JUDGES

Luo Jingyi woke up earlier albeit going to bed late, put on her sportswear and went for a run. Instead of using the resort's amenities, she satisfied her craving for air at the seaside by jogging outside. After thirty minutes, she was feeling clear-headed and ready for the day. 

When she returned to her hotel room, her breakfast was wheeled in by hotel staff. Knowing who ordered the food, she didn't ask and ate, listening to the news on tv mounted on the wall. 

K5 appeared to her side when the elevator descended to the lobby. 

"I'll drive you to the venue."

Her silence was interpreted by K5 differently.  Although Luo Jingyi disliked the whole idea of being followed, she let this go for once. But she committed to talking to him about this.

K5 held the door of the car, waiting for her to get in. Someone caught the corner of Luo Jingyi's eyes at the entrance, making her squint. A familiar face she wished she killed in her last life. 

K5 noticed the change in her expression that he quickly asked worriedly, "What's wrong Miss Luo?"

"Nothing. I just saw a very ugly face and it ruined my morning." She answered, climbing inside the car.

K5 touched his face. 'That wouldn't be me, right?' 

'Boss said I just had to smile'. Blaming himself,  K5 rounded the car, slid in the driver's seat and started the ignition.

Whatever worries he had at the moment, Luo Jingyi never noticed because she was checking her email to keep her mind busy rather than reminiscing about the past.

Xiao Wen sent an update regarding the task she'd given her. The dead man found in her previous apartment was a part-timer that worked at the coffee shop kiosk outside GM General. The detailed account of the injury he sustained--gave birth to a nervous knot in her stomach. It didn't make sense that she felt responsible for his death when he barely knew him. He was the one who would always greet her chirpily that over the years, she'd grown accustomed to that she returned the greeting with an equal one. They were far from being friends but she was treating him better compared to her interns, colleagues, and people in the hospital.

According to the investigation, someone came forward, admitting the crime. The murder weapon and shoe print at the scene matched to the one who confessed. Hence, the case would be closed soon. 

But Xiao Wen thought differently. Shad a gut feeling the man wasn't the murderer so she would keep on investigating. Then she ended the email with an additional update about her estate agent. She tracked a trail left by the agent and maybe she'd find in no time.

Luo Jingyi let out a low sigh, thinking how competent Alexa's people were. It was not surprising when they were trained for covert operations that involved the nation's security. Something like locating one's whereabouts was a menial task. 

Luo Jingyi fired a reply, telling Xiao Wen to keep on checking. 

She was once told, "There is no such thing as an accident. Most coincidences in this world were man-made."

…..

"You are not allowed inside." Luo Jingyi told off K5 when he intended to follow her in. K5 showed his 'guest' ID.

The conference was strictly for medical professionals only but Yun Jinghan had ways. Pursing her lips, Luo Jingyi no longer spoke and went in, separating from K5. The seating section for the guests was three rows from where she sat yesterday. 

Briefly glancing over her shoulders, Luo Jingyi shut her mind from any distractions and paid attention to the speaker on the stage. 

Meanwhile, K5 checked the time and called his boss.

"Miss Luo is at the venue, young master."

"Pay attention to people approaching her, especially Wen Minghua."

K5 acknowledged the reminder with a 'yes' before expressing his hunch. "Young Master, I think Miss Luo is unhappy with me."

"Your job is to keep her safe, not to be liked by her." Yun Jinghan muttered coldly. 

"....."

….. 

"What do you think about entry number 6?"

Luo Jingyi scanned over the title and recalled what the topic was.  Recalling what it was, she gave her assessment to Prof. Ma, the head of the Ministry of Health who was sitting with her along with the other judges. The other three were renowned doctors in the fields of neurology, surgery and internal medicine.  Based on their age group, Luo Jingyi was the youngest.  

"I think it has  potential if guided in the right direction." She replied, studying Prof. Ma's expression. 

As she anticipated, Prof. Ma expressed his outright disapproval like the previous ones that Luo Jingyi recommended. "It's not very original.  A US-based company had already started developing an artificial liver." 

Luo Jingyi refuted him. "Yes, but they are facing problems with the bioreactor. In this proposal,  the researchers had already found the missing component which would allow the cells to produce what's needed by the body to maintain liver-like function. If we based on the data from the tests they conducted, the PICM-19 cell line inside the bioreactor contained the two cell types that makeup 98% of the liver tissues thus, it could perform the liver's vital functions." 

"Use pig's liver on humans?" Prof. Ma asked in distaste. 

"Why not? Pigs are genetically close to humans. Isn't that right Dr. Li?" Luo Jingyi turned her attention to the man with gray hair sitting beside Prof. Ma.  If she remembered correctly, Dr. Li conducted research regarding the use of pig's blood in a transfusion.  

Dr. Li pushed his black-rimmed glasses with a forefinger and spoke, facing Prof. Ma, "Research had shown us that by genetically altering and cloning pig tissues, we are able to protect the human immune response which has shown greater numbers of pig's graft survival.  So genetically speaking, modified pigs will offer a limitless supply of organs and cells. If you are unclear about these topics, I could go on or ask my assistant to give you related research on this matter." 

Luo Jingyi smothered the laugh that was dangerously on the verge of escaping her lips. She liked how Dr. Li responded. He was directly implying that Prof Ma had no right to question things when he had no idea what he was talking about.  The other two looked at Dr. Li wide-eyed. 

At the onset of their discussion,  Prof. Ma had been controlling the conversation and the two never offered their honest opinion. They would simply agree with him because they didn't want to get on his wrong side. That's why Luo Jingyi directed the question to Dr. Li. She wanted to sound him out.  

Looking at Prof. Ma's face,  he was mad but he was good at hiding it.  

"I agree with Dr. Luo. The PICM-19 liver stem line successfully mimics the liver's functions. Hence,  if developed, this artificial liver device will highly improve the chances of treating liver failure." Dr.  Li added, taking the research paper and placing it on top of the pile they set aside for consideration. His action showed no room for disapproval.  

For a moment,  uncomfortable silence filled the room.  Luo Jingyi was the one who broke it. "How about this one, biohybrid artificial organ?"

"It's also the same, pigs organs as a substitute." Prof Ma said,  recovering from embarrassment. He was back to controlling the conversation. 

Dr. Li frowned and commented sharply,  "Where is it the same? It focuses on putting human genes in pigs and developing it from there."

Luo Jingyi put on her opinion, seeing Dr. Li's impatience. "Based on theories, the possibility is high since pig's bodies have a lot of similar functions as ours but this is going to be difficult.  It would take years before seeing the result."

The other two nodded in agreement with Luo Jingyi. Because Prof. Ma didn't want to lose, so he insisted on giving Wen Minghua's paper a chance. 

Seeing him gather the paper and set it aside, Luo Jingyi laughed inside her head. 

From fifteen,  they've chosen five to enter the final round. Among them was Wen Minghua's biohybrid artificial organs.