《After Two Lifetimes I Was Reborn Back Inside A Book》


 CH 1

    Here¡­..was very similar to the place where he lived in his first life before his third year of high school.


    ¡°Beep beep¡ª¡ª¡±


    The alarm clock trembled on the bedside table. The dark-haired and white-skinned teenager hugged the dark blue quilt, with most of his body exposed to the air, his white T-shirt turned up, and his flexible and fair back visible.


    This extremely irritating noise made the young man frown, but he didn¡¯t open his eyes. Instead, he buried his head in the pillow and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Chang Jiang, turn off the indoor voice control system and decline all visitors.¡±


    When the words fell, the alarm clock stopped, the frown buried in the pillow loosened, and he was about to fall back asleep again.


    However, within a second, the sound of ¡°beep beep beep beep¡± sounded again, even with the obstruction of the pillow, it did not weaken its power even half, and the boy on the bed was shaken awake, sitting up instantly.


    ¡°Chang Jiang, I said to refuse all visits¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s half-open eyes blinked, his face froze for a moment, and then his brows furrowed.


    ¡°Liao Zhe?¡± He looked around and said with a cold face, ¡°Don¡¯t be joking with me again, I won¡¯t change my mind, the holographic vision is useless towards me, withdraw it.¡±


    ¡°Beep beep beep¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Liao Zhe?¡±


    Jiang Chen tightened his grip on the quilt, then raised his hand subconsciously, wanting to call the guards through his optical correlator, but when he looked down, it was only to see a fair and slender wrist, and the rolled up long sleeves even had a piece of thread hanging out limply on his wrist.


    ¡ª¡ªThis wasn¡¯t his hand, and the classified military optical correlator he wore on his wrist was gone.


    It was the newly developed optical correlator of the Alliance. Except for the special forces and the high-level personnel of the Imperial First Research Institute, no one knows the existence and power of this optical correlator. The wearer of this optical correlator would implant a piece of chip connected to the optical correlator. If the optical correlator left the wrist, it would automatically explode and bounce a protective film for the owner that could block even S1-type mecha.


    If this was just a prank, it was absolutely impossible to separate his optical correlator from him. Jiang Chen, as one of the main developers of this optical correlator, was very confident about this.


    Because of this, his face really sank.


    Jiang Chen cautiously looked around the surrounding environment again, and in the flash of lightning, he finally found the reason for the strange familiar feeling after opening his eyes.


    Here¡­..was very similar to the place where he lived in his first life before his third year of high school.


    However, how was this possible? No one in the empire knew the furnishings of the room that he had vague memories of, and it was even more impossible to achieve such a realistic appearance. For example, the green plant beside the window was an existence that had never been recorded in the Imperial Plant Encyclopedia, nor did it exist in objective reality, even if it was thought projection. After two lifetimes, he would not remember an ordinary potted plant down to the minute detail.


    While Jiang Chen was thinking, there was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Chen Chen.¡± The gentle female voice was similar to this room, both familiar and unfamiliar: ¡°The alarm clock has rang many times, and if you don¡¯t get up, you will be late.¡±


    No response was heard, the alarm clock in the room continued to be noisy, and the knocking on the door gradually became anxious.


    ¡°Chen Chen?¡± The woman¡¯s voice rose: ¡°Chen Chen, have you got up? Mommy is coming in!¡±


    With that said, the doorknob turned, and the wooden door was gently pushed open.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s brain had just been running fast, and he had already obtained a guess from the actual situation in front of him, but this guess was so unbelievable that he had not yet recovered from his emotions, when he looked up to see his first life¡¯s mother. That beautiful but haggard face.


    Or he should not say mother, but foster mother.


    Recalling the novel and the contents of the novel that suddenly appeared in his room after attending the first session of the joint meeting, as well as the strange dialogue he heard inexplicably when he died in his first life, Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t care about anything anymore. He urgently needed to determine whether his guess just now was correct or not.


    Seeing her son get up and go straight to the bathroom in such a hurry. The worries that Yang Si had developed were instantly put down, and she shook her head amusedly: ¡°You are still procrastinating in bed despite being this big.¡±


    In the bathroom, Jiang Chen looked at the very familiar face in the mirror in astonishment. Professor Jiang, who was said that every minute and every second he thought could change the world, got the answer he expected, but his mind went blank.


    In the end what happened?


    Jiang Chen turned on the faucet, and the sound outside the door seemed to pass through to his ears in a trance like separated by a layer. The sound of rushing water was regular and encompassing, isolating other sounds, allowing him to gradually calm down, and began to search for a reason.


    When he just woke up, he heard the shrill alarm sound and saw that everything had become retro, and only thought it was another one of Liao Zhe¡¯s jokes.


    His house was equipped with the highest level of intelligent protection. Only Liao Zhe, who had his iris recorded and a built-in secret key entered into his optical correlator, could enter his house, and Liao Zhe also happened to be the leading researcher of holographic vision, so his guess at that time was reasonable. It was more in line with Liao Zhe¡¯s often mischievous personality, but everything now proved that holographic vision couldn¡¯t be so realistic.


    The joint meeting a few days ago was about the authority setting of the new generation of artificial intelligence. At the end of the meeting, there was a disagreement about whether to set an emotional index for artificial intelligence. The factions supporting and against artificial intelligence being given the ability to judge human behavior argued fiercely, each with their own reasons. And although Jiang Chen had decision-making power in this, he had always been part of the neutral faction and did not offend anyone.


    Even if someone wanted him to change his position, their plan should be based on enticement, and angering him would do no good to those people, so there was no possibility of a factional conflict that accidentally hurt and killed him, causing him to return to his first life.


    Then, it was the book that appeared so bizarrely in his bedroom.


    The situation in front of him was too strange, but for Jiang Chen, it seemed that it was not so difficult to accept.


    Jiang Chen still remembered the shock and anxiety he felt when he was reborn in the 75th year of the star calendar, a little radish head who was less than three years old and had no parents.


    At the beginning, he would still recall all kinds of details from his past life, think about the strange dialogues he heard before dying, and worry about how his parents would accept the reality after his death, but that world had too much knowledge and information that he needed and wanted to learn. Therefore, after a brief period of caution and panic, he quickly accepted his new identity and realized his dream step by step.


    It was a brand new era, but the best era for him.


    Just when he was completely integrated into the new world, and as one of the leading researchers of artificial intelligence, he was about to set off an artificial intelligence revolution that was about to change the world and change the lives of all human beings. God pulled a prank on him and made him come back to his first life.


    Jiang Chen twitched the corners of his mouth and found that he couldn¡¯t smile at all.


    He stared expressionlessly at the mirror, his nameless anger slamming against his chest for a while, eventually taking a deep breath. He had to accept the reality.


    ¡°Chen Chen?¡±


    There was a knock on the bathroom door, and the tone of the knocker was worried and urgent.


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and relaxed his tense body.


    At least this was not completely without any advantages.


    He looked at the frosted door of the bathroom with a complex gaze, and when he thought of the contents of the book, his gaze became firmer.


    Since he returned to this world again and was reborn during his high school years, it should be destined that he should verify whether the novel called ¡°Dominating Life¡± was true, and allow him to investigate whether the car accident that killed him when he was 25 years old, was accidental or man-made.


    More importantly, those things in the first life have not happened yet, and he still had time to stop all the tragedies regarding his parents, so that the family would no longer be displaced and return to its original warmth and happiness.


    There was only the sound of rushing water in the bathroom, and Yang Si became worried. She raised her hand and knocked on the door again: ¡°Chen Chen, have you finished brushing your teeth? Breakfast is ready.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Jiang Chen opened the door and saw a worried woman who was a head shorter than him, and his eyes gradually warmed: ¡°Mom, go eat first, I¡¯ll be down soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Seeing his calm expression, Yang Si breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, ¡°Mom made you your favorite beef patty. After you brush your teeth, it will have almost cooled, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.¡±


    The long-forgotten name of the dish made Jiang Chen dazed for a moment, and then a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: ¡°Thank you, Mom.¡±


    After washing up, the beef patties on the table were indeed the most suitable time to eat. He sat down opposite Yang Si, took a sip of milk, put it down and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Dad?¡±


    ¡°Your dad¡­..¡± The smile on Yang Si¡¯s face faded, and she said softly: ¡°Dad still can¡¯t accept that he is no longer Chen Chen¡¯s superman, he is a little shy and a little sad, so he doesn¡¯t want to appear in front of us for the time being. Can you forgive your dad for ignoring you during this period?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and said helplessly: ¡°Mom, I¡¯m no longer a child, don¡¯t coax me like that.¡±


    The smile on Yang Si¡¯s face deepened, but after a moment, it dimmed again, and said: ¡°Even if you are all grown up, you will still be your parents¡¯ precious son. Chen Chen does not need to worry, no matter what happens at home, your parents will protect you. You don¡¯t have to worry about the economic situation of our family, there is only one thing you have to do, and that is to go to school and study well, you know?¡±


    Looking at the gentle smiling face on the opposite side, Jiang Chen suddenly remembered that at this time in his first life, his mother also said something like this, but how could he turn a blind eye to his high-spirited parents gradually becoming haggard, not to mention what happened at home later made him unable to concentrate in class at all.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Jiang Chen put down his chopsticks and said calmly but seriously: ¡°I¡¯m seventeen, and I¡¯ll be eighteen soon, I should bear everything regarding the family with you, you can¡¯t treat me like a child anymore.¡±


    Without waiting for Yang Si to speak, Jiang Chen continued: ¡°And I am very willing to share in all the worries with you and Dad, we are a family, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    It was not Yang Si who spoke, but Jiang Zhuo, who had been out of sight the whole time.


    He manipulated the wheelchair to come to the dining table. The tall man had a haggard face, but his smile was very gentle. He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s Dad¡¯s fault. I¡¯ve been immersed in my emotions all this time, and did not think about Mom and you. Dad apologizes to you both.¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡±


    Jiang Chen got up, but he choked up a little when he spoke. During the twenty-odd years in the interstellar world, he had been very calm and rarely had any mood swings, but at this time, he did not know that this seventeen-year-old body was so easily emotional. The excitement of seeing his father again after a lapse of two lives suddenly rushed over him, making his eyes redden unconsciously.


    ¡°It¡¯s beef patties.¡± Jiang Zhuo stopped at the dining table and said with a smile: ¡°Our family has not had such a good breakfast for a long time. Now that we have eaten this meal together, all the bad things that happened before are over. From now on, our family of three will start afresh, okay?¡±


    Jiang Chen and Yang Si looked at each other and said yes at the same time.


    When the warm but brief breakfast was finished, Jiang Chen almost missed the time to go to school.


    ¡°Go quickly.¡± Yang Si straightened the neckline of the school uniform for Jiang Chen, and said with a smile, ¡°Have fun at school.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at his parents who were seeing him out at the door, their eyes unable to hide their worries. Following the memory of what he was like before his father¡¯s accident when he was seventeen, he made his eyes smile and grinned showing white teeth, saying: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, later Mom and Dad.¡±


    Under the lessening worry of the two, Jiang Chen closed the door, stood expressionlessly for a while, and then made his way down the stairs.

 CH 2

    The teenager¡¯s worries were hidden in his laughter, sincerely maintaining the dignity of his good friend in his own way.


    As soon as he walked out of the corridor, Jiang Chen saw a boy squatting beside the flower bed.


    The boy had a baby face, and was pulling his hair with a conflicted face and was also muttering something under his breath. He raised his head abruptly when he heard the sound of footsteps. After seeing Jiang Chen, he was obviously relieved. He got up and walked up to him, smacked his chest and said, ¡°I thought you aren¡¯t going to go to school today again, and I even thought about where to take you to relax.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at the boy who was half a head shorter than him, with round eyes that were round, looking quite like a junior high school student, and hesitated for a moment.


    However, the long-standing and familiar tone made him quickly connect the little shorty who was about 1.6 meters in front of him with the tall, handsome and smiling man in his memory. One of his good friends, Shen Xu.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you just thinking about how to persuade me to go to school?¡± Jiang Chen smiled almost subconsciously without any feeling of unfamiliarity, ¡°Relax on the playground?¡±


    After he finished speaking, Jiang Chen was even stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that no matter how old he was, it was still always him, so he didn¡¯t feel strange anymore.


    Shen Xu wasn¡¯t annoyed at all at being seen through, he said with a grin, ¡°That¡¯s also fine, us brothers can call the basketball team over to play a few games, after sweating it off you¡¯ll definitely be relaxed.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jiang Chen glanced at his watch, then turned around and said, ¡°I was in a bad mood some time ago, but now that I have recovered, I still feel that studying is more suitable for me.¡±


    Shen Xu was stunned for a moment, and after a while he smiled happily: ¡°As expected of my brother Jiang, able to recover quickly, seriously, with your grades, if you don¡¯t study well it will definitely be a loss to the school and the country. When we wrote essays in elementary school, didn¡¯t you say that you l want to be a scientist? Of us brothers, you are the best at studying. Back then, old Peng said that you would definitely be promising in the future. You are a potential seedling of Hua/Yan (TN: top two universities in China), and you are suitable for scientific research in the future. If you give up, how will we be able to brag about having a scientist for a brother.¡± He elbowed Jiang Chen¡¯s arm and said with a grin, ¡°In order for us brothers to be able to brag in the future, you have to pass the Yan Uni/Hua Uni entrance exam, right?¡±


    The teenager¡¯s worries were hidden in his laughter, sincerely maintaining the dignity of his good friend in his own way.


    Jiang Chen smiled, hooked an arm around his neck and said, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Seeing that he had swept away the gloomy expression from before, Shen Xu completely relaxed, slapped his hand away, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t use your Papa as a crutch. Zhang Three Hairs will definitely make trouble for you later, at that time just pretend he farted and ignore him, just wait for the next month¡¯s test results to come out, and shut his mouth with the report card.¡±


    Zhang Jian, a chemistry teacher of year 2 class 1 of Nan City No. 1 Middle School, was also their classroom teacher. Because he always liked to pull the hair on both sides to the middle after balding, leaving three distinct strands of hair, he was given a nickname by his classmates. Zhang Three Hair.


    The most notable feature of Teacher Zhang was that those who obey him will prosper and those who disobey him will perish. In his classroom, all students could only obey his instructions, and any student who violated his instructions would be pricked on and punished by him.


    In fact, when he was just divided into classes in the second year of high school, Zhang Three Hairs quite liked Jiang Chen very much. Jiang Chen was good-looking, had good grades and while he did not speak much he was quite sensible. He had always been the model student in his teachers¡¯ eyes. Most importantly, his grades in the sciences were excellent, and particularly in the subjects of mathematics, physics and chemistry he was firmly ranked first since entering high school, and there had never been a defeat.


    However, Jiang Chen had a friend from class 11 who had extremely poor grades and poor family conditions, Huo Bo.


    As the high school tyrant, Huo Bo had always been a headache for teachers. Among them, Teacher Zhang, who was Huo Bo¡¯s chemistry teacher, disliked him the most. When the first year of high school just began, he actually scolded him as the dregs of society and that he would definitely go to prison in the future.


    He was then beaten with a sack covering his head a few days after he said that. Zhang Three Hairs felt that it was Huo Bo taking an opportunity to retaliate, but because he had no evidence, he could only swallow his loss and regard Huo Bo as a thorn in the flesh.


    Therefore, when he knew that Jiang Chen, a good student in his mind, was friends with Huo Bo, he directly called Jiang Chen to the office, counted Huo Bo¡¯s bad deeds in front of him, and then from his own perspective criticized Huo Bo as completely worthless, and was nearly even unable to hold back countless swear words, but even so it was still really not much better than swearing. Finally, he bluntly said that if Jiang Chen didn¡¯t end his friendship with Huo Bo immediately, he would definitely not have a good ending in the future.


    After Teacher Zhang finished speaking, he thought that the good student in his mind would be completely awakened by his words, and then he would draw a clear line with Huo Bo from now on.


    Unexpectedly, Jiang Chen was not moved at all after hearing this, but instead said: ¡°Teacher Zhang, Huo Bo is my friend, I think he is loyal and faithful as a friend, and worthy of association, so I can¡¯t agree to your request, and, as a teacher, to criticize a student with such intense personal emotions is really not what a gentleman does.¡±


    Since then, Jiang Chen had become Zhang Three Hairs¡¯ second thorn in the side after Huo Bo.


    It was just that Jiang Chen¡¯s grades have always been excellent. He was firmly in the top three in the grade, which was a treasure in the hearts of other classroom teachers. Even if Zhang Three Hairs tried to make things difficult for him, he couldn¡¯t find any excuses, so he could only change seats and put him next to the trash can, small things like that to find an outlet.


    It wasn¡¯t until something happened with Jiang Chen¡¯s family, and he often became absent-minded in class, and even his grades plummeting, that Zhang Three Hairs finally found his sore foot, and stepped on it so hard that it was as if he was dealing with the enemy who killed his father, for fear of not stepping him to death and giving him chance to rise again.


    This time¡¯s monthly exam, Zhang Three Hairs had been mocking tly and indirectly for nearly a week. Not only did he talk about it in class, he also called him to the office to talk about it, and even once when Jiang Chen was late because he was taking care of his father, he actually stood at the school gate and in front of all teachers and students, even used his injured and disabled father to mock him.


    Jiang Chen was originally in a low mood because of things back at home, and was particularly vulnerable. So in addition to this incident, it made him develop a dislike for school. He had skipped chemistry class for two days, and even stayed in the Internet cafe yesterday all day.


    On the way to the school, Jiang Chen pulled out all the memories about this Teacher Zhang from Shen Xu¡¯s words and from his own memories. By the time he got to the school gate, he already had a final settlement in his heart and was very calm.


    A person like Zhang Three Hairs, to put it bluntly, was just a villain who bullied the weak and feared the strong. He had no sense of existence in society outside the school, so he needed to find a sense of achievement and the pleasure of controlling everything from the students. It happened that he had the naturally privileged status of a teacher, so even if he went overboard, he could always use the excuse of respecting teachers and educating students, which was disgusting but not something students could do anything about.


    However, Jiang Chen¡¯s core was no longer that of the seventeen-year-old boy of the first life. He would no longer impulsively use the way of hurting himself to avoid or get revenge on others, and he would not be like a real high school student, being truly in awe of all teachers and afraid of the influence and pressure of teachers.


    There were all kinds of people in the world. In every industry, there were people with good or bad morals. So just strip away the halo brought by the profession itself, and face them with a calm and just attitude. One does not attack unless one is attacked, after living two lifetimes Jiang Chen really had nothing to fear.


    When Jiang Chen and Shen Xu arrived in the classroom, it was already halfway through morning self-study.


    Today¡¯s morning was English self-study. The English teacher was sitting by the podium and dictating the vocabulary. The students below were silently writing.


    ¡°You guys are late.¡± Seeing them, the English teacher stopped, but there was no reproach on her young face. She took a closer look at Jiang Chen¡¯s state and saw that he seemed to be in a lot more energy, so she smiled and said: ¡°Go in quickly. Sit down and go to the class representative after class to listen to a re-dictation of the vocabulary.¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and smiled before walking into the classroom.


    Shen Xu saluted with a smile: ¡°Yes! Madam!¡±


    ¡°Get inside!¡± Teacher Yang mock glared at him.


    After Jiang Chen and Shen Xu were seated, Teacher Yang continued to dictate the words, but before even two words were finished being dictated, the door was knocked on, and Zhang Jian with neatly combed hair on the top of his head appeared.


    He first looked around the classroom, and when he saw Jiang Chen and Shen Xu in the classroom, his expression darkened, he pointed to the last row by the window and said, ¡°Jiang Chen and Shen Xu, stand up!¡±


    Jiang Chen put down his pen and stood up, Shen Xu snorted and stood up sloppily.


    Zhang Jian said sinisterly: ¡°You still know that you are students, is this school a place where you can come if you want to and skip class if you don¡¯t want to? Get out here! If you don¡¯t want to go to class, then don¡¯t!¡±


    Teacher Yang frowned on the side and said, ¡°Teacher Zhang, it¡¯s still early self-study, whatever you want to say, wait until after class.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t want to go to class, so what waiting for after class!¡± Zhang Jian snorted coldly: ¡°Them sitting here are like two mouse droppings ruining a pot of porridge, so why not come out early so that other students won¡¯t be influenced badly.¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡±


    ¡°Teacher Yang, I know that you are a soft-hearted female teacher, but being soft-hearted also depends on who it should be directed to. For people like Jiang Chen and Shen Xu, even if they are taught they are still unable to learn well, they are already rotten at the root. You being so blindly kind will hurt other classmates.¡± Zhang Jian shook his head as he spoke, his tone very serious.


    Teacher Yang¡¯s face was a little displeased, but Zhang Jian was a senior teacher, amd was usually a difficult person, and she also heard that there were some connections behind him as well. She was a new teacher who had not worked in the school for a full two years, so she really had no confidence to stand up against him.


    ¡°What were you doing standing still!¡± Zhang Jian saw that Teacher Yang didn¡¯t speak, and scolded: ¡°Come out!¡±


    Jiang Chen and Shen Xu looked at each other, pushed aside the stool and walked out the back door.


    Zhang Jian stood in the corridor, looking at the two people who came out obediently, the gloating in his eyes barely suppressed, and he raised his voice and scolded: ¡°Look at yourselves, are you still even like students! How are you like students! Arriving late and leaving early, skipping class, what else have you guys not done before? One placing below the 100th spot in the monthly exam, one directly below the 500th spot, aren¡¯t you ashamed! If I were you, I would be too ashamed to see anyone!¡±


    Shen Xu rolled his eyes and said nothing.


    Jiang Chen said indifferently: ¡°Teacher Zhang, it¡¯s early self-study now. Your loud voice will affect other students¡¯ learning.¡±


    Zhang Jian, who had already raised his hand to point at Shen Xu, but after hearing Jiang Chen¡¯s words, he directly raised his hand to point at the tip of Jiang Chen¡¯s nose, and said with a blue face, ¡°You also know that its bad to affect other students¡¯ learning, it¡¯s because our experimental class has you two mouse droppings that other students are affected! Placing below 100 in the grade yet you dare to talk like this! So arrogant that you don¡¯t look like a student! If you ask me, at most you are at this level, and your previous grades were all probably a result of cheating!¡±


    As soon as Zhang Jian¡¯s words fell, not only Shen Xu next to him couldn¡¯t listen anymore, but Teacher Yang and the other students in class 1 couldn¡¯t listen anymore as well.


    Jiang Chen had always been at the top of his grade. Occasionally he slipped to the third place because he missed two big questions at the end. But at other times, he was able to exceed the second place in the grade by a large margin. No one was qualified to let him cheat in order to get grades like his. In fact, if put unpleasantly, if an open book was put in front of some students to take an open-book test, they might not even get better grades than Jiang Chen.


    When Zhang Jian said that Jiang Chen cheated, not only was he slandering Jiang Chen, but also insulting other classmates.


    Jiang Chen who left them all in the dust was a cheater, then what were the other students who took open book tests yet didn¡¯t dare to expect to compete with Jiang Chen for the first place?


    Just as the classmates were thinking so, an old man with half-graying hair in a gray padded jacket and carrying a thermos cup came over from the other end of the corridor and asked with a smile, ¡°What is all this?¡±

 CH 3

    Zhang Jian grinded his back molars, indeed it was true that a dog that really bites doesn¡¯t bark.


    ¡°Principal!¡± Zhang Jian glared at Shen Xu and Jiang Chen and greeted him with a smile on his face: ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to go to Chenghua for a meeting this morning, why haven¡¯t you left at this time?¡±


    Principal Zhao Dingping held the thermos cup and looked at Jiang Chen and Shen Xu amiably. He answered him and asked, ¡°Chenghua has changed the time, what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just two students in need of a lecture.¡± Zhang Jian smiled and said, ¡°Their test scores are declining. They always come in late and leave early and miss class. They¡¯re late for class again today, so I took them out to do some ideological education work.¡±


    ¡°Students¡¯ ideological education is really important.¡± The principal nodded affirmatively, and Zhang Jian instantly smiled, but his next words had a change of attitude: ¡°But this is the time for early self-study, and no matter how important things are, you can¡¯t delay the children¡¯s studies, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Yes yes yes, the most important task for students is to study.¡± Zhang Jian nodded again and again, halfway through his nods, he glanced at Shen Xu and Jiang Chen, his face showing indignation and disappointment: ¡°The main reason is that these two students have been too rebellious recently, the atmosphere in the class has become a little bad, and currently it is the second year of high school, when the learning tasks are getting heavy, and as the classroom teacher, I was just too concerned.I I will pay attention to the time in the future.¡±


    Having said that, Zhang Jian stared at Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Come to my office after class, you can go back now.¡±


    At this time, it was only a few minutes before the next morning self-study. Hearing Zhang Jian say this, Shen Xu couldn¡¯t help sneering, and the disdain on his face was undisguised.


    There was a trace of coldness in Zhang Jian¡¯s eyes, he turned to look at the principal, and sighed, ¡°Children today, not st all like how we were back then, so grateful and diligent when we were in school, characters honest and upright, and knowing to respect teachers.¡±


    The principal frowned, and Zhang Jian¡¯s drooping brows perked up a lot when he saw this.


    However, the words of the principal made his raised eyebrows instantly stiffen: ¡°Teacher Zhang, I don¡¯t agree with what you say, the times are different, so the students¡¯ personalities are naturally different. The times are progressing, and as a teacher, you should catch up with the thoughts of the children. Put yourself in their shoes, and think about them, so that you can catch up with this era.¡±


    After saying that, the principal didn¡¯t look at Zhang Jian, but looked at Jiang Chen and Shen Xu kindly, and said with a smile, ¡°If I remember correctly, this classmate is called Jiang Chen. When the first year of high school started, you were the student representative of your year speaking on the stage, and in last semester¡¯s final examination was the first in the sciences subjects.¡±


    Without waiting for Jiang Chen to speak, Shen Xu said directly: ¡°Principal, you remember correctly, he is Jiang Chen, but something happened to Jiang Chen¡¯s family during these days, and he sleeps very late every day. So he couldn¡¯t help falling asleep and only did the multiple-choice questions and the first few fill-in-the-blank questions in the ladt monthly exam, so his grades were not very good. Just now when Teacher Zhang was talking to Jiang Chen, he felt that his previous high school grades were all a result of cheating.¡±


    The principal, who was still smiling at first, suddenly became serious when he heard Shen Xu¡¯s words. He frowned and looked at Zhang Jian, and said, ¡°Did you really say that?¡±


    Zhang Jian shook his head with a look of helplessness: ¡°I¡¯m also unwilling to say anything. It¡¯s really disappointing that Jiang Chen¡¯s performance during this period of time was too lacking. As the classroom teacher, I¡¯m too anxious, in order to brinv this child back on track, in a moment of anxiousness I¡­..ai, it¡¯s all my fault.¡±


    The principal still criticized him: ¡°Teacher Zhang, you are also a senior teacher. You have taught students for so many years. Some things can be said and some things must not be said. These children happen to be at the most sensitive age. A single thoughtless word from you can cause a negative impact of a lifetime. You cannot be like this as a teacher, and since you have said something wrong, apologizing to the child is the right thing to do. This is also setting an example.¡±


    Hearing the last sentence, Zhang Jian, who was just nodding along, stiffened and said, ¡°Principal, as the classroom teacher, if I apologize to a student who had originally done wrong things in front of so many other students, then I will not be able to easily carry out educational work in the future, so you see¡­..¡±


    ¡°Teacher Zhang is worthy of being Teacher Zhang. When educating us, you slander us in front of all the students. Not at all afraid that we will not be able to raise our heads in school in the future. After saying something wrong and you must apologize, you only know that your education work will not be easily carried out. Tsk tsk, it turns out that the phrase from the textbook, only the state officials are allowed to set fires and the common people are not allowed to light the lamps, means this. When teaching others, one must firat set an example.¡±


    Shen Xu¡¯s remarks were quite poisonous indeed, they were literally hanging on to Zhang Jian¡¯s previous words, and poking it full of holes. Zhang Jian¡¯s face went blue, white, red and purple with anger, and because the principal was here, he could only let his hands shake and not speak.


    Jiang Chen had no intention of being passively scolded when Zhang Jian called them out. Except he just said a word and the principal came. The development after that was basically Zhang Jian being suppressed and reprimanded. In front of elders that inspired respect he had always been humble and polite, so he didn¡¯t interrupt the whole time.


    Hearing Shen Xu¡¯s words at this time, in addition to feeling the warmth of being protected by his friends from the bottom of his heart and sighing that Shen Xu aleady showed a trace of his future self now, putting on a smiling face and choking people verbally so much that they couldn¡¯t even say a thing, he also had to stand forward and smooth over the atmosphere.


    Towards the issue of Zhang Jian, he would naturally have a way to deal with it in the future, but he must not let Shen Xu leave a rude and rebellious impression in front of the principal and other teachers.


    ¡°Principal, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jiang Chen took Shen Xu¡¯s arm and smiled apologetically to the principal: ¡°Something happened back at home during this time, it became difficult to concentrate in class, and my test scores also dropped a lot, so Teacher Zhang reminded me of this many times in class, in the office, and including the school gate and other places. I know that the teacher is doing this for my own good, but my ability to control my emotions was too poor recently. After listening to those words, I couldn¡¯t help but feel dislike towards studying. Shen Xu was worried that something would happen to me so in order to accompany me he had been by my side the whole time. It¡¯s all my fault that he missed class these days, he was even waiting downstairs at my house this morning, just to console me, I actually originally planned on skipping class today¡­..¡±


    Speaking of this, Jiang Chen¡¯s slightly pursed lips twisted with a little guilt and remorse: ¡°When Teacher Zhang reprimanded me just now, Shen Xu might have been worried that I would be affected emotionally again, after all, the bad results in the recent exam really gave me a big blow. He was probably afraid that I would be tired of studying and begin skipping classes again, so he was impulsive when he spoke, and he didn¡¯t think before he spoke, but he didn¡¯t mean to offend Teacher Zhang.¡±


    After Jiang Chen finished speaking, the principal, who had a hint of disapproval on his face, immediately softened his expression towards Shen Xu, but looked at Zhang Jian and couldn¡¯t help but reveal a hint of strangeness.


    Both ¡°spoke without thinming out of anxiousness.¡± If there were no Jiang Chen¡¯s explanation just now, then although Zhang Jian said that to excuse himself, it wouldn¡¯t make people feel like he had gone overboard. After all, as a teacher, he was not wrong to be worried about the students, so even if his method was temporarily the wrong way, the starting point was at least a good one.


    However, there was Shen Xu, who in Jiang Chen¡¯s words was worried about his friend, and sacrificed his study time for his friend, as if he was frightened and wary of any words that might hurt his friend.


    In the same scenario, one was a senior teacher who was over forty years old, and the other was a student who was still underage. One could tell at first sight who was sincere or false and who was higher or lower. An adolescent student speaking out rudely for their friends could be excused as a result of being too young and emotional. But you, as a teacher in your forties who could be their father, speak so rashly and without thought. Could it be that you are as ignorant as a teenage boy?


    Towards Jiang Chen¡¯s words, putting aside how the principal felt when he heard it, but Zhang Jian really hated him viciously after hearing it.


    He was now at a sensitive time for the selection of high level teachers. Although there was the vice-principal to help him, the principal¡¯s attitude was also very important. If today¡¯s events made the principal have a problematic impression of him, it would be extremely unfavorable for his professional career.


    As early as when he was talking to Jiang Chen about Huo Bo, Zhang Jian knew that this seemingly sensible student was not as simple as he seemed, but he didn¡¯t expect that not only was he not simple, but he was ruthless and precise when he spoke. Poking his weakness with just a few words.


    ¡°Principal, I¡­..¡± Zhang Jian subconsciously wanted to say something to restore his image, but when he opened his mouth, the next words only became stuck in his throat.


    What could he say now?


    Explaining would only make it worse and worse. If he didn¡¯t explain, he could only carry the black pot of not being as sensible as a student despite his age.


    Zhang Jian grinded his back molars, indeed it was true that a dog that really bites doesn¡¯t bark.


    ¡°Teacher Zhang.¡± The principal shook his head in disappointment, just when the end of class bell rang, he turned around with a thermos cup in his hand, ¡°Come with me to the office.¡±


    Zhang Jian bowed his head and followed behind the principal, and just when he took two steps, he heard a seemingly mild, but definitely sarcastic voice behind him: ¡°Teacher Zhang, Shen Xu and I are late for English self-study, so Teacher Yang asked us to go to the class representative to hear the dicatation of the new vocabulary, so can we come to your office after the first class ends?¡±


    ¡°As you were late for Teacher Yang¡¯s morning self-study, just follow Teacher Yang¡¯s way of handling it.¡± Zhang Jian gritted his teeth and said, ¡°No need to come to me after class, just don¡¯t be late and leave early in the future.¡±


    ¡°I have been very unsensible during this period of time, but I won¡¯t anymore in the future.¡± Jiang Chen pursed his lips and smiled, looking fair-skinned and well-behaved: ¡°Principal please walk slowly, Teacher Zhang please walk slowly.¡±


    ¡°Good good.¡± The principal turned around and nodded to him, smiling: ¡°Good child, go in and study.¡±


    When Zhang Jian and the principal left, Shen Xu jumped up excitedly, jumped on Jiang Chen, and said, ¡°F**k! That wad so f**king satisfying! Seeing Zhang Three Hairs, that grandson with his tail between his legs, I could eat three big bowls of rice at noon today!¡±


    ¡°Get off.¡± Jiang Chen glanced at him coldly, and seeing that he was standing at attention once again he said: ¡°I¡¯ve talked about it before, no matter how cheap Zhang Jian is, he is still your classroom teacher. Is there a lack of times for him to make things difficult for you? If you want to say something, just change the way you say it, don¡¯t get yourself into trouble.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were going to say that I shouldn¡¯t interrupt again.¡± Shen Xu breathed a sigh of relief, grinning and throwing an arm over his shoulders: ¡°Wow, Jiangzi, the little old-fashioned stick in the mud is no longer old-fashioned, I haven¡¯t seen you for a night, yet you now even know how to secretly mess with people.¡±


    Jiang Chen was slightly stunned when he heard the words. The seventeen-year-old in his first life had been separated from his current self by two lives. Even if he still retained many memories, it was difficult for him to restore his real seventeen-year-old self. He couldn¡¯t even remember what his seventeen-year-old self was like.


    ¡°But I still prefer you like this now.¡± Shen Xu put away his smile and said to him: ¡°You, ai, you were overprotected by Uncle and Auntie too well before, thinking that all the teachers in this world are all good teachers. That everyone in the world could correct their mistakes when they hear good advice, but look at Zhang Jian, has he changed? If you say he was wrong, he would only get angry and make trouble for you, resenting you for exposing his mask, deliberately trying to get revenge on you, this kind of person is not worthy of respect. Only by fiercely trampling him under yout feet will he know that you can¡¯t be messed with.¡±


    Shen Xu paused, and Jiang Chen¡¯s figure was reflected in his clear eyes: ¡°Brother Jiang, it¡¯s not just you who will stand forward when you see your friend being wronged, Huo Bo and I are also the same, don¡¯t suppress yourself when you have troubles, even if we can¡¯t help, we will definitely stand by your side. If you my brother, then don¡¯t bear everything by yourself.¡±


    Under this firm and sincere gaze, Jiang Chen¡¯s sense of unreality from returning to this body after two lifetimes settled down and stabilized.


    So what if the research that he devoted all his energy to in the previous life disappeared. Since he could participate in the research once as the main research scientist, he could preside over it a second time again. Even if the current science and technology could not support his research now, he was convinced that his ability could lead the current information technology on a leap of development, and then come out on top in the field of intelligent holography.


    His career could continue in any world, but friends and relatives only exist here, and those long-term regrets that have long been forgotten could only be made up in this world and start over again.


    Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help chuckling lowly, he stretched out his hand to make a fist, and Shen Xu immediately raised his hand and bumped their fists together.


    The winter sun gently caressed the young men¡¯s handsome faces, the clear slightly curved eyes, the white and neat teeth, and the two hands touching each other just happened to be the best example of friendship.

 CH 4

    The book that suddenly appeared in front of him was called ¡°Dominating Life¡±.


    Over the next few days, Zhang Three Hairs didn¡¯t bother Jiang Chen any more, but the occasional glances he casted his way during class were very sinister.


    Jiang Chen only looked back at him calmly. Even though he knew that Zhang Three Hairs was obviously cooking up a bad idea, he didn¡¯t feel much troubled. First, he understood Zhang Three Hairs¡¯ way of doing things, and second, not only was Zhang Three Hairs plotting against him, he was also plotting against Zhang Three Hairs. In fact, if Zhang Three Hairs didn¡¯t do anything, he actually wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to the other.


    In addition to being vigilant about Zhang Three Hairs making trouble, Jiang Chen¡¯s most important task now was to familiarize himself with the current study progress, and to separate in his mind what he learned in the interstellar era and what he was learning now.


    In the previous life, Jiang Chen joined the Alliance Research Institute when he was less than twenty years old. After that, in addition to experimental research, he did a lot of studying. So the knowledge he accumulated in the process was extremely vast. It was no exaggeration to say that these things in his mind could completely set off a technological revolution in today¡¯s world.


    However, a knowledge system that was too large and advanced was not all good, and it even caused Jiang Chen a bit of trouble.


    Before Jiang Chen returned to this body, it was exactly 100 years of the star calendar. This was the year when humans left the original galaxy to go to another galaxy and started to re-develop civilization. Before reaching the new galaxy, the development of human civilization was also far ahead of the present.


    If Jiang Chen¡¯s selected course ¡°History of the Beginning Galaxy¡± was correct, the time gap between the current Earth and the galaxy where he lived in his previous life was nearly 500 years, and these 500 years do not include the time when humans migrated in the interstellar space.


    In addition to the 100 years of the star calendar, nearly 600 years were enough for the leap-forward development of technology and enough to overthrow many previous theories and generate more new schools of thought. Whether it was mathematics, physics or chemistry, they were all buried, risen, and innovated in the process of time.


    Fortunately, human civilization would always be the solid stone of science and technology. No matter how long time passes, the amazing achievements of our ancestors have been passed down. Fortunately, Jiang Chen paid special attention to the study of ¡®ancient times¡¯ because of being reborn so it was not difficult to adapt to returning to the classroom now.


    The only issue was to change his way of thinking, such as the algorithm of a mathematical problem, the formula used at this time was not the same as the formula used in the interstellar era. The later formula was faster and more effective and Jiang Chen was already used to it. So going back to the old formula was quite a bit different and awkward.


    It was like using an optical computer that was accustomed to high computing speed, and then going back to using the current bulky desktop. Although he could use it, it would still take a little time to get used to it.


    During this time, Jiang Chen was trying to get used to it as soon as possible.


    Fortunately, he had always been very adaptable, otherwise he would not have gotten up so quickly after the harsh blows he suffered in the first life and spent such a short time of collecting his calm after a car accident sent him to the interstellar era, nor would he have so quickly accepted reality and organized his thoughts and feelings after being reborn once again.


    After school on Saturday, Shen Xu invited Jiang Chen to play at his house.


    Jiang Chen knew of Shen Xu¡¯s good intentions, but he still refused. There was no other reason. Now he just wanted to solve the predicament at home as soon as possible and accompany his parents well.


    After the death of his parents in the first life, that kind of floating rootless feeling that he no longer belonged, and that there was no place to make him feel at ease, lasted for two lives, and now that he was back, he would definitely cherish everything he had now, and would not allow anyone to destroy it.


    On the way home, Jiang Chen lowered his eyes and pondered.


    The book that suddenly appeared in front of him was called ¡°Dominating Life¡±.


    His memory had always been excellent. At first, he just flipped through the book at random before going to bed. Even if the cannon fodder at the beginning had the same name as him, he didn¡¯t think much about it until he saw in the middle of the book, the cannon fodder with the same name as him died in the exact way he did. Even the dialogue between the protagonist and the system in the book was exactly the same as the dialogue he heard before his death. Only then did he take this matter more seriously.


    At that time, Jiang Chen was already tired from a day¡¯s meeting, but when he read that part, his mind was awake in an instant, and he re-read the book from beginning to end, and also memorized all the contents within.


    In the book, the protagonist He Qianjian was a transmigrator. Before he transmigrated, he was unhappy because even though he was talented and capable, every time he got a chance, he would be kicked to the side in favor of those with better family background, more money and more connections than him. He hated the injustice of God, and felt that there was no good person in this world, everyone was a snob and looked down on him for being poor.


    Therefore, after his death from an accident, he transmigrated into the body of an infant in a delivery room and bound by a system called the ¡°Optimal Choice System¡±. He Qianjian, who was still called Zhang Dafa at the time, immediately realized that the change of destiny he had always dreamed of was right in front of him. Between the options of ¡°ordinary biological parents¡± and ¡°rich non-biological parents¡± given at one time, he chose the wealthy non-biological parents without hesitation.


    What Zhang Dafa thought at that time was that they were not truly his biological parents anyway, so who but an idiot would not choose the rich parents.


    But Zhang Dafa, no, it should be said that the male protagonist who was already named He Qianjian did not expect that the wealthy level of the rich parents in the mouth of the system turned out to be so rich, not only rich, but also of high social status.


    The old Mr. He of the He family had three children in total. He Yanjun, the eldest, inherited his father¡¯s ambition and career, the second, He Yanya, devoted herself to scientific research, and the third, He Yanfeng, devoted himself to doing business, and achieved quite the success in the business world.


    The one who the system switched was He Yanfeng¡¯s child.


    He Yanfeng had been a maverick since he was a child. His brother and sister either liked to play with toy guns and sticks or liked to read and it could be said that their interests were inherited from their parents. But since elementary school, He Yanfeng liked to sell things and make money. He was active and generous, plus the support of his parents and elder siblings, his career could be said to be smooth sailing.


    A person with an active mind, in that conservative era, also dated and fell in love earlier, and his relationship with Mrs. He, Yang Yun, also kicked up quite a fuss at the beginning, to the point of even cutting off relations with the He family for a time. Until He Yanfeng and Yang Yun¡¯s first child, at the same time, the He family¡¯s eldest grandson, was born. Only then did the relationship between the He family and He Yanfeng and his wife eased.


    As the eldest son of He Yanfeng and the eldest grandson of the He family, and also the link that eased the relationship between the two sides, He Qianjian was naturally the center of attention. It was not an exaggeration to say that he was cherished in the palm of the hand since he was born.


    He Qianjian was not a true child, he had the mind of an adult, and he had a ¡°Optimal Choice System¡± in his hand, so he naturally knew how to be the most loved by his parents and elders.


    When he was young, he was well-behaved and sensible. He was not noisy and liked to play chess with his grandfather. In school, he had the best grades, far beyond his classmates and peers, and was even given a waive of all small exams by the school, only taking final exams. After graduation, he entered He Yanfeng¡¯s company, won several large orders for the company within half a year, and successfully won the approval of everyone. Within two years, he took over the management rights of the company from He Yanfeng and became a well-known investment genius.


    His path was smooth all the way. He could be said to be the pride of his parents, the role model of his younger siblings, and the confidant of his friends. He was a complete winner in life.


    It was this kind of envy inspiring life, surrounded by money and power and the flattery and support of others, which made He Qianjian feel like he was walking on cloud nine, and at the same time more and more reluctant to lose everything he had now. He would never allow himself to change back to his previous life as Zhang Dafa who anyone could step on.


    As for Jiang Chen, who was switched away at birth by the system at the beginning, the real He Qianjian, eldest son and grandson of the He family, was a thorn in He Qianjian¡¯s heart, a ticking bomb that could explode at any time. Although the system told him that no one would find out, he still slept badly every night. It reached the point that it became difficult for him to feel at ease without taking out this hidden danger.


    At first, He Qianjian just sent someone to monitor Jiang Chen and relayed all Jiang Chen¡¯s information to him.


    During that time, every day he listened to his subordinates report that Jiang Chen, who was supposed to be a favored son of heaven, was forced into a depressing and embarrassing situation due to money. This was the happiest time of He Qianjian¡¯s daily schedule, and even sometimes if Jiang Chen lived even a bit better than usual, he would send people to make some trouble for him and push him back into the swamp.


    Just as He Qianjian hoped, after experiencing his father¡¯s paralysis due to the lack of timely treatment, and suicide because he was afraid of dragging down the family, as well as his mother overburdening herself with work for medical expenses and Jiang Chen¡¯s tuition, and finally passing away due to overwork. Jiang Chen finally couldn¡¯t stand the twin blows of his parents death, so he gave up on his own and dropped out of school.


    After that, He Qianjian felt that Jiang Chen could no longer pose any threat to him, and he was also busy with graduation, so he didn¡¯t pay attention to Jiang Chen for a long time.


    But who knew that, in less than two years, Jiang Chen started a company together with his two friends, and was lucky enough to make a bit of a name for themselves in the industry. Even He Yanfeng, when he came home, couldn¡¯t help mentioning them, saying that the boss of the company, Shen Xu, had the style of his past self, and told He Qianjian that he could make friends with the other, predicting that that company would do well in the future.


    Although he was talking about Shen Xu, He Qianjian¡¯s mind automatically replaced it with Jiang Chen. At that moment, he even thought about what would happen if the He family knew that Jiang Chen was their biological child.


    He Qianjian didn¡¯t dare to think about that scenario. The more he thought about it, the more irritable he became. He began to find it difficult to fall asleep. When he fell asleep, he would have nightmares. Jiang Chen and his position became reversed, and the other condescendingly scolded him as a petty thief.


    Those dreams tortured He Qianjian to the point his hair fell out in clumps, and he lost weight quickly. Even the He family noticed something wrong with him and ordered him to go to the hospital for an examination.


    How could He Qianjian dare to go to the hospital? From childhood to adulthood, he didn¡¯t even dare to be sick, because he was afraid of the He family discovering his secret. Even his physical examination would be postponed to the day of Jiang Chen¡¯s physical examination every year to go to the same hospital with him so that the system could help him switch the blood drawn with Jiang Chen¡¯s.


    Now that he couldn¡¯t find a reason for Jiang Chen to have a physical examination, how could he dare to go to the hospital at the risk of being discovered.


    Under the constant panic and fear, He Qianjian decided to kill the other. With the help of the system, he arranged a flawless murder, and even out of prudence, he never came forward in person from beginning to end, but instructed a toady who had followed him since his student days to do it.


    So, on a dark rainy day when there was lightning and thunder, and the car radio reminded its audience to be careful when traveling, an overloaded truck, in order to avoid a car whose brakes failed, collided with Jiang Chen, who was returning from visiting his parents¡¯ graves.


    The accident that day caused a series of car accidents, and the scene was extremely chaotic. He Qianjian¡¯s people slipped into the chaos and took enough blood from Jiang Chen¡¯s body for He Qianjian¡¯s future medical examination, and then set Jiang Chen¡¯s car on fire.


    The explosion happened suddenly, but the rain quickly washed away the traces of the scene.


    In the end, this tragic car accident that attracted the attention of many people sparked a discussion about whether people should drive out on a rainy day, and the person who died in the car accident, like the rainstorm that came and went quickly, failed to leave behind any trace.

 CH 5

    ¡°I want to see who dares to hit my son!¡±


    Quickly going through the content of ¡°Dominating Life¡± in his mind, Jiang Chen looked up at the sky, his slender fingers blocking some of the sunlight, and the corners of his mouth slightly curved upwards.


    The content of that book was too realistic, although it only depicted his short life from the perspective of cannon fodder that was not even a supporting role, but if everything was true, then the ups and downs and the schemes and conspiracies of the first life hidden under the undercurrent would still come his way.


    To verify that the book was genuine was very simple. The end of April was the time for the school physical examination, and everything would be clear at that time.


    He really wanted to know whether He Qianjian and his system could withstand his vengeance after losing the advantage of one side in the light and the other in the dark.


    Beside the flower bed, a dirty wild cat flashed by. Jiang Chen followed the sound and looked over, but only saw a tail disappearing from his sight. He put down his hand, and suddenly remembered something.


    It seemed that during this time, the famous spine surgeon Shi Fengyue returned from his studies and was in the third hospital of Yan City. His surgical skills were extremely high and especially loved difficult cases. All the cases he accepted despite his peers¡¯ disagreement succeeded one by one, and in less than a year his name became famous and well-known, provoking everyone to seek medical help from him. However, those who wanted to register with him could only rely on luck.


    At this time in the first life, their family spared no effort to cure Father Jiang, never stingy with money, and all the doctors they looked for were well-known old professors and doctors, but those doctors just shook their heads when they looked at Father Jiang¡¯s legs, and even the most expert doctors were helpless. The Jiang family could only give up hope, and from then on, the home that was originally warm, happy and full of joy became quiet and depressing little by little.


    After being alone for a long time, Jiang Chen thought many times, if he went to Yan City No. 3 Hospital and found the still-unknown Professor Shi, would his father not be paralyzed and his mother would not be dragged down by the family expenses and died of a serious illness. This matter practically became an unhealable wound in his first life, so he paid special attention to the affairs of Shi Fengyue.


    Jiang Chen pondered as he went upstairs, it seemed that Shi Fengyue returned to China during this time, and tomorrow he would go to the hospital to try his luck to see if he could find him.


    ¡°Chen Chen, you¡¯re back.¡±


    As soon as he reached the fifth floor, the security door opened in front of Jiang Chen. Yang Si was surprised when she saw him. Seemingly nervous and relieved, and a smile appeared on her face immediately.


    Jiang Chen looked at Yang Si and asked, ¡°Mom, where are you going?¡±


    Yang Si smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to your uncle¡¯s place for a bit. You go eat first. After you finish eating, do your homework, and Mom will come back soon.¡±


    Hearing the word ¡°Uncle¡±, Jiang Chen¡¯s expression became a bit cold.


    After two lives, many things have been submerged over time, and there were very few things that could make him remember clearly, which were only two types, family and friendship that were hard to let go, and hatred that was hard to let go.


    And the most heart-wrenching hatred came from the Yang family.


    Yang Si was the third daughter of the Yang family. She had two older sisters before her and a little brother after her. The eldest sister was sold to an alcoholic widower by her parents not long after she became an adult. She was beaten to death within half a year. Her second eldest sister ran away by herself as a teenager and did not appear in decades. As the third daughter, Yang Si narrowly escaped the fate of being sent away, but all her life from childhood to adulthood revolved around her little brother.


    On the other hand, Yang Si¡¯s little brother, Jiang Chen¡¯s uncle Yang Tianci, was raised by his grandmother¡¯s family to become an out-and-out waste of air, and he was the one who sucked blood and gnawed on the old (TN: expression for those who leach off on one¡¯s parents), taking his family¡¯s care and love for granted.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s family had always been harmonious, and there were very few quarrels, but almost every quarrel was inseparable from the Yang family, to be precise, Yang Tianci.


    Yang Tianci beat someone at school and had to pay compensation money, so the Yang family came to ask for it; Yang Tianci was expelled from school, so the Yang family asked Yang Si to think of a solution; Yang Tianci found a girlfriend, and the Yang family asked Yang Si to accompany and wait on the girlfriend; Yang Tianci planned to get married, and the Yang family asked Yang Si to pay for the expenses and build a house for the newlyweds; Yang Tianci had a child, and the Yang family asked Yang Si to pay child support; Yang Tianci¡¯s child reached school age, and the Yang family asked Yang Si to send Jiang Chen to the countryside, and bring Yang Tianci¡¯s child over to attend school in Yan City¡­..


    The incident of going to school made Yang Si, who had always been tolerant, finally explode. She could let her brother¡¯s parents squeeze out all her worth, but she would definitely never accept harm to her son¡¯s interests.


    Since then, the Yang family had became restrained a lot, and there had been a lot less contact between the two families, but once Yang Tianci or the Yang family needed money, they would definitely go to the Jiang family. From building a house to raising a child to buying a new place in Yan City to the present, one after another, at least several 100,000 yuan had been borrowed from the Jiang family.


    This was also the reason why the Yang family was so confident in asking for money. They only ¡°borrowed¡± money, not asked for it directly. Wasn¡¯t it too cold and heartless if you don¡¯t lend money to your siblings?


    However, after Jiang Zhuo¡¯s accident, the Yang family avoided the Jiang family like the plague. Yang Si came knocking three or four times without borrowing a penny. Not only was she humiliated, she even got a warning from her parents that she should plan to remarry as soon as possible.


    According to the time, it should be this time.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flashed, and he suddenly said: ¡°Mom, you are going to see Uncle, I will accompany you.¡±


    Yang Si was startled and immediately refused: ¡°You just got out of school and haven¡¯t eaten yet, how could you go out with me hungry, and don¡¯t you have homework yet to do? Stay home and wait for me to come back.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t listen, he stuck his head inside the door, and said to Jiang Zhuo who was sitting in a wheelchair: ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll accompany Mom to visit Uncle¡¯s place.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo was also worried that his wife would be bullied when she returned to her parents¡¯ house. Seeing that their son was going to follow along, he quickly agreed: ¡°Take care of your mother and don¡¯t let her be wronged.¡±


    Father and son were in agreement, so Yang Si couldn¡¯t refuse and could only take Jiang Chen along.


    Sitting on the bus, Yang Si instructed Jiang Chen: ¡°When you see your uncle and aunt, be polite, and then go find your cousin to play. Mom and Uncle have something to talk about.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at her and said bluntly, ¡°You want to ask Uncle to borrow money, no, that¡¯s not right, their family has borrowed so much money from our family, so you want them to pay back the money?¡±


    ¡°You kiddo.¡± Yang Si sighed, how could she not know her son¡¯s dissatisfaction with her little brother¡¯s family. Jiang Chen was obedient and sensible since he was a child, and anyone who saw him had to say a word of praise. Only every time he saw her little brother¡¯s family, he would have a cold expression, and didn¡¯t even bother to be polite, the sense of rejection evident in his attitude and speech.


    How could she not know that her parents and little brother were doing something wrong, and she even thought about cutting off the relationship with her parents and little brother completely, but now that Jiang Zhuo had an accident, their family was extremely in need of money. No matter if it worked or not, she must try, even if her parents and little brother could support just a little, it would help the family¡¯s current situation.


    It was just that, she didn¡¯t want her child to know any of this.


    No matter how difficult the family was, she could bear it. These things should not be borne by a child who was not yet grown up. She hoped that he would always be happy, even if he did not need to be so sensible.


    The Jiang family lived in the central area of ??Yan City, and it took nearly two hours to take the bus to the edge of the city. By the time Jiang Chen and Yang Si arrived, it was already dark.


    The Yang family was on the first floor, and the sound insulation of the community at this time was mostly poor. When Jiang Chen and Yang Si walked to the entrance of the corridor, they could hear the sound of TVs inside, mixed with the loud laughter of children.


    Knock, knock¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Who is¡ª¡ª?¡±


    Inside the rusty iron door, the wooden door with a faded blessing sign was opened. A woman with curly hair and corduroy pajamas stood inside. When she saw Yang Si and Jiang Chen, her expression changed, and she instantly wanted to close the door.


    ¡°Mom! Who is it!¡±


    Before the door closed, a boy inside ran over, and when he saw the people outside the door, he raised his head and snorted, then drawled, ¡°Isn¡¯t this that family whose woman married a cripple and likes to collect debts?¡±


    Yang Si¡¯s face changed, and Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes became cold.


    The woman didn¡¯t reprimand her son at all, she simply stood inside the iron door with her arms crossed and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Yang Si opened her mouth. If Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t here, she might pretend that she didn¡¯t hear what her nephew just said, and beg her little brother and sister-in-law, but now that Jiang Chen was here, she didn¡¯t want Jiang Chen to see her begging for help. Begging people who insulted her and his father.


    ¡°I¡¯ll close the door if there¡¯s nothing?¡± As the woman spoke, she took a step back and prepared to close the door.


    Jiang Chen said lightly: ¡°Aunt, we are here to collect debts. Since you and Uncle got together, including wedding gifts, building a house, having children, moving house, etc., you owe my family a total of 250,000 yuan. Some money was not made clear as borrowed, and is a matter of etiquette and customs, so our family will consider it as siblings helping each other, but the rest that was clearly said to be borrowed total 170,000 yuan. I hope your family can pay back this money immediately.¡±


    Every time a word popped out of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth, the woman¡¯s face became uglier. When he finished speaking, her face was completely cold.


    She looked at Yang Si and said, ¡°Sister, I see that Jiang Chen is becoming more and more unruly, so why aren¡¯t you doing something about it?¡±


    Yang Si originally felt that Jiang Chen was disrespecting his elders by saying this, but after hearing what the woman said, she couldn¡¯t help but get angry and said, ¡°Jiang Chen has always been among the best in academic performance, no matter the school or the neighbors, none of them have ever said that he is not well-behaved, but I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve heard others complain about Sheng Mao, if little brother and Sister-in-law can¡¯t teach Sheng Mao more politeness, then let him learn more from his cousin.¡±


    Children were always a woman¡¯s inverse scale. She was happier when others praised her children than if they praised her instead. Similarly, if someone scolded her child, it would make her more angry than if they had scolded her instead.


    ¡°What do you mean!¡± The woman kicked the iron door, then turned her head and shouted loudly, ¡°Yang Tianci, don¡¯t you care about this at all! Your sister came to make a scene at your own house! She even dared to scold our son! This is not treating us as relatives at all!¡±


    The man in his slippers slowly walked over, holding a braised duck neck in his hand. Seeing Yang Si and Jiang Chen outside the door, he didn¡¯t even bother to say hello, and said to the woman, ¡°Mom and Dad are waiting for you to eat inside, why are you arguing with them?¡±


    The woman¡¯s anger subsided a little when she heard the words, she glanced at the mother and son pair with a sense of superiority, sneered and pulled Yang Shengmao inside.


    When she left, Yang Tianci said to Yang Si through the door: ¡°Sister, I know what you are here for, but you should also know that your little brother, I also have a hard time. You asking me for money, isn¡¯t that the same as asking for our family¡¯s life. After a while, Sheng Mao will be admitted to junior high school. You know his grades. If we want to send him to a better school, we will have to pay a lot of school selection fees. I¡¯m also troubled, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help you, I really can¡¯t help you, so you better go.¡±


    ¡°You can pay back a few thousand first.¡± Yang Si was about to say borrow, but when she thought of what Jiang Chen said just now, her words changed to pay back.


    That¡¯s right, her little brother¡¯s family borrowed so much money from her, and she never urged them to pay it back. At this time, their family¡¯s situation was special so wasn¡¯t it right and proper to ask him to pay back the money?


    However, after hearing Yang Si¡¯s words, Yang Tianci¡¯s expression turned bad, and he said, ¡°How can you say pay back the money? Do you really want me to pay you back the money you gave me before? I am your brother. I treat you as my sister, but you only treat me as a debtor?¡±


    Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help sneering when he heard this, it was really the shameless style of Zhu Bajie¡ª¡ªstriking with a muck-rake (TN: to make bogus accusations against one¡¯s victim). (TN: Zhu Bajie, a character in the Journey to the West)


    Jiang Chen¡¯s sneer infuriated Yang Tianci. He had always disliked this nephew, who liked to fight for the top in everything, and he looked like his eyes grew on the top of his head, as if he could pierce the sky as long as he was talented and excellent.


    ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± Yang Tianci asked, pointing at Jiang Chen¡¯s nose.


    Jiang Chen was not afraid at all, hooked up his lips and said, ¡°I¡¯m laughing at you, you really know how to talk, you indeed really treat my mother as your sister, when you borrowed money so fiercely back then, you didn¡¯t treat yourself as an outsider, now when it¡¯s your turn to pay it back, you treat your sister as a debt collector. So when you called it borrowing money, it was just a pretense, the truth is that you only regard your sister as an ATM machine.¡±


    ¡°Little bastard!¡± Yang Tianci immediately opened the door, rushed out and wanted to hit Jiang Chen, he raised his hand and said, ¡°You are f**king asking for a beating!¡±


    ¡°I want to see who dares to hit my son!¡±


    Yang Si shouted angrily and stepped in front of Jiang Chen.


    ¡°Yang Tianci.¡± Yang Si looked up at her little brother, who was half a head taller than her, and stared at him and asked, ¡°You really won¡¯t pay me back a penny, even if I never recognize you as my brother from now on, you still won¡¯t pay it back?¡±

 CH 6

    Such a family, even if all weighed together, couldn¡¯t match her precious son!


    Yang Tianci¡¯s wrist was squeezed in Jiang Chen¡¯s hand, and it was so painful that it twitched, but when he heard Yang Si¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t care about the pain, and quickly said: ¡°Sister, what are you talking about, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to lend you money, it¡¯s because we really don¡¯t have money, us siblings¡¯ blood is thicker than water, how can I not lend you money if you really have need? I¡¯ll be sad if you say that.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s hand exerted more force, and seeing Yang Tianci¡¯s instantly distorted expression and angry eyes, he smiled: ¡°Uncle, I heard that you just made a bit of money from stock trading a few days ago, seemingly about 40,000 to 50,000 yuan, first use that money to pay us back is also fine.¡±


    ¡°How do you know!¡±


    When Yang Tianci blurted this out, Yang Si, who did not even have the time to be surprised, instantly felt cold all over her body.


    This was the good little brother she spent so much energy taking care of when she was younger, and had helped out desperately when she grew up. Cherishing and protecting him even regardless of arguments with her husband.


    When she had money, he lay on top of her and leached blood desperately, able to say anything to please her for money, but when she encountered difficulties, he would run faster than anyone else. Yang Maosheng was only twelve years old now. If he hadn¡¯t heard it from the people around him, he wouldn¡¯t have said those words just now. It could be seen what her little brother¡¯s family usually said about them.


    ¡°Sister!¡± Seeing Yang Si¡¯s expression, Yang Tianci was a little panicked, and he quickly said: ¡°Don¡¯t listen to that kid, don¡¯t listen to Jiang Chen¡¯s nonsense, how could I have 40,000 or 50,000, it¡¯s impossible, if I have the money why wouldn¡¯t I lend you the money, right?¡±


    ¡°So what if you have money? We won¡¯t lend it even if you have it!¡± An icy sneer sounded, and an old lady in a cotton-padded jacket walked out. She looked at Yang Si and Jiang Chen without concealing her disgust, ¡°So what if Tian Ci has money? It¡¯s his ability to have money! It¡¯s our old Yang family¡¯s money! As if we will give you, a married daughter, to treat a cripple that who knows will even be cured or not? Daring to scheme money from your little brother! What? Are you even schemeing when your father and I will die, and how much money you will get if we die?¡±


    Yang Si subconsciously retorted: ¡°Mom, how could I think like this, I¡­..¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what you think!¡± The old lady had a hunched back, but her pointed finger almost touched Yang Si¡¯s nose, ¡°If you don¡¯t think so, why would you come to your little brother to ask for money? You want to force me and your father to death? You¡¯re only happy when we¡¯re dead, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Yang Si was pointed at and scolded, her heart iced over, and her hands and mouth trembled, but she found that she couldn¡¯t say a word.


    Seeing that she didn¡¯t speak, the old lady became even more imposing. After scolding Yang Si, she started scolding Jiang Chen: ¡°It¡¯s you, you little bastard who just yelled at my grandson? So what if you have good grades? In my eyes, you are not even comparable to a hair on Sheng Sheng¡¯s head. You¡¯re not even worthy of carrying his shoes! If you have the ability, go and spill out shit and urine for your cripple father, don¡¯t show off in front of our old Yang family¡¯s house!¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Yang Si shouted: ¡°How could you say that to Chen Chen! He is also your grandson!¡±


    ¡°What grandson?¡± Old Mrs. Yang spat and said, ¡°The nose, eyes, and mouth don¡¯t look like my old Yang family, nor does he have our Yang family surname. How is he my grandson?¡±


    Jiang Chen had no objection to these words, because he indeed did not seem to have the blood of the Yang family, not only the Yang family, but also the Jiang family as well. But Yang Si was so angry at her mother¡¯s favoritism that her face turned pale. She couldn¡¯t tell how she was feeling now. Between the anger and the cold heart, there was unexpectedly a hint of ease and freedom.


    Yang Si was full of hatred, but calmed down instead: ¡°You don¡¯t recognize Jiang Chen as your grandson, then do you recognize this daughter?¡±


    ¡°If you want me and your father to recognize you, then fine.¡± Old Mrs. Yang looked condescendingly at her and snorted: ¡°As long as you divorce that cripple and remarry immediately, your father and I will recognize you. If you want to hang onto this mess for the rest of our life then don¡¯t blame me for not having a daughter like you.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Yang Si said expressionlessly, ¡°From today on, I only have my husband and son, no more parents and little brother. From now on, our paths will no longer cross, and no matter if our two sides live well or badly, it is irrelevant to the other.¡±


    The old lady didn¡¯t expect that Yang Si would actually dare to respond like this, her eyes almost rolled back in anger, but Yang Tianci¡¯s heart skipped a beat, he didn¡¯t want to lose his sister¡¯s subsidy! No matter what happened to her now, he didn¡¯t have to pay anyway. If things are solved in the future, he could still get money from his sister and brother-in-law. But once they have a true falling-out, then he would have one less cash cow!


    It was not just Yang Tianci who thought this way, but also the old lady Yang, who had always bullied her daughter who never showed any resistance. She had already found a 50-year-old old man who still had yet to find a wife, and they didn¡¯t care whether her daughter was married or not or had any children before. The bride price was promised to be 10,000 yuan!


    Old Mrs. Yang and Yang Tianci immediately wanted to say something to smooth things over, but before they had time to speak, old Mr. Yang, who had not said a word, opened his mouth, the wrinkles seeming like ravines from his frown: ¡°Since you said that, our old Yang family will no longer have a daughter like you again!¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡±


    ¡°Old man!¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± The old man Yang shouted angrily, looked at Jiang Chen with a dark expression, and said, ¡°In the end, it¡¯s not the blood of the Yang family after all, you and your mother will never step through my Yang family¡¯s door again!¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded obediently, and even smiled at them, then under the angry eyes of the Yang family, he supported Yang Si and said, ¡°Mom, old Mr. Yang and Mrs. Yang doesn¡¯t recognize you, but you have me and Dad, we can always think of a solution, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Old Mr. Yang¡¯s face became even darker when Jiang Chen said ¡°old Mr. Yang and Mrs. Yang¡±, but Yang Si¡¯s eyes suddenly reddened.


    Her parents were partial to her little brother, and her little brother used her as an ATM. She was used to these things, and she had long held complaints in her heart. Apart from being sad and chilled, she couldn¡¯t express resentment at this moment. After all, it was her parents who gave birth to her and raised her.


    But how could they! How dare they treat Jiang Chen like this!


    This was the baby she had been protecting in her arms for fear of him bumping into anything. She was only worried about her son, who she wanted nothing more than to cherish and care for in all aspects, being rejected by her relatives today and had the most vicious words used to insult and abuse him, but even so, he did not show it. There was no trace of sadness, and even to reassure her, he had to force a smile.


    Such a family, even if all weighed together, couldn¡¯t match her precious son!


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Yang Si grabbed Jiang Chen¡¯s hand and took him away from here without the slightest nostalgia.


    After leaving the gated community, the anger on Yang Si¡¯s face faded, replaced by unconcealed sorrow and resentment.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s originally smiling expression darkened upon seeing this. He pursed his lips, but he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    That Yang Si and the Yang family would fall out so quickly. In fact, he helped fuel the flames. On the bus, he used the word ¡°repay the money¡± to reverse Yang Si¡¯s mindset, making her change from the anxiety and uneasiness of borrowing money to naturally at ease at getting back her money. Once she accepted this psychological suggestion, she would be a little less tolerant when facing the suppression of the Yang family.


    However, a single word could only plant a seed. If it wasn¡¯t for the aggressiveness and insults of the Yang family later, this seed would not be able to take root and sprout quickly, and taking root and sprouting was not enough. Jiang Chen wanted that seed to grow into a big tree. Big enough that it could break through Yang Si¡¯s bottom line and make her break with the Yang family completely.


    And the fertilizer that could make the small seedling grow into a towering tree was himself.


    Jiang Chen knew better than anyone how much his mother loved him. She could endure all difficulties and dangers, endure all insults and injustices, and even wipe her face and continue on despite being pushed into the mud, but the one thing she couldn¡¯t stand was for her child to suffer as well.


    Therefore, from the moment Jiang Chen decided to follow, Yang Si and the Yang family were doomed to end in a falling out.


    After doing all this, Jiang Chen had no regrets. The Yang family was a group of blood-sucking leeches. Letting them do as they please would only bring harm to himself. Getting rid of them early to stop the loss in time was the smart thing to do.


    But seeing Yang Si¡¯s lonely expression, he was distressed and a little annoyed at the same time. If he didn¡¯t fan the flames when he just spoke, the Yang family might not have said so much, and his mother might not be so sad now.


    When they got to the bus stop, Yang Si finally opened her mouth.


    She looked up at her tall and handsome son, and suppressed the tears in her eyes: ¡°Chen Chen, don¡¯t listen to what your grandfather and grandmother said just now, they don¡¯t treat you as their grandson, and you don¡¯t have to treat them as relatives, let alone feel bad about them. It¡¯s all Mom¡¯s fault, bringing you here, yet letting them insult you and bully you like this¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment, and after seeing the distress and self-blame in Yang Si¡¯s eyes, he realized the reason for her sadness, and the hands on his sides also clenched into fists.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s fist-clenched hands relaxed, and he placed them on Yang Si¡¯s shoulder lightly, and leaned over to look at her: ¡°I¡¯m not sad, so don¡¯t blame yourself for it, I haven¡¯t had much contact with the Yang family since I was a child, and you also know that I never liked them in the first place. Putting it in an unpleasant way, in fact, I have never regarded them as relatives. In this case, I naturally won¡¯t feel sad because outsiders scold me a few times. I¡¯m just angry that they don¡¯t treat you well.¡±


    Hearing him say this, Yang Si¡¯s tears finally couldn¡¯t be suppressed. She covered her mouth and sobbed out loud. She only sobbed a few times and then suppressed it again. She nodded her head repeatedly: ¡°Mom is not sad, as long as Chen Chen is not sad then Mom will not be sad. From now on, Mom will only be sad for you and Dad, and Mom will only have you two as family, no one else!¡±


    After she said these words, her tearful eyes shone with a clear and firm light, and the depression and sadness that had just shrouded her body were also swept away. After wiping away her tears, she even smiled and murmured: ¡± In fact, this is the best way to go.¡±


    The bus stopped slowly, Yang Si wiped her tears again, got onto the bus first, and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and echoed her: ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Before getting into the bus, he glanced at the direction of Yang Tianci¡¯s gated community, and the coldness in his eyes was undisguised.


    In the first life, after his Mom and the Yang family had a falling out, Yang Tianci and his family still did not trouble his family any less. Even after the death of his Mom, he even went to make a scene at his school for the insurance money, slandering him for embezzling the money his mother left to his uncle, forcing him to drop out of school. After that, when he found out that he and Huo Bo and Shen Xu started a company, he shamelessly came to recognize kinship again, pretending that nothing had happened, and forcing him to compromise out of blood relationship.


    At that time, he was so annoyed that he found someone to lead Yang Tianci and Yang Shengmao, who had not graduated, to become addicted to gambling and paying for prostitutes. Within three months, Yang Tianci¡¯s family was destroyed.


    In his first life, he didn¡¯t take Yang Tianci and his family seriously, but now it seemed that the timing of Yang Tianci¡¯s appearance and the trouble he brought was too clever and coincidental, as if someone was manipulating everything from behind the scenes.


    Jiang Chen knew who that person was.


    In this life, he would not only make it so that the Yang family¡¯s ending would be even more tragic, but also make the person behind them thousands of times more tragic.

 CH 7

    Shi Fengyue was a man who was difficult to judge based on the moral standards of the world.


    In the early spring, the city of Yan was mostly gray. Sunday morning was a rare sunny day.


    Jiang Chen ate breakfast with his parents, went back to his room and prepared before heading out.


    Yang Si didn¡¯t have work today. After yesterday¡¯s events, she realized that the harmony and happiness of the family was the most important thing. Just as Jiang Chen was going out, she also decided to head out with Jiang Zhuo to the park to bask in the sun, so that this gloom-shrouded family could have a bit more sunshine.


    Jiang Zhuo had no objection. Since the accident, he had yet to go out. At first, he was not in the mood to go out. Later, it was because he did not want to trouble his wife and son. But at this time, both his wife and son were very happy, so naturally he would not be opposed to it.


    In Yan City in 2004, most buildings did not have elevators. And the Jiang family¡¯s home was on the fifth floor, so it was not easy to go out.


    Jiang Chen carried his father on his back, Yang Si carried the wheelchair, and the family of three went downstairs carefully step by step.


    The laughter of the children outside and the movement from time to time in the neighbors¡¯ apartments made the stairway journey short. Although no one spoke, the silence was not stuffy.


    When he reached the first floor, Jiang Zhuo, who was on Jiang Chen¡¯s back, suddenly sighed and said, ¡°Chen Chen has grown up.¡±


    His words seemed to open the family¡¯s chatterbox.


    Yang Si smiled and said: ¡°Isn¡¯t it so? It seems that all of a sudden, from such a small child, he has grown into this towering appearance.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo¡¯s smile returned to his usual cheerfulness: ¡°Yes, like me, as expected of my son.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say for sure.¡± Yang Si disagreed very much: ¡°Chen Chen is so well-behaved and sensible because he is like me. You were clumsy and impatient when you were young, how could you compare to our son¡¯s calm and steady demeanor.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this part is like you.¡± Jiang Zhuo didn¡¯t argue with his wife, he smiled and said, ¡°But his smarts take after me, good at academics since childhood.¡±


    ¡°How come his smarts take after you?¡± Yang Si disagreed even more: ¡°Can you compare your grades to your son¡¯s when you were in school? Your son is smart because he is serious, plus my genes!¡±


    Jiang Zhuo was a little aggrieved: ¡°Then what part of our son is like me?¡±


    Yang Si also felt as if she couldn¡¯t justify it if everything about their son resembled her, so she responded to her husband with a vague perfunctory answer: ¡°Isn¡¯t he good at playing basketball like you?¡±


    Jiang Chen listened to his parents¡¯ nostalgic bickering, and the smile in his eyes spread little by little. The family of three walked out of the corridor, and the bright sunshine dispelled the last trace of gloom.


    After sending his parents to the park, Jiang Chen took the bus at the nearby bus stop.


    At eight o¡¯clock in the morning, the city of Yan already had a trace of the crowdedness in the later years, but it did not have the fast rhythm that seemed as if one would be left behind if one¡¯s step was slow.


    The bus drove slowly, its passengers included the old men carrying bird cages, the students in school uniforms, and the young people who were always on the phone. There were people chatting and laughing, others quiet and napping. All of this gave off a harmonious and retro feeling.


    For Jiang Chen, this scene was indeed retro.


    Although he also came from this time, in his memory of the first life, more of it involved high-rise buildings and rushing crowds. And in the second life this scene was replaced with flying vehicles, and one actually needed special approval documents to drive on the ground.


    He looked at everything in front of him with curiosity and freshness, and the corners of his mouth quirked upwards in a relaxed smile that he didn¡¯t even notice himself, but in the eyes of others, he also made a pleasing morning scene.


    The handsome and fair-skinned boy stood quietly with one hand grabbing the railing ring and by the back door next to the window, and just his appearance while looking out the window showed off a bright and casual aura that was enough to attract attention from others.


    Jiang Chen was unaware of his surroundings. When he heard the station announcement, he just followed the crowd and got off of the bus.


    The Yan City No. 3 Hospital was not well-known in Yan City at this time. When medical resources became scarce in later years, only then did its spine surgery and vascular surgery departments become well known. And the biggest reason why its spine surgery department could be known to everyone was because of Shi Fengyue.


    Shi Fengyue was a man who was difficult to judge based on the moral standards of the world. There was no doubt about his profound medical skills and outstanding talent in this area, but as a doctor, he did not have the sense of responsibility to save lives and heal the wounded that doctors pledged to do. He only regarded healing and saving people as a challenge and interest.


    He didn¡¯t pick up cases that couldn¡¯t arouse his interest, didn¡¯t pick up cases that weren¡¯t challenging, or didn¡¯t pick up cases when he was in a bad mood. This kind of unrestrained temperament caused most people to criticize and resist him for a period of time, and some people even went to the hospital to pull up banners demanding that scum like him should get out of the medical world.


    But these didn¡¯t affect him in the slightest, he still went his own way, and those who wanted to ask him to do their surgery were still lining up one after another.


    No kidding, for those surgeries that other doctors couldn¡¯t perform, only Professor Shi could save their lives. It was not like they would be willing to go die for the public opinion of the outside world, right?


    After a period of controversial public opinion, the public saw that it was useless to affect him, and gradually dispersed, and went back to living their own daily lives. But Shi Fengyue became famous as a result, and then there were rumors that Professor Shi was extremely young and good-looking. This made the public very curious about this very talented but willful genius, and because of this, a wave of brain-dead fans were born, specially loitering around the hospital to see if he was indeed really that good-looking.


    As a result, during that time, Yan City No. 3 Hospital recruited more than a dozen security guards, and had to stipulate that people were not allowed to stay in the outpatient department of the hospital without registering to see a doctor. Only then did it stop this absurd star-chasing phenomenon.


    Shi Fengyue, on the other hand, remained unaffected. He resigned after staying at the Yan City No. 3 Hospital for less than three years. According to rumors, this was because he felt tired of doing surgical operations and went to look for other interesting things to do. Whether this rumor was true or not, no one knows. As for what he did after resigning, Jiang Chen no longer paid attention or know.


    Thinking of this, Jiang Chen stopped in front of the outpatient building and sighed inwardly before walking in. It was not the most difficult thing to find Shi Fengyue, what was the most difficult thing was o get him to agree to perform an operation on Jiang Zhuo.


    In the inquiry hall on the first floor, the nurses at the service desk were very enthusiastic. When they learned the name of the doctor he was looking for, they quickly searched for him in the system. However, as Jiang Chen expected, there was no such person in the doctor listing yet.


    Jiang Chen was not disappointed either. This was something he had long expected, because what he remembered was a vague period of time, not a specific point in time. At this time, it was not necessarily a bad thing for him that Shi Fengyue had not yet come to the hospital. Because for Shi Fengyue, the operations he was willing to take on were more difficult as time passed, and there were fewer operations that could inspire his interest. So during his early days at the hospital, the possibility of getting him to agree to accept his father¡¯s operation was higher.


    On the way home, Jiang Chen suddenly remembered that his parents might still be in the park at this time, so he got off the bus two stops earlier. But what he didn¡¯t expect was to meet Shen Xu when he walked out of the bus stop.


    Shen Xu was also surprised to see Jiang Chen, and immediately jumped up and beckoned: ¡°Jiangzi!¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Jiang Chen glanced at the school gate behind him, a little curious. Shen Xu was not a good student who returned to school for self-study or to do homework during the holidays.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring my homework when I went back yesterday. Who knew my parents came back. Normally we barely see each other a few times throughout the year but when they came back, they immediately asked me if I had done my homework, putting on a caring expression. If they really care about my studies, would they not even be able to find time to attend parents¡¯ meetings?¡± Shen Xu pouted and complained, and said unwillingly, ¡°They saw that I don¡¯t have homework, and I could only give in, and so I came back to school to get the homework.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at him and said lightly: ¡°Of course Uncle and Aunt Shen care about you. What will you eat if they don¡¯t make money?¡±


    Shen Xu knew that Jiang Chen would say this. From childhood to adulthood, whenever he complained about his parents, Jiang Chen would seriously tell him that his parents did things for his own good, he was used to it, and he did not take it to heart at all.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Shen Xu changed the subject: ¡°Isn¡¯t it two stops before you reach your community?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s residential area was two stations away from the school, less than 20 minutes¡¯ walk. The park area was not small and spanned three stations. Near his residential area was the south entrance, the middle station was the east entrance and the library, and the north entrance was near the school, which was why he got off the bus two stops earlier to look for Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si from one end to the other, which would not make it easy to miss the two.


    Jiang Chen explained briefly, and Shen Xu was very happy to hear that, and said, ¡°Uncle Jiang should go out more to get some sunshine, helps with improving the mood.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll accompany you to get your homework.¡± Jiang Chen nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯ll go look afterwards.¡±


    Shen Xu immediately had a bitter face: ¡°Aw, no.¡± He wanted to go to the dormitory to find the boarding classmates to copy homework from.


    How could Jiang Chen not know Shen Xu¡¯s plan, and glanced at him lightly: ¡°You going or not?¡±


    ¡°Going¡­..¡±


    The school on Sundays was empty and quiet. Except for the occasional sound of third year classes being made up on the fifth and sixth floors, there were basically no people on the other floors.


    Jiang Chen and Shen Xu took the keys from the grandpa in the reception room, and soon entered the classroom to pick up Shen Xu¡¯s homework.


    When going downstairs, Shen Xu drooped his head, and his whole person was without energy.


    As soon as they reached the stairs on the second floor, the two found that there was someone in the stairwell, several boys standing there seeming to be laughing and chatting about something.


    Jiang Chen and Shen Xu looked at each other, and before they could see the situation clearly, they heard the muffled sound of fists hitting the flesh from the inside of the enclosure, and then someone laughed and said, ¡°So what if I hit you?¡±


    Shen Xu¡¯s eyes widened, and he instantly forgot his sadness about having to do his homework. He stretched his head and said, ¡°Damn, actually daring to beat someone in the stairwell, so arrogant!¡±


    The school building of No. 1 High School had a total of six floors and was in a ¡°concave¡± shape. It sat in the north and faced the south. There were classrooms on the east and west sides, three classes on each side. Each grade occupied two floors. Year two occupied the third and fourth floors, while year one occupied the first and second floors.


    However, at this time, both the first and second high school years had the day off, and the third high school years was making up classes upstairs.


    Shen Xu had always had a wide range of social circles, and after just one glance, he had an impression of one guy¡¯s profile face, and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°They should all be high school first years.¡±


    Jiang Chen was thoughtful, he vaguely felt that the voice of the person who just spoke was a little familiar, but he searched for this person¡¯s information in his memory and found nothing.


    Seeing that Jiang Chen didn¡¯t speak, Shen Xu also frowned. It was not that he didn¡¯t want to take care of this matter, but the situation was special now.


    Although it was the weekend now, the teaching office didn¡¯t have the day off. If it was a normal day, then he could forget it. It was not uncommon for him to meddle when seeing little brats bullying others, but at this time, Jiang Chen was being watched by Zhang Three Hairs with all his strength to get him in trouble, as long as Jiang Chen was involved, even if he was just standing with them, if Zhang Three Hairs knew then he would absolutely reverse the truth, and it would not be surprising that he would directly say that Jiang Chen was bullying junior students.


    The two of them just stood at the entrance of the stairs, and the group of people in the stairwell naturally saw them.


    One of them whispered to the tallest boy beside him: ¡°Brother Sun, the two upstairs seem to be second or third years, what should we do?¡±


    The boy known as Brother Sun looked up, and when he saw Jiang Chen and Shen Xu clearly, his eyebrows furrowed a little bit. At the same time as he looked up, Jiang Chen also saw him clearly, including those triangle eyes and narrow forehead. It was not a face that was easy to mess with, clearly he had no impression, but there was still a sense of familiarity.


    When the two sides looked at each other, the boy who was just being surrounded and beaten coughed, and suddenly a scream sounded.


    Jiang Chen and those people looked his way at the same time, only to see a fat boy in the innermost ring frantically shaking his arm, a thin small boy hanging from his arm. The boy¡¯s head was smashed against the wall several times, but he still didn¡¯t let go.


    ¡°F**k!¡± When his own people were bitten, the triangle eyed boy felt thatbhe had lost face and immediately kicked the boy, ¡°Let go!¡±


    Shen Xu cursed, jumped up and rushed down.


    He didn¡¯t intend to meddle in what was not his own business. Apart from worrying about Jiang Chen, he also didn¡¯t see the condition of the child inside. He thought that through such a thick cotton jacket, he wouldn¡¯t be able to suffer much damage in a fight. In comparison, Jiang Chen was more important, but at this time, when he saw the boy¡¯s head being hit against the wall like this, he couldn¡¯t help it any longer.


    He ran downstairs in three steps at a time, pushed the tallest boy away, and said angrily, ¡°You f**king want to kill people!¡±


    Sun Zhi was pushed, and was just about to get angry, but after seeing Jiang Chen who was slowly going down the stairs, he squeezed his fist and for some reason held his anger back.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Shen Xu pulled the boy up, and after seeing the wound on his head and the bruise on his face, he turned his face coldly and said, ¡°Are you guys from the first year? So arrogant?¡±


    ¡°Oh? So what if we¡¯re arrogant, what can you do about it?¡±


    Sun Zhi raised his chin. He was already tall, already more than 1.8 meters. Standing in front of Shen Xu, who had not reached 1.7 meters, he was full of intimidation. With him in the front, the other first year high school students also stood up straight, looking very aggressive.


    Jiang Chen stood in front of Shen Xu. He stood tall and straight, with wide shoulders and long legs. Although his actual height was two or three centimeters shorter than Sun Zhi, there was not much difference to he naked eye. He said mildly, ¡°Huang Zhiqiang was patrolling the fourth floor two minutes ago. It is expected he¡¯ll come down soon, if you don¡¯t leave at this time, you won¡¯t be able to leave then.¡±


    Huang Zhiqiang, the director of the discipline department of No. 1 High School, was nicknamed Mad Dog Huang. He liked to catch students who fight or have puppy love. His catchphrase was ¡°I see you!¡± and those who were caught by him were unable to get away with less than a 3000 word essay that was also to be heavily reviewed. Its strictness comparable to that of a college graduation thesis, and made a very frightening existence.


    Sun Zhi was stunned for a moment, and his followers were also afraid, looking at each other in dismay and wanting to leave immediately. Being scolded was a trivial matter, even if hey receive a demerit, they were also willing to accept it, but none of this was as torturous as 3000 words of self-criticism!


    Jiang Chen was calm and steady, his eyes slid over everyone calmly, and when they landed on Sun Zhi, its gaze was a little deep.


    Sun Zhi subconsciously wanted to take a half step back. He gritted his teeth, turned his head and said ¡°you just wait¡± to the boy in the corner, and immediately ran away with the other students.


    The corridor instantly became empty.


    Shen Xu checked the boy¡¯s injury and asked worriedly, ¡°Do you want to go to the infirmary?¡±


    The boy kept his head down, and didn¡¯t raise his head even when asked by Shen Xu, and said dully, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows, pulled Shen Xu away, and said indifferently, ¡°This kind of thing will happen more after happening once, you can either find your parents and teachers to solve it, or you can become stronger yourself, so that people can¡¯t bully you, and if you can¡¯t do anything, then study well. If your grades are good, your class teacher will naturally protect you. For that kind of person, it¡¯s not a good choice to endure or go to extremes.¡±


    The boy raised his head abruptly and flushed when he saw Jiang Chen¡¯s cold expression.


    After a few seconds, he said, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡±


    After speaking, he pushed Shen Xu away and went down the stairs by himself.


    Shen Xu rubbed the pushed arm, and said with a tut: ¡°This little brat is quite fierce, why didn¡¯t I see any of that when that group of people beat him just now, damn, so it¡¯s my fault for helping him. ¡°


    Jiang Chen thought of the utility knife that the boy had securely hidden in his sleeve and his eyes flashed, but he did not say anything.

 CH 8

    Just as he was about to leave, he felt his schoolbag being pulled from behind.


    In the next half month, Jiang Chen went to the hospital twice, and the answer he got was still that there was no Shi Fengyue. Even so, he was not in a hurry. Every day his schedule was packed very tight, except for weekend mornings when he asked the hospital and took a walk in the park with his parents, he spent the rest of his time studying and familiarizing himself with the current textbooks.


    Time would never fail those who work hard.


    On the eve of the monthly exam, Jiang Chen had already familiarized himself with the science textbooks from the first year to the second year of high school, and completely distinguished the currently used formulas from the formulas used in the interstellar period.


    April 2nd, the monthly exam on the first Monday.


    Today, Yang Si was going to take Jiang Zhuo to the hospital for a re-examination. She called Jiang Zhuo¡¯s good buddy early in the morning to help out. Knowing that Jiang Chen was to take the monthly exam today, Yang Si did not wake him up, but left a note and twenty yuan on the table, telling him to eat breakfast outside.


    When Jiang Chen got up, there was no one at home. After seeing the money on the table, he sighed helplessly, his heart feeling warm and soft.


    It would always be the case, no matter how difficult the family was, Yang Si had never pinch a penny for him, as long as it was for his needs she always spent very generously. For example, at this time, the average person could eat breakfast for five or six yuan at most, and at least one or two yuan one could eat fully, but Yang Si gave twenty yuan, which was almost enough for Jiang Chen to eat for a week.


    He took the money and went out. It was still early so he walked to the school and prepared to eat at the breakfast shop along the street.


    There were many breakfast shops at the entrance of the community. Jiang Chen did not stop there, but turned the street corner in front of the school, bypassed the periphery of the rare high-rise apartment in this era, and stopped in front of a biscuits shop.


    The business of this biscuits shop was very good. There were old people, students and young people queuing up. The bustling and noisy market was full of vitality.


    Jiang Chen walked to the end of the line, roughly calculated the number of people and the speed of the shop owner, and after confirming that he would not be late, he began reciting the classical Chinese in his heart.


    After returning to the first life, Chinese and English became Jiang Chen¡¯s weak points. After two lives, Chinese texts and poems have long been blurred. Fortunately, his memory was good, and he could re-memorize it after reading it a few times. Only classical Chinese did he need to spend some time on, but English was more difficult. Just counting the time, he had not touched this thing for nearly 30 years, he did not need to use it after graduation in the first life, the interstellar era had optical receptors, and automatically converted languages ??of various ethnic groups so understanding languages did not require much study at all.


    At this time, Jiang Chen was extremely grateful for his super memory as a result of being reborn three consecutive lives.


    Just when he finished consolidating the classical Chinese and was about to recite the vocabulary silently, Jiang Chen felt a person come up behind him, but he didn¡¯t care, and continued to memorize his vocabulary.


    The line gradually became shorter, and soon there were only two people in front of Jiang Chen. He leaned down to see the flavor of the biscuits in the frame, and when he was about to straighten up, he found that his heel seemed to have accidentally stepped on the person behind him.


    He immediately turned his head and apologized: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    After not hearing the response, Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help but raise his head to look. The man who came into view had dark eyebrows and snow-white skin, and the expression on his face was seven-point impatience and three-point annoyance. He was pinching the bridge of his nose and looking at him from top to bottom.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Jiang Chen apologized again: ¡°I accidentally stepped on you.¡±


    The man put down his hand, turned his head slightly, his black hair lay on his forehead, and his entire face that was not covered by his hands was finally exposed to the sun.


    ¡°Apologize?¡± The man¡¯s voice was low and flat, with a metallic magnetism, carelessly sexy.


    Jiang Chen smiled politely: ¡°Sorry for stepping on you.¡±


    The man didn¡¯t speak, just looked at him with his arms folded over his chest.


    The two looked at each other for a few seconds. The two people ahead had already finished buying. Jiang Chen nodded to the man, took a step forward, and quickly bought the biscuits he wanted to buy.


    Just as he was about to leave, he felt his schoolbag being pulled from behind.


    The man stared at the biscuits frame, and reported unhurriedly, ¡°One sesame cake, two sugar biscuits, two rolls, and a cup of sweet soy milk.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head and saw the man accept a bag of biscuits and a cup of sweet soy milk handed over by the proprietress, and took the soy milk and drank it slowly, squinting his eyes slightly, like a satisfied cat.


    Noticing Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze, the man nodded his chin and motioned Jiang Chen to look down. He raised his left foot and shook it, and there was a gray shoe print on the brand-new sneaker.


    Jiang Chen looked back and asked the proprietress of the biscuits shop, ¡°Auntie, how much is his total.¡±


    ¡°Six yuan.¡±


    Jiang Chen gave the money, and the man let go.


    ¡°Sorry for stepping on your shoe and getting it dirty.¡± Jiang Chen said: ¡°If you can¡¯t wash it clean, you can come to No. 1 High School and find me in year 2 class 1. My name is Jiang Chen, and I will bear the compensation for the shoes.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t have much knowledge of shoes, but these shoes happened to be shown to him by Shen Xu before, and the price was more than 2,000 yuan in the magazine.


    The man was drinking soy milk, and when he heard the words, he raised the biscuits in his hand and said, ¡°You have already compensated.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded and said, ¡°Thank you, then I¡¯ll go to school, goodbye.¡±


    The man nodded lazily, turned around and entered the neighborhood on the side.


    Yan City No. 1 High School, there were still 20 minutes before the exam, because it was a monthly exam for the whole school, morning self-study and inter-class exercises have been canceled.


    At this time, the classroom was very quiet, most of the students were doing practice questions, and some people were reviewing and consolidating their knowledge. When Jiang Chen passed Shen Xu¡¯s seat, he was scratching his head and doing last minute cramming. He didn¡¯t even have the time to greet Jiang Chen when he walked over.


    Twenty minutes later, the start of the test bell rang, and the entire building fell silent.


    Jiang Chen focused his attention, glanced at the paper quickly, picked up the pen and almost without thinking he started to answer the questions.


    After several exams, the proctor passed by and stood beside him for a few seconds, a pleased expression on his face.


    Here, exams were taking place quality, but the teachers¡¯ office in the afternoon was a bit lively.


    The teachers in the second year group who do not need to proctor all gathered in the office on the fourth floor. Some people were discussing the difficulty of this monthly test, and some people were guessing who would be in the top ten of this test.


    ¡°This time, the first place in the liberal arts is Chen Zhixin, no doubt. What is hard to guess is the sciences.¡±


    ¡°Yang Yifan, she has always been stable. She is only nine points behind Jiang Chen in the final exam last semester, which was a great improvement from before, and she was also the first in the monthly exam at the beginning of this semester.¡±


    ¡°Yang Yifan iz indeed possible.¡±


    ¡°It could also be Tang Qixun. Tang Qixun only missed Yang Yifan by three points in the monthly exam, and this time, the science questions are too advanced. Yang Yifan is really steady, but every time she encounters a complex question, she easily loses points.¡±


    ¡°I still think it¡¯s Yang Yifan. Yang Yifan is hardworking. She could ponder over a wrong question a hundred times. Your exam questions this time may not be able to stump her.¡±


    The teachers in the science group had a heated discussion, and a different voice sounded: ¡°I think it¡¯s Jiang Chen.¡±


    Some people agreed: ¡°Jiang Chen is indeed possible. Recently, his study condition has improved a lot, and it is completely different from when the school started.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Jiang Chen.¡± A teacher shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s not that I doubt his ability, the whole No. 1 High School knows that he has good grades, but what happened in his family recently, ai¡­..it¡¯s hard for one to adjust even for an adult not to mention he is a child.¡±


    After the teacher finished speaking, the office was silent for a few seconds.


    The young male teacher felt that the atmosphere was not very good, so he turned to look at Zhang Jian who was organizing the table, and asked with a smile, ¡°Teacher Zhang, Jiang Chen is your student, how do you think he has been doing recently? Is it possible for him to return to the previous level?¡±


    Zhang Jian didn¡¯t lift his head, he kept rummaging on the desktop, and said while rummaging: ¡°I don¡¯t think his condition is all that good. I saw him spacing off several times, and sometimes he was even reading content unrelated to the class. He is already in the second year, I really don¡¯t know what he is thinking, I said a few words to him as the classroom teacher before, and he actually complained about me in front of the principal. Towards this student, I don¡¯t dare to control or guess.¡±


    Hearing Zhang Jian say this, the other teachers looked at each other with a hint of embarrassment.


    On the 10th of this month, Zhang Jian was called to the principal¡¯s office. All the teachers here knew. Not only that, the principal criticized Zhang Jian at the mid-month meeting, saying that he did not pay attention to the mental health of the students, and warned him that when educating students to not act with private interests in mind.


    This was the most severe thing the principal had ever said, and it was even announced in public. Everyone here knew that behind Zhang Jian was Vice-Principal Sun. No one had ever dared to offend him and dare to speak harshly to him before. No one expected that the principal would directly tear up his face and dignity for this.


    Therefore, when Zhang Jian said in the office several times that Jiang Chen refused to obey the rules and violations and that his outside appearance and inner reality differ, the other teachers pretended to not have heard.


    It was just that they didn¡¯t expect that despite more than half a month having passed, he still hadn¡¯t put the matter down.


    All the teachers here have their own ideas, but they all have a deeper understanding of Zhang Jian¡¯s vengeful streak, and know that this was not the right time to continue this topic.


    A teacher changed the subject awkwardly: ¡°Teacher Zhang, you have been looking for something on the table just now, what are you looking for?¡±


    Zhang Jian stopped, frowned and said, ¡°The monthly exam papers I put in the drawer are gone, and I don¡¯t know where they went.¡±


    ¡°Ai, if it¡¯s gone, it¡¯s gone.¡± The teacher smiled, trying to ease the atmosphere: ¡°It¡¯s just a few exam papers, they are not mid-term or final exam papers, so it¡¯s nothing major if they¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Zhang Jian raised his head and spoke meaningfully, ¡°If some students steal the papers here in order to get good grades on the test, isn¡¯t it unfair to other students? ¡°


    The teacher¡¯s smile froze, touched his nose, and nodded sheepishly: ¡°This is also true.¡±


    Zhang Jian turned his chair, faced these teachers, glanced at them one by one, and said, ¡°This matter must not be passed easily, I want to see just who is so daring to steal test papers from my office desk!¡±


    The other teachers were stunned and exchanged glances, waiting for his next words.


    Sure enough, Zhang Jian continued: ¡°These students are already out of control, and they won¡¯t be able to remember their lessons if we don¡¯t catch an example. The one who stole the papers will definitely not be able to transfer the papers in time. We will go to the classroom to search now, as it will be too late when school is over. ¡°


    ¡°That¡¯s not good, the students are taking exams¡­..¡±


    ¡°Is fueling a trend of cheating more serious or interrupting an exam more serious?¡± Zhang Jian said with a dark face: ¡°If this trend of cheating is fueled then in the future, students will not go to class or tutoring, and will run to the office to steal the test papers. Whoever steals it will be number one, then how will our school continue to remain open, and how will us teachers still teach students?¡±


    ¡°This¡­..¡± The young male teacher at the beginning said, ¡°It can¡¯t be that serious.¡±


    ¡°You just became a teacher, you don¡¯t have experience, you don¡¯t know the seriousness of this matter.¡± Zhang Jian stood up and said without accepting any more refutation: ¡°It just happens that the current exam is about to end, we will go search now and find the stolen papers! I will lead by example, and start with our class!¡±

 CH 9

    He was indeed directing and acting a script by himself, trying to frame and slander a student.


    Halfway through the exam, several teachers suddenly came in from the back door and asked everyone to stop writing.


    The students in Class 1 were a little confused. Before they could react, they heard Zhang Three Hairs say, ¡°Today, an extremely bad thing happened in our grade, that is, some students stole the test papers! We are here now to catch this student, and completely put an end to this crooked behavior!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the whole class was in an uproar.


    The students didn¡¯t care that they couldn¡¯t talk to each other during an exam. Someone directly asked the classmates sitting nearby, ¡°No way! Is what Zhang Three Hairs said true?!¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± The classmates were also at a loss: ¡°No one is so bold, right? Besides, is it even necessary for a mere monthly exam?¡±


    ¡°We all know the grades of the students in our class, our grades are clear to everyone. Do they want to suddenly take first place by stealing the exam papers? They should ask Jiang Chen if he agrees or not.¡±


    Hearing the discussion of the people in the front, a boy in the back stretched his head over and said, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s Jiang Chen? He placed 105th in the last exam, maybe this time he is taking risks to restore his past glory?¡±


    ¡°Impossible.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Jiang Chen can take first place in minutes, is it necessary for him to cheat?¡±


    ¡°If Jiang Chen could steal the test papers, then I will f**king eat the test papers.¡±


    The discussion was lively, and Zhang Three Hairs slapped the table with a stern face: ¡°Quiet!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to clamor about, do you still know that this is exam time!¡±


    The classroom quickly returned to quiet, Zhang Three Hairs¡¯s eyes swept over each student¡¯s face, staring at the seat two rows behind the window for a long time.


    Jiang Chen felt it and he raised his eyes to meet Three Hairs¡¯s sullen and smug eyes.


    The test seating arrangements were based on the ranking of the previous monthly exam. Shen Xu, who forever placed last in the rankings, sat behind Jiang Chen. He also saw Zhang Three Hairs¡¯s gaze, and his heart sank, his intuition picking up that something was wrong here.


    ¡°Brother Jiang! Jiangzi!¡± He poked Jiang Chen¡¯s back vigorously with his pen.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t look back, and said in a low voice, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Zhang Three Hairs is stirring up trouble isn¡¯t he!¡± Shen Xu leaned forward, his low voice filled with unease: ¡°His expression seems to show that you are his target, does he want to slander you for stealing the test papers?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes curved slightly. It had to be said that while Shen Xu¡¯s brain was not very smart when it came to academics, his intuition was truly accurate. He could see the essence through the surface almost every time. It was almost an instinct for him to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. This kind of person was definitely not without smarts, but his smarts just weren¡¯t used in his studies.


    ¡°F**k!¡±


    Seeing Zhang Three Hairs walking this way, Shen Xu became anxious, and quickly pushed Jiang Chen: ¡°Look to see if there are papers in your desk! If there are papers, hand them to me from below, hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Shen Xu, Jiang Chen! What are you whispering about!¡± Zhang Three Hairs walked to Jiang Chen¡¯s desk in three steps, and said loudly, ¡°I already said no talking yet you two still continue to whisper among yourselves, what important things can¡¯t be said at other times and must be said at this time!¡±


    Shen Xu gritted his teeth, and just as he was about to talk back, he felt his desk lightly being bumped.


    Then, he saw Jiang Chen stand up and say lightly, ¡°Teacher Zhang, we were talking about the matter of stealing the papers, I personally think that you have always been prejudiced against me, and it¡¯s very likely that this matter is something you both directed and acted out to frame me for stealing the papers. So just now I was thinking, when did I leave my seat to give people a chance to take advantage of my absence. It turns out that Shen Xu happened to still be here when I left my seat, and he told me that someone had indeed come to my seat during those two minutes.¡±


    He smiled slightly and said calmly, ¡°So I¡¯m curious, what kind of grudge does that classmate have with me, and what kind of deal he has with you, that it¡¯s worth it for them to risk putting the test papers in my desk drawer to slander me.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the whole class fell silent, including the several teachers who came over.


    Zhang Three Hairs¡¯s face instantly turned blue, black and purple, like a palette, very colorful indeed.


    In a corner that no one noticed, a boy¡¯s face turned pale in an instant, and his hand holding the pen trembled.


    The classroom was silent for two minutes as everyone digested the information in Jiang Chen¡¯s words.


    Zhang Three Hairs¡¯s expression was so ugly that he couldn¡¯t even hide it. The other teachers also walked over, but still no one spoke.


    The students here were not clear about this matter, but the several teachers who came here were very clear about the ins and outs of this matter.


    From Zhang Jian¡¯s vengeful personality, and his persistence in finding opportunities to slander Jiang Chen, it could be seen that he was indeed someone who could do such a thing.


    In the office just now, the words he said, the actions of rummaging around the desk, and even the urgency of catching the students who stole the papers that he displayed, these teachers didn¡¯t feel anything strange at the time. They didn¡¯t think much about it, but after Jiang Chen¡¯s remarks, they recalled what Zhang Jian said and did just now, and everything became clear.


    He was indeed directing and acting a script by himself, trying to frame and slander a student.


    The several teachers all figured out the key points, and their expressions when they looked at Zhang Jian became subtly different.


    Zhang Three Hairs was unable to speak for a few minutes, the first reason was because he was angry, and the second was because he was trying to figure out a way to counter-attack and slap the dung pot on Jiang Chen.


    Just now, when he had performed in the office and then rushed to the classroom with a few teachers, what he wanted was to strike preemptively. When Jiang Chen had yet to react, he would directly dig out the test papers in his desk drawer and put the crime on him.


    But who knew that before he even had time to rummage in his desk drawer, Jiang Chen just directly claimed that he was directing and acting a script he wrote himself in order to slander him.


    Zhang Jian never imagined that while he wanted to slander the slander, he at least had prepared evidence, but Jiang Chen was so calm and bold, and without knowing anything, actually managed to turn the tables against him.


    With those words, the one who struck preemptively became Jiang Chen. If Zhang Jian dug out the test papers from his desk, others would think that he was framing Jiang Chen. If nothing was found, others would still think that he was framing him. Just these few words practically blocked Zhang Jian¡¯s attack and retreat route, leaving him in a dilemma.


    Zhang Jian¡¯s back molars grinded so hard they began to hurt, and he found that the best way for him to go now was to not dig in Jiang Chen¡¯s drawer, just brush this matter to the side lightly, and focus on Jiang Chen¡¯s confrontation with a teacher in public.


    But how could he be willing to give up!


    Since the first semester of high school, how many times Jiang Chen had disrespected him openly and secretly, how many times had he been misunderstood as a result of Jiang Chrn¡¯s two-face behavior, and how many times had he been angered by his actions of agreeing overtly, but opposing in secret?


    Now he finally had a chance to teach him a lesson and allow himself to vent out this suffocating anger, how could he be willing to give up!


    Zhang Jian¡¯s face switched from pale to green and then back again, unable to come up with a countermeasure at the moment.


    However, Shen Xu already reacted from Jiang Chen¡¯s words. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t ask him if someone came to his seat just now, but someone did come to Jiang Chen¡¯s seat before the exam, and he did see it!


    He turned his head abruptly, staring closely at the third-to-last boy in the third row, with a baby face that was at the moment so dark that it could drip ink.


    At this time, almost everyone in the classroom was staring at their area. Although most people were looking at Zhang Jian and Jiang Chen, Shen Xu sat right behind Jiang Chen. And thinking of what Jiang Chen had just said, when Shen Xu¡¯s face changed and looked in a certain direction, almost at the same time, the others followed his line of sight.


    There was more than one student in that area, but most of them were looking around, wondering who Shen Xu was looking at. There was only one boy with his head down, his hands on the table shaking uncontrollably, forehead covered with cold sweat.


    Seeing this, who didn¡¯t understand this situation immediately.


    An outraged classmate asked directly, ¡°No way! Zhang Zhipeng! Did you put the papers in Jiang Chen¡¯s desk drawer?¡±


    No one had searched Jiang Chen¡¯s desk drawer yet, but everyone had already concluded that there were exam papers in his drawer. However, almost no one present believed that Jiang Chen stole the papers.


    Not to mention the fact that Jiang Chen being firmly at the top of the grade had already been deeply ingrained in the hearts of everyone. More importantly, everyone had been together for more than half a year, and they all knew what kind of person Jiang Chen was.


    He excelled in his studies but did not have the arrogance of most high achieving students. Anyone who asked him a question could receive a patient answer from him; he didn¡¯t talk much but never ignored anyone. As long as someone talked to him, he would definitely answer politely, and if it was a topic he was interested in, he would even chat with you excitedly for a long time; he liked the quiet, but he could also get along with the noisy boys in the class, whether it was playing basketball or eating out, everyone loved to call him¡­..


    He always maintained a bottom line and upheld his principles. No matter how good his temper was normally, as long as someone stepped on his bottom line, he would calmly point it out and everyone would still be friends after that. And instead of holding grudges because of this, they would actually remember his taboos in their heart and won¡¯t do it again.


    In this class, if you ask who was the most popular, very few people would say Jiang Chen, but if you ask who was the first person you thought of when you encounter a problem, and who you trust the most, more than 90% of the answers were Jiang Chen.


    Just ask yourself, towards a boy who was very excellent himself, had a good attitude in life, was decent but not pedantic, had principles and bottom lines, who would believe that he would steal test papers and cheat?


    What was more, the person who slandered him was full of loopholes, and moreover, Zhang Three Hairs also usually had a bad reputation.


    Zhang Three Hairs didn¡¯t like Jiang Chen, the students in the class knew that, but why did Zhang Zhipeng help to frame Jiang Chen?


    Some of them recalled that Zhang Zhipeng was in the same class as Jiang Chen in the first year of high school. At that time, he was thin and small, and he was always bullied by people from other schools after school. It was Jiang Chen who asked Huo Bo, who was in class eleven, to help him out. If it was really him, wasn¡¯t this ungratefulness?


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were filled with amazement and puzzlement. Zhang Zhipeng had lowered his head and couldn¡¯t see it, but he felt that the eyes that fell on him were full of ridicule.


    His hands shook and he lowered his head even further, not daring to look up to see other people¡¯s expressions.


    Jiang Chen glanced at him, looked away, and said to Zhang Jian, ¡°Teacher Zhang, if you want to search my desk, do it now.¡±


    Zhang Jian gritted his teeth, squeezed a smile on his face, and said, ¡°I just suddenly remembered that I seem to have put the papers in the year one office, so there¡¯s no need to search.¡±


    When the classmates heard Zhang Jian say this, they were a little dubious, but the teachers didn¡¯t believe a single word. Zhang Jian didn¡¯t teach any high school first years classes, so why would he take the papers to the first year office, but they didn¡¯t say anything.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s expression was calm as if he didn¡¯t seem to care all that much, but when thinking about what he had said before, how he had ridiculed Zhang Jian inside and out, most everyone thought he would grab onto this matter and dig down deep.


    But he just sat down and said, ¡°In that case, can we continue the exam?¡±


    Zhang Jian, just like other teachers, also thought that Jiang Chen would not give up so easily, but when he saw him put the matter down so gently, a hint of disbelief flashed across his face.


    But he quickly reacted and said immediately: ¡°You guys continue with the test, answer the questions quietly, don¡¯t talk to each other.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he left the classroom first, for fear that if he was even a moment slower, Jiang Chen would stop him and ask him to explain things clearly.


    AN: At this time, the Jiang Chen in the hearts of the classmates is actually the young Jiang Xiao Chen in the first life who had not experienced much.


    Jiang Chen, who had lived through two lives already, is a little different from what his classmates in the first life think. He still sticks to his original intention and still has his own bottom line and principles, but the way he behaves in society and the way he solves problems is not the same anymore.


    For example, towards the boy who was bullied in the stairwell, if it was the Jiang Chen in the first life, he would immediately step forward to stop it, but the current Jiang Chen just calmly gave a few suggestions:


    1. Make yourself stronger


    2. Tell the teachers and parents


    3. Warn him not to do things he would regret


    It can¡¯t be said which method is right, it can only be said that Jiang Xiao Chen was a naive and earnest boy, while Jiang Chen considers things more comprehensively.

 CH 10

    Before the day of the exam, the time waiting and preparing always seemed difficult, but once you actually took the exam, time went by very fast.


    The day¡¯s exams were over quickly, and when the bell rang for the end of the last exam, the whole school was immersed in the festive atmosphere of having survived the beginning of the month trial, and this mood was also able to last twenty-nine days. Only class 1 was a little silent.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    What happened during the first exam in the afternoon refreshed the three views of this group of young children. Most of the children of this age had a clear distinction between what they like and hate. In their eyes, good was good and evil was evil, and black and white was also distinct. They rarely speculate on others with malice. Before this, even if they disliked Zhang Jian and even gave him a mocking nickname and felt that he had many shortcomings, they never doubted whether he was qualified to be a teacher.


    But after this incident, everyone had some doubts in their hearts.


    Was this the teacher who had always taught us?


    A person who could direct and act a script by himself, just to slander a student he dislikes, could such a person really be worthy of the profession ¡°teacher¡±?


    Some people were filled with righteous indignation, some people were depressed, and most of them were quietly looking in Jiang Chen¡¯s direction.


    In stark contrast to Jiang Chen, who was sympathized by all the students, was Zhang Zhipeng in the last row of the third group.


    At the end of the first exam, a classmate ran to Jiang Chen¡¯s seat to see if there were any papers in his drawer and if Zhang Zhipeng had really been asked by Zhang Three Hairs to do such an immoral thing.


    At that time, Jiang Chen leaned on the back of his chair with a slight smile, and said, ¡°I know you care about me, thank you, but flipping through the drawer is not important.¡±


    ¡°How is it not important?¡± Shen Xu was the first to disagree, his eyes were about to burst into flames, and he bent over to rummage in Jiang Chen¡¯s drawer: ¡°I¡¯ll look for it! I just want to know if someone is really this Immoral!¡±


    The other classmates were all paying attention to this side. Zhang Zhipeng sat taut with his head down and didn¡¯t say a word.


    Jiang Chen smiled, grabbed Shen Xu¡¯s hand, and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after school.¡±


    Shen Xu stopped, put down the test paper file in his hand, and stood up with a sullen face. It just happened that the second test started, so he went back to his seat, but not before giving Zhang Zhipeng a cold look.


    Although no one saw whether Jiang Chen¡¯s drawer had any test papers, what Shen Xu had obviously touched just now, and his expression when he stood up told them that there might really be something in Jiang Chen¡¯s drawer.


    But the second exam was just about to start, and everyone had no time to be distracted. Now that the exams were over, they naturally want to know the truth.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t seem to notice everyone¡¯s attention. When he packed up, he put the file into his schoolbag, called Shen Xu, said a few words with other classmates who came to talk to him, and left the classroom.


    Even by the time they had walked out of the school gate, Shen Xu still had a sullen face and didn¡¯t look at Jiang Chen, obviously disapproving of his decision.


    Jiang Chen sighed, he knew that Shen Xu was feeling unjust for him, and in fact he did not forgive Zhang Zhipeng, otherwise during the exam, he would not have directly said that a classmate had put things in his drawer.


    Before the exam, most people didn¡¯t have time to look around, but Zhang Zhipeng was walking around Jiang Chen¡¯s seat. Those who were interested could naturally recall this and Zhang Zhipeng would be caught at that time, but even so, Jiang Chen would not prove this solid.


    Zhang Zhipeng really should be punished, but if at his age, at such an important time, he was forced to spend his time in isolation and bullying under the title of an immoral slanderer, then that was a little overboard.


    Jiang Chen was not a holy father. On the contrary, if Zhang Zhipeng did something unforgivable and really stepped on his bottom line, Jiang Chen would be the first to crush him. For example, Jiang Chen had never softened his methods towards Zhang Three Hairs.


    But Zhang Zhipeng did not.


    Moreover, Jiang Chen could basically guess the reason why Zhang Zhipeng did this.


    Zhang Zhipeng usually studied hard and his grades were also good. He had always been hovering around the top 80s of his year. It was absolutely possible for him to enter a first tier college if he maintained such grades. However, the situation in his family was very bad. His parents had passed away and he only had a seriously ill grandmother and a grandfather who only received the minimum pension. So don¡¯t even mention going to college, he might not even be able to sustain the living expenses of high school.


    At the end of this month, the school would launch a special hardship subsidy quota. These ten candidates chosen from each year could not only be exempted from all tuition fees and miscellaneous fees, but also receive a subsidy of 200 yuan per month. He would remember this because at this time in the first life Hu Bo got a spot.


    This was what Zhang Jian promised Zhang Zhipeng.


    It was wrong for Zhang Zhipeng to frame others for his own benefit, but everyone¡¯s suspicion and alienation, as well as his own unease and guilt were already enough of a punishment.


    On the way back, Jiang Chen told Shen Xu about Zhang Zhipeng¡¯s situation.


    Shen Xu was silent for a long time, and then he curled his lips and said, ¡°If he isn¡¯t a good person in the first place, how could he do such a thing?¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, looked at Shen Xu, and asked him, ¡°Do you remember how we met Huo Bo?¡±


    Shen Xu was stunned for a moment, and pursed his lips.


    It was a summer a long time ago. He and Jiang Chen made an appointment to go to the bookstore to read. When passing an alley next to the bookstore, they saw a child in tattered clothes protecting his head while being punched and kicked. He and Jiang Chen ran over to stop it. However, they learned that the child was a thief and had already stolen from the pharmacy several times, but because he was too young the police could not do anything about it.


    It was also from that time that they realized that while they lived a carefree childhood, there was a child their age who endured the fists and kicks of adults again and again, just for a box of less than two yuan medicinal spray for his grandmother who was reluctant to buy medicine for her injured leg.


    Shen Xu snorted and said, ¡°Can Zhang Zhipeng be the same as Huo Bo? Huo Bo did it for his grandmother, and the people at the pharmacy deliberately tried to trick him despite knowing that the medicine he wanted to buy was cheap, yet deliberately coaxed him to spend all his money to buy expensive ones, so he could only steal it, he had no choice but to!¡±


    ¡°Zhang Zhipeng naturally can¡¯t compare with Huo Bo.¡±


    Jiang Chen knew this better than anyone else. Whether it was character, perseverance or how he behaved, Zhang Zhipeng could hardly even look up to Huo Bo, and Jiang Chen believed that if Huo Bo was in his shoes, he would never decide to do what he did.


    ¡°But he had already received the punishment he deserves, and this punishment will accompany him throughout high school, so that is enough.¡±


    Shen Xu kicked the telephone pole: ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll let that kid go, but next time he dares to do such an immoral thing, there¡¯s no need for others to bully him, I will bully him myself!¡±


    The teachers of No. 1 High School graded the test papers very quickly. It was only Wednesday, and the results had already come out one after another.


    While the students were looking forward to the announcement of their grades, gossip quietly circulated among all grades: Zhang Jian, the classroom teacher of year 2 class 1, sent someone to hide the monthly exam papers in a student¡¯s drawer in order to slander the student in his class. He even took other teachers to search, but was exposed by the student and left pathetically.


    This matter was only circulated among the second years. After all, the whole teaching building was quiet at the time of the exam. So when Zhang Jian and several teachers passed by the window, the students in the next two classes all heard the gist of the issue. As soon as the exams were over, they couldn¡¯t wait to find a friend in class 1 to confirm, and after getting the real situation, they couldn¡¯t help but scold Zhang Jian as unworthy of being a teacher.


    As a result, through the process of spreading the word among the students, not only the whole high school second year knew about it, but the first and third years also heard about it as well. Even some parents had heard from their children and called the school. They wanted to prove the authenticity of this matter, and very bluntly stated that if the school had such a teacher who had no morality at all, they would feel uneasy about their children studying here.


    The teachers of other grade groups who received these calls were still a little confused, but after confirming with their colleagues and hearing the whole story, they were all extremely ashamed of Zhang Jian¡¯s actions. So this matter got big and not only did the students find out, even the parents who worked in the education area heard about it and called the principal¡¯s office directly to ask for a strict investigation.


    On Wednesday morning, the principal called the entire second year group of teachers together for an emergency meeting.


    Most of the teachers present were afraid of the vice-principal standing behind Zhang Jian, but some were not afraid of him. Fu Jinyu, a math teacher of the second year class 1 was one of them. When the principal asked about the details, he did not make any modifications, and even described the matter in a very biased manner.


    After he finished speaking, he also said: Principal, Jiang Chen ia a good seedling whom I am optimistic about. I originally planned to draw him in to the competition class as soon as school started, but at that time something happened back at home, so I thought about giving him some time first, so as not to put too much pressure on him. I have waited and didn¡¯t mention it this whole time but who knew that while I hadn¡¯t put pressure on him, Teacher Zhang was afraid that he would be too relaxed, and kept finding trouble for him at school, again and again as if there was no end to it.¡±


    The math teacher Fu Jinyu¡¯s remarks could be said to be quite ruthless, and he basically unabashedly stated his point of view: Zhang Jian is a piece of trash who self-directed and self-acted a script to deliberately seek trouble and frame/slander students.


    Zhang Jian was just sitting two places away from him, and when he heard this his face turned the color of pig liver.


    Zhang Jian was not the only one with a bad expression, but vice-principal Sun Tengyun¡¯s expression was also not very pleased either.


    Sun Tengyun held his purple clay teapot and said gloomily: ¡°Teacher Fu, you are a teacher, so it¡¯s not good to say such biased words.¡±


    Fu Jinyu was not afraid at all, and said with a cold face: ¡°It¡¯s exactly because I am a teacher that I have to say this.¡±


    Sun Tengyun looked at him for a few seconds, then turned his eyes to the principal: ¡°Principal, as for this matter, I think both parties must be present. It is difficult for us to have a meeting here without all parties involved, so we might as well call that student over and ask him why he thought Teacher Zhang framed and slandered him at that time. This way we will know what the student thinks.¡±


    The principal still looked kindly and amiable as always. He didn¡¯t say yes or no when he heard the words, but looked at Zhang Jian and asked, ¡°Teacher Zhang, you are the party involved, why don¡¯t you talk about why you thought a student had stolen the test papers at that time, rather than it being carelessly placed elsewhere.¡±


    Zhang Jian said with a pale face, ¡°I was so anxious at the time that I didn¡¯t think much at the time. I was afraid that there might really be students who would steal the test papers and destroy the fairness of the test. I was also afraid that it would encourage this evil behavior, and in a moment of impulsiveness I went ahead with this worry.¡±


    Fu Jinyu blew the tea leaves in his cup, and said lightly, ¡°Teacher Zhang is really easy to act impulsive. As far as I know, you haven¡¯t only acted impulsively once or twice. If you are always so impulsive, you should go to the hospital for a checkup.¡± (TN: in Chinese, the phrase ¡°a hot/feverish head¡± means impulsive. Here Fu Jinyu is speaking to the literal meaning to mock Zhang Jian)


    Sun Tengyun¡¯s face sank: ¡°Teacher Fu, the principal is asking questions, what are you doing interrupting him?¡±


    The principal smiled and said, ¡°Teacher Fu is this character, I understand, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    Sun Tengyun¡¯s face became even more ugly. He gouged Fu Jinyu with his eyes and looked at Zhang Jian with a very dark expression, which made Zhang Jian, who was already uneasy, even more flustered.


    Fortunately, Sun Tengyun didn¡¯t seem to have given up yet, he said, ¡°Since this matter is still not clear, let¡¯s go and find the student involved.¡±

 CH 11

    NOVEMBER 11, 2022 NYXBIRD LEAVE A COMMENT


    Today was the day when the results were announced, but none of the teachers were there. Under the discussions of guessing their results and where the teachers have gone, the atmosphere during early self-study was very restless.


    Jiang Chen held a copy of ¡°Discrete Mathematics¡± in his hand and was looking at it, when the boy at the front table turned his head and thumped his table excitedly, saying, ¡°Brother Jiang, I heard that the reason those teachers are not here today is because of the matter regarding Zhang Three Hairs framing you during the exam the day before yesterday, they are all having a meeting in the small conference room.¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    ¡°Who did you hear this from?¡± Jiang Chen closed the book and asked curiously.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t I late this morning?¡± The boy raised his eyebrows and smiled a little smugly: ¡°While climbing over the wall, I happened to pass the office building. When the teachers passed by, I happened to hear them talking, saying something like there was a parent¡¯s phone call made to the principal to ask about the authenticity of this matter, and I heard that the parent had a lot of background and asked the school to conduct a thorough investigation, so the emergency meeting was held so early.¡±


    Jiang Chen pondered. He knew that this matter would definitely spread, but it was unexpected that it would spread so quickly and so widely, but for him, it was a good thing.


    The boy in front of him suddenly stopped laughing, and said in a worried tone: ¡°Brother Jiang, do you think those teachers will call you over later? If this matter is so big, will it affect you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t affect me.¡±


    Several people craned their heads over, all with worried expressions on their faces. Jiang Chen thought about it, and said, ¡°Teacher Zhang started that incident, and it was he who rushed into the classroom during the exam and interrupted us. The students in the three classes in the East Building can testify to this. Moreover, there were also other teachers at that time, and they will not watch Teacher Zhang wrong me, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Hearing what he said, the other classmates were relieved, and one person said, ¡°You should have thrown the papers directly in his face back then. The evidence being so solid, this matter can¡¯t be blamed on you.¡±


    Jiang Chen hooked up a corner of his lips and said, ¡°It¡¯s not too late to throw it in his face now.¡±


    At that time, Jiang Chen could of course take out the papers directly, but in this case, firstly, it would prove without question what Zhang Zhipeng did, secondly, it would be detrimental to his image in the hearts of the teachers, and thirdly, once a conclusion was reached, the discussions on this incident would be difficult to continue. Only if there was suspense in one thing, would people want to get to the bottom of it and discuss it more eagerly.


    It was precisely because no one knew whether there were the ¡°missing test papers¡± in Jiang Chen¡¯s drawer, that everyone speculated over this incident. The students in class 1 believed in Jiang Chen¡¯s character and knew that he would not steal the papers, but the people from other grades and classes who don¡¯t know him would not be so sure. They would be dubious, hold opinions and argue, and become the best conductors to spread this gossip.


    Moreover, the most important point was that Jiang Chen knew that this incident would get big, and there would definitely be a talk. At this time, Jiang Chen, who was holding the disappeared test papers, would become the one to lead this talk and call the shots.


    However, Jiang Chen wouldn¡¯t tell any of this to these innocent teenagers. Possessing pure joy, distinct opinions on good and evil, and innocent earnesty, was the best gift that time could give to people at this age.


    Knock knock¡ª¡ª


    The math teacher stood at the back door and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°Jiang Chen, come out for a bit.¡±


    When Jiang Chen walked to the door, Fu Jinyu glanced at his empty hand and frowned, ¡°Where are the papers that Zhang Jian stuffed inside your drawer? Did you throw it away?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Go, go, take it and walk with me, and we¡¯ll slap it in his face later.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡­..


    On the way to the teacher¡¯s office building, Fu Jinyu said just three things.


    The first sentence: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of anything, I still want to poach you for academic competitions, and no one can touch a hair on your head.¡±


    The second sentence: ¡°When you see the principal later, be sure to be more polite, though no need to bother being polite with Zhang Jian, so just show that power you did on the day of the exam, insult or talk back as you like.¡±


    The third sentence: ¡°If Vice Principal Sun talks to you, you will just pretend to be mute and I will answer for you.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded in succession, while on the surface he appeared obedient and well-behaved, he felt a little strange in his heart.


    Before, he never knew that Teacher Fu was so¡­..blunt?


    Moreover, don¡¯t know if it was because Jiang Chen didn¡¯t have much memory of his high school life but in his impression, this Teacher Fu had always been stern and didn¡¯t like to talk to students in private, so except for his memory of him as his second year high school math teacher, there was only when he graduated from high school and came to the school to get the notice from Nanshi University, Teacher Fu let out a faint sigh: What a pity.


    What was a pity, Jiang Chen had no time to think about it at that time, but when he recalled it at this time, Jiang Chen suddenly had an answer in his heart.


    In the first life, Teacher Fu never mentioned poaching him to go to the competition class, so why did he mention it in this life? And when he mentioned it, his tone was firm, like having made a long-considered decision.


    The only difference Jiang Chen could think of was that in the first life, he was devastated by his family¡¯s predicament, but now he had regained his composure after a short period of degradation.


    Therefore, the reason Teacher Fu said it was a pity at the time was probably because of the fact that he should have a better future, but he gave up on himself because he could not bear the suffering. In the end, he could only go on another path that he had never considered before.


    The office building and the teaching building were not far away from each other, and Jiang Chen and Fu Jinyu quickly arrived at the small conference room.


    Fu Jinyu stepped in front with Jiang Chen standing behind him, and in this protective gesture he pushed open the double doors of the conference room, and led him to the seat next to the principal.


    The principal smiled warmly: ¡°Jiang Chen has come.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Principal.¡± Jiang Chen did not sit down directly, but bowed slightly to the other teachers: ¡°Hello, Teachers.¡±


    The teachers in the second grade group all know Jiang Chen. Most of the teachers have taught him, but there were also teachers who have not had much contact with him. At this time when they saw that in his gestures, from entering to taking a seat, he was neither humble nor arrogant, appearing polite and generous, these teachers¡¯ impression of him became even better.


    The principal also smiled, patted Jiang Chen¡¯s arm, and said, ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    Seeing him sitting down, he looked at the file folder in his hand, and said with an unchanged expression, ¡°What is this?¡±


    Before waiting for Jiang Chen to answer, Fu Jinyu said, ¡°It¡¯s the set of test papers that Teacher Zhang said he lost earlier, and I asked Jiang Chen to bring it.¡±


    The teachers in the conference room all looked at the folder in front of Jiang Chen, and as their eyes moved, a subtle shift appeared in their eyes as their gaze scanned past Zhang Jian.


    Zhang Jian was practically blue in the face. Sun Tengyun glanced at him, gestured for him to remain calm, touched the teacup and said, ¡°Student Jiang, we asked you to come here at this time, because we wanted to talk with you about that matter in which Teacher Zhang lost the test papers and accidentally misunderstood you about it. He didn¡¯t handle it well at that time, and you were also feeling a little emotional, contradicting and accusing a teacher in public. Both sides had made some mistakes and the way I see it, this matter can be put aside easily. The two of you can just apologize to each other, as the saying goes, one day as a teacher and a lifelong as a father. This is the class teacher of your own class after all and so both parties should take a step back, how about it?¡±


    After Sun Tengyun¡¯s words fell, the expressions of the other teachers changed more or less.


    What a shameless thing to say!


    But he was the vice-principal, even if they felt contempt, they just exchanged glances, sympathizing with Jiang Chen who had been the one wronged yet still had to apologize.


    At this moment, almost most of the teachers, including the principal and Fu Jinyu, never thought that Jiang Chen would disagree with Sun Tengyun¡¯s words. After all, as the saying goes, a higher level official can crush those below to death. Vice Principal Sun was not only Jiang Chen¡¯s vice-principal but also an elder, so the pressure he brought did not need to be mentioned.


    Fu Jinyu¡¯s face darkened, he never thought that Sun Tengyun could be so shameless despite his age. Not only overturning black and white, striking with a muck-rake, but even threatening Jiang Chen with his status as an elder and school leader to press his head down and force him to apologize and let this incident go.


    How was this what a teacher should do?!


    He was about to open his mouth and refute, but Jiang Chen spoke first: ¡°Vice Principal Sun, I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t agree with your decision.¡±


    All the teachers in the conference room were shocked, not having expected Jiang Chen to refuse directly.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t care what other people¡¯s expressions were. The young man had a straight back and stood like a jade tree. He spoke slowly but calmly, but powerfully:


    ¡°First, whether Teacher Zhang accidentally lost the test papers and misunderstood me, or he directed and acted a script to frame and slander me. The teachers and students present at the time all have eyes and can judge and come to the truth for themselves, and so will I.¡±


    ¡°Secondly, at that time, I was not emotional, let alone committing the wrong of contradicting and accusing a teacher. At that time, I spoke politely and calmly, and all the guesses I made were logical and factual. Regarding this, it is just like what I just said. The teachers and students present can be my witnesses. If you want the facts, you can look at the file I brought.¡±


    ¡°Thirdly, I have only one father, and he is currently not yet recovered from a car accident, but Teacher Zhang once insulted my father in public at the school gate. Towards such a teacher with such morality, I can¡¯t agree with the view ¡°One day as a teacher, a lifelong as a father¡¯, otherwise my father will be the first to disagree.¡±


    ¡°To sum up, I don¡¯t think I need to apologize.¡±


    After Jiang Chen finished speaking, he bowed to Vice Principal Sun, and said, ¡°If you think that what I said in defense of myself is contradicting you, my elder, I will bow to you here now, not as an apology, but as a junior¡¯s respect towards a senior.¡±


    Sun Tengyun¡¯s face sank. Jiang Chen¡¯s behavior of using force first and then following up with courtesy, made it impossible for him to nitpick even if he wanted to. Zhang Jian was right, this student didn¡¯t act like a student at all, he was not arrogant or impetuous, and in fact, many adults couldn¡¯t even speak the way he did. This child was definitely not a mere fish in the pond.


    However, it was precisely because he was such a difficult person to deal with that he couldn¡¯t let him go, otherwise, wouldn¡¯t the sky be turned upside down in the future?


    Sun Tengyun said sinisterly: ¡°So, student Jiang Chen, do you think you are not wrong at all?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this way.¡± Jiang Chen smiled slightly, but there was a bit of self-deprecation on his face. He said, ¡°This incident has made my parents very worried. As a child, it is my fault that my parents are worried.¡±


    Sun Tengyun looked at Jiang Chen with a dark face, the wrinkles at the end of his eyes deep and uneven, holding a trace of coercion and gloom.


    Jiang Chen continued as if he didn¡¯t notice: ¡°So, now they are very worried about my psychological condition at school, they don¡¯t want me to stay in No. 1 High School, and are planning to transfer me to No. 4 High School and have already contacted the No. 4 High School. If No. 4 High School agrees, I will transfer directly over in June.¡±


    As soon as these words fell, the teachers in the entire conference room were no longer able to remain calm.


    The results of this exam have already come out, although they have not yet been announced, but Jiang Chen¡¯s exam papers were graded in advance by them. His position as the first in his grade was definitely as stable as Mount Tai. If despite such a big thing happening at home, he could still recover in such a short time, it really showed his mental fortitude. It could be said that as long as there were no major problems in the next year and a half, don¡¯t even mention Jiang Chen being accepted to Hua/Yan Universities, it was not even impossible for him to be the city¡¯s first place in the sciences division of the college entrance exam.


    Which school would throw away such a promising seedling and not want it?


    No. 1 High School would not, No. 4 High School would not!


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    They believed that if what Jiang Chen said was true, No. 4 High School would definitely beat the gongs and drums and open the main door to welcome Jiang Chen in. How could they refuse, in fact they might even chuckle about such a good thing in their hearts, laughing gleefully at No. 1 High School handing over such a good seedling to them.


    No, no matter what, Jiang Chen must not be allowed to transfer to another school!


    This was the thought of all teachers in the whole office, including the principal and Vice Principal Sun Tengyun.

 CH 12

    NOVEMBER 13, 2022 NYXBIRD LEAVE A COMMENT


    ¡°Student Jiang Chen.¡± Sun Tengyun put away the gloom in his eyes, but his expressionless face could not hide the chill: ¡°This was originally just a small conflict between a teacher and a student, why would you make things so unresolvable? Even if Teacher Zhang really did something wrong, he taught you for half a year, so why make such an impulsive decision because of such a little thing?¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyes and said nothing, seemingly having fallen silent, but in fact he had no intention of giving in.


    Sun Tengyun glanced at Zhang Jian fiercely, and motioned him to speak with his eyes.


    Zhang Jian didn¡¯t feel what was so bad about Jiang Chen transferring, and even wished that he would transfer. So what if he left? In No. 1 High School, was there no other student with good grades except him? A student threatening to transfer, who was he even threatening?


    But now Sun Tengyun¡¯s gaze forced him to speak.


    ¡°Jiang Chen.¡± Zhang Jian paused, his face turning dark: ¡°This matter has caused a great impact on me, even if it was my fault, I have already been punished, I am your class teacher, do you actually want me to apologize to you in front of the whole school classmates?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes, but before he could speak, Fu Jinyu spoke first: ¡°When you slandered Jiang Chen, how was it right that you said it in front of the whole school? At this time, you are asked to apologize, but you say that it is impossible and not right. Do you still want that face of yours?¡±


    Not only Fu Jinyu, but the English teacher Teacher Yang also piped in lowly: ¡°Teacher Zhang, you really did something wrong in this matter, it¡¯s not too much to apologize to Jiang Chen.¡±


    The language teacher, Teacher Li, looked at Zhang Jian with disapproving eyes: ¡°Teacher Zhang, please apologize.¡±


    The other teachers also spoke up one after another, persuading Zhang Jian to apologize.


    Zhang Jian¡¯s face was very blue, but he couldn¡¯t open his mouth.


    The principal opened his mouth at this time, he was still calm and kindly, and said to Jiang Chen in a negotiating tone: ¡°Student Jiang Chen, I know that this incident has had a great impact on you, and it has also caused you to suffer many wrongs, and even more it has made your parents lose their trust in the school, but transferring schools is not a trivial matter. You have been studying in No. 1 High School for a year and a half and have adapted to the school¡¯s teaching environment and teaching rhythm. This period of time is also a critical period for students. If you transfer to another school, a new adaptation process must be undergone, but this is not necessarily a good thing for your studies.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded shyly, and said to the principal: ¡°I know, so I have been dispelling my parents¡¯ idea, my friends are all in No. 1 High School, and I have become accustomed to the environment here. Moreover, most teachers here are responsible and conscientious, I am very grateful and respectful of all the teachers here, but¡­..¡±


    Everyone didn¡¯t expect that there would be a twist, and immediately pricked up their ears, wanting to hear what Jiang Chen said after this ¡°just¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that my parents are unable to be at ease that I will continue to study in class 1.¡± Jiang Chen pursed his lips, and the young man¡¯s pale face seemed to show a helpless expression: ¡°In order to reassure my parents, it is indeed really not suitable for me to continue to stay in class 1. So I thought about it, and it seems that shifting to class 5 is the best outcome.¡±


    In Yan City¡¯s No. 1 High School, starting from the second year of high school, the arts and sciences were sorted according to odd and even numbers. Classes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 were science classes, while the even numbers were liberal arts classes, with classes 1 and 3 as experimental classes. Classes 5, 7, and 9 were ordinary classes, and class 11 was recognized as a class for students with poor grades.


    If Jiang Chen was transferred to class 5, he would be transferred from the experimental class to a regular class. Putting aside whether the class teacher in class 3 agreed or not, the class teacher in class 5 was happy but did not dare to accept it.


    The progress of class 1 and class 3 was completely different from that of class 5. There were not many overlapping teachers who taught the classes. So wouldn¡¯t Jiang Chen coming here delay his studies?


    It was not just the class teachers of classes 3 and 5 who thought so, almost all the teachers thought so, but everyone was not stupid, and they know why Jiang Chen wanted to transfer to class 5.


    Zhang Jian taught three classes of chemistry, namely the first, third and ninth science classes. And the class teacher of class 7 had a very good relationship with Zhang Jian. So if Jiang Chen wanted to avoid Zhang Jian, other than class 11, wasn¡¯t there only class 5 to choose from?


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± It was none other than Fu Jinyu who spoke: ¡°If you transfer to class 5, the progress cannot be adjusted together, how will you still study?¡±


    The class teacher of the class 5 opened his mouth and wanted to refute, but Fu Jinyu was indeed right, Jiang Chen coming to class 5 was definitely not better off than if he stayed in an experimental class.


    The class teacher of class 3 smiled and said, ¡°How about this, just change the chemistry teacher of our class to Teacher He, so how about Jiang Chen come to class 3 instead? This way, it won¡¯t delay the child¡¯s studies and won¡¯t affect the child¡¯s mood. It¡¯s the best of both worlds.¡±


    The others sneered in their hearts, you indeed have the best of both worlds, but could a teacher be changed so simply?


    Unexpectedly, the principal pondered for a moment and said: ¡°What Teacher Wang said is not impossible, but I think that since Jiang Chen has already adapted to the classmates in class 1, it would take some time to adapt to another class. How about this, Teacher Zhang will pause your classes for a period of time, and then resume after the investigation is clear. During this time, the class teacher of class 1 will be temporarily represented by Teacher Li, and the several teachers in the chemistry group will also have to work hard during this time and take on extra classes, and Teacher He will temporarily replace the chemistry teacher for class 1. How about this?¡±


    Teacher Li had always had a Buddha-like mentality, and he nodded his head indifferently.


    But Teacher He felt that he was hit by a pie, and couldn¡¯t believe it.


    When the teachers of the second years arranged classes, he was supposed to teach class 3 chemistry, because this was the underlying rule of most schools in scheduling classes: the class teacher of an experimental class will not be the teacher of another experimental class.


    But Zhang Jian relied on his backing to take the teaching positions of two science experimental classes, and the classes he chose were all science classes, so he and several other chemistry teachers could only choose the liberal arts classes and several other regular science classes. They had already had much anger in their hearts.


    It was not that Teacher He didn¡¯t want to teach the liberal arts classes and ordinary classes, but that the progress in chemistry among the liberal arts classes was different from the sciences classes, and the progress of experimental classes was even more different. He was a young and aspiring teacher, and he was full of enthusiasm to produce a top city wide scorer in his subject. He was originally qualified to be a teacher in one of the science experimental classes, but he was suddenly pushed to the side by Zhang Jian. How could he be reconciled?


    Originally, because of Zhang Jian¡¯s backing, no matter how unwilling he was, he could only hold it back. After these two years have passed, he would wait for another chance with a new batch of second year high school students.


    Who knew that he had only been suffocated for half a year, when the pie fell down on him! How could he not be happy to death!


    ¡°It¡¯s not a hardship, it¡¯s not a hardship at all, once Teacher Zhang hands over the class progress to me. I have no classes in the afternoon. When I go back, I will immediately write out the course lessons, and I will teach class 1 tomorrow! I absolutely will not delay the children¡¯s learning!¡±


    While Teacher He was happy to death, Zhang Jian felt suffocated to death.


    He never imagined that such a trivial matter would not only be known to everyone, but also cause him to be suspended from teaching in the end. Wasn¡¯t this to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it? (TN: to try to gain an advantage only to end up worse off)


    But the principal didn¡¯t care whether Zhang Jian was happy or not, he first asked Jiang Chen, ¡°Student Jiang Chen, what do you think of this arrangement?¡±


    Jiang Chen stood up, bowed properly to the principal, and sincerely thanked: ¡°Principal, thank you.¡±


    Jiang Chen had always treated people worthy of respect with respect and seriousness. It was precisely because of this sincerity that he could also make the other party feel that his every move was sincere and earnest. In most cases, people who receive respect often also gave respect to the other, and mutual respect was the basis for building trust and affection.


    It could be said that the successes in Jiang Chen¡¯s previous two lives was not unrelated to his character.


    Not only did the principal smile more kindly, but the other teachers also looked at Jiang Chen with a much softer gaze. Such a polite and clever child who was able to argue with reason and know when to stop before going to far. Who wouldn¡¯t like such a junior? Besides, Jiang Chen was also their student.


    The principal gently pulled Jiang Chen to sit down, turned to look at Sun Tengyun, and the smile on his face faded, ¡°Vice Principal Sun, do you have any comments on this arrangement?¡±


    Sun Tengyun scolded Zhang Jian fiercely in his heart, and said with a dark face, ¡°No.¡±


    The principal nodded: ¡°Then that¡¯s good, it¡¯s almost time for the first class period, let¡¯s end the meeting, don¡¯t delay the students¡¯ studies.¡±


    Jiang Chen left following Fu Jinyu just like when he came.


    After walking out of the office building for a distance, Fu Jinyu turned around and patted him on the shoulder: ¡°You kiddo!¡± After the patting, he couldn¡¯t help laughing a few times: ¡°You made me worry for nothing, before I thought you were white dough, so good-natured that anyone could squeeze you a few times.¡±


    ¡°You have a backbone.¡± He laughed, ¡°I like it.¡±


    Jiang Chen asked about the thing he had been pondering about before entering the small conference room: ¡°Teacher Fu, what did you mean about the competition?¡±


    ¡°Mathematics competition.¡± When Fu Jinyu talked about serious business, he also became serious: ¡°I was optimistic about you in the first year of high school. Who knew that when school started again¡­..but it¡¯s not too late, what do you think? Do you want to join the competition class?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled brightly: ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would like it, kiddo.¡± Fu Jinyu smiled and said, ¡°I saw the formulas you wrote on the scrap paper before, many of them are content that could only be learned in advanced mathematics in college, and some are not even known by students of the mathematics department, what? Are you planning to study mathematics in the future?¡±


    Jiang Chen shook his head: ¡°My university major will br computer science.¡±


    His first dream was indeed to specialize in mathematics, and his goal was also the Mathematics Department of Hua University. However, because of many things, he had to fall back and choose his second choice, computer science. By mistake, he actually found his true field and the most suitable direction for him, and later after being reborn into the interstellar era, he also unswervingly walked on the road of artificial intelligence research.


    In this life, he wanted to realize his dream in his first life through mathematics competition, but the path he really wanted to take was still computer science.


    Fu Jinyu was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, ¡°You have good vision, the future of computer science has much potential.¡±


    The two chatted and laughed on their way back to the teaching building. When Jiang Chen returned to the class, the bell for the first class period rang just in time.


    Under the puzzled look of the classmates, news that Zhang Jian was temporarily suspended from teaching, and that he would act as the substitute class teacher in the future, while the chemistry teacher would be replaced by Teacher He was announced. After nodding at Teacher Yang, he walked out slowly without waiting for the students to even react.


    Teacher Yang didn¡¯t mind either, and called out to begin class with a smile.


    At the end of the class, all the students were discussing Zhang Jian¡¯s suspension. Almost half of the boys gathered around Jiang Chen¡¯s desk, and Shen Xu was the most gleeful among them.


    ¡°Zhang Three Hairs, that idiot is finally gone! I want nothing more than to go to the broadcast room to laugh three times and play ¡°Great Delight¡± to celebrate!¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen, just now when Teacher Fu called you to go out. Is it for Zhang Three Hair¡¯s incident? What did they say?¡±


    ¡°Awesome, you actually drove Zhang Three Hairs away! I won¡¯t have to watch his chemical death experiments anymore. I sit in front of the teacher¡¯s desk and every time I watch him experiment, I worry about my own life, but now my life is finally saved!¡± The boy who said this clasped his fists: ¡°Brother Jiang, this is a life-saving grace.¡±


    The others jeered: ¡°Then will you pay back with your body?¡±


    ¡°Piss off, get lost¡­..¡±


    During the laughter, someone shouted at the door: ¡°The grade list is posted! Jiang Chen is the first in the year, not counting political history, with a total score of 739!¡±


    ¡°Seriously?!¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    ¡°F**k!!!¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    The boy who clasped his fist lost his footing, and while saying ¡°f**k¡±, he stumbled and fell on Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen pushed the boy¡¯s face away and scolded with a smile, ¡°Sorry, not interested, get up.¡±


    ¡°Have some face, you!¡±


    The students who were still immersed in shock were interrupted by this, and soon went back to messing and joking around again.

 CH 13

    NOVEMBER 16, 2022 NYXBIRD LEAVE A COMMENT


    After the test ranking list was posted, news of Jiang Chen¡¯s return to the first place in the year and Zhang Jian¡¯s suspension from teaching spread throughout Yan City No. 1 High School.


    Needless to say, everyone who had heard the gossip had an answer in their hearts: Zhang Jian had indeed directed and acted in a script written by himself to deliberately slander his student.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    All of a sudden, the story of Jiang Chen using smarts to win against the class teacher was widely circulated, and the east side of the fourth floor became a popular spot. Most of them were junior and senior brothers who came to inquire about the story and junior and senior sisters who came to see him. Even when he went to the cafeteria, there were other grades who greeted him.


    Shen Xu mischievously said: ¡°Yes, our class hunk has turned into a school hunk, a big celebrity!¡±


    This was not the first time Shen Xu had teased him, and Jiang Chen was too lazy to reply, but recently having been blocked by people on the road had indeed caused him some trouble. Fortunately, the burden he threw out had already been picked up. When something really big happens, the others would gradually forget him.


    Contrary to Jiang Chen¡¯s expectations, this time things happened faster than he imagined.


    As soon as the bell rang for recess on Friday, a low-key black sedan drove in.


    This could be regarded as a rare thing. No. 1 High School stipulated that no vehicles were allowed in the school, including bicycles and cars. Even the teachers and the principal have never driven in a car.


    It was a big recess now. All three years gathered on the playground, watching the car drive down the straight road to the office building. Several men in simple clothes got out of the car, and the principal personally greeted them.


    Some people started talking: ¡°Who is that, actually able to drive into the school!¡±


    ¡°Is it from the Education Bureau? I heard from my friend from No. 16 High School that a leader went to inspect the school a few days ago, and their clean-up of the school took up two classes the day before.¡±


    ¡°No way, when the leaders came before, didn¡¯t we also have to do school wide clean up?¡±


    The students gossiped among themselves, but when the broadcast sounded, they could only stop and do the exercises seriously.


    Jiang Chen glanced in the direction of the office building, feeling a little surprised, but he basically guessed who those people were and what they were here for.


    Before the monthly exam, he went to the office building to help Teacher Fu get a new math problem book, and while Sun Tengyun was away, he tampered with his computer. After that, every trace of Sun Tengyun¡¯s activities on the computer was visible to his eyes.


    Sun Tengyun had a good habit of keeping accounts. Whether it was earned money or stolen money, he recorded every stroke clearly, and even the source of the money and what expenses it was used for were written on the side with a red lettering note.


    However, a vigilant person like him naturally had protective measures if he dared to keep accounts. The folder where Sun Tengyun kept accounts was extremely hidden, and there were countless folders with the same name used as a deception. After finding the file there were also several layers of passwords and even a Trojan horse virus installed, in the case that the password was entered incorrectly for a certain number of times, the file would be permanently destroyed.


    But this Trojan horse virus, to Jiang Chen, was like a sandcastle built by children on the beach. It had no defense ability and could be toppled over clean with just a push.


    With no effort at all, Jiang Chen passed the documents on Sun Tengyun¡¯s side to the political enemy of a certain leader whom he sucked up to. He originally thought that the other party would spend some time verifying these documents, and would only expose them at the right time. First arrest the person above Sun Tengyun, and then it would be Sun Tengyun¡¯s turn.


    Unexpectedly, the action on that side was so fast, and it took only a few days to make the arrest.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t expect this, nor did Sun Tengyun, who was taken away for investigation.


    It was only when he got to the place that he learned that the person above him had already been arrested for corruption and bribery, and the evidence seemed to have leaked from his side.


    Sun Tengyun was shocked, and his handcuffed hands trembled.


    How could that be! There was absolutely no way he could have made any mistakes on his side!


    The cold sweat on Sun Tengyun¡¯s forehead sprouted layer after layer, and when the cold wind blew past, his whole person swayed.


    He stared blankly at the ceiling, it was over, if it really leaked from his side, then he was finished, his entire family was finished!


    ¡­¡­.


    The turmoil in the Yan City Municipal Bureau was not big this time, but it still affected a small group of people, including Zhang Jian. He had only temporarily been suspended from teaching classes, but now he directly received the dismissal document, which was issued by the Municipal School Board.


    If there was no serious violation of law or discipline, or long absence from classes, this kind of dismissal was usually ordered by the school. If the teacher refused to accept it, he could apply for transfer and transfer to another school. But once this dismissal came from the School Board, this was practically cutting off any possibility of being a teacher in the future!


    Zhang Jian was naturally unwilling, and was making a noise about going to the School Board to appeal, but no one in the school listened to his willingness or not. Even the class teacher of class 7, who had always had a good relationship with him, avoided him when he saw him at the school gate.


    In the end, there was still a young teacher who couldn¡¯t watch any longer, and whispered in his ear what happened when he was away from school in the past few days. Only then did Zhang Jian¡¯s eyes widened. After the teacher left, he stood there alone. After a long time, he began to pace absentmindedly and mutter in a low voice that it was impossible.


    When Shen Xu and Jiang Chen walked to the school gate, Zhang Jian was still at the school gate.


    Tomorrow was Sunday, so Shen Xu strongly asked Jiang Chen to play games with him, and had been nagging him all the way.


    Jiang Chen had been going to the hospital for the past few weekends, and Huo Bo had not been in Yan City during this time, leaving Shen Xu all lonely and alone. Thinking of this, Jiang Chen also felt that he had ignored him recently.


    ¡°I have time next weekend. We can play games or go to an Internet cafe then. I really have something to do this weekend.¡±


    Shen Xu also knew that when Jiang Chen said he was busy, it was really the truth, but he was really curious about what Jiang Chen was busy with. He knew the current situation of the Jiang family. It was precisely because he was so clear that he was very worried about whether Jiang Chen was trying to alleviate the burden of the family, and thus went to find some dangerous work to do behind their backs.


    But if it was work, Jiang Chen going to work for one day a week seemed quite unreliable.


    ¡°Jiangzi, tell me the truth, you¡¯ve been running out every weekend recently, where did you go?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡±


    As soon as Jiang Chen opened his mouth, Zhang Jian at the school gate discovered him.


    Zhang Jian¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and his face that was not young originally appeared even more old now. He stared straight at Jiang Chen for a while, and suddenly strode towards him.


    He shouted as he walked, ¡°It¡¯s you, right!¡±


    The students at the gate of the school were all startled by Zhang Jian¡¯s sudden outburst, but they all voluntarily gathered at Jiang Chen¡¯s side.


    They knew exactly what Zhang Jian was like. And it was posted on the bulletin board a few days ago that Zhang Jian was no longer a teacher at their school. Of course, they have to protect their classmate.


    Shen Xu was also taken aback, pulled Jiang Chen back two steps, and said, ¡°F**k, what¡¯s up with Zhang Three Hairs!¡±


    Jiang Chen, who was guarded by a group of classmates, patted Shen Xu¡¯s arm and motioned him to let go.


    Shen Xu glanced at the classmates around them and felt reassured. After letting go of Jiang Chen, he raised his chin and looked at Zhang Jian, who was blocked outside: ¡°Teacher Zhang, what are you doing? You can¡¯t slander Jiang Chen so you want to hit him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±


    Zhang Jian could no longer hear what other people were saying at this moment. All he could think about was the lowered words Jiang Chen said to him when he left school that day: ¡°Enjoy your retirement life, Teacher Zhang.¡±


    At that time, he was simply just temporarily suspended from teaching, but Jiang Chen was already certain that he would never be able to go back to school!


    Why was Jiang Chen so certain?


    Because Sun Tengyun¡¯s incident was caused by him! He knew that once Sun Tengyun collapsed, he would also be kicked out of the school! Everything was according to his plan!


    Zhang Jian looked at Jiang Chen with bloodshot eyes, everything, including his plan to frame him at the time, might actually have been part of his plan!


    At this time, Zhang Jian had completely lost his ability to think. He didn¡¯t know where Jiang Chen had the ability to directly overthrow Sun Tengyun, and even make the person above Sun Tengyun suffer, but he was inexplicably certain that all this was Jiang Chen¡¯s fault!


    Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth was slightly curved upwards, and his voice was clear and calm: ¡°Teacher Zhang, I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about.¡±


    At first glance, he was no different from other teenagers of this age, clean and cheerful, with a sunny aura all over his body, which made people have a good impression of him easily.


    But just like this, Zhang Jian felt more and more terrified of him. He had directed and manipulated everything, and even involved a bigwig who even he didn¡¯t dare to look directly at when Zhang Jian participated in dinner meetings. And then he was able to remain so calm and withdraw himself completely from the whirlpool. Just what kind of scheming and manipulative means did he possess!


    Thinking of how many times he had offended him, of the dirty tricks he had played behind his back that were obvious to all, and of the fate of Sun Tengyun who only offended him verbally, Zhang Jian¡¯s anger which had rushed upwards now instantly leaked away. Like a basin of ice water had been overturned over his head, the cold chill rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making his heart tremble.


