Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 990: Chapter 986: Turning the Tide

”Perhaps not everyone knows me, so let me introduce myself. I’m a sophomore student at S University’s School of Biological Sciences and a participant in this international exchange. Additionally, I’m also involved in the Huaxia Koi project research. The samples of those two Huaxia Koi were provided by me, so I should have the most authority to speak about the condition of these two Koi.”

The video is being played frame by frame as Huo Sining continues to narrate:

”The two Koi in the research institute and the four in the video were all raised by me from the same batch. I can say that they grew under natural conditions, having no connection whatsoever with the so-called genetic modification.”

Upon hearing Huo Sining’s words, a professor in the audience immediately retorted, ”Even if you raised the fish, what evidence do you have to prove that they are not genetically modified? I’ve heard that your country has invested a lot in this area and, in the absence of comprehensive international standards for genetically modified organism safety, has already put many genetically modified foods on the market. In this context, it’s not unusual to see genetically modified fish fry, right?”

Hearing the professor’s statement, Huo Sining couldn’t help but laugh, ”I don’t want to discuss the issue of genetically modified foods with you; it’s a massive topic that can’t be explained clearly in a short time. But how does a professor like you use this kind of reason to generalize? Don’t you find it ridiculous?”

The professor didn’t think there was anything wrong with his example; on the contrary, he was quite confident, ”I don’t find it ridiculous. What I need is evidence that will convince me!”

Huo Sining had been waiting for this statement. Hearing him bring it up, she was not in a hurry but smiled confidently, ”I’ve already presented the evidence you need.”

The professor was baffled by her words. Looking at Huo Sining on stage and exchanging glances with his fellow professors around him, he retorted disdainfully, ”What evidence? I haven’t seen any.”

Huo Sining wanted to retort, ’You didn’t see it because you’re blind,’ but considering that this was on their turf and that she might be criticized for poor manners even if she won this debate, she held back her inner fire. She raised her head with a smile and asked the professor:

”How should I address you, sir?”

The professor, full of arrogance and self-satisfaction, puffed out his chest and said, ”My name is Nagayama Kaiyuki, and I’m the chief professor at Zhaotian University College of Bioengineering.”

Huo Sining nodded, but inwardly rolled her eyes, thinking, ’Who cares which institute’s professor you are? Announcing yourself as the chief in front of so many people, aren’t you afraid that your bold words will make your peers envious and jealous?’

But this was clearly not the time for sarcasm. Huo Sining quickly snapped back to the point and asked Professor Yoshiyama with a smile, ”Mr. Nagayama, since you are involved in bioengineering, you must be aware of the characteristics and shortcomings of current genetic modification technology, right?”

Professor Nagayama seemed quite eager to teach. Upon hearing Huo Sining’s question, he didn’t suspect she might be setting a trap for him and immediately began to expound on genetic modification technology:

”Most genetically modified organisms worldwide introduce ’target genes’ into the cytoplasm of cells through a vector, rather than into the cell nucleus...”

Once the professor started, he couldn’t stop. Meanwhile, the students in the audience looked at their professor in awe, as if Nagayama Kaiyuki’s theoretical discourse on paper were very impressive.

Huo Sining could hardly resist the urge to roll her eyes again. Seeing Nagayama Kaiyuki not getting to the point she was aiming for, she couldn’t help but interject, ”If the target genes are transferred to the cytoplasm, wouldn’t that mean these genes may not be allocated to the offspring?”

Nagayama Kaiyuki paused and nodded, ”That’s correct. Only the cell nucleus genes have stable heredity. When target genes are implanted into the cytoplasm, during the sexual reproductive meiosis of cells, these cytoplasmic target genes may not be allocated into the offspring, resulting in the characteristics of the transferred organism being lost. Therefore, the traits of genetically modified organisms cannot be inherited as they cannot be passed on to the next generation through sexual reproduction.”

This single sentence was enough. Huo Sining was satisfied with Professor Nagayama’s insightful response, and a smile, which she tried unsuccessfully to hide, lit up her eyes. She looked at Nagayama Kaiyuki and said with fake admiration:

”Mr. Nagayama, you truly live up to the title of chief professor at the College of Bioengineering, with your vast knowledge in genetics. I feel inferior. However, since you mentioned that genetically modified traits cannot be inherited, I believe that my twenty Koi stand as powerful evidence that our Huaxia Koi research is a non-genetically modified project.”

Nagayama Kaiyuki scoffed at her words, ”It seems there’s no direct connection between the two, right? You state that genetic modifications cannot be inherited, and suddenly your Koi samples become evidence of this claim? This logic I find hard to comprehend. I wonder if it’s just speculation?”

Huo Sining had anticipated Nagayama Kaiyuki’s questioning in advance. Her lips curled into a mysterious smile, ”Based solely on what you just said, it’s indeed not enough to prove anything. But, what about adding this?”

Huo Sining pointed to the rear projection screen behind her. Everyone was momentarily taken aback and followed the direction of Huo Sining’s finger, only to suddenly remember that the silent high-definition video overhead was still playing frame by frame.

Nagayama Kaiyuki frowned, not understanding what Huo Sining meant by her words. But seeing the confident smile on her face, a trace of unease flickered in his heart, with a vague premonition that things were not going well.

He felt he should quickly stop the video from continuing, but indeed he couldn’t find a reason to do so.

All eyes were focused on the content playing on the screen. The four original Koi, bit by bit, grew from three inches to three feet over time, with those Koi exhibiting signs of sexual maturity, chasing each other, breeding naturally, and eventually nurturing a new generation of fish eggs...

Nagayama Kaiyuki was extremely startled, continuously guessing what this student was trying to convey and why she said this was powerful evidence. When the video reached that moment, a thought grew wildly in his mind; he realized what Huo Sining wanted to express. Yet, he still resisted this conclusion, mumbling to himself, ”No, this is impossible. Naturally bred Koi can’t inherit traits—this can’t be real...”