From Trash to Treasure: The Sinclair Family's Beloved Genius

When it was time for him to head off to bed, the old man looked sad to see her go.

In the end, it took Chloe Sinclair promising she would visit often for the old man to head upstairs, chuckling happily.

Chloe: "..."

’He was probably faking it,’ she thought.

Still, she had made a promise, and Chloe Sinclair always kept her word.

"Chloe, how about I take you back to your apartment now?"

Chloe needed to stay in Emberfall for a few days for a project handover, and he also happened to have some unfinished work to deal with.

After dropping Chloe off at her apartment, Jasper hurried back to his company.

Back at her apartment, Chloe organized the data she had on hand, then headed to Joel Quincy’s research institute.

The institute was noticeably emptier than usual.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, Joel Quincy had given all the interns a vacation. Only he and Nathan Trenton were left in the lab.

"Professor."

Joel Quincy turned at the sound of her voice, a hint of surprise in his eyes when he saw Chloe.

"School’s out for the holidays, isn’t it? Why haven’t you gone home yet?"

Chloe pulled a file from her backpack and answered honestly, "I’ll be here for a little while longer."

As she spoke, Chloe glanced at the documents in his hands. "Professor, the denuclearization device is at my research lab. The key is in this file. I’ll have to trouble you to pick it up later."

She didn’t have many plans for the winter break, but she did have to bring Jasper to meet her parents. She expected that to be a complete madhouse.

Joel Quincy nodded. "Alright. You haven’t been home in nearly six months. Go back and spend some time with your dad and your brother."

Then, Joel Quincy suddenly asked, "By the way, is your younger brother going home this year?"

Chloe was a bit surprised, but she nodded. "My younger brother and I are heading back to Kennet together."

"Do you think... you could get an autograph from your brother for me?"

He immediately seemed to feel he was putting her in a tough spot and sighed. "Never mind. Your brother’s probably very busy."

But Chloe agreed right away, not looking the least bit surprised.

Joel Quincy wasn’t married, but he had a niece who already had a job. The autograph was probably for her.

"I’ll mail it to you when I get it."

Joel Quincy was about to say she could just give it to him when she got back to the university, but when he heard Chloe mention she had a New Year’s gift for him, his heart warmed, and he didn’t object.

As soon as Chloe left, Joel Quincy archived her data and sent it to the Emberfall University Physics department’s group chat.

"The denuclearization device is finished?"

"That was fast. Is the data accurate? Are there photos of the prototype?"

"Looks like Chloe Sinclair is about to make a name for herself again."

The moment Joel Quincy posted the files, several professors sent voice messages to the group.

They didn’t really text much on WeChat, preferring to use voice messages. And after they finished speaking, there would always be a long, silent pause lasting tens of seconds at the end of each recording.

Joel Quincy typed out what Chloe had told him earlier and sent it to the group. After closing WeChat, he stared at the data, still finding it a little hard to believe himself.

At five in the afternoon, Joel Quincy had Nathan Trenton prepare the press materials. He then contacted the media and released the news that the denuclearization device had been successfully developed.

Joel Quincy didn’t keep a low profile this time. As soon as the news broke, numerous official social media accounts began reposting it.

Eight o’clock at night was prime time for internet users.

Thanks to a coordinated promotional push from multiple sources, the denuclearization device shot straight to the top of the short-form video trending charts.

At the same time, several hashtags, including #DenuclearizationDevice, also started trending on social media.

At that point, the denuclearization device was impossible to ignore.

[What the hell is a "denuclearization device"? Don’t tell me this is another one of those bogus research projects.]

[As a nuclear physics major, I’m completely in the dark. I recognize all the words in the name, but I have no clue what they mean when you put them together.]