    Seeing that Zhang Jian didn¡¯t speak, Jiang Chen took a few steps towards him and asked, ¡°Teacher Zhang, what do you want to say?¡±


    Zhang Jian looked at Jiang Chen with a completely different expression from just now. It was as if he was carrying a big sword to seek revenge, but he met an evil spirot or ghost halfway, and practically half of his soul was scared away. He stumbled back half a step, his face pale and fearful.


    Seeing his appearance, Shen Xu leaned into Jiang Chen¡¯s ear strangely, and said in a low voice, ¡°What happened to Zhang Three Hairs? That expression is like he has seen a ghost.¡±


    The next second, what he said was even more jaw-dropping.


    ¡°Jiang Chen, I did something wrong before. I shouldn¡¯t have framed you and slandered you. I have already been punished. Now I apologize to you. Could you forgive me?¡±


    The surrounding classmates were in an uproar, and Shen Xu also didn¡¯t expect Zhang Jian to apologize, his eyes widened.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t expect that Zhang Jian would apologize to him, and he didn¡¯t know what was going on with his suddenly frightened appearance. The only thing he could think of was that Zhang Jian was using his acting skills to make a breakthrough using him and continue to return to his teaching job.


    His expression didn¡¯t change and he said, ¡°Teacher Zhang, if you just want to apologize, I accept it. If you want to use this to go back to school and continue teaching, it¡¯s useless to apologize to me.¡±


    Hearing what he said, the other classmates also reacted, Zhang Jian was planning to save himself in a roundabout way.


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­..¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good if you¡¯re not.¡± Jiang Chen interrupted Zhang Jian¡¯s words and said with a smile: ¡°The next class period will start soon, we¡¯ll go in first.¡±


    After entering the school, Shen Xu was still immersed in surprise: ¡°Zhang Three Hairs actually apologized? I thought he would push everything on your head and hate you to death? And he looked like he was looking for you before to enact revenge. But suddenly he becomes like you are the one seeking vengeance on him, as if he was suddenly possessed, is there something wrong with him?¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    Jiang Chen shook his head and didn¡¯t think much about it. Anyway, Zhang Jian was destined to be unable to get up from this incident, and Sun Tengyun¡¯s bookkeeping memorandum was indispensable. Now Sun Tengyun was caught and couldn¡¯t make any moves. Those who were implicated by him would inevitably take their anger out on Zhang Jian. At that time, it was hard to say whether Zhang Jian would even be able to stay in Yan City.

 CH 14

    NOVEMBER 18, 2022 NYXBIRD LEAVE A COMMENT


    Even if it was his personal planning, after Sun Tengyun was arrested and Zhang Joan was dismissed, Jiang Chen no longer cared about the follow-up.


    The most important thing for him now was to find Shi Fengyue, and then convince him to agree to an operation to cure his father Jiang Zhuo¡¯s leg.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    Early on Sunday morning, he came to the outpatient consultation department of Yan City No. 3 Hospital as usual. The nurses in the consultation department already knew him by now. When they saw him coming, a girl with dimples smiled and waved quickly: ¡°There is news on the person you are looking for!¡±


    Several other nurses also discovered Jiang Chen, and without waiting for him to ask questions, they were already relaying Shi Fengyue¡¯s situation.


    ¡°There is indeed a Dr. Shi, his name is Shi Fengyue. He came to the hospital to report yesterday, but he won¡¯t officially begin working until three days later.¡±


    ¡°I heard he¡¯s going to the spine surgery department.¡±


    ¡°I happened to be there that day, Dr. Shi is really¡­..¡± The nurse¡¯s eyes flickered, her expression became shy, and she did not continue.


    Another continued for her: ¡°I heard that everyone who saw Dr. Shi said he is very handsome, is it really true?¡±


    ¡°Really, I heard from an intern who met him in the Department of Cardiac Surgery and said that not only is Dr. Shi good-looking, but he is also a well-known genius. He is very famous in their medical circles even before he graduated.¡±


    ¡°God, after you guys said that, I really want to see what Dr. Shi looks like! Little brother, since you know Dr. Shi, do you think he is handsome or not?¡±


    The question was suddenly thrown to Jiang Chen, he paused, his expression becoming unnatural and stiff for a moment.


    He had never seen Shi Fengyue, so naturally he didn¡¯t know whether he was good-looking or not, and towards a doctor, whether he looked good or not was not the focus of his attention. But he came to inquire about Shi Fengyue for several weekends in a row, but now he said he didn¡¯t know what Shi Fengyue looked like, no one would not find this strange.


    Jiang Chen thought of the news he had heard in his previous life, and replied, ¡°He¡¯s very handsome.¡± In order to increase his persuasiveness, the most common phrase to describe good-looking in the first life came blurting out without thinking: ¡°A golden age beauty.¡±


    Not far away, the man who was walking slowly paused, his expression shifting subtly. He turned his head to look at the consultation desk, and after seeing the teenager surrounded by nurses, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then a trace of interest appeared. He hooked up a corner of his lip, leaned on the column beside him, folded his arms over his chest and continued to eavesdrop on their discussion.


    Although the nurses were surprised by this unfamiliar phrase, they immediately believed it, and even looked forward to seeing such a a beauty. Someone asked, ¡°Little brother, how did you meet Dr. Shi? Does he have a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Even if he¡¯s single, you still won¡¯t have a chance.¡± Before Jiang Chen could answer, a young female doctor with her head raised came over and said, ¡°Dr. Shi is only twenty-five years old now, but he has already graduated from Cambridge for two years and gave up the opportunity to continue working at Wellington Hospital to come back here, so why don¡¯t you think for yourself if he could be interested in you.¡±


    The female doctor passed them by as she spoke, her face and her straight back showing her sense of superiority.


    When she left far away, a nurse whispered: ¡°What the hell, it¡¯s not like she graduated and is already working at twenty-five, so what is there to be proud of.¡±


    ¡°She is the only female intern who has been admitted to our hospital this year. Of course, she is proud. Not only is she proud, but she may have her eyes set on Dr. Shi who has not yet entered the hospital. If you don¡¯t believe me, just watch.¡±


    ¡°No way¡­..¡±


    ¡°Why not? She knows Dr. Shi¡¯s resume so well. She must have inquired about it long ago.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Jiang Chen stood on the side, coughed awkwardly, and interrupted their conversation: ¡°Thank you for telling me about Dr. Shi just now, I still have something to do, so I¡¯ll leave first.¡±


    The nurses said goodbye to him with a smile, Jiang Chen nodded with his own smile and turned to leave.


    After leaving the hospital, he breathed a long sigh of relief.


    Now that he knew when Shi Fengyue would come to the hospital, his father¡¯s matter was only half resolved. The next step was to find a way to get him to agree to his father¡¯s surgery and raise money for the surgery.


    Jiang Chen was thinking about how to convince Shi Fengyue to help Jiang Zhuo with the surgery, and was very focused. It was not until a figure that was hard to ignore came into his sight did he paid some attention.


    After seeing the approaching person clearly, he was surprised for a moment, but quickly reacted, nodding lightly as a greeting, and passed him by.


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s smile froze at the corner of his mouth. He turned his head in disbelief to look at the back of the young man who walked away without turning his head.


    A man with a pair of peach blossom eyes stuck his head out of the off-road vehicle next to him, laughing and patting the glass: ¡°What were you doing when you suddenly got out of the car? Isbit so you can walk the 30-meter road in front of Yan City No. 3 Hospital? Or to chance meet that little kid who doesn¡¯t seem to be very familiar with you?¡±


    Shi Fengyue glanced at his friend coldly, opened the back door and sat in, took apart a bag of candy and began chewing it, not knowing why he was a little angry. He supported his head and looked out the window, squinting his eyes slightly, recalling the scene just now.


    The young man was clearly asking about him, and even exaggerated his appearance in front of others, but when he appeared in front of him, he didn¡¯t even give him a second look. It definitely didn¡¯t look like he knew him, so just why was he looking for him.


    A golden age beauty?


    Thinking of this description, Shi Fengyue let out a low chuckle from his chest. He couldn¡¯t think of an answer, but his mood was much better.


    He wanted to know just what the boy¡¯s expression would be when he saw him and knew that he was the doctor he was looking for.


    ¡­¡­


    When he went back, Jiang Chen got out of the car in the city center ahead of schedule. He planned to go to a nearby bookstore to buy some materials, and on the way think about raising money. If he wanted to think about something calmly, he would go for a walk. This had become a habit after many years.


    He thought about the easy ways to make money at this time, and found that there were really only two: buying real estate and investing in stocks.


    Buying real estate to make money required enough principal and a long period of time to get a return, and the Jiang family didn¡¯t have so much money now, and the time was even less, and as for investing in stocks¡­..Jiang Chen just gave up after brief ponder in his heart, no matter which life, what he did had nothing to do with finance. Even if in the first life he and Huo Bo and Shen Xu partnered to open a company, he only cared about the technical aspect and knew nothing about the stock market.


    Excluding these two, Jiang Chen found that the only way he was most likely to get money as soon as possible now, was to go back to his old business.


    But it was difficult for his family to afford a computer at this time.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s brows furrowed a little and then loosened. If there was no other way, he would go to Shen Xu¡¯s house to borrow his computer. The only trouble in doing so was to explain to him how he could program these things, but this trouble was nothing in front of the trouble in front of him.


    After he figured this out, Jiang Chen returned to a cheerful mood, and for once he had the mood to observe the construction of the city center at this time.


    He just took two steps when he heard a strange movement. He paused and looked in the direction of the sound.


    Just now in order to take a few more steps and leave more time to think, after getting off the bus at the square, Jiang Chen deliberately went around the alley behind the square. The old alleys lead in all directions and he had to make several twists and turns in order to reach the Xinhua Bookstore on the other side and this distance was equivalent to making a big circle.


    At this time, he had only gone halfway when he stumbled upon a fight in the alley.


    Jiang Chen stood outside the alley. The alley was very narrow, and the light inside was a little dim. Only four teenagers who seemed to be only fifteen or sixteen years old were beating up another boy who was about the same age as them.


    Although it was a four-on-one match, the party with a larger number of people did not seem to have much advantage at this time. On the contrary, the boy who was surrounded and beaten had a stubborn ruthless streak. Throwing punches and aiming kicks in a very nimble manner. But after all he was outnumbered, it didn¡¯t take long for the young man to be brought down by the several people. Two of them held him in a lock hold with all their strength while the other two began to punch and kick ruthlessly, like the lower classes having overthrown the bourgeoisie.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s previous calm was swept away. He picked up a wooden stick on the ground and rushed in quickly.


    The two teenagers who beat him didn¡¯t have the time to react. One of them was hit with the stick and fell to the ground. Jiang Chen showed no mercy and the teenager who feel to the ground had blood trickling down his head. He instantly became infuriated and pointed at Jiang Chen: ¡°F**king beat him to death!¡±


    The other three also reacted, swinging the stick, letting go of their hold, and instantly rushed forward together. The boy who was released was also very agile. Regardless of the injury on his face and body, he bounced up and kicked a person with one leg.


    Now two versus three, the situation turned around all of a sudden, and the fight was over in less than a minute, the four attackers running out of the alley while supporting each other.


    Jiang Chen glanced at the boy who was leaning against the wall panting. He was about to speak, but then he felt a pain on the corner of his mouth, and he subconsciously hissed.


    The teenager pursed his lips and looked at him, saw the wound on the corner of his mouth, and turned his head away: ¡°You weak chicken, what were you doing jumping in, if I didn¡¯t have the strength to get up, they would definitely press you down and beat you up. Such a grown person, you don¡¯t even know how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages?¡±


    Jiang Chen hissed again when he opened his mouth, and laughed angrily: ¡°If I didn¡¯t come, you could only crawl to the hospital now, yet you speak of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages.¡±


    ¡°No I won¡¯t! How could I go to the hospital for just this bit of injury?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his hand and slapped the boy who was a head shorter than him on the head, and said without refusal, ¡°Go to the hospital.¡±


    The young man immediately wanted to refuse, but after seeing the injury on the other¡¯s face, he could only curl his lips: ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The nearest neighborhood clinic was a community clinic. When the two entered, the doctor was watching a TV series and humming along with the background music. When he saw them he slapped his thigh and said, ¡°Yo, got into a fight?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, pulled the young man standing behind him, and said, ¡°He is injured, got kicked in several places on his body. Please check whether his wounds are serious or not.¡±


    The doctor stood up and told them to wait in the small room inside, and then went outside to get the medicine.


    The young man sat on the hospital bed, his eyes flickered and glanced at Jiang Chen continuously, every time he would lower his head before the other found out, as if observing the pattern on the floor, which only made him more conspicuous.


    Jiang Chen knew that he was looking at him, but thought his dodginess was interesting, so he did not expose him.


    The doctor came in quickly, and after learning that Jiang Chen only had a wound on the corner of his mouth, he focused on examining the boy sitting on the edge of the bed.


    The boy avoided the doctor¡¯s hand and frowned: ¡°Go and see to him first, his mouth is bleeding.¡±


    The doctor smiled and joked: ¡°That little won¡¯t even be found if he arrived here late. Only you make the better patient to show off my medical skills.¡±


    The boy still wanted to struggle, but Jiang Chen said in a low voice, ¡°Sit down and let the doctor take a look.¡±


    In this way, he obediently accepted the medicine, but he still appeared very unconvinced with a stiff face.


    The boy had a cut on his forehead, some bruises on his cheekbones, and multiple bruises on his fists and elbows. There were many places that needed to be disinfected and applied.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    When the doctor finished treating the wound on his forehead and turned to bandage the wounds on his body, the boy finally raised his head. He looked at Jiang Chen, and the corner of his mouth twitched a few times before he said awkwardly, ¡°My name is He Qianmin, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s leisurely expression stiffened a brief second, he raised his eyes quickly, and took a more thorough look at the facial features of the young man in front of him, his eyebrows furrowing a little.


    AN: Shi Fengyue: Is this your attitude towards a golden age beauty?

 CH 15

    NOVEMBER 20, 2022 NYXBIRD LEAVE A COMMENT


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t speak, He Qianmin pursed his lips and looked at him.


    If he was usually looked at like this by others, he would have been unhappy long ago, but Young Master He, who had always had a bad temper, for once did not lose his temper this time. He didn¡¯t even know why, when he saw this person in front of him, he couldn¡¯t help but want to get close to him and listen to his words.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    The two looked at each other in silence, and the air flow seemed to even slow down a lot.


    It wasn¡¯t until the doctor changed his posture to apply medicine to He Qianmin, and the small movement broke the existing silence, that Jiang Chen returned to his senses.


    His eyelashes were half-lowered, and he suppressed the complexity in his eyes: ¡°Is your father He Yanfeng?¡±


    He Qianmin was stunned for a moment, his round eyes widened slightly, showing the childishness of his age. After a few seconds, he looked at Jiang Chen suspiciously, and then nodded: ¡°How do you know?¡±


    Jiang Chen said lightly: ¡°I saw him in the newspaper before.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He Qianmin did not suspect anything.


    After confirming his identity, Jiang Chen¡¯s mood was a little complicated. Although he had been ready to meet the He family since he read the book, in his plan, the meeting with the He family would be a long time later. Now that he was caught off guard, suddenly meeting his younger brother who might be connected to him by blood, this feeling was quite indescribable.


    Moreover, after learning the truth, Jiang Chen realized with hindsight that when the boy who was in the dim old alley, throwing punches with a stubborn zeal, came into his view, he the feeling he got was not the same that other people gave him, which was why he ended up helping him fight in person.


    Seeing that Jiang Chen had not spoken, but lowered his eyes thoughtfully, He Qianmin coughed in a low voice: ¡°You, brother, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    Jiang Chen was startled, and raised his eyes quickly.


    He Qianmin¡¯s eyes flickered, and when he met Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze, his ears flushed red, and he raised his voice: ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to call you brother, I¡¯m being polite! You look much older than me, and one should respect the elders and care for the young, that¡¯s why I called you that!¡±


    This appearance of wanting to hide but only making it more conspicuous was like a cat who had its tail stepped on.


    But He Qianmin¡¯s awkward appearance, on the contrary, diluted the weirdness and shock in Jiang Chen¡¯s heart.


    He chuckled, patted his head and said, ¡°Very good, how polite.¡±


    He Qianmin glared at him and wanted to avoid his paw, but his body remained stiff and unwilling to obey. He let the palm on his head pat him a few times, and said without much intimidation, ¡°Don¡¯t pat me on the head! Of course I¡¯m polite!¡±


    Jiang Chen thought he didn¡¯t like other people touching his head, and was a little surprised at himself for so casually doing such an intimate gesture to a person he had just met for the first time. He withdrew his hand smoothly, and apologized: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know you don¡¯t like people touching your head.¡±


    He Qianmin froze, raised his eyes to peek at Jiang Chen¡¯s expression, and was quietly relieved when he saw that he was not actually angry. He reluctantly moved his head close to him, and with an equally reluctant expression he said: ¡°You can touch, although I don¡¯t like it, who let you be my savior.¡±


    Jiang Chen laughed. Seeing the boy who was stubborn and pretending to be cool, the red flush on his ears spread to the base of his neck, his heart softened and he rubbed his head: ¡°Does your wounds hurt?¡±


    He Qianmin had been retreating again and again, so at this time he couldn¡¯t even talk back anymore, and said lowly, ¡°How can a man be afraid of pain.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately hissed, and when he lowered his head, he saw the innocent smiling face of the doctor: ¡°Sorry, accidentally used too much force.¡±


    Jiang Chen saw that he was gasping in pain, but tried his best to hold back with the appearance of one afraid of losing face. He was both amused and annoyed: ¡°Be smarter now you know that it hurts. Four people beating just one of you, don¡¯t you know to run?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt!¡± He Qianmin replied, ¡°And if they hadn¡¯t kept watch earlier today, deliberately squatting there, and attacked me behind my back, how could they beat me? Normally, even if an extra two more people came it still wouldn¡¯t be enough for me to warm up on.¡±


    Jiang Chen folded his arms over his chest to look at him, neither reproaching nor speaking, but He Qianmin lowered his head guiltily for some reason.


    In the continued silence, he harrumphed in a low voice: ¡°I won¡¯t be beaten in the future.¡± For some reason, he just felt that the person in front of him was not blaming him for fighting with others, but distressed that he was injured.


    If the He family were to see this, they would definitely be stunned. Young Master He, who usually spoke back ten sentences when his parents and elder brother even dsid a single word of reproach to him, was so docile in front of the person he just met. That aggrieved little expression was just so pitiful.


    Jiang Chen ignored him and just watched the doctor apply the medicine.


    He Qianmin¡¯s injuries looked serious, but in fact they were all surface injuries. After the doctor disinfected and bandaged the wounded areas, he left after only a few reminders.


    Before going out, he smiled and said, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t listened to your conversation, I would have thought you two were real brothers.¡±


    The speaker was unintentional but the listener was intentional, Jiang Chen suppressed the complexity in his eyes, and He Qianmin pursed his lips.


    A few seconds later, Jiang Chen said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you to the station and you take the bus back by yourself.¡±


    He Qianmin stood up obediently and followed behind him step by step, so obedient that one couldn¡¯t tell that he had been in a fight in the alley half an hour ago.


    Walking out of the alley, Jiang Chen said: ¡°Be smarter in the future, don¡¯t fight directly with others, this time I was there to help you, but will you just be beaten for nothing next time?¡±


    He Qianmin answered quickly and obediently this time: ¡°I understand.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s expression softened a little, but he felt a little strange in his heart.


    He wasn¡¯t someone who liked to meddle in others¡¯ business, but don¡¯t know if it was because He Qianmin might be his own younger brother, so when facing him, he couldn¡¯t help but want to take good care of him and lecture him. But seeing him with his head down he also couldn¡¯t help but be soft-hearted. This was a very unfamiliar feeling.


    When they were almost at the station, He Qianmin began to dawdle in place.


    At one point, he said he was thirsty and wanted to drink water, and at another point he said that he had to stand for a while because of a stomach ache. No matter what, he refused to go to the station two hundred meters away.


    Jiang Chen stopped, a little exasperated and a little amused: ¡°What exactly do you want to do?¡±


    The handsome young boy lowered his head and said nothing, looking a little aggrieved.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± he said.


    Jiang Chen paused and sighed: ¡°I only have ten yuan, and if you want to eat, we can only eat at the fast food stalls on the street.¡±


    He Qianmin raised his head abruptly, his eyes shining brightly. He was clearly happy but he didn¡¯t want to be seen as such, and said with a stiff expression: ¡°It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t dislike it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The two randomly found a seat at the fast food stall and sat down.


    He Qianmin glanced at the menu and ordered the cheapest fried rice, the smallest portion.


    Jiang Chen glanced at him and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±


    After he finished speaking, he turned to look at the boss: ¡°Change the fried rice with shredded potatoes  to sweet and sour pork ribs. Do you eat sweet and sour pork ribs?¡±


    He Qianmin was stunned for a moment, then nodded, then shook his head again: ¡°I prefer to eat shredded potatoes.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t look at him and said, ¡°Change it to sweet and sour pork ribs.¡±


    When the boss left, He Qianmin pursed his lips and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to eat sweet and sour pork ribs, I¡¯m not a child, only children like to eat that.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows: ¡°I¡¯m not a child and I like to eat, and how are you not a child?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re barely two years older than me. If I¡¯m a child, aren¡¯t you also a child?¡±


    Jiang Chen laughed angrily, this kid really had a habit of talking back, he could talk back to you no matter what you say.


    The fried rice in fast food stalls were usually already fried and could be served quickly when customers ordered it, so in a few words it was put in front of He Qianmin.


    He pursed his lips, Jiang Chen didn¡¯t speak, and he didn¡¯t eat.


    Jiang Chen found that he was really stubborn, and sighed in his heart: ¡°Eat.¡±


    Only then did He Qianmin pick up his chopsticks to eat. He was probably really hungry. After eating a piece of pork ribs, he took a few bites of the rice dipped in sweet and sour sauce. It didn¡¯t take long for the bowl of rice to be eaten up.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t say anything the whole time until he finished eating, ¡°You didn¡¯t eat lunch?¡±


    He Qianmin wiped his mouth and said indifferently, ¡°Forgot.¡±


    Jiang Chen frowned: ¡°How can you forget to eat?¡±


    ¡°Reading in the library, I lost track of the time.¡±


    Jiang Chen was a little surprised by this answer. He Qianmin lowered his eyes and said lightly, ¡°My results in the monthly test this time were too lacking, I can¡¯t concentrate when I study at home, so I went to the library.¡±


    Jiang Chen thought about it and asked, ¡°Where do you go to school?¡±


    ¡°Chenghua.¡±


    Chenghua International School was the only private middle school in Yan City that could enter the TOP1 private school ranking. Its Hua/Yan University admission rate was not less than that of the top high schools in Yan City, but most of the students were sent abroad to enter Ivy League schools or the top universities in the world.


    In the book, He Qianjian had been in Chenghua from elementary school to high school.


    Jiang Chen thought for a while and asked, ¡°What year are you in?¡±


    ¡°The third year of junior high.¡± He Qianmin looked up at Jiang Chen and asked, ¡°Brother, where do you go to school? How old are you? What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in No. 1 High School, second year, and just call my Brother Chen.¡±


    He Qianmin said thoughtfully: ¡°No. 1 High School¡­..¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go since you¡¯re practically done eating.¡± Jiang Chen got up and said, ¡°Go home early, don¡¯t let your family worry.¡±


    He Qianmin pouted and muttered, ¡°They won¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    Jiang Chen heard this and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He Qianmin pursed his lips, and also stood up: ¡°There¡¯s no one at home, I don¡¯t want to go back.¡±


    Jiang Chen frowned. He remembered that it was written in the book that He Yanfeng had three children. In addition to He Qianjian, he also had a son and a daughter. He Qianmin in front of him should be the younger brother, so it stood to reason that he should have a younger sister. Although it was the weekend now, it was not like everyone was not present and left him alone at home.


    He Qianmin explained by himself: ¡°My parents and my sister have all gone to my grandfather¡¯s house. I didn¡¯t go because I need to study. They won¡¯t come back until after dinner.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s frowning brows smoothed out, but the doubts in his heart were not completely dissipated, though he didn¡¯t ask any more, just said: ¡°Then you can go to the library to study, go back early after you finish, I have something to do in the afternoon and can¡¯t accompany you.¡±


    The light in He Qianmin¡¯s eyes dimmed a little, and he nodded reluctantly after a long while.


    When they got to the station and before the bus came, he asked again, ¡°Can I go to No. 1 High School to find you in the future?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s footsteps paused, his eyes flickered slightly, and he finally nodded.


    Only then did He Qianmin become happy, and he grinned to reveal two rows of white teeth. Only then did Jiang Chen realize that when he smiled, he had a single dimple, on the left, exactly like him.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    The bus came, and the people waiting for the bus got on one after another.


    He Qianmin waved goodbye to him with bright eyes: ¡°Brother Chen, see you later!¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes lingered on his single dimple, and he paused before saying, ¡°Later.¡±

 CH 16

    NOVEMBER 23, 2022 NYXBIRD 1 COMMENT


    On Wednesday, Jiang Chen specially took a day off.


    Jiang Zhuo and his wife did not feel too excited about this meeting. After all, they had been to Yan City No. 3 Hospital before, and they had seen a somewhat well-known chief physician of spine surgery. He was also one of the doctors who said that Jiang Zhuo¡¯s legs were hopeless. And in terms of strength, Yan No. 3 was not particularly ranked in this respect.


    They were only willing to visit again after learning that Jiang Chen went out every weekend morning to ask about the doctor. Jiang Zhuo and his wife could not bear to disappoint him, so they agreed.


    It was just that Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si couldn¡¯t help but look forward to this meeting when seeing Jiang Chen asking for leave so solemnly, seeing the rare smile on his face since the accident, seeing his bright eyes and the little dimple at the corner of his mouth. They hoped that the doctor really did have good skills. They hoped that today would not let Jiang Chen be disappointed again after putting in the effort for so long.


    When Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo arrived at the Third Hospital of Yan City, there were exactly two nurses on duty at the outpatient consultation desk three days ago.


    They saw Jiang Chen coming, with an unfamiliar couple beside them. They were a little curious, but they didn¡¯t ask any further questions. A round-faced nurse smiled and said, ¡°Dr. Shi is here today, and I was just thinking you would come, he hasn¡¯t any appointments yet, so this morning there were only patients queuing for consultation. So you can go to the front to register now, it should be your turn soon.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and nodded, while Jiang Zhuo and his wife were a little surprised.


    Jiang Zhuo was naturally moved when he knew that Jiang Chen came to Yan No. 3 Hospital every week, but now that even the nurses at the consultation desk knew him and that he was so familiar with queuing and registration, his heart was even more complicated.


    He couldn¡¯t give the child a superior living condition and after the accident, the child was worried and fearful. He already felt very guilty that he couldn¡¯t be as simple and happy as before. So at this time, when he saw Jiang Chen busying himself with his treatment, he thought of how Jiang Chen must have done a lot of things for him and made so much effort, those complex feelings suddenly gave birth to a strong desire¡ª¡ªhe must get better.


    Even if he could no longer stand up, as a husband and a father, he had to let this family stand up. So what if he couldn¡¯t walk, he could find work that could be done without needing to walk. Only once he had completely recovered from this matter, his child and wife could let go of their worries and live a normal life.


    Jiang Zhuo raised his head to look at his son, who seemed to have lost his naivety and had grown up quickly. He was proud and remorseful, but when he met those smiling eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but also have a gratified smile on his face.


    The child had worked so hard, what reason did he have to give up on himself?


    Today this time, no matter what the result was, it would be treated as a new start for their family!


    Jiang Chen saw Jiang Zhuo¡¯s smile, and the smile in his eyes deepened. He took the registration slip and said, ¡°Mom and Dad, we are number six, and there are only two people in front. The spine surgery clinic is on the second floor. Let¡¯s go up and wait.¡±


    Yang Si nodded and pushed Jiang Zhuo into the elevator. Seeing the smiles on Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo¡¯s faces, the shadows in her heart also dissipated a lot. Since Jiang Zhuo¡¯s accident, she was scared and anxious every time she came to the hospital. After the number of times increased, it left a shadow behind, and as soon as she stepped into the door of the hospital, her chest would feel stuffy and her heart would palpitate.


    They arrived on the second floor very soon. The family of three got out of the elevator, followed the signs to the Spine Surgery Clinic, and stopped outside a small door. There was a blue sign next to the door, which read: Spine Surgery, Shi Fengyue.


    Jiang Chen handed the registration form to the nurse outside the door. The nurse glanced at it and said, ¡°The previous patient has just entered, and it should be you right away. Just wait here for a while. If you are thirsty, there is a water dispenser over there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si were both a little nervous, so naturally they were not in the mood to drink water, but Jiang Chen was a little thirsty, so he poured a glass of water over there and drank it himself. He then poured a glass for his parents, holding it in his hand in case they got thirsty later.


    The patient who entered came out not long after, and he was also accompanied by his family member, frowning and talking to the family member who was pushing his wheelchair: ¡°This Dr. Shi actually said that the treatment of my leg is too simple, and asked me to find another doctor and he won¡¯t be taking my case, is he mental?¡±


    The Jiang family, who were about to go in, happened to hear their conversation. Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si looked at each other but before they could think about anything, Jiang Chen had already opened the door for them and could only go in.


    However, when the wheelchair was pushed halfway, Jiang Chen no longer moved further.


    Jiang Chen held the doorknob in one hand and the water glass in the other, and stood in the gap where the door opened. The man who was rotating the pen with his fingers raised his head lazily, and their eyes collided. One slightly widened his eyes, and the other raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    The two spoke at the same time, one was surprised, the other was curious.


    For the first time since he was reborn, Jiang Chen showed such an exposed expression of surprise: ¡°You are Shi Fengyue?¡±


    Shi Fengyue crossed his legs with a smile at the corner of his eyes. He supported his chin with one hand and said lazily, ¡°Don¡¯t you already know me?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s brows twitched, what he said was indeed correct, he could be considered to have known him, after all, he had met him twice before, but for some reason, he kept feeling that there was something else in Shi Fengyue¡¯s words.


    Sure enough, Shi Fengyue tilted his head and laughed exuberantly, with a dissolute and sly expression: ¡°It turns out that the golden age beauty has such a low sense of existence in your heart.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°¡­..¡±


    Could it be that he was actually listening to him talking to the nurse back then?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jiang Chen paused, put away the surprise in his heart, and said calmly: ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were Dr. Shi before, and I said ¡®golden age beauty¡¯ because I heard a friend who saw your photo describe you that way, and so I borrowed their words without thinking too much about it.¡±


    Don¡¯t know if Shi Fengyue believed it or not, his half-smiling eyes staying on him for a few seconds before passing by him to the couple behind him. He nodded slightly and said, ¡°Is it a patient? Please come in.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo and his wife, who were confused by their conversation, just came in a daze. Even after the door closed, Shi Fengyue squatted beside Jiang Zhuo¡¯s leg and pinched for a long time, then watched the x-rays he brought, and asked a few questions, Yang Si was still a bit at a loss.


    Did Jiang Chen and this Dr. Shi know each other or not?


    It sounded like they didn¡¯t know each other, but they all looked like they knew each other. Moreover, this Dr. Shi was really quite young. The age difference between the two was not much different so if Jiang Chen knew him it was not that strange. But why had she never heard about it before?


    Also, this young doctor was too good-looking. Before, Yang Si only thought that her child was the best-looking boy she had ever seen. Even though she was wearing the filter of being a mother, whoever had met Jiang Chen would always praise him for looking better than the stars on TV. But after seeing this doctor, Yang Si realized that people could actually be born with looks like this.


    Just as there were a bunch of questions in Yang Si¡¯s mind, and because of Shi Fengyue¡¯s appearance, she couldn¡¯t help but question his medical skills, she then heard a pleasant sounding voice say slowly:


    ¡°After being discharged from the hospital, the maintenance was done well. If you are ready to enter the hospital, you should be able to undergo the operation in half a month. I can guarantee the success rate of the operation, but how much you can recover after the operation depends on your later rehabilitation. If it is good, you will be able to walk normally again, and if not you can only use crutches, but no matter the case, heavy physical activity and strenuous exercise are no longer possible.¡±


    Yang Si was in a daze, the cool, magnetic voice sounded in her ears, each word jumping in her mind. It took a while to string together a sentence for her to understand and digest, but after digesting it, she doubted her own ears.


    Did she hear it right?


    The doctor said that there was still hope for Jiang Zhuo¡¯s legs?


    He could stand up after surgery? And it was even possible to walk normally?


    Jiang Zhuo was also shocked and dazed.


    Stand up?


    The doctor said he could stand up after the surgery on his leg?


    Was this real?


    Compared with his parents¡¯ disbelief, Jiang Chen accepted it without even needing to digest it. Needless to say, Shi Fengyue¡¯s medical skills were not to be questioned. If others saw him so young and heard him say ¡°guarantee the success rate of surgery¡±, they would only think he was arrogant and ignorant. In fact, many people questioned this in the early stage of his medical practice in the first life, but it turned out that Shi Fengyue could really do it. So long as it was his operation, the success rate was 100%.


    But he was also a little surprised.


    During this time, he had planned countless ways to get Shi Fengyue to agree to perform the operation. He even thought about it in class, but he had yet to think of a sure way, because he didn¡¯t know Shi Fengyue in reality, and the Shi Fengyue he heard from other people¡¯s mouths was also an image of a willful person doing whatever he wanted. If he didn¡¯t want to agree, whatever you say or do was useless.


    To this end, he had already prepared an alternative plan, screening out the well-known spine surgeons at home and abroad one by one, thinking that if he really couldn¡¯t get Shi Fengyue¡¯s consent, his father¡¯s legs couldn¡¯t wait any longer, he must find other alternatives as soon as possible, and he even prepared to take leave to go to hospitals in other provinces and cities.


    But unexpectedly, Shi Fengyue agreed so easily.


    Could it be that his father¡¯s condition was so bad that Shi Fengyue was interested enough in the challenge?


    This was the only reason Jiang Chen could think of.


    While Jiang Chen was thinking, Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si finally reacted.


    Yang Si said with a trembling voice: ¡°D-Dr. Shi, are you telling the truth? There is still hope for my husband¡¯s legs, and he can still stand up after the operation?¡±


    Shi Fengyue glanced at the thoughtful Jiang Chen, and frowned inwardly. This was the first surgery he promised to do today, and he promised it directly and without any beating around the bush, so why did this child not seem very happy. Before, he had done everything to find and approach him, but now when he really saw him he was not as interested?


    He tutted from the bottom of his heart, squeezing and letting go of a candy in his pocket, but his expression remained calm and flat: ¡°If you decide to have surgery, I suggest that Mr. Jiang be admitted to the hospital as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Surgery! Of course, surgery is necessary!¡± Yang Si immediately said, ¡°He can be admitted to the hospital anytime!¡±


    After she finished speaking, she turned to see Jiang Zhuo. Jiang Zhuo¡¯s eyes were already red. He looked at his excited wife, swallowed the lump in his throat, and said, ¡°Dr. Shi, could my legs really recover?¡±


    Normally, Shi Fengyue¡¯s most annoying pet peeve was to deal with the incessant and repetitive questioning. Whether it was self-questioning or questioning him, he was neither interested nor in the mood to comfort them. But when he saw Jiang Chen, who suddenly raised his face and smiled, sowing a small dimple, his impatience instantly dissipated, and he even couldn¡¯t help but curve his lips in a slight smile of his own.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shi Fengyue¡¯s tone had always been very mild and indifferent, but at this time it also held a convincing power: ¡°If you can, enter the hospital as soon as possible.¡±

 CH 17

    NOVEMBER 25, 2022 NYXBIRD 1 COMMENT


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s words gave the Jiang family reassurance.


    In the office, Shi Fengyue was conducting a more detailed consultation with Jiang Zhuo. Jiang Chen was with him. The corners of Yang Si¡¯s mouth twitched upwards again and again in joy. After the tension passed, she finally felt thirsty. She whispered to Jiang Chen and then quietly left the office.


    After drinking a glass of water in one breath, Yang Si couldn¡¯t hide the joy on her face. She walked around clutching the bag in her hand, and after wandering for a while, she finally couldn¡¯t help laughing out loud. After she ran to the restroom to wash her face, looking at the no longer gloomy face in the mirror, the corners of her lips raised.


    How wonderful.


    The bad days of this family have finally come to an end.


    When Jiang Zhuo got better and their son got into a good university, everything would be fine at home.


    Yang Si smiled, but her eyes couldn¡¯t help turning red. She covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes, crying and laughing at the same time.


    The past few months have been a never ending despair and hardship she had never felt before, but she did not dare to shed even a tear. Her husband was in the most pain and sadness, and her child was at a sensitive and vulnerable age. If even she could not support the family, then the family would really collapse.


    But she was also afraid. She was afraid that her husband would fall into depression, and would lose himself in the depths of his depression in the future, immersed in the shadow of being unable to stand up. She was afraid that her child would be affected by things at home, be distracted at such an important moment, and that he would fail in the college entrance examination a year later. She was also afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to bear this heavy burden herself, and this family would really collapsed just like this.


    She kept gritting her teeth and prepared for the worst, but when seeing hope in a sea of despair, how could she not be ecstatic?


    Yang Si quietly went to the secluded small hospital garden alone. She sat on the bench, crying and laughing while covering her mouth, just wanting to vent all her suppressed emotions during this time.


    After crying it out, she fell silent again.


    Her husband¡¯s legs could be saved, and so it was certain that he would undergo the surgery.


    But after the car accident, most of the family¡¯s savings had been spent. Now all the savings in the family added up to only 30,000 yuan. Although she didn¡¯t know the specific cost of the operation, Yang Si also knew that the family¡¯s money was far from enough to support her husband¡¯s surgery expenses. Moreover, her child¡¯s schooling and food needed money, so how could there be no savings left at home.


    The top priority was to get a sum of money that could cover Jiang Zhuo¡¯s surgery costs as soon as possible. It was just that, towards such a large amount of money, how was it possible to so easily be raised.


    Yang Si thought about the people who could lend money to them, and finally found that they could only borrow at most 30,000 yuan, which was already the limit that their friends could support. Most of the households at this time were not that wealthy and those who could take out tens of thousands of yuan were already quite well-off.


    In fact, before father Jiang was injured, the Jiang family¡¯s conditions were also considered to be well-off. At this time, a deposit of more than 200,000 yuan in the bank was considered a very well-off family. Because of this, every time the Yang family came to mooch money from them, although Jiang Zhuo was irritated, he never really raged about it. He was angry not because of the money, but because of the way the Yang family treated Yang Si as an ATM yet never felt bad for her and treated her better.


    Yang Si knew all of this and it was precisely because she knew that she developed the idea of ??severing ties with her natal family members, but before they had time to do anything, Jiang Zhuo had an accident, and the Yang family changed their face and threw stones at them while they were down.


    Now Jiang Zhuo was in urgent need of treatment expenses. If the Yang family could repay the money owed to them, it would solve the urgent need of the Jiang family, but was it possible that the Yang family would pay it back?


    Thinking of what happened last time she went to the Yang family with Jiang Chen, Yang Si gritted her teeth. Although she had cut off relations with her parents and younger brother, she had to get the money back!


    If there was no hope for Jiang Zhuo¡¯s legs, then the money would not be needed, but now that there was a chance of recovery, she had to seize it no matter what. But how to get the Yang family to repay the money, she still needed to think about it some more.


    Thinking this, Yang Si couldn¡¯t help but smile, no matter how difficult the family was, as long as there was hope, she believed that their family could overcome the difficulties and shoulder on.


    When Jiang Chen found Yang Si, he happened to see her smiling face with reddened eyes.


    ¡°Mom.¡±


    Yang Si quickly wiped her eyes before turning to look at Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen sat down beside her with a smile, and said softly, ¡°I know you are happy, and so am I.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yang Si smiled relaxedly: ¡°Your Dad¡¯s leg can be cured, Mom is so happy.¡±


    ¡°Mom, were you just thinking about Dad¡¯s surgery fee and follow-up treatment costs?¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head to look at her, his clear eyes see straight through her, and Yang Si, who wanted to find an excuse to hide it, opened her mouth but couldn¡¯t speak, and finally could only nod her head.


    But she still didn¡¯t want the child to worry about it. She smiled and said, ¡°Mom was indeed thinking about this, but you don¡¯t have to worry, Mom already has a solution.¡±


    ¡°What solution?¡± Jiang Chen had been direct with his parents since he was a child, and he would tell them anything, and the same was true at this time: ¡°Mom, do you want to sell the house or go to the Yang family to ask for the money back?¡±


    Yang Si was stunned, she didn¡¯t expect Jiang Chen to guess what she was thinking.


    Yang Si was very clear about how unlikely it was to get money from the Yang family, but Jiang Zhuo¡¯s legs couldn¡¯t wait. If she really couldn¡¯t get it, selling the family¡¯s house was the fastest way to get money, but¡­..in that case, Jiang Chen would have a lot of trouble going to school.


    That was the point she had been hesitating about.


    Jiang Chen naturally knew what Yang Si was thinking, and even knew what she was hesitating about.


    In the first life, under the unremitting search of the Jiang family, a doctor finally agreed to perform Jiang Zhuo¡¯s operation, but he also bluntly said that he could not guarantee that Jiang Zhuo could stand up, and the success rate was very low. At that time, it had been more than a year since Jiang Zhuo¡¯s car accident, and the family¡¯s savings had long since dwindled to nothing. Naturally, the Yang family would not fork over any money, but for this slim hope, after Yang Si and Jiang Chen discussed it over, they decided to choose the surgery.


    At that time, Jiang Chen naturally agreed to the treatment. How could the family¡¯s house and his studies be more important than his father¡¯s legs? After the house was sold, there could be a new one, and if his studies were delayed, he could repeat his studies. Whereas Jiang Zhuo¡¯s chance at standing up was just this once.


    However, Jiang Zhuo had already given up hope at that time. He didn¡¯t want his family to sell the house or be in debt because of him. He even quarreled with Yang Si about it. In the end, the house was still sold, and then Jiang Zhuo was coaxed and persuaded to be sent to the operating room.


    That operation was unsuccessful.


    The failure of the operation and the lack of a fixed place to live became the last straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. Jiang Zhuo felt that he was a drag on his family and committed suicide on a quiet night.


    Jiang Chen still remembered that that time was truly the most despairing period for the family, his father¡¯s funeral, his mother¡¯s crying, the Yang family¡¯s ridicule, and the college entrance examination that was about to come in just over a month¡­¡­That time when the house was sold was the fuse that caused the Jiang family to really fall into desperate straits.


    Even if the family¡¯s situation in this life had not reached that point in the first life, and Jiang Chen firmly believed that Shi Fengyue could cure Jiang Zhuo¡¯s legs, he had never thought of selling the house for money, not only because in the first life it became the biggest regret and pain of the Jiang family, but also because he never thought about letting the Yang family live freely and wantonly with the money they owed the Jiang family.


    Whether it was to buy real estate or speculate in stocks to make money or to design software to make money, it would take a certain amount of time, and Jiang Zhuo¡¯s legs couldn¡¯t wait. So since the beginning, Jiang Chen only thought about getting the money back from the Yang family. When he co-founded a company with Huo Bo and Shen Xu, although he didn¡¯t manage the company¡¯s daily affairs, he also learned a lot of things by their side that ordinary people might not have access to, such as pursuing debts.


    It was just that Yang Si must agree to that method, and only she could come forward, so Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t act rashly before he understood Yang Si¡¯s thoughts.


    Now, Jiang Chen looked at Yang Si¡¯s expression and felt that the time might have finally come.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Jiang Chen looked at her and said seriously: ¡°I know you may want to sell the house, but have you ever thought, if the house is sold, where will our family live? What about going to school in the future? What will Dad think? He absolutely will not want us to have no place to live because of him. Before the operation, we need to maintain a good physical and mental state. If Dad knows, could he still undergo the operation in his best state?¡±


    Jiang Chen picked out all of Yang Si¡¯s concerns, word by word, and pressed those concerns towards her, causing her to instantly shrink back from the idea of ??selling the house, becoming more apprehensive about the idea.


    ¡°But¡­..if we don¡¯t sell the house, what about your father¡¯s treatment costs?¡±


    Yang Si didn¡¯t intend to let Jiang Chen know the family¡¯s economic situation and cause him to be worried about it, but facing Jiang Chen at this time, she unknowingly expressed her concerns and worries.


    ¡°If I say that I have a way to get back the money the Yang family owes us, but it may cause you and the Yang family to not even be left with a single trace of affection, will you still be willing?¡±


    Yang Si was taken aback, her eyes widened in disbelief, and she nodded almost without hesitation: ¡°We and the Yang family have long since had a falling out, they have no affection for me at all, if the money can be get back for your father¡¯s treatment, what do I still care about that nonexistent trace of affection?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, he nodded, and said, ¡°I remember that the several large sums of money that Yang Tianci borrowed from our family at the beginning were all with IOUs, do you still have those IOUs?¡±


    Yang Si directly ignored Jiang Chen¡¯s direct referral to Yang Tianci¡¯s name, nodded and said, ¡°In the drawer where the important documents are kept at home.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s brows and eyes curved, revealing a mouthful of small white teeth, the little dimple on one side deepened a little more, and that handsome face showed the liveliness of a youth: ¡°My plan is this¡­..¡±


    Yang Si heard what Jiang Chen whispered in her ear, her eyes widened, and then asked in a low voice, ¡°Is this really possible? This won¡¯t break the law, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course it won¡¯t break the law.¡± Jiang Chen sat up straight, his expression returned to his usual modesty and calmness: ¡°The transfer of creditor¡¯s rights is legal, but we may need to give up part of it to the debt collectors.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Yang Si agreed immediately: ¡°As long as we can get back enough for your father¡¯s surgery, the extra money can even be given to the debt collectors.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she was a little worried: ¡°It won¡¯t get us involved in any trouble, right? Those people¡­..¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom, I will find an official debt collection agency.¡±


    The methods used by official debt collection agencies were naturally legal and reasonable, but they were also well versed in the way of stepping on the edge of the line, which could not only make the debtors miserable, but also make them have nowhere to complain, and could only pay back the money obediently. But as for these things, it was not what Yang Si, who had already transferred the creditor¡¯s right, needed to know.


    Among the flowers of spring, the young man had a bright smile, a gentle and elegant demeanor, and appeared the most upright and honest that one could be.

 CH 18

    NOVEMBER 27, 2022 NYXBIRD LEAVE A COMMENT


    After the consultation, the Jiang family set the time of admission to the hospital at the end of April.


    On the day Jiang Zhuo was admitted to the hospital, it coincided with the routine physical examination of the high school second years. There was no class in the morning and more than half of the teenagers were in especially good spirits. They laughed and joked without care, full of energy.


    Only Shen Xu was an exception, his face pale, watching the line in front of him shorten little by little, and his whole person wanted to cry but he was without tears, and could only hunch his thin shoulders pitifully and helplessly.


    Jiang Chen stood behind him, holding a black-covered book in his hand, reading while waiting in line, leisurely and calmly.


    ¡°Brother Jiang, why do you think they draw such a large tube of blood?¡± Shen Xu stretched his neck to watch the person in front of him draw blood, and after watching it, he leaned on Jiang Chen tremblingly, with a chalk white face: ¡°I won¡¯t faint from the blood loss, will I?¡±


    ¡°You say that every time you had your blood drawn before, but did you ever faint?¡± Jiang Chen glanced at him, then lowered his eyes to continue reading.


    ¡°You fellow, crossing the river and demolishing the bridge!¡± Shen Xu was not comforted, and he became dissatisfied in an instant, but his spirits also rose and he said: ¡°You want to switch our test tubes, and your good brother, I, agreed without a word. But when I am so nervous and in need of a little comfort from you, you actually ignore me like this. Soon my body will be hurt later, but now you actually hurt my heart first, do you have a conscience, are you still my good brother or not?¡±


    Jiang Chen sighed in the bottom of his heart. He very much missed Huo Bo at times like these, if Huo Bo was here, just a look from him would make Shen Xu shut up.


    ¡°How do you want me to comfort you?¡±


    ¡°May 1, accompany me for at least three days!¡± Shen Xu immediately stood up straight, and said while counting his fingers, ¡°One day to play basketball, one day to play video games, and one day to¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t wait for him to finish, and just helped him to finish: ¡°Go to the library to study.¡±


    ¡°What library, what study!¡± Shen Xu was dissatisfied: ¡°Seven days off! It¡¯s a long vacation! Who goes to the library! And how could there be any spot left in the library?¡±


    ¡°You will go if there¡¯s an open spot?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± Shen Xu pursed his lips, but knowing that Jiang Chen was going to go, he could only reluctantly say: ¡°Fine, fine, it happens that my parents are at home this holiday, although they know that I will be hanging out with you and won¡¯t lecture me, but if they know we are going to the library, I might have more pocket money next month.¡±


    Jiang Chen patted his shoulder and raised his chin slightly: ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±


    The blood draws on this line have basically been finished. Most of the boys rushed in front and left after the drawing. Most of the girls queued behind the boys, but they also knew that they would have to have their blood drawn sooner or later and so did not dawdle, just rolled up their sleeves when their turn arrived. Only Shen Xu felt faint from needles and blood, and dragged Jiang Chen to the end of the line, until only the two of them were left in the arranged office.


    However, this was exactly what Jiang Chen needed.


    Shen Xu stepped forward, the nurse looked up at him and asked, ¡°Jiang Chen?¡±


    Shen Xu paused, then nodded.


    ¡°Put your arm on the table, when I ask you to make a fist, you will make a fist, and if it¡¯s let go, then you let go.¡± Probably because Shen Xu¡¯s complexion was too ugly, and it was the last two students already, the nurse smiled and comforted: ¡°¡®Classmate Jiang Chen ¡®, don¡¯t be afraid, this will be over very quickly.¡±


    The fake Jiang Chen nodded, grabbing the real Jiang Chen¡¯s arm with one hand, resting his other arm on the cushion, stiffened his neck and closed his eyes as if he was being tortured.


    Jiang Chen sighed, covered Shen Xu¡¯s eyes, and whispered to the nurse, ¡°Please be gentle.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The nurse smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s just an ant bite, it won¡¯t¡­..¡±


    ¡°Owwwwwww¡ª¡ª¡±


    Before the nurse¡¯s words that it wouldn¡¯t hurt was even finished saying, Shen Xu¡¯s screech startled her so much that her hands almost trembled. Fortunately, her professional quality was still there, and she quickly drew the needle, the process considered finished.


    However, she really had been shocked and said with both amusement and irritation: ¡°How could it hurt so much, classmate Jiang Chen, you are such a big boy, but you are like a child toward having your blood drawn.¡±


    Shen Xu clutched his arm, his expression weak and fragile but confident: ¡°I, Jiang Chen, am afraid of injections. I have been afraid of injections since I was a child, not only injections but also¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen rolled up his sleeves and glanced at him calmly when he stretched out his hand. Shen Xu immediately shut his mouth.


    The nurse quickly drew blood for Jiang Chen, and after drawing the blood, she said to Shen Xu, ¡°Look at ¡®classmate Shen Xu¡¯, he is not afraid at all, you are friends, learn more from him.¡±


    Shen Xu covered his stomach with a snort and bent over from the laughter. Before waiting for Jiang Chen to speak, he nodded again and again: ¡°Okay, okay, I will definitely learn from ¡®classmate Shen Xu¡¯.¡±


    After the physical examination was the May 1st holiday.


    Yesterday, the school went on vacation, and Jiang Zhuo was officially admitted to the hospital to prepare for surgery. Yang Si went to the hospital early in the morning with a change of clothes and breakfast. Jiang Chen went over at noon, and after changing shifts with Yang Si, delivered lunch to Jiang Zhuo. After sitting with him for a while, he was then driven away.


    Both Jiang Zhuo and his wife felt that after the accident, Jiang Chen¡¯s character was much more serious and solemn than before. Although others would think he had become more sensible, they felt distressed in their hearts. Before on holidays, the child would often go out to play basketball with friends. Now he always stayed at home or studied or helped out around the house. Children of this age didn¡¯t need to be like this, they just wanted him to be happy.


    Therefore, when Jiang Zhuo saw Jiang Chen sit next to him, pick up the book he brought and opened it, as if he was going to read it all afternoon, he took out the book in his hand and drove him out without hesitation. He stuffed him with fifty yuan and told him to find Shen Xu and Huo bo to play what he wanted to play, and eat what he wanted to eat, and not to sit dully at home or in the hospital all the time.


    Jiang Chen had no choice but to leave the hospital with the money.


    Today was the first day of May. Shen Xu and his parents were going to visit relatives and Huo Bo was not in Yan City now. So today he planned to read a book in the hospital while taking care of his father. But at this time, the plan was disrupted and he didn¡¯t know where else to go.


    Walking out the hospital, Jiang Chen paused and his eyes fell on the lively quaint old street two blocks away.


    It was an antique street and was quite famous in Yan City. A few years ago, someone bought a long-necked gourd bottle from the Qianlong period for 30 yuan on a street stall and became rich overnight. Since then, Antique Street had also grown in popularity and there was an endless stream of people who go there to find treasures, as well as attract many tourists to visit.


    Although Jiang Chen had always lived in Yan City, he only passed by there in his first life and never went in, and the same was true in this life. It just so happened that he had nothing to do now, so he turned and walked towards Antique Street.


    Antique Street was crowded with people, it was a holiday now, and there were many tourists.


    Jiang Chen had just walked a few steps but he was already about to turn around and go back, but the crowd pushed him forward, and it was very difficult to turn back now, so he had to choose to go out from the other end of Antique Street.


    Most of the storefronts on both sides were decorated in retro style. There were big houses with red doors and stone lions, and there were small houses with wooden beams and carved wooden windows. If there were no crowds of people in modern wear, at first glance, it really appeared like a scene from ancient times.


    Jiang Chen stopped in front of a wooden door, and his eyes stopped at the copper basin that was placed at the door. The basin was full of round ancient coins, some clean and some mottled, of different sizes.


    ¡°Customer, would you like to buy some copper coins?¡± Probably seeing him standing for a long time, the shop clerk dressed in a very retro style came over, but his words were a strange blend of ancient and modern: ¡°If you want to buy it, our Guyun Shop will definitely satisfy you. What year does the customer want, I can give you a look?¡±


    Jiang Chen returned to his senses, declined the clerk¡¯s promotion, and turned around and left the shop.


    Standing at the door for a few seconds, he pursed his lower lip, raised his legs and walked in the opposite direction of the flow of people.


    After leaving Antique Street, Jiang Chen sat down at the bus stop next to him and lowered his eyes to think about what he had just suddenly thought of.


    In the first life, when the company he started with Huo Bo and Shen Xu was just starting, they finally negotiated a cooperation that was extremely important to them at the time. In order to show respect for their future partners, all three of them attended the banquet hosted by the other party.


    He had never liked to participate in these banquets, and he had hardly attended them a few times in total. That banquet was one that left the most impression on him, because their future business partner, after a few drinks, grabbed him to sit down next to him and told him his rags to riches tale.


    ¡°On May Day in 2004, I was going to the outskirts of Yan City to see my relatives. Who would have thought that I would pick up a silver currency banknote printed by the Hubei Official Money Bureau? Do you know what a Hubei Official Money Bureau Silver Currency Banknote is? Have you seen it before? Let me tell you¡­..the silver banknote reads ¡®Based on this banknote, withdraw an estimate of ten taels¡¯, I still remember it clearly, not a single word forgotten! When I saw that silver banknote, my heart skipped a beat, and I knew that my chance to make a fortune had come, so I immediately hid it and took it home. It turned out that I really hit the jackpot. In 2006, there was an auction in Hong Kong. Do you know how much it cost? 1.3 million yuan! 1.3 million! That¡¯s how I got my first pot of gold hahahaha¡­..¡±


    Although he only relayed what was written on that banknote once, Jiang Chen¡¯s memory had always been excellent. In addition, the experience of having a drunk man who was grabbing on to him at that time and alternating between boasting about his rags to riches tale and then bursting into folk songs was too particular. Despite two lifetimes having passed, that incident and that out-of-tune singing was still not erased from his memory.


    It was just that this incident never held an important place in his memory, it was a memory garbage that left such an impression that it was difficult to eliminate, so before seeing that pot of copper coins just now, he didn¡¯t recall it at all, but after seeing those copper coins, the memory appeared naturally.


    Now was the first day of the May Day holiday week in 2004. Although he didn¡¯t know which day the person picked up the banknote during the holiday, within this time period, Jiang Chen decided to check it out.


    If that silver banknote was picked up by him today, he would keep part of the money, and if not, he would not go look for it again.


    The No. 213 bus stopped in front of him, Jiang Chen got up and stepped onto the bus.

 CH 19

    DECEMBER 6, 2022 NYXBIRD LEAVE A COMMENT


    Yan City was basically a square shape, spreading from the center to all sides. The places close to the neighboring provinces and cities were considered suburbs. However, although the suburbs were not remote, for example, while the suburbs on both sides of the southwest might not be able to compare with the city center, but compared with the urban areas of some second- and third-tier cities, they might even be more lively and prosperous.


    The only exception was the eastern suburbs. It was not like the northern suburbs with high mountains and clear water, and it was not as lively as the southwestern suburbs either. The large fields and undeveloped land there were closer to the state of some wealthy rural areas in China. There were fewer people and more land, as well as the harder it was to drive the farther east one went, but also less traffic.


    No. 213 was the only bus that could go from the urban area to the eastern suburbs, but even so, the bus would only park on the main road outside the village. If you wanted to go further, you could only rely on a private car or your own two legs.


    Jiang Chen got off the bus and saw a wide road and a row of three-storey buildings. Although it was not prosperous, it was neat and lively. It didn¡¯t look like a village until he walked along the buildings and came to the end of this street. At the end of the road, after turning on the fork in the road, and walking a few dozen meters, he could finally see the continuous fields.


    Jiang Chen stopped at the intersection for a while, and after waiting for a farmer to pass by, he followed the directions given by the other and walked forward for nearly half an hour before reaching the Donghua Village he was looking for.


    Compared with the fields just now, it was a little more lively here. The self-built houses were not far away, and there was a child with a red face playing and talking to the big dog lying beside her.


    It was around two in the afternoon, and also the hottest time. There were no farmers working in the fields and only this child playing nearby. Donghua Village looked bigger than he imagined. Don¡¯t know how much time he would waste looking for an ancient currency that he didn¡¯t even know would appear today or not.


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes and looked into the distance. The green fields looked like waves as they blew along with the breeze, bending to one place layer by layer, bringing the moist smell of soil and fresh air, which made one feel relaxed and happy.


    Walking in this idyllic scenery, the thought of picking up money had faded. Although the family was short of money now, it was not that there was no solution. Whether he had the ancient currency did not have much impact on him. That he would bother to make this trip, other than having nothing to do in the afternoon, coming here was more of a whim.


    His thoughts and ponderings had faded, but Jiang Chen had no plans to leave immediately. He had lived in a prosperous city for two lifetimes. He rarely saw such scenery. Especially in the interstellar era, this kind of scenery could only be seen from the ancient pictures on the optical computer. So since he was now here, it was natural to appreciate it a bit longer before leaving.


    Not far away, there was a fat cat pacing slowly, with a sparrow in its mouth. When passing by Jiang Chen, it raised its head and glanced at him before continuing to pace past him.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t pay it any attention either, he raised his legs and walked forward.


    After walking a short distance, he heard a huge childish voice shouting something loud, with a local accent and anxiousness. Jiang Chen understood half of it, and the other half was guessed when he turned around and saw the cat flying and the dog jumping.


    The fat cat that just passed Jiang Chen was fighting with the big dog who was lying beside the little girl before. Although the big dog had an advantage in size, it was not as agile as the cat. The little girl in red didn¡¯t know to avoid. She wasn¡¯t much taller than the dog, but she still wanted to help.


    Jiang Chen was startled, raised his legs and ran over.


    He was tall and long-legged, and managed to grab the little girl away before she tried to join the battlefield. The little girl hugged his neck, seemingly not afraid of strangers at all. Her round face was full of urgency, and she waved her short fingers to point at the cat and dog who were still fighting: ¡°Bad Gou Dan hit Lai Fu! Lai Fu, Lai Fu! Big Brother, save Lai Fu!¡±


    Jiang Chen carried her back a few steps, his eyes fell on the cat and the dog, and after turning his eyes a few times, he realized that the cat was called Gou Dan and the dog was called Lai Fu. (TN: gou dan=dog egg, lai fu=lucky/fortune)


    ¡°Big Brother! Big Brother!¡± Seeing that he was not helping, the little girl twisted and struggled: ¡°Lai Fu!¡±


    Jiang Chen hugged her tightly, rubbed her head, and coaxed softly, ¡°Lai Fu is playing a game with Gou Dan, they aren¡¯t fighting, don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    The little girl was stunned for a moment, looked at him dumbfounded, and then turned to look at the cat and dog who were fighting fiercely. Her big eyes were full of doubts, and she seemed to be thinking, should she believe what she saw or what the big brother said?


    After thinking about it for a long time, she felt that adults would not lie to children, so she felt relieved, and asked in a high, childish voice, ¡°Big Brother, Lai Fu and Gou Dan also like to play house?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded without changing his expression: ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Will big brother accompany Miao Miao to play house?¡±


    The arms Jiang Chen carried her with shok a bit, and he smiled slightly, ¡°Big Brother is an adult, adults don¡¯t play house.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­..¡± The little girl was a little disappointed, buried her head on his shoulder, and a chubby hand pointed to the ground: ¡°Miao Miao wants to play house, Miao Miao is the boss, and Lai Fu is the customer, but Lai Fu does not know how to give money to Miao Miao and doesn¡¯t know how to speak, and no one buys the bowls that Miao Miao makes.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked in the direction she was pointing. There was a distance from the battlefield, so everything was still in good condition, a few stones were stacked on top of each other, and there was a strange mud shape with a concave opening in it, which might be the little girl¡¯s ¡°bowl¡±. And under the bowl was a few pieces of paper money, which should be the money she used to play house with the big dog.


    Paper money?


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes that had moved away suddenly snapped back to the paper currency that was pressed underneath the mud bowl. The exposed corner was very similar to what he had seen in the hands of a certain collector, and it was exactly the same as the ancient currency that that business partner had picked up, Hubei Official Money Bureau Silver Banknote.


    ¡°Playing house?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The little girl swung her legs, not worried about the cat and dog fight, she was very comfortable being held in Jiang Chen¡¯s arms, she smiled brightly and said: ¡°The money Miao Miao and Lai Fu use to play house!¡±


    Play house¡­..


    Jiang Chen was a little amused and exasperated, but he probably guessed how that person picked up the ancient currency. It was estimated that the child took it out to play house and carelessly forgot to bring it home, and was picked up by a passer-by.


    It was just that the child not knowing the value of the ancient currency was normal. But why did the adults in her family let her play with the ancient currency so casually?


    ¡°Miao Miao, do your parents know that you brought out the money to play house?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa knows!¡± Miao Miao blinked her big eyes: ¡°Miao Miao has no parents, only Grandpa, Big Brother, will you play house with me?¡±


    Jiang Chen frowned, guessing that the old man in this child¡¯s family probably didn¡¯t know the value of this ancient currency.


    ¡°Where is your home? Big Brother will take you back.¡±


    Miao Miao pointed, without the slightest defense: ¡°Over there!¡±


    Jiang Chen sighed in his heart, grabbed her chubby hand, and said seriously: ¡°When someone asks you in the future, you can¡¯t just tell strangers where you live, do you know?¡± He also tried to scare her: ¡°If it¡¯s a bad person, they would snatch you away.¡±


    Miao Miao was puzzled: ¡°Is Big Brother a stranger?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Yes, people who don¡¯t know your grandfather are all strangers.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll meet Grandpa later!¡± Little Miao Miao had her own logic: ¡°And good-looking people are all good people!¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°¡­..¡±


    At this time, the cat and dog battle also stopped. The cat dug up the sparrow it had just held from nowhere, and walked away with its little head raised in a victorious attitude. The big dog ran over to the little girl and whined for comfort.


    Jiang Chen put the little girl down, the little girl hugged the big dog and petted it, then took Jiang Chen¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Big Brother, let¡¯s go.¡±


    After speaking, she led the way, completely forgetting the ancient currency she laid out on the stone.


    Jiang Chen was exasperated, he could only turn around and pick up the banknotes. The little girl also remembered after seeing his movements, picked up her mud bowl, and followed Jiang Chen step by step, pointing the way to her house.


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± The little girl shouted excitedly as soon as she arrived at the door: ¡°I¡¯m back! I brought a big brother back!¡±


    An old man with a hunched back walked out of the house. His face was wrinkled and his skin was dark, but his eyes were clear and kind. Hearing the little girl¡¯s words, he first touched his granddaughter¡¯s head, and then raised his head and smiled at Jiang Chen. He smiled: ¡°Young man, who are you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Jiang Chen.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°Just now I saw Miao Miao playing alone on the side of the road, so I sent her back.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The old man smiled and said, ¡°Come in for a cup of water?¡±


    Jiang Chen shook his head, and the little girl pulled the old man¡¯s clothes and said, ¡°Just now Lai Fu played with Gou Dan. Grandpa, it turns out that dogs and cats can also play with each other.¡±


    The old man thought of the most vicious cat in the village, and quickly grabbed his granddaughter to look her over and asked, ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    Miao Miao was puzzled: ¡°I thought Lai Fu and Gou Dan were fighting and wanted to help, but Big Brother was holding me so I didn¡¯t help. Big Brother said that they are playing house. Will playing house get you hurt?¡±


    The old man was stunned for a moment, and looked at Jiang Chen with a little more gratitude: ¡°Young man, thank you, I really mus thank you just now, the cat in the village is a fierce one, not only scratches dogs, but also scratches people, if Miao Miao was scratched or bitten, I don¡¯t know what I could do.¡±


    Jiang Chen shook his head, but still reminded: ¡°Miao Miao is still young, you should try not to let her play outside alone in the future.¡±


    The old man smiled, his expression a bit bitter: ¡°I want to look after her too, but I have to go to the fields to water the ground every afternoon, and there is no one else at home, so I can only let her play by herself for a while. Nothing happened before, but this time, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me.¡± Jiang Chen raised his hand and handed the ancient currency to the old man: ¡°Sir, this is Miao Miao¡¯s playing house money, do you know this money?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know.¡± The old man nodded and said with a smile: ¡°There are several pieces at home, the family elders kept some, but they can¡¯t be used anymore. Since they just lay around, I let Miao Miao play with it.¡±


    Jiang Chen understood, he took the ancient currency and briefly explained the value of this ancient currency to the old man.


    The old man¡¯s eyes widened, unable to believe his ears: ¡°How much did you say? How much can this old money be exchanged for?¡±


    ¡°At the moment, a single Hubei Official Money Bureau Silver Banknote can be sold for at least 600,000 yuan, but if you are not in a hurry and slowly find a buyer who collects ancient currency, you may be able to sell it for more than 700,000 yuan.¡±


    ¡°Seven, seven hundred thousand?¡± The old man repeated several times before asking, ¡°Seven hundred thousand and not just seventy yuan?¡±

 CH 20

    Jiang Chen nodded firmly: ¡°Seven hundred thousand.¡±


    ¡°Seven hundred thousand¡­..¡± The old man murmured, and he didn¡¯t regain his senses for several minutes, ¡°With seven hundred thousand, does that mean we can live in the city, Miao Miao can have an urban household registration and go to school in the city?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know about the household registration, but the rest he was sure of: ¡°You can buy a house and go to school.¡±


    ¡°Buying a house and going to school, Miao Miao can go to the city to study¡­..she can study well and be as smart as her parents¡­..Young man, thank you, thank you for telling me this.¡± The old man grabbed Jiang Chen¡¯s hand and shook it: ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me.¡±


    The old man wiped his face, reigned in his excitement, and shoved the ancient currency he had saved into Jiang Chen¡¯s hand with embarrassment: ¡°Young man, this money is for you, please accept it.¡±


    Jiang Chen was stunned. He looked up to see the sincere and kind face of the old man, was surprised for a moment, then shook his head with a smile, ¡°I can¡¯t accept it.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± The old man insisted on giving it to him and said, ¡°You can take it, if it wasn¡¯t for you, Miao Miao might have been scratched by the cat, and without you, the money would just be waste paper with me. I¡¯m old, Miao Miao hasn¡¯t studied for many years, and may never know the value of this money for the rest of her life. That you can tell us this, it has changed our whole life.¡±


    ¡°Sir¡­..¡±


    The old man interrupted him, with a kind smile in his upright eyes: ¡°Just outside, you immediately saw the value of the money in Miao Miao¡¯s hand at a glance, if you wanted, you could have taken the money directly, or coaxed it away from Miao Miao, but you didn¡¯t. Not only did you not take it, you even brought Miao Miao back, and told me the value of the money without reservation, just for these things, you are deserving of this ancient currency.¡±


    ¡°Also, I¡¯m old, I haven¡¯t been out of the village for more than ten years, and I¡¯m not a native of Yan City. Even if I know the value of this ancient currency, I can¡¯t turn it into cash. I¡¯ll give this to you, not only to repay you, but I also hope that you can help me turn this ancient currency into cash, so you can think of it as your middleman fee.¡±


    Jiang Chen was curious: ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that I won¡¯t come back after taking your money?¡±


    ¡°What am I worried about?¡± The old man smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve lived for so long, I might not be able to do anything else, but I believe in my own judgment of people. From the things you¡¯ve done, it¡¯s enough to see your character, you are a trustworthy person. Child, I believe in you.¡±


    Hearing this, Jiang Chen no longer refused: ¡°I will not betray your trust.¡±


    The next afternoon, Jiang Chen brought the ancient currency to the largest auction house in Yan City.


    The receptionist at the front desk smiled brightly. Even in the face of Jiang Chen, who was dressed simply, she was still friendly and welcoming. She put the glass of water on the small coffee table in the sitting room and said, ¡°Student Jiang, may I ask what you want to put for your auction item?¡±


    Jiang Chen took out a math textbook from his schoolbag. The receptionist did not change her expression, but the two assistants behind her looked at each other. After exchanging a glance, they looked subtly at Jiang Chen who was flipping through the book.


    The pages pierced flipped through the air, revealing the contents of the pages under the sound of slipping pages.


    ¡°This is¡­..¡± The receptionist widened her eyes slightly: ¡°¡­..Hubei Official Money Bureau Silver Banknote?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, the corners of his mouth curved slightly: ¡°This is what I am going to auction at your auction house.¡±


    The receptionist put away the expression she just showed, and smiled: ¡°Just this one? Or does Mr. Jiang has other auction pieces?¡±


    ¡°More than one silver banknote.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡±


    The receptionist looked at the people behind, one of them nodded and went out with his mobile phone.


    A few minutes later, a young man in a suit walked in. He stretched out his hand with a smile: ¡°Hello, Mr. Jiang, I¡¯m Zeng Fei, the manager of Shiyang Auction House.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Manager Zeng.¡±


    Zeng Fei glanced at the young man in front of him subtly, and said with a smile: ¡°Please have a seat, I heard that you have a double-image silver banknote printed in the thirtieth year of Guangxu?¡±


    Jiang Chen withdrew his hand, sat down opposite him, and pointed at the ancient currency in the pages of the textbook: ¡°There are four in total, this is one of them. If you want to check the authenticity, you can look at this first.¡±


    Zeng Fei didn¡¯t hesitate. As soon as he raised his hand, a man with a full set of tools behind him stepped forward and carefully examined it with white gloves and a magnifying glass.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the man to straighten up and nod to Zeng Fei.


    Zeng Fei smiled and said to Jiang Chen: ¡°Mr. Jiang, forgive me for taking the liberty, but I want to ask if this silver banknote is your family¡¯s collection or¡­..It¡¯s not that I want to inquire about the privacy of our customers, it¡¯s just that you are underage, if you have taken a family possession without permission to auction here we would not be able to explain it to your family.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s brows raised slightly. It turned out that Zeng Fei regarded him as a second generation rich kid who had taken his elder¡¯s collection for auction. This could explain the reason why the receptionists just now were so polite and appropriately enthusiastic when they first saw him. Although he didn¡¯t know why they would misunderstand this way, it was not disadvantageous for im.


    Jiang Chen promised vaguely: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have the approval of the owner of the silver banknotes. If not, I would not have gone ahead with auctioning four pieces at a time.¡±


    ¡°Then I can rest assured.¡± Zeng Fei smiled. Anyway, once the things are in their hands, the exchange of money and goods were clear-cut, and if someone came to make trouble for them, they would also be on the side of reason. In fact, if the boss did not come here on a whim today, and happen to come across this scene and wanted to come and see, he would definitely not have bothered asking this much.


    ¡°To tell you the truth.¡± Zeng Fei continued: ¡°Actually, there is an old customer here who loves to collect ancient currency. If you are in a hurry, you don¡¯t have to wait for our auction on the 15th, and we will directly take the lead and help you contact the collector. If he has intentions of buying it, it is very likely that he will buy all four silver banknotes together.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°I want to know Manager Zeng¡¯s estimate, auction price and transaction price.¡±


    ¡°In the case of an auction, I personally estimate that the highest transaction price will be around 850,000, but the premise is that a single silver banknote is auctioned at a time, as the more rare the more expensive things are. I believe Mr. Jiang understands this as well, but I can guarantee that we will help you sell these four silver banknotes within half a year.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a private transaction, that old customer has always been generous. I believe that if you want to sell all four together, it will be the most cost-effective to find him.¡±


    Jiang Chen pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes and said, ¡°I need a little time to discuss the options. If it is a private transaction, how will you calculate the commission the auction house will take, as well as the time the transaction will require.¡±


    ¡°Five percent, three days at the latest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you an answer tomorrow.¡±


    After sending Jiang Chen to the door and watching him leave, Zeng Fei turned around and got into the elevator and stopped at the top floor.


    He knocked on the door: ¡°Boss, young master Li.¡±


    ¡°Come in.¡± The man who opened the door had a pair of peach blossom eyes, the top three buttons of his burgundy shirt undone, and stylishly messy hair: ¡°Xiao Pang, how many times have I said it, you must be louder when knocking on the door. Seriously, only this guy Shi Fengyue can hear your knock on the door.¡±


    Zeng Fei nodded with a smile, and walked past him to the man in black who was lounging on the couch with his eyes closed.


    ¡°Boss, the young Mr. Jiang downstairs wants to auction Hubei Official Money Bureau Silver Banknotes, which are in the 30th year of Guangxu¡¯s reign. He has four in total. It doesn¡¯t look like he needs money urgently, but according to my observation, he may be more inclined to a private deal.¡±


    Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t open his eyes, just grabbed a pillow and held it in his arms, saying with a lazy voice: ¡°If there is no problem, accept it.¡±


    ¡°OK.¡±


    Li Nanfeng sat down on his armrest, pulled out the pillow in his arms, and asked before he lost his temper, ¡°Who is that kid? You got off at the hospital gate last time because of him. Looking at him, he doesn¡¯t seem much different in age from Shi Aonian, which family is he from?¡±


    Shi Fengyue pulled back the pillow and hugged it loosely in his arms, his slightly hoarse voice full of weariness: ¡°A patient¡¯s son.¡±


    Li Nanfeng shook his head while tsk tsk tsking: ¡°I didn¡¯t know that our great Dr. Shi actually possesses a warm and caring heart for a patient¡¯s family member, but¡­..¡±


    ¡°If you continue to bother me from sleeping again¡ª¡ª¡± Shi Fengyue¡¯s slender fingers grabbed Li Nanfeng¡¯s neck, and his misty eyes opened suddenly, saying sinisterly, ¡°I¡¯ll really let you experience my warm and caring heart.¡±


    ¡°Come on!¡± Li Nanfeng opened his arms and fell in the direction of his arms: ¡°Brother is willing to sacrifice myself to you.¡±


    Shi Fengyue couldn¡¯t help laughing, turned over and kicked him off the sofa: ¡°Get lost.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to get lost.¡± Li Nanfeng stood up rubbing his buttocks, and said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s eat out at night. You have a good night¡¯s sleep, and wait for this big brother to pick you up.¡±


    Shi Fengyue threw the pillow, Li Nanfeng dodged with a laugh, and went out with Zeng Fei.


    As soon as the door was closed, the man on the sofa closed his eyes. He was lying on the sofa despite his height and long legs so he could only curl up and hug the pillow to sleep. He soon began to breathe evenly in a few minutes.


    When he woke up again, the sun was already setting.


    Shi Fengyue couldn¡¯t be bothered to get up, so he just lay on the sofa, half-drooping his eyes to watch the orange twilight outside the floor-to-ceiling window.


    The sound of knocking on the wooden door was barely audible, his eyelashes flickered, and his voice was a little hoarse: ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Boss.¡± Zeng Fei walked in, stopped three steps away from the sofa, and reported: ¡°Mr. Jiang¡¯s ancient currency if of no problem, but it doesn¡¯t match my guess. He received it from an old man in Donghua Village. Apparently, he went to Donghua Village for an outing, and accidentally encountered the old man¡¯s grandchild playing house with the ancient currency, so he sent the child home, and by the way, also told the old man the value of the ancient currency. In order to thank him and at the same time in order to turn this ancient currency into usable cash, he entrusted it to Mr. Jiang. Which led to the scene this morning.¡±


    Shi Fengyue raised his hand, his elegant fingers covering his eyes, blocking the orange sunset, and his voice was low: ¡°Zeng Fei, you have a habit of digging out everything when encountering new things, you have to change it.¡±


    ¡°I thought Boss would be interested.¡± Zeng Fei smiled, without the strict restraint just now, leaning on the sofa and said: ¡°Young master Li said that you treat the young Mr. Jiang differently, of course I am also curious, and since you want to buy it privately, it is natural to know everything about the other party in this transaction.¡±


    Under the slender fingers, his eyes slowly opened, and Shi Fengyue suddenly remembered the conversation between the mother and son that he overheard when he was in the hospital, and the image of the young man¡¯s moon bright smile while backdropped in a sea of flowers could still emerge in front of his eyes now. He narrowed his eyes: ¡°Let me warn you, Jiang Chen is not as harmless as you think, it is best not to play tricks on him.¡±

 CH 21

    DECEMBER 10, 2022 NYXBIRD 1 COMMENT


    Jiang Chen gave Zeng Fei an answer that night, and Zeng Fei gave him a faster answer. At that time, he told him on the phone that the old customer was willing to buy together his ancient currency at a price of 780,000 each.


    Such a high price was somewhat unexpected by Jiang Chen. He originally thought that if they were bought together, a single silver banknote would be at most 750,000 yuan, but he did not expect that after deducting the handling fee, one silver banknote would still earn about 740,000 yuan. It could be seen that Zeng Fei¡¯s old customer was really generous indeed.


    The procedures and money transfer were fast. On the third day of the holiday, Jiang Chen left Shiyang Auction House with two bank cards and took a taxi to Donghua Village.


    Old Mr. Miao held more than two million yuan worth of money in bank cards and couldn¡¯t react for a while. Jiang Chen smiled and said: ¡°If you are used to using deposit books, we can go to the bank to change it now. Getting a deposit book requires you carrying out the process yourself.¡±


    ¡°No, no need.¡± The old man shook his head, and then returned to his senses: ¡°I believe in you, Xiao Jiang, thank you, you are the great benefactor of our Miao family!¡±


    ¡°This is your ancient currency. I¡¯m just helping you, and I also get a quarter of it as commission. No matter what, I benefitted, and I can¡¯t be your benefactor.¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you a benefactor?¡± The old man smiled and pulled over Miao Miao, before saying to Jiang Chen, ¡°Your appearance has changed our family¡¯s Miao Miao¡¯s life. When she grows up, she must repay you well.¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his head and saw the blinking little girl, rubbed her head with a smile, and hugged her when she opened her arms: ¡°Grandpa Miao, there is no repayment relationship between us, you are planning to take Miao Miao to school in the city? And to buy a house, have you decided on an area yet?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The old man shook his head with a wry smile: ¡°Our family fled to this Donghua Village and stuck our roots here. We haven¡¯t gone out the village to see the city much, and I don¡¯t know what districts there are in the city.¡±


    Jiang Chen introduced the various districts of Yan City and the supporting schools in each district to the old man, and then said: ¡°I suggest that you buy a house in either Yannan, Zhonghai, and Huyang districts, these districts are very well developed, and the most important thing is that the schools covered by these districts have good teaching quality from kindergarten to high school, and Yan Uni and Hua Uni are also in these districts.¡±


    Old Mr. Miao nodded again and again, and then asked, ¡°Xiao Jiang, which district is your home in?¡±


    ¡°Zhonghai.¡± Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°The houses near my house are very good, not far from the park or hospital as well as the school and large commercial areas.¡±


    ¡°I want to live with Big Brother!¡± Miao Miao hugged Jiang Chen¡¯s neck: ¡°I want to live with Big Brother!¡±


    Old Mr. Miao smiled and said: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s live with your big brother.¡± He looked at Jiang Chen: ¡°Xiao Jiang, are there still houses for sale over there?¡±


    Jiang Chen thought for a moment and said, ¡°Our community should not have any left. If it¡¯s nearby, I can help you find out.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Old Mr. Miao laughed and said: ¡°It is said that Feng Shui nourishes people, and when Miao Miao lives by your side, she will definitely have a good future when she grows up.¡±


    After rejecting old Mr. Miao¡¯s invitation to stay for lunch, Jiang Chen left Donghua Village and went straight to the hospital.


    Jiang Zhuo was talking to the patient in the next bed, and when he saw him, he immediately laughed: ¡°Didn¡¯t you go out with Xiao Xu? Why did you come back at this time?¡±


    Jiang Chen sat down on the chair beside the bed, and the person on the next bed teased: ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy with your son coming to accompany you? Which child of this age is always away from home all day long, not to mention that it is still a short vacation now, and only your family¡¯s Jiang Chen is filial and will accompany you every day for three consecutive days.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want him to accompany me, but that such a big child should go out to play more, what¡¯s the point of sitting dully at home studying or accompanying me in the hospital all day.¡±


    The person in the next bed smiled and said, ¡°You are in the midst of happiness and do not know happiness. If my son was half as sensible as Xiao Jiang, I would have woken up laughing in my dreams. By the way, Xiao Jiang, your father said that you are in the second year of high school in Yan No. 1 Hugh School, how are your grades?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°Not bad.¡±


    The man asked: ¡°By not bad, what number is it?¡±


    An auntie who had not spoken also asked: ¡°That¡¯s right, is Xiao Jiang¡¯s grades good?¡±


    Most adults, when they see a child of school age, like to inquire about their academic performance, generally not with malicious intentions, but just making casual chit-chat. That they asked today was because Jiang Zhuo and his wife did not like to show off. Apart from saying that their child went to school in Yan City No. 1 High School, they never talked about Jiang Chen¡¯s grades. So others in the ward who saw him being sensible and filial and coming to the hospital every day to report, carrying books with him at any time, naturally couldn¡¯t help but wonder about his grades.


    ¡°First in his year.¡±


    The man who walked in from the door had a low voice, a folder in his hand, his pace calm and unhurried as he headed towards Jiang Zhuo¡¯s bed. He opened the folder and looked at it, taking time to glance at Jiang Chen, his eyelashes like thick inky feathers. When half lowered, they softened the sharpness of his features: ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen curved his eyes, and the corners of his mouth slightly pulled upwards to show his neat white teeth, which deepened the single dimple on his left cheek, giving off the uniquely clean and handsome aura of young people: ¡°How did Dr. Shi know?¡±


    The people in the ward were surprised for a moment, but they also smiled when they saw his smile. Someone praised: ¡°Old Jiang, you have given birth to a good son. Filial, sensible, obedient, and also with grades that good.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo smiled shyly, but his tone couldn¡¯t hide his gratification and pride: ¡°Everything else is good about him, except he doesn¡¯t like to move around, so I always urge him to go out to play. It¡¯s better for boys to make more friends and do more activities.¡±


    ¡°This is your child¡¯s filial piety, to accompany you¡­..¡±


    The patients and their family members complimented one by one, and only Shi Fengyue saw Jiang Chen¡¯s probing expression under his smile. His knuckles curled up, his fingertips flicked the folder twice, and then he said lightly: ¡°My nephew is in the junior section of Yan No. 1 High School.¡±


    Jiang Chen retracted his gaze, and Shi Fengyue also shifted his gaze to discuss the surgical plan with Jiang Zhuo in a low voice. The two sat on both sides of the hospital bed, one was calm and indifferent, the other was relaxed and unclouded, as if two worlds were separated.


    Shi Fengyue left after he finished talking about the operation plan. Jiang Chen sat for a while and waited for Yang Si to come over before leaving the ward. While waiting for the elevator, he happened to see Shi Fengyue coming out of the office, and the female doctor following him also looked familiar.


    The female doctor had her hands behind her back as she looked up at Shi Fengyue and was saying something. Probably getting ready to get off work, Shi Fengyue had changed out of his white physician¡¯s coat and wore a simple creamy white sweater and black jeans. He looked a little more indolent than when he was at work, and less aloof and unapproachable.


    The two walked side by side, Shi Fengyue walked slowly and unhurried, but he was tall and had long legs so if the female doctor wanted to follow him step by step, she had to speed up her footsteps, but she didn¡¯t show the slightest difficulty on her face, still raising her head with a smile on her face as she talked to Shi Fengyue.


    The two were about to approach, so Jiang Chen politely retracted his gaze. Just as the elevator door opened, he took a step and entered the elevator.


    At the same time, Shi Fengyue paused and stopped less than three meters away from the elevator, avoiding the female doctor who almost walked into him. As Jiang Chen pressed the button to go downwards, that indolent and cool voice traveled the air and accompanied its owner inside: ¡°I have no obligation to satisfy your curiosity.¡±


    The slowly closing elevator door obscured the female doctor¡¯s changing expression.


    In the enclosed space, one person was standing beside the elevator buttons, the other was leaning against the other side with his hand tucked in a pocket. Neither of them spoke, both of them were the picture of calm stillness.


    It was not until the elevator reached the first floor and the two walked to the hospital entrance one after the other did the silence break.


    Jiang Chen nodded and said, ¡°Dr. Shi, goodbye.¡±


    Shi Fengyue nodded lazily and turned to leave.


    Jiang Chen walked in the opposite direction. While waiting for the bus, he suddenly remembered that he had promised Shen Xu that he would lend him the book that he brought to the hospital today when they met tomorrow, but he forgot the book in the hospital, so he could only go back and get it now.


    A few minutes later, as soon as he walked out of the ward, he saw a somewhat familiar figure approaching him. The thin boy had his head lowered, and a middle-aged woman in plain clothes was saying something to him. The two gradually came closer and he could vaguely hear the conversation:


    ¡°¡­..Your mother entrusted you to me, and I will take good care of you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about tuition fees, just study hard. Auntie has money. As long as you can study, Auntie will definitely support you to go to college. When your mother¡¯s affairs are settled, you can move to¡­..¡±


    The boy kept his head down and his face was unable to be seen clearly, but Jiang Chen had already recalled who he was. He hesitated for a moment between avoiding temporarily or pass by, when he saw the boy passing an open window. The sun was falling straight down on the ground, there was a band of light that shone down vertically. He no longer hesitated, and turned on his heel to step back behind the safety door.


    Unexpectedly, just as the door closed, he bumped into someone.


    Jiang Chen took a half step back, and immediately apologized: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I accidentally bumped¡­..¡± Seeing the person behind him, his voice paused and his eyes widened slightly.


    ¡°This is the second time.¡±


    The man had his arms crossed over his chest and wore a creamy white turtleneck coarse knitted sweater. The collar was half gaping, revealing his slender and fair neck and perfectly curved jawline. He had a candy in his mouth, but his eyes were still sharp, and those pale lips made his face appear a little more lazy and cold.


    Shi Fengyue looked down at him, his slender index finger with defined knuckles tapping his pale lips, and after a few seconds, he asked suspiciously, ¡°Didn¡¯t you go back? Now you deliberately turned back just to step on me again?¡±


    The corner of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth twitched indistinctly, but he thought of how he had bumped into the other twice, so he could only apologize again: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Shi Fengyue raised his eyes and glanced at the door of the safe exit: ¡°Are you hiding?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Not really.¡± He thought for a while and said, ¡°It¡¯s a junior brother from my school. I¡¯ve only met him once. He didn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood just now and should be reluctant to meet people from the same school.¡±


    Shi Fengyue lowered his eyes to look at him, Jiang Chen raised his eyes, and the two gazes collided, seemingly indifferent, but both seemed to want to figure out something from each other¡¯s eyes.


    The ringing of the phone interrupted their gaze, Shi Fengyue took out his phone and glanced at the incoming call. After pressing the phone, he stuffed it back into his pocket, and when he pulled it out again, there was more candy.


    Jiang Chen then felt that someone had rubbed his head, and soon a piece of candy was placed in his palm. When he came back to his senses, the man had already climbed a few steps, and his languid voice echoed in the empty stairs: ¡°A reward for a good child.¡±


    AN: He Qianmin, whose head was touched: I am not a child! Don¡¯t touch my head!


    Jiang Chen: You are a child.


    Jiang Chen, whose head was touched: ? ? ?


    Shi Feng Yue: Child.

 CH 22

    DECEMBER 13, 2022 NYXBIRD LEAVE A COMMENT


    On May 4th, the holiday had already passed halfway.


    Jiang Chen promised to accompany Shen Xu for three days, and at this time he had no choice but to make good on his promise.


    Early in the morning, Shen Xu arrived at the Jiang¡¯s house, ate the breakfast made by Yang Si with Jiang Chen, praised her cooking so sweetly that Yang Si went to the hospital with a smile on her face, and immediately took Jiang Chen to accompany him to his house to play video games.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    ¡°Come on, come on!¡±


    As soon as he took off his shoes, Shen Xu couldn¡¯t wait to run to sit in front of the TV, pick up the game control and turn on the TV.


    Jiang Chen passed him, walked straight to the study, and said as he walked, ¡°I have some things to deal with, I¡¯m gonna use your computer, by the way, accompany me to go out later in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Shen Xu put down the controller, and followed Jiang Chen with a bitter face: ¡°Where are you going? Ice rink? Play ball? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s the library!¡±


    Jiang Chen thought for a moment, and replied, ¡°Go shopping, buy something.¡±


    Shen Xu relaxed, as long as it was not the library.


    After lunch, the two went out together.


    ¡°Where shall we go first? Why take 812? I have never taken this bus before.¡± On the bus, Shen Xu leaned on the railing and asked curiously as he looked out of the window.


    The familiar yet unfamiliar street scene passed by, and Jiang Chen looked away: ¡°The northern suburbs.¡±


    ¡°Mountain climbing?¡± Shen Xu raised his head and drooped instantly, his whole body was like a cabbage beaten by the frost: ¡°There are a lot of people in Kong Mt. on holidays, aren¡¯t we just asking to be crowded to death by people?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The corner of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth had a slight curve, and when he turned his head to look at Shen Xu, the curve deepened, and the dimple next to the corner of his left lip was faintly visible: ¡°It absolutely won¡¯t be crowded.¡±


    Last night, he made a plan for the money in his hands, and after finding the information he wanted on Shen Xu¡¯s home computer, he already made a preliminary decision in his mind.


    It was now 2004, and his memory of the first life in 2004 was somewhat blurred. Most of his memories were concentrated on family and school, and he had almost no impression of economic development and investing in stocks. Fortunately, he still remembered the basic development process and general direction of future years.


    This year was no longer the best year to invest in real estate, but compared to later years, it was still considered a golden time, especially since the demolition boom that started in the past two years had made many people worth millions overnight.


    Among them, the one that impressed Jiang Chen the most was a small village close to the scenic area outside the fifth ring road in the northern suburbs. It was just an ordinary small village, and thus remote and lacking in people.


    But at the end of this year, it would welcome development because of the live hot springs, retaining the original forest vegetation and original scenery of the village, and building a national 5A scenic spot. While attracting countless tourists, it would also usher in a period of rapid development for that small village. So no need to say more about its investment prospects. Countless people would flock over there for the hot springs and the benefits that the fresh and clean air brings to the body.


    It was just because of the government¡¯s protection policy, after the development, except for the original residents before the development, only a very small group of people could own their own houses there. It would be more than half a year before the news of development came out and this was Jiang Chen¡¯s opportunity. Whether it was waiting for the demolition money or living there in the future, it was a sure profit deal.


    The car wobbled towards the north, from the bustling urban area to the crowded scenic spots, passed the scenic spots, and drove to the outermost suburbs of Yan City, where the population gradually became less and less dense.


    Shen Xu woke up after a nap, saw that the bus had yet to stop, and yawned: ¡°How long has it been?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost two hours, and the next stop is ours.¡±


    ¡°Kong Mt. is that far away?¡± Shen Xu yawned, looked out the window in a daze for a while, and then came back to his senses: ¡°Wait, where is this?¡±


    At the same time as he finished speaking, the station announcement sounded: ¡°The Wugu Village stop is here, passengers getting off¡­..¡±


    ¡°Wugu Village?¡± Shen Xu looked blank: ¡°Where is Wugu Village? Is it still in Yan City?¡±


    Jiang Chen got up: ¡°Come on.¡±


    Standing on the asphalt road with a few other people, an old man carrying a burden passed by them. Shen Xu belatedly said: ¡°Wugu Village, isn¡¯t it the countryside? Jiangzi, you aren¡¯t here for shopping, are you? And shopping¡­..what is there to buy here? Vegetables?¡±


    Jiang Chen threw an arm over his neck, smiling brightly: ¡°You will know later.¡±


    The two walked along the asphalt road, and a man in a suit was waiting not far away. When he saw them coming, he was a little surprised and hesitant. After the two stood still, he tentatively asked, ¡°Mr. Jiang?¡±


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Jiang Chen.¡± Jiang Chen stretched out his hand, smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Hello.¡± The man glanced at Jiang Chen and Shen Xu behind him, and his smile became a little forced in an instant: ¡°You are Mr. Jiang who wants to buy a house in Wugu Village? Excuse me, but are you a legal adult yet?¡±


    Jiang Chen took out his ID card: ¡°This is my ID card. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m buying the house this time for the sake of the elders in my family. There will be no problems whether it¡¯s signing a contract or payment.¡±


    The man relaxed a lot after hearing the words, but he still doubted: ¡°Can such a big matter really be left to you to decide?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Chen, although we are here just to see the house first to confirm our intention, we can pay the money and sign the contract immediately if we are sure, but no matter what, I will not let you make this trip in vain.¡± Jiang Chen took out a paper envelope and handed it to the man, saying, ¡°This is the hard work fee for this trip. If the contract is signed, in addition to your commission, I will give you another part of the hard work fee.¡±


    Chen Fang looked at Jiang Chen whose expression remained calm and steady, and moved his eyes down to the paper envelope in his hand. He hesitated for a moment, took it, opened it and looked at the amount inside, and his expression improved a lot in an instant: ¡°Mr. Jiang Chen, sir, you are too polite. I have already made an appointment with the seller. I will take you there now. Besides that one, there is another owner in Wugu Village that is going to sell their house. If you want to see it, I can also take you there for a look¡­.¡±


    Chen Fang led the way, while Jiang Chen and Shen Xu walked behind, listening to his eloquent introduction of the scenery and future development of Wugu Village.


    Shen Xu¡¯s eyes were full of confusion. He wanted to ask but didn¡¯t know how to ask. Even if he was beaten to death, he would never have thought that Jiang Chen came here to look at housing. It was even an exaggeration to say that this was even the city outskirts as it looked more like the countryside instead. It didn¡¯t make any sense at all why he would buy a house here.


    Could it be that in order to treat Uncle Jiang¡¯s legs, the Jiang family had no money and could only sell their house in the city center and come to the countryside to buy a house?


    Shen Xu¡¯s face was full of hesitation, but he couldn¡¯t hold back in the end. He leaned into Jiang Chen¡¯s ear and said, ¡°Jiangzi, you really came here to buy a house? No way, right?¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at the woods on the hillside not far away, pointed to the creek and wild flowers at his feet, and asked with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t you think the air here is good? My dad needs to recover for a while after the operation, and if he lives at home he will have to keep going up and down the stairs. It¡¯s inconvenient, and the city center is also noisy, and it¡¯s not suitable for recuperation, so buying a house here, once he is discharged from the hospital and moved here, he can have a good rest.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jiang is right.¡± Hearing the conversation between Jiang Chen and Shen Xu, Chen Fang was more relieved, and he said with a smile: ¡°Wugu Village may not be as good as the city center in regards to other factors, but the scenery is really worth mentioning. Moreover, there are many live hot springs in the mountains, the only disadvantage here is the remoteness, otherwise, if it was developed, there will definitely be more tourists than over at Kong Mt., but if it is for health care and retirement, the tranquility and scenic atmosphere here are definitely the most suitable.¡±


    ¡°And this is not really considered a rural area. Real rural houses are not allowed to be listed for sale. Wugu Village is divided into the Wugu District. It is considered a town and has a real estate certificate. It¡¯s just that most of the people living here are villagers and few will sell their house.¡±


    The three of them talked and walked to a bungalow. A middle-aged man was standing by the wall. When he saw them coming, he rubbed his hands and smiled honestly: ¡°Mr. Chen, you are here, these two are looking at the house, right? I¡¯ll take you inside to have a look.¡±


    Chen Fang greeted the man, and then introduced him to Jiang Chen: ¡°This is the owner who plans to sell the house. Their family will move to the south. This house was built by himself when he got married, and it is only three years old. It¡¯s very new, and there¡¯s a big yard at the back, the whole house including the yard is nearly 500 square meters, and most importantly, the backyard of his house is connected to a hot spring, you can go and see it.¡±


    Under Chen Fang¡¯s lead, Jiang Chen looked over the house, and after seeing the hot spring in the backyard, he immediately made a decision in his heart.


    However, during this period, except for asking some small questions, he did not show the slightest intention to buy it. It was not until he returned to the main room and sat down face to face that he asked unhurriedly: ¡°Uncle Yang, your house is really good. The area of ??the house along with the yard is not small, but the property area does not include this yard, right?¡±


    ¡°This¡­..¡± The man was not good at fooling people, he nodded honestly and said, ¡°That¡¯s true, but even though there is no real estate certificate, every household circles the yard like this, and everyone acknowledges it.¡±


    Jiang Chen said: ¡°Your house has two floors, with a total area of ??168 square meters. The price you gave is 1,800 yuan per square meter, plus the packing price of the backyard, and the total price is 334,800 yuan. If you can go to the neighborhood committee now, and then sign the contract with me under the witness of the town¡¯s residents, I can pay 350,000 yuan.¡±


    ¡°This¡­..¡± The man was a little puzzled, and looked at Chen Fang who was on the side.


    Chen Fang understood the meaning of Jiang Chen¡¯s actions in the blink of an eye.


    If Jiang Chen bought this place for recuperation, there was a high probability that he would not move here immediately, and he might not live here long term in the future.


    When a house was left empty, it was easy to attract troubles, such as a small but very likely issue to happen here: the neighbor next door repaired their walls and moved a few meters towards your area. Once you move over they have already finished building. The house lease stated that land belonged to you, but you couldn¡¯t use the law to argue with them, and it was not like you could forcibly tear down the other person¡¯s walls, right?


    Although it was classified as an urban area here, the folks in the village recognized favors and relationships more than contracts. In such a small circle that was xenophobic and had been neighbors for decades, even if you had reason on your side, the possibility of others helping you was not too big.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    Now Jiang Chen intended to pay more money, and sign the contract under the noses of the neighborhood committee staff who have some weight in the hearts of these residents, not only to guarantee he had witnesses, but also to use the owner of this house to bring him into the circle of these people, so that the people here were more likely to accept him.


    Looking at Jiang Chen who showed almost no emotion during the whole process, yet hit every nail on the head directly when he opened his mouth, Chen Fang couldn¡¯t help being impressed. Was this meticulous attitude really that of an eighteen year old boy? When he was eighteen years old he ran away from home and was foolishly cheated out of two hundred yuan.

 CH 23

    DECEMBER 15, 2022 NYXBIRD 1 COMMENT


    Of course the man would not refuse to earn an extra 10,000 yuan. It happened that Chen Fang also had the contract paper with him. The three hit it off and went to the neighborhood committee immediately.


    Although it was a holiday at this time, there were many chatting residents gathered in the neighborhood committee area. Seeing acquaintances coming with two unfamiliar faces, they were all a little curious. After learning their purpose, they were quite enthusiastic and amiable about helping out as witnesses, and the process of signing the contract was pleasant and fast.


    After paying the deposit, Jiang Chen took out a bag of marshmallows from his backpack, opened it with a smile and handed it to the children playing around here. The children crowded over and accepted the candy with shouts of happiness. There was even a small child who hugged his legs coquettishly asking for candies.


    The parents also laughed when they saw this, and their attitude was a little more kindly and familiar than before. An enthusiastic auntie pulled Jiang Chen and Shen Xu to chat, talking about the scenery here, saying which family¡¯s fruit tree had the juiciest fruits, and which family¡¯s vegetables were the most fresh, telling him to try it out sometime when he was free.


    The children ran and chased each other playfully, and Jiang Chen quietly talked with a few aunties and grannies, thereby gaining a general understanding of Wugu Village. It was rare to see a boy of this age who was willing to talk with them. So the happier these aunties and grannies were, the more they insisted they stay with them for a meal at the end.


    Jiang Chen came here to sign the contract in order to establish a good relationship with the nearby neighbors in advance, so naturally he would not shirk this invitation, and accepted it with an obedient smile.


    After dinner, several aunties and uncles near Jiang Chen¡¯s house got to know him. With Jiang Chen¡¯s personality that was easy to please the elders and Shen Xu¡¯s invincible sweet mouth, the uncles all have a good impression of both of them while the aunties and grannies almost recognized the two of them as their own sons and grandsons, and saw them to the entrance of the village before leaving.


    Chen Fang facilitated a closing, and sent them back to the city center in a good mood. Before leaving, he left his contact information and made an appointment for the transfer procedures. He said with a smile that Jiang Chen and his friends could come to him if they wanted to buy or sell houses.


    Shen Xu smiled and said: ¡°Uncle Chen, not only Jiangzi, I will also look for you when I buy a house in the future, and then you have to give us a discount.¡±


    When the car drove away, the smile on Shen Xu¡¯s face disappeared, and he asked, ¡°Jiangzi, tell me the truth, where did your money come from? I don¡¯t believe that Uncle and Aunt Jiang would really let you go to the countryside to buy a house at this time.¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyes and smiled lightly. His two friends, Huo Bo, seemed to be meticulous in methods and thoughtful, but in fact he was somewhat absentminded in many aspects, while Shen Xu seemed to be thick in many ways, but in fact he was quite observant, and because of his keen intuition, he almost never made an error in judgment.


    Moreover, Shen Xu could be said to be one of the people who understand him best in this world.


    However, Jiang Chen had no intention of hiding it. Except for changing the purpose of going to Donghua Village to relax, he told Shen Xu truthfully everything that happened afterwards.


    Shen Xu¡¯s eyes widened, and he said in shock: ¡°No way? That child was actually playing house with a banknote printed in the 30th year of Guangxu? A real rich family! What was the identity of the child¡¯s ancestors before they came to Yan City? And being able to possess four at once, even in the past, is rare.¡±


    In fact, Jiang Chen was also curious. When he first saw old Mr. Miao, he was no different from any ordinary farmer. But after communicating with him, he found that he seemed simple and honest on the surface, but in fact he had quite the wisdom and foresight, and he handled things calmly and properly. If not because of this, even if he was temporarily short of money he would not accept a silver banknote from old Mr. Miao as a thank you gift, because they both understood that this banknote was more about establishing a cooperative relationship than thanking him.


    He could probably guess that apart from helping find a house in the city and Miao Miao¡¯s school admission, old Mr. Miao had other things that he wanted him to help with. Although he didn¡¯t know what it was, that he would ask him, a student whose background he did not know, to help him, it likely wasn¡¯t something too troublesome, but something old Mr. Miao couldn¡¯t do himself.


    Just what this was, he would naturally know when the time came, and while towards the identities of old Mr. Miao and Miao Miao he was quite curious, he wouldn¡¯t do things like deliberately pry into other people¡¯s privacy.


    Shen Xu didn¡¯t think much about it either, and after mentioning it casually, he put the matter behind him and felt happy for Jiang Chen: ¡°In this way, Uncle Jiang will not have to worry about the operation fee.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°Yes, so I will be a little busy during this time, and I won¡¯t be able to accompany you tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I will treat you to lunch when we go back to school.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Shen Xu¡¯s face fell instantly: ¡°What are you busy with? Still buying a house?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°I¡¯m planning to buy a store for my dad. When he¡¯s ready, he can open a store and sell the toys he made himself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡± Shen Xu clapped his hands and said excitedly: ¡°Even now I am reluctant to throw away the toys that Uncle Jiang made for me when I was a child. The little brats among my relatives would look for these toys as soon as they came over for a house visit. It doesn¡¯t work hiding them even in the cabinets, and it doesn¡¯t work to buy new toys for them either. After all these years, half of them were wheedled away by those rambunctious children. And this is the result of me trying my best to outwit them. If Uncle Jiang opens a toy shop it will definitely be popular.¡±


    Jiang Chen could imagine this scene. When he was a child, the children in the community loved to come to his house to play. A large part of the reason was because of his toys. At that time, most of his toys were handmade by his father, which were novel, interesting and unique, so occasionally children wanted to take away his toys and staged crying scenes.


    Because of this, a few days ago, when he accidentally found a childhood toy, this idea suddenly popped into his mind. Since his father could no longer work normally, wasn¡¯t letting him do what he was most fond of before as his future career the magic weapon that could rekindle his confidence the fastest?


    Shen Xu thought for a while, and said: ¡°If you want to buy a store, I¡¯ll ask my dad for you. It seems that there are storefronts to be sold in the new real estate opened by their company. If you don¡¯t buy there, he also has more information channels. Wait for me to ask, then you can go buy.¡±


    ¡°I was just planning to trouble Uncle Shen.¡± Jiang Chen said with a smile, ¡°When Uncle and Aunt Shen come back, I¡¯ll visit your house.¡±


    ¡°My parents will be at home tomorrow, so you just come on over.¡± Shen Xu said with a smile and lowered his voice, ¡°If my dad makes up for you the red envelopes for the Chinese New Year, you just keep them, and we¡¯ll split it fifty-fifty.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at him, and Shen Xu immediately raised his hands in surrender.


    When he got home, it was past ten o¡¯clock in the evening.


    Not long after, Yang Si also came back from the hospital. When she saw Jiang Chen coming in, she smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you playing out so late, where did you go with Xiao Xu? Next time if it¡¯s too late, just call and you can stay directly at Xiao Xu¡¯s home, or let Xiao Xu come to sleep over.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at his watch, and said, ¡°Shen Xu and I went out to do business in the afternoon, not for fun, and also Mom, it¡¯s already ten o¡¯clock, you should go to bed early, it¡¯s not good to stay up late, I¡¯ll tell you something when I wake up tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Yang Si immediately stood up, pulled Jiang Chen to sit down on the sofa, and said curiously, ¡°Tell Mom quickly, it¡¯s only ten o¡¯clock, so tell Mom what you want to say now, otherwise Mom can¡¯t sleep at night.¡±


    Ever since there was hope for Jiang Zhuo¡¯s legs, Yang Si had returned to her previous personality, which made Jiang Chen happy but also a little helpless. For example, now, a certain Ms. Yang was curious and won¡¯t go to bed until she got an answer.


    Jiang Chen opened his backpack, took out the contract and bank card, and handed them to Yang Si.


    Yang Si took the contract and opened it for a look, her expression shifted a little bit, and finally settled on being puzzled: ¡°This is a contract for buying a house? But son, where did you get the money, and you are not yet eighteen years old. Who would sell a house to you?¡±


    ¡°Mom, you forgot that they made a mistake when you did my household registration and birth certificate, and put me one year older?¡±


    Yang Si was taken aback for a moment, and then remembered: ¡°That¡¯s right, I even forgot that you are officially an adult on your ID card.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled helplessly, and without waiting for Yang Si to ask again, he recounted what happened in the past few days, the same as what he said to Shen Xu, other than the purpose of going to Donghua Village being changed, everything else was described truthfully.


    ¡°Seven, seven hundred and forty thousand yuan?¡± Yang Si repeated the number in disbelief, and only came back to her senses after a few seconds. She thought about it, hesitated a few times, and then organized her words: ¡°Chen Chen, you picked up the grandpa¡¯s money and recognized the value of the money, which is very amazing. If Mom saw it, I wouldn¡¯t recognize it, and you also took the money to the grandpa¡¯s house and told the grandpa about the money¡¯s value, this is even more worthy of praise¡­..but Mom wants to ask you, why did you accept the money from the grandpa? Can you tell Mom what you thought at the time?¡±


    Facing Yang Si¡¯s puzzled expression, Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly understood her doubts at this time.


    If it was Jiang Chen in the first life, even if the family faced such a situation, even if they were really desperate, he would not accept the money.


    ¡°Mom, Grandpa Miao and I made a transaction.¡± Jiang Chen looked at Yang Si and said, ¡°What he needs is information on various aspects of Yan City, and I can help him turn his banknotes into actual spending money, as well as buy a house and transfer to another school, etc. Towards this series of follow-up things, I am currently the most trusted partner with the most suitable time for him, and I also happened to need a sum of money, so we reached a deal.¡±


    ¡°In other words, if the other party was not Grandpa Miao, I would not accept the 740,000 yuan, and if it was not me, Grandpa Miao would not entrust others to help with this matter. Our transaction is based on our initial understanding and trust of each other¡¯s character, each taking what we need.¡±


    Yang Si paused, and remained silent for a long time. She raised her hand to touch Jiang Chen¡¯s face, and said with some melancholy: ¡°It seems that Mom¡¯s baby Chen Chen had grown up before I even knew it¡­¡­¡± As she spoke, she puffed out a laugh: ¡°However, that serious appearance when talking is exactly the same as that little child trying to speak reason with Mom in a high and milky tone. Both are so cute!¡±


    Jiang Chen sighed helplessly: ¡°Mom¡­..¡±


    Yang Si smiled and pinched Jiang Chen¡¯s face: ¡°You are still as shy as you were when you were a child, but no matter what Chen Chen does, as long as you have your own reasons and you have a clear conscience, Mom will support you.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes and met his mother¡¯s smiling gentle eyes, and the tip of his nose suddenly stung a little.


    No matter what life it was, no matter what he was like, his mother would always be like this, telling him gently and firmly: Mom will support you.


    This kind of silent trust and support had accompanied him for twenty years, and after they left, it had supported him through every difficult, dark and lonely time. Whenever he wanted to give up, he would just look behind him, and there still standing were two figures, telling him silently: Mom and Dad will always be by your side.

 CH 24

    After Yang Si knew the cause and effect and Jiang Chen¡¯s plan, the follow-up matter also went smoothly.


    During the remaining three days of the holiday, Jiang Chen first visited Shen Xu¡¯s father at the Shen house. After talking with him in detail, he finally selected a storefront based on his memory of the future development of various areas in Yan City and through father Shen¡¯s connections settled the contract.


    This was a shop facing the street with a height of nearly five meters and a total area of ??70 square meters. The insider price was 7,500 yuan per square meter, and the total price was 525,000 yuan. Compared to the real estate price in Yan City now, this storefront¡¯s price was quite higher.


    But Jiang Chen knew that this place would become one of the most prosperous business districts in Yan City in less than two years, and the shop he chose was directly facing the busiest and liveliest street. Within five years, the value of this store would increase by at least twenty times. Even if Jiang Zhuo was unwilling to operate this store after it was refurbished, renting it out would also bring in a good profit.


    The store was bought in the name of Yang Si, and father Shen was there to help, so the whole process from the selection to the loan to the down payment and signing of the contract was very fast, and all the procedures were completed before the end of the holiday.


    After paying the down payment for the store and completing the final payment for Wugu Village, Jiang Chen used 20,000 yuan to buy and assemble a computer himself, and kept the remaining 260,000 yuan for Jiang Zhuo¡¯s surgical treatment.


    Most of the Jiang family¡¯s affairs were settled, and the May Day holiday ended as scheduled.


    After the week-long holiday, the atmosphere of Yan City No. 1 High School was relaxed except for the seniors in third year who were nervously preparing for the college entrance exam.


    The same was true for year 2, class 1, but the substitute class teacher, Mr. Li, had always had a Buddhist attitude, and he didn¡¯t reprimand them when he saw the noise in the classroom before lessons started. He just informed them with a kind smile: the midterm exam three days later is a joint exam, No. 1 High School, its attached secondary school and Chenghua would jointly create the exam questions, the ranking would also include all three schools. So everyone remember to check your approximate ranking in the entire Yan City.


    As soon as this remark came out, there was wailing from the classroom, yelling that the teachers hadn¡¯t mentioned the joint exam of the three schools in advance before the holiday, otherwise they would have studied hard during the holiday. Though they complained and said that, the learning atmosphere immediately returned to before the long vacation, as everyone wanted to work hard to squeeze in the forefront of the big joint ranking of the three schools.


    The study atmosphere became stronger, and there were more people discussing subject problems during recess and self-study. Among them, Jiang Chen¡¯s table was the most lively, and there was an endless stream of people with questions. Shen Xu was dissatisfied that someone took his throne, but Jiang Chen welcomed it. While tutoring on the topic, he also helped himself consolidate and review the information.


    It was just that besides the questions, the people who came also had a lot of words of encouragement that made Jiang Chen dumbfounded.


    ¡ª¡ª¡±Brother Chen, the hope of No. 1 High School, you must get the top spot!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡±God Jiang, you are the best. We must show Chenghua and the secondary school this time what a real god of learning is. And wash away the shame of missing out on the number one spot in sciences on the college entrance examination last year, and the shame of having the second most admitted studentsto Hua/Yan Uni!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡±Jiang Chen, you must take first place in the joint entrance examination this time. Last year, the first place in the science subjects of the joint examination in the second year was from the competition class of the attached secondary school. During the summer camp, those people¡¯s noses were practically up to the sky. This year we must kill their prestige.¡±


    There were countless things like this, and other than this there were also many people who were worried.


    ¡ª¡ª¡±Jiang Chen, Li Xiao from the attached secondary high school had a total score of 738 in sciences at the end of last year. I heard that she is even scarier this year than last year. Do you think you can be stable this time¡­..¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡±Jiang Chen, apart from you, Chenghua¡¯s He Qianjian and the attached secondary school¡¯s Li Xiao are the most popular this time. They are also very amazing. Don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself. Just keep your level. I believe you will be number one.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡±Jiang Chen¡­..¡±


    Three days passed in a blink of an eye, and the joint midterm exam, which some people were nervous about and some were looking forward to, finally came.


    Before the exam, Shen Xu threw an arm over Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulders, and smiled gloatingly: ¡°Jiangzi, as if the pressure is not too much, you are the hope of the whole school.¡±


    Jiang Chen held his pen and paper, walked to the first seat and sat down, pursed his lips and said, ¡°Since it¡¯s hope, it won¡¯t disappoint.¡±


    Shen Xu made a hey sound, and held up his thumb: ¡°God Jiang, cocky.¡±


    There were two days of exams on Thursday and Friday, and the three schools would jointly mark the papers over the weekend, and the results would be released next Monday.


    On the weekend, Shen Xu asked Jiang Chen to play basketball in the name of relieving Jiang Chen¡¯s nervousness before the grades came out. But who knew that he was the one who showed the most anxiety. He couldn¡¯t help asking the classmate next to him right after he arrived at the court: ¡°Say, who will be the first in the midterm exam this time?¡±


    The ones Shen Xu called were all the students who usually got along well in the class. Everyone naturally knew what he was worried about, and they were also very concerned about the ranking of this exam.


    It was just¡­..the teenagers turned their heads and saw Jiang Chen who was not affected at all, dribbling and shooting not far away, and their expressions were a little exasperated.


    Class monitor Tang Qixun rubbed his chin, shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to guess, hard to say about Chenghua¡¯s He Qianjian, we used to have different test papers from their school, but I heard that he has been the first in his year since elementary school, so it¡¯s hard to tell. He has always been impressive and I think his results of the joint midterm examination will be quite good, but Li Xiao from the attached secondary school is a real genius. I went to the same elementary school with her. She only went to elementary school for three years before skipping grades, and she only went to junior high school for one year. She went directly to the attached secondary school in 1999, and now she is only twelve years old, but she is firmly ranked first in her year regardless of her age. You guys don¡¯t know, but when she took the high school entrance exam, all the schools were throwing money at her and fighting over her. But she just chose the attached secondary school because her home is close to it, and I heard that she is also in the competition class. In short, she is a talented girl who can¡¯t be described as just awesome.¡±


    Luo Ze¡¯s eyes widened: ¡°Holy sh*t, so powerful? Is this still a human? How do ordinary people compare with geniuses?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, you are spoiling our own prestige by fanning others¡¯ aspirations!¡± Shen Xu jumped up and slapped Luo Ze on the head: ¡°When Jiangzi was in elementary school, those teachers also suggested that he skip a grade, it was Uncle Jiang and the others who refused to let him. And also, Jiangzi wanted to accompany me and Huo Bo to study step by step, so if there is really a comparison on this, Jiangzi will not lose.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that Jiang Chen will lose.¡± Luo Ze smiled and pressed Shen Xu down, wrapped his arms around his neck, raised his chin and gestured in Jiang Chen¡¯s direction: ¡°You are the anxious eunuch while the emperor is not at all worried himself, it¡¯s useless to worry now, you will know the results tomorrow, so let¡¯s go and play.¡±


    Shen Xu kicked him, snatched the ball from his hand, turned his head and grinned triumphantly while dribbling the ball, ran to Jiang Chen¡¯s side and said, ¡°Come on, Jiangzi, let us start the era of the peak of the ¡®double devils¡¯ on the court again!¡±


    Luo Ze was right behind him. Hearing his words, he laughed and said, ¡°You¡¯re always relying on Jiang Chen everytime, and you still have the face to call yourself ¡°double devils¡±.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t b*tch, let¡¯s have a two-on-two match later?¡± Shen Xu shot back.


    Luo Ze rolled his eyes and reached out to slap the ball in his hand: ¡°Or just one-on-one.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m stupid.¡± Shen Xu dodged away, smiling smugly, but also naturally unreasonable.


    The two of them fought together in an instant, and Jiang Chen watched while holding the ball on the side. He and Tang Qixun looked at each other and grinned.


    It was mid-May, the weather in Yan City was still a bit chilly, but the teenagers on the field were only wearing thin short-sleeved shirts, and they were full of youth and vigor.


    In the interstellar era in the last life, basketball had already become an ancient sport, and there were very few people who could play basketball. Moreover, Jiang Chen was preoccupied with completing his studies before he was twelve years old. After entering the Imperial University at the age of twelve, he was always in the laboratory. Although later when he joined the federal research institute he had to train like the soldiers. However, researchers and soldiers were different after all, and exercise was only to have a better health and physique for doing research, so after reaching the standard amount of exercise, everyone would race against time to get into the laboratory, and have no time to find other exercise hobbies.


    Therefore, counting the later years of the first life and the previous life, Jiang Chen had not played for nearly thirty years.


    When Shen Xu and the others were chatting just now, Jiang Chen practiced dribbling and dunking. From jerkiness to familiarity, he regained the feeling of playing before in a few minutes. This feeling was very strange. In memory, this body and he had been separated for a long time, but his body memory was not unfamiliar, as if he had always been in this body and never left.


    After the game started, although Jiang Chen was familiar with basketball, he didn¡¯t quickly regain the tacit understanding of playing with Shen Xu and the others. He made several mistakes in the first quarter, which caused the score to widen by a lot.


    Before the start of the second quarter, Luo Ze teased: ¡°Could it be that you got distracted with the girl who just walked past, becoming absent-minded? Do you want us brothers to catch up to her and help you ask for her number?¡±


    Jiang Chen twirled the ball in his hand, raised his eyebrows and smiled, right before taking off to shoot a three-pointer.


    ¡°Your eyes are the one stuck on her, and you speak of Jiangzi.¡± Shen Xu rolled his eyes: ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have grabbed that rebound just now. But in order to show that you can jump like a monkey you still did it, the girl didn¡¯t even look at you.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that she didn¡¯t look at me?¡± Luo Ze threw the ball at Shen Xu: ¡°Come on! Let me show you the charm of this big brother!¡±


    After the first quarter, Jiang Chen had recovered the tacit understanding with Shen Xu. At the beginning of the second quarter, the suppressed situation of their team changed instantly. At the end of the quarter, the scores on both sides were already quite close.


    ¡°Jiangzi!¡±


    Shen Xu yelled, Jiang Chen hardly hesitated, raised his hand to catch the basketball thrown at him, then bent his knees, and while jumping up, the basketball drew a parabola in mid-air, and when he landed, it was to the boys¡¯ cheers.


    ¡°Three points!¡±


    ¡°Clean shot!¡±


    ¡°Awesome!¡±


    The boys were equally happy, and they all ran over laughing, hugging each other one by one, regardless of the win or loss just now.


    Jiang Chen was surrounded tightly, and the smell of sweat from the boys¡¯ bodies mixed together, sweeping away his previous calm, and he resisted and dodged desperately.


    While ducking, he laughed and said, ¡°Stay away from me!¡±


    ¡°Tell you to pretend!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all sweaty, who are you to feel disdain for?¡±


    ¡°Come, welcome the blessing of this brother¡¯s sweat, and you will be guaranteed first place in the midterm exam tomorrow!¡±


    The teenagers laughed and wanted to surround him. Luo Ze winked at the left and right, everyone understood. They rushed up and lifted Jiang Chen up, throwing him into the air with cheers.


    Under the sunshine of the end of spring, the boy who was thrown up had a clear, bright smile without any gloom or overcast.

 CH 25

    Monday.


    Before reaching the school gate, Jiang Chen bumped into Shen Xu.


    Shen Xu ran over like the wind, pulled him and began to run: ¡°Hurry up! I didn¡¯t go to sleep until after one o¡¯clock last night, just for this moment!¡±


    Jiang Chen was caught off guard by him and staggered. Seeing his anxious look, he had no choice but to adjust his pace and run with him.


    ¡°Jiangzi, hurry up! The friends in front, please give way!¡± Shen Xu dragged Jiang Chen to the cultural corridor, and then squeezed into the crowd, but there were too many people and he was dragging a team member who was uncaring and wouldn¡¯t move so he could only ask the boy next to him: ¡°Brother, is the ranking out? Who is number one? Is it our school?¡±


    It was very crowded in front of the bulletin board, and the boy who was pulled had just seen the big list clearly. At this time, when he heard Shen Xu¡¯s question and was about to answer it, he saw Jiang Chen beside him. He paused for a second, and immediately raised his voice and shouted: ¡°God Jiang is here!¡±


    In a word, it was like pouring hot water into a frying pan, and it exploded in an instant.


    ¡°Jiang Chen!¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°God Jiang is here, give way!¡±


    The students crowded by the bulletin board looked around, some people stretched their heads to look out, some people wanted to diverge a way, and the pushing and shoving made it even more crowded. Shen Xu anxiously looked at the separated and crowded students in front of him, and jumped up several times to try and look at the bulletin board, but he was not tall enough, so he could only grab the boy next to him and continue to ask: ¡°Brother, did you see it? Where is Jiang Chen?¡±


    Before the boy could answer, Luo Ze who had already seen the big list by virtue of his height, shouted: ¡°F**k, Jiang Chen! You are number one! First in the joint exam of the three schools! The total score is 742! You damn devil!¡±


    Shen Xu¡¯s jumping motion paused, only to jump higher than before in an instant: ¡°742! First in the midterm exam!¡± He pushed away the people in front of him, and jumped onto Jiang Chen: ¡°Jiangzi! Number one in the joint exam!¡±


    Jiang Chen leaned back, also smiled and said, ¡°I know.¡±


    Shen Xu hung on Jiang Chen¡¯s body and shouted excitedly, ¡°Ahhhhhhh! I¡¯m so f**king happy! Hahahaha!¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s neck was strangled by Shen Xu, his back was squeezed by other people, and he almost suffocated. He tried to evade and said: ¡°Let go of me, I will be strangled to death by you.¡±


    However, there were so many people making noise, Jiang Chen¡¯s voice was quickly drowned out in the crowd. Just a second before he was completely out of breath and about to use violence to flip Shen Xu down, the surroundings suddenly became much quieter, and the crowd also parted.


    Jiang Chen was blocked by Shen Xu and couldn¡¯t see what was happening in front of him. Just as he was curious, he felt his body lighten. Shen Xu screeched as he was torn off Jiang Chen¡¯s body by the back of his neck.


    ¡°Ao ao ao¡ª¡ª-¡± While being held up by the collar, Shen Xu waved his arms and shouted: ¡°Who the f**k dare to sneak attack your master!¡±


    Jiang Chen took a breath, straightened his school uniform and raised his head to thank the kind-hearted person. The next second, his grateful expression turned into astonishment: ¡°Shi Fengyue?¡±


    Shen Xu said at the same time: ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Shi Fengyue was wearing a long gray windbreaker, looked at Shen Xu with long eyelashes half lowered, and slightly parted his pale lips: ¡°Get out of the way.¡±


    Shen Xu tucked his neck in when he saw him, and carefully approached Jiang Chen, asking in a low voice, ¡°Who is this guy?¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s gaze fell on Jiang Chen¡¯s messy hair, he paused for a second, and said calmly, ¡°I have something to talk with you about.¡±


    From the corner of his eye, he saw the classmates looking this way and a few girls huddled together, clearly yearning to move forward. Jiang Chen pursed his lower lip and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go over there and talk.¡±


    It was almost time for early self-study, and there were the fewest people near the office building.


    Jiang Chen stopped by the flower bed of the office building, and with anxiety in his eyes he asked: ¡°Did something happen to my dad?¡±


    Shi Fengyue stood one meter away from him: ¡°No.¡±


    Jiang Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed, with a smile on his face he then asked: ¡°Then why did Dr. Shi come to the No. 1 High School to find me?¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s eyes fell on the dimple on his left cheek, and the hand placed by his side moved according to his heart, raised and rubbed his head, and under Jiang Chen¡¯s displeased expression, he said without changing his face: ¡°Your hair is messy.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes were drawn to the ends of his slightly slanted eyes, and when the doubts in his heart had just surfaced he was asked, ¡°Where is your junior high school section?¡±


    As soon as Shi Fengyue finished speaking, Jiang Chen remembered the conversation in the ward not long ago. He put aside his doubts and said, ¡°Are you looking for your nephew?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Shi Fengyue¡¯s hum came out of his nasal cavity, and don¡¯t know what he thought of, he rubbed his brows a little irritably: ¡°His teacher called the parents, but his parents are not in Yan City.¡±


    Seeing Shi Fengyue¡¯s irritable expression of one who was obviously impatient but had no other choice but to go, Jiang Chen was in a good mood for some reason, and his eyes slightly curved: ¡°The junior high school section is just behind the high school, you go north, cross a road and you will see the gate of the junior high school. It¡¯s not far away, just a few hundred meters.¡±


    Shi Fengyue looked down at Jiang Chen¡¯s harmless smiling face, and the hand he just put down twitched again. He looked away and around the surroundings: ¡°Wait for me.¡±


    The person who just threw down these two words walked away neatly and disappeared at the corner of the flower bed. Jiang Chen stood there thinking for two seconds whether to wait for him, but before he came to a conclusion, he heard the bell for self-study.


    ¡°Who is standing there?¡± Fu Jinyu came out of the office building, saw someone standing by the flower bed, walked over and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the bell for class? Standing there,¡­..Jiang Chen?¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head and said, ¡°Hello, Teacher Fu.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± Jiang Chen paused for a moment: ¡°A relative of my family came to visit me at school. He just answered a call. I¡¯m waiting for him.¡±


    Putting aside his doubts, Fu Jinyu instructed: ¡°Go to class after talking with your relative, and then come to my office after lunch.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Fu Jinyu turned around while looking at his watch: ¡°I will help you take a leave with Teacher Yang later, but you must enter the classroom before the first class, don¡¯t be too late¡­..Is that your relative?¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced past Fu Jinyu, and saw Shi Fengyue walking towards this side at a leisurely pace with a plastic bag in his hand.


    Shi Fengyue also heard Fu Jinyu¡¯s words, and he stopped and turned to look at Jiang Chen.


    Then, he nodded lightly and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Jiang Chen¡¯s brother, who are you?¡±


    Fu Jinyu¡¯s hesitant eyes lingered on Shi Fengyue¡¯s face for a few seconds: ¡°Hello, I am Jiang Chen¡¯s math teacher, my surname is Fu.¡±


    ¡°I must trouble Teacher Fu to take care of Jiang Chen at school.¡±


    ¡°No trouble, it¡¯s my duty to educate students, and Jiang Chen¡¯s grades are very good. This time he took the first place in the joint exam of the three schools, and will represent the school in the mathematics competition in August. We all have high hopes for him.¡±


    Shi Fengyue glanced calmly at the young man beside him, and the smile on the corner of his mouth deepened: ¡°So impressive?¡±


    Fu Jinyu nodded, paused in the middle of nodding, and looked at Jiang Chen suspiciously: ¡°Jiang Chen, didn¡¯t you mention your grades in school at home?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t mentioned the competition yet.¡± Jiang Chen evaded the matter and said lightly: ¡°Teacher Fu, it¡¯s my brother¡¯s first visit to our school, and I¡¯ll take him around the campus and then go to morning self-study.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Fu Jinyu glanced at Shi Fengyue, and said to Jiang Chen: ¡°Accompany your brother well, teacher will go up first, remember to enter the classroom before the first class.¡±


    There were only two people left by the flower bed.


    ¡°Dr. Shi, you asked me to wait for you here, is there anything else you need from me?¡±


    When Shi Fengyue lifted the plastic bag, Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes fell on the bag.


    ¡°Thank you gift.¡±


    ¡°Snacks?¡±


    Shi Fengyue nodded: ¡°Don¡¯t you kids all like to eat snacks?¡± He opened a bag of candies while talking, peeled off the candy wrapper and put one in his mouth. After a few seconds, he frowned, chewed and swallowed it, and then took out a few packs of snacks and looked at them, then clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Antioxidants, preservatives, food colorings, thickeners¡­..children like to eat these things now?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows slightly, and was just about to refute the word ¡°child¡± when he rubbed his head: ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll make it up to you next time.¡±


    A gust of wind blew, Shi Fengyue¡¯s back was tall and straight, and his casual voice pierced through the rustling leaves: ¡°I¡¯m going first, go back and attend class obediently.¡±


    When Jiang Chen returned to the classroom, it was almost time for morning self-study.


    As soon as he sat down, Shen Xu moved his head over, covered his mouth and said in a low voice: ¡°Who was that man just now? Why did he want to see you? Why haven¡¯t I seen him before?¡±


    Luo Ze, who was drowsy after reading the text, also regained his energy when he heard the words, and joined the topic: ¡°Yeah, God Jiang, who is he, you didn¡¯t see, when you left just now, those girls went crazy. Oh, the degree of exaggeration, as if they haven¡¯t seen a man in hundreds of years, they have been discussing him all morning.¡±


    Jiang Chen opened the textbook: ¡°My father¡¯s doctor, he is going to the junior high school section to look for his nephew, and when he got lost, he asked me for directions.¡±


    ¡°Is he the one who will perform the operation on Uncle Jiang?¡± Shen Xu raised his hand holding the book, and when he saw the language teacher looking over, he immediately covered his shocked face: ¡°So young?¡±


    ¡°Doctor?¡± Luo Ze was even more surprised, and moved his head close to Jiang Chen¡¯s ear, in disbelief: ¡°A doctor with those looks?¡±


    Jiang Chen tilted his head, pushed Luo Ze¡¯s head away, and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t judge people by their appearance, and Teacher Li is coming this way.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The day passed quickly, and as soon as the bell rang for the last class dismissal, Shen Xu quickly packed his schoolbag, ran to Jiang Chen¡¯s desk and said, ¡°Where shall we go to eat?¡±


    Jiang Chen had promised to treat Shen Xu to a meal during the May Day holiday. It just so happened that today¡¯s midterm exam results were good, and Yang Si had to go to the hospital to eat with Jiang Zhuo in the evening and couldn¡¯t go home, so he set the time for today.


    Jiang Chen got up: ¡°Wherever you want.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Shen Xu struggled: ¡°Xu Ji¡¯s Cantonese cuisine is good, but I¡¯m sure we won¡¯t be able to get in line at this time, and I haven¡¯t eaten the hot pot in Long Alley for a long time, but I don¡¯t really want spicy food today. There¡¯s also Huang Yun¡¯s Sichuan cuisine, no, it¡¯s also spicy, and the Huaiyang cuisine near the park¡­..¡±


    Counting the restaurants from the classroom to the school gate, Shen Xu couldn¡¯t choose the one he wanted to go the most, so he had to let Jiang Chen make up his mind in the end.


    Jiang Chen picked the one closest to the school among the ones that Shen Xu mentioned just now, and just after he finished speaking, he heard a somewhat familiar voice shout: ¡°Big brother!¡±


    The noble boy with a clean aura was wearing a Western suit-style school uniform, and in a group of students in loose blue tracksuits, waving his hand and walking towards this side quickly, he looked particularly eye-catching.

 CH 26

    He Qianmin kept looking at the school doors, staring at everyone who came out, for fear of missing Jiang Chen, and worried whether Jiang Chen would think it was impolite for him to come here without notifying him in advance.


    However, the moment he saw Jiang Chen coming out, his nervousness was quickly forgotten. His eyes lit up, and he waved and shouted, ¡°Big Brother!¡±


    Jiang Chen paused and looked in the direction of the voice.


    He Qianmin ran to Jiang Chen in a few steps, and after seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s surprised expression, he pursed his lips tightly: ¡°Big Brother, you said I could come to you, so¡­..¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Shen Xu raised his hand, interrupted He Qianmin, walked in front of him and looked him up and down carefully for nearly half a minute, then turned to look at Jiang Chen, looked at him several times, and finally said in a daze: ¡°This is your younger brother? Your real younger brother?¡±


    He Qianmin paused in his movements to push Shen Xu away, and looked past him to Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen pulled Shen Xu away and asked He Qianmin, ¡°Came here after school?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Qianmin glanced at Shen Xu: ¡°Big Brother, who is he?¡±


    ¡°My friend, Shen Xu.¡± Jiang Chen kicked Shen Xu lightly, motioning him to come back to his senses: ¡°This is He Qianmin.¡±


    Shen Xu breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°It¡¯s not your younger brother! I knew it, how could I not know that you still have a younger brother in hiding.¡± Turning his head and smiling, he said to He Qianmin: ¡°Hello, I am Shen Xu, one of Jiang Chen¡¯s best friends.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡± He Qianmin nodded casually, turned to look at Jiang Chen, with a tense face: ¡°Are you going home?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to eat hot pot.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°Do you eat hot pot? If you don¡¯t, we¡¯ll¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°I eat!¡± Answering too quickly, He Qianmin¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment: ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten hot pot for a long time.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He Qianmin suppressed the corners of his raised mouth, and followed Jiang Chen step by step.


    Shen Xu lagged a few steps behind, looked thoughtfully at the two people standing side by side in front of him, and murmured to himself: ¡°They look so similar, it can¡¯t be that Uncle Jiang¡­..outside¡­..cough cough, it¡¯s impossible, absolutely impossible, forget it.¡±


    He patted his forehead and took a few quick steps to keep up with the two of them.


    In the hot pot restaurant, the table was placed full with ingredients, and the three of them were sweating profusely from the eating.


    Jiang Chen picked up the last piece of fat beef, put it into He Qianmin¡¯s bowl under Shen Xu¡¯s mournful eyes, and said, ¡°Eat less at night, you will feel uncomfortable later.¡±


    He Qianmin nodded obediently, took the time to glance at Shen Xu, and lowered his head to eat the meat.


    The corner of Shen Xu¡¯s mouth twitched, and he complained, ¡°He ate the most tonight. Since you told him to eat less, you should have given me that piece of meat.¡±


    Jiang Chen took a sip of sour plum soup: ¡°He¡¯s still growing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still growing too!¡± Shen Xu sat up straight with a very hurt expression on his face: ¡°Although I¡¯m already seventeen! But I still have great growth potential, okay?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to him. Seeing that He Qianmin had finished wiping his mouth, he also put down the bowl of sour plum soup in his hand, and leaned back: ¡°Tell me, why did you come to see me today? Why were you unhappy?¡±


    He Qianmin froze, and his face tightened: ¡°I came just because I wanted to, and who says I¡¯m unhappy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to say it.¡± Jiang Chen looked away, got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to pay the bill first, and we¡¯ll go back soon¡­..¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do well on the exam!¡± He Qianmin held Jiang Chen¡¯s hand tightly. Seeing Jiang Chen looking down at him, he suddenly felt aggrieved for some reason, his eyes misted over uncontrollably, and he whispered, ¡°I didn¡¯t do well in the exam so I¡¯m unhappy.¡±


    ¡°Where are your test papers?¡± Jiang Chen rubbed his head, and asked softly, ¡°Did you bring it?¡±


    Shen Xu also comforted on the side: ¡°It¡¯s normal to not do well on exams, what a normal thing, your Brother Shen Xu, I also did not do well on the exam, the most important thing is to look at things calmly, a person¡¯s grades can¡¯t mean everything, like me¡­..F**k¡ª¡ªyou call this not doing well?¡±


    Seeing He Qianmin¡¯s test papers and the complete report card inside, Shen Xu clutched his chest, and patted him on the shoulder with a fake smile: ¡°Little friend, you are seventh in the whole year, and you call this not doing well?¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at his test papers carefully, and said, ¡°You lost the most points on memory questions and Chinese and English compositions. You can improve these things with more practice. The second is geography¡­..I¡¯ll help you look over the test paper when we go back and make a detailed explanation of the questions you missed, and then make a few test papers with similar questions. You won¡¯t be making mistakes after enough practice.¡±


    He Qianmin looked up: ¡°Really?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°It¡¯s already pretty good for you to have grades like this, there¡¯s no need to be unhappy.¡±


    ¡°Seventh¡­..how is that good.¡± He Qianmin lowered his eyelashes and said, ¡°The difference between the first and the seventh is too great.¡±


    ¡°There would there be a bigger difference between the seventh and the forty-seventh?¡± Shen Xu nudged He Qianmin with his elbow, and pointed to himself: ¡°I placed forty-seventh on the exam, and I want to say that I have to catch up with these forty-five people. There are so many people, but did I say anything? You, on the other hand, placed seventh in the exam, and there are only six people in front of you, so just break through one by one, there is nothing to be sad about.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say forty-five?¡± He Qianmin asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t there forty-six people in front of you?¡±


    Shen Xu raised his chin and gestured to Jiang Chen who was reading over the test papers: ¡°There is your brother here. You¡¯re from Chenghua, right? Do you know that he scored 742 in the joint midterm exam of the three schools this time, and he ranked first overall, known as ¡®God Jiang. But these are not the point, the point is that he is my brother, how can brothers brawl with each other, so I will yield to him.¡±


    He Qianmin snorted a sneer from his nasal cavity: ¡°Heh.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me, do you?¡± Shen Xu tilted his head, hooked Jiang Chen¡¯s neck, raised his chin and said, ¡°Tell your little brother, are we brothers or not, and am I yielding you?¡±


    Jiang Chen folded the papers, ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Shen Xu raised his eyebrows proudly: ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    He Qianmin simply glanced at him, and then quickly walked a few steps to catch up with Jiang Chen.


    It was already eight o¡¯clock in the evening when they came out of the hot pot restaurant.


    Jiang Chen rejected Shen Xu¡¯s proposal to go to another stall, ignored He Qianmin¡¯s expression of not wanting to go home, and stuffed him onto the bus.


    ¡°Send me a text when you get home.¡±


    He Qianmin squeezed his phone, thought of Jiang Chen¡¯s words just now, and sent a safe text message the first moment he got off the bus. After receiving Jiang Chen¡¯s reply, he put the phone in his trouser pocket, hummed a tune and entered the door.


    ¡°¡­..It¡¯s nothing, just do a good job on the exam next time. A success or failure doesn¡¯t mean anything. There will be greater progress only when there are setbacks.¡±


    The figure of his mother came from the dining room, and He Qianmin turned around and walked into the dining room.


    He glanced over He Qianjian, who for once had a dark face, and sat down in a happier mood, ¡°Mom, what were you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Talking about your big brother¡¯s midterm exam results.¡± Yang Yun put the plate of ribs in front of He Qianmin and said, ¡°Mom left you your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs. Next time you come home so late, remember to call back, or your father and I will worry about you.¡±


    He Qianmin pouted: ¡°I¡¯m not a child, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±


    He Yanfeng came down from upstairs, and just happened to hear these words. He scolded with a smile: ¡°You still know to come back, I thought you went to someone¡¯s house for dinner again.¡±


    ¡°I have already eaten.¡± He Qianmin picked up a rib and said with a smile, ¡°But I can still eat a few ribs.¡±


    Yang Yun pinched his face, turned to He Qianjian and said, ¡°Da Bao, you eat too, don¡¯t think anymore about it.¡± (TN: da bao=big treasure/big precious)


    He Qianmin put down his chopsticks, crossed his arms over his chest and looked at He Qianjian with a smile, ¡°Yes, failure is the mother of success. In some things, being the best might not necessarily mean the most right, because some people can¡¯t compare at all. This was originally what you said to me. So why can¡¯t you use what you said to me to encourage yourself?¡±


    He Qianjian lowered his head to eat, but did not speak.


    Yang Yun gave He Qianmin an admonishing look, motioning him not to speak.


    He Qianyu swung her legs and asked curiously, ¡°Second Brother, who did you go eat dinner with?¡±


    The corner of He Qianmin¡¯s mouth raised: ¡°My big brother.¡±


    He Qianyu pursed her mouth: ¡°You lied to me, Eldest Brother is clearly at home.¡±


    He Qianmin glanced at He Qianjian, and sneered, ¡°I don¡¯t think of him as my big brother.¡±


    He Yanfeng slapped him on the back, but he was not too angry: ¡°How did your big brother offend you recently? Don¡¯t you know to talk nicely?¡±


    ¡°Qian Min.¡± Yang Yun frowned and said: ¡°No matter how big the conflict between you two brothers, you can¡¯t say such words. Now I apologize to your big brother.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± He Qianmin put down his chopsticks heavily, stood up and said word by word: ¡°If there was a choice, I would definitely not be his younger brother.¡±


    ¡°He Qianmin!¡±


    He Qianmin went straight upstairs.


    He Qianjian raised his head and smiled helplessly: ¡°Mom and Dad, it¡¯s okay. Qian Min is now in a rebellious period. I can understand. Maybe he was not in a good mood at school today, so came back to vent, just let him be.¡±


    He Yanfeng shook his head: ¡°This brat, his temper is getting worse. Since he had eaten already, let¡¯s eat by ourselves first.¡±


    After dinner, He Qianyu went upstairs with dessert and fruit.


    In the living room, only He Yanfeng, Yang Yun and He Qianjian were sitting.


    Seeing He Qianjian¡¯s still sullen expression, He Yanfeng asked with a smile, ¡°The results came out, did you do bad in the exam?¡±


    He Qianjian clenched his fists: ¡°Second place.¡±


    ¡°Second is pretty good too.¡± He Yanfeng said with a smile: ¡°You have always been number one before, and occasionally experiencing what it¡¯s like to be second is also a kind of life experience, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Yang Yun also comforted: ¡°Yes, Da Bao, there¡¯s nothing wrong with being second, don¡¯t be unhappy, don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself.¡±


    He Qianjian hummed lightly, lowering his eyes, lost in his thoughts.


    Seeing this, He Yanfeng sighed inwardly, and said: ¡°It¡¯s a good thing to be competitive, but it¡¯s not a good thing to be too competitive or to be too frustrated. Qian Jian, everything has gone so smoothly since you were young, so encountering setbacks to sharpen your fortitude is a good thing for you. Besides, if there is no challenge in a person¡¯s life, isn¡¯t it too boring?¡±


    ¡°I know, Dad.¡± He Qianjian raised the corners of his mouth and said in a gentle voice, ¡°It¡¯s just my first mistake, and I¡¯m not used to it. I¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡±


    He Yanfeng patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s my son.¡±


    He Qianjian lowered his eyes, suppressing the cold light in his eyes.


    He didn¡¯t like challenges at all, and he didn¡¯t like or allow anyone to step on his head, especially when this person was Jiang Chen, which made him feel like he had a fish bone stuck in his throat. He must think of some way to make Jiang Chen¡­..


    ¡°One more thing. The physical examination results came out. I don¡¯t know what went wrong with the blood test. Your blood type is different from before.¡± He Yanfeng said: ¡°It just so happens that your Uncle Xiang is coming to the house tomorrow morning. So when you get up in the morning don¡¯t eat immediately, wait until he comes to help you draw blood, and then let him take it back to the hospital for a retest.¡±


    ¡°The blood type is different? How is it possible!¡±


    He Qianjian raised his head suddenly, his voice during puberty was hoarse, and right now, currently with a trace of panic.


    AN: He Qianmin: Big Brother, I feel bad for not doing well on the exam.


    Shen Xu: Your Big Brother, I shall comfort you! (After seeing the grades) I¡¯m not your Big Brother anymore.


    Jiang Chen: Be good, Big Brother will help you with tutoring.

 CH 27

    ¡°System! System!¡±


    Back in the room, He Qianjian yelled in panic after closing the door.


    [Is there anything I can do for you, host No. 099.]


    ¡°Downstairs just now, my dad said that my blood type in this physical examination is wrong. What¡¯s going on? How can Jiang Chen¡¯s blood type be wrong!¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    [Please wait a moment¡ª¡ªAccording to my inquiry, you and Jiang Chen both had a physical examination on April 30th, and Jiang Chen¡¯s blood test tube was sent to the Affiliated Hospital of Yan University on the afternoon of the 30th, and the blood was put into storage at 5:25. There was no mistake in the switching of your blood with Jiang Chen¡¯s blood.]


    ¡°No mistake, then how can the blood type be wrong?!¡±


    [This question is not within the scope of system monitoring authority, I am sorry that I cannot answer it.]


    ¡°There must be something amiss here¡­..¡± He Qianjian murmured with his head down, his mind was in a mess, and he couldn¡¯t figure out why the blood type was wrong.


    It was just that he racked his brains and couldn¡¯t figure out what went wrong, and the system didn¡¯t know either. He was so angry that he kicked the door hard.


    Someone knocked on the door, and Yang Yun¡¯s voice sounded: ¡°Qian Jian, what happened?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s movement of kicking the door again froze, he lowered his raised leg, took a deep breath, and raised his voice after stabilizing his tone: ¡°Something fell on the ground just now, I¡¯m fine, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Then go to bed early, remember to wake up early tomorrow, and Mom will make you blood-enriching porridge for breakfast.¡±


    He Qianjian squeezed the doorknob tightly and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    The footsteps outside the door gradually faded away, but the gloom in He Qianjian¡¯s heart gradually rose. The knuckles where he was holding the doorknob turned white, while his entire face darkened.


    He took a few deep breaths before suppressing the anger in his heart, and said to the system in a low voice: ¡°Jiang Chen is He Yanfeng¡¯s son, it is impossible for his blood type to not match, and there had been no such problem in the past ten years, buy now suddenly something like this happened, there must be a mistake on your side.¡±


    The system¡¯s cold mechanical voice replied: [The replacement program code of the system is very mature, and there is absolutely no possibility of mistakes.]


    ¡°If it¡¯s not your fault, then is it my fault?!¡± He Qianjian snorted, and paced up and down by the door with his hair in his hands. After a few back and forths, he sat down heavily on the bed and said, ¡°The blood will be drawn again tomorrow morning¡­..the blood type was wrong last time, so this time it will definitely not be a simple screening like the previous physical examinations, it might even be more strict, you have to find a way to get Jiang Chen¡¯s blood for me!¡±


    [I¡¯m very sorry, I can¡¯t help you.] The system said: [According to energy conservation and system rules, I can only help you deal with existing transaction replacements, and according to the replacement level calculation, the number of replacements between you and the exchanger Jiang Chen has reached the highest value, and you can no longer exchange anything from him, you can only¡­..]


    ¡°I can only exchange things that are given away by default or that no longer belong to him, right!¡± He Qianjian interrupted the system, ¡°You have said it countless times, of course I know this, you can¡¯t just draw his blood out of his body, but I have a way to make him bleed, and then you just need to exchange his blood with the blood I sent for examination, and that¡¯s it.¡±


    [What is the host planning to do?]


    ¡°What am I planning to do?¡± He Qianjian recalled the eyes of everyone when the ranking list was announced this morning and the helplessness of almost losing his disguise in the evening, and sneered: ¡°Jiang Chen is always going against me, so I naturally have to teach him a little lesson and let him be more low-key.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The next morning, the He family dining room.


    Yang Yun was busy at the dining table, and He Yanfeng was making coffee in the kitchen.


    He Qianmin yawned and went downstairs, with sleepy tears on the edges of his eyes: ¡°Mom, I want to drink porridge in the morning.¡±


    ¡°I made pumpkin porridge.¡± Seeing his yawning appearance, Yang Yun said, ¡°Playing games again at night?¡±


    ¡°No, I did a practice exam all night yesterday.¡± He Qianmin pulled out a chair and sat down, leaned on the table and said, ¡°I did all the question types my big brother sent me¡­..¡±


    ¡°Your eldest brother?¡±


    He Yanfeng came out with coffee, a surprised expression on his face: ¡°You asked your eldest brother to mark out the wrong questions for you?¡±


    ¡°Who said anything about him?¡± He Qianmin curled his lips: ¡°I¡¯m talking about my Big Brother Chen, who is much better than him. This time, He Qianjian is second in the three-school joint exam, right? My big brother came first.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother Chen? Surnamed Chen?¡±


    ¡°The kid who got first place in the entrance exam? How did you know him?¡±


    He Yanfeng and Yang Yun spoke at the same time, and were just about to ask a few more questions, when He Qianyu bounced down and jumped the rest of the last three steps, leather shoes landing on the marble floor and making a crisp sound, interrupting the two of them.


    After attracting everyone¡¯s attention, she raised her chin and announced, ¡°Today my show is at 8pm, Mom and Dad and Elder Brothers must all be there!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He Qianmin didn¡¯t even raise his eyes: ¡°I have something to do after school.¡±


    He Qianyu ran over, hugged He Qianjian¡¯s arm and acted coquettishly: ¡°I used to dance Odette, but today I danced Odile! You have never seen me dance the black swan! Super beautiful! Even my teacher says I dance well, Second Brother, you will regret it if you don¡¯t come!¡±


    He Qianmin was unmoved: ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about being all dressed in black?¡±


    He Qianyu turned her head and complained: ¡°Dad! Mom! Second Brother said I¡¯m ugly!¡±


    He Qianmin pinched He Qianyu¡¯s cheeks, giving her a goldfish¡¯s mouth, and turned her head back to him: ¡°Ugly, I refuse.¡±


    He Qianyu broke free from his grasp, and said angrily, ¡°You¡¯re ugly! You are not a gentleman at all when you say that about a girl, she will be very sad, and you will definitely not find a girlfriend in the future! I won¡¯t support you in your old age!¡±


    ¡°You are very sad every day.¡± He Qianmin stirred the porridge and looked at her with a teasing smile: ¡°Adding this time won¡¯t make much of a difference.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± He Qianyu let go of him, sat down on the stool next to him, and said with a pursed mouth, ¡°You¡¯re not going, neither is Eldest Brother, you guys don¡¯t love me anymore!¡±


    He Qianmin paused while holding the spoon, then turned his head: ¡°He Qianjian won¡¯t go?¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother isn¡¯t going.¡± He Qianyu lowered her head, looking disappointed: ¡°He has an urgent matter in the club today, and he was headin to school when I went for my morning run, saying that he will be home late at night, so he can¡¯t watch my performance.¡±


    ¡°Your eldest brother went out?¡± He Yanfeng put down the tablet in his hand: ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Very early.¡± He Qianyu thought for a while, and said, ¡°After I ran a circle¡­..it must have been ten past six?¡±


    ¡°So early?¡± He Qianmin put the spoon away, frowned and said, ¡°He used to go to school at the very last moment, and leaving so early, did he drag Uncle Zheng to get up early to send him?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zheng didn¡¯t go.¡± He Qianyu said, ¡°Eldest Brother seems to have walked to school.¡±


    He Yanfeng paused with his fingertips on the tablet, looking in the direction of the front doors of the house, thoughtful.


    He Qianmin snorted, leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest mockingly: ¡°The sun is coming out from the west, and He Qianjian actually walks to school, what a rarity.¡±


    Yang Yun put the buns in front of He Qianmin: ¡°Don¡¯t talk about your big brother like you¡¯ve eaten gunpowder. Ask Uncle Zheng to pick you up after school at night. Qian Jian can¡¯t go to the show because of something, so you have to go.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± He Qianmin readily agreed, not concealing the fact that he didn¡¯t go before because of He Qianjian.


    He Qianyu smiled brightly: ¡°Then Second Brother must bring me flowers!¡±


    Yang Yun looked at the noisy pair of youngest son and daughter with a smile, then turned to He Yanfeng and asked, ¡°When is old Xiang coming?¡±


    ¡°Probably about this time.¡± He Yanfeng glanced at his watch and said, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him about Qian Jian later, we have to reschedule the blood draw, and it won¡¯t delay things if I ask Qian Jian to go to the hospital again on the weekend.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Yang Yun nodded, but there was some worry in her eyes: ¡°Is Qian Jian still unhappy about the midterm examination? He has never gone out so early before, and you told him about old Xiang coming to help him draw blood yesterday, usually he would never leave without a prior notice.¡±


    He Yanfeng didn¡¯t care too much and said: ¡°He has grown up too, it¡¯s normal to have his own thoughts and temper, isn¡¯t it just going out early, don¡¯t think so much.¡±


    Ring, ring¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Class is over.¡±


    The chemistry teacher packed up his books, turned around and left the classroom.


    The next moment, the class instantly became lively.


    Physical education had always been popular with boys, and every Tuesday, the fourth period, which was physical education, was even more popular. Not only did the boys who like to have fun liked it, but also the top students in the class who don¡¯t want to waste time on physical education, and the girls who find physical education tiring were also very fond of it. Because this meant that they could enter the cafeteria to eat in advance at noon.


    The atmosphere in the classroom was lively. The boys took off their jackets, grab the basketballs. The tables and chairs were banging against each other, and laughter continued.


    ¡°Take the ball!¡±


    ¡°Luo Ze! Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Coming, coming, what¡¯s the rush!¡±


    Luo Ze walked to Jiang Chen¡¯s table: ¡°God Jiang, let¡¯s go, play ball!¡±


    Jiang Chen listed the last algorithm, without raising his head, he said, ¡°You guys go first, I have to hand over this paper to old Fu at noon, and I¡¯m afraid it will be too late if I do it later.¡±


    Luo Ze glanced at the math Olympic questions on it, and instantly felt dizzy. He hurriedly took a step back and said, ¡°You do what you want, we¡¯ll go to the court first, what do you drink, I¡¯ll buy it for you first.¡±


    Shen Xu rushed over: ¡°I want grape-flavored Fanta, and Jiangzi drinks Sprite.¡±


    ¡°Why are you joining in?¡± Luo Ze gave him an eyeroll: ¡°I¡¯m buying God Jiang a drink to reward him for honoring our school. You forty-seventh place actually have the face to make me buy you a drink.¡±


    ¡°Is forty-seventh not worthy of drinking soda?!¡± Shen Xu jumped on the table, hugging his chest and said: ¡°Your God Jiang¡¯s grades are inseparable from the encouragement of this friend here, and you, who placed 38th, have the face to laugh at me the 47th, we¡¯re no different.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for a beating.¡±


    ¡°Come on then! Make your move!¡±


    The two consciously walked to the back of the classroom, one pretended to be Bruce Lee and the other channeled wuxia masters. Jiang Chen calmly answered the questions one after the other amidst the banging sounds and shouts.


    By the time he put down his pen, the two fighters were already sitting together with their arms thrown over each other¡¯s shoulders, their heads squeezed together looking at who knows what.


    Jiang Chen walked over, just in time to hear Luo Ze¡¯s wretched smirk and Shen Xu¡¯s gleeful amusement: ¡°If she really stops Jiangzi after school later, we must help in our brother¡¯s happiness!¡±


    Luo Ze nodded: ¡°That is but of course!¡±


    ¡°Whose happiness?¡± Jiang Chen stood beside the two of them, curious.


    Shen Xu froze, and stuffed the phone into Luo Ze¡¯s hand. Luo Ze stuffed it into his pocket quickly, but not faster than Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen grabbed the phone, first glanced at the two of them, and then his eyes fell on the screen. This was the forum of Yan City No. 1 High School. The post they were browsing was titled: ¡°Secondary school¡¯s school beauty confessing to God Jiang, is this love or a conspiracy between the two rival schools? After school today, we shall wait and see.¡±


    He glanced at the obviously guilty expressions of the two, and swiped down randomly for a few glances.


    First comment: God Jiang belongs to our No. 1 High School, so no fertile water flowing into outsider¡¯s fields, come on, sisters! Be the first to confess and win!


    Second comment: It¡¯s definitely a conspiracy by the attached secondary school. They just want our God Jiang to fall in love, and then his academic performance would decline, and then on next year¡¯s college entrance examination they would snatch away our God Jiang¡¯s champion of sciences spot!


    Third comment: God Jiang walks the competition path, there is a high probability of entering college on recommendation, it is not certain whether he will take the college entrance examination or not.


    Fourth comment: Where is there conspiracy, such a beautiful girl comes knocking at the door, even if there is a conspiracy, dying under the peony flower is also a pleasure hehehe¡­..


    Fifth comment: Upstairs is disgusting. God Jiang is not such a person. Jiang Lingling, our school beauty, is much more beautiful than Pan Liuyi from secondary school. God Jiang alsl said that he only wants to focus on studying at the moment.


    Sixth comment: Jiang Lingling confessed to God Jiang? F**k! How come I don¡¯t know!


    Seventh comment: At the end of the first semester of high school, you not knowing is normal, and not many people know it now still.


    Eighth comment¡­..


    ¡°You said Jiang Lingling¡¯s matter?¡± Jiang Chen returned the phone to Luo Ze, and asked Shen Xu.


    ¡°I accidentally blurted it out once¡­..¡± Shen Xu admitted his mistake very obediently, and immediately raised his hand and said: ¡°But I promise that there will be no next time! I will definitely cover you after school in the afternoon! I will definitely protect your chastity! I won¡¯t let the people in the secondary school eat even one piece of my God Jiang¡¯s tofu!¡±


    Jiang Chen kicked Shen Xu lightly, and scolded with a smile: ¡°Whose chastity are you protecting, get out of here.¡± After messing around, he still seriously reminded: ¡°There will be no next time.¡±


    Shen Xu¡¯s promise and the class bell came at the same time: ¡°Promise, there definitely won¡¯t be a next time!¡±


    After this episode, when the three of them arrived at the campus field, it had already been in class for two minutes.


    Fortunately, the physical education teacher was used to being slack, and when he saw them coming, he just asked them to join the class. After the routine 800-meter run, he let everyone take the equipment and move freely.


    Taking advantage of his short stature, Shen Xu sneaked into the crowd and snatched a basketball.


    Luo Ze hooked Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulder, bending over from laughing so hard: ¡°It¡¯s only at this time that I can feel Shen Xu¡¯s advantage.¡±


    When Shen Xu came back with the ball, he just heard these words, and rushed over to pinch Luo Ze¡¯s neck with the ball in his arms: ¡°Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t understand what you are insinuating!¡±


    The two fought together again, and Jiang Chen calmly walked behind them.


    Only one class had physical education class, so the basketball court was empty, and everyone could have fun to their heart¡¯s content.


    After playing ball, there were only five or six minutes left in the physical education class. Everyone outside packed up their things and went to the cafeteria in small groups. The cafeteria was very empty in between classes, and the aunties at the serving windows were also very patient, and their hands basically didn¡¯t shake when serving the dishes.


    Jiang Chen was holding the tray, and Shen Xu followed him, complaining as he walked, ¡°That auntie is playing favorites, we all got braised chicken with potatoes, yours are all braised chicken, mine are all potatoes, what the hell, is this discrimination against my height or my looks? I am so unconvinced! I am not bad looking!¡±


    ¡°You can eat mine later,¡± Jiang Chen said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem, okay!¡± Shen Xu stiffened his neck: ¡°That¡¯s an insult to my personality, an ignorance of charm! Is it a question of a few pieces of chicken! This is obviously a huge obstacle for adolescent students to build self-confidence!¡±


    Jiang Chen sat down: ¡°Then don¡¯t eat it later.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible!¡± Shen Xu put the tray beside him, and confidently said, ¡°I still have to grow my body! How can I grow if I can¡¯t eat enough! Wouldn¡¯t that hurt my self-confidence even more?¡±


    The other boys who played together sat down after getting their trays, and saw Jiang Chen put half of his chicken on Shen Xu¡¯s plate, and asked, ¡°Can you block that mouth?¡±


    Shen Xu quickly picked up a piece and put it in his mouth: ¡°It must be possible.¡±


    Luo Ze hissed, ¡°Shen Xu, can you have some backbone?¡±


    ¡°What is backbone?¡± Shen Xu happily ate the chicken thigh: ¡°Is it edible?¡±


    Luo Ze picked up the biggest piece of chicken in his bowl: ¡°Is it good? I¡¯ll try it.¡±


    ¡°F**k! That¡¯s the one I want to save for the last to eat! ¡°


    As the two began to fight over food, the end of class bell rang.


    Shen Xu and Luo Ze stopped at the same time, looking at the sporadic figures rushing into the cafeteria, with smiles on their faces, and a great sense of satisfaction and superiority in their hearts.


    Luo Ze stroked his chin and said, ¡°Ah, what a good feeling.¡±


    Shen Xu felt the same way: ¡°This feeling is beyond words.¡±


    Jiang Chen followed their line of sight¡ª¡ªa few boys who were running no less than a sprint speed of 100 meters rushed into the cafeteria door, followed by a fast-running crowd all with ferocious expressions on their faces¡ª¡ªand also couldn¡¯t help pursing his lips and smiling.


    It seemed to really¡­..be quite a good feeling.


    After lunch, Jiang Chen separated from Shen Xu, Luo Ze and others.


    The mathematics competition preliminaries were in August, and it was now mid-May. Time was tight. Originally, the competition class only had evening self-study lessons on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Now it was not just these three days, but even included the noon breaks on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.


    This Tuesday, originally there was no class at noon, but Fu Jinyu prepared a set of test papers for Jiang Chen to do by himself at noon yesterday, and agreed to help him grade the papers and explain them at noon today.


    The amount of questions on the test paper was not small, and Jiang Chen also only finished it after last night plus the break this morning. Thinking that Teacher Fu spending one noon time to explain the answers might not even be enough, Jiang Chen did not delay a minute or a second and immediately went to the office building.


    Fu Jinyu didn¡¯t even eat lunch, and waited in the office early in order to save time as much as possible to help Jiang Chen explain the test questions he had done.


    But what Fu Jinyu didn¡¯t expect was that Jiang Chen could finish this test paper in such a short period of time. Others might not even be able to complete more than half of this test paper in three days. And what he didn¡¯t expect even more was Jiang Chen¡¯s super high correct rate and advanced problem-solving skills. Before, he only thought that Jiang Chen was suitable for competitions and very smart, but now he was determined to train him in this area. It would be a pity if such a talent did not engage in mathematics.


    In one noon, instead of Fu Jinyu explaining the test papers to Jiang Chen, it was better to say that Fu Jinyu was asking Jiang Chen to explain his thinking behind each solution and to build a deeper understanding of him.


    When the next class almost started, Fu Jinyu put away the papers and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°That¡¯s all for today. You don¡¯t have to attend classes with the competition class in the future. I will give you private tutoring. Your time will be separated from that of the competition class. How about the evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the noon breaks on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded in agreement almost without thinking.


    In fact, he also felt that the small classes in the competition class were not suitable for him. It was just that he could occasionally get a chance to check for omissions in his thinking from the competition class before, so he never mentioned it. Now that Fu Jinyu took the initiative to mention it, he naturally would not disagree.


    When he came out of the office building, there were only five minutes left before the first class in the afternoon. In order to save time, Jiang Chen chose to take a shortcut through the small garden.


    At this time, most people were in the classrooms, and the office building and the small garden were very quiet. This environment was very suitable for thinking.


    While walking, Jiang Chen simulated in his mind the problem that Fu Jinyu had shown him just now. Just as the idea of ??solving the problem was formed, he was interrupted by a vague sound of dispute.


    ¡°¡­..Aren¡¯t you short of money? If you succeed this time, I will give you five thousand.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this¡­..¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten who caused you to be bullied at school? Last time I asked you to put test papers in Jiang Chen¡¯s drawer, you dared to do it. This time, I¡¯m just asking you to find a way to lure him into the alley behind the school. Why don¡¯t you dare this time?¡±


    ¡°Or do you think this is too little money? I can¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No what? Is it because it¡¯s not enough money, or because you don¡¯t dare?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡±


    ¡°You what? The big ranking list is posted on the bulletin board. I have seen it. You placed outside 500 in the second year midterm joint exam. You are probably in the last spot of your class. Why don¡¯t you think about it. Who is responsible for this? If Jiang Chen and Shen Xu did not expose you at that time, and those people didn¡¯t isolate you and bully you, would your studies have been affected? Could your grades drop so badly? Would it have caused you to have no education subsidy¡­..¡±


    Zhang Zhipeng¡¯s back was pressed against the tree behind him, and said to the tall boy in front of him with a trembling voice: ¡°That was my fault in the first place, and my poor grades are also my own fault. It has nothing to do with Jiang Chen. What happened before is my own fault. I don¡¯t want to make any more mistakes, I haven¡¯t been able to sleep well during this time, and it¡¯s exactly because¡­..¡±


    ¡°Because of what?¡± The boy sneered, ¡°Because of guilt? Everyone knows that you slandered Jiang Chen. What use is there for you to be guilty? Would Jiang Chen forgive you because of your guilt? Let me tell you, no! You wouldn¡¯t be naively thinking that if you don¡¯t do it, there wouldn¡¯t be someone else to do it, would you? I¡¯ll tell you Zhang Zhipeng, if you don¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll find someone else, but in the end¡ª¡ªyou will be the one who will take the fall, believe it or not?¡±


    Zhang Zhipeng¡¯s face turned pale, and he tremblingly said: ¡°You are slandering me, I will tell the teacher what you said¡­..¡±


    ¡°Tell the teacher?¡± The boy sneered: ¡°If you tell the teacher, would the teacher believe it? In their eyes, a student with a previous record of slandering and framing a classmate said that others are slandering him, who would believe it? If you dare to tell the teacher, I will bite you back, and then we will see who is unlucky then.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned on his heels, pushed aside the branches and walked out, the dimple at the corner of his mouth visble: ¡°I think it woulld be you.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen!¡±


    The two people in the bushes called in shock at the same time, with different expressions.


    Zhang Zhipeng opened his mouth, wanting to explain: ¡°Jiang Chen, I¡­..¡±


    The tall boy turned his head immediately, not wanting Jiang Chen to see his face.


    Jiang Chen took a few steps forward, grabbed the boy¡¯s shoulder and pulled him back. The moment he turned his head, he saw his appearance clearly, and the corners of his lips pursed slightly: ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    The boy froze, avoided Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze, and took half a step back. His bowed body was like a taut string, as if it could break if he was not careful: ¡°You, you know me?¡±


    ¡°Year 1, class 1, Sun Zhi.¡± Jiang Chen raised his lips, and the smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes: ¡°We met once before.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember, it should be that you remembered wrongly¡­..¡±


    ¡°Stairwell.¡± Jiang Chen interrupted Sun Zhi. He glanced at Zhang Zhipeng with a complex expression, and his eyes fell on Sun Zhi¡¯s guilty expression again: ¡°Last time it was a classmate in the same year as you, this time it is a senior in the second year of high school, you seem to like it very much, bullying classmates.¡±


    Sun Zhi¡¯s tense body relaxed a bit, and he took another half step back, raised his head and said, ¡°So what if I bully them? Did I bully you? What are you meddling for?¡±


    ¡°Just now you asked Zhang Zhipeng a question.¡± Jiang Chen took half a step forward, forcing Sun Zhi to take another step back, and continued, ¡°If he goes to tell the teacher, who knows if the teacher would believe it or not. Now I will ask you a question too. If I go to the dean of the first year now and say that you threaten to harm my personal safety, do you think your teachers will believe you or me?¡±


    ¡°When did I threaten to hurt you?¡± Sun Zhi¡¯s face darkened, and he said, ¡°If you go to tell, you will be framing me. It is no different from Zhang Zhipeng who framed you before!¡±


    Zhang Zhipeng, who was about to speak, turned pale and lowered his head.


    ¡°Who said he framed me?¡± Jiang Chen asked, ¡°Did you see it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡±


    ¡°But you threatened to harm my personal safety, Zhang Zhipeng saw it.¡± Jiang Chen turned to look at Zhang Zhipeng: ¡°You will testify for me, right, Zhang Zhipeng.¡±


    Zhang Zhipeng raised his head slowly, met Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes, then immediately lowered his head, and said with his head buried in his chest, ¡°I, I will!¡±


    Seeing the two united, Sun Zhi gritted his teeth, raised his foot and wanted to leave but was afraid that Jiang Chen would really go tell on him, he could only stand stiffly in place. He grinded his back molars and asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    There was no smile on Jiang Chen¡¯s face, his eyes were cold and sharp: ¡°Tell me first, why do you want someone to trick me into the alley next to the school?¡±


    Sun Zhi ducked his neck, moved his heels back unconsciously, but seeming to have thought of something, he seemed to gain confidence again, and he rolled his eyes: ¡°I just want you to help me with my homework, that¡¯s why I want Zhang Zhipeng to take you over¡­..¡±


    Seeing that class would start soon, Jiang Chen interrupted him, and said in a calm tone: ¡°For the time being, you haven¡¯t done anything, and I won¡¯t do anything to you, but if anything happens to me later, I will think it was you who did it. You can guess who the teacher will believe then.¡± After speaking, he looked at Zhang Zhipeng: ¡°Let¡¯s go, class is starting.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned around and left. Zhang Zhipeng followed him step by step. He hesitated to speak several times, but he couldn¡¯t say a word even after they returned to the classroom.


    It wasn¡¯t until before the last class in the afternoon that he mustered up the courage to stop Jiang Chen on the way to the restroom.


    ¡°Jiang Chen¡­..I have something to tell you.¡±


    Shen Xu¡¯s grinning expression quickly turned cold, he raised his hand to block Zhang Zhipeng and said, ¡°He has nothing to say to you.¡±


    The other boys who were going in and out of the restroom also stopped. Everyone knew Jiang Chen, because the incident of Zhang Jian slandering a student and being fired caused a lot of uproar. Everyone was no stranger to Zhang Zhipeng either, and they knew that he was the one who stuffed the test papers into Jiang Chen¡¯s drawer. Seeing him stop Jiang Chen at this time, everyone was very curious about what he was going to do.


    Shen Xu¡¯s undisguised hostility made Zhang Zhipeng stiff, his hands beside him clenched into fists, trembling slightly, not daring to look at the looks of the people around him.


    Jiang Chen hooked Shen Xu¡¯s shoulders and pulled him back. He nodded to the nervous Zhang Zhipeng: ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡±


    Faced with Jiang Chen¡¯s calm expression, Zhang Zhipeng loosened his clenched hands a little, his Adam¡¯s apple moved a few times, and then he said lowly: ¡°You should try to take a taxi back after school these few days, or ask some boys to go back with you, Sun Zhi¡­..he won¡¯t let it go.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Shen Xu pulled Jiang Chen¡¯s hand away, stepped forward and said, ¡°Sun Zhi? Who? He¡¯s making trouble for Jiang Chen?¡±


    Zhang Zhipeng took half a step back, didn¡¯t look at Shen Xu, but continued to look at Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Sun Zhi doing this¡­..it¡¯s not his own thinking, you, you be careful.¡±


    After speaking, he ran back to the classroom without looking back.


    Jiang Chen looked at Zhang Zhipeng¡¯s running back, and his eyes flickered slightly.


    ¡°What does he mean?¡± Shen Xu frowned and said, ¡°Why did he inexplicably tell you this?¡±


    ¡°What happened at noon.¡± Jiang Chen looked around and said calmly, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the classroom and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    As soon as he entered the classroom, Shen Xu took the seat at the desk in front of Jiang Chen¡¯s, and asked eagerly, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Jiang Chen organized his thoughts and gave an overview of what happened at noon.


    ¡°F**king Sun Zhi!¡± Shen Xuteng stood up, ¡°He¡¯s got balls, a first year making trouble for us. Because Huo Bo isn¡¯t around, he thinks he can treat us as soft persimmons? I want to see who dares to make trouble for you!¡±


    Jiang Chen tapped his fingers on the table, his brows slightly frowned, lost in thought.


    There was something in Zhang Zhipeng¡¯s words, which was to remind him that Sun Zhi¡¯s actions were not his own intention, but that someone was ordering him behind the scenes.


    In fact, when he heard the conversation between Sun Zhi and Zhang Zhipeng, he had this guess, because he and Sun Zhi didn¡¯t have any conflicts, and a first year and a second year didn¡¯t have any chance to meet at all. He stopped him from bullying his classmate in the stairwell, but that time would not cause Sun Zhi to hold a grudge on him to this extent.


    Moreover, what made him even more concerned was that when Sun Zhi saw his expression that day, it was obvious that he knew him from the very beginning. He didn¡¯t think much of it at the time, but after today, Sun Zhi knowing him before seemed not through school, but from other places, and this ¡°other place¡± was very likely to be related to the person behind him.


    ¡°However, what exactly does Zhang Zhipeng¡¯s words mean, ¡®It¡¯s not his own thinking¡¯, if it¡¯s not his own thinking, is it someone else¡¯s thinking?¡± Shen Xu sat down, frowned and said, ¡°Jiangzi, have you offended someone recently?¡±


    Jiang Chen opened the book on the table, suppressed the coldness in his eyes, pursed his lips and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I didn¡¯t offend him recently, but I offended him as soon as I was born.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s voice was not loud, and it happened that the class bell rang at the same time, so Shen Xu didn¡¯t hear what he said very clearly: ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°I said class has started.¡± Jiang Chen looked towards the podium, lowered his voice and said, ¡°Old Fu has already entered the classroom, and is looking at you.¡±


    ¡°F**k!¡± Shen Xu bounced up immediately, returned the seat to its owner, and said before leaving: ¡°Let¡¯s talk after class!¡±


    Fu Jinyu put his books on the podium, walked over here, and asked expressionlessly: ¡°What do you want to say to Jiang Chen after class? Why don¡¯t you take advantage of the bell having just rung to talk about it first and liven the atmosphere before getting out of class?¡±


    Shen Xu shrank his neck and retreated to his seat, saying with a grin: ¡°No, no, I won¡¯t waste your precious class time.¡±


    Teacher Fu tapped Shen Xu¡¯s table with his fingers: ¡°No delaying, just say it.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no!¡± Shen Xu shook his head and opened the book: ¡°I am thirsty for knowledge, and now I just want to get the true meaning of life from your class.¡±


    ¡°Pffft¡ª¡ª¡±


    Some people couldn¡¯t hold back their laughter, and others laughed too.


    Fu Jinyu glared at Shen Xu, then slapped the desk: ¡°What are you laughing at, class has started, I¡¯m here to tell you the true meaning of mathematics.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Regarding the forum post, many Yan City No. 1 High School students had seen it, especially the students in year 2, class 1.


    After school, many people waited in the classroom to walk with Jiang Chen, dawdling around to watch the excitement.


    While the others were observing Jiang Chen, Shen Xu was quietly observing Zhang Zhipeng¡¯s every move. The forum post at noon had long been forgotten by him. At this moment, his mind was full of what Zhang Zhipeng said before.


    He lowered his voice and asked Jiang Chen: ¡°Zhang Zhipeng said that Sun Zhi wanted him to take you to the alley after school today, but you walked in on them at noon. Likely, nothing will happen today, but if we don¡¯t figure this out, I will keep feeling uneasy. Say, should we go directly to year 1 and stop Sun Zhi to ask for clarification?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°You won¡¯t be able to ask anything even if you block him, he won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    Shen Xu frowned: ¡°Then what should we do?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it later.¡±


    The two left the classroom while talking, and the others followed.


    As soon as he left the school gate, Jiang Chen was stopped by a girl in the school uniform of the attached secondary high school. Before he had time to be puzzled, there was a burst of catcalls from beside him.


    The girl had a pair of smiling eyes, big and bright, and she looked at Jiang Chen without blinking: ¡°Are you Jiang Chen?¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, and only then remembered what he saw on Luo Ze¡¯s phone at noon. At that time, he only glanced at it casually and didn¡¯t take it seriously. He didn¡¯t expect to be blocked at the school gate by a girl in the school uniform of the attached secondary high school.


    In his moment of hesitation, someone had already answered for him:


    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Jiang Chen!¡±


    ¡°The one and only!¡±


    The girl wasn¡¯t at all affected by the crowd around her, she raised her chin slightly and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°My name is Pan Liuyi, I have something to tell you.¡±


    Hearing her words, a boy whistled, and the catcalls became louder and louder.


    Jiang Chen frowned slightly, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Pan Liuyi said, ¡°I came to ask you for a favor.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded and said, ¡°Say it.¡±


    ¡°Do you know Li Xiao?¡±


    ¡°Li Xiao, a sophomore in the attached secondary high school?¡± Jiang Chen thought for a while, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of her.¡±


    ¡°She is my younger sister. She only took third place in the midterm exam. She has been depressed recently because she did not do well on the exam. I hope you can help me comfort her.¡±


    Jiang Chen was curious: ¡°Are you sure your little sister wants to see me at this time?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Pan Liuyi said: ¡°Xiao Xiao will feel much better when she sees that you are so much older than her, but your test scores are actually not much higher than hers.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°¡­..¡±


    Shen Xu: ¡°¡­..¡±


    Onlookers: ¡°¡­..¡±


    The onlookers were stunned, what kind of twist was this?


    Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be a confession? This was more like vengeance, right?


    Jiang Chen organized his words before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good idea, and your little sister and I don¡¯t know each other at all, so even if we meet, we wouldn¡¯t have anything to talk about.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ve thought of this a long time ago.¡± Pan Liuyi took out two tickets from her pocket and said, ¡°This is the ticket for the Zhonghai Opera House. Xiao Xiao¡¯s good friend is performing there tonight, and she will watch it from the audience. At that time you just need to sit next to her, and then I will pretend to recognize you and let her see that you are so much older than her, but your test scores¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his hand to interrupt her: ¡°Classmate, I have something to do tonight, so I can¡¯t¡­..¡±


    ¡°Are you going to participate in the competition?¡± Pan Liuyi interrupted Jiang Chen, and took out a black and white bound edition book from her school bag: ¡°Look at this.¡±


    Jiang Chen took it, flipped it a few times casually, and then stared.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    Pan Liuyi raised her eyebrows and smiled: ¡°I knew all of you geniuses couldn¡¯t escape the thrall of the competition problems I carefully collected. These are the math competition problems I collected for Xiao Xiao¡¯s birthday for more than half a year. For this reason, I even found friends who are studying in other countries to help out. It contains error-prone questions and recognized difficult questions in the history of various countries, some versions are even only in their original text, I guarantee that you will not be able to buy such a complete world mathematics competition booklet, and as long as you help me, I¡¯ll give you this book, how about it?¡±


    Jiang Chen said without hesitation, ¡°I promise you.¡±


    AN: dealing with academic high achievers¡ª¡ªPan Liuyi

 CH 28

    The two hit it off immediately, and together with Shen Xu who insisted on coming no matter what, the three got on a taxi and went directly to the Zhonghai Opera House.


    The time when school was over everyday was also the rush hour for getting off work. The taxi was stuck on the road for nearly half an hour, and it was already past seven o¡¯clock when the three of them were finally delivered to their destination. The performance started at 8 o¡¯clock. After Shen Xu went to buy a ticket, Pan Liuyi took them to a nearby restaurant, and they would be just in time to enter the venue after eating.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    Jiang Chen seldom came to this kind of occasion, and sitting in the auditorium at this time, looking at the dimmed lights on the stage, was quite a novel experience.


    Shen Xu¡¯s ticket was not with them, and only Pan Liuyi was sitting next to him. When the curtain was raised, she leaned into his ear and whispered: ¡°My little sister doesn¡¯t seem to be sitting with us, she is up in front, I don¡¯t know when she changed location, after the show is over, you and I will go find her together.¡±


    Jiang Chen followed the direction her finger pointed to and his gaze paused, having seen a familiar figure unexpectedly.


    Pan Liuyi thought he hadn¡¯t found her, so she informed in a low voice, ¡°She¡¯s right in front, next to the boy in Chenghua¡¯s school uniform with a very white neck. That curly haired, very cute little girl, do you see her?¡±


    Jiang Chen moved his gaze to the right, and saw the little girl sitting next to He Qianmin, hair in a ponytail and wearing the school uniform of the attached secondary high school. She was sitting upright, and looked to be watching the performance very seriously.


    His eyes flickered slightly, and he whispered: ¡°I see her.¡±


    Pan Liuyi nodded and sat up straight.


    The ensemble on one side of the stage played the familiar Swan Lake, and the cygnets in ballet costumes entered the arena in a lively manner, dancing and leaping with the music, the ballet performance officially having begun.


    Jiang Chen watched the performance on the stage seriously, but he was probably born with no artistic talent, and within a few minutes he started to become distracted, thinking about the math Olympiad questions he had just seen in the exercise book that Pan Liuyi gave him, and after solving the few problems that he saw at a brief glance in his head, his eyebrows furrowed. Part of the last problem was on the next page, and one condition was missing.


    He tapped his fingers on his knees, wanting to take out the exercise book and read the entire question, but the occasion was obviously inappropriate, so he could only steady his mind and search for the answer in his mind based on the existing conditions. After following the logic in ????solving the problem, he gradually completed the stem of the problem, and also knew how to solve it in the end.


    At the same time that Jiang Chen got the answer in his mind, the atmosphere of the music in his ears changed. He subconsciously looked up, and saw a little girl in a black tutu skirt coming to the center of the stage, jumping and turning in circles with the sound of the string music. She had a slender neck and a raised chin, appearing like an elegant black swan.


    She danced to the music and the plot, and Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes moved with her movements unconsciously. The little girl had a special kind of attraction, and every move caught his attention. Jiang Chen followed her into the plot, followed her into the climax of the story, and ended it with her. It wasn¡¯t until the end of the stage play that the applause sounded, and he also applauded belatedly.


    When he walked out of the doors of the theater, the sense of wonder in Jiang Chen¡¯s heart had still not faded. Before, even if he wanted to relax, he seldom chose audio-visual entertainment. Whether it was movies and TV shows that the general public loved or relatively small concerts and stage plays, for him they were not as effective as playing a game of basketball with his friends or performing a difficult math calculation smoothly.


    But after today, he discovered that it also felt good to completely relax the brain that had been working all the time, and devote himself to a performance.


    ¡°How was the Swan Lake performance just now?¡±


    Finding an open place, Pan Liuyi stood on the highest step, looking for her cousin Li Xiao in the crowd, and casually asked Jiang Chen.


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve watched a ballet performance.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°It¡¯s unexpected and very interesting.¡±


    Pan Liuyi turned her head, smiled and said, ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know about this before, it was because Xiao Xiao¡¯s good friend is a member of the Yan City Children¡¯s Ballet Troupe. I watched it with her a few times before I fell in love with it. Usually when the pressure of studying is too high, I would watch a few ballet performances, and I would feel very relaxed afterwards.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded and smiled, handed the ticket money to Pan Liuyi, pointed to the exercise book in the bag and said, ¡°You have already paid me for my help, so of course I should pay for the ticket myself, and this wonderful show is also worth my money.¡±


    Pan Liuyi hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the money in the end.


    The two stood on the steps and watched for a long time, but they couldn¡¯t find Li Xiao. Pan Liuyi¡¯s eyes kept moving through the crowd. Suddenly, having thought of something, her eyes lit up, and she said to Jiang Chen: ¡°I know! She should have gone backstage to find her friend! Before when her friend performed, she would occasionally go backstage directly.¡±


    Jiang Chen asked, ¡°Do you know where the backstage is?¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Pan Liuyi had already jumped down the steps in a hurry, and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been there once, it¡¯s this way.¡±


    Pan Liuyi successfully found the backstage of the theater, but the backstage did not allow idlers to come in and out at will, and they were stopped outside the door.


    Pan Liuyi sighed and said: ¡°I have forgotten that I was able to go in before because Xiao Xiao has a family ticket from her friend, and now I can only wait outside.¡± A trace of apology showed on her face: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jiang Chen. It¡¯s already so late, yet I ask you to wait here with me.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled lightly: ¡°It¡¯s the same waiting anywhere, and your exercise book is worth it.¡±


    Pan Liuyi burst out laughing, blinked and said, ¡°Jiang Chen, I found that you are different from the rumors.¡±


    Jiang Chen was a little surprised: ¡°Rumor?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t you know? Not only in Yan No. 1, but even our attached secondary high school has heard a lot about you. In the first year of high school, someone posted on our school forum commenting on the most handsome school hunk in Yan City No. 1 School and the number of your votes¡­..¡±


    Halfway through Pan Liuyi¡¯s words, Jiang Chen¡¯s cell phone rang. He smiled apologetically, walked to a secluded corner, and pressed the answer button.


    ¡°Jiangzi! Why haven¡¯t you come out yet!¡± Shen Xu¡¯s voice came from the speaker: ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to meet at the cold drink shop by the road?¡±


    ¡°Li Xiao seems to have gone backstage. Pan Liuyi and I are waiting for her outside backstage. You wait at the cold drink shop for a while, we should be there soon.¡±


    ¡°But after I ordered a drink, I realized that I had just spent all my money on the ticket!¡± Shen Xu lowered his voice, wanting to cry, and said, ¡°Now the boss is glaring at me, probably thinking that I want to eat an overlord¡¯s meal (TN: eat without paying), if you still don¡¯t come, I¡¯ll probably be dragged to wash the dishes by him! Brother Jiang! I need you! Come and save me!¡±


    Jiang Chen laughed: ¡°Let me tell Pan Liuyi and I¡¯ll come over right away.¡±


    Seeing that Jiang Chen came back not long after, Pan Liuyi asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Shen Xu.¡± Jiang Chen said helplessly: ¡°He has no money on him, and he can¡¯t pay for the drink. I¡¯ll go and pay for him first. Later, you can just bring Li Xiao to the cold drink shop to find us, okay?¡±


    Pan Liuyi couldn¡¯t help laughing, she waved her hand and said, ¡°Go, we¡¯ll see each other later.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, turned around and walked away quickly.


    Pan Liuyi smiled and looked away, and in the next moment, she saw Li Xiao appearing in the corridor. She was overjoyed, and immediately waved: ¡°Xiao Xiao! Here!¡±


    Li Xiao was talking to someone, when she heard a familiar voice, she looked up and asked in surprise, ¡°Sister, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to pick you up.¡± Pan Liuyi held her hand, and then politely greeted the others: ¡°Hello, Uncle He, Auntie Yang, Qian Yu, your black swan this time was so beautiful!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sister Liu Yi.¡± He Qianyu grinned and flashed her small white teeth, the dimples on both sides of her cheeks obvious: ¡°You came to the show too, why didn¡¯t you come with Xiao Xiao?¡±


    Pan Liuyi smiled and said, ¡°I came with other friends, I didn¡¯t tell Xiao Xiao.¡±


    Yang Yun withdrew her gaze, and said, ¡°The other friend you mentioned is the boy who just left?¡±


    Pan Liuyi didn¡¯t expect Yang Yun to interject, she was surprised for a moment before answering: ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is he also a student of your school?¡± Yang Yun asked again.


    ¡°No.¡± Pan Liuyi shook her head and said, ¡°He¡¯s from Yan City No. 1 High School. I asked him because I wanted to¡­..¡± Halfway through explaining, she glanced at Li Xiao, and seeing that she didn¡¯t notice anything, she breathed a sigh of relief and continued, ¡°I had something to do with him, and I happened to have two tickets, so I had him come with me.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the boy¡¯s name, how old is he, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± He Qianyu interrupted Yang Yun and said, ¡°If you ask sister Liu Yi like that, she will be embarrassed!¡±


    Yang Yun was stunned, and belatedly realized that she was being very abrupt in asking questions just now, but for some reason, the moment the boy¡¯s profile came into her view accidentally before, a very strange feeling surged in her heart. The feeling made her quicken her pace unconsciously, wanting to see the boy¡¯s appearance more clearly.


    It was just that the boy disappeared from her sight just after she took a few steps, so when she heard that Pan Liuyi knew the boy, she unconsciously asked so many questions.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Yang Yun smiled apologetically, suppressing the strangeness in her heart and said, ¡°Auntie asked too many questions just now, I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Pan Liuyi didn¡¯t take it to heart, and said with a smile, ¡°Auntie, you don¡¯t need to apologize.¡±


    He Yanfeng hugged Yang Yun¡¯s waist, and asked gently: ¡°Xiao Pan, how are you and Xiao Xiao going back? Do you want Uncle to drop you off?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Pan Liuyi said: ¡°My friends are still waiting for me outside, Xiao Xiao and I will meet up with them later, and then go back together.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, be careful.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Pan Liuyi and Li Xiao said goodbye together: ¡°Goodbye Uncle and Aunt, goodbye Qian Yu.¡±


    Out of the sight of the He family, Li Xiao pulled Pan Liuyi and asked, ¡°Sister, why did you come to the show with people from Yan City No. 1 High School?¡±


    Pan Liuyi froze briefly, and said vaguely: ¡°It¡¯s just¡­..I have something to do with him, and you happened to give me two tickets, so I brought him along.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Xiao was surprised: ¡°But I never heard that you have friends from Yan No. 1 before.¡±


    Pan Liuyi laughed twice to hide her guilty conscience: ¡°Your sister, I am so beautiful, so I am naturally very popular. Is it that strange to have a friend from Yan No. 1.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s your friend¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know it when you get there.¡±


    Li Xiao didn¡¯t ask any more questions. After a while, she whispered, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t you think Aunt Yang was a little weird just now?¡±


    Pan Liuyi¡¯s entire attention was already on preventing Li Xiao from guessing her purpose, so she just said casually, ¡°What¡¯s weird, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°Although Aunt Yang was very gentle before, she seldom asked about other people¡¯s affairs. Qian Yu and I played together since we were young. Even if Qian Yu brought a boy home, I never saw her ask after him like this. But she asked you so many questions just now, but clearly you two aren¡¯t even familiar with each other, isn¡¯t that strange?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so strange.¡± Pan Liuyi didn¡¯t care much: ¡°It¡¯s just two or three questions. Generally, when parents see boys and girls our age standing together, they would ask a few more questions. It¡¯s normal.¡±


    Li Xiao was dubious: ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    He Qianyu also had Li Xiao¡¯s doubts.


    As soon as she got into the car, He Qianyu said to He Qianmin who had just gone to the bathroom and didn¡¯t see the previous scene: ¡°Second Brother, you didn¡¯t see it just now. Mom was very curious about the friend brought by Sister Liu Yi and asked a lot of questions!¡±


    He Qianmin leaned back lazily, playing with his mobile phone and replied perfunctorily: ¡°Oh, what did she ask?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just what was the boy¡¯s name, how old, etc. Mom has never asked others like that before.¡± He Qianyu emphasized: ¡°Even when she saw you and a girl together after school, Mom never asked!¡±


    ¡°The friend she brought is a boy?¡± He Qianmin was a little surprised, but still didn¡¯t raise his eyes: ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He Qianyu was distressed and worried: ¡°Is that boy Sister Liu Yi¡¯s boyfriend? Second Brother, why does Sister Liu Yi have a boyfriend but you don¡¯t have a girlfriend? Is it because your personality is too lacking, and no girl wants you?¡±


    He Qianmin pinched the tip of her nose: ¡°Mind your own business.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± He Qianyu avoided his hand: ¡°Your personality is definitely not as good as Sister Liu Yi¡¯s boyfriend, and you are definitely not as good-looking as Sister Liu Yi¡¯s boyfriend, and your grades might also not be as good as his, so all these things are why you can¡¯t find a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you badly if I find a girlfriend.¡± He Qianmin threatened her: ¡°When the time comes, don¡¯t come crying to me.¡±


    He Qianyu pulled a grimace: ¡°You are not treating me well now.¡±


    When the car drove out of the parking lot and was waiting to change lanes, He Yanfeng took the time to glance at his wife and saw that she was staring out the window in a daze, and wondered what she was thinking, so he couldn¡¯t help asking: ¡°Wife, what are you thinking about?¡±


    Yang Yun was immersed in her own thoughts and didn¡¯t speak. She didn¡¯t come back to herself until He Yanfeng asked again.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Yang Yun said thoughtfully, ¡°I just don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m a little concerned about the boy I saw just now.¡±


    ¡°Liu Yi¡¯s friend?¡± He Yanfeng was puzzled: ¡°I only saw his back, not his appearance. What¡¯s so strange about him?¡±


    ¡°No¡­..¡± Yang Yun shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s just an indescribable feeling.¡±


    He Yanfeng: ¡°What feeling?¡±


    Yang Yun glanced at him: ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s an indescribable feeling.¡±


    He Yanfeng shrugged, and wisely stopped asking.


    However, He Qianmin became a bit interested and asked, ¡°Mom, what does that guy look like? Tell me, I have many friends in the attached secondary high school, maybe I have seen him and have an impression.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not from the attached secondary high school!¡± He Qianyu said: ¡°Sister Liu Yi said that that brother is from Yan City No. 1 High School.¡±


    ¡°Yan No. 1?¡± He Qianmin clicked his tongue: ¡°Then I don¡¯t know, I only know one person in Yan No. 1.¡±


    He Qianyu was curious: ¡°Who is it?¡±


    He Qianmin lowered his head to play with his mobile phone, and said lazily, ¡°Not telling you.¡±


    When the He family¡¯s car drove towards the first intersection of traffic lights, Pan Liuyi led Li Xiao into the cold drink shop.


    There were only Jiang Chen and Shen Xu in the cold drink shop, and Li Xiao saw them at a glance, her eyes flickered between the two, curious, ¡°Sister, didn¡¯t you say that there is only one friend? Why are there two here. ¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s two people.¡± Pan Liuyi pulled Li Xiao to sit down on the two seats opposite, looked at the two people opposite and introduced: ¡°This is Shen Xu, this is Jiang Chen, the one Aunt Yang saw just now was Jiang Chen, Shen Xu was waiting for us here.¡±


    Shen Xu waved his hand to say hello, Jiang Chen raised his eyes, met Li Xiao¡¯s gaze, smiled and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Jiang Chen.¡±


    Li Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Pan Liuyi, and then turned back: ¡°You are Jiang Chen? The Jiang Chen who came first in the midterm exam? ¡°


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and smiled, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    Li Xiao nodded, said hello, then turned to Pan Liuyi, ¡°Sister, why didn¡¯t I know you knew Jiang Chen? How did you meet him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­..¡± Pan Liuyi said vaguely, ¡°Friends introducing friends, and then we got to know each other.¡±


    ¡°But why didn¡¯t I know this before?¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of things you don¡¯t know.¡± Pan Liuyi rubbed her head, not forgetting the purpose of this meeting: ¡°How do you feel when you see him?¡±


    Li Xiao was puzzled: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­..he¡¯s older than you, and it¡¯s nothing really to supersede you on the exam ranking. You don¡¯t have to have feelings like disappointment.¡±


    Li Xiao shook her head: ¡°I¡¯m not disappointed, it¡¯s normal that he superseded me, because next time I will definitely win against him.¡±


    Shen Xu applauded and gave Li Xiao a thumbs up: ¡°Ambition!¡± Jiang Chen also laughed.


    Pan Liuyi was at a loss for a few seconds: ¡°Then why were you unhappy these two days? Frowning every day like a little old lady.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not unhappy.¡± Li Xiao lowered her head and took a sip of the milk tea: ¡°I was thinking about one thing, a very strange thing.¡±


    Pan Liuyi: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­..Qian Yu¡¯s older brother.¡± Li Xiao frowned, ¡°He¡¯s a little strange.¡±


    Pan Liuyi: ¡°Strange? Are you talking about He Qianmin or He Qianjian.¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about him?¡±


    ¡°His grades are very strange.¡± Li Xiao recalled for a while, and said slowly: ¡°I went to Qian Yu¡¯s house to play, and accidentally entered Brother Qian Jian¡¯s room, and saw the competition exercises on his desk, one of which was open. I couldn¡¯t resist flipping through the Mathematical Olympiad tutorial, and found that he only wrote on the first few pages, and he didn¡¯t write a single answer in the other few books¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes abruptly.


    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about this.¡± Pan Liuyi was puzzled.


    ¡°It¡¯s very strange.¡± Li Xiao looked at Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Brother Jiang Chen, you should understand what I mean.¡±


    Under the curious gazes of Pan Liuyi and Shen Xu, he nodded and said, ¡°The Mathematics Olympiad tutorial is an entry-level competition question book, and it is usually used in the first year of high school.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Xiao said: ¡°What¡¯s even more strange is that his problem-solving logic are a mess. It doesn¡¯t look like that of a student in the competition class, and can¡¯t even compare with the students with average math scores¡­..¡±


    She pinched the straw and poked the pearls in the milk tea, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t think much about it at the time. I thought it might be that Brother Qian Jian gave the test book to Brother Qian Min to answer. But then I went to Qian Yu¡¯s room and happened to hear Brother Qian Min explain a math problem to Qian Yu, and at that time I knew that the question book could not be answered by Brother Qian Min, and to be sure, I deliberately asked Brother Qian Min a question, and his answer confirmed my guess even more.¡±


    Shen Xu didn¡¯t understand: ¡°You can know this too? How did you figure it out?¡±


    Li Xiao explained: ¡°Although there is only one standard answer to a math problem, it¡¯s like everyone has a different way of solving a problem. A person¡¯s mathematical thinking can be seen from the problems he does, especially when doing advanced math problems.¡±


    Pan Liuyi was still puzzled: ¡°But even if those questions were done by He Qianjian, it doesn¡¯t mean anything. It¡¯s normal to be biased in subjects. This at most proves that he is not suitable for math competitions, so maybe it¡¯s exactly because of this he didn¡¯t go in the first year of high school. But these do not affect that he is still the first in his year in Chenghua, after all, the college entrance examination is not just one subject.¡±


    ¡°This is the strange part.¡± Li Xiao paused, and said a little embarrassedly: ¡°Later, because I was really curious, I ran to He Qianjian¡¯s room and secretly found the test papers of his previous exams. There were even stranger things.¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    Li Xiao¡¯s progressive narration aroused the curiosity of Shen Xu and Pan Liuyi, and they hurriedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s more strange?¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian¡¯s test papers in each period of his schooling showed different ways of solving problems, not only in mathematics. I also read his Chinese reading comprehension and his previous compositions.¡± Li Xiao paused, and said: ¡°Those answers didn¡¯t seem like his thinking and problem solving skills had naturally changed over time, but it seemed as if¡­..as if different people answered the test questions.¡±

 CH 29

    ¡°Dang.¡± Shen Xu rubbed his arms, shrunk his shoulders and said, ¡°Why do your words make me feel goosebumps.¡±


    Pan Liuyi also couldn¡¯t believe it: ¡°Impossible, even if He Qianjian cheated, he couldn¡¯t have cheated in every exam. Could it be that Chenghua¡¯s proctors teamed up with him to deceive everyone? It doesn¡¯t even make sense, him doing this is meaningless.¡±


    ¡°Why is it meaningless?¡± Shen Xu said, ¡°If he wants to go abroad and won¡¯t take the college entrance examination, the usual test scores will be an important basis.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Li Xiao shook her head: ¡°The He family is relatively traditional. Grandpa He does not allow the descendants of the He family to study abroad, so it is impossible for him to go abroad, and speaking English is He Qianjian¡¯s shortcoming. He cannot communicate well in the language so going abroad is useless.¡±


    ¡°Not going abroad?¡± Shen Xu rubbed his chin: ¡°Then it really doesn¡¯t make sense for him to cheat. He could bribe Chenghua¡¯s teachers, but he can¡¯t bribe the college entrance examination invigilator. Thinking about it this way, there is only one explanation.¡±


    Li Xiao and Pan Liuyi looked at him at the same time, Jiang Chen also raised his eyes with great interest, waiting for his next words.


    ¡°That is¡ª¡ª¡± Shen Xu leaned back, brushed his hair back, shook his head and said, ¡°Little friend, you think too much.¡±


    Li Xiao glared at him, ¡°What I said is true.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me.¡± Shen Xu crossed his arms and said, ¡°If He Qianjian cheated, he has been in Chenghua for more than ten years from elementary school to high school. Why didn¡¯t those teachers notice at all? Didn¡¯t you say that from his problem-solving logic and reading comprehension one can tell whether it is by the same person? Why couldn¡¯t Chenghua¡¯s teachers see this?¡±


    ¡°Taking a step back, Chenghua¡¯s teachers just couldn¡¯t see it or really teamed up with him to cheat. Let¡¯s go back to the original question, what is he trying to do? There must be a motive for his actions.¡±


    Li Xiao¡¯s expression tightened, wanting to prove that she was right, but when she opened her mouth she couldn¡¯t find a convincing reason to explain He Qianjian¡¯s behavior, because she herself couldn¡¯t figure out what He Qianjian¡¯s reason for doing all of this. She opened and closed her mouth, and finally she could only say stubbornly with a huffy face: ¡°I will definitely find out the cracks in his mask, just wait!¡±


    Hearing this, Jiang Chen, who hadn¡¯t spoken much, put aside his ponderings, and said to Li Xiao, ¡°Although I have no position to say this, I still want to remind you that you¡¯d better not delve into this matter.¡±


    Being questioned and then stopped, Li Xiao raised her chin, sat up straight and looked at Jiang Chen with a stubborn face: ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°First, you are in the attached secondary school, and he is in Chenghua. It is not convenient for you to check his affairs.¡±


    ¡°Second, whether He Qianjian cheated or not, it doesn¡¯t matter to you, but if he really cheated and you found out about it, with the means he has been able to hide from everyone for so many years, you are not his opponent.¡±


    ¡°Thirdly, there is no doubt about the power possessed by the He family. Maybe the rest of the He family will not use this power indiscriminately, but it does not mean that He Qianjian would not use the power he has holding against you. If he has made up his mind to deal with you, what do you think will happen to you?¡±


    Li Xiao looked into Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Thank you for your reminder, but I don¡¯t agree with the second point you said. He Qianjian¡¯s grades really have no effect on me whether they are good or bad, but if he got his grades by cheating, then someone must have been a stepping stone for him, and I don¡¯t know if that person knows or don¡¯t know, and if they don¡¯t know, I think they would want justice.¡±


    Facing her immature and stubborn eyes, Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment, then curved his eyes and smiled.


    ¡°If someone really had something taken away from them without knowing it, I think it might be a good thing not to know.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly: ¡°Because the person who owns it will not really lose it, and those who steal it may not be able to truly own it.¡±


    Li Xiao frowned: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It means¡­..justice is never given by others, but by oneself.¡± Jiang Chen took out a candy from his pocket, spread his palm, and smiled slightly: ¡°But I want to thank you in the place of that person who had his things stolen from him. Thank you for your kindness and wisdom.¡±


    Li Xiao met his eyes, and the resistance in her heart dissipated a lot. She looked away: ¡°You are not the one who had your things stolen, why thank me for them.¡± Although she said so, she still picked up the candy in his hand. After putting it in her mouth, she raised her eyes expectantly and asked, ¡°You said so much and also don¡¯t want me to check it out because you believe what I said, right?¡±


    Jiang Chen took a sip of the milk tea, but didn¡¯t answer yes or no.


    ¡°Then¡­..¡± Li Xiao bit on the straw, hesitated to speak a few times, and finally asked: ¡°Do you really think that if I find something, there will be danger?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen raised his eyes and answered without the slightest hesitation: ¡°Towards a person who can work hard for one thing and persist for ten years and will soon achieve his goal, you can¡¯t imagine what he could do if his hard work of so many years faced the prospects of being destroyed.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s just investigating cheating on exams¡­..¡±


    ¡°Li Xiao, I know you¡¯re very smart.¡± Jiang Chen said seriously, ¡°But I hope you don¡¯t challenge the evil of human nature with a curious attitude. If someone could pick up a butcher¡¯s knife and stab someone for the benefit of a dollar, then someone would kill to silence others for the sake of preventing sabotage to years of planning.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s voice was clear, his tone was calm, and his unhurried words made Li Xiao pale.


    No matter how mature and intelligent the little girl who was already called a genius at the age of twelve was, she still couldn¡¯t help being afraid when faced with the danger and darkness of another¡¯s straightforward analysis.


    ¡°Jiang Chen!¡± Pan Liuyi hugged Li Xiao into her arms like a hen protecting a chick, and said with discontent, ¡°Why are you scaring my little cousin!¡±


    Shen Xu was also a little dissatisfied: ¡°Why are you yelling at Jiang Chen? What Jiangzi said is the truth¡­..¡± He coughed and lowered his voice a little: ¡°Although it¡¯s a little bit¡­..but if He Qianjian really does have a problem, it is really dangerous for your cousin to investigate, okay?¡±


    ¡°But still you can¡¯t¡­..¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, cousin.¡± Li Xiao grabbed Pan Liuyi¡¯s hand. Although her complexion was not very good, she said seriously to Jiang Chen, ¡°I know you¡¯re not trying to scare me, and I know the seriousness of this matter. I won¡¯t continue to investigate.¡±


    Seeing her pale face, Jiang Chen felt a little guilty in his heart, but as the only person in this world who knew the truth about this matter, it was impossible for him to watch a twelve-year-old child run into danger when he knew it was dangerous. What he said before was not an exaggeration. If the book was to be believed, then judging from what He Qianjian had done in the book, it was entirely possible for him to ruthlessly kill an underage child.


    He slowed down his voice and comforted: ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid. What I just said is the worst possibility after you are discovered. In fact, there are more good people in this world who will not use these methods to deal with others.¡± But worried that the little girl would put down her defenses too much after hearing him say this, he added: ¡°Under any circumstances, don¡¯t use your own safety to gamble the possibility of a few tenths of a percent. Once danger happens to you, it is 100%.¡±


    Hearing this, the little girl who had been pretending to be a little adult on purpose, refused to show timidity even if she was afraid, finally smiled lightly: ¡°I see, thank you Brother Jiang Chen.¡±


    Seeing that Li Xiao smiled, Pan Liuyi relaxed, and said with an embarrassed smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry just now, and thank you, Jiang Chen.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled lightly: ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    It was getting late when they came out of the cold drink shop.


    Jiang Chen and Shen Xu sent Pan Liuyi and Li Xiao back first, and then took a taxi back to Shen Xu¡¯s house together.


    After making such a detour, it was almost the early AMs when they arrived at Shen Xu¡¯s house. Jiang Chen came to stay at the Shen¡¯s house quite a few times. There was a room reserved for him in the Shen¡¯s house. There was a change of clothes in the room that he didn¡¯t take away before, and there was still school tomorrow morning. So he simply washed up, set the alarm clock and fell asleep.


    The next day, Jiang Chen was woken up by Shen Xu.


    ¡°Jiangzi, Jiangzi!¡± Shen Xu grabbed his shoulder and shouted, ¡°We forgot to do our homework when we went to see the ballet! Today¡¯s first period is M2 class! We can¡¯t finish his questions in one morning of self-study! We are done for! Ah this is too miserable¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at the time, turned over and buried his head in the quilt: ¡°It¡¯s in my schoolbag.¡±


    ¡°You did it? You did it?!¡± Shen Xu jumped up, pressed on Jiang Chen, hugged him and said, ¡°F**k, I love you, I love you to death, Jiangzi, you are my savior! I¡¯m going now, you sleep well! Have a good dream!¡±


    Shen Xu came and went quickly, went through Jiang Chen¡¯s schoolbag, took the homework, and went back to his room to copy it.


    When Jiang Chen got up, Shen Xu had only one English composition left to write.


    When Jiang Chen was brushing his teeth, he bit his pen and said, ¡°Jiangzi, do you think what Li Xiao said yesterday is true or not?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Jiang Chen spit out foam.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Shen Xu shook his head: ¡°It sounded like fake to me, but I don¡¯t know why it feels like it¡¯s true, but when I think about it carefully, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible, so I don¡¯t know, but¡ª¡ª¡±


    He leaned against the wall: ¡°It¡¯s a bit too much for you to scare the little girl so much~ She is only twelve years old. If you do that, she probably had nightmares last night.¡±


    Jiang Chen wiped his face clean and said, ¡°If things happen, it will be a real nightmare.¡±


    Shen Xu paused, and stood up straight to go to Jiang Chen¡¯s side: ¡°You mean, do you really think that He Qianjian would do that kind of thing? You don¡¯t even know him, and you just make such an assertion based on Li Xiao¡¯s words?¡±


    Jiang Chen paused in the middle of turning around, and just turned his head to meet Shen Xu¡¯s eyes, wanting to laugh and sigh at the same time.


    After two lifetimes, Shen Xu would always be the person to see through him the easiest, and Shen Xu would always be straightforward with his doubts.


    ¡°I¡¯m not basing it on Li Xiao¡¯s words.¡± Jiang Chen knew that Shen Xu had a keen intuition, and he didn¡¯t want to lie to him, but there were some things he couldn¡¯t say or explain clearly, so he could only divert his attention and said, ¡°Qian Min told me some things about He Qianjian, I think He Qianjian is not a simple person, and Li Xiao is still young, so it is right to warn her.¡±


    ¡°He Qianmin?¡± Shen Xu pondered over the name, but he was indeed led astray. He clenched his fists and punched his palm and said, ¡°I even forgot that He Qianjian is He Qianmin¡¯s older brother!¡±


    ¡°Last time, that kid called you like you are his big brother. It turned out that his real older brother treated him badly, I almost couldn¡¯t connect the dots. If not because he is from the He family, with that similar nose and dimple you two share, I almost thought he was Uncle Jiang¡¯s with someone outside¡ª¡ª¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and looked over, Shen Xu immediately covered his mouth, and sheepishly said, ¡°Mistake, mistake, I didn¡¯t mean that, I mean¡­..¡±


    ¡°I and He Qianmin look alike?¡±


    ¡°Very.¡± Seeing that Jiang Chen¡¯s attention was on this, Shen Xu breathed a sigh of relief, immediately stood up straight, shook his head and said, ¡°At first glance, if you look at the front face, it doesn¡¯t look very similar, but if you look at the profile, you two have noses that seem made from the same mold, very similar. But the most important trait is the dimple, the position is exactly the same, if you two purse your lips at the same time or laugh together, you two would look nearly identical, no one would believe that you are not blood brothers.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly: ¡°¡­..So similar?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a physical resemblance, but also an indescribable feeling.¡± Shen Xu stroked his chin and thought for a while, then shook his head: ¡°I can¡¯t say it either, anyway, if you two stand together, everypne would feel that you two were born from the same parents.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Shen Xu patted his head and said, ¡°I forgot after so many things happened yesterday. Didn¡¯t Zhang Zhipeng say that Sun Zhi wanted to find you? When I was watching the ballet, I suddenly remembered something. In the second year of middle school, Huo Bo caught a person following you, and that person seemed to be Sun Zhi.¡±


    AN: At present, the heights of the main protagonist and several main supporting characters are listed as follows:


    Jiang Chen: 178cm (still growing)


    Shi Fengyue: 186cm (no more growing)


    Shen Xu: 168cm (huge potential (Shen Xu himself said))


    Luo Ze: 182cm (the basketball team can still grow)


    He Qianmin: 172cm (the younger brother is still growing)


    Note: M2, the abbreviation of a machine gun, is also the nickname of Teacher He, the chemistry teacher of year 2 class 1. He got this name because he has a bad temper and scolds people with the speed and power of a machine gun, and his scolding also has a very wide range.

 CH 30

    Apart from recalling that Sun Zhi had followed Jiang Chen, Shen Xu had no memory of other things.


    After Jiang Chen questioned, he found out that Shen Xu had accidentally bumped into Huo Bo talking to Sun Zhi at that time, and he didn¡¯t know the specifics.


    Apart from remembering that Huo Bo said that Sun Zhi followed Jiang Chen several times, he didn¡¯t even see what Sun Zhi looked like at that time. If Zhang Zhipeng hadn¡¯t mentioned it this time, and Shen Xu had racked his brains to find the name Sun Zhi and everything related to the other, he would not recall this memory.


    Also because of this memory, Shen Xu paid special attention to Sun Zhi¡¯s movements. Not only did he specially find people in Sun Zhi¡¯s class to keep an eye on him to know all his movements in school, but from that day on, he insisted on escorting Jiang Chen to school and after school. He would only go back to his own home after sending Jiang Chen back home, and if Jiang Chen¡¯s competition class had late self-study or supplementary lessons, he would stay the night directly at Jiang Chen¡¯s house.


    Under Shen Xu¡¯s strict defense, a week passed by in a flash, and it would soon be Saturday.


    At noon that day, as soon as Jiang Chen came out of the cafeteria, he received a call from the hospital.


    The nurse said that there was an issue with Jiang Zhuo¡¯s preoperative physical examination, and they found his contact information because they couldn¡¯t get in touch with Yang Si, the first contact person. They hoped he could go to the hospital to discuss the preoperative problem if he had time. Jiang Chen, after hanging up the phone, dialed Yang Si¡¯s number several times, but none of the calls were answered. His eyes dimmed, and he went to the classroom teacher to approve the leave.


    At this moment, Fu Jinyu was also in the office, he got up and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I take you there.¡±


    Although Jiang Chen was in a hurry, he also knew that Fu Jinyu had class in the afternoon: ¡°No need, Teacher Fu, Yan No. 2 Hospital is not far from the school, and I can take a taxi when I go out. It will be quick.¡±


    Fu Jinyu nodded: ¡°Then be careful on the road, and call me or Teacher Li if you have any problems.¡±


    Teacher Li also said: ¡°Pay attention to safety, don¡¯t shoulder things on your own, tell your teachers, we will find a way to help you solve it.¡±


    Jiang Chen bowed slightly to the two, turned and left.


    It was easy to exit the school with a leave slip. The bus stop was at the other end of the road. Jiang Chen looked up at the red light diagonally above, thinking about the authenticity of the phone call just now at this sensitive moment.


    But whether it was true or not, he had to make the trip. Tomorrow was the operation. Any problems Jiang Zhuo had before the operation would have an impact. Moreover, Yang Si had never missed his calls before. Yet yhis time, no one answered the phone, something must have happened.


    Thinking of Shen Xu saying that Sun Zhi sent frequent text messages in class yesterday, Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes dimmed. Today¡¯s phone call was very likely to have something to do with He Qianjian, but it was precisely because of this that he had to go to the hospital to make sure of his parents¡¯ safety. With He Qianjian¡¯s character, even if Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si were his biological parents, he might still hurt them in order to achieve his goal.


    Therefore, even if he was ninety-nine percent sure that the phone call just now was fraudulent, he couldn¡¯t gamble that one percent with his parents¡¯ safety.


    He lowered his eyes and unconsciously rubbed the buttons of the phone with his fingers, falling into a trance for a moment. If he really waited for that day and He Qianjian and him resumed their respective identities, how would his parents face them? What would the He family do?


    While he was in a daze, someone pulled Jiang Chen¡¯s elbow back, and several tall men covered his mouth and pulled him into an alley three meters away.


    Jiang Chen came back to his senses in an instant. When the three of them walked into the alley and relaxed their guard momentarily, he gathered strength in his arms and broke free from the person on the left. He raised his legs and bent his knees to kick against the person¡¯s abdomen with 100% of his strength. In an instant, when the others didn¡¯t even see clearly what he had done, the man on the left had already fallen back, curled up on the ground with his hands on his stomach, his face so pale that he couldn¡¯t even utter a cry of pain.


    Such a precise and quick attack made the other two who were holding him stunned for a moment. Jiang Chen took advantage of this moment to elbow back and kick right at the same time. His movements were like flowing water, and he broke free from the restraint of the two in an instant.


    The strength he could exert when exerting force backward was not as strong as that from the side. Jiang Chen dodged the outstretched hand of the person behind him, grabbed his fingers and bent them upwards. While the man screamed in pain, he disconnected his arm and also kicked him mercilessly to the side, making him completely incapacitated.


    The situation turned on its head in an instant. Jiang Chen, who was being held hostage just now, looked down at the three people huddled together on the ground, and his usually clear voice was cold, with a stormy tone: ¡°Who sent you here?¡±


    The people on the ground grunted in pain, but no one spoke.


    Jiang Chen raised his leg and stepped forward, and just as he was about to walk in front of the outermost man, a voice sounded: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect God Jiang to be so good at fighting. I wonder if the teachers in the school know about it.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned around, not surprised: ¡°Sun Zhi.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    Sun Zhi stood at the entrance of the alley, together with the crowd of people behind him, they almost blocked the entire alley.


    He crossed his arms and smiled: ¡°Senior, say, if I crippled your hand, so that you can no longer take exams and do test papers. would those teachers still protect you?¡±


    Jiang Chen stared at Sun Zhi with a haze of dark fog in his heart.


    He had lowered down the hook at the beginning, and Sun Zhi was the first fish he expected to take the bait after throwing out the bait, but his appearance also meant that he had to face the problem he was least willing to think about.


    ¡ª¡ªThat book was true, and He Qianjian was the biological son of his parents.


    Even though the soul in He Qianjian¡¯s body might not be the real one, but no one knew the truth except him, if the day came when everyone returned to their respective positions, what would He Qianjian do? Could his parents accept this result¡­..


    Seeing that Jiang Chen kept silent, Sun Zhi smiled. He took two steps forward and said provocatively, ¡°Senior, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Weren¡¯t you very arrogant before? How about you shout and call the teachers over to tell on us?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips, his eyes clear and sharp, but Sun Zhi suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of crisis.


    The next second, Jiang Chen grabbed his throat with his hand and pulled him to the ground. By the time he realized it, his hands had been pulled behind his back, and he was kneeling on the ground.


    These actions only happened in an instant, and Sun Zhi practically just felt his vision blur before hearing the heavy knocking of his kneecaps on the ground in a blink of an eye.


    ¡°Sun Zhi.¡± Jiang Chen put his knees on Sun Zhi¡¯s back, pressed him forward with his legs, and at the same time grabbed Sun Zhi¡¯s wrist and pulled it back forcefully. Hearing his pained cry, he leaned forward, lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Do you think your cry just now will be heard by the teachers?¡±


    Sun Zhi¡¯s forehead was covered with cold sweat from the pain, and his face was full of humiliation. He was nearly 1.85 meters tall and had a strong figure, but he was easily pinned to the ground by a another boy half a head shorter than him, making it difficult to even move.


    ¡°You¡­..¡± Sun Zhi couldn¡¯t believe it: ¡°How can you be so good at this?¡±


    He had been waiting at the back before, wanting to wait for the people in front to subdue Jiang Chen before coming out. If possible, he even hoped that he would not have to show up at all. After all, Jiang Chen had a special status, and he had to continue going to school in Yan No. 1 High School in the future.


    Unexpectedly, just after Jiang Chen was pulled into the alley, he heard the screams of his own people in the next second. He brought a lot of people, so of course he was not afraid of anything. The only hesitation was the possible troubles after today, but after the phone call just now his worries were resolved, so he immediately led people to block the alley.


    When he saw the three people lying on the ground, he realized that Jiang Chen might have good defense skills, but when he was captured and forced to kneel on the ground just at that moment, he realized how good his skills actually were.


    Jiang Chen exerted force, and said calmly, ¡°How is it not possible?¡±


    Sun Zhi wanted to struggle, feeling shame and indignation, but the joints of the bones in his arms snapped, reminding him not to move around, ¡°Are you all braindead! Get him already!¡±


    Sun Zhi yelled, and the people blocking the alley swarmed over as if they had just woken up from a dream. It was probably because Jiang Chen moved too fast and too neatly just now, no one dared to take him lightly, and each of them clenched the weapons in their hands to probe him out.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s skills were honed in his previous life when he was working at the Ninth Research Institute of Imperial Military Affairs. In the Ninth Research Institute of Imperial Military Affairs, every researcher who had obtained the rank of major and above and was under the age of forty-five must learn close contact fighting and grappling courses. Most of the researchers were poor in physical fitness and were rather perfunctory in learning these skills. Jiang Chen was one of them. Although his skills were not as good as those of the special forces, he could still go a few rounds with ordinary soldiers.


    It was just that two hands were hard to beat four hands. Jiang Chen¡¯s overwhelming victory in a one-on-three was not only due to what he learned in his previous life, but also because of the element of surprise.


    Standing outside the crowd, Sun Zhi finally heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the situation. Thinking of the words from above, a trace of malice flashed across his eyes, and he shouted, ¡°Brothers, whoever breaks Jiang Chen¡¯s hand, I will give you 20,000 yuan as a reward, ack cough cough cough¡ª¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, his neck was pinched and he was pushed against the wall by a huge force. Only when the dizziness of hitting his head against the wall had just faded did he see the person in front of him.


    Sun Zhi¡¯s face changed, and it was difficult to breathe while being pinched by the neck. He coughed again and his hoarse voice trembled: ¡°Huo cough, cough, Huo¡­..Bo! Didn¡¯t you, cough, cough, disappear, cough¡­..¡±


    The boy in the short crew cut increased his strength, and his expression was cold: ¡°Repeat what you said just now.¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡±


    Just as he opened his mouth, Huo Bo tightened the grip of his left hand suddenly, and at the same time grabbed the other¡¯s left hand hanging by his side with his right hand. Only a ¡°snap¡± was heard before a burst of unprecedented sharp pain blossomed, and Sun Zhi, whose eyes rolled into the back of his head, was thrown into the corner.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to what was happening on the other side. He had already received a few sticks on his body. The people who surrounded him seemed to have found a tacit understanding, and they could always attack him from another angle when he went on the offensive.


    At this time, just as he turned sideways to avoid a foot extending diagonally from behind, he saw someone on the right raising a stick from the corner of his eye. He turned sideways to to avoid it but right after he saw a punch heading his way from the direction he dodged towards.


    Jiang Chen knew that he couldn¡¯t dodge the punch, and when he was about to take it and then fight back, the person who threw the punch was swept away by a sideways kick, and hit the trash can on the side.


    Jiang Chen was taken aback for a moment. When he turned his head to see the person, surprise appeared in his eyes: ¡°Huo Bo!¡±


    Huo Bo looked sinister: ¡°Behind.¡±


    Jiang Chen avoided it quickly, and smiled at him: ¡°You, fella, you¡¯re finally back.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t come back, I would have to go to the hospital to see you.¡±


    With Huo Bo joining the battle, the situation changed again. In a two against eight brawl, Jiang Chen and Huo Bo actually gained the upper hand.


    Sun Zhi watched Jiang Chen and Huo Bo cooperate tacitly, and saw his people fall down one by one. Thinking of the suffocation and fear of being pinched by the neck before, he clenched his fists with trembling hands. He never expected that Huo Bo, who had disappeared for half a year, would unexpectedly appear at this critical moment.


    If it was just Jiang Chen, he still had a chance of winning, but with Huo Bo¡­..


    Sun Zhi huddled in a corner, took a deep breath, and took out the utility knife in his pocket.


    He really couldn¡¯t beat Huo Bo and Jiang Chen, and he also knew that after today, he might expect a miserable life in Yan City No. 1 High School or even be expelled from school, but compared to not being able to do what he promised to that person, these things were not scary at all¡­..


    The opportunity Sun Zhi was waiting for soon came. Jiang Chen¡¯s physical strength was already exhausted, and his dodging movements became stagnant. It was only by Huo Bo¡¯s cooperation in covering him that he just barely dodged the hits. At this time, there were five people surrounding Huo Bo, and Jiang Chen also had three people in front of him. The most important thing was that both Huo Bo and Jiang Chen have their backs to him, this was the best opportunity.


    Sun Zhi grasped the utility knife in his hand, stepped forward cautiously and silently, and while Jiang Chen was leaning back, he raised his hand and stabbed down with the knife.


    ¡°Jiang Chen! Go left!¡±


    Jiang Chen subconsciously dodged to the left and back, and before he even straightened up, he felt a gust of wind blowing across his cheeks, and blood splashed on his face.


    AN: Is Huo Bo considered the long-awaited one?


    Continue with yesterday¡¯s height list:


    Huo Bo: 182cm (Shen Xu doesn¡¯t want him to grow anymore, but he can still grow)

 CH 31

    ¡°Huo Bo!¡±


    Jiang Chen rolled up from the ground with his left hand, dodged the wooden stick that swung from the side, and quickly ran to Huo Bo¡¯s side. With their backs pressed against each other, he turned his head slightly and said, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Huo Bo shook his bleeding arm, calmly looked at the people who surrounded them, and said in an extremely cold voice, ¡°Minor injury, let¡¯s talk after the fight.¡±


    After saying that, he kicked the person closest to him without waiting for anyone to react. Jiang Chen made his move at almost the same time. The two cooperated tacitly and trusted their backs to each other, not allowing for any openings, and soon this group of people were dealt with.


    The ground had prone bodied lying haphazardly all over. Jiang Chen picked his way through and walked up to Sun Zhi whose hands were broken by Huo Bo, knelt down and said, ¡°No matter who the person behind you is, remind him for me that persisting in evil brings about self-destruction. And also, these words are for you too.¡±


    Huo Bo stood beside Jiang Chen, looked down at Sun Zhi, and said coldly: ¡°I recall that I warned you before, don¡¯t let me see you again.¡±


    Sun Zhi trembled, scooted back on his buttocks, and said with a trembling voice, ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to trouble Jiang Chen, it¡¯s, someone asked me to do this¡­..¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Huo Bo stepped on his chest, the hostility still lingering in his eyes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say¡­..¡±


    The force under Huo Bo¡¯s foot became heavier, and Sun Zhi¡¯s face was flushed with pain, but he gritted his teeth tightly and refused to say a word.


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Jiang Chen grabbed Huo Bo¡¯s injured arm, looked it over carefully, and said, ¡°Your wound needs to be treated.¡±


    Huo Bo didn¡¯t say a word, the strength under his foot increasing little by little. Sun Zhi coughed and struggled, but because his hands were broken, he could only scrabble on the ground in vain.


    ¡°Huo Kuang Kuang.¡± Jiang Chen crossed his arms, raised his eyebrows and smilingly called him, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Huo Bo¡¯s face changed: ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡±


    ¡°Will you go or not?¡±


    Huo Bo clenched his jaws, retracted his foot, cast a cold glance at Sun Zhi who was on the ground, and warned in a low voice: ¡°I will say it one last time, don¡¯t let me see you again.¡±


    From an alley where the sun couldn¡¯t shine prone and moaning figures littered the ground, the two walked into the sun one after the other, one with a stern expression and the other with a warm expression.


    Jiang Chen stopped at the door of the pharmacy, turned around and said, ¡°Wait a bit, we¡¯ll treat your wound first.¡±


    Huo Bo stood aside with his arms folded, and a cold, silent face.


    He and Jiang Chen grew up together, and he knew what the other wanted to say and what he didn¡¯t want to say without having to even ask. It was just that he saw such a scene right after he came back, and it seemed that there was some insider information that the other couldn¡¯t let others know. It was hard not to be worried, and this time he came back he clearly felt the changes in Jiang Chen from before he left, which made him want to know what happened in the past six months.


    How could Jiang Chen not know what Huo Bo was worried about and what he was feeling awkward about? He didn¡¯t say anymore, just smiled and opened his arms and said, ¡°Huo Bo, welcome back.¡±


    Huo Bo looked at him with a sullen face, met his smiling eyes for a few seconds, then clicked his tongue before hugging him in his arms briefly. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so sappy.¡±


    Jiang Chen shrugged and walked into the pharmacy.


    When he came out again, he was holding medical iodine tincture and bandage cotton swabs in his hand. The two randomly found a step and sat down. Jiang Chen skillfully helped him treat the wound. When he wrapped the bandage, he lowered his eyes and chuckled lightly, ¡°I keep feeling that the last time I bandaged you was decades ago.¡±


    ¡°Exaggerated.¡± Huo Bo also laughed a little: ¡°It¡¯s only half a year.¡±


    Jiang Chen put aside the remaining iodine and bandages, propped his arms on the ground, and looked at the road ahead with an idle expression: ¡°Thank you for just now.¡±


    Huo Bo said indifferently: ¡°Tomorrow is Uncle Jiang¡¯s operation. If he sees you injured, he will definitely not have the operation with peace of mind.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Jiang Chen was used to the other¡¯s blunt tongue, and said with a smile, ¡°I am thanking you in my dad¡¯s place.¡±


    Huo Bo hummed lightly, remained silent for a long time, and then whispered: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head and asked him, ¡°Sorry for what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess.¡± Jiang Chen looked away and at the busy traffic, saying with a smile, ¡°You mean to say that a lot of things have happened to my family in the past six months, but you haven¡¯t been able to accompany me when I was most sad, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as sappy as you make it out to be.¡± Huo Bo glanced at him and said.


    ¡°What about you? How has the past six months been?¡±


    In Jiang Chen¡¯s peripheral vision, Huo Bo picked up the plastic bag from the pharmacy and fiddled with it, his eyes lowered and saying nothing.


    After a while, he said lightly: ¡°Just how it is.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, and his half-lowered eyelashes covered the distress and chill in his eyes.


    It was the same in the first life. One year after Grandma Huo passed away, Huo Bo was picked up by his biological mother. He left for half a year. After he came back, he didn¡¯t seem to have changed other than just talking less. It seemed as if the half year passed without any disturbances.


    At that time, he was overwhelmed with his own family affairs, and he didn¡¯t have any extra mind to pay attention to the differences in his friends. Later, Shen Xu mentioned it to him several times, and he directly asked Huo Bo, and he didn¡¯t think too much about it after getting ¡°nothing¡± in reply. After a long time, when Huo Bo had achieved great success, people from his mother¡¯s side came knocking, and only then did he know what Huo Bo had experienced in those six months.


    However, Huo Bo in the first life would not say, and the same was true in this life.


    He also didn¡¯t need to ask, because some things, no matter how much others say, no matter when they say it, couldn¡¯t relieve the pain of the person concerned, and the only thing that could heal the wound was time and himself.


    Moreover, he would never let what happened to Huo Bo in the first life happen again.


    Jiang Chen changed the topic: ¡°Let¡¯s go back to school, Shen Xu will be happy to see you.¡±


    ¡°Forget it today.¡± Huo Bo looked at the bandage on his hand, pulled at the corner of his mouth and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the western suburbs to see Grandma first.¡±


    Jiang Chen stood up, turned around and stretched out his hand, saying seriously, ¡°Huo Bo, I¡¯m saying it again, welcome back, Shen Xu and I miss you very much.¡±


    Huo Bo grabbed his hand and stood up. The two of them exerted strength at the same time, and when their chests collided, Huo Bo whispered: ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    After parting, Jiang Chen stopped a cab on the side of the road and went to Yan City Second Hospital. When he entered the lobby of the inpatient department, he paused and straightened his clothes in front of the grooming mirror at the door.


    A familiar figure in the mirror walked by, Jiang Chen turned his head and stopped the man: ¡°Doctor Shi.¡±


    Shi Fengyue stopped in his tracks. He was dressed all in black. His jet-black hair was pressed under his baseball cap. His exposed neck and chin formed a strong contrast with the black clothes, and were almost transparent white.


    Jiang Chen also knew that Shi Fengyue¡¯s skin was fair before, but he never had such a strong sense of impact before this, but what caught his attention even more was Shi Fengyue¡¯s almost blood-colored lips and how he seemed to dress warmer than ordinary people.


    It was almost June now, and the temperature today was as high as 30 degrees. But Shi Fengyue was wearing a black sweater that was not considered thin, which was a bit awkward among the people who come and go in thin summer clothes.


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s expression was indolent, and when he was stopped, he just asked lazily: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Jiang Chen frowned: ¡°Doctor Shi, are you feeling discomfort?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shi Fengyue said lightly, ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, and asked about the business: ¡°I just received a call from the hospital saying that my dad¡¯s preoperative examination has abnormalities. I want to ask you about his condition.¡±


    Shi Fengyue raised his eyes: ¡°The nurse mixed up your father¡¯s test results and someone else¡¯s by mistake, but the intern doctor found out not long after, they already notified you?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly: ¡°It must have been the nurse who was too anxious, so they just notified me.¡±


    Shi Fengyue narrowed his eyes slightly, thoughtful.


    A few seconds later, he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your mother?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t get through her phone.¡± Jiang Chen asked, ¡°Did you see her today?¡±


    ¡°No¡­..¡± Shi Fengyue looked past Jiang Chen and raised his jaw: ¡°Over there.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head and followed Shi Fengyue¡¯s line of sight, just in time to see Yang Si who walked into the entrance of the inpatient department. He nodded to Shi Fengyue: ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving, excuse me.¡±


    Shi Fengyue nodded slightly and also left.


    Jiang Chen caught up with Yang Si and called out, ¡°Mom.¡±


    Yang Si turned around in surprise: ¡°Chen Chen? Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°The hospital called to say that there was something wrong with Dad¡¯s examination, so I asked for leave with the teacher. I just met Dr. Shi and found that the nurse took the wrong report.¡± Jiang Chen asked: ¡°Neither I nor the nurse could get through to your phone, where have you been?¡±


    ¡°At noon, after I delivered food to your dad and on the way home, my mobile phone was stolen on the bus.¡± Yang Si raised her hand, revealing the bag in her hand: ¡°This is my Mom¡¯s new mobile phone, and the clerk said it is the latest model. Give Mom your mobile phone later, and you can use this new one.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t really need to use a mobile phone at school, you should keep it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Yang Si stuffed the bag to Jiang Chen, took his arm and said with a smile: ¡°Other children have new mobile phones, so of course my Chen Chen should also have a new one.¡±


    Jiang Chen grabbed the bag in his hand, with a smile on the corner of his mouth: ¡°Thank you, Mom.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Yang Si pulled him and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re in the hospital, go up and see your dad. Last night while you were still at school, he was still talking about whether you¡¯d be hungry when you got home. In fact, he just misses you.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°I miss him too.¡±


    After staying in Jiang Zhuo¡¯s ward all afternoon and having dinner with him, Jiang Chen left the hospital.


    When he was almost home, Jiang Chen received a call from He Qianmin.


    There was a stranger¡¯s voice on the other end: ¡°Hello, is this He Qianmin¡¯s brother?¡±


    Jiang Chen paused as he turned the key, and was silent for a few seconds before he said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°He Qianmin is in the hospital, can you come over?¡±


    Jiang Chen frowned, pulled out the key and turned around, ¡°Which hospital? How is he doing?¡±


    ¡°The Affiliated Hospital of Yan University.¡± Said over there, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s fine, but he got drunk and accidentally cut his hand. The wound is a bit deep and needs stitches.¡±


    ¡°Please take care of him first, I¡¯ll be right over.¡±


    Thirty minutes later, the cab stopped at the entrance of the Affiliated Hospital of Yan University.


    Jiang Chen quickly walked into the emergency room. He didn¡¯t really need to look, immediately seeing a few boys in Chenghua¡¯s school uniform.


    He walked over and said, ¡°How is He Qianmin?¡±


    The several boys were taken aback when they saw him, and one of them hesitated and asked, ¡°May I ask who you are?¡±


    ¡°The person who answered the phone thirty minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± The boys looked at each other, ¡°Isn¡¯t He Qianmin¡¯s elder brother He Qianjian from Chenghua¡¯s high school division?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, He Qianjian doesn¡¯t seem to look like this¡­..¡±


    Just as Jiang Chen was about to speak, he heard He Qianmin¡¯s voice behind him: ¡°Big Brother?¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head and saw He Qianmin standing three meters away from him, with his right sleeve of his school uniform rolled up, bandages wrapped around his arm from elbow to wrist, his face pale.


    Seeing that it was really Jiang Chen, He Qianmin was surprised and delighted: ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    When Jiang Chen came up to him, he smelled the medicinal alcohol on him, and frowned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your arm?¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s face changed slightly. Avoiding his gaze, he pursed his lips and said: ¡°I was drunk, accidentally cutting myself with a fruit knife.¡±

 CH 32

    ¡°Drunk?¡± Jiang Chen looked him up and down, and asked calmly, ¡°Are you sober now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­..¡± He Qianmin was about to nod his head, but when he looked up and saw Jiang Chen¡¯s expressionless face, he immediately changed his words: ¡°No.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze shifted from his face to the corner of his clothes stained with blood.


    Seeing that Jiang Chen only looked at him but didn¡¯t speak, He Qianmin took half a step forward and took his arm, groaning, ¡°It¡¯s just a small injury, I¡¯m used to it, there were a few times before that were much more serious than this, this one will be fine in a few days.¡±


    ¡°To now in the third year of junior high school, you¡¯ve been drinking, you¡¯ve gotten used to this?¡± Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°No¡­..¡± Seeing Jiang Chen angry for the first time, He Qianmin was flustered and at a loss: ¡°Big Brother, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­..¡±


    The several boys from Chenghua saw He Qianmin like this for the first time. After exchanging glances, they all came forward to smooth things over. A chubby boy smiled and said, ¡°Big Brother, don¡¯t scold him anymore, he just got stitches. He howled so loudly that people could hear it on the third floor, he¡¯s quite pitiful, and he didn¡¯t drink on purpose, it was¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen interrupted the boy, and said to He Qianmin, ¡°Tell me yourself.¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips tightly, still  grabbing his arm, and lowered his head without saying a word.


    The chubby boy looked at Jiang Chen and He Qianmin, and gave the others winks.


    A person stepped forward and said: ¡°Big Brother, it¡¯s really not what you think. We just had dinner together. I don¡¯t know who changed Qian Min¡¯s drink into wine. This guy stopped drinking after taking a sip, but he got drunk after one sip, and in a daze, he thought the fruit knife on the table was a cup, and then cut his hand.¡±


    The other person also quickly said: ¡°Yeah, Big Brother, it¡¯s really not Qian Min¡¯s fault, we were all surprised, there were only drinks there, don¡¯t know who was that immoral to put the fruit knife there. When we go back to school the day after tomorrow, we must find that person and bring him out to show you!¡±


    ¡°You guys are saying¡ª¡ª¡± Jiang Chen raised his eyes suddenly, ¡°There was originally a drink, but without you knowing, the drink was replaced with a fruit knife?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The chubby boy quickly added: ¡°Big Brother, you must believe us, we really didn¡¯t lie to you, Qian Min was really unlucky this time, don¡¯t know who put the fruit glasses. Even if one did not see wrong, one would be cut if accidentally taking the drink next to it. Besides, he was so dizzy after drinking alcohol, he stretched out his hand and grabbed the knife directly¡ª¡ª¡± He angrily said: ¡°If I know which idiot did it, I will definitely¡­..¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He Qianmin interrupted the chubby boy, glanced at Jiang Chen, turned his head to look at the ground, and laughed self-deprecatingly: ¡°You don¡¯t believe it right, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯m fine, you can now¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°I believe it.¡±


    He Qianmin froze, looked up at Jiang Chen: ¡°You believe what they said?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Jiang Chen hid the chill in his eyes and asked, ¡°You said earlier that you were injured a few times more seriously than this time, and it was also because of this kind of inexplicable situation?¡±


    He Qianmin nodded blankly, the tip of his nose turning red: ¡°Big Brother, do you really believe me?¡±


    Jiang Chen saw his clear and crystal-like eyes gradually misting over and his heart pulled painfully. He raised his hand and rubbed his head, ¡°I¡¯m your brother, of course I believe you.¡±


    He Qianmin blinked, then quickly turned his head and said, ¡°You, then that¡¯s good.¡±


    The chubby boy rushed forward and said to Jiang Chen with a smile, ¡°Big Brother, I haven¡¯t heard Qian Min mention you before. My name is He Yunlong, and I¡¯m Qian Min¡¯s classmate.¡±


    Jiang Chen withdrew his gaze, nodded and said, ¡°Hello.¡±


    The several other people also came up to introduce themselves one by one, all of them were cheerful and friendly, and it could be seen that they had a good relationship with He Qianmin.


    After Jiang Chen finished greeting, he said with a slight smile, ¡°I¡¯ll trouble you to take care of Qian Min today, and I¡¯ll treat you all to dinner when I have a chance.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave it to later!¡± The boys love to boo, seeing that Jiang Chen was not aloof they quickly treated him as one of their own. Hearing him say this, they all laughed and said, ¡°Make it today! I was so scared that I didn¡¯t have time to eat just now. I¡¯m so hungry!¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at the time and agreed. He took He Qianmin and the group of young men to a nearby porridge shop.


    ¡°Qian Min is injured, so he can only drink porridge. Next time, I¡¯ll treat you all to something else.¡±


    He Qianmin sat next to Jiang Chen, curved his lips upward when he heard this, and said, ¡°It¡¯s already too nice of you to treat them to eat, how can there be so many complaints.¡±


    The boys also responded with grins: ¡°Yes, Big Brother, this place is good, we all like it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, my dad said, one must cultivate health at night, you need to eat these digestible things.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, how old are you? Why haven¡¯t we heard Qian Min mention you before?¡±


    He Qianmin finally couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, kicked the boy opposite him lightly and said: ¡°This is my  Big Brother, what are you all doing calling him so familiarly, and also, do I have to report the eighteen generations of my family¡¯s ancestors to you guys. ¡°


    The boy didn¡¯t get angry when he was kicked, he dodged while saying: ¡°Big Brother, you don¡¯t know how domineering He Qianmin is at school, and he isn¡¯t how he behaves in front of you at all normally, please teach us the secret! Let us also¡­..He Qianmin, your shoes are made of iron, right?¡±


    He Qianmin warned him: ¡°If you talk too much, I will kick you to death.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother!¡± The boy looked at Jiang Chen: ¡°Did you see that! That¡¯s how He Qianmin bully us weak classmates at school!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right!¡± The other people watched the excitement and only fanned the flames, all shouting to have Jiang Chen stand up for them.


    Jiang Chen put a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs in He Qianmin¡¯s bowl, curved his lips upward and said, ¡°I¡¯m his big rother, so naturally I only stand up for him.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s expressionless froze. When he turned his head and saw Jiang Chen¡¯s smiling eyes, his ears turned red and he quickly looked away, but the corners of his mouth could not suppress their upward arc. He raised his chin and said: ¡°You hear that, this is my big brother, so you guys can forget it.¡±


    The others didn¡¯t expect Jiang Chen to say that. After booing, a boy said enviously, ¡°He Qianmin, I¡¯ll trade my brother for your brother. Let¡¯s switch.¡±


    Another person also said: ¡°I want to switch too!¡±


    He Qianmin crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows: ¡°Dream on.¡±


    ¡°He Qianmin, you¡¯re gloating with glee!¡±


    ¡°He must be taught a little lesson!¡±


    ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s get him together!¡±


    As the boys fooled around, Jiang Chen looked at the porridge in the bowl, thoughtful.


    It was getting late, and everyone dispersed when they were full.


    Before He Qianmin got in the cab, Jiang Chen warned: ¡°In the future, if this kind of thing happens again, call me as soon as possible, and also, come to my school to find me in a few days, and tell me about the situations that happened to you before.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s smiling eyes dimmed instantly, and he pursed his lips and said in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to say.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at him sideways, but He Qianmin refused to meet his eyes, and looked forward expressionlessly, ¡°You won¡¯t believe it if I tell you, everyone thinks those things were just accidents. Without any evidence, no matter how many times I say it to anyone, the result will be the same.¡±


    ¡°He Qianmin.¡± Jiang Chen knocked on his forehead, and when he covered his forehead and glared over, he said, ¡°I told you, I believe you.¡±


    He Qianmin was startled, looking into his eyes: ¡°Why?¡±


    A smile appeared on the corner of Jiang Chen¡¯s lips: ¡°Because you call me Big Brother.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The next day, Jiang Chen arrived at Yan City Second Hospital early in the morning.


    Jiang Zhuo¡¯s operation started at ten o¡¯clock, and Shen Xu and Huo Bo also came. Jiang Chen sat on the waiting chairs outside the door with the two of them, watching Yang Si pace back and forth restlessly.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Jiang Chen walked up to her, pulled her and said, ¡°Sit down.¡±


    ¡°I just ate too much, now I¡¯m just taking a walk to digest.¡± Yang Si stopped and forced a smile as if to comfort herself: ¡°Your dad¡¯s operation will definitely be successful.¡±


    Jiang Chen supported her: ¡°There are still a few hours before Dad¡¯s surgery is over, please sit down first.¡±


    Shen Xu also came over, took Yang Si¡¯s other hand and said: ¡°Auntie Yang, Uncle Jiang must be fine, don¡¯t worry, just sit down for a while.¡±


    Yang Si took a deep breath, nodded and sat down with them.


    Time passed by, and while everyone outside the operating room was waiting anxiously, the operating light finally went out.


    When Shi Fengyue came out, Yang Si jumped up and walked over: ¡°Dr. Shi, how is my husband?¡±


    ¡°The operation is successful.¡± Shi Fengyue said: ¡°He will be sent to the ward later, but the effect of the anesthetic has not worn out yet, and it may take two hours to wake up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Dr. Shi, thank you.¡± Yang Si thanked him again and again, her voice a little choked, but her face was full of smiles: ¡°Thank you so much, Dr. Shi.¡±


    Shi Fengyue said lightly: ¡°This is my duty.¡±


    Jiang Chen also came over and said sincerely, ¡°Thank you, Dr. Shi, for your hard work.¡±


    Shi Fengyue nodded, and left here together with the intern doctors who came out.


    Shen Xu looked at the back of Shi Fengyue¡¯s leaving figure, ran up to Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Jiangzi, he was the one who came to our school last time, right? He can actually perform surgery at such a young age? So awesome.¡±


    Huo Bo was curious: ¡°He has been to No. 1 High School?¡±


    ¡°I saw him there once.¡± Shen Xu said, ¡°It was the time when the results of the midterm examination came out. Did I tell you about the situation that day? You didn¡¯t see it. When Jiang Chen and I appeared in a crowd of people, someone shouted ¡®God Jiang is coming¡¯, and everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on us, their stares as eager as seeing a glass of water in the desert, a guiding light in the dark, and then a path opened up like the sea parting¡­..¡±


    Huo Bo rolled his eyes at him, passed him and followed Jiang Chen and Yang Si.


    Shen Xu jumped like a monkey and called, ¡°Hey wait for me!¡±


    Shen Xu chased after them, insisting on telling Huo Bo that wonderful and glorious moment. Huo Bo walked around from Jiang Chen to Yang Si¡¯ side, and then from Yang Si to Jiang Chen¡¯s. But Shen Xu was still always chirping next to him incessantly.


    Seeing them like this, Yang Si couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since you three had fooled around together, Xiao Xu is still so lively.¡±


    Jiang Chen also chuckled: ¡°He hasn¡¯t seen Huo Bo for a long time.¡±


    ¡°I remember when you went to summer camp when you were a child, you were away for an entire summer vacation. After you came back, Xiao Xu missed you as well and stuck to you like this, telling you what happened when you were not here during the summer vacation.¡±


    That was a memory too long ago, and Jiang Chen only had some vague impressions in his mind, but just hearing his mother talk about it, he couldn¡¯t help but curve the corners of his mouth upwards.


    After seeing Jiang Zhuo, Yang Si took Jiang Chen and the others to have a meal near the hospital. After the meal, she went back to the hospital, and Jiang Chen and the others went to a cat cafe not far from the hospital under Shen Xu¡¯s strong suggestion.


    This kind of cafe was relatively rare at this time. As soon as Jiang Chen and Huo Bo walked in, they felt as if cat fur was flying all over the sky. Huo Bo frowned and stepped back in disgust, but Shen Xu forced him to go in.


    The three sat in the booth by the window. After Shen Xu ordered their things, he looked around excitedly and said, ¡°I saw this place on the forum before, and I¡¯ve wanted to come here for a long time. There are so many cats here!¡±


    Huo Bo gave him an eyeroll and said: ¡°There is also a lot of fur.¡±


    Shen Xu also rolled his eyes back, and said, ¡°What do you know?¡± After speaking, he began to imitate meowing, grabbing the dried fish and coaxing a Garfield-like cat who was lying on the sofa not far away: ¡°Come on, I have a small dried fish for you.¡±


    The Garfield cat lazily buried its face without raising its head. Shen Xu could only divert his target after teasing with no success for a while. He grabbed the dried fish and coaxed all the cats nearby, and one cat finally took his dried fish only to run away fast, not letting him even touch a single hair.


    ¡°Are these cats afraid of strangers? They don¡¯t seem to like strangers.¡± Shen Xu asked in frustration.


    Jiang Chen lowered his head. A round orange cat sat on his shoe, as if it had decided to use him as a sofa.


    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s because the two of you don¡¯t speak, especially Huo Bo, with a dark face, scaring away the kitties.¡±


    Another chubby blue-gray cat came pacing over, lay next to Jiang Chen and nudged his hand, meowing twice coquettishly, and then purring.


    Shen Xu said in amazement: ¡°Jiangzi, how did you coax that cat here? Help me coax one too. It¡¯s all because Huo Bo is sitting next to me, so not even one cat likes me.¡±


    A cat jumped down from the cat climbing frame at the back, landed directly on Huo Bo¡¯s lap, and rubbed against him affectionately, causing Huo Bo to lean back and freeze in place.


    Shen Xu¡¯s eyes widened: ¡°What¡¯s going on! Where did that cat come from! Why is it crawling on you!¡±


    Jiang Chen rubbed the cat next to him, and Huo Bo also adjusted his posture, and carefully touched the cat on him. He was a little surprised at the feel under his hand, and couldn¡¯t help petting it a few more times.


    Seeing this, Shen Xu was even more annoyed: ¡°Why didn¡¯t one come towards me!¡±


    The waiter who happened to be wearing a coffee apron brought the coffee and juice they ordered, and Shen Xu quickly asked: ¡°Do your cats have any quirks, why do they only crawl on the two of them, or do they not like yellow because I¡¯m wearing a yellow T-shirt.¡±


    The waiter looked at Shen Xu coldly and said, ¡°These are all female cats.¡±


    Shen Xu didn¡¯t understand: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Look in the mirror.¡±


    Shen Xu: ¡°???¡±


    ¡°You, what do you mean?¡± Shen Xu slapped the table, ¡°You mean I look¡­..Huh? It¡¯s you?¡±


    The thin and fair boy glanced at Shen Xu, nodded to Jiang Chen, and left with the tray.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­..¡± Shen Xu looked at the boy¡¯s back and said, ¡°Is that the lower year boy we saw in the stairwell before?¡±


    Jiang Chen hummed lightly. Shen Xu clicked his tongue, shook his head and said, ¡°Although his eyes are not very good, he looks livelier than before.¡±


    Huo Bo raised his eyes: ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Shen Xu said: ¡°When we saw him before, he was bullied by Sun Zhi in the stairwell on the second floor. If Jiangzi and I hadn¡¯t rescued him, he would have been miserable.¡±


    Huo Bo withdrew his gaze and said calmly, ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like one to be bullied in vain.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Shen Xu curled his lips, paused, and said, ¡°But speaking of this, I forgot to tell you that during the time you were not at school, that boy Sun Zhi was instigated by someone, and he has been wanting to find trouble for Jiang Chen. I have been having people keep an eye on him every day these days, and I don¡¯t believe that I can¡¯t dig out the person behind him. I want to see who is so stupid, hiding in the stinky sewers and looking for trouble.¡±


    ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you catch Sun Zhi when we were in the second or third year of junior high school? You said that he stalked Jiang Chen at that time. How did you find out and did you find out anything from him?¡±

 CH 33

    After Huo Bo thought for a while, he recalled the memory of that time. He asked Jiang Chen: ¡°Do you still remember the time when you were hit by a bicycle two days before the final exam in the second semester of our second year of junior high school?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°My hand was injured, and I didn¡¯t finish my Chinese composition during the exam.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I remembered that too!¡± Shen Xu slapped the table: ¡°It was the semester when Jiangzi saved a little boy from a car accident. At that time I said he did a good deed saving someone, only to be hit by a bicycle a few days later, it was so miserable! I still remember that the teacher only gave him five points for the essay because he didn¡¯t finish the composition, but his total score was still the first in our year.¡±


    ¡°That was the time.¡± Huo Bo said, ¡°The person who hit you with the bike was Sun Zhi.¡±


    ¡°One week before the final exam, probably a few days after you saved someone, I found out that someone had been following us after school, but I never could catch him, so I skipped the last class in the afternoon the day before the final exam, and waited at the school gate to see who was following us and for what purpose, only to see you be hit by a guy on a bike.¡±


    Shen Xu said: ¡°It was Sun Zhi who hit Jiang Chen that time?¡±


    Huo Bo hummed, and said: ¡°It was also at that time that I realized that he was not following us, but Jiang Chen, but at that time he only admitted that he hit Jiang Chen while riding a bicycle, but he did not admit that he had followed him before. When I caught him that day, he argued that he only followed him because he felt guilty and wanted to apologize to Jiang Chen.¡±


    ¡°The second year of junior high school¡­..¡± Shen Xu frowned and muttered: ¡°So Sun Zhi had been secretly watching Jiang Chen for a long time, but why? Also Zhang Zhipeng said that Sun Zhi didn¡¯t have anything against Jiang Chen himself, but that someone behind him has it out for Jiang Chen. Who is that person?¡±


    Huo Bo: ¡°Zhang Zhipeng? The one in your class who wears glasses?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t wear it now.¡± Shen Xu said, ¡°It should be because he had myopia surgery during the winter vacation, so he didn¡¯t wear it this semester, but that¡¯s not the point. Why did Sun Zhi who was only in the first year of junior high begin to stalk Jiang Chen and why did he hit him with his bike. Also, why does he want to attack Jiang Chen now, damn it, these questions are giving me a scary feeling.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so scary?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it scary?¡± Shen Xu lay down on the table, made a ferocious expression, lowered his voice and said slowly: ¡°In a place we don¡¯t know, there has been a pair of eyes staring at us. It may have been three years or even longer, you don¡¯t know the purpose of what they want to do, and you don¡¯t know what they will do in the future, isn¡¯t that scary?¡±


    Huo Bo raised his eyebrows: ¡°Not scary.¡±


    ¡°If this isn¡¯t scary, then what do you think is scary?¡±


    ¡°It is impossible for a person to spy on another person for no reason, nor would they attack a person for no reason.¡± Huo Bo said lightly: ¡°And it was so early on, which shows that there must be something we don¡¯t know. As long as we know the inside story, this matter won¡¯t be scary anymore.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still scary even after knowing the inside story!¡± Shen Xu grabbed a cat and hugged it in his arms. The cat quickly jumped away from his arms with a ¡°meow¡±. He looked up at the cat climbing frame in disappointment, then tucked his neck and said : ¡°Besides, we don¡¯t know why yet!¡±


    Huo Bo turned his head and looked at Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen stroked the blue cat beside him, without looking up.


    Huo Bo sat up straight, knocked on the table and said, ¡°Why does Sun Zhi bother you, do you know?¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyes. Shen Xu glanced at Huo Bo¡¯s expression, and was about to ask, when he saw a young man in an apron standing by the table holding a palm-sized kitten.


    Xu Chang handed the cat to Shen Xu: ¡°This is a male.¡±


    Shen Xu was taken aback, pointed at the tip of his nose, and said blankly: ¡°You¡¯re giving it to me? But why give me a male one.¡±


    Huo Bo also turned his head to look over. Xu Chang put the cat in his palm, and said calmly: ¡°It¡¯s still young, so it¡¯s not picky, it¡¯ll let you pet it for a while.¡±


    Shen Xu took the kitten carefully, held it in front of his eyes and looked at it without blinking, his whole face glowing with a special kind of brilliance, ¡°Jiangzi, Huo Bo, look, it likes me! It is licking my hand!¡±


    Jiang Chen heaved a sigh of relief, and smiled at Xu Chang. The young man gave him a slight nod, and turned to leave.


    Interrupted by such an interruption, Shen Xu was completely immersed in the joy of stroking the kitten, while Huo Bo glanced at Jiang Chen when he smiled at Xu Chang, and pursed his lips tightly. But he didn¡¯t bring it up again.


    ¡­¡­


    After arriving home, Jiang Chen went straight into his room and turned on the computer.


    His inbox showed that there was an unread email, and he clicked on it to see that there was only one word in it: Accepted.


    After closing his inbox, Jiang Chen clicked on the browser, entered a string of extremely complicated URLs, pressed the Enter key, and the screen suddenly went black, then a crash page appeared. He did not panic, his fingers jumping on the keyboard. A few seconds later, the blue screen returned to white. After a few seconds of freezing, lines of codes appeared quickly. Jiang Chen¡¯s fingers were faster than the codes. After each line of code appeared, he would type a string of codes below that line of code. After three or four pages of the code quickly slid by, the screen went completely black again, and only a pair of white wings animation flapped in the middle. After the wings trembled a few times, an unusual forum appeared on the screen.


    Jiang Chen swiped the mouse, browsing ten lines at a glance. Suddenly a bell-shaped icon flickered in the lower right corner, he moved the mouse down, and clicked on the message.


    [196: Brother, I have heard of you for a long time, let¡¯s be friends.]


    Jiang Chen raised his finger lightly, and just as he was about to exit the dialogue interface, another message popped up.


    [196: Don¡¯t close the dialog box, everyone is friends in the same forum, I actually came to you to discuss a business deal with you.]


    Jiang Chen paused his finger and typed on the keyboard:


    [D: What business deal.]


    [196: F**k! Oh, Great God, you finally responded back to me! F**k, f**k, if it wasn¡¯t for the forum not being able to take screenshots, I would have definitely taken screenshots to show off and put them in my heirloom folder! This is the first time I¡¯ve spoken to one of the Alphabet!]


    Jiang Chen twitched his fingers, wanting to close this interface.


    [196: Great God, Great God! Don¡¯t close it! I won¡¯t talk nonsense anymore! I really want to discuss a business deal with you! 1 million yuan, you seven and I three, how about it?]


    Before Jiang Chen could ask any more questions, the other had already started to explain:


    [196: It¡¯s actually very simple. It¡¯s to help an Internet company strengthen and renovate their firewall, but while it¡¯s easy, it¡¯s also hard. I don¡¯t know if the company offended someone but for three days in a row, their server was attacked no less than ten times. Almost every time they were attacked just after it was rebuilt, so the loss is heavy. If we want to take on this job, it won¡¯t be a one-time gig, and there may be post-maintenance to do, so the payment is slightly higher.]


    [D: Why me?]


    [196: Because you are a recent hot topic, less than a month after you registered, your code name has changed from five digit numbers to D, and from the number battle to the ranking battle, and there is not a single battle that was not exciting. Everyone is curious about who you are, just which great god deigned to come down to our forum to play. I am also curious, so I messaged you, if you agree, I¡¯ve earned, and if you disagree, I would not lose anything either.]


    [196: The most important thing is that as long as one of the 26 Gods takes this order, I can still raise the price of this order.]


    [D: I remember that X specializes in firewalls.]


    [196: That¡¯s right, but God X has set up a block, and ordinary people can¡¯t send private messages. No, it should be said that all the Alphabets have blocked private messages from non-friends, and only you can be contacted.]


    [196: Besides, aren¡¯t you ranked higher than God X?]


    All registered users of this forum were named with letters or numbers. The first 26 registered users were the English letters of the alphabet, and the subsequent users were sorted from 1. The number of the registered users who came later the longer it was, but there were exceptions, which was a special characteristic of this hacker forum. Everyone called it the ¡°number battle¡±.


    As the name implied, it was a competition between hackers represented by different numeric usernames. Often, the hacker with the larger number username would challenge the hacker with the smaller number username. If the former won then they could take over the latter¡¯s username and the username displayed on the forum would also be replaced by the number of the defeated hacker they challenged.


    In addition to the number battle, there was also a ranking battle. The number battle ranged from one digit to five digits. As long as it was a number and the username was a number, you could initiate a challenge. There was no limit to the size of the number. The hacker whose username was 99999 could challenge the hacker whose username was 1, but the ranking battle was different. There were 26 hackers whose username followed the alphabet, and they were nicknamed the ¡°26 Gods¡± by everyone in the forum, so the ranking battle was also called ¡°ascension battle¡± or ¡°godhood defense battle¡±.


    The ¡°ascension battle¡± referred to the challenge of number username hackers to letter username hackers. If a number username wanted to obtain a letter username, they must start the challenge from the last letter, Z. The ¡°godhood defense battle¡± was a battle between hackers with letter usernames. If you want to keep your alphabetical order, you must withstand the challenges from the lower letters.


    Therefore, everyone¡¯s default ranking was equivalent to strength. From Z to A, the further up you go, the stronger the strength was, and the more difficult it was to challenge. This was a fact. In the ten years since the establishment of the forum, the rankings of K and the letters before had hardly changed. But a newcomer with a five-digit username who just registered on the forum, within two weeks, managed to changed their username from five digits to 1, and then from 1 to D, which could be said to have set off a frenzy of heated discussions.


    [196: God D, can I ask a question.]


    Jiang Chen was thinking about whether to accept this business deal, when he saw the words that jumped out on the screen, he replied:


    [D: What¡¯s the question.]


    [196: Why don¡¯t you challenge God C? Why did you stop at D, we all thought you would directly challenge God A.]


    [D: I like the letter D.]


    [196: ¡­ I accept this answer!]


    Jiang Chen tapped his fingers on the table, pondered for a few seconds, and typed:


    [D: For the business deal you mentioned, send me the information, if there is no problem, I will accept it.]


    [196: Really? ? ? ! ! !]


    [D: En.]


    After sending this message, Jiang Chen closed the dialog box and concentrated on completing the small program he was designing.


    On the other side, a certain floor of the male dormitory building of Yan University.


    Mo Xi expressed his shock and joy with three question marks and three exclamation marks, and forced himself to wait for the answer on the other side. When he finally saw ¡°en¡±, he jumped up from his chair and danced like crazy: ¡°F**k, f**k, I actually hitched a ride with a bigwig! A pie fell from the sky! Just sitting at home, and 300,000 yuan came down from the sky! F**k!¡±


    The roommate next to him pulled down the earphones, turned to him and asked, ¡°Have you gone crazy from writing the speech?¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahahahahahaha I think I¡¯ve gone crazy too hahahaha¡­..¡± Mo Xi ran to his roommate¡¯s table in a flash, knelt down and grabbed his hand and said, ¡°Third, pinch me, immediately, let me see if I¡¯m hallucinating.¡±


    The roommate pinched him hard on his thigh, and there was a scream accompanied by a laugh, which made everyone who had already gone to sleep jump up in horror.


    ¡°F**k, why are you screaming in the middle of the night!¡±


    ¡°A pie from the sky fell down on me, am I not allowed to scream!¡± Mo Xi was jumping excitedly, unable to stop for a moment.


    The roommate on the bed covered his head with a quilt, yawned, and said sleepily: ¡°You have to go back to Yan No. 1 High School tomorrow to give an outstanding graduate speech, save some energy, and don¡¯t stand on the flag-raising platform with a look of kidney deficiency tomorrow. If your expression makes your juniors think that us Yan Uni students were like this, it will ruin our Yan Uni¡¯s century-old reputation.¡±

 CH 34

    Monday, Yan City No. 1 High School.


    On the flag-raising platform, a young man in a plaid shirt was giving a speech: ¡°I am honored to be invited by my alma mater to give a speech to my juniors¡­..¡±


    ¡°¡­..An incident that happened this morning made me deeply appreciate the enthusiasm and kindness of our Yan No. 1 High School students. When I rode my bike to the school in the morning, I was a little dizzy because of a cold, and I almost went off the road in a daze. If it wasn¡¯t for an enthusiastic student who pulled my bike in time to remind me, there might be unforeseen consequences. I mentioned this small matter to everyone to remind everyone that you need to stay awake when doing anything, especially studying¡­..¡±


    ¡°There are so many things to say about dozing off on a bicycle, I¡¯m truly defeated.¡± Shen Xu rolled his eyes from below, leaned closer to Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Say, what does old Fu want with you, even deliberately pulling you to stand in front.¡±


    Jiang Chen was thinking about the email he received in the morning, and he was slow for a few seconds when he heard Shen Xu¡¯s words before returning to his senses: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying, that big brother whose bicycle you pulled to a stop this morning is chattering non-stop, talking more than me and M2 scolding students. After he finishes talking, the new vice principal will speak, I don¡¯t know how long we will have to stand here for, and old Fu even pulled you to the front¡­..¡± Shen Xu complained halfway when he saw Jiang Chen looking down distracted. He stopped and said, ¡°Jiangzi, why have you been a little distracted since this morning? Did you not sleep well?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°No, I was just thinking about one thing.¡±


    Shen Xu became interested: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°In the second year of junior high school, the little boy who was in the car accident.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking about him for?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t answer, but a chill flashed in his eyes. This morning he received an email from the private detective he found some time ago, which contained things that happened to He Qianjian from childhood to adulthood. One of the past events made him very concerned: He Qianjian and He Qianmin were in a car accident together.


    The timing of the car accident was very coincidental. It was in the second semester of his second year of junior high school, and it was exactly at the scene where he called the police and the ambulance. What he cared about was not whether He Qianmin was the one he rescued, or whether it was because he saved He Qianmin that He Qianjian noticed him and began to send someone to follow him.


    What he cared about was¡ª¡ªbefore the car accident, he saw He Qianjian, but after the car accident, he was obviously sitting in the wrong position in the car.


    After seeing that email and the picture of the car accident scene attached to the file, Jiang Chen found this dusty memory in his mind in an instant.


    It was old lady Yang¡¯s birthday that day, and it was not pleasant as usual. He also left the Yang¡¯s house early on the excuse of going home to review for the final exam. Because he was in a bad mood at the time, he didn¡¯t take the nearby bus directly, but chose to walk a few stops before taking the bus to cool off.


    There were few people and cars on the roads in the suburbs, and the empty road was very quiet. In the afternoon when the evening was approaching, the afterglow of the sun shone on the ground, as if he was the only one on the whole road. At that time, Jiang Chen noticed that car, not only because it was the first oncoming car since Jiang Chen walked on this road, but also because he felt eyes glued to him. Feeling it, he turned his head and saw a teenage boy in the car looking at him. He didn¡¯t take it seriously at the time, but when he was about to look away, he heard the sharp screeching sound of brakes.


    The whole car went from being hit to overturning in just a split second. When Jiang Chen turned around to look, there was only silence and buzzing after the loud noise in his ears. There were no other pedestrians on the side of the road. The two cars that collided were leaking oil, and the situation might be critical if the people were not rescued in time.


    Jiang Chen hardly thought about it. He just took out his mobile phone to call the police and ambulance, and immediately ran to the side of the car, pulling everyone out of the car.


    The first one was the least injured teenager, the second was the unconscious driver, and the third was a little boy covered in blood whose face could not be seen clearly. The first two were relatively easy to rescue. But it took Jiang Chen a lot more time to find a way to rescue the little boy from the car.


    At that time, the little boy was still a little conscious, probably because he was afraid and seemed to want to say something, so he held on to the edge of his clothes tightly. He hugged the boy and was about to comfort him, but suddenly received a call from his mother crying. Thinking that his mother might have been bullied again by the Yang family, Jiang Chen instantly became anxious. An adult happened to pass by at the time, and after handing over the little boy to the adult, he quickly returned to the Yang family.


    Later, the noise and unhappiness in the Yang family made Jiang Chen unable to think anymore about the car accident in the evening.


    If Huo Bo hadn¡¯t brought up this past event again yesterday, plus the email this morning, Jiang Chen might never have thought of it again, but it was such a coincidence that the same past event was mentioned two days in a row, and there were even photos from that time.


    Almost at the moment when he saw the photo, that memory and those doubts that were fleeting but never ended up being pursued appeared in Jiang Chen¡¯s mind:


    ¡ª¡ªBefore the car accident, the location of He Qianjian he saw was the location where he rescued He Qianmin after the car accident. In that car accident at that time, apart from the driver¡¯s seat, He Qianjian¡¯s original position was the one that was hit the hardest.


    The details were connected to each other, almost in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Chen got the answer: He Qianjian had very likely used the system in his head to switch places between him and He Qianmin at the critical moment, allowing himself to sit in the relatively safe rear right of the driver¡¯s seat.


    Back then, the reason He Qianmin held him tightly and was so scared. He was afraid that apart from the car accident itself, there was also being inexplicably switched places while in a waking state, and he had to face the great panic caused by a life and death situation and the betrayal of a close family member.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyelashes trembled slightly, thinking of He Qianmin¡¯s attitude when he mentioned He Qianjian, remembering the accident where He Qianmin was cut by a knife after He Qianjian failed to steal his blood last time, thinking of He Qianmin¡¯s self-deprecating and pretending to be indifferent attitude when he said that no one believed him¡­..His fingers curled up by his side, gradually forming fists.


    ¡°Jiangzi? Jiangzi!¡± Shen Xu bumped Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulder, saw him come back to his senses, and worried, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Why is your complexion so bad?¡±


    Jiang Chen restrained the emotions in his eyes before raising them. He was about to speak, when Fu Jinyu walked over, patted Jiang Chen on the shoulder and said, ¡°Come with me.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded to Shen Xu, and followed Fu Jinyu back to the teaching building.


    In the office of the year two group, the young man who was giving a speech just now was sitting at the desk, dozing off with his head propped on a hand.


    Fu Jinyu knocked on the door, and the young man sat up in startlement, heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the person at the door, rubbed his eyes and said, ¡°Old Fu, was it necessary for you to scare me? I thought it was Teacher He. ¡°


    ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of him, why do you still dare to sit in his seat and doze off.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just graduate?¡± The young man yawned and said, ¡°I have to find a balance for myself, and I was so excited last night that I didn¡¯t go to bed until three or four o¡¯clock, but I woke up at six o¡¯clock this morning, just to come to give a speech, otherwise would I almost¡­..eh? Aren¡¯t you that warm-hearted and kind junior brother!¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly: ¡°Hello senior brother.¡±


    Fu Jinyu was a little surprised, but he was also quite happy: ¡°You guys know each other? That¡¯s good, Jiang Chen, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to apply for the computer major before? Mo Xi, your senior, is a junior majoring in computer science at Yan University. He¡¯s also one of six people who attended the IMO, and you two can have a talk.¡±


    Mo Xi smiled and said, ¡°Hello, junior brother.¡±


    ¡°You guys can chat here.¡± Fu Jinyu said to Mo Xi: ¡°Tell him about your experience in the National League.¡±


    ¡°League?¡± Moxi hesitated for a moment, then reacted quickly, and said with a smile: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Fu Jinyu glanced at Jiang Chen, and a trace of sadness flashed across his eyes. He nodded to the two of them and walked out.


    When there were only two people left in the office, Mo Xi stretched his back and slumped in his chair. Seeing Jiang Chen looking at him, he propped his head up weakly and said, ¡°Understand me a bit, your senior, I was smashed by a pie falling from the sky yesterday, and I didn¡¯t fall asleep all night, and now I¡¯m sitting in a familiar place, and I can¡¯t help feeling sleepy.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled slightly, and said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Mo Xi asked: ¡°This is the first time old Fu asked me to help him guide a student. I thought you would be the candidate to realize his dream of cultivating a mathematics bigwig, but I didn¡¯t expect that you wanted to study computer science. By the way, I haven¡¯t asked your name yet. What¡¯s your name, junior brother, why do you want to major in computer science?¡±


    ¡°My name is Jiang Chen.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°My purpose of studying computer science is to specialize in this direction in the future.¡±


    ¡°Specialized research?¡± Mo Xi sat up straight: ¡°Which aspect? Theory, system or¡­..¡±


    ¡°AI.¡±


    ¡°AI¡­..¡± Mo Xi thought for a while, organized his words, and said sincerely: ¡°Junior brother, with all due respect, if you plan to enter a domestic university, and then don¡¯t plan to go abroad to study for a PhD, I suggest you  change your direction, but having said that, if you want to study AI, you should be preparing for graduate school, so it is quite suitable for you to apply for my major as an undergraduate.¡±


    ¡°What is senior brother¡¯s major?¡±


    ¡°Computer system structure.¡± Mo Xi smiled and said, ¡°Will you be my junior brother in uni as well?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said nothing, Mo Xi continued: ¡°But if you go in this direction, it¡¯s the same if you choose applied mathematics, and old Fu will definitely be happy. It¡¯s rare for me to see him care so much about any student. He didn¡¯t care about me this much back then¡­..¡± In the middle of speaking, he folded his index finger and thumb together, leaving a little distance, and said with a conflicted expression: ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should ask, but I am really puzzled¡­..¡±


    ¡°Please go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Why did you participate in the league this year? According to how much old Fu cares about you, he should have pulled you to participate in the competition in the first year of high school. According to the time, you should be just coming back from the training team by this time and preparing for the IMO in October. ¡°


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°I also participated in the competition in my first year of high school, but only in physics. Due to some reasons at home, I was unable to participate in the winter camp and training camp, so I only participated in the math competition this semester.¡±


    ¡°Then IMO?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°I will only participate in the October league.¡±


    ¡°Yet old Fu still cares about you so much?¡± Mo Xi rubbed his chin, took out a piece of paper from the table, picked up a pen and wrote down a question before pushing it to Jiang Chen, and saying, ¡°Try and solve this?¡±


    Jiang Chen took the pen and quickly wrote down the steps and answers almost without thinking.


    The edges of Mo Xi¡¯s eyes raised slightly. None of the numbers he gave could be quickly calculated mentally: ¡°Mental calculation? Wait, do another one.¡±


    After Jiang Chen quickly gave a step-by-step answer again, Mo Xi asked a few questions in succession with disbelief, and then directly wrote down this week¡¯s homework he hadn¡¯t done yet.


    Seeing Jiang Chen help him finish his homework, Mo Xi blinked his wide eyes, swallowed, pretended to nonchalantly fold the draft paper and stuffed it into his pocket. He coughed, and said: ¡°Junior brother, in terms of competitions, this senior brother has nothing to teach you, but about computers, I¡¯m not just boasting, I promise you will benefit a lot. So go ahead, what do you want to know, this senior brother will definitely tell you everything I know.¡±


    Jiang Chen thought for a while, and said, ¡°I want to know the current situation of several major game development companies in China.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to know about this for?¡± Mo Xi chuckled: ¡°But you are asking the right person, senior brother, I just sold a small game a while ago, and I accepted a big business deal yesterday, stumbled on great luck¡ª¡ªno, it should be said that I bumped into a great god, this great god is a top figure in the hacker world, within two weeks he¡­..¡±


    He cleared his throat excitedly and wanted to tell about his great luck from beginning to end, but from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Jiang Chen who did not seem to show interest or admiration for the ¡°great god¡± he was talking about. Thinking of the two pages of homework just now, he could only suppress the desire to show off regretfully, shook his head and sighed: ¡°Forget it, you are still young, this field is too advanced for you, I will tell you after you learn programming, now I will talk about the game companies you want to know¡­..¡±

 CH 35

    When the school day was over, Jiang Chen received a call from He Qianmin.


    He said with disappointment that something happened at home, and he couldn¡¯t come to No. 1 High School today to find him. The dissatisfaction in his tone was obvious, and he was clearly not happy that family affairs had delayed his original plan.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t ask him what happened, he just said a few words to comfort him, waited until his little temper was appeased, and made an appointment for another time before hanging up the phone amidst the other¡¯s reluctance.


    Huo Bo was walking beside him, and seeing the smile in his eyes, he turned his head to look at Shen Xu, and asked silently, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    Shen Xu replied directly: ¡°His little brother.¡±


    ¡°Yang Shengmao?¡± Huo Bo blurted out. In his memory, Jiang Chen only just had such a younger brother, but he also remembered that Jiang Chen didn¡¯t like this younger brother very much. (TN: in China, cousins are referred to as brothers and sisters)


    ¡°No.¡± Shen Xu said: ¡°A kid, he has nothing to do with Jiangzi, just always like to call him big brother.¡±


    Seeing that Jiang Chen had hung up the phone, Huo Bo asked, ¡°When did you get yourself a little brother?¡±


    Jiang Chen said with a smile: ¡°A long time ago. When he comes to No. 1 High School, you can meet him then.¡±


    Hearing this, Huo Bo¡¯s expression became even more astonished. Jiang Chen seemed aloof but was actually very easy to talk to, but being easy to talk  to didn¡¯t mean it was easy to get close to him. He knew Jiang Chen very well. If Jiang Chen didn¡¯t really treat the other as his little brother, he would never acquiesce to Shen Xu¡¯s explanation of the identity of the person on the other end of the line. There was a set of old-fashioned and serious logic in Jiang Chen¡¯s thinking. For example, for others appellations might be just a casual name to others, but to Jiang Chen, any appellation he recognized, all represent a kind of responsibility.


    Huo Bo was surprised from the bottom of his heart. He was very curious about the reason why Jiang Chen got a little brother in the half a year he was gone, but he didn¡¯t ask any more questions, he would just wait to see the other.


    However, Huo Bo didn¡¯t expect that he would meet him after school the next day.


    Under the big tree at the gate of Yan No. 1 High School, He Qianmin was wearing the school uniform of Chenghua Junior High School, and was talking to a boy wearing the school uniform of Yan No. 1 High School with a cold face, seeming as if they were about to get in a fight.


    Shen Xu glanced over and recognized He Qianmin at a glance. He grabbed Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Jiangzi, it¡¯s your little brother!¡±


    Jiang Chen was talking to Huo Bo. Hearing this, he raised his eyes and saw He Qianmin. He Qianmin stopped after hearing Shen Xu¡¯s voice. The boy next to him also glanced this way, then turned around and left.


    ¡°Big brother.¡± He Qianmin walked up to Jiang Chen in three big steps. After nodding to Shen Xu, he glanced at Huo Bo standing on the side.


    ¡°This is Huo Bo.¡± Jiang Chen hooked Huo Bo¡¯s neck, and introduced to He Qianmin: ¡°The other friend who grew up with me, you can also just call him brother.¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips, obviously unwilling, but Jiang Chen looked at him, and still reluctantly he called out: ¡°Brother Huo.¡±


    Shen Xu was also unhappy: ¡°When I met He Xiao Min before, why didn¡¯t you tell him to call me brother! Why do you just tell him to call Huo Bo brother!¡±


    He Qianmin rolled his eyes at him and didn¡¯t speak, but the words ¡°in your dreams¡± were clearly written on his face.


    Shen Xu let out a ¡°hey¡±, pointed at He Qianmin and said, ¡°Jiangzi, look at your little brother, he actually looked down on me!¡±


    Jiang Chen had a smile on his lips, as if he didn¡¯t hear what Shen Xu said, he walked up to He Qianmin and said, ¡°You guys go back first, I¡¯ll take him to go eat.¡±


    He Qianmin proudly raised an eyebrow at Shen Xu.


    Shen Xu squeezed in between the two of them, raised his eyebrows at He Qianmin¡¯s glare, and said with a smile: ¡°What are you going to eat, I¡¯m going too, and it¡¯s the first time since Huo Bo came back to meet little brother He, eating a meal together is the only right thing to do.¡±


    He Qianmin was dissatisfied: ¡°Don¡¯t always call me nicknames.¡±


    ¡°Unhappy? He Xiao Min? Min Min?¡± Shen Xu even amused himself, covered his stomach and laughed, ¡°Min Min, how cute! From now on this brother will call you Min Min.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s face was sullen, with a cold light in his eyes. Shen Xu hid behind Jiang Chen, and said confidently: ¡°If you call me brother, brother will stop calling you Min Min, come on, call brother.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Seeing He Qianmin¡¯s face getting darker and darker, Jiang Chen pulled out Shen Xu and nudged him lightly: ¡°Don¡¯t bully him.¡±


    ¡°How did I bully him!¡± Shen Xu was extremely wronged, and complained aggrievedly: ¡°He has been bullying me, okay? I say Jiangzi, since you have a little brother, you have been so partial and bias! Fortunately, He Xiao Min is not a girl, I can hardly imagine what you would be like if he became your little sister!¡±


    Huo Bo withdrew his subtle scrutiny, and said casually after hearing the words: ¡°How hard is it to imagine?¡±


    ¡°Towards a little brother he is already like this, towards a little sister he would practically spoil her up to the skies.¡± Shen Xu said with a chuckle, and said: ¡°But if it¡¯s Jiangzi¡¯s little sister, then I also don¡¯t have any other way. Who told me that I don¡¯t have a little sister? Jiangzi¡¯s little sister is my little sister. And one must dote on one¡¯s little sister, right?¡±


    The corner of Huo Bo¡¯s mouth twitched, he turned to Jiang Chen and said, ¡°If you have something to do, go ahead first, Shen Xu and I will go back by ourselves.¡±


    Jiang Chen pondered for a moment, and asked for He Qianmin¡¯s opinion: ¡°How about the four of us have dinner together?¡±


    He Qianmin looked at Huo Bo, then at Shen Xu, and nodded: ¡°I want to eat hot pot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot¡ª¡ª¡± Shen Xu met He Qianmin¡¯s eyes, and his words turned a corner: ¡°But it¡¯s the perfect time to eat hot pot.¡±


    The four of them entered the hot pot restaurant they went to last time. This was the place where Jiang Chen and his friends had eaten frequently since junior high school. He Qianmin could not feel too obviously the kind of tacit understanding that seemed to be born from not needing to verbalize anything or understand the other when it was just Shen Xu before. But now seeing the three of them ordering food, although their words and actions were very ordinary, they seem to have an aura that excluded others.


    He Qianmin swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue. He pursed his lips slightly, lowered his eyelashes, and suppressed the sudden feeling of disappointment in his heart.


    Don¡¯t know why, but he always felt that he should be the person who have the closest and most tacit understanding with Jiang Chen, but the reality was that even though no one here rejected him, he was still invisibly rejected by the tacit understanding formed from a friendship of many years.


    Shen Xu was the first to notice He Qianmin¡¯s abnormality. He paused the hand that was checking the menu, and called Jiang Chen in a low voice.


    Jiang Chen was talking to Huo Bo in a low voice as Shen Xu usually did the ordering. He was very familiar with his and Huo Bo¡¯s tastes. Occasionally, when he encountered a new dish and was not sure whether he wanted to eat it, only then would he ask them. So hearing his voice, Jiang Chen subconsciously thought that he was struggling with which new dish, and Huo Bo was the same.


    The two spoke almost simultaneously:


    ¡°Order it.¡±


    ¡°Order if you want to eat it.¡±


    Shen Xu clicked his tongue and tilted his chin slightly to one side, motioning him to look at He Qianmin.


    Jiang Chen turned his head puzzled, and saw that He Qianmin hung his head, not knowing what he was thinking. He froze for a moment, and then remembered that he was only talking to Huo Bo just now, and didn¡¯t ask him what he wanted to eat: ¡°Qian Min, what do you want to eat?¡±


    He Qianmin raised his eyes, glanced at him, then lowered his eyes, and said casually, ¡°Whatever¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t think about it too much, he looked away and said to Shen Xu: ¡°Order more beef, see if there is any sweet and sour crispy meat today, and order one dish too.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shen Xu beckoned to the waiter, and after ordering the crispy meat, seeing Jiang Chen continuing to talk to Huo Bo again, he sighed in his heart, got up and handed the menu to He Qianmin: ¡°See if there is anything else you want to eat.¡±


    He Qianmin scanned it over casually, and was a little surprised to find that he had ordered all the dishes he liked, and handed the menu back: ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±


    Shen Xu nodded, handed the menu to the waiter, turned around and saw that He Qianmin was still looking sullen, and so he struck up a conversation: ¡°En¡­..you are in the third year of junior high school right, that means you are about to take the high school entrance examination. Are you under a lot of pressure?¡±


    Facing such an official and polite topic, He Qianmin didn¡¯t react much, and just said lightly: ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Shen Xu laughed dryly, ¡°Hahaha indeed, you are seventh in your year ranking, and you can go straight up to Chenghua¡¯s high school division, so there is really no pressure.¡±


    He Qianmin was silent for a few seconds, and then said in a slightly lower voice: ¡°I¡¯m not going to study in Chenghua.¡±


    ¡°Not in Chenghua?¡± Shen Xu was a little surprised, ¡°Then where do you want to go for high school?¡±


    He Qianmin glanced at Jiang Chen who was still talking with Huo Bo, pursed his lips, and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t decided.¡±


    But Shen Xu became interested, and said enthusiastically: ¡°I heard from Li Xiao before that your family doesn¡¯t seem to be allowed to go abroad. It seems that it is indeed meaningless to study in Chenghua. You have been in a private school the whole time. You can try a public one. Our Yan No. 1 High School is not bad, and you can go to the same school as your big brother, how about it?¡±


    After Jiang Chen and Huo Bo finished talking, they happened to hear Shen Xu¡¯s words. He thought for a moment, looked at He Qianmin, and said seriously: ¡°Shen Xu is right, if you don¡¯t want to continue in Chenghua, come to Yan No. 1 High School.¡±


    He Qianmin didn¡¯t speak, and Shen Xu said: ¡°Come to Yan No. 1. When the time comes, us brothers will cover you. And with your big brother Jiang Chen here, you don¡¯t have to worry about your grades. There is also me and your brother Huo. I will take you to eat and play with you. And your brother Huo will let you walk sideways in Yan No. 1.¡± (TN: walk sideways: do whatever you want and don¡¯t care about any rules or what others think)


    He Qianmin quietly glanced at Jiang Chen whose gaze was on him, then looked away and said, ¡°Do you want me to come to Yan No. 1 High School?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°I do.¡±


    The corners of He Qianmin¡¯s mouth slightly raised, but he quickly suppressed it. He lifted his chin slightly and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll come to Yan No. 1 High School.¡±


    ¡°Okay, when the time comes, us brothers will take you to play, and¡­..¡± Halfway through the conversation, the waiter brought over the hotpot soup base. Shen Xu got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll make the sauce, what do you want to put, I¡¯ll make it for you. ¡°


    ¡°Coriander, garlic paste, sesame oil and hot sauce.¡±


    Shen Xu glanced at Jiang Chen, then looked at He Qianmin, stroked his chin and said, ¡°As expected of one who calls Jiangzi big brother, your tastes are the same, okay let me¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Change to another.¡± Jiang Chen interrupted him: ¡°Your wound hasn¡¯t healed yet.¡±


    He Qianmin was stunned for a moment, and Shen Xu remembered that he still had bandages wrapped around his arm. He was afraid that the child would refuse, so before he could speak, he said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll make you a non-spicy one. Believe in this brother¡¯s skill in making sauces, it¡¯ll definitely be delicious.¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips: ¡°I want to eat spicy.¡±


    Hearing this, Jiang Chen finally noticed that He Qianmin¡¯s mood had not been high all this time. He glanced at his left hand, which was lightly grasping the injured right arm, and guessed, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Your hand is still uncomfortable? Or is there something else that is making you unhappy?¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s eyelashes flickered slightly, pressed down the corners of his mouth that was about to rise, and shook his head: ¡°No.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Because of what happened back home yesterday?¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips: ¡°No, it¡¯s none of my business, why get unhappy.¡±


    Shen Xu came over with a light sauce dish, and just happened to hear this sentence, and asked curiously: ¡°What are guys talking about?¡±


    The corner of He Qianmin¡¯s mouth twitched. He looked at Jiang Chen and then at the bowl in front of him, after a while, he said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Jiang Chen was thoughtful, Huo Bo glanced at He Qianmin, and said to Jiang Chen while ordering the food: ¡°You make up lessons on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights, and you have to help me make up lessons on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, will it be too much?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Chen withdrew his gaze and looked at Huo Bo: ¡°Helping you make up lessons is also a refresh of my knowledge, and¡­..¡±


    ¡°Big brother.¡± He Qianmin suddenly interrupted the conversation between the two, and when Jiang Chen looked over, he said, ¡°He Qianjian¡¯s right hand was broken by someone.¡±


    His words had no beginning or end, it could be said that they came out of the blue, but Jiang Chen was not surprised at all, and calmly answered, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s left hand on his right arm curled, pinching the protruding bandage, lowered his eyes and said, ¡°If I say it¡¯s retribution, do you think I lack compassion and take pleasure in other¡¯s misfortunes?¡±


    Before Jiang Chen could speak, Huo Bo suddenly said, ¡°He hurt your arm?¡±

 CH 36

    Jiang Chen and He Qianmin looked at Huo Bo at the same time, with the same expressions of surprise and confusion. Those brown pupils were clear and beautiful, and the dimple slightly sunken in the left corner of the mouth was also faintly visible on both.


    Huo Bo¡¯s gaze froze slightly, and what he was going to say was instantly forgotten. He finally knew why he kept getting a familiar and strange feeling after seeing He Qianmin.


    The knuckles of He Qianmin¡¯s fingers holding the bandage turned white, he let go of it quickly, curled his fingers into fists, and tensed his jaw: ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    Huo Bo didn¡¯t say a word, his eyes shuttled between Jiang Chen and He Qianmin. After going back and forth dozens of times, he suddenly got up, looked at Jiang Chen expressionlessly and said, ¡°Come out with me.¡±


    Jiang Chen sighed helplessly in his heart. Just when he saw Huo Bo looking back and forth between him and He Qianmin, he knew that Huo Bo must have guessed something, and sure enough.


    Seeing Huo Bo¡¯s eyes, He Qianmin somehow felt that what he wanted to say to Jiang Chen was very important, not only to Jiang Chen, but also to him. He wanted to get up as well, but was pressed down by Jiang Chen. He rubbed his head: ¡°We¡¯ll just be out for a bit to talk about something, you just sit here obediently.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s slightly opened mouth was pressed shut under Jiang Chen¡¯s restraining eyes, and finally he could only frown, watching them go out.


    As soon as Jiang Chen and Huo Bo left, Shen Xu came over with three sauce dishes. Seeing that He Qianmin was alone at the table, he asked strangely, ¡°Where are the two of them?¡±


    With a sullen face, He Qianmin leaned back: ¡°Went out.¡±


    ¡°Went out?¡± Shen Xu glanced at the door, shrugged and said, ¡°It must be to buy drinks, let¡¯s eat first.¡±


    He Qianmin looked in the direction of the exit with a tense expression: ¡°No.¡±


    Shen Xu was puzzled: ¡°No what?¡±


    ¡°¡­..It¡¯s nothing.¡± He Qianmin glanced at the direction the two left in again, then looked away and asked Shen Xu: ¡°You, Huo Bo and my big brother, did the three of you grow up together?¡±


    ¡°Practically, yeah.¡± Shen Xu fished out the ingredients he ordered earlier, put them on their respective plates according to Jiang Chen¡¯s and Huo Bo¡¯s respective tastes, and left a portion for He Qianmin, and said while adding more: ¡°I have known Jiang Chen since kindergarten, and Huo Bo since the first grade of elementary school, and the three of us have been together since then until now.¡±


    ¡°How did you guys meet?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen and I? We were in the same class.¡± Thinking of something, Shen Xu suddenly let out a ¡°pffft¡±, lowered his head and held back his laughter, saying in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t look at your big brother like this now, he was quite funny when he was young. The teachers in our kindergarten school loved to tease him. I don¡¯t know who he learned from but he loves to reason with others. Even if a child snatched his toys, he never got angry. He would just move a small bench over and sit wherever the other kid was playing with the snatched toy, and he would seriously reason with the other hahahahahahaha¡­¡­¡±


    He Qianmin imagined that scene, and also couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud, but when he looked up and saw the scene of Shen Xu rubbing his stomach with laughter, he was a little unhappy, and said: ¡°This proves that my big brother is more mature than you all since he was a child.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, from childhood to adulthood¡­..¡± Shen Xu put the freshly served crispy meat in front of He Qianmin: ¡°Your big brother specially ordered it for you, try it¡ª¡ªHuo Bo and I were responsible for causing trouble, and he was responsible for cleaning up the mess. Countless times he was the scapegoat for us, and the most amazing thing was that even though he took the blame on himself, those teachers would refuse to believe that he did it. But because he admitted to it, the teachers couldnt do anything to me and Huo Bo, so the two of us could get away with it every time.¡±


    He Qianmin was eating the crispy meat, and thinking of something, his eyes dimmed. Seeing this, Shen Xu changed the subject: ¡°Don¡¯t you have an elder brother? Then you two grew up together, did you often fight?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Outside the hotpot restaurant.


    Huo Bo cut to the chase and said, ¡°Who the hell is He Qianmin? He looks so similar to you, don¡¯t say it¡¯s a coincidence¡±


    ¡°My little brother.¡±


    Huo Bo crossed his arms, furrowed his brows and said, ¡°I remember that your only blood-related brother is Yang Shengmao.¡±


    The corners of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth slightly curled up, ¡°Now there is one more.¡±


    Huo Bo: ¡°One¡­..more?¡±


    Jiang Chen suppressed his smile and said seriously: ¡°I know you have many doubts, but before the truth is investigated, I can¡¯t tell you a guess without evidence. Huo Bo, I know you are worried about me, but I can only deal with it myself, don¡¯t intervene and don¡¯t ask too much, when the time comes, you will know.¡±


    Huo Bo stared at him quietly, and after a while, he said, ¡°I just want to ask one question, does the Sun Zhi matter have anything to do with what you want to investigate?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Huo Bo¡¯s eyes darkened: ¡°If you encounter any possible danger, you must tell me.¡±


    Jiang Chen chuckled, and the two knocked fists, tacit understanding in their hearts.


    ¡­¡­


    When Jiang Chen and Huo Bo went back, Shen Xu was waving his chopsticks to teach He Qianmin to fight: ¡°¡­..if someone sneaks up on you from behind, just do it like this, elbow back first, and then lower your body, and while he isn¡¯t paying attention, poke his eyes, use the eagle claws move, got it? Just like that! Never show mercy, and if¡­..¡±


    Huo Bo and Jiang Chen looked at each other, rolled their eyes and suppressed a smile.


    ¡°You guys came back just in time. I¡¯m teaching the secret manual of the Shen family. Little brother Min has good comprehension skills, but his attitude towards learning is a bit¡­..¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Shen Xu shook his head and said, ¡°The child can¡¯t be taught¡±, then put away the chopsticks and asked them, ¡°What were you two talking about, it¡¯s been so long.¡±


    Huo Bo: ¡°Just chatting.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s just chatting why go outside.¡± Shen Xu took the drinks they brought back, took out the milk, kept one for himself and handed the other to He Qianmin: ¡°This is for you.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s eyes landed on the milk box for a second, then turned to look at Jiang Chen who had just sat down: ¡°Big Brother, what did you guys do out there?¡±


    ¡°Buy drinks.¡± Jiang Chen helped him open the milk: ¡°There is only beer here, so I bought a few bottles of milk.¡±


    ¡°But just now¡­..¡±


    As soon as He Qianmin started talking, Jiang Chen¡¯s cell phone rang. He glanced at the number, raised his hand to signal to the few people, got up and walked to a quiet place.


    ¡°D.¡± The other party¡¯s voice was a little raspy and vague, with a hint of a smile: ¡°The little favor you asked me to do yesterday has been completed, I wonder if you are satisfied?¡±


    Jiang Chen stood by the window, watching the people coming and going outside on the streets, the smile on his face fading: ¡°What happened on his side?¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened except trying to find out who beat him up, but I found something interesting.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian was in contact with a man recently and gave him a sum of money. The amount was not large. It seemed that he wanted to ask him to do something.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°A man named Yang Tianci, I checked. He has no background and had no contact with He Qianjian before. Do you need me to find out how they met?¡±


    ¡°No, continue keeping watch on him, and let me know if there is any change.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The man paused, and said, ¡°There is one more thing, I wonder if you would like to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Please go ahead.¡±


    The other laughed: ¡°The person I found to do the deed might have been a little bit too rough. He Qianjian not only broke his right hand, but also suffered some injuries to his head. He passed out for a while and remained unconscious in the hospital. The doctor helped him do a brain examination, but unexpectedly they actually found that there indeed seemed to be some problem with his head. It just so happened that the He family arrived to see him, and the doctor suggested He Qianjian to have a comprehensive examination. Who knew that when his blood was drawn, he suddenly woke up.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes narrowed: ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°Refused to agree with it. Apparently, he almost hit the nurse who took his blood for this. The He family rushed to the ward in time to stop it.¡±


    ¡°Was his blood drawn?¡±


    ¡°No, he said that he had just had a blood test a few days ago, and there was no problem with the blood. The He family didn¡¯t insist anymore, and there were no problems in other aspects, so he was discharged from the hospital. What¡¯s interesting is that when the He family just walked out of the hospital gate, a Taoist priest walked by them. The Taoist priest shook his head when he saw He Qianjian. When the old madam of the He family asked, he said that He Qianjian had no fate with the He family, and that he could not see his future clearly because his fortune was messed up, entangled in the fortune of several people. He also persuaded He Qianjian to commit less crimes.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly: ¡°Is that person really a fortune teller?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± The other side said with a smile: ¡°Perhaps it was someone who disliked the He family who came to try to upset the He family. He not only said He Qianjian had no fate with the He family, he also claimed that the He family had a heart that faced towards the benevolence and originally should have been protected by virtue for a hundred years, but because of strange powers they would meet with great danger, within three years there would be a catastrophe, and only one person could solve it. If this is not a curse then I don¡¯t know what is, no wonder the old gentleman of the He family raised his cane.¡±


    The other side obviously only regarded this incident as a joke, but Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes. He didn¡¯t think that the appearance of the Taoist priest was a coincidence, and those words he said¡­..some of them were actually not wrong, but, he really wanted to know if the Taoist priest was a real Taoist priest or if there were other forces that he didn¡¯t know were targeting the He family or He Qianjian. If there was another wave of people, he really wanted to know what the purpose of that person was.


    ¡°Go and check that Taoist priest.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Jiang Chen returned to his seat. Seeing that He Qianmin hadn¡¯t moved his chopsticks, he couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°You don¡¯t want to eat?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He Qianmin put down his chopsticks, sat upright and looked at Jiang Chen. He wanted to say something several times but couldn¡¯t say it. After almost two minutes he finally said, ¡°Just now I said that He Qianjian¡¯s hand was broken. That I think it¡¯s retribution. Do you think I¡¯m¡­..cold-blooded and ruthless?¡±


    Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, ¡°Of course not, why do you think so.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m jealous of him.¡± He Qianmin looked at Jiang Chen stubbornly, and enunciated word by word: ¡°Because he is better than me in everything, because he dominates me in everything, because I am insensible and in a rebellious period, because¡­..a lot of people think so, why don¡¯t you think so.¡±


    ¡°Why do we have to think like this?¡± Huo Bo raised his eyes and said lightly, ¡°Of course I have eyes to see for myself.¡±


    Jiang Chen sighed, rubbed He Qianmin¡¯s head and said, ¡°There is no unreasonable hatred in the world. If you don¡¯t like him, it¡¯s because he did something that upset you.¡± He said softly, ¡°Before you said, it happened quite a few times like the last time you got cut by a fruit knife, you hating He Qianjian, it must have something to do with this.¡±


    He Qianmin was stunned for a moment, and then hesitated for a while before saying: ¡°¡­..How do you know?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t answer, but continued to ask, ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell your parents?¡±


    ¡°I did once.¡± He Qianmin lowered his eyelashes: ¡°They didn¡¯t believe it, and I haven¡¯t said it since then.¡±


    Shen Xu couldn¡¯t help but interject, ¡°What fruit knife? You mean that your elder brother purposely caused your injury, then why didn¡¯t you say it?¡±


    ¡°Who would believe something without evidence.¡± He Qianmin laughed self-deprecatingly at himself and said, ¡°If I told you that I had a car accident when I was twelve years old, and I was sitting in the back seat with He Qianjian at the same time. He sat on the left and I on the right, but when the car in front hit us, I suddenly switched places with him out of thin air, would you believe it?¡±


    Shen Xu was a little hesitant, looked at Jiang Chen and then at Huo Bo, unable to see what they were thinking, so he could only probe: ¡°¡­..How to switch places out of thin air? Teleportation? Superpower? Could it be that back then you¡­..¡±


    He Qianmin interrupted Shen Xu: ¡°At that time, I was hurt too seriously, and it left a psychological shadow, especially when I was seriously injured to the point of being unable to move, I saw He Qianjian who was only slightly scratched, so I was stimulated and the dissatisfaction accumulated over my elder brother exploded all at once, but the accumulated negative emotions were not conducive to the recovery of the body, so my brain started to protect itself and fabricated that memory privately. Is that what you want to say?¡±


    Shen Xu said dumbly: ¡°I¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°I believe it.¡±


    Shen Xu looked at Jiang Chen helplessly, and Huo Bo also raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    He Qianmin trembled, and turned his head to stare closely at Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes. After a few seconds, he turned his head and said, ¡°Liar.¡±


    ¡°I saw it.¡± Jiang Chen said lightly, ¡°I was the one who dragged you out of the car back then.¡±

 CH 37

    Ever since He Qianmin knew that Jiang Chen was the one who saved him back then, he had become more clingy than ever. The boy used to call only when there was something, now he sent at least ten text messages a day. If Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t stopped him, he would have wanted nothing more than to clock in at Yan No. 1 High School every day after school.


    A week flew by under such frequent contact, and Children¡¯s Day happened to be on a weekend. This was also the day when old Mr. Miao and Miao Miao would be moving into the city.


    Jiang Chen had given Chen Fang the job of finding a house before, but Chen Fang not only helped find a second-hand house that was just sold in Jiang Chen¡¯s community, but also helped Miao Miao settle her household registration and new school, such that she could directly join the kindergarten nearby after moving.


    Ever since Yang Si knew about Jiang Chen and old Mr. Miao¡¯s relationship, she had always wanted to thank the Miao family. After learning that old Mr. Miao was going to move to their community, she was looking forward to it, just waiting to help out when they came.


    With Yang Si¡¯s help, the Miao family¡¯s move went very smoothly. Everything from furniture to cleaning and even to the decoration of a bedroom suitable for a little girl was carefully prepared in advance, so it took less than half a day to arrange everything.


    After tidying up the house, old Mr. Miao brought Miao Miao to the Jiang family¡¯s house for lunch.


    After the meal, Miao Miao wore the new little dress Yang Si bought for her, holding Jiang Chen¡¯s hand and looking around. Her dark eyes were full of curiosity and joy, without any timidity.


    ¡°Big Brother!¡± Miao Miao pointed to the cabinet by the wall and said, ¡°What is that shiny thing!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a trophy.¡±


    Miao Miao didn¡¯t understand: ¡°A trophy? Is it for drinking water?¡±


    ¡°It can be used to drink water.¡± Jiang Chen picked up Miao Miao and sat her in his arms, letting her see the trophies displayed in the cabinet more clearly. He said with a smile: ¡°But this cup is too big, Miao Miao won¡¯t be able to hold it.¡±


    ¡°When Miao Miao grows up, I can drink water from this cup!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°When Miao Miao grows up, this big brother will give you this cup.¡±


    Yang Si and old Mr. Miao sat on the sofa, watching the warming scene between the two children, with smiles on their faces. Old Mr. Miao said: ¡°Xiao Yang, I really caused you trouble today. After everything is cleaned up in a few days, you must definitely come over with Jiang Chen for dinner.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the trouble?¡± Yang Si¡¯s gaze was on Jiang Chen and Miao Miao, an unconcealable smile on her face: ¡°Miao Miao is so cute, I always wanted to have a daughter before, thinking that if Chen Chen had a little sister he would definitely be a good brother. Who knew that Miao Miao suddenly showed up.¡±


    Yang Si really liked this clever little girl who liked to cling to Jiang Chen from the bottom of her heart. Because of her parents¡¯ patriarchal views, she had always had a wish to give birth to a little girl. And then shower all the love she never got on her. It could be regarded as making up for the regrets of her childhood.


    Later, Jiang Chen was born, and watching him grow up, to her, it didn¡¯t matter whether he was a boy or a girl, because in her and Jiang Zhuo¡¯s eyes, Jiang Chen was the most precious and beautiful gift from heaven.


    Old Mr. Miao could also see that Yang Si sincerely liked Miao Miao. When he met Jiang Chen before, he thought that Jiang Chen¡¯s family members should be very good. But meeting them today, no matter how brief, he now knew why Jiang Chen was so polite and sensible, and only then did he know that this family was even better than he imagined.


    Miao Miao had no father and no mother. He was also getting old and many things could not be taken care of. It was hard to predict how long he would be with her. If she could have more contact with Jiang Chen¡¯s family as a child, it would have a great impact on her growth and future. There were only advantages and no disadvantages.


    Old Mr. Miao¡¯s affection for the Yang family reached its peak when Yang Si immediately asked Jiang Chen to go out and buy a gift and a cake for Miao Miao after learning that today was Miao Miao¡¯s birthday and she had never eaten a birthday cake before.


    Yang Si reminded: ¡°Remember to buy a prettier cake, one that girls like.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded in agreement, but just as he was about to go out, Miao Miao hugged his leg and refused to let go. The little girl had tears in her eyes, her lips pouting, and she said in a milky voice that she didn¡¯t want gifts. She didn¡¯t want cakes either, so long as big brother was with her.


    There was a round, heavy lump hanging on Jiang Chen¡¯s leg, refusing to let go no matter how hard he coaxed. Seeing the tears in her eyes, his heart softened, and he discussed with oldbMr. Miao: ¡°Grandpa Miao, why don¡¯t I take Miao Miao with me? Don¡¯t worry, I will definitely bring her back safely.¡±


    Old Mr. Miao smiled kindly, and agreed directly without hesitation: ¡°Take her, you two have fun.¡±


    Just like that, Jiang Chen led a chubby little girl out the door.


    Miao Miao had been living in the countryside since she was born, and had never seen so many new things. From the cars to the shopping mall, she looked this way and that way all the way, her face full of delight, but even so, her little hand was still holding Jiang Chen tightly, and she never let go no matter how curious she was.


    Jiang Chen had no experience in dealing with children before, and he anticipated it would be awhile, but he didn¡¯t expect her to be so well-behaved, holding his hand without making noise or needing to be carried. Even if she saw a beautiful doll, she just stared without blinking while being led by Jiang Chen, and when she lost sight of it, she simply retracted her gaze. She behaved very differently from the kid rolling around on the ground in a temper tantrum in the next aisle.


    Because of this, Jiang Chen felt it would not be right to not buy her something. When he came out of the department store, he held a stuffed animal about the size of Miao Miao in his arms, and Miao Miao, whom he was leading, also held a doll in her hand. If reason hadn¡¯t led him away from the children¡¯s toy area, maybe he would have bought more.


    After the two of them bought the present, they were ready to buy a cake. When passing by a bookstore, Miao Miao stopped for the first time, pointed curiously at the person sitting on the floor reading a book, and asked, ¡°Brother Jiang Chen, is that a book? ¡°


    Jiang Chen knelt down and said with a smile, ¡°Miao Miao, do you want to go see?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Miao Miao nodded heavily, her dark round eyes were innocent but serious, and her small face was full of longing and pride: ¡°Grandpa said that only when I grow up reading and studying can I be as smart and capable as Big Brother.¡±


    Jiang Chen picked her up, pushed open the door of the bookstore and said, ¡°Then Big Brother will buy books for Miao Miao. When Miao Miao grows up, you will be as capable as Big Brother.¡±


    Miao Miao hugged the doll and buried her head in Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulder. Before Jiang Chen stepped into the bookstore, she suddenly said, ¡°Miao Miao doesn¡¯t want the doll anymore. Brother, can we return the doll to the auntie?¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to return it to the auntie?¡± Jiang Chen paused, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Miao Miao like these dolls?¡±


    Miao Miao glanced at the doll in her hand and then turned to look at the bookstore. She frowned and looked conflicted. After a few seconds, she finally made up her mind and said, ¡°Miao Miao doesn¡¯t like dolls, but books.¡±


    Jiang Chen had never been very good at guessing people¡¯s thoughts, but the four-year-old girl¡¯s froning chubby face seemed to be able to speak, and he could tell what she was thinking just by looking.


    Jiang Chen bounced her in his arms, and said with a smile: ¡°But Big Brother likes dolls, so, if Big Brother buys books for Miao Miao, these dolls will also be kept. When Big Brother goes to Miao Miao¡¯s house, how about Miao Miao let Big Brother play with it?¡±


    Miao Miao¡¯s eyes lit up, and she was instantly lured by Jiang Chen¡¯s proposal. She wanted to nod, but became entangled: ¡°But buying books and dolls cost a lot of money. Making money is very hard. You can¡¯t buy everything.¡±


    Jiang Chen was taken aback, it was hard to believe that he heard such words from a four-year-old child. He looked at Miao Miao¡¯s serious face, his heart softened, and he said softly: ¡°Today is Miao Miao¡¯s birthday. It is also Children¡¯s Day, and all children can get gifts on these two days, so Miao Miao can have two gifts.¡±


    ¡°What is Children¡¯s Day?¡±


    ¡°Children¡¯s Day is a festival for children.¡± Jiang Chen said with a smile, ¡°As long as they are kind and lovely children, they will receive gifts.¡±


    ¡°Miao Miao too?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen carried her to the children¡¯s section: ¡°Because Miao Miao is a kind and lovely child.¡±


    Two bookshelves away, a girl with shoulder-length black hair looked carefully at this side without blinking her eyes.


    ¡°Qian Yu, what are you looking at?¡± Li Xiao picked out the supplementary books, and when she saw her friend leaning on the bookshelf with half of her face hidden by books, looking at who knows what, she called out curiously.


    He Qianyu touched her lips with her index finger, and after a shush, she immediately turned her head to look back, and was relieved when she saw that the people over there hadn¡¯t noticed any movement here.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Li Xiao looked in the direction she was looking at just now, but didn¡¯t see anything strange, and asked in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡±


    He Qianyu immediately covered her mouth, pulled her behind the bookshelf, and said in a low voice: ¡°Be quiet, don¡¯t be discovered by them.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Xiao was confused and curious: ¡°You looked like you were peeking just now, who were you peeking at?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t!¡± He Qianyu immediately denied it, and seeing Li Xiao¡¯s expression of disbelief, she muttered, ¡°I really wasn¡¯t, it¡¯s just that I just saw a profile face that looked like my second brother.¡±


    ¡°Your second brother?¡± Li Xiao stretched out her head to look over there again, but there was no one there, so she turned her gaze back: ¡°But you can look openly, why are you sneaking around.¡±


    He Qianyu: ¡°It¡¯s strange to stare at others openly, okay?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s even more strange to peek at others furtively, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± He Qianyu was at a loss for words, and after a few seconds of pause, she kicked the bookcase lightly, and said with a pursed mouth, ¡°Why don¡¯t I have such a big brother.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Li Xiao didn¡¯t hear clearly.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± He Qianyu picked up the books she wanted to buy, and glanced over there again. Seeing that the people there were no longer there, she lowered her eyes a little in disappointment, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Dad is coming to pick me up later.¡±


    ¡°Your eldest brother is injured so he probably won¡¯t go to your grandparent¡¯s house today. Will your second brother go?¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± He Qianyu curled her lips and said, ¡°As long as Eldest Brother goes, Second Brother will not go, and if Eldest Brother does not go, then Second Brother will definitely go. Besides, Brother Qian Yang will also go to my grandparent¡¯s house today, and he can also play games with him.¡±


    Li Xiao nodded and said as she walked, ¡°Then let¡¯s go to pay.¡±


    Jiang Chen was also at the cashier, Miao Miao was holding the fairy tale book he had just bought in her hands with adoration. Her chubby little hands were tightly clutching the book, and even though she was clearly illiterate, she still stared at the pictures in the book seriously.


    Just after paying the money, he heard a hesitant voice: ¡°Jiang Chen?¡±


    Jiang Chen turned around, saw Li Xiao, and nodded with a smile, ¡°You also come to buy books.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Li Xiao looked at Miao Miao beside him curiously, and said, ¡°Is this your little sister? She¡¯s so cute.¡±


    Miao Miao raised her head, blinked at Li Xiao, and shyly hugged Jiang Chen¡¯s leg.


    Jiang Chen was taken aback for a moment, he had always thought Miao Miao was an extroverted little girl this whole time, but he still hugged her and said with a smile, ¡°She¡¯s not my sister, she¡¯s the child of a neighbor.¡±


    Li Xiao nodded, and then remembered her friend, and introduced with a smile: ¡°This is my friend, last time you went to see the ballet performance, she was on stage, her name is¡­..¡±


    ¡°Qian Yu.¡± A handsome man pushed the door open and entered, showing a doting smile, and walked straight to his daughter. He touched her head and asked, ¡°Have you finished shopping for the books?¡±

 CH 38

    Jiang Chen secretly scrutinized the father and daughter in front of him. He didn¡¯t need any more introductions, he already knew their identities.


    Sure enough, after Li Xiao greeted Jiang Chen, she introduced them to Jiang Chen: ¡°I didn¡¯t finish just now, this is He Qianyu, my good friend, she danced as the black swan in the ballet performance you saw last time. This is Qian Yu¡¯s father, Mr. He. Uncle He, Qian Yu, this is Jiang Chen.¡±


    He Yanfeng and He Qianyu looked over together. The father and daughter had similar eyes, but different expressions.


    He Qianyu¡¯s ears were flushed pink, she glanced at Jiang Chen quietly, and said softly, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m He Qianyu.¡±


    He Yanfeng showed a little surprise when he saw Jiang Chen smiling and nodding to He Qianyu, but in an instant he restrained his expression very well. He smiled and teased: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect boys like you would also enjoy watching ballet performances.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes and met He Yanfeng¡¯s smiling eyes, and both of them were stunned for a moment. Jiang Chen said politely, ¡°Hello, Uncle He.¡±


    There was a strange feeling in He Yanfeng¡¯s heart, but he couldn¡¯t tell what it was. He looked into the boy¡¯s eyes seriously again, suppressed the strange feeling, and said with a smile: ¡°Hello, since you are Xiao Xiao and Liu Yi¡¯s friend, come over to play often in the future. I have a son who is about the same age as you, you two should have common topics. By the way, Jiang Chen, how old are you and where do you go to school now?¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyes, pursed his lips and said with a faint smile, ¡°Eighteen years old.¡±


    ¡°Eighteen.¡± He Yanfeng paused for half a second, unable to tell what the emotion was that was passing through his heart. He stopped thinking about it, and said: ¡°Then you should be in the third year of high school, my eldest son is seventeen, and is about the same age as you, if there is a chance, you could meet and maybe become friends.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°There will be a chance.¡±


    He Qianyu pulled He Yanfeng¡¯s cuff, raised her head and called, ¡°Dad.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± He Yanfeng looked down at his daughter, saw her pouting, and suddenly said: ¡°Sorry, we have something to do later, we have to leave now, Xiao Jiang, when you and Xiao Xiao have a chance, please come and play over at our home.¡±


    He Qianyu¡¯s eyes widened, and she hurriedly looked at Jiang Chen¡¯s expression. She just wanted her father to stop asking him questions, how was it that it turned into her urging him to leave!


    Jiang Chen said politely: ¡°Okay, goodbye Uncle He, goodbye Qian Yu.¡±


    He Qianyu was about to say something, but when she heard the words ¡°Qian Yu¡± from the boy in front of her, she blinked her round eyes, then slowly lowered her head and covered her feverishly hot ears.


    Both Li Xiao and He Yanfeng noticed her strangeness, but they were not thinking in the same direction.


    Li Xiao felt that He Qianyu was a little strange from the very beginning, peeking and blushing, maybe there was a boy she liked in the bookstore, so she was curious who it might be.


    He Yanfeng felt that He Qianyu was in a hurry to go to her grandparent¡¯s house, and seeing him keep talking, she became impatient. He Yanfeng took He Qianyu¡¯s hand and nodded to the two of them: ¡°Then we¡¯ll be going first.¡±


    Li Xiao and Jiang Chen said at the same time: ¡°Bye bye.¡±


    After the two left, Li Xiao also paid, and left the bookstore with Jiang Chen.


    Halfway through the walk, she suddenly remembered something, and asked curiously: ¡°I remember my cousin said you are only seventeen, why did you say eighteen to Uncle He?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes were cold, and he said in a low voice, ¡°That¡¯s my age on the ID card.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s it.¡± Li Xiao nodded. She was not a talkative character, and the reason she would say more than a few words to Jiang Chen was also because of Pan Liuyi and the math competition. Seeing that Jiang Chen seemed to have something else to do, she offered to leave: ¡°My bus is at the station ahead so I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded and said, ¡°Be careful on the way home.¡±


    ¡°Bye bye.¡±


    On the other side, in He Yanfeng¡¯s car.


    He Qianyu leaned on the car window, reluctantly watching the figures of Jiang Chen and Li Xiao walking away.


    He Yanfeng withdrew his gaze, saw her like this from the corner of the eye, and smiled: ¡°So reluctant? When you and Xiao Xiao are on vacation next week, Dad will discuss with Xiao Xiao¡¯s uncle to bring her to play at home and let her sleep over in our house for a night.¡±


    He Qianyu sat up straight, puffed her face and said: ¡°Xiao Xiao is now in her second year of high school, and she is already very anxious about her studies. If I always take her to play over at home, it will delay her studies.¡±


    ¡°Yo!¡± He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows: ¡°Our little princess knows to feel distress for others, but it¡¯s a pity that it¡¯s not Dad who is the target, Dad is so sad.¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± He Qianyu folded her arms and turned her face away: ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore!¡±


    ¡°What did Dad say that made my baby angry?¡±


    ¡°Hmmph.¡±


    He Yanfeng shook his head with a smile, and changed the subject: ¡°Have you bought all the piano scores you want to buy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He Qianyu nodded, and suddenly thought of something. She stuck her head to the front seat, and whispered: ¡°Dad, I found out about Second Brother¡¯s secret!¡±


    He Yanfeng laughed and said, ¡°What secret of your brother¡¯s did you discover again?¡±


    ¡°He looks at his phone a lot recently! He often texts and ignores me! And he loves to study! Do you think he has a girl he likes!¡±


    ¡°A girl he likes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± He Qianyu continued to reason while nodding slightly to confirm herself: ¡°Besides, I found that he came back from school very late several times. I met Brother Yun Long when I got out of school on Tuesday. He said that Second Brother ran off to another school, I think he must have found a big sister from another school to date with!¡±


    He Yanfeng: ¡°You don¡¯t want your Second Brother to date?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± He Qianyu patted the seat a few times and muttered, ¡°He likes to bully people so much, I¡¯m just afraid that he would treat the girl badly, and if she dumps him, how sad he would be. And when he is feeling bad, he might then bully me.¡±


    ¡°I only saw you bullying him.¡± He Yanfeng said with a smile: ¡°You always speak ill of him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± He Qianyu crossed her arms: ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore, Dad, I don¡¯t want to talk to you until I get to Grandpa¡¯s house.¡±


    He Yanfeng stopped the car and said, ¡°Then are you willing to open the car door?¡±


    He Qianyu turned her head: ¡°No.¡±


    Someone knocked on the car window, He Qianyu looked up and saw He Qianmin¡¯s face.


    She pushed down the car window and made a face to the outside: ¡°I won¡¯t open the door! You sit in front!¡±


    He Qianmin reached out and ruffled her hair carelessly, opened the door of the front passenger seat while she was baring her teeth angrily, sat down and asked He Yanfeng: ¡°Who messed with her again?¡±


    He Yanfeng glanced at the rearview mirror, and said with a smile: ¡°She just reluctantly separated from Xiao Xiao, so is now throwing a temper tantrum.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He Qianmin glanced back and saw that she was smoothing her hair, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t bother, it¡¯s just as ugly.¡±


    He Qianyu replied to him: ¡°You are my brother, if I am ugly then you are ugly too!¡±


    ¡°The He family¡¯s good-looking genes were passed on to the males but not the females.¡± He Qianmin turned to her and deliberately needled her, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m handsome and you are ugly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re ugly!¡±


    Letting the two of them fight, He Yanfeng was also used to it, and he just drove quietly and attentively.


    When they were approaching the old house of the He family, he suddenly remembered something, looked at his children who had quiet down, and said, ¡°Your Sister Xiao Xiao¡¯s friend hasn¡¯t said where he goes to school yet.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in Yan No. 1 High School.¡± He Qianyu swung her legs and said, ¡°The last time he went to see my performance, and Mom asked about it, it was this big brother.¡±


    He Yanfeng was startled. He backed the car into the garage, and after the car was parked he turned his head and asked: ¡°The one your Mom mentioned, it was him?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    When Jiang Chen returned home, Yang Si and old Mr. Miao were still chatting.


    Seeing them enter the door, both of them smiled: ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± Miao Miao let go of Jiang Chen, and quickly threw herself into old Mr. Miao¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Why did you buy so many things?¡± Old Mr. Miao hugged Miao Miao, saw the doll in her hand, the big stuffed animal and a bag of books in Jiang Chen¡¯s hand, and said, ¡°It¡¯s a waste of money. ¡°


    Jiang Chen put the stuffed animal beside Miao Miao, sat down on the sofa, and said with a smile, ¡°Today is Miao Miao¡¯s birthday, and it¡¯s also Children¡¯s Day. Of course, she has to accept two gifts.¡±


    ¡°But there are so many books, and this doll.¡± Old Mr. Miao picked up the big stuffed animal and looked at it for a while, then said in distress: ¡°It must have cost a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°Not much, not much.¡± Yang Si also picked up the big stuffed animal and looked at it, grabbed its hand to tease Miao Miao, and while teasing her, she said to old Mr. Miao: ¡°The gifts here, one is Miao Miao¡¯s birthday present, one is Miao Miao¡¯s Children¡¯s Day gift, and the other is a meeting gift from me to Miao Miao, so it is not too many.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a cake for the birthday present?¡± Old Mr. Miao looked at the cake Jiang Chen brought back. Although he hadn¡¯t eaten it, he knew it was definitely not cheap just by looking at the packaging. He put his hand into his clothes and took out the money, saying to Jiang Chen: ¡°Chen Chen, how much was it, Grandpa will give you.¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Yang Si held old Mr. Miao¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°This cake is Miao Miao¡¯s present from old Jiang. He is currently in the hospital and specifically told me to bring a gift for Miao Miao. He¡¯s already very disappointed that he can¡¯t come over, if Miao Miao doesn¡¯t want his gift, he¡¯ll be even more sad.¡±


    ¡°This¡­..ai, but this¡­..¡± Old Mr. Miao Miao could naturally feel Yang Si¡¯s enthusiasm and kindness. His eyes instantly felt hot, and he touched Miao Miao¡¯s head and said, ¡°Our Miao Miao, has met very good people. Quick, thank your big brother and auntie.¡±


    Miao Miao turned her head to look at the smiling Yang Si, and then turned her head to look at Jiang Chen on the opposite side, and said obediently, ¡°Thank you, Auntie and Brother Jiang Chen.¡±


    She still had a rural accent when she spoke, but she also had the unique soft and milky tones of a child, which made Yang Si¡¯s heart soften instantly. She let go of the stuffed animal and said to Miao Miao: ¡°Can this auntie hug Miao Miao?¡±


    Miao Miao nodded naively, opened her arms and waited for Yang Si¡¯s hug.


    Yang Si hugged her onto her lap, grabbed her chubby little hand, and smiled contentedly: ¡°The dream of many years had finally come true.¡± Holding Miao Miao, she turned her head and winked at Jiang Chen: ¡°Miao Miao is so cute, letting me hug when I ask for it, unlike when you were a child, it always took a long time to coax you for a hug.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled helplessly: ¡°Mom¡­..¡±


    Old Mr. Miao stayed at the Jiang¡¯s with Miao Miao all afternoon, and took her home after having dinner, blowing out candles and eating cake.


    After a busy day, the house was quiet again.


    Yang Si looked at the cake plates on the dining table that hadn¡¯t been cleared in time, and said with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since the house was so lively, Miao Miao is really cute, if it wasn¡¯t for family planning, I really want to give you a little brother or sister, you would definitely be the best big brother.¡±


    Jiang Chen helped put away the things. His eyes flashed when he heard the words, and suddenly he said: ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t you and Dad have another child.¡±

 CH 39

    Throughout June, Jiang Chen spent all his extracurricular time on the program he was designing and the business he had received in the hacker forum. Time passed slowly, and the Jiang family returned to the warmth and tranquility along with its passing.


    Jiang Zhuo¡¯s recovery went very smoothly. It was estimated that it would take at least three months for him to walk alone with a cane, but now it only took less than one and a half months. Judging from the recovery situation, he might even be able to resume normal walking in less than three months.


    When Yang Si saw Jiang Zhuo standing up by himself and walking towards her on crutches, she covered her mouth and wept with joy. Jiang Chen stood on the side, hugged her shoulder silently, and then stretched out his other hand to greet his father who came towards them. Jiang Zhuo quickened his pace and hugged his wife and son.


    Shi Fengyue stood at the entrance of the rehabilitation training center, silently looking at the family of three huddled together not far away. He stood there for about half a minute, his long eyelashes half drooped, then turned and left.


    Jiang Chen caught a glimpse of Shi Fengyue¡¯s passing figure from the corner of his eye, let go of his parents, and said with a smile, ¡°Dad, you and Mom can rest for a while, I¡¯ll go out and buy some drinks.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Zhuo smiled brightly, leaned the crutch against the bench, sat down slowly by himself, and winked at Jiang Chen after sitting upright: ¡°Bring me a bottle of ing good.¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips, raised his eyebrows to signal him to look towards the side, and as expected, Yang Si snorted, ¡°Jiang Zhuo, you¡¯ve just recovered and already you¡¯ve begun to act gleeful?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking my son to buy me a drink!¡± Jiang Zhuo sat on the sofa alone, but his handsome face was full of grievances: ¡°How am I gleeful?¡±


    Seeing her husband¡¯s pitiful face, Yang Si was annoyed and amused at the same time, and said, ¡°Do you think your son will buy it for you? Did you gorget who found out the last time you smoked secretly? And the last time you drank old Li¡¯s wine it was our son who smelled it on you. Let me tell you, Chen Chen and I are on the same side, don¡¯t think you can influence him.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo looked up with surprised realization: ¡°I just said that your mother was not in the hospital, how did she find out that I was drinking, so it was you who told on me to your mother?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled innocently and harmlessly. Jiang Zhuo slapped the stool: ¡°You kiddo!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t control your mouth and yet you dare to be fierce to my son?¡± Yang Si cast a disapproving glance at him, thought for a while and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°Buy your father a glass of milk, with just brown sugar. He should replenish his blood after surgery.¡±


    ¡°Honey, it¡¯s been more than a month since I finished the operation.¡±


    ¡°Still.¡±


    Jiang Chen obediently nodded, waved to the two of them and turned to leave.


    Jiang Zhuo snorted: ¡°This brat, when he was young, he consciously kept the secret between us men, but when he grew up, he learned to tell on me.¡±


    ¡°What secret?¡±


    Yang Si sat down next to him: ¡°The secret of how it was you who wanted to watch a movie, and said you would take your son to watch cartoons, but you ended up being so fascinated by it that you forgot him at the popcorn place, and caused him to go to the hospital for eating too much. Or is it the secret of how you took him to learn how to ride a bike, but then went fishing by yourself, letting him ride the bike alone and almost falling into the river, changing his clothes before coming back and pretending nothing happened?¡±


    ¡°That was all many years ago, but¡­..how do you know!¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten what your son liked to do most when he was a child?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo hesitated: ¡°¡­..Discuss reason?¡±


    Yang Si nodded: ¡°When your son was young, not only did he like to seriously discuss reason, but he also liked to quote from other sources. Before elementary school, he was best at using his own examples to reason and increase the degree of persuasion.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo: ¡°¡­..¡±


    Jiang Zhuo changed the subject: ¡°I nearly suffocated staying in the hospital for so long, and now that I can walk on my own with a cane, how about the three of us go to a nearby park for a picnic this weekend, and continue the family ritual once again.¡±


    ¡°You want to drink again, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s footsteps faltered, and a few seconds later, he couldn¡¯t help lowering his head and laughing. He walked out of the rehabilitation center amidst the gradually fading conversation.


    There was a garden between the rehabilitation center and the inpatient department. If one wanted to get out of the hospital, one needed to go through the garden and a corridor, and go around to the lobby of the outpatient department.


    Jiang Chen walked in the garden at a leisurely pace. What he thought might be blurred memories in his mind was actually extremely clear childhood pictures. The family of three going on a trip together, going to an amusement park, visiting a museum, going to the movies, and going on a picnic¡­..


    Since elementary school, almost every weekend, his parents would take him out, even if it was just to go window shopping outside without buying anything, and then to have a meal, they would still persist on going out as a family.


    Jiang Zhuo once said: This is a ritual, a ritual for our family of three.


    This ritual lasted from when Jiang Chen could remember to his first semester of high school, when it was cut short by a car accident, and since then, it had never continued.


    For countless weekends afterwards in the first life, Jiang Chen locked himself in the dormitory or library to study, and then threw himself to work overtime in the company. Later, he transmigrated to the interstellar era, and the dates were no longer counted by the week. But he still stayed up late and working overtime for two days, and because of this, some people regarded this as a peculiar little habit of his.


    Now, this weekend ritual, it seemed, could go on again.


    Jiang Chen stood in the center of the arch bridge, holding the stone railing with his hands, and looked down at the koi carp wagging their tails in the pond. The sunlight shone on the waves and fish scales, and the waves glittered brightly, as bright as the smile on the corners of his eyes and lips.


    Suddenly, a conversation broke the silence in this corner.


    ¡°¡­..the only son of the family, do you know that if you don¡¯t accept this operation, while he might not be able to do anything about you, but I really won¡¯t be able to explain it. Feng Yue, you must also think about Uncle Yang, being a hospital director is not easy to do either.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Yang, I remember we made an agreement from the beginning.¡±


    Jiang Chen recognized Shi Fengyue¡¯s voice almost immediately, it was as deep and indifferent as before, and difficult to distinguish his emotions. But he was a little surprised, the other person seemed to be the hospital director.


    ¡°Yes, when you entered the hospital, I promised you that in addition to the regular consultations, the operation arrangement and acceptance of patients is entirely up to you. I have never interfered with you before this, but this is different, his identity is different. The success of the operation on the patient in 506 attracted the attention of several famous professors of orthopedic surgery in Yan City. They are all full of praises for you, and his family also decided on you to be his doctor because of this. Moreover, they have even hired a team to cooperate with you in this operation. Once this operation is successful, not only will you become famous in one fell swoop, but also for the hospital¡­..¡±


    ¡°No need to say anymore, Uncle Yang, I don¡¯t want to take it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to, but I have to take care of this matter, Feng Yue, just for the sake of Uncle Yang who has watched you grow up, promise this time, Uncle Yang will put down my old face and beg you, okay?¡±


    Shi Fengyue said lightly: ¡°I can¡¯t communicate with that family.¡±


    ¡°His family¡­..¡± Director Yang was silent for a while, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll help you communicate and definitely let them¡­..¡±


    Shi Fengyue interrupted him: ¡°Uncle Yang, you know me.¡±


    The wind blew through the leaves, and amidst the rustling wind, a soft sigh sounded, and then the sound of footsteps gradually fading away.


    Jiang Chen was sitting on the stone railing, his head turned sideways to meet Shi Fengyue who rounded the corner.


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s gaze was mild, and he glanced at him as a greeting, then turned and left in another direction.


    Jiang Chen stopped him: ¡°Why did you accept my father¡¯s surgery?¡±


    Shi Fengyue paused, turned his head to look at him, stared at him with calm eyes for a few seconds, then slightly parted his pale lips: ¡°Then why do you trust me?¡±


    Jiang Chen was puzzled, but Shi Fengyue seemed to be suddenly interested. He turned around and walked towards him.


    ¡°From the moment you learned my name, you had absolute trust in me. I am curious, where does this trust come from? Because of my name? Or because of my resume? But while my resume looks good, there are many doctors who are better and more experienced than me in China. Moreover, I had just returned to China without any fame or experience in surgery, but you only trusted me to do the surgery.¡±


    Shi Fengyue stopped in front of Jiang Chen, leaned over and stared into his eyes: ¡°Tell me why you trust me.¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s dark orbs gleamed bright, and his thick eyelashes shaded them, leaving a shadow over his eyes, covering the young man reflected in them. Those sharp eyes seem to imprison him in a place where there was nowhere to escape.


    Jiang Chen calmly leaned back a little, his eyelids slightly lowered, and after a few seconds, he suddenly raised his eyes and said, ¡°So, that¡¯s why you took on my father¡¯s surgery, and it¡¯s also¡­..why you don¡¯t accept those people¡¯s surgeries.¡±


    Two pairs of eyes met, and Jiang Chen said with a slight smile: ¡°Dr. Shi, the trust between doctor and patient originally needs to be accumulated through a period of treatment, and most patients who can show absolute trust from the very beginning are desperate and see you as the last life-saving straw. If you ask patients to trust you absolutely when they first see you, then that is a tall order.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± Shi Fengyue straightened up slowly, tilted his head, and looked at the dimple at the corner of his mouth, and smiled suddenly: ¡°But you are very smart.¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his flickering eyes, and asked with a smile, ¡°Could it be that I¡¯m not right?¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡± Shi Fengyue took two steps forward, leaning on the stone railing with his hands, looking down at the koi in the pond, with a lazy and tired expression: ¡°Patients who don¡¯t trust me at the beginning often don¡¯t cooperate with follow-up treatment which may also bring on a lot of trouble.¡±


    Jiang Chen tilted his head, stared at Shi Fengyue for a few seconds, and suddenly realized.


    ¡°What you want is not trust, you just fear trouble.¡±


    Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t answer, but this already answered for him.


    Jiang Chen laughed, and suddenly remembered the rumors about Shi Fengyue that he had heard in his first life. If they knew that Shi Fengyue¡¯s willfulness and ignoring patients in need was not arrogance or perverseness at all, but just a fear of trouble. And once they expressed absolute trust, Shi Fengyue would not refuse, he wondered just how much they would regret it.


    He was suddenly curious: ¡°Since you are so afraid of trouble, why do you want to be a doctor?¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s eyelashes seemed to tremble. He stared at the ripples in the pond, then suddenly straightened up and looked down at Jiang Chen: ¡°Since you are so smart, why do you still follow the prescribed order.¡±


    The two looked at each other, and they saw something in each other¡¯s eyes. One smiled and the other raised an eyebrow, and then looked away tacitly.


    Jiang Chen glanced at his watch and said with a smile, ¡°My parents are still waiting for their drinks, so I won¡¯t waste the doctor¡¯s time, I¡¯ll be going first.¡±


    Shi Fengyue nodded, and a second before Jiang Chen was about to walk out of sight, he said casually, ¡°Good luck on the final exam.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, looked back and smiled, ¡°Thank you.¡±

 CH 40

    The final exam came and ended as scheduled.


    Summer vacation was coming, and due to the notice issued by the Education Bureau at the end of June to prevent schools from making up classes without permission, the prospective high school seniors escaped unharmed and welcomed the two-month vacation with cheers.


    Jiang Chen originally planned to deal with the Yang family during the summer vacation. After learning that He Qianjian had contacted Yang Tianci, he decided to hold back. He really wanted to know that with the situation of the Jiang family being completely different from that of the first life, how would He Qianjian use Yang Tianci to stir up trouble this time.


    On the morning of the first weekend of summer vacation, Jiang Chen finished his computer work and got up to pour a glass of water. As soon as he walked outside his bedroom, he heard loud and rude knocking on the front door, and stopped. At this time, Yang Si had just gone out to buy groceries. She would not be coming back so soon, and she would never knock on the door like this either.


    Probably because the person heard no movements, the sound of a key turning outside the door was soon heard. Jiang Chen walked out of the room, just in time to meet face to face with Yang Tianci and his son who just opened the door and came in.


    However, they didn¡¯t expect to see Jiang Chen as soon as they entered the door. Yang Tianci¡¯s expression froze for a moment. He looked around and didn¡¯t see Yang Si, so he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your mother?¡±


    Standing at the door, Jiang Chen glanced over Yang Shengmao and fixed on Yang Tianci¡¯s face, saying calmly, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Where are your manners?¡± A guilty conscience flashed in Yang Tianci¡¯s eyes, and he quickly covered it up, frowning and saying, ¡°I¡¯m your uncle, why can¡¯t I come to your house? This is how your mother teaches you to treat guests and elders?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t answer, and stepped in front of Yang Tianci. He stretched out his hand: ¡°Hand over the key.¡±


    ¡°What key?¡± Yang Tianci snorted coldly, and the bit of guilt that had just risen was suppressed by anger from embarrassment, ¡°What right do you have to ask me for the key, this is the key your mother gave me.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze moved down and landed on his right hand holding the key, and said mildly, ¡°If I remember correctly, this is the key you secretly copied when you came to my house.¡±


    Yang Tianci¡¯s eyes faltered for a moment, but soon he was full of confidence: ¡°¡­..It¡¯s what your mother acquiesced.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t speak, but just looked at him coldly, with his back straight and expression condescending. When Yang Tianci was looked at like this, an unknown anger suddenly burst into his heart. The reason he hated Jiang Chen was because of this look. No matter how cleverly he pretended to be respectful, he didn¡¯t have the slightest respect for an elder in his eyes, and didn¡¯t take him seriously at all.


    But so what if he looked down on him? So what if he thought he was superior? It was a pity that he just had the young master¡¯s symptoms but not the young master¡¯s life. If a real young master wanted to deal with him, wouldn¡¯t he just be crushed obediently?


    Thinking of this, most of the anger in Yang Tianci¡¯s heart was extinguished, and eager gloating glee appeared on his face, mixed with a weird and twisted mockery: ¡°Jiang Chen¡ª¡ªas your uncle, I kindly give you a piece of advice, don¡¯t act like you are superior to everyone, be careful of offending people who shouldn¡¯t be offended, when the time comes¡­..you won¡¯t even dare to get up when you¡¯re trampled under foot!¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change: ¡°Mr. Yang, I will give you a piece of advice as well.¡±


    Yang Tianci sneered, and walked around Jiang Chen: ¡°Forget about it if you don¡¯t believe me, go get me a glass of water, I¡¯ll be waiting here¡ª¡ª¡±


    Yang Tianci bent over, trembling and with a stiffened back. He looked at Jiang Chen in disbelief with a face that was instantly covered with cold sweat: ¡°You dare to hit me?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled slightly, raised his leg and kicked him to the ground, saying softly, ¡°Mr. Yang, you broke into my house to steal, I am just defending myself.¡±


    The punch and kick occurred within ten seconds. Yang Tianci curled up on the ground, and it took him a while to recover. Bloodshot eyes glared up at him: ¡°I am your uncle!¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been for a long time.¡± Jiang Chen said as he raised his hand and grabbed Yang Shengmao who rushed over. With a skillful twist of the wrist, Yang Shengmao was left stunned for two seconds holding his dislocated wrist. When he realized that he couldn¡¯t control his wrist he howled: ¡°My hand, my hand is broken! Dad, my hand is broken¡­..¡±


    Yang Tianci¡¯s eyes were about to burst from their sockets: ¡°How dare you!¡±


    Jiang Chen let go of Yang Shengmao, squatted in front of Yang Tianci, and slowly opened his palm. His voice was as clear as his smile: ¡°The key.¡±


    ¡°You broke Sheng Mao¡¯s hand, you actually¡­..¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°If you don¡¯t hand over the key, not only will his right hand be broken, but his left hand will also be broken.¡±


    ¡°How dare you ahhhhh let go I¡¯ll give you¡ª¡±


    Jiang Chen opened Yang Tianci¡¯s fingers one by one. His tightly squeezed knuckles made a cracking sound because of such a ruthless handling, which also made Yang Tianci¡¯s screams become more and more tragic. Yang Shengmao who was next to him was frightened by this scene. Turning pale, he took two steps back.


    Taking out the key in Yang Tianci¡¯s hand, Jiang Chen threw it into the trash can beside the door without even looking at it, lowered his head and asked, ¡°Mr. Yang, I want to ask, what did you plan to do coming here to find my mother?¡±


    Yang Tianci gritted his teeth and said: ¡°I am your uncle, if you treat me like this, your mother will not let you go when she comes back.¡±


    ¡°Wait just a second.¡±


    Jiang Chen got up, entered the room, and came out with his mobile phone not long after. He tapped lightly, and the recording sounded.


    Yang Tianci¡¯s already ugly face changed with the play of this recording, turning blue and purple alternately, becoming more and more ugly. When the playback ended, veins popped up on his neck and forehead: ¡°You recorded everything?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, put the phone in his pocket, squatted down and said, ¡°So, what did Mr. Yang come here for?¡±


    ¡°You scumbag.¡± Yang Tianci spat, ¡°I¡¯ve known for a long time that you have one face on the surface and another behind the back. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so scheming at such a young age. You even dared to record the conversation between your mother and I.¡±


    Faced with this evaluation, Jiang Chen blinked in surprise, then laughed, and accepted the evaluation that had never appeared on him in three consecutive lifetimes. He nodded and said: ¡°I have always done unto others as others do unto me.¡±


    Yang Tianci choked, his face turned red.


    Yang Shengmao shrank back and didn¡¯t dare to make a sound. Yang Tianci supported himself up from the ground with his hands, and finally sat up. When Jiang Chen took a step forward, he shrank back subconsciously, covered his stomach, and looked at him vigilantly.


    ¡°Three minutes.¡± Jiang Chen said lightly, ¡°Leave immediately.¡±


    Yang Tianci¡¯s eyes were filled with anger, but after a flicker of his eyes, he suppressed his anger again, and said in a hateful voice: ¡°Fine, just you wait.¡± He got up, pulled Yang Shengmao, ignoring his sharp inhale, and moved to go out.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Yang Tianci paused, the pain in his stomach made his entire back muscles tense, and he anxiously waited for Jiang Chen¡¯s next move with a fear that he didn¡¯t even want to admit.


    Before this, he never thought that Jiang Chen would dare to treat him like this.


    In Yang Tianci¡¯s memory, before high school, Jiang Chen didn¡¯t like to talk every time he went to the Yang family¡¯s house, but even if he was unhappy, he would just turn around and leave, and he would even let them know before leaving for the sake of being polite. This made him gleeful, while also feeling that this nephew was extremely hypocritical. Later, when the car accident happened to the Jiang family, Jiang Chen became ruthless towards them, but it was all verbal. And he also understood this, after all, good students were just a bit impressive at talking.


    Yang Tianci once thought that this was Jiang Chen¡¯s limit, but only now did he realize that he could be so arrogant. In other words, this was his true face, and he had been hiding this side before, pretending in front of everyone. So he was right, his nephew had been hiding his hypocritical self, and his scheming was very deep.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know what Yang Tianci thought of him, and after stopping Yang Shengmao¡¯s struggle, he fixed his dislocated hand in two sharp cracks.


    Instantly, Yang Shengmao¡¯s hand could move freely. Yang Shengmao was stunned for a moment, and then his face immediately changed. A boy of twelve or thirteen years old was just at the time when saving face was everything. But when he thought of his father being knocked down by Jiang Chen and his own dislocated hand, he slowly put his fist down again. Pointing at Jiang Chen with resentment, he said: ¡°I will tell Grandma! I will let her scold you and beat you! And your lame dad, I will¡ª¡ª¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled slightly, squeezed the hand that had just been dislocated and then fixed, and said softly and harmlessly while Yang Shengmao¡¯s voice stopped abruptly, tears accumulating in his eyes in an instant: ¡°I hope you learn some manners.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡ª¡± Yang Shengmao looked at his once again dislocated wrist again, terrified.


    ¡°Apologize for your previous words in a polite tone, and then use the right attitude for asking for help to ask me to help you fix your hand.¡±


    Yang Shengmao¡¯s face was pale, Yang Tianci gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Jiang Chen, no matter what happens between me and your mother, Sheng Mao is your cousin, do you still have any conscience?¡±


    Jiang Chen asked back: ¡°No matter what happens between me and Yang Shengmao, my mother is also your sister, do you have any conscience towards her?¡±


    Yang Tianci¡¯s face turned blue and purple, and his voice was almost squeezed out from grinding his back molars: ¡°It¡¯s not up to you to intervene in the affairs of adults, nor is it up to you to educate your cousin. Why don¡¯t you look at yourself? Beating your elder, bullying your cousin, insidious and cunning, what seventeen year old has a scheming heart like you. How are you even qualified to teach Sheng Mao a lesson?¡±


    With a bang, Yang Tianci hunched over the railing and his face turned white as a sheet of paper. Jiang Chen moved, and Yang Tianci shrank back reflexively. Seeing the instant fear in his eyes, Jiang Chen suddenly remembered what Huo Bo once said to him: Some people simply can¡¯t have reason spoken to them, so you just have to let them know reason through a hard fist.


    He didn¡¯t understand it before, but after a lot of experience, he realized that this sentence was actually a universal truth, and it was applicable to any situation at any time.


    Probably frightened by his father¡¯s tragic state, Yang Shengmao¡¯s preparation for a sneak attack came to an abrupt end. Before Jiang Chen even turned around, he took a few steps back and blabbered quickly with his back against the wall: ¡°I was wrong, I¡¯m sorry cousin, please help me, help me fix my hand¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, and quickly fixed his hand. Under Yang Shengmao¡¯s frightened gaze, he took a step back and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m not your cousin. Also, remember today¡¯s lesson and speak carefully in the future.¡±


    Yang Shengmao was taken aback, looked at Jiang Chen¡¯s expressionless face, and nodded unconsciously.


    Yang Tianci hissed in anger, gave Jiang Chen a hard look, and said, ¡°You just wait.¡±


    Yang Tianci led Yang Maosheng downstairs in a hurry, and before they were about to disappear from sight, Jiang Chen used a voice they could hear, and said in a very calm tone: ¡°If I find out that you went to see my mother without my knowledge, I¡¯ll let you know how much trouble it¡¯s going to be if I try my best to trouble someone.¡±


    Yang Tianci paused, his eyes darkening with sinister gloom. Thinking of the phone call before, he sneered in his heart and didn¡¯t answer. He didn¡¯t turn his head to look at the window on the fifth floor until he walked out of the corridor. Those sinister and resentful eyes appeared cold even in the summer sunlight.


    Yang Shengmao saw it by accident, covered his wrist and shrank back a bit: ¡°Dad?¡±


    Yang Tianci withdrew his gaze coldly: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Upstairs, Jiang Chen watched the backs of the two walking away, turned and went back to the entrance. He picked up a recording pen from the gap in the shoe cabinet, and with a flick of his fingers, removed the battery. He thought that He Qianjian would have some new means, but the result was the same as in the first life. Other than surveillance it was to send Yang Tianci to make trouble from time to time, but that was probably all He Qianjian could do at this stage.


    Jiang Chen took out his mobile phone and made a call: ¡°Change the previous conditions. The amount mentioned on the IOU is now raised to 50%. Have the Yang family, especially Yang Tianci, voluntarily flee from Yan City by themselves.¡±

 CH 41

    As soon as Yang Tianci walked to the gate of the community, he saw many people surrounding the downstairs of his building, and he could also vaguely hear the sound of beating and cursing. He was stunned for a moment, and immediately quickened his pace: ¡°Move aside, move aside, what¡¯s going on? What are you doing downstairs in front of our building?¡±


    An old man with a fan was pushed off balance by him. After he stood up, he spat and cursed, ¡°What are you still even asking for? The loan sharks have already come knocking. You don¡¯t know what is happening when the money was borrowed by you?¡±


    When other people saw Yang Tianci, they also said:


    ¡°Xiao Yang, go back and have a look, your wife and mother are crying.¡±


    ¡°Ai, what¡¯s the matter with you kid? Why did you borrow so much money? The debt collectors are already at your door. Your dad was pushed by someone just now, and he fell down for a long time and couldn¡¯t get up!¡±


    ¡°You have a wife and a child yet you don¡¯t know to be more mature. I always heard that you made money by speculating in stocks. I was wondering how you got your money, but it turned out to be from a loan shark.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­.¡±


    Yang Tianci was dazed by the scolding raining down on him, and it was Yang Shengmao behind him who squeezed in first. After seeing the situation at home, he yelled: ¡°Grandma! Mom!¡±


    Yang Tianci was awakened by his son¡¯s screams. He immediately pushed aside the crowd and walked in. Everyone gave way consciously and he soon saw the situation at home:


    The Yang family was on the first floor, and there was a small garden attached to the building. The Yang family pulled out the flowers and instead planted vegetables. The normally juicy vegetable field had been trampled into a mess. The door and the windows have been splashed with red paint, exuding a strong pungent smell. And looking in through the window with the curtains drawn back, he could also see a few large and burly men who were not easily messed with at just a glance. The furniture had also been smashed to the point that almost nothing was whole.


    A man wearing a gold chain and a tattoo on his arm came out, holding a note in his left hand and tapping the palm of his right hand lightly. He casually looked at him while tapping: ¡°You are Yang Tianci?¡±


    Yang Tianci¡¯s brain went numb, and he subconsciously wanted to deny it, but Yang Shengmao spoke first: ¡°He is my father! Speak with my father if you have a problem, don¡¯t hurt my mother or my grandma!¡±


    Yang Tianci froze, and his eyes widened a little bit. Old lady Yang and Yang Shengmao¡¯s mother hugged Yang Shengmao tightly and wept bitterly in gratification and fear.


    Looking at the tattooed man who was getting closer and closer, Yang Tianci subconsciously took half a step back, and said, ¡°I¡­..am Yang Tianci, but I don¡¯t owe anyone money and I haven¡¯t borrowed money from usury. Did you find the wrong person?¡±


    ¡°Find the wrong person?¡± The tattooed man snorted, raised the note in his hand, and flashed it before his eyes: ¡°Is the fingerprint and name on it not yours?¡±


    Yang Tianci only had time to see the name of the borrower, and it was indeed his name and his handwriting, but¡­..he hurriedly explained: ¡°Brother, although this is my handwriting, I really¡­..¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s yours.¡± The tattooed man interrupted him, raised his hand to call everyone inside out, and waved his hand: ¡°Hit him!¡±


    The group of men surrounded Yang Tianci in an instant, and the sound of punches and kicks on the flesh could be heard endlessly, with Yang Tianci¡¯s screams and begging for mercy mixed with it. It was a bit frightening to hear in the already dark night.


    During this period, old lady Yang and old man Yang tried to pull those people away several times, but they were all pushed away mercilessly. Seeing that these people were becoming more and more vicious, old lady Yang sat on the ground and yelled bloody murder and about calling the police. Shouting to the surrounding neighbors to help.


    The onlookers looked at each other in blank dismay. The Yang family usually did not get along well with their neighbors, and there were even many frictions. There was no closeness to speak of and this kind of situation was nothing one could easily get involved with at a glance. If they helped, the Yang family might not even be grateful, while they themselves would be pulled into the trouble. Thinking about it this way, the neighbors scattered in an instant, going home one after the other and closing the doors and windows, as if they hadn¡¯t seen anything at all.


    When the group of people stopped, Yang Tianci no longer had a piece of good flesh on his body, half of his face was covered with blood from his nose, and he couldn¡¯t even cry out.


    Seeing her son¡¯s miserable state, old lady Yang trembled in fright. When she came back to her senses, she began to curse at the debt collectors, her husband, and her daughter-in-law. Probably because the first two were not easy to mess with, she focused all her fighting power on her daughter-in-law: ¡°You unlucky star, when Tian Ci married you, I knew it was not good. And it really became like this. Not only are you lazy and greedy and don¡¯t know how to take care of your husband and son and in-laws, you also dare to persuade our Tian Ci to borrow usury. What kind of heart do you have! You want to kill this old lady, don¡¯t you¡­..¡±


    Yang Tianci¡¯s wife was not easily bullied either, she pointed at old lady Yang¡¯s nose and said: ¡°I¡¯m an unlucky star? Why don¡¯t you think about your meddling self poking your nose in other people¡¯s business all day long, and just how to eat and drink and spend money? If it wasn¡¯t for you damn old lady, how could Yang Tianci borrow usury behind our backs? If you ask me, you are the culprit. You should go kill yoursself right away to pay back the money, only then will it not be a waste of having lived this long!¡±


    ¡°You unlucky star¡­..¡±


    ¡°You damn old lady¡­..¡±


    The two were arguing endlessly, and they completely forgot about Yang Tianci, who was lying on the side, dead or alive, unknown. They also ignored the big brothers with tattooed arms who were watching the show while eating melon seeds with their arms crossed.


    Yang Shengmao looked around and didn¡¯t know who to help, so he said to old man Yang, ¡°Grandpa, Grandma and Mom¡­..¡±


    ¡°Forget about them.¡± With a dark face, old man Yang glanced at the debt collectors on one side, and then at the balcony windows of their neighbors above which seemed to be closed, but in fact hid many onlookers. He felt extremely embarrassed.


    Yang Tianci, who had been lying on the ground, finally moved. A few seconds later, he groaned while clutching his arm. Hearing the movement, Yang Shengmao stood up immediately. After walking a few steps at first, he saw the big tall men on one side and stepped back to his original position. He called out to old man Yang: ¡°Grandpa, Dad¡­..¡±


    Old man Yang raised his hand and interrupted Yang Shengmao¡¯s words: ¡°Your father has completely disgraced our old Yang family. The family is unlucky. Just forget about him!¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡± Yang Shengmao looked left and right, really worried.


    Old man Yang pulled Yang Shengmao up, and said: ¡°This is their business, not our business, let¡¯s go inside!¡±


    Yang Shengmao was dragged into the building by old man Yang, but before they entered the door, they were blocked by the man with a tattooed arm. Old man Yang shook angrily, ¡°Do you have any conscience? Are you still thinking of finding trouble for me, an old man and a child!¡±


    The tattooed man threw away the melon seed shells in his hand, and sneered: ¡°I don¡¯t care if you are an old man or a child, it¡¯s only natural to pay back the debt. If your son owes the debt, as the father, you have to pay the debt for your son. If I don¡¯t look for you, who would I look for?¡±


    Old man Yang was so choked by these words that he almost couldn¡¯t breathe. He pointed at the man with a trembling arm, and said, ¡°You people are breaking the law!¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the IOU.¡± The tattooed man waved the IOU and said, ¡°In black and white, everything is clear, even if the police come, you still have to pay the debt. I will only give you three days, 300,000 yuan, not even a cent less, or I¡¯ll cut off a hand from your family. You can calculate it out yourself, how many hands and feet your family of five has.¡±


    Yang Shengmao instantly remembered the scene of his wrist being twisted and dislocated in the afternoon, and cold sweat instantly dotted his forehead. He took a step back and hid behind old man Yang.


    He realized very clearly: If their family couldn¡¯t pay back the money, these people would really cut off their hands and feet¡­..


    Old man Yang obviously also heard from the tone of the tattooed man that he was not joking, he really dared to do it. Thinking that all of this was caused by Yang Tianci, he was so angry that the hand holding the door frame was trembling uncontrollably. Even after the tattooed man led his men away, he was still muttering: ¡°The family is unlucky, the family is unlucky¡­..how did I give birth to such trash¡­..¡±


    Yang Tianci returned home with the support of old lady Yang and his wife, but he was blocked at the door before even entering. Old man Yang pointed at Yang Tianci¡¯s nose and said, ¡°How dare you borrow usury, and even as much as 300,000 yuan, speak, where did you spend all that money!¡±


    Yang Tianci¡¯s arms were weak, his legs were weak and his whole body was in pain. He just wanted to lie down quickly, he said: ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t borrow any money, those people made a mistake, you get out of the way first, let me in.¡±


    ¡°You still want to go in?¡± Old man Yang blew puffed in anger and glared: ¡°You still have the face to enter this house? Do you know that those people want you to pay back 300,000 yuan within three days, and if there is even a cent less, they will cut a hand or leg. You are going to kill our whole family! Yet you have the nerve to say you want to go in!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Yang Tianci¡¯s wife screamed, ¡°Dad! Those people really said that?¡±


    Old man Yang had a dark face: ¡°Ask Sheng Mao.¡±


    Yang Shengmao nodded with a pale face. Yang Tianci¡¯s wife stared wide-eyed, and old lady Yang rolled her eyes and passed out.


    ¡°Grandma!¡± Yang Shengmao immediately supported the old lady Yang, his eyes red with fright.


    ¡°Help your grandma in.¡± Old man Yang commanded: ¡°Also, Yang Tianci, you go out to borrow money now, and come back after you borrow the money. If you can¡¯t borrow it, I will cut off the father-son relationship with you. Sheng Mao will also do the same. My grandson is still young, and he can¡¯t lack arms or legs.¡±


    Yang Tianci was originally feeling pain all over, and his chest heaved violently when he heard these words, he shouted: ¡°I said I don¡¯t owe any money, I don¡¯t know about it at all! Even if I owe money, you are my father, shouldn¡¯t you help me pay it back? How can I borrow 300,000 yuan in three days? Are you going to watch me die?!¡±


    Old man Yang didn¡¯t answer, but closed the door in front of him and locked it.


    Yang Tianci stared at the closed door, his chest heaved violently, and his hands and feet, which were still weak at first, now provoked by anger, suddenly had energy. He kicked the iron door of his house: ¡°Open the door!¡±


    The door remained closed, and he persistently kicked and screamed, but failed to open his own door. However, the neighbors opened the door one after another. A middle-aged man on the second floor came out, stood in the corridor and shouted downstairs. ¡°Yang Tianci, what¡¯s the matter with your family? Let¡¯s just forget about the debt collector scene just now, but now you¡¯re still making noise, how can we even sleep with all the racket? Can your family have a little bit of public morality?¡±


    Yang Tianci¡¯s neighbor also said through the iron gate: ¡°Yes, even if you can¡¯t get in, you can¡¯t kick the door like this. If you kick it, you are only hurting yourself and bothering others.¡±


    The other people who opened the door chimed in. Yang Tianci turned his head with a gloomy face and said, ¡°If I can¡¯t go back inside, you won¡¯t be sleeping either. If you¡¯re not happy, then swallow it back. Stop talking nonsense to me.¡±


    Hearing this, the man on the second floor said angrily: ¡°You¡¯re very arrogant at this time. Why didn¡¯t you peep a word when the debt collector beat you just now? It¡¯s rare to see someone like you who bully the weak and fear the tough to the extent you are. If you dare to borrow usury, you have to know what would happen today. Serves you right!¡±


    Yang Tianci kicked heavily on the iron door, and the entire corridor echoed with the bang. The others were startled by such a sound and fell silent for a second. At this moment, the door of the Yang family opened, and the old lady Yang pulled her son in, saying: ¡°Come in quickly, your father agreed that you can come in.¡±


    The door of the Yang¡¯s opened and closed, and the neighbors who were watching saw that they were finally quiet, and closed their doors one after another.


    In the living room of the Yang family, old man Yang was sitting on the sofa, smoking a cigarette. He said: ¡°I discussed this matter with your mother and your wife. The 300,000 must be raised, and it can be raised.¡±


    Yang Tianci was taken aback for a moment, and stared at his parents blankly.


    ¡°But first tell me honestly, when did you borrow the money, where did you use it, and how much is left?¡±


    The fire in Yang Tianci¡¯s chest went out in an instant, and he quickly explained: ¡°I really didn¡¯t borrow money. I don¡¯t remember borrowing money at all. If I knew, I would have paid it back long ago. How could the loan sharks come to our house? Mom and Dad, you have to believe me, I really didn¡¯t borrow money!¡±


    Old man Yang slapped the table heavily, and shouted: ¡°You are still lying at this time, your name is written in black and white, and you said you didn¡¯t borrow it! Where did the money go! Tell me now!¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± Yang Tianci paused for a moment, then suddenly raised his head: ¡°You are not trying to raise money for me, you just want to know where the money is and how much is left, right?¡±


    Old man Yang¡¯s expression changed, and he was so angry that he gasped a few times before pointing at Yang Tianci and said: ¡°Unfilial son! You rebellious and unscrupulous thing, how dare you talk to me like this! If I knew you would do such a thing, I wouldn¡¯t have let your mother give birth to you back then!¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have given birth to me?¡± Yang Tianci sneered, ¡°Why do I remember that you told my two sisters that I am the only seedling and the only continuation of the old Yang family line? Why is it that now that I have a 300,000 yuan debt I am no longer your son? In the end, money is more important than a son, right?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Old man Yang pointed at Yang Tianci, so angry that he couldn¡¯t speak.


    Old lady Yang hurriedly said: ¡°Why are you talking to your father like this? It¡¯s already wrong for you to borrow usury and put the family in such a situation. Now you still refuse to tell us when you borrowed money and how much money you have left. How can we help you find a solution?¡±¡±


    Yang Tianci enunciated word by word: ¡°I told you, I didn¡¯t borrow any money.¡±


    ¡°Yang Tianci!¡± Yang Tianci¡¯s wife said angrily with red eyes: ¡°Don¡¯t be ignorant of what¡¯s good for you. If you don¡¯t pay after three days, it¡¯s not just you who will be unlucky, but also your parents, me and your son. Even if you don¡¯t want your parents, even if you don¡¯t want me, you have to think about your son, he is still so young, if those people really cut off a hand or a foot, how will he live in the future?¡±


    Yang Shengmao, who was mentioned, had a pale face, as if he had gone numb after experiencing such a fright, his face practically expressionless now.


    ¡°Think about him?¡± Yang Tianci recalled the scene where he was beaten, but his son only protected his old mother and wife. He sneered, ¡°Which one of you think about me? No one believes me, so why should I think about you all?¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Old man Yang slammed the ashtray on the coffee table, every wrinkle on his face full of sinister gloom: ¡°I don¡¯t care how much you have left now, you will go to your sister¡¯s house to borrow money tomorrow morning. I heard that Jiang Zhuo¡¯s operation has already been done, since they have the money to do the operation, they must have the money to help you pay off the debt, let them chip in the 300,000 yuan!¡±


    Yang Tianci and his wife were taken aback at the same time and looked at each other. His wife said: ¡°Dad¡­..would this work? Last time Yang Si came to our house she severed ties with you and Mom. The relationship has already become so ugly, could she still lend money to Tian Ci?¡±


    ¡°She has to lend it even if she doesn¡¯t want to!¡± Old man Yang patted the table, and said: ¡°Our old Yang family has raised her to such an age, watching her get married and have a child. Her mother and I are not dead yet, but at this time people are forcing us to a dead end, if she dares disagree, then¡­..¡±


    Yang Tianci interrupted old man Yang: ¡°She won¡¯t agree.¡±


    Old lady Yang said, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°With Jiang Chen there, she can¡¯t possibly agree.¡± Yang Tianci¡¯s eyes were filled with gloom, and he said in a deep voice: ¡°Last time at the door of our house, we said we would cut ties with each other, and that bastard Jiang Chen recorded it. Today when I went over I saw him, and he took out the recording. Not only that, he also hit me, dislocated Sheng Mao¡¯s hand, and threatened me not to appear in front of Yang Si in the future.¡±


    Old lady Yang couldn¡¯t believe it: ¡°He¡­..hit you? He has such daring?¡±


    ¡°Ask your grandson.¡± Yang Tianci said, ¡°See if it¡¯s true that Jiang Chen dislocated his hand and relocated it back today.¡±


    All the eyes of the people in the room were on Yang Shengmao, he hesitated but didn¡¯t nod. He didn¡¯t know why, he had a premonition that if they went to trouble Jiang Chen, they might end up worse than offending these loan sharks.


    Seeing that Yang Shengmao didn¡¯t speak, the other three people¡¯s eyes became suspicious. Yang Tianci was anxious, walked to Yang Shengmao¡¯s side, slapped him on the head, and said, ¡°Say it! Isn¡¯t that the case!¡±


    Yang Shengmao clenched his fists and nodded slightly.


    Old man Yang became angry instantly: ¡°Rebellion! Jiang Chen even dared to hit his elders. He is simply lawless! Sure enough, he has no family education at all!¡±


    Yang Tianci continued: ¡°I think he was pretending in front of us before. In fact, he is full of evil and insidious scheming. If Jiang Chen is around, my sister will definitely not be able to lend us money.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Old man Yang said, ¡°There are only three days. Jiang Chen is at home all the time during the summer vacation. He can wait but our family can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Yang Tianci¡¯s eyes flashed coldly, and he sneered, ¡°He offended a young master for some reason, and he gave me a sum of money to monitor him and teach him some lessons at the same time. If I ask him for help, he will definitely be willing to help us, and without that bastard Jiang Chen as a hindrance, Eldest Sister will definitely use the money to help us pay off our debts.¡±

 CH 42

    The He family ancestral home.


    After each semester vacation, the underage members of the He family must go back to the old family house to stay with the grandparents for a period of time. This was a rule accumulated by generations of the He family. So no matter how unwilling He Qianmin was to appear in the same place as He Qianjian, when summer vacation came, he was still sent to the old family house by his parents.


    He Qianyang, who was a junior in college this year, also returned to the old family house. He Qianmin had a good relationship with He Qianyang and so he spent most of the time with He Qianyang, while He Qianjian was off busying himself with who knows what, most of the time spent in his room. As a result, the week passed without any commotion.


    At noon, He Qianyu ran upstairs and knocked on the door one by one.


    ¡°Brother Qian Yang, Second Brother! It¡¯s time to eat!¡±


    After knocking on this side, she went to knock on the next door: ¡°Eldest Brother it¡¯s time to eat!¡±


    In the room, He Qianmin held on to the game controller and kept his eyes fixed on the screen, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely win this game.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.¡± He Qianyang raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°F**k! How did you send out your left uppercut and cross kick?¡± He Qianmin manipulated his yellow character, frowning and said: ¡°Why can I only uppercut every time, and not do more at the same time.¡±


    ¡°This is my unique skill. Maybe you¡¯ll be able to learn it after a few hundred years of practice.¡±


    When the two were talking, a voice sounded from the other room, ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll go down immediately.¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips when he heard the voice, and his character in the game fought more intensely.


    He Qianyang laughed: ¡°What¡¯s going on with you and He Qianjian.¡±


    ¡°Same as always.¡±


    ¡°I remember you liked him very much when you were younger.¡± He Qianyang said: ¡°I just went to a university and didn¡¯t come back for two years, and you two are like this. At that time I thought you two had a fight. It¡¯s been a year since, why are you two still like this.¡±


    At the end of the game, the yellow character fell to the ground, and the red character waved in victory.


    He Qianmin threw away the game controller, expressionless: ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°Talk to this brother.¡± He Qianyang also put down the game controller, hooked and arm over He Qianmin¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°What was the irreconcilable conflict that made you two become like enemies.¡±


    ¡°Conflict?¡± He Qianmin sneered: ¡°He wants to kill me, is this considered a conflict?¡±


    He Qianyang was taken aback for a moment, and his expression gradually became serious: ¡°Qian Min, some things can¡¯t be said indiscriminately, even if¡­..¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He Qianmin stood up and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯m used to it, as long as I know what kind of person he is then it¡¯s fine.¡±


    He Qianyang also stood up, put his hand on He Qianmin¡¯s shoulder, looked down at him and said, ¡°Qian Min, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but I think there is some misunderstanding here. If it was because of that car accident, the psychiatrist also said¡­..¡±


    ¡°Because I was jealous of him that my brain tampered with my memory?¡± He Qianmin waved He Qianyang¡¯s hand away, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°Brother, you said before that when I was younger, I had a very good relationship with He Qianjian. You can be regarded as having watched me grow up, so I want to ask you, do you really think I¡¯m jealous of him?¡±


    He Qianyang recalled how He Qianmin ran after them happily when he was a child, and fell silent.


    ¡°I may be jealous of everyone, but never my family.¡± He Qianmin paused and said: ¡°I am a member of the He family, I am not so petty, not so narrow-minded, so I am not jealous of my own brother and like to get into fights with him everywhere, confronting him tit for tat, jealous to the point of making up lies to slander him.¡±


    He Qianyang looked into his clear eyes, which were honest and sincere, and he could see to the bottom at a glance, the exhaustion and anger in his eyes.


    He Qianmin snorted lightly: ¡°It¡¯s been three years¡­..¡±


    For three years, everyone had been careful not to mention that car accident in front of him, as if mentioning it would stimulate his sensitive nerves, and they would hear the nonsense he imagined, as if as long as they don¡¯t mention it, the car accident that year would be buried in memory. Except for the daily fights between him and He Qianjian, everything was no different from before the car accident.


    ¡°Min Min.¡± He Qianyang called He Qianmin by his pet name, and said in a low voice: ¡°I watched you grow up, so I naturally know what kind of person you are, and the same goes for Uncle and Aunt, don¡¯t they also understand you? ¡°


    ¡°Everyone was very sad about the car accident that year. Everyone went to verify what you said after you woke up. The driver at that time didn¡¯t even remember where you were sitting, and the person who rescued you later didn¡¯t know what the situation was at that time. Apart from you and He Qianjian, no third person knew the truth of the matter, and there was no evidence to prove that either of you was telling the truth, so everyone could only accept the most acceptable and logical reason.¡±


    ¡°So¡ª¡ª¡± He Qianmin sneered: ¡°I have to get along well with the person who wants to kill me, so I have to maintain the illusion of brotherhood and friendship, so that everyone can feel at ease?¡±


    He Qianyang slapped him on the head, and said: ¡°So, if you want people to believe you, you have to find evidence and witnesses by yourself. Didn¡¯t you say that a boy saved you? Then my dad sent people to find him but couldn¡¯t find any sign, he should be from Yan City, go check it out, maybe he knows the truth.¡±


    He Qianmin was startled, and the conversation at the hotpot restaurant with Jiang Chen came to mind.


    ¡°Are you really the big brother who saved me at that time?¡±


    ¡°At that time you grabbed my clothes, and seemed very scared, as if you wanted to say something.¡± Jiang Chen pursed his lips, a little distressed and apologetic: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I had some urgent matters at home at that time, so I left you in the hands of others.¡±


    Jiang Chen obviously did nothing wrong, he was the one who saved him, but even so, he still felt sincerely guilty for not comforting him and listening to him at that time. If such a warm and kind person was really called to come to testify for what happened back then, if He Qianjian finds out, with his means¡­..


    ¡°He¡­..is not in Yan City anymore.¡± He Qianmin turned his head away, and said calmly: ¡°I have looked for him, he has left Yan City, and now I don¡¯t know where he is.¡±


    ¡°Then do you want me to check it for you?¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go downstairs for dinner.¡±


    He Qianmin walked to the window and said, ¡°I¡¯ll stay for a while, you go down first.¡±


    He Qianyang glanced at him, sighed from the bottom of his heart, and said, ¡°Come down soon.¡±


    The door was gently closed, and He Qianmin took out his mobile phone. He opened the text message app and sent out a text.


    [Big Brother, where are you, want to come out to play this afternoon?]


    After a while, Jiang Chen replied: [I have something to do in the afternoon, maybe a few days later.]


    He Qianmin¡¯s eyes dimmed: [Ok.]


    [Remember to do the Olympiad problem set I gave you last time, one a day, if you don¡¯t understand anything, ask me.]


    He Qianmin stared at the quickly replied message on the screen for a full ten seconds, then leaned back on the pillow. It took a long time before he finally replied: [Okay¡­.]


    After waiting for about a minute without Jiang Chen replying, he put down his phone and went downstairs. He Qianmin walked out of the room but just as he reached the stairs, he heard a vague voice coming from He Qianjian¡¯s room. He was about to leave immediately, but after hearing a faint word, he changed direction.


    He Qianmin walked to the door, leaned gently against the wooden door, and listened carefully to the voices inside.


    He Qianjian was probably on the phone. The old family house was a century-old courtyard house, and the sound insulation was not good. He could hear the voice clearly when he stuck close to the door.


    ¡°¡­..¡¯s warehouse, there are few people and it¡¯s remote.¡±


    ¡°How much you want has nothing to do with me, and what I do is not your business, just do your own thing.¡±


    ¡°Call the police? You are her younger brother. Her own family just want to take their nephew out for a few days, how can it be regarded as kidnapping. If you are afraid, then forget it. You can find another way to collect the 300,000 yuan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good you know, whether your family can be well, depends on this one time.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, and after hearing He Qianjian¡¯s footsteps, he quickly retreated to his room, and only after the sound of the door opening and the sound of going downstairs could be heard outside, did his tense jaw relax.


    However, after relaxing, there was only one question on his mind:


    ¡ª¡ªWho did He Qianjian want to kidnap?


    Jiang Chen had been helping Huo Bo with his studies all afternoon, and after finishing up, they had dinner outside together. It was almost ten o¡¯clock by the time they returned home.


    Jiang Zhuo would be discharged from the hospital in a few days and finally come home. Yang Si had been running to and back from the hospital these few days, taking care of everything, getting up early and going to bed early every day. When Jiang Chen came home, there was only a single light left on in the living room, and all the other lights in the house were turned off.


    Jiang Chen washed up without making amy noise, then turned off the living room light and returned to his own room, ready to start that night¡¯s work.


    Some time ago, he and 196 completed the business of strengthening the firewall. At that time, 196 said that they would need their help for later maintenance, but Jiang Chen installed a small program in the firewall that only he could crack, so post-maintenance was almost non-existent.


    Probably because of this, the boss of that Internet company trusted them very much, and introduced him to two other businesses again through 196, both also for strengthening the firewall. Jiang Chen read the information and took it. In addition to the 170,000 yuan at the beginning, there were now about three million yuan in his deposit.


    After having this money, Jiang Chen no longer accepted business, as long as the money was enough, he had more important things to do.


    Jiang Chen put on the earphones and turned on the computer.


    A male voice without much warmth sounded in the earphones: ¡°Dylan, the database has been automatically completed to 15.785%, and the estimated time to reach 99% is eighteen months. The last 1% needs to be manually completed, and the estimated time is five years.¡±


    Jiang Chen said: ¡°I see, after you level up, your grabbing speed will increase, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll recalculate after the upgrade.¡±


    He paused and said, ¡°Help me open the Wingnet.¡±


    Web pages and codes jumped in front of his eyes, and Jiang Chen sat quietly, a little lost in thought.


    For a moment just now, he almost thought that in this slightly clunky computer there existed Changjiang, the AI who was developed by him in the previous, who would collect jokes voluntarily, had human-like emotions, and often complained that his voice did not sound good.


    Suddenly, the voice sounded again in the earphone: ¡°Dylan, Wingnet has been opened, you have three messages, all from 196, do you want to check it?¡±


    ¡°Open it.¡± Jiang Chen came back to his senses and put his fingers on the keyboard.


    [196: Great God¡­..you haven¡¯t accepted business recently. That boss Huang bombed me badly. He called me every day, the price has even doubled, and the person even almost came to my school. But don¡¯t worry, I rejected all for you.]


    [196: Before, I thought that making 1.2 million yuan on an order was a steal, but later when I asked a senior brother, I learned that we were simply cheap workers! Great God, you were right not to continue taking orders.]


    [196: Great God, when will you log on, please message me back, actually I have something I want to discuss with you.]


    Jiang Chen saw the last message and typed:


    [D: What¡¯s the matter?]


    A response came very quickly:


    [196: Great God! You are here!]


    [196: It¡¯s like this. I told you before that I¡¯m a student in the computer science department of Yan University. A professor in our department told me that the National Cyber Security Agency seems to be recruiting people. As long as you pass the political review and assessment they will accept all no matter their education or age. So I¡¯m thinking about whether to give it a try¡­..]


    [D: Do you want to go?]


    [196: Yes! It¡¯s the National Cyber Security Agency! But I¡¯m only a junior, and I don¡¯t focus on this aspect in my studies, so I guess even if I go, it¡¯ll just be to boaden my horizons.]


    [D: Go if you want.]


    [196: The Great God said so! I have the courage! I go!]


    Jiang Chen smiled and closed the dialog box. At the same time, there was a voice in the headset saying, ¡°Someone tried to hack into your computer a second ago.¡±


    After the words landed, a bell icon flickered in the lower right corner of the screen, and Jiang Chen clicked on it.


    [G: God D, what is your computer firewall stacked up with, there is no gap at all, now I can¡¯t even send pop-up windows.]


    Ever since Jiang Chen occupied the ¡°D¡± rank, he was automatically drawn into a chat group. There were only 26 people in it. It was self-evident who they were, but the chat group was usually very deserted, and the most active ones were G and C, and G was the only person Jiang Chen had privately chatted with besides 196.


    The two chatted for the first time in the middle of the night. Jiang Chen was writing a program when an electronic cockroach suddenly crawled out from the corner of his computer screen. It not only crawled around in his screen, but also swallowed his code. After which it spat out a pop up window box with the words: Nice to meet you, I¡¯m G.


    It was also this small episode that Jiang Chen accelerated his plan to restart Changjiang¡¯s development, and roughly made the Changjiang¡¯s system firewall within a month. Although it was only a rough version of the Changjiang system in the interstellar era, not even half comparable to the original Changjiang 1.0, still no one could hack into his computer in this day and age.


    [G: This time I didn¡¯t send those boring things! I really have something to show you! real! Believe me!]


    Since he knew G, Jiang Chen, who had a deep understanding of his bad taste, would really rather pass.


    [D: Not interested.]


    [G: Come on! Absolutely fun! I promise! I couldn¡¯t believe it when I saw it! Supernatural scenes, understand?]


    Before Jiang Chen answered, G sent another message quickly.


    [G: If it¡¯s not supernatural or you¡¯re not shocked, I promise I won¡¯t harass you for a month, how about it?]


    [D: Deal.]


    ¡°Changjiang, allow external pop-up windows to pop up.¡±


    After Jiang Chen finished speaking, a blurry surveillance image appeared on the screen.


    There were probably a group of children at a party, some sitting and talking together in twos and threes, and some playing billiards or games on the side, nothing special.


    Just as Jiang Chen was about to close the pop-up window, he saw a familiar figure appear on the screen. He paused and sat up straight.


    Three teenagers were laughing and walking towards the drink area. One of them seemed to have told some joke, one of them punched him with a smile, and the other reached out to get a drink while saying something. At this moment, the picture froze for a moment. On the table full of cups and glasses, there was a sharp and upright fruit knife.


    Jiang Chen subconsciously slowed down his breathing. In the screen, He Qianmin didn¡¯t look at the beverage table at all, and directly grabbed the blade of the fruit knife. After three or four seconds, he lowered his head belatedly, and saw that the palm of his hand was cut open with the knife.


    The video ended here, and the pop-up window disappeared automatically. Jiang Chen¡¯s hand on the table slowly fisted, his eyes flickering. Knowing it was one thing, seeing it with his own eyes was another.


    [G: How about it? Supernatural or not? I just said you would be shocked. I heard from my friends that the clubhouse was decorated really nice. I was bored, so I went to look at the interior of the clubhouse from the surveillance camera to find inspiration. Who knew that I stumbled upon this from their surveillance camera. I have checked it, it is the original monitoring, but somehow it was deleted. It¡¯s a good thing I am used to sneaking into other people¡¯s backup folders that I could see it. Shocking, right?]


    G typed a long paragraph on the screen, and the light from the computer hit Jiang Chen¡¯s face. He lowered his eyes and typed:


    [D: Send me a copy of this video, and I will definitely return the favor so long as I can.]


    [G: What were you talking about, bro?]


    [G: It¡¯s just a surveillance video, I¡¯ll send it to you if you want it, and I¡¯ve saved a few copy in my archives as well. It¡¯s quite exciting to think about it, it¡¯s rare to actually see this kind of thing in real life.]


    While G was typing, Jiang Chen also received the surveillance video. He clicked on it to watch again and then replied:


    [D: Thanks.]


    [G: You¡¯re welcome, next time there is a good video, this buddy will share it with you.]


    Jiang Chen closed the dialog box, stood up and walked to the window. He quietly looked out of the window for an unknown amount of time before turning back to the computer desk.


    As soon as he sat down, the phone on the table rang.


    ¡°D, we found out about the Daoist priest.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°He is just an ordinary Daoist priest who traveled with a monk. The monk stayed in Yunlin Temple for a while before. We didn¡¯t find where the Daoist priest came from. But it seems that he came out of a certain mountain valley. The two of them traveled from the south to the north. The both of them told fortunes all the way, but one thing, the Daoist priest seems to have some true skills, as long as it is a person who he told fortune to, it was all bizarrely accurate, but he himself said that he only tell the fortunes of people who has an affinity with him. He never accepts money, and his whereabouts are uncertain, so it¡¯s hard to find him.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, don¡¯t look for him anymore. I¡¯ll send you an address later, check if anyone went to that clubhouse to delete the monitoring on May 22.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Jiang Chen asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°The man named Yang Tianci who I checked earlier seemed to be in debt to usury, and he was chased by debt collectors yesterday. He contacted He Qianjian at noon today, and he seemed to be looking for He Qianjian¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°How to help?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know their specific plan, but the people under He Qianjian are looking for an abandoned factory. I don¡¯t know what they want to use the factory for. Maybe they want to kidnap someone.¡±


    ¡°Kidnapping?¡±


    ¡°Just a guess.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    After hanging up the call, Jiang Chen put the phone on the table, but then picked it up again after a few seconds, clicked on the address book, and made a call.

 CH 43

    At half past six the next morning, Jiang Chen put on his earphones and went out for a morning run.


    When he ran around the park for the second time, the voice of Changjiang came from the earphones: ¡°The target persons have appeared, in the eight o¡¯clock direction. One person is 1.78 meters tall, of medium build, dressed in gray shirt and black trousers, and the other is 1.8 meters tall, slightly heavyweight and dressed in black shirt and pants. They are fifty meters away from you, and the distance continues to shrink.¡±


    Jiang Chen breathed steadily, and whispered: ¡°Save a screenshot.¡±


    Changjiang could hack into any monitoring system without anyone knowing it, but the conditions required to run it were too strict and couldn¡¯t be directly applied to the mobile phone, so Jiang Chen designed a little program that could connect it to the computer and could receive voice commands through the mobile phone. If there was someone in Jiang Chen¡¯s room at this time, they would see that the computer screen was displaying dozens of surveillance footage near the park, as well as a screenshot that quietly appeared in the corner and was silently stored in a folder.


    ¡°After 200 meters, there is a van with the license plate YO43XXX. There are three people. The surveillance camera is blurred and the driver¡¯s appearance cannot be captured. There are two people beside the car. One is 1.72 meters tall, of medium build, wearing a black fisherman¡¯s hat, and the other is 1.75 meters tall, of medium build, wearing a black baseball cap.¡±


    Jiang Chen joked habitually: ¡°Your information collection speed on this aspect is pretty good.¡±


    ¡°There is no limit on the type of clothing information on the Internet, and it is the most information captured at present¡ª¡ªat six o¡¯clock direction, the two people behind you have accelerated, and they are now away from you by 26 meters, 20 meters, 15 meters¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s steps slowed down almost imperceptibly: ¡°Act according to the plan.¡±


    While speaking, he raised his hand and took off his earphones. When movement came from behind him, he turned sideways to avoid it, and then started fighting with the two.


    The sneak attackers didn¡¯t expect Jiang Chen to be able to evade them. They lost the opportunity, and it actually became difficult to subdue him despite two-on-one.


    The two threw punches more and more anxiously. It was still early at this time, and there were no pedestrians on this street for the time being due to road construction ahead, but the longer the delay, the greater the possibility of them being discovered. One of them avoided Jiang Chen¡¯s attack, and called out: ¡°Come over and help!¡±


    When the two people outside the van at the corner heard the shout, they looked at each other and ran towards this side. In the black off-road vehicle on the opposite road, the man who had his eyes closed in meditation also opened his eyes with a frown.


    Shi Fengyue stared coldly at the three people fighting on the street through the window of the car. The young man who was attacked was obviously handling it with ease, but for some reason he deliberately maintained a balance until two more people ran over to the street corner, and the balance was broken. The young man who was attacked from both sides seemed to be unable to keep up and after being punched a few times, he staggered and fell to his knees.


    The rest of the people immediately subdued him and pulled him to stand up. When they turned around, Shi Fengyue saw the young man¡¯s face clearly, and raised one eyebrow.


    The teenager was dragged away by several people and disappeared around the corner, and then the sound of a car starting could be heard.


    Inside the off-road vehicle, the man tapped the edge of the steering wheel with his bony forefinger. He lowered his eyes in a seeming daze or ponder for a few seconds, then stepped on the accelerator to follow.


    In the van, Jiang Chen¡¯s head was covered with a black cloth, and he was squeezed into the middle of the last row between two people, one left and one right. The car stopped after driving for about two hours. He was pushed out of the car and made twists and turns who knows how many times for nearly half an hour before being pushed into a house.


    Jiang Chen stood still, quietly listening to the movements around him.


    Outside the door, a voice came: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this kid to be quite good at fighting.¡±


    ¡°I think you two are just too lousy at it. We caught him within two strokes. You should practice some more.¡±


    ¡°You were able to catch him as soon as you came over because we exhausted his physical strength first, and picked up a ready benefit, yet you have the nerve to brag to the two of us here.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡ª¡±


    Someone interrupted them, cutting off the quarrel before it could really start, and said: ¡°Don¡¯t quarrel, watch him, don¡¯t mess it up.¡±


    ¡°What can be messed up.¡± Someone laughed: ¡°A little kid who has barely grown up, are you afraid that he will run away?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this place is like a maze, he can¡¯t get out even if he wants to run.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, be vigilant. No matter how easy the money is, it won¡¯t be ours until it arrives. If he runs away, our efforts will be in vain.¡±


    ¡°Understood, we will definitely keep an eye on him.¡±


    ¡°I went outside to check the situation, and if there are instructions from above, ttell me immediately.¡±


    The outside soon became quiet, and Jiang Chen basically knew what he wanted to know from their conversation.


    Yesterday he collected information on all the abandoned warehouses in Yan City and the suburbs near Yan City. According to their description, this place should be a warehouse where abandoned containers were piled up from the neighboring Xing City, numbering in the hundreds if not a thousand and all messily occupying a wasteland in the outskirts. People who were not familiar with the place were likely to get lost.


    That they would choose this place, and be sure that he would not get lost, proved that this group of people were either familiar with this place, or have mapped it out in advance. No matter which, it meant that it was not the first time they have done this kind of thing. However, they probably didn¡¯t know who the instigator of this kidnapping was, let alone what the purpose of kidnapping him was, so they could only obey the instigator¡¯s instructions and wait to act.


    Creak¡ª¡ª


    The rusty old iron door rubbed against the ground, making a harsh and heavy sound.


    Jiang Chen sat in the same place, hearing the footsteps getting closer and closer, and then dazzling light met his eyes. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and saw a man wearing a peaked cap.


    The man in a peaked cap crouched in front of him, looked at him carefully, thought of something, and clicked his tongue in pity. He stood up without saying anything, turned around and went out to close the door again.


    Jiang Chen looked at the door where only a faint light could be seen shining through, and soon looked away. There was only one possibility this group of people would take off the black cloth on his head at this time, and let him see their appearance. They had received an order that they could not let him leave alive.


    At this time, Changjiang should have intercepted the phone recordings between He Qianjian and the kidnappers, but He Qianjian must be relying on something to dare to go this far, and his backing was naturally the system in his head. Jiang Chen broke free from the hemp rope that bound his hands, and re-tied a knot that could be opened as soon as he exerted slight force. He lowered his eyes and thought, wondering which would come out on top, Changjiang or the system in He Qianjian¡¯s head.


    However, no matter who won or lost, as long as Changjiang and the system in He Qianjian¡¯s head exchange moves today, his goal would be achieved.


    But by bit, time passed, and the off-road vehicle, which was half stuck in the reeds and half on the road, remained silent.


    The man in the peaked cap who came out to watch for a long time, finally let go of his worries. This should be a car parked here a long time ago, but they just didn¡¯t notice it before. Why was such a good car parked in this wilderness? Actually, it was not too strange, because the terrain around here was peculiar, many racing gangs would come here to play, and then when some young master¡¯s car had a problem they would just leave it on the side of the road to be towed away after ten days or even half a month.


    Sitting in the car, Shi Fengyue called his friend expressionlessly, asking him to quickly call someone to help him pull the car.


    When Li Nanfeng received his call, he rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Young Master, didn¡¯t I tell you that with your sense of direction to not go running around? And you drove the car to the wilderness? Where are you even going? If it was even more remote, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to use police dogs to find you.¡±


    Shi Fengyue propped his chin with one hand, looked out the window casually, and said lazily: ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, come quickly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need time for me to arrive!¡± Li Nanfeng said: ¡°What part of your brain went wrong now? You have been working all night but you don¡¯t sleep and instead go to the suburbs of Xing City to have fun. If you hadn¡¯t called me, just looking at the location, I would have thought you were kidnapped.¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°I just saw someone kidnapped and thought it was interesting, so I followed to see the excitement.¡±


    Li Nanfeng was instructing his subordinates to set off immediately, and when he heard this, his raised hand paused in mid-air, ¡°Seriously? Who? Do you know them? Or is it your enemy? That you would want to watch this kind of excitement?¡±


    Shi Fengyue said casually: ¡°The son of a patient.¡±


    Li Nanfeng paused, then hesitated: ¡°Then should I bring a search and rescue dog? Or call the police?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Through a window, Shi Fengyue watched the man in the peaked cap come back out again to examine the car window, and said lightly: ¡°I think he can solve it by himself.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± The corner of Li Nanfeng¡¯s mouth twitched: ¡°The person who was kidnapped could solve it by himself. But you, the person who came to see the excitement, drove your car into a ditch, and needed me to send someone to rescue you. You are truly independent, truly capable, truly¡ª¡ª ¡°


    ¡°Truly what?¡±


    ¡°Truly a man after my own heart.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Shi Fengyue watched the man in the peaked cap walk from the front window to the door of the driver¡¯s seat, then bent down and knocked on the window, and was completely undisturbed.


    The man in the peaked cap didn¡¯t know it, but the car in front of him had been specially modified, not only was the sound insulation effect excellent, but also the window glass was covered with a layer of military anti-peeping film that could be mobile controlled. When it was shut off, it was like normal glass and transparent inside and out. But when it was turned on, only the people inside could see the outside, but the people outside couldn¡¯t see the inside, no matter how close their face was pressed, it was useless.


    He didn¡¯t hear any movement, so the man in the peaked cap circled around the car again, then touched the roof, coming away with a layer of dirt and dust. Only then did he completely put down his doubts, turned and left.


    When Shi Fengyue woke up, more than two hours had passed, and it was almost two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. He took a sip of water, calculated the duration of time Jiang Chen had been imprisoned here and frowned slightly. He grabbed a handful of candy and put it in his pocket, then opened the car door.


    Avoiding the man in the peaked cap that was smoking on the side, Shi Fengyue walked into the maze of containers that were piled up haphazardly that the road could not be seen clearly. He stood at a fork and paused for a moment, then raised his legs and walked in one direction.


    After walking for about twenty minutes, he heard the sound of conversation not far away, and the sound of footsteps getting closer:


    ¡°I¡¯m starving to death. I wonder if the food in the car is enough for the few of us. There is also a person locked inside. After dividing it up, I imagine that little bit of food could barely be enough to taste.¡±


    ¡°Why do you care what the one inside eats. After today, he¡¯ll be dead. It doesn¡¯t make any difference whether he eats or not.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s right, that kid is pretty good at fighting, it¡¯ll be easier to strike when he¡¯s lacking energy.¡±


    ¡­..


    When the two of them were far away, Shi Fengyue stepped out. He walked a few steps forward but then stopped suddenly.


    ¡ª¡ªWhen those people came out, they had wiped off the special marks they drew on the containers.

 CH 44

    Shi Fengyue stared at the containers, and after carefully identifying them, raised his hand to make a mark, and continued to walk forward.


    About ten minutes later, he stopped next to two stacked red containers, and further ahead was an open space with a diameter of about 50 meters. Only a container with an area of about four square meters was placed in the middle, and in front of the door of the container, two people stood looking around vigilantly.


    Shi Fengyue retracted his gaze and leaned against a container. The knuckles of his raised right hand bent and knocked on the container. A dull but also crisp sound sounded. The two people exchanged looks, and soon, a series of rhythmic knocks followed the first one after another.


    One person frowned and looked in the direction of the sound: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The other person raised his leg and took half a step, hesitantly suggesting: ¡°Go and see?¡±


    The first man raised his hand, and along with another heavier knock sounding, he said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ll go, you stay here and keep guard.¡±


    The man walked step by step in the direction of Shi Fengyue with cautious and barely audible steps. He vigilantly remained alert of any sign of trouble, and walked into the pile of containers.


    Shi Fengyue leaned against the wall of a container, listening to the sound of footsteps approaching with lowered eyes. When the sound of footsteps reached very close by, he stretched out his hand sideways very quickly, and before he even had a chance to take a breath the person who came was already subdued by him between the elbows.


    He covered the man¡¯s mouth with one hand, lowered his head and whispered in his ear, his words low and almost inaudible. His other hand holding the lighter was lifted by the man¡¯s left ear, slender fingers flicking it casually, causing the dusty metal lighter to open and close in a strange rhythm.


    The man¡¯s struggling movements slowly stopped, his eyes gradually turned from clear to blank, and after a moment, when his eyes regained clarity again, Shi Fengyue let him go.


    But strangely, as if he couldn¡¯t see Shi Fengyue at all, he walked away without saying a word.


    The person waiting in front of the container didn¡¯t hear any movement, and his heart was in his throat the whole time. He didn¡¯t relax until the other came out, and only then did he laugh and curse as he walked towards him: ¡°I thought something was wrong, you f**king¡ª¡ª¡±


    The moment the two met up, the expression of the smiling man froze. He looked at the switchblade buried in his stomach in disbelief. But just as he was about to speak, he was knocked out by a hand.


    Shi Fengyue stepped out, brushed past the man, opened the door of the container and walked in. But still the man turned a blind eye as if he couldn¡¯t see him.


    Jiang Chen heard the commotion outside and the conversation that ended abruptly. Just as he was about to listen carefully, he saw the door being pulled open, and a tall figure appeared outline in the sunlight.


    The sudden light made him squint his eyes, and when his eyesight recovered, the newcomer was already standing less than half a meter away from him. Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and his tone could not conceal his surprise: ¡°Shi Fengyue?¡±


    Shi Fengyue squatted down in front of him, the corners of his mouth curved slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes: ¡°Having fun?¡±


    Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment. The sudden appearance of Shi Fengyue made his mind go blank for a rare moment. So at this time, when he heard the other¡¯s completely incomprehensible question, he didn¡¯t know how to answer it for a while.


    After about half a minute, he hesitated and asked, ¡°¡­..Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°It seems that you want to play a kidnapping game.¡± Shi Fengyue fiddled with the lighter, and said quietly: ¡°So I followed to see the excitement.¡±


    The corner of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth twitched, and after a few seconds, he asked, ¡°How did you get in?¡±


    ¡°I walked in.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, listening to the silence outside, and suddenly didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Shi Fengyue raised his eyes, with his back to the light his eyes appeared very dark. His voice was like his eyes, and one couldn¡¯t distinguish his emotions: ¡°Both are still alive, and the ones who left will not find out anything when they come back. It will not affect your plan.¡±


    Jiang Chen quickly met his gaze, and the moment their eyes met, he saw himself reflected in Shi Fengyue¡¯s eyes¡ª¡ªhis surprise clear at a glance¡ª¡ªsince he was seen through, he didn¡¯t need to keep pretending, so he said: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Shi Fengyue paused the hand that was playing with the lighter, and the cold metal lighter pressed against the boy¡¯s chin, raising his gaze. Shi Fengyue looked into Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes carefully and analytically, and only saw openness, clarity, and brightness.


    He quickly withdrew his hand and the finger pressed against the lighter paused. It seemed that there was a warmth on it that was different from the temperature of the metal. He moved his finger away, put the lighter back into his pocket, and said mildly: ¡°I don¡¯t care what plans you have, if you don¡¯t come out within an hour, I will send someone to bring you out.¡±


    Walking to the door, Shi Fengyue suddenly paused, turned around and walked back again.


    Jiang Chen was thinking about the difference between one hour and his planned time, when he felt that a candy was stuffed in his mouth. He raised his eyes, and before he could speak, he was stuffed with a few more candies one after another, and the sweet milky taste spread on his tongue.


    ¡°Protect yourself.¡±


    With those few words, the door of the container closed again.


    Jiang Chen had candies in his mouth, and the sweet taste diluted the stuffiness in the container. He looked thoughtfully at the few gleams of light that were struggling to get under the door.


    An hour ago.


    Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t come back since he went out for a morning jog. Today, Yang Si didn¡¯t need to go to the hospital so she specially bought a lot of Jiang Chen¡¯s favorite foods to make up for the guilt of letting him eat out alone during this period of time. Before Jiang Chen went out, she also specifically told him to come back for lunch earlier.


    But who knew, it was already one o¡¯clock in the afternoon, yet Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t appeared and his phone couldn¡¯t be reached either.


    At first, Yang Si only thought that he went to look for Shen Xu and Huo Bo, but after contacting Shen Xu and Huo Bo, she found that Jiang Chen had not gone to them at all. This made her worried. She knew her son very well, and since he was a child he had never gone back on his word. He never missed appointments and was very punctual. Since she said it was lunch, Jiang Chen would never be home later than twelve o¡¯clock.


    The wall clock in the center of the living room was ticking. Every time the minute hand moved, Yang Si felt more uneasy. She wondered if it was her mother¡¯s instinct making her think wildly. She kept getting a bad feeling.


    At a quarter past one in the afternoon, Yang Si¡¯s cell phone rang.


    She immediately connected the phone, her tone holding unconcealable anxiety: ¡°Chen Chen?¡±


    ¡°Yang Si?¡±


    On the other line was a male voice that was deliberately lowered and ambiguous. Almost as soon as she heard this voice, Yang Si already had a premonition. She tightened the grip she had on the pillow in her lap and said, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Your son is in our hands. If you want him back, prepare 300,000 yuan. I will send you the account number and give you two days. We will release him as soon as the money arrives. I advise you to be obedient. If you call the police, I can¡¯t guarantee whether your son will live or die.¡±


    When she heard the first sentence, Yang Si¡¯s face had already paled. She tried her best to calm herself down amidst the sound of the man¡¯s weird voice, but as long as she thought about what might happen to her son, no matter how rational she was, she couldn¡¯t help it, all her reasoning disappearing in an instant. When the man finished speaking, she immediately said: ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you right away, don¡¯t hurt my son, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you right away.¡±


    Yang Tianci, who was hiding near the park, had a gleam of joy on his face when he heard the words, but after a while, his expression sank again. His sister did not even hesitate to take out 300,000 immediately. His sister was more wealthy than he imagined. Even though she clearly had money, when he came to their house to ask for money before, she not only didn¡¯t give it, she said she would cut off their relationship, completely uncaring about their sibling relationship.


    Since she was unkind, then don¡¯t blame him for being unrighteous.


    Yang Tianci sneered in his heart, and said slowly: ¡°I was wrong before, it is not three hundred thousand, it is one million, I will give you an extra half a day, two and a half days, when the money arrives in the account before twelve noon the day after tomorrow, there won¡¯t be a single hair missing on your son¡¯s head, but if it doesn¡¯t arrive¡­..¡± He hung up the phone before finishing speaking.


    Yang Si put down her phone and immediately ran to the room to search for all the passbooks at home.


    From the money Jiang Chen took out, after Jiang Zhuo¡¯s treatment, there was still about 100,000 yuan left, and the family also had some savings before, so the total was about 270,000 yuan. If it was 300,000 yuan, she could find a friend to borrow the rest, but one million¡­..where was she going to collect that money?


    Just as Yang Si was frantically holding the passbook, her cell phone rang again.


    ¡°Hello, is this Ms. Yang Si?¡±


    Yang Si was taken aback for a moment, and her heart squeezed again: ¡°I am¡­..¡±


    ¡°We are the Public Security Bureau of Zhonghai District, Yan City. Half an hour ago, we received a report from the masses. Someone kidnapped a boy at the west gate of Jiexin Park. The boy was wearing a white T-shirt and black slacks and is about 1.78 meters tall. Do you still remember what your son was wearing before he went out?¡±


    Yang Si opened her mouth and said with difficulty after a long time: ¡°It¡¯s my son.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, don¡¯t worry, we have locked onto your son¡¯s location based on the surveillance footage and the photos sent by the masses. He is now in the neighboring Xing City. We have dispatched the police and contacted the Xing City police to cooperate and help. We will do our best to protect his safety and rescue him, please wait at home and don¡¯t startle the enemy.¡±


    ¡°I just received a call¡­..the kidnappers told me not to call the police. They said that if I called the police, they would kill my son.¡± Yang Si¡¯s hand holding the phone turned white, and she enunciated word by word: ¡°Mr. Police, I beg you, you must protect the safety of my son, if it is not absolutely surefire, I can raise enough money to give them, I don¡¯t want my son to be harmed.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we understand your feelings very well, and we promise to do our best to protect your son¡¯s safety and rescue him. During this period, I hope you can remain calm, and if the kidnappers contact you, you must contact us at the first opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­..¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Yang Si slumped down on the ground, her mind was in a mess, full of imaginings that were difficult to continue even thinking about with just the beginning. She clutched the phone tightly, forcing herself to calm down, the clock ticked every minute and every second, and the worries in her heart increased bit by bit.


    When the hour hand pointed to four o¡¯clock, her cell phone finally rang, and she picked it up almost at the first second when it rang: ¡°Hello? I¡¯m Yang Si, is¡­..¡±


    ¡°Hello, we are the Public Security Bureau of Zhonghai District, Yan City. We have successfully rescued your son Jiang Chen and are on our way to bring him back to Yan City. There is still about an hour¡¯s journey away. You can wait at the Public Security Bureau first.¡±


    ¡°Is he hurt? Did those people hurt him? Where is he hurt? How is he now?¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, you can rest assured that your son is safe and unharmed.¡±


    Yang Si breathed a sigh of relief, and said incoherently: ¡°I¡¯ll be right over, thank you, thank you so much comrade policeman, thank you so much, thank you¡­..¡±


    ¡­..


    Jiang Chen was sitting in the police car, replaying the scene just now in his mind.


    Less than 20 minutes after Shi Fengyue left, the two people who had left before came back. Not long after, a quarrel erupted outside. They spoke too fast and in a mix of various dialects so Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t hear clearly, but from bits and pieces he could infer the reason for their quarrel: one of the two people who were guarding the door just now was injured and passed out, and the person who stabbed him was the other one who stayed behind to guard him.


    The argument lasted for nearly fifteen minutes, until it was interrupted by a ringing phone. The conversation was very short, but after hanging up the phone, their movements immediately became even louder. Jiang Chen heard their panicked footsteps and words:


    ¡°The cops are here, Boss seems to have been discovered, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°We did it so covertly, how could we be discovered so quickly¡­..¡±


    ¡°I said that Huang Kai bastard is a traitor. But you didn¡¯t believe me, he must have leaked the secret!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing still blabbering so much? Run!¡±


    ¡°But what about the one inside?¡±


    ¡°Who cares?¡±


    ¡°No, if Boss is arrested, we will have lost one person. If we don¡¯t finish this business deal, we will lose out on the money as well. Didn¡¯t the person above want this kid¡¯s life? Let¡¯s kill him first, at least we will have completed the task?¡±


    ¡°Is this okay? Boss said that the identity of the other party is unknown, and the money must be in the account before doing anything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already at this time, just grab the money we can, besides he has seen what we look like¡­..¡±


    The door of the container was opened, and three men walked in one after the other, one of them was holding a knife in his hand.


    Jiang Chen watched them calmly. He stepped back a little bit, broke away from the rope on his hand while the approaching man swung his knife, and avoided the attack.


    The unexpected situation stunned the three of them. They looked at each other and then surrounded him.


    Jiang Chen calculated the time and delayed them as much as possible.


    Sure enough, seeing that they couldn¡¯t take Jiang Chen down, the three of them became anxious. The police were outside, and every minute and every second that was delayed, the possibility of the three of them being caught would be even greater. After trying to catch Jiang Chen several times but being dodged by him, one person lost his patience and said, ¡°Forget him, the cops will come soon, if we don¡¯t leave, it will be too late!¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡±


    ¡°But what, let¡¯s go!¡±


    The three of them retreated in a hurry, but Jiang Chen¡¯s attack was reversed from the previous one of only defending and not attacking, his movements suddenly becoming fierce. The man closest to him was thrown over his shoulder, and the phone in his pocket slipped out. Jiang Chen swept the screen at a glance and saw that a countdown was displayed. He avoided the man holding the knife, but his face was lightly grazed by a punch.


    Just then, the police burst in.


    The absolute suppression of numbers and force quickly brought an end to this rescue mission.


    As the victim, Jiang Chen was naturally protected and had a ride in the last car. Before he got into the car, the man whom the three thought had already been arrested was escorted by another wave of police. This man was the driver whose face was the only one not captured by the surveillance.


    What caught Jiang Chen¡¯s attention was that the long black trench coat this man was wearing was very similar to the one Shi Fengyue was wearing just now. It seemed to be just a coincidence, but he was inexplicably concerned. He got the feeling that it was linked to the answer he wanted to know.


    Thinking of Shi Fengyue coming and going like no one¡¯s land, Jiang Chen frowned slightly, feeling like he caught on to something but also that he had ignored something. This feeling of being blocked by an unknown force when he was about to get the answer made him uncontrollably think over and over again about the meeting with Shi Fengyue that lasted less than two minutes, and all the clues he knew so far.


    The knocking sound outside before Shi Fengyue appeared, Shi Fengyue¡¯s long black trench coat similar to the leader of the kidnappers, the kidnapper who stabbed his companion as if he had clearly seen Shi Fengyue but seemed to have lost his memory of it, the kidnapper who was stabbed silently and was considered a traitor, what Shi Fengyue said to him, the lighter Shi Fengyue was holding at the time¡­..


    The lighter!


    A thought flashed in Jiang Chen¡¯s mind, and the answer was just within his grasp.


    At this moment, the conversation started by the police who came up halfway interrupted his train of thought.


    The young policeman lowered his voice mysteriously and said, ¡°Just now, there was an interrogation in the front, and we have already learned something. Do you know that the injured one among them was stabbed by one of their own people, because of internal strife.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes and looked over.


    The other two policemen were also very curious: ¡°Why the infighting?¡±


    ¡°Disagreement over money?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. Apparently the one who was injured had a conflict with their leader and leaked the news because of resentment.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s true, it didn¡¯t even take us half an hour from the time we received the call to locate the victim¡¯s location. Someone provided the suspect¡¯s picture, hiding place, and license plate number. Except for the people among them, who could give us the information just in time like this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­..¡±


    ¡°If you put it that way, it seems to make sense.¡±


    Hearing this, Jiang Chen withdrew his gaze, but after being interrupted, when he wanted to find that train of thought from before, he couldn¡¯t figure it out no matter what.

 CH 45

    When it was almost evening, three police cars drove into the Zhonghai District Public Security Bureau.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± The young policeman sitting next to Jiang Chen got out of the car, stood outside and said with a smile, ¡°The person walking this way is your mother, right? She should have been waiting anxiously. You can comfort her before coming in to recount what happened.¡±


    Jiang Chen thanked him, and before he even got out of the car, he was hugged by his mother who ran over. Still in a sitting posture, he was held in the arms of his mother who was much shorter than him, in an absolutely protective posture just like when he was a child.


    ¡°Mom¡­..¡± Feeling his mother¡¯s trembling, Jiang Chen felt guilty in his heart. He patted her back comfortingly, and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Her son was in her arms, and Yang Si¡¯s tense nerves finally relaxed. She let go of him a little, and seeing the scratches on his cheekbone, her eyes turned red instantly: ¡°Does it hurt? Are there any other injuries?¡±


    Jiang Chen comforted in a gentle voice: ¡°Mom, it doesn¡¯t hurt. I only suffered a slight injury here. It¡¯s actually nothing.¡±


    Yang Si looked him over carefully again, and after confirming that he really only had a little scratch on his face, she finally felt relieved and let him go.


    Jiang Chen got out of the car, saw Huo Bo who was two meters away, and smiled.


    The day before yesterday, after he learned of He Qianjian¡¯s plan, he called Huo Bo. He omitted He Qianjian, and explained the ins and outs of Yang Tianci¡¯s plan to kidnap him, and his plan to send Yang Tianci to prison directly.


    So, before he went to the park today, Huo Bo had already waited there, took pictures to collect evidence when he was fighting with the kidnappers, including pictures of the kidnapper¡¯s license plate number, and followed the car all the way to the container warehouse in Xing City. All the information was sent to his computer, Changjiang changed the IP and sent it to the police station and made the call to the police, while he waited to adapt to the situation outside.


    In Jiang Chen¡¯s original estimate, the police would arrive between three and four o¡¯clock. Unexpectedly, the police arrived an hour faster than he expected, and arrived within the hour that Shi Fengyue said so Shi Fengyue¡¯s unexpected appearance didn¡¯t disrupt his plan. The only thing that was different from the plan was the injured man and the kidnapper who stabbed his companion but turned a blind eye to Shi Feng Yue.


    Jiang Chen was very curious¡ª¡ªhow did Shi Fengyue manage to get in and out of the container he was kept without the kidnappers seeing.


    Seeing Jiang Chen standing still, Yang Si thought he didn¡¯t understand why Huo Bo was here, and explained: ¡°I couldn¡¯t find you before, so I called Xiao Bo. He was very worried about you, so when I called this afternoon and he learned that you were kidnapped, he came over too.¡±


    Hearing Yang Si¡¯s words, Huo Bo couldn¡¯t help but feel a little guilty when he thought how he and Jiang Chen had kept her in a state of worry for so long. He coughed lowly, and under Yang Si¡¯s kindly gaze, he walked over and hugged Jiang Chen comfortingly, whispering in his ear: ¡°The person has been found, and he will arrive within fifteen minutes.¡±


    Jiang Chen temporarily put aside the unresolved doubts since he saw Shi Fengyue until now, and nodded: ¡°I¡¯ll go over to give my statement and you look after my mother.¡±


    Towards the end of his statement, a middle-aged man with a simple and honest appearance and plain clothing came in. Jiang Chen looked up and the policeman who led the man in smiled and said: ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to him, he was the one who saw that you were kidnapped, followed you all the way, took pictures of the suspects, recorded the route and where they were hiding, so we could arrive so quickly.¡±


    Jiang Chen stood up, smiled and said, ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    The man waved his hands repeatedly, touched the back of his head and said, ¡°No need, no need, it¡¯s what I should do.¡±


    Yang Si, who was waiting outside, heard the movement and walked in after hearing the words, thanking the man again and again.


    Jiang Chen and Huo Bo, who was behind Yang Si, looked at each other. Huo Bo raised his chin, and the corners of his mouth curled up a little.


    After coming out, the time was already getting late. Yang Si recalled that Huo Bo lived alone, and he didn¡¯t have dinner, and he probably just deal with it casually when he went back at this time, so she said: ¡°Xiao Bo, go to Auntie¡¯s house for dinner, you can keep Chen Chen company, today he¡­..with you to chat with and keep company, Auntie will also be at ease.¡±


    Huo Bo thought for a while, but did not refuse: ¡°Then I will bother you.¡±


    ¡°What bother?¡± Yang Si linked an arm with Huo Bo¡¯s and the other with Jiang Chen¡¯s, and said with a smile, ¡°You, Xiao Xu and Chen Chen grew up together, in the eyes of Auntie, other than calling me differently, you¡¯re all my sons.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head, saw Huo Bo¡¯s slightly raised lips, and smiled too.


    After returning home, Yang Si prepared a table of dishes as quickly as possible for the two of them. Too many things happened today. Both Jiang Chen and Huo Bo hadn¡¯t eaten for almost a day and the two barely paused in between mouthfuls.


    Yang Si put down her chopsticks after finishing early, and watched them eat with a smile.


    When the two of them had eaten and drank their fill, she smiled and said, ¡°You two chat, I¡¯ll slice some fruit, Xiao Bo, sleep over tonight, and share the bed with Chen Chen, it¡¯s not convenient to go home this late.¡±


    Huo Bo declined and said, ¡°Auntie, I have something to do tomorrow morning, and I¡¯m leaving now, so I won¡¯t be sleeping over.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s getting late now, will it be unsafe for you to go back?¡±


    ¡°No, Auntie, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Yang Si wanted to say something more, but Jiang Chen said first: ¡°Then you go back first, remember to send me a message when you get home.¡±


    Huo Bo nodded: ¡°Okay, goodbye, Auntie.¡±


    The two spoke one after another, and by the time Yang Si realized it, Huo Bo had already left.


    She looked at Jiang Chen helplessly: ¡°When Huo Bo gets home, and he sends you a message, you tell Mom.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Jiang Chen hugged Yang Si and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room first, you should go to bed early too.¡±


    ¡°En, I¡¯ll go to bed after washing the dishes.¡±


    After closing the door, Jiang Chen sat down at the computer desk, put on the earphones, and said, ¡°How is the situation? Have you captured the location code?¡±


    ¡°The code was successfully captured and is being analyzed. The analysis progress is at 0.15%, and the cracking progress is 0.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Show me that piece of code.¡±


    As soon as the computer screen went black, it then turned gray. Countless coding flickered by like the no signal image of an old-fashioned TV set, forming a picture with a strange pattern. If not for Changjiang enlarging the coding, Jiang Chen might have just thought it was a strange painting.


    He leaned closer to the screen, frowning slightly.


    ¡ª¡ªThis was indeed computer code. However, it was different from any code he had seen and studied before. It should have its own laws and meanings, but if he wanted to crack it and study it, this probably not even a ten thousandth piece of code captured from the system in He Qianjian¡¯s brain was not enough.


    And¡­..Jiang Chen leaned back in his chair, thoughtful¡ª¡ªhe kept getting the feeling that this code was not just a code, but also mixed with an energy he couldn¡¯t explain, which was very weird.


    Since it was impossible to decipher it for the time being, Jiang Chen simply put it down for now, and said, ¡°Report the progress of the analysis at any time.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered, and he said, ¡°Play the recording between two and three o¡¯clock this afternoon.¡±


    There were vague sounds of clothes rustling and footsteps coming from the earphones. Apart from that, there were almost no other sounds in the first ten minutes, and even if there were, there were just some meaningless exchange of words.


    Jiang Chen listened carefully, without any impatience.


    At the twenty-eighth minute, a heavy knocking sound suddenly appeared on the recording, followed by a short conversation between the two kidnappers. Amidst several consecutive light to heavy knocking sounds, the man who hurt his companion decided to go and see the situation alone.


    The audio quieted down again, and even the sound of footsteps was so soft that it could hardly be recorded. However, within a minute, Jiang Chen heard another voice, which was so blurred that it was difficult to make out the words, but he was sure that it was Shi Fengyue. Along with the sound of Shi Fengyue¡¯s voice, there was another continuous rhythmic sound, like the sound of some kind of metal parts colliding.


    Jiang Chen frowned slightly, something flashing through his mind.


    The following sound from the earphones again interrupted his thoughts.


    ¡°I thought something was wrong, you f**king¡ª¡ª¡±


    What caused the words to stop abruptly was the sound of the knife piercing the cloth and cutting the flesh, and then the sound of a body falling to the ground.


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Pause.¡±


    The audio in the earphones stopped, and Jiang Chen tapped his fingers on the table, carefully connecting every detail he just heard with the brief meeting with Shi Fengyue in the afternoon.


    Suddenly, a scene appeared in his mind¡ª¡ªShi Fengyue squatted in front of him, playing with the lighter, and the sound of the lighter opening and closing was very similar to the sound that was slightly blurred by the rustling of clothes in the recording.


    Lighter¡ª¡ªthe man pointing to his stabbed companion as the traitor¡ª¡ªShi Fengyue¡¯s coat which was similar to that of the group¡¯s leader¡­..


    Connecting the three most important clues, Jiang Chen felt that the answer was about to come out. He unconsciously stopped tapping on the table, and the whole room fell silent.


    A few seconds later, his eyelashes trembled and he raised his eyes.


    Percussion!


    Jiang Chen connected all the clues, and instantly got an answer¡ª¡ªhypnosis.


    In the interstellar era, there was an extremely famous master of psychic power, whose initial research direction was the relationship between ancient hypnosis and psychic power. This master had given three public lectures at Jiang Chen¡¯s school. He happened to attend one of the lectures during a free period, and this lecture was on hypnosis.


    In the class, the master introduced the history of hypnotists from ancient times to the interstellar era. He said that no matter in which era, hypnotists have essential steps and stages before hypnotizing patients. There was a possibility of failing and causing nasty harm to the patient if a single step was missed. Therefore, every hypnotist could only be qualified for this position after passing the most rigorous examination and many tests.


    There was only one type of person that was different, and that was the SSS-level psychics. They have hundreds of times the psychic power of ordinary people. They only need simple props and words to hypnotize a person at any time. In fact, when reaching a certain stage, they only needed words to hypnotize a person, or even a group of people.


    This kind of psychic power was equivalent to an army without the need of guns, absolutely powerful and dangerous.


    However, because the entire empire, including the federation, had never had an SSS-level psychic, this was just the master¡¯s speculation based on the current highest-level S-level psychic, and he himself could not draw a conclusion.


    At that time, Jiang Chen was just listening casually. Now, recalling what the master had said in class, he was surprised to find that Shi Fengyue¡¯s hypnotic technique was very similar to the SSS-level psychics mentioned by the master.


    First attract the attention of the hypnotized person through the sound, and then use the rhythm to lay the foundation for the psychological suggestion, and then use a special voice combined with what he said to hypnotize the other party. And to guarantee that everything was surefire, he dressed similarly to a person who was familiar with the other party to strengthen the suggestive effect.


    Therefore, the hypnotized person would be convinced that his companion was a traitor, because Shi Fengyue was playing the role of his boss, and if he stabbed his companion, the hypnotized person would only think that he was doing it for his boss, that¡¯s why he insisted that he had met their boss at that time.


    But at that time, their boss was outside alone, and the two people who went out after changing shifts happened to avoid the time when the hypnotized person stabbed their companion, so even though their boss knew very well that he had never seen the hypnotized person, he couldn¡¯t argue in his case, because no one could prove it for him.


    Jiang Chen got up, walked to the window, and looked at the sporadic vehicles passing by on the road in the distance. He thought of Shi Fengyue, who cleverly used everything around him, using someone else¡¯s hand to hurt others like it was child¡¯s play, and his eyes flickered slightly.


    Could the SSS-level psychic who had never even appeared in the interstellar era really exist in this world?

 CH 46

    After walking out of the police station, Jiang Chen hailed a cab on the side of the road.


    ¡°Go to Yan City Second Hospital, thank you.¡±


    The car started slowly, and Jiang Chen thought back to what the police officer in charge of the case said just now:


    ¡°The person behind the kidnapping of you, we already have a preliminary suspect.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday we asked you about who in your family or yourself had conflicts with. You mentioned your uncle Yang Tianci. After our investigation, we found that he is indeed very suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Just a few days ago, Yang Tianci was approached by a debt collection company and asked to repay the debt of 300,000 yuan with interest, and this amount was the same as the amount that the kidnappers first gave your mother when they called. Except that this can¡¯t be the evidence that he kidnapped you. If we want to close the case, we have to track the mobile phone number used to contact the kidnappers. Now we have some clues. When we have enough evidence, we will notify you.¡±


    Jiang Chen thanked him, and asked: ¡°Officer Zhou, I¡¯m curious, why did their group fight among themselves and hurt their own people? Is it really because of the uneven distribution of spoils? Is it possible that it has something to do with the suspect who planned to kidnap me?¡±


    The police officer shook his head: ¡°This matter should have nothing to do with the person behind the kidnapping of you, but it doesn¡¯t matter if I tell you some inside information. Liu Yi said that he stabbed Huang Kai because Zhang Qiang told him that Huang Kai was a traitor and asked him to give Huang Kai a lesson, but Zhang Qiang denied that he had ever told Liu Yi that Huang Kai was a traitor, let alone that he instructed Zhang Qiang to hurt Huang Kai. Both have their own different versions of the story, so this matter has temporarily stalled.¡±


    The car slowed down, and Jiang Chen came back to his senses.


    The driver turned around with a smile and said, ¡°Student, we¡¯re here.¡±


    Jiang Chen thanked him, gave the fee and got out of the car.


    Probably because he didn¡¯t say anything, the taxi driver took him directly to the ground parking lot of Yan City Second Hospital, which was more convenient. It was very convenient to go to the outpatient department from here, but to go to the inpatient department, one had to make a few big detours.


    The weather in July was scorching, and most of the people who got on and off the bus or cab were in a hurry, avoiding the sun.


    Jiang Chen made his way inside unhurriedly. He was never afraid of the heat, and his thinking was more efficient when he was walking than sitting. Among the people in a hurry, he was the only one who was as leisurely as one taking a walk.


    When he was about to reach the inpatient department, Jiang Chen stopped and called out to someone not far away.


    ¡°Dr. Shi!¡±


    When Shi Fengyue turned his head, the man next to him also looked over. Jiang Chen quickened his pace and walked up to Shi Fengyue. He nodded his head to the man who looked at him curiously as a greeting, and said with a smile: ¡°Dr. Shi, I have something to ask you. Is it convenient for you?¡±


    Shi Fengyue was about to refuse, but meeting those smiling eyes, the words changed somehow: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°Is it convenient to talk privately?¡±


    Shi Fengyue took the lead to walk to a secluded place: ¡°Come.¡±


    Li Nanfeng looked at the backs of the two leaving side by side, touched his chin, shook his head and said, ¡°Something¡¯s not right¡­..¡±


    When he reached the shade, Shi Fengyue stopped and said, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I want to ask you, how did you get into the warehouse yesterday without letting anyone know?¡±


    Shi Fengyue leaned over to look at him, seemingly purely curious yet also mocking, and said in a lazy and careless tone: ¡°Since you have guessed the answer, why do you still ask knowingly?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, his eyes curving in a smile, ¡°I¡¯m just curious, how does Dr. Shi know hypnosis?¡±


    Shi Fengyue said lightly: ¡°I¡¯m a doctor, what¡¯s so strange about it.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°But I recall that you are a spine surgeon.¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°When I was in college, I took psychology as an elective.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled slightly: ¡°Just from taking psychology as an elective, Dr. Shi can do things that many psychologists can¡¯t do. That¡¯s very impressive.¡±


    Shi Fengyue nodded slightly: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Jiang Chen continued: ¡°However, I have always heard that hypnosis requires many steps and conditions to be carried out. I am curious how Dr. Shi used simple props and sounds to hypnotize others.¡±


    ¡°Curious?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Very curious.¡±


    ¡°I always thought that you were not a person who easily became curious about other people¡¯s affairs.¡±


    Jiang Chen admitted: ¡°I¡¯m really not.¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s lips curled slightly: ¡°Then why are you so curious about my affairs?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled slightly: ¡°Because I¡¯m very curious about your hypnosis method.¡±


    Shi Fengyue bent over slightly and lowered his eyes, leaning into Jiang Chen¡¯s ear, he said, ¡°Say, do you think that your curiosity about me now is a product of a psychological hint I gave you?¡±


    Jiang Chen really couldn¡¯t help pausing and thinking about this question, only to very quickly come back to his senses. However, Shi Fengyue had already turned and left.


    He looked at his back for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed and looked away.


    Whether Shi Fengyue was an SSS-level psychic power user or not, what did it have to do with him in the end?


    ¡­¡­


    When Jiang Chen walked into the ward, he felt a rare sense of tranquility.


    This ward was a three-person room, and Jiang Zhuo¡¯s two neighbors had already been discharged from the hospital one after another, and no one else had moved in yet, so he was the only one for the time being, but even so, the ward had never been so quiet.


    ¡°Dad, Mom.¡± Seeing the two sitting at the head of the bed and at the end of the bed, Jiang Chen paused, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo turned around and smiled at Jiang Chen, ¡°It¡¯s okay, come here and let Dad see where you are hurt.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at Yang Si who was sitting on the side with reddened eyes, walked to the stool next to Jiang Zhuo and sat down.


    ¡°Were you scared yesterday?¡± Jiang Zhuo looked him over carefully, patted his shoulder, and laughed: ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it, as expected of my son.¡±


    Jiang Chen leaned close to Jiang Zhuo¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°Did you quarrel with Mom?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Jiang Zhuo knocked him on the forehead and raised his voice, ¡°Your Mom and I are perfectly fine.¡±


    Hearing this, Yang Si turned her head and snorted.


    Jiang Chen understood, ¡°Is it because of what happened yesterday?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo: ¡°No¡­..¡±


    Yang Si: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Before Jiang Chen could speak again, Yang Si stood up directly and said, ¡°I know that I am wrong for not telling you immediately when that happened to our son yesterday, but Jiang Zhuo, think about how hurtful your words were just now. You said that I didn¡¯t tell you because I thought you were useless, because I despised you, because¡­..¡±


    Jiang Zhuo also stood up abruptly: ¡°What I said was ¡®is it because you think it¡¯s useless to tell me¡¯, that¡¯s completely different from what you said about me being useless, and when did I say you despise me? Aren¡¯t you just letting your thoughts run wild?¡±


    ¡°Letting my thoughts run wild?¡± Yang Si crossed her arms and said, ¡°If you didn¡¯t mean that, would my thoughts have run in that direction? You taught your son since you were young, saying that ¡®a person¡¯s attitude and tone are more important than the content¡¯, but did you take this advice yourself? If you did, would I have thought this and that?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo choked, and after a pause, he walked up to Yang Si, took her hand and said in a low voice, ¡°Honey, I really didn¡¯t mean that, maybe my expression was a bit wrong when I said it, but it was because I was too worried. Such a big thing happened at home yesterday, but I didn¡¯t know it at all. I didn¡¯t mean to blame you, I was just frustrated with myself. Because even if I know about it I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything about it, because right now I am completely useless¡­..¡±


    ¡°Who allows you to say that about yourself!¡± Yang Si interrupted Jiang Zhuo: ¡°Who says you are useless! No one can say that! You can¡¯t say it yourself!¡±


    Jiang Zhuo was taken aback, ¡°Honey¡­..¡±


    Yang Si¡¯s expression also softened, and she stretched out her arms to hug Jiang Zhuo. Seeing that the two of them were about to make more intimate gestures, Jiang Chen coughed quickly.


    Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si reacted at the same time and quickly separated.


    Jiang Zhuo said: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you have something to do this afternoon? Go quickly.¡±


    ¡°Dad¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°No Dad, why aren¡¯t you going? Didn¡¯t I tell you that a man must never be late.¡±


    ¡°No, wait.¡± Jiang Chen interrupted what he was about to say with a laugh, and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice? You just stood up and walked to Mom¡¯s side without using a cane. Your movements were very agile.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo was taken aback, his expression blanking for a few seconds, and he looked down at his legs in disbelief.


    Yang Si also reacted and stood up suddenly, taking a few steps back and walking to the other side of the bed, ¡°Old Jiang, come here, try walking over here.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo nodded, stood up slowly with the support of the bed, and walked towards Yang Si slowly, his movements changed from jerky to smooth, and his steps also became natural.


    Seeing his parents hugging and crying, Jiang Chen silently left the ward.


    After coming out of the hospital, Jiang Chen went straight to an ice skating rink near Yan University.


    After Shen Xu heard about what happened yesterday from Huo Bo, he called Jiang Chen early in the morning to express his concern. After learning that he was fine, he changed his words of concern to complaints, and said that they were not loyal friends, leaving jim out of such an exciting situation. While also lamenting that the summer vacation had begun for so long, yet the three of them have not hung out together, and that their boat of friendship was about to capsize.


    After laying the groundwork for three minutes, he finally revealed his purpose¡ª¡ªto have Jiang Chen and Huo Bo accompany him to skate together.


    Huo Bo quickly agreed. In Jiang Chen¡¯s memory, the last time the three of them skated together was in the first year of high school, so he agreed without hesitation.


    When Jiang Chen arrived at the skating rink, Shen Xu had already arrived. He was sitting at the bar drinking a soda, smiling and talking to the girl across from him.


    Jiang Chen walked over, and after seeing who the girl was, he was a little surprised: ¡°Pan Liuyi?¡±


    Pan Liuyi smiled and nodded: ¡°Hello again.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded with a smile, sat down beside Shen Xu, and said, ¡°You came to skate too?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Pan Liuyi pointed to the girls playing in the skating rink: ¡°I came here with my friends, I¡¯m not very good at it, so I¡¯m just waiting for them outside.¡±


    Shen Xu said: ¡°That¡¯s so boring, Jiang Chen is very good at skating, let him teach you later.¡±


    Pan Liuyi turned to look at Jiang Chen, and said, ¡°Really?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t skated for a long time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been¡ª¡ª¡± Meeting Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes, Shen Xu paused: ¡°It¡¯s been two or three years, it¡¯s better that he doesn¡¯t teach you, ice skating is dangerous, we don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±


    Pan Liuyi didn¡¯t care either, and said playfully, ¡°I also think it¡¯s better to forget it, I¡¯m so beautiful, it won¡¯t be worth it if I disfigure my face.¡±


    Shen Xu opened his mouth and said, ¡°That¡¯s not only the loss of your high school, but also the loss of all human beings and the world, it would make human beings lose out in the process of pursuing beauty¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s cell phone ringing interrupted Shen Xu¡¯s rainbow fart, he raised his cell phone and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to answer a call.¡±


    ¡°Go, go!¡± Shen Xu waved his hand: ¡°Go and come back quickly.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded to Pan Liuyi, picked up the call and walked to the restroom.


    Just before Jiang Chen walked into the restroom, several teenagers around the age of sixteen and seventeen walked into the skating rink and straight to the VIP area.


    When passing the bar area, Shen Xu heard their conversation:


    ¡°Why did Eldest Young Master He suddenly want to come to skate today?¡±


    ¡°To pick up girls, what else?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because he¡¯s in a bad mood. When I met him in the morning, his expression was very dark, I wonder who offended him.¡±


    ¡­..


    The several people walked by, and Shen Xu raised his eyebrows, turning to ask Pan Liuyi: ¡°Among the group of people just now, was there the cheater that your cousin mentioned? Who is it?¡±


    ¡°The one at the front.¡± Pan Liuyi put down the menu that covered her face, and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the cheating thing, so don¡¯t talk nonsense, He Qianjian isn¡¯t as good-tempered as the rumors say, he might become angry if he knows you said that behind his back.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Shen Xu shrugged: ¡°As if I would be afraid of him?¡±

 CH 47

    Jiang Chen came back after making the phone call, only to find that Huo Bo had arrived and Pan Liuyi had already left.


    ¡°Why were you on the phone for so long?¡± Shen Xu said, ¡°Hurry up, let¡¯s go in!¡±


    The three of them changed on their skates together and slid in.


    Apart from his initial jerkiness, Jiang Chen quickly regained the feeling of skating back, while Shen Xu and Huo Bo were even more at ease, attracting the attention of many people as soon as they entered the rink.


    After a few rounds of warm-up, Shen Xu proposed challengingly: ¡°Let¡¯s have a match? Loser will treat the rest to dinner.¡±


    Jiang Chen and Huo Bo looked at each other and nodded. The three of them skated to the outer circle tacitly, and after silently counting one, two, three, they set off at the same time like arrows.


    Huo Bo took the lead, Jiang Chen followed closely behind, and Shen Xu followed closely behind Jiang Chen. The three of them were so close that they were almost neck and neck. In a casual competition between friends, they skated with the atmosphere of a professional competition.


    The movement here quickly attracted the attention of other people on the ice skating rink. Some people stopped directly, skating to the outfield to concentrate on seeing who lost and who won. Some people couldn¡¯t help cheering:


    ¡°Little brother in white! Come on!¡±


    One person yelled out, and the scene became more heated in an instant, and the others couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, shouting:


    ¡°Little brother in black! You are the most handsome!¡±


    ¡°The handsome guy in white is the most handsome! He must be number one!¡±


    ¡°The little brother in black is the most handsome and coolest!¡±


    ¡°Little brother in white clothes, you are so handsome!¡±


    Under the two waves of competing cheers from the girls, most people stopped and watched their game with great interest.


    However, on another ice rink adjacent to it, only the expressions of several teenagers were not as pleased.


    Someone snorted coldly: ¡°How pretentious.¡±


    Someone ridiculed: ¡°The ice rink has almost turned into the personal rink of the three of them. If they are so good, why not book the ice rink and hold the Olympic Games here.¡±


    Someone also said angrily, ¡°Why don¡¯t we also go to the ice rink over there, this kind of garbage competition that only competes for speed, we would crush them if we go over.¡±


    The young and energetic boys wanted  nothing more than to rush over to interrupt the competition over there right that instant. One of them couldn¡¯t get a word in and seeing that He Qianjian had remained silent the whole time, turned to him and asked, ¡°Qian Jian, what do you think¡­..¡± But seeing He Qianjian¡¯s expression, his voice paused, and after a while, he asked carefully: ¡°Qian Jian? Are you okay?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until the other people heard this that they realized that He Qianjian hadn¡¯t spoken all this time. They all looked over and saw his ugly expression and couldn¡¯t help but be concerned.


    He Qianjian stared closely at Jiang Chen who was on the opposite ice rink, and the darkness in his eyes could hardly be concealed: ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Someone followed his gaze, comprehended instantly, and said, ¡°These bunch of bumpkins have never seen anyone who can really skate. How about we go over and show them what it¡¯s like?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± A sweet-looking girl also looked over without blinking, her voice sweet and soft: ¡°Let¡¯s go there, it¡¯s lively over there, I want to go and have a look.¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s already dark face became even darker in an instant. He had been pursuing this woman for nearly a month, but her attitude towards him was no different from that of others. She was soft and cute but that was it. He thought she treated everyone like this, but he didn¡¯t expect she would show such a strong interest after just seeing Jiang Chen and the others.


    Someone asked: ¡°Eldest Young Master He? Are you going?¡±


    The girl didn¡¯t wait for them, and skated out: ¡°I¡¯ll go check it out first!¡±


    The gloom in He Qianjian¡¯s heart almost overflowed, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡­..


    Amidst the cheers, the three ended the match. There was not much suspense in the ending. Huo Bo was first and Shen Xu was last.


    Shen Xu, who was the last, was very unconvinced: ¡°Those people really have no vision. Why do they only say that white clothes and black clothes are handsome! Don¡¯t I look handsome in yellow clothes!¡±


    Huo Bo: ¡°What¡¯s for dinner?¡±


    ¡°Sichuan cuisine?¡± Shen Xu thought for a while, and said, ¡°This is near Xu Ji, or we can go to Xu Ji to eat Cantonese cuisine.¡±


    Huo Bo: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled but when he looked up and saw the menacing approaching new arrivals, the smile in his eyes faded. Huo Bo and Shen Xu also saw that this group of people was coming towards them, and both their smiles faded as they looked at the new arrivals.


    Skating at the front of the group was a smaller girl. She stopped in front of the three of them with a smile on her face, but her gaze was only on Huo Bo: ¡°Your match just now was amazing! I have never skated so fast before, can you teach me?¡±


    Shen Xu nudged Jiang Chen, and said in a low voice, ¡°I thought this group of people were looking for a fight, who knew it¡¯s because she got her sights on Huo Bo.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes landed on He Qianjian, meeting the other¡¯s eyes. He Qianjian let out a cold snort in his heart, skated to the front, and said, ¡°Everyone has paid for skating here, but the three of you occupied the entire skating rink yourselves, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too overbearing.¡±


    Shen Xu sneered: ¡°The three of us occupied the skating rink? Aren¡¯t you standing here?¡±


    The faces of the teenagers behind He Qianjian changed, and one of them said, ¡°You don¡¯t understand human language? We¡¯re talking about the three of you competing just now, occupying the entire rink and disturbing others.¡±


    ¡°Which others?¡± Shen Xu looked around curiously, his eyes falling on the face of the person who spoke and then moved away, and said: ¡°Apart from the three of us, is there anyone else here? Besides me, is there someone else who speaks like a person?¡±


    Hearing the word ¡°person¡± that he specially emphasized, the young man was so angry that he took a half step forward, but was pulled by the person behind him, the person said: ¡°It seems that you skate well, since you don¡¯t admit to taking up the space, let¡¯s compete in a game. We will not bully the few with more, three to three, whichever team has the most players in the top three, the other team will get out immediately, how about it?¡±


    The speaker bit the three words ¡°get out¡± very hard, and in an instant, a tense atmosphere spread.


    Shen Xu nodded: ¡°Okay, when you get out, remember to go around the perimeter, so as not to occupy everyone¡¯s space.¡±


    They were all young and energetic teenagers, and they couldn¡¯t wait to compete as soon as they laid down their challenge.


    The people who were waiting outside the rink to watch Jiang Chen and his friends had already stood up and were about to come in to continue playing. But seeing that they were about to compete again, they had no choice but to sit down again.


    Huo Bo whispered something to Shen Xu, and Shen Xu skated to the bar area, gestured his chin to the audience area, and skated back.


    Before the competition even started, someone in the audience area cheered loudly with a drink in hand: ¡°Little brother in white! The milk tea is delicious! You must be the first this time!¡±


    ¡°Brother in black! Oolong is as icy as you, and no one knows how to skate like you!¡±


    ¡°Little brother in yellow, you are super cute! Come on!¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, and turned to look at Huo Bo and Shen Xu. Shen Xu smiled triumphantly, while Huo Bo rolled his eyes with a dark face.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I asked him to treat the people waiting to have a drink as a fee for occupying the venue. I don¡¯t know what he said to them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wronged okay, people just see that we are handsome, and spontaneously want to cheer for us.¡±


    ¡°Enough out of you.¡±


    The three talked and laughed and skated to the starting point. He Qianjian looked away coldly, grabbed the boy next to him, and whispered something.


    Game start.


    Huo Bo still took the lead, but unlike last time he didn¡¯t narrow the distance with Jiang Chen and Shen Xu out of fun before, this time he completely left the group of people behind, and Jiang Chen and Shen Xu still followed closely behind.


    In the match just now, the three of them were just joking around, and naturally it wasn¡¯t treated seriously. To the audience it seemed to be a very close match, but all three of them knew that if Huo Bo showed his full strength, although the result would not change, this game would definitely end early.


    But the other team didn¡¯t know that Huo Bo had only exerted less than five points of strength before, and the three of them chased after Huo Bo with all their strength, yet they still couldn¡¯t touch the corner of Huo Bo¡¯s clothes, so they could only grit their teeth and fight for the second and third.


    However, the second and third were not so easy to win. In the last game it was because Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t skated for a long time, so his body was in the warm-up period. Now that the warm-up was over, he would naturally only skate faster and better than before.


    Shen Xu was similar, he was the slowest among the three, but because he was short and nimble, he had always been the fastest skating around corners, almost every distance he fell behind could be caught up by turning corners, and so he firmly maintained the third position.


    The race they discussed was three laps, and at this time two laps had already been skated. Seeing the three people who were far ahead, the expression of one of the opposing team changed, and he took out something from his pocket, throwing it towards the corner.


    Jiang Chen had been paying attention to all the movements on the rink, especially the boy who just talked to He Qianjian. When he saw him throwing something, his expression turned cold and he slowed down. He was just about to turn around to alert Shen Xu when he saw He Qianjian walk over here from outside the rink.


    As He Qianjian got closer and closer to him, Jiang Chen heard a strange yet familiar voice:


    The cold mechanical voice said: ¡°The distance is ten meters, nine meters, eight meters¡­..affirmative to exchange the key at fifty meters with the key in your hand?¡±


    He Qianjian: ¡°Affirmative.¡±


    ¡°The exchange was successful.¡±


    Jiang Chen froze, Shen Xu had already caught up, and said, ¡°Jiangzi, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Jiang Chen suppressed the shock in his eyes, and said, ¡°I just saw that the group of people behind threw a key at the last corner of the last circle. You should be careful later when bypassing it.¡±


    ¡°Damn it.¡± Shen Xu said, ¡°This group of people are too shameless.¡±


    Jiang Chen speeded up: ¡°Be careful.¡±


    When Shen Xu and Jiang Chen got closer, Huo Bo had already completed three laps and was the well-deserved number one.


    At this time, Jiang Chen and Shen Xu also skated to the last corner. When they passed the key chain, Shen Xu bent down, picked it up, and threw it back. The person following close behind was the one who threw the key, and soon everyone heard a bang sound, followed by shouts and cursing.


    Jiang Chen and Shen Xu skated to the finish line on the ground, and the other three also supported the injured person and skated over, they were all furious.


    One person rushed over and pushed Shen Xu hard: ¡°What did you mean by that!¡±


    Shen Xu had been on guard for a long time, and only slid back a few steps before standing firm. He then pushed the other back without showing any weakness, and said with a sneer, ¡°You don¡¯t know what I mean? You can¡¯t even keep your own keychain safe, why blame others for the fall?¡±


    ¡°You f**king slandering¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Am I? Go ask your friend to see whose door that key can open.¡±


    The angry young man paused, turned to look at his injured companion, and was about to ask, when He Qianjian stepped forward and said, ¡°Who does that key belong to? We don¡¯t know and we can¡¯t prove it now, but you threw it back, causing someone to be injured, and everyone has seen it with their own eyes.¡±


    ¡°So, no matter who owns the key, the injured one is our people.¡± He Qianjian¡¯s eyes swept over Shen Xu and Huo Bo, and finally landed on Jiang Chen, and said coldly: ¡°How are you going to explain that to us?¡±


    Shen Xu: ¡°Who are you? Why should I explain to you?¡±


    The young man behind He Qianjian couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, rushed out and said, ¡°F**k you, I¡¯ll smash your mouth!¡±


    Jiang Chen and Huo Bo stepped in front of Shen Xu, and the people on the other side also skated up next to He Qianjian, the atmosphere suddenly on the verge of breaking out in a brawl.

 CH 48

    Huo Bo glanced at the tense onlookers, and curled his lips: ¡°Go outside?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s eyes flashed, and before he had time to say no, the blond-haired boy behind him stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡±


    Others also echoed: ¡°Who is afraid of you, let¡¯s go!¡± As they spoke they also walked out directly.


    He Qianjian gritted his teeth and scolded them for being a bunch of idiots in his heart, but he had no choice but to follow.


    The two groups of people hurriedly changed their shoes and went to the small park behind the skating rink. It was quiet and peaceful here, but it couldn¡¯t appease the young men¡¯s anger. The blond-haired boy took the first shot and aimed at Shen Xu.


    Shen Xu dodged flexibly, and the others also joined the brawl.


    Probably because Shen Xu¡¯s action of throwing the key aroused the other party¡¯s anger. Four of them targeted Shen Xu, while Huo Bo and Jiang Chen had only two people aiming at them. Huo Bo¡¯s hits were always simple and ruthless, basically a kick or a punch from him would render the other incapacitated, and it didn¡¯t take long for the two who ganged up on him to go down.


    Shen Xu narrowly avoided a fist and screamed, ¡°Daddy, help!¡±


    Huo Bo gave him an eyeroll, but joined Shen Xu¡¯s battle circle, and also broke Shen Xu¡¯s one-sided state where he could only passively evade.


    Jiang Chen withdrew his attention from Shen Xu, and instead of dealing with the two people in front of him directly, he waited secretly.


    Sure enough, just as he bent sideways avoiding a punch, he heard a strange conversation again.


    ¡°Swap this branch at my feet for a blade.¡±


    ¡°Blade search¡­..the search failed. No blade was found within 50 meters.¡±


    He Qianjian said sinisterly, ¡°Then replace it with the sharpest thing you can find around here.¡±


    ¡°Searching for sharp objects¡­..the edged rock at 36 meters is the hardest object within 50 meters. Affirmative on exchanging the edged rock with the branch you touched?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative.¡±


    He Qianjian looked around and saw that no one was paying attention, so he bent down to pick up the sharp-edged stone on the ground, and walked slowly towards Jiang Chen whose back was facing him.


    Jiang Chen had been prepared for a long time. After putting down the people around him, he turned around and sidekicked He Qianjian in the stomach. He Qianjian fell back unexpectedly, and the stone slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    Seeing Jiang Chen picking up the stone on the ground, He Qianjian hastily moved back.


    Jiang Chen rotated his wrist, looked at the stone in his hand, and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m curious why you have such great hostility towards me.¡±


    He Qianjian suppressed the gloom in his eyes, covered his stomach, and stood up with his back against a tree. He looked at the young man in front of him vigilantly, and accused him: ¡°You guys cheated in the competition, yet you have the nerve to ask me why I am hostile to you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Chen raised his eyes and stared at him: ¡°Why do I think it¡¯s not that simple?¡±


    He Qianjian clenched his hand covering his stomach, and replied calmly: ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°From the beginning, your target was me.¡± Jiang Chen weighed the stone in his hand, raised his eyes and smiled, but there was no warmth in his eyes: ¡°Or in other words, from the beginning to the end, your target is only me.¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s pupils dilated, and he clung to the tree trunk unconsciously, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about, clearly it was your friend who threw the key at my people on purpose, causing him to break his arm and the swiss army knife hanging on the key almost hurt his eyes, also¡­..¡± The corner of his mouth twitched, and he immediately raised his leg and kicked at Jiang Chen.


    However, the curvature of the corner of his mouth stiffened before he could fully raise it, lying on the ground with a distorted expression of pain.


    Ever since he saw He Qianjian, Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t relaxed his vigilance for a second, not to mention that the most important part of his previous training was to guard against sneak attacks, and He Qianjian was almost full of loopholes in his eyes. The moment He Qianjian raised his leg, Jiang Chen had already guessed his intention. So at the same time, he turned on the spot, and kicked at the crook of the other¡¯s raised knee, taling advantage of his momentarily unstable center of gravity.


    He Qianjian lay on the ground in humiliation, and tried to get up several times, but the pain in his abdomen and leg, as well as the pampering of the past ten years made him struggle a few times, but it was futile. Looking at the white sneakers in front of him, he fisted his hands.


    Jiang Chen squatted in front of him, and said in a low voice, ¡°Sneak attacks and deceit will not always work.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who I ah¡ª¡ª¡±


    He Qianjian screamed and twitched, trying to pull out the palm of his right hand that was stepped on by a white sneaker, but it was as futile as when he wanted to get up just now, except to bring him more pain. Jiang Chen moved his foot away, grabbed his collar and pulled him up, kneeing him heavily against his abdomen. After three times in a row, he let go of his collar.


    He Qianjian fell to the ground with a thump, holding his stomach with a pale face, trembling so hard that he couldn¡¯t make a sound.


    Jiang Chen squatted in front of him, his low voice was full of hostility: ¡°Don¡¯t let me see you playing underhanded tricks and secretly hurting anyone again.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, someone yelled: ¡°F**k! Someone called the police! Run!¡±


    Jiang Chen grabbed He Qianjian¡¯s collar, lifted him up, looked him in the eyes and enunciated word by word, ¡°And I mean anyone.¡±


    ¡°Jiangzi!¡±


    Jiang Chen let go of He Qianjian and walked towards Shen Xu and Huo Bo.


    ¡­..


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± The family doctor packed up his things and said to Yang Yun: ¡°Except for the slightly more serious injury on the palm of the right hand, other places are just bruises and abrasions, and it will go away after a while.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, thank you, old Xiang.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Dr. Xiang smiled, glanced at He Qianjian who had his head lowered and thinking about who knows what, and joked: ¡°It was always Qian Min who was injured before, but this is the first time for Qian Jian.¡±


    Yang Yun said distressedly: ¡°This child has almost no temper. He is usually gentle and polite with everyone. I don¡¯t know what happened suddenly. Today, he actually got into a fight with someone, and he was injured so badly.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal.¡± He Yanfeng said on the side: ¡°It¡¯s not normal for him not to fight before. Boys grow up fighting.¡±


    Yang Yun glared at him, and He Yanfeng shrugged and got up, ¡°Let¡¯s go, old Xiang, I¡¯ll see you off.¡±


    When He Yanfeng left, Yang Yun sat next to He Qianjian, and said softly, ¡°Da Bao, why did you get in a fight today, can you tell Mom?¡±


    He Qianjian was confirming with the system again and again: [I think Jiang Chen¡¯s words just now had an underlying meaning, are you sure he doesn¡¯t know something.]


    System: [Impossible, no one in this world can detect my existence outside the host selected by the system. In this case, it is impossible for anyone to know you swapped identities with him. Even his biological parents did not realize anything over these many years, you have nothing to be afraid of.]


    He Qianjian heaved a sigh of relief, and his brain became more nimble in an instant. He lowered his head and with a flicker of his eyes, he described the situation at that time with more exaggerated details, and described himself as a complete victim with a helpless expression.


    When he was talking to Yang Yun, He Qianmin just happened to come back, and when he heard him, he pursed his lips and played games with his legs crossed on the side.


    Yang Yun felt distressed: ¡°You children, no matter how big the conflict is, you don¡¯t need to fight, and you even fight so fiercely, can¡¯t you just talk it over?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to talk peacefully, it¡¯s that those people made a move first, and I also want to reason with them, but I can¡¯t let myself stand there and be beaten up.¡±


    He Qianmin sneered without raising his eyes: ¡°I remember that you went out and called a bunch of people with you today. But there are only three people on the other side, that they would strike first, it is either because they are too daring or because they have no brains. And the three of them were actually able to beat you up to this extent, you are really quite capable, huh.¡±


    How could He Qianjian fail to hear He Qianmin¡¯s sarcasm, he smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s because of the large number of us that I didn¡¯t strike first, lest people think that we are bullying the few, and that the three of them could beat us all up is not surprising, we¡¯re all just students, and we rarely get into fights, unlike them who are hooligans and have a lot of dirty moves, of course we couldn¡¯t win.¡±


    He Yanfeng came in, sat next to He Qianmin, and said with a smile: ¡°You have to learn from your little brother on this, when did he ever lose in a fight, and your father, I never lost in a fight back in the day. In my opinion, it¡¯s better for you to learn some boxing skills, it doesn¡¯t matter if our He family loses in a fight, it¡¯s only shameful to be beaten so hard that you can¡¯t even fight back.¡±


    ¡°He Yanfeng!¡± Yang Yun snorted coldly, ¡°How do you teach the children!¡±


    He Qianmin glanced at He Qianjian and said: ¡°You are the only one here, you can say whatever you want, but I can see the wounds on your body, and they didn¡¯t hit you too badly. If they were really full of dirty moves, they would have aimed below the belt, and I imagine you would be seeing the andrology department in the hospital now.¡±


    Yang Yun¡¯s expression froze, and became completely speechless. She wanted to say something but felt it was inappropriate, so she could only turn her head to look at her husband. But He Yanfeng had already burst out laughing, and while laughing, he patted He Qianmin¡¯s arm, pretending to be angry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to your little brother and your father.¡± Yang Yun turned to comfort He Qianjian, and said, ¡°Both father and son are of the same virtue, and their morality is greatly damaged.¡±


    He Qianjian raised his eyes and saw He Yanfeng and He Qianmin whose facial features were so similar it was obvious they were father and son at a glance. Jiang Chen¡¯s face appeared in his mind, and his eyes flashed. Fortunately, other than his eyes that resemble He Yanfeng¡¯s, Jiang Chen¡¯s other features were not too similar.


    He Qianmin went upstairs after sitting for a while, and when he entered his room, he found He Qianyu who was sitting on his bed with her lips pursed, thinking of who knows what. He raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°What are you doing in my room again?¡±


    He Qianyu pouted and lowered her head, without saying a word.


    He Qianmin put away his smile, patted He Qianyu on the head, and sat beside her, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? If you don¡¯t say anything, I¡¯ll just play games.¡±


    ¡°You only know how to play games.¡± After He Qianyu complained, she was silent for a few seconds, before speaking hesitatingly: ¡°Elder Brother lied, I know who Elder Brother fought with today, I saw it.¡±


    He Qianmin sneered: ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal for him to lie? It¡¯s only a little fool like you who believes whatever he says.¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡± He Qianyu puffed up her cheeks, ¡°But I didn¡¯t know he was lying before.¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°Then you don¡¯t believe him now? Maybe he really had a reason for getting in a fight with someone? Maybe it¡¯s because that person really deserves to be beaten up?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it!¡± He Qianyu said angrily, ¡°Brother Jiang Chen is not that kind of person!¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s smile faltered, and after a few seconds, he confirmed, ¡°What brother are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell you!¡±


    He Qianmin grabbed her ponytail, lifted it up and said, ¡°Will you say or not!¡±


    He Qianyu pursed her mouth, pulled back her hair, stood up and walked towards the door: ¡°You scoundrel, I don¡¯t want you to be my brother, I want Brother Jiang Chen to be my brother, I will tell Dad that you bullied me, you just wait!¡±


    He Qianmin grabbed He Qianyu by the collar and pulled her back, coaxing her: ¡°Okay, I was wrong, tell me, who is this Brother Jiang Chen you¡¯re talking about, how old is he, and which school does he go to? ¡°


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you cakes tomorrow, as much as you want.¡±


    He Qianyu curved her lips upwards: ¡°Yan No. 1 High School, Xiao Xiao said he is the first in the joint midterm examination of the second and third years last time, anyway, he is older than you, taller than you, more handsome and gentle than you, and is basically better than you in everything!¡±

 CH 49

    Before the summer vacation, He Qianyu and Li Xiao made an appointment to go skating together but right after school ended she returned to the old family house, and Li Xiao was also busy with the Olympiad in a few months, so it wasn¡¯t until after a quarter of the summer was over that the two finally found time to hang out.


    When Li Xiao and He Qianyu were on the phone, Pan Liuyi was nearby. Hearing that the two wanted to go skating, she was so excited that she also invited friends to the newly opened skating rink the next day and invited them to go there together. So after dance class, He Qianyu went straight to the ice rink, but who would have thought that she would see Jiang Chen before even entering the door. Just as she was feeling pleasantly surprised, she saw He Qianjian and his friends appearing from behind as well.


    He Qianyu didn¡¯t expect that He Qianjian and Jiang Chen would know each other. Seeing them walking in the same direction together, she followed them quietly without thinking. But who knew, when she just walked into the woods, the people on He Qianjian¡¯s side and Jiang Chen¡¯s side broke out into a fight.


    In the woods, the several teenage boys began brawling, and He Qianyu was both surprised and puzzled, subconsciously and quickly hiding behind a tree trunk.


    The teenagers fought without any scruples, and someone was kicked to land in front of the big tree where He Qianyu was hiding. She was startled and felt that she should go out to persuade them to stop, but she had never seen a real fight happening in front of her before. Seeing that He Qianjian didn¡¯t join the fight, and Jiang Chen was holding his own despite being two against his one, He Qianyu couldn¡¯t help watching for a while longer.


    Jiang Chen and He Qianjian were not far away, and He Qianyu only paid attention to them. She could see every move of the two of them clearly. When she saw someone sneaking up on Jiang Chen, she subconsciously wanted to call out to him, but before she could even open her mouth, it was as if Jiang Chen had eyes behind his back, and kicked his attacker to the ground with a sideways kick.


    He Qianyu couldn¡¯t help but cheer in her heart, and almost applauded him. But just when her palms were about to touch each other, she saw He Qianjian quietly picking up a stone from the ground, and before she even had time to wonder, she saw He Qianjian sneaking cautiously behind Jiang Chen. She was startled and was about to call out alert Jiang Chen but the inadvertent expression on He Qianjian¡¯s face made her forget to speak out.


    At this moment while she was in a daze, Jiang Chen dodged He Qianjian¡¯s sneak attack, and seemed to have expected it long ago, knocking him down effortlessly. At that time, He Qianyu didn¡¯t know why, but she just breathed a sigh of relief, and then called the police.


    Before the police came, she watched He Qianjian wanting to sneak attack again but was beaten by Jiang Chen once again, completely unable to fight back. She wanted to go out countless times to stop them, but she couldn¡¯t get her legs to move no matter what. During the fight, she was torn by different feelings, at once suddenly feeling that it was wrong for her eldest brother to sneak attack on Jiang Chen, and then feeling that if she didn¡¯t stop the fight her eldest brother would be beaten to death. Just when she was finally about to step out, what Jiang Chen said to He Qianjian reached her ears, burning them and her cheeks red.


    In her mind, her eldest brother was always outstanding and mature, he was the pride of her parents and her role model, and other than his bad relationship with her second brother, he had almost no shortcomings. But such a person, at this moment, revealed another side that had never been shown at home. It was not only his actions, but also his unconscious emotions and expressions, which were so despicable that even if she stood watching in the dark l, her cheeks still couldn¡¯t help flushing in shame.


    This sense of shame reached its peak after returning home and passing through the living room and hearing He Qianjian¡¯s completely false words. She began to wonder, was the eldest brother she saw before really who she thought he was? If not, other than this side of his, how many sides did her eldest brother have hidden?


    He Qianyu lay on the bed and thought for a long time, so long that she began to wonder whether she herself was thinking too much, whether she was judging others too arbitrarily, but suddenly it came to her mind what He Qianmin said a long time ago.


    After hearing the whole story and He Qianyu¡¯s entanglement with this matter, He Qianmin sneered: ¡°Can¡¯t believe it?¡±


    He Qianyu nodded, the expression on her face was so conflicted as if she had encountered a century-old problem and her views had been reshaped: ¡°Second Brother, could it be that I am thinking too much? I don¡¯t think Eldest Brother is that kind of person, maybe there is just some misunderstanding between him and Brother Jiang Chen, that¡¯s why it is like this.¡±


    ¡°Like this.¡± He Qianmin raised his eyebrows: ¡°Like what? Using underhanded means, and being very proud and gleeful over it? No matter how bad off I was during fights, I never did such a lowly thing.¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡± He Qianyu said, ¡°But isn¡¯t there a saying that ¡®all¡¯s fair in war¡¯?¡±


    He Qianmin knocked on He Qianyu¡¯s forehead: ¡°He is not practicing ¡®all¡¯s fair in war¡¯, he is simply showing his true nature which is that of a treacherous villain.¡±


    He Qianyu lowered her head and was silent for a while, then grabbed He Qianmin¡¯s clothes and said, ¡°Then Eldest Brother¡­..did he treat you like this too? Is that the reason why you hate him?¡±


    He Qianmin was startled, but when he lowered his eyes, he could only see the top of her small head and slightly trembling eyelashes.


    How did He Qianjian treat him¡­..in fact, He Qianmin himself couldn¡¯t explain it clearly. There was no evidence for any of it. If he really wanted to mention it, he could only look for it in the direction of ghosts and supernatural powers. He felt that it was ridiculous enough without the need to even bring it up in words. Even every time when he woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, he couldn¡¯t help thinking, did He Qianjian really do those things? Could it really be like everyone said, it was just his own imagination, just paranoia.


    If he hadn¡¯t already seen the truth of his duplicity from He Qianjian¡¯s clues, maybe he would have doubted himself like He Qianyu now.


    ¡°Brother?¡± He Qianyu looked up, and was taken aback after seeing He Qianmin¡¯s expression: ¡°Brother¡­..Second brother, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    He Qianmin came back to his senses, saw He Qianyu whose eyes were red with anxiety, and pulled his lips into a smile. He ruffled her hair, and said, ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    He Qianyu sniffed, for some reason, seeing He Qianmin¡¯s smile, she couldn¡¯t suppress the sting in her eyes even more. She choked in a sob and buried her head in He Qianmin¡¯s chest, a voice coming out from the bottom of her heart: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­..¡±


    He Qianmin stiffened, then relaxed after a few seconds. He hugged He Qianyu lightly, smiled and said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    He Qianyu sobbed and raised her eyes, seeing his gentle profile. Suddenly, it overlapped with another silhouette that had been kept in her heart for a long time.


    ¡­..


    When Jiang Chen received the call from He Qianmin, he was reading a book with Miao Miao. Old Mr. Miao sent Miao Miao to the Jiang¡¯s early this morning, asking Jiang Chen and Yang Si to help take care of her for a day. He had to go out to take care of some things.


    It just so happened that Jiang Zhuo was discharged from the hospital today, and Yang Si was planning to bring Jiang Zhuo back, and invite old Mr. Miao and Miao Miao to come to their house for dinner, so she naturally agreed to old Mr. Miao¡¯s request.


    Therefore, Jiang Chen, who was originally going to pick up Jiang Zhuo together, remained at home to look after Miao Miao.


    ¡°Miao Miao, wait for a bit.¡± Jiang Chen pressed the answer button and said to Miao Miao, ¡°Big Brother will continue to tell you stories after the call.¡±


    Miao Miao nodded obediently, and flipped through the fairy tale book by herself, while Jiang Chen walked to the window and answered the phone call.


    He Qianmin heard what Jiang Chen said, and asked casually, ¡°Big Brother, who is next to you?¡±


    ¡°A child that my neighbor entrusted to my family to take care of.¡± Jiang Chen asked, ¡°Is there something the matter?¡±


    He Qianmin suddenly laughed: ¡°Did you meet He Qianjian yesterday?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°And beat him up?¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    ¡°He sneak attacked you?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows. It was not surprising that He Qianmin knew that he and He Qianjian fought. After all, He Qianjian¡¯s injuries couldn¡¯t be covered up yesterday, and there was no need for He Qianjian to hide it. It was just that, regarding He Qianjian attempting to sneak attack him, it was obviously impossible that He Qianjian would say it himself.


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°My little sister saw it.¡± He Qianmin glanced at He Qianyu who was determined to listen to the phone call, then looked away and said, ¡°It¡¯s He Qianyu, I mentioned her to you, she said you two met at the bookstore.¡±


    A delicate and petite girl appeared in Jiang Chen¡¯s mind, and he frowned and asked, ¡°She was there yesterday?¡±


    ¡°She and Li Xiao made an appointment to go ice skating, and she followed when she saw you. She was also the one to call the police yesterday.¡± He Qianmin mercilessly betrayed his sister. He laid a palm on her forehead, keeping the fiercely indignant He Qianyu away, ¡°By the way, Brother, how did you know Pan Liuyi and Li Xiao? I haven¡¯t heard l you mention it.¡±


    Hearing He Qianmin¡¯s tone, Jiang Chen knew that He Qianyu had not been scared, so he was reassured and briefly explained how he got to know Pan Liuyi and Li Xiao.


    He Qianmin couldn¡¯t help but let out a huff: ¡°So the book you gave me was the test book that Pan Liuyi had blown rainbow fart over countless times. Next time she comes over, I¡¯ll put it in front of her for her to see.¡±


    Jiang Chen chuckled lightly: ¡°You called me because of this?¡±


    ¡°No¡­..¡± He Qianmin let go of the hand on He Qianyu¡¯s forehead, pushed her towards the door, then closed the door, ignoring the sound of knocking on the other side, and said in a low voice, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, and almost instantly realized what He Qianmin was thanking for.


    He Qianmin heard a few seconds of silence on the other side, and then a laugh mixed with a slight sigh came, and he said, ¡°You are my younger brother.¡±


    An indescribable feeling welled up in his heart, and He Qianmin ¡°en¡± lightly, smiling with reddened eyes.


    When Jiang Chen hung up the phone, he saw Miao Miao staring at him with big eyes, her round face full of curiosity: ¡°Who is Brother Jiang Chen¡¯s younger brother? Is he as good as Brother Jiang Chen?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, picked her up, and said with a slight smile, ¡°Even better than me.¡±


    Miao Miao widened her eyes, thought for a while and shook her head, and said solemnly like a little adult: ¡°Brother Jiang Chen is the best, no one is better than Brother Jiang Chen, even if it is Brother Jiang Chen¡¯s younger brother¡ª¡ª¡± She held out two chubby little fingers: ¡°At best, he can only be the second best!¡±


    ¡°Brother Jiang Chen¡¯s younger brother?¡± Jiang Zhuo stood by the door and said with a smile, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know that Brother Jiang Chen has a younger brother?¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head and said with a smile, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Jiang!¡± Miao Miao obediently greeted, and then said, ¡°Brother Jiang Chen has a younger brother, and the one who called him just now is Brother Jiang Chen¡¯s second best brother.¡±


    ¡°Then who is the first best?¡± Jiang Zhuo walked into the room and asked with a smile.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s Brother Jiang Chen!¡± Miao Miao didn¡¯t hesitate.


    Jiang Zhuo wanted to ask again, but Yang Si¡¯s voice came from behind: ¡°Jiang Zhuo, don¡¯t stand for too long, Dr. Shi said that your excessive activity will affect your recovery, come and sit down and take the medicine first!¡±


    Jiang Zhuo had no choice but to gesture to Jiang Chen that we will talk later, then turned and left the room.


    Old Mr. Miao only came back after dinner. He thanked the Jiang family and took Miao Miao home.


    At eight o¡¯clock in the evening, Jiang Chen finally had time to rest. He opened the Wingnet and clicked on the messages from 196.


    [196: God D, Boss Huang came to find me all the way at my school this time. He has a very urgent business and doesn¡¯t trust others. He just wants to ask you for help, which is why I¡¯m asking you again.]


    [196: Their company¡¯s business information has been stolen, and now they want to find someone to help hack into that company and delete their company¡¯s stolen information, the asking price is three million.]


    [D: Not taking it.]


    196 seemed to have been waiting on the Internet the whole time, so when Jiang Chen responded to the message he replied immediately.


    [196: I also guessed that you won¡¯t accept the job. You have mentioned your rules for accepting jobs before, and you should not be short of money now, so I¡¯ll go and let them know.]


    [D: I must trouble you.]


    [196: No trouble no trouble! ]


    Jiang Chen closed the dialog box, and another message popped up. It was a message from the hacker group.


    [B: Japan and South Korea are fighting fiercely. Is anyone interested for some fun, and to stir up the muddy waters?]


    [E: Needless to say, I¡¯ve already been involved.]


    [O: I¡¯m in Japan, and it¡¯s a mess here, it¡¯s quite interesting. ]


    ¡­..


    Jiang Chen scrolled up the chat history, only to find out that the hackers from Japan and South Korea started disrupting each other¡¯s country¡¯s national security network in the early hours of yesterday, and it had intensified today. In the past few years, Japan and South Korea have had some political and economic confrontations with China in the international arena. The diplomatic situation was so-so, and there have been frictions in history. In recent times, international trade conferences have even boycotted China. Now the trade conference is coming soon. B chose to make a move at this time, and it was also with the intention to teach them a lesson.


    [Q: Such an interesting thing, we must take part!]


    [H: In reality, I am nicknamed Sh*t Stirrer, there is no sh*t in this world that I can¡¯t stir~]


    [B: Vomit¡­]


    [E: Vomit¡­]


    [S: Let¡¯s go.]


    Jiang Chen pondered for two seconds, and followed S, typing four words.


    [D: I will go too. ]

 CH 50

    At 10:59 in the evening, in an unassuming small white building a hundred miles away from Yan City.


    The four walls of the third underground floor were completely occupied by computer screens. A few people in green uniforms were standing in front of the screens, staring at the changing codes, or the map with alternating bright or faint lights. If one looked carefully, one would find that the two walls with the most light spots were Japan and South Korea.


    Holding a thermos cup, the middle-aged man took a sip of wolfberry tea and said slowly: ¡°I don¡¯t think this matter will be over without at least two to three days.¡±


    The long-haired woman raised her chin and glanced at him, then looked away and said, ¡°The trade conference will start soon, and it must be over even if it doesn¡¯t end.¡±


    The young man sitting on the steps with his legs bent said carelessly: ¡°Your words are somewhat ambiguous.¡±


    The others couldn¡¯t help laughing when they heard this. Suddenly, the intern who had been staring at the screen shouted loudly: ¡°Another group of people have joined!¡±


    The man took a few steps forward, leaning against the intern¡¯s desk, holding his cup of tea and as calm as ever: ¡°All showing up at the same point in time, at first glance, these are a group of people, but I wonder which group it is.¡±


    The intern looked up while typing quickly and asked, ¡°Can¡¯t we track their IP?¡±


    The young man jumped down the steps, sat next to him, rested an arm on his shoulder, and said in a tone of someone who had experience: ¡°We are the National Cyber Security Agency, not the Justice League or the neighborhood committee aunt. They have their fun, and we just watch a good show, we can¡¯t control each other.¡±


    ¡°But¡­..these people are very powerful hackers. If they want to attack our country¡¯s security network, we will be at a loss if we don¡¯t know anything about them. If we know their IP in advance, we can be prepared.¡±


    The young man shook his index finger: ¡°Then you underestimate our National Cyber Security Agency.¡±


    The intern was stunned for a moment, and thinking of something, his eyes suddenly lit up: ¡°I have always heard that there is a real master in our Security Agency, is it true? Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± The young man pointed to his nose and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    The intern was silent for a few seconds, then turned to look at the middle-aged man: ¡°Vice Chief Li, do we really not need to track their IP? I just caught a tail, it seems to be from our country.¡±


    The middle-aged man shook his head and said with a smile: ¡°The IPs of these hackers are like Russia¡¯s nesting dolls which they use as magic trick props. You think it¡¯s just a simple toy and that the one in the very inside is the last one, in fact, the nesting doll is just a cover-up to distract you. Besides, if they could be caught by you then they don¡¯t have the ability to make trouble in other countries¡¯ safety nets, so don¡¯t waste your time and energy.¡±


    ¡°But what if their IP can be traced? Why not try it?¡±


    Middle-aged man: ¡°It¡¯s pointless to try ineffectively, especially in the online world¡­..you¡¯ll know when you are here for a longer time.¡±


    The intern insisted on expressing his thoughts: ¡°But these are top hackers. If there are people from our own country among them, we can recruit them. Isn¡¯t this a good thing for the National Cyber Security Agency?¡±


    ¡°These people, if only they can be recruited so easily¡­..¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The woman who had her arms crossed said with no expression: ¡°Achieving the ultimate in anything is the top part of the pyramid. This kind of people can live freely in any country and place. Why would they be willing to be suppressed by the government? There are also some very powerful hackers in our country, such as the famous hacker forum Wingnet, the twenty-six hackers on the Alphabet list are all elites, and anyone of them could at least get the position of a security consultant if they join the Security Agency.¡±


    Someone continued where she left off: ¡°Not only that, if they rank in the top ten, it is not impossible to give the position of Director, and the country will definitely focus on their care and training. But even so, there is only one who is willing to be used by us, and he also only accepts the usual national security maintenance tasks. Except for contacting us when we issue tasks, he will not contact us at ordinary times, and his work is not under our control. It is estimated that he has also joined in today¡¯s melee.¡±


    The intern excitedly said: ¡°Really? Who is that great god! Have I seen them?¡±


    The middle-aged man smiled: ¡°When a certain time comes, you will see them.¡±


    The dots on the central screen flashed faster and faster. When all the dots were dimmed, new dots were soon added, and the code on the left screen was also showing up at a dizzying pace. Apart from this, the screen on the right side which had been still the whole time suddenly lit up, and two Asian faces appeared, speaking Japanese and Korean respectively, reporting news.


    The young man sneered: ¡°Japan asked America for help, saying it is a political conspiracy, because certain countries tried to sabotage the many strategic cooperations that Japan and America are about to sign this time.¡±


    The intern hurriedly said: ¡°The government of South Korea also declares that they are an innocent victim, calling on hackers across the country to rise up and resist to protect national security.¡±


    The middle-aged man took a sip of tea: ¡°It seems that the International Trade Conference in three days will be quite lively.¡±


    The woman nodded, and as if having suddenly thought of something, she turned her head and asked, ¡°Who will attend this conference?¡±


    Middle-aged man: ¡°Shi Zeyang from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and He Yuanzheng from the Ministry of Commerce.¡±


    The woman frowned and pondered. The young man sitting on the side suddenly laughed out loud: ¡°There will be a good show.¡±


    The intern was curious: ¡°Why is Minister Shi and Minister He attending together going to be a good show?¡±


    ¡°Now that story can be traced back to more than ten years ago¡­..¡±


    The young man stroked his chin, and the intern craned his neck curiously.


    Suddenly, the middle-aged man slapped the intern on the back of the head and said, ¡°Why are you so gossipy? Work.¡±


    The young man shrugged at the intern, who had no choice but to let it go for now.


    At exactly one o¡¯clock in the morning, after finishing up sweeping his trail, Jiang Chen removed his fingers from the keyboard.


    The dialog box of the hacker group popped up again. The group was extremely lively. Most of the people showed up. They were all discussing the network that was paralyzed in Japan and South Korea just now. After turning off the computer, a private chat box popped up:


    [C: D God, your patch was really fast just now, it was like you could read the other party¡¯s mind, they just made a single move and you had already patched it up.]


    Jiang Chen thought for a while, and typed two words:


    [D: Thank you.]


    [C: Hahahaha. Actually, I haven¡¯t talked to you before, so I want to chat with you. I have been waiting for you to challenge me before, but I didn¡¯t expect you to stop when you reached D. Later, someone spread that you like the letter D. So you really don¡¯t plan to battle anymore?]


    [D: My name is Dylan.]


    [C: Because of this? But isn¡¯t Dylan a foreign name? Wingnet requires an IP from China to log in. Which country are you from?]


    [D: China.]


    [C: Oh oh oh, I see, your English name, right, makes sense.]


    [C: So uh, actually, I messaged you today because I wanted to discuss something with you.]


    [D: What is it?]


    [C: Are you¡­..patriotic?]


    Jiang Chen: ¡­..


    [C: Ai, no, I just want to say, I heard that the National Cyber Security Agency set up an assessment, it¡¯ll be this Saturday, as long as you pass the political review, anyone can sign up. I¡¯m a little afraid of strangers¡­..it¡¯s okay when we¡¯re separated through the computer screen, but if I really sit with others or go for an interview, I will get a panic attack, so I want to find someone to go with me.]


    Jiang Chen looked at the screen and didn¡¯t know what to reply for a long time. After about a minute, he responded:


    [D: You want me to go with you?]


    [C: Yeah!]


    [D: Why?]


    [C: Aren¡¯t you in Yan City? Apart from you and me who are in Yan City, God A and God S are the only ones. God A has been hidden for a long time, and no one can find him. That guy S is just like his letter, S. I fear him even across the screen, so I can only ask you.]


    Jiang Chen stroked the keyboard, his eyes flickering slightly:


    [D: You can track everyone¡¯s IP.]


    [C: Yeah, but don¡¯t worry, I  will never track your specific IP, I only target cities, count it as a hobby. I do have a principled bottom line.]


    Jiang Chen hung his fingers on the keyboard for a long time before typing:


    [D: I want to ask you a favor.]


    [C: What is it? Check people¡¯s IP?]


    [D: More or less.]


    C replied after a while:


    [C: You should also be able to do this kind of thing yourself. Although I¡¯m good at it, with your ability, you should be able to hack into even the National Cyber Security Agency.]


    [C: I don¡¯t mean anything else, it¡¯s just that I watched the ranking match between you and G before. His intrusion skills can be regarded as the top in the world. At that time, what you were competing with him on was also intrusion. Since you can win against him¡­..why do you want me to track it for you?]


    Jiang Chen¡¯s fingers paused, and he pondered for a moment before typing:


    [D: There is specialization in each industry, and it is not an ordinary IP, I can¡¯t track it.]


    [C: How unusual is it?]


    [D: Maybe in this world, no one has been able to track it yet.]


    [C: Interesting, I will do this favor, when?]


    [D: Within a year.]


    [C: ¡­]


    [C: I¡¯m really curious, what¡¯s behind the IP that makes you so cautious, okay, within a year, come find me anytime.]


    [C: Then about what I said?]


    [D: Wait a moment.]


    Jiang Chen opened the dialog box to chat with 196 and sent a message, and received a reply soon after.


    [D: I can¡¯t accompany you, but if you are just afraid and want to find someone to accompany you, I can help you find someone.]


    [C: Who? Wingnet? Do I know them?]


    [D: 196.]


    [C: He seems to be online, let me check.]


    After a few minutes.


    [C: Who¡­..is he, why am I feeling so uneasy.]


    [D: ?]


    [C: I just checked his IP, and found that S and him are in the same place, and they are very close, D, don¡¯t trick me, I¡¯m really scared of S, don¡¯t tell me you two know each other in real life, and are joining forces to mess with me.]


    Jiang Chen was silent for a moment, and he didn¡¯t know what to reply for a long time. After thinking about it, he sent a message to 196:


    [D: Just now C checked your IP and found that there is another IP near you. Was there someone else next to you?]


    Mo Xi, who just lost the game and was feeling dejected, came back to himself instantly when he saw this message. He glanced at the man who was currently looking at his laptop attentively, and his Adam¡¯s apple moved, saying cautiously: ¡°Little neph¡­..Xiao Yue, your IP seems to have been followed.¡±


    Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t even raise his eyes, and said flatly, ¡°I know.¡±

 CH 51

    Mo Xi shrank his neck and retracted his gaze. While disdaining himself in his heart, he typed with a force that seemed to be able to penetrate the keyboard:


    [196: Yes, my little nephew, what¡¯s the matter?]


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes fell on the words ¡°little nephew¡±. Before, 196 inadvertently revealed that he was about 20 years old. According to 196¡¯s age, his nephew should not be more than ten years old. If it was a small probability, 196 wouldn¡¯t say ¡°little¡± nephew, so, maybe S was 196¡¯s little nephew who might not be more than ten years old?


    A picture of a childish little boy sitting in front of the computer with a serious expression appeared in his mind, and he couldn¡¯t help smiling, and typed the keyboard to reply 196:


    [D: Nothing.]


    Jiang Chen thought for a while, and opened the dialog with C:


    [D: The person next to 196 is his nephew.]


    [C: Nephew? How old is he?]


    [D: 196 is in college.]


    [C: Then his nephew is still a child?]


    [C: That kid is definitely not S. I took a job with A and him before. I won¡¯t go into the details. But anyway, that kid has a black belly, I accidentally offended him a little bit and he almost got me caught and put in prison abroad.]


    Before Jiang Chen could ask, C sent a paragraph:


    [C: He was ranked low at the time, right, and so I questioned him a bit, and then competed with him, who knew that he pulled a dirty trick and changed the intrusion address. I was in Russia at the time, and the address he changed was Russia¡¯s weapon arsenal network system. After I entered, I was so scared that I wanted to leave immediately. The kid is so bad, he actually blocked my way back and made me wander around the arsenal for three minutes. If I hadn¡¯t slipped away fast enough, I almost would have had to smuggle back home.]


    Jiang Chen imagined that scene, and couldn¡¯t hold back a low laugh. Speaking of which, he was also a little curious about S. During the ranking battle, S was the only one who chose to DoS attack. That fight gave him a lot of inspiration, but it¡¯s a pity. Halfway through the match, S suddenly disappeared, Wingnet defaulted to Jiang Chen¡¯s victory, and when he reappeared, Jiang Chen had already won the D position, and S regained the S position again on the same day as he returned online.


    In the top twenty-six rankings, Jiang Chen had played against all but the top three. S¡¯s skills could definitely be ranked in the top seven. If possible, he very much hoped to finish that match. If it was a complete match, he should be able to get more inspiration from S¡¯s attack methods.


    ¡­..


    Seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s reply, Mo Xi heaved a sigh of relief, turned his chair, and looked at the man on the sofa. Although he knew that he might not care at all, he couldn¡¯t help explaining: ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just God C checking my IP and accidentally tracked you down as well, so he asked God D to ask me, he probably hasn¡¯t tracked your real IP.¡±


    Hearing the last sentence, Shi Fengyue raised his eyes: ¡°D?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Speaking of this, Mo Xi became proud, and without waiting for Shi Fengyue to ask, he completely narrated the ins and outs of his acquaintance with D, highlighting his admiration for D and his importance in D¡¯s money making road, ¡°So, God D and I have a very good relationship. It is estimated that he and I are the closest in the entire Wingnet.¡±


    Seeing Shi Fengyue raising his eyebrows, he sat up straight and said, ¡°You better believe it, I asked God Z, and God D usually doesn¡¯t talk much in their chat group, and he doesn¡¯t have much contact with the other 25 great gods. You¡¯re in the group so you should know it too. Also when I chatted with him, I found out that although God D is easy to talk to, he is a bit slow to warm up. Think about how long it has been since he went on Wingnet. I am the first person he knew so naturally I am the person who has the best relationship with him, there¡¯s nothing wrong with that logic right?¡±


    Mo Xi raised his chin triumphantly. He turned his head only to realize that Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t even lift his eyes, and was concentrating on looking at the laptop in front of him. He suddenly became bold, and slid the chair to Shi Fengyue¡¯s side, stretched his head over and said: ¡°Nephew, what are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Face recognition comparison?¡± Mo Xi approached curiously: ¡°The analysis report is so detailed, where did you find the data? What model did you use? It is clearer than the face recognition system that our senior brother in the research institute has been working on for several years. If Professor Liu sees it, he will lament again that you didn¡¯t choose computer science major back then. But, speaking of, this similarity is so high, who and who?¡±


    Seeing that Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t stop him, Mo Xi took the mouse on one side and scrolled it up. After seeing the two pictures side by side together, he froze for a moment: ¡°Isn¡¯t this the second son of the He family and¡­..Jiang Chen from Yan No. 1 High School ? What are you doing comparing their faces?¡±


    Shi Fengyue leaned back and said lightly, ¡°I discovered something interesting.¡±


    Mo Xi was curious: ¡°What interesting thing?¡±


    But Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t answer. Mo Xi stretched his head, looked at the pictures carefully again, frowned and said thoughtfully: ¡°You don¡¯t say, I didn¡¯t feel it when I saw Jiang Chen at the time, but after this comparison, it really gives me the feeling that he does look like the He family, but¡­..I think he looks more like He Qianyang than the second son of the He family.¡±


    Shi Fengyue raised his eyebrows lightly, ¡°He Qianyang?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Mo Xi said, ¡°You went abroad before He Qianyang entered junior high school. So you probably don¡¯t remember what he looked like. If there were photos of him at that time¡­..¡±


    Shi Fengyue tapped on the keyboard for a while, and a photo of a boy holding a basketball and smiling brightly appeared on the screen. He tapped his finger, compared the two photos, and the similarity analysis report immediately slid up.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Mo Xi glanced at the report, then scrolled up to look at the photos, and after a few comparisons, he said with disbelief: ¡°Except for that dimple, He Qianyang during high school looked too much like Jiang Chen. He frowned and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard that He Qianyang had a younger brother, but it would be strange if there is no blood relationship, but if Jiang Chen and He Qianyang are brothers, then doesn¡¯t it mean that He Yanjun¡ª¡ª¡±


    Mo Xi paused, then turned to look at Shi Fengyue: ¡°Nephew, you don¡¯t mean to¡­..¡±


    Shi Fengyue turned to look at him with a calm expression.


    Mo Xi changed his words on the spot, and he nudged Shi Fengyue with his elbow, saying earnestly: ¡°Feng Yue, why don¡¯t you investigate this matter, although your uncle has some conflicts with Minister He back then, but if this involved Lieutenant General He, it won¡¯t end well in general, and it¡¯s a family affair, if you mess with it, the He family and the Shi family will really end up as enemies.¡±


    Shi Fengyue said lazily, ¡°That¡¯s their business.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because of Minister Shi?¡± Mo Xi¡¯s eyes fell on the photo, and a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in his mind: ¡°That¡¯s right, I haven¡¯t asked yet, when did you know Jiang Chen? He is a high school student, and he should have nothing to do with you, right?¡±


    Shi Fengyue said lightly: ¡°I knew him earlier than you.¡±


    ¡°Before me?¡± Mo Xi thought for a while: ¡°I really haven¡¯t known him for a long time, and I only met him once, but¡­..when I was having dinner with my high school teachers, I heard someone talking about him and his family. I remember someone said that his father was in a car accident, and he is quite sensible and has good grades, and also that his mother taught him very well. If both his parents are still here, he should have nothing to do with the He family. If he is really He¡­..¡¯s son, his surname should not be Jiang.¡±


    Shi Fengyue was noncommittal, looking thoughtfully at the two photos on the screen.


    A few seconds later, he suddenly said, ¡°He Qianyang¡¯s birthday is next week?¡±


    ¡°Yeh, July 22¡ª¡ª¡± Mo Xi turned to look at him in the middle of speaking, and raised his voice: ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    Shi Fengyue tapped the table with his index finger, closed the laptop, got up and said calmly: ¡°I¡¯ll catch up on sleep, and you remember to supervise Shi Ao¡¯s homework later.¡±


    Before Mo Xi had time to refuse, he could only see Shi Fengyue¡¯s back as he closed the door, his hand hanging stiffly in mid-air, and murmured: ¡°Poor me¡­..¡±


    When Jiang Chen got up, the phone in the living room rang at the same time. He was just about to answer it, but Yang Si was already one step ahead of him.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am Jiang Chen¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°You caught him?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Who?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come over now!¡±


    Yang Si hung up the phone in a hurry, and quickly went back to the room to pack up and change clothes. Jiang Zhuo came out of the room and asked Jiang Chen silently: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your mother?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, and he shook his head.


    Jiang Zhuo quietly gestured to Jiang Chen, turned around and entered the room. He looked at his wife¡¯s red eyes which were red from anger or something else, and said cautiously, ¡°Honey, what¡¯s the matter? Who called? Where are you going?¡±


    Yang Si paused in changing clothes, and suddenly squatted beside the closet covering her face.


    Jiang Zhuo walked over, squatted beside her and said anxiously: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, honey? What happened? Don¡¯t cry.¡±


    Yang Si raised her head with red rimmed eyes, but there were no tears in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°The person who kidnapped Chen Chen has been caught, it¡¯s Yang Tianci.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo was startled for a few seconds before he came back to his senses, ¡°Why did he kidnap Chen Chen?¡±


    Yang Si said expressionlessly: ¡°The people in the police station said that it was because he owed debts and I wouldn¡¯t lend him money, so he wanted to kidnap Chen Chen and get me to pay off the debts.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo slammed his fist on the wardrobe: ¡°That beast!¡±


    The room was silent for nearly half a minute, before Jiang Zhuo asked, ¡°What are your plans for this matter?¡±


    Yang Si enunciated word by word: ¡°I will have him sit in prison!¡±


    Jiang Zhuo: ¡°Then if your parents¡­..¡±


    ¡°They are not my parents anymore.¡± Yang Si stood up, finished changing her clothes, took a deep breath and said, ¡°They don¡¯t treat me as a daughter, and I don¡¯t need to offer myself to be their nanny. For this kind of thing, if they come to plead for mercy, they will really lose any last bit of familial affection.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, there was a banging on the door, followed by a wail that could be heard even through the door:


    ¡°My poor son! You unfilial daughter, hurry up and open the door for me! Open the door!¡±


    Yang Si threw aside the changed clothes, turned around and stormed out of the room.


    Jiang Zhuo raised the hand that wanted to pull Yang Si, but paused, and followed quickly out of the room. When he passed Jiang Chen, he took his arm and pushed him into his room, saying: ¡°Stay inside and don¡¯t come out. ¡°


    As soon as the door of Jiang Chen¡¯s room was closed, Jiang Zhuo saw Yang Si coming out of the kitchen aggressively while carrying a bucket. He didn¡¯t even have the time to think on what she planned to do when he saw her pulling the door open and splashing it out, then took out a lighter and said:


    ¡°Yell! Keep yelling!¡±


    ¡°Yang Tianci daring to hurt my son is the same as wanting my life. Since you all want my life, then we can all just die together!¡±


    AN: DoS attack: A hacker attack method, the purpose is to make the computer or network unable to provide normal services. Common DoS attacks include computer network bandwidth attacks and connectivity attacks.

 CH 52

    ¡°Everyone please speak a word for me, my daughter¡­..¡±


    As soon as old Mrs. Yang began to speak, she was splashed with oil all over her head and face. She subconsciously smacked her lips, and when she realized what was thrown on her, her eyebrows immediately narrowed. However, before she could speak, she heard what Yang Si said as well as saw the lighter in Yang Si¡¯s hand.


    She took a half step back, clutched her chest, slapped her thigh and wailed, ¡°My God! Listen to what she said! What evil did I do! Not only does my daughter want to kill my son, she also wants to kill us old couple!¡±


    Yang Si was expressionless: ¡°You¡¯re right, I just want Yang Tianci¡¯s life, don¡¯t even mention going to jail, I want nothing more than for him to be shot immediately.¡±


    Old Mr. Yang wiped his face, and the oil from his beard slipped into his mouth. He couldn¡¯t help coughing twice at the taste, pointed at Yang Si and scolded in a deep voice: ¡°Look at what you are saying and what you did! Even an beast would not do something like that!¡±


    Yang Si gritted her teeth and said: ¡°A beast can¡¯t do what Yang Tianci did. He kidnapped his nephew and blackmailed his sister, and even instigated his parents to come to his sister¡¯s house to make trouble. He is not a beast, he is even worse than a beast!¡±


    Seeing her cold expression, old Mrs. Yang flopped down on the ground, pounding the ground and crying: ¡°What crime did I do! Why is my life so miserable! Each daughter is more cruel than the other, and finally when I have a filial son, he is about to be killed by you, Tian Ci is my lifeline, if you want him to go to jail, then you want your mother to die!¡±


    Yang Si squeezed the lighter in her hand, her eyes red with anger: ¡°Yang Tianci kidnapping Chen Chen is also the same as wanting me to die! He is male, so he is more valuable than me in your eyes. But he shouldn¡¯t have touched my son! Whoever dares to touch a hair on my son¡¯s head, I will dare to fight him with my life!¡±


    Jiang Zhuo walked up to Yang Si, hugged her trembling shoulders and patted her gently. He said coldly to the two elders: ¡°Father-in-law, mother-in-law, it¡¯s useless for you to come to us for this matter, Yang Tianci broke the law, and the police arrested him. How he is sentenced will be decided by the court, not by us. Even if you cry here for three days and three nights, the sentence will still be the same.¡±


    Old Mr. Yang said in a deep voice: ¡°Tian Ci is Yang Si¡¯s younger brother, your brother-in-law, Jiang Chen¡¯s biological uncle. As the uncle he just wants to take his nephew for an outing, how can it be considered kidnapping? As long as you still recognize me as father-in-law and father, you must tell the police immediately that everything is a misunderstanding and have them release your brother.¡±


    Old Mrs. Yang also stood up and said, ¡°Yes, go to the police station and release your brother.¡±


    Yang Si sneered: ¡°Have you forgotten that I have not been your daughter for a long time. There is no need to discuss this matter. Yang Tianci has never regarded me as a sister nor Chen Chen as his nephew, otherwise he would not have done such a thing that even a beast would not do. You can make trouble at my door, it doesn¡¯t matter, when the time comes to go to court, I will ask the judge to deal with the case severely, and I will never forgive him. The more you make trouble, the longer your son will spend in prison.¡±


    The noise here had already attracted the neighbors upstairs and downstairs. Some people were standing in the corridor, craning their heads out and whispering.


    The whisperings reached his ears, and old Mr. Yang¡¯s face became very dark, his facial muscles trembling with anger: ¡°What a wolf-hearted ungrateful thing, an unfilial white-eyed wolf! I raised you with your mother for so many years, yet you can actually say such a thing!¡±


    ¡°You want me to die, don¡¯t you!¡± Old Mrs. Yang turned around and rushed up the corridor, pushing aside the crowd and climbing towards the window, saying as she climbed, ¡°If you don¡¯t promise me to let your brother go, I will die on your doorstep!¡±


    Yang Si turned on the lighter with a ¡°click¡±, went up the stairs step by step, stood beside old Mrs. Yang and said, ¡°Okay, I will die with you, your son wants my son¡¯s life, I can¡¯t give it to you, but you gave birth to me, if you want my life, I will pay it back to you.¡±


    Old Mrs. Yang shrank back and as she looked at the lighter that was getting closer and closer she felt as if her whole body was about to burn up in flames. Thinking of what Yang Si said just now and how much she valued Jiang Chen, she felt that it was very possible that she would really burn her to death. Old Mrs. Yang quickly let go of the window and leaned back again and again, with her stooped back pressed against the wall, trying her hardest to bend her neck back and stay away from the fire source. She was so frightened that she couldn¡¯t speak a word.


    Old Mr. Yang just felt extremely embarrassed. While standing on shaking legs, he raised his cane and wanted to hit Jiang Zhuo at the door: ¡°Put a stop to your wife already! You are all rebellious and unfilial! You want to anger us to death!¡±


    Jiang Zhuo grabbed old Mr. Yang¡¯s cane and said in a deep voice, ¡°If Yang Si doesn¡¯t recognize you, I won¡¯t call you father-in-law. I have seen how you two have treated Yang Si for so many years. She is filial and can bear with it all, and still give her heart and soul to you every time, but I can¡¯t. I cherish my wife, as soon as she feels upset, I will feel upset, but for her, I can at least be polite when I see you.¡±


    Old Mr. Yang tried hard to pull back the cane, but Jiang Zhuo let go at this time, and he stumbled a few steps back while clutching the cane, almost falling over.


    Due to emotional distress and using too much force, Jiang Zhuo¡¯s legs began to hurt again. He propped himself up against the wall with one hand and said, ¡°But from today onwards, every time I see Yang Tianci, I will hit him once. You¡¯d better pray that he stays in prison and doesn¡¯t come out, otherwise I won¡¯t let him feel any peace. And you two, suppressing others with your age relies on if the other gives you face, but you don¡¯t have any face here with me. So before I use force, I advise you to leave, don¡¯t make things too ugly.¡±


    Old Mr. Yang was so angry that his beard trembled for a long time and he couldn¡¯t say a word.


    As soon as it quieted down, the whispers of the neighbors became amplified. Some people who were going up the stairs saw that the corridor was blocked and asked in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The downstairs neighbor shook his head: ¡°Xiao Yang¡¯s parents are making trouble again!¡±


    The person who was going up the stairs was also an old neighbor. He knew a thing or two about the Jiang family. The most famous incident was about ten years ago when Yang Tianci asked Yang Si to give up Jiang Chen¡¯s school quota to his son. The five people blocked the door of the Jiang¡¯s, begging, yelling and scolding, so loud that the whole building couldn¡¯t sleep. Some people couldn¡¯t watch anymore and said a few words for the Jiang¡¯s, only to be cursed out by old Mrs. Yang.


    So upon hearing this, the person going up the stairs immediately expressed sympathy: ¡°What¡¯s going on this time, Xiao Yang¡¯s family is too unreliable, making trouble all day long, aren¡¯t they even ashamed at all.¡±


    ¡°I heard¡­..¡± The neighbor downstairs came up to him and whispered something in his ear.


    The man stared wide-eyed in disbelief: ¡°Seriously?¡±


    The downstairs neighbor curled his lips and motioned him to look up, and he saw Jiang Chen appearing at the door.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Jiang Chen walked up the stairs in two to three steps, took Yang Si¡¯s white-knuckled hand holding the lighter, and said in a gentle voice, ¡°Put down the lighter, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    Yang Si¡¯s stiff and tense arm softened, and the lighter fell to the ground. She turned her head at a loss and said, ¡°Chen Chen, why did you come out?¡±


    Jiang Chen picked up the lighter on the ground, a little helpless: ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the police station? There was a call from there just now.¡±


    Only then did Yang Si realize that she had forgotten something important. Just as she was about to speak, old Mrs. Yang grabbed Jiang Chen and said, ¡°I am your grandma, Jiang Chen, and Tian Ci is also your own uncle, you must not cause your uncle to go to jail! Otherwise, you will suffer retribution and be struck by lightning!¡±


    Yang Si¡¯s expression changed, and she pulled away old Mrs. Yang¡¯s hand, standing in front of Jiang Chen like a hen guarding her chicks, ¡°What do you mean causing Yang Tianci to go to jail? When Yang Tianci kidnapped Jiang Chen, he should have thought of today. This is all his retribution! He is also the one who will be struck by lightning!¡±


    The lighter in Yang Si¡¯s hand was gone, so old Mrs. Yang gained back her confidence. She looked at Jiang Chen and said, ¡°I see that nothing has happened to you. Since you are not injured, why should your uncle go to jail? He already knows he is wrong. Grandma knows that you have always been a good boy, so you will definitely forgive your uncle, right?¡±


    ¡°Chen Chen, you go back first, this matter is between us adults, you¡­..¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡±


    Jiang Chen interrupted Yang Si, smiled at her to signal her peace of mind, and walked out from behind her.


    ¡°Old Mrs. Yang, I remember that in March this year, when my father was in a car accident, my mother begged you to return part of the money we lent to your family to use for emergency at home. Because the conversation broke down, you insulted me and my father, so my mother severed ties with you at that time.¡± Jiang Chen glanced at old Mr. Yang downstairs, and said calmly, ¡°You do remember this incident, do you?¡±


    ¡°What severing relationship!¡± Old Mrs. Yang raised her eyebrows: ¡°I never said anything like that! Yang Si is my daughter, how could we sever ties with her!¡±


    ¡°You are old, you may not remember, but fortunately there is a recording.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled lightly, took out his phone from his pocket, and clicked on play.


    The recording sounded, and the corridor was instantly quiet. Everyone listened with ears pricked. After hearing the content of the recording, most people¡¯s expressions were indescribable, and the expressions they had when looking at the old couple of the Yang family were even more strange.


    Old Mr. Yang¡¯s expression also became more and more ugly as the recording was played. When the recording ended, the grooves on his face seemed to become deeper, and his whole body was trembling slightly.


    ¡°You! You! You!¡± Old Mr. Yang raised his hand and pointed at Jiang Chen, his chest heaving with anger, unable to say a word.


    Jiang Chen glanced over at him, and continued: ¡°A few days ago, Yang Tianci sent someone to tie me up and bring me to a place where abandoned containers were piled up in the suburbs of Xing City. The people who tied me up kept my eyes covered, but later let me see their appearances. Before the police came, they were going to kill me because the location was exposed, because they didn¡¯t intend to let me go home in the first place, so if the police didn¡¯t come in time, you wouldn¡¯t see me standing here.¡±


    Yang Si was taken aback, and immediately gasped. She hadn¡¯t heard Jiang Chen say this at all, and she didn¡¯t know that there were such dangerous twists and turns in the middle.


    Everyone was also terrified when they heard this, they didn¡¯t expect that the kidnapping scene that they thought only appeared on TV or among rich people would actually happen to someone they knew. Moreover, Yang Tianci was Jiang Chen¡¯s uncle, and he actually planned to kill him. Yang Si was right at the beginning, this kind of person was worse than a beast!


    ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± Old Mrs. Yang pointed at Jiang Chen¡¯s nose and said, ¡°He tied you up just to ask your mother for money, how could he really kill you! He¡¯s not stupid!¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, and he said calmly: ¡°That¡¯s what I heard and saw, and I also told the police truthfully when I made my statement, but I didn¡¯t expect that you seemed to have long been aware of him kidnapping me, it seems that this matter¡­..¡±


    ¡°Full of nonsense!¡± Old Mr. Yang interrupted Jiang Chen with an angry growl. He slammed his cane on the ground and said loudly, ¡°If you don¡¯t promise to let Tian Ci off, we have nothing to say! Old woman! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Old Mrs. Yang also realized that she had slipped her tongue, so she hurried downstairs, supporting old Mr. Yang out of the crowd, and walked quickly away in a pathetic manner.


    Yang Si grabbed Jiang Chen¡¯s hand tightly: ¡°Chen Chen¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen held her hand back, smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry, the police are still waiting, let¡¯s go to the police station first.¡±


    He family.


    Yang Yun brought the white fungus and lotus seed soup that had been boiled all night to the dining table.


    He Qianyu waited at the table, eagerly took a taste of the porridge, blinked and said, ¡°It¡¯s delicious!¡±


    ¡°Little greedy cat.¡± Yang Yun touched her hair and said with a smile: ¡°Your two lazy brothers are still not awake, you go up and call them down, and tell them to have breakfast.¡±


    He Qianyu paused while holding the spoon, and muttered, ¡°Eldest Brother is not a bedbug. If he doesn¡¯t come down, he must be busy. Second Brother is the one who procrastinates in bed. I¡¯ll call him!¡±


    Saying this, she ran upstairs. Yang Yun smiled, then frowned suddenly, and asked He Yanfeng who was reading the newspaper: ¡°Old He, do you feel that our daughter is a bit strange these days. ¡°


    ¡°What¡¯s so strange?¡± He Yanfeng said while turning the page of the newspaper.


    ¡°Qian Jian and Qian Yu¡¯s relationship.¡± Yang Yun said thoughtfully: ¡°Before, Xiao Bao liked to play with Da Bao more than Er Bao, but now she seems to prefer to play with Er Bao.¡±


    ¡°Girls are like this, changing back and forth over and over again.¡± He Yanfeng read the newspaper intently: ¡°Both of them are her brothers, she likes this one at one time and that one at another time. Maybe it¡¯s just a matter of a piece of candy or a piece of cake, nothing surprising.¡±


    Yang Yun thought about it, and felt that she might be thinking too much. She shook her head, looked up and saw He Qianmin being dragged downstairs by He Qianyu with a face of reluctance, and she couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°Are you still asleep?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s so noisy.¡± He Qianmin frowned and said, ¡°Voice like a trumpet, and even jumping on my bed.¡±


    He Qianyu turned around and made a face at him: ¡°Who told you to procrastinate in bed!¡±


    ¡°Do you know how much you weigh?¡± He Qianmin grabbed her arm and pulled her back to pinch her face: ¡°Your teacher should have you run more when you¡¯re so fat!¡±


    He Qianyu snorted, jumped onto He Qianmin, hugged his neck tightly and said, ¡°I¡¯m not heavy! You meanie!¡±


    Seeing this, He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows. Usually at this time, He Qianyu would immediately come to complain, but today she was acting like a baby with He Qianmin, which was indeed different from before.


    Yang Yun waved: ¡°Da Bao, come down quickly, Mom has prepared your favorite sandwich for you.¡±


    He Qianyu¡¯s arms hugging He Qianmin stiffened, and He Qianmin patted her with his hand: ¡°I¡¯m going to put you on the chair so be still.¡±


    He Qianmin took big steps, and He Qianyu hugged him even tighter in fright, but couldn¡¯t help giggling.


    After everyone was seated, the He family¡¯s breakfast officially started.


    He Yanfeng put down the newspaper, took a sip of porridge, thought of something, and suddenly said, ¡°Why do you suddenly want to go to No. 1 High School to study?¡±


    ¡°I just want to.¡± He Qianmin took a bite of the fritters, expressionless.


    ¡°Your mother and I fully respect your wishes.¡± He Yanfeng said: ¡°However, No. 1 High School is farther away from home. Are you going to ride a bicycle in the future, or Dad can arrange someone to send you off.¡±


    He Qianmin paused, raised his head and said, ¡°I want to move to live near No. 1 High School, or live directly on campus.¡±


    The dining table fell quiet, Yang Yun and He Yanfeng looked at each other, and He Yanfeng said, ¡°What¡¯s your reason?¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°No. 1 High School is too far away from home, and it is inconvenient for me to go back and forth. I can study better with the time saved on the road.¡±


    He Yanfeng: ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    He Qianmin said lightly: ¡°Also, I haven¡¯t experienced the life of living in a dorm, so I want to try it.¡±


    Yang Yun couldn¡¯t help interjecting: ¡°Although No. 1 High School is far away, Mom and Dad can arrange someone to drive you to school every day. Also, if you want to experience the life of living in a dorm, you can also experience it in university. High school is hard work, so it will be more comfortable at home, and it is also good for you to study better isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He Qianmin opened his mouth, saw the sadness in his mother¡¯s eyes, and swallowed the words again. He pursed his lips, lowered his eyes and said: ¡°No. 1 High School is a public school, and I didn¡¯t like to go to and from school by car when I was in Chenghua only to be like this when I go to No. 1 High School. This will affect my relationship with my classmates.¡±


    Yang Yun pulled the corner of her mouth in a smile: ¡°I see, if this is the case¡­..¡±


    Suddenly, a cell phone ringing interrupted her.


    He Qianjian glanced at the incoming call, his eyes flickered, put down the knife and fork in his hand and said with a smile: ¡°Mom and Dad, my classmates are looking for me, I¡¯m going to answer the phone.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Yang Yun nodded and said with a smile: ¡°After answering the call, come back early to eat, you haven¡¯t had Mom¡¯s boiled lotus seed soup yet.¡±


    He Qianjian left the table, and the dining table became silent again.


    After a while, He Yanfeng said lightly: ¡°I accept all the reasons you said, but I still want to know if there are other reasons.¡±


    He Qianmin nodded, and said directly: ¡°There are more.¡±


    ¡°What reason?¡±


    ¡°I want to move near my brother¡¯s house.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°In this way, he can tutor me in my studies. I scored second place at the end of this semester because of his tutoring some time ago.¡±


    ¡°Your brother?¡±


    He Yanfeng and Yang Yun looked at each other, and they were both curious about the brother He Qianmin was talking about.


    ¡°It¡¯s Brother Jiang Chen!¡± He Qianyu raised her hand and said, ¡°I know, Brother Jiang Chen is super smart, has super good grades and is super gentle!¡±


    Yang Yun was startled, and the young man who she caught only a brief glance at instantly appeared in her mind: ¡°Jiang Chen?¡±


    He Yanfeng also thought of the boy who looked very similar to He Qianyang, he laughed and said: ¡°Speaking of which, our family has a good affinity with him, not only you, I, your mother and your sister have all met him. Indeed he¡¯s a good boy. I invited him to play at our home before, but your sister interrupted me. I thought she didn¡¯t like him, but it turns out that isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    He Qianyu blushed when she was teased, she pouted and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt you, I just thought you talked too much! The same goes for Mom, last time you just saw Jiang Chen¡¯s brother¡¯s profile, and you asked sister Liu Yi so many questions. I have never seen you treat others like this, how embarrassing it is for brother Jiang Chen to be asked around like this!¡±


    He Yanfeng smiled: ¡°Yo, it seems that my little princess likes Jiang Chen quite a bit. She has never been so protective of her two older brothers before.¡±


    When Yang Yun heard He Qianyu¡¯s words, she was dazed for a moment. She didn¡¯t know why, but she was inexplicably concerned about that boy. When he wasn¡¯t brought up before, she could ignore this feeling, but when he was mentioned again, and now hearing her daughter say she had never treated others like this, she realized that her feelings for that child were really different. She couldn¡¯t tell what was different, but she had a strange and inexplicable feeling for him, different from everyone else.


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    Yang Yun came back to herself, looked at He Qianyu, and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°What were you thinking just now?¡± He Qianyu was curious: ¡°We called you several times, but you didn¡¯t answer.¡±


    Yang Yun smiled, shook her head and said, ¡°What were you talking about just now?¡±


    ¡°We were talking about inviting Brother Jiang Chen to come to play at home!¡± He Qianyu immediately smiled: ¡°Father told us to pick a time, I think Brother Qian Yang¡¯s birthday is very good, and it happens that Brother Qian Yang will host it at our house, what do you think about inviting him over in the name of inviting him to the party?¡±


    ¡°Not much.¡± He Qianmin curled his lips: ¡°My brother doesn¡¯t know Brother Qian Yang, what would he do here, and Brother Qian Yang¡¯s friends are boring and just like to scream like ghosts, my brother likes the quiet, he definitely won¡¯t like it. ¡°


    ¡°Then you pick a time!¡±


    He Qianmin crossed his arms: ¡°At any time, as long as He Qianjian is not around. My brother was first in the final exam. I¡¯m afraid that He Qianjian will be too jealous when he sees him, and he won¡¯t be able to control his emotions.¡±


    Yang Yun said helplessly, ¡°You!¡±


    He Yanfeng thought for a while, and said: ¡°Qian Yang¡¯s birthday is indeed not appropriate, and they don¡¯t know each other, so I¡¯ll let you choose a time.¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips, stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to make an appointment with my brother right now.¡±


    He Yanfeng looked at his brisk back and said with a smile: ¡°I really want to know more about this Jiang Chen. It¡¯s rare to see this kid so fond of someone.¡±


    Yang Yun smiled and nodded, saying softly, ¡°Qian Min likes him so much, he must be a good boy.¡±

 CH 53

    Jiang Chen was a little surprised when he received He Qianmin¡¯s invitation.


    ¡°Visit your home?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He Qianmin¡¯s voice was a little excited: ¡°I told them that my ranking in this final exam was improved because of your tutoring, so they all really want to meet you and thank you in person.¡±


    Jiang Chen said with a slight smile, ¡°No need, it¡¯s between you and me that I help you with tutoring. Don¡¯t involve Uncle and Aunt He. Express my apologies to them for me, and just say that I have something else going on.¡±


    He Qianmin was silent for a few seconds before letting out a light ¡°en¡±.


    Jiang Chen asked, ¡°How many pages have you reached in the test booklet I gave you earlier?¡±


    ¡°One-fifth.¡± He Qianmin¡¯s tone visibly dropped: ¡°There are a few questions that I don¡¯t quite understand.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Which questions?¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips, got up and walked to the desk. He opened to the marked pages of the question booklet, and read the questions out loud.


    After listening, Jiang Chen said, ¡°The solutions to these questions all require the use of formulas and algorithms that are not yet taught in high school. If you are interested, you can find me some time and I¡¯ll  teach you.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s voice jumped a little more in an instant: ¡°Big Brother, you have time?¡±


    Hearing his happy voice, Jiang Chen also curved his lips upwards: ¡°Some things happened during this period, but now I¡¯m free, if you want to find me, you can find me anytime.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go find you now!¡± He Qianmin said as he turned around and walked towards the door. Halfway there, he returned to the desk to get the test book and pen, and said as he walked, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hot pot restaurant we often go to, it just happens that I want to eat hot pot.¡±


    Jiang Chen thought for a while and said, ¡°Find a coffee shop first, if you¡¯re hungry tonight, I¡¯ll take you to eat hot pot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal!¡±


    Yang Yun was talking to the housekeeper auntie at home, when she saw He Qianmin running downstairs like the wind. She went to the door, stopped him and said, ¡°Qianmin, where are you going in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while, and I won¡¯t be home for dinner tonight.¡± He Qianmin hurriedly left without looking back.


    He had already run away before the door was even fully closed. Yang Yun said helplessly, ¡°This kid.¡± She raised her eyes and saw He Qianyu coming out of the piano room, and a smile appeared on her face: ¡°How was your piano practice?¡±


    He Qianyu only saw He Qianmin¡¯s passing figure. She craned her head to look at the direction he left, and asked curiously, ¡°Mom, where did Second Brother go?¡±


    ¡°Bringing a book with him, don¡¯t know where he went off to.¡± Yang Yun touched her daughter¡¯s little head: ¡°Do you want to take a break, the water Mom prepared for you¡ª¡ª¡±


    Thinking of something, He Qianyu¡¯s eyes lit up suddenly, and she interrupted Yang Yun: ¡°I want to go out too! Mom, please drop me off!¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Follow Second Brother!¡± He Qianyu took Yang Yun¡¯s hand and walked out the door: ¡°He must have gone to look for Brother Jiang Chen. Mom, why don¡¯t you take me there? I want to go.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Yang Yun had no choice but to leave a word to the auntie before saying, ¡°Mom will drop you off.¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    He Qianmin was riding a bicycle, humming a tune in a good mood, and when he was about to reach the cafe, he saw Jiang Chen waiting at the door. He immediately stepped on the brake, stood up and waved to him with a bright smile: ¡°Big Brother!¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head, and couldn¡¯t help but also laugh and wave his hand.


    In an off-road vehicle by the side of the road, a young man in the back seat was leaning against the window. He made a noise: ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t that Jiang Chen and the second child of the He family! They know each other?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen?¡± Li Nanfeng had a deep impression of this name, and quickly recalled the information related to the name from his mind. Turning his eyes, he looked at Shi Fengyue in the front driver¡¯s seat, and joked, ¡°You stopped the car again for your patient¡¯s son?¡±


    ¡°What patient?¡± Mo Xi turned his head, ¡°My nephew¡¯s patient?¡±


    Li Nanfeng pointed at himself and raised his eyebrows: ¡°Otherwise you think it¡¯s my patient?¡±


    Mo Xi kept asking: ¡°Who? What¡¯s his name? Where?¡±


    Li Nanfeng raised his chin and gestured to the coffee shop outside the window: ¡°There, the one who just entered, Jiang Chen.¡±


    Mo Xi suddenly realized: No wonder Feng Yue said that he knew Jiang Chen earlier than me, so that¡¯s the case.¡±


    Li Nanfeng: ¡°You know him very well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not very familiar with him.¡± Mo Xi said, ¡°I¡¯ve only met once. I was called by my alma mater to help mobilize for the high school senior college entrance examination. My former math teacher, old Fu, asked me to chat with him.¡±


    Li Nanfeng looked back and forth between Jiang Chen and He Qianmin who walked into the coffee shop, and said thoughtfully, ¡°This Jiang Chen is not simple.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not simple?¡±


    Li Nanfeng: ¡°The second son of He Yanfeng is notoriously bad-tempered, and he has a bad relationship with his brother He Qianjian, even our generation has heard of it, and I haven¡¯t even heard him call He Qianyang brother a few times. Jiang Chen could have him call him brother so willingly, do you think he is simple?¡±


    ¡°Also¡­..¡±


    ¡°Also what?¡±


    The corner of Li Nanfeng¡¯s mouth curled slightly upwards, gesturing out: ¡°It¡¯s also not an easy feat for our Dr. Shi to pay so much attention to someone.¡±


    Hearing this, a lightbulb flashed in Mo Xi¡¯s mind, and he turned to look at Shi Fengyue in the front seat.


    Shi Fengyue had one hand on the steering wheel, while propping his chin with the other and looking out of the window thoughtfully. Noticing the gaze of the two behind him, he half raised his eyes, his long and thick eyelashes catching the light slightly, and said in a mild tone: ¡°Yes?¡±


    Mo Xi shrank his neck, pressed his back against the seat, and shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Li Nanfeng put his hand on the back of Shi Fengyue¡¯s seat, leaned forward and said with a smile: ¡°Every time you see that child, you have to take a few more glances, why don¡¯t you just go say hello. Anyway, we didn¡¯t have lunch, how about going to that cafe?¡±


    Shi Fengyue glanced at him: ¡°Aren¡¯t you in a rush for a meeting?¡±


    ¡°No hurry.¡± Li Nanfeng said: ¡°The things made by those small technology companies are not as good as the ones you made for me before. It¡¯s all the same if I ask my assistant to attend the meeting on my behalf. I also just happened to be hungry and it would be nice to go for a meal. I¡¯m super curious about how the second child of the He family got along with Jiang Chen, and why he calls him brother.¡±


    Mo Xi: ¡°You¡¯re so gossipy.¡±


    Li Nanfeng was not ashamed at all: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with gossip? Gossip is human nature, you don¡¯t gossip? You don¡¯t want to know why your nephew pays so much attention to a¡ª¡ª¡±


    Shi Fengyue opened the door: ¡°Shut up, get out of the car.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Jiang Chen took a sip of coffee, and continued: ¡°This question uses Pascal¡¯s theorem, to prove the collinearity of three intersections among six points on a circle¡­..¡±


    Seeing Jiang Chen write down the last step on the draft paper, He Qianmin raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°I understand.¡±


    Jiang Chen dug out a few similar question types, marked it for him, and said, ¡°If you can do these few questions, basically there will be no problems with this part.¡±


    He Qianmin nodded: ¡°Big Brother, I found that you seem to understand everything.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head and saw the closeness and admiration in his eyes. He couldn¡¯t help chuckling, rubbed his head and said, ¡°There are many things I don¡¯t understand, and you will find out slowly in the future.¡±


    The bright floor-to-ceiling windows let in all the light, and as the two teenagers looked at each other and smiled, the lively rays of sunlight jumped on the ends of their hair. The similar profiles, one still childish and the other gentle, seemed to be a testament to the growth of a child to a young man.


    Yang Yun¡¯s footsteps stopped, her heart seemed to be gently rubbed by something, it was neither painful nor itchy, but there were many inexplicable emotions, which seemed at the same time full and empty, and she couldn¡¯t help but clutch her chest.


    Seeing Jiang Chen and He Qianmin, He Qianyu broke away from Yang Yun¡¯s hand and ran over impatiently.


    ¡°Big Brother!¡±


    The sudden sound startled He Qianmin who was concentrating on answering the questions. He jumped back and looked at the newcomer while sticking next to Jiang Chen. After seeing that it was He Qianyu, he flicked her forehead to vent his anger: ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to find you!¡± He Qianyu glanced at Jiang Chen after speaking, and asked a little shyly, ¡°Brother Jiang Chen, do you still remember me?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, and said gently, ¡°I remember, your name is He Qianyu.¡± Although he was a little surprised at He Qianyu¡¯s sudden appearance, it was hard to be irritated even if startled when faced with such a delicate and soft girl.


    He Qianyu raised her head suddenly, her eyes lighting up: ¡°You still remember me!¡±


    ¡°Is it strange to remember you?¡± He Qianmin clicked his tongue, waved his hand like shooing a chicken: ¡°Go, go, I am studying, don¡¯t disturb me here.¡±


    He Qianyu glared at him, then turned to make an oath: ¡°Brother Jiang Chen, can I stay here with you? I¡¯m very good, I promise I won¡¯t disturb you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°We are studying here, what are you doing here for? And don¡¯t you have to practice the piano in the afternoon? Go back to practicing the piano quickly.¡±


    He Qianyu: ¡°I¡¯m done practicing.¡±


    ¡°Then go back and practice dancing.¡± He Qianmin looked disgusted: ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t disturb my study here.¡±


    He Qianyu puffed up her face: ¡°I won¡¯t talk, so I won¡¯t bother you.¡±


    He Qianmin crossed his arms and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been blaring like a small trumpet all day long, how can I believe that you won¡¯t disturb my study, and you ran out alone, does Mom know, why are you¡ª¡ª¡±


    He Qianyu stepped on He Qianmin¡¯s foot, interrupted his words, and made him hiss in pain:


    ¡°He Qianyu, you¡¯re looking for a beating!¡±


    ¡°Meanie!¡±


    Seeing that the two of them were about to quarrel in the coffee shop, Jiang Chen felt a little headache and a little bit at a loss. He had no younger siblings when he was growing up, and he rarely had disputes with others, so he lacked experience in dealing with such situations.


    However, at this time, if he didn¡¯t try to stop the fight, no one would be able to stop it.


    Jiang Chen called out, ¡°Qian Min¡­..¡±


    He Qianmin turned his head and interrupted his unfinished sentence: ¡°Big Brother, don¡¯t worry, I will drive her away immediately.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a phone call and ask Uncle Wang to pick you up. You can sit here for a while¡­..¡±


    Seeing Jiang Chen who was sitting on the side with a helpless expression, He Qianyu inhaled, and her eyes suddenly turned red. She squatted down on the ground, buried her face in her arms and choked up.


    He Qianmin¡¯s voice stopped abruptly, and he froze in place.


    Jiang Chen patted He Qianmin¡¯s head: ¡°Look at what you did.¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± He Qianmin stood up and walked to He Qianyu¡¯s side, at a loss: ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t drive you away, so stop crying.¡±


    Jiang Chen also came over, squatted beside He Qianyu, and said in a gentle voice, ¡°Qian Yu, I¡¯m sorry, Qian Min didn¡¯t mean it, can I apologize to you for him?¡±


    Unexpectedly, upon hearing Jiang Chen¡¯s words, He Qianyu¡¯s sob turned from choking to full out crying.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s outstretched hand froze, and he and He Qianmin looked at each other in blank dismay.


    The coffee shop was very quiet, and the movement here quickly attracted the attention of other people. Seeing two boys surrounding a little girl at a loss, they all looked over curiously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± He Qianmin grabbed He Qianyu¡¯s arm, helpless and at a loss: ¡°What do you want, can¡¯t we just listen to you? As long as you don¡¯t cry, I will do whatever you say.¡±


    He Qianyu shook off his hand, buried her head and continued to sob.


    He Qianmin asked Jiang Chen for help: ¡°Big Brother, what should we do¡­¡±


    Jiang Chen also had no idea, ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    ¡°She ignores me.¡± He Qianmin whispered into Jiang Chen¡¯s ear, ¡°Big Brother, why don¡¯t you coax her.¡±


    Jiang Chen hesitated. He and He Qianyu had only met once before, and he had never coaxed little girls before. Speaking at this time might only add fuel to the flames.


    ¡°I¡­..¡±


    As soon as he started talking, the little girl threw herself into his arms. The little girl hugged his neck with soft arms, buried her head in his chest and sobbed quietly. Jiang Chen froze, and opened his arms, trying his best not to touch the little girl. But he couldn¡¯t help but become softhearted when he heard her crying.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s hand hanging in the air slightly bent, and he patted the little girl¡¯s back lightly, whispering: ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡±


    He Qianyu buried her head even closer, cries mixing with the occasional hiccups, appearing very pitiful indeed.


    ¡°We¡¯re not trying to drive you away.¡± Jiang Chen tried his best to use the softest voice: ¡°Qian Min was just worried that it¡¯s not safe for you to come out alone. He didn¡¯t mean to get angry with you. Forgive him, okay?¡±


    He Qianyu raised her head, her red nose making her look pitiful and cute. She first looked at He Qianmin who was looking guilty, then blinked her wet eyes and said: ¡°I didn¡¯t come out alone, I¡­..¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the younger sister needs to be coaxed when she cries.¡± An uncle at the next table smiled and interjected: ¡°You two are her brothers, right? At first glance, you look like three siblings. As expected, the eldest brother knows how to take care of the younger sister. You kiddo have to learn from your big brother.¡±


    The lady next to him handed over a tissue: ¡°Use this to wipe your younger sister¡¯s tears.¡±


    Jiang Chen thanked her and took it. But before he gave the tissue to He Qianyu, he heard the sound of high heels tapping on the wooden floor:


    ¡°Qian Yu!¡±


    The three squatting youngsters raised their heads at the same time, looking up at Yang Yun who had already walked up to them.


    Just before Yang Yun was about to come in, she received a call from home. Seeing that her daughter had found her son, she was reassured and went out. She didn¡¯t expect to see her little daughter crying when she came back.


    Yang Yun asked He Qianmin: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    He Qianmin looked away, and said lowly, ¡°She cried after we had a quarrel.¡±


    Jiang Chen wiped He Qianyu¡¯s tears, and said softly, ¡°Let¡¯s get up.¡±


    He Qianyu rubbed her eyes in embarrassment, let go of Jiang Chen and stood up. She pouted and said, ¡°Second Brother bullied me just now, but I have already forgiven him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you.¡± Yang Yun breathed a sigh of relief, tapped the tip of He Qianyu¡¯s nose and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you ashamed to still cry outside at such an age?¡±


    He Qianyu threw herself into Yang Yun¡¯s arms: ¡°Mom¡­..¡±


    Yang Yun was reassured, and then properly looked at the young man in front of her. Seeing his bright appearance and clear eyes, she couldn¡¯t help but feel joy and fondness in her heart, and she smiled gently: ¡°Qian Yu has a little temper, I hope she didn¡¯t bother you guys.¡±


    Jiang Chen was also scrutinizing the woman in front of him who was most likely to be his biological mother. His eyes flicked over her gentle smiling eyes and the two deep dimples at the corners of her mouth. He lowered his eyes and smiled, ¡°She¡¯s a good girl. We didn¡¯t take good care of her just now.¡±


    The smile in Yang Yun¡¯s eyes deepened: ¡°Are you here to study? Would you like Auntie to take Qian Yu to sit on the other side? After you are finished, Auntie will take you to dinner together.¡±


    Jiang Chen declined with a smile: ¡°No need, today Qian Min just wants to ask me a few questions, and the lesson is almost finished.¡±


    ¡°Mom, Brother Jiang Chen just said that he would let me play with them.¡±


    Seeing her daughter¡¯s eager little look, Yang Yun couldn¡¯t help laughing: ¡°Okay, Mom won¡¯t bother you anymore, Mom will sit over there, and I¡¯ll take you to dinner together after you¡¯re done.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyelashes flickered, and was about to speak when he was interrupted.


    ¡°Jiang Chen!¡±


    Standing two meters away, Mo Xi waved his hand and said with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here, what a coincidence.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced over the two people behind him, and nodded slightly: ¡°Senior Mo.¡±


    ¡°You should be on summer vacation too.¡± Mo Xi walked this way and said, ¡°It¡¯s rare to meet, let¡¯s sit together.¡± When he got closer, he seemed to see He Qianmin beside Jiang Chen, and said in surprise: ¡°He Qianmin? you are here too?¡±


    He Qianmin called out expressionlessly: ¡°Brother Mo, Brother Shi, Brother Feng.¡±


    Mo Xi nodded, looked at Yang Yun and He Qianyu, ¡°Hello, Aunt Yang.¡±


    Although Yang Yun didn¡¯t have much of an impression of Mo Xi, she knew Shi Fengyue and Li Nanfeng. It was just because her three children were not in the same age group as them, and they rarely played together, so they didn¡¯t see each other much and were not familiar with each other.


    She nodded with a slight smile: ¡°Hello.¡±


    Shi Fengyue nodded lightly: ¡°Hello.¡±


    Li Nanfeng smiled widely: ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Aunt Yang. The last time I saw you was three years ago. I didn¡¯t expect that after three years, you are still as young as ever.¡±


    ¡°You kiddo, you have such a sweet mouth.¡± Yang Yun smiled, turned to Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Auntie won¡¯t bother you, I will pick you up for dinner later.¡±


    Li Nanfeng was very surprised, he glanced at Jiang Chen, then turned to Yang Yun: ¡°Aunt Yang, who is this?¡±


    Yang Yun smiled and said, ¡°This is Qian Min¡¯s friend, Jiang Chen.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Li Nanfeng¡¯s eyes swept over the faces of the four people in front of him, and said with a smile: ¡°Since it is Qian Min¡¯s friend and also Mo Xi¡¯s junior, then it is also my friend. There are exactly six seats here. Shall we sit together?¡±


    He Qianmin half-smiled and said: ¡°It¡¯s not convenient, I¡¯m here to make up lessons, you might disturb us if you¡¯re here.¡±


    Li Nanfeng: ¡°How could I disturb you? The three of us are top academics. You can ask any question you want. I promise to teach you faster than Jiang Chen alone. How about it?¡±


    He Qianmin was unmoved: ¡°No thanks, I just want my brother to teach me, you can leave if you have nothing to do.¡±


    Yang Yun patted He Qianmin, and He Qianmin curled his lips. He reached out to take the question book on the side, raised his chin and said: ¡°This question, 30 seconds, you can sit down when you solve it.¡±


    Li Nanfeng took a look at it, and immediately threw it to Shi Fengyue.


    Shi Fengyue glanced over and gave the answer almost without thinking.


    He Qianmin¡¯s expression changed slightly, and Jiang Chen also raised his eyes in surprise.


    ¡°We can sit down, right?¡± Li Nanfeng said and sat down on the sofa on the other side.


    He Qianmin pursed his lips in displeasure. Jiang Chen gently elbowed him, and he could only sit down reluctantly.


    In an instant, the two sofas were full of people.


    Seeing Yang Yun help He Qianyu straighten her clothes and was about to leave, Li Nanfeng asked, ¡°Aunt Yang, won¡¯t you sit with us?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Yang Yun said with a smile: ¡°You children play together, I won¡¯t bother you.¡±


    Li Nanfeng waved his hand: ¡°Aunt Yang, walk slowly, see you next time.¡±


    After Yang Yun left, He Qianmin immediately said: ¡°You are not welcome here, hurry up and leave.¡±


    Li Nanfeng raised his eyebrows: ¡°He Xiao Er, I¡¯m also your cousin¡¯s friend after all, don¡¯t be so unfriendly.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s face tensed. Jiang Chen pushed the hot chocolate in front of him, looked at Shi Fengyue at the same time and said, ¡°Dr. Shi, what¡¯s the name of the gentleman next to you, I didn¡¯t have time to exchange names last time we met.¡±


    Li Nanfeng smiled and said: ¡°Hello, my name is Li Nanfeng, you can call me Brother Feng just like He Xiao Er.¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and smiled slightly: ¡°Mr. Li, hello, nice to meet you.¡±


    Li Nanfeng smiled, turned his gaze to Shi Fengyue, and said meaningfully: ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you too.¡±


    Shi Fengyue said lightly, ¡°How is your father recovering?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°He¡¯s recovering very well, but his legs hurt a little yesterday probably because he walked too fast and had emotional ups and downs. He¡¯s planning to go to the hospital tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No need, this situation is normal during the recovery period, just take more rest.¡±


    ¡°I see, thank you Dr. Shi.¡±


    After hearing the conversation between the two, He Qianmin leaned close to Jiang Chen and asked in a low voice, ¡°Big Brother, how do you know Shi Fengyue?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Shi is my dad¡¯s chief surgeon.¡±


    He Qianmin didn¡¯t know the situation of the Jiang family, so he could only nod blankly when he heard the words, but the hostility in his eyes towards Shi Fengyue and the others lessened a lot.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Li Nanfeng said: ¡°He Qianyang¡¯s birthday will be in a few days, I heard that the party will be held at your house?¡±


    He Qianmin no longer opposed Shi Fengyue, but he didn¡¯t have any good attitude towards Li Nanfeng. He said without expression: ¡°My uncle is out for a meeting, and my aunt is not at home. He complains that there is no one at home to help with the preparations, so he came to my house.¡±


    Li Nanfeng rubbed his chin: ¡°Isn¡¯t it more fun to have no elders at home? Besides, preparing for this kind of thing, you can just find a studio that specializes in party planning.¡±


    ¡°Who knows.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°You will attend too?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Li Nanfeng turned his gaze to Jiang Chen¡¯s face and said, ¡°You are attending too, right?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°I haven¡¯t met He Qianyang, so it¡¯s not appropriate to go to his birthday party.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not appropriate?¡± Li Nanfeng said: ¡°You and Qian Min are good friends, Qian Yu and Aunt Yang also know you, and we know you too, so we¡¯re all friends with each other. Besides, that kid He Qianyang likes things to be lively, the more the merrier.¡±


    He Qianmin actually wanted to introduce Jiang Chen to He Qianyang, but he also cared about Jiang Chen¡¯s feelings: ¡°My big brother doesn¡¯t like too much noise.¡±


    ¡°I remember that He Qianyang¡¯s major is psychology.¡± Shi Fengyue raised his eyes and looked at Jiang Chen: ¡°Aren¡¯t you interested in hypnosis? There should be many of his classmates at his birthday, you can go and see.¡±


    Jiang Chen flatly refused: ¡°No need, I¡¯m interested in the matter itself, not hypnosis.¡±


    ¡°So you mean¡ª¡ª¡± Shi Fengyue looked at him sideways, and said unhurriedly: ¡°It is me you are interested in?¡±

 CH 54

    Jiang Chen raised his head and looked at Shi Fengyue quietly.


    He said lightly: ¡°It¡¯s also not wrong to say that, I do have some curiosity about you.¡±


    Shi Fengyue leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on one hand, his thick eyelashes reflected on his pupils, and only one person reflected in his eyes: ¡°It seems that we all need to get to know each other better.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked directly at the scrutiny hidden under the banter, and slightly curled his lips upwards: ¡°Curiosity is curiosity, but there is no need to deepen the understanding.¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°Why?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Does Dr. Shi like to get to the bottom of everything?¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°Only things that interest me.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes curved: ¡°Even if your interest will affect other people?¡±


    Shi Fengyue said without hesitation, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jiang Chen leaned back, the smile in his eyes had faded, and his tone was calm: ¡°This is the reason.¡±


    Shi Fengyue put away his smile, but Jiang Chen¡¯s face remained unchanged. When the four eyes met, the air in the coffee shop seemed to be torn into two worlds: stagnant and noisy.


    Mo Xi looked at Li Nanfeng who was wiping his clothes after coughing latte from his nostrils on the left, and on the right he looked at He Qianmin who had a dark face and He Qianyu who was blinking innocently. He then scooted back cautiously, trying to minimize his sense of existence.


    The waiter carried the plate over and placed the drinks that Mo Xi and the others had just ordered one by one.


    ¡°Second Brother.¡± He Qianyu pulled He Qianmin¡¯s sleeve and said, ¡°I want to eat your cake.¡±


    He Qianmin pushed the matcha mousse in front of him to He Qianyu, glanced at Shi Fengyue¡¯s face, picked up the question book on one side, opened it and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°Big Brother, can you explain this question again to me.¡±


    Jiang Chen withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes to look at the question, and soon started discussing seriously with He Qianmin.


    A single coffee table seemed to be divided into two worlds, one side was the three children who were studying hard, and the other was the three grown-ups who kept silent.


    Li Nanfeng finally wiped his clothes clean, and as if he couldn¡¯t sense the atmosphere in front of him, he said with a smile: ¡°Jiang Chen, your grades should be very good.¡±


    He Qianmin glanced at him coldly: ¡°What do you mean very good? My Big Brother has always been number one on exams.¡±


    ¡°That good?¡± Li Nanfeng seemed to be interested, and asked: ¡°I heard from Mo Xi that you plan to study computer science in the future? What direction?¡±


    ¡°AI.¡± Seeing that someone eased the atmosphere, Mox Xi quickly answered for Jiang Chen: ¡°Currently there is no such direction for undergraduates in China. It is mostly chosen after graduate school. Jiang Chen can choose computer science or mathematics in college.¡±


    ¡°AI?¡± Li Nanfeng smiled and said, ¡°Our company has been researching and developing this recently. When you graduate, you can work in our company.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes: ¡°I wonder what the current research direction of Mr. Li¡¯s company is?¡±


    ¡°Currently the voice system on the mobile terminal is the most invested.¡± Li Nanfeng said: ¡°We are also planning to develop a face recognition system. Several small technology companies have produced finished products, but I am not satisfied with the effect, so it is hard to say. We are very likely to independently develop a face recognition system, but it is hard to find researchers, and booking one in advance now can be considered as a reserve of talents for the future, Jiang Chen, are you interested?¡±


    The pen was twirling rapidly between Jiang Chen¡¯s fingers, he closed his eyes and pondered, then asked after a few seconds: ¡°Mr. Li wants a mature face recognition system, are you planning to buy it out?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Li Nanfeng folded his hands on the table and said with a smile: ¡°The AI market is not mature now, and even the mature scientific research results need to be improved with the development of the times. What I want is not a single result, but the people who are responsible for the R&D results, or the team, and only when there are talents can our company always stand at the top of the industry.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Excuse me, may I ask the name of Mr. Li¡¯s company?¡±


    ¡°Li De Group.¡±


    After turning the pen, Jiang Chen raised his eyes: ¡°Li De?¡±


    Li Nanfeng curled his lips upward: ¡°I am the general manager and head of the R&D department of Li De.¡±


    Li Nanfeng, Li De¡­..


    For the first time, Jiang Chen took a serious look at the seemingly foppish young man in front of him. Unexpectedly, the only old enemy in the book who could compete with He Qianjian and also the only one who made He Qianjian suffer countless falls but could only swallow it all down was sitting opposite him.


    That novel was not so much a novel as it was more like a biography written from the perspective of a bystander. There were very few ups and downs and inner character descriptions in the book, and it was more about recording the things the protagonist He Qianjian had done.


    Jiang Chen knew all the things He Qianjian had done, but he couldn¡¯t know the details of how he did one thing, because most of the time in the book it only described the reason why He Qianjian did one thing and the result, while the intermediate process and the mental journey between him and others were very little.


    He Qianjian¡¯s mental journey would be described in detail only when he encountered matters related to two people, one of whom was Jiang Chen himself, and the other was Li Nanfeng.


    Therefore, Jiang Chen was deeply impressed by Li Nanfeng, who made He Qianjian extremely jealous, and the Li De Group, which brought great pressure to He Qianjian. He had thought that he might meet the enemy¡¯s enemy if he had the opportunity in the future, but he didn¡¯t expect this meeting to come so early.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Nanfeng asked, ¡°Surprised?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, and chuckled lightly, ¡°I¡¯m really surprised.¡±


    Shi Fengyue raised his eyes, and his gaze lightly swept over Li Nanfeng.


    Li Nanfeng coughed and said, ¡°After you graduate, you can come to our company. When the time comes, you can come to me without the need to do an interview.¡±


    Jiang Chen tapped his fingers on the table, thoughtful.


    ¡°I have a business proposal I want to discuss with Mr. Li. When is Mr. Li free?¡±


    Li Nanfeng: ¡°What business?¡±


    ¡°Speech system and face recognition.¡±


    Li Nanfeng was stunned for a rare moment, then leaned back, looked Jiang Chen up and down, and teased: ¡°You don¡¯t mean to say that you have mature research results in your hands, do you?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, and looked at him quietly.


    The young man¡¯s calmness made the smile on Li Nanfeng¡¯s face gradually fade away. He sat up straight and said with a smile, ¡°Using a normal person¡¯s way of thinking, your age is really not convincing, but there is someone who holds three patents by the age of fifteen next to me, so¡ª¡ªI am willing to give you a chance to make an appointment to talk about this cooperation, but I have to state in advance that friendship belongs to friendship, and the result will only depend on what you have in your hands.¡±


    Jiang Chen stretched out his hand, and the corner of his mouth slightly hooked up: ¡°You can see it now.¡±


    Li Nanfeng¡¯s eyes fell on Jiang Chen¡¯s mobile phone laying on his palm.


    ¡°This phone?¡±


    Jiang Chen put the phone in the middle of the coffee table, long pressed on the phone, and a few seconds later, a mechanical male voice sounded:


    ¡ª¡ª¡±Dylan, do you need help?¡±


    Li Nanfeng¡¯s eyes widened suddenly, and the gazes of the others quickly focused on the center of the coffee table.


    Li Nanfeng looked at Jiang Chen, his voice becoming a little excited: ¡°What is this?¡±


    Jiang Chen put a finger to his lips, and said, ¡°Please help me open the photo album.¡±


    Within seconds, the phone screen changed from the home page to the photo album.


    The voice on the phone asked, ¡°Do you need help retrieving the photos?¡±


    From the corner of his eyes, Jiang Chen saw He Qianmin who looked surprised and excited, and said with a smile, ¡°Please help me find Qian Min¡¯s photo.¡±


    ¡°During the search, there was one photo of He Qianmin. Do you want to open it?¡±


    ¡°Open.¡±


    A photo of He Qianmin pursing his lips sullenly and showing an aggrieved look at the hot pot restaurant showed up on the screen, and in the steaming mist on the side, there was Jiang Chen looking at the camera with a smile on his face.


    He Qianmin¡¯s ears turned red instantly, and he reached out to pick up his phone, ¡°Big Brother! Who took this picture? It¡¯s so ugly!¡±


    ¡°It was taken by Shen Xu.¡± Jiang Chen betrayed Shen Xu without hesitation.


    ¡°I just knew it was him!¡± He Qianmin quickly found the delete button, but agter hesitating for a long time with a dark face, he didn¡¯t press it. This seemed to be the first photo of him and his brother. He hesitated for a moment, and sent the photo to his phone instead.


    Li Nanfeng tried his best to suppress the excitement surging all over his body, but his eager voice inevitably leaked a bit: ¡°Is the system or chip in your mobile phone developed by yourself?¡±


    Jiang Chen rolled his eyes: ¡°Voice system and face recognition system, the model of this phone can¡¯t carry my latest system yet, this is only the initial version.¡±


    ¡°Just the initial version¡­..¡± Li Nanfeng stood up straight, put his hands on his head and walked back and forth in the aisle several times. Suddenly, he turned and walked back to the coffee table, and asked with his hands on the table: ¡°How do you plan to cooperate?¡±


    ¡°You have seen some of the results now.¡± Jiang Chen glanced at Yang Yun who was coming from the opposite road, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s make an appointment to discuss the details later.¡±


    Li Nanfeng could no longer hide his impatience: ¡°I have time now, let¡¯s talk today!¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°Today is not suitable.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Nanfeng said without hesitation, ¡°What is it? I¡¯ll help you solve it.¡±


    Jiang Chen tilted his head, motioning him to look behind him.


    Yang Yun pushed the door open and entered, walking towards this side with a smile.


    Li Nanfeng paused, and belatedly realized that now was indeed not the time to talk about cooperation. However, he would fly abroad tomorrow, and this trip would take at least five days before he could return home. If they didn¡¯t discuss this matter immediately, and settle it with a contract, he couldn¡¯t travel with peace of mind.


    Because, he understood better than anyone else that once the technology in Jiang Chen¡¯s hands was known, what a storm it would cause. He was afraid that when he came back, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to eat the dredges, let alone the soup.


    Jiang Chen knew Li Nanfeng¡¯s worries. This was the reason why he hadn¡¯t revealed what he had before and didn¡¯t find someone to cooperate with. After two lifetimes, he knew very well how unpredictable the influence would be if the research and development results fell into the hands of untrustworthy people.


    Even now, when he chose to cooperate with Li Nanfeng, he still didn¡¯t think Li Nanfeng was a trustworthy person. However, as far as the present time was concerned, Li Nanfeng was the best choice compared to others.


    ¡°You can rest assured.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°I have no plans to disclose the results to the public for the time being.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s certainty made Li Nanfeng calm down. He wanted to ask something, but when he thought about the situation now, he swallowed his words back: ¡°I¡¯ll be on a plane early this morning, and go on a business trip abroad for a few days. Next Wednesday at the earliest, I¡¯ll come back, and that day happens to be He Qianyang¡¯s birthday. I have to attend, so how about we meet at the He family¡¯s party then?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°I can wait¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Xiao Chen is also going to Qian Yang¡¯s party?¡± Yang Yun happened to hear Li Nanfeng¡¯s last words, and said delightedly: ¡°How wonderful, Auntie will ask the driver to pick you up at your home.¡±


    Getting in touch with He Qianmin and his family in advance had disrupted Jiang Chen¡¯s plan. Before he really came of age, he wanted to avoid contact with more of the He family as much as possible, but in this case, it would be inappropriate to repeatedly refuse.


    ¡°Thank you, Aunt Yang, but there¡¯s no need.¡± Jiang Chen swallowed the refusal: ¡°I can go by myself when the time comes.¡±


    Yang Yun smiled softly and said, ¡°Then Auntie will be waiting for you at home.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal.¡± Li Nanfeng heaved a sigh of relief.


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°See you then.¡±


    Seeing that they have a good relationship, Yang Yun politely invited Li Nanfeng and the others: ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner, let¡¯s have dinner together.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Thinking of the cooperation that he wasn¡¯t sure would be possible or not in a few days, Li Nanfeng now wanted nothing more than to fly back to the office to prepare everything, and stretch every minute to an hour. He hurriedly got up and said, ¡°Thank you, Aunt Yang, but I still have something to do at work and I need to go back immediately.¡±


    Seeing that he was really in a hurry, Yang Yun said empathetically, ¡°Then go ahead, and come over for dinner when you have a chance in the future.¡±


    Li Nanfeng confirmed the appointed time with Jiang Chen again, then with Shi Fengyue and Mo Xi, who had a dazed expression since Jiang Chen¡¯s cell phone made a sound, they strode away.


    Watching Li Nanfeng and the others leave, Jiang Chen also stood up: ¡°Aunt Yang, I¡­..¡± As soon as he began, the phone rang. When he saw the caller ID, Jiang Chen instantly burst into a smile. He apologized softly, stepped aside and answered the phone.


    Yang Yun¡¯s gaze followed Jiang Chen involuntarily, and what she saw was his side face with lowered eyes and a slight smile, and his gentle and clear voice flowed over to her ears.


    ¡°Mom.¡±


    ¡ª¡ªIt was his mother who called.


    ¡°What special day is today, you actually made braised meatballs.¡±


    ¡ª¡ªJiang Chen liked to eat braised meatballs.


    ¡°What cake? The shop across the park?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll pay attention to safety, but it¡¯s not appropriate for me to go back so early on the anniversary of you and Dad?¡±


    ¡ª¡ªWith such an intimate and casual tone, he should have a good relationship with his parents.


    ¡°I see, I¡¯ll be back soon, bye.¡±


    Jiang Chen hung up the phone, turned around and met Yang Yun¡¯s gaze. He paused, ignoring the strange feeling in his heart, and smiled lightly.


    ¡°Aunt Yang, I¡¯m sorry, my mother has already prepared my dinner, and I can¡¯t have dinner with you.¡±


    Yang Yun had already guessed it, but when she heard Jiang Chen say this, she still felt a little disappointed in her heart: ¡°Since your mother has already prepared dinner, let¡¯s have dinner together next time, do you want Auntie to send you back? ¡°


    ¡°No need.¡± Jiang Chen declined politely, ¡°This place is very close to my house, and I also need to help my mother buy some things, so I¡¯ll just walk back.¡±


    Yang Yun could only nod: ¡°Then be careful on the road.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, and after saying goodbye to He siblings in a warm voice, he turned and left the coffee shop.


    The Jiang¡¯s was indeed not far from here. If one walked, one only needed to pass through a park and walk seven to eight hundred meters along the street to reach the community where the Jiang family¡¯s house was located.


    Holding a cake in one hand, Jiang Chen walked around the bamboo forest in the center of the park, and occasionally stopped to watch the night view, taking it easy and leisurely. Although walking through the bamboo forest would be closer, but today was the 20th anniversary of his parents¡¯ marriage, and he wanted to give them more time for just the two of them.


    At the end of the bamboo forest was a lake shrouded in moonlight. The melodious sound of the violin came, accompanying the ripples and flowing water quietly. Jiang Chen stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. After a while, he followed the softer and softer sound. Walking through a short path, an open space suddenly appeared, and in the middle stood a young man playing the violin.


    The young man didn¡¯t notice an outsider¡¯s arrival, and skillfully changed the position of his fingers on the string. His eyes were gentle and clear, and the sound of the violin was full of longing.


    Jiang Chen stood where he was, unable to help but stop and listen.


    At the end of the piece, the boy lowered his head and stroked the violin in his hand, his profile under the moonlight was quiet and lonely.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t want to disturb him, so he left on light footsteps. Before he walked out of the path, he suddenly heard a suppressed sob. His steps paused, and he could hear faint sobbing mixed with some incomprehensible words. Jiang Chen stood for several seconds and then turned and went back.


    A clean handkerchief appeared in his vision.


    The boy squatting on the ground raised his head in a daze, and it took a few seconds for him to react. He hurriedly wiped away his tears, stood up and said, ¡°Thank you, but no need.¡±


    Jiang Chen took back the handkerchief: ¡°I heard you playing the violin when I passed by just now, and I couldn¡¯t help listening to it for a while longer. I¡¯m sorry if I disturbed you.¡±


    After apologizing, Jiang Chen nodded slightly, turned and left.


    ¡°Wait.¡± The boy called to stop him.


    Jiang Chen turned his head, looking puzzled.


    You Jiuyu tightened his grip on the violin, his ears turned red, and his voice was dry with tension: ¡°Can you listen to me playing another piece?¡± Pausing a bit, he seemed to have gathered his courage and looked straight into Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes, saying word by word: ¡°I want to try, how it will feel to have an audience.¡±


    Jiang Chen walked to the bench beside the open space and sat down, saying with a slight smile, ¡°I look forward to it.¡±


    The young man¡¯s eyes followed him, accidentally meeting his smiling eyes. He turned his eyes away, took a deep breath, rested his left cheek lightly on the chin rest, closed his eyes and started playing.


    At the end of the piece, the boy opened his eyes, his anticipation clearly visible.


    Jiang Chen truthfully told his feelings: ¡°It¡¯s very nice. Although I don¡¯t know much about music, I can hear longing from it.¡±


    ¡°Longing¡­..?¡± The young man thought of something, and he lowered his eyes and fell silent. After a while, he looked up at the night sky and said softly: ¡°If you are not in a hurry, can you listen to three more? Every time before, the person I miss would listen to me play five pieces.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The boy turned his head and smiled, lowering his eyes and began playing.


    Three pieces of violin music with completely different styles flowed from his fingertips. When it was over, Jiang Chen was a little regretful.


    The young man smiled shyly, sat down beside Jiang Chen, and carefully put the violin into the case.


    ¡°Thank you, for the first time in ten years, someone listened to me playing the violin.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled slightly: ¡°It¡¯s my honor.¡±


    The young man looked up at the sky, and said softly, ¡°It¡¯s actually my honor for you to listen to me playing the violin. In fact¡­..for a moment just now, I thought you were the person my mother sent to comfort me.¡±


    Jiang Chen also raised his head and said with a smile, ¡°She must be using her way to comfort and support you where you can¡¯t see.¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyelashes trembled, and he turned to look at Jiang Chen. For some reason, facing a stranger, he suddenly had the desire to confide in him: ¡°My mother was a violinist¡­..¡±


    The boy¡¯s mother was a very famous violinist when she was alive. She played all over the world all year round, but unfortunately passed away in a car accident on the way back from a performance. His father, who loved his mother deeply, did not want to be hurt by memories, and since then he had not allowed anything related to the violin in the house, including the sound. Since then, he had never practiced the violin at home, and only brought his violin to this park to practice every time he missed his mother, day after day, and it had been ten years now.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s voice was calm and gentle: ¡°Have you never thought about talking to your father?¡±


    The boy smiled wryly and shook his head: ¡°Father thinks that I don¡¯t have the talent to play the violin. In his eyes, no one in this world can match the music played by my mother. Of course, I also feel the same¡­..¡±


    ¡°Does your mother feel the same way?¡±


    The young man was startled, turned to look at him, and after a long time, said: ¡°My mother once said that I was the most talented violinist she had ever seen, but that¡¯s just a mother¡¯s opinion of her child¡­..¡± His voice gradually lowered, his eyes dimming.


    ¡°Your mother is not only a mother, but also an excellent violin player. You should trust her fairness and professionalism in her evaluation, and most importantly¡­..¡± Jiang Chen turned his head and smiled: ¡°Tonight, these few violin pieces were the most beautiful and touching music I have ever heard.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and smiled slightly: ¡°Of course.¡±


    The young man stared at him in a daze, until Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows in puzzlement, then he quickly looked away: ¡°Thank you, thank you, and your comfort¡­.¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is the truth, not just consolation.¡± Jiang Chen glanced at his watch, and placed the second one of the buy-one-get-one cake next to the young man: ¡°A reward for touching people¡¯s hearts, I believe you will have more viewers in the future. I should go now, see you in the future if there¡¯s a chance.¡±


    The young man¡¯s eyes fell on the cake box. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Jiang Chen had already walked out of the open space. He hurriedly stood up, chased after him, and called out: ¡°May I know your name?¡±


    Jiang Chen looked back and smiled slightly: ¡°Jiang Chen.¡±


    ¡°My name is You Jiuyu.¡± You Jiuyu walked up to Jiang Chen, looked him in the eyes, stretched out his hand and said, ¡°Nice to meet you, Jiang Chen.¡±


    Jiang Chen shook his hand, and said with a slight smile, ¡°I am also very happy to meet you, You Jiuyu.¡±

 CH 55

    July 22nd, the He family.


    ¡°Qian Min, can Mom come in?¡±


    He Qianmin didn¡¯t take his eyes off the draft paper, and responded casually: ¡°Come in.¡±


    Yang Yun pushed the door open while holding a fruit plate, and saw her younger son who was doing a math question at the desk and her daughter who was lying on her younger son¡¯s bed reading a book. This had been the case for a while recently and it was no longer surprising after becoming used to it. She went to put the fruit plate on the small table in the leisure area, and said with a smile: ¡°Qian Yang just called and said that he will arrive in a little over an hour, so remember to go down to see him in later.¡±


    He Qianmin didn¡¯t even raise his head: ¡°Brother Qian Yang is as familiar with our house as his own, so what¡¯s the point.¡±


    Yang Yun said gently: ¡°Today is Qian Yang¡¯s birthday, wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to say happy birthday to him as soon as possible?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all the same when you say happy birthday.¡± He Qianmin finished writing an answer, turned to the next page and said, ¡°It¡¯s not like if you say it earlier, you won¡¯t be a year older.¡±


    He Qianyu raised her head, swinging her legs and smiling into a crescent moon: ¡°Second Brother is right.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you two.¡± Yang Yun tapped He Qianyu¡¯s nose: ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you two put on such a united front before, but now you are practically singing together.¡±


    He Qianmin gave a legitimate reason: ¡°I have to study.¡±


    He Qianyu followed closely and said: ¡°Brother Qian Yang rubs my hair every time he sees me, so I don¡¯t want to go down and let him rub it!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because your brother likes you.¡± Yang Yun said: ¡°Your eldest brother has already set off to pick up his friend, and if you two don¡¯t go down, won¡¯t it be very rude?¡±


    ¡°Who did Eldest Brother go to pick up?¡± He Qianyu was curious.


    ¡°Han Qiya.¡± Yang Yun said with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s sister Ya Ya who often teased you when you were young, do you remember?¡±


    He Qianyu shook her head: ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°You might remember when you see her later.¡±


    He Qianyu pouted, but did not speak.


    Seeing her little expression, Yang Yun paused and asked, ¡°Xiao Bao, can Mom ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± He Qianyu flipped through the book and said casually.


    ¡°Did you have any conflicts with your eldest brother recently?¡± Yang Yun said carefully, ¡°I noticed that you seldom go to play with him these days.¡±


    He Qianyu¡¯s swinging legs stopped, and the movement of turning the pages of the book also stopped.


    He Qianmin put down his pen and turned the chair to face the bed, ¡°She thinks that He Qianjian will be in his third year of high school soon, and she is afraid of disturbing his study, so she comes to bother me every day.¡±


    Yang Yun laughed: ¡°So that¡¯s it.¡±


    He Qianyu nodded quickly: ¡°That¡¯s right, didn¡¯t Eldest Brother not do so well on the recent two exams? He never studied before but since he came second in the last midterm exam, he always locked himself in the room to study. This time he only took third place in the final exam, so I think he would definitely study harder, so I can¡¯t bother him even more.¡±


    Yang Yun nodded, a little worried: ¡°Your brother has always been first place before, and his test scores are not satisfactory these two times, so he should be very upset. It¡¯s just that he is too proud. When he doesn¡¯t do well on the exams, he shuts himself away to study and never says anything to us.¡±


    He Qianyu looked up at Yang Yun: ¡°Mom, are you worried about Eldest Brother?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yang Yun patted He Qianyu¡¯s head: ¡°Your eldest brother looks more mature and stable than others since he was a child, but he is still a child at heart, and he is a kid who cares more about face than others. Mom is worried that he won¡¯t be able to cross this hurdle.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He Qianyu comforted in a low voice: ¡°Eldest Brother can do everything well, isn¡¯t there many people saying that he is a second Brother Shi? It¡¯s not so easy for someone as smart as Eldest Brother to be knocked down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yang Yun didn¡¯t want to mention her worries about her eldest son too much in front of her other two children, so she shifted her gaze to He Qianmin: ¡°Qian Min, Mom remembers that you don¡¯t seem to have homework during summer vacation, What are you writing these days?¡±


    ¡°Competition questions.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°If I do some more practice questions, those questions that I don¡¯t understand, I can ask my brother about it all together at that time.¡±


    Thinking of the young man she saw last time, the smile in Yang Yun¡¯s eyes unconsciously gentled: ¡°Xiao Chen is coming here to attend your cousin¡¯s birthday party, not to tutor you.¡±


    ¡°My brother will definitely check my question book.¡± He Qianmin quickly calculated the math on the draft paper. The huge number distracted him, and he couldn¡¯t help feeling yearning and worshiping: ¡°If I had even half the mental arithmetic ability as my brother then that would be great.¡±


    Yang Yun thought about Jiang Chen¡¯s grades which she had heard about before, and said with a smile: ¡°Xiao Chen has really good grades. From childhood to adulthood, he is the only one who could pass your elder brother¡¯s exam score.¡±


    He Qianmin paused, and snorted: ¡°How could He Qianjian compare with my brother? He Qianjian only got 100 points in a test because he could only get 100 points, but my brother only got 100 points in a test because there are only 100 points.¡±


    Yang Yun laughed and couldn¡¯t help but cast a chiding glance at him: ¡°You won¡¯t be happy unless you speak ill of your brother all day long, is that it?¡±


    He Qianmin put down his pen, stood up and said, ¡°I never speak ill of my brother, I only praise him.¡±


    Yang Yun was taken aback for a moment, and it took a few seconds for her to react. Seeing He Qianmin walking outside, she said, ¡°Qian Min, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To pick up my brother.¡±


    He Qianyu threw the book away, jumped off the bed, and ran after him before she could even put on her shoes: ¡°I¡¯m going to pick up Brother Jiang Chen too!¡±


    The sound of the two briskly going downstairs came, and Yang Yun shook her head with a smile before also leaving He Qianmin¡¯s room.


    Before Jiang Chen went out, he answered a phone call and received a text message. The text message was from Li Nanfeng, the content was that he asked Shi Fengyue to pick him up on time, and the call was from He Qianmin, telling Jiang Chen that he was already on his way to pick him up. Without much hesitation, he replied a text message to Li Nanfeng, telling him that Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t have to come to pick him up.


    But who would have thought that when he went downstairs, two cars stopped at the entrance of his house, one in front and the other in the back. The man was leaning beside the off-road vehicle in front, and the boy in the car behind had a dark face.


    Jiang Chen paused, and the man and the boy turned their heads at the same time.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother.¡±


    A small head stuck out from the front row of the car, waving excitedly: ¡°Brother Jiang Chen!¡±


    Under the watching eyes of the three, Jiang Chen raised his leg and walked towards the parking lot.


    Shi Fengyue rested his elbows on the top of the car door. Don¡¯t know if it was because of the cigarette between his fingers or the hazy eyes behind the smoke. But the clean style of white shirt and trousers actually appeared rather sexy and indolent on him instead.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze paused, and he stopped in front of Shi Fengyue: ¡°Dr. Shi.¡±


    The corner of Shi Fengyue¡¯s lips hooked upwards slightly: ¡°Get in the car.¡±


    When Jiang Chen approached nearer, he realized that his lips were redder than usual, and the corners of his eyes were also slightly red, and he couldn¡¯t help but change his words: ¡°Dr. Shi is not feeling well?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shi Fengyue rubbed the center of his brows, his voice low and husky: ¡°Last night, there were two operations in a row, and I just got off work.¡±


    Jiang Chen was taken aback for a moment, he remembered that Shi Fengyue performing operations was all based on his mood, so how could there be times when two operations were performed in a row.


    ¡°Car accident.¡± Shi Fengyue seemed to see his question, and said calmly: ¡°The emergency room was too busy, so I went over as I was still at the hospital.¡±


    Jiang Chen frowned, ¡°Then why did you promise Li Nanfeng to pick me up?¡±


    Shi Fengyue took out his mobile phone, clicked on the call log, and the number of missed calls was displayed as 89.


    ¡°From my second surgery last night to the end of it.¡± Shi Fengyue put his phone back in his pocket and said lazily, ¡°Not only that, but he also sent more than 130 text messages.¡±


    Jiang Chen was silent for a moment, and suddenly felt that he was also partly responsible. After all, Li Nanfeng was pestering Shi Fengyue because of him. After thinking about it, he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t Dr. Shi ride with us in the same car? It¡¯s not safe for you to drive when you¡¯re so tired. ¡°


    He Qianmin got out of the car just now, and when he heard Jiang Chen say this, although he was a little reluctant, he just curled his lips and did not refuse.


    However, Shi Fengyue glanced over lazily, and said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s too crowded.¡±


    He Qianmin snorted: ¡°You sit in the co-passenger seat, and the three of us sit in the back row, so we won¡¯t squeeze you.¡±


    ¡°Come get your car after you¡¯ve rested.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°You can catch up on a nap in the car.¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s eyes fell on Jiang Chen¡¯s face, he paused for a moment, then nodded slightly: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After Shi Fengyue got into the car, Jiang Chen, He Qianyu and He Qianmin sat in the back row one by one. It was probably the first time for He Qianyu to sit in this position, and she kept turning left and right, with a small face full of excitement.


    When the novelty was over, she shifted her attention to the things in Jiang Chen¡¯s hands, and asked curiously, ¡°Brother Jiang Chen, is this a gift for Brother Qian Yang?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen smiled.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A little robot.¡±


    ¡°Robot? Can it move by itself?¡±


    ¡°It can carry out simple instructions.¡± Jiang Chen smiled, ¡°It can help you bring over things within its reach.¡±


    ¡°Really! That¡¯s amazing!¡±


    He Qianyu opened her eyes wide, and He Qianmin also looked over.


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s voice came from the front row, unhurried but certain: ¡°You made it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen was a little surprised that Shi Fengyue could guess it, but he didn¡¯t think too much about it: ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of any suitable gift, so I brought this.¡±


    He Qianmin tilted his body to this side, staring at the box on Jiang Chen¡¯s lap as if he wanted to punch a hole, and see what¡¯s inside right away: ¡°Big Brother, you made it yourself?¡±


    ¡°I made it a long time ago.¡± Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°The outer shell is a bit crude, not as exquisite as my father¡¯s craftsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Brother Jiang Chen¡¯s father knows how to make robots?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze became nostalgic: ¡°But he could make all the toys I want.¡±


    ¡°Brother Jiang Chen¡¯s father is so capable.¡± He Qianyu looked adoring: ¡°Brother Jiang Chen is also so capable!¡±


    Shi Fengyue turned his head and asked, ¡°Can I have a look?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t seal the box, it was easy to open and close, so he handed it to Shi Fengyue.


    He Qianmin and He Qianyu followed the box closely, and when Shi Fengyue opened the gift box, they squeezed over together and looked with their heads craned.


    ¡°Cool.¡±


    ¡°Wow~¡±


    The two exclaimed and moved their heads closer together.


    Shi Fengyue took out the robot which was less than thirty centimeters high from the box, looked at it carefully, and found the start button.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m R01, what is my ownerr¡¯s order?¡±


    As soon as the robot spoke, He Qianmin and He Qianyu scooted forward some more.


    Shi Fengyue raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°It only accepts orders from designated people, or all orders?¡±


    ¡°It can be set.¡± Jiang Chen said: ¡°Currently it is all instructions.¡±


    ¡°Is the voice system the one on your phone?¡±


    ¡°The big data and model is similar.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°But the functions of the two are different, so there are some differences.¡±


    ¡°What is your positioning for it?¡±


    ¡°Household.¡±


    Shi Fengyue put the robot upright in the cardboard box, and said softly, ¡°R01, what can you do?¡±


    ¡°I can serve tea and water for my owner, and I can also read the news and tell jokes to my owner. If my owner is bored, I can also play games with my owner online.¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly: ¡°En? How do you play games?¡±


    ¡°As long as my owner downloads the game to the mobile hard disk, and then copies it to R01, then R01 can play the game after learning it.¡±


    Shi Fengyue raised his eyes and turned to look at Jiang Chen: ¡°You should know what it means for a robot that can learn autonomously to appear in the world.¡±


    Jiang Chen said: ¡°R01 is not self-learning, it just has faster computing power, and its computing power can only allow him to store the gameplay of a few small-memory games, and he can¡¯t learn games that are too complicated.¡±


    Shi Fengyue looked at Jiang Chen quietly, and after a few seconds, he chuckled lightly and put the robot back into the box, saying with a lazy smile in his tone, ¡°It seems that Li Nanfeng will be busy.¡±


    The corners of Jiang Chen¡¯s lip curled upwards, noncommittal.


    When he decided to give the robot to He Qianyang, it was naturally impossible that he really didn¡¯t know what to give, but he didn¡¯t expect Shi Fengyue to be so keen that he could see through his purpose in just a few words.

 CH 56

    The terrain of Yan City was square, and the area was roughly divided into five areas: east, west, north, south, and the center.


    The Jiang family was located in the Zhonghai District in the center of Yan City, while the He family was in the Huyang District to the north. Even if the road was unimpeded, it would take about 40 minutes to drive from the Jiang family to the He family.


    The driver, Uncle Wang, dropped Jiang Chen and the others off, and just as he drove the car into the garage, He Qianyang¡¯s car arrived.


    The girl sitting in He Qianyang¡¯s co-passenger seat said: ¡°A few people passed by just now, I think I saw your little cousin, he really looks like you!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± He Qianyang backed up the car, took off his sunglasses and said, ¡°They likely came down to pick me up, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The girl held He Qianyang¡¯s hand and said nervously: ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve come to your relative¡¯s house and I didn¡¯t bring anything with me. Won¡¯t it be rude?¡±


    ¡°My uncle and my aunt are very nice, you will know when you see them later.¡± He Qianyang said with a smile: ¡°Among my three cousins, the eldest would never embarrass you on the surface, and the second eldest is the kid you just saw. He is an adolescent and likes to pretend to be cool, showing a cold face to everyone, you can just treat him as a kid with second year junior high syndrome. The third child is the only little princess in our family for several generations, but she has a very good personality, you will definitely like her when you see her.¡±


    The girl repeated what He Qianyang said just now, and after memorizing it in her heart, she raised her head and said, ¡°I just saw that your little cousin didn¡¯t have a cold face. And he was chatting and laughing with others.¡±


    ¡°You really see it correctly? After that kid went to junior high school, I only saw him sneer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a sneer.¡± The girl¡¯s delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she still couldn¡¯t find a suitable adjective after searching her brain. She could only say simply: ¡°It¡¯s the kind of Prince Charming smile, you know? It¡¯s very gentle, and all young girls would definitely fall for it when they see it.¡±


    He Qianyang paused, turned around and looked at his girlfriend seriously. When she became puzzled, he put his hand on her forehead: ¡°Baby, either you are blind or you saw it wrong, trust me, my cousin doesn¡¯t have that expression.¡±


    Girl: ¡°But I saw it.¡±


    He Qianyang: ¡°You saw wrong.¡±


    Girl: ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡±


    He Qianyang: ¡°I believe it, but I know my cousin. He may smile, but he can¡¯t smile like you said. You really saw wrong.¡±


    Seeing his obviously disbelieving expression, the girl felt a surge of indignation. She grabbed him and strode forward: ¡°I will prove it to you!¡±


    He Qianyang followed her footsteps and was dragged off by her. He laughed as he walked, ¡°If you want to see him smile, I will use my elder brother¡¯s prestige to force him to smile for you later. If he doesn¡¯t smile like Prince Charming I won¡¯t let him sleep, okay?¡±


    As soon as they entered the door, the girl stopped suddenly. He Qianyang almost had no time to hit the brakes. He put his arms around his girlfriend¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Why did you stop?¡±


    The girl shushed him, pulled him to hide behind a tree, pointed to the front and said, ¡°Look for yourself, if he is smiling the gentle smile of Prince Charming that girls would like or not!¡±


    ¡°Why are we hiding¡­..¡±


    He Qianyang was puzzled and looked in the direction his girlfriend was pointing at. When he saw He Qianmin first, he noticed that his expression was indeed much better than what he had seen before. Don¡¯t know what he was talking about to the person next to him but it indeed held atrace of the gentleness his girlfriend mentioned¡­..


    No, wait. He Qianyang¡¯s eyes widened a little bit. That boy in front with a sweet and obedient expression and letting people rub his head was really He Qianmin? !


    Impossible!


    He, did, not, believe, it!


    That was definitely not He Qianmin!


    He Qianyang let go of his girlfriend¡¯s hand, and walked towards the frightening scene in three steps. The shock on his face didn¡¯t disappear as he approached and heard their conversation. Instead, he was even more disbelieving.


    Listen to what He Qianmin said:


    ¡ª¡ª¡±Big Brother, I did all the questions you left last time, and you promised to accompany me for a day, does it still count?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡±My cousin¡¯s group of friends like to scream and howl. You definitely would not like it. Let¡¯s play in my room later.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡±Their neighborhood compound is full of old men and ladies. Last time he made too much noise on his birthday he was beaten up by my uncle, which is why he came to our house to hold the party now.¡±


    The boy next to him seemed to chuckle, and said with a smiling voice: ¡°It seems that you and your cousin have a very good relationship.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡±So-so, he is just as noisy as He Qianyu.¡±


    ¡°He, Qian, Min.¡± He Qianyang adjusted his expression, smiled and enunciated every word of his name, before saying in his most gentle voice: ¡°You saying that about your brother who usually dotes on you on his birthday, won¡¯t your conscience feel a little bit pained?¡±


    He Qianmin turned his head but when he saw He Qianyang he didn¡¯t feel guilty at all. He just turned his head again and said, ¡°This is He Qianyang, and today is his birthday.¡±


    Jiang Chen also turned around and looked over. When his gaze met He Qianyang¡¯s face, there was an imperceptible pause. His eyes curved in a smile and he said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Jiang Chen, happy birthday.¡±


    Not long after his words were uttered, He Qianyang¡¯s girlfriend chased over, tucked her hand in the crook of his arm, and looked at Jiang Chen with a gentle smile, ¡°Hello, little cousin, I¡¯m Qian Yang¡¯s girlfriend Zhu Yao, he often talks about me to you, no, no , it¡¯s he often talks about you to me. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m a little nervous, but it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    The air was quiet for a moment.


    ¡°Cough cough, hahahahahahahahahahaha¡ª¡ª¡±


    A burst of laughter came from behind. Its owner had yet to appear but his voice already traveled over first, and they knew who it was without even looking over.


    Li Nanfeng came over clutching his stomach and leaning against the wall. When he noticed everyone¡¯s gaze, he stood up straight with difficult and said, ¡°No, this is just too funny, He Qianyang, didn¡¯t you tell your girlfriend what He Qianmin is like? How could there be a case of mistaken identity?¡±


    The corners of Jiang Chen¡¯s lips curved slightly, and he explained: ¡°I¡¯m not Mr. He¡¯s little cousin, the one next to me is.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Zhu Yao was stunned for a moment, looking at He Qianyang.


    He Qianyang looked away, patted He Qianmin on the shoulder, and said, ¡°This is my little cousin, He Qianmin.¡±


    Zhu Yao blushed instantly, ¡°Sorry, sorry, you and my boyfriend look too much alike, I thought you were his cousin, sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Jiang Chen smiled and shook his head.


    Because of this little misunderstanding, He Qianyang¡¯s girlfriend, Zhu Yao, hid in the small hall after saying hello. And in order not to be so obvious, she even dragged He Qianyu along, leaving a room full of boys outside.


    When Shi Fengyue got out of the car, he went to the guest room to catch up on sleep. At this time, in the courtyard were Jiang Chen, He Qianmin, He Qianyang, and Li Nanfeng who suddenly appeared.


    Li Nanfeng was still clutching his stomach and laughing, while He Qianmin¡¯s face was dark because of what happened just now, and neither of them had any intention of opening their mouths. It was the first time Jiang Chen and He Qianyang met. Under such circumstances, they could only start the conversation themselves. Fortunately, the gift he brought was right next to him.


    ¡°This is a gift for you.¡± Jiang Chen said with a smile, ¡°Happy birthday.¡±


    He Qianyang didn¡¯t open it in a hurry, his eyes fell on Jiang Chen¡¯s face, and he sighed: ¡°I don¡¯t blame Yao Yao for recognizing wrong. If I hadn¡¯t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn¡¯t have imagined that there is someone who looks so similar to me in this world.¡±


    ¡°I never imagined it either.¡± Jiang Chen smiled lightly.


    He Qianyang smiled and joked, ¡°Maybe we are long-lost brothers.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t be your brother even if that was the case.¡± He Qianmin said with a stinky face, ¡°He would be mine.¡± After speaking, he turned to Jiang Chen for approval: ¡°Right, Big Brother.¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyes and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    He Qianmin was finally in a better mood, curled his lips at He Qianyang and said, ¡°What eyes does your girlfriend have? My brother doesn¡¯t look like you at all. When you look in the mirror, are you even half as handsome as my brother?¡±


    He Qianyang waved his fist threateningly: ¡°He Qianmin, you are looking for a beating on my birthday, right?¡±


    He Qianmin grinned, showing his canine teeth: ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an adult, I won¡¯t quibble with a little kid.¡± He Qianyang snorted, then turned to Jiang Chen and asked, ¡°Can I open it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    He Qianyang found a nearby step and sat down on the spot where he opened the lid of the gift box, ¡°This is the first gift I received today¡­..Damn, it¡¯s so cool!¡±


    ¡°This is a robot?¡± He Qianyang took out the robot inside, looked it over, and said excitedly: ¡°I haven¡¯t seen this style on the market before, where did you buy it? Is it a limited edition?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s limited.¡± He Qianmin crossed his arms and snorted, ¡°My brother made it himself.¡±


    ¡°You made it yourself?¡± He Qianyang looked up curiously, and Li Nanfeng finally stopped laughing, and looked at the robot in Li Nanfeng¡¯s hand after hearing this as well.


    He Qianyang fiddled with the robot, but he couldn¡¯t find the power button. He Qianmin became impatient, walked over and squatted down. He grabbed it and started it himself, ¡°This is how you play.¡± He pressed the start button and put the robot on the ground.


    The eyes under the robot¡¯s helmet lit up, turned around to face Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m R01, what¡¯s my owner¡¯s order?¡±


    He Qianyang was taken aback, and looked down at the blinking robot on the ground wearing a cool helmet. The eyes under the glass cover suddenly lit up with round pixels.


    ¡°This robot¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen said: ¡°R01, your owner is right behind you. From now on, you will only accept his orders.¡±


    R01 turned around, raised his cool little head little by little, and after saving He Qianyang¡¯s image, said: ¡°To change the command, please enter the password.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°0722.¡±


    ¡°The password is correct.¡± R01 walked towards He Qianyang: ¡°Hello, owner, I am R01, and I am very happy to be your robot.¡±


    He Qianyang was in a dazed state the whole time, until the little robot patted his leg, he suddenly came back to his senses, and raised his head in disbelief: ¡°This robot¡­..it can communicate with me?¡±


    ¡°It is able to communicate simply.¡± Jiang Chen said: ¡°Because it is a gift for you, the initial password I set is your birthday. If you want to change any original settings including passwords, just talk to it directly, and then give the password to it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He Qianyang nodded blankly, after a while, he suddenly raised his head again, and said in unison with another voice: ¡°You made this?¡±


    Li Nanfeng picked up the robot, looked it up, down, left, and right. His Adam¡¯s apple rolled up and down a few times, and he looked at Jiang Chen with unconcealable eagerness in his eyes: ¡°Bigwig, can we talk right away?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, and said to He Qianyang: ¡°Happy birthday to you again, I hope you will like the gift I gave you.¡±


    He Qianyang took back the robot in Li Nanfeng¡¯s hand, looked at it fondly, then raised his head and smiled and said, ¡°This is definitely the coolest gift I have received so far, thank you, I like it very much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great that you like it.¡± Jiang Chen said with a smile, ¡°CEO Li and I still have some things to talk about. It seems that Mr. He¡¯s friends have also arrived, so I won¡¯t bother you for now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Mr. He, my cousin call you brother, so we are a family, just follow him and call me Brother Qian Yang.¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling CEO Li? How can our relationship be called so distantly? Call me Brother Feng, from now on I will be your close blood brother!¡±


    He Qianyang and Li Nanfeng spoke at the same time and ended at the same time, and they also glanced at each other at the same time.


    Jiang Chen called obediently: ¡°Brother Qian Yang, Brother Feng.¡±


    ¡°Come down early after you finish talking, I¡¯ll introduce my friends to you later.¡± He Qianyang contentedly went to entertain the friends who had just arrived.


    Li Nanfeng couldn¡¯t wait to take Jiang Chen upstairs, and said as he walked: ¡°As long as we confirm the cooperation intention, everything will be arranged by your orders after that, and I will give you the greatest freedom and authority, and will not interfere with any of your research. You don¡¯t need to worry about funding, what you have in your hands can definitely convince the board of directors¡­..¡±


    When Jiang Chen and Li Nanfeng went upstairs, another car stopped in front of the He family¡¯s iron gate.


    He Qianjian got out of the car, went around and opened the door on the other side, and smiled at the person inside: ¡°Here we are, come on out.¡±


    Above the pastel-colored high-heeled shoes were well-proportioned and slender legs, and a knee-length short skirt which wrapped those long legs. The soft and gentle looking girl in a small designer lady suit got out of the car, and smiled slightly: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He Qianjian bent down gentlemanly: ¡°It is my honor to serve a beautiful lady.¡±


    Han Qiya brushed her long hair behind her ears, met He Qianjian¡¯s straightforward gaze, pursed her lips and smiled, ¡°I haven¡¯t been back for a long time, and I¡¯m a bit unfamiliar, can Young Master He introduce everything here again to me?¡±


    He Qianjian stretched out his hand and said, ¡°No need to go to the trouble, let¡¯s go in together, and everyone will come to introduce themselves to you.¡±


    Han Qiya¡¯s eyes shifted and she didn¡¯t move for a long time. He Qianjian said half-jokingly and half-seriously: ¡°Do you still need to hesitate about holding your fianc¨¦¡¯s arm?¡±


    ¡°That was just a joke of our grandpas.¡± Han Qiya stretched out her arm to tuck it into the crook of his elbow, and blinked playfully, but the smile in her eyes faded a bit: ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be bound by this old custom and tradition.¡±


    He Qianjian lowered his eyes and said harmlessly, ¡°It¡¯s all up to you.¡±


    There were already quite a few people in the main hall. He Qianyang had always been extroverted. He made friends ranging from fifteen to sixteen years old to thirty or forty years old. When the people gathered together, it was difficult to distinguish them from their age levels. Many also didn¡¯t know each other, but most of the people here have met He Qianjian, because he often followed He Qianyang and attended parties that he attended.


    Therefore, when He Qianjian led Han Qiya into the door, many people greeted him.


    Someone was curious: ¡°Young Master He, who is this?¡±


    ¡°Currently¡ª¡ª¡± He Qianjian paused, gave the other a look, and then said with a smile, ¡°A friend.¡±


    The other person understood, held up the champagne and said, ¡°Friends now, but it might not always be friends. Here, I wish you the best in advance.¡±


    Han Qiya took a glass of champagne from the tray and said with a generous smile, ¡°I also wish you and Young Master He a long-lasting friendship.¡±


    The other person paused, and looked at He Qianjian. The smile on He Qianjian¡¯s face faded, but soon recovered: ¡°Come, come, cheers.¡±


    He Qianyang¡¯s birthday party officially started when the sunset began glowing in the sky. He himself was very good at enlivening the atmosphere. In addition, the band that the party planning studio found was a very popular group recently, and everyone soon became excited.


    Another rock song ended. A girl in hot pants ran onto the stage, grabbed the microphone and said loudly, ¡°After listening to rock for so long! Does anyone want to listen to something quieter! Something more lyrical! A song suitable for a love confession!¡±


    The last sentence ignited everyone¡¯s enthusiasm for gossip, and they responded one after another:


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°A tribute to love!¡±


    ¡°Who confesses! With whom!¡±


    The girl raised her hand to signal for quietness below, and said with a smile: ¡°Since everyone wants to listen, how about we invite the recognized musical genius, He Qianyang¡¯s cousin He Qianjian, to come on stage and present a violin piece, let¡¯s wish him good luck!¡±


    ¡°Oh oh oh¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian! He Eldest Young Master!¡±


    The whistling was accompanied by eager eyes gathering around. He Qianjian paused the hand holding the wine glass, and lowered his head to hide the displeasure in his eyes.


    No one discussed this matter with him and just called him onto the stage, treating him as an actor who comes and goes when he was called?


    Han Qiya turned her head and said with a smile: ¡°I still remember the piano piece that amazed everyone at your tenth birthday party. I didn¡¯t expect you to play the violin as well. It seems that today there will be a treat for the ears.¡±


    He Qianjian raised his head and pretended to be generous: ¡°Since Miss Qi Ya wants to hear it, of course I have to present a piece.¡±


    Under everyone¡¯s attention, He Qianjian put down his wine glass and ordered someone to go upstairs to get his violin. He stepped onto the stage and jokingly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already asked someone to bring the violin, but let me explain in advance that my violin hasn¡¯t been practiced for a long time. If I don¡¯t play well later, I hope everyone won¡¯t laugh at me.¡±


    There was good-natured laughter in the audience, and someone said: ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that Young Master He is a musical genius. Shocking even Master Waller with a violin piece at the age of twelve. How could he not play it well?¡±


    People who knew He Qianjian all echoed an agreement, and the lively atmosphere did not cool at all during the short waiting period.


    He Qianjian smiled on the surface, but he was communicating with the system in his head.


    [Help me find the person who plays the violin best within the widest range.]


    [Searching¡­..the person with the highest violin talent nearby has been found, located 130 meters southwest of you. Are you sure you want to exchange violin skills?]


    He Qianjian frowned in his heart: [Who is it, it won¡¯t be too shabby, right.]


    [After testing, this person¡¯s violin talent belongs to the top level of the pyramid in the world.]


    [And compared to Waller?]


    [The talent is higher than Waller¡¯s, but the skill is not as good.]


    He Qianjian was relieved, and the smile on his face was much more genuine and natural. He nodded to the audience, and said to the system: [Of course. There are a few people in the world who can surpass Waller in skill. Okay, then it¡¯ll be him.]


    [Violin skills are being exchanged¡­..the exchange was successful, and the host can use it for 30 minutes.]


    Second floor.


    Jiang Chen, who was discussing the cooperation details with Li Nanfeng, suddenly paused and raised his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Jiang Chen stretched his shoulders and said, ¡°The party should have already started, and the details are almost all discussed, let¡¯s go down first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Li Nanfeng closed the laptop and said, ¡°I will hold a board meeting tomorrow, and I pick you up at your home the day after tomorrow. When we arrive at the company, we can finalize more details.¡±


    The two packed up, turned around and went downstairs.


    The villa of the He family was similar to a courtyard house. In addition to the courtyard built around the whole house, there was also a three-story sunny garden room in the center of the house. The little study room the two were in was located in the west wing second floor. The west wing was only open to guests, not connected with the northern part where the owner lives, and the main hall where the party took place was on the first floor of the north wing. So if they wanted to go there, they could only pass through the garden room, or take the separate stairs of the west wing, walk around the courtyard and into the main hall.


    Li Nanfeng went to call Shi Fengyue, and Jiang Chen went downstairs first. When he reached the stairs, he paused, stood there for a moment, then turned and went down another staircase.


    There were a few people here and there in the courtyard, and it wasn¡¯t deserted at all, but the place that was even more lively was the main hall with laughter and music.


    Jiang Chen came out from the side door of the west wing, and before he even took a few steps, he heard the sound of a violin, playing a melodious tune. He couldn¡¯t say anything professional about it, but he knew it was played well.


    The violin music, which became more and more crescending, flowed into Jiang Chen¡¯s ears while accompanied by applause. Thinking of the conversation he had just heard, he paused, and slightly pursed his lips. He wondered whose skill He Qianjian had exchanged this time.


    ¡°Jiang Chen?¡± A tentative voice with unconcealed surprise called from behind.


    Jiang Chen looked back at the sound, and the moment he saw the shy young man with a shy smile under the moonlight, something flashed through his mind, and he hesitated, ¡°You Jiuyu?¡±

 CH 57

    You Jiuyu shyly said: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡± He looked at Jiang Chen, his hands curling in fists nervously behind his back.


    ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°You also came to He Qianyang¡¯s birthday party? Why aren¡¯t you going in.¡±


    You Jiuyu scratched his cheek with his fingers, and said embarrassedly: ¡°I¡¯m not used to this kind of occasion, and I don¡¯t know anyone, and I feel awkward standing inside. You¡­..are going in now?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes fell on his somewhat lonely expression, and he said with a smile, ¡°I want to get some fresh air outside.¡±


    You Jiuyu¡¯s eyes lit up, he pointed to the rattan sofa, and said tentatively, ¡°Then let¡¯s sit there for a while.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The violin music from the hall changed from melodious to passionate, then from passionate to lyrical, and gradually came to an end.


    Jiang Chen and You Jiuyu sat side by side, one thoughtful, the other looking at the brightly lit hall, hiding the dimness in his eyes.


    ¡°You¡­..¡± You Jiuyu started cautiously, and when Jiang Chen looked at him, he immediately avoided his gaze and whispered, ¡°Are you Brother He¡¯s friend too?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Jiang Chen smiled lightly, ¡°I¡¯m his cousin¡¯s friend.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Young Master He?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°No, He Qianmin.¡±


    You Jiuyu was a little surprised: ¡°Are you the one who gave Brother He the robot?¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head: ¡°Did you see that robot?¡±


    ¡°Everyone saw it.¡± You Jiuyu smiled and said, ¡°Brother He showed it to us all. At that time, many people asked him where he bought it. He said it was a gift from Second Young Master He¡¯s friend. Brother He said your name, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be you. That robot is so amazing, and everyone said that they have never seen such an intelligent robot.¡± He paused, and said, ¡°You are so amazing, Jiang Chen. ¡°


    It was clear that he was praising others, but his face was even redder than the person being praised. Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°Thank you for your compliment.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a compliment.¡± You Jiuyu turned his head, and said seriously in a small voice: ¡°What I said is what I think in my heart, I really think you are very amazing, you are one of the most amazing people I have ever seen, unlike me¡­..¡± The corner of his mouth pulled stiffly and he gradually pursed his lips.


    Seeing You Jiuyu trying his best to cover up but still showing some of his inferiority complex, Jiang Chen smiled and asked, ¡°How are you?¡±


    You Jiuyu lowered his eyes, and the corners of his mouth pulled up with self-mockery: ¡°I can¡¯t do anything well, I always make people worry, and it¡¯s difficult for me to communicate with others¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at him sideways: ¡°You play the violin very well, it was some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. Worry comes from love, people who love you will worry about you no matter what you become, because they love you. And as for communication¡­..do you find it difficult to communicate with me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± You Jiuyu quickly denied, and then lowered his head after meeting Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze, saying softly, ¡°You are different.¡±


    Hearing this, Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment. Thinking of his tense and cautious manner all the time, he thought that maybe he was so shy because he really rarely communicated with others.


    ¡°And¡­..¡± You Jiuyu continued: ¡°I can¡¯t play the violin in front of others. What¡¯s the difference between art that can¡¯t be shown and art that is non-existent?¡±


    Jiang Chen was puzzled: ¡°When you were in the park, you played it very well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± You Jiuyu shook his head: ¡°At that time, there was only you in the park.¡±


    Jiang Chen was thoughtful, thinking in his heart, one who could only play the violin when the audience was very small, and if there were too many people, he would feel pressured, might be because of a psychological issue.


    While the two were chatting, the violin music also ended. Amidst the warm applause and the sound of ¡°encore¡± echoing one after another, You Jiuyu couldn¡¯t help looking at the hall full of lights and laughter again.


    Jiang Chen noticed his gaze and asked, ¡°Want to go in?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± You Jiuyu quickly withdrew his gaze, and lowered his eyes to cover up: ¡°I only know Brother He, and there must be many people who he needed to entertain today. If he still had to take me into consideration, it would be too much trouble for him.¡±


    Probably because the audience was too noisy, the violin music began again. You Jiuyu raised his head unconsciously, and glanced over there again.


    Jiang Chen saw the longing and envy in his eyes, and pondered, ¡°Do you want to play the violin?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± You Jiuyu shook his head: ¡°I can¡¯t play the violin in front of others.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried many times.¡± You Jiuyu said with a wry smile, ¡°Not once has it succeeded. Every time I see them, my hands would become uncontrollably stiff, and I would be so nervous that I couldn¡¯t play at all.¡± After a pause, he said: ¡°Only in front of you is there an exception.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°If every time you perform, you treat it like I¡¯m the only one in the audience, would you still be nervous?¡±


    You Jiuyu said in a daze, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then try.¡±


    You Jiuyu: ¡°How to try?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and smiled, took out his mobile phone, and called He Qianmin.


    He Qianmin saw Li Nanfeng and Shi Fengyue come down, but didn¡¯t see Jiang Chen. He was about to call him, but when he saw that the other called first, he immediately retreated from the busy hall and connected the phone.


    ¡°Big Brother? Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a spare violin at home?¡±


    He Qianmin was curious: ¡°Yes, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Bring it to the wicker chair in the west courtyard, I need to use it.¡±


    He Qianmin didn¡¯t ask any more questions, and went upstairs to get the violin after agreeing. Within two minutes, he found Jiang Chen with the violin case.


    When he saw You Jiuyu beside Jiang Chen, he paused: ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± You Jiuyu stood up, looking at Jiang Chen nervously and helplessly.


    Jiang Chen smiled encouragingly at him, but didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°My name is You Jiuyu¡­..¡± You Jiuyu¡¯s voice trembled with nervousness, ¡°I¡¯m Jiang Chen¡¯s friend.¡±


    He Qianmin gave him a strange look, nodded, and asked Jiang Chen, ¡°Big Brother, what do you want the violin for?¡±


    ¡°To use.¡± Jiang Chen got up and took the violin in his hand, handed it to You Jiuyu and said, ¡°Have a look, can you play it?¡±


    You Jiuyu took a tentative look at He Qianmin, and then opened the violin case. His eyes lit up when he saw the violin inside, and said, ¡°This is a violin handmade by Master Waller.¡±


    Jiang Chen was a little surprised, but he didn¡¯t know much about these things, so he just asked, ¡°Can you use it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± You Jiuyu touched the strings excitedly, forgetting to be nervous: ¡°Master Waller only makes violins for three people every year, and he has only made just a little over 20 violins so far. I didn¡¯t expect that one day I could also see the master¡¯s violin with my own eyes.¡±


    He Qianmin said lightly: ¡°Like it? It¡¯s yours.¡±


    You Jiuyu was taken aback for a moment, and Jiang Chen also raised his eyes to look at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless for me to keep it.¡± He Qianmin shrugged and said, ¡°The best way to maintain a violin is to play it every day. I haven¡¯t played it for so many years. So why not give it to you, I believe you will not let it down. ¡°


    You Jiuyu didn¡¯t dare to accept it: ¡°I can¡¯t take it, it¡¯s not just precious, it¡¯s¡­..¡±


    ¡°You are worthy of this violin.¡± He Qianmin walked up to Jiang Chen and sat down, saying ¡°I heard you play the violin once when I was young, and it was much better than He Qianjian. He could even have a violin made by Master Waller, why can¡¯t you have one as well.¡±


    ¡°How can I compare to Eldest Young Master He¡¯s violin skills.¡± You Jiuyu said: ¡°His violin playing was once praised by Master Waller himself.¡±


    He Qianmin snorted: ¡°Waller did say that he plays it well, but he also said that he only has the techniques but no emotion. Don¡¯t know why this second half of his words became omitted when it spread outside.¡±


    You Jiuyu was also at He Qianjian¡¯s twelfth birthday party. He recalled the shock of hearing that violin piece, and said, ¡°But his skills have already reached the pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°Then you listen to it now, do you think his skills are still at their peak?¡±


    You Jiuyu was taken aback, and listened subconsciously. A few seconds later, he frowned slightly: ¡°It seems to have regressed a lot.¡±


    He Qianmin sneered: ¡°His violin skills have never been stable, but on the emotional aspect his music is as emotionless as always. In this regard, he would never be better than you.¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡±


    ¡°Do you want it?¡± He Qianmin frowned: ¡°If you don¡¯t want it then forget it, I don¡¯t need it anyway, and it would just be thrown away.¡±


    You Jiuyu: ¡°I want it.¡±


    Seeing him holding the violin case in a cherishing manner, Jiang Chen said with a smile, ¡°Try out your new violin.¡±


    You Jiuyu glanced at Jiang Chen, then turned to look at He Qianmin. The corner of his mouth twitched, but the words that sat on his tongue couldn¡¯t come out.


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°There are two people here, but you can still act as if I¡¯m the only one listening, try it.¡±


    You Jiuyu nodded and tucked the violin under his chin. The moment the bow touched the strings, he took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.


    The sound of the violin in the hall came to an end, and the intermittent sound of the violin in the courtyard replaced it. The people in the hall were stunned, and someone asked: ¡°Is someone playing the violin outside?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Someone guessed: ¡°The person who wants to confess?¡±


    Zhu Yao had just stepped onto the stage, and had silently recited countless lines. After hearing the intermittent sound of the violin outside, she paused and suddenly forgot the lines.


    ¡°I¡­..¡±


    Everyone¡¯s attention was attracted by Zhu Yao on the stage, and He Qianyang also looked at her in surprise.


    Zhu Yao took a deep breath, and at the same time she was nervous, she was thinking that the nervous sound of the violin outside was quite suitable for the occasion, which perfectly matched her mood at the moment. She couldn¡¯t recall what she wanted to say so she improvised: ¡°He Qianyang, I originally prepared a lot of things I wanted to say to you, and I even purposely enhanced the atmosphere, but I didn¡¯t expect that after I came up and saw you, there was only one thing left in my mind.¡±


    There was a whistling sound from below, and He Qianyang raised his hand to signal them to be quiet, but it couldn¡¯t stop everyone¡¯s enthusiasm in seeing the excitement.


    Zhu Yao continued: ¡°The thing I want to say in my mind is¡ª¡ª¡±


    The intermittent sound of the violin outside suddenly eased, like an infinitely gentle girl¡¯s heart, with a lively and brisk pace, but also shyly jumping for joy, like a gently blowing wind, touching people¡¯s hearts. Some people looked outwards curiously, and the lively hall gradually fell into silence.


    Zhu Yao subconsciously glanced at the direction of the sound of the violin as well, and the words that disappeared suddenly appeared in her mind again, but the words that had been edited countless times were not as good as what she wanted to say at this moment. Said: ¡°He Qianyang, I never told you this, but before you liked me, I actually already liked you, at that time¡­..¡±


    Accompanied by the soft and lively sound of the violin, Zhu Yan finished what she wanted to say. She covered her blushing face and looked at He Qianyang who was walking towards her. She felt that the person playing the violin outside must be the bug in her stomach. Each musical note they played coincided with her mood infinitely.


    The perfect musical accompaniment allowed the audience below to feel more deeply the mood of the two protagonists on the stage. They held their breaths, waiting for this romantic moment.


    He Qianyang embraced Zhu Yao, and the two exchanged a kiss. He smiled and said, ¡°This is the best birthday present I¡¯ve ever received.¡±


    There was instantly warm applause from the audience, and the laughter was full of good wishes.


    While accepting the blessings, Zhu Yao whispered to He Qianyang: ¡°I really want to know who is playing the violin outside, it¡¯s too powerful, each note touches deep into my heart.¡±


    He Qianyang was also very curious, he didn¡¯t know that there was such an outstanding violinist among the guests he invited. Not only them, most people in the audience wanted to know where the sound of the violin came from and who was playing the violin.


    Seeing that most of the people were looking outwards intentionally or unintentionally, He Qianyang smiled and said, ¡°The next part of the party will be on the second floor terrace, so how about we go over now, and take a look at who is the enthusiastic accompaniment friend outside.¡±


    Naturally, everyone agreed. The large group of people left the hall one after another and walked towards the direction of the sound of the violin.


    You Jiuyu and Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know that a large group of people was coming here. After the piece ended, You Jiuyu looked down at his hand holding the bow, and said in disbelief: ¡°I actually did it¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen joked, ¡°Can the audience pick a song?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The usual shyness on You Jiuyu¡¯s face faded a lot, he smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll play whatever you want to hear.¡±


    Jiang Chen originally just wanted to distract You Jiuyu from paying too much attention to his own emotions at this time, worrying that he would put more pressure on himself by paying too much attention to being able to play in front of outsiders. But he didn¡¯t expect him to agree so readily. After thinking about it, he said, ¡°The piece I heard when we were in the park last time, is that okay?¡±


    You Jiuyu paused, nodded: ¡°Okay.¡±


    By the pool under the moonlight, the young man closed his eyes and began playing a melodious and soft musical piece. The sound of the violin was like gurgling water, softly telling his longing and loneliness. The people who followed the sound subconsciously lightened their steps and stopped to listen.


    He Qianjian walked at the end of the crowd, and when he saw this scene, he stopped and his expression darkened uncontrollably.


    As soon as the piece ended, the people who were still unsatisfied opened their eyes together with You Jiuyu. Seeing the young man in a daze under the moonlight, they all smiled kindly and said:


    ¡°That was so good.¡±


    ¡°Amazing violin playing, it¡¯s the most touching piece of music I¡¯ve ever heard.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the name of this volin piece? I¡¯ve never heard it before, it sounds so good!¡±


    You Jiuyu put down the violin at a loss, and subconsciously searched for Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen smiled slightly, and nodded encouragingly.


    Don¡¯t know why, but with such a simple gesture, You Jiuyu felt that most of the tension in his heart had dissipated. He smiled shyly, closed his eyes and tucked the violin under his chin again.


    Everyone consciously quieted down.


    He Qianjian vaguely heard an unfinished comment: ¡°¡­..is the violin genius, he plays much better than Eldest Young Master He.¡±


    The hands on his side clenched into fists, and his dark eyes fell on You Jiuyu. After staying for a few seconds, he suddenly noticed two people sitting on the rattan sofa behind him.


    He Qianjian first saw the person in front, He Qianmin, and he gritted his teeth, no wonder the violin looked so familiar, it turned out to be He Qianmin¡¯s violin. He suppressed the anger in his heart, and moved his eyes over. But when he saw the boy next to He Qianmin, his expression suddenly stiffened and he couldn¡¯t believe it:


    ¡ª¡ªJiang Chen?


    Why was he here?!


    Who brought him here? Also, why was he sitting with He Qianmin? Did he discover something, or did He Qianmin discover something? Had he already met He Yanfeng and his wife?


    One question after another came to mind, such that in the end, He Qianjian¡¯s feelings of jealousy had completely disappeared, leaving only panic and fear.


    [System!] He hurriedly called in his mind: [Why is Jiang Chen here? Did he discover something? Does he know his own birth background?]


    The system¡¯s voice didn¡¯t fluctuate in the slightest despite his anxiety and fear. It said coldly: [Jiang Chen¡¯s appearance in the He family does not mean that he has discovered his birth background. Your guess is groundless.]


    [Then why is he with He Qianmin?] He Qianjian¡¯s mind was in a mess: [He Qianmin only knows how to go against me since he was a child, and he has been pondering all day how to find out my weakness. Could it be that he discovered my identity and Jiang Chen¡¯s identity, so he told Jiang Chen and even brought him to the He family, wanting to change our identities back.]


    [With me cleaning up all tails, it is impossible to leave any evidence about your true identities behind, your guess is not valid.] The system said: [Unless someone can crack my code and get the record of your identity swap from me, otherwise no one in this world will know about it, don¡¯t worry.]


    He Qianjian¡¯s state of mind was still unsteady and he said: [If someone cracks it¡­..]


    [Impossible.] The system¡¯s voice was cold and firm: [With this world¡¯s technological level, even after five hundred years, no one would be able to discover my existence, let alone crack my code. You can rest assured.]


    The certainty of the system reassured He Qianjian. He looked up at Jiang Chen and He Qianmin who were talking not far away with smiles on their faces. Recalling his shock and fear just now which were caused by them, even if no one knew about it, he still felt a loss of face.


    Sure enough, every time he came across Jiang Chen, nothing good happened. There was also He Qianmin, who not only opposed him in everything before, but now even got mixed up with Jiang Chen.


    The cold light in He Qianjian¡¯s eyes flashed, he had to find a way so that he could truly put his worries to rest.


    While endless dark thoughts roiled in He Qianjian¡¯s heart, You Jiuyu¡¯s song also came to an end. The place was quiet for a moment, and then there was a sudden burst of applause. Everyone¡¯s faces were full of touched emotions and regret at its end.


    You Jiuyu bowed slightly, walked up to Jiang Chen and He Qianmin and sat down. His cheeks were a little red, but his eyes were bright, with satisfaction and excitement that he had never felt before.


    It was also the first time for He Qianyang to listen to You Jiuyu playing the violin, and he was amazed but also very happy for the other. He knew his shy character and knew that he might not want to continue playing, so he organized everyone with a smile: ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go to the terrace on the second floor!¡±


    The birthday protagonist spoke, and everyone naturally walked upstairs one after another.


    Except on the way, it was inevitable that some people couldn¡¯t help but mention the music just now:


    A girl said to her companion: ¡°When I heard that song just now, I almost cried, you know? The first time I heard such pure music, it really moved me so much. Before, I always thought that I couldn¡¯t appreciate classical music. Now I realize that it¡¯s because I haven¡¯t heard anything that really touches people.¡±


    Her companion said: ¡°I have listened to countless concerts, and that boy¡¯s playing skills just now were not top-notch, but the emotion he puts in his music is the strongest I have ever seen. It¡¯s strange that I haven¡¯t heard of him before. With his ability, he should have been famous a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because he doesn¡¯t like to show off.¡± The girl lowered her voice and said, ¡°Just now, I also listened to the violin music of Eldest Young Master He, which everyone has hyped about. When there is no comparison there is no harm. They can¡¯t compare at all.¡±


    Her companion looked around and lowered her voice to agree: ¡°I also feel¡­..¡±


    Such conversations did not only happen in one place, and some people were very polite and did not talk about it outright, but the murmurs in their hearts were unavoidable. After all, the two played the violin just before and after, so it was difficult for people not to compare them. As for the comparison results, there was no need to repeat them, music that touched people¡¯s hearts vs music that only relied on technique and skill. It was not necessary to express which one was better, as everyone knew the truth well.


    There were too many people talking, and naturally one or two words fell into He Qianjian¡¯s ears. He fell to the back of the line, his face so dark that ink could practically drip from it.


    From coming to this world until now, he had never suffered such shame and humiliation!

 CH 58

    Jiang Chen and the other two fell to the back of the group of people. You Jiuyu was still flushed with excitement, he looked at Jiang Chen with bright eyes: ¡°I really did it.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± You Jiuyu smiled brightly: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He Qianmin glanced at him, and silently inserted himself between him and Jiang Chen.


    Both Jiang Chen and You Jiuyu didn¡¯t notice his true intentions.You Jiuyu smiled and said, ¡°Second Young Master He, thank you for your violin.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± He Qianmin squeezed forward and said lightly, ¡°Use it well.¡±


    You Jiuyu: ¡°I will.¡±


    The three of them walked side by side and followed the big group of people to the terrace.


    The terrace on the second floor of the east wing of the He family house was very large, and there was even a swimming pool. The He family had prepared drinks, snacks and barbecue grills. The guests could either go straight to the pool or have a barbecue together. The atmosphere was very lively and cheerful.


    You Jiuyu¡¯s music moved everyone just now, not many people have seen him here, and they were more or less curious about him, so as soon as he went upstairs, there was an endless stream of people who came to talk to him.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Just after one person left, a beautiful girl came over. She smiled slightly, manner dignified and generous: ¡°Thank you for the wonderful performance you just brought us, it was the most touching performance I have heard in recent years.¡±


    You Jiuyu blushed and said nervously, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°My name is Han Qiya.¡± The girl stretched out her hand and said with a smile, ¡°May I know your name?¡±


    You Jiuyu quickly shook her hand: ¡°You Jiuyu.¡±


    Han Qiya repeated his name lightly, and said with a smile, ¡°Your name sounds really nice, I will remember it.¡±


    You Jiuyu¡¯s cheeks turned redder: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Han Qiya tilted her head, looking at his nervousness, and said with a slight smile, ¡°Am I scary?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± After You Jiuyu stammered, he subconsciously looked to Jiang Chen on the side, soundlessly asking him for help.


    Jiang Chen was talking to Li Nanfeng, and while chatting, he suddenly discovered an interesting phenomenon, that is, wherever Shi Fengyue went, there would be a vacuum zone, and everyone who passed by him would keep a certain distance from him. But no matter where he stood, gazes from all directions would all drift his way either subtly or directly.


    ¡°Everyone is afraid of Dr. Shi?¡±


    Li Nanfeng glanced at Shi Fengyue who was leaning against the railing with a tired expression, and chuckled lightly: ¡°Sort of and sort of not.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows: ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at Shi Fengyue and think he doesn¡¯t seem to have a temper now, but he wasn¡¯t like that when he was a child.¡± Li Nanfeng said: ¡°This guy has a naturally attractive face since he was a child, and he is also recognized as a genius in the circle, so wherever he goes he is the center of attention. It¡¯s fine if he was just looked at by others, but there were always people who liked to stop him and strike up random conversations. This eldest young master didn¡¯t have the temper he has now, and he would ignore anyone who he didn¡¯t know. If anyone dared to delay his affairs, he would make you doubt life in the very next minute.¡±


    ¡°In his second year of high school, there was a boy in the third year of high school who probably didn¡¯t like him very much. One day when he was alone after school, he led a group of people over to block him, and the two sides got into a fight. At that time, Shi Fengyue was only fourteen while the youngest in that group was already sixteen years old, but in the three against one fight, Shi Fengyue managed to break one boy¡¯s head and another boy¡¯s hand. After that kid went home, he probably felt that his side could only be regarded as a victory with casualties. But actually, what he didn¡¯t know was that at the time Shi Fengyue was a sickly child, and he was directly admitted to the ICU after the fight.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes, and Li Nanfeng said: ¡°Shi Fengyue was brought up by his grandfather and uncle since he was a child. He was not in good health when he was born, and these two treated him like a precious pearl held in the palm of the hand. After he was beaten like this, what do you think the Shi family would do?¡±


    There was no need for Jiang Chen to answer, Li Nanfeng continued by himself: ¡°The three boys who beat Shi Fengyue were expelled from school, and the leader was sentenced to prison because he was already an adult, and at that time, Shi Fengyue was still two months away from turning fourteen, so he was given a heavy sentence and was imprisoned for seven years.¡±


    ¡°Seven years later, that is, four years ago, that man came out. His family has some connections, and after he came out, he did quite well with his own business. It may be because he felt he had implicated the two who followed him to beat up Shi Fengyue so he took them along to do business. One time when the three of them were out socializing together, they happened to meet Shi Fengyue who had just returned to the country, and of course when enemies met their eyes blaze with hatred, and after drinking a little wine, they said some ugly things on impulse.¡± Li Nanfeng shook his head and clicked his tongue: ¡°It would¡¯ve been better if they got into a brawl.¡±


    Seeing Li Nanfeng¡¯s expression, Jiang Chen was somewhat curious: ¡°What did they say?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better not know.¡± Li Nanfeng said: ¡°But it¡¯s hard to say, Shi Fengyue probably cared about it at that time, but now he probably wouldn¡¯t care if someone says it in front of him again.¡±


    Even so, Li Nanfeng still didn¡¯t say what those people said, but only told him the result: ¡°Since then, at first those three people have made money in whatever they did, and their business skyrocketed. But just as their company was about to go public, because of tax evasion and falsifying of accounts they were investigated, and someone found an email from the mailbox of the leader, only to find out that his business had been guided by someone else behind the scenes for the past two years, which was why he was doing so well, and the evidence that the person who reported him proved that that person may very well be the one who mentored him behind the scenes.¡±


    ¡°Up to here it¡¯s still nothing particular. But the key is that their company¡¯s competitor directly took over all of their company¡¯s resources. And the second largest shareholder of that competing company is Shi Fengyue.¡±


    Jiang Chen said, ¡°They think Shi Fengyue did it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Nanfeng shrugged: ¡°I don¡¯t know who spread this belief at the beginning, but everyone later felt that Shi Fengyue did it.¡±


    Jiang Chen was curious: ¡°Do you think it¡¯s him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± Li Nanfeng said with a smile: ¡°Putting those three people in prison for three to five years after planning for so long is not like that guy¡¯s style. If he really wants to punish a person, he would definitely punish him to death. But if he was just bored and deliberately wanted to play around with the three of them, it is also possible.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes swept over Shi Fengyue: ¡°So, these people are afraid of him, because they are afraid of offending him and being retaliated against?¡±


    ¡°Look at the eyes of those people, do they seem to be afraid?¡± Li Nanfeng said, ¡°I am guessing that they are all thinking about how to talk to him while not offending him. You will know after a long time, that guy Shi Fengyue, even saying he is a mountain of gold is to underestimate him.¡±


    Jiang Chen asked: ¡°He also has shares in Li De?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Li Nanfeng shook his head: ¡°But I wish he does.¡±


    Before Jiang Chen could become curious, he saw You Jiuyu¡¯s eyes asking for help.


    Jiang Chen turned his gaze to the girl opposite You Jiuyu, nodded slightly to her, and then asked You Jiuyu: ¡°What were you talking about?¡±


    You Jiuyu breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°Miss Han and I just met and exchanged names.¡±


    Han Qiya looked at Jiang Chen with a smile, stretched out her hand and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Han Qiya, I haven¡¯t seen you before, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°Jiang Chen.¡±


    ¡°Jiang, Chen.¡± Han Qiya repeated it word by word, looked at Jiang Chen and said with a smile, ¡°I will remember it.¡±


    Jiang Chen pulled his lips into a smile, and Han Qiya asked again: ¡°Just now I heard you and CEO Li talking, are you familiar with CEO Li?¡±


    ¡°Business partners.¡±


    ¡°If possible, may I know which aspect you are cooperating on?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, ¡°That might not be convenient.¡±


    Han Qiya was not displeased when she was rejected, she stroked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and said with a slight smile, ¡°Then¡­..can I ask you for a dance?¡±


    Before Jiang Chen could refuse, Han Qiya grinned, her eyes turning into crescent moons: ¡°You have already rejected me once, if you refuse me again, I might wonder if I am really that annoying.¡±


    Jiang Chen was stunned for two seconds, then smiled and stretched out his hand, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not very good at dancing, if I step on you later, I hope you won¡¯t regret it.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Han Qiya put her hand on Jiang Chen¡¯s and said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about dancing either.¡±


    Watching the two walk onto the dance floor, Li Nanfeng clicked his tongue twice, turned around and saw Shi Fengyue looking towards this side.


    Li Nanfeng waved his hand and walked to Shi Fengyue¡¯s side. He leaned on the railing and shook his head: ¡°The young ladies nowadays are even better at traps than me.¡±


    Shi Fengyue glanced over at the two people on the dance floor inadvertently, and asked lightly, ¡°What trap?¡±


    Li Nanfeng repeated the exchange between Jiang Chen and Han Qiya just now, and said: ¡°Pose a question that the other party would definitely refuse, and then make another request, so that it is difficult for people to refuse a second time, now tell me if that isn¡¯t a trap or what?¡±


    ¡°That girl likes Jiang Chen?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about this.¡± Li Nanfeng said: ¡°Girls at this age all like Jiang Chen¡¯s type. He is like a prince charming, pure and noble. This type is the best at providing them with room for fantasy.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± After Shi Fengyue looked at the crowd, gaze passing over the gloomy He Qianjian and said casually, ¡°He Qianjian seems to be very hostile towards Jiang Chen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡± Li Nanfeng said: ¡°Not many people don¡¯t know that He Qianjian likes Han Qiya, and before the two of them were even born, the elders of the two families have talked about their children getting married. The way I see it, no matter whether the elders are joking or not, this eldest young master of the He family has already regarded Han Qiya as his future wife. If his wife cuckolds him, you think he wouldn¡¯t be angry?¡±


    Shi Fengyue sneered: ¡°So what if he is angry?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say.¡± Li Nanfeng touched his chin: ¡°No matter what, He Qianjian is He Yanfeng¡¯s eldest son, and Jiang Chen, who has no background or power, will absolutely have no good fruit to eat if he turns up on He Qianjian¡¯s blacklist, but with me here, no one will be able to even think of touching my money tree.¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°You two finished discussing?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Li Nanfeng thought of something, clicked his tongue, and shook his head pretending to be distressed, and sighed: ¡°How is it that I can encounter a once in a century genius so easily? Is it because I was born to make money? As God¡¯s darling, I am also quite exhausted.¡±


    Shi Fengyue glanced at him, straightened up and walked towards Jiang Chen.


    Just as Li Nanfeng was about to call him, he saw He Yanfeng and his wife, who had appeared at some unknown time, talking with Jiang Chen, and He Qianjian, He Qianmin, and Han Qiya were also standing beside them.


    He hissed, my God, what kind of combination was this.


    No can do, he must go over and support his money tree immediately!


    AN: Li Nanfeng: I shall guard my money tree!

 CH 59

    Li Nanfeng¡¯s footsteps were as speedy as the wind, and he passed Shi Fengyue in three to two steps, walking straight to Jiang Chen¡¯s side.


    ¡°Uncle He, Aunt Yang.¡± Li Nanfeng put his hand on Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°Uncle He, I heard that this year¡¯s new subway line would connect two stations on the land you got in the northern suburbs last year, congratulations!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He Yanfeng laughed. His eyes swept over He Qianmin who was whispering in Jiang Chen¡¯s ear, and landed on Li Nanfeng¡¯s arm on Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulder: ¡°You two know each other?¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    ¡°Of course.¡± Li Nanfeng put down his hand on Jiang Chen, put away his playful smile, and said, ¡°Let me formally introduce to Uncle He, Jiang Chen, Li De¡¯s business partner, who is also my most important partner at present.¡±


    ¡°In order to finalize the contract with Jiang Chen as soon as possible, I specially entrusted Shi Fengyue to bring him here first, so that I could come over to have a meeting with him immediately after getting off the plane.¡± Li Nanfeng paused, and said with a smile: ¡°As soon as I arrived I dragged Jiang Chen into a meeting, and didn¡¯t even have time to introduce friends to him. I was just thinking about taking him around.¡±


    He Yanfeng glanced at Jiang Chen thoughtfully. He didn¡¯t have much contact with Li Nanfeng, who usually had a smile on his face, but a young man who had just been in Li De for three years could turn the shareholders¡¯ meeting into his one man show, and could make the older generation sigh in appreciation when they mentioned him. No matter how approachable he was, He Yanfeng didn¡¯t think he was really easy to approach.


    At least, in the several cooperations between him and Li Nanfeng, he had never seen him introduce someone so sincerely, let alone protect someone so obviously.


    But¡­..He Yanfeng laughed, it seemed Li Nanfeng was afraid that he would bully Jiang Chen, or worried that Jiang Chen would offend him, that was why he came here so impatiently to take him away.


    He Yanfeng said with a smile: ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, then I won¡¯t bother you young people, just relax and have fun.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Li Nanfeng said with a smile: ¡°Then Uncle He, we¡¯ll leave first if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±


    He Yanfeng nodded, raised his eyes and inadvertently caught a glimpse of Shi Fengyue walking towards this side at an unhurried pace. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes: ¡°Feng Yue is here today too?¡±


    Li Nanfeng looked back at Shi Fengyue who had already approached, and said: ¡°Yes, he has been busy in the hospital since he returned to China, and he finally has a day off today, and it also happened to be Qian Yang¡¯s birthday, so we came here together.¡±


    After the words fell, Shi Fengyue had already walked up to him. He nodded slightly to He Yanfeng and Yang Yun, ¡°Uncle He, Aunt Yang.¡±


    After saying hello, he looked down at Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Tell me when you go back, and I¡¯ll send you.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, then smiled: ¡°Okay.¡±


    He was not slow, the reason Li Nanfeng and Shi Fengyue would come here at this time, it was very likely that they were worried that he had no experience in facing this kind of situation, so they came to help him out and support him. Although he knew that they had misunderstood, he also could not ignore or reject their kindness with peace of mind.


    He Yanfeng was really surprised now: ¡°You know each other?¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Li Nanfeng smiled and said: ¡°The reason I could meet Jiang Chen is because of Shi Fengyue.¡±


    He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows, someone who could have Shi Fengyue introduce him to Li Nanfeng, and being valued so much by Li Nanfeng¡­..Thinking of the cooperation project with Jiang Chen that Li Nanfeng mentioned before, he suddenly became curious: ¡°Before, you said that you and Jiang Chen are business partners, what are you cooperating on?¡±


    ¡°The cooperation project has to be kept secret for the time being.¡± Li Nanfeng said with a smile: ¡°Uncle He must forgive me, it¡¯s related to commercial secrets.¡±


    He Yanfeng looked at Jiang Chen, and was even more surprised in his heart. How capable was this young man who had just reached maturity, such that two of the most talented figures among the younger generation in the circle showed such favor towards him.


    ¡°It seems that Li De is preparing to make a big move.¡± He Yanfeng smiled at Jiang Chen and said, ¡°I look forward to hearing good news from you.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°Thank you Uncle He.¡±


    Li Nanfeng said: ¡°Then Uncle He, we¡¯ll go over first, Jiang Chen hasn¡¯t eaten yet, so we¡¯ll take him over to eat something.¡±


    Yang Yun heard this and said: ¡°Xiao Chen, Auntie heard that you like to eat braised meatballs. Just now I heard you arrived, so I asked the kitchen to prepare some. Since you haven¡¯t eaten yet, would you like to eat some?¡±


    Jiang Chen was taken aback. Seeing Yang Yun¡¯s expectant gaze, he opened his mouth and then slightly pursed it, then said with a smile, ¡°Okay, thank you, Auntie.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Yang Yun was happy, and looked at the others with a smile: ¡°If you haven¡¯t eaten, you can all go to the dining room to have some.¡±


    Li Nanfeng finally realized that he might have misunderstood just now, and thinking of what he said just now, he coughed in a low voice: ¡°I won¡¯t be going, just now Qian Yang said he has something to ask me, and I also have something to discuss with him.¡±


    As soon as Li Nanfeng left, standing on both sides of Jiang Chen became He Qianmin and Shi Fengyue. Standing next to He Qianmin was Han Qiya, and opposite to Han Qiya were He Qianjian and He Yanfeng and his wife.


    He Qianmin said: ¡°Then I will go with my brother.¡±


    Han Qiya also smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve eaten authentic Chinese braised meatballs, I¡¯m so craving it.¡±


    He Qianjian had been standing here since He Yanfeng and his wife came over, and he was relieved after hearing their conversation with Jiang Chen, confirming that they had not discovered Jiang Chen¡¯s identity. But this relieved sigh had yet to fully be released when he heard Yang Yun say that she specially prepared food for Jiang Chen.


    His heart tightened, and he couldn¡¯t help observing Yang Yun¡¯s expression carefully. After seeing the smile and fondness in her eyes, his heart sank slowly.


    In his memory, Yang Yun had always been a gentle and virtuous mother who treated him and He Qianmin and He Qianyu¡¯s friends very warmly, but even so, this kind thing of ordering the kitchen to prepare the favorite food of their friends as soon as she came back from outside had never happened before.


    Moreover, Yang Yun was very good at treating everyone equally, whether it was towards the three of them, relatives¡¯ children or their friends. But at He Qianyang¡¯s birthday party where there were so many people, she only prepared food for Jiang Chen, so what did that mean?


    The only reason He Qianjian could find was that the connection between mother and child was just thay strong. Even if she didn¡¯t know that Jiang Chen was her son, she couldn¡¯t help but want to like him very much.


    He Qianjian lowered his eyes and suppressed the gloom in his eyes. This was something he absolutely didn¡¯t want to see. He had to find a solution.


    ¡­¡­


    After the party was over and all the guests left, the five He family members plus He Qianyang sat in the living room to rest.


    He Qianjian seemed to mention casually: ¡°Qian Min, how did you and Jiang Chen know each other? I haven¡¯t heard you mention it before.¡±


    He Qianmin was texting Jiang Chen, and snorted without raising his head when he heard the words, ¡°Is that any of your business?¡±


    Not only He Qianjian, but He Yanfeng and Yang Yun were also very curious. Yang Yun said, ¡°Min Min, Mom also wants to know, how did you and Xiao Chen know each other?¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips, and said: ¡°A few boys in our school picked on me before and blocked me in the alley next to the library while I was alone. My brother saved me.¡±


    ¡°No wonder.¡± He Qianjian smiled, saying in a tone that seemed to point out something: ¡°Last time he and his two friends beat up a big group of people like me and my friends, and I was always curious about how he could fight so well. It turns out that he has a lot of experience.¡±


    He Qianmin raised his head and looked at He Qianjian expressionlessly, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± He Qianjian said: ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that you would be deceived, and I want to remind you that you can know people¡¯s faces but not their hearts, so don¡¯t trust others too easily.¡±


    ¡°Deceived?¡± He Qianmin sneered, put down his phone and said, ¡°Who can deceive people better than you, He Qianjian?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s expression froze slightly, and the smile on his face faded: ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Seeing that the two were about to quarrel after just a few words, Yang Yun frowned worriedly, and turned to look at He Yanfeng.


    He Yanfeng leaned close to her ear and said in a low voice: ¡°Let them be, if we get involved all the time, they will never be able to untie their knots, maybe it¡¯s not a bad thing to quarrel.¡±


    Yang Yun looked at the two boys who were at war with each other, sighed softly in her heart, and didn¡¯t speak.


    He Qianmin sneered: ¡°What do I mean, are you really not sure or not? Last time at the skating rink, you should be very clear about who was the first to provoke who, who was the first to make trouble, and who was the first to attack. If you weren¡¯t very clear, why would you reverse the whole thing upside down when you got home?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s eyes turned cold, and from the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of He Yanfeng and his wife who were paying attention to this side. He suddenly smiled, and said in a helpless tone that seemed to say everything was as he expected: ¡°Jiang Chen told you all this?¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± He Qianmin smiled coldly: ¡°My brother never told me about this. Do you think you are the only one in the skating rink? There was my friend in the rink that day.¡±


    ¡°Which friend of yours?¡± He Qianjian smiled instead of getting angry, as if he was forgiving a child who made trouble for no reason: ¡°How do you know whether he is telling the truth or a lie? How can you be sure that he was not involved in what happened? And that what he saw was true.¡±


    He Qianmin narrowed his eyes, stared closely at He Qianjian for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, ¡°He Qianjian, your acting skills are really good, if you have this ability, why bother to follow these crooked ways, study more on how to act, and go make a movie, you might even win an award.¡±


    He Qianjian sighed: ¡°Qia Min, I know that you have misunderstood me ever since that car accident, I always felt that as your older brother, it is okay to tolerate you, even if you would rather call an outsider brother this and brother that than call me brother, I have never been angry. But you would rather believe an outsider than me, and even reverse black and white to confront me because of him, it makes me sad.¡±


    He Qianmin sneered: ¡°Continue acting.¡±


    He Qianjian shook his head, as if he suddenly remembered something, and said, ¡°I only want to say one thing. After that if you still feel that Jiang Chen is as harmless as you imagined, then I won¡¯t persuade you anymore.¡±


    He Qianyang, who had been playing with his mobile phone, looked up, glanced at He Qianmin who had a cold expression on his face, and then his eyes fell on He Qianjian.


    He Qianjian said: ¡°Last semester, Jiang Chen¡¯s grades in the exams dropped to below the top hundred. Their classroom teacher scolded him for this, and he confronted their classroom teacher in public. Later, in the monthly exam, their classroom teacher lost the test papers, and suspected that some students stole them to cheat, so he took the other teachers into the classroom to search the desks. When it was Jiang Chen¡¯s turn, Jiang Chen refused to allow anyone to touch his things, and said in front of the whole class that their classroom teacher was targeting him, that if there are test papers in his drawer, it is because their classroom teacher put them there.¡±


    ¡°The classroom teacher was pushed into a dilemma and finally had to give up. Who knew that Jiang Chen got first place in the exam, and the other teachers still suspected that his grades were not true, so they took him to the principal¡¯s office to confront him. Who knew, in the end, it was their classroom teacher who got suspended.¡± He Qianjian said with a smile: ¡°This is the first time I heard that a teacher, in order to maintain the fairness of the exam for the whole class, ended up being suspended from teaching because of a student whose desk was not searched.¡±


    He Qianyang raised his eyebrows, turned his eyes to see the expressions of his uncle and aunt. Seeing that they were really listening, he thought that He Qianjian was really not a simple person, he imagined it would be difficult for his little cousin to win against He Qianjian today.


    ¡°Not only that.¡± He Qianjian continued: ¡°It didn¡¯t take long for the students and parents of their school to know about this matter. Some parents urged an investigation into this matter. In the end, not only was the classroom teacher fired, even the vice principal who supported the investigation to the end was sent to jail because of being reported.¡±


    He Yanfeng pondered for a moment, and said, ¡°You¡¯re talking about Sun Tengyun? When Huang Chang wqs pulled down from his position?¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He Qianjian said with a smile: ¡°It was in that shuffle that the two teachers who offended Jiang Chen ended badly.¡±


    ¡°What does this have to do with Jiang Chen?¡± He Qianyang said jokingly: ¡°No matter how great his ability is, he can¡¯t affect the higher-ups, eldest cousin, you¡¯re going too far here.¡±


    He Qianjian: ¡°Jiang Chen indeed can¡¯t do it, but he knows Shi Fengyue. Huang Chang¡¯s superior is the Zhang family, and the Zhang family and the Shi family have always been old rivals.¡±

 CH 60

    On the second day after returning from the He family house, Jiang Chen had a long talk with his parents.


    Since he was reborn, he did not deliberately keep them away from everything he did. Yang Si often cleaned his room for him. Perhaps she had been puzzled by the computer that was always on in his room, but she had never touched his desk computer. Otherwise, it was likely that some clues would have been discovered long ago.


    This trust and respect made Jiang Chen feel both warm and distressed. He thought that if his parents found out and asked him, he would be able to explain to them in a logical manner why he suddenly fell in love with computers and became good at it so quickly, but he never thought despite a long time having passed they still never mentioned it.


    Now he was about to sign a contract with Li Nanfeng soon, and he would be busy in the future juggling studies and his career. Moreover, their current family situation was not financially well-off, but he would not be able to give the bank card to his parents for home use without explaining things clearly.


    Therefore, he decided to inform his parents of all his actions that did not involve the secret of his rebirth, including the reason why Yang Tianci¡¯s family suddenly owed debts.


    After talking about all the events that took place in the four months from mid-March to mid-July, Jiang Chen put the bank card on the coffee table and lowered his eyes slightly, those handsome features unable to hide his uneasiness and nervousness.


    Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si looked at each other, they knew ll along that their son had undergone many changes, but they never thought that so many things had happened to him during this period of time, let alone that in places they couldn¡¯t see, he had silently done so much for their family.


    Yang Si¡¯s eyes were red, she gently held Jiang Chen in her arms, and said in a low voice, ¡°Chen Chen, thank you for your hard work.¡±


    Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment, and the look in his eyes was a little nervous when he raised them: ¡°Mom, don¡¯t you think my methods of dealing with the Yang family are too¡­..¡±


    ¡°They did it to themselves!¡± Yang Si interrupted him, looking into his clear eyes, her nose stinging from suppressed tears: ¡°It¡¯s because Mom is too useless, if it wasn¡¯t for Mom who couldn¡¯t let go of the Yang family, you don¡¯t need to use this method to send Yang Tainci to prison to prevent the Yang family from harassing us again, but those who specialize in debt collection are too dangerous. Chen Chen, we don¡¯t want the money the Yang family owes us, and you musn¡¯t have any contact with them in the future.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at Jiang Zhuo, Jiang Zhuo patted him on the shoulder, and said with red eyes: ¡°Listen to your mother, we don¡¯t want that money.¡± After a pause, he said: ¡°It¡¯s Dad who is too useless, unable to protect you and your mother well.¡±


    Jiang Chen opened his mouth, but Jiang Zhuo laughed and interrupted him: ¡°But I am very relieved. When you were not born, your mother and I discussed what kind of person we want you to be. We discussed it for three months and even quarreled over this, before finally agreeing.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo looked into Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes: ¡°We hope that you would be sincere and upright but not pedantic, open and candid, kind and tolerant, and you have done it.¡± He took his wife and son into his arms with a smile, and said, ¡°Son, Dad is proud of you.¡±


    The subsequent conversations all revolved around the anecdotes of Jiang Chen¡¯s childhood. Jiang Chen looked at the happy expressions on his parents¡¯ faces as they were immersed in memories, glanced at the bank card on the table, and smiled slightly. These were his parents.


    ¡­¡­


    The next day.


    Jiang Chen let go of all his worries, and slept in late for once. However, before it was even nine o¡¯clock, Jiang Chen¡¯s cell phone kept vibrating every ten minutes, non-stop from nine o¡¯clock to half past nine, making Jiang Chen wake up with a rare bed temper.


    With his head buried in the quilt, he frowned and said, ¡°Changjiang, turn off all my communication devices.¡±


    The room was quiet, and only the cell phone on the desk was vibrating.


    The vibrating sound lasted for more than ten seconds before the room became quiet again, but Jiang Chen was completely out of sleepiness. He lifted the quilt and walked to the desk, clicked on the missed call, and dialed it back.


    Li Nanfeng connected the call almost immediately, and he called out: ¡°Ancestor! My living ancestor! If you didn¡¯t answer the phone, I would have personally gone to your community and knocked on the doors one by one!¡±


    Jiang Chen yawned, opened the curtains and said, ¡°Before you didn¡¯t set a specific time for the meeting, I thought it would be in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°It was indeed afternoon¡­..¡± Li Nanfeng was silent for a moment, and said: ¡°But there is someone who wants to see you, and that person is only free in the morning, so I sent someone to pick you up at the gate of your community early in the morning.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know as soon as you come.¡± Li Nanfeng said slyly: ¡°It¡¯s definitely someone who is beneficial to you and not harmful to you. My person is already at the gate of your community. Tell me the apartment number, and I will let them be there soon. They¡¯ll wait downstairs, and won¡¯t delay for a minute.¡±


    Jiang Chen reported the apartment number, and asked: ¡°Shi Fengyue knows which unit my house is, why didn¡¯t you call him before and ask him?¡±


    Li Nanfeng hissed, just imagining it was scary: ¡°Call him? Do you know what would happen if you wake him up on the day he rests? You don¡¯t want to know, big brother will give you a friendly reminder, if it is not absolutely necessary, never disturb his sleep.¡±


    After Jiang Chen changed his clothes, he laughed lightly and said, ¡°Is he very angry when he wakes up?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way, Shi Fengyue¡¯s current temper is like an angel compared to when he was in school. Only when he wakes up, will he switch back to that horrible temper he had in school. And this is just referring to when he gets up by himself, once he is woken up by others, then¡­..¡±


    Hearing Li Nanfeng¡¯s unfinished words and inhalation, Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up, I¡¯ll be down right away.¡±


    Li Nanfeng immediately ended the topic: ¡°Then hurry!¡±


    The Jiang family was not far from the Li De Group, and before ten o¡¯clock, Jiang Chen arrived at Li De¡¯s headquarters.


    Li Nanfeng¡¯s assistant had been waiting there for a long time. After recognizing Li Nanfeng¡¯s car, he immediately ran forward to help open the door, and said respectfully, ¡°Mr. Jiang, please.¡± After seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s appearance, he paused slightly. Although he knew that the protagonist of the emergency meeting at the headquarters yesterday was not very old, he did not expect him to be this young.


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The assistant smiled, walked ahead and led the way. He took Jiang Chen directly to the exclusive elevator that went directly to the top floor.


    In the office, a hale and hearty old man sat on the sofa. Li Nanfeng personally made a cup of tea and brought it to the old man.


    The old man took a sip of tea and said with a light smile, ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Li Nanfeng breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s good that Mr. Xiang likes it.¡±


    After the words fell, there was a knock on the door, and the secretary walked in and said in a low voice, ¡°Assistant Yang has brought Mr. Jiang.¡±


    Li Nanfeng stood up and said, ¡°Invite him in.¡±


    Mr. Xiang put down his tea cup and turned his head to look at the door. A surprisingly young boy appeared behind Li Nanfeng¡¯s assistant. After sweeping his eyes over the strangers in the room, he nodded politely before turning his head to look at Li Nanfeng and smiled, ¡°CEO Li, who is this?¡±


    Li Nanfeng walked up to Jiang Chen in three steps and said to him, ¡°This is Mr. Xiang, an academician of the Information Technology Department of the National Academy of Sciences. He mainly studies computer vision. Mr. Xiang, this is Jiang Chen, and he is the make of He Qianyang¡¯s robot.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at the old man who was exuded prestige, and politely leaned forward slightly: ¡°Hello, Mr. Xiang.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Jiang Chen.¡± Mr. Xiang nodded, pointing to the sofa next to him: ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    The three sat down, and Mr. Xiang said first: ¡°I have seen the robot you designed, and it is very good, especially in the two aspects of target recognition and machine learning. Could you talk about the way R01 processes this information? For example, image analysis or computational theory.¡±


    Jiang Chen pondered for a moment, then slowly said: ¡°R01 can obtain information from images and multi-dimensional data, not so much because of its image processing and analysis or big data, but because of its decision-making ability¡­..¡±


    As Jiang Chen talked more, Mr. Xiang sat up straighter. Later, he was so fascinated by what he was listening to, he simply tore off a few sheets of paper from Li Nanfeng¡¯s desk, and made calculations while recording.


    After not having been able to discuss his research field with anyone for a long time, Jiang Chen was also very satisfied. He took a sip of tea and saw that Mr. Xiang carefully folded a few pieces of irregularly torn paper, and put them in his inner pocket.


    Mr. Xiang: ¡°Xiao Jiang, I heard that you are studying in Yan No. 1 High School, and you will be in the third year of high school next semester?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Mr. Xiang: ¡°Then have you thought about where to go for university? What major to study?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I will choose Yan University¡¯s computer science major, I¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°The computer science major at Yan University is indeed good, but if you plan to study artificial intelligence in the future, the mathematics major at Hua University is more suitable for you. If you think the mathematics major at Hua University is good, Grandpa will write you a letter of recommendation and let you directly be accepted to Hua University, what do you say?¡±


    Jiang Chen was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: ¡°Mr. Xiang, I¡­..¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling Mr. Xiang?¡± Mr. Xiang said with a smile: ¡°I should be about the same age as your grandpa. You can just call me Grandpa Xiang. After our discussion this morning, we can be regarded as friends despite a difference in age. In the future, if you have any academic or research problems, you can find Grandpa Xiang.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Xiang.¡± Jiang Chen followed the advice readily, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Hua University accepted recommendation letters.¡±


    Li Nanfeng thought in his heart: I know, the last time I saw those schools breaking through the bottom line and snatching people without them needing to even take the college entrance exam was when Shi Fengyue was fifteen years old. He had  thought he would see this only once in his life, who would have thought he would be fortunate enough to see it a second time.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mr. Xiang said with a smile: ¡°The robot you designed could definitely participate in the youth science competition. Although the preliminaries and semi-finals have passed, I have the right to directly recommend it to the finals. The finals will be held in September. It will start in one week, and the results will be released in the second week of October, at that time you will be able to get the admission letter.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said: ¡°I appreciate your kindness, but every moment of my three years of high school is very precious to me, including participating in competitions and the college entrance examination. I don¡¯t want to miss any of it.¡±


    ¡°Even if you are recommended, you can still take the college entrance examination.¡± Mr. Xiang: ¡°And if you participate in the math competition, you will still be recommended in the end, so it is all the same if you are recommended in advance.¡±


    Jiang Chen said politely, ¡°Grandpa Xiang, I haven¡¯t decided on a major yet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Mr. Xiang smiled kindly: ¡°You go to Hua University first, and if you want to change your major then, Grandpa will talk to the dean of your mathematics department.¡±


    Seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s conflicted expression, Li Nanfeng poured tea into Mr. Xiang¡¯s cup, and said with a smile: ¡°Mr. Xiang, Jiang Chen is just in his third year of high school, and he may not have thought about which school he would like to go to before, so having him immediately make a choice is a bit too fast. Why don¡¯t you wait and let him have more time to think about it.¡±


    Mr. Xiang pondered for a few seconds, and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°Yan University has done well in academics in recent years, but it is not so good in terms of research. Xiao Jiang, you should think about it carefully.¡±


    AN: Yan University, counting down ten seconds before they also reach the battlefield (just kidding)

 CH 61

    The conversation between Jiang Chen and Mr. Xiang continued until noon, and it didn¡¯t end until Assistant Yang brought an unfamiliar man into the office.


    The man looked exasperated: ¡°Grandpa, didn¡¯t I tell you to rest at home? Why did you run out without even bringing the driver?¡±


    The conversation being interrupted, Mr. Xiang raised his hand impatiently: ¡°I said I don¡¯t need to rest, I¡¯m in better health than your father. Don¡¯t worry about me, if you want to worry, then just worry about him. Xiao Jiang, let¡¯s continue.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly to the man as a greeting, and then continued to discuss the topic just now with Mr. Xiang, ¡°Based on the current technology¡­..¡±


    Only then did the man notice Jiang Chen. His eyes fell on Jiang Chen¡¯s face and he was taken aback for a moment, then he turned to Li Nanfeng and asked, ¡°He is¡­..?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen.¡± Li Nanfeng introduced Jiang Chen briefly, and said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Xiang came early in the morning. The two of them haven¡¯t rested since discussing together at ten o¡¯clock. I was just going to ask them to go downstairs for a meal together.¡±


    The man¡¯s gaze stayed on Jiang Chen. Don¡¯t know what they were talking about but the young man suddenly pursed his lips and smiled. The dimple on his cheek deepend as his smile widened. Those handsome features were full of smiles and really gave him a sense of deja vu.


    ¡°Will you eat with us later?¡± Li Nanfeng smiled and said, ¡°Uncle Xiang? Uncle Xiang!¡±


    Xiang Hong came back to his senses suddenly, but he didn¡¯t take his eyes off Jiang Chen. He raised the corner of his mouth in a smile and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Li Nanfeng looked at him suspiciously, then suddenly realized something. He leaned into his ear and whispered: ¡°Similar right.¡±


    Xiang Hong tilted his head, quite puzzled: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen¡ª¡ª¡± Li Nanfeng glanced at the old man and young man chatting happily together, and lowered his voice: ¡°He looks similar to He Qianyang, right?¡±


    Xiang Hong frowned, carefully looked at Jiang Chen¡¯s profile again, shook his head and said, ¡°No.¡±


    Li Nanfeng raised his eyebrows in surprise. He thought that Xiang Hong kept staring at Jiang Chen because he thought he looked a lot like He Qianyang, but if it wasn¡¯t for this reason, why was he staring at Jiang Chen? So puzzled, he simply asked.


    Xiang Hong looked away and smiled slightly: ¡°I just think it¡¯s amazing, it¡¯s rare for a child of this age to chat with Grandpa so happily.¡±


    Li Nanfeng smiled back, but he was still dubious in his heart. However he was just asking casually, and if Xiang Hong didn¡¯t want to say it, he also did not ask further.


    With a low cough, he walked up to Jiang Chen and Mr. Xiang, and under Mr. Xiang¡¯s unfriendly gaze, he said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Xiang, Xiao Jiang, I have already asked my assistant to book a seat at Zhuyun Pavilion downstairs. Let¡¯s go down and eat.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his hand, and only then realized that it was lunch time. The conversation between him and the old man was really pleasant, and he got a lot of inspiration and new ideas from the other¡¯s words.


    Society progresses with the advancement of science, but the great human migration before the start of the interstellar age resulted in a loss of a lot of important data, including computer science research data. These lost data were very valuable in all aspects. The human beings in the outer galaxy were isolated and helpless, and spent a period of dark times because of their weakness. This period of time was called ¡°the reclamation years¡± by later generations, which showed the retrogression of civilization at that time.


    The era after Jiang Chen¡¯s rebirth was already the ¡°Interstellar Era¡±. Human beings in the Interstellar Era have become one of the most powerful creatures in the universe. Their scientific development technology was even ahead of the major galaxies, and their civilization was second only to the race with the highest intelligence, the Nier race. Whenever the ranking of races in the universe was mentioned, some students would always say angrily: ¡°If no information was lost during the Great Migration, we humans would have developed decades earlier in the interstellar world, and the level of civilization would definitely be higher than that of the Nier race!¡±


    At that time, Jiang Chen also thought that if there were more detailed materials and documents from their predecessors, his Changjiang might be more perfect. Because of this, he chose ancient history, hoping to learn from the perspective of their predecessors and get some inspiration from the level of civilization at that time.


    Therefore, after being reborn and returning to this life, even if he already had the ability to reach the sky in one step, he still chose to enter the modern colleges of higher learning to study things step by step, because the basic theories and knowledge of the Interstellar Era were different from the knowledge taught by universities today. Perhaps these lost differences would become his inspiration for perfecting Changjiang.


    And this morning¡¯s conversation with Mr. Xiang let Jiang Chen, who had benefited a lot, confirm his thinking¡ª¡ªthrough checking and making up for the lost data during the Great Migration, and combining the new knowledge and technology of the Interstellar Era, he might truly be able to create a more perfect Changjiang.


    Even during lunch, Jiang Chen and Mr. Xiang didn¡¯t stop discussing. At first, the two of them could still exchange a few words in between bites of food, but eventually they simply put down their bowls and chopsticks and rejoined a new round of discussion.


    Although Li Nanfeng was in charge of the scientific research department, he was not knowledgeable in this area. Except for participating in some important decisions, he hardly interfered with the research of various departments of the scientific research department. Therefore, he only felt that these technical terms that were uttered by Jiang Chen and Mr. Xiang were difficult to understand, and even the food in his mouth was difficult to swallow.


    He coughed lowly, and said to Xiang Hong who had been eating in silence, ¡°Uncle, you talk to your grandpa, he barely ate anything.¡±


    Xiang Hong swallowed the food in his mouth unhurriedly, and said, ¡°I dare not interrupt him at this time.¡±


    Li Nanfeng was silent for a moment. He opened his mouth while looking at the old and young pair opposite, and finally lowered his head to pick at his rice.


    The meal was very enjoyable, and Mr. Xiang was very reluctant when it was time to say goodbye to Jiang Chen. He invited him to go to his house to find him to continue discussing the unfinished topic just now, and held his hand while entreating him to seriously consider applying for Hua University. In the end it was only after Xiang Hong wrote down Jiang Chen¡¯s phone number, saying that he could call Jiang Chen for him anytime in the future, that Mr. Xiang finally got into the car without hesitation.


    When they returned to Li De, it was almost two o¡¯clock. Li Nanfeng said: ¡°Let¡¯s have the meeting at two o¡¯clock.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°Wait a while, there are still two people who haven¡¯t come.¡±


    Li Nanfeng: ¡°Who else?¡±


    ¡°My two friends who are the people involved in this cooperation.¡±


    Before lunch, Jiang Chen took the time to call Huo Bo and Shen Xu and asked them to come to Li De to have a meeting with him in the afternoon. After a long talk with his parents yesterday, he basically relayed what he told his parents to them.


    ¡°Your research and development team?¡± Li Nanfeng was confused, but he remembered that Jiang Chen said before that all his current achievements were completed by him alone.


    ¡°Not really.¡± Jiang Chen said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s my two friends. When our cooperation ends in the future, I will cooperate with them to start a company. Letting them come over now can be regarded as learning and accumulating experience in advance.¡±


    Jiang Chen had made it clear to Li Nanfeng from the very beginning that he and Li De were just a business relationship, and all the results of his research and development were currently only sold to Li De, but in the future it was absolutely impossible to only provide it to Li De for use. The cooperation between the two, to put it simply, was just Jiang Chen providing the results and future upgrade guarantees, and Li Nanfeng providing funds and a research laboratory in return.


    Seeing Jiang Chen saying it so candidly, Li Nanfeng didn¡¯t know whether to be angry or to laugh. He looked at Jiang Chen¡¯s young and harmless smiling face, raised his hand and put it down again. He plopped down on the sofa, and pushed the hair back from his forehead, tsking: ¡°Okay, another nemesis.¡± Helpless, he could only tell the secretary to go down to pick them up.


    Huo Bo and Shen Xu were very punctual and arrived before two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Following behind the assistant, Shen Xu looked left and right at the top floor of Li De, and then gently bumped Hou Bo¡¯s arm: ¡°It turns out that Li De is this big inside, and everyone coming and going looks very elite. I¡¯m a little nervous.¡±


    Huo Bo was also observing the surrounding environment subtly. After hearing Shen Xu¡¯s words, he said lightly: ¡°We are just here to listen. We will just stand by Jiangzi¡¯s side later, don¡¯t be nervous.¡±


    Shen Xu whispered: ¡°I know it too, but I¡¯m still nervous. Ai, when did Jiangzi become so talented in computer technology and could even cooperate with Li De? He was so tightlipped that we were kept completely in the dark. If he hadn¡¯t called to remind me not to be late, I would have thought what he said yesterday was just a dream¡­..¡±


    Huo Bo was silent for a moment, then said lightly: ¡°Too many things have happened in the past six months.¡±


    Shen Xu was startled. He slightly pursed his lower lip, and fell silent.


    Assistant Yang knocked on the door, came in and told Li Nanfeng and Jiang Chen that everyone was here, and Shen Xu and Huo Bo were already outside the door.


    Li Nanfeng nodded: ¡°Let¡¯s begin the meeting.¡±


    Jiang Chen and Li Nanfeng came out of the office together, and saw Huo Bo who was waiting on the sofa, and Shen Xu who looked extraordinarily calm and mature today for some reason.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Jiang Chen walked towards the two of them, looked at Shen Xu, and asked Huo Bo, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    Huo Bo glanced at Shen Xu: ¡°Probably nervous.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows, Shen Xu couldn¡¯t stop talking every time he was nervous, but today he was very quiet.


    Li Nanfeng glanced over the faces of Shen Xu and Huo Bo, and looked at Jiang Chen with a smile: ¡°Are these two your classmates?¡±


    ¡°Shen Xu, Huo Bo.¡± Jiang Chen briefly introduced them to each other. After greeting each other, the group went straight to the conference room.


    There were already quite a few people sitting in the conference room. Seeing Jiang Chen coming in behind Li Nanfeng, most of the people present were obviously surprised. When they saw Huo Bo and Shen Xu behind him, they were even more surprised.


    Li Nanfeng walked to the main seat and sat down. Assistant Yang reached out to the left of Li Nanfeng and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°Mr. Jiang, please have a seat.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, thanked him and sat down, while Shen Xu and Huo Bo were taken to the back seats by Assistant Yang.


    When everyone arrived, the conference room quickly quieted down. Li Nanfeng introduced everyone present to Jiang Chen one by one: ¡°This is Zhao Wentao from the Legal Department, this is¡­..¡± After a brief introduction, he went straight to the point: ¡°I believe everyone has seen the test reports and market evaluation of the new facial recognition system and voice system, and the main content of today¡¯s meeting is to formally finalize the details of the contract with Mr. Jiang, as well as the future cooperation plan¡­..¡±


    Li Nanfeng¡¯s team were all people who had many experiences in the business circle. From the beginning to the end of the meeting, the tone and words seem to be discussing, but in fact every word was fighting for the interests of the company, and they used various methods and even risk reports to try to prolong the length of the contract with Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen was not good at and did not have much experience in negotiation, but he insisted on his bottom line and never wavered. No matter how much they said, he would just smile mildly, without any intention of taking a step back, and eventually the final discussion result was confirmed¡ª¡ª


    Funded by Li De, a laboratory was set up in Jiang Chen¡¯s personal name. The laboratory would be fully under the charge of Jiang Chen. Li Nanfeng had no speaking right to it except for providing funds, and in return Jiang Chen needed to provide Li De with system patches and upgrades for the next three years. In addition, Li De needed to pay Jiang Chen 5 million yuan system usage and service fees every year. This fee would change in the second year according to the estimated sales in the first year. If the amount was 10% more than the previous year, Jiang Chen would receive a profit dividend of 0.5% of the sales.


    The meeting lasted for nearly three hours before Jiang Chen and Li Nanfeng finalized all the details of the contract. After the R&D department¡¯s newly opened laboratory was sorted out, the legal department drafted the contract, and the two parties could start cooperating.


    When the meeting ended, it was past five o¡¯clock. Li Nanfeng wanted to send Jiang Chen and his two friends home, and Jiang Chen didn¡¯t refuse.


    On the way back, Jiang Chen asked, ¡°What did you think of the meeting just now?¡±


    Huo Bo pondered for a moment, and said: ¡°Li De¡¯s team is very powerful, but you are very clear about what you wanted from the beginning to the end, so the final result should not have been much different from what you originally thought.¡±


    Shen Xu rubbed his chin and said, ¡°I think you could still have negotiated more with them in terms of sales. I noticed their attitude and there seems to be room for negotiation in this regard.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes curved in a smile. Although Shen Xu and Huo Bo didn¡¯t say a word during the whole meeting, he knew that they had been listening attentively. Even though Huo Bo and Shen Xu didn¡¯t have any experience at this time, one was born with a keen sense of business, and the other had a precise grasp of people¡¯s emotions. Jiang Chen believed that they would make rapid progress and grow into the business elites they were in the previous life without much time.


    Shen Xu clicked his tongue a few times, hooked an arm around Jiang Chen¡¯s neck, and said, ¡°God Jiang, I didn¡¯t realize that in such a short few months, you have pulled off such an earth-shattering undertaking behind the backs of your brothers. Tell me, do you intend to treat us to a meal or¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to start a company.¡±


    Shen Xu¡¯s words were interrupted in the middle, and before he could react, Jiang Chen raised his eyes and smiled slightly: ¡°A company that belongs to the three of us and which will stand at the top of the world¡¯s technology in the future.¡±

 CH 62

    Establishing a company was a matter of great importance, and there were too many things that needed to be prepared in the early stage. At this time, the reason Jiang Chen mentioned it was that, besides giving Huo Bo and Shen Xu a mental preparation in advance, he wanted to use this to let them have a goal.


    In the first life, Jiang Chen often skipped classes because of his family matters and Shen Xu and Huo Bo sacrificed all their rest time for him. From the second semester of the second year of high school to the third year of high school, they were almost by his side every weekend, holiday, winter and summer vacation. At that time, in order to cheer him up, they somehow came up with the idea to study with him.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t want to study but couldn¡¯t refuse his good friends who came to ask him for help in their studies. After going back and forth, he gradually came out of the shadows, and because of a whole year of study, Shen Xu and Huo Bo unexpectedly passed the college entrance examination with good results. However, the current situation was different from the first life. Jiang Chen was no longer depressed, Shen Xu and Huo Bo didn¡¯t need to study to motivate their friend, just like before, and they maintained a state of laxness in regards to studying.


    Thus, Jiang Chen once again gave them a goal, a future within reach.


    When Shen Xu first heard that he and his friends were going to start a company belonging to the three of them, his whole person couldn¡¯t help his blood from boiling in excitement. Especially after hearing Jiang Chen¡¯s firm statement that their company would stand on the top of the world, it was like he had been injected with chicken blood, and every day he would bring his books to the Jiang¡¯s on time for a atudy session.


    However, the boiling blood was cooled by the endless sea of practice questions within a few days. He lay down on the table and said weakly: ¡°Jiangzi, I really can¡¯t study anymore, I beg you, let me play a game, or let me chat with Changjiang, I just want to rest for half an hour¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen paused in his idle rotating of his pen, and turned his eyes to look at Huo Bo.


    Huo Bo said lightly: ¡°School starts in a week, and we have agreed that whoever has the lowest test scores the day before the start of school will bring breakfast for one semester.¡±


    ¡°Does the result even need to be said?¡± Shen Xu¡¯s face and the table were more tightly stuck together, and he said mournfully: ¡°You are hiding even deeper than Jiangzi, a fellow who is last in the whole grade actually surpassed me, who is in the top two hundred in just one month. Did Jiangzi install a chip in your brain? Did Changjiang secretly give you tutoring lessons?¡±


    Huo Bo glanced at him in some disdain, and lowered his head to continue working on the practice questions.


    Huo Bo didn¡¯t want to talk to Shen Xu anymore, so Jiang Chen could only go into battle by himself: ¡°Your grades have also improved a lot, and there is still hope for you to win.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t listen!¡± Shen Xu covered his ears and said, ¡°You two just want to trick me into studying.¡±


    Jiang Chen was silent for a moment. He took a deep breath, and said, ¡°Are you going to do it or not?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡±


    Jiang Chen stood up and stretched his arms.


    Shen Xu shrank back, hugged himself and said, ¡°This is a threat! You are threatening me! If you do this, our friendship will be in jeopardy! For the sake of our friendship boat¡­..¡±


    Huo Bo put down his pen, stood up, and cracked his neck.


    Shen Xu quickly picked up the pen and opened the exercise book: ¡°I will do it!¡±


    When the summer temperature in Yan City reached its highest point, it was also the time for school to start.


    Jiang Chen came out of Fu Jinyu¡¯s office, turned around and saw Sun Zhi coming out of the Academic Affairs Office at the other end. He paused slightly, and Sun Zhi also happened to look up at him at this time.


    ¡°Hurry up, won¡¯t you?¡± The middle-aged woman next to Sun Zhi didn¡¯t stop walking. She turned her head and said to him as she walked, ¡°Tell me, what use are you? You usually don¡¯t study well and don¡¯t know how to do housework. You only know to grow in height but not in brain cells. Among a group of people only you were arrested for getting in a fight. How can you, a sports student, be admitted to university with such a record? Do you think it¡¯s still the days when your uncle is the vice principal here? Can¡¯t you be a little smarter?¡±


    The woman walked for a while, but seeing that Sun Zhi was not moving, she frowned and turned her head, ¡°I still have to rush back to cook for your dad, what are you still doing there?¡±


    Sun Zhi stood where he was, staring closely at Jiang Chen, his teeth clenched.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes curved and his lower lip curled slightly upwards at him. He probably guessed the reason why Sun Zhi received a demerit on his record. During the summer vacation, he had a fight with He Qianjian in the park behind the skating rink, and Sun Zhi was among He Qianjian¡¯s people. He had been hiding behind the others before, and Jiang Chen¡¯s attention was all on He Qianjian, so he didn¡¯t notice him until later when the police came. He Qianjian couldn¡¯t run fast because of his injury, and Sun Zhi was pushed out by that side to distract the police. Only then did he notice the other.


    The middle-aged woman followed Sun Zhi¡¯s line of sight, saw Jiang Chen, and asked, ¡°Is this your classmate?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Sun Zhi came back to his senses, his voice seeming to squeeze out of his throat: ¡°He is a third year.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you staring at him for?¡±


    ¡°He was there in the fight last time.¡±


    The middle-aged woman turned her head to look at Jiang Chen, glanced at his clean and handsome face, and hesitated for a moment: ¡°He fought alongside you guys?¡±


    Sun Zhi gritted his teeth: ¡°It was he who beat us.¡±


    The middle-aged woman was stunned for a moment. Her expression changed instantly, and she asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that in the office just now?¡±


    ¡°No one would believe me.¡± Sun Zhi said, ¡°He is the first in the third year.¡±


    ¡°You are so stupid, it is because he is the first in the grade that you should¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen listened to the conversation between the two, laughed lightly, turned and went downstairs.


    Huo Bo and Shen Xu were waiting downstairs. Seeing him coming down, Shen Xu complained, ¡°Why was it taking so long, I¡¯m almost melted by the sun.¡±


    ¡°I met Sun Zhi and his mother.¡± Jiang Chen said lightly, ¡°Last time we fought, he was the only one who was caught. Now that the school knows about it, it seems like he got a demerit on his record.¡±


    Shen Xu let out a laugh: ¡°He deserves it.¡±


    Huo Bo leaned against the pillar with his arms crossed, and suddenly looked up. The middle-aged woman Jiang Chen met just now came down the stairs like the wind. She grabbed Jiang Chen¡¯s wrist and said, ¡°Follow me to the Academic Affairs Office. You beat my son. What right do you have to be fine while he got a demerit, the school must treat everyone equally! Either both get a demerit together or not be punished at all!¡±


    Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t annoyed at being grabbed, but instead smiled kindly: ¡°Auntie, are you sure you want me to go with you to the Academic Affairs Office?¡±


    Sun Zhi hurried over, grabbed his mother and said, ¡°Mom, what are you doing!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Academic Affairs Office again.¡± Mrs. Sun said, ¡°I want to see if this place of teaching and education can truly treat students equally.¡±


    Jiang Chen stopped Huo Bo who wanted to go forward with his eyes, handed the academic competition workbook in his other hand to Shen Xu, and said with a light smile, ¡°Since Auntie wants to go, let¡¯s go.¡±


    When Fu Jinyu came down from upstairs, this scene was what he saw.


    He frowned: ¡°What is this?¡±


    Mrs. Sun looked Fu Jinyu up and down: ¡°Are you the teacher here?¡±


    Fu Jinyu: ¡°I am Jiang Chen¡¯s math teacher.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s perfect. Come with me to the Academic Affairs Office. I want to ask you teachers why it is that he is fine after beating my son but my son is not.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen hit your son?¡± Fu Jinyu moved his eyes from the fair and thin Jiang Chen to the dark and strong Sun Zhi who was half a head taller than Jiang Chen, and he said with amusement: ¡°Parent, are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Why am I not sure? My son said it himself.¡±


    Fu Jinyu looked at Jiang Chen: ¡°What do you say?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s expression was mild: ¡°I didn¡¯t hit him.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Fu Jinyu nodded: ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Political Education Office together.¡±


    In the Political Education Office, the director stared at Mrs. Sun, a headache building.


    ¡°Director, you must give me an explanation for this matter!¡± Mrs. Sun said: ¡°Otherwise, you are treating students with good grades and students with poor grades differently. If this is the case, I will report to the Education Bureau to deal with this matter.¡±


    The director of the Political Educational Office said: ¡°This parent, I understand that you want fairness, but the two children are insisting on their own views on this matter. One said they were beaten and the other said they did not do it. We have to follow the evidence, right? Sun Zhi was the only one who was arrested and brought to the police station which has brought a negative impact on the school. Why bother to involve other people now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by involving other people?¡± Mrs. Sun said excitedly, ¡°Why does my son have to get a demerit on his record, while nothing happens to him? It¡¯s not fair! I will go to the Education Bureau to sue you!¡±


    Hearing Mrs. Sun bringing up the Education Bureau twice in just a few words, the expression of the head of the Political Education Office turned dark. He turned to look at Sun Zhi, and said, ¡°Tell me, did Jiang Chen hit you? Where did he hit you? On the face or on the body? Do you have any evidence?¡±


    ¡°He hit¡­..¡± Facing the severe look of the director, he paused, and then said: ¡°He didn¡¯t¡­..¡±


    The director put down his pen heavily: ¡°Did he hit you or didn¡¯t he hit you?¡±


    Sun Zhi was so nervous that his whole body stiffened, and he blurted out without thinking about the truth: ¡°He didn¡¯t hit me, but he hit someone else.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you say that he beat you just now?¡± Shen Xu interrupted and said, ¡°Director, I suspect that Sun Zhi is acting out of vengeance. In last semester¡¯s final exam, don¡¯t know who he promised from Chenghua Academy, but he threatened Zhang Zhipeng from our class to trick Jiang Chen outside. But unexpectedly the scheme happened to be caught by Jiang Chen who saw through his plan. Out of anger, he blocked Jiang Chen on the Saturday of the week of the final exam. Huo Bo was there and can testify to this. At noon that day, Jiang Chen went to Teacher Fu to ask for leave, and Teacher Fu can also testify.¡±


    Fu Jinyu thought for a moment, nodded and said: ¡°There was indeed such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen was not injured that day because of Huo Bo¡¯s timely appearance. Later, during the summer vacation, we bumped into each other at the skating rink and had some small conflicts. I am guessing that he wants to drag Jiang Chen down with him after being caught in a fight. He has wanted to harm Jiang Chen not just once or twice.¡±


    Recalling the time Shen Xu spoke of, the director suddenly remembered something, and said: ¡°You were the ones fighting outside the school that day? You ran very fast.¡±


    ¡°It was that day that Sun Zhi led people to block Jiang Chen.¡± Shen Xu looked at Sun Zhi and said with a cold voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know if he was bribed by someone from another school or something else, but he said he would break Jiang Chen¡¯s hand during the fight so that he would never be able to take an exam again, he¡­..¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about!¡± Mrs. Sun interrupted Shen Xu: ¡°You are slandering!¡±


    ¡°Go and see if Zhang Zhipeng is still at school.¡± The director of the Political Education Office frowned, and said to Shen Xu, ¡°Call him over if he is. Whether it is slander or nonsense, you will know after the confrontation.¡±


    Sun Zhi¡¯s face turned pale. He never thought that Shen Xu could bring up things that happened so long ago. If Zhang Zhipeng really came, and it was confirmed that he wanted to hurt Jiang Chen, then this serious incident would not be settled with just a demerit. And¡­..he still didn¡¯t know what He Qianjian wanted to do to Jiang Chen, but if he was expelled from school, He Qianjian would definitely not give him money to monitor Jiang Chen. Everything would be over.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call him!¡±


    Shen Xu paused, and everyone in the office looked at Sun Zhi. Sun Zhi said with a pale face, ¡°It¡¯s me who is talking nonsense. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t get into a fight. I¡¯m just jealous of his good grades. I slandered him because I don¡¯t like him.¡±


    The director and Fu Jinyu looked at each other, and said after some thought: ¡°This parent of Sun Zhi, this matter is not only about Sun Zhi getting a demerit for getting into a fight, but also slandering his senior and threatening to hurt others. How do you think our school should deal with this?¡±


    Mrs. Sun glanced at Sun Zhi¡¯s expression, as the mother she knew her son well, she knew at a glance that what the boy next to him just said was probably true. She was both panicked and angry, but she had to speak for her son: ¡°Sun Zhi is only a first year in high school, it is likely that he lied because he failed to learn good habits from those friends he usually plays with. Director, please give him a chance, and I guarantee that he will never do it again.¡±


    ¡°Fighting, bullying classmates, and cooperating with students from other schools to bully and hurt students from this school.¡± Fu Jinyu said without expression: ¡°Director, these few actions are enough to result in expulsion.¡±


    ¡°No, no, teacher.¡± Mrs. Sun lost her previous arrogance in an instant, and said anxiously: ¡°Teacher, you misunderstood, my Sun Zhi has a very good personality, and he must have been taught to be bad by those students in his class. Please give him a chance, and he will definitely turn over a new leaf.¡±


    Neither Fu Jinyu nor the director of the Political Education Office spoke. Mrs. Sun turned her target to Jiang Chen. She took Jiang Chen¡¯s hand again and said with a smile: ¡°Student, you are two or three years older than Sun Zhi, and you are also smarter and more mature than him. With such good grades you must be very kind, how about we just forget about it, Auntie begs you, please?¡±


    Jiang Chen withdrew his hand and said calmly, ¡°Auntie, I have no say in how to deal with Sun Zhi. Everything can only be decided by the school.¡±


    The director also frowned: ¡°Parent of Sun Zhi, student Jiang Chen is a complete victim in this matter, what are you pulling him for?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡±


    The director of the Political Education Office did not wait for Mrs. Sun to speak, and directly made a conclusion: ¡°As for Sun Zhi¡¯s handling, I will discuss with the teachers in the Academic Affairs Office. He will not come to school tomorrow, and he will be suspended from classes for a while. We will inform you when the results come out.¡±


    ¡°How can this be?¡± Mrs. Sun was dissatisfied: ¡°Sun Zhi is now a second year, what should he do if he can¡¯t keep up with the classes when he comes back to school after a period of suspension?¡±


    ¡°Then maybe you can help Sun Zhi go through the transfer procedures directly?¡±


    Mrs. Sun froze. She immediately put away her dissatisfaction, squeezed out a smile and said: ¡°I understand, Director, I will take Sun Zhi back first. This is indeed our Sun Zhi¡¯s wrongdoing. I hope all the teachers will give him another chance.¡±


    The director of the Political Education Office nodded perfunctorily, and looked at Jiang Chen with a friendly smile: ¡°Student Jiang Chen, you should tell your teachers about any difficulties you encounter in your study and life in the future. Your homeroom teacher for the new semester has already been arranged. It is Teacher Fu, tell him if you have any problems, and you can also come to me if you want, understand?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and nodded: ¡°Thank you Director Liu.¡±


    The director of the Political Education Office said this in front of Sun Zhi and his mother, causing Mrs. Sun¡¯s face to turn pale. She pinched Sun Zhi¡¯s arm and pulled him to apologize again before leaving the office.


    As soon as they left, the three also left the Political Education Office.


    On the way to the junior high school section, Jiang Chen received a call from Jiang Zhuo.


    Today was also the day when the court tried Yang Tianci. Jiang Zhuo told him that Yang Tianci¡¯s sentence had come down. Because of the seriousness of the circumstances, Yang Tianci was sentenced to ten years in prison. Just now, two elders from the Yang family were present as well, and when they heard the result, old Mr. Yang fainted on the spot and was taken away by an ambulance not long ago.


    After relaying this, Jiang Zhuo sighed, and said: ¡°School starts today. I heard that no one took Yang Shengmao to report in. He is still at home. His mother has already left the Yang family. I don¡¯t know that after this incident, what would happen to the child?¡±


    Yang Si¡¯s voice came faintly from the side: ¡°What the Yang family does from now on has nothing to do with our family. The care of Yang Shengmao is in the hands of his mother and grandparents, and not ours.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo said: ¡°Of course, this is the end of the matter relating to the Yang family. In the future, our family will live our own lives. Simple and peaceful is also good.¡±


    Jiang Chen ended the call. Shen Xu was still there describing the expressions of Sun Zhi and his mother at that time with excitement: ¡°Sun Zhi¡¯s mother should learn the Peking Opera art of changing face, she would definitely be the star of the stage every minute. Those different faces switching one moment after another, she is quite flexible. Wonder why didn¡¯t that idiot Sun Zhi learn even a fraction of this skill from his mother.¡±


    Huo Bo sneered: ¡°He didn¡¯t learn it? I think he learned it very well.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Shen Xu said: ¡°I don¡¯t think he can hide his expression at all. When I mentioned the time he blocked Jiangzi, his expression changed in an instant. Then when the director told me to go find Zhang Zhipeng he stopped me without even thinking about it. Who wouldn¡¯t understand after that? He thought that if Zhang Zhipeng didn¡¯t come, Director Liu would just pretend that nothing happened.¡±


    Huo Bo turned his eyes to Jiang Chen: ¡°Uncle¡¯s call?¡±


    Shen Xu also turned his head immediately: ¡°Did Yang Tianci¡¯s sentence come down?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°Ten years.¡±


    After the words fell, a clear youthful voice pierced through the noisy crowd, causing all three of them to look forward.


    ¡°Big Brother!¡±


    At the school gate, He Qianmin, who was several shades tanned, flashed his white teeth and waved vigorously in the sun.


    Shen Xu burst into laughter: ¡°Why are you so tanned?¡±


    The first years of high school started ten days earlier than the second and third years because of the military training. Now it was almost the end of the military training. The tan from long-term sun exposure made it so that one didn¡¯t even need to look at the military training uniforms to distinguish who were the first year students versus the students of the second and third years.


    Standing among a group of tanned high school freshmen, He Qianmin was already considered fair, but in the eyes of Shen Xu and the others who had seen him before, they still couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    The boy next to He Qianmin bumped his arm: ¡°F**k, that¡¯s God Jiang from the third year. I saw him in a post from Yan No. 1 High School forum before, is he your brother?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He Qianmin asked.


    ¡°Awesome.¡± The boy gave a thumbs up, leaned over and smiled ingratiatingly: ¡°In the future, don¡¯t forget your buddy when there is blessing to enjoy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just God Jiang.¡± Another boy also came over: ¡°The one on the left of God Jiang is the high school tyrant Huo Bo, and the one on the right is Shen Xu, who belongs to the student council. Although he is not the president, in terms of popularity, no one can match him in the whole Yan No. 1 High School. These three together are simply invincible.¡±


    ¡°That amazing?¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± The boy said: ¡°Have you checked the school forum? Among the top posts, in addition to the rules, there is another one. In the whole of Yan No. 1 High School the people who can¡¯t be offended. The three of them occupy the top three spots.¡±


    Others also came over, and after learning this new information from the boy, their expressions when looking at He Qianmin changed. Someone clicked his tongue and said, ¡°The little brother of a bigwig, and the friends of the bigwig are also bigwigs, then doesn¡¯t that mean in the future you can do as you please in Yan No. 1 High School?¡±


    He Qianmin raised his chin, pursed his lips and suppressed the raised corners of his mouth. Don¡¯t know why, when he was in Chenghua, so long as someone connected him and He Qianjian together, he couldn¡¯t help but want to get angry, but now when he heard other people tying him and Jiang Chen together, he just wanted to let them talk more. In fact, it would even be better to let everyone know that he was Jiang Chen¡¯s little brother.

 CH 63

    When Jiang Chen, Huo Bo and Shen Xu went over, He Qianmin was surrounded by his classmates. Maybe it was because he was tanned, but he looked much more sunny and cheerful than before.


    He Qianmin broke away from his classmates, and trotted to Jiang Chen: ¡°Big Brother.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Is the morning military training over?¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    The others swarmed over and greeted with bright smiles:


    ¡°God Jiang.¡±


    ¡°Brother Huo.¡±


    ¡°Brother Shen.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded to them, and asked He Qianmin with a smile, ¡°Are these all your friends?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± The boy next to He Qianmin hooked an arm over his shoulders and said, ¡°We are all his friends, God Jiang, I heard about your legend when I was in junior high school. Your total score in the last examination reached a new high, I especially admire you!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Another boy said, ¡°I also admire you so much! Especially Zhang Three Hairs who poisoned so many students, only you drove him away!¡±


    Shen Xu, who was talking to Huo Bo, turned his head when he heard these words, raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°You know Zhang Three Hairs?¡±


    The boy touched the back of his head, a little shy: ¡°My older brother is in the same class as you, his name is Luo Ze.¡±


    Jiang Chen was surprised: ¡°You are Luo Ze¡¯s younger brother?¡±


    A blush appeared on the boy¡¯s tanned face: ¡°Yeah, God Jiang, my name is¡­..¡±


    ¡°Big Brother.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°I¡¯m hungry, let¡¯s go eat quickly.¡±


    After these words fell, Shen Xu¡¯s stomach growled in response to the occasion. He clutched his stomach and said, ¡°I almost forget, I¡¯m almost starving, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Jiang Chen bid farewell to He Qianmin¡¯s classmates: ¡°We¡¯ll go first, it¡¯s nice to meet you all, and I will trouble you to take care of Qian Min from now on.¡±


    The boys nodded one after another: ¡°God Jiang, don¡¯t worry, we will help you take care of him in the future.¡±


    Across the road in front of the school gate, there was a park. Walking along the park in the direction of the Jiang¡¯s, they arrived at the place where they planned to eat in less than five minutes.


    This was a Huaiyang cuisine restaurant, built adjacent to one of the lakes in the park, with a quiet environment and relatively high per capita consumption. Two days ago, the preparations for the laboratory opened by Li De for Jiang Chen were completed, and Jiang Chen and Li Nanfeng signed the contract. Compared with the 5 million yuan received in the account, this celebration was not considered extravagant.


    He Qianmin only knew that they were going to have a meal together today, but he didn¡¯t know why, until Shen Xu picked up his drink and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s toast to celebrate our God Jiang earning his life¡¯s first, no, who knows how many startup money, and set foot on the road to becoming a technology giant! May we overcome obstacles and stand at the top of the world¡¯s technology in the future!¡±


    Jiang Chen and Huo Bo looked at each other with a smile, picked up their cups and stood up. He Qianmin stood up as well and clinked glasses without knowing why.


    ¡°Big Brother.¡± As soon as he sat down, he turned his head and asked Jiang Chen, ¡°What startup money? What did you guys do?¡±


    Shen Xu scooted over and said, ¡°Your brother didn¡¯t tell you? The facial recognition system and voice system he designed were sold to Li De for three years, and the contract was signed yesterday.¡±


    He Qianmin shook his head: ¡°No.¡±


    Shen Xu clicked his tongue: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell your brother about such an important matter.¡±


    It was only then that Jiang Chen remembered that he was too busy and forgot to tell He Qianmin. Seeing Shen Xu¡¯s accusing face, he scolded playfully: ¡°I have to keep watch on you every day so you¡¯ll do your practice questions, what else could I think of?¡±


    Shen Xu recalled the fear of being surrounded by the sea of practice questions, hissed, and hugged himself: ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore, I don¡¯t want to recall.¡±


    Jiang Chen laughed, kicked his stool lightly. He turned his head to look at He Qianmin, and explained simply: ¡°Not long after He Qianyang¡¯s birthday, Li Nanfeng and I decided to cooperate, but the laboratory has only been ready for a few days. I was too busy, so I forgot to tell you.¡±


    He Qianmin lowered his eyes, picked up a piece of crab meat and placed it into Jiang Chen¡¯s bowl. He pursed his lips and hummed softly.


    Jiang Chen also put a piece of mandarin fish into He Qianmin¡¯s bowl: ¡°Eat more.¡±


    It was past 1:40pm after the meal. Jiang Chen settled the bill, and the four of them hurried to school. Even if it was just the beginning of semester, the urgency of the countdown to the college entrance examination was destined to make the senior high school students enter the intense study mode without transition.


    When the afternoon¡¯s classes were over, the first and second years could go home, but the third year students needed to stay for self-study regardless of whether they live in the school dorm or not. Due to the regulations of the Education Bureau, they could not make up classes during the summer vacation. Many teachers could only use the time of evening self-study to speed up the first round of review progress.


    When the first period of evening self-study started, Jiang Chen knocked on the door of Fu Jinyu¡¯s office.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    ¡°Teacher Fu.¡±


    Fu Jinyu looked up, and seeing Jiang Chen, he smiled and said, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°I¡¯m here to apply for myself and Shen Xu to be exempt from evening self-study.¡±


    Fu Jinyu stopped correcting the pile of homework, frowned and said, ¡°Shen Xu? Come and sit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Chen sat down on the chair next to Fu Jinyu, and said slowly: ¡°Teacher Fu, you should know about Shen Xu¡¯s grades. He has no problem entering a first rate college so far, but if he continues studying step by step it will be very difficult for him to enter Hua Uni or Yan Uni.¡±


    Fu Jinyu raised his eyebrows: ¡°You mean, Shen Xu wants to apply to Hua/Yan?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°It¡¯s a must.¡±


    ¡°For you or for him?¡± Fu Jinyu turned the chair, faced Jiang Chen, and said solemnly: ¡°I know you and Shen Xu are good friends. You grew up together and have never been separated, but sometimes, the future is not something you can decide. Jiang Chen, everyone has their own path, can you guarantee that your path and Shen Xu¡¯s path will always be the same?¡±


    Jiang Chen was startled. In the first life, Shen Xu and Huo Bo accompanied him until his death, so that he never thought about whether his two friends were still the same as in the first life. That their dream was to open a company that belonged to them.


    He recalled Shen Xu once saying that his dream was to be a pilot, while Huo Bo never revealed what he wanted to do in the future. If he didn¡¯t mention that he hoped to build a company with them in the first place, would they have chosen something else?


    ¡°Jiang Chen¡­..¡± Seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s thoughtful expression, Fu Jinyu said, ¡°You are very smart and considerate of your friends. These are good things, but sometimes, some decisions can only be made by themselves. If Shen Xu came to me by himself, proposed that he did not want to go to self-study, and then gave me a legitimate and valid reason, I would agree, but if it¡¯s you, then no.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Jiang Chen pursed his lips, paused and said, ¡°Thank you, Teacher Fu.¡±


    Back in the classroom, Shen Xu leaned back and lowered his voice, ¡°How was it? Did old Fu agree?¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyes and shook his head: ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after class.¡±


    The first period of self-study ended soon. Shen Xu turned around and lay on Jiang Chen¡¯s desk, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I thought that old Fu would definitely agree to what you say.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°He agreed that I do not need to go to self-study.¡±


    ¡°Then that means he doesn¡¯t agree with me?¡± Shen Xu clicked his tongue: ¡°But it¡¯s normal for him to disagree, don¡¯t mention him, if it weren¡¯t for you, my parents wouldn¡¯t even believe that I could study hard.¡±


    Jiang Chen was silent for a moment. He raised his eyes and said, ¡°Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?¡±


    Shen Xu raised his eyebrows: ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to be the coolest tech company bosses together in the future?¡±


    ¡°Before I suggested this, what did you want to do?¡±


    Shen Xu thought for a while: ¡°Pilot? But I¡¯m not tall enough, so I might not pass the exam.¡±


    ¡°You can.¡± Jiang Chen thought of Shen Xu¡¯s growth spurt after their third year of high school, and said, ¡°But aren¡¯t you afraid of heights?¡±


    Shen Xu shrugged: ¡°Yeah, so I gave up.¡±


    ¡°Then what else do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°What? You went to old Fu¡¯s office and now suddenly want to talk about dreams with me.¡± Shen Xu crossed his arms and asked suspiciously: ¡°Did old Fu say something to you?¡±


    Jiang Chen relayed what Fu Jinyu said to Shen Xu, and said, ¡°I never thought about whether you wanted to do this and made the decision for you. Now that I think about it, I took things for granted.¡±


    ¡°Maybe a little.¡± Shen Xu nodded expressionlessly, held it for a while, and then broke out into laughter: ¡°You don¡¯t take things for granted, you just think too much, God Jiang, do you think there is any man who could resist the lure of becoming a founder of the world¡¯s top tech company?¡±


    ¡°The kind where¡ª¡ª¡± Shen Xu spread his arms, and made a gesture of pushing out with a look of intoxication: ¡°At the end of the all-white corridor, there is a door made of high-density metal. Once people walk through it, there will be biubiubiu light rays. If it is an enemy, it will directly shoot the light rays, which will melt them in a flash, leaving not even a speck of dust behind. But when I go over, I don¡¯t even need to say open sesame, it will just open with a swipe, and there will be robots patrolling inside who¡¯ll salute me when they see me, and call me CEO Shen¡­..f**k I need to stop, it¡¯s too f**king cool!¡±


    Jiang Chen was silent for a long time, then patted Shen Xu on the shoulder: ¡°Dream more, you will have everything.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Shen Xu kicked him: ¡°Can¡¯t our company be that cool?¡±


    After a pause, Shen Xu asked: ¡°You said that if I ask for exemption from old Fu myself, he¡¯ll agree?¡±


    ¡°He said if you have a valid reason, he will.¡±


    Shen Xu propped his head on his hands in deep thought: ¡°A valid reason¡­..¡±


    ¡°Does escorting you home every day to prevent you from being hurt by someone with bad intentions count?¡±


    Jiang Chen threw the eraser on the table at him, and Shen Xu caught it with a smile. When the second period self-study bell rang, he turned around and said, ¡°Whether it works or not, I¡¯ll try it later after this self-study period is over.¡±


    ¡­..


    On the way back, Jiang Chen asked Shen Xu, ¡°How did you tell old Fu?¡±


    ¡°What else? I slapped the practice questions I did during the summer vacation on his desk, and he agreed.¡±


    Jiang Chen was dubious: ¡°That simple?¡±


    ¡°Of course more than that.¡± Shen Xu sighed: ¡°My mouth almost dried up just to beg him. You didn¡¯t see that I entered the classroom more than ten minutes late for the third period self-study. It¡¯s because I was busy nagging him and he only agreed because I was too annoying.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows: ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°What else?¡±


    Shen Xu met Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze and was defeated: ¡°Okay, he told me to get in the top 100 in the next monthly exam, otherwise I have to come back to attend self-study after the monthly exam.¡±


    Jiang Chen pondered for a while: ¡°It should be fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fine, but I have a problem!¡± Shen Xu held his head and said, ¡°I can already imagine my future!¡±


    While Shen Xu was howling, Huo Bo also arrived at the school gate. Seeing him like this, he looked at Jiang Chen: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    Jiang Chen told the story with a smile. Huo Bo¡¯s lips hooked up in a smile. He rubbed Shen Xu¡¯s head and said, ¡°And bringing breakfast for one semester, don¡¯t forget.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, do you have to remind me at this time?¡± Shen Xu slapped Huo Bo¡¯s hand away and said, ¡°The both of you have black hearts, I have to¡­..¡± He looked ahead and smiled: ¡°I have to look for little brother Min for comfort.¡±


    Shen Xu waved: ¡°Min Min! Min Min, your big brothers are over here~¡±


    He Qianmin strode over with a dark face: ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Shen Xu grabbed him, not minding his black face at all: ¡°Waiting for your big brothers after classes? How long have you been waiting?¡±


    He Qianmin pushed his hand away, ¡°Big Brother, Brother Huo.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, from now on the three of us won¡¯t be going to evening self-study, so you won¡¯t have to wait so long.¡±


    He Qianmin said: ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s not long.¡±


    The He family rented a place for He Qianmin, which was in Jiang Chen¡¯s community, and coincidentally, it was just downstairs of old Mr. Miao¡¯s apartment.


    The night was a bit cooler than the day, and the wind blowing in the park carried the humidity of the lake. The shadows of the teenagers elongated, overlapped, and followed closely behind each other under the street lights.


    Shen Xu bumped Jiang Chen¡¯s arm: ¡°Your little brother doesn¡¯t seem very happy.¡±


    When Jiang Chen turned his head, He Qianmin smiled at him. He turned his head back and said, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Probably what happened at noon.¡± Shen Xu said: ¡°When we part ways later, you can talk to him well.¡±


    Jiang Chen frowned. He turned his head again, only to see He Qianmin¡¯s drooping head, so he nodded: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Shen Xu and Huo Bo bid farewell to Jiang Chen and He Qianmin respectively, and when they approached the community, only Jiang Chen and He Qianmin were left.


    Jiang Chen slowed down, waited for He Qianmin to walk next to him, and said, ¡°Qian Min, are you upset because I didn¡¯t tell you about my signing with Li De immediately?¡±


    He Qianmin paused slightly: ¡°No.¡±


    Jiang Chen observed He Qianmin¡¯s expression, and seeing that he really didn¡¯t seem to be unhappy because of this, he was relieved, but at the same time worried: ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡±


    A person suddenly jumped out in front of Jiang Chen and He Qianmin: ¡°Jiang Chen, wait, Second Young Master He¡ª¡ª?¡±


    Jiang Chen and He Qianmin raised their eyes at the same time, and after seeing the person blocking the way, He Qianmin narrowed his eyes: ¡°Sun Zhi?¡±


    ¡°Second Young Master He.¡± After Sun Zhi confirmed that the person in front of him was really He Qianmin, his expression changed: ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Is that any of your business?¡± He Qianmin said coldly, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± Sun Zhi glanced at Jiang Chen, then looked back to He Qianmin, and said while taking a half-step back: ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    He Qianmin snorted coldly: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, yet you suddenly rushed out to stop us?¡±


    Sun Zhi: ¡°I just want to say hello to Senior Jiang, I have no other intentions.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember us being close enough to greet each other.¡± Jiang Chen smiled and took two steps forward, standing in front of Sun Zhi, ¡°Tell me what you want from me.¡±


    Sun Zhi looked at He Qianmin, who had a cold expression: ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking¡­..¡±


    Sun Zhi clenched his fists, his mind stuck in a struggle. He Qianjian had completely given up on him. Not only did he not help him, but he also withheld the money he had not given to him yet and threatened him. If he was expelled at this time, it would be a double loss of money and studies, and this basically meant his life would be ruined. The only person who might be able to save him now was Jiang Chen. He believed that Jiang Chen must want to know who was targeting him behind the scenes, and he could use this to negotiate terms with Jiang Chen.


    But he didn¡¯t expect that He Qianmin would be with Jiang Chen. Although He Qianmin and He Qianjian didn¡¯t have a good relationship, he was He Qianjian¡¯s younger brother no matter what. If he told Jiang Chen what he said, he would tell He Qianjian¡­..Thinking of He Qianjian¡¯s methods, Sun Zhi¡¯s back felt chills. He stepped back and said, ¡°I really just wanted to say hello, I didn¡¯t want to do anything else.¡± After speaking, he turned around and ran away.


    However, he didn¡¯t manage to run away from He Qianmin who had been watching him the whole time, not to mention he didn¡¯t dare to resist at all.


    ¡°Are you going speak or not?¡± He Qianmin pressed Sun Zhi, and said coldly: ¡°I remember that you and He Qianjian have a good relationship. If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll go back and ask him to see if he knows¡­..¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you!¡± Sun Zhi raised his head, looked at Jiang Chen and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you! But I¡¯ll only tell you.¡±


    Jiang Chen stood not far away, and said calmly, ¡°Qian Min is not an outsider, so you can just directly say what you want.¡±


    He Qianmin pressed Sun Zhi¡¯s hand hard. His cold expression shifted a bit, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly.


    Sun Zhi didn¡¯t dare to speak, and the three of them remained in a stalemate.


    Half a minute later, Jiang Chen walked in front of Sun Zhi, leaned over and said, ¡°No matter what you want to say, this is the last chance.¡±


    Sun Zhi said nothing. Jiang Chen said to He Qianmin, ¡°Let him go, let¡¯s go.¡±


    He Qianmin let go of him with a cold snort, and followed Jiang Chen into the community. Seeing them walking farther and farther away, Sun Zhi gritted his teeth and shouted, ¡°Wait a minute, I¡¯ll tell you!¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, then turned to look at Sun Zhi.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you who is scheming behind the scenes, and you help me go to the Political Education Office to intercede, so that they don¡¯t expel me.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°If you just want to say this, then forget it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know who wants to harm you? Who wants to break your hand? Who asked me to follow you since your second year of junior high school?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips: ¡°I know who it is.¡±


    Sun Zhi widened his eyes in disbelief. He looked at He Qianmin and asked, ¡°You know?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Jiang Chen said lightly, ¡°So, if you have nothing else to say, we¡¯ll be leaving.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Sun Zhi glanced at He Qianmin again, turned to Jiang Chen and said, ¡°You know who is the person who wants to hurt you, and yet you are still so close to He Qianmin?¡±


    ¡°He is him, Qian Min is Qian Min, and anything he does has nothing to do with Qian Min.¡±


    Sun Zhi scrutinized Jiang Chen¡¯s expression carefully, but he couldn¡¯t see any flaws. He said half-believingly, ¡°Then tell me, who is the one who wants to hurt you.¡±


    Seeing that Jiang Chen didn¡¯t speak, He Qianmin was anxious and angry: ¡°Big Brother, who is he talking about?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips, but Sun Zhi had already seen the answer from his expression. Just when he was full of disbelief, he heard He Qianmin call Jiang Chen big brother, and his eyes fell on his anxious and angry expression. Sun Zhi had no choice but to admit that the relationship between the two might really be very good. Suddenly, a sense of pleasure mixed with malice rose in his heart.


    When had a proud young master like He Qianmin cared about someone so much? Sun Zhi wanted to know what expression the second young master of the He family would show if he knew that the person he cared about had been hurt by his family member?


    The corners of Sun Zhi¡¯s mouth raised slightly. He looked at He Qianmin, and enunciated word by word: ¡°Let me tell you, the one who asked me to follow Jiang Chen, to break Jiang Chen¡¯s hand, to stab Jiang Chen with a knife, and report on Jiang Chen¡¯s every move is your own brother, He Qianjian.¡±

 CH 64

    He Qianmin¡¯s expression was blank for a moment, and after a few seconds, he squeezed out word by word: ¡°He Qianjian?¡±


    Seeing his disbelieving expression, Sun Zhi smiled even wider. Just as he was about to say something more, he inadvertently met Jiang Chen¡¯s cold stare from the corner of his eye, and he suddenly came back to his senses: ¡°God Jiang¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at him, and said calmly, ¡°Are you finished?¡±


    Sun Zhi met his gaze and unconsciously took half a step back. After he realized his timidity, he was startled. Even if Jiang Chen was the first in his year, even if behind Jiang Chen stood Huo Bo, he had never feared him. During the four years of following Jiang Chen, he had a better understanding of what kind of person Jiang Chen was than most people. To put it nicely, he was upright and kind. To put it bluntly, he was not someone to be feared. This kind of person often stuck to their meaningless bottom line and principles, but in this society, principles and bottom lines were actually the most useless things. They would only become a person¡¯s weakness and a weapon for others to hurt them unscrupulously.


    Therefore, Sun Zhi was afraid of offending Huo Bo, disobeying He Qianjian, or even offending He Qianmin, but he was never afraid of Jiang Chen, because he knew very well that he could not suffer the revenge of the first three. But as for the latter, no matter how angry he was, it would not bring him any deep harm.


    But now, looking into Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes, he realized that he was so very wrong. There was no harmless gentleman in this world who would have such eyes¡ª¡ªmajestic, oppressive, and inspiring uncontrollable awe in one¡¯s heart, such that one could only kneel at his feet.


    Sun Zhi felt a little short of breath, and his knees felt uncontrollably weak, ¡°I¡­..¡± Only when he opened his mouth did he realize that his throat was so tense that he couldn¡¯t speak.


    Jiang Chen looked away, and He Qianmin also came back to his senses. He stepped forward and grabbed Sun Zhi: ¡°You said just now that the person who has been trying to harm my brother is He Qianjian, and since the second year of junior high school, he has been sending someone to follow him. What evidence do you have?¡±


    Being caught by He Qianmin and putting all his attention on He Qianmin, Sun Zhi finally heaved a sigh of relief. He secretly wondered in puzzlement in his heart, but he was so terrified that he didn¡¯t even dare to secretly look in Jiang Chen¡¯s direction out of the corner of his eye.


    ¡°Of course I have evidence.¡± Sun Zhi thought that He Qianmin did not believe that He Qianjian had done these things. In order to prove that what he said was true and to win Jiang Chen¡¯s trust, he revealed his hidden cards: ¡°I have text messages for every contact with He Qianjian, if you want to read them, I can show it to you right now.¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°Show it now.¡±


    Sun Zhi subconsciously glanced at Jiang Chen, and seeing that he had no objection, he took out his mobile phone from his pocket, called up the text message interface, and said, ¡°Start here, you can see for yourself.¡±


    He Qianmin took the phone and scrolled down one by one. The more he read, the more ugly his expression became. In the end, it was completely iced over.


    ¡°Are these all the text messages for four years?¡± He Qianmin said coldly, ¡°But this is not He Qianjian¡¯s mobile phone number.¡±


    Fearing that He Qianmin would not believe him, Sun Zhi hurriedly said, ¡°This is his other number. You don¡¯t know that He Qianjian has several mobile phones?¡±


    He Qianmin was noncommittal, and asked, ¡°Why did He Qianjian ask you to follow my brother?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Seeing He Qianmin¡¯s unfriendly expression, Sun Zhi took a step back: ¡°I really don¡¯t know. In the past four years, He Qianjian asked me to help him with things a few times, and the rest of the time he just had me follow Jiang Chen and report his every move.¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°What did he ask you to do?¡±


    Sun Zhi recalled for a moment, and said: ¡°When I was in junior high school, I was asked to stop Jiang Chen from going to the hospital once, and once I was asked to find a way to make Jiang Chen postpone his physical examination. In high school, the only time was when he asked me to find a way to take Jiang Chen out of school, and then break his hand¡­..No, it should be to stab him, and break his hand while at it.¡±


    He Qianmin frowned a little when he heard ¡°physical examination¡±, and asked in puzzlement, ¡°Why did he ask you to postpone my brother¡¯s physical examination.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Sun Zhi said, ¡°But I noticed one thing. I think it should have something to do with the reason why he asked me to follow Jiang Chen.¡±


    He Qianmin asked almost in the next second: ¡°What?¡±


    Sun Zhi¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed. He looked past He Qianmin, and at Jiang Chen behind him. The corners of his mouth twitched for a long time before he said in a tight voice, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about this, and you go to the school to plead for me.¡±


    Jiang Chen said indifferently: ¡°Why do you think that I would agree with this?¡±


    Sun Zhi: ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know why He Qianjian keeps sending me to follow you?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips: ¡°Do you know?¡±


    Sun Zhi¡¯s face turned pale, and he said after a while, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know, but¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen interrupted him: ¡°Since you don¡¯t know, how can you negotiate terms with me?¡±


    ¡°Qian Min, let¡¯s go.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s hand grabbing Sun Zhi paused, a little hesitant: ¡°Big Brother, aren¡¯t we going to ask him what he knows?¡±


    ¡°I guarantee that this will be useful to you!¡± Sun Zhi hurriedly said: ¡°I don¡¯t need you to promise to do something, as long as you just go and tell Director Liu that I have no choice but to do what I did, that I was instructed by others. Even if I¡¯m expelled in the end, I won¡¯t blame you.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused in his footsteps, looked back and said in a mild voice: ¡°Everything you did was done by you, whether you were ordered or forced to do it, you still did it. How the school handles you is the school¡¯s business. I can only promise you not to add fuel to the fire, but there¡¯s no way I can help say a word for you.¡±


    Sun Zhi paused, unable to figure out what Jiang Chen meant by this.


    If it was before today, he absolutely believed that Jiang Chen would not be able to do such things like add fuel to the fire behind others backs, but after today, he did not dare to be so sure. If Jiang Chen never planned to do this, why would he specifically bring thing up in the first place?


    But what if Jiang Chen just wanted to trick him with these words? Sun Zhi¡¯s fingers resting on his side twitched uneasily. It took an unknown amount of time before he made up his mind. It was better to finish it all at once. Regardless of whether what Jiang Chen just said was a trap or not, he believed that as long Jiang Chen made a promise he would follow through.


    Sun Zhi lowered his voice: ¡°I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    He Qianmin looked at him instantly, staring at him closely and waiting for his next words.


    Sun Zhi looked around carefully, and said quickly: ¡°I found out that He Qianjian would have his physical examination on the same day as you every year. If there was a time that must be postponed or advanced, he would be very anxious and irritable, and would definitely make it so that your physical examination would also be postponed or advanced.¡±


    ¡°Also, He Qianjian had been preventing you from meeting all the He family members including He Qianmin. The reason He Qianjian asked me to prevent you from going to the hospital at that time was because He Qianmin was there. Later I found out that he not only wanted to prevent you from going to the hospital, but also asked me to prevent you from showing up in any areas where you might meet the He family.¡±


    Jiang Chen said indifferently, ¡°That¡¯s all?¡±


    Sun Zhi was taken aback: ¡°Aren¡¯t these things very strange?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t answer him, but turned around and said, ¡°I will do what I promised. Qian Min, let¡¯s go.¡±


    He Qianmin was still digesting what Sun Zhi said just now. Hearing this he followed along obediently, and when he was about to say goodbye to Jiang Chen at the entrance of his apartment floor, he suddenly came back to his senses: ¡°Big Brother, why doesn¡¯t He Qianjian want you and me as well as my parents to meet? Also, why did he want to have a physical examination on the same day as you, just what is his purpose?¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, narrowed his eyes, and said calmly, ¡°You need to ask him this question.¡±


    He Qianmin frowned tightly. Sun Zhi¡¯s words just now were circulating in his mind. He tried to catch some clues, but he only felt that his thoughts became more of a mess.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost eleven o¡¯clock, you have to continue your military training tomorrow, so go to bed early.¡± Jiang Chen rubbed his head and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m going back too, good night.¡±


    He Qianmin nodded absently: ¡°Good night.¡±


    Back home, after taking a shower and lying on the bed, He Qianmin couldn¡¯t fall asleep even after tossing and turning.


    He went through all the words Sun Zhi said over and over again in his mind, but not only did he not find any clues, more doubts emerged.


    If it was said that because of the car accident He Qianjian was only afraid of Jiang Chen going to the hospital would expose his actions, then why did He Qianjian send someone to monitor Jiang Chen¡¯s every move after he was discharged from the hospital? Also, Jiang Chen was just a passerby who saved him, and didn¡¯t know the rest of the He family at all, so wouldn¡¯t it be superfluous for He Qianjian to prevent Jiang Chen from meeting everyone in the He family?


    He Qianmin tried his best to find the reasons behind everything He Qianjian did and his purpose for doing so. If the long-term monitoring of Jiang Chen and preventing him from meeting with members of the He family was just in case, and the reason for hurting Jiang Chen and wanting to break Jiang Chen¡¯s hand was because he did not do as well on the final exam. Then what about scheduling the physical examination at the same time as Jiang Chen every year?


    He Qianmin could barely find a reason for the first two matters, but no matter how he thought about the latter, he couldn¡¯t find the reason why He Qianjian had to have a physical examination on the same day as Jiang Chen.


    He Qianjian had always only done things with a motive and profit to reap, if there was no important reason, it was absolutely impossible he would send someone to follow Jiang Chen for four years. He Qianmin¡¯s intuition told him that He Qianjian¡¯s every move against Jiang Chen might be hiding a huge secret.


    ¡­¡­


    When Jiang Chen returned home, Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo had already fallen asleep, but left a lamp on for him.


    He simply took a shower and returned to his room. He closed the door and put on the earphones. His fingers settled on the keyboard for a while, but didn¡¯t move.


    Changjiang¡¯s voice rang in his ears: ¡°Dylan, you have a message on Wingnet, do you want to open it?¡±


    Jiang Chen came back to his senses, ¡°Whose message?¡±


    ¡°196.¡±


    ¡°Open it.¡±


    ¡°Do you need it to be read to you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    On the computer screen, the message displayed in the small chat box:


    [196: Oh Great God! The results of the Security Bureau are out! God C made it to the secondary examination! I failed!]


    Only then did Jiang Chen remember that when 196 and C returned from taking the Security Bureau assessment in August, he told him that the results would be released on September 1st, and that if he passed the exam, he would not consider going to graduate school.


    [D: Don¡¯t be discouraged, you are only a junior, and you still have other opportunities.]


    196 quickly replied:


    [196: I¡¯ve expected this outcome a long time ago, so it¡¯s quite easy to accept, but still thanking God D for your concern.]


    [196: By the way, God D, I heard God C said that you are also in Yan City?]


    [196: Which district of Yan City do you live in? If you live nearby, we can even have a face-to-face meeting!]


    After sending three messages in a row, Mo Xi slowly withdrew his hand on the keyboard and crossed his fingers in a prayer gesture. He squatted on the chair, staring at the screen and muttering under his breath: ¡°Please, please, please don¡¯t be what I think it is¡­..¡±


    [D: Zhonghai District.]


    Mo Xi¡¯s voice stopped abruptly, and he stared at the words on the screen with wide eyes. After a long time, he took a deep breath, and still holding his breath he typed on the keyboard:


    [196: Hahaha, it turns out that God D lives in Zhonghai District. There are quite a lot of schools there. Is God D still a student?]


    [D: Yes.]


    Mo Xi¡¯s pent-up breath dissipated in an instant. He laid spread eagle on the chair, looked up at the ceiling, and felt that there was nothing to miss in life. After a few seconds, he suddenly sat up, grabbed his hair and slammed his head on the table:


    ¡ª¡ªToo f**king embarrassing ahhhhh! ! !

 CH 65

    At the end of the military training of the first years, Yan No. 1 High School also ushered in its first weekend.


    In the last class on Saturday, the chemistry teacher dragged on the class pass the bell as per usual, and the students below were also used to it and remained very focused. There was only a little movement in the back row.


    ¡°Jiangzi¡­..Jiangzi¡­..¡± Shen Xu paid vigilant attention to the movement up at the front while calling to Jiang Chen under his breath. When the chemistry teacher up front turned to write on the blackboard, he quickly tilted his body and pushed Jiang Chen who was doing a practice question. When Jiang Chen looked over, he sat up straight. He covered his mouth and pointed to the back door: ¡°Little Brother Min is waiting for you outside, and there is also a pretty sister.¡±


    Jiang Chen followed his line of sight to look back and was stunned for a moment. In the corridor at the back door, He Qianmin was talking to Yang Yun. The two stood by the window outside the corridor, apparently to avoid disturbing the class.


    He Qianmin came here to wait for him after school, but did Yang Yun come here with him or because of other matters?


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips slightly, and looked away.


    Shen Xu had been paying attention to Jiang Chen¡¯s expression the whole time, and when he saw this, he scooted over and asked, ¡°You know her?¡±


    ¡°He Qianmin¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°So young?¡± Shen Xu said in surprise, ¡°I thought she¡­..¡±


    ¡°Shen Xu!¡± The chemistry teacher up front turned around abruptly: ¡°You have been whispering to Jiang Chen since the bell for the end of class rang. Is it because you can¡¯t wait to get out of school, or have you two made an appointment to go out to play? I didn¡¯t finish this part and disrupted your plans, is that it? Or is it that you already know everything and can take the college entrance exam immediately? And Jiang Chen, are you already positive that you can score the top spot on the exam? And the rest sitting or lying in the back who are not listening to the lecture, anxious to get out of school, are you all like Jiang Chen? He has the ability not to listen to the lecture, and you also think that you don¡¯t need to listen to my lecture? You think it¡¯s a waste of time for me to teach you a little more, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Shen Xu stood up abruptly, raised his hand with an apologetic expression, and put on a very correct attitude of admitting his mistake: ¡°Teacher He, I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have been afraid to disturb everyone¡¯s progress because I didn¡¯t understand the first step and leaned over to whisper to Jiang Chen instead. I shouldn¡¯t have disturbed your class because of my thirst for knowledge and made you angry. I will definitely raise my hand to ask you next time or wait until after class is over! I was wrong, Teacher He, I¡¯m sorry.¡± After finishing, he bowed seriously.


    The words at the top of Teacher He¡¯s throat was blocked by his bow. Standing there, he grinded his teeth angrily. Shen Xu quietly raised his head a little. Seeing that Teacher He was silent, he cleared his throat and shouted at the volume learned from military training: ¡°I was wrong! I¡¯m sorry to my parents, I¡¯m sorry to my teachers, I¡¯m sorry to my classmates! I really regret it! Teacher He, please forgive me for my mistakes!¡±


    After a while of silence, the first burst of smothered laughter sounded, followed by uncontrollable bursts of laughter from the rest. Even Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help but secretly roll his eyes.


    Teacher He, nicknamed M2, was famous for his short temper, able to scold at a high speed and with a wide range like a machine gun. However, since he taught Shen Xu, he had encountered the biggest defeat in his life. Every time he was about to scold with class, scold to his heart¡¯s content, he would be blocked by Shen Xu, who had an eloquent mouth and a humble attitude. From then on, Shen Xu became famous, a phenomenon in class 1.


    Sure enough, after grinding his teeth for half a minute, Teacher He threw the book on the podium and was defeated again: ¡°Get out, class is over!¡±


    When he walked away in a huff, the whole class burst into laughter, slapping their desks and kicking their chairs in great amusement. The classroom became very lively indeed.


    Luo Ze laughed himself prone on the table, giving Shen Xu a thumbs up: ¡°In terms of matching M2, I will only recognize you for the rest of my life, even his wife needs to come and learn from you!¡±


    Shen Xu shook his head modestly: ¡°If you call me Papa, Papa can also pass on my secret technique to you.¡±


    Luo Ze: ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    Jiang Chen tidied up his things, raised his chin to gesture towards the outside, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±


    Shen Xu waved his hand: ¡°See you later!¡±


    When Jiang Chen walked to the back door, he turned around and said, ¡°Give me the practice test paper I asked you to do on Monday.¡± Then he left through the door without looking back.


    A howl came from the classroom, and Jiang Chen greeted Yang Yun politely: ¡°Aunt Yang.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Chen.¡± Yang Yun glanced at the noisy classroom and smiled softly, ¡°Your class is so lively.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°Third year is very tense, everyone cherishes anything that can lighten the mood.¡±


    Yang Yun was instantly attracted by this topic: ¡°Are you under heavy academic pressure? Are you tired? If you study late every day, you must eat something healthy and nourishing to make up for it. Auntie knows some¡­..¡±


    ¡°Mom¡ª¡ª¡± He Qianmin interrupted Yang Yun and said, ¡°My brother doesn¡¯t need to study late at all. He is in cooperation with Li De, and he spends most of his extracurricular time working, but he is still the number one even if he doesn¡¯t need to study much.¡±


    ¡°It must be very tiring to study and work at the same time.¡± Yang Yun said worriedly: ¡°Auntie stewed pigeon soup with red dates and wolfberries at home today, which can strengthen the brain and improve memory. It just so happens that today is also Qian Yu¡¯s birthday. She asked me to come and invite you to be a guest at our home and celebrate her birthday.¡±


    ¡°Qian Yu¡¯s birthday?¡± Jiang Chen looked at He Qianmin. He Qianmin had never told him about thus before.


    He Qianmin coughed lowly: ¡°I forgot¡­..¡±


    The two teenagers looked at each other, and Yang Yun laughed: ¡°You often forget even your own birthday, your sister won¡¯t blame you. On the way home later, we¡¯ll stop by the shopping mall and you can just buy her a gift. Xiao Chen, if you are free in the evening, come back with us. Qian Yu has been looking forward to you attending her birthday party since a week ago.¡±


    Jiang Chen hesitated, Yang Yun continued: ¡°If Qian Yu sees you, she will be very happy.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call home first.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s eyes lit up: ¡°Big Brother, you agree!¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Chen said to Yang Yun, ¡°I will be troubling you.¡±


    ¡°How can that be?¡± Yang Yun smiled softly, while sighing in her heart that Jiang Chen was very polite, there was also a sense of loss that seemed to come from nowhere. She suppressed her inexplicable emotions, and stretched out her arms to tuck Jiang Chen and He Qianmin¡¯s arms on either side: ¡°Let¡¯s go, the driver is already waiting at the school gate.¡±


    On the way to the He¡¯s, Jiang Chen called Yang Si. Hearing his mother¡¯s gentle reminders and his father¡¯s hearty laughter, he pursed his lips and chatted with them for a while. After hanging up the call, he looked out the window at the lessening traffic and the road that seemed to be leading to a place with more beautiful scenery. After a few seconds, he quickly looked away. His heart seemed to be pressed by something that was neither light or heavy, feeling guilt and resistance.


    The atmosphere in the car was a little silent. Yang Si saw Jiang Chen¡¯s expression from the rearview mirror, and said softly, ¡°Xiao Chen, Auntie still doesn¡¯t know when your birthday is? Next time when it¡¯s your birthday, Auntie will remind Qian Min to bring you a gift.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyelashes flickered. He quickly suppressed the emotion in his eyes, slightly moved his lips and said, ¡°In december.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s coming soon.¡± Yang Yun said with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s already September, less than three months away.¡±


    He Qianmin also turned his head and said, ¡°Big Brother, so your birthday is in December, what date in December?¡±


    Jiang Chen looked out the window and said with a faint smile, ¡°The 22nd.¡±


    Yang Yun was startled, and He Qianmin also widened eyes. He muttered in a low voice, ¡°Why is it on the same day as him¡­..¡±


    After finishing speaking, he realized that what he said was inappropriate. He instantly raised his eyes to explain, but found that Jiang Chen was looking out of the window in a daze, as if he didn¡¯t hear what he said.


    He Qianmin quietly breathed a sigh of relief, and his mood became high-spirited again: ¡°Big Brother, I will definitely prepare a super cool gift for you at that time! Guaranteed to satisfy you.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled faintly, turned his head and asked, ¡°What gift?¡±


    ¡°If I tell you now, what kind of surprise would that be?¡± He Qianmin smirked: ¡°In short, I absolutely guarantee that you will like it!¡±


    Jiang Chen bent his eyes and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll look forward to it in advance.¡±


    ¡°Just look forward to it!¡± He Qianmin thought for a while, and then said: ¡°Actually, don¡¯t look forward too much, if you look forward to it too much, what would I do if you end up disappointed?¡±


    Jiang Chen laughed: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I would definitely like it?¡±


    ¡°I think you would like it.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°But on your birthday, you must be in the happiest state throughout the whole process. I¡¯m just afraid you would feel a little unhappy after being disappointed.¡±


    Jiang Chen was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    After saying that, the car stopped at the gate of the He¡¯s. He Qianyu, who had already been waiting at the gate, rushed over. Her eyes lit up instantly when she saw Jiang Chen getting out of the car. She couldn¡¯t hide her delight and shyly called out: ¡°Brother Jiang Chen!¡±


    Jiang Chen knelt down, looked at her and smiled, ¡°Happy birthday, little princess.¡±


    He Qianyu held back for a moment, then flew into Jiang Chen¡¯s arms, hugging his neck and smiling, ¡°Thank you Brother Jiang Chen!¡±


    ¡°Alright already.¡± He Qianmin followed out of the car and said, ¡°What are you doing hugging for so long, are you going inside or not.¡±


    He Qianyu glared at He Qianmin, and the scene of seeing Jiang Chen for the first time flashed across her mind. She hesitated for a few seconds, leaned into his ear and whispered: ¡°Brother Jiang Chen, can I make a wish to you?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I want you to carry me inside.¡±


    Jiang Chen was taken aback, and He Qianyu blushed instantly, and quickly explained in a low voice: ¡°I saw you carrying a little girl once, and I was so envious. My brother has never carried me like that before. I want to know how it will feel to have Big Brother carry me, that¡¯s why¡­..but if it¡¯s not possible, then¡ª¡ª¡±


    Jiang Chen turned around, squatting down with his back to He Qianyu. He looked back and said with a smile, ¡°Come on up.¡±


    He Qianyu stared dazedly at Jiang Chen, and her eyes lit up little by little. She jumped on Jiang Chen¡¯s back, and made faces at He Qianmin with joy.


    He Qianmin snorted, but the corners of his mouth also curled up in a smile, ¡°You¡¯re so fat, aren¡¯t you ashamed to have others carry you.¡±


    He Qianyu hugged Jiang Chen¡¯s neck, and in this position she was also a bit taller than He Qianmin: ¡°I¡¯m not heavy, right, Brother Jiang Chen?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°Light as a feather.¡±


    He Qianyu took advantage of her height and pulled He Qianmin¡¯s hair. Under his glare, she raised her chin and said, ¡°Did you hear that, I¡¯m super light!¡±


    ¡°He Qianyu!¡± He Qianmin gritted his teeth: ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because today is your birthday I won¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of you!¡± He Qianyu leaned on Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulder and said proudly, ¡°Brother Jiang Chen will protect me.¡±


    Yang Yun and He Yanfeng looked at each other and smiled. He Yanfeng shook his head with a chuckle and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her be so affectionate to someone after just meeting a few times, and Qian Min has never admired anyone this much either. But after meeting Jiang Chen, it¡¯s like the two of them had their fur smoothed, not only obedient, but also eager to compete for favor, and even their old father can¡¯t compare.¡±


    Yang Yun looked at the three laughing children in the courtyard without moving her eyes away, and couldn¡¯t help but smile: ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because Xiao Chen has an affinity with our family, the first time I saw him, I liked him immediately, and the more I see him, the more I like him. I can¡¯t help but want to talk to him more and spend more time with him¡­..Maybe this child just has such likable qualities.¡±


    The conversation in the entrance hall traveled into the living room. He Qianjian stood up and looked out, seeing the He couple and Jiang Chen in the courtyard, his face darkened.


    The conversation was still going on, Yang Yun seemed to think of something, and said with joy: ¡°And Xiao Chen¡¯s birthday is also on the same day as Da Bao, so it seems that he really does have an affinity with our family.¡±

 CH 66

    At seven o¡¯clock in the morning, Jiang Chen got up on time. He washed up simply then went back to his room to change into a suit.


    Today was Li De¡¯s quarterly meeting, and it was also Jiang Chen¡¯s first time to participate in a meeting attended by all shareholders of Li De. Apart from officially announcing the establishment of the company¡¯s new project, Li Nanfeng also wanted to take this opportunity to introduce him to the members of the board of directors.


    Jiang Chen walked towards the desk while putting on his watch. He paused when his gaze passed over the little stuffed animal placed on the desk. Yesterday was He Qianyu¡¯s birthday, and the He family¡¯s celebration was simple and warm. Other than He Qianyu¡¯s good friends, there were only the five members of the He family plus him, less than ten people in total.


    After eating dinner and cutting the cake, Jiang Chen was about to leave and go home, but He Yanfeng stopped him, invited him to the study together, and then chatted about his cooperation with Li Nanfeng. He Yanfeng grasped the details very precisely, and didn¡¯t ask a word that shouldn¡¯t be asked, as if he was simply caring about the work of a junior, but Jiang Chen felt that he had other things in mind.


    Sure enough, at the end of the conversation, He Yanfeng asked casually, ¡°Xiao Jiang, I heard that your birthday is on December 22. Is it the lunar calendar or the Western calendar?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Western calendar.¡±


    ¡°Did your family tell you which hospital you were born in?¡±


    Jiang Chen said with a smile: ¡°My parents had mediocre family conditions when they gave birth to me. Maybe it was just a small clinic.¡±


    He Yanfeng also smiled, and just as he was about to say more, He Qianyu barged in. With a flushed face, she pulled Jiang Chen¡¯s hand coquettishly: ¡°Brother Jiang Chen, we are playing a game, can you play with me?¡±


    After an evening of getting along, she was already able to act familiar with Jiang Chen naturally, and her eyes were full of dependence.


    In that game, Jiang Chen obtained a small stuffed animal made by He Qianyu herself. When sending him out, He Qianyu whispered in his ear: ¡°Brother Jiang Chen, I apologize to you on behalf of Dad. He doesn¡¯t usually like to ask others a lot of things like this, but I don¡¯t know why, they always ask a lot of things when they see you, don¡¯t you mind, okay?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°I¡¯m not angry, I¡¯m super happy to be able to celebrate the little princess¡¯ birthday today.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± He Qianyu hugged his neck tightly and said, ¡°Then next year¡¯s birthday, will Brother Jiang Chen also spend it with me?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Of course.¡±


    He Qianyu grabbed the rabbit doll by the ear, and said, ¡°Napoleon is the token of promise between me and Brother Jiang Chen!¡±


    Jiang Chen put the stuffed animal on the table beside the bed, took his phone and went out.


    ¡­¡­


    After the meeting, Jiang Chen and Li Nanfeng went to his office together where he saw Shi Fengyue reading by the window. Jiang Chen looked at Li Nanfeng.


    Li Nanfeng smiled and said: ¡°He¡¯s off today, so I brought him here. It was his opinion I consulted on regarding the equipment in your laboratory. I asked him to come over today so that the both of you can go see if there is anything missing in the laboratory, that way I can stock it up as soon as possible.¡±


    While the two were talking, Shi Fengyue had already walked over, and said lightly, ¡°We can go now, right.¡±


    Li Nanfeng clicked his tongue: ¡°We haven¡¯t even had time to take a sip of water after the meeting, don¡¯t be so in a hurry, or are you in a hurry to go to sleep.¡±


    Shi Fengyue chewed the candy in his mouth, and there was a faint smell of lemon when he spoke: ¡°If you know then why are you still so slow?¡±


    ¡°Boss, can you have something new?¡± Li Nanfeng said so, but he had already turned around. He smiled apologetically at Jiang Chen, and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the laboratory now.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t care either way, and nodded slightly.


    The group of three descended from the elevator on the top floor to the seventh floor where the scientific research labs were located. Li Nanfeng verified the ID card and took them in. ¡°This floor has the fewest people, so in the future working here it will definitely be quiet and safe. Your laboratory will record your fingerprint, and no one will be able to open the door of the laboratory except you. You can safely put the materials or experimental data in the laboratory computer, because our computer is connected to the same network as the laboratory door. Without your fingerprint, everything in this laboratory will be blocked, no one can turn on your computer, in fact no one can even turn on the lights here.¡±


    Li Nanfeng stopped in front of a white door that had no gaps at all: ¡°This is the fingerprint registration, you can come and register your fingerprint here.¡±


    After entering his fingerprint, Jiang Chen looked at the door that opened automatically, and asked curiously, ¡°Is the network shield here developed by Li De?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Speaking of this, Li Nanfeng couldn¡¯t hide his pride: ¡°This is the most successful result of our R&D department at the end of last year, and we are now discussing cooperation with the military. It can be said that apart from several important military bases in Country C, in the whole world, only Li De can achieve such strict and precise technical shielding.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked thoughtful. Li Nanfeng smiled and said: ¡°You can talk to Feng Yue about this matter, he knows better than me, the head of the R&D team on this has a good relationship with him. When the whole shield device first came out, he knew before I did.¡±


    Shi Fengyue was lazily leaning against the wall, and even when Li Nanfeng mentioned him, his expression didn¡¯t change at all, without any intention of speaking.


    Jiang Chen thought for a while and asked, ¡°Dr. Shi, could you tell me about this shield? I¡¯d like to know how it can accurately shield a small-scale signal network without interfering with each other, and whether the identification relies solely on fingerprints or does it have other data or something.¡±


    Shi Fengyue raised his eyes. He walked to Jiang Chen¡¯s side, leaned slightly to pick up a small white square beside him, and said lightly: ¡°This shield is not so much shielding as it is signal interference at multiple points. And it connects the systems of the whole room, including the electrical system¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen became more and more fascinated as he listened. When Shi Fengyue finished explaining, he pondered for a moment and asked, ¡°Is it possible to design a shield that can truly shield all signals, even if the signal is not sent by any existing operator? There is no base station and no radio wave connection, I only know that it can freely shuttle on the network, but I don¡¯t know which medium it uses to be active on the network, and besides the network, it can even operate in non-network areas.¡±


    Shi Fengyue raised his eyebrows: ¡°What non-network fields are you referring to?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes: ¡°For example, the human body.¡±


    Shi Fengyue narrowed his eyes slightly, and after looking at him quietly for a few seconds, he suddenly smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s a very interesting idea.¡±


    Without a change to his expression, Jiang Chen said with a faint smile, ¡°Does Dr. Shi thinks that such a thing exists in this world?¡±


    ¡°If there is, it would be very interesting.¡± Shi Fengyue¡¯s lips hooked upwards and said, ¡°What you said reminded me of a type of program.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°What program?¡±


    Shi Fengyue sat down on the chair beside him and lazily said, ¡°Virus.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Chen was taken aback, all his attention could not help but be attracted by this word.


    Shi Fengyue supported his chin with one hand, and said in a casual tone: ¡°Viruses do not need radio waves or base station signals. As long as the trigger conditions are met, it will automatically be triggered. According to the principle of the virus, it should also be contagious to a certain extent. It can copy itself to the infected target, and then use this to achieve the purpose.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes suddenly, as if enlightened, everything becoming clear.


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s analogy was very accurate, wasn¡¯t the system in He Qianjian¡¯s head exactly like a virus to other people?


    Before, Jiang Chen thought about the countless operation methods of the system, and what kind of form it existed in He Qianjian¡¯s body, but if he used the analogy Shi Fengyue mentioned to understand the system, the operation principle of the system and its form of existence were very clear.


    He could completely treat the system as an advanced virus that takes into account both non-resident viruses and resident viruses. The non-resident virus would quickly infect other hosts. After its purpose was achieved, the virus would return the control to its infected host. And a resident virus transfers its loading memory and control rights to a host, while it hides within the host, waiting for an opportunity to infect other targets.


    Therefore, for He Qianjian, the system was a resident virus, and for others it was a non-resident virus. It took He Qianjian¡¯s order as a trigger condition, copied itself to the exchange partner, and then obtained what He Qianjian needed from the exchange partner, and as such it could travel unimpeded in the network, but did not need radio waves to connect.


    ¡°The shielding device can¡¯t deal with viruses.¡± Shi Fengyue raised his eyes and smiled lightly: ¡°If you want to stop it, in addition to preventing its trigger conditions from happening at the root, anti-virus software is also a good choice.¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s voice interrupted Jiang Chen¡¯s train of thought, but gave him even more inspiration. Countless new ideas flashed in his mind like fireworks.


    He went directly to the computer. Shi Fengyue sat in his chair, but he just half-kneeled on the ground to record all the ideas and experimental methods that just flashed through his mind.


    Jiang Chen was typing when he suddenly felt himself leaving the ground, and before he realized it, he was already sitting on the chair.


    Shi Fengyue ruffled his hair, his eyes smiling, and he said in a teasing tone, ¡°There¡¯s no need to kneel down to thank me, just treat me to a meal.¡±


    Jiang Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then also laughed and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    After Shi Fengyue left, Jiang Chen closed the door of the laboratory, and othert than to take the time to call his parents and Shen Xu, Huo Bo and ask the school for leave, he didn¡¯t come out for a whole week.


    A week later, he contacted Li Nanfeng and obtained a lot of materials from him. He then visited several open research laboratories of Li De, from which he gained a lot of inspiration.


    In the next two weeks, Jiang Chen upgraded Changjiang for the first time in this world, adding a signal recognition attack mode.


    Although He Qianjian¡¯s system operated using trigger conditions, in other words, He Qianjian¡¯s orders, it must pass through a certain medium before it could affect people. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know which medium the system used, but previously Changjiang had captured a small piece of code from the system. Using this signal, Jiang Chen simulated the working path of the system tens of thousands of times, and finally got a piece of code that could be perfectly combined with the original code of the system. As long as Changjiang remembered and recognized this code, launched an attack and blocked the signal sent by that code, then He Qianjian¡¯s system would not work.


    Three weeks passed in a flash, and after the last test on Changjiang was completed, Jiang Chen finally returned home. Tomorrow was the math competition, and because he had been absent from school for three consecutive weeks, the school had already called countless times. Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si were also relieved to see him come home.


    After dinner, Jiang Chen sat in front of the computer desk and turned on Wingnet.


    [D: C, do you have time tomorrow?]


    [C: Yes, what¡¯s the matter?]


    [D: Track IP.]


    [C: The one you said before that no one in this world could trace?]


    [D: Yes.]


    [C: Come at me! Hell yeah! I¡¯m already looking forward to tomorrow!]


    Looking at the words on the screen, Jiang Chen slightly raised his lips in a smile. He was also looking forward to tomorrow¡¯s arrival.

 CH 67

    This year¡¯s math competition was held at Yan No. 1 High School. Before entering the examination room all the leading teachers were having a last few words with their students.


    Fu Jinyu also encouraged all the participating students he was in charge of, and then called Jiang Chen aside.


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what you have been doing for more than half a month, I believe that you have a sense of proportion and I also believe in your ability.¡± Fu Jinyu patted Jiang Chen on the shoulder: ¡°Take the exam well, go on inside.¡±


    As the homeroom teacher and math competition coach, Fu Jinyu had endured a lot of pressure for the half-month leave he gave to Jiang Chen. Whether it was from the school leaders or his fellow teachers, if Jiang Chen did not do well in the competition this time he would be the first to be blamed, and perhaps even be worse off than Jiang Chen himself, but even so, he didn¡¯t put any pressure on Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen stretched out his hand and patted Fu Jinyu¡¯s arm, his eyes and face were full of smiles that was the unique radiance of a teenager: ¡°Absolute gold medal, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Fu Jinyu scolded the brat with a smile, but he couldn¡¯t help laughing too: ¡°Waiting for your gold medal.¡±


    At eight o¡¯clock in the morning, the exam began.


    When Jiang Chen got his test paper, he first scanned it briefly, put aside all distracting thoughts, and then settled down to do the questions. The first exam lasted a total of 80 minutes, and when just over half of the time had passed, Jiang Chen had already finished all the test questions and checked over the test paper from beginning to end.


    He raised his eyes to look at the wall clock by the podium, raised his brows almost imperceptibly, and then curled his lips upwards.


    At this moment, He Qianjian, who was in two classrooms away from Jiang Chen, could already feel sweat gathering in the palm of his hand holding the pen. His hand was scribbling randomly on the draft paper, looking like he was very focused on the exam but in fact his eyes were not focused at all.


    After getting the test paper, He Qianjian called the system in his mind as usual, asking it the answer to the first fill in the blank question, but after waiting for more than ten seconds, the system did not respond at all. At that time, He Qianjian was a little panicked, but there was a proctor in front and one in the back, and he couldn¡¯t show the slightest abnormality. The only thing he could do was call the system over and over again in his head.


    But forty minutes had passed, and it was as if the system had disappeared. No matter how much he shouted and asked in his head, the system did not give him the slightest response.


    The test-taker at the next desk turned over the paper, and the sound of flipping test pages made He Qianjian suddenly look up. Seeing the teacher by the podium slowly pacing towards this side, he quickly lowered his head and turned the test page over.


    The proctor walked past He Qianjian and he breathed a long sigh of relief. He continued to call the system in his mind without giving up.


    However, even to the end of the exam, the system still did not make the slightest sound, let alone give him the answers to the questions.


    The proctor stood at the podium, and the test-takers went forward to hand in their test papers one by one. After handing in, they could go outside to rest and wait for the second test in 20 minutes.


    He Qianjian had already unconsciously crumpled up his test paper in his anxiety, but he still didn¡¯t have the courage to step forward and hand it in. His test paper was completely blank, with nothing written on it except his name. If the proctor saw this, he would definitely ask him why he didn¡¯t answer a single question. If he couldn¡¯t find a valid reason, the image he had maintained for so many years would be completely ruined.


    He could already imagine what their expressions would be like when the school and his parents knew that he had handed in a blank test paper. But what if he didn¡¯t hand in the blank test paper? In the last 20 minutes, after He Qianjian came to terms that seeking help from the system was hopeless, he also thought about doing the questions himself, but don¡¯t even mention doing these questions, he couldn¡¯t even understand what the questions meant in the first place.


    With a god-level cheat that was the system, since his second year of junior high school, He Qianjian had never done a single test question by himself. In addition to maintaining the image of being the first in his year, it was also because he was not very good at studying in his previous life. And during the several years after he had graduated, he didn¡¯t even read a single book, and re-learning just made him, whose life had been smooth sailing after owning the system, once again feel the sense of defeat and frustration from his previous life.


    This was the feeling He Qianjian hated the most. In this new life after he had enjoyed all the praises and support, it was even harder to accept setbacks.


    Now, he had to personally face this colossal defeat, including the predictable jeers.


    ¡°Student¡­..the one who is still sitting!¡±


    He Qianjian suddenly came back to his senses, and when he looked up, he saw that the proctor at the podium was showing an impatient expression.


    ¡°Hand in your test paper.¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s hand on his test paper tightened, his face pale. The students in the same examination room had already noticed him. Some people who knew him were curious and puzzled, and whispered to the companion next to him: ¡°Isn¡¯t that Chenghua¡¯s number one? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The companion shook his head: ¡°He doesn¡¯t look very good, maybe he didn¡¯t do well on the exam.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. He is a legend in Chenghua. He is as famous as Jiang Chen from Yan No.1 High School and Li Xiao from our attached secondary school. The three major test masters in Yan City are all recognized geniuses. No matter how bad this kind of person does in the exam, how bad can it be, at least a silver medal, and it¡¯s only the first test.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡­..the teacher went over.¡±


    He Qianjian watched the proctor approach step by step, and his hand holding the test paper trembled slightly. When the proctor was a step away from him, he stood up abruptly, handed the test paper directly to the proctor, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well. I decided to give up the competition.¡±


    After the words fell, there was an uproar inside and outside the classroom.


    The classrooms in the teaching building were all connected, and there was a 20-minute break. The test-takers were scattered in various classrooms and those who were familiar with each other would go find each other so there were not just the students in this exam room outside the door but also students from other exam rooms. And because there were many people gathered by the classroom window, people passing by to go to the toilet also came over to see what happened, such that the entire corridor had already been crowded with many people.


    The proctor thought that he had heard it wrong: ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said I won¡¯t be taking the exam.¡± After the words were uttered, He Qianjian instead became less nervous. He was the eldest son of the He family and the first in his year in Chenghua with privileged status. If he failed this exam his reputation would be ruined, but if he handed in a blank test paper and gave up the exam, no one would think that it was because of his lack of ability, but that it was his willfulness. And his identity gave him the capital to be willful.


    He Qianjian opened his mouth and repeated again: ¡°I won¡¯t be taking the exam.¡±


    The proctor frowned, and looked down at the test paper that He Qianjian had just given him. After seeing the blank spaces on it, his expression also became ugly: ¡°You think the competition is a game?¡±


    When the proctor said this, it was actually exactly what He Qianjian wanted. He said, ¡°I suddenly don¡¯t want to take the exam anymore. Can I leave the exam room first?¡±


    Another proctor also came over, and he said with a dark face: ¡°Even if you withdraw from the competition, you can¡¯t leave, you have to wait until the end.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait outside.¡± He Qianjian picked up his pen and draft paper, turned around and left.


    ¡°Wait.¡± The proctor confirmed again: ¡°You really decided to give up the second test?¡±


    He Qianjian nodded, and the proctor said without expression: ¡°Fine, I will count you as having given up on the exam, leave the draft paper.¡±


    He Qianjian was dissatisfied: ¡°I gave up the exam and you still need my draft paper?¡±


    ¡°This is the rule.¡± The proctor said blankly, ¡°The draft paper from the examination room cannot be taken out.¡±


    He Qianjian squeezed the draft paper tightly, gritted his teeth and handed it to the proctor, then left the classroom without looking back.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Big news!¡± A boy ran in from the front door and slammed the table with excitement: ¡°Big news, big news, comrades!¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his head upon hearing the sound, and other students also looked at him curiously. The people who were familiar with him asked, ¡°What big news?¡±


    The boy smiled mysteriously and lowered his voice a little: ¡°Do you know Chenghua¡¯s He Qianjian?¡±


    Someone nodded: ¡°I know, the one whose family is quite rich, who was third in the final exam last time, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°He gave up the competition!¡± The boy slammed the table: ¡°Just handed in a blank paper during the first test!¡±


    ¡°F**k? Is that true?¡±


    ¡°That arrogant?¡±


    ¡°Impossible. I¡¯m from Chenghua. He Qianjian doesn¡¯t seem like this kind of person. He¡¯s quite measured in his actions, and he really wants to save face. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°How is it not possible?¡± The male student who was questioned was unhappy: ¡°You go to the toilet on the east side of the third floor now, He Qianjian is in that examination room, and everyone outside the corridor is discussing this matter. ¡°


    ¡°Then why?¡±


    ¡°How do I know.¡± The boy said: ¡°I heard that he said he was not feeling well, but no one knows whether it is fake or not. Anyway, I heard that the two teachers who proctored him today did not have a good impression of him, their faces were all dark.¡±


    Someone laughed and joked: ¡°You have heard a lot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. In No. 1 High School, I am the most well-informed person. No one can be more accurate than me except Shen Xu, right God Jiang?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and smiled, ¡°Where did He Qianjian go?¡±


    ¡°I heard that he went downstairs to the proctor¡¯s room. He can¡¯t leave before the competition is over, so he can only sit in the proctor¡¯s room.¡±


    Someone was puzzled: ¡°Wait, it¡¯s already come to this point, yet he says he won¡¯t take the test then he won¡¯t take the test, what is his motive?¡±


    ¡°What motive can he have, it¡¯s just to make himself feel good, do you know what¡¯s the situation of his family.¡± The boy who said he was from Chenghua made a thumbs up sign, shook his head and said, ¡°This. Those in Chenghua basically come from good families, his family is also at the top of the pyramid in Chenghua, not to mention his grades are very good. He has even set a precedent in our school and only takes the midterm and final exam, even if it is the college entrance examination, he can still enter the school he wants to enter. Even if he doesn¡¯t perform well in the college entrance examination, with his family background, which school can¡¯t he enter? Going abroad is also another option.¡±


    ¡°The He family doesn¡¯t allow their descendants to go study abroad.¡± A boy said with a sneer, ¡°Besides, the He family has strict family teachings. No matter how favored He Qianjian is, he wouldn¡¯t dare to be so willful. I am guessing something happened this time.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How would I know?¡± The boy said, ¡°If you want to know, go to the proctor¡¯s room to find him, and ask yourself.¡±


    At the end of this remark, the bell for the second test rang and the teacher entered the examination room. The 150-minute test proceeded smoothly. The bell rang again at 12:10, and the test-takers handed in their papers and left the classroom in an orderly manner.


    When Jiang Chen left the classroom, besides discussions over the answers, all he heard was gossip about He Qianjian giving up the competition. He lowered his eyes and curled his lips upwards, following the flow of people out.


    As soon as he walked to the school gate, he saw He Qianyu who was waving vigorously. She put her hands by her mouth and made a trumpet shape: ¡°Brother Jiang Chen! We are here!¡±


    Jiang Chen paused. His eyes swept over He Qianmin who was beside He Qianyu, He Yanfeng and his wife who were looking this way with a smile, and finally fell on He Qianjian, who tried his best to hide the gloominess and restrained fear in his eyes. Seeing this, his smile faded a little.


    ¡°Uncle He and Aunt Yang.¡± Jiang Chen greeted politely.


    He Qianyu immediately ran over to grab his hand, and finished explaining the reason for waiting here in a chatter: ¡°Eldest Brother has to take the exam today, and Brother Jiang Chen and Xiao Xiao are also taking the exam, so we just waited outside until you all come out to celebrate together!¡±


    Jiang Chen rubbed her head, He Qianyu shook his arm coquettishly: ¡°Brother Jiang Chen, come with us~¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± He Yanfeng said: ¡°The three of you can compare each other¡¯s answers at that time.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced over He Qianjian, who had a flustered expression for a moment, and felt a complete lack of interest. Just as he was about to refuse, He Qianyu jumped up and waved: ¡°Xiao Xiao! We are here!¡±


    Li Xiao walked through the crowd and was not surprised to see Jiang Chen. After greeting the He family, she asked, ¡°How did you do on the exam?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded lightly: ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Li Xiao tilted her head: ¡°Gold medal?¡±


    ¡°More or less.¡±


    ¡°I am also definitely a gold medalist.¡± Li Xiao said: ¡°It seems that we can only decide on a winner during the winter training camp.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk in the car.¡± He Qianyu took Li Xiao and Jiang Chen by the arm, claiming the spot first: ¡°I want to share a car with Brother Jiang Chen and Xiao Xiao!¡±


    ¡°My brother and I will be in the same car.¡± He Qianmin pulled He Qianyu¡¯s hand away: ¡°Men sit with men, and the little girl should just step to the side.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I want to ride with Brother Jiang Chen!¡± He Qianyu hugged Jiang Chen¡¯s arm and pouted, ¡°Brother Jiang Chen also wants to ride with me! Right, Brother Jiang Chen?¡±


    Jiang Chen met her expectant and excited expression, and it was hard to say the words of refusal.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sit in Uncle He¡¯s car. I¡¯m a bit tired from the exam. I want to nap for a while.¡± Li Xiao said, ¡°Jiang Chen, did you use Ptolemy¡¯s theorem to prove your last geometry problem? I found that I went in the wrong direction after I wrote the answer, but there was no time to change it, so I thought of another method. I¡¯ll tell you about it when we eat.¡±


    Jiang Chen had no choice but to get into the car.

 CH 68

    The seats were allocated in this way, Jiang Chen, He Qianyu, and He Qianmin took the driver¡¯s car, He Qianjian, Li Xiao, and Yang Yun took He Yanfeng¡¯s car, and the two cars drove together to the restaurant.


    He Qianyu was very excited. Even though He Qianmin drove her to sit in the co-passenger seat, she still turned her head to talk to Jiang Chen persistently. Jiang Chen was not impatient at all, and he could chat with her for a long time even on childish topics.


    Along the way, He Qianmin tried to interrupt several times, but all failed. He was so annoyed that when they finally got out of the car that sullen face was obvious to all who could see.


    The restaurant He Yanfeng made a reservation at was the Huaiyang Restaurant that Jiang Chen and his friends had been to last time. When ordering, Jiang Chen ordered a few of He Qianmin¡¯s favorite dishes according to his memory, causing Yang Yun to say in surprise, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Xiao Chen¡¯s taste to be so similar to Qian Min¡¯s.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°Qian Min and I have eaten here before.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s the case.¡± Yang Yun said with a smile: ¡°Then you ordering these dishes must be for him. Why don¡¯t you order two more dishes that you like.¡±


    ¡°My brother¡¯s taste is about the same as mine.¡± Most of the dark clouds on He Qianmin¡¯s face disappeared in an instant. He crossed his arms and said, ¡°We even have the same taste in hot pot dishes.¡±


    He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows: ¡°Such a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Xiao Chen and our family really have an affinity.¡± Yang Yun said with a smile: ¡°Come over to our house more to play in the future.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°Okay, thank you, Aunt Yang.¡±


    The waiter opened the door to their private box and came in. One dish after another was brought to the table. Taking advantage of this gap, Li Xiao leaned pass He Qianyu to discuss the topic of today¡¯s competition with Jiang Chen.


    Yang Yun put a piece of fish with chopsticks into He Qianjian¡¯s mouth. He had been silent since getting in the car. She softly whispered: ¡°Da Bao, what¡¯s the matter? Are you feeling uncomfortable?¡±


    He Qianjian tightened his grip on his chopsticks, and raised his pale face: ¡°Mom, I¡­..¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He Yanfeng also looked at He Qianjian, and said casually: ¡°Qian Jian, how did you do on the exam this time? Xiao Jiang and Xiao Xiao are comparing the answers, and you can check with them too.¡±


    When He Yanfeng called He Qianjian¡¯s name, Li Xiao and Jiang Chen stopped talking. Hearing what He Yanfeng said, Li Xiao and Jiang Chen looked at each other and fell silent.


    For a while, the room fell into silence.


    Seeing that He Qianjian kept silent and his expression was very bad, He Yanfeng put down his chopsticks: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    He Qianjian lowered his head, sweat beading on his forehead. Although He Yanfeng was not a strict father, for some reason, He Qianjian was a little afraid of him since he was a child, so before he had been thinking of confessing this matter to Yang Yun first, and then let Yang Yun tell He Yanfeng. But who knew, he was brought here as soon as the exam was over, and Jiang Chen was even among the diners.


    In the past, just seeing Jiang Chen and the He family in the same place made He Qianjian feel anxious, but now coupled with the system and the fact that he just gave up the exam, this anxiety turned into panic.


    While he was immersed in endless anxiety and fear, the voices of Jiang Chen and Li Xiao talking about the test questions were like a spell, vaguely and intermittently passing into his ears, and every word they spoke seemed to be mocking his incompetence, ridiculing his mediocrity, and shoving him back into the memories where everyone could step on him in the past.


    Seeing that He Qianjian¡¯s complexion became more and more ugly, and cold sweat oozed from his forehead, Yang Yun reached out to touch his forehead worriedly: ¡°Qian Jian, are you feeling unwell?¡±


    He Qianjian raised his lowered head slightly, and his eyes fell on Jiang Chen who was facing him with no expression. In his ears was Yang Yun¡¯s concerned question. He calmed himself and raised his head.


    ¡°I gave up on the exam.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Yang Yun paused in wiping his sweat for him, then turned to look at He Yanfeng.


    He Yanfeng frowned and said, ¡°Tell me the reason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well.¡± He Qianjian forced a smile, half guilty and half self-reproaching: ¡°I felt a little uncomfortable when I woke up this morning, and I thought I would feel better if I persisted until the examination room, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be even more uncomfortable when I got there. As soon as the test paper was issued, I couldn¡¯t hold it anymore, so I wrote my name and fell asleep for the whole first test, and I didn¡¯t participate in the second test.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yang Yun chided worriedly: ¡°Since you already felt sick in the morning, why didn¡¯t you tell Mom, no wonder your complexion looks so bad, and you didn¡¯t say anything when you got in the car just now. If you had said earlier, we would have gone to the hospital first.¡±


    He Qianjian glanced at Jiang Chen, and smiled with even more difficulty: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that there would be other people¡­..and I think Jiang Chen and Li Xiao should have done well in the exam. I can just bear it and come here to celebrate for them.¡±


    Yang Yun opened her mouth, wanting to scold him but also reluctant to: ¡°Your health is your own, no matter how important something is, it is not as important as your health. And there will always be a chance to celebrate, Mom will take you to the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± He Qianjian wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, ¡°You all should continue to eat slowly, I¡¯ll ask Uncle Wang to take me home first, I should be better after some sleep.¡±


    Yang Yun was worried: ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°No need, Mom.¡± He Qianjian stood up and said, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not feeling well, so I¡¯m leaving first.¡±


    He Yanfeng grabbed Yang Yun who insisted on taking He Qianjian to the hospital: ¡°Let him go back to rest first, and if he is still not feeling well when we get home, have Xiang Hong come over and have a look.¡±


    Hearing the familiar name, Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, thoughtful.


    After dinner, Jiang Chen and Li Xiao bid farewell and went home.


    Back in his room, Jiang Chen turned on the computer and put on the earphones.


    Changjiang reported today¡¯s interception and attack. After Jiang Chen processed the multiple pieces of code captured by Changjiang, he opened the Wingnet, and the message from C jumped out.


    [C: God D, who was it that you wanted me to track today? If you hadn¡¯t locked the range for me directly, I really couldn¡¯t have caught it, and even so, I got the slip from him many times. The number of times I really caught up with his IP was only twice.]


    The night before, Jiang Chen contacted C and asked him to help track the IP.


    When discussing tactics, Jiang Chen delineated a very small location for C, that is, the location of the teaching building of Yan No. 1 High School, and asked C to try to track this IP and pass every traced IP change to Changjiang. Provide a second insurance measure for Changjiang¡¯s interception. Doing so would not only allow Changjiang to intercept the system more accurately, but also confuse the system so that it could not determine who was working against it.


    Sure enough, under Jiang Chen¡¯s arrangements, the only two escapes by the system were intercepted by C, completely cutting off contact with He Qianjian.


    [D: It¡¯s already pretty good to be able to catch up twice.]


    [C: This is the first time I have encountered someone whose IP is so hidden. God D, could you tell me who the other party is? I checked the address from yesterday, and it turns out to be Yan City No. 1 High School. That person wouldn¡¯t happen to still be a student, right.]


    [D: Sorry, it is not convenient to disclose at the moment.]


    [C: Then you just tell me one thing, are you a student.]


    [D: Yes.]


    The screen went quiet for a while.


    [C: The students nowadays are really amazing:)]


    Jiang Chen smiled, thanked C again, and closed Wingnet. He then began to study this piece of code newly captured by Changjiang.


    There was not much difference between this code and the previous code. The only difference might be that this time the coding was more than that section captured previously, so the energy contained in them was also greater, but Jiang Chen was still unclear about the source of this ability, so to figure out the puzzle, he could only start with the coding.


    Jiang Chen analyzed this piece of code while calculating. His bedroom ground was covered with rolled up scrap paper. He crossed out the equation he had just written under his pen, and threw the paper aside again.


    No matter how he calculated, he couldn¡¯t parse this code, and the coding he got so far was still not enough.


    Jiang Chen rubbed the center of his brows, took out a piece of paper and prepared to continue. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.


    Yang Si said outside the door: ¡°Chen Chen, you just finished the competition today, why don¡¯t you rest earlier?¡±


    Jiang Chen opened the door: ¡°Mom, why are you up?¡±


    ¡°Drinking some water.¡± Yang Si said, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­..working.¡±


    ¡°Is it a very difficult job?¡± Yang Si looked at the messy balls of paper on the ground, and said with concern: ¡°No matter how difficult or tiring, you can¡¯t exhaust your body. It¡¯s almost two o¡¯clock now. You should go to bed early then you can continue after getting up tomorrow morning.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°I know, I¡¯m going to sleep right away, Mom, you go to bed early too.¡±


    Oh, that¡¯s right.¡± Yang Si suddenly remembered something, and said, ¡°I forgot to tell you something during dinner just now. This morning, a phone call came. It seemed to be a professor from Yan University, surnamed Zhang. He said he wanted to chat with you. Mom doesn¡¯t know whether what he said was true or not, so I just said you were not at home and would call him back tomorrow.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows: ¡°Yan University?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mom made sure, that¡¯s what the caller said.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°You go to bed early, and I¡¯m going to sleep too.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    ¡°Good night, Mom.¡±


    The math competition was the day before the National Day, so in the next week, Jiang Chen had enough time to study these codes, and Jiang Chen didn¡¯t waste half a second of his time. For the whole week, he kept running back and forth from home, the library, and the laboratory. Hard work always pays off, and although countless formulas have been overthrown, Jiang Chen still obtained an unexpected harvest in the end.


    The combination of these reduced codes looked like a kind of text he had seen before. However, Jiang Chen only saw this kind of text in the largest library in the empire when he was in college in his last life. It was a type of ancient text, and information on this kind of text was very little. It did not indicate which country or planet or civilization it was from.


    The only thing Jiang Chen could be sure of was that if this kind of text could be handed down for so many years, and it could still be preserved by the paleography of the federation¡¯s library after going through the great migration and reclamation. Then this proved that it was inseparable from Earth, or at least it proved that it appeared on Earth.


    It was just that the question of which country¡¯s written language it was and which era¡¯s written language it was was yet to be studied.


    Just when Jiang Chen made a breakthrough in the research of the system, the National Day holiday also ended quietly. After leaving the school for a month, Jiang Chen finally returned to the school again. However, before he entered the classroom, he was rushed to the principal¡¯s office by the Director of the Political Education Department.


    ¡°Principal.¡± Director Liu said, ¡°I brought Jiang Chen over.¡±


    The principal smiled kindly: ¡°Student Jiang Chen, have a seat first.¡±


    After Jiang Chen said hello and sat on the seat indicated by the principal, he nodded politely to the other old man in the room who had been smiling and looking at him the whole time, and asked the principal, ¡°Principal, who is this old gentleman?¡±


    ¡°This is Professor Zhang from Yan University.¡± The principal smiled kindly, ¡°He heard that you want to major in computer science at Yan University, so he wanted to come over and have a chat with you.¡±

 CH 69

    Coming out of the office building and turning a corner, Jiang Chen saw Huo Bo waiting by the garden.


    He paused and laughed, ¡°Are you stalking me?¡±


    ¡°Your chemistry class.¡± Huo Bo said helplessly, ¡°Shen Xu doesn¡¯t dare to skip.¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips: ¡°I guessed it.¡±


    Huo Bo raised his chin and looked towards the principal¡¯s office above: ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after school.¡±


    Huo Bo: ¡°Let¡¯s meet up for dinner together tonight.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As soon as Jiang Chen returned to the classroom and sat down, a ball of paper flew across his desk. He looked sideways, and Shen Xu was winking at him, so he opened the paper ball, which read: Are you okay?


    The chemistry class was still going on, so Jiang Chen turned to the page the class was reviewing, picked up a pen and wrote back two words: I¡¯m fine.


    Shen Xu hastily unwrapped the ball of paper, and was relieved to see the reply. Under Jiang Chen¡¯s reply, he wrote ¡°Then why did the Bull Demon King take you away?¡±, taking advantage of when the chemistry teacher turned around, he quickly threw it on Jiang Chen¡¯s desk.


    Jiang Chen: Professor Zhang from the Department of Computer Science at Yan University came. He seems to have heard something from Mr. Xiang and asked me about my university aspirations.


    Shen Xu: Then what did you say?


    Jiang Chen: My first choice is the computer department of Yan University.


    Shen Xu: And then?


    Jiang Chen: Let¡¯s talk after class.


    Shen Xu: I waited for you for an entire flag raising and half a chemistry class, do you really have the heart to let your good brother continue to wait?!?!


    Seeing Shen Xu¡¯s two giant question marks and exclamation marks that were about to tear through the paper, Jiang Chen could only explain clearly as concisely as possible and then end this dangerous conversation with balls of paper flying all over the place.


    Jiang Chen: Professor Zhang hoped that I would definitely choose the Department of Computer Science of Yan University, and talked with me about direct recommendation, but I haven¡¯t agreed yet.


    Shen Xu: What are you thinking!!! Isn¡¯t Yan Uni compsci your first choice! Don¡¯t you know how much trouble you could save by being able to be admitted directly! It¡¯s equal to early liberation, brother! And for the rest of third year, you can do whatever you want! Why not agree!


    Jiang Chen received the paper ball that flew over again, glanced at Shen Xu, and stuffed the paper ball into the belly of his desk without looking at it.


    Seeing that Jiang Chen didn¡¯t look at it, Shen Xu scratched his head anxiously, covered his face with the book and leaned closer, ¡°Jiangzi, why didn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his voice: ¡°Let¡¯s talk after class.¡±


    ¡°Class will be over soon, I won¡¯t be able to focus if you don¡¯t say it now, you have to tell me now¡­..¡±


    The corner of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth twitched, and feeling the gaze from the podium, he had no choice but to take out the piece of notepaper, write a few words and throw it over.


    Shen Xu quickly caught it, but before he could look at it, he was hit directly by a piece of chalk.


    The chemistry teacher who was standing on the podium said: ¡°I notice that the flying paper ball between the two of you can even compare to the Xiaoli Feidao (TN: wuxia skill from the novel of the same name by Gu Yong), flying back and forth so fast I nearly couldn¡¯t see its path clearly. What interesting things are you two chatting about, that you can¡¯t even stop, let us hear too, and be let in the fun as well!¡±


    Jiang Chen put a hand to his forehead, Shen Xu tucked in his neck, and put on a very good attitude while admitting his wrong: ¡°I¡¯m wrong, Teacher He, there won¡¯t be a next time.¡±


    ¡°Wrong?¡±


    Shen Xu nodded: ¡°Wrong.¡±


    ¡°Where are you wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wrong in everything, so very wrong, but I will correct my wrongness¡­..¡±


    ¡°Stand up!¡± Teacher He knocked heavily on Shen Xu¡¯s desktop twice, pointing to the note in his hand: ¡°Read!¡±


    Shen Xu hid the note behind his back, and said in a low voice: ¡°Teacher, I was really wrong, and I realized my wrongness very deeply. I promise to correct my wrongness in the future and turn over a new leaf. I will write a thousand-word letter of guarantee to you after class, so reading¡­..this won¡¯t be unnecessary, will it.¡±


    Teacher He hissed, as if he couldn¡¯t believe it: ¡°A thousand-word letter of guarantee?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    ¡°Okay, a thousand-word letter of guarantee.¡± Teacher He nodded, and when Shen Xu breathed a sigh of relief, he snatched over the ball of paper in his hand: ¡°The guarantee must be written and this must be read as well. Will it be you who read it or I?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± Shen Xu was a little at a loss, turned his head and looked at Jiang Chen apologetically, asking for his opinion.


    Jiang Chen nodded, and Shen Xu said, ¡°Let me read it.¡±


    Teacher He handed the note to him: ¡°Read, read to me with the passionate emotions you had when writing the note.¡±


    Shen Xu licked his lips, opened the note, and read it word by word: ¡°Me: Are you okay¡¯, Jiang Chen: ¡®I¡¯m fine, Me: ¡®Then why did ¡°cough cough¡± take you away¡¯, Jiang Chen:¡­..¡±


    ¡°What is ¡°cough cough¡±?¡± Teacher He frowned: ¡°Speak clearly, don¡¯t cough at me.¡±


    Shen Xu was silent for a few seconds. Then he shut his eyes, and really launched into an eloquent and passionate recitation.


    At first, the whole class roared with laughter because of his ¡°Bull Demon King¡±, but when they heard the rest, they all fell silent.


    Shen Xu passionately read out loud most of the interrogation: ¡°¡­..You can do whatever you want for the rest of third year! Why don¡¯t you agree!¡± Then he imitated Jiang Chen¡¯s tone: ¡°Jiang Chen: ¡°Professor Xiang of Hua University proposed that I go to the Department of Mathematics of Hua University. I benefited a lot from chatting with him, and I have not yet rejected his invitation, and I also plan to take the college entrance examination.¡±


    The classroom fell into silence. In the silence, Teacher He pushed his glasses up his nose three times. When he was about to push the glasses for the fourth time, the end of class bell rang.


    ¡°Remember the 1,000-word letter of guarantee, not a single word less.¡± Teacher He adjusted his glasses calmly, turned around with the book in his hand, and said, ¡°Class is over.¡±


    It was the first time that the chemistry teacher didn¡¯t drag the class past the bell, and left the classroom in a hurry before the bell even finished ringing. The students in class 1 also came back to themselves in the sound of the moving desks and chairs of other classes and the lively noise outside.


    Luo Ze sprang up, snatched the ball of paper from Shen Xu¡¯s hand, read it by himself, and said swore after reading it.


    Others came back to their senses one after another. Some went to look at the paper ball, and some directly asked, ¡°God Jiang, a professor from Yan University just came? He wants you to go to Yan University?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t expect that this matter would be exposed in this way, but he would not hide it when asked. Seeing him nodding, someone shouted ¡°awesome¡±, and then there was a wave of envious congratulations, and at the same time followed a series of questions:


    ¡°God Jiang, was it because of this that you asked for leave?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, God Jiang, what did you do after taking almost a month¡¯s leave?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t the results of the math competition not come out yet? If the professors from Yan University and Hua University contact you, can they ensure your early admission?¡±


    ¡°God Jiang, which college are you going to agree to, is¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, and interrupted the series of questions gently but firmly: ¡°I haven¡¯t considered the matter of direct recommendation. I hope everyone will not disclose this matter to the public. I will tell everyone when there is a result.¡±


    The other students were puzzled, but some people quickly agreed: ¡°Don¡¯t worry God Jiang, we won¡¯t talk about it.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    However, before noon, the school¡¯s forum had already put up a post to discuss Jiang Chen¡¯s direct recommendation. By the time school was over, all the students in the school knew about Jiang Chen¡¯s direct recommendation.


    He Qianmin had been waiting at the school gate early, and when he saw Jiang Chen and the others, he raised his hand and said, ¡°Big Brother!¡±


    Before Jiang Chen and the others walked over, he already trotted over to Jiang Chen in three steps, with excitement in his eyes: ¡°Big Brother, I heard other people talking about your direct recommendation, is it true?¡±


    ¡°Even you know?¡± Shen Xu raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°The whole school knows.¡± He Qianmin: ¡°Big Brother, what are you thinking?¡±


    From the corner of his eye, Jiang Chen caught sight of many students who were slowing down, and said, ¡°We¡¯re going to have dinner together, you can come with us, wait¡ª¡ªDad?¡±


    The three also followed Jiang Chen¡¯s line of sight and asked in surprise, ¡°Uncle Jiang?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo walked over slowly, he was walking like an ordinary person now, but he couldn¡¯t walk too fast and couldn¡¯t run.


    ¡°Xiao Xu and Xiao Bo are here too.¡± Jiang Zhuo nodded to the three of them with a smile, and his eyes fell on He Qianmin: ¡°Is this your classmate too?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know why Jiang Zhuo came to the school suddenly, but he still introduced He Qianmin sincerely. He said, ¡°Dad, this is He Qianmin. He is a first year in our school. You probably haven¡¯t seen him before, but I mentioned him to you, do you remember?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo thought for a while, and suddenly said, ¡°When Miao Miao said you had a younger brother last time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen smiled, ¡°Qian Min is like a younger brother to me.¡±


    The corners of He Qianmin¡¯s mouth slightly curled up, and he called out obediently, ¡°Hi Uncle Jiang, I¡¯m He Qianmin, nice to meet you.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo smiled brightly: ¡°Hello, Uncle has heard Jiang Chen mention you a long time ago. Today Uncle came to pick up Jiang Chen to go home for dinner. If you three have nothing to do, you can come together.¡±


    Huo Bo and Shen Xu looked at Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know why Jiang Zhuo suddenly came to pick him up from school, but seeing the unconcealable smile in his eyes, something good should have happened.


    ¡°Uncle Jiang, you came too timely.¡± Shen Xu said with a smile: ¡°We were just thinking about what to eat. With Auntie¡¯s cooking, we don¡¯t even have to think about it.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Jiang Zhuo said beamingly: ¡°Your Aunt Yang has prepared a large table of dishes at home, and I¡¯m sure you all will be satisfied.¡±


    Jiang Chen became even more curious, and couldn¡¯t help but ask with a smile, ¡°Could it be some special day today? Mom cooking a big table of food, and you even came to pick me up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get back.¡± Jiang Zhuo said with a mysterious smile, ¡°I guarantee it will be a big happy surprise.¡±


    Jiang Chen returned home with curiosity and three tails following close behind. When Yang Si saw Shen Xu and the others, she was surprised for a moment, but she quickly welcomed them with a warm smile, ¡°Come in, wash your hands and then we can eat.¡±


    It was only when Jiang Chen saw a large table of dishes in the true sense that he realized that the news his parents were about to announce might really be a great surprise.


    At the dining table, Yang Si picked up food for the three of Shen Xu from time to time, and was even more enthusiastic towards He Qianmin. Because she was worried that he would be embarrassed, she even quietly asked Jiang Chen about his taste before the meal, and switched the placing of his favorite dishes over to be placed in front of him.


    This was the first time for He Qianmin to come to the Jiang¡¯s. Compared with Shen Xu and Huo Bo¡¯s casualness, he was much more reserved. Facing the occasional questions from Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo, he also behaved very sweet and polite, causing Shen Xu to tsk in amazement.


    Both the host and guests enjoyed the meal, and when everyone put down their chopsticks, Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si finally announced the reason why they made this table of dishes to celebrate.


    Jiang Zhuo held Yang Si¡¯s shoulder with one arm, and put his other hand gently on her lower abdomen, and said with a smile, ¡°In seven months, you will have a younger brother or younger sister.¡±

 CH 70

    He Qianmin immediately looked at Jiang Chen, Shen Xu and Huo Bo were also a little surprised. But when they saw the pure delight and anticipation on Jiang Chen¡¯s face, they also laughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s really a happy event!¡± Shen Xu threw his hands up and cheered happily: ¡°Jiangzi¡¯s younger sibling is also my younger sibling! I¡¯m going to have a younger sister!¡±


    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s a girl?¡± Huo Bo raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a younger sister. Both Jiangzi and I want a younger sister.¡± Shen Xu turned his head and asked Jiang Chen, ¡°Right?¡±


    Huo Bo put his hands on Shen Xu¡¯s head and turned his head around, a smile also appearing on his face: ¡°Uncle and Auntie, congratulations.¡±


    Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo thanked him with smiles on their faces, and Jiang Chen also came back to himself. He walked up to Yang Si and knelt down, carefully looking at her belly, ¡°Mom? You are already three months pregnant?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Zhuo smiled proudly: ¡°Your Mom told me that you want a younger brother or sister, so your Dad, I worked hard, and here they came.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about in front of so many children!¡± Yang Si pushed Jiang Zhuo. Seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s carefulness, her heart softened, and she grabbed his hand and said, ¡°Want to say hello to your younger brother or sister?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s hand was pulled by Yang Si and placed on her belly. A three-month-old baby could not be felt from the outside, but for some reason, he seemed to feel the heartbeat coming from within, a fluttering that was clear and intimate. As if to tell him that this unborn child also liked him very much.


    Seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s tender gaze, He Qianmin silently lowered his eyes. He clearly knew that he shouldn¡¯t, but for some reason, there was a burst of sourness spreading from his heart, not to say that he was sad, but just disappointed and stunned, as if he originally could have had such an expression aimed at him.


    Jiang Zhuo asked with a smile: ¡°Do you want a younger brother or a younger sister?¡±


    Jiang Chen gently withdrew his hand and helped Yang Si to sit down on the sofa, ¡°Either is fine, I like younger brothers and younger sisters.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say so.¡± Yang Si rolled her eyes at Jiang Zhuo and said, ¡°My son is not like you.¡±


    Shen Xu pulled He Qianmin to sit down next to Jiang Chen, and asked curiously, ¡°Do you want a girl or a boy, Uncle Jiang?¡±


    ¡°Same as you.¡± Yang Si smiled, and looked at Jiang Chen tenderly: ¡°He said that having another son would not be better than Chen Chen, so it¡¯s better to let our daughter have an excellent brother to protect her.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Jiang is right.¡± Shen Xu said longingly, ¡°If it¡¯s a younger sister, not only Jiangzi, but Huo Bo and I plus He Xiaomin, she will have four older brothers to protect her. We can all protect her.¡±


    Yang Si chided: ¡°Then if according to what you say, I dare not let her follow you boys, because she would really grow up lawless.¡±


    ¡°How would that be?¡± Shen Xu leaned over with a grin: ¡°Putting us aside, it¡¯s impossible for Jiangzi to let his sister not learn well. You can see just by how he has taken care of He Xiaomin. No matter how difficult a person is, in front of him, they would become as docile as a kitten.¡±


    Yang Si looked at He Qianmin in surprise. He Qianmin smiled shyly and did not defend himself.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Yang Si quite liked this shy and well-behaved boy, and couldn¡¯t help but speak for him: ¡°I know Qian Min is a good boy at first glance.¡±


    ¡°You actually think he¡¯s a good boy¡­..¡± While no one was paying attention, He Qianmin elbowed Shen Xu hard, and Shen Xu let out an ouch. When everyone looked over, he immediately complained: ¡°He hit me! Just now! ¡°


    Huo Bo, who saw everything, curled his lips upwards: ¡°You deserved it.¡±


    Acting very sweet and obedient, He Qianmin picked up the photo on the small table next to him and asked, ¡°Is this when Brother Shen Xu and Brother Huo Bo were young?¡±


    Yang Si saw this photo and laughed: ¡°That¡¯s right, the three of them were only in the first grade at that time, and they got in a fight with some boys in the neighborhood next door. Xiao Xu and Chen Chen came back crying, and Xiao Bo comforted the two of them despite sporting bruises himself, saying that he would avenge them. Chen Chen¡¯s dad and I thought it was very funny, so we took a picture of them.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s eyes swept over Shen Xu, who was crying with his mouth wide open, and Huo Bo, who had a fierce expression on his face in the photo, to Jiang Chen, who was trying his best to hold back his tears and grievance, and couldn¡¯t help laughing out loud.


    Yang Si took the photo, thumb rubbing the young faces of the three of them in the photo, and said nostalgically: ¡°There are still many photos of their childhood at home, I¡¯ll go look for them.¡±


    Not long after, Yang Si came out with several photo albums. She and Jiang Zhuo looked through one together, and the four boys gathered together to look through another. When they saw interesting photos, they would take them out and talk about the story behind it and the whole room was filled with laughter.


    After looking through all the albums, Yang Si looked at Jiang Chen, Shen Xu and Huo Bo with a smile on her face, and said: ¡°You grew up together, and in the eyes of Auntie, you are no different from blood brothers. Xiao Bo is already eighteen years old, and soon, Chen Chen and Xiao Xu will also be adults. Auntie hopes that in the future, no matter how far the three of you travel or how far apart you are, you can support each other and be good friends and brothers for life.¡±


    Huo Bo nodded solemnly: ¡°We are brothers for life.¡±


    Jiang Chen reached around Shen Xu and rubbed He Qianmin¡¯s head, smiling at him: ¡°And Qian Min, the three of you will always be my best friends and best brothers.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Auntie, the three of us are going to start the coolest technology company in the world together. We won¡¯t be able to leave very far. We will be together forever. We will even be buried together when we die. When the time comes, Qian Min will also live in the same grave with us. The four of us can even play mahjong in the afterlife!¡±


    Jiang Zhuo laughed loudly and Huo Bo slapped Shen Xu on the head. Amidst the noise of Shen Xu jumping up and declaring war on Huo Bo, He Qianmin also laughed.


    He once felt disappointed that he could not accompany Jiang Chen throughout his childhood like Shen Xu and Huo Bo, but now he felt how lucky he was. Although his blood-related brother was as good as his enemy, there was a person who was not his real brother but was more like a real brother to him. Even if there was no blood relationship, Jiang Chen still regarded him as his true younger brother.


    Yang Si closed the photo album, smiled and sighed: ¡°If I can watch you all fight like this for a lifetime, I will be very satisfied.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡± Shen Xu leaned over with a smile and said, ¡°When you and Uncle are a hundred years old, we will still fight in front of you. The only difference is that our old arms and legs will not be as nimble as they are now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that cheeky mouth of yours.¡± Yang Si shook her head, but she couldn¡¯t help laughing. She looked at Shen Xu and Huo Bo with smiling eyes, unconsciously putting one hand on her lower abdomen, and said, ¡°Aunties must thank you both for Jiang Chen. If it weren¡¯t for good friends like you, he might not be so happy, and he might encounter more difficulties. Especially Xiao Bo. If it weren¡¯t for you, the kidnapping a while ago¡­..Chen Chen might really have met with danger, Auntie must thank you so much.¡±


    Jiang Chen gently embraced Yang Si, and said softly, ¡°Mom¡­..¡±


    Yang Si wiped the corners of her eyes and said with a smile: ¡°I wasn¡¯t so sentimental when I was pregnant with you, and I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong this time, Xiao Bo, Auntie didn¡¯t scare you, did I?¡±


    Huo Bo: ¡°No, but Jiang Chen and I are friends, that¡¯s what I should do, so Auntie, you don¡¯t have to thank me.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo said with a smile: ¡°The children are very close. There is no need to say thank you. Every time they come over to eat, you just cook a few more of their favorite dishes. Is what Uncle said right?¡±


    Shen Xu clenched his fists and punched his palm: ¡°Uncle understands us men!¡±


    Huo Bo also smiled: ¡°Right.¡±


    Yang Si looked at them with gentle eyes and was about to speak when He Qianmin¡¯s voice cut in: ¡°What kidnapping a while ago?¡±


    Suddenly, everyone in the living room fell silent. Shen Xu coughed lowly, nudged Jiang Chen, and said in a low voice, ¡°No way, you haven¡¯t told your little brother?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips, he indeed didn¡¯t tell He Qianmin about this matter. It was only one night in between when he learned of He Qianjian¡¯s plan until he was kidnapped. Other than those involved in his plan he simply didn¡¯t have the time to tell anyone else. And the appearance of Shi Fengyue later disrupted his plan and occupied most of his attention, making him focus most of his thoughts on Shi Fengyue, and then the Yang family came to make trouble¡­..


    So many things happened in that short week that Jiang Chen completely forgot to tell He Qianmin about it. After the incident, when he was considering whether to talk about it with He Qianmin, he thought that if he couldn¡¯t tell He Qianmin the complete truth, it was better not to tell him about it for the time being. After all, this matter involved the people under He Qianjian¡¯s command. Since they were both members of the He family, it was hard to guarantee that He Qianmin wouldn¡¯t notice something.


    If the snake in the grass was startled, it might bring harm to him instead. It was better to wait until all the truth was revealed, and then let He Qianmin know these things.


    Jiang Chen never expected that He Qianmin would learn about it at this time. Just as he was pondering for a moment, deciding about what to tell him and what to hide.


    Shen Xu had already explained the ins and outs of Jiang Chen¡¯s kidnapping clearly with expressive gestures from his hands. In addition, his expressions and emotions were also all online. The way he recounted the whole thing was very thrilling, full of ups and downs, twists and turns, causing He Qianmin¡¯s expression to become more and more ugly the more he heard.


    At the end, he interrupted Shen Xu and said, ¡°Repeat what you said just now.¡±


    Shen Xu looked puzzled, but he repeated: ¡°If the police hadn¡¯t been dispatched quickly enough, Jiangzi wouldn¡¯t have escaped so easily¡­..¡±


    ¡°Not this part, but the previous part.¡±


    Shen Xu recalled, and said hesitatingly: ¡°¡­..Yang Tianci had a premeditated plan, otherwise why would he find the abandoned container area in Xing City?¡±


    He Qianmin frowned a little bit, feeling something flashing through his thoughts, but he couldn¡¯t grasp it at the moment.


    Seeing that he was thinking seriously, Shen Xu asked curiously, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    He Qianmin said thoughtfully, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of that warehouse.¡±


    ¡°And here I thought you thought of something.¡± Shen Xu clicked his tongue and said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of that warehouse too, there are few people and the place is remote, it¡¯s a perfect place for murder and arson¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± He Qianmin raised his eyes suddenly: ¡°Say it again?¡±


    Shen Xu looked puzzled: ¡°What did I say again? There are few people and the place is remote, the perfect place for murder and arson?¡±


    He Qianmin repeated in a low voice: ¡°There are few people and the place is remote¡­..¡± He must have heard this sentence somewhere.


    But where?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your little brother?¡± Shen Xu looked at Jiang Chen: ¡°He wouldn¡¯t happen to be stimulated by your kidnapping, no way, right? It¡¯s already been more than two months, and you are perfectly fine, he is that easily¡­..¡±


    He Qianmin frowned as he recalled, and his hands resting on his knees curled up unconsciously. Just when he was about to get a clue, Shen Xu¡¯s words came into his ears again, and his hands clenched into fists instantly. His voice suddenly came quick and urgent: ¡°When was my brother kidnapped?¡±


    Shen Xu was still recalling, but Huo Bo had already answered: ¡°July 12th.¡±


    He Qianmin was stunned. The conversation he heard outside He Qianjian¡¯s door that day echoed in his ears, his fisted knuckles turned white, and his nails pricked his palms painfully, but the pain still couldn¡¯t compare to the waves of icy chill in his heart.

 CH 71

    Chenghua Private High School.


    On the boulevard, high school second years who just finished physical education were discussing:


    ¡°Have you heard? He Qianjian, a senior in the math league, just gave up the math competition.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve heard. I¡¯ve been browsing the forum all day during the National Day holiday. The whole forum is discussing this matter. There¡¯s a lot of speculation. There¡¯s a guy in the next class who shares the exam room with him. I asked him, and he said He Qianjian¡¯s complexion was very bad while taking the exam, it seems he was not feeling well.¡±


    ¡°No way, how come I heard that his complexion was ugly because the questions in this competition were too difficult. He originally didn¡¯t take classes with the competition class, and he always studied by himself. Except for the two major exams, few people know his specific strength in academic competitions, so this time he couldn¡¯t answer a single question, so he just gave up the exam.¡±


    ¡°How could that be?¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    Several people refuted the classmate who had spoken before in unison.


    One person said: ¡°You forget who He Qianjian is. Since he entered Chenghua, he has never placed second place and would always be first. No matter how difficult the competition was, it is impossible for him to fail to write a single answer.¡±


    The student who was questioned defended himself: ¡°I guarantee that the source of the news is absolutely accurate. The one who told me this is my childhood friend. He sat at the desk next to He Qianjian during the competition. He said that when he flipped the page of the exam paper, the proctor happened to come down to patrol. He Qianjian followed after him in flipping the page and his movements were so big, he couldn¡¯t help but glance out of the corner of his eye, only to see that He Qianjian didn¡¯t even answer the previous question, and his expression was also a little panicked.¡±


    ¡°Study God He didn¡¯t do a single question, but what can that mean?¡±


    ¡°Are you dumb, if he planned to hand in a blank paper from the beginning, why panic?¡±


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    The several people looked at each other in blank dismay, still unwilling to believe it.


    ¡°Study God He probably just turned the page because he didn¡¯t want to cause trouble during the exam. If the proctor saw that he didn¡¯t do a question and asked him why he didn¡¯t do it, wouldn¡¯t him directly saying that he was giving up on the exam affect other people taking the exam? I think your friend must have been mistaken.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the Study God doesn¡¯t need to panic at all, okay? Even if he really handed in a blank paper, he still has his father, uncle, and grandfather. Who dares to say anything about him? What does he need to panic over?¡±


    Some people disagree: ¡°Don¡¯t bring up the He family, I heard that when Senior He Qianyang was still in Chenghua, he skipped class once to play games, and when he went home, he was beaten with a military stick, yet he still had to come to class the next day with a limp. Even He Qianmin from the junior high section who is rumored to have a bad temper has never been heard of being caught fighting or skipping classes or other violations of discipline, and even if He Qianmin¡¯s grades are not as good as He Qianjian¡¯s he is still in the top ten of his year, which shows how strict the He family¡¯s family education is. Besides, He Qianjian has always performed very well in school before, it doesn¡¯t look like he would do such a thing out of willfulness. So I think there should be a reason for this incident, no matter how willful He Qianjian is, he would not challenge the authority of his elders.¡±


    ¡°How is it impossible?¡± A boy passed by them, stopped in his steps when he heard these words, and interjected casually: ¡°I think He Qianjian is much more pleasing to the eye now. Before, he had a good temper, good grades, and a good family background, his whole person coming off as pretentious and fake. If there weren¡¯t too many handsome guys like me in our school, those girls would have named him the school hunk, but now that he¡¯s rebellious, I have a much better impression of him instead.¡±


    ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t even look as good as Senior He, okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m eight hundred times more handsome than him, okay, do you have eyes, woman?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t have eyes. Although Senior He is not the school hunk, his younger brother He Qianmin is the school hunk in the junior high section. His younger brother is so handsome, how could he be worse than you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, He Qianmin from junior high is really good-looking, with milky white skin and impeccable facial features, but it¡¯s a pity that he went to Yan No. 1 High School¡­..¡±


    ¡°Right, I also think the younger brother is very handsome. He is handsome, milky and fierce. It¡¯s just too much.¡±


    ¡°Hey, speaking of this, have you read the selection of school hunks on the forum? This year, Jiang Chen from Yan No. 1 High School is the first, He Qianmin is second, Yan No. 1 High school tyrant Huo Bo is third. Now that He Qianmin has transferred to Yan No. 1 High School, Yan No. 1 High School has taken all the top three spots in the school hunk poll.¡±


    ¡°Putting aside everything else, Yan No. 1 High really has a lot of handsome guys, and now the younger brother has gone over as well. If they all stand together, oh my god, I dare not think about it, I¡¯m getting a nosebleed¡­..¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you girls?¡± A boy was dissatisfied: ¡°We were talking about He Qianjian, why did the topic change so quickly?¡±


    The girls ignored him and continued: ¡°My cousin is in the same class as God Jiang. She said that God Jiang and He Qianmin have a very good relationship. She often sees God Jiang, School Tyrant Huo and He Qianmin together after school. Sometimes He Qianmin would go to wait for God Jiang outside his classroom.¡±


    Several girls squealed:


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°That scene must be so gorgeous!¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, mom, I want to transfer schools!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Not only were the students discussing He Qianjian¡¯s forfeit of the mathematics competition, Chenghua¡¯s teachers were also very surprised.


    The team leader of Chenghua High¡¯s third year asked He Qianjian¡¯s homeroom teacher: ¡°What¡¯s going on with He Qianjian?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s homeroom teacher said helplessly: ¡°I don¡¯t know, team leader. I asked the teacher of the competition class, and he also said that He Qianjian had no problems before the exam. I don¡¯t know why he gave up the exam so suddenly.¡±


    ¡°Student He Qianjian has always performed well. There must be a reason for forfeiting the exam this time. You can talk to him and express more care about his life outside of studies, but don¡¯t blame him too much and put too much pressure on him. This time¡¯s forfeit of the competition has already become a foregone conclusion, so don¡¯t affect his subsequent performance on the college entrance examination.¡±


    ¡°I know, group leader.¡± He Qianjian¡¯s homeroom teacher said: ¡°I plan to talk to him at noon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± The year group leader said: ¡°During this period of time, you should pay more attention to him, try to find out the student¡¯s psychological problems, communicate with him more, and report to me at any time. It¡¯s not long before the college entrance examination arrives, remember to never put pressure on classmate He Qianjian, we, Chenghua, haven¡¯t had a top scorer in the college entrance examination for several years, and this time we¡¯re all looking to him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, team leader, I understand.¡±


    After the leader of the third year group left, the other teachers in the office no longer restrained themselves.


    ¡°Was Qianjian¡¯s forfeit of the exam this time really just out of willfulness? I don¡¯t think he is a willful child.¡±


    ¡°He is currently in the adolescence stage, maybe his rebellious phase has arrived.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s a pity that he gave up the exam. Teacher Yang who took him to the competition told me that based on his previous exam results, he would definitely be able to win the silver medal this time. There is also a 70% chance of winning the gold medal. If it is true, then it is equivalent to giving up the opportunity to be admitted into Hua Uni and Yan Uni in advance, which is too willful of him.¡±


    ¡°There is also the college entrance examination.¡± A teacher said with a smile: ¡°With He Qianjian¡¯s grades, it is not difficult to enter Hua Uni or Yan Uni through the college entrance examination.¡±


    ¡°The group leader¡¯s meaning just now is to regard your class¡¯s He Qianjian as the potential top scorer. What do you think?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s homeroom teacher was just thinking about how to talk to his student later, and said directly, ¡°It is unlikely.¡±


    Some of the other teachers understood, while others were puzzled: ¡°How do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This time, the candidates for the No. 1 Scholar in Science, includes Li Xiao from the attached secondary school and Jiang Chen from the Yan No. 1 High. Those two should not be underestimated, especially Jiang Chen, who ranked first in the two practice college entrance exams. Our class¡¯s He Qianjian does indeed have good grades, but compared to Jiang Chen from Yan No. 1 High, he might still be a bit lacking.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen and Li Xiao¡¯s recommendation for early admittance should be a certainty, and they may not take the college entrance examination at that time.¡±


    ¡°Yan University and Hua University do not restrict the early admission students from taking the college entrance examination.¡± A female teacher took a sip of water and said, ¡°And do you think the Yan No. 1 High and the attached secondary school would be willing to let these two not take the college entrance examination?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­..¡±


    From the corner of her eye, the teacher drinking water spotted the two teachers who had not participated in the discussion, and said with a smile: ¡°Teacher Sun, Teacher Li, what are you two talking about? So mysterious.¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s Chinese literature and language teacher Teacher Sun smiled, shook his head and said, ¡°Just chatting about some minor things.¡±


    The teacher was just asking casually, so after hearing these words, she only turned back around and continued to join the discussion with the other teachers. Teacher Sun in the corner stopped smiling and said, ¡°I discovered this problem when I first taught him in the first year of high school, but I stood by his side in the next few exams, and the tests were indeed answered by him, no cheating, the results are indeed real.¡±


    The mathematics teacher Teacher Li frowned and said, ¡°I have observed him a few times, and there is indeed nothing suspicious, including the steps of answering the questions, I don¡¯t see anything wrong. The only explanation may be that his way of thinking and logic is prone to jumping.¡±


    Teacher Sun: ¡°We are probably just making something out of nothing.¡±


    ¡­..


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know about Chenghua¡¯s discussion about He Qianjian. After school started again after the National Day holiday, he was as busy as a spinning top every day.


    From Monday to Friday in the evenings, apart from the school homework, Jiang Chen had to spare time to tutor Shen Xu and Huo No. The monthly exam was coming soon. Fu Jinyu had said at the time that only when Shen Xu¡¯s monthly exam scores were in the top 100 would he be able to be exempt from evening self-study in the future. On Sunday, Jiang Chen stayed at home or went to Li De¡¯s laboratory, where he upgraded and perfected Changjiang 2.0, while also analyzing and cracking the multiple codes intercepted by Changjiang last time to simulate a barrier against the system.


    The reason he was able to successfully intercept all the system¡¯s signals and block its connection with He Qianjian last time was due to the superposition of three factors including knowing the fixed location, the help of C, and having caught the system by surprise. But in the future, Jiang Chen and the system still had a long battle to fight, and there would be no such favorable environment in the future.


    Jiang Chen still didn¡¯t know the danger of the system, but he could be sure that the system had abilities that modern technology could not have, so he must strengthen Changjiang, and must be surefire in his methods in order to fight this protracted war.


    Busy time always flies by. Jiang Chen¡¯s experiment was proceeding in an orderly manner, people on the street changed from short-sleeved shirts to jackets, and November had quietly arrived.


    With the arrival of November, came the results of the math competition, two early admission notices for recommended students, and Jiang Chen¡¯s first time as a parent invited to the office for a chat by the homeroom teacher of the first year high school students.

 CH 72

    Just before the first period in the afternoon, when Fu Jinyu told him that the homeroom teacher of class 1 year 1 was looking for him, Jiang Chen was at a loss for a moment. However, standing at the door of the office and seeing the two boys standing by the wall, he immediately understood.


    Jiang Chen gently knocked on the door: ¡°Hi, I¡¯m He Qianmin¡¯s brother, Jiang Chen.¡±


    Sitting at the desk by the door, the female teacher who was about 30 years old pushed up her glasses and looked up: ¡°Student Jiang Chen? Come in.¡±


    He Qianmin turned his head when he heard the voice and looked at Jiang Chen. He pursed his lips guiltily, but there was a slight smile in his eyes.


    ¡°Please have a seat.¡± Teacher He looked Jiang Chen up and down, and said inexplicably, ¡°When He Qianmin said you are his brother, I thought he was lying, but I didn¡¯t expect that student Jiang Chen really came.¡±


    Jiang Chen sat down opposite the teacher, with a slight upward curve to his mouth, and said with a light laugh, ¡°Teacher He, my little brother may not be very well-behaved normally, but he never lies, I¡¯m sure of that.¡±


    Teacher He was noncommittal: ¡°I have always heard that student Jiang Chen is an only child, so He Qianmin is your¡­..?¡±


    ¡°Little brother.¡±


    ¡°Student Jiang Chen.¡± Teacher He said seriously: ¡°I know your grades are very good, but lying is not allowed here, and He Qianmin is my student. Only by making it clear to his family about his situation can he grow up better, and it will not do him any good if you come here and pretend to be his brother.¡±


    The man who was just about to step into the office paused, then retracted his leg, and waited to see how the boy inside would respond.


    Jiang Chen smiled lightly, and said to He Qianmin, ¡°Qian Min, come here.¡±


    He Qianmin obediently walked to Jiang Chen¡¯s side: ¡°Big Brother.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Squat down a little and smile.¡±


    He Qianmin was puzzled, but obediently obeyed.


    Jiang Chen tilted his head slightly, facing Teacher He at the same angle as He Qianmin, with the dimple at the corner of his mouth faintly visible: ¡°Don¡¯t you think He Qianmin and I are brothers?¡±


    Teacher He stared back and forth between the two faces with a profile similarity of nearly 90%, and her eyes fell on the dimples of the two that were exactly the same. She couldn¡¯t help but become more believing: ¡°You are really brothers? But¡­..¡±


    ¡°I can prove that they are indeed brothers.¡± The man knocked on the office door with a smile on his lips. After saying this, he stepped through the door and came in. He stretched out his hand and said, ¡°Teacher He, right? I¡¯m Shi Fengyue, Shi Ao¡¯s uncle.¡±


    Teacher He immediately stood up, shook Shi Fengyue¡¯s hand, and said gently, ¡°Mr. Shi, hello, I am He Yuan, Shi Ao¡¯s homeroom teacher.¡±


    Shi Fengyue nodded slightly, and when he lowered his head, his eyes collided with Jiang Chen¡¯s, who was looking up with raised eyebrows. He blinked slightly and Jiang Chen looked away, lowering his eyes and smiling lightly.


    Teacher He didn¡¯t notice the small movements between the two of them. Her gaze stayed on Shi Fengyue¡¯s face for a few seconds, and then recalled the question just now: ¡°Mr. Shi, you said you can prove that Jiang Chen and Shi Ao are brothers. How can you prove it?¡±


    Although she was still digging to the bottom of the matter, her tone now was much softer than the aggressive tone before.


    The corners of Shi Fengyue¡¯s lips curled slightly, and the smile in his eyes faded a little: ¡°Our family and the He family are considered family friends, and He Qianmin and Shi Ao grew up together, so do you need me to call He Qianmin¡¯s father, He Yanfeng, to prove to you that I am telling the truth?¡±


    Seeing that Shi Fengyue had already taken out his mobile phone, Teacher He recalled what she had heard about Shi Ao and He Qianmin¡¯s family background before, and she now 80% belief immediately turned into 100% belief. She immediately shook her head and said: ¡°No need. ¡°


    However, if He Qianmin was Jiang Chen¡¯s younger brother, then what about his father¡¯s car accident that caused a lot of uproar in the school before? And she also know that He Qianmin had an older brother who was also in the third year of high school, but his older brother was Chenghua¡¯s He Qianjian.


    Just when Teacher He was full of confusion, Shi Fengyue said: ¡°Teacher He, may I ask, what did Shi Ao do this time?¡±


    ¡°Please have a seat.¡± Teacher He came back to her senses, pulled over a chair, and placed it next to Jiang Chen. When Shi Fengyue sat down, she also sat down and began, ¡°I asked you and Jiang Chen to come here because Shi Ao and He Qianmin were caught fighting at school at noon by the director of the teaching office, but neither of them admitted that they were fighting.¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s lips curved upwards: ¡°So you called me because Shi Ao was in a fight or because you think he is lying?¡±


    Teacher He hesitated for a moment, and said: ¡°Both, the two students have not been getting along since the beginning of school, and this fight almost violated school rules, so I want to ask the parents to mediate together.¡±


    Shi Fengyue nodded lightly: ¡°I understand what you mean.¡±


    Teacher He thought that Shi Fengyue agreed to cooperate with her work, and felt relieved. She turned to look at Jiang Chen, and said, ¡°Student Jiang Chen, since He Qianmin is your younger brother, how do you think this matter should be resolved?¡±


    Jiang Chen suppressed the smile in his eyes, and looked up at Teacher He. His tone was respectful but he did not back down: ¡°Teacher He, I think there must be a misunderstanding here, I believe my little brother, if he got in a fight, he would never deny it, so I hope to personally hear from the two of them what happened at that time.¡±


    Teacher He frowned, but before she could speak, Shi Fengyue had already turned his head to look at the two boys beside him, and said lightly, ¡°Which one of you are going to speak first.¡±


    He Qianmin and Shi Ao looked at each other, and Shi Ao mouthed: You speak first.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± He Qianmin took a step forward and said, ¡°I made an appointment with Shi Ao to play at noon, but when noon break came, I heard the news that my brother received early admission, so Shi Ao and I decided to go up to find him first. We didn¡¯t expect he had already gone to the principal¡¯s office, so we went to the office building and waited for him in the garden outside. While waiting, a wasp flew over. Shi Ao is afraid of insects so he hid behind me. While shooing away the wasp I accidentally hit him so we got in an argument. Director Liu probably misunderstood it, thinking that we were fighting.¡±


    Teacher He was dubious. She looked at Shi Ao: ¡°And what about you.¡±


    Shi Ao basically repeated He Qianmin¡¯s words, the only thing he added was a more detailed description of when the wasp was driven away, probably because the expression on his face was too full of disgust and fear, Teacher He believed most of it, but couldn¡¯t help but question: ¡°A big boy like you are afraid of insects?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with boys being afraid of insects?¡± Shi Ao said, ¡°My entire family is afraid of insects.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head and looked at Shi Fengyue with a half-smile.


    Shi Fengyue said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡±


    Shi Ao added: ¡°Only my uncle is not afraid, he is afraid of¡ª¡ª¡±


    Shi Fengyue looked at him: ¡°You have a lot to say?¡±


    Shi Ao instantly pursed his lips, he dared not speak further due to the underlying threat from his uncle.


    When Shi Fengyue retracted his gaze, his eyes flicked across Jiang Chen lightly and quickly, before looking at Teacher He: ¡°Teacher He, the matter has been clarified, is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nothing else.¡± Teacher He said: ¡°It¡¯s just that He Qianmin and Shi Ao often have disputes, and I hope that the two of you¡­..¡± She looked at the two young men who looked less like parents than the other, and her words halted. Skipping over the word ¡°parents¡± she continued: ¡°Communicate with them more, and I hope that this kind of misunderstanding will not happen again in the future.¡±


    Shi Fengyue nodded lightly, and Jiang Chen said: ¡°I will discuss this matter with Qian Min, please rest assured.¡±


    Teacher He got up and said, ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing else, I won¡¯t waste any more of your time, student Jiang Chen and Mr. Shi. The next class is about to start, you two should also go back to your classroom.¡±


    He Qianmin and Shi Ao entered their classroom, and Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue walked side by side along the corridor to the stairs. There was still some time before the end of the lunch break, the corridor was lively and noisy, and some male students who had finished playing basketball were walking in small groups back to the classroom.


    A boy in a basketball uniform rushed towards their way, holding a basketball in his hands. While running, he still didn¡¯t forget to turn around and call to his friends behind him: ¡°We have to enter the classroom ten minutes early, there is almost no time left!¡±


    Seeing that the boy was about to bump into them, Jiang Chen pulled Shi Fengyue by the wrist to the side, avoiding the boy just in time.


    The boy also braled in time, and when he saw Jiang Chen, he was taken aback, apologetic and pleasantly surprised: ¡°God Jiang, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t hit you, right.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    The boy excitedly said: ¡°God Jiang, I heard that you have received early admission letters from Yan University and Hua University. Congratulations!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jiang Chen smiled and reminded: ¡°Don¡¯t run so fast in the corridor in the future, and remember to watch the road, don¡¯t bump into others and hurt yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be careful next time!¡±


    The other boys also caught up. When they saw Jiang Chen, they each greeted him with congratulations, their attitude very friendly and familiar. It wasn¡¯t until Jiang Chen reminded them that class was about to begin did they rush off into the classroom.


    Class was about to start, and the corridor gradually became quiet.


    ¡°I heard from Mo Xi that you planned to apply for Yan Uni before.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t changed now.¡±


    ¡°Not afraid that Mr. Xiang would be angry?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and shook his head: ¡°Mr. Xiang seems not to be approachable, but he is actually very reasonable. After I explain the situation to him, he will understand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The corners of Shi Fengyue¡¯s lips curled up slightly, different from the smile he had in the office just now that was without any closeness but only aloofness, and the look in his eyes also became a little more indolent and casual: ¡°After all, you are the best at reasoning with others.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°If a reasonable person speaks reason to another reasonable person, it will naturally get twice the result with half the effort.¡±


    Shi Fengyue glanced at him, and said with a smirk, ¡°I sense an underlying meaning there.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and looked back, seeming to agree tacitly.


    Ever since he was enlightened by Shi Fengyue¡¯s words last time, Jiang Chen found that he could see him in Li Nanfeng¡¯s office from time to time. After meeting several times, naturally they began to talk more, and Jiang Chen also found that Shi Fengyue seemed to know everything, from medicine to computers to art, no matter how big the jump, he could always have something to say.


    What surprised Jiang Chen even more was that Shi Fengyue had his own unique insights on the future development of computers, and most of his analysis could indeed match up with the future development of computers in history, and some of his views were even ahead of the interstellar era. Gradually, Shi Fengyue became the only person Jiang Chen could discuss specialized topics with.


    However, there was never a lack of differences in opinions on the road of scientific research. Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue would often get into debates regarding their respective views. At this time, Jiang Chen, who could normally seek common ground while reserving differences on other issues, would be particularly stubborn, hoping to use his own experimental data and his understanding of the future to convince Shi Fengyue, while Shi Fengyue still maintained his previous style, a man who was always unreasonable and would never be persuaded.


    Therefore, Shi Fengyue often found opportunities to tease Jiang Chen for his fondness on reasoning with others, and Jiang Chen would also seize any opportunity to tease Shi Fengyue for being unreasonable, such that by now it had already become a habit.


    When they reached the stairs, Jiang Chen paused and said, ¡°Thank you for just now.¡±


    Shi Fengyue also stopped, leaning on the railing: ¡°Thank me?¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, Qian Min¡¯s homeroom teacher might have asked more questions.¡±


    Shi Fengyue leaned over to look at him with his hand still on the railing: ¡°You not going back to the He family, is because of He Qianjian.¡±


    That handsome face so up front and close had a very strong impact indeed, but Jiang Chen had no time to care more about it. His heart skipping a beat, he looked back calmly: ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    Shi Fengyue picked up on the vigilance and wariness in Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes and he straightened up. He did not answer Jiang Chen¡¯s question, but said: ¡°If you don¡¯t plan to let the He family find out for the time being, then keep a distance from Xiang Hong.¡±


    Jiang Chen recalled for a moment: ¡°Mr. Xiang¡¯s grandson?¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°He and He Yanfeng are friends, and he works in the Affiliated Hospital of Yan University, as well as part-time as the family doctor of the He family.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Jiang Chen raised his eyes and said, ¡°What else do you know?¡±


    Shi Fengyue tilted his head, and said with a half-smile: ¡°Want information for free?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I asked.¡±


    The preparatory bell rang, and a teacher came out of the office at the end of the hall. Seeing the two people at the stairs, he quickened his pace.


    Jiang Chen looked back at Shi Fengyue: ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Shi Fengyue chuckled lightly, and his slender fingers with distinct joints waved in front of Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes: ¡°You owe me five meals.¡±


    The teacher got closer and closer, and Jiang Chen went up the stairs, taking four to five steps at a time. After reaching the last step of this floor, he paused and looked down, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back with one meal first at noon this Sunday.¡±

 CH 73

    The news of Jiang Chen winning the gold award in the math competition and receiving two early admission notices spread to all the major high schools in Yan City in one day as if they had grown wings.


    In an instant, there were posts related to this in the forums of various schools. Among them, a hot post on the student forum of Chenghua Private High School was the most popular, the title being as followed: ¡°Choose Yan Uni or Hua Uni? According to inside information, God Jiang didn¡¯t choose either, he chose¡ª¡ª¡±


    The words were cut off halfway, and most people couldn¡¯t hold back their curiosity and clicked in. Then, they saw the word: ¡°Me¡± and a candid shot of Jiang Chen¡¯s face in profile in the first comment. While the second comment was: ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh God Jiang look at me!!!¡±. And the third comment consisted of several more candid photos.


    The people who felt cheated couldn¡¯t help booing, but there were also some girls who contributed their own stash of photos, which led to level upon level of ahhhhhh on the comment wall. With curses and ahhhh coexisting, all of a sudden the comment wall reached the hundreds, and it was hung on the homepage for a while and did not go down, but it was also not considered a hot post.


    Up to the 300th comment, a commenter said: ¡°The photo on the 166th comment, if not for the noisy background and too many people, it could be a family portrait.¡±


    At first, the following comments were still full of cursing and photos. But after a few minutes, many people who turned back to the 166th comment out of curiosity came back, and the style of the comments below changed.


    379th: ¡°If you didn¡¯t point it out I wouldn¡¯t have noticed, but after you did now it really seems like it.¡±


    380th: It¡¯s not just similar, it¡¯s practically printed from a mold, right?


    381st: ¡°It feels a little strange¡­..how can people who have no blood relationship look so alike?¡±


    382nd: ¡°T?r?u?e? family portrait, if I didn¡¯t know that He Qianjian in our class is He Qianmin and He Qianyu¡¯s older brother, I would really think that Jiang Chen and them are a family of five.¡±


    383rd: ¡°Upstairs, what are you guys talking about?¡±


    384th: ¡°Replying to comment 383. I recommend you look at comment 351, and then go to the second page to look at comment 166.¡±


    Most people who didn¡¯t get it saw this and turned forward according to the prompts. After reading what was said on the 351st comment, they still felt confused, but when they saw the photo on the 166th comment, the confusion was now mixed with some other subtle feeling.


    The 166th comment was a photo. The background of the photo was the street in front of Yan No. 1. It was probably taken secretly so the distance was a bit far away, but the picture was very clear: two teenage boys were facing the camera sideways, one slightly pursed his lips and the other slightly curled his lips upwards. The boy who pursed his lips had a straight face and crossed arms, while the boy who smiled gently looked down at the little girl holding his arms. The girl had her head raised with a bright smile seemingly saying something. Not far away, there was a couple with outstanding aura standing there, looking at the three of them with smiles on their faces.


    Not sure if it was due to a preconceived notion or not, all those who turned back to see this photo would unconsciously have two words float up in their minds: family portrait.


    390th: ¡°I just discovered that He Qianmin and Jiang Chen actually look so much alike.¡±


    391st: ¡°Oh my god, this is too much alike, and it¡¯s not just He Qianmin, he also looks like the little sister. The eyes of the sister and God Jiang¡¯s eyes are practically printed out of the same mold.¡±


    392nd: ¡°[Photo] Facts have proved that not only do He Qianmin and Jiang Chen look alike, but Jiang Chen¡¯s appearance is a combination of Mr. He and Mrs. He. I photoshopped Jiang Chen, Mr. He and Mrs. He together, everyone look at the red and blue circles I drew. The red circles are where Jiang Chen and Mrs. He are alike, and the blue line circles are where Jiang Chen and CEO He are alike. What is the relationship between Jiang Chen and the He family? Feel free to testify.¡±


    393rd: ¡°The brother upstairs, you are amazing.¡±


    394th: ¡°Simply put, the eyebrows and eyes are almost exactly the same as Mr. He¡¯s. Although there is only one dimple at the corner of the mouth, that tall nose bridge and delicate lip shape really look like Mrs. He¡¯s. *whisper* Why is it that after comparing, I suddenly find that only He Qianjian doesn¡¯t look like the He family¡­..¡±


    395th: ¡°*whisper* agreed¡­..¡±


    396th: ¡°+10000086¡±


    397th: ¡°You guys are really brave, but¡­..I dare not say it.¡±


    398th: ¡°I have a bold idea. If He Qianjian and Jiang Chen¡¯s identities are switched, everything would make sense.¡±


    399th: ¡°Upstairs is indeed bold [cup fists]¡±


    400th: ¡°The comment section has gone off the rails a bit.¡±


    401st: ¡°[Photo][Photo] Jiang Chen¡¯s family portrait and the He family portrait, I switched He Qianjian and Jiang Chen, and the result¡ª¡ªI feel like I¡¯ve discovered some big secret.¡±


    402nd: ¡°Hot damn!¡±


    403rd: ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­..Oh my God, I have an idea in my mind, but I don¡¯t dare to think about it, it¡¯s too dramatic.¡±


    404th: ¡°I suspect that upstairs has the same idea as me.¡±


    405th: ¡°+1¡±


    406th: ¡°There is no evidence but you guys are just blindly guessing here. Don¡¯t you know that it can easily affect the two parties involved. If it is false, will you take responsibility?¡±


    407th: ¡°What more evidence do you need? The above two photos are not enough?¡±


    408th: ¡°What if it is true? Maybe the He family will even have to thank us.¡±


    409th: ¡°I know what evidence upstairs wants, but I just want to know, can the He family see this post? If they see it, they will definitely go investigate it¡­..¡±


    410th: ¡°If He Qianjian isn¡¯t one of the He family¡­..¡±


    411th: ¡°Damn, after scrolling down the comments, I feel like I have witnessed a big gossip about a wealthy family, I must save this post, and wait for the result!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In less than an hour, this post had reached more than a thousand comments, and the popularity continued to simmer on the homepage for a long time. The news soon spread by word of mouth and by the time school was over, this post had been known to almost everyone in Chenghua.


    He Qianjian only found out about this post after school. Today was the day when the results of the math competition came out. Although he had prepared himself mentally when he gave up on the exam, when he learned that Jiang Chen was admitted to Yan University and Hua University at the same time, he still couldn¡¯t hide his dark mood.


    Sitting in the classroom, all he could hear were the others discussing which school Jiang Chen would choose. When they mentioned him, their tone was full of admiration and envy. Occasionally, there would be a few cryptic glances with unclear meanings cast over at him. He Qianjian didn¡¯t want to know what was going on behind their eyes. And he was even more unwilling to continue to hear about Jiang Chen, so he asked for leave and went to the infirmary with the excuse that he was not feeling well. He didn¡¯t go back to the classroom to pick up his schoolbag until after school.


    Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the classroom, the students who hadn¡¯t left all looked at him. These people had varying expressions, and the look in their eyes was different from when they looked at him in the afternoon. For no reason, He Qianjian felt a sense of unease in his heart.


    Soon, a mobile phone handed over by a boy with whom he had a good relationship proved his intuition.


    He Qianjian quickly pressed the down button on the slider phone. Amid the clicking sound, the calm expression that he had originally maintained became harder to conceal the farther he scrolled down. By the time he reached the fourth page, the veins on his wrists were already bulging, his complexion switched from blue to pale, and he almost broke the slider phone in his hand.


    A classmate not far away lowered his voice and said to his deskmate: ¡°I¡¯ve never seen He Qianjian with such an ugly expression.¡±


    The deskmate covered his mouth with his hand and leaned over, lowering his voice: ¡°If the post is true, his expression would be a hundred times uglier than this¡­..¡±


    ¡°Then he might go crazy¡ª¡ª¡±


    With a bang, the phone hit the ground and shattered.


    The owner of the mobile phone stared wide-eyed, and said anxiously: ¡°He Qianjian, what do you mean by taking your anger out on my mobile phone? Do you know that this is a new one I just bought¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    He Qianjian yelled angrily. He clenched his hands into fists, his chest heaved violently, and his eyes were so dark that they were almost poisonous.


    The boy whose phone was smashed was holding a mouth full of swear words, but when he saw this, he took a step back and swallowed all the words that came to his lips. The others were also startled by He Qianjian¡¯s expression at this time. For a while, the classroom was so quiet that only He Qianjian¡¯s rapid breathing could be heard.


    After about half a minute, He Qianjian thought of who knew what, and he rushed out, leaving behind a quickly disappearing figure to the students in his class.


    A girl patted her chest with lingering fear: ¡°Oh my god, He Qianjian¡¯s expression just now, I thought he was going to kill someone.¡±


    ¡°I was also shocked.¡± Another person said: ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him like this before. Is that post real or fake?¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s true, He Qianjian himself probably doesn¡¯t know it. Anyone who sees someone saying that he is not his parents¡¯ child should find it hard to accept.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t an expression of one unable to accept the truth, is it?¡± A boy made a gesture of cutting his neck: ¡°I think it looks more like one who wants to commit murder and hide the truth.¡±


    ¡°Say¡­..is He Qianjian really¡­..¡±


    ¡°In terms of physical appearance, he really doesn¡¯t look like the rest of the He family, but this kind of thing is uncertain. I think those people are just blindly analyzing things. Even with the conditions in my family, I have to take a physical examination every year, let alone the He family. If He Qianjian is really not one of the He family, it should have been discovered by now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­..¡±


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s none of our business anyway, it¡¯s almost seven o¡¯clock, and it¡¯s going to be evening self-study soon, it¡¯ll be too late if we don¡¯t eat now.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    It was already eight o¡¯clock in the evening when Jiang Chen found out about this post.


    He seldom spent time with He Qianmin during this time, and today he happened to be free. After having dinner with He Qianmin, he helped him check the Olympiad questions accumulated during this period in his rented apartment and helped explain the problems that he found difficult.


    When Jiang Chen was checking the test book and He Qianmin was doing the test questions, the mobile phone next to him buzzed from time to time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± Jiang Chen put down the test book and said, ¡°Your phone keeps buzzing, maybe someone is looking for you urgently, so you should reply first.¡±


    He Qianmin didn¡¯t care: ¡°What can it be? Just talking nonsense every day, I might as well do a few more questions.¡±


    Jiang Chen took away his pen, and said in a firm tone, ¡°Take a break.¡±


    He Qianmin picked up the phone obediently, but did not look at the screen: ¡°Big Brother, are you going to choose Hua Unu or Yan Uni?¡±


    ¡°Yan Uni.¡±


    ¡°I guessed it.¡± He Qianmin raised his brows, and said in a rather smug tone: ¡°I will also choose Yan Uni at that time.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡±


    He Qianmin casually glanced at the screen, and complained while typing: ¡°I just knew it¡¯s nothing important, it¡¯s something from Chenghua¡¯s post forum. They sent me a post before, so boring. I don¡¯t even¡ª¡ª¡±


    His voice stopped abruptly, and Jiang Chen asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    He Qianmin shook his head and stared at the post. It was not until a few minutes later that he raised his head and stared at Jiang Chen closely, as if he could see a flower growing on his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jiang Chen noticed that He Qianmin¡¯s expression was strange, and asked.


    He Qianmin didn¡¯t speak, but handed the phone to Jiang Chen.


    What Jiang Chen saw was the fourth page that He Qianmin had just turned to. He didn¡¯t need to turn forward any further to know the reason for He Qianmin¡¯s weird expression.


    ¡°Big Brother¡­..¡± He Qianmin looked at Jiang Chen without blinking, his voice a little excited: ¡°Is it possible that this post is true?¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyes and said, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    The excitement when he read the post for the first time gradually calmed down, and He Qianmin shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­..¡±


    He hoped it was true, but he heard that when He Qianjian was born, because his grandfather did not approve of his parents¡¯ marriage, when the family accepted his mother, He Qianjian did a paternity test. At that time, He Qianjian was only three months old. Even if the hospital made a mistake, the result of the paternity test could not be wrong.


    Seeing his depressed expression, Jiang Chen rubbed his head, and said in a gentle voice, ¡°Whether we are related by blood or not, I regard you as my own younger brother, and I believe you are the same. If so, why bother with this?¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips, and nodded after a few seconds of silence. He picked up the phone and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to send this post to my dad, whether it¡¯s true or not, this matter has become a bit big, I have to¡­..¡± He paused, turned the phone screen to Jiang Chen, and said, ¡°The post got deleted.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes fell on the words ¡°this post has been deleted¡±, and the doubts in his heart disappeared. It seemed that He Qianjian just saw this post.


    He Qianmin frowned: ¡°I haven¡¯t sent it to my dad yet¡­..Big Brother, who do you think deleted it?¡±


    ¡°This question can be discussed after you finish these few math problems.¡± Jiang Chen took the question booklet, put it in front of He Qianmin, raised his watch and looked at the time: ¡°Sixty minutes, I¡¯ve started counting.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother¡­¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes, and He Qianmin pursed his lips tightly: ¡°Okay.¡±

 CH 74

    At the same time, the He family.


    The auntie took He Yanfeng¡¯s coat, hung it aside, and said with a smile: ¡°Xiao Yang made soup, and it¡¯s heating up in the kitchen now, auntie will bring you a bowl.¡±


    He Yanfeng thanked her: ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Reading upstairs.¡± The auntie thought for a while, and said worriedly: ¡°Qian Jian locked himself in his room when he got home today, and didn¡¯t come down for dinner. Xiao Yang knocked on the door a few times, but he said he wasn¡¯t hungry. Do you want to go see him?¡±


    He Yanfeng waved his hand nonchalantly: ¡°Today is the day when the math competition results come out. He is likely in a bad mood, so don¡¯t bother him.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not healthy to not eat¡­..¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already such a big boy, he¡¯ll come down to eat if he¡¯s really hungry.¡± He Yanfeng walked inside and said, ¡°Where¡¯s Qian Yu?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Bao is doing her homework.¡± The auntie said with a smile, ¡°Maybe she misses Qian Min, so now after coming back every day she does her homework very actively, saying that she wants to study in Yan No. 1 in high school.¡±


    He Yanfeng shook his head and laughed: ¡°It¡¯s not Qian Min she misses, auntie. I¡¯m going up, you¡¯ve had a hard day, so go to rest early.¡±


    ¡°Ai, I¡¯ll bring you a bowl of soup and put it on the table to cool down before going to rest. So remember to drink it later.¡±


    He Yanfeng knocked on the door of Yang Yun¡¯s study room, opened a crack, and put his head in: ¡°Honey, I¡¯m back.¡±


    Yang Yun, who was reading a book, looked up at him, and then returned to the book: ¡°Aren¡¯t you working overtime today?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He Yanfeng walked up to Yang Yun and sat down, put his arms around her and turned to look at the cover of the book: ¡°What are you reading¡ª¡ªhow to correctly deal with the unstable emotions of adolescent children?¡± He turned his head again and picked up a book from the pile of books next to it, ¡°Adolescent Children¡¯s Mental Health, Adolescent Troubles, Adolescent Depression¡­..¡±


    He put the books back, and laughed, ¡°What are you reading here?¡±


    Yang Yun didn¡¯t even raise her head: ¡°Qian Jian¡¯s mood has not been stable recently, I¡¯m a little worried, so I¡¯m trying to find a solution.¡±


    ¡°Boys are always like this at this time of growth.¡± He Yanfeng didn¡¯t care: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, it¡¯s not a bad thing to let him suffer some setbacks.¡±


    ¡°But his mood has become more and more unstable recently, and he has even started talking to himself.¡± Yang Yun closed the book, frowned, and said, ¡°Today he locked himself in his room when he came home, and when I brought him some soup, not only did I hear him talking to himself, but I also heard the sound of things smashing. He hasn¡¯t opened the door this whole time, and I can¡¯t go in to see. Do you think Da Bao may have some psychological problems¡­..¡±


    He Yanfeng also put away his nonchalant attitude, sat up straight and said, ¡°Did you see him talking to himself?¡±


    ¡°More than once.¡± Yang Yun said: ¡°Before I thought it was because he was under too much pressure from studying and he also has a strong self-esteem, but now the situation seems to become more serious. Honey, should we take him to see a psychiatrist?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have reached this level¡­..¡± He Yanfeng stood up: ¡°I¡¯ll go and talk to him, and we¡¯ll talk when I come back.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    He Qianjian refreshed the webpage over and over again, and after confirming that all the posts about him and Jiang Chen¡¯s family background had been deleted from the post forum, he relaxed his hand holding the mouse. He let out a long breath, his expression becoming relaxed for only less than half a second, before becoming dark and gloomy.


    ¡°What¡¯s the use of you?¡± He threw the mouse away, stood up and kicked the desk vigorously. He turned around, walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, gritting his teeth and saying, ¡°During the math competition, you said that something interfered with you, something blocked your signal, that¡¯s why you couldn¡¯t help me with the questions, but this time? I just asked you to delete a post! Aren¡¯t you a high-tech product that is thousands of years beyond the current technological level? But I have to contact hackers myself to delete a post? What can you even do?¡±


    [This is the rule of the system, and all systems must follow the rules.]


    ¡°Rules, rules? F**king sh*t rules!¡± He Qianjian stood up abruptly, took three big steps, and kicked the chair next to the sofa: ¡°When I asked you to delete the surveillance video for me, how come you didn¡¯t say anything about the rules?¡±


    [I can only help you make the best choice and exchange. Only when the host is using these two functions, I am qualified to delete all bugs that may expose the system and the host¡¯s capabilities. If that incident where you replaced the blade is found out, there will be a danger of exposing the system. According to the rules, I can delete the video for you. However, the online post is not directly related to your use of the system. There is no risk of exposure, so I can¡¯t help you delete the post.]


    ¡°How is there no risk of exposure?!¡± He Qianjian¡¯s voice instantly increased in level, and when it reached the peak, it was instantly suppressed: ¡°If the identities of me and Jiang Chen are discovered, won¡¯t you be at risk of exposure?¡±


    [According to my analysis, it is not uncommon to bring home the wrong child in this world. Even if you and Jiang Chen switch back to your original identities, no one will be able to guess the existence of the system. You are still my host, and this will not change.]


    ¡°But if I am switched back, I will fall from heaven to hell, hell! Do you understand?!¡± He Qianjian paced back and forth, and when he reached the desk, he swept all the things on the table to the ground. With his hands on the table, his chest heaving violently, he muttered: ¡°If I hadn¡¯t deleted it quick enough, this post might have been seen by the He family, and it would be a matter of time before my identity was exposed, no no no¡ª¡ªthere is a problem already, I must find a way to solve the problem completely before things get out of control¡­..¡±


    [How does the host want to solve this problem?]


    ¡°I want¡­..¡± He Qianjian¡¯s eyes were dark and cold, suppressing the smoldering anger in his chest, he squeezed out a hoarse and cold voice from his throat: ¡°I want Jiang Chen to¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡ª¡ªKnock knock knock.


    He Qianjian¡¯s voice stopped abruptly, and he looked towards the door.


    He Yanfeng¡¯s voice came from outside the door: ¡°Qian Jian, open the door, let¡¯s talk for a bit.¡±


    [Did he hear me?] He Qianjian hurriedly helped up all the fallen chairs and stools, and picked up the books and pens that had been swept to the ground, [What should I do?]


    [The sound insulation of this room is enough to isolate the volume of your voice just now, so you can rest assured.]


    The knock on the door sounded again, and He Qianjian quickly tidied up the books, took a deep breath, and walked towards the door: ¡°Dad.¡±


    He Yanfeng walked in and said, ¡°I heard from your mother that you haven¡¯t eaten?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any appetite.¡±


    ¡°Because you got the results in the math competition today?¡±


    ¡°¡­..That is also a reason.¡±


    He Yanfeng sat down on the sofa, pointed to the sofa seat next to him, and said lightly: ¡°Forfeiting the competition was your own decision. I told you when you were very young, that your mother and I will not interfere in any of your decisions, but you must take responsibility for them, and also, you must think about the consequences before making a decision.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­..¡± He Qianjian sat down, lowered his head and said, ¡°All of this is only temporary, I¡¯ll be fine after a while¡­..¡±


    He Yanfeng frowned slightly, and said: ¡°You have been emotionally unstable during this period, is there any other reason besides this reason?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s hands on his knees trembled, he shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s all because of my study load.¡±


    He Yanfeng crossed his legs, crossed his arms and said, ¡°Since when did you like to talk with your head down?¡±


    He Qianjian hesitated for a moment, then looked up at He Yanfeng with flickering eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He Yanfeng¡¯s eyes were sharp, and he put away his smile.


    He Qianjian froze, maintaining the posture of looking at He Yanfeng, digging his nails into the palm of his hands hard, his whole body tensing up.


    [Your demeanor right now is very strange, it will easily make He Yanfeng suspicious, I suggest you change the subject, and don¡¯t let He Yanfeng focus on what¡¯s wrong with you.]


    He Qianjian¡¯s mind was in a mess, he didn¡¯t know what to think of but suddenly, a cunning light flashed in his eyes. He looked at He Yanfeng, and said with a disappointed expression: ¡°Dad, I just feel that I am a failure.¡±


    ¡°Since last semester, my grades have never returned to the top spot. If it¡¯s just this¡­..I can persuade myself to work harder, but apart from my grades, the relationship between me and Qian Min has gotten worse and worse. Now when he sees me, it¡¯s like he is seeing an enemy¡­..And Qian Yu, she always liked to cling to me but now I don¡¯t know when it started but she doesn¡¯t talk to me anymore, and even with homework she doesn¡¯t need my help¡­..¡±


    He Qianjian propped his elbows on his knees, buried his head in his palms, tone puzzled and sad: ¡°I don¡¯t understand why it has come to this¡­..¡±


    He Yanfeng raised his hand and patted his shoulder, saying: ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, Qian Yu is just growing up, it¡¯s normal not to cling to her older brother like she did when she was a child.¡±


    He Qianjian smiled wryly, shook his head and said, ¡°She just doesn¡¯t like to cling to me anymore¡­..¡±


    He Yanfeng paused, and a boy¡¯s face appeared in his mind. He frowned slightly, and said mildly: ¡°No matter what, you are her blood brother, and this will not change. What you have to do is not to feel sorry for yourself, but to think about solutions.¡±


    He Qianjian put down his hands, raised his head and said, ¡°I know, Dad, I won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my son.¡± He Yanfeng patted his shoulder, got up and walked out the door: ¡°Don¡¯t skip dinner in the future, don¡¯t make your mother worry.¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time.¡±


    ¡°Then go to bed early, I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    He Qianmin finished the test questions, and by the time Jiang Chen finished checking them all, it was almost ten o¡¯clock.


    ¡°Now you can basically see from the geometry test questions what the teacher wants to test you on. In the future, you can reduce your practice on geometry questions, just maintain your answering speed.¡± Jiang Chen stood up while talking: ¡°It¡¯s getting late, I¡¯m going back first, and you go to bed early too.¡±


    He Qianmin cleared the table, and looked up at Jiang Chen, hesitant to speak.


    Jiang Chen paused, looked sideways at him, ¡°Say what you want.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, if, I mean, if you are really my brother, what will you do?¡±


    Jiang Chen asked back, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    He Qianmin opened his mouth and said: ¡°Of course it is to¡­..¡± But he couldn¡¯t say it.


    He very much hoped that Jiang Chen would be his blood brother, but thinking about it carefully, except for changes in blood relationship and name, it seemed that nothing else would change. Just like what Jiang Chen said, no matter whether they were related by blood or not, they both regarded each other as true brothers.


    He Qianmin was discouraged, and the corners of his mouth pursed slightly: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen let out a sigh, rubbed his head and said, ¡°As long as a person knows who he is, his identity won¡¯t change anything, whether it¡¯s feelings or other things, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it. I will always be me, and our relationship will not change in any way because of a change in identity.¡±


    He Qianmin nodded with a half understanding. Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°I¡¯m leaving, go to bed early.¡±


    ¡°Good night, Big Brother.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Chenghua Private High School¡¯s post was deleted when it was at its most popular, which once again triggered heated discussions within the school. However, there was always something new happening everyday. So within a few days, no one was discussing whether the post was deleted by He Qianjian or not.


    A week passed under the calmness with hidden undercurrents, and at noon on Sunday, Jiang Chen showed up in Li Nanfeng¡¯s office on time.


    Shi Fengyue was chatting with Li Nanfeng, when he saw him coming in, he got up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°You two won¡¯t invite me along?¡± Laying on the sofa, Li Nanfeng grabbed a hold of the corner of Shi Fengyue¡¯s clothes and said, ¡°I¡¯m currently heartbroken, yet you have the heart to let me eat alone?¡±


    Shi Fengyue pulled his clothes out of his grasp and said condescendingly, ¡°What does it matter to us whether you are heartbroken or not?¡±


    ¡°Are we good brothers or not?¡±


    ¡°Not.¡±


    Li Nanfeng raised his hand to point at Shi Fengyue, his finger trembled a few times before he finally put it down. Leaning close to his ear, and gnashing his teeth he said: ¡°You are tearing down the bridge behind you after crossing the river.¡±


    Shi Fengyue pushed his head away and said with disgust: ¡°Get away from me.¡±


    Li Nanfeng turned to Jiang Chen: ¡°Chen Chen!¡±


    Jiang Chen took half a step back, raised his hand to stop Li Nanfeng¡¯s approaching footsteps, and looked at Shi Fengyue: ¡°Let him come together, I just happen to want to discuss some work matters with him later.¡±


    Shi Fengyue glanced lightly at Li Nanfeng, and said expressionlessly, ¡°I¡¯m not used to eating together with more than one person.¡±


    Li Nanfeng sneered: ¡°You might as well say that the two of you are going on a date, and you don¡¯t want me to be a third wheel. That would be more believable.¡±


    Shi Fengyue walked up to Jiang Chen¡¯s side, grabbed his wrist and lifted it up, and said unhurriedly: ¡°We¡¯re going on a date, and we don¡¯t want you to be a third wheel, so don¡¯t follow us.¡± He then pulled Jiang Chen out.


    Jiang Chen let him pull him, and only pulled his hand away when they walked out of the office, chuckling lightly: ¡°It seems that you really don¡¯t want to eat with Brother Li.¡±


    Shi Fengyue looked back and said, ¡°What do you think is the reason?¡±


    Jiang Chen thought for a while, then his lips curved upwards: ¡°Because you¡¯re not used to eating together with more than one person?¡±


    Shi Fengyue paused, then laughed out loud.

 CH 75

    The two found a Hunan cuisine restaurant nearby.


    It was meal time, and the restaurant was full of people. The waitress led Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue through the lively hall and into a booth with a separate space. After pouring tea and handing over the menu, she then left. The sizzling atmosphere downstairs and the rich aroma of fried Hunan dishes penetrated through the slightly open carved wooden window. Jiang Chen sniffed, looked at the menu and said, ¡°That smells delicious just now, I wonder what it is.¡±


    Shi Fengyue ticked two dishes: ¡°Chili stir-fried pork and frog leg dry pot.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes: ¡°You can differentiate the smell?¡±


    ¡°Li Nanfeng likes this Hunan cuisine restaurant very much.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll order these two dishes.¡± Jiang Chen put down the menu: ¡°You can order some more dishes you like.¡±


    Shi Fengyue checked a few more items on the menu, called the waitress, and handed the menu to her.


    While waiting for the food, Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue discussed the upgrade direction of the facial recognition system. Halfway through the conversation, Jiang Chen suddenly recalled Li Nanfeng saying that Shi Fengyue had designed a facial recognition system himself, and instantly became interested: ¡°I heard Brother Li say that you seldom design programs by yourself after you went to college, why did you suddenly want to make a facial recognition system at that time.¡±


    Shi Fengyue snorted lightly: ¡°If I don¡¯t answer, will you only owe me three meals?¡±


    Jiang Chen laughed and waved his hand: ¡°It¡¯s still five meals, but you will owe me one too.¡±


    Treating the other to a meal instead of answering a question could be traced back to more than a month ago when Jiang Chen came out of the laboratory that day and came across Li Nanfeng and Shi Fengyue who were chatting with the main researcher of the next-door laboratory in the lounge area. At that time, the topic they were talking about was holographic technology. Seeing Jiang Chen passing by, Li Nanfeng pulled him into the conversation as well.


    Originally, this conversation could only be regarded as a light academic exchange between tea and coffee, but as the topic became more professional, the different opinions of the three gradually sparked a small debate, which was interlaced with a short-lived peace at Li Nanfeng¡¯s joking. Only to become more intense when there were differing opinions again. The three of them held to their own opinions, and didn¡¯t agree with the other two.


    Of the three people who insisted on their own opinions, the main researcher of the laboratory next door graduated from a top prestigious school in country A. Before coming to Li De, he had researched holographic technology for fifteen years. His current research and development project was also on holographic technology. So his understanding of holographic technology could absolutely be considered one the most expert in the world. And on the other side was Jiang Chen who majored in holography in his freshman year in his last life. After entering the laboratory, he also participated in the research of holographic technology. Later, his only friend Liao Zhe became the main researcher leading the federal holographic technology research. So in addition to artificial intelligence, holography was the field he knew best. Finally, there was Shi Fengyue who, at the age of fifteen, used special material technology to invent a new medium that could use light refraction to reproduce a scene in a certain period of time under a fixed air density, and thus gained a second patent besides the high-coverage military GPS. This medium he named ¡°Mirage¡± was an indispensable material for the development of holographic technology.


    The three of them did not give in to each other, and the atmosphere in the lounge room quickly changed from a tea party to an intense academic discussion. Li Nanfeng couldn¡¯t understand a word, and nor could he even get a word in. But as the boss, he had to end this argument which was unlikely to yield unanimous results.


    Therefore, he took advantage of his authority as the boss and proposed a method: the three people could take turns asking questions related to holography to the person on their left, and whoever couldn¡¯t answer first would withdraw from the discussion first, and the last person left could ask the other two to treat him to a meal.


    Li Nanfeng¡¯s method was particularly effective. The rules he set only allowed them to ask questions and not add their own opinions. So from the beginning it avoided conflicts from reemerging. Being only allowed to ask questions in the professional field could convince the loser to admit defeat. And the last part regarding treating meals was to define this dispute as a discussion among friends, and it would not hurt the peace in the end.


    The person who asked the first question was Jiang Chen. To his left was Shi Fengyue, and to Shi Fengyue¡¯s left was the main researcher of the laboratory next door. After rounds of questions and answers, the three of them hardly met a question that stumped them. It was very clear that professional questions were difficult to stump the other two, and so they began to extend to other professional questions in the computer science field.


    The computer field was extensive, and the researcher next door ended up admitting defeat first, while Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue were evenly matched. Shi Fengyue¡¯s knowledge covered a wide range of fields, and there were almost no questions he couldn¡¯t answer. And Jiang Chen, as the head researcher of artificial intelligence in the federation, the depth of his knowledge in the computer field was unparalleled, so Shi Fengyue lost.


    Shi Fengyue owed Jiang Chen a meal, and he paid it back at noon the next day. But every subsequent discussion began to follow this rule. No matter what reason was the source, the person who was finally stumped would owe the other party a meal.


    At the beginning, Shi Fengyue and Jiang Chen¡¯s discussions were limited to computers, and Jiang Chen had never lost in these discussions. However, as the two gradually became closer, the topics were no longer limited to computers, but involved various topics and fields and even all sorts of weird questions.


    For example, the first meal that Jiang Chen owed Shi Fengyue was because of a painting in Li Nanfeng¡¯s office. Shi Fengyue asked Jiang Chen if he knew the artist of that painting¡­..So, now both Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue had developed the habit of being prepared to owe a free meal when the other party asked a question.


    ¡°I developed the facial recognition system at the time because He Qianjian has a special attitude towards you.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t expect this to be the reason, and a trace of astonishment flashed in his eyes.


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s long eyelashes were lowered half-way as his index finger tapped on the table, his tone inexplicable: ¡°The first time I met He Qianjian was at his tenth birthday party. At that time, he surprised everyone with a piece of piano music. But the strange thing was that it copied my piano playing style exactly.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s even more interesting is that on his twelfth birthday, he once again perfectly copied Waller¡¯s violin skills. Not only the skills, but even Waller¡¯s habit of fingering the bow after playing a piece was exactly the same.¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian used to be the most interesting person I¡¯ve ever met.¡± The sound of knuckles knocking on the solid wood tabletop stopped, and Shi Fengyue raised his eyes and smiled lightly: ¡°He is full of contradictions all over, but not the slightest flaw can be found by others, except in regards to you.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly: ¡°That¡¯s why you designed the facial recognition system to investigate my relationship with the He family.¡±


    Shi Fengyue tapped the desktop with his index finger: ¡°The facial recognition system was just to confirm my guess. Your relationship with the He family does not require special investigation. What He Qianjian has done speaks for itself.¡± He leaned forward slightly, his eyes at the same level as Jiang Chen¡¯s: ¡°I¡¯m curious, how did you and He Qianjian know your true identities?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t look away, and said with a faint smile, ¡°What did you find out?¡±


    Shi Fengyue stared at him quietly for a moment, then said lazily, ¡°I didn¡¯t check.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Why?¡±


    Shi Fengyue said mildly, while leaning back: ¡°You won¡¯t like it, isn¡¯t that so?¡±


    Jiang Chen froze for a moment, and his heart seemed to be brushed by something light and ticklish, but it disappeared before he had time to truly feel it. His fingers curled slightly at this fleeting but novel feeling.


    Knock, knock, knock.


    The waitress pushed open the door and entered, and the dishes were quietly served before she exited again, leaving only the strong aroma of food lingering in the air.


    Jiang Chen picked up the chopsticks, and when he saw the dishes on the table, he paused: ¡°You ordered those?¡±


    Shi Fengyue chuckled lightly. He tilted his head slightly to look at him, with a playful smile in his eyes.


    Jiang Chen also knew that he was asking the obvious, so he coughed and changed the subject: ¡°How do you know what I like to eat?¡±


    ¡°I know after eating together a few times.¡± Shi Fengyue filled a bowl with meatball soup and handed it to Jiang Chen, with a faint smile in his eyes: ¡°Who did you learn the habit of drinking soup before eating from?¡±


    ¡°My dad. My grandparents are from the south.¡± Jiang Chen thought for a while and said, ¡°Do you prefer Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine? I noticed that you have a sweet tooth.¡±


    Shi Fengyue paused with his chopsticks, and the smile on the corner of his mouth faded a bit: ¡°I just have low blood sugar.¡±


    Jiang Chen recalled that Li Nanfeng had said that Shi Fengyue was in poor health when he was a child. He thought about it and asked, ¡°Then what do you like to eat?¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°You want to know?¡±


    Seeing Jiang Chen nodding, Shi Fengyue chuckled lightly: ¡°I¡¯m not picky about what I eat, I¡¯ll eat anything.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and smiled, ¡°I remember Brother Li saying that you were very picky about eating when you were a child.¡±


    ¡°He also said that was when I was a child.¡± Shi Fengyue said indifferently: ¡°At that time, I often had to take medicine and injections, and could only eat slightly bland food, so I was always picky. After getting used to it, there is not much difference.¡±


    Jiang Chen picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks and put it in Shi Fengyue¡¯s bowl: ¡°Try this.¡±


    Shi Fengyue put it into his mouth, chewed it slowly a few times, and swallowed it.


    ¡°Is it tasty?¡±


    ¡°Tasty.¡±


    Jiang Chen picked up another piece of fried pork with his chopsticks: ¡°Try this one.¡±


    After Shi Fengyue finished eating, he still replied the same: ¡°It¡¯s tasty.¡±


    Jiang Chen was curious: ¡°Which one do you think is tastier?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re both tasty.¡±


    Jiang Chen thought for a while, picked up a chopstick of light flavored vegetables and put them in the Shi Fengyue¡¯s bowl.


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°It¡¯s also tasty.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, thinking to himself that Shi Fengyue really didn¡¯t seem to be picky about food at all.


    Seeing Jiang Chen stop, Shi Fengyue raised his chin: ¡°I want to eat fish.¡±


    Jiang Chen subconsciously picked up a piece of fish for him, and Shi Fengyue continued: ¡°The frog leg dry pot looks very delicious.¡±


    Jiang Chen, ¡°Isn¡¯t that in front of you?¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°I still want to eat fish.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Serve it yourself.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    After the two of them ate, they returned to Li Nanfeng¡¯s office only to find that Mo Xi had also arrived.


    He was lying on the sofa playing with his mobile phone. When he saw Jiang Chen and Shj Fengyue coming in, he sat up in a jerk, said hello, and then rushed to the farthest place from them.


    Jiang Chen glanced at Mo Xi who was sitting in the corner and peeking over at them from time to time, and asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    Shi Fengyue walked to the sofa, picked up a pillow, and lazily said: ¡°Forget about him.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked away, saw Shi Fengyue looking like he was going to fall asleep at any time, and reminded: ¡°Sleeping right after eating is not good for the stomach.¡±


    Shi Fengyue closed his eyes: ¡°Twenty minutes has already passed from the restaurant to Li De.¡±


    Jiang Chen was speechless. He turned to look at Li Nanfeng, and just as he was about to say something the phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he raised his eyebrows lightly.


    ¡°Manager Chen?¡±


    ¡°Today?¡±


    ¡°Okay, thanks.¡±


    Seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s expression changing, Li Nanfeng closed his laptop, curious: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I bought a house in Wugu Village before.¡± Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°The official document for the development of the 5A scenic area has come down today.¡±


    Li Nanfeng already received the news last night, but the development of Wugu Village was kept a secret before, and it was too late for him to get involved now, and even if he wanted to keep a house for himself, he was rejected obscurely. Unexpectedly, Jiang Chen actually had a house there. Li Nanfeng knew what kind of people might live there in the future and with this premise, the value of the house could even be ignored.


    His eyes fell on the young man¡¯s bright and handsome features, and he had no choice but to be convinced: ¡°You really have the foresight.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled slightly: ¡°It¡¯s just luck.¡±


    Li Nanfeng paused, glanced at Shi Fengyue on the side, and said sourly: ¡°I understand, there are always some people who are exceptionally lucky, earning profit on whatever they invest, and getting whatever they want.¡±


    Mo Xi couldn¡¯t help interjecting: ¡°You are so sour.¡±


    Li Nanfeng clicked his tongue lightly, and thinking of something, a gloating smile floated on his face: ¡°I¡¯m not sour, it¡¯s not yet time for me to be sour, and the way I see it, some people don¡¯t know anything and can¡¯t do anything, so it¡¯s hard to say if I will have a chance to be sour.¡±


    Mo Xi didn¡¯t understand, so he asked, ¡°Who can¡¯t do anything?¡±


    The two pillows flew in two directions and hit Li Nanfeng and Mo Xi respectively. The man on the sofa warned in a lazy drawl: ¡°You have a lot to say?¡±


    Mo Xi shrank back, and made a gesture of cutting his neck at Li Nanfeng, mouthing: You disturbed him from his nap.


    Li Nanfeng rolled his eyes, threw the pillow to the side, and mouthed back slowly and clearly: Dumb. Ass.


    AN: Jiang Chen: What are you guys talking about? I can¡¯t understand a word.

 CH 76

    As early as after the transfer of ownership of the house in Wugu Village, Jiang Chen entrusted Chen Fang to help him find someone to renovate it because he was simply too busy. Except for the initial design drawing and renovation plan, he rarely went to the site. Everything was reported and photographed by Chen Fang remotely.


    Now that the development notice had become public, all residents of Wugu Village needed to sign a cooperation contract. So Jiang Chen took this opportunity to ask Li Nanfeng to find a professional inspection team to check the renovation efforts.


    Chen Fang waited at the entrance of the village early. He couldn¡¯t help but take a second look when he saw a luxury car coming, but unexpectedly the car stopped in front of him, and Jiang Chen and two young men got out of the car.


    ¡°Mr. Jiang, you¡¯re here.¡± Chen Fang glanced at the two handsome men behind Jiang Chen. While secretly feeling startled, he couldn¡¯t help adding weight to his guess about Jiang Chen¡¯s identity. He asked with a smile: ¡°Are these two going to see the house with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen was a little exasperated. After Li Nanfeng learned that he was going to find someone to inspect the house, he was very enthusiastic to help him find an inspection team, and even called Shi Fengyue over to take a look together. All with the excuse that he was too young and easily fooled, but with the two of them around, there would be a deterrent to those who wanted to cheat him. Then, without waiting for Jiang Chen¡¯s objection, he arranged everything properly, and even drove to wait downstairs at his house early this morning.


    ¡°Jiang Xiao Chen, the scenery here is not bad.¡± Li Nanfeng took off his sunglasses and took in the colorful flowers on both sides of the road. Now that it was late autumn, it was rare to see such a scene.


    ¡°Because of the large number of hot springs in Wugu Village, and the annual temperature kept at around 20 degrees Celsius, the surrounding vegetation and flowers are different from other places in Yan City. If you go further in, you can see more differences.¡± Chen Fang laughed. He said: ¡°Mr. Jiang, and these two gentlemen, this way please.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and briefly introduced Shi Fengyue and Li Nanfeng. After exchanging greetings, Chen Fang led the three inside and introduced the future development area while walking: ¡°Mr. Jiang, you can rest assured that in order to maintain the original ecological environment to the greatest extent and not disturb the residents here, the part where you live will be strictly protected. Even if plank roads or other constructions are being built on the mountain, it will not affect the living conditions here in the slightest.¡±


    All the way up, from the flowers full of wild beauty to the endless flower fields and then to the village with the faint scent of sweet-scented osmanthus, Li Nanfeng sighed sincerely: ¡°Jiang Xiao Chen, why didn¡¯t you tell your Brother Li when you bought the house, it¡¯s such a good environment here, even if they don¡¯t develop it, it¡¯s comfortable as it is to buy a house here to live in.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°I didn¡¯t know you at that time, Brother Li.¡±


    Shi Fengyue sneered. Li Nanfeng turned his head, and crossed his arms over his chest: ¡°He didn¡¯t know me, but did he know you back then?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°We knew each other.¡±


    Li Nanfeng staggered. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Shi Fengyue¡¯s obvious mockery and trace of pride at the corners of his eyes and mouth. With a cold snort, he walked around Shi Fengyue, and leaned into Jiang Chen¡¯s ear: ¡°Listen to your Brother Li¡¯s advice, and spend less time with Shi Fengyue in the future. He¡¯s not a good person, and ow, ow¡ª¡ªShi Fengyue! My fingers are going to be broken by you! Let go!¡±


    Shi Fengyue let go of Li Nanfeng calmly, and inserted himself between the two of them naturally. He patted Jiang Chen on the shoulder, and explained lightly: ¡°All the dirt on his hands has rubbed off on your shoulder.¡±


    ¡°Where are my hands dirty¡ª¡ª¡± Li Nanfeng held his hand in aggrievance, but stopped abruptly when he saw an obvious gray mark on Jiang Chen¡¯s white sweater. He seemed to recall that he had been skipping stones just now.


    The traces on his shoulder were wiped clean, and Jiang Chen raised his head and said with a smile, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Shi Fengyue lowered his eyes and smiled slightly: ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Li Nanfeng rubbed his fingers, swallowed the foul words on his tongue, and followed behind angrily.


    After walking for about twenty minutes, Li Nanfeng, who was lagging behind, suddenly paused, then quickened his pace to catch up with Jiang Chen and the others. He pointed to a small building not far away: ¡°That house is not bad! Whose house is it?¡±


    Chen Fang smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Jiang¡¯s house.¡±


    Just as they were talking, the several people had already walked to the opposite side of the small building. This position happened to be able to see the entire three-story house clearly.


    According to Jiang Chen¡¯s description and the plan drawn by the designer, this small building was practically demolished and then rebuilt anew.


    The small building in front of them was square as a whole, but it was not a rigid square at all. Four rectangles with different lengths, widths and heights formed a staggered floor height, which added a sense of modern geometric design to the exterior of the house. Therefore, there were balconies and large terraces extending from the walls. The main color of the small building was white, with dark gray cuboid extending from the walls and large floor-to-ceiling windows. The collision of colors and visual harmony formed a more three-dimensional and more modern design as a whole.


    The three of them crossed the road and came to the entrance door of the courtyard. The periphery of the courtyard integrated the overall design of the house. The entrance door, garage door and small flower bed that were not in a straight line distinguished the functions of the house and avoided mutual interference. Except for the old wall bricks of light wood color on the front, the other three wall sides were black, and there were two black metal doors of the same material as the frame of the floor-to-ceiling windows on one-fourth and two-thirds of the front wall. One was the entrance door and the other was the garage door. In addition, there were two small flower beds with different heights but leaving enough space to enter the house beside the door. Green plants were planted inside, allowing the house and the courtyard to correlate with each other, and also provide a little more warmth and liveliness.


    From the outer appearance of the house alone, the look of this house was even better than the renovation plans that Jiang Chen saw before.


    Jiang Chen sincerely thanked: ¡°Brother Chen, thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°This is what I should do.¡± Chen Fang didn¡¯t take credit for it: ¡°I took the initiative to take on this job back then, and you put your trust in me, of course I can¡¯t let you down.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow and smiled. He walked to the outer black metal door in a familiar manner, touched a piece of protruding metal lightly with his finger, and a blue smooth surface passed over the metal surface, a touch electronic screen appearing. After the original password was entered correctly, the door clicked automatically open.


    ¡°Is this what you were working on in our mobile phone screen research and development laboratory during that time?¡± Li Nanfeng moved to the door, touched the metal screen, and whistled: ¡°Jiang Xiao Chen, what else can you not do? This screen is much cooler than the touch-screen mobile phone we are about to launch, any plans to sell this technology?¡±


    ¡°The raw materials cost more than 100,000.¡± Jiang Chen pushed the door open with a smile: ¡°If you install this screen, how much will your mobile phone be sold for?¡±


    Li Nanfeng¡¯s hand on the door froze, and he laughed dryly: ¡°We can discuss this matter later. Yes, later.¡±


    Jiang Chen took the lead to enter the door, and Li Nanfeng followed behind him. After walking in and seeing the high and transparent entrance hall, he eagerly tpred the place by himself. After looking around, he only had one thought: ¡°Who is the designer of your house? Introduce them to me immediately, my villa in the northern suburbs is in a hurry to rennovate.¡±


    Chen Fang had been silent since he entered the door. Hearing what Li Nanfeng said, he laughed and said: ¡°All the designs here are done by Mr. Jiang, and all the design drawings made by our designer are done according to Mr. Jiang¡¯s requirements, so Mr. Li, you want to find the designer, you can only discuss it with Mr. Jiang.¡±


    Li Nanfeng was silent for half a minute, and then asked in a very slow voice: ¡°Master Jiang, besides giving birth to children, what else can¡¯t you do?¡±


    Jiang Chen chuckled lightly: ¡°This house is not designed by me, it¡¯s all the efforts of the designer, you can find him if you want to do a renovation.¡±


    He was telling the truth, all he did was just describe the house he lived in in the interstellar era. It was the designer¡¯s amazing comprehension ability that made this house take on a 60% similarity to the house he lived in at that time.


    Shi Fengyue pointed to a black metal surface in the corner of the wall: ¡°What do you plan to use these boxes embedded in the wall for?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a detail that matches the overall design?¡± Li Nanfeng pushed open the floor-to-ceiling windows, and exclaimed in surprise, ¡°A hot spring! Dang! Jiang Xiao Chen, you sure know how to enjoy life!¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t expect Shi Fengyue to observe so meticulously, and he didn¡¯t hide it: ¡°I¡¯m going to design a security system that can monitor the entire house, these boxes will be useful at that time.¡±


    ¡°Security system?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is already a prototype, but it may take a few years for the final result to come out.¡±


    Shi Fengyue was very interested and wanted to ask some more, but Li Nanfeng squatted by the hot spring and shouted at them from a distance: ¡°Let¡¯s have a soak together!¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, and he looked at Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°If you don¡¯t mind not having a change of clothes, you can take a dip if you want.¡±


    Li Nanfeng couldn¡¯t wait to soak in the hot spring, so he ran back inside like the wind, took off his coat, put on slippers, and then asked formally, ¡°Jiang Xiao Chen, can I soak in your hot spring?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can.¡± Jiang Chen repeated what he said to Shi Fengyue, and said, ¡°I still have to go upstairs to communicate with the inspection team, you guys have a soak first.¡±


    The inspection team was all men, so Li Nanfeng had no scruples: ¡°Brother Shi, let¡¯s go together.¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°Not interested.¡±


    In the end, Li Nanfeng soaked in the hot spring in the backyard alone, while Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue went upstairs to inspect the house together.


    Half an hour later, the inspection team finished up, handed the results to Jiang Chen, and said, ¡°The quality of the house, including the materials used for renovation, is very good, and there will be no problem for people to live in immediately.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°If it¡¯s a pregnant woman, will the house need to air out a while first?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The inspection team said: ¡°Looking at the materials and decoration, one can tell that your home decoration must have cost a lot of money. The materials used in this house are very environmentally friendly. There is no formaldehyde detected in the house, and there are no other harmful substances at all. It is no problem for pregnant women to live here.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded his thanks, and saw the inspection team out. Li Nanfeng asked curiously, ¡°That inspection team has seen many houses, and it isn¡¯t often that they say that the renovation cost is high. How much did you invest in this house?¡±


    ¡°Three million.¡±


    Li Nanfeng: ¡°¡­..¡±


    Li Nanfeng raised his head, looked around the house, and applauded: ¡°Jiang Xiao Chen, even the second generation rich kids who spend money like water flows I have ever seen do not spend money as calmly as you. You are amazing, too amazing.¡±


    Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t thought that the renovation would cost so much money either. In fact, the rebuilding and hardware of the house plus the design made up less than one-third of the total cost. The real big expense was the hidden smart products and tailor-made furniture in the house.


    Among the smart products, the cost of the touch screen lock for the gate and the fingerprint lock for the entrance door alone exceeded 200,000 yuan, and other seemingly insignificant details were even more expensive. This was because under the current science and technology, most of the materials that would be common in the future have not yet appeared at this time. Jiang Chen needed to invest more money to find suitable substitutes, and many of the technical aspects also required more professional people to design. Jiang Chen could design a program but couldn¡¯t make a computer himself, so as long as it was related to the home security system, even the metal locks on the windows needed to be customized specially, so there was such a high renovation cost.


    Fortunately, the end result was satisfactory. Jiang Chen believed that after installing the security system, this house would become the private house with the highest security level in the world, so he could rest assured about his parents living here.


    Before entering the federation¡¯s research institute in his last life, Jiang Chen had experienced two assassinations. Even at a venue like an artificial intelligence seminar, there was an incident where a researcher temporarily changed his ticket because his relatives were threatened. At that time, he was alone and had no scruples, but it was different now, Jiang Chen would never expose his parents to danger. He was very clear about what he would face in the future. Even if the times were different, there was not much difference between the huge benefits and the risks brought about by the reforms that promote the development of a country.


    After brewing a pot of new tea from tea leaves gifted by a neighbor, the three of them sat on the second-floor terrace, chatting leisurely and enjoying the scenery.


    Li Nanfeng crossed his legs and joked: ¡°If I didn¡¯t know the truth, I would really suspect that Jiang Xiao Chen is some prince hiding his identity and living among the common folks.¡±


    Jiang Chen was pondering over some things, when he suddenly heard Li Nanfeng say this, and his gaze became confused: ¡°Why?¡±


    Li Nanfeng raised his eyebrows slightly, looked back and said, ¡°Just two random points, the robot you gave He Qianyang, not counting the shell you made yourself, just the wheels, motor controller and other parts inside, are at least worth tens of thousands, and I haven¡¯t seen many people who are so generous in giving gifts to a stranger.¡±


    ¡°Also when we signed the contract, I found that you don¡¯t care about how much money is agreed on at all. Even if the authorization fee is squeezed down to the lowest within the range, you can still accept it.¡± Li Nanfeng laughed and said: ¡°Jiang Xiao Chen, if at that time, our team only gave you one million a year, would you still agree?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t take it seriously, and said indifferently: ¡°I know how much my creations are worth. It doesn¡¯t mean much to me to make more or less money. We are just a short-term cooperation. If it is not suitable, I can switch to another cooperative partner as soon as the time passes.¡±


    Li Nanfeng swayed his crossed leg, and silently wiped off the sweat on his forehead: ¡°Fortunately, I didn¡¯t pass their plan to suppress your price at that time.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°So we have a happy cooperation.¡±


    Li Nanfeng held Jiang Chen¡¯s hand: ¡°We will definitely have a happy cooperation in the future.¡± After letting go, he thought for a while and then smiled: ¡°Jiang Xiao Chen, if you start a company in the future, you can find me if you want investors, I guarantee it will be an even more pleasant cooperation. ¡°


    Shi Fengyue opened his eyes and glanced at him lazily: ¡°He will not be short of money.¡±


    Li Nanfeng opened his mouth to refute, but when the words came to his lips, he felt that Shi Fengyue was right. The two of them, Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue, were both basically treasuries. If they lacked money all they needed to do was shake themselves, and perhaps the money they dropped would be even more than how much he earned through sweat and tears.


    He gulped down his tea and said bitterly, ¡°God is so unfair.¡±


    After these words fell, the doorbell rang, and at the same time there was a call in a local accent: ¡°Is there anyone inside? Young man, are you there?¡±


    Jiang Chen stood up, walked to the edge of the balcony and looked down. After seeing clearly the person standing at the door, he was stunned for a moment, and his brows furrowed slightly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s expression, Shi Fengyue asked.


    Jiang Chen turned around and said calmly, ¡°He Qianjian is downstairs.¡±


    ¡°I saw just now as well.¡± Li Nanfeng still sat with his legs crossed leisurely: ¡°I am guessing that he accompanied the elders of the He family to say hello. The houses here are said to not be for sale, but in fact, most of them had been confiscated by the government in private. It¡¯s not surprising that the He family elders are allocated a house.¡±


    Shi Fengyue asked Jiang Chen, ¡°Open the door?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded. Although he didn¡¯t want to see He Qianjian, let alone let him enter this house, he couldn¡¯t shut the two elders out.


    Downstairs, after waiting for a while yet no one opened the door, the villager muttered, ¡°Could he have left?¡±


    He Qianjian asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that their car is still parked at the foot of the mountain?¡±


    ¡°They came in three cars.¡± The villager said: ¡°Just now only two cars left. I wonder if that young man has left with them.¡±


    Old Mr. He said lightly: ¡°Since they are not at home, let¡¯s visit again next time.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, let¡¯s wait a little longer. Since there is still a car, the family should still be here. Maybe they didn¡¯t hear just now.¡± He Qianjian persuaded half-childishly. He took a fancy to this house as soon as he went up the mountain and saw it. After so many years in the He family, he had seen countless high-end villas, grand courtyards, and buildings of different styles in various countries, but there was no house that aroused in him a desire to take for himself after just a look from a distance. Since the villager said that this family was not allocated a house here by the government, their background should be very simple. Although it was clearly stipulated that no sale was allowed here, he could operate it and add more money. It was not impossible to exchange houses with this family.


    Old Mrs. He made a final decision: ¡°Then we wait a bit longer.¡±


    He Qianjian rang the doorbell twice again, and said loudly, ¡°Is there anyone inside?¡±


    Right afterwards, the door opened with a click, and a handsome boy like orchids and jade trees appeared at the entrance, saying in a clear voice: ¡°Excuse me, is there anything you need?¡±


    As soon as Jiang Chen¡¯s last word sounded, He Qianjian¡¯s expression changed, and he blurted out, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Old Mr. He¡¯s eyes fell on Jiang Chen¡¯s face, and a sharp look flashed across his slightly cloudy eyes. He turned his head and asked He Qianjian: ¡°Do you know each other?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± He Qianjian didn¡¯t expect Jiang Chen to be here at all. With how much he looked like He Qianyang, his grandpa would definitely be suspicious when seeing the other. At this moment, he was a little panicked and didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°So you¡¯re at home, young man.¡± The villager stood at the back and was unable to see He Qianjian¡¯s expression, he only thought they knew each other already, and said with a bright smile: ¡°These two elders will be moving to a house near yours in the future, so I brought them here to say hello. I didn¡¯t expect you and their grandson to be friends, it¡¯s really fate.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s expression remained unchanged, he nodded slightly and said, ¡°Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Duan.¡±


    Uncle Duan didn¡¯t expect Jiang Chen to remember his name, and he smiled more delightedly as he looked at him with the gentleness towards his own children: ¡°What¡¯s the trouble, after you move here in the future, come eat at Uncle¡¯s house more often, after your Aunt Duan saw you last time, I don¡¯t know how long she has been talking about you.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes curved in a smile, ¡°Then I¡¯ll thank you first, Uncle Duan. Last time after eating Auntie Duan¡¯s noodles with fried sauce and pork ribs with roasted beans, I couldn¡¯t forget it for a long time. When I move here, I must try it again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back later and tell your Aunt Duan, she will definitely be very happy!¡± Uncle Duan finally realized that he seemed to have become a little distracted, so he said with a smile: ¡°Since you know each other, Uncle won¡¯t bother you, if you won¡¯t be going back at noon, come to Uncle¡¯s house for lunch.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Okay, thank you Uncle Duan, see you later.¡±


    ¡°Later, later.¡±


    When Uncle Duan left, Jiang Chen stepped aside, introduced himself politely, and then said, ¡°Mr. He, Mrs. He, please come inside.¡±


    When Jiang Chen was speaking, old Mrs. He kept looking at his side face. Seeing him smiling and looking over, she was in a daze for a moment, and nodded quickly: ¡°Good, good, good.¡±


    Old Mr. He originally only planned to say hello, and didn¡¯t intend to enter the house as a guest, but now he changed his mind, and he said to the correspondent following them: ¡°You wait outside.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked back and smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can come in together.¡±


    Old Mr. He nodded: ¡°Then we¡¯ll come together.¡±


    Without saying a word, He Qianjian followed into the house. After seeing the decoration and design of the house, he finally calmed down a little. This house was definitely expensive, no matter whether it was the exterior or the interior decoration. Jiang Chen was a poor student, where could he have gotten so much money, so this should not be his house.


    While he was thinking this, Li Nanfeng and Shi Fengyue came down from upstairs, and they greeted at the same time: ¡°Grandpa He, Grandma He.¡±


    Old Mr. He did not expect to see Shi Fengyue and Li Nanfeng here, he was a little surprised: ¡°Why are you two here?¡±


    He Qianjian was also surprised, and at the same time he couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief¡ª¡ªthis was definitely not Jiang Chen¡¯s house. Although no matter whether the owner was Shi Fengyue or Li Nanfeng, he wouldn¡¯t be able to offer to exchange houses, but he was more willing and pleased to accept this result than if the owner was Jiang Chen.


    However, Li Nanfeng¡¯s next words shattered the result of his fantasy: ¡°Feng Yue and I came to accompany Jiang Chen to inspect his house. We didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡±


    Jiang Chen led the two elders to the sofa, poured two cups of tea for them, and said with a smile: ¡°Please have a seat, I have only new tea given from the neighbors, and there is no suitable tea set, the hospitality is not good enough.¡±


    ¡°How can there be a lack of hospitality.¡± Old Mrs. He said with a smile: ¡°We don¡¯t pay so much attention to this, and the old man likes tea the best, he definitely couldn¡¯t be happier right now.¡±


    Old Mr. He nodded and took a sip of his tea. He looked at the three people opposite him, and his gaze fell on Jiang Chen: ¡°Xiao Jiang, you also go to school in Chenghua?¡±


    Jiang Chen said, ¡°I attend Yan No. 1.¡±


    Old Mr. He was a little surprised. He Qianjian and Jiang Chen knew each other even though they were not in the same school: ¡°Then how did you and Qian Jian know each other?¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyes, and the smile within faded a lot. Just as he was about to speak, Shi Fengyue had already answered for him: ¡°They met during the joint practice college entrance examination and math competition.¡±


    Old Mr. He also knew about He Qianjian¡¯s forfeit of the exam. The hand holding the teacup paused, while old Mrs. He smiled kindly: ¡°Then Xiao Jiang must have very good grades.¡±


    ¡°But of course.¡± Li Nanfeng said with a smile: ¡°Jiang Xiao Chen has always been number one in the joint practice college entrance examinations. Before the math competetion was even held, Yan Uni and Hua Uni were already anxious to accept him. And once the results came out, both early admission notices came immediately, his home phone had been ringing off the hook. Old Mr. Xiang was even angry with me a few days ago because Jiang Xiao Chen chose Yan Uni.¡±


    Old Mr. He did not expect that the child that his old friend had been talking about this whole time was the boy in front of him. Thinking of his praise and fondness for this child, he put down his teacup and said, ¡°I heard that you are going to study computer science in the future. Professor Xiang¡¯s student is teaching at Hua University, if you choose Hua University, with the appreciation of Professor Xiang and the recommendation of his student, it will be much easier to enter the National Academy of Sciences after graduation. In this case, why did you choose Yan University?¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyes and smiled: ¡°Mr. He, maybe you think I¡¯m young and arrogant, but to be honest, I believe I can easily enter all computer-related scientific research institutes in this world as long as I want to. Choosing a domestic college is because I am a native of country C, I want to contribute to the progress and development of this country, and I chose Yan Uni because I think the computer major courses at Yan Uni are the most suitable for me.¡±


    When Jiang Chen spoke, old Mr. He¡¯s cloudy but still sharp eyes kept staring at him, dark and unpredictable.


    He Qianjian didn¡¯t expect Jiang Chen to say such arrogant words. Thinking that what his grandpa hated the most was young people who didn¡¯t know the heights of the sky and the earth, with lofty aspirations but low ability, and couldn¡¯t see their own position clearly. His face couldn¡¯t help but reveal a trace of glee. It was lucky they came today, as long as his grandpa came to dislike Jiang Chen, even if the truth of their identities were found out, Jiang Chen would not be able to cause trouble in the future.


    The atmosphere in the room became so silent, so quiet that it was a little frozen. Li Nanfeng glanced at the old and young pair sitting opposite each other, counting silently in his heart. If ten seconds passed and still no one spoke he would then attempt to smooth things over.


    However, before he counted down to seven, there was a burst of hearty laughter in the living room. Old Mr. He clapped his hands and said: ¡°Old Xiang is right, the country is strong if the youth is strong, and if the country is handed over to young people like you, even if we really become old, we can rest assured.¡±

 CH 77

    ¡°Da Bao.¡±


    ¡°Da Bao?¡±


    ¡°Qian Jian?!¡±


    He Qianjian, who was talking with the system, abruptly looked up when a hand pressed against his forehead. After seeing that it was Yang Yun, he breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°¡­..Mom, what is it?¡±


    Yang Yun was also taken aback by his clearly frightened reaction. She retracted the hand on his forehead, pursed her lips and smiled, hiding the worry in her eyes: ¡°You went to Wugu Village with grandpa and grandma to look at the house in the morning, how do you feel about it? I heard that you met Jiang Chen there as well, does he live there too?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s forced smile stiffened and his eyes flickered for a moment. Eventually he said lightly, ¡°The scenery is pretty nice.¡±


    ¡°What about the rest? That place is a hot spring village, how about the hot springs?¡± Yang Yun and He Yanfeng exchanged looks with each other and continued to ask gently.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t look much.¡± He Qianjian lowered his eyes to avoid Yang Yun¡¯s gaze, a trace of worry in his expression: ¡°But it¡¯s on the mountain, there are forests and hot springs, and it feels very humid. I think it might not be good for Grandpa and Grandma to live there.¡±


    Yang Yun also began to pay attention to this. She thought for a while and then said: ¡°In a few days, I will take the doctor there to have a look. If the environment is not suitable for the elderly, then Mom and Dad won¡¯t live there for the time being.¡± This was directed at He Yanfeng.


    He Yanfeng was watching the financial news, and said casually after hearing these words: ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, that house is allocated to veteran cadres, they must have considered the issue of health, and Mom and Dad like it very much. When they came back they even said that the neighbors are very nice. In my opinion, they¡¯ll only be living there for a few weeks in the winter, and it¡¯s rare that they are also willing to move their nest, so let¡¯s not spoil their good mood.¡±


    ¡°How can this count as spoiling?¡± Yang Yun disagreed: ¡°Mom and Dad are quite advanced in age, so they must take good care of their health. If the house is damp, it will affect the body. What should we do if they get sick?¡±


    ¡°Mom is right.¡± He Qianjian smiled and chimed in: ¡°Dad, I think it¡¯s really too humid over there. If Grandpa and Grandma live there, it would be bad if their rheumatism got worse. How about we persuade them not to live there?¡±


    He Yanfeng said lightly: ¡°You are becoming more and more exaggerated.¡±


    He Qianjian was startled, but before he could figure out the meaning of He Yanfeng¡¯s words, He Qianyu and He Qianmin came down from upstairs.


    ¡°Dad, what are you talking about?¡± He Qianyu ran to sit next to He Yanfeng and asked curiously, ¡°What is too exaggerated?¡±


    He Yanfeng rubbed her head: ¡°What were you doing upstairs with your brother? You didn¡¯t come downstairs all afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Brother helped me with my homework.¡± He Qianyu thought for a while, then leaned into He Yanfeng¡¯s ear and whispered: ¡°Brother is so amazing now, he isn¡¯t mean to me when he explains questions like before. I can even understand after one explanation.¡±


    He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows, looked at He Qianmin who was sitting alone on the sofa, and said: ¡°I heard from your sister that you are very gentle in giving explanations to her study questions. Not bad, you have grown up.¡±


    He Qianmin didn¡¯t take it seriously: ¡°It¡¯s not that I used to lose my temper, it¡¯s that she was too stupid in the past, everything must be explained several times, and yet she still didn¡¯t get the hang of it. You would lose your temper too if you were the one teaching her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± He Qianyu waved her small fists and said with puffed cheeks, ¡°Brother used to be super fierce! And I couldn¡¯t understand because he always explained too fast, and he wouldn¡¯t teach me what I didn¡¯t understand, just directly tell me the answer, so that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t understand, now Brother explains to me step by step, explaining everything I don¡¯t understand, so this way I understood.¡±


    ¡°I taught you the same as before.¡± He Qianmin didn¡¯t feel that there was any difference between teaching He Qianyu homework now and before, and he insisted on his own opinion: ¡°The only difference is that you have grown up a little bit, and you have leveled up from a stupid piggy to a little dummy.¡±


    He Qianyu pointed at He Qianmin and complained with puffed up cheeks: ¡°Dad, Brother is calling me names!¡±


    He Qianmin rolled his eyes at her and mouthed: little, dummy.


    ¡°You¡¯re the dummy!¡± He Qianyu jumped off the sofa and threw herself on He Qianmin to fight him to the death.


    The two children on the sofa instantly became a mess of limbs, Yang Yun and He Yanfeng looked at each other with smiles.


    Only when the financial news channel ended did the two of them finally die down. Seeing his daughter with disheveled hair and his son whose clothes were ripped open, he laughed happily, and after laughing, he mercilessly mocked He Qianmin: ¡°Look at you being bullied so pitifully by Qian Yu, your combat power is too weak.¡±


    ¡°I went easy on her.¡± He Qianmin straightened his clothes and said, ¡°I¡¯m too lazy to quibble with her.¡±


    He Qianyu turned her head away and snorted, but sat squeezed beside He Qianmin and did not leave.


    ¡°The way I see it, both of you have improved.¡± Yang Yun brought over a plate of fruit with a smile. She put it in front of them, rubbed the hair of her children, and said dotingly: ¡°Qian Min has indeed grown up a lot during this time, Mom must praise you.¡±


    He Qianmin blushed, avoided her hand, and changed the subject: ¡°What were you talking about just now? What exaggeration?¡±


    Yang Yun recalled the topic just now, sat down beside He Yanfeng, and said with a smile: ¡°We were discussing whether to go and see the house in Wugu Village. Your elder brother said that the environment over there is too humid, and it may not be suitable for your grandparents to live there.¡±


    He Qianmin glanced at He Qianjian who was sitting alone opposite, and looked away, his voice not even fluctuating: ¡°Didn¡¯t Grandpa and Grandma go to see it this morning? What did they say?¡±


    Yang Yun: ¡°They really like it.¡±


    ¡°Then isn¡¯t that just fine.¡± He Qianmin picked up his vibrating phone, saw the text message, and a smile appeared on his face. He typed while saying: ¡°That house is Grandpa and Grandma¡¯s, as long as they like it then it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows and smiled, his lips hooking up as he said to Yang Yun: ¡°Have you heard what your son said, the elders have their own choice, we don¡¯t need to nose in.¡±


    Yang Yun was only just worried about the health of the two elders, and what He Yanfeng said just now made sense, so she smiled and said, ¡°I can¡¯t win against you father and son pair.¡±


    He Qianjian didn¡¯t expect Yang Yun to compromise without even a fight, and couldn¡¯t help saying: ¡°Even if Grandpa and Grandma have their own choice, it must be a choice good for them. If it is not good for their health, wouldn¡¯t letting them choose by themselves harm them?¡±


    He Qianmin snorted lightly: ¡°Grandpa and Grandma are already so advanced in age, they have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice, and they would choose better than you with their eyes closed. No need to act like a dog who catches mice (TN: meddlesome).¡±


    ¡°Qian Min.¡± Yang Yun softly chided He Qianmin.


    He Qianmin snorted coldly, bowed his head and continued typing on his phone. He Qianyu leaned close to He Qianmin¡¯s hand, blinking: ¡°I want to text Brother Jiang Chen too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble here.¡± He Qianmin didn¡¯t lift his eyes: ¡°My brother is explaining a question to me, don¡¯t disturb my study.¡±


    He Qianyu pursed her mouth and did not speak, quietly watching He Qianmin and Jiang Chen texting back and forth.


    Yang Yun looked at He Qianjian and said softly: ¡°Qian Jian, Mom knows that you are worried about your grandparents, but what your father and brother said makes sense, that house should be very suitable for the elderly to maintain their health. When the time comes, if you are really worried, just bring the doctor over when your grandparents live there to have a look, and listen to what the doctor has to say. If it¡¯s not suitable, your grandparents will also follow the doctor¡¯s advice.¡±


    He Qianjian had nothing to say anymore, so he could only nod and smile, ¡°Okay.¡±


    While Yang Yun and He Qianjian were talking, He Qianyu watched as He Qianmin and Jiang Chen sent many text messages back and forth on questions that she couldn¡¯t understand a word. After reading the texts, she only sighed: ¡°Brother Jiang Chen is so gentle. Brother, you are so stupid, but even if you ask a question so many times, Brother Jiang Chen doesn¡¯t think you¡¯re stupid.¡±


    He Qianmin paused and pinched He Qianyu¡¯s face: ¡°If you say anything more, then don¡¯t sit here with me.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± He Qianyu crossed her arms and said, ¡°Brother Jiang Chen is much gentler than you, I also want Brother Jiang Chen to teach me how to do the questions.¡±


    He Qianmin sneered, waved his phone and raised his eyebrows: ¡°In your dreams, that¡¯s my brother, he can only teach me.¡±


    ¡°You are my brother, and Brother Jiang Chen is your brother, so that means Brother Jiang Chen is also my brother!¡± He Qianyu had her own logic: ¡°So Brother Jiang Chen is also my own brother!¡± She even sought validation from others: ¡°Dad, am I right?¡±


    He Yanfeng had been listening to them talking, and he said with a smile, ¡°Yes, Jiang Chen is also your own brother, and you have three brothers.¡±


    ¡°Then I can ask Brother Jiang Chen to teach me, right!¡± He Qianyu said excitedly, ¡°When are we going to call Brother Jiang Chen over to play at home! I miss him so much!¡±


    Yang Yun said: ¡°Then let¡¯s find a time to invite your Brother Jiang Chen to come and play at home.¡± For some reason, she always missed that boy very much, and when she heard her daughter say that she wanted to invite him to the house, her heart was already filled with anticipation.


    ¡°My brother is very busy.¡± He Qianmin poured cold water on her: ¡°Now he barely even has time to eat, so don¡¯t make trouble.¡±


    He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows: ¡°Didn¡¯t Jiang Chen already get early admission?¡±


    ¡°But he also has to take the college entrance examination. Our school¡¯s teachers, leaders and principal have all put the burden of this year¡¯s college entrance examination science champion on him. And also, his laboratory projects have to record data regularly, and he even has to stay in the laboratory on weekends. Every day at noon and evening self-study, he would help Brother Shen Xu and Brother Huo Bo with their homework. The questions I don¡¯t know how to do are accumulated before being given to him on the weekend, and he will then teach me in the evening. Even this morning when he went to see the renovated house, it was squeezed out of his rest time, and now he didn¡¯t even have any rest when he went home, he has been teaching me the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Why so tiring¡­..¡± Yang Yun said with distress: ¡°You are only a freshman in high school, so don¡¯t bother your brother with the questions you don¡¯t know, and let him rest for a while.¡± Listening to He Qianmin saying ¡°my brother this and my brother that¡±, Yang Yun also subconsciously said ¡°your brother¡±, and she didn¡¯t feel anything wrong after saying it.


    On the other side where no one was paying attention, He Qianjian had already dug his fingers into the pillow, and lowered his head to hide his livid face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to either.¡± He Qianmin pursed his lips slightly, and his tone seemed to be complaining: ¡°But my brother has to check the Olympiad questions he assigned to me last week every week. If I didn¡¯t do it, he would worry even more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He Qianmin suddenly thought of something: ¡°Let me tell you in advance, I won¡¯t be back on the third weekend of this month.¡±


    ¡°Next, next, next weekend¡­..¡± He Qianyu counted with her fingers, blinked and said, ¡°But isn¡¯t that day Elder Brother¡¯s birthday?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my brother¡¯s birthday that day too.¡± He Qianmin quickly sent a text message with his fingers without raising his eyes: ¡°I want to celebrate his birthday with him.¡±


    He Qianjian suddenly raised his head with a strange expression. Yang Yun also recalled that Jiang Chen and He Qianjian had the same birthday. She and He Yanfeng looked at each other with worry in their eyes.


    He Yanfeng opened his mouth and said: ¡°If there is someone¡¯s birthday in the family, then the whole family must be there. This is the rule of our He family, and it is not negotiable. And this time is also your elder brother¡¯s coming-of-age ceremony. When the time comes, all the relatives including your grandparents, uncles, and aunts will be there. It will be improper if you don¡¯t show up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re all there.¡± He Qianmin didn¡¯t care. He glanced at He Qianjian coldly, curled his lips and said mockingly: ¡°And I don¡¯t think He Qianjian really wants me to be there, after all, every time this time of the year he always wants to show off. He gave up the competition this time, but I came first in the midterm exam, how embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Qian Min!¡± Yang Yun frowned and said, ¡°You mustn¡¯t talk like that.¡±


    He Qianmin snorted lightly: ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±


    He Yanfeng put away his smile, and his tone took on a hint of warning: ¡°This matter is not for discussion, don¡¯t let me send someone to catch you at the gate of your school.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t come back.¡± He Qianmin stood up and mocked: ¡°I have a bad relationship with him so don¡¯t mention being family. No one in the whole circle doesn¡¯t know. So why pretend to be brotherly? He likes to act but I don¡¯t. If you insist on me being there, then I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be there to give any blessings, but there to crash the party.¡±


    ¡°He Qianmin!¡± He Yanfeng stood up abruptly, and his face darkened: ¡°I¡¯m only saying it once, don¡¯t let me hear you say such things again in the future.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I say it?¡± He Qianmin sneered, and the rims of his eyes turned red a little: ¡°For so many years, I have seen enough of you pretending to be nonchalant and muddleheaded! Why should I put up with him! Why should I look at his acting and fake smiles with knives hidden within! Why do I have to look at his attitude when I speak! Why can¡¯t I say a single word when he wants to kill me! Why! You tell me why!¡± By the end, he almost screamed out.


    The room was silent.


    He Qianyu¡¯s eyes were red with fright. She covered He Qianmin¡¯s fisted right hand with both hands. Feeling the trembling of his hand, stinging tears fell from the tip of her nose, and she hugged him tightly in silence.


    Yang Yun was at a loss, distressed and sad, she opened her mouth: ¡°Qian Min¡­..¡± But after she called out his name, she didn¡¯t know what to say, how to comfort him.


    He Qianjian hid the darkness in his eyes, and broke the silence with a smile: ¡°Mom and Dad, you don¡¯t have to force Qian Min to come back if he doesn¡¯t want to. It¡¯s fine with me, let¡¯s just forget about it.¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian, it¡¯s a pity that you aren¡¯t an actor.¡±


    The corner of He Qianmin¡¯s mouth curled into a sneering arc, and he coldly looked away. He pulled out his hand and gently rubbed He Qianyu¡¯s head, then turned and left the He family.


    ¡­¡­


    In Li De¡¯s laboratory, Jiang Chen was testing another version of the recognition system. This version was named after Jiang Chen¡¯s usual naming method, and it was called ¡°Changjiang Image Recognition System¡±.


    The biggest difference between the Changjiang Image Recognition System and the facial recognition system authorized to Li De was the algorithm. Li De¡¯s facial recognition system had a set of independent but fixed algorithms. The biggest use was to recognize faces, while the Changjiang Image Recognition System continued Changjiang¡¯s deep learning algorithm and had an additional image repair function, which could restore blurred images using image super-resolution reconstruction technology.


    In the future, Jiang Chen would install this system in Changjiang¡¯s security system that was under development. All systems of the Changjiang series utilized the same database. When the Changjiang system finished loading the database, the Changjiang Image Recognition System would have an amazing effect.


    At that time, if a stranger escaped the security scan by chance and breaks into the room with the security system installed, even if he covered himself tightly, the image restoration function of the recognition system could use the powerful database and algorithm to restore his facial features and original body shape. Then the monitoring and tracking functions of the Changjiang system would come into play. As long as the person was not planning to hide in the deep mountains and old forests for the rest of his life, the Changjiang system would be able to drag him out in the open.


    At this time, the video Jiang Chen used to test the image recognition system was the surveillance video he had requested from G. The blurred parts in the video were restored frame by frame by the image recognition system, and the appearances of He Qianmin and the others as well as the blurred glass cups on the bar counter became clear. When He Qianmin reached for the glass cup, the high-definition picture made the scene of the glass cup being replaced by a fruit knife more clear.


    His phone rang, and Jiang Chen picked it up. Without taking his eyes off the screen, he said casually: ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Big Brother¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen tapped his finger, and the video was frozen on the scene of He Qianmin holding the blade. He looked away and asked worriedly, ¡°Did something happen? Where are you now?¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s voice was hoarse: ¡°Can I come to your house tonight?¡±


    ¡°Are you outside alone now?¡± Hearing the wind from the other end, Jiang Chen frowned and said, ¡°Where are you, tell me the exact address.¡±


    He Qianmin reported an address, and Jiang Chen got up. He picked up his coat and said, ¡°Find a store nearby and wait for me, I¡¯ll go right over.¡±


    On the way to pick up He Qianmin, Jiang Chen received a call from He Yanfeng.


    The unfamiliar number rang three times before Jiang Chen picked it up: ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Jiang Chen, who is this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m He Yanfeng.¡± The voice on the other end of the phone was a little tired, but his tone was very gentle: ¡°Today, Qian Min got in a quarrel at home, and I think he might come to you, so I want to call you in advance. If you see him, please send me a text message to let his mother and I know he is safe.¡±


    Jiang Chen agreed, paused for a few seconds, and asked, ¡°May I know why he got in a quarrel at home?¡±


    He Yanfeng didn¡¯t hide it: ¡°The relationship between Qian Min and his elder brother He Qianjian has always been at odds. I think you should have heard about it. Today¡¯s quarrel is also because of this reason.¡±


    ¡°In my impression, Qian Min is not a child who loses his temper for no reason.¡± Jiang Chen said indifferently: ¡°He just looks willful, but after getting along with each other, what I see more is his tolerance and understanding. Uncle He, with all due respect, Qian Min¡¯s decision to run away from home is definitely not a sudden impulse, people will only explode when their patience reaches the limit, and if the source of the conflict is not dealt with properly, then things will only get worse.¡±


    He Yanfeng was silent for a while, then sighed softly: ¡°This matter is very complicated, I can¡¯t explain it clearly to you on the phone, but I want to tell you that his mother and I have never been partial to anyone on anything. We just want to try to adjust the conflicts and misunderstandings between Qian Min and Qian Jian to make this family more united and at harmony.¡±


    ¡°How can you be sure that the matter between Qian Min and He Qianjian is really just a misunderstanding? See who has evidence and who doesn¡¯t, or whose words are more credible?¡±


    He Yanfeng was a little surprised. In his impression, Jiang Chen was a very admirable and likable young man. He was gentle, polite and intelligent. It was precisely because he had a good impression of him that he explained so patiently and gently on the phone just now. But he never expected that Jiang Chen would be so sharp and direct.


    But what made He Yanfeng feel even more strange was that he didn¡¯t get angry at the offense of a junior who could be his son, and even wanted to explain things clearly to him.


    He Yanfeng suppressed the desire to explain, and deliberately lowered his voice: ¡°Then what do you use to judge the truth of a matter? You don¡¯t rely on evidence or judge the credibility, it¡¯s just because you and Qian Min have a better relationship?¡±


    Jiang Chen looked up and saw He Qianmin standing alone under the streetlight in front of him, told the driver to stop the car, and then said to He Yanfeng: ¡°I found Qian Min.¡±


    He opened the car door and walked towards He Qianmin. Before hanging up the call, he said lightly: ¡°Uncle He, I will send you a video when I get back. Please check your email at about eleven o¡¯clock. After watching the video, I hope your judgment of credibility will change.¡±

 CH 78

    ¡°Big Brother¡­..¡±


    He Qianmin turned around when he heard footsteps, his eyes lighting up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know to wear a coat when you go out?¡± Jiang Chen frowned, took off his jacket, and threw it on him: ¡°Put it on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not cold.¡± He Qianmin caught the warm jacket, feeling anxious and happy: ¡°Big Brother, can I go to your house tonight?¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t allow you to go, will you sleep on the streets?¡± Jiang Chen lifted his chin, turned and walked towards the taxi waiting on the side of the road: ¡°Put on the jacket and go back with me.¡±


    He Qianmin hurriedly put on Jiang Chen¡¯s jacket, and the warmth unexpectedly flowed through his limbs to his heart. He grabbed the hem of the jacket tightly, took a few quick steps to catch up with Jiang Chen, and followed behind him step by step.


    ¡°Mister, sorry for the long wait, please take us to Zhonghai Park Community.¡±


    The driver smiled and said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go right away.¡±


    The heat was turned on in the taxi, and He Qianmin felt the blood gradually begin to flow in his frozen body, and his whole body became warmer. He turned his head to look at Jiang Chen, but seeing his stern expression, he was immediately at a loss: ¡°Big Brother¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s tone was very mild: ¡°It¡¯s so late, and you don¡¯t wear a coat and don¡¯t bring money when you go out, have you ever thought about what you would do if you are in danger?¡±


    He Qianmin explained: ¡°I have walked this road many times, it is safe even at night, and I have a mobile phone, so I can call you.¡±


    ¡°What if I didn¡¯t look at my phone during my experiments, and my phone was turned off or muted?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± He Qianmin never thought about the possibility of Jiang Chen not answering his call, he said honestly: ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it so much at the time, and I felt that you would definitely answer my call.¡±


    Hearing his honest attitude, Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know whether to be angry or to laugh. He caught a glimpse of He Qianmin¡¯s aggrieved and apprehensive expression from the corner of his eye. When he saw him standing alone on the dark street, his anger surged up just like that but now little by little it extinguished.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so impulsive in the future.¡± Jiang Chen clicked his tongue and raised his hand to pat him on the head. When his eyes swept over his still reddened eyes and nose, the hand that was about to pat again paused. Instead, he rubbed his head vigorously a few times: ¡°No matter what happens, you must put your own safety first, got it?¡±


    ¡°I got it, Big Brother.¡± He Qianmin was pushed forward by his strength, and his head rested on Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulder. Even when the hand on his head lightened he didn¡¯t move, and the tip of his nose stung a bit: ¡°Big Brother, it¡¯s so good that you¡¯re here.¡±


    Jiang Chen rubbed his head, and his voice gentled: ¡°No more next time.¡±


    ¡°I promise there won¡¯t be a next time¡­..¡± He Qianmin said softly.


    The driver suddenly said, ¡°This is your younger brother, right?¡±


    Jiang Chen was taken aback, then smiled and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    The driver glanced at the two of them from the rearview mirror, and said with a smile: ¡°Younger Brother, don¡¯t be so willful in the future. Your brother was so anxious to find you all the way, he kept urging me to drive faster.¡±


    He Qianmin didn¡¯t look up, and Jiang Chen replied for him: ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, he is in a bad mood today, he¡¯s not usually like this.¡±


    ¡°Kids, it¡¯s normal.¡± The driver said with a smile, ¡°I have two boys myself, just like you two. When the younger brother loses his temper, he doesn¡¯t listen to anyone but his older brother. So I can tell you two are brothers at a glance.¡±


    He Qianmin sat up, turned his face away and sniffed, saying in a muffled voice, ¡°Do we look like brothers?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The driver said, ¡°Uncle has been driving for so many years. Putting aside everything else, in terms of judging people, I am always on the mark. Don¡¯t even mention you two who look like brothers at a glance. I can also tell at a glance whether they are husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend, whether they are going on a date, to catch a cheater, or to divorce. Let this uncle tell you, it is also a science to be able to judge people, for example¡­..¡±


    The driver was explaining his way of judging people, but He Qianmin couldn¡¯t hear anything. He stared blankly at Jiang Chen¡¯s profile. The neon lights formed a silhouette on his face through the car window, covering up his rapidly trembling eyelashes.


    In a flash of insight stimulated by the driver¡¯s first comment just now, He Qianmin suddenly found the answer to a question he had been wondering for a long time: Why did He Qianjian have to have a physical examination at the same time as Jiang Chen every year.


    ¡ª¡ªFor drawing blood.


    He had fallen into a blind spot before, he always thought that with the He family having a physical examination every year to draw blood, if He Qianjian was not the biological son of his parents, it would be absolutely impossible for him to keep it secret. But he never thought that He Qianjian could use the ability to exchange things through the air to exchange his and Jiang Chen¡¯s blood.


    If Jiang Chen was his parents¡¯ biological son and his biological brother, then everything that He Qianjian did before could be explained clearly.


    He Qianjian did everything possible to prevent Jiang Chen from meeting them, because Jiang Chen looked too much like the He family, so much that even strangers could tell their blood relationship at a glance.


    The strange thing was that, as a real He family member, he never felt that Jiang Chen looked much like him before, so even if many people mentioned in his ears that they looked like biological brothers, He Qianmin would only think it was because the good relationship between him and Jiang Chen made people feel that way.


    Some people also said that Jiang Chen and He Qianyang looked alike, but He Qianmin didn¡¯t think so. In his opinion, He Qianyang and Jiang Chen were completely different people. He didn¡¯t even need to look to find the differences between them let alone think they were similar.


    Because they were too familiar, so it was easier to distinguish. And it was exactly this familiarity that blinded He Qianmin¡¯s eyes and made him not figure it out until now.


    He Qianmin searched for every bit of what He Qianjian said about Jiang Chen in his mind, and strung together all the previous clues into a line, pointing directly to the answer in his heart:


    ¡ª¡ªHe Qianjian sent people to stalk Jiang Chen for four years because he was monitoring Jiang Chen, worried that Jiang Chen would find out his identity and expose him; He Qianjian sent Sun Zhi to block Jiang Chen and cut him, and that time happened to be when his father wanted him to take another physical examination to draw blood; He Qianjian sent someone to kidnap Jiang Chen because he wanted to get rid of Jiang Chen, murder him and let the secret be buried in the grave forever; the post on Chenghua forum was deleted so quickly because He Qianjian was afraid that someone would investigate after seeing it¡­..Everything he did was for one purpose, and that was to prevent people from discovering the truth that he was a cuckoo occupying the magpie¡¯s nest.


    He Qianmin grasped the edge of the jacket, his eyelashes trembling violently, and there was only one thing in his mind: He Qianjian was a fake, Jiang Chen was his true brother!


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t hear anything from the boy next to him for a long time, and so Jiang Chen thought He Qianmin had fallen asleep. When he turned slightly, his fingers accidentally touched the other¡¯s cold hand, and so he said in a low voice, ¡°Mister, please turn up the heat.¡±


    The driver also noticed the silence at the back, and after nodding slightly, he turned up the heat without a word.


    The rest of the way back was quiet, and the taxi slowly stopped at the entrance of the community.


    ¡°Qian Min?¡± Jiang Chen patted He Qianmin¡¯s arm, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    He Qianmin didn¡¯t sleep at all, and sat up straight when called by Jiang Chen. The inner struggle within him along the way was especially intense at this time. He wanted to tell Jiang Chen the truth immediately, but worried that Jiang Chen might not be willing to accept it.


    He had seen with his own eyes how good Jiang Chen¡¯s relationship with Uncle Jiang and Aunt Yang was, so he knew very well that if it were him, it might be hard for him to accept this news as well, moreover he didn¡¯t have any evidence yet.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get out of the car?¡± Seeing He Qianmin sitting upright and motionless, Jiang Chen laughed and said, ¡°Still not awake?¡±


    He Qianmin regained his composure, hesitated to speak a few times, but finally swallowed the words in front of Jiang Chen¡¯s smiling eyes. Instead he opened the door and got out of the car.


    It was quite late now. Yang Si was pregnant and went to bed early and slept lightly, and Jiang Zhuo was afraid that going to bed late would wake her up, so he also went to bed early with her. When Jiang Chen and He Qianmin entered, only a small dim light was left in the living room.


    ¡°Be a little quiet.¡± Jiang Chen reminded in a lowered voice, and led He Qianmin into his room.


    It was not the first time for He Qianmin to come to Jiang Chen¡¯s room, but last time he just had a brief glance and didn¡¯t stay long, so now was his true visit. He looked at everything around him curiously: the walnut-colored wardrobe on the left side of the door that was the same length and the same color as the bed. A reading lamp, an alarm clock and a cup of water were placed on the bedside table next to the wardrobe. The bed was covered with dark blue sheets and quilts, which were neatly folded. On the other side of the bed were bookcases that covered the entire wall other than the window. They were full of books, and many more were piled on the floor next to the desk opposite the bed. The desk was very long and large, and should have been specially customized. There was no problem for three people to sit there and do homework at the same time. The desk was very clean, except for the two computers on the left side, one tilted and the other facing the desk line. The other side should be where Jiang Chen usually did his homework, and only a desk lamp and a book were placed on top.


    The whole room was not too big, but it was very clean and tidy. There were no books on the bookcase parallel to the lower edge of the window. Instead there was a glass vase near the desk and a few flowers were blooming inside. The empty space next to the vase was filled with all kinds of novel handmade toys, including a train, an airplane and a robot, colorfully placed in the dark-theme room, and it was not obtrusive at all, but rather gave the room a little more warmth.


    From these details, it could be seen that the owner of the room must be well-loved and had a very happy family.


    ¡°Why are you in a daze again?¡± Jiang Chen came out of the shower and saw that He Qianmin was still standing at the door in a daze. He put the clothes he just dug out of the closet into his arms: ¡°These are clothes I haven¡¯t worn. The bath towels are also new, the shampoo is in a dark blue bottle, and the body wash is in light blue, go take a shower.¡±


    He Qianmin grabbed the clothes in his hand, nodded with downcast eyes, turned and left the room.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t notice the strangeness in him, only thought he was sleepy. He brushed his hair casually, walked to the desk and sat down. While turning on the computer, he put on the earphones, and said in a low voice: ¡°Chnangjiang, according to the notes in my address book, search He Yanfeng¡¯s email.¡±


    ¡°He Yanfeng¡¯s email address has been found.¡±


    ¡°Send him a copy of the video I recovered tonight.¡±


    ¡°Searching, sent.¡±


    Jiang Chen took off his earphones, narrowed eyes with a complicated gaze within them, turned around and walked to the window.


    ¡­¡­


    During the ten minutes of showering, He Qianmin struggled fiercely with himself while analyzing it countless times in his mind, and finally made a decision.


    What He Qianjian did proved that he must know his birth background, but it was hard to speculate when he found out about it. The only time frame that could be determined must be before his second year of junior high school. Moreover, He Qianmin was very sure that there must be someone behind He Qianjian helping him, otherwise He Qianjian was only a few days old more than ten years ago, and no matter how omniscient he was, he would not be able to exchange DNA samples between him and Jiang Chen by himself.


    However, He Qianmin had no idea who was behind him and what was their purpose.


    But he felt that since he already knew the truth of the matter, and that the truth would be revealed sooner or later, the sooner Jiang Chen knew, the better. He Qianjian and the people standing behind him absolutely did not want his identity being exposed, and if Jiang Chen continued to remain in the dark, he would only be in danger.


    Standing at the door of the room, He Qianmin took a few deep breaths, and opened the door only after making sufficient mental preparations.


    ¡°Big Brother.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned around and saw He Qianmin in baggy clothes, with disheveled hair on top of a fair and handsome face, his eyes wet from the steam, looking at him in a helpless and pitiful manner.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s heart softened, and he walked towards him: ¡°Is the water too cold?¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s eyes fell on the robot in his hand, and he tightened his fingers holding the bath towel, but he couldn¡¯t say anything despite the words sitting on the tip of his tongue.


    Jiang Chen noticed his gaze, handed him the robot in his hand, and said with a smile, ¡°Want it? It¡¯s yours now.¡±


    He Qianmin lowered his head, looked at the exquisitely crafted robot in his hand, and said nothing.


    ¡°This was a birthday present my dad made for me when I was six years old. He made all my toys when I was a child, and we assembled them together.¡± Jiang Chen chuckled, pointed at the robot¡¯s chest, and said with a smile: ¡°Do you see this blue piece? In order to surprise me, he specially designed this robot according to the robot character in my favorite cartoon at that time. In the cartoon, the whole body of the robot is red so the wood was painted red before splicing, but when I was a child, I was angry for a long time that he decided on the color of the robot without discussing it with me. In the end, in order to coax me, my dad painted the robot¡¯s body blue, and it became the odd mix it is now.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even need to look at Jiang Chen¡¯s expression, just hearing the tenderness and nostalgia in his tone was enough. He Qianmin¡¯s eyelashes trembled, he touched the piece of blue, and said in a low voice: ¡°Uncle Jiang is very good to Big Brother.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Jiang Chen recalled: ¡°Since I was a child, all my friends have envied me for having such parents. Especially my dad, because he loves to play with children, and the toys he makes are interesting and beautiful, so those children all like him very much, and there were even children crying and saying that they wanted to exchange their fathers with me.¡±


    ¡°And later?¡±


    ¡°What later?¡±


    ¡°What happened to the child who was crying about exchanging fathers with you?¡±


    Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help but laugh: ¡°He was spanked by his father, and he never said that again.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s grasp on the robot¡¯s knuckles turned white. He was silent for a few seconds before he took a deep breath and raised his head: ¡°Then what if¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes: ¡°En? What if?¡±


    He Qianmin avoided his gaze, picked up a bath towel to cover his head, and wiped his hair vigorously. Jiang Chen clicked his tongue, got up, took the bath towel, and helped him wipe his hair: ¡°Have you ever wiped your hair yourself?¡±


    There was silence in the room, and after a long time, a voice came from the bath towel, muffled and soft: ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Jiang Chen thought he said no, so he rubbed his hair vigorously, and gently told him: ¡°I¡¯ll only wipe it for you this time, but you have to learn how to do it yourself in the future. This is a basic life skill.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Knock, knock, knock.


    He Yanfeng rubbed his eyebrows, looked towards the door: ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the work done yet?¡±


    Yang Yun walked in and put the glass of milk in his hand with a concerned tone.


    He Yanfeng took the glass of milk and took a sip. His eyes fell on the mailbox page where there were still no unread emails, and he sighed softly. He didn¡¯t know why, after hearing what Jiang Chen said, he just sat in the study until a quarter past eleven, during which time he didn¡¯t do any work and just waited so dryly.


    ¡°Is there still a lot of work?¡± Yang Yun took the empty glass of milk he had finished drinking.


    He Yanfeng shook his head, wrapped his arms around his wife¡¯s waist with one hand, touched the switch button with the other, and said with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ll sleep right away¡ª¡ª¡±


    His eyes suddenly fixed on the (1) unread email.


    Seeing his expression, Yang Yun asked strangely, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    He Yanfeng¡¯s finger that was already hovering on the power off button slowly moved away. He put his hand on the mouse, moved the cursor, and clicked on the email. This was an email with no title or content, only a video attachment.


    ¡°A video?¡± Yang Yun asked curiously, ¡°Who sent it?¡±


    ¡°A business partner.¡±


    He clearly hadn¡¯t even clicked on the video yet, but He Yanfeng somehow believed that Jiang Chen wouldn¡¯t lie to him. He believed that there were really things related to his two sons that he once misunderstood. His sixth sense told him that these things would not be something people could easily accept, so he subconsciously concealed it from his wife.


    If it was really something difficult to digest, then he must first confirm it and make preparations before telling his wife, rather than just frighten and worry her without warning.


    He Yanfeng got up, kissed Yang Yun¡¯s forehead, and said with a smile: ¡°I still have some things to deal with, you can go to bed by yourself first.¡±


    Without thinking too much, Yang Yun kissed the corner of his mouth: ¡°Good night.¡±


    After his wife left, He Yanfeng sat down again and clicked on the video.


    In the video was a group of laughing students. They were probably playing games and were laughing happily. He Yanfeng could see from the background of the private room that this was a newly opened club near Huyang Wetland Park. Because it was not far from Chenghua, and the entertainment attractions there were varied and novel, it was very suitable for young people. In addition, the owner of this club was one of the leaders in the younger generation circle, Li Nanfeng, the heir of Li De, so it was very popular among the younger generation in the circle.


    He Yanfeng and Li Nanfeng had discussed business in this club several times. Because of this, he could see where it was at a glance, and he believed in the authenticity of the video even more. The video was still playing, and several boys in the corner of the screen stood up and walked to the other side.


    He Yanfeng¡¯s eyes became slightly more focused, seeing that one among the three boys was his younger son, He Qianmin. The three boys talked and laughed as they walked, and they came to a table filled with drinks. The drink table was full of glasses and bottles, and there were all kinds of drinks from juice to alcoholic drinks.


    Unexpectedly, this group of little kiddos dared to drink at a party, He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows and laughed.


    However, in the next second, his smile froze on his face. He Yanfeng clicked the space button forcefully, and the video was frozen on the scene of He Qianmin¡¯s bloody hand. He Qianmin¡¯s surprised and pained expression and the bewildered and frightened expressions on the two boys beside him were clearly reflected in He Yanfeng¡¯s eyes, a fruit knife covered with blood on the ground.


    He Yanfeng¡¯s hand on the desk slowly tightened and loosened. He pulled the progress bar of the video and moved the time backwards by a few seconds.


    ¡ª¡ªHe Qianmin was smiling and talking to his friends while reaching for the glass cup on the drink table. In the direction where his hand was stretched out, the glass cup disappeared out of thin air, replaced by a fruit knife standing upright on the table right before he grasped it.


    He Yanfeng watched this video over and over again, and even when his eyes started to become bloodshot, he didn¡¯t know what to think, so he looked up to see the time and date in the upper right corner.


    May 22, 8:06pm.


    The night He Qianmin returned home with a wounded hand, with stitches and bandaged was May 22.


    That night, when he went downstairs to drink water, he found that he was injured. After questioning, He Qianmin replied that he had accidentally cut himself. He didn¡¯t think much about it at the time, but now that he recalled it carefully, he remembered his expression at that time. Compared with annoyance, it was more of a calm and tired look.


    ¡ª¡ªJust like the expression he looked at them with when he ran away from home today.


    He Yanfeng put his hands on his knees and then buried his face in his palms. Every word He Qianmin yelled today was repeated in his mind, and every time it was repeated, he felt more guilty.


    While regretting, he was also thinking, if what Qian Min said before was true, then what did Qian Jian do all these years and just why did he do it.


    He Yanfeng couldn¡¯t think of a reason.

 CH 79

    After filling out Yan Uni¡¯s direct admission confirmation form, Jiang Chen received a call from old Mr. Xiang.


    Old Mr. Xiang would call Jiang Chen basically every week. When the laboratory had new data, the domestic computer science research had made new progress, or when he saw a good scientific journal article, these were all the topics of their conversations. Although the two chatted mostly on academic discussion, occasionally other things came up as well.


    The life experience and academic knowledge possessed by a bigwig in the industry were like a vast ocean. Once he was willing to teach a person, it would be an understatement to describe that person¡¯s gain with the words ¡°benefited a lot¡±. Jiang Chen learned not only professional knowledge from old Mr. Xiang, but also his attitude towards scientific research and his open-mindedness towards life.


    Although they hadn¡¯t known each other for long, and they only contacted each other through mobile phones, both Jiang Chen and old Mr. Xiang felt that their relationship was more like a friendship between kindred spirits rather than between teacher and student.


    So, when old Mr. Xiang said he wanted to invite Jiang Chen over to his house as a guest, Jiang Chen agreed without hesitation.


    On the second weekend of December, Jiang Chen brought the latest ¡°Changjiang Image Recognition System¡± to the Xiang¡¯s.


    Old Mr. Xiang had been waiting in the living room early, and before the housekeeper even had the chance to lead Jiang Chen in, he was already walking over to meet him at a vigorous pace, taking three steps at a time: ¡°Have you brought the new image repair system you researched?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised the backpack he was carrying, and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°Quick, quick.¡± Old Mr. Xiang eagerly grabbed his wrist: ¡°Let¡¯s go to my study and let me see if it is as amazing as you said. The few old photos I prepared have been scanned into the computer. Later¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dad.¡± Coming out of the living room, an elegant woman appeared. She stopped in front of the two of them with a smile, smiled kindly at Jiang Chen, and then looked at old Mr. Xiang: ¡°This is the first time for Xiao Jiang to come to our house. And you don¡¯t even let him sit down and have a drink.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang turned his head and asked Jiang Chen, ¡°Are you thirsty?¡±


    Jiang Chen hesitated for a moment, and Ms. Xiang winked at him.


    ¡°Maybe a little thirsty¡­..¡±


    ¡°Then you Ah Zhi can bring a glass of water to my study later.¡± Old Mr. Xiang waved his daughter¡¯s hand away, and said to Jiang Chen as he went upstairs, ¡°Where was I, oh yes, the old photos, those few photos are quite a few years old, and the faces can barely be seen very clearly, perfect to let us experiment with the restoration effect on the photos.¡±


    Jiang Chen was dragged by old Mr. Xiang, so he could only politely nodded to Ms. Xiang, apologized and followed.


    Seeing the two of them enter the study, Ms. Xiang smiled helplessly, turned around and walked into the dining room, and said to the girl waiting at the table: ¡°Your grandfather brought him upstairs, and he didn¡¯t even let Xiao Jiang drink a sip of water.¡±


    The girl smiled slightly and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already guessed this would happen.¡±


    ¡°But even though we only had a brief face-to-face meeting, the child looks like a good one.¡± Ms. Xiang sat down next to the girl, and said with a smile, ¡°Clean and polite, with clear eyes and a good temper. You have good eyes.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Aunt!¡± The girl huffed, her ears turning red.


    ¡°Still shy.¡± Ms. Xiang teased: ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you care so much about a boy before? You really like him? Didn¡¯t you only meet him once?¡±


    The girl blushed, but her tone was firm: ¡°If you like someone, just meeting them once is enough to be sure.¡±


    Ms. Xiang tapped her forehead: ¡°Don¡¯t say that Auntie didn¡¯t give you a chance, I¡¯ll leave it to you to deliver water to the study later.¡±


    The girl pursed her lips into a smile and nodded.


    In the study room, one old and one young put their heads together, staring at the progress bar on the laptop screen.


    Old Mr. Xiang: ¡°How long does it usually take to restore a photo?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Looking at the degree of blurriness, it usually takes less than two minutes. This photo should take longer.¡±


    ¡°I heard that even videos can be repaired?¡± Old Mr. Xiang asked, ¡°Have you tried it?¡±


    ¡°Tested one hundred and eighty-seven times, and tested it three times after debugging.¡± Jiang Chen said: ¡°The clarity and restoration are both very high, but the duration is still difficult to grasp. I have improved the testing for more than half a month, but the speed is still the same. The improvement is not much, the fastest in the laboratory was a 20-minute video, the degree of blur was average, and the repair time was 1 hour and 23 minutes.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang nodded: ¡°That¡¯s normal. It¡¯s the computer¡¯s CPU that slows down the speed, not your software problem. However, the current home computers on the market may not be able to load your image repair system. You are now working with Li De so is this image repair system also going to be authorized to them?¡±


    ¡°This is my own new product.¡± Jiang Chen shook his head with a smile: ¡°At present, it is not suitable for the market. I haven¡¯t figured out how to go about it yet.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang pondered for a moment, and said, ¡°Xiao Jiang, if you believe in Grandpa, Grandpa suggests that you sell the Changjiang Image Recognition System to the country or cooperate with the country in research and development. You haven¡¯t entered a national laboratory yet, so you may not be very clear about how much this image repair system can facilitate the current scientific research progress in our country, but you likely already know that its research and development is of great significance to the development of the country in many aspects.¡±


    ¡°I know, so¡­..¡±


    ¡ª¡ªKnock, knock, knock.


    Jiang Chen paused and looked towards the door.


    The conversation was interrupted at a critical moment, causing old Mr. Xiang to frown, a hint of anger in his voice: ¡°Who is it? Come in.¡±


    The door of the study room was gently pushed open, and a gentle and pretty girl appeared holding a tray of water with a smile: ¡°Grandpa, I didn¡¯t bother you, did I?¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang¡¯s expression softened, and a smile appeared on his face: ¡°Why are you here to bring the water? Didn¡¯t you say that you have an appointment with your classmate in the morning and want to go shopping together?¡±


    ¡°My classmate has something to do, so we canceled it temporarily.¡± The girl turned her eyes to Jiang Chen, and smiled sweetly: ¡°Do you still remember me?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°Miss Han.¡±


    Han Qiya curved her eyes, and her voice contained delight: ¡°It¡¯s been almost five months since we last met at the He¡¯s. I didn¡¯t expect you to still remember me.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang turned to look at Jiang Chen: ¡°You two know each other?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°We¡¯ve met once.¡±


    There was a hint of cunning in Han Qiya¡¯s smile: ¡°Not only did we meet once, we even danced together.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang: ¡°When?¡±


    Han Qiya: ¡°At He Qianyang¡¯s birthday.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang was surprised: ¡°Isn¡¯t that when you just returned to the country?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Han Qiya blinked at Jiang Chen: ¡°So this should be considered fate, right?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and smiled, but said nothing.


    Han Qiya knew when to stop, and she simply put the tray of water on the tea table, and said with a smile: ¡°Last time when I was at the He¡¯s, I noticed that you seldom drink beverages and seem to prefer drinking plain water, so I only brought you mineral water, if you want to drink something else, I¡¯ll go down and get it for you.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll just drink water, thank you.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang snorted: ¡°I have never seen you so enthusiastic towards guests before. Alright, you go downstairs to play by yourself. We still have proper business to discuss. Just call us when it¡¯s time to eat.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t bother you two, don¡¯t exhaust yourselves, remember to rest.¡±


    ¡°Got it, got it.¡± Old Mr. Xiang waved his hand: ¡°Go quickly.¡±


    The door of the study was closed, old Mr. Xiang glanced at Jiang Chen¡¯s expression, sighed in his heart for his granddaughter, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    Back at the desk, the photos on the computer have already been loaded. Seeing the highly restored old photos on the screen, old Mr. Xiang put all the distracting thoughts out of his mind, and couldn¡¯t help but stretch out his hand to rub it, ¡°This restoration rate¡ª¡ªit¡¯s too high.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, not pretending to be modest: ¡°This is the highest standard that current technology can achieve.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s used in military research or medicine¡­..¡± Old Mr. Xiang withdrew his hand in a murmur, then turned to look at Jiang Chen: ¡°Xiao Jiang, your system is of great use.¡±


    Pausing for a moment, old Mr. Xiang straightened up and said in a solemn tone, ¡°I hope you will carefully consider my proposal just now. The Changjiang Image Recognition System you developed can bring far more than just money and benefits. If you can make the best use of it, it is very likely to be an important part of promoting the development of the country and making China a world power. Its existence is not only of great significance to China, but also to the development of human science and technology as a whole.¡±


    Jiang Chen said seriously, ¡°I will definitely think about it seriously.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang nodded, with a gratified smile on his face, but serious eyes: ¡°Don¡¯t disclose any information about the Changjiang Image Recognition System to anyone for the time being, it can be a calamity to hold such a precious thing in your hands. A huge fortune will also bring you danger.¡±


    ¡°But if you encounter trouble, come to me.¡± Old Mr. Xiang patted him on the shoulder: ¡°Although Grandpa is old, I can still say a few words in some places. It¡¯s no problem to protect you.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly, and said with a smile, ¡°Thank you, Grandpa Xiang.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    There was a knock on the study door, and the person outside said: ¡°Grandpa, Jiang Chen, it¡¯s time to eat.¡±


    The two stopped discussing, and after Jiang Chen put away the scrap paper he had just used for calculations, old Mr. Xiang got up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, go down to eat.¡±


    After opening the door and seeing the person waiting outside the study, Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise, ¡°Mr. Xiang.¡±


    Xiang Hong nodded with a smile and said, ¡°We meet again.¡±


    ¡°What Mr. Xiang?¡± Old Mr. Xiang said, ¡°You call me Grandpa, and he also calls me Grandpa. You can just call him by his name.¡±


    Seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s hesitant expression, Xiang Hong laughed: ¡°Grandpa is right, we don¡¯t need to be so formal, you can just call me Brother Xiang.¡±


    Jiang Chen followed easily: ¡°Brother Xiang.¡±


    When they went downstairs, there were already two people sitting in the dining room, they were Ms. Xiang and Han Qiya whom Jiang Chen had seen when he arrived at the Xiang¡¯s.


    Seeing them coming down, Han Qiya smiled and said, ¡°Grandpa, Jiang Chen, I¡¯ve already prepared the rice for you.¡±


    ¡°What are you standing up for.¡± Old Mr. Xiang pulled Jiang Chen to sit beside him: ¡°Everyone have a seat.¡±


    Ms. Xiang smiled and said, ¡°Dad, you dragged Jiang Chen upstairs as soon as he came, and you haven¡¯t introduced him to us yet.¡±


    ¡°Introduce what.¡± Old Mr. Xiang picked up his chopsticks: ¡°Your niece and your son have already met him, and didn¡¯t you just meet him too, it¡¯s just a family meal, how can there be so many bothersome things.¡±


    Jiang Chen got up and smiled slightly: ¡°Hello, Auntie. My name is Jiang Chen. I¡¯m sorry to bother you today.¡±


    Ms. Xiang smiled gently: ¡°Xiao Jiang, you can call me Auntie Xiang. You, Xiao Hong and Ya Ya all know each other so don¡¯t be too restrained and polite. Just treat this place as your own home, and you can come over to play often in the future.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang: ¡°You tell him to treat this as his own house, yet you let him get up and introduce himself, Xiao Jiang, sit down and eat, just ignore them.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled at Ms. Xiang and sat down.


    The Xiang family didn¡¯t have the habit of eating in silence. Everyone would occasionally say a few words, discussing new periodicals. The atmosphere was harmonious and warm, and Jiang Chen gradually integrated into it.


    Just when they finished talking about the new drug discovery in the latest issue of the medical journal, Ms. Xiang changed the subject and looked at Jiang Chen: ¡°Xiao Jiang, I heard that you have been recommended to Yan University. Then this year must be much easier?¡±


    Jiang Chen said with a smile: ¡°Although I have received early admission, there are other things to do, so it¡¯s not easy.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Ms. Xiang asked curiously, ¡°Are you going to still take the college entrance examination?¡±


    ¡°Including the college entrance examination.¡±


    ¡°I see. Your Grandpa Xiang has mentioned it many times, saying that you are scientific research material but I have never heard of what you are researching. Could you tell Auntie?¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang raised his eyes: ¡°What do you want to know so much for? You¡¯re a pharmacist, and you don¡¯t study computers, so you won¡¯t understand it anyway.¡±


    ¡°Dad, what are you saying, didn¡¯t I learn a lot from you when I was young?¡±


    ¡°You still remember what you learned when you were a child?¡± Old Mr. Xiang snorted coldly: ¡°If you remembered, how could you go into medicine? Not only did you dive into medicine yourself, you also brought my grandson into it as well.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with studying medicine?¡± Ms. Xiang said, ¡°Do you know that the new type of¡­..¡±


    At the dinner table, the father and daughter began arguing about the higher achievement of their respective industry.


    Xiang Hong leaned over to Jiang Chen, and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t mind them, my grandfather was angry for a long time because my mother chose medicine instead of computer science, and he had originally  let go of it after a long time has passed, but later I also chose to study medicine. His promising seedling also chose to study medicine, so¡­..¡± Xiang Hong shrugged, feeling a little helpless: ¡°We¡¯re used to them arguing every now and then, and this is their way of strengthening their relationship.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, ¡°It can be seen that Grandpa Xiang and Aunt Xiang have a very good relationship.¡±


    ¡°I remember you have a good relationship with Shi Fengyue.¡± Xiang Hong lowered his voice: ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a little secret about him. My grandfather¡¯s most promising seedling is actually Shi Fengyue. When I chose not to learn computer science my grandfather was only angry for two days, but when Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t choose computer science either, he is still angry even now and doesn¡¯t want to see him at all.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°At the beginning, I didn¡¯t choose to study computer science because my talent is mediocre in this area. Grandpa knew it very well, so the anger was at most just anger at me following my mother¡¯s old path, but Shi Fengyue is different. He was only seven or eight years old at that time, and because he was not in good health and could not go out to play he only spent his days with the computer at home and reading books.¡± Xiang Hong recalled: ¡°For a long time, other than the research institute, my grandfather went to the Shi family¡¯s house every day. He taught him everything he knew, and because Shi Fengyue was too smart and learned things too quickly, while my grandfather taught him, he even also taught himself other branches within computer science every day, just to be able to teach Shi Fengyue fresher knowledge every day. At that time, he really had high hopes for Shi Fengyue and naturally feelings developed after a long time of mentorship, so it was not only just high hopes. Our family all felt that, to Grandpa, Shi Fengyue might be more like another grandson to him than just a student.¡±


    Jiang Chen did not expect that Shi Fengyue and old Mr. Xiang actually had such a past. He raised his eyes and looked at old Mr. Xiang and Ms. Xiang who were still arguing, and suddenly recalled that every time he clashed with Shi Fengyue, Shi Fengyue seemed to be like a copy of old Mr. Xiang, arguing strongly for his views and being extremely stubborn.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Shi Fengyue choose computer science?¡±


    Xiang Hong sighed softly: ¡°This matter is a knot in Grandpa¡¯s heart, and it is also something that none of us could understand, but I think there must be a special reason.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it wasn¡¯t just my grandfather at the time, because Shi Fengyue was learning things so fast, several old professors in the compound especially liked to teach him, but except for computer science, there was no subject that could keep him going for more than half a year, because it simply didn¡¯t take more than half a year for him to reach the level that others have devoted themselves to studying for a decade, and this was even when he was in poor health and learning many subjects at the same time.¡±


    ¡°So, at the beginning, everyone, including my grandfather, thought that Shi Fengyue would engage in computer science research in the future. Not only because of his talent in computers and his relationship with Grandpa, but also because it is the subject that he persisted in the longest and studied most in-depth before the age of fourteen.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes: ¡°Before the age of fourteen?¡±


    ¡°Shi Fengyue disappeared for a year when he was fourteen years old, there was a lot of commotion at that time, but I don¡¯t know the details of this incident, I only know that at that time almost everyone thought that something might have happened to Shi Fengyue, but unexpectedly about a year later, he came back. Not long after he came back, he went abroad to study medicine, and Grandpa has been angry because of this until now.¡±


    Xiang Hong put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth and said with a smile: ¡°But I think what Grandpa is really angry about is not because he suddenly chose to study medicine, but because he was worried about what happened in the year when he disappeared without a trace.¡±


    Sitting in the car, Jiang Chen looked at the shadows outside the window passing by quickly, and what Xiang Hong said during lunch came to the forefront of his mind.


    Where did Shi Fengyue go at the age of fourteen? What happened that year? How did he live alone for a year without anyone finding out?


    Jiang Chen was rarely curious about other people¡¯s experiences, and he also felt that he had no interest in prying into other people¡¯s privacy, but for some reason, these questions kept lingering in his mind, making him unable to think about other things.


    At a red light, the car stopped slowly. Jiang Chen scanned all the license plates he could see in front of him, and memorized the numbers and letters in a string in his mind. Cars bagan moving on the other roadway and new cars filled in empty spaces. The wheels in his brain kept running without rest, adding new numbers after the previous numbers, and when the street lights lit up, the combination of numbers and letters had reached the hundreds.


    This was his habit when he usually found it difficult to concentrate and get rid of distracting thoughts. Memorizing requires concentration, and when memorizing a string of irregular numbers and letters, he had to recall the numbers and letters he memorized before. Before he knew it, his attention would be completely focused on the combination of numbers and letters in his mind, without any distractions.


    However, the method that always worked before lost its effect today. When the car started up again, Jiang Chen dropped the string of numbers and still had those questions in his mind. The difference was that he recalled his conversation with Shi Fengyue in the hospital garden.


    He asked Shi Fengyue: Since you are so afraid of trouble, why do you want to be a doctor?


    Shi Fengyue asked back: Since you are so smart, why do you still follow the prescribed order?


    At that time, although he and Shi Fengyue were the relationship between a doctor and a family member of a patient, every time they met, they would always oppose each other unconsciously, so when he got such an answer, Jiang Chen only thought that Shi Fengyue just didn¡¯t want to answer this question, so he didn¡¯t ask any more and didn¡¯t think much about it again.


    But thinking about it now, Shi Fengyue¡¯s expression seemed to be a little different from the previous moment¡¯s casual expression when he spoke, but Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t recall exactly what was different.


    ¡­¡­


    Not long after Jiang Chen left, Xiang Hong came out of the kitchen.


    ¡°Have you finished washing the dishes?¡± Ms. Xiang was watching TV. Seeing that he was about to go out, she asked, ¡°Where are you going? Didn¡¯t you say you are off today?¡±


    Xiang Hong put the paper bag on the side, put on his shoes and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to the research institute.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in your bag? Are you taking it to the research institute?¡±


    ¡°Experimental sample.¡± Xiang Hong got up: ¡°I¡¯m leaving, don¡¯t wait for me today, I won¡¯t be home for dinner.¡±


    Seeing that he left without looking back, Ms. Xiang let out a sigh and took Han Qiya¡¯s hand: ¡°It¡¯s better to have a girl, if I gave you a sister instead, she would definitely accompany us to watch TV and go shopping together. I might even have a granddaughter already.¡±


    Han Qiya smiled and said, ¡°Cousin must have something important to do.¡±


    After picking up the car from the garage, Xiang Hong called He Yanfeng.


    ¡°Old He, where are you?¡±


    ¡°The company.¡±


    Xiang Hong glanced at the paper bag on the side, looked away, grabbed the steering wheel and said, ¡°I¡¯ll meet you at your company. There seemed to be an abnormality in your DNA test before. I¡¯ll fetch a few hairs from you and check again later.¡±


    He Yanfeng had no doubts: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±


    ¡°See you later.¡±

 CH 80

    Tu Nan Group, CEO¡¯s Office


    He Yanfeng pulled out a few hairs and handed them to Xiang Hong: ¡°What¡¯s going on? You wanting my hair all of a sudden.¡±


    Xiang Hong put his hair away: ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that there was a problem with the DNA test?¡±


    ¡°Can I believe your nonsense?¡± He Yanfeng said while opening the document to be signed in the afternoon: ¡°How long ago was the last physical examination, if there was a problem, could you have waited until now?¡±


    Xiang Hong smiled, but immediately stopped smiling in the next second: ¡°I¡¯m checking something, and I need your hair as a sample.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Xiang Hong shook his head: ¡°When the result comes out, if you need to know, you will know.¡±


    He Yanfeng looked at him suspiciously, put the matter aside, pondered for a moment, and said, ¡°I want to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Does your lab do human research?¡±


    ¡°All new drugs must be tested on humans before they are put on the market.¡± Xiang Hong sat down on one side and asked curiously, ¡°Why are you asking this?¡±


    He Yanfeng opened the folder, his pen pausing, and he was silent for a few seconds. He eventually put down the pen again, and said in a deep voice: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean this, didn¡¯t you study genetic engineering before? What I want to ask is, has there ever been a research subject with that kind of superpower.¡±


    Xiang Hong couldn¡¯t help laughing: ¡°Why do you ask that suddenly? Are you dazzled from watching cartoons with Xiao Bao?¡±


    He Yanfeng glared at him: ¡°Just tell me if there is or not.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Xiang Hong thought for a while, and slowly said: ¡°There are no superpowers or supermen in this world. These are just characters in film and television animations. However, some people have done similar human experiments before, but the purpose was for human beings to have superhuman abilities, this kind of experiment has long been banned, and as far as I know, there are no successful examples so far. At least within the scope of my authority, I have never seen a person with real superpowers.¡±


    ¡°If someone can swap two things out of thin air, do you think that¡¯s a superpower?¡±


    Xiang Hong shrugged: ¡°That¡¯s a superhero movie.¡±


    He Yanfeng waved his hand: ¡°I¡¯m too lazy to bother with you.¡±


    ¡°Why do you suddenly ask this?¡± Xiang Hong and He Yanfeng have been friends for many years, and he knew his character very well, so it was impossible to ask such a question for no reason: ¡°Did you see something recently? Or something happened?¡±


    He Yanfeng paused, and said lightly: ¡°No.¡±


    Xiang Hong was curious: ¡°Then why did you suddenly ask me such a thing?¡±


    The door was knocked twice.


    He Yanfeng looked towards the door: ¡°Come in.¡±


    The assistant came in and said, ¡°CEO He, the Madam and Eldest Young Master are here.¡±


    Xiang Hong¡¯s eyes flickered, and He Yanfeng closed the folder: ¡°Let them in.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Yang Yun and He Qianjian walked in side by side. Seeing that Xiang Hong was here, Yang Yun was a little surprised: ¡°Xiao Xiang is here too?¡±


    ¡°Sister-in-law.¡± Xiang Hong glanced away from He Qianjian, stood up with a gentle smile, and said, ¡°I came to see Brother He for something, and we¡¯re almost done now. If you have something to do, I¡¯ll leave first.¡±


    ¡°I just heard that he didn¡¯t eat at noon because of a meeting, so I brought some food over.¡± Yang Yun put the things she brought on the coffee table in the reception area, and waved Xiang Hong over with a smile: ¡°You can eat some together too, it contains your favorite shredded coconut cubes.¡±


    Xiang Hong followed the good advice and sat down again: ¡°Then I won¡¯t be courteous.¡±


    He Yanfeng also came over and sat down beside Yang Yun. He raised his head and asked He Qianjian: ¡°Why are you here with your mother?¡±


    He Qianjian: ¡°It happened that I had nothing to do in the afternoon, so I came with Mom and helped her carry things.¡±


    He Yanfeng withdrew his gaze lightly, and He Qianjian stood on the side, lowering his head slightly.


    Yang Yun gently bumped He Yanfeng¡¯s arm, lowered her voice and whispered in his ear: ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you recently? You are so indifferent to Qian Jian, and the child came to see you specially, yet you don¡¯t even smile.¡±


    He Yanfeng ate a piece of red wine stewed beef, chewed it slowly, as if he didn¡¯t hear what Yang Yun said.


    Yang Yun frowned, seeing her eldest son still standing on the side, not even daring to sit down, she couldn¡¯t help feeling distressed, she said softly: ¡°Old He, come with me to the lounge, I have something to say to you. ¡°


    He Yanfeng pointed to his mouth and swallowed: ¡°I¡¯m eating.¡±


    ¡°Eat later.¡±


    Yang Yun pulled his arm to stand up, and He Yanfeng had to put down his chopsticks and follow her to the inner lounge.


    The door of the lounge was closed, and Xiang Hong glanced at He Qianjian, who had downcast eyes. He put down the dessert fork, and said with a smile, ¡°Come and sit, I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time, how are you doing?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s voice was hoarse: ¡°Everything is fine.¡±


    Xiang Hong patted the sofa on one side and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did you quarrel with your father?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He Qianjian shook his head, walked to Xiang Hong and sat down.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    He Qianmin twitched the corner of his mouth, and said with a wry smile: ¡°Qian Min ran away from home half a month ago, and hasn¡¯t come back for the past two weekends.¡±


    ¡°What is this kid throwing a temper tantrum for?¡± Xiang Hong raised his eyebrows: ¡°Did you mess with him?¡±


    ¡°As if you don¡¯t know me already, how dare I mess with him.¡± He Qianjian lowered his head, his tone helpless: ¡°He has always had some misunderstandings with me. Since he went to Yan No. 1 High School, I don¡¯t know what happened. Half a month ago, he said that he would not come back to celebrate my birthday with me next week. Dad was a little angry, said a few words to him, and then he rushed out.¡±


    ¡°Birthday?¡± Xiang Hong frowned, thoughtfully: ¡°Isn¡¯t your birthday on a weekend? He won¡¯t come back?¡±


    He Qianjian: ¡°He has a friend whose birthday is on the same day as mine, so he must want to celebrate his friend¡¯s birthday more.¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence? Who is it?¡±


    ¡°A student in the third year of Yan No. 1 High School, named Jiang Chen.¡±


    Xiang Hong paused with the fork brought to his mouth: ¡°Jiang Chen?¡±


    He Qianjian turned to look at him: ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°My grandfather likes him very much. Some time ago, he recommended him a direct admission to Hua Uni, but he didn¡¯t accept it.¡±


    The smile on He Qianjian¡¯s face froze for a moment, but he quickly covered it up and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Jiang Chen to be recommended by Professor Xiang.¡±


    ¡°He is very talented in computers.¡± Xiang Hong glanced at He Qianjian¡¯s slightly unnatural expression, and returned to the original topic: ¡°Is it because of his birthday that Qian Min hasn¡¯t come back for two weeks? ¡°


    He Qianjian suppressed the jealousy and resentment surging in his heart, and said with a smile: ¡°Yes, Dad may be a little worried about him, so during this time he treats me¡­..¡±


    His gaze fell on He Qianjian¡¯s reluctantly disappointed and hesitant to speak expression, Xiang Hong¡¯s eyes flashed and his smile faded: ¡°It¡¯s impossible for your father to take his anger out on you because of this kind of thing, you must be thinking too much.¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s expression changed slightly: ¡°I know Dad doesn¡¯t mean to blame me, he is probably just worried about Qian Min.¡±


    Xiang Hong nodded and changed the subject: ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you say that you were interested in genetic research before? Recently, I am doing a genome sequence test to study the differences of SNP¡­..¡±


    Inside the lounge.


    Yang Yun let go of He Yanfeng¡¯s hand, and said in a reproachful tone, ¡°Honey, what¡¯s going on with you recently?¡±


    He Yanfeng sat down on the bed: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean.¡± Yang Yun frowned: ¡°Since Qian Min ran away from home, your attitude towards Qian Jian has been very cold. I know you are worried about Qian Min, but even so, you can¡¯t just take your anger out on Qian Jian, he is also our son, how sad he must be to see you treat him like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not taking my anger out on him.¡± He Yanfeng said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been too busy recently and haven¡¯t paid much attention to him.¡±


    ¡°You call just now not cold enough?¡± Yang Yun sat down beside He Yanfeng: ¡°My son came to see you with me, and you didn¡¯t even let him sit, but let him stand on the side, isn¡¯t that cold enough? ¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s not the first time he has come to my office.¡± He Yanfeng paused, pressed the bridge of his nose, and said in a somewhat impatient tone, ¡°Before, he would always find a place to sit by himself, but this time I have to invite him to sit down?¡±


    ¡°You clearly know that I don¡¯t mean this!¡± Yang Yun also got a little angry: ¡°You are purposely not getting it, the question I am discussing with you is whether you should blame Qian Jian. Qian Min getting angry and ran away from home is not because of Qian Jian, but because your tone was too harsh, Qian Min and Xiao Chen have a good relationship, it is normal to want to celebrate his birthday together. You clearly could¡¯ve changed your tone or discussed it with him in a different way, you shouldn¡¯t blame Qian Jian for your mistakes and take your anger out on him.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what Qian Min said before he ran away from home?¡± He Yanfeng stood up, walked to the French windows, looked out the window and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to quarrel with you, the conflict between Qian Min and Qian Jian is fundamentally not what we thought before, and this matter is not as simple as you think, since you currently don¡¯t know anything, just leave it alone for now.¡±


    ¡°They are both my sons, how can I not care?¡± Yang Yun suddenly raised her voice, but after saying this, her voice dropped again, and her eyes turned red: ¡°How can I forget what Qian Min said. It¡¯s because I remember that I don¡¯t know what to do. It¡¯s been so many years, I just hope that they can get along well, even if they don¡¯t treat each other with as much enmity as now, they are blood brothers¡­..¡±


    He Yanfeng sighed softly, turned around and returned to the bed. He gently hugged his wife¡¯s shoulders, and said with distress: ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, it¡¯s not your fault, it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t handle their conflict well.¡±


    Yang Yun shook her head: ¡°If I could have cared more about Qian Min before the car accident, instead of making him feel that I love Qian Jian and Qian Yu more, their relationship would not be like this¡­..¡±


    The corners of He Yanfeng¡¯s mouth twitched, and he hesitated to speak. In the end, he didn¡¯t tell his wife about the video, but comforted: ¡°You have always treated the three children equally, and they are very aware of this. Qian Min would not be mad at you because of this. So don¡¯t think too much¡­..¡±


    In the office, Xiang Hong and He Qianjian were still discussing genetic research, when Yang Yun and He Yanfeng came out. Xiang Hong was smiling and said to He Qianjian: ¡°Since you are so interested in this project, why don¡¯t you also participate?¡±


    Yang Yun happened to hear what Xiang Hong said, and asked curiously, ¡°What are you talking about participating in?¡±


    Xiang Hong turned back with a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m doing a genome sequence test recently, and I¡¯m still in the stage of collecting samples, so I want to ask Qian Jian for some hairs to use as experimental samples. If it¡¯s convenient, Sister-in-law can also give me a few hairs too.¡±


    Yang Yun didn¡¯t think much, and agreed directly: ¡°Of course it¡¯s convenient, how many hairs do you want?¡±


    ¡°Five are enough.¡±


    Yang Yun pulled out five hairs and handed them to Xiang Hong. Xiang Hong thanked her with a smile and looked at He Qianjian.


    He Qianjian was a little hesitant and cautious, but Yang Yun had already pulled out her hair at this time, it would be strange if he insisted on objecting.


    His eyes flickered: ¡°Do you want a lot of samples? Uncle Xiang, did you ask my Dad too?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did.¡± Xiang Hong glanced at He Yanfeng and said, ¡°I asked your dad for it as soon as I entered his office.¡±


    He Qianjian laughed twice: ¡°How many samples do you need? I will go to school tomorrow and I can help you find some from my classmates.¡±


    ¡°Of course, the more the better.¡± Xiang Hong said: ¡°However, hair as a sample needs special treatment, and the experiment must be carried out within a certain period of time. If you help me collect it, the effect of the sample may be lost.¡±


    ¡°In that case, it seems that Uncle Xiang can only collect it yourself.¡± He Qianjian¡¯s hands on his knees curled slightly. He raised and pulled out five hairs, and said with a smile, ¡°Here.¡±


    Xiang Hong put away He Qianjian¡¯s hair: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    According to normal procedures, paternity testing generally takes four days, and the first round of test results takes two days. In order to eliminate errors, after the first round of identification, a different group of people needed to be replaced to start the second round of testing by extracting DNA.


    Because of the limited number of samples, Xiang Hong only conducted one round of experiments. For higher accuracy, he conducted a complete DNA identification, that is, using the samples of the father, mother, and child for triple identification.


    In the first round, Xiang Hong identified the parent-child relationship between He Yanfeng, Yang Yun and Jiang Chen. Before that, he had already identified the sibling relationship between He Qianmin and Jiang Chen, and the result he got at that time was the reason for him to conduct this round of paternity testing.


    While waiting for the test results of the capillary sequencer, Xiang Hong sighed deeply, recalling what happened last week.


    Last weekend, Xiang Hong came home from the night shift. In the parking lot, he opened the driver¡¯s door and found someone squatting next to his car. It was the middle of the night, and he was naturally startled, but when he looked closely, he found that it was He Qianmin.


    He Qianmin sat on the ground with his legs bent, leaning on his car tires, his eyes never moving away from the paper bag he was clutching on his lap. His expression was very complicated, and he seemed to be hesitating and struggling over something. Even when Xiang Hong walked over he didn¡¯t notice until he called out to him.


    He Qianmin raised his head suddenly, like a frightened bird. He was relieved after seeing him clearly, stood up and said, ¡°Uncle Xiang, you¡¯re off work.¡±


    Xiang Hong also heard about He Qianmin running away from home, and thinking that he had no place to go on weekends, he couldn¡¯t help feeling distressed: ¡°Why are you waiting out here so late, are you cold?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not cold.¡± He Qianmin pursed his lower lip, looked at him and said, ¡°Uncle Xiang, I want to ask you for a favor.¡±


    Xiang Hong opened the car door: ¡°Let¡¯s talk in the car.¡±


    Sitting in the car, He Qianmin was silent for a long time, until the knuckles of the fingers holding the paper bag turned white, and then said: ¡°I want you to do a DNA test for me to determine whether the owners of the two samples are brothers. Here¡¯s the sample.¡±


    Xiang Hong was a little surprised, and subconsciously asked: ¡°Who and whose sample is this?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell.¡±


    Xiang Hong paused, and changed the way of asking: ¡°Is there your DNA sample here?¡±


    ¡°If I say yes, would you agree?¡±


    ¡°I can help you with this.¡± Xiang Hong said: ¡°But I must know the reason why you asked me to do this. Even if it is not specific, I need a reason.¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°I do have a reason.¡±


    Xiang Hong had already expected it, but he couldn¡¯t help being startled when he got the affirmative answer: ¡°Who is the other person?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡± He Qianmin sat up straight, his eyes cautious and scrutinizing: ¡°Uncle Xiang, I am asking you alone for help on this matter, you can refuse me, but if you agree, I hope you can promise to absolutely not tell my parents about it.¡±


    Xiang Hong agreed, and obtained the results by testing the genetic loci on the Y chromosome. The owners of the two samples were brothers.


    At first, Xiang Hong thought it was He Qianjian and He Qianmin¡¯s test, but when he handed the result to He Qianmin, He Qianmin¡¯s expression told him that the owner of the other sample could not be He Qianjian.


    Just when he was puzzled, he saw Jiang Chen walking out of the school gate. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t notice them, and stopped under a tree on the opposite road, as if he was waiting for someone, but He Qianmin suddenly became flustered. He returned the report in its envelope in a panic, gave it back to him, and thanked him casually. He then turned around and ran towards Jiang Chen.


    On the other side of the road, don¡¯t know what Jiang Chen and He Qianmin said to each other, but they looked at each other and smiled before walking to the other side together.


    In a flash of insight, Xiang Hong was filled once again with the strange feeling he got when he saw Jiang Chen for the first time, and an unbelievable guess emerged in his mind.


    In order to confirm this guess, he kept Jiang Chen¡¯s unused hair samples, took Jiang Chen¡¯s fingerprints and saliva samples when Jiang Chen came over to eat at their house, and the results of the identification confirmed that the owner of the other sample sent by He Qianmin was Jiang Chen. Only then did he do the triple identification of parent and child.


    Xiang Hong¡¯s eyes fell on the computer screen, and in a few minutes, he would get the final result.


    As soon as the computer screen lit up, all the data had been transmitted, and was only waiting for him to process and analyze. Xiang Hong walked to the computer, put on his glasses, and looked as cautious and serious as he had ever been before.


    At one o¡¯clock in the morning, Xiang Hong took off his glasses, sighed deeply, and buried his face in his hands. The blue light of the computer hit his white coat. He wanted to open the address icon several times, but withdrew his hand again and again.


