No Wife, No Life Chapter 180

Upon hearing this, Alex's visage grew even more somber. While Manuel laughed heartily and extended his hand. "Ms. Orsini, looks like we're gonna be colleagues now."

"I hope Mr. Bailey will take things more seriously in the future." Harper shook Manuel's hand calmly. "Welcome to our ranks."

"I can't wait to work with you." Manuel held onto Harper's hand a moment longer before letting go slowly.

Felix's face was a mix of emotions. "Mr. Bailey, are you really joining FusionX?"

Manuel shot back, "What do you think?"

As the executives of FusionX Company burst into applause, Manuel interjected with a warning, "Let me make this clear: upon joining FusionX Company, I will only acknowledge Harper as my partner. If anyone else is appointed to manage my department, I will resign immediately."

Brody, Felix, and the others could only nod and smile awkwardly, not daring to say a word.

None of them had expected that such an important department would end up being managed by Harper.

But it appeared that only someone like Harper could rein in a maverick like Manuel.

Manuel joining FusionX was a big deal.

Other companies, however, were not pleased. Who would want to miss out on such a lucrative opportunity?

At that moment, Elsie arrived with the Miller family, clearly displeased by the scene.

"I think Mr. Bailey had already made arrangements with Harper in private. Why bother saying you were looking for a partner if you had already decided?"

Manuel didn't deny it, his face still wearing a dangerous smile. "I just like messing with people. If you don't like it, you can leave."

He was blunt and showed no respect for her.

Elsie blushed but persisted. "Mr. Bailey, isn't it too hasty to decide to work with FusionX so quickly?"

Manuel looked at her, his tone indifferent. "What are you trying to say?"

"I mean, you shouldn't choose the FusionX Company just because you have a good relationship with Harper."

She seemed to imply that there was something more between Manuel and Harper.

Manuel continued to smile.

The other company executives grasped her meaning, chuckling softly with a touch of mockery and disdain.

Before Harper could respond, Felix spoke up angrily. "What do you mean by that? Let me ask you, if you were the one testing earlier, would you have dared to crash into the wall? If you dare, then come and challenge us."

"Felix, do you think everyone is as afraid of death as you?"

People started mocking him.

Felix was furious and shouted, "You really have the nerve to talk. Do you think you can achieve what Harper did just by talking?"

In a real situation, they might be scared to death.

The crowd continued to argue.

Harper suddenly chuckled and spoke slowly. "To be blunt, if you can't understand Mr. Bailey's true intentions, how could you possibly work with him?"

Everyone was stunned, not understanding what she meant.

Harper asked, "Do you know what Mr. Bailey was really testing?"

Everyone looked at each other, but no one dared to answer.

"To anyone who can discern Mr. Bailey's true intentions, I shall extend the opportunity for collaboration."

Harper raised an eyebrow, looking around at everyone, her tone calm.

Just then, Stephen arrived with his team.

Harper nodded slightly at him. "Mr. Garcia, perfect timing. You can be our witness."

Harper repeated what she had said earlier.

Stephen frowned slightly. "Harper, you risked your life for this collaboration."

He knew very well that Manuel had intended to work with Harper from the start, so there was no need to explain or prove anything to anyone.

Harper said, "Competition is like this. Opportunities shouldn't just be for Mr. Rodriguez and me. Since everyone is here, let's give it a try."

"Mr. Bailey, why don't you be the interviewer?"

Harper looked at Manuel again.

Manuel started playing with his remote-controlled helicopter, his tone lazy. "Since Ms. Orsini requested, I'll oblige. Everyone, tell me, what was the main purpose of today's test?"

Everyone thought for a moment and then presented their best answers.

Some said it was to test the performance of the intelligent driving system, others mentioned the interaction between humans and the intelligent system, and some even talked about professional development pathways. Everyone tried their best to prove to Manuel that they were not clueless.

In the end, the consensus was that Manuel wanted to test the system's safety and reliability, as well as the feasibility of gradually upgrading the system.

After everyone had answered, they looked at Manuel.

He was focused on the helicopter in the sky, seemingly not listening to them.

Harper, however, curled her lips into a contemptuous smile.

Finally, Manuel's mocking gaze swept over everyone. "What is your purpose for being here?"

"To seek collaboration."

Manuel asked, "And who is the real researcher?"

"Of course, it's you, Mr. Bailey."

Manuel said, "Oh, I thought you were the main characters here, with all your technical talk, as if you were more professional than me."

Manuel's sarcastic tone was evident to everyone.

For a moment, everyone's faces turned a bit sour.

Manuel looked around, his tone arrogant. "So, of course, I won't choose any of you."

At this point, Harper spoke slowly. "Mr. Bailey needs a collaborator who won't question him on technical matters. Whatever he says, goes."

Harper then added, "Crashing into the soft wall wasn't his criterion. He's looking for a partner, not a warrior. Following his instructions without question, that's what he needs. He's testing for a sense of understanding."

"Many of you are researchers. Would you want someone constantly questioning you or giving you useless suggestions?"

Harper's gaze was steady, and she smiled faintly. "So, do you understand now? I deserve this collaboration."

Everyone stood there for a moment, then their faces turned red.

Finally, Manuel spoke with a playful tone. "Ms. Orsini understands me well. How to develop the AI driving system, how to connect bionic organs, that's all my business. You don't need to worry about it. How many of you combined can match my intelligence?"

The group's faces turned even more sour.

Manuel's words were blunt, treating them as if they were idiots.

But they had to admit, based on Harper's level of cooperation, she had indeed won.

"Do you accept this?" Manuel asked coldly.

Everyone lowered their heads and mumbled their agreement.

"In that case, you are all welcome to tonight's banquet. I hope you enjoy yourselves."

With that, Manuel was the first to leave.