's primary research assistant.
"Eleanor, if there's a next research opportunity, would you still be willing to serve as Jacob's assistant?" Nina asked with a knowing smile.
"Of course I would! Why wouldn't I want to?" Eleanor answered without any hesitation whatsoever, her eyes shining brightly with enthusiasm. "Although the work is admittedly tiring and demanding, do you understand what I mean? That incredible sense of accomplishment that comes from actively participating in groundbreaking research that has the potential to change the entire world is absolutely unparalleled. I would be willing to work myself to complete exhaustion for that kind of opportunity."
Although she had spent considerable time complaining about how physically and mentally tiring the work could be, she remained very willing to serve as Jacob's assistant for future projects. "Even though I complain about it constantly, Jacob is truly a genuine genius in every sense of the word. He will definitely become the greatest and most influential figure of this entire era in the future."
Listening to Eleanor's glowing evaluation and assessment of his abilities, Jacob's face also flushed slightly with embarrassment. When exactly had he become so great and accomplished? Perhaps he should delete his social media alternate account today since it didn't properly fit his supposedly great and righteous public image.
Actually, never mind that idea. He would probably continue watching content for two more days before making any decisions.
"Sometimes I also find myself wondering about Jacob's incredible abilities. He truly is a genius in the most literal sense. I really don't understand what's going on inside his mind, or how he manages to generate so many brilliant and innovative ideas."
As Eleanor continued speaking, her tone began to shift noticeably. "Oh, by the way, I recently heard through academic channels that Jacob has been officially nominated for this year's prestigious Arceus Award for outstanding Pokémon research."
"Nina, considering Jacob's two major research projects from last year - the Z-Move choreography and the fundamental Z-Move mechanics themselves - either one of those projects alone would be sufficient to win this grand award."
"He single-handedly completed all the missing components and elements of the Z-Move system, making the entire Z-Move concept complete and functional. He essentially supported half of all Z-Move research and development."
"Now, he has even single-handedly unveiled the opening prelude to the entire field of Mega Evolution research."
Listening to Eleanor's enthusiastic praise and observing the obvious sparkle of admiration in her friend's eyes, Nina also felt a surge of personal pride. She secretly glanced toward Jacob with affection, then echoed her friend's sentiments by asking, "Is he really that amazing and accomplished?"
"Absolutely, without question. Although Jacob can be described as an exploitative taskmaster who squeezes every ounce of productivity from me, that harsh reality doesn't diminish his incredible scientific research talent in the slightest degree." Eleanor sighed thoughtfully at this reflection, then her eyes began darting around as she constantly assessed and evaluated Nina with obvious curiosity.
"Oh, by the way, didn't Jacob attend the important Pokémon Association meeting this afternoon? My grandfather informed me that Jacob officially announced he has a new experimental project that will require two dedicated research assistants." Eleanor looked directly at Nina with a beaming, hopeful smile. "Nina, exactly how familiar and close are you with Jacob?"
"It's alright, I suppose..." Nina responded cautiously, not daring to speak too definitively about their relationship status.
"Just alright?" Eleanor looked completely exasperated by this response. "You're not going to latch onto such an enormous and valuable opportunity?"
"He's both your student and your junior colleague!" Eleanor emphasized emphatically. "How can your relationship with him only be described as 'alright'?"