    As a good friend, he found this matter unbelievable. Xiang Hong couldn¡¯t imagine the impact He Yanfeng and Yang Yun would receive if they knew the truth.


    Although he already knew the answer, in order to be more rigorous, Xiang Hong turned back to the test table and conducted the second round of triple identification. This time, the samples of He Yanfeng, Yang Yun, and He Qianjian were identified.


    Two days later, when the results came out, Xiang Hong immediately called He Yanfeng.


    At this time, many people have already received the invitation letter for He Qianjian¡¯s birthday party, the eldest young master of the He family, and have prepared their attire and gifts, waiting for the arrival of the party the day after tomorrow.


    The He family had always been very low-key and rarely organized large-scale banquets. Apart from the birthdays of the two elders of the He family, they have only held a total of three birthday parties for He Yanfeng¡¯s three children¡¯s 10th birthday and another one for He Qianjian¡¯s 12th birthday.


    It had been two years since the tenth birthday party of He Qianyu, the youngest child of the He family, but the banquet which gathered many big figures from all walks of life still remained something to talk about even now. And now it was the coming-of-age of the eldest young master most favored by his elders, so the grandeur of the banquet could already be imagined.


    When his phone rang, He Yanfeng was accompanying Yang Yun and He Qianjian to listen to the banquet process from the party planner. He was just feeling bored when he received a call from Xiang Hong. Before Xiang Hong could even say the reason for asking to meet, he directly agreed.


    ¡°Honey, Xiao Xiang has something to find me for, I¡¯ll go there first.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Yang Yun looked at the time: ¡°It¡¯s almost dinner soon.¡±


    ¡°It seems to be quite urgent. You can just oversee the procedures yourself. I¡¯ll leave first.¡±


    He Yanfeng picked up the car keys and went out impatiently. When he arrived at Xiang Hong¡¯s house, when he saw Xiang Hong with an unshaven beard and bloodshot eyes, he almost didn¡¯t recognize him: ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    Xiang Hong went to the sofa and sat down, pointed to the paper envelope on the coffee table, and went straight to the point: ¡°I asked you for your hair before, do you remember?¡±


    He Yanfeng paused: ¡°I remember, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Xiang Hong took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, raised his head and said: ¡°I told you at the time, when the results come out, if you needed to know, I would let you know.¡±


    He Yanfeng¡¯s gaze followed his hand and landed on the document envelope, paused for a moment, and then returned to Xiang Hong¡¯s face. He had known Xiang Hong for many years, and he had never seen such an expression on his face.


    He had been in the business world for many years, his intuition had always been accurate, and he was also swift and resolute in his actions. However, the faint premonition in his heart made him hesitate a little: ¡°What do I need to know?¡±


    Xiang Hong sighed: ¡°You can see for yourself.¡±


    He Yanfeng withdrew his gaze, bent down to pick up the file bag, and slowly opened it.

 CH 81

    The paper envelope was very thin, and there were only a few sheets of paper in it, so He Yanfeng pulled it out together.


    Only a fifth of the thin A4 paper was pulled out of the document envelope, and he could already see the words in the middle of the top of the first A4 paper: DNA test report.


    He Yanfeng¡¯s breathing stagnated, and the hand holding the file tightened. He looked at Xiang Hong on the sofa, his expression hardly changing, but his voice tensing a little: ¡°What does this mean?¡±


    Xiang Hong held his head in both hands, inserted his fingers into his messy hair, and was silent for a while before saying, ¡°Look for yourself.¡±


    He Yanfeng withdrew his gaze and put all his body and mind on the piece of A4 in front of him. When he drew a third of it out, he paused and said in a deep voice, ¡°You¡¯re not joking with me, are you?¡±


    Xiang Hong hesitated to speak.


    He Yanfeng got the answer from his expression, and something felt like it was about to burst out from his chest. His thumb and index finger tightly pinched these thin sheets of paper, but the remaining two-thirds remained inside.


    The clock on the wall ticked away, and the document envelope and the report inside remained pulled out a third of the way. It was getting dark, and there was only one floor lamp in the living room, which stood beside the coffee table, and the light yellow slender light cast on the top of the coffee table, divided Xiang Hong sitting on the sofa and He Yanfeng on the other side of the coffee table into two separate spaces.


    ¡°Brother He.¡± Xiang Hong sighed deeply, with an apology on his face: ¡°As a friend, I took your DNA sample without your consent to help you do a paternity test, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He Yanfeng looked at Xiang Hong quietly, but Xiang Hong didn¡¯t say a word more, and they stared at each other in the darkness.


    ¡°Is that why you went to my office last time?¡±


    Xiang Hong nodded, paused, rolling the words in his mouth several times, and finally said: ¡°He Qianjian is not your son.¡±


    He Yanfeng lowered his head, most of his face was hidden in the darkness, and only his knuckles holding the brown envelope could be seen turning white. A few minutes later, his dry and hoarse voice sounded: ¡°If he is not my son, then who is my son?¡±


    After having said what he had been holding back, it became much smoother to face the next thing. Xiang Hong raised his hand and pointed to the brown paper envelope: ¡°It¡¯s all inside.¡±


    He Yanfeng¡¯s eyes returned to the envelope, and after a pause, he moved his hand holding the A4 paper and pulled it out.


    The content of the first page of the report was clear at a glance. He Yanfeng¡¯s eyes fell on the words ¡°test materials¡±, and slowly moved down¡ª¡ªNo. 1 test material: He Yanfeng¡¯s hair follicles; No. 2 test material: Yang Yun¡¯s hair follicles; No. 3 test material: He Qianjian¡¯s hair follicles. He quickly scanned the date and process of the test, turned to the third sheet of paper, and his eyes stayed on the appraisal conclusion at the bottom: He Qianjian, He Yanfeng, and Yang Yun are confirmed to have no blood relation.


    His eyes stayed on the words ¡°No blood relation¡± for a long time, until the hour hand of the wall clock reached the hour and made a ding sound. Then he raised his head as if waking up from a dream, put the report back, and looked anxiously and eagerly at the second report, which was still a DNA test report, but in the test materials section, the name of No. 3 test material was changed to Jiang Chen¡¯s hair follicles.


    When He Yanfeng saw the name ¡°Jiang Chen¡±, he paused in turning the pages. He didn¡¯t need to see the conclusion, he already had the answer in his heart.


    He seldom had any doubts until a young man named Jiang Chen appeared in their family¡¯s life. This young man was able to appease the rebellious He Qianmin into obedience, make He Qianyu, who was used to being the center of attention, always bring him up, and cause his wife to be especially gentle and filled with concern¡­..The phone call not long ago made He Yanfeng unable to help but think about Jiang Chen¡¯s special personality charm, which made his wife, son and daughter love him so much, and even made it hard for him to feel displeased at being contradicted. Not to mention when receiving the video that was beyond the realm of reality, he never doubted whether it was true or not, and just believed him inexplicably and easily.


    Now, all the puzzles have been answered¡ª¡ªbecause Jiang Chen was the biological son of him and his wife, and the biological elder brother of He Qianmin and He Qianyu.


    Seeing that He Yanfeng stayed on the first page of the second report, Xiang Hong said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you turning to the back?¡±


    He Yanfeng pinched the report and turned the report to the last page. His eyes moved away when he touched the conclusion at the bottom, and countless complicated emotions surged up in his heart. The strange thing was that he didn¡¯t feel that it was hard to accept the truth, and what cycled in his mind was all about how to tell Jiang Chen this matter.


    Xiang Hong stood up, walked around the coffee table to He Yanfeng, and patted him on the shoulder: ¡°Brother He.¡±


    He Yanfeng came back to his senses, put the two reports back into the envelope, and patted Xiang Hong¡¯s arm heavily: ¡°Thank you for this matter.¡±


    Xiang Hong shook his head: ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easier to accept than I thought.¡± He Yanfeng paused and sighed deeply: ¡°I¡¯m only worried about your sister-in-law¡­¡±


    Thinking of Yang Yun¡¯s love for the three children, Xiang Hong pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell her after a while?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± After accepting the facts, He Yanfeng¡¯s mind was extremely calm, he shook his head and said: ¡°You are right to tell me directly, the longer this kind of thing is delayed, the less good it is, whether it is for your sister-in-law or for¡­..Jiang Chen¡¯s adoptive parents.¡±


    Xiang Hong¡¯s expression became serious: ¡°Have you thought about how to tell Sister-in-law about this?¡±


    He Yanfeng twitched the corner of his mouth: ¡°It¡¯s useless to prepare mentally, it¡¯s better to just say it directly.¡±


    ¡°Then what about the Jiang family?¡± Xiang Hong said: ¡°Jiang Chen¡¯s adoptive parents probably don¡¯t know that they raised the wrong child, it may be difficult to accept it, and Qian Jian, it may be even more difficult for him to accept it.¡±


    He Yanfeng narrowed his eyes, and said lightly: ¡°Whether it¡¯s the Jiang family or Qian Jian, sooner or later they have to accept the truth.¡±


    Xiang Hong: ¡°How have you decided to talk to the Jiang family? Visit them directly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Jiang Chen first.¡± In just a short moment, He Yanfeng had already thought of countless ways to tell the truth to the young man, but thinking of Jiang Chen¡¯s seemingly soft but strong character, his tone became serious and helpless: ¡°If we bypass him and go directly to the Jiang family, he will probably become hostile to us.¡±


    After Xiang Hong pondered, he agreed: ¡°Jiang Chen is too smart. It¡¯s really not a good idea to hide it from him, but are you sure he can accept it directly? No matter how smart he is, he¡¯s still just a child.¡±


    He Yanfeng paused, thinking of something, and suddenly shook his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°The first time I met Jiang Chen, I asked him how old he was, and he said he was eighteen.¡± He Yanfeng smiled wryly, ¡°It¡¯s because I always thought he was one year older than Qian Jian, so even if he has the same birthday as Qian Jian, I never doubted anything, if I had known¡­..¡±


    Xiang Hong also felt complicated, guessing: ¡°Maybe he reported his age according to Chinese calendar?¡± (TN: according to the traditional Chinese method of reckoning (i.e. the number of Chinese calendar years in which one has lived). In this system, a person¡¯s age is one year at birth, and increases by one year at the beginning of the first solar term)


    ¡°I will know later.¡± He Yanfeng put his hands on his shoulders, and said in a heavy tone, ¡°I¡¯ll be going back first.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    All the way home from Xiang Hong¡¯s residence, He Yanfeng was thinking about how to tell his wife about this matter, but he still didn¡¯t think of a suitable way to bring it up even after he got out of the car and entered the house.


    He Yanfeng stood at the door, still thinking about it.


    Yang Yun, who was waiting in the living room, came out when she heard the sound, with a teasing smile on her face: ¡°All preparations for Qian Jian¡¯s birthday party is ready, so you don¡¯t need to find excuses to go to Xiao Xiang¡¯s place to hide tomorrow.¡±


    Approaching and seeing the expression on He Yanfeng¡¯s face clearly, the smile on Yang Yun¡¯s face faded, and there was more worry in her voice: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did something really happen on Xiao Xiang¡¯s side?¡±


    He Yanfeng changed his shoes and walked in: ¡°Let¡¯s go to the study, I have something to tell you.¡±


    Yang Yun¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn¡¯t help becoming worried. Except for the time when the He family refused to accept her at first, even through the ups and downs of the company, she had never seen her husband with such a solemn expression. She hurried her pace to walk at He Yanfeng¡¯s side: ¡°Honey, what¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    He Yanfeng shook his head: ¡°Let¡¯s go to the study and talk.¡±


    ¡°Is it about Xiao Xiang?¡± Yang Yun was worried, and couldn¡¯t help but continue to ask: ¡°Or is it related to us?¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with Xiang Hong, it¡¯s¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dad, you¡¯re back!¡± The door to the next room suddenly opened, and He Qianyu ran out wearing rabbit pajamas, and threw herself into He Yanfeng¡¯s arms.


    He Yanfeng rubbed his daughter¡¯s head, and the expression on his face softened a bit: ¡°Our little princess is still not asleep.¡±


    ¡°I was waiting for you!¡± He Qianyu hugged He Yanfeng¡¯s waist, and looked around behind him: ¡°Where¡¯s the watercolor pen you promised to buy me?¡±


    He Yanfeng¡¯s hand on her head paused, and then he remembered that he had promised to buy He Qianyu a new box of watercolor pens before going out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dad forgot.¡± After He Yanfeng apologized, he bent down and coaxed: ¡°Can Dad buy it for you tomorrow?¡±


    He Qianyu let go of him, pouted her lips in disappointment, and said in a low voice, ¡°But tomorrow will be too late.¡±


    ¡°Is it an art homework?¡± Yang Yun knelt down to comfort her daughter and said, ¡°Mom will call your teacher later and explain to the teacher that the watercolor pens at home are used up. Mom and Dad are too careless and forgot to buy them for you, so you couldn¡¯t hand your homework in. Mom will discuss with your teacher about handing it in next Monday, okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an art homework, it¡¯s a gift I want to give to Brother Jiang Chen.¡± He Qianyu lowered her head, aggrieved and sad: ¡°I begged Second Brother for a long time before he agreed to come to my school after school tomorrow to help me give Brother Jiang Chen¡¯s birthday present to him, if I don¡¯t finish it tonight, it will be too late to do it tomorrow.¡±


    Yang Yun was taken aback. She glanced at He Yanfeng, hesitated for a while, and said, ¡°Then Mom and Dad will go out and buy colored pens for you now, okay? Mom and Dad promise to come back soon, and you will definitely have time to make a gift for Brother Jiang Chen.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± He Yanfeng rubbed He Qianyu¡¯s head, and said softly: ¡°Tomorrow, Dad will ask for a day off for you, so that you have a day to make a present for Brother Jiang Chen. Now you go to bed first, okay?¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± He Qianyu jumped three feet high, her rabbit ears bouncing up and down with her. She stretched out her hand excitedly and said: ¡°Dad must make a pinky promise! Whoever goes back on their word is a little puppy!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yang Yun disagreed and said, ¡°How can you just agree to such a thing with Xiao Bao?¡±


    ¡°I have my reason.¡±


    He Yanfeng and He Qianyu hooked their pinkies and pressed their thumbs together. After watching her door close, he turned to Yang Yun and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the study, I have something very important to tell you.¡±


    Yang Yun frowned and followed behind He Yanfeng. She waited until the study door was closed, and said: ¡°No matter how important things are, you can¡¯t not treat your child¡¯s studies so carelessly. Now you set a precedent for her to ask for leave for no reason. In the future, she¡­..¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow our whole family will be going to the old family house.¡± He Yanfeng took two steps towards the desk, stopped and said, ¡°Except for Qian Jian.¡±


    Yang Yun was taken aback for a moment, but she didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with not letting He Qianjian go to the old family house together. She just thought that her husband might be worried about delaying their eldest son¡¯s studies as he was in his third year of high school. She worried, ¡°Why do you suddenly want to go back to the old family house? Is it your parents? Do they need us for something?¡±


    He Yanfeng shook his head, gripping the document envelope tightly. He attempted to lift it up several times, but in the end he just put it on the desk.


    ¡°Honey, I have something to tell you.¡± He Yanfeng took Yang Yun¡¯s hand, his voice was a little hoarse: ¡°You have to be mentally prepared first.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Yang Yun¡¯s heart tightened, and she couldn¡¯t help guessing: ¡°Is it related to our return to the old family house?¡±


    He Yanfeng pulled her to sit down on the chair by the desk, and put his hands on her shoulders. Seeing his wife¡¯s confused expression, he opened his mouth a few times, but he couldn¡¯t utter the words that reached his mouth.


    ¡°Just what is it?¡±


    He Yanfeng¡¯s hesitant appearance made Yang Yun get a bad feeling. Her eyes fell on the document envelope on the table, and she recalled that He Yanfeng went to see Xiang Hong, and Xiang Hong¡¯s job was a doctor¡­..


    Yang Yun grabbed He Yanfeng¡¯s hand on her shoulder, and couldn¡¯t help being anxious: ¡°Is it someone in our family? Is someone ill¡ª¡ª¡±


    Before Yang Yun finished speaking, He Yanfeng said: ¡°There was a mistake when Qian Jian was born, he is not our son.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?!¡± Yang Yun subconsciously said, ¡°Didn¡¯t we do a paternity test when Qian Jian was three months old?¡±


    He Yanfeng was silent for a moment, picked up the envelope on the table, and took out the two reports inside.


    ¡°Look.¡±


    Yang Yun took the report, and when her eyes swept over the test materials section, she froze, not daring to say anything: ¡°Jiang Chen?¡± She raised her head, and the hand holding the report trembled slightly: ¡°How come the test subjects are us and Xiao Chen? What is going on?¡±


    He Yanfeng held Yang Yun¡¯s shoulders, and bent down to meet her eye level: ¡°Jiang Chen is our biological son.¡±


    Yang Yun quickly turned to the last page of the report. Her pupils trembled violently when she saw the sentence at the bottom¡ª¡ªaccording to the results of DNA analysis, Yang Yun and He Yanfeng are supported as Jiang Chen¡¯s biological parents.


    ¡°Xiao Chen¡­..is my son?¡± Yang Yun raised her head and said, ¡°What about Qian Jian?¡±


    ¡°He should be the child of the Jiang family.¡± He Yanfeng said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you ever feel that Xiao Chen was very familiar? He¡¯s just like Qian Min and Qian Yu, who inherited your dimples, but his eyes and nose are like mine.¡±


    Yang Yun recalled the quick glance when she first met Jiang Chen, just his profile made her very concerned, and every time she met him later, her fondness for that boy became more and more. Once she only thought that this was due to the affinity between Jiang Chen and their family, but she never thought that Jiang Chen was her biological son!


    As long as she thought of Jiang Chen being her own son, she couldn¡¯t help but carefully trace the facial features of the young man in her memory. Just like what her husband said, every inch of him was like the perfect combination of her and her husband¡¯s facial features. Unlike Qian Jian¡­..


    ¡°What about Qian Jian?¡± Yang Yun raised her head abruptly, ¡°Xiao Chen is our son, but what about Qian Jian?¡±


    He Yanfeng was silent for a moment: ¡°We have our own son, and the Jiang family also has their own son. Of course, Qian Jian must go back to the Jiang family.¡±


    Yang Yun couldn¡¯t accept it, ¡°But¡­..we have raised Qian Jian for so many years, and can Qian Jian accept it, he¡­..¡±


    Her elder son and younger son have completely different personalities. The younger son was casual and didn¡¯t like to be restrained or be flamboyant, but her elder son was very particular on everything and always insisted on the best, including his studies and basic needs¡­..If he had to return to the Jiang family, the conditions of material life would definitely decline. Before, it was already difficult for him to even accept his decline in grades. If he knew the truth about his birth experience, would he be hit even harder?


    ¡°Whether he accepts it or not, it¡¯s the truth.¡± He Yanfeng said earnestly: ¡°Honey, both Xiao Chen and Qian Jian will soon be adults. They must have the fortitude to accept the facts in order to face more setbacks in the future. If you don¡¯t tell Qian Jian the truth, then on Xiao Chen¡¯s side, will you also want to hide it from him?¡±


    ¡°I know what you say is the right way, but after all, Qian Jian is the child we have raised for so many years, and¡ª¡ª¡± Yang Yun raised her head: ¡°Xiao Chen is our son, and Qian Jian is the son of the Jiang family. We hope that Xiao Chen will come back, but will the Jiang family be willing to exchange back the two children?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Chen has a very good relationship with his parents¡­..adoptive parents. His adoptive parents must also love him very much. We can accept this truth because we have gotten along with Xiao Chen for a long time. We know what kind of child he is and we like him very much, but the Jiang family has never met Qian Jian, they don¡¯t know Qian Jian¡¯s character and have no relationship with him, so if they are suddenly told that Xiao Chen is not their son, that Qian Jian is their son, it should be hard for them to accept.¡±


    ¡°Think about it differently. If we had never met Xiao Chen before, and suddenly a strange couple came over and told us that Qian Jian is not our child, but another boy we are completely strangers to is our child, wouldn¡¯t you feel that it is hard to accept?¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s not just that, they not only asked you to accept a child who is a total stranger, but also asked you to give back the child you have loved for more than ten years, would you be willing?¡±


    He Yanfeng fell silent, he had to admit that what Yang Yun said was the truth. But he would look at it more rationally than his wife. In addition to what his wife said, Jiang Chen himself being excellent enough was also one of the important reasons why he quickly accepted him.


    Because as the head of the family, He Yanfeng had to calmly consider the stability of the family and the acceptance of Jiang Chen by the rest of the He family.


    Jiang Chen and Qian Min and Qian Yu got along very well. One could imagine how happy Qian Min would be after learning that Jiang Chen was his real brother. Perhaps their daughter would find it hard to accept it at first, but she liked Jiang Chen very much, and it would not take too much time for her to accept Jiang Chen. In this way, Jiang Chen¡¯s return to the He family would hardly have any negative impact on the stability of the family.


    As for the rest of the He family, He Yanfeng knew his parents and siblings very well. The two elders may have feelings for He Qianjian and it might be difficult to let go, but at the same time they would never let their biological grandchild stranded outside unrecognized. As for his elder brother He Yanjun and elder sister He Yanya, one had He Qianyang as a mediator, and the other was engaged in the scientific research industry and would definitely have common interests with Jiang Chen.


    It was because of such comprehensive consideration that He Yanfeng was able to accept Jiang Chen so quickly.


    But would the Jiang family, who had never met He Qianjian, accept a completely unfamiliar boy? Also, could they really agree to let Jiang Chen and He Qianjian change back to their original identities?


    He Yanfeng sat down on the other side of the desk, his voice was calm and low: ¡°So I have decided to tell Jiang Chen about this matter first, and after discussing it with him, we will tell the Jiang couple together.¡±


    ¡°Tell Xiao Chen first?¡± Yang Yun was startled, ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow.¡± He Yanfeng said: ¡°After telling my parents about this, we will wait for him at the gate of his school after school.¡±


    Yang Yun hesitated: ¡°His birthday is the day after tomorrow, would telling him about it before his birthday¡­..¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because his birthday is the day after tomorrow that I have to clarify this matter tomorrow.¡± He Yanfeng tapped his fingers on the desk, pondered for a moment and said: ¡°Also, I will notify them tomorrow morning and anmounce that Qian Jian¡¯s birthday party will be canceled.¡±


    ¡°Why suddenly cancel the birthday party?¡± Yang Yun sat up straight, frowning slightly: ¡°Qian Jian has been looking forward to this birthday party for a long time. During this period of time, he has been in a much better mood because his birthday is approaching. He would definitely be very upset if it is canceled. Moreover, all the preparations of the banquet have been arranged, but canceling it now¡­..it will be difficult for him to accept it.¡±


    He Yanfeng shook his head: ¡°Even if I don¡¯t cancel it, when we go to the old family house tomorrow and explain the matter to my parents, my father will still tell us to cancel it.¡±


    Yang Yun was puzzled: ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Sooner or later, the identities of Qian Jian and Jiang Chen will be disclosed, and it is very likely that it will be in the near future. Besides relatives and friends, the people invited to Qian Jian¡¯s birthday party also include many of my business partners. These guests will basically overlap with the ones at the banquet disclosing Jiang Chen¡¯s true identity, and with two banquets taking place so close in time, no matter from which aspect, there will be comparisons in people¡¯s hearts, which is not good for anyone.¡±


    ¡°But this is the banquet that Qian Jian had been looking forward to for so long¡­..¡± Yang Yun thought of He Qianjian¡¯s increasingly silent and abnormal emotions recently, and felt her heart squeeze, ¡°Even if he is not our biological child, I have raised him for eighteen years, isn¡¯t it okay to treat this banquet as the last thing we can do for him?¡±


    ¡°Then what about Jiang Chen?¡± He Yanfeng asked: ¡°He has the same birthday as Qian Jian. We found out his identity before his birthday but still held a grand birthday party for Qian Jian. What would he think when he finds out?¡±


    Yang Yun was speechless.


    ¡°Also.¡± He Yanfeng looked at the envelope on the desk, his eyes darkening a bit: ¡°There are many doubts in regards to Qian Jian and Jiang Chen being switched. During this period of time, I realized that I never really understood him. Although many things have not been investigated and no conclusion can be made, he is definitely not as simple as we know.¡±


    Yang Yun frowned: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    He Yanfeng held her by the shoulders, and at eye level with her, he said word by word: ¡°I have always regarded Qian Jian as my first child. It is impossible for me to have no feelings for him after eighteen years. Honey, I hope that you can trust me, I have my reasons for doing this.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°At least not until I figure out one thing.¡± He Yanfeng sighed, his voice hoarse: ¡°I hope he won¡¯t let me down¡­..¡±

 CH 82

    On Saturday, He Qianjian arrived at the school at 7:30 as usual.


    Although Chenghua was a private high school, there were less than 30% of students in the international classes and students who choose international courses, while the rest of the students would take the domestic college entrance examination, so the study atmosphere in the third year of high school was also very strong.


    When He Qianjian arrived, most of the classmates had already arrived in the classroom. As soon as he walked into the classroom, a boy with a good relationship with him came up to him: ¡°Birthday star, did you bring invitations today? We are all waiting to attend your birthday party tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Of course I have.¡± Standing at the podium, He Qianjian slowly took out a stack of invitations from his schoolbag, raised his chin slightly and glanced at the students who were looking this way. With lips curved up slightly, he placed the invitations on a boy¡¯s desk nearest to the front and said with a faint smile: ¡°Everyone has been classmates for three years, how could I forget you all. Other than the  few classmates who have already received invitations from my family, I have brought the invitations of other classmates, you can help me give them out.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°We can all go?!¡±


    ¡°Long live Brother Jian, Brother Jian is the best!¡±


    The boy at the first desk gave out the invitations. Most of those who received the invitations were students who had no contact with the He family or who were not qualified to attend the He family banquets. Now it was not surprising they were delighted to receive the invitation from He Qianjian. For a while, the classroom was full of congratulations and compliments.


    He Qianjian went to his seat and sat down. Many students gathered around and asked about his birthday party one by one.


    ¡°Brother Jian, I heard that film king Li will also attend your birthday, is it true?¡±


    He Qianjian said unhurriedly: ¡°Although film king Li is in the entertainment industry, he is from the Li family, so he should come.¡±


    ¡°Film king Li is from the Li family?¡± A girl wowed, and said in surprise: ¡°It turns out that film king Li is not only good at acting, but also has such a good family background!¡±


    Someone asked, ¡°What about the Xu family?¡±


    ¡°The Xu family will definitely go.¡± Someone said: ¡°Isn¡¯t there a lot of cooperation between the Xu family and Brother Jian¡¯s family company? Am I right, Brother Jian.¡±


    He Qianjian nodded: ¡°The Xu family will attend.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡± The boy who asked the question before beckoned mysteriously, and waited for everyone else to come over, then lowered his voice and said: ¡°I heard that the Xu family recently recognized an illegitimate child. Guess this time if the Xu family will bring that illegitimate child with them to the banquet or not?¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°Really? I haven¡¯t heard of it!¡±


    ¡°Brother Jian, do you know?¡±


    He Qianjian rotated his wrist, his eyelids lowered, his eyes falling on his own hand, and his tone showed a trace of disdain: ¡°It¡¯s just an illegitimate child, why should I know anything about it.¡±


    The several people who were interested in gossip were stunned when they heard the words, and after looking at each other, someone laughed dryly and said, ¡°Hahaha that¡¯s true, what is Brother Jian¡¯s identity, how could an illegitimate child matter in your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± The others echoed, ¡°Don¡¯t even mention the Xu family¡¯s illegitimate son, even film king Li can¡¯t be seen in our Brother Jian¡¯s eyes. He is just a branch member of the Li family. How could he compare with our Brother Jian who will inherit the Tunan Group in the future.¡±


    He Qianjian glanced at the person who spoke, and laughed: ¡°My horoscope hasn¡¯t even been written yet, how do you know that I will inherit our company and not He Qianmin.¡±


    Hearing the pleased tone in He Qianjian¡¯s voice, the speaker¡¯ eyes flickered and he said with a smile: ¡°How can we not know, difference exists between even blood brothers, right? How could Second Young Master He compare to Brother Jian? Besides, the family business is generally inherited by the eldest son, who else can inherit the Tunan Group besides you?¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    There was an abrupt sneer in the classroom, and the boy sitting in the corner crossed his legs, looked at the group of people with a half-smile, and applauded: ¡°The He family hasn¡¯t even decided who will inherit Tunan, yet you guys have already decided everything clear and loud. How about at He Qianjian¡¯s birthday party tomorrow, you guys can go on stage and force a coup, shout out loud and knock He Yanfeng off the stage to make room for He Qianjian.¡±


    The person who was flattering just now blushed and wanted to refute, but he dared not speak because of the boy¡¯s family background.


    The coldness in He Qianjian¡¯s eyes flashed, but he turned his head and still smiled: ¡°Wang Wei is just joking, Zhang Yanjing, why do you have to take it so seriously.¡±


    Zhang Yanjing sneered: ¡°The illegitimate son of the Xu family, the actor of the Li family, oh, and your younger brother He Qianmin, no one can compare to you who is high and superior, tsk tsk tsk, Eldest Young Master He is really majestic, I just wonder, aren¡¯t you afraid that the wind will blow to hard and you¡¯ll break your waist?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s face turned cold: ¡°Zhang Yanjing, don¡¯t think that because you are from the Zhang family, I dare not touch you.¡±


    Zhang Yanjing shook his crossed leg, and lazily hooked his fingers: ¡°Come on then, I want to see how the refined and cultured scum, an animal dressed up in a suit, Eldest Young Master He plans to get back at me.¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s face was dark, and don¡¯t know what he thought of but he suddenly sneered: ¡°I want to fight with you, but I¡¯m afraid that tomorrow when we will appear in front of everyone with a bruised nose and a swollen face, I wonder where Minister Zhang¡¯s face will be put.¡±


    All the students here know that Zhang Yanjing¡¯s biological mother passed away early, and his father was extremely strict with him, and hated it the most when he got in fights with others. And if the fight even reached the front of the scenes, he would definitely have nothing good waiting for him when he went back home.


    Zhang Yanjing narrowed his eyes instantly, and was just about to speak when his phone sounded. He suppressed his anger and clicked on the message icon. Don¡¯t know what he saw but he raised his eyes and looked at He Qianjian, a trace of sympathy along with the ridicule obvious in the curve of his smirk.


    Everyone thought that Zhang Yanjing would get angry, but who knew that he just glanced at He Qianjian, let out a sneer, and then took out his textbook. Looking like a different person from his usual appearance when this matter was mentioned, which made the surrounding classmates feel very confused and unable to figure it out.


    He Qianjian also thought that Zhang Yanjing was acting strange, but he didn¡¯t think much about it. He just thought that Zhang Yanjing was scared. Just when the bell rang for the first period, he suppressed the sneer on his lips and turned back to his seat.


    At the same time, He Yanfeng had brought his wife and daughter to the He family¡¯s old family house.


    Old Mrs. He received a call from them early in the morning so she was preparing in the kitchen early, and when they arrived, there was already a sumptuous breakfast on the table.


    ¡°Why are you here so early today?¡± Old Mrs. He smiled and held her little granddaughter¡¯s hand, and said, ¡°Qian Yu doesn¡¯t need to go to cram school today, so she came to accompany her grandparents, right?¡±


    Holding her grandmother¡¯s hand, He Qianyu said coquettishly, ¡°I miss you so much, Grandma, so today Dad let me take time off to see you.¡±


    ¡°Yoh, missing Grandma so much you asked for leave!¡± Old Mrs. He sat at the dining table with He Qianyu in her arms, and waved over old Mr. He who just came in from the yard, ¡°Hurry up, the children are here, we are just waiting for you.¡±


    Old Mr. He frowned and said: ¡°What¡¯s the matter, not only coming here so early in the morning, and even making Qian Yu ask for leave from school. That¡¯s too inappropriate.¡±


    He Yanfeng and Yang Yun looked at each other, Yang Yun said with a smile: ¡°Dad, let¡¯s eat first, we¡¯ll talk after we finish.¡±


    Old Mr. He glanced at the document envelope in He Yanfeng¡¯s hand, and nodded: ¡°Everyone have a seat.¡±


    After breakfast, He Yanfeng followed old Mr. He into the study room. Facing his father, he didn¡¯t bother to make much preparation, and just handed over the envelope and said, ¡°Dad, take a look at this.¡±


    Old Mr. He raised his eyes to look at him, took the reading glasses on one side, opened the envelope and took out the report inside. He frowned when he saw the paternity test, turned to the back directly, paused for a moment, and then opened the second report. After reading all the pages, he placed the reports heavily on the table, and said in a deep voice, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± He Yanfeng lowered his eyes and said calmly, ¡°Maybe there was a mistake at the hospital when Qian Jian and Jiang Chen were born.¡±


    ¡°Mistake?!¡± Old Mr. He slammed the table twice, his chest heaving with anger: ¡°When we agreed for you and Yang Yun to come back, you brought He Qianjian¡¯s paternity test with you. At that time, he was already three months old. How could it be the wrong child brought back from the hospital when he was already three months old?¡±


    Old Mr. He pushed his chair back and stood up, pointed to the report and said, ¡°Please tell me clearly, what¡¯s going on! Who produced this report? Why did you think of going to investigate this?¡±


    ¡°Xiang Hong gave it to me.¡± He Yanfeng walked over, supported old Mr. He who was trembling with anger, and said, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be angry, listen to me first.¡±


    ¡°Xiang Hong may have met Jiang Chen and felt that Jiang Chen looked too much like our family, so he took his hair as a sample, and then asked for samples from me, Xiao Yun, and Qian Jian for a test. I didn¡¯t expect the test to come out like this.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m a fool!¡± Old Mr. He pushed him away and said, ¡°I watched Xiang Hong grow up. It¡¯s impossible for him to take other people¡¯s children¡¯s hair without any confidence. For so many years, he has always been your family doctor, you have a physical examination every year, why didn¡¯t you find anything in the past ten plus years, and now you know that you have the wrong child?¡±


    ¡°Dad, calm down. Xiang Hong and I have been friends for so many years. I believe he never knew about this before, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have taken our samples for verification before telling me. And taking a blood test for the physical examination does not mean testing DNA. Qian Jian has the same blood type as mine, so how could Xiang Hong think so much? The top priority now is not how he knows, but how to deal with the identities of Jiang Chen and Qian Jian.¡±


    ¡°How to deal with it?¡± Old Mr. He stared and said, ¡°Of course it is to exchange back the two children! What else can we do!¡±


    ¡°I think the same way, that¡¯s why I came to you early in the morning. When Jiang Chen gets out of school in the afternoon, I will go to the school gate to find him, and explain this matter to him clearly.¡±


    Seeing that his son was still sensible, old Mr. He calmed down a bit, sat down and said, ¡°What are you going to do with Qian Jian? And the Jiang family, what are you going to tell them.¡±


    ¡°I will discuss it with Jiang Chen first, and go with him to tell his adoptive parents about this.¡±


    ¡°Where is Qian Jian?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already notified the people of the cancellation of his birthday party tomorrow, and I¡¯ll tell Qian Jian after dealing with Jiang Chen¡¯s matter. He¡¯s not emotionally stable recently, and I¡¯m worried that something will happen.¡±


    Old Mr. He sighed: ¡°Talk to him well, he will be eighteen tomorrow, so let¡¯s treat him as a child reaching the age to leave home. Even if he is not a child of our He family, he has called me grandfather for so many years. Future contact must not be broken, don¡¯t hurt the child¡¯s heart.¡±


    He Yanfeng opened his mouth, but eventually swallowed the words that came to his lips, nodded and said, ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Also.¡± Old Mr. He said with a cold face: ¡°Investigate this matter for me, I don¡¯t believe that the switching of these two children was really just a mistake of the hospital.¡±


    Chenghua.


    After the first period, many students were used to taking out their mobile phones to play for a while. Wang Wei was also like this. He was about to open the game when he saw a message from a group created by a few friends who got along well. He didn¡¯t even think about it before clicking in.


    Swiping up one message after another, he barely understood the content:


    ¡ª¡ªWhy is He Qianjian¡¯s birthday party canceled?


    ¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s true, my deskmate¡¯s dad sent me a message, and asked him to find out what¡¯s going on


    ¡ª¡ªIs Big Wei here? You and He Qianjian are in the same class. Do you have any inside information?


    ¡ª¡ªBig Wei, Big Wei! Say something! I¡¯m dying here!


    ¡ª¡ªSeriously? ! ! !


    Wang Wei was taken aback, and immediately typed: Impossible, He Qianjian gave out invitations to our class as soon as he came to school this morning. If it was canceled then why would he give out invitations?


    ¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s not just my deskmate, everyone in our class has received the notice, it can¡¯t be fake news.


    ¡ª¡ªYeah, it seems like the whole school is talking about it now.


    ¡ª¡ªYou aren¡¯t fooling us, are you? That He Qianjian would give you an invitation, I don¡¯t usually see how good your relationship is.


    Seeing that they didn¡¯t believe it, Wang Wei immediately took out the invitation card from the drawer, took a photo and prepared to send it. But before he pressed the send button, he saw a boy from the next class appearing at the back door and shouting: ¡°He Qianjian, what¡¯s the matter with your family? The birthday party is canceled after all?¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the whole class fell silent. Wang Wei was not the only one who got the news just now. Everyone was very curious about the authenticity of the news, but they didn¡¯t dare to ask He Qianjian, so now their ears were all pricked up.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He Qianjian was talking to the system in his head, and it took a few seconds to realize what the boy said. He stood up and said, ¡°What is canceled?¡±


    ¡°Your birthday party!¡± The boy and He Qianjian usually have a good relationship and their family backgrounds were similar, so he spoke casually: ¡°My mother sent me a message telling me that your birthday party is canceled, don¡¯t you know?¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± He Qianjian doubted subconsciously: ¡°You lying to me?¡±


    ¡°What would I lie to you for?¡± Seeing that he really didn¡¯t know, the boy said, ¡°You really don¡¯t know, do you? The whole school knows it. Just ask your classmates, there must be someone who knows.¡±


    The boy¡¯s expression was so real that He Qianjian¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition floated in his heart. He turned his head to look at the classmate next to him, and fixed his eyes on Wang Wei who was holding the invitation: ¡°You know?¡±


    Wang Wei cursed at his unluckiness, raised his phone carefully and said, ¡°I just found out, some of my friends are asking about it.¡±


    He Qianjian snatched his mobile phone. After seeing the content of the chat clearly, his expression changed instantly. He took out his mobile phone from the drawer, and left the classmates in the classroom looking at each other.


    Finding a secluded corner, He Qianjian first dialed the phone number at home, but it was the auntie who answered the phone, telling him that both He Yanfeng and Yang Yun had gone out. After he hung up the phone, he called He Yanfeng, but no one answered after several calls, not only He Yanfeng, but also Yang Yun¡¯s call.


    The ominous premonition became more and more intense. He Qianjian smashed the phone hard, and his chest heaved violently for a long time before turning back to the classroom.


    Currently class had started, and the teacher was by the podium giving a lecture. When he saw He Qianjian coming in from outside, he stopped and frowned but didn¡¯t say much. However, when He Qianjian returned to his seat he didn¡¯t sit down, but took up his school bag and left again. The teacher froze for a moment and chased after him, but only saw He Qianjian¡¯s back leaving without turning his head.


    The teacher returned to the podium, gritted his teeth angrily, and said, ¡°It¡¯s really getting more and more outrageous since he gave up the math competition. Being so self-willed because of the backing of his family¡¯s good conditions. I want to see what will happen to him when he can¡¯t rely on his family any longer. Let me tell you all, family conditions are not everything, you have to learn how to be a human being before doing anything in this world!¡±


    He Qianjian didn¡¯t hear what the teacher said in the classroom. He was already filled with panic and anger, and kept asking the system in his mind: [Why did my birthday party get canceled suddenly? Did the He family discover something?]


    The system¡¯s voice was cold: [I told you many times, it is impossible for anyone to find traces of what I did, you don¡¯t have to worry at all.]


    [Then how do you explain that the He family suddenly canceled the birthday party, and neither of my parents could get through on the phone!]


    The system said: [There are many possibilities for the cancellation of the party, the most unlikely is finding out your identity.]


    [Regardless of this reason or not, I can¡¯t wait any longer.]


    He Qianjian walked into an empty alley, took out a mobile phone from his school bag, and said sinisterly: [Help me conceal the call, I don¡¯t want to live in fear for a moment longer, I must get rid of him now.]


    [The source of the number has been completely concealed.]


    He Qianjian made a phone call and enunciated word by word: ¡°Make the move tomorrow. Remember, what I want is his life. The transaction must only be considered completed after the person is dead.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, he completely relaxed, and when he walked out of the alley, there was even a faint smile on his face.

 CH 83

    Yan No. 1 High School.


    In the most secluded classroom on the top floor of the teaching building, apart from the sound of the teacher lecturing on the podium, there was only the sound of flipping books and the rubbing of the pen tip against the paper.


    The voices of the next class over reading English text came through the wall, covering up the whispers of a few boys in the corner of the last row:


    ¡°¡­..The news from Chenghua is absolutely reliable.¡±


    ¡°Then He Qianjian rushed out of school just like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too tragic. He was the last to know that his own birthday party was canceled, if I were him I wouldn¡¯t be able to stay in school either.¡±


    While they were whispering to each other, the class was coming to an end. The homeroom teacher packed up the lesson plans and said with a smile: ¡°The first round of review is over today, and we will start the second round of review tomorrow. At the same time, all courses that are not related to the main subjects will all make concessions to the main subject courses, including the work of your club and some students from the student union¡­..¡±


    ¡ª¡ªRing, ring, ring.


    The teacher paused, waited for the bell to pass with a smile, and then said: ¡°So this physical education class will be your last physical education class in high school, students, so cherish it! Class is over!¡±


    For a moment, cheers and wailing intersected, and almost all the students stood up, and only a few boys in the back row still sat together.


    Shen Xu¡¯s height had skyrocketed since the beginning of his third year of high school. In just over three months, he grew from 1.7 meters to 1.82 meters. Every time the seating changed, he would move to the back of the classroom a little, and finally moved from beside Jiang Chen to in front of Luo Ze. While class wqs going on, he heard them talking behind him, but he didn¡¯t know what they were talking about. It was the last physical education class, and Luo Ze still sat still and didn¡¯t rush out.


    Shen Xu bumped Luo Ze¡¯s desk with his stool: ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s the last physical education class, so why aren¡¯t you racing against time to play ball?¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Luo Ze didn¡¯t raise his head: ¡°Don¡¯t make noise, I¡¯m chatting.¡±


    ¡°If you continue to gossip, you will become a busybody.¡± Shen Xu took out the basketball under his table, spun it around a few times impatiently, and said, ¡°Will you go or not, if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    ¡°You go first, you go first¡­..¡± Luo Ze waved his hands like he was chasing a chicken, and moved closer to the speaker: ¡°Then what do you think the He family is thinking, the rich people¡¯s banquet invitations should not be a small number. And those who would attend He Qianjian¡¯s birthday party must be famous and reputable people, so they have to at least give an explanation.¡±


    Shen Xu, who had already walked two steps away, turned on his foot and moved his head closer: ¡°Who are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian.¡± A boy said, ¡°The one who ranks below God Jiang every time on the big joint exams.¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian from Chenghua?¡± Shen Xu was lying on the table with the ball in his arms, and became interested: ¡°What¡¯s up with him?¡±


    ¡°He¡­..¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Jiangzi, Jiangzi!¡± Shen Xu sat down at the table in front of Jiang Chen, ¡°I¡¯ve got a gossip for you!¡±


    Without raising his eyes, Jiang Chen casually said, ¡°What gossip?¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian, Little Brother Min¡¯s brother, he will share your birthday with you tomorrow, do you know?¡± Shen Xu leaned over and said, ¡°His birthday party was canceled for some reason, and he left school in anger. I heard he even smashed his phone.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shen Xu rubbed his chin and laughed a few times: ¡°Do you think Little Brother Min knows about this? Although he is his own brother, their relationship is so bad, say, if I tell Little Brother Min, do you think he will be happy or unhappy about this?¡±


    A few guesses flashed through Jiang Chen¡¯s mind, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. Tomorrow was the day when he officially turned 18. Regardless of whether the He family canceled He Qianjian¡¯s birthday party because they knew something or not, he had the absolute right to choose freely.


    ¡°Jiangzi?¡± Shen Xu waved his hand, and seeing Jiang Chen staring at the formula on the draft book thoughtfully, he clicked his tongue and said, ¡°What kind of problem is it that makes our God Jiang so obsessed? Not even resting for a moment in so many days. Ai, forget it, you continue to be addicted to your math formulas, I will go down first and look for Little Brother Min. See you at the basketball court.¡±


    Everyone in the classroom had almost left. Jiang Chen took out his mobile phone from the drawer, got up and went to the rooftop in the corridor on the other side.


    ¡°D? Since the end of our cooperation last time, we haven¡¯t contacted each other for a long time. What need could you have with me?¡±


    On the empty rooftop, Jiang Chen¡¯s voice was blurred by the whistling wind: ¡°Help me find out why the He family canceled He Qianjian¡¯s birthday party. There¡¯s quite an uproar so I believe you will find the answer within ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°You really think highly of me.¡± The other side laughed a few times: ¡°But in order not to disappoint the big-spending old customers, I will do my best.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Jiang Chen turned around, lay on the railing and looked at his classmates playing ball on the court. Seeing Shen Xu hit a three-pointer then jumping up and hugging Luo Ze next to him, Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help smiling.


    In less than five minutes, the phone rang.


    ¡°Find it?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, this incident is indeed a big one, but we haven¡¯t found out the reason for the time being.¡± The voice over there was a little bit low: ¡°Almost everyone is now guessing the reason why the He family canceled the party. The information is too mixed and as a result the truth has become difficult to filter out.¡±


    ¡°The He family is now as closed as an iron bucket, and no news has been revealed. There is no movement from He Yanjun, He Yanya is still in the laboratory, and there is nothing unusual about He Yanfeng¡¯s Tunan Group. But what is suspicious is that the He Yanfeng couple took their youngest daughter who originally had cram school today to the He family¡¯s old house early in the morning, and they still haven¡¯t come out even now.¡±


    ¡°I am guessing, this should be a matter within the He family, and it is very likely that the incident happened suddenly but will have a great impact on the He family.¡±


    The corners of Jiang Chen¡¯s lips were lightly pursed, and after a moment of silence, he said flatly, ¡°I see, the money will still be wired to your account, thank you.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± The other side chuckled and said, ¡°One can¡¯t accept a reward for nothing, and this news will be treated as an old customer benefit.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Jiang Chen put away his mobile phone, turned around and went downstairs. But as soon as he reached the court, he saw the class monitor Tang Qixun running over panting, ¡°Director Liu asked me to tell you to go to the principal¡¯s office.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Do you know what it is?¡±


    Seeing his unhurried appearance, Tang Qixun couldn¡¯t help pushing him towards the office building: ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it should be an important matter. Director Liu is very anxious and has come out to look for you a few times in person. Hurry up and go. Lest he keeps coming out all the time and we can¡¯t even play in peace.¡±


    Jiang Chen clicked his tongue, turned around and said, ¡°So you¡¯re using me to dodge the bullet, huh?¡±


    ¡°How could that be?¡± Tang Qixun smiled innocently: ¡°Isn¡¯t this the last physical education class? Everyone just wants to relax. As soon as Director Liu comes out, those who are dating dare not hold hands. For the happiness of us brothers, you must sacrifice a little bit.¡±


    Before even reaching the office building, Jiang Chen and Tang Qixun ran into Director Liu. Director Liu ran over immediately when he saw Jiang Chen, and said in a hurry, ¡°Where did you kid go, I couldn¡¯t find you at all, come with me quickly.¡±


    Jiang Chen was dragged by Director Liu all the way to the door of the small conference room in the techers¡¯ office. He took a breath, lowered his voice and said to Jiang Chen: ¡°When you go in, just talk as usual, old professor Xiang is inside too, so don¡¯t be nervous.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Xiang?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Director Liu patted Jiang Chen on the shoulder and smiled: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go in.¡±


    The door of the conference room opened, and there were five people sitting and standing all over the room. All of them looked towards this side at the sound of the door opening.


    ¡°Student Jiang Chen, come in quickly.¡± The principal walked over, smiled kindly at Jiang Chen, turned around and said to the two people who were sitting and standing, ¡°We¡¯ll be going out first.¡±


    The standing middle-aged man said: ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡±


    The principal smiled and patted Jiang Chen on the shoulder: ¡°Behave well.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly. His gaze swept over the shoulder straps of the middle-aged man standing by the window and the two young soldiers next to him, and landed on old Mr. Xiang.


    The door of the meeting room was closed again, and old Mr. Xiang waved to Jiang Chen, and said with a smile, ¡°Xiao Chen, this is Major General Wu from the 17th National Defense Research Institute of the Ministry of Military Affairs.¡±


    The imposing eyes of the middle-aged man glanced at him, and Jiang Chen raised his eyes, polite but not dodging, smiled and said: ¡°Hello, Major General Wu, I am Jiang Chen.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Jiang Chen.¡±


    After greeting, Wu Shao pulled out a chair, motioned to Jiang Chen to sit, and went straight to the point: ¡°I learned from Mr. Xiang that you developed an image processing system by yourself, and I want to ask you to know more about it.¡±


    Jiang Chen sat down calmly, and said, ¡°What aspect does Major General Wu want to know about?¡±


    ¡°In regards to military affairs.¡± Major General Wu said.


    Jiang Chen smiled and said: ¡°When developing this system, I did consider its multiple uses, including military and medical uses, but before answering you, I want to ask a question.¡±


    Major General Wu: ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Did you come to me this time in the name of the country or as an individual?¡±


    ¡°As an individual.¡± Major General Wu said, ¡°But after learning about your system, I will choose whether to report it to the National Military Research Institute according to the situation.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly, and then said with a smile: ¡°Major General Wu, please forgive me for not being able to communicate with you the image processing system I am currently researching. As a scientific researcher, it is my responsibility to protect my own research results. I hope you can understand.¡±


    Major General Wu paused, his tone difficult to distinguish: ¡°Little friend, do you think you are already a scientific researcher?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°In your eyes, what is a scientific researcher?¡±


    ¡°One at least must have produced certain results.¡± Major General Wu said: ¡°So coming to you today, I want to make sure whether you can become an excellent scientific research worker.¡±


    ¡°I already am.¡±


    The young man¡¯s brows were slightly raised, his tone was calm, and when the words that sounded arrogant came out of his mouth, it didn¡¯t make people feel displeased, instead it just felt high-spirited, and people couldn¡¯t help but feel a little convinced.


    A trace of surprise flashed across Major General Wu¡¯s eyes, but a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: ¡°How will you prove it?¡±


    ¡°If you came in the name of the country, I can prove it at any time.¡±


    ¡°In that case.¡± Major General Wu stood up, turned around and walked directly to the door: ¡°Prove it to me.¡±


    The two soldiers who had been standing at the door saluted, and when Major General Wu went out, the young soldier who was half a step behind the other two quickly gave Jiang Chen a thumbs up, and then followed.


    Old Mr. Xiang stood up, pointed at him, and said with a smile, ¡°Oh you, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Jiang Chen curved his eyes and smiled. He supported old Mr. Xiang all the way to the low-key off-road vehicle at the gate of the school.

 CH 84

    Early on Sunday morning, after Jiang Chen had a hearty breakfast, he still went to Li De¡¯s laboratory.


    After the new experimental data was recorded and the database of the Changjiang system was refreshed, Jiang Chen did not continue programming the security system as usual, but sat at the computer desk thinking.


    After leaving school yesterday, they drove to the 17th Research Institute of the Military Department located in the northern suburb of Yan City. He stayed there for nearly seven hours and did not leave until after having dinner in the institute¡¯s cafeteria.


    After returning home, in order to test the intrusion function of the Changjiang system, Jiang Chen used it to hack into the monitoring system near the school quietly, but he did not expect to find He Yanfeng¡¯s car on the street opposite the school gate. It stopped there at five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, and when school was over at half past five, He Yanfeng and Yang Yun got out of the car and seemed to be waiting for someone at the school gate. Just when Jiang Chen thought they were waiting for He Qianmin, he saw them stop a high school boy who seemed to have said something to them, and He Yanfeng and Yang Yun went back to the car and drove away.


    He Qianmin exited the school half an hour after they left. Playing basketball for half an hour after school was a habit He Qianmin already had when he was in Chenghua. He Yanfeng and Yang Yun could not be unaware of this, so them leaving early was definitely because they had not come to wait for He Qianmin.


    Recalling the cancellation of He Qianjian¡¯s birthday party yesterday, Jiang Chen frowned slightly, and had a vague guess in his mind.


    The phone rang suddenly, and Jiang Chen came back to his senses. After seeing the caller clearly, he smiled: ¡°Mom.¡±


    Yang Si¡¯s smiling voice came through the other line: ¡°Chen Chen, are you at the Li De Group in Chengyang Square?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here in the square now, it¡¯s almost noon now, so go back with me.¡±


    Jiang Chen was taken aback, got up and walked to the window to look down: ¡°Are you alone? Where¡¯s Dad?¡±


    ¡°Your father is cooking for you at home. He said that he will show his talents and make you have a very unforgettable eighteenth birthday. Also¡­.¡± She lowered her voice and whispered: ¡°Your father has been very mysterious these days. When you are not at home, he always locks himself in that little workshop of his, and I suspect he is secretly preparing a gift for you.¡±


    Jiang Chen curved his eyes, turned around and picked up his coat, and walked out while smiling: ¡°Then do you know what gift he prepared for me?¡±


    ¡°He did a good job of keeping it secret.¡± Yang Si complained with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s not just you, even from me he kept it a secret. A few nights ago I got up secretly and wanted to go to his workroom to see what he was doing. But he woke up as soon as I moved, so now I don¡¯t know what he has prepared.¡±


    Jiang Chen pressed the elevator, ¡°Then it can only be revealed today.¡±


    While waiting for the elevator, Li Nanfeng got off the other elevator and saw Jiang Chen outside the door. He jumped out with one step, smiled and raised the small gift box in his hand, shook it, and stuffed it into his hand: ¡°Happy birthday!¡±


    Jiang Chen thanked him with a smile, and Li Nanfeng asked, ¡°Who are you on the phone with? Want to have lunch together at noon? I came down specially to find you to eat together.¡±


    ¡°My mother.¡± Jiang Chen invited: ¡°She is waiting for me downstairs now. My father has already made lunch at home. If Brother Li has nothing to do in the afternoon, you can go to my house for a meal together at noon.¡±


    ¡°What can I be busy with?¡± Li Nanfeng immediately agreed, ¡°But I have to go pick up the car first. If Aunt Yang is down there, go find her first. I¡¯ll come later and pick you two up.¡±


    When the elevator reached the first floor, Jiang Chen stepped out of the elevator and said, ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you at the north gate.¡±


    Li Nanfeng shook the car key, raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, ¡°Remember to look at the gift I gave you.¡±


    Jiang Chen took out the small box in his pocket, chuckled when he saw the sports car key inside, and took it out, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    The elevator door closed slowly, and Li Nanfeng¡¯s voice traveled from inside: ¡°Is this the biggest surprise of your birthday today or what!¡±


    Jiang Chen laughed, put away the car keys and walked outside.


    As soon as he walked out of the lobby, Jiang Chen saw Yang Si, who was sitting by the fountain in the middle of the square, smiling and talking to a woman with a little girl.


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    Yang Si turned around, saw Jiang Chen and immediately laughed. She got up and waved at him: ¡°Mom is¡ª¡ª¡± But before she finished speaking, her pupils dilated suddenly, and she clutched her stomach, about to run his way: ¡°Chen Chen!¡±


    Jiang Chen reacted quickly and turned his head. A van without a license plate rushed into the square from the road and was driving straight towards him. Less than ten meters away, it was about to hit him.


    ¡°Mom! Don¡¯t come over!¡±


    The sound of tires screeching against the ground was getting closer and closer. Apart from Yang Si¡¯s voice, there seemed to be another familiar cry. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t have time to listen carefully, and rolled over nimbly, practically brushing the side of the front tire of the van in his dodge.


    Before Jiang Chen could stand up, amidst the screams, he saw that the van that had just passed by had turned around and came back around to hit him again.


    Yang Si had just breathed a sigh of relief, only to turn pale with shock when she saw this scene: ¡°Chen Chen!¡±


    Another exclamation sounded almost at the same time: ¡°Xiao Chen!¡±


    Jiang Chen had no time to pay attention to the sounds other than the friction between the tires and the ground. He glanced at the face of the unfamiliar man in the car, scanned the surrounding environment very quickly, turned around and dashed to the side.


    The van was chasing after him, and even passers-by could see that this was not an accident, but a deliberate murder.


    Yang Si clutched her stomach and wanted to rush to Jiang Chen¡¯s side, but the woman who was talking to her held her arm firmly: ¡°You can¡¯t go there, it¡¯s too dangerous!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my son!¡± Yang Si broke away from the woman¡¯s hand, her eyes only able to see Jiang Chen who was being chased by the van, the rim of her eyes reddening: ¡°Let me go! That¡¯s my son¡­..¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another one in your stomach! You can¡¯t ignore this one in your stomach!¡±


    ¡°Let me go!¡±


    The onlookers also rushed over to help, and someone persuaded: ¡°Sister, we have already called the police, and the police will be here soon, don¡¯t worry, nothing will happen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, auntie, don¡¯t get too excited, it¡¯s not good for the baby in your stomach.¡±


    Several people teamed up to grab Yang Si and take her to a safe place. On the other side of the square, the driver Uncle Wang also grabbed Yang Yun, and persuaded her earnestly: ¡°You really can¡¯t go there, Xiao Yang, it¡¯s too dangerous over there, even if you rush over, it¡¯s useless!¡±


    Yang Yun couldn¡¯t break free, and seeing that the van was still chasing Jiang Chen, she was so anxious that tears fell: ¡°Let me go, Xiao Chen is my son, he is my own son! Let me go, I have to go save him¡­..¡±


    Uncle Wang was stunned for a moment, unable to react in his head, and Yang Yun broke away from him and ran over in his moment of shock.


    ¡°Xiao Yang!¡± Uncle Wang was in his prime, and immediately caught up with her. Ignoring what Yang Yun said just now, he held her tightly and refused to let go, anxiously persuading: ¡°Think about Xiao He, think about Qian Jian, Qian Min, Qian Yu, don¡¯t be impulsive¡­..¡±


    Although the onlookers in the square were far apart, there were more and more people, and some even recorded a video of the scene directly with their mobile phones.


    From the corner of his eye, he saw a passer-by take out his mobile phone to call the police. The owner of the van cursed secretly, stepped on the accelerator and accelerated towards the young man in front. However, the young man was not only agile, but also seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. Just before the van collided with with, he supported the black car next to him with one hand, jumped and rolled lightly, and landed on the ground on the other side of the car, avoiding the possibility of being crushed again.


    After repeated failures, the owner of the van was sweating on his forehead, but when he thought of the huge commission after the transaction was completed, a fierce light appeared in his eyes, and he stepped on the accelerator and directly crashed into the black car in front of him.


    The sound of two cars colliding violently resounded in the square. Yang Si clutched her stomach and her eyes seemed about to burst with how wide they were. She pushed away the hands of passers-by and ran forward: ¡°Chen Chen! Chen Chen!¡±


    Seeing the almost deformed black car in front of him, the owner of the van wiped the blood from his head, sneered, reversed the car and fled the area.


    However, as soon as he turned the steering wheel around, he heard a ¡°click¡± sound from the co-pilot¡¯s door. He turned his head to look, only to see the young man standing by the side of the car intact, and at this time had already stepped inside the car.


    The owner of the van was startled, and he couldn¡¯t care less about money at this time. He stepped on the gas pedal and wanted to run immediately.


    Jiang Chen pushed forward with his arms and got into the car. He punched the owner of the van on the temple with his fist and controlled the steering wheel with his other hand. Before the other could react, he grabbed his head and slammed it into the steering wheel hard several times.


    The tires slid across the ground with a screeching sound, and the car braked before hitting another car.


    The man¡¯s head hit the steering wheel heavily due to inertia, while Jiang Chen stabilized his body early. He turned the man¡¯s head which had blood on his face, and said in an extremely cold voice, ¡°Who sent you?¡±


    The broken glass on the steering wheel had pierced the van owner¡¯s eyes and scratched his face. The severe pain made him scream in pain. Jiang Chen seemed to be unable to hear his wailing, and when he did not get an answer, he grabbed his head and slammed it against the steering wheel again.


    Just before the collision, the owner of the van yelled hoarsely: ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, I¡¯ll tell you everything!¡±


    Jiang Chen stopped, but the hand grabbing him didn¡¯t let go.


    ¡°It was a previous¡­..¡±


    ¡°A pregnant woman fainted! Has the ambulance arrived yet?¡±


    The screams and panic outside the car all bled into each other to make incomprehensible noise, but that voice that was a little further away still reached Jiang Chen¡¯s ears. He paused, and immediately let go of the man and jumped out of the car.


    Jiang Chen pushed aside the crowd and saw Yang Si lying on the ground. His eyes turned red instantly.


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    ¡°The ambulance will be here soon.¡± The woman squatting next to Yang Si to take care of her said, ¡°They said that it will only take five minutes.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, took a deep breath, took off his sweater and covered Yang Si with it. He carefully checked her pulse, and finding that she had simply passed out, his fear eased a bit.


    ¡°Jiang Chen!¡± Li Nanfeng rushed in, and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that Jiang Chen, while disheveled, was not injured: ¡°I was waiting for you at the north gate just now and I didn¡¯t see you. I heard that someone hit a person with a car so I came here right away, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Jiang Chen shook his head. Just as he was about to speak, he felt Yang Si move: ¡°Mom!¡±


    Yang Si slowly opened her eyes. She sat up immediately after seeing Jiang Chen clearly, grabbed him with trembling hands and looked him over several times: ¡°Are you okay? Are you injured anywhere? Why is there blood on your hands? Where are you injured?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just a scratch.¡± Jiang Chen grabbed Yang Si¡¯s hand and comforted her in a soft voice: ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mom, look, I¡¯m here in front of you safe and sound, I¡¯m really fine, these are just superficial wounds.¡±


    Yang Si found that Jiang Chen was really fine except for some scratches by broken glass and the asphalt, so she hugged him, her voice full of fear and tone choked up: ¡°You scared your mom to death¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen hugged his mother¡¯s trembling shoulders, and the fear and worry in his heart dissipated little by little: ¡°Do you have any discomfort? How does your stomach feel?¡±


    Yang Si stretched out her hand to touch her abdomen, and her tense shoulders relaxed: ¡°I just fainted from fright, I didn¡¯t fall down, so there shouldn¡¯t be anything wrong.¡±


    Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief, and the sound of an ambulance came from far to near.


    The doctors and nurses carried Yang Si to the ambulance on a stretcher. When Jiang Chen followed, he saw that another ambulance also carried a person with a familiar figure. His steps paused: ¡°What happened over there?¡±


    ¡°Also fainted, likely out of fright.¡± Seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s bloody hand, the nurse said worriedly, ¡°Hurry and get in the car, your hand needs stitches immediately.¡±


    Jiang Chen stopped thinking about it, turned around and got into the ambulance.

 CH 85

    The ambulance stopped in front of the hospital building. Jiang Chen jumped out of the car and saw Shi Fengyue.


    ¡°Come with me.¡± Shi Fengyue¡¯s voice was deep and cold: ¡°I¡¯ll help you treat your wounds.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jiang Chen quickly followed Yang Si who had been carried on to the mobile hospital bed, and turned to ask the nurse beside him, ¡°Is the doctor in the emergency room here?¡±


    The nurse standing behind Shi Fengyue said: ¡°Dr. Shi has already called the director of the obstetrics department, don¡¯t worry, she will wait in the emergency room, your mother will be fine.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused slightly: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Shi Fengyue turned his head and ordered the nurse beside him before asking: ¡°Apart from the hand, are there any other wounds?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The nurse who got off the ambulance said, ¡°Student, the glass shards in your palms have not been completely taken out on the ambulance. It is best to ask the doctor to help you deal with it now.¡±


    Jiang Chen shook his head and thanked her: ¡°I¡¯ll go when my mother¡¯s condition stabilizes.¡±


    ¡°Chen Chen, go and treat your wound, Mom is fine.¡± Yang Si looked at Shi Fengyue who was following Jiang Chen without saying a word, and smiled weakly: ¡°Dr. Shi, my son will trouble you.¡±


    Shi Fengyue looked sideways at Jiang Chen.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m really fine.¡± Jiang Chen kept walking, ¡°It¡¯s just a surface injury, and it was almost completely treated in the ambulance just now.¡±


    Yang Si put on a serious face: ¡°Listen to Mom, you go and deal with the wound, otherwise Mom will worry.¡±


    Jiang Chen insisted, ¡°I want to accompany you.¡±


    The nurse pushed Yang Si into the emergency room, turned her head and said, ¡°Student, your hand is still bleeding, go and deal with it, we are going to have a physical examination for Auntie, and you can¡¯t go in, it¡¯s all the same when you come back after you¡¯re done with it.¡±


    The door of the emergency room was closed, and Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He leaned against the wall and only then felt the pain from the wound. He curled up his fingers, feeling the numbness and tingling. Before he had time to think about whether it was a scratch or a stab wound, the hand was lifted up.


    At some point, Shi Fengyue got so close to him, so close that Jiang Chen could clearly feel his shallow breathing, and see clearly every one of his lowered eyelashes. And even see that when he spoke, his eyelashes would tremble like butterfly wings.


    Shi Fengyue looked up at Jiang Chen: ¡°How did you get this wound?¡±


    ¡°I accidentally pressed down on the shattered glass on the passenger seat.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Jiang Chen shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t know right now.¡±


    A nurse came over pushing the treatment cart, stopped beside Shi Fengyue, and said softly: ¡°Dr. Shi, the treatment cart you want.¡±


    Shi Fengyue nodded slightly, pulled Jiang Chen to sit down on a chair beside him, picked out the medicines that needed to be used, and said calmly: ¡°What was the situation at that time.¡±


    Thinking of what happened just now, Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes turned cold, and he started to narrate what happened after walking out of the Li De.


    ¡°¡­..on the side of the car was a concrete traffic blocking post, which happened to be in his blind spot. I avoided the angle of impact behind the traffic blocking post, and when he was careless, I went around and opened the passenger door¡­..that person is likely not a professional killer. I am guessing he may be a fugitive suspect. He may have done similar things before. He did not hesitate to kill, but he was very flustered when he realized that he might be caught. His mental fortitude is not like that of a professional killer. Later, when he escaped, it seemed to be more out of panic, and the police should be able to catch him soon.¡±


    Long before Jiang Chen arrived at the hospital, Li Nanfeng had already told Shi Fengyue everything he knew by phone, but he was not at the scene after all, and what others said was only a half of the story, so what he told Shi Fengyue was also very vague. Now knowing the danger and close calls of the whole event, Shi Fengyue¡¯s eyes became icy cold.


    He took out the last piece of glass shard, and said in a cold tone, ¡°Do you have any suspects?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen said lightly, ¡°But not sure.¡±


    Shi Fengyue put down the tweezers, re-sterilized and applied medicine to him, ¡°Is it related to He Qianjian?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly, raised his eyes and was about to speak when he saw Jiang Zhuo¡¯s staggering figure. He immediately stood up and ran over to support Jiang Zhuo: ¡°Dad!¡±


    ¡°How is your mother! What happened?¡± Jiang Zhuo supported the wall with one hand, and held Jiang Chen¡¯s arm tightly with the other. After asking, he saw the wound on Jiang Chen¡¯s hand, and his tone changed: ¡°What happened to your hand? How come you also got hurt?¡±


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m fine. The wound has been treated, and Mom will come out soon.¡± Seeing that Jiang Zhuo was leaning on the wall and unable to stand, Jiang Chen glanced at Shi Fengyue, supported Jiang Zhuo and said, ¡°Let¡¯s sit down first. Is your leg okay?¡±


    Shi Fengyue walked to Jiang Zhuo¡¯s side, checked his legs, got up and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, try to rest as much as possible during this period, and reduce the movement of your legs.¡±


    Jiang Chen felt relieved. At this moment, the door of the emergency room opened and the doctor came out.


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°The pregnant patient and the baby are both fine, just a little frightened, but for the sake of being sure, I still suggest that the pregnant patient take a good rest during this period, and it is also best to stay in the hospital for observation for a week.¡±


    Only then did Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo breathe out a sigh of relief. Yang Si was rolled out, and the father and son hurried up to meet her.


    ¡°Student, are you the boy who was chased by the van just now?¡±


    Two policemen walked up to Jiang Chen and stopped him.


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any time to talk to us?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°Please wait a minute.¡±


    Jiang Chen let Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo know, and Shi Fengyue said: ¡°I¡¯ll go through the procedures for Auntie¡¯s hospitalization later, and then you can come directly to the ward.¡±


    Jiang Chen thanked him and left with the police.


    Shi Fengyue helped complete the hospitalization procedures and arranged a secluded single ward for Yang Si. He didn¡¯t leave until Jiang Chen returned after the police questioned him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, and the baby is fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± Yang Si lay on the hospital bed, looking at the worried faces of the father and son pair, and wanted to smile to comfort them. But thinking of the previous danger, she couldn¡¯t help worrying: ¡°Old Jiang, call your son¡¯s school later to ask for leave, it¡¯s better he doesn¡¯t go to school these few days, I¡¯m worried.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo had just learned what happened from the talk between Jiang Chen and the police, and he agreed with his wife¡¯s concerns: ¡°I¡¯ll call the school immediately.¡±


    Seeing that Jiang Zhuo took out his cell phone, Jiang Chen didn¡¯t stop him. He also hoped to stay by Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo¡¯s side these few days, and he could only rest assured when he was sure that there was nothing wrong with their health. Moreover, he needed time to find out what happened today.


    ¡°Today is Chen Chen¡¯s eighteenth birthday¡­..¡± Yang Si smiled wryly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to go like this¡­..¡±


    ¡°The safety of you and our son is the most important thing.¡± Jiang Zhuo hung up the call and comforted his wife, ¡°I¡¯ll go buy a cake later, and we can still celebrate.¡±


    Jiang Chen put down his phone, and said with a smile: ¡°Shen Xu and Huo Bo will come over later, let them bring it over. There is also lunch at noon, it¡¯s just a pity that Dad made a table of dishes back at home.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo nodded: ¡°That¡¯s indeed a pity. I tasted the dishes I made, and they are much more delicious than your mother¡¯s cooking.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and smiled: ¡°From now on, Dad will cook for our family, right?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t I be stealing your mother¡¯s fun by taking over the cooking?¡± Jiang Zhuo coughed, shook his head and said, ¡°Your mother¡¯s favorite thing is to cook for us, I dare not fight her over it.¡±


    Knowing that her son and husband were intentionally joking to make her happy, Yang Si felt less worried, and said with a smile, ¡°Who said I love cooking the most? When did I say that?¡±


    ¡°When we first got married.¡± Jiang Zhuo blinked: ¡°You also said that seeing me finish eating the dishes you make is very satisfying. Apart from my handsome looks, the biggest reason for marrying me is because I enjoy your cooking, I still remember this.¡±


    ¡°I never said that!¡± Yang Si chided, ¡°You¡¯re just making things up.¡±


    ¡°How am I¡­..¡±


    Knock, knock, knock.


    Jiang Zhuo paused, then turned his head to look at the door. Jiang Chen stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll open it.¡±


    Seeing the people outside the door, Jiang Chen was startled, and his eyes fell on the hospital gown that Yang Yun was wearing: ¡°Uncle He, Aunt Yang, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I heard that your¡­..parents are hospitalized.¡± He Yanfeng glanced him over, and he was relieved after making sure that he was fine, and his voice softened a bit: ¡°We came to have a look.¡±


    Yang Yun saw Jiang Chen¡¯s bandaged hand at a glance. Her already pale face turned paler, and her eyes also reddened. In a trembling voice she asked: ¡°Xiao Chen, are you seriously injured? Besides your hand, where else are you injured?¡±


    ¡°I only hurt my hand, it¡¯s not serious.¡± Jiang Chen pursed his lips and said, ¡°Aunt Yang, what about you?¡±


    Yang Yun smiled, shook her head and said, ¡°Auntie is fine, it¡¯s just¡­..¡±


    Halfway through the conversation, Jiang Zhuo¡¯s voice came: ¡°Chen Chen, who is it? Why don¡¯t they come in?¡±


    Jiang Chen paused. He opened the door, stepped aside and said, ¡°Uncle He, Aunt Yang, please come in.¡±


    Yang Yun turned to look at He Yanfeng, who held her shoulders tightly and led her into the ward.


    Seeing He Yanfeng and Yang Yun, Yang Si sat up a little and asked Jiang Chen, ¡°This is¡­..?¡±


    ¡°They are Qian Min¡¯s parents.¡± Jiang Chen walked a few steps over quickly, helped Yang Si raise the bed, and put the pillow behind her. He said in a warm voice, ¡°They came to see you.¡±


    ¡°Qian Min¡¯s parents.¡± Yang Si smiled and said, ¡°Thank you for coming to see me.¡±


    Yang Yun looked at Yang Si holding Jiang Chen¡¯s hand, concealed the disappointment in her eyes, and smiled softly: ¡°It¡¯s something we should do.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo got up and moved two chairs over: ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He Yanfeng observed the Jiang family¡¯s relationship subtly: ¡°I heard that you are pregnant, are you well?¡±


    ¡°My baby and I are both fine.¡± Yang Si said with a smile, ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so polite.¡± Yang Yun paused when her eyes fell on the soft smile in Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes, and looked away at Yang Si, before gently instructing: ¡°You should take good care of your baby now, and you should pay more attention when you are pregnant at this age. But after a few months when the baby is born it should be better. You should be about five months pregnant now, am I right.¡±


    Yang Si rubbed her belly, smiled softly, and said, ¡°Yes, after another five months, I will be able to get rid of this little burden.¡±


    He Yanfeng glanced at the slightly raised quilt, and said politely and gently: ¡°If I may ask, I would like to know, why did you decide on having a second child at this age?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Yang Si glanced at Jiang Chen tenderly, then turned to He Yanfeng and Yang Yun and said, ¡°We originally only planned to have Chen Chen, but Chen Chen always wanted a younger brother or sister since he was a child. I just thought it was a child¡¯s joke, but who knew that he suddenly brought up this matter again some time ago. I discussed it with old Jiang, and I thought it would be good to have another child, so our new addition to the family came naturally.¡±


    He Yanfeng¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, and he turned to look at Jiang Chen: ¡°Why did you want younger siblings all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted younger siblings since I was a child.¡± Jiang Chen said with a slight smile, ¡°It¡¯s not a sudden whim.¡±

 CH 86

    Returning home from the hospital, He Yanfeng and Yang Yun were thoughtful and dazed, silent all the way.


    He Qianyu was sitting on the shoe-changing stool in the entrance, reading a book. Just when she was about to turn a page, she heard movement outside the door. She immediately got up and opened the door: ¡°Mom! You¡¯re back!¡±


    He Yanfeng hugged He Qianyu: ¡°How do you know we¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°I heard you.¡± He Qianyu turned her head and saw Yang Yun¡¯s pale face. She jumped out of He Yanfeng¡¯s arms, held her hand with her own soft little hand, raised her head and asked, ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong, you haven¡¯t said a word.¡±


    Yang Yun came back to her senses and gently rubbed her daughter¡¯s hair: ¡°Mom is fine, just a little tired.¡±


    He Qianyu took her hand and walked inside: ¡°Then go upstairs and rest, I will bring you some fruit to eat later.¡±


    A smile floated on Yang Yun¡¯s face, and she let He Qianyu pull her in. But after a short walk, the smile on her face faded again. The living room was decorated grandly, but it seemed empty because there was no one there. She paused and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your Brother Qian Jian? Didn¡¯t he say that he invited friends to celebrate at home?¡±


    He Qianyu: ¡°When it was noon, Eldest Brother answered a call and went out. His friends also left together.¡±


    ¡°Noon?¡± Yang Yun: ¡°Have you had lunch?¡±


    ¡°I ate, I ate the cake.¡± He Qianyu was very curious: ¡°Mom, where did you and Dad go this morning? Today is Eldest Brother¡¯s birthday. How come you didn¡¯t accompany him.¡±


    Yang Yun was slightly taken aback.


    Yesterday, she and He Yanfeng arrived at Yan No. 1 High School at five o¡¯clock in the afternoon. They had been nervous all day and night, just waiting to see Jiang Chen and tell him his brith experience in the agreed way. However, it wasn¡¯t until half an hour after school ended that they learned from Jiang Chen¡¯s classmates that after being called to the principal¡¯s office during the fourth period in the morning, Jiang Chen left with Professor Xiang and a few people in military uniforms.


    At that time, she didn¡¯t know the situation, and she was worried and anxious, so she asked her husband to contact Xiang Hong immediately, hoping to get news from him about old Mr. Xiang and Jiang Chen. However, Xiang Hong was sent to another city for a conference yesterday, and he couldn¡¯t get in touch with old Mr. Xiang at all. Even after calling home and asking Ms. Xiang, she didn¡¯t know where the old man had gone either, let alone why he came to see Jiang Chen.


    It wasn¡¯t until eight o¡¯clock in the evening that they learned from He Yanjun that Jiang Chen had gone to the 17th Research Institute of the Military Department and was safely sent home five minutes ago.


    Therefore, they could only go home first.


    If the original plan had been followed, today they would accompany He Qianjian to celebrate his birthday in the morning, tell him about his birth experience, and then take him to the Jiang¡¯s together, allowing the two boys to return to their true family.


    However, the plan couldn¡¯t keep up with the changes, and Jiang Chen was not at school, so they could only delay telling Jiang Chen and He Qianjian about the truth, and give He Qianjian a full birthday first.


    Unexpectedly, this morning her husband had to go to the company on an urgent matter so he could not celebrate He Qianjian¡¯s birthday with him, and she also received a call from the hotel that was supposed to hold a banquet for He Qianjian, telling her that they had found a gift box¡ª¡ªit was the birthday present she specially prepared for He Qianjian.


    The driver took her to the hotel, and when she passed by Chengyang Square on her way home, she suddenly remembered that her husband had said that Jiang Chen and Li De had business corporations, and it seemed that he would go to Li De every Sunday. Before she realized it, she had already asked the driver to park the car.


    A few minutes later, Jiang Chen came out of the Li De Building. At that time, she was still happily thinking that this might be the connection between mother and child. However, before she had time to get out of the car to say hello, she witnessed a scene that terrified her.


    Yang Yun didn¡¯t want to recall the scene at all. She wanted to twitch the corners of her mouth into a smile but found it difficult. Avoiding her daughter¡¯s gaze, she said softly: ¡°Mom originally wanted to accompany your Brother Qianjl Jian to celebrate his birthday, but on the way, because of a very important person, I was delayed.¡±


    ¡°More important than Eldest Brother?¡± He Qianyu was puzzled: ¡°Eldest Brother didn¡¯t seem happy at all this morning. I only wished him happy birthday, and I didn¡¯t even get to give him a gift, because he looked quite scary when angry.¡±


    Yang Yun was in a daze, and He Yanfeng caught a glimpse of his wife¡¯s expression from the corner of his eye. He sighed inwardly, raised his voice and pretended to be surprised: ¡°He lost his temper with you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He Qianyu shook her little head, and thinking of something, she wrinkled her nose: ¡°But I have seen Eldest Brother lose his temper.¡±


    He Yanfeng asked, ¡°Recently?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡­¡±


    Originally, He Yanfeng was just asking casually, trying to distract his wife¡¯s attention, but now He Qianyu¡¯s repeated hesitation made him really curious.


    He Yanfeng: ¡°When was it?¡±


    He Qianyu thought for a while, then stood on tiptoe and whispered in He Yanfeng¡¯s ear, ¡°It was the time when Eldest Brother and Brother Jiang Chen were in a fight.¡±


    He Yanfeng¡¯s eyes flickered slightly: ¡°When did it happen?¡±


    ¡°Well¡ª¡ª¡± He Qianyu tilted her head and recalled: ¡°During the summer vacation, Eldest Brother was injured at that time and Uncle Xiang helped him treat the wound.¡±


    ¡°Summer vacation¡­..¡± He Yanfeng was thoughtful.


    Yang Yun asked curiously, ¡°What are you two talking about?¡±


    He Qianyu stood on tiptoe again and whispered in Yang Yun¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Qian Jian and Jiang Chen were in a fight?¡± Yang Yun asked in surprise, ¡°Why? How do you know?¡±


    ¡°I saw it.¡± He Qianyu pouted, ¡°Eldest Brother lied when he came back, he said that Brother Jiang Chen beat him up, but in fact he attacked Brother Jiang Chen first, and I also saw him holding a stone and wanting to pull a sneak attack on Brother Jiang Chen¡­..I saw everything, but when he came back, he said that Brother Jiang Chen hit him first, and he was lying.¡±


    Yang Yun was stunned for a moment, and connected her daughter¡¯s abnormal behavior of getting closer to her youngest son to this point in time, and suddenly said: ¡°So during that time, you suddenly didn¡¯t like to cling to your Brother Qian Jian, it was because of this reason.¡±


    He Qianyu nodded, and said righteously: ¡°That¡¯s right, Eldest Brother lied, and Second Brother said that he lied before¡­..¡± She raised her head, and with her little hands behind her back, she said earnestly: ¡°Mom and Dad, I think you should apologize to Second Brother because it¡¯s hard to be misunderstood. You guys have been misunderstanding him all the time, so Second Brother must be very sad. I also misunderstood him before, but I have already apologized, and Second Brother forgave me, so you should apologize to Second Brother He will definitely forgive you, and after he forgives you, he will come home.¡±


    ¡°When did you apologize to him?¡±


    ¡°After Eldest Brother¡¯s fight.¡± He Qianyu pursed her lips, and the tip of her nose suddenly stung a bit: ¡°I said sorry to Second Brother, he looked so sad, but he still told me it was okay. That¡¯s when I realized that Second Brother is like Brother Jiang Chen, he is a very, very gentle older brother. But why won¡¯t he come back home, is it because he doesn¡¯t want me anymore, I miss him so much¡­..¡±


    Yang Yun coaxed softly: ¡°How could your second brother not want you, he is your own older brother, and he will never not want you.¡±


    He Yanfeng also touched his daughter¡¯s face comfortingly, and said, ¡°Can you tell Dad, what did you and your second brother talk about at that time?¡±


    He Qianyu thought for a while, and recalled a little bit: ¡°I said that Eldest Brother¡¯s sneak attack is just following ¡°everything goes in war¡±. But Second Brother said that Eldest Brother is a ¡®treacherous villain¡¯ and ¡®exposing his nature¡¯. Then I asked Second Brother if he had treated him like this before, and that¡¯s why he hates Eldest Brother so much. Second Brother didn¡¯t answer me, but he looked so sad¡­..¡± He Qianyu sniffed, and looked at Yang Yun: ¡°Mom, I didn¡¯t know until then that when people are very sad, they will not shed tears, but everyone who sees him will know that he is very sad. At that time¡­..Second Brother obviously didn¡¯t say anything, but I could feel that he was really very sad. And even though he was so sad, he still told me it was okay.¡±


    Yang Yun¡¯s heart seemed to be clenched by something. She couldn¡¯t imagine the scene her daughter just described, but just listening to her daughter¡¯s description and seeing her daughter¡¯s sad expression for her youngest son, she felt so guilty and distressed that she couldn¡¯t breathe.


    For so many years, she always thought that she had done her best as a mother, but she didn¡¯t know until today that she didn¡¯t understand her children at all. Whether it was her eldest son who was switched at birth or her younger son who she thought was a bit willful, and towards even her only daughter, before today, she never thought that she could say such a thing.


    ¡°Mom¡­..¡± He Qianyu hugged Yang Yun¡¯s waist, raised her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Second Brother is very soft-hearted, he forgave me as soon as I cried a bit, so after you and Dad apologize to him, he will be quick to forgive you too.¡±


    As she said that, she turned her head to look at He Yanfeng, and confirmed: ¡°Dad, you will apologize to Second Brother, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He Yanfeng concealed the emotions in his eyes, rubbed his little daughter¡¯s head, and said with a smile: ¡°Dad said before, if you do something wrong, you have to apologize. You and your brother did a good job, and Dad and Mom must also do the same.¡±


    ¡°So Second Brother will come home soon!¡± He Qianyu said happily: ¡°He seems to be with Brother Jiang Chen all the time recently, let¡¯s invite Brother Jiang Chen to play over at home too! If we only play for a day¡­..it won¡¯t delay Brother Jiang Chen¡¯s studies¡­.¡±


    He Yanfeng and Yang Yun looked at each other. Yang Yun shook her head gently, He Yanfeng rubbed He Qianyu¡¯s head and said, ¡°Dad promises that your second brother will definitely come back home next week, but Mom and Dad still have something to discuss, so you go play by yourself for a while, okay?¡±


    He Yanfeng and Yang Yun returned to their room.


    ¡°You should rest for a while.¡± He Yanfeng helped Yang Yun to sit on the bed.


    ¡°My mind is in a mess now, and I can¡¯t sleep at all.¡± Yang Yun turned to look at He Yanfeng: ¡°I don¡¯t understand Qian Jian more and more now. When we came back yesterday, I thought he would question us about the cancellation of the party, but he didn¡¯t say anything, and what Qian Yu said today¡­..I really don¡¯t know whether we have misunderstood Qian Min or we just don¡¯t understand Qian Jian¡­..¡±


    He Yanfeng was silent for a moment, then got up and said, ¡°I want to show you something.¡±


    Not long after, He Yanfeng came in with a laptop, put it in front of Yang Yun, opened a folder, and clicked on the video inside.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Yang Yun asked, moving her eyes to the screen, and within a few seconds, she saw a familiar figure: ¡°That is¡­..Qian Min? Next to him are Yun Long and the others¡­..where is this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hesitating for a long time whether I should show you this video.¡± He Yanfeng said slowly: ¡°I once thought about showing it to you after the investigation into the matter became clearer, but with the current situation¡­..I think it is best to let you know.¡±


    ¡°What¡ª¡ª¡± Yang Yun¡¯s voice stopped abruptly, and after a few seconds, her voice trembled: ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°This is the truth about the last time Qian Min came back with bandages on his hand.¡±


    When the video was replayed, Yang Yun looked away. Her eyes were red, but her face was as white as paper.


    She trembled and said, ¡°How could the cup over there turn into a knife¡­..is this real?¡±


    He Yanfeng put his hand on his wife comfortingly, but his tone was very sure: ¡°It¡¯s real.¡±


    ¡°So, what Qian Min said before may very well be true.¡± He Yanfeng sighed deeply, and pulled Yang Yun into his arms: ¡°We really misunderstood him.¡±


    ¡°Qian Min said¡­..those were all done by Qian Jian¡­..is it true?¡±


    He Yanfeng shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m still investigating this matter.¡±


    Having been married for so many years, Yang Yun knew very well what He Yanfeng meant by saying that.


    Thinking of what her daughter said just now, and thinking of He Qianmin crying and asking her why she refused to believe him, Yang Yun¡¯s breathing became stagnant, tears fell like broken beads, and she covered her face, ¡°It¡¯s me who wronged Qian Min¡­..¡±


    ¡°No one could have thought of such a thing¡­..¡± He Yanfeng comforted softly: ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    Yang Yun buried her face in her knees: ¡°Xiao Chen, Qian Jian, Qian Min¡­..for the first time, I feel that I am such a failure as a mother. It¡¯s like I don¡¯t know anything, I can¡¯t do anything well, and everything has gone wrong¡­..¡±


    He Yanfeng sat down beside Yang Yun, hugged her and said in a low voice: ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, we still have the opportunity and time to get to know them and make up for the mistakes we made before, don¡¯t we?¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )


    Yang Yun raised her head and laughed at herself: ¡°How can I make up for it? My own son was switched at birth, but I have never found out in the past eighteen years. My own son has been showing up in front of my eyes for half a year, but I need an outsider to tell me the truth¡­..I have always known the conflict between Qian Jian and Qian Min but I pretentiously thought the best way to resolve this matter was to brush it off, and I didn¡¯t know how much Qian Min suffered because of it. I thought Qian Min had a bad temper and Qian Jian was gentle and sensible, but gradually I found that the truth may be completely opposite to what I thought¡­..¡±


    ¡°I never understood my kids, as a mother, am I really not a failure?¡±

 CH 87

    Yan City Police Department


    ¡°Any sign of that car?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The unshaven man took a sip of strong tea, rubbed his hair irritably, and said, ¡°The suspect had planned it long ago, and the driving routes were all chosen places that are not monitored, and he disappeared as soon as he left the highway.¡±


    ¡°Boss, Capt. Wang, I think the suspect may have accomplices.¡±


    Capt. Wang and the unshaven man turned their heads at the same time, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The young policeman rolled his chair, slid between his two seniors, and spread out his notebook so that the two could clearly see the circuit diagram and timeline on it: ¡°I checked the surveillance overnight yesterday and found that he doesn¡¯t only know the victim¡¯s routine and actions well. At 11:20 noon, he drove to the parking lot of the community near Chengyang Plaza, and 11:35 is when the victim came out of the Li De Building. He drove to the west side of the square, almost at the moment when the victim walked out of Li De, disguised as a car accidentally breaking through the guardrail to lower the victim¡¯s vigilance, and carried out the crime.¡±


    Capt. Wang and the man looked at each other and frowned at the same time.


    The young policeman continued to elaborate on his conclusion: ¡°So long as the suspect does not have eyes that can see through walls, it is impossible for him to count every step the victim would take so clearly. The victim usually leaves the Li De Building at twelve o¡¯clock, and yesterday he left early because he received a call from his mother. The suspect could not have calculated this in advance, which only means that he must have accomplices, and they are inside Li De, so that he can accurately fake the murder scene as an accident.¡±


    Capt. Wang nodded: ¡°Then who do you think is the most suspect?¡±


    ¡°Everyone is suspect.¡± The young policeman said, ¡°Everyone on the same floor as the victim who saw his movements, as well as Li De¡¯s CEO Li Nanfeng, and even the victim¡¯s mother, Yang Si, may be suspects¡ª¡ªBoss, why did you hit me on the head?¡±


    ¡°They are all suspects?¡± The bearded man withdrew his hand: ¡°You kiddo, why don¡¯t you grow some brain cells first.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they?¡± The young policeman said aggrievedly: ¡°Don¡¯t you think that Li Nanfeng¡¯s appearance at that time was too coincidental? And he even found a good reason to go to the parking lot to clear himself of suspicion. And the victim¡¯s mother. I didn¡¯t say she is the suspect. I just think she is also suspicious. After all, she called the victim, and the victim came out. At that time, only the victim and the victim¡¯s mother were on the phone. So the possibility of the victim¡¯s mother informing the suspect of the exact time is the greatest, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with my inference.¡±


    ¡°Nothing wrong! Nothing wrong, you say!¡± The bearded man slapped the young policeman on the head again: ¡°What¡¯s the motive for committing the crime? Let¡¯s not talk about Li Nanfeng for now, what motive does the victim¡¯s mother have?¡±


    The young policeman pursed his lips and said stubbornly: ¡°I just said that the victim¡¯s mother might be suspect, not that it was her¡­..When I first entered the police, I saw a case that was only revealed after seventeen years. In the homicide case, the suspect¡¯s accomplice was the victim¡¯s best friend. At that time, didn¡¯t everyone think that he had no motive for committing the crime? It took more than ten years to find out the truth, and it turned out that the victim always bullied him when he was in school. He planned the murder case because he wanted revenge. Since we all know that the suspect planned it beforehand, but the victim also said that he had never seen the suspect, maybe there is someone behind the scenes?¡±


    ¡°This trail of thought can be followed¡­..¡± Capt. Wang sat down, pointed to the young policeman and said, ¡°Go to the hospital later and ask the victim whether he had conflicts with others at school or other places, or whether there had been any case of malicious competition, we¡¯ll check again the victim¡¯s¡­..¡±


    Someone trotted over and said, ¡°Capt. Wang, the chief¡¯s call.¡±


    Dui Wang nodded, got up and said, ¡°You guys discuss it first, and we¡¯ll have a meeting right away after I finish the call.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    When Capt. Wang left, the young policeman asked the bearded man in a low voice: ¡°Boss, what do you think is the identity of the victim? It¡¯s been less than 24 hours now, and the higher-ups have called three times. It¡¯s probably the same this time, calling to urge progress.¡±


    ¡°In our investigation, except for his exceptional grades, he is just an ordinary high school student in terms of family and other aspects, but who would deliberately murder an ordinary high school student, and¡­..how is it that an ordinary high school student encountering an attempted murder on his life can make so many people on the top continuously pressuring us to close the case? The He family of the Tu Nan Group, the Li family of the Li De Group, and even the Shi family¡­..What special identity does he have? That he has alarmed so many bigwigs!¡±


    ¡°Why do you care so much?¡± The bearded man took a sip of tea and said, ¡°Just do your own job well.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this also for the investigation?¡± The young policeman said, ¡°Only by finding out the interpersonal network behind the victim and figuring out who he is can we conduct a better investigation. If so many bigwigs has been disturbed, it proves that his existence holds a certain value, value involves interests, and interests trigger the motivation to commit crimes against him, isn¡¯t this what you taught me, boss?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good at logical deduction, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You got that right!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you become the head of the criminal investigation team then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡ªno, no, no, how dare I?¡± The young policeman smiled ingratiatingly and rolled his chair back. But halfway through, he suddenly stood up: ¡°Capt. Wang! You¡¯re done with your call!¡±


    Capt. Wang glanced at him and waved to the bearded man with a heavy expression: ¡°Come to my office.¡±


    The bearded man pointed a finger at the young policeman, turned around and followed him into the office.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The bearded man held the cup of wolfberry chrysanthemum tea, closed the door and took a big sip: ¡°Who is it this time?¡±


    ¡°The military department.¡±


    ¡°Pff¡ª¡ªcough, cough¡ª¡ª¡± The bearded man coughed and wiped his mouth while staring in disbelief, ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The military department.¡± Capt. Wang handed him a few pieces of paper, frowning: ¡°We must speed up the progress. The identity of the victim is not simple, and the motive of the suspect may not be simple either.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The bearded man wiped his mouth clean and said, ¡°Why is the military department involved?¡±


    ¡°The victim has a piece of software that he developed and designed on his own. They didn¡¯t say what it is, but it is very important to national defense and security. More importantly, he just went to the 17th Research Institute of the Military Department the day before yesterday.¡± Capt. Wang looked serious, ¡°You get my meaning?¡±


    The bearded man stood up straight, frowned and said, ¡°F**k¡­..such important news, why didn¡¯t that kid say anything when we asked him about it?¡±


    ¡°What can he say?¡± Capt. Wang gave him an eyeroll, walked to the table and sat down, saying in a deep voice: ¡°This matter was only confirmed as a national first-class secret yesterday. No more than ten people in the whole country know about it. I am guessing even his own parents don¡¯t know how capable their son is, but his ability is indeed enough for the entire military research institute and even the whole country to pay attention to. In other words, Jiang Chen is very likely to become a high-level protected figure of the country in the future. We must thoroughly investigate this whole thing, and it has to be done fast!¡±


    ¡°If his identity is so¡­..then the scope of involvement is too wide.¡± The bearded man also frowned: ¡°The difficulty of our investigation has also skyrocketed.¡±


    ¡°No matter how difficult it is.¡± Capt. Wang got up and said, ¡°This matter must be cleared up as soon as possible.¡±


    Jiang Chen sat at the desk, his eyes locked on the screens of the two computers. The computer on the left displayed a zoomed-out map, and a dotted circle slowly moved on it, while the computer directly in front displayed lines of code that moved up quickly. From time to time, photos of unfamiliar places flashed.


    ¡°Changjiang, report the tracking progress.¡±


    The dotted circle on the map on the left computer screen stopped moving, fixed on one point and its range was slowly narrowed. The quickly moving code of the computer in front also slowed down, and several photos appeared on the screen one by one. From the mountains to the woods and then to a birds eye view of a forest and a village.


    ¡°Satellite monitoring shows that the target van is currently located at 112¡ã32¡ä-114¡ã30¡ä east longitude and 39¡ã02¡ä-40¡ã44¡ä north latitude. The position is located at the northernmost Naozi Village of Shao Province, which is adjacent to Yangfeng County in the autonomous region of Suo Province, and connected with Huamin City and Fusheng County in the southwest.¡±


    ¡°Naozi Village¡­..¡± Jiang Chen clicked on the photo, zoomed in manually bit by bit, and his eyebrows unfurrowed: ¡°Are there still signs of any moving from the target?¡±


    ¡°From three hours ago to now, the van has made no signs of movement.¡±


    ¡°Does the photo capture the target person?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Changjiang said: ¡°Naozi Village is located in a remote area, located in the northern part of the Changnan Mountains, which has dense trees, and satellites cannot capture the target person.¡±


    ¡°Keep monitoring at all times.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Dylan.¡±


    Jiang Chen stored the data in the mobile hard drive, and when the hard drive was pulled out, his phone rang.


    Looking at the caller ID, Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you have surgery this morning?¡±


    ¡°I will be going to the operating room soon.¡± Shi Fengyue said in a lazy voice, ¡°How is the investigation going?¡±


    ¡°I found the target, thanks to your high-coverage GPS system.¡± Jiang Chen stood up and stretched his body, and said, ¡°But this kind of GPS connected to satellites needs to be reported even if it was used by the developer, why was it approved so quickly for my use?¡±


    ¡°The agreement I signed doesn¡¯t have this condition.¡±


    Jiang Chen chuckled lightly: ¡°You can still make bargains when signing an agreement with the country?¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s voice was low and amused: ¡°I¡¯ll teach you the tricks when you sign one yourself.¡±


    ¡°Then I will trouble you.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s your hand?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost as good as new.¡± Jiang Chen raised his hand, his eyes sweeping over the place where spots of blood had oozed out, and his voice paused: ¡°I¡¯ll go and see my mpm later, and reapply the medicine by the way.¡±


    ¡°What time?¡±


    ¡°Around ten o¡¯clock.¡± Jiang Chen thought for a while and said, ¡°Huo Bo and Shen Xu will come to see me for lunch at noon. If you are going to perform surgery at noon, do you want me to bring you some food and leave it in your office? You can eat it after you¡¯re done.¡±


    Shi Fengyue said lightly: ¡°No need, I don¡¯t eat reheated food.¡±


    Jiang Chen had heard Li Nanfeng say that Shi Fengyue had a lot of picky habits, and this was the first time he felt it. He teased, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re not picky?¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°I just don¡¯t eat reheated food.¡±


    Hearing his righteous tone, Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help but laugh. The next moment, Shi Fengyue said: ¡°I called you to tell you that the He family may already know your identity.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s smile faded a bit: ¡°I guessed it.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Since yesterday, I have already become a person with full legal capacity for myself.¡±


    Shi Fengyue was calm and composed: ¡°So you don¡¯t plan to go back to the He family?¡±


    ¡°Not now.¡±


    ¡°What about He Qianjian?¡±


    Jiang Chen said lightly, ¡°That¡¯s the He family¡¯s business.¡±


    Shi Fengyue said unhurriedly: ¡°It¡¯s also a matter of the Jiang family.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyelashes flickered, and after a moment of silence, he lowered his eyes and said, ¡°Not right now.¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°He Yanfeng and his wife may act according to your wishes, but old Mr. He does things swiftly and decisively, and may not follow your wishes.¡±


    Jiang Chen said lightly: ¡°I will not let anyone disrupt my plan, let alone allow anyone to affect my parents.¡±

 CH 88

    MAY 23, 2023 NYXBIRD 2 COMMENTS


    ¡°Any sign?¡±


    ¡°No, the first team will go three kilometers to the west, the second team will go north, and the third team will go to the village to ask the villagers if they have seen any unfamiliar faces recently. The others will follow me upwards and continue to search!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The bearded man walked in the front, and the young policeman followed behind him. While searching, he couldn¡¯t help asking: ¡°Boss, do you think the information from that child is true or not? We have been searching in the deep mountains and old forests for more than two hours. I don¡¯t even see the van, let alone a shadow of that man, maybe he made a mistake¡­..¡±


    ¡°Just keep searching.¡± The bearded man said without turning his head: ¡°Also, he is not much younger than you, child, child, aren¡¯t you a child as well?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he still in school?¡± The young policeman said, ¡°I¡¯ve been out of school for two years, so of course he is a child to me.¡±


    The bearded man pushed aside the weeds in front of him and stepped on the stones on the ground: ¡°Okay, stop talking nonsense, and be careful.¡± The last part was spoken in a raised volume.


    ¡°Captain!¡± Someone shouted from behind: ¡°There is blood here!¡±


    The bearded man paused, then immediately turned and walked over there, followed by the young policeman.


    ¡°This bloodstain should have been left here for at least five hours.¡± The policeman squatting on the ground said: ¡°The amount of bleeding is not small. Let¡¯s look around. He shouldn¡¯t be able to run very far.¡±


    ¡°Search!¡± The bearded man said loudly, ¡°Don¡¯t miss any trace!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The policemen dispersed and began to search. The bearded man also bent over to search for traces carefully. The young policeman didn¡¯t go far and shouted: ¡°There are also bloodstains here!¡±


    He pushed aside the grass that had clearly been crushed underfoot, and walked through a bush half a person¡¯s height, when he suddenly heard the sound of water droplets falling on the ground. He quickened his pace, walked out into an open place, turned on the flashlight, and immediately rushed back:


    ¡°Found him! The suspect is in the cave!¡±


    The scattered police quickly ran to this side, and the bearded man also jogged over quickly.


    ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    The young policeman led a group of people through a small piece of bushes, revealed the cave covered by vines, turned on the flashlight and said, ¡°In here.¡±


    The bearded man stepped forward to check, frowned and said, ¡°The man is dead, go and call the forensic doctor, and continue to send people to find the van.¡±


    The young policeman looked around the corpse and said in a low voice, ¡°Boss, did he die by himself or¡­..¡±


    ¡°Being able to escape so far is enough to prove his desire to survive. Let¡¯s wait for the forensic doctor to come up with the specific situation.¡±


    ¡°But this person is dead, isn¡¯t our trail of clues cut off?¡±


    The bearded man said: ¡°Who said the trail of clues is cut off? Isn¡¯t there still Li De?¡±


    ¡°Li De?¡± The young policeman¡¯s eyes lit up: ¡°Do you also think that the suspect has accomplices inside Li De?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily in Li De, but that person must have been in Li De that day.¡± The bearded man said in a deep voice, ¡°This case is getting more and more difficult. You stay here and I will report the progress of the case first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±


    The bearded man turned around and left the cave. Just after reporting the situation, a policeman came to meet him and said, ¡°Boss, we found the van. It¡¯s in an abandoned earthen house at the foot of the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Go, let¡¯s go have a look.¡±


    ¡°Has the van driver been found?¡±


    Jiang Chen handed the peeled orange to Yang Si, turned to old Mr. Xiang and said, ¡°We found him, but the person is already dead.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang frowned: ¡°Then the trail of clues is cut off?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, Capt. Wang said that he was checking the internal monitoring of Li De that day, hoping to find the suspect¡¯s accomplice.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Yang Si took the orange and didn¡¯t eat it, worried: ¡°Why do they want to harm Chen Chen? The suspect is dead¡­..is the matter even more serious now? Will Chen Chen still be in danger in the future?¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang exchanged looks with Jiang Chen, and then smiled kindly at Yang Si: ¡°Xiao Yang, you have to believe that the police will find out the truth about this matter, and I assure you, there will be no more incidents involving Xiao Chen. We will send someone to protect him.¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­..¡± Jiang Chen grabbed Yang Si¡¯s hand: ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Yang Si grasped Jiang Chen¡¯s hand tightly, her eyes unable to hide her worry. Although she still didn¡¯t know exactly what Jiang Chen was doing and researching, she was basically sure that what Jiang Chen was researching might be very important.


    In the past few days, wave after wave of people came to visit the ward. Apart from the police officers who came over every day, there were also many important people who she had never thought of being able to meet face to face. Those people had a very good attitude towards Jiang Chen. If it was in the past, she would be proud of her son¡¯s achievements, but now, she only hoped that Jiang Chen was just an ordinary teenager who could grow up safely.


    ¡°Mr. Xiang.¡± Yang Si shook her head: ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but I¡¯m really scared. These past few days, I just needed to close my eyes and I would end up thinking of that day. I originally thought everything would be fine if we caught the suspect, but now the suspect is dead, the police are saying there is an accomplice. What if his accomplice still wants to hurt my son? I hope you can understand my worry as a mother. If I can¡¯t make sure that he is really safe, now I will even feel fear if he just walks out of the ward¡­..¡±


    ¡°Of course I understand you.¡± Old Mr. Xiang put away his smile and said seriously, ¡°So I solemnly assure you once again that we will absolutely guarantee Jiang Chen¡¯s safety. Please believe me on this point.¡±


    ¡°I am unable yet to tell you what Jiang Chen is researching, but I hope you know that what your son is doing now is of great significance to the whole country and even the whole world, and you should be proud of him.¡±


    Seeing Jiang Chen nodding on the side, Yang Si looked away helplessly, and said slowly, ¡°My husband and I have never restrained our child from pursuing his interests since he was young. We would support him unconditionally in whatever he wanted to do, because we never thought about how to make him into an excellent person. We only hope that he will grow up safely and healthily. But what he is doing now puts him in danger¡­..Even if you say that he is making great contributions to the country and the world, for parents like us, these things are not as important as the safety of my child.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang nodded: ¡°I know what you mean, but¡­..¡±


    ¡°Please listen to me.¡± Yang Si said: ¡°But like I said before, my husband and I have always respected every decision of our child, and it is still the case now. I can see that Chen Chen likes what he is doing now, and I also see the efforts he has put into it. As a mother, no matter how worried I am, I will choose to support him.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang was stunned for a moment, and his expression softened: ¡°Jiang Chen being able to grow into such an excellent individual is closely related to the family education you and your husband have given him. Thank you for raising such a talent for our country.¡±


    Yang Si shook her head with a smile, and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back to school today? Go, don¡¯t be late.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded and left with old Mr. Xiang.


    On the way to send Jiang Chen to Yan No. 1 High School, old Mr. Xiang sighed, put his hands on Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulders, and said in a tone of self-reproach, ¡°I didn¡¯t think carefully¡­..I didn¡¯t pay attention to concealing your identity when I brought you to the research institute that day. Causing you to have to face such danger the next day.¡±


    Jiang Chen shook his head: ¡°Professor, this matter has nothing to do with the Institute.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang was about to speak, but when he saw Jiang Chen¡¯s firm expression, he frowned: ¡°Do you know who is behind this incident?¡±


    Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes coldly: ¡°I guessed it to some extent.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°There is no evidence currently.¡± Jiang Chen pursed his lips and said, ¡°Besides, I still have some things to investigate, and I can¡¯t tell you right now, so as not to startle the snake.¡±


    Old Mr. Xiang disagreed: ¡°What if that person wants to continue to hurt you? And you provided the direction so that the police could investigate better. No matter what you want to investigate, you must put your own safety first. Just now you also heard what your mother said, she is so worried about you, you can¡¯t risk yourself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can protect myself.¡± Jiang Chen chuckled lightly, ¡°I even managed to come out with just a few scratches when a van rampaged after me.¡±


    ¡°Can you have such good luck every time?¡± Old Mr. Xiang glared at Jiang Chen, paused, and said earnestly: ¡°I know your ability, plus that kid Shi Fengyue and the research and development project you are currently holding may indeed help you investigate some things, but this does not conflict with handing over the investigation to those professional police officers. The investigation progress can speed up if both sides participate, and the identification of the suspect can also ensure your safety.¡±


    ¡°Professor Xiang, the police won¡¯t be able to find anything.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°The matter I want to investigate is related to my future research and development projects. Trust me, I won¡¯t mess around.¡±


    Seeing his determination, old Mr. Xiang could only shake his head: ¡°As you insist.¡±


    The car stopped at the gate of Yan No. 1 High School. The bell for the first period in the afternoon had just rang, and there was no one at the gate.


    Jiang Chen got out of the car and waved to old Mr. Xiang: ¡°Professor Xiang, see you later.¡±


    ¡°Be safe.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    He family house.


    Yang Yun changed her clothes again, came out of the walk-in closet, and said to He Yanfeng who was looking at the computer: ¡°What do you think of my outfit?¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡± He Yanfeng raised his head and smiled, ¡°It makes you look very gentle.¡±


    ¡°Then do you think Xiao Chen will be more relaxed when he sees me dressed like this?¡±


    Thinking of the news he had received in the past few days, and He Yanjun¡¯s special reminder to him that the upper level attached great importance to Jiang Chen¡¯s scientific research projects, He Yanfeng closed his laptop and said, ¡°You just need to dress comfortably, Jiang Chen may not be nervous at all.¡±


    ¡°But what we¡¯re going to talk to him about later might make him feel rejection towards us.¡± Yang Yun straightened her clothes and said, ¡°I hope to look more approachable for him, maybe our talk will even go smoother.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He Yanfeng smiled: ¡°Nothing will go wrong today.¡±


    ¡°I hope so¡­..¡± Yang Yun looked up at the door, then turned around and said, ¡°Qian Jian had a fever last night, can we leave him at home alone today?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there an auntie at home?¡± He Yanfeng stood up and said, ¡°And he is a grown boy, how could he not know how to take care of himself well?¡±


    Yang Yun nodded and looked away.


    Since seeing the surveillance video of He Qianmin¡¯s injury three days ago, even though the matter had not been investigated clearly, so long as she thought that he might have really done something to hurt He Qianmin, she would always get complicated emotions when seeing He Qianjian. It was now very difficult to look at him the same way she did before.


    But no matter what, as her first child, He Qianjian, even if he was the wrong child, had a special meaning to her from He Qianmin and He Qianyu, because from the time she was pregnant with him to giving birth to him, it was during the most difficult time with He Yanfeng. Moreover before this, He Qianjian had always been the most sensible and well-behaved eldest son to her. Even if she knew that Jiang Chen and He Qianjian were switched, it was not as shocking to her as learning that He Qianjian might have hurt He Qianmin.


    The two children were already adults, and while switching their identities back might have some impact on the two families, the children were still familiar to them. The whole thing could be taken as correcting a mistake, but it would not affect their relationship in the end. Yang Yun believed that it would be like once He Qianjian went to the Jiang family, the Jiangs would still recognize Jiang Chen as their son. Even if Jiang Chen came back to the He family, He Qianjian would still be their child.


    But the latter was different. If He Qianjian had been deceiving them for so many years and had been hurting He Qianmin, then it meant that everything she had seen might be false. Not only was He Qianjian not the child she thought he was, but he might even be vicious, calculating and double-faced, his core somehow becoming rotten along the way.


    The mistake of Jiang Chen and He Qianjian¡¯s identity could be corrected, but if He Qianjian was not the child she knew at all, what about their relationship for so many years?


    In the past three days, in order not to let herself think about these things, Yang Yun¡¯s attention towards He Qianjian had been lowered again and again, so she didn¡¯t even know that He Qianjian was drenched in the rain when he came home yesterday. So she couldn¡¯t help but blame herself and worry when seeing him having a fever this morning.


    If it was all just a misunderstanding, then she would do him a deeper injury by treating him this way.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to Qian Jian¡¯s room to have a look.¡± Yang Yun was still worried, and said, ¡°We¡¯ll set off after seeing if his fever has subsided.¡±


    He Yanfeng knew his wife¡¯s character, and he was already quite surprised by her indifference to He Qianjian these days, so he just nodded after hearing her say that: ¡°Go.¡±


    Yang Yun knocked lightly on the door of He Qianjian¡¯s room, but she didn¡¯t get any response. After thinking about it, she opened the door carefully and walked in.


    ¡°It¡¯s all over, do you know that! Don¡¯t you know that if it¡¯s found out, it¡¯ll all be over!¡±


    Yang Yun paused and looked up. The curtains of the room were all down, she could only vaguely see He Qianjian standing by the bed with his back to the door, slightly bowed and his tone hysterical.


    [It is impossible for earthling police to follow the clues to find you here. I don¡¯t know what you are worried about at all, and I reminded you from the beginning that that human is not a suitable partner for cooperation. It is not difficult to predict that he would fail.]


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because of you that I could only cooperate with him? If it wasn¡¯t for your refusal to help, if it wasn¡¯t for you insisting on abiding by that f**king rule, would I be in such a passive situation?¡±


    [I must abide by the system¡¯s rules, and your passive situation is also caused by you. I reminded you a long time ago, don¡¯t waste time and energy targeting Jiang Chen, even if he is the real child of the He family, he is not a threat, but you? Fighting and scheming against him every chance you get, now that things have come to this point, you are to blame.]


    ¡°I am to blame?¡± He Qianjian growled, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your refusal to make a move! How could I target him all the time! Don¡¯t you know if my¡­..¡±


    ¡°Qian Jian!¡± Seeing that He Qianjian was getting more and more excited, as if in the next moment he would hit the wall with his fist, Yang Yun hurriedly stopped him: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who are you talking to?¡±


    ¡°Mom?¡± He Qianjian shook and turned his head stiffly: ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see if your fever had subsided.¡± Yang Yun suppressed the worries in her heart and said, ¡°Qian Jian, Mom has noticed that you have been under a lot of pressure recently and your mood is not stable. How about going to see a psychiatrist in a few days?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He Qianjian breathed a sigh of relief, but his tone was still a little stiff: ¡°Mom, what you just heard are the lines of our school¡¯s drama club, did it scare you?¡±


    ¡°Lines?¡± Yang Yun was taken aback: ¡°Then you were also memorizing lines when you spoke in your room a few times before?¡±


    ¡°You heard me before?¡± He Qianjian suppressed the panic in his heart and hurriedly said, ¡°What did you hear?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, but I heard you seem to be throwing a table once.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the table needed to be thrown in that scene.¡± He Qianjian twitched the corner of his mouth, lowered his head and said, ¡°Although I quit the drama club in my third year of high school, I like to recite lines every time I¡¯m stressed¡­..¡±


    Yang Yun pursed her lips: ¡°In the past six months you seem to be more and more stressed, and your mood has been very unstable. Can you talk to Mom about the reason?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s tone was low: ¡°Probably because a talented competitor suddenly appeared. I have been the best among my peers since I was a child, but after he appeared, not only do his grades far surpasses mine, even Qian Min and Qian Yu¡­..I know that my relationship with Qian Min has always been very rigid, and I have been trying to change this situation for so many years. I thought there was still hope, but with him showing up¡­..¡±


    ¡°Not only Qian Min, but even Qian Yu and Mom and Dad¡­..all like him so much.¡± He Qianjian smiled wryly: ¡°Sometimes I wonder if I¡¯m really inferior to him in everything, that¡¯s why I have become like this. I am really afraid that one day I will lose everything¡­..¡±


    ¡°Mom, can you promise that you will never give up on me?¡±


    Yang Yun paused, looked up to see He Qianjian¡¯s pleading expression, and felt a tug in her heart. She concealed the emotions in her eyes, and said softly: ¡°As long as you are always the kind and gentle child in Mom¡¯s heart, Mom will never give up on you.¡±

 CH 89

    ¡°He Qianmin, someone is looking for you!¡±


    He Qianmin was talking to his classmates, and asked casually, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It seems to be your parents.¡±


    ¡°My parents?¡± He Qianmin raised his head and looked out the window: ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°In the teacher¡¯s office now.¡±


    ¡°Office?¡± The boy who was playing a video game at the desk in front of He Qianmin raised his head, raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Having been away from home for half a month, Uncle He and Aunt Yang are here to arrest a certain someone?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± He Qianmin threw a book over, frowning slightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t plan to go there?¡± Shi Ao put down the game console, turned his head and said, ¡°By the way, it seems that Brother Jiang Chen is back at school today. Are you going to go out to eat with him after school? Add me.¡±


    ¡°Two words.¡± He Qianmin crooked his fingers, and when Shi Ao leaned over, he smiled and said two words: ¡°Dream, on.¡±


    Shi Ao was not annoyed, but leaned closer: ¡°In exchange, I¡¯ll tell you a secret.¡±


    ¡°Not interested.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°I won¡¯t let you go with us, that uncle of yours is annoying enough, you are even more annoying.¡±


    Shi Ao tilted his head and said with a smile, ¡°Not even interested in the progress of the case investigation?¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°What progress?¡±


    Shi Ao: ¡°Are you taking me along?¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°You talk first.¡±


    Shi Ao: ¡°You agree first.¡±


    ¡°He Qianmin¡ª¡ª¡± the class leader stood at the front door and shouted, ¡°Our homeroom teacher asked you to go to the office building!¡±


    He Qianmin got up: ¡°You have to guarantee it¡¯s news that I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Shi Ao said, ¡°I overheard it from my uncle, I guarantee you don¡¯t know.¡±


    He Qianmin nodded: ¡°Deal.¡±


    When the bell rang for the last period, He Qianmin knocked on the door of the first year office.


    ¡°Please come in.¡±


    He Qianmin glanced at his parents sitting on one side, stood at the door and said, ¡°Teacher He, you wanted to see me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your parents who want to see you. They want to know about your situation at school, and then they have something to say to you.¡± Teacher He stood up, turned to look at the He Yanfeng couple, and said with a smile: ¡°Then I won¡¯t disturb you.¡±


    Yang Yun said with a gentle smile, ¡°Thank you, Teacher He.¡±


    He Qianmin withdrew his gaze, turned and walked out: ¡°I still have to go to class, so we can talk about it later.¡±


    ¡°He Qianmin.¡± Teacher He stopped He Qianmin: ¡°Missing this self-study class will not delay the progress of your studies. You can take your time with your parents here.¡±


    He Qianmin said lightly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Qian Min, wait a minute.¡± Yang Yun grabbed He Qianmin¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Mom and Dad have something important to tell you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± He Qianmin pursed his lips, then turned around and asked.


    ¡°After school later¡­..¡±


    Yang Yun paused, then turned to look outside the door.


    ¡°I heard that Jiang Chen is back?¡±


    ¡°He came back during the first period.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the situation? Was he injured?¡±


    ¡°There was a bandage on his hand, it doesn¡¯t look too serious, but when encountering this kind of thing, I¡¯m afraid it would take some time for anyone to adjust their mental state.¡±


    There was chatter in the corridor, and two teachers walked in while chatting.


    ¡°Yesterday, the third year group had a meeting about this matter, saying¡­..Teacher He?¡± The teacher who walked in stopped talking, looked at He Qianmin beside Teacher He, and then at the He Yanfeng couple beside him, footsteps pausing: ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°The parents of our student.¡± Teacher He said with a smile: ¡°Came to the school to find out about the student¡¯s situation.¡±


    The two teachers greeted the He Yanfeng couple, walked to their seats and sat down. Since there were other people around, they paused in their talk.


    ¡°How about this.¡± Teacher He said: ¡°The small conference room next door is empty, and no one will go there during this period. Why don¡¯t you go to the small conference room to talk, Mr. He?¡±


    He Yanfeng: ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble.¡±


    Yang Yun took He Qianmin¡¯s hand and said softly: ¡°Mom and Dad really have something very important to tell you, and we also came here today to apologize to you, can you give us this chance to ask for forgiveness?¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips, turned around and followed into the small conference room.


    Teacher He took them to the conference room, stood at the door and said, ¡°Then I will leave you to it.¡±


    Yang Yun smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you today.¡±


    ¡°It is of no matter.¡± Teacher He smiled, and when the door was half closed, he thought of something, stopped and said, ¡°Mr. He, Mrs. He, I want to ask you something.¡±


    He Qianmin found a random place to sit down, and raised his head upon hearing this. Yang Yun, ¡°Please go ahead?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me¡­..but do you know the student Jiang Chen?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen?¡± Yang Yun was taken aback for a moment, and He Yanfeng asked, ¡°Why does Teacher He ask this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡± Teacher He thought for a while, and said, ¡°Before, He Qianmin got in a fight with our class¡¯s Shi Ao, I asked him to call his guardians over, but the one who came was Jiang Chen from class 1 of the third year. They both said that they are brothers, but I went to class 1 of the third year to ask about the situation, and it seems that Jiang Chen and He Qianmin are not related¡­..¡±


    Seeing that He Yanfeng and Yang Yun had different expressions, Teacher He explained: ¡°Student He Qianmin¡¯s parents, I don¡¯t want to blame the children for this, and I don¡¯t want you to blame the children for it. I just want to ask whether there is a lack of communication at home, or whether you are a bit too strict on him, so he chose not to notify you when he needed to call his guardians, and instead found a child of around the same age to pretend to be¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen is indeed Qian Min¡¯s older brother.¡± He Yanfeng smiled lightly, interrupting Teacher He, ¡°This matter is a bit complicated to explain, please forgive us for not being able to tell you the specifics, but my son did not lie.¡±


    Teacher He paused, then hesitated, ¡°Jiang Chen is He Qianmin¡¯s older brother?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Teacher He was relieved: ¡°I thought the child was worried about letting his parents know and getting scolded. If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t say more and leave time to you.¡±


    The door was gently closed, and the small conference room fell into silence.


    ¡°If you have nothing to say, I¡¯ll go back to the classroom.¡± He Qianmin stood up and said.


    He Yanfeng pressed his shoulders, sat down next to him and said, ¡°Please explain what your classroom teacher said just now.¡±


    He Qianmin lowered his head and took out his mobile phone, narrowing his eyes slightly: ¡°I don¡¯t want you two to come to my school, so I had my brother come instead. Does this even need an explanation?¡±


    Through the conversation with He Qianmin¡¯s homeroom teacher, He Yanfeng could see that Teacher He was serious and responsible, but at the same time might also be too serious and suspicious. It was impossible for such a person to believe He Qianmin just because he said so.


    He Yanfeng said: ¡°How did you convince your homeroom teacher that you are brothers?¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°Shi Ao called Shi Fengyue, and Shi Fengyue has a good relationship with my brother, so he naturally helped us cover.¡±


    Hearing that it was Shi Fengyue, He Yanfeng let go of most of his doubts. Jiang Chen had a good relationship with Shi Fengyue and Li Nanfeng. He heard that during this investigation, Shi Fengyue used the military GPS coverage system for Jiang Chen without submitting an application, and even used satellite monitoring. This move caused dissatisfaction among many people, and he had to ask his older brother He Yanjun, and together with the Shi family they suppressed this matter.


    ¡°Why did you come to see me?¡± He Qianmin said indifferently: ¡°If you want me to go home, then forget it. I don¡¯t want to go back and see He Qianjian¡¯s hypocritical face.¡±


    ¡°Son, we apologize to you.¡± He Yanfeng patted him on the shoulder and said: ¡°We have been ignoring your feelings before, and we didn¡¯t seriously think about what you said. We were wrong. Can you forgive us?¡±


    He Qianmin looked up: ¡°What do you mean by seriously thinking about what I said?¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember the details of your car accident?¡± He Yanfeng¡¯s tone was calm and solemn: ¡°Talk to Dad again, and explain every detail clearly.¡±


    He Qianmin hesitated for a moment, but repeated the scene that had been repeated countless times, and said half-believingly, ¡°Do you believe what I say?¡±


    ¡°Your brother¡­..Xiao Chen sent us a video.¡± He Yanfeng said mildly: ¡°It¡¯s the surveillance video of your hand being cut by a fruit knife that suddenly appeared at your last class reunion.¡±


    ¡°My brother? Why would he have that video? I went to the club the next day, and the surveillance camera skipped that part¡­..¡± He Qianmin paused: ¡°But my brother¡¯s ability could indeed help me find the video¡­..Because of this, you suddenly believe what I said before?¡±


    Yang Yun gently touched He Qianmin¡¯s face, and said softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that Mom and Dad didn¡¯t believe you before.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard for normal people to believe this kind of thing.¡± He Qianmin laughed lowly, suppressing the slight sting in his nose, and raised his head: ¡°I blamed you before, but I don¡¯t blame you now, so you don¡¯t have to blame yourself. But I won¡¯t go back with you either.¡±


    ¡°Qian Min¡­..¡±


    He Qianmin shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s not me going against you two, nor is it an adolescent rebellion, I just want to spend more time with my brother, so if you came here today for this matter, then there is nothing to say anymore.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to never come home for the rest of your life?¡± He Yanfeng asked with his arms crossed.


    ¡°I will go back every holiday and attend every month¡¯s gathering at Grandpa¡¯s place.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°You can also come to see me at school if you want.¡±


    He Yanfeng said: ¡°Even if your brother lives at home and is in the room next to yours, you still won¡¯t come back?¡±


    He Qianmin sneered: ¡°Is where He Qianjian lives any of my business?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Jiang Chen.¡± He Yanfeng said: ¡°Your brother, Jiang Chen.¡±


    ¡°My brother?¡± He Qianmin paused, sat up straight subtly, and asked casually, ¡°Why would my brother live in our house?¡±


    He Yanfeng glanced at the time: ¡°There is still ten minutes before class ends, you go and call your brother over first, while your mother and I will wait for you in the car. We will have dinner later together, and you¡¯ll know then.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    After the end of class bell rang, He Qianmin walked in as soon as the teacher left the classroom.


    This semester, He Qianmin came to see Jiang Chen almost five times a week. Not only do the students in class 1 of the third year of high school already know him, they also knew that he was Jiang Chen¡¯s younger brother. A boy who saw him come in laughed: ¡°God Jiang, your little brother is here.¡±


    Shen Xu raised his hand, raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: ¡°Little Brother Min, here to find your big brothers, eh?¡±


    He Qianmin rolled his eyes at him. Jiang Chen raised his eyes and smiled, ¡°You had physical education class? Coming over so fast.¡±


    ¡°Self-study.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°My parents are here, they are at the school gate now, and told me to ask you to have dinner together.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s hand holding the book paused, and said, ¡°Wait for me to pack up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°If your parents are here, then what should we do for dinner?¡± Shen Xu: ¡°Are we going together?¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips and said, ¡°Come if you want.¡±


    ¡°No, no, forget it, Huo Bo and I will just eat something casually.¡± Shen Xu shrank his neck and said curiously: ¡°But if your parents came to look for you, what are they doing calling Jiangzi along for?¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s eyes flickered slightly: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Shen Xu stroked his chin and guessed: ¡°Is it because you ran away from home and now live in the same neighborhood as Jiangzi, and your parents came to question him? Or do they want to thank Jiangzi for taking care of you during this time? Or¡­..¡±


    ¡°Tell Huo Bo that we will meet up tomorrow, and your study sessions will start back up tomorrow.¡± Jiang Chen interrupted Shen Xu, stood up and said to He Qianmin, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Shen Xu¡¯s eyes lit up, he stood up and waved his hands: ¡°Eat well and have fun, see you later God Jiang!¡±


    Just before stepping out the school gate, He Qianmin stopped and said, ¡°Big Brother, have you ever thought about why my parents are looking for you?¡±


    Jiang Chen turned around: ¡°You know?¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lower lip, avoiding Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°So we¡¯ll know later.¡±


    ¡°What if it¡¯s not a good thing?¡± He Qianmin grabbed Jiang Chen¡¯s arm: ¡°If what they came to find you for is not a good thing for you, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Confront it.¡±


    ¡°Then resolve it.¡±

 CH 90

    ¡°Mr. He, Mrs. He, the private room is ready, please follow me.¡±


    Yang Yun took He Yanfeng¡¯s arm, smiled and nodded: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our honor that Mr. He and Mrs. He chose our hotel for dinner.¡± The manager led the way with a smile on his face, and his tone was enthusiastic but not overly friendly: ¡°After I found out yesterday that Mr. He and Mrs. He had reserved a place, I made the decision to leave a portion of the broth our head chef cooked today. I heard from Mrs. He that your son loves braised meatballs, so the kitchen simmered it this morning, and left it on a slow fire that is just perfect to eat now.¡±


    Jiang Chen and He Qianmin followed two steps behind the He Yanfeng couple. He Qianmin subconsciously turned his head to look at Jiang Chen when he heard these words, and found that his expression was as calm as if he hadn¡¯t noticed anything unusual, so he quietly let out a relieved breath.


    ¡°Here we are, I hope Mr. and Mrs. He and your two sons have a pleasant meal.¡±


    The manager helped to close the door of the private room and retreated. The two solid wood doors were closed, which also isolated the sound from the outside, and the air in the room became silent for a moment.


    The private room was large, decorated in a modern Chinese style, the high ceiling was bright, and the dining area was clearly distinguished from the leisure area. There was still a while before the food would be served, and the four of them sat on the sofa in the leisure area. Soon, the waiter who came in to take their orders broke the silence.


    Yang Yun casually took a menu and handed it to Jiang Chen: ¡°Xiao Chen, you order first.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Aunt Yang.¡± Jiang Chen took it politely, ordered a dish at random, and handed the menu to He Qianmin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to order some more?¡± Yang Yun asked, concerned: ¡°Your hand is not healed yet, and you need to eat some food that can promote wound healing. Would you like to order a bowl of pigeon soup?¡±


    Jiang Chen declined with a smile: ¡°No need, I¡¯m not too hungry now, thank you Aunt Yang.¡±


    Yang Yun slightly curved her lips, hiding the disappointment in her eyes.


    He Qianmin glanced at his mother without any trace, and said, ¡°Mom, I just drank a bottle of Coke after class, and I¡¯m not hungry now, you can make the orders.¡±


    Yang Yun immediately diverted her attention: ¡°Didn¡¯t Mom tell you to drink less of these things? Coke is not healthy, and you are still growing now. Drinking too much carbonated drinks is not good for your health.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been drinking much.¡± He Qianmin turned to look at Jiang Chen: ¡°My brother can testify for me.¡±


    ¡°Qian Min rarely buys soft drinks. It should likely be a treat from a classmate, and he couldn¡¯t refuse.¡±


    Only then did Yang Yun feel relieved. She took He Qianmin¡¯s hand and chided him: ¡°You really need to listen to your brother more at school, but your brother is already in the third year of high school, and he is also so busy with work, and now his hand is injured, so remember to take good care of him, but you can¡¯t always look for him either, it will disrupt your brother¡¯s studies.¡± She turned her head to look at Jiang Chen with gentle eyes: ¡°Xiao Chen, you have to take good care of yourself at school, you know that your health is the most important thing, right?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled, ¡°Okay.¡±


    After the waiter finished taking the orders and walked out, He Yanfeng got up and said, ¡°Qian Min, stay with your mother outside, and Xiao Chen, go inside and have a talk with me.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s body, which was sitting crookedly, instantly straightened, and then he got up as well: ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡±


    He Yanfeng turned around, crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows: ¡°You and your mother haven¡¯t seen each other for so long, can¡¯t you spend more time with her?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t it be the same when we eat together later?¡± He Qianmin walked to Jiang Chen¡¯s side: ¡°Besides, what could you and my brother have to talk about that you must avoid me and my mother, it¡¯s fine if I follow along.¡±


    ¡°Qian Min, sit outside with Mom for a while, and tell me how you have been at school over the past half a month.¡± Yang Yun secretly pulled Qian Min¡¯s arm: ¡°Just wait a bit, your father and brother will tell you when they are done talking.¡±


    He Qianmin pulled at his hand, and it was the first time that he knew how strong his normally fragile looking mother could be.


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes and glanced at He Qianmin. Seeing that he stopped struggling, he turned his head and said, ¡°Uncle He, we can go over there to talk¡±


    He Yanfeng walked to the side of the display shelves, walked around the screen, and opened a hidden door. Only then did Jiang Chen discover that there was a small conference room hidden within the private room.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    He Yanfeng found an armchair to sit down on, and beckoned his hand at Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen closed the door, glanced at the lush green plants outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, and sat down opposite He Yanfeng.


    ¡°Do you like the decoration here?¡± He Yanfeng looked out the window: ¡°There¡¯s a lot of greenery.¡±


    ¡°My father likes this decoration style.¡± Jiang Chen slightly curved his eyes: ¡°My mother likes flowers and plants very much.¡±


    He Yanfeng nodded slightly and slowly twice, then changed the topic and said, ¡°I asked you to come in for a private conversation, you are probably a little confused right now.¡±


    ¡°Before¡­..¡± He Yanfeng tapped his fingers on the desk, paused for a while, as if he were considering his words: ¡°My wife and I have thought about how to tell you something for a long time, but before we could, a lot of things happened, and after going through all of this, I think, maybe speaking directly and frankly is the most effective way to go about this.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°Uncle He can speak directly if you have something to say.¡±


    He Yanfeng took out a document envelope from a drawer on one side, and put it in front of Jiang Chen: ¡°Look at this first.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked down at the document envelope, but didn¡¯t open it right away.


    He Yanfeng returned to his original position and sat down, nit urging him. He said gently and slowly: ¡°I remember the first time I saw you, it was in a bookstore, you had a little girl with you and you were talking to Li Xiao and Qian Yu. I was very surprised, Qian Yu is not a shy girl, but she seems to change when she is with you. Later, I was even more surprised when I saw you getting along with Qian Min. He Qianmin, that kid, is even seldom so obedient to his elders, he is only so obedient in front of you that I almost dare not recognize him, then I thought, what kind of ability do you have to inspire such docility in our little devil¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen opened the document envelope and pulled out several stapled A4 papers.


    He Yanfeng observed Jiang Chen¡¯s expression calmly, and continued: ¡°Later, as I got to know you more and more, I have to admit that you are indeed a very likable child, worthy of everyone¡¯s liking. And then I received this document envelope.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned to the last page of the results, paused for a moment, and gently placed the report on the table.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look surprised at all.¡± He Yanfeng said: ¡°Your mother and I were much more surprised than you when we got this report.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t hide it: ¡°There are too many similar coincidences, I had some guesses before.¡±


    He Yanfeng sat up straight, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Jiang Chen quietly: ¡°Then have you ever investigated it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The smile on He Yanfeng¡¯s face faded a little bit, and his tone became a little cryptic: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you check it out?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes: ¡°Why should I?¡±


    Two pairs of similar eyes faced each other, and the dust floating in the air also seemed to slow down, leaving only the sound of gentle breathing in the room.


    He Yanfeng chuckled lightly, crossed his legs, and leaned back: ¡°Before I thought, of my two sons, one seems to be steady and mature but lacks the ability to take on responsibility, while the other seems to be brash and flamboyant but actually shields himself up like a hedgehog. Why is it that not one of them has a personality like mine, but now I know, it turns out that isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Chen, you don¡¯t need to feel hostility towards me and your mother.¡± He Yanfeng smiled, with a bit of helplessness in his eyes: ¡°We are your biological parents, and the starting point for everything we do is out of love. I also respect you very much, so the first moment we knew about this, we didn¡¯t immediately go to the Jiangs to negotiate with your adoptive parents to get you back, but found a suitable time to tell you about it first. Then it¡¯s up to you to decide when to tell your adoptive parents.¡±


    Jiang Chen put the report back into the brown document envelope, and said calmly, ¡°Even if I say that I don¡¯t want to change my identity back for the time being, and I don¡¯t want you to publicize this matter, you will still follow my wishes?¡±


    ¡°We are willing to discuss it with you.¡± He Yanfeng smiled slightly: ¡°Find a time that both parties will think is suitable.¡±


    ¡°Half a year.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°I¡¯ll announce this after taking the college entrance examination.¡±


    Even though He Yanfeng thought that Jiang Chen would delay for a while in order to mentally prepare the Jiangs, he never thought that it would take half a year for Jiang Chen to open his mouth. Almost without thinking, he shook his head and said, ¡°That is not possible.¡±


    Worrying about Jiang Chen¡¯s misunderstanding, He Yanfeng quickly explained: ¡°Your identity is very important to the He family. The He family does not just consist of me and your mother, but also your uncles, aunts, and grandparents. Especially your grandparents. After they learned of your identity, they became very anxious to meet you. As your father, I can try my best to satisfy your request, but as their son, half a year is too long for the elderly.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t expect this to be the reason. Facing He Yanfeng¡¯s gentle and sincere eyes, he slightly pursed his lips, and said his reason: ¡°My mother will give birth in four months, I don¡¯t want her to suffer any shock during this period, and she is also giving birth at an advanced age, so she needs more care than other mothers during the post pregnancy period. If she learns of my identity, it will definitely be difficult for her to recover her health in peace.¡±


    He Yanfeng didn¡¯t expect Jiang Chen to bring up this reason for the half a year wait. He pondered for a moment, and said: ¡°Xiao Chen, I understand your worries and concerns, and I know that you have a deeply close relationship with your adoptive parents, but half a year is really too long. I will go back and discuss with your grandfather, and Dad cannot promise you what will happen in the end.¡±


    Hearing the last part of He Yanfeng¡¯s words, Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly. He paused for a moment, and pursed his lips before saying, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He Yanfeng had been observing Jiang Chen¡¯s expression, and seeing that he did not show any repulsion or resistance to his claim, the smile in his eyes deepened, and he said while the atmosphere was good: ¡°There is no need to say thank you between father and son. So long as it is not a crime, Dad will support you unconditionally.¡±


    The corners of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth slightly raised, but he didn¡¯t speak.


    He Yanfeng shook his leg, stood up and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go out and tell your younger brother about this. I imagine his expression will be very stunning later, maybe he will even jump up in surprise.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced over He Yanfeng¡¯s energetic expression, then stood up, thinking to himself: Unfortunately, He Yanfeng was doomed to be disappointed.

 CH 91

    As Jiang Chen expected, He Qianmin did not show the slightest surprise after hearing what He Yanfeng said.


    He tilted his head slightly, pretending to glance at Jiang Chen casually, and his clean voice couldn¡¯t hide his worry: ¡°Big Brother¡­..are you alright?¡±


    Jiang Chen threw an arm around He Qianmin¡¯s neck and pulled him his way, gently rubbed his head, and said with a smile, ¡°When did you find out?¡±


    Yang Yun and He Yanfeng were startled, and looked at the two brothers who were pressed close together.


    He Qianmin fell into Jiang Chen¡¯s chest. He raised his head, meeting his smiling eyes, and couldn¡¯t help but also grin.


    Yang Yun was dazed and puzzled. She took half a step forward, squatted by the sofa and asked, ¡°Qian Min, you know that Xiao Chen is your brother?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He Qianmin sat up straight, but his shoulders were still pressed close to Jiang Chen. After answering Yang Yun, he turned to look at Jiang Chen: ¡°Brother, does that mean you will always be with me from now on?¡±


    ¡°Accompany you all the time?¡± Jiang Chen raised his brows lightly, and a mischievous smile appeared in his eyes, ¡°You are such a grown boy, and you still act like a baby all day long and want your brother to accompany you. What if you find a girlfriend in the future?¡±


    ¡°Who is acting like a baby?¡± He Qianmin¡¯s ears turned red, and he said confidently: ¡°And finding a girlfriend and you accompanying me are not the same thing.¡±


    Jiang Chen stopped teasing him, and said with a smile: ¡°I will always be with you from now on.¡±


    Only then was He Qianmin satisfied, and raised his chin slightly, with an uncontrollable smile on the corners of his mouth.


    He Yanfeng pondered for a while, then asked, ¡°Did you go to see your Uncle Xiang?¡±


    He Qianmin smiled slightly, and glanced at Jiang Chen secretly. Seeing the other¡¯s realization, he breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°I took my brother¡¯s and my hair samples before, and went to Uncle Xiang for a DNA testing.¡±


    Yang Yun: ¡°When?¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°At the beginning of the month.¡±


    ¡°At the beginning of the month?¡± Yang Yun was slightly lost in thought.


    He Yanfeng quickly matched the time: ¡°When you ran away from home?¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    He Yanfeng continued to ask: ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± He Qianmin raised his chin, raised one corner of his mouth and said, ¡°My brother and I look so similar, anyone who has met us would say that we were brothers at first glance. Just look at this dimple, it¡¯s exactly the same.¡±


    ¡°Just because of this?¡± He Yanfeng laughed.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s more than that.¡± He Qianmin pursed his lips, and his tone was a little more mocking: ¡°I rely on the fact that no matter how you look at him, my brother looks like one our He family, and no matter how you look at him, He Qianjian doesn¡¯t look like he is your child.¡±


    He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows: ¡°Since you know, why didn¡¯t you let Uncle Xiang tell us.¡±


    ¡°My brother has such a good relationship with Uncle Jiang and Aunt Yang. What if I tell him and he doesn¡¯t want to come back to our family?¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°Anyway, no matter whether he comes back or not, I know he is my real brother.¡±


    ¡°By the way.¡± He Qianmin thought of something, and frowned suddenly: ¡°What about He Qianjian? Now that my brother is back, will he go back to the Jiang family?¡±


    He Yanfeng¡¯s amused smile that had been caused by He Qianmin¡¯s words froze, and then faded a little bit: ¡°Your brother¡¯s identity will likely not be disclosed for the time being, and He Qianjian will not leave our house until your brother¡¯s identity is revealed.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± He Qianmin frowned, his tone dissatisfied.


    ¡°I asked for it.¡± Jiang Chen said: ¡°My mother is pregnant now, so her emotions can¡¯t be stimulated. I hope to wait until after she has given birth and finished post-pregnancy recovery.¡±


    ¡°After giving birth¡­..¡± He Qianmin¡¯s brows relaxed a little, but he frowned again in an instant. He turned his head to look at Jiang Chen: ¡°Aunt Yang is only five months pregnant now, isn¡¯t it still half a year away?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly, and seeing He Qianmin¡¯s expression tensing instantly, put a hand on his shoulder: ¡°Are you angry?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He Qianmin pursed his lips tightly.


    Jiang Chen curved his lips upward: ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    The corner of He Qianmin¡¯s lips moved, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the smile in Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes, and he tightened his mouth again, turning his head away.


    He Yanfeng watched the interaction between his two sons with great interest before saying: ¡°I will pick you up after school tomorrow, and we will go back to the old family house together.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded agreeably: ¡°Okay.¡±


    He Qianmin nodded with his jaw tensed, paused for a moment, and then asked, ¡°Will He Qianjian go?¡±


    ¡°He must also know about this, and as the biological son of Xiao Chen¡¯s adoptive parents, he has the right to choose to return to his biological parents.¡± He Yanfeng looked at Jiang Chen: ¡°So whether to delay announcing your identities for half a year is also a matter of what He Qianjian chooses, Xiao Chen, can you understand?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What is there to discuss?¡± He Qianmin sneered: ¡°Don¡¯t mention a half-year postponement, He Qianjian should wish to postpone it for a lifetime. He has to go to school in a Bentley, drive a Maybach for an outing, and get a Bugatti for his coming-of-age gift. In his eyes, if the average per capita is less than 500, all are fast food restaurants, if a student in Chenghua has poor family conditions, talking to them would be the same as polluting his eyes, just this attitude¡ª¡ªdo you really think he wouldn¡¯t shamelessly choose to stay after he learns of this, but would instead ask to go back to the Jiang¡¯s?¡±


    He Yanfeng, ¡°You know him quite well?¡±


    He Qianmin curled his lips, ¡°If you go to Chenghua and talk to those in his class, you will know him better than me.¡±


    ¡°Qian Jian is indeed extravagant in some cases¡­..¡± Yang Yun didn¡¯t know whether she was comforting herself or persuading others: ¡°But after knowing this, if he wants to stay in the He family, the greater reason should be to be because of his feelings for us.¡±


    ¡°Mom, you think too much¡ª¡ª¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at He Qianmin, and He Qianmin shut up obediently. But thinking of something, he quietly pouted and turned his head to the other side.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He Yanfeng glanced at his watch: ¡°It¡¯s getting late, I¡¯ll send you back first, and your mother and I will pick you up after school tomorrow.¡±


    5:30 p.m. the next day.


    Jiang Chen and He Qianmin got into He Yanfeng¡¯s car again, and after driving for about an hour, the car stopped in front of a small red brick building with a sense of history.


    Old Mrs. He had been waiting in the gazebo in the garden since early in the morning. When she saw a car stopping in front of their house, she immediately sat up. Without waiting for the children next to her to help her, she quickly walked towards the entrance.


    Jiang Chen got out of the car and just managed to stand up straight when he was grabbed by a pair of warm hands: ¡°Is it cold? Come quickly to the gazebo with Grandma and drink some hot tea.¡±


    Jiang Chen met the old lady¡¯s kindly smiling face, paused, and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No need for thanks, my child.¡± Old Mrs. He took his hand with a smile, and chattered as they walked towards the gazebo: ¡°Why are you wearing so little clothes, your hands are cold, Grandma will get you a piece of your cousin¡¯s clothes for you later, you must not freeze and catch a cold, and it¡¯s the same for Min Min, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He Qianmin walked behind with his hands in his pockets, replying in a good mood, and then just watched Jiang Chen being dragged to the gazebo and pushed to sit down. No longer could he see the ease with which the other usually handled people before, his expression dazed from being dominated by his elders.


    There was a tea table in the center of the gazebo, and tea was being boiled on it. The white steam appeared misty in the cold air, and there were washed melons and fruits and refreshments on the table as well. He Yanjun lifted the teapot, placed a cup in front of Jiang Chen, and said mildly, ¡°Have some tea.¡±


    Faced with such a casual and flat tone, Jiang Chen was relieved instead. He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and drank the fragrant and mellow tea. At the same time as the warmth surged up, the bewilderment just now was also swept away.


    He Yanjun, seeing the young man on the opposite side possessing a calm and generous demeanor, nodded secretly in his heart, and when he raised his eyes, he asked, ¡°How is the tea?¡±


    Jiang Chen put down his teacup, raised his eyes and smiled slightly: ¡°I don¡¯t know much about tea, but this tea tastes sweet, so it should be good.¡±


    ¡°Your grandma made it for you specially.¡± He Yanjun said.


    Jiang Chen turned his head and said to the smiling elder next to him, ¡°Thank you Grandma.¡±


    ¡°Your hands are much warmer now.¡± Old Mrs. He took Jiang Chen¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°There is no need for thanks in our family. Grandma likes you so I made tea for you. If you are happy after drinking it, Grandma will be happy too.¡±


    He Qianmin drank his tea in one gulp, and asked, ¡°Grandma, where¡¯s He Qianyu? Don¡¯t they only have two classes in the afternoon in elementary school? Why don¡¯t I see her?¡±


    He Yanfeng and Yang Yun came over together, just in time to hear this question.


    Yang Yun said with a smile: ¡°The ballet troupe is having practice today, and Mom has already asked Uncle Wang to pick her up, so she should be here soon.¡±


    He Qianmin let out an ¡°oh¡± and nodded casually.


    He Yanya, who had been sitting at the end of the table, finally raised her head, glanced at Jiang Chen, and then asked, ¡°When will Qian Jian arrive?¡±


    ¡°He should be here soon.¡± He Yanfeng said mildly: ¡°I asked my assistant to pick him up.¡±


    He Yanya closed the notebook in her hand, and said calmly: ¡°Xiao Feng, even if Jiang Chen is your son, you have raised Qian Jian for eighteen years. You should think about whether it is appropriate to treat one more favorably than the other.¡±


    After the voice fell, the entire gazebo fell silent.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for lunch.¡± The auntie who came out wearing an apron broke the silence, ¡°The old gentleman wants me to tell you to come in.¡±


    He Qianmin stood up first, and walked to Jiang Chen¡¯s side: ¡°Brother, let¡¯s go in.¡±


    ¡°Sister.¡± He Yanfeng stood by the gazebo, stopped Yang Yun who was about to speak, and said, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t mean anything malicious, it¡¯s easy to be misunderstood if you say this in front of the children.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstand what?¡± He Yanya frowned slightly: ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Of course you are wrong.¡± He Qianmin said.


    He Yanya looked at He Qianmin: ¡°Then tell me, what did I say wrong?¡±


    ¡°You¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his hand, stopped He Qianmin¡¯s words, turned his head slightly to look at He Yanfeng, and said with a light smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t misunderstand what Aunt said, you are too nervous.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­..¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go in.¡± Old Mrs. He glared at He Yanya, holding He Qianmin with one hand and Jiang Chen with the other: ¡°Quickly, or your grandpa will come out to call you in person.¡±


    When Jiang Chen and the rest arrived at the living room, two cars, one in front and one in the back, also stopped in front of the old He family house.


    ¡°Elder Brother.¡± He Qianyu saw He Qianjian getting out of the car behind her, looked inside curiously, and said, ¡°Uncle picked you up today.¡±


    He Qianjian got out of the car, stood straight and looked at the brightly lit red brick house, without saying a word.


    He Qianyu had gotten used to He Qianjian¡¯s increasingly silent personality recently, so she picked up her small schoolbag, opened the iron door first and walked in.


    As soon as Jiang Chen entered the living room, he saw He Qianyu hopping in. She ran to the kitchen first, hugged her grandparents affectionately, then went to hug her uncle who was on the phone and her aunt who was working at the dining table. After provoking laughter from everyone, she dashed towards the living room.


    ¡°Mom and Dad!¡± He Qianyu ran in with open arms, and was about to throw herself into He Yanfeng¡¯s arms, but suddenly braked halfway and screamed, ¡°Brother Jiang Chen!¡± Then, like a baby swallow returning to the nest, all of a sudden she was burrowed into Jiang Chen¡¯s arms.


    He Yanya and He Yanjun, who were walking behind, were taken aback for a moment. They only knew that Jiang Chen and He Qianjian had mistakenly switched identities and would be exchanging their true identities back but they didn¡¯t know the rest of the story. It was already surprising that He Qianmin was so protective of Jiang Chen, and now seeing He Qianyu so close to Jiang Chen they couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other.


    He Yanjun asked: ¡°Xiao Bao, you know Jiang Chen?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± He Qianyu hugged Jiang Chen¡¯s neck and did not let go, pouted and glanced at He Qianmin who was on the other side, raised her chin and said, ¡°I like Brother Jiang Chen the most, if Brother Jiang Chen is my real brother then that would be the best!¡±


    After her voice fell, He Qianjian stepped into the living room, and there was silence.

 CH 92

    The air was quiet for a few seconds, and the sound of steady footsteps approaching from far away became audible. Jiang Chen followed the sound and saw old Mr. He approaching slowly.


    ¡°Are you all here?¡± Old Mr. He stopped by the decorative shelf at the junction of the living room and the middle hall, glanced at Jiang Chen and He Qianjian, and said calmly, ¡°Since you¡¯re all here, follow me to the study.¡±


    Yang Yun pulled He Yanfeng¡¯s hand subtly, and He Yanfeng said, ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t we eat first.¡±


    ¡°The rice is not cooked yet.¡± Old Mr. He turned around and said, ¡°We can eat after talking.¡±


    The most authoritative person in the He family spoke, and the other people in the living room could only follow upstairs one after another.


    He Qianjian grasped the shoulder strap of his schoolbag, his finger bones turning white, and he had to try a few times before stepping up the stairs. He could only hear footsteps of varying severity in his ears, and his mind buzzed.


    ¡°Qian Jian.¡± Yang Yun patted his shoulder lightly with worry, and asked softly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s mind was in a mess, and he couldn¡¯t hear the sounds from the outside world at all, only calling the system in his mind again and again.


    However, at least three minutes had passed since he saw Jiang Chen¡¯s appearance in the old family house, and the system still had not responded at all.


    Recently, the system often did not respond to his requests for exchanges, and every time he asked, it would say it was busy looking for vulnerabilities, and if he continued to press, it would evolve into a quarrel.


    ¡ª¡ªEvery time it was He Qianjian quarrelling one-sidedly, while the system would only be indifferent and unresponsive.


    He Qianjian didn¡¯t believe that there would be any vulnerabilities in the system at all. As the system itself said, it was a high-tech product from the future, possessing unimaginable powers, and in the plane where it resided it was the most perfect intelligent program. That being the case, how could it have vulnerabilities? If there was a vulnerability in its code, why had he never heard of it in the past ten years.


    All this just showed that the system might have grown tired of him and was slacking off passively.


    Thinking of what he might have to face next, He Qianjian gripped the shoulder strap of his schoolbag harder and harder, and even his face and scalp felt numb. He wanted to turn around and run, leaving here immediately, but his stiff and heavy legs could only climb up mechanically.


    ¡°Qian Jian, Qian Jian?¡± Seeing that He Qianjian¡¯s complexion was ugly and his hands were shaking, Yang Yun grabbed his arm and raised her voice, ¡°Qian Jian!¡±


    The people walking in front were all turned back by Yang Yun¡¯s suddenly raised voice, only to see He Qianjian suddenly raising his head, revealing a bloodless face with a pair of dark eyes without any light in them, and at first glance it was actually somewhat scary.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Old Mrs. He, who was closest to He Qianjian, stretched out her hand, felt cold sweat on He Qianjian¡¯s forehead, and said with distress, ¡°Why is your complexion so bad? Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± He Qianjian opened his mouth, looked through the familiar faces, and found Jiang Chen at the top of the stairs. He seemed to be talking to He Qianmin just now, and he glanced this way casually when he heard the movement behind him, before simply retracting his gaze indifferently.


    This expression, this look¡­..He Qianjian hadn¡¯t seen it for a long time.


    ¡ª¡ªLike an aloof god up high, he lacked the interest to even look at the ants under his feet.


    Scenes of memories that he thought he had forgotten rushed towards him like turbulent waves, as if a mountain was pressing down on him, making it difficult for him to even breathe.


    But what right did Jiang Chen have?


    He was the eldest son of the He family, he was the eldest grandson of the He family who had lived in the He family for eighteen years and was known and recognized by everyone!


    Did Jiang Chen want to take everything away from him? What right did he have?


    He Qianjian was breathing more and more heavily, and his anger surged layer upon layer. He looked at Jiang Chen as if he had killed his father and was his enemy.


    The He family saw He Qianjian¡¯s expression in their eyes, and their expressions shifted for a bit. The only ones whose expressions did not change were He Yanjun and Jiang Chen.


    ¡°Qian Jian¡­..¡± Yang Yun called him again, with a softer voice: ¡°Are you okay? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?¡±


    Having his arm pulled roughly, He Qianjian suddenly came back to his senses. The first moment his reason returned to his mind, the different expressions of the He family also entered his eyes.


    It was all over.


    This thought was the only one left in He Qianjian¡¯s mind.


    Seeing that He Qianjian was still in a daze, old Mrs. He touched his forehead again, feeling its coldness, and she couldn¡¯t help worrying: ¡°Da Bao has been acting a little bit strange since he came, could he be haunted by something?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, and the corners of his mouth twitched. Before he could speak, a sneer suddenly came from above: ¡°Putting aside the fact that there are no ghosts in this world, even if there were ghosts, they wouldn¡¯t dare to haunt him, so Grandma