After Becoming the Scummy Alpha in a Substitute Romance (GL) - Chapter 14

Jian Ya followed Xiao Bai to the computer science team’s workspace.

There were still two vacant desks. After Jian Ya sat down, Xiao Bai turned to Li Lu, the team lead, and said,
“Professor Shen wants her to start working on the project. Can you assign her some tasks based on her skills?”

“Alright,” Li Lu replied.

But when she looked at Jian Ya, her eyes still held a trace of skepticism.

She’s too young—and way too full of herself.

From the very first time they met, when Jian Ya claimed she could speak multiple programming languages, Li Lu had already formed a negative impression.

Knowing all languages and being fluent in them were two completely different things.

Even Li Lu herself had only mastered a couple. To her, Jian Ya’s bold statements made her sound like someone with no real experience, just trying to sound impressive.

Normally, for newcomers like Jian Ya, the best approach would be to assign them simple tasks at first—like data entry, code reviews, or testing.

Only after they had a solid grasp of the project would they be allowed to take on more important responsibilities.

But because of how Jian Ya had come off before, Li Lu had already decided to give her a bit of a challenge. So she asked directly,
“You said you know C#, right?”

“Yes,” Jian Ya nodded.

C# was an object-oriented programming language known for its clean structure, visual capabilities, and high efficiency. Even in her past life, it was one of her go-to languages.

“We’ve been building our data model using C#. Since you say you’re comfortable with it, why don’t you help with the next stage of development? Does that work for you?” Li Lu asked.

Jian Ya didn’t hesitate. “That’s fine. But I’ll need to take a look at the overall code framework first so I can understand the architecture. Also, if there’s any reference material for the mathematical models and experimental data being used, that would help.”

In just a few words, Jian Ya went straight to the heart of the project’s structure.

Even though what she asked for seemed basic, the way she approached it—with clarity and confidence—already set her apart.

At the very least, Li Lu could tell Jian Ya wasn’t just bluffing.

“Alright, follow me,” Li Lu said.

For the next hour, Jian Ya focused on reviewing the code structure Li Lu had introduced.

After Li Lu gave her a general overview, Jian Ya sat down and began reading the source files.

There were over two thousand lines of code, but Jian Ya skimmed through them quickly, scanning line after line without missing a beat.

As she read, she sighed quietly to herself. Just as I thought—the state of computer science in this world, even in a research setting, still lags far behind the level I’m used to.

In her previous world, someone like the so-called “expert” in this lab—praised here as a top-tier computer science authority—was really just another average programmer.

The way they handled data structures here was overly complicated.

To Jian Ya, it was inefficient and poorly designed.

As Li Lu finished her explanation, she stood behind Jian Ya with her arms crossed, silently watching her work.

The moment she saw Jian Ya skimming through the code—almost a dozen lines at a time—whatever little goodwill she had built up toward her immediately disappeared.

Who reads code like that? she thought.

But she said nothing. Only after Jian Ya had finished reading did she finally ask in a cold voice, “Done already?”

“Yes, I’ve finished going through it. Everything looks fine on my end. What section do you want me to start working on?” Jian Ya replied calmly.

“This is our next objective,” Li Lu said as she handed her a folder. “All the requirements and direction are written inside. This will be your task for the next few days.”

Jian Ya took the folder and glanced through it briefly before coming to a quick conclusion.

Not difficult. If I don’t work overtime, I can finish it in two days. If I do, just one.

She gave Li Lu a polite nod and smile. “Got it. I understand.”

“Go on then,” Li Lu said, dismissing her with a wave and sending her back to her desk without another word.

There was nothing wrong with young people being confident.

But in Li Lu’s opinion, they needed to experience setbacks—enough to make them calm down, lower their ego, and learn to respect their seniors.

Jian Ya returned to her seat with the folder and turned on her computer.

The lab’s computers weren’t connected to the internet. Only the internal network allowed file sharing among devices within the lab. There was no way to extract data externally.

This was a strict security measure to protect sensitive research and prevent leaks.

If someone truly wanted to steal data, they’d have to use an external device to copy the files manually.

Jian Ya lowered her gaze slightly.

Still, it was fortunate that she was the one in this position now. Solving the problem at its root was always the cleanest and most effective solution.

She took a deep breath and got back to work.

It had been a long time since she’d personally built anything from scratch. Although much of the knowledge had become second nature to her, she was still a little rusty at the beginning.

You could tell just from the way she typed—her speed wasn’t quite there yet.

Simply put, her hands weren’t used to it anymore.

But soon enough, Jian Ya fully immersed herself in the task. Her entire focus narrowed to the small screen in front of her.

Meanwhile, others in the area had begun to take notice of her.

Jiang Shuqi, one of the team members responsible for the same project, had also seen the folder Li Lu handed to Jian Ya. She had only skimmed it, but she knew what was inside.

That task had originally been scheduled for six people to finish in five days.

Yet Li Lu had handed the whole thing to Jian Ya alone.

Seeing that, Jiang Shuqi couldn’t help but secretly stick out her tongue in surprise.

They all understood—this was Li Lu trying to give Jian Ya a harsh welcome. But none of them said anything. All they could do was silently wish Jian Ya good luck.

Time flew when you were deep in work.

Before they knew it, the day was almost over.

Jian Ya’s fingers were still flying over the keyboard.

After spending most of the day getting back into the rhythm, she had returned to the state she was once so familiar with—those early startup days in her previous life, coding day and night with fierce focus.

Her intense concentration didn’t go unnoticed by those around her.

Xiao Bai, just finishing her own tasks, stepped into the break room for a drink and happened to see Shen Shuyi walking in as well.

“Shuyi,” she said, “I’ve been watching the new girl. She’s actually pretty good—definitely a computer whiz. She’s been sitting there working non-stop since the moment she got her task. Really focused, really committed. We don’t know how her final output will look yet, but just based on her attitude, she has the mindset of a real researcher.”

“Mm,” Shen Shuyi responded softly, a thoughtful look flickering in her eyes.

Her hand, wrapped around the cup, tightened slightly.

You can fake a facial expression—but not genuine passion.

That was something you couldn’t pretend to have.

And at this point, Shen Shuyi was starting to realize… she no longer understood Jian Ya at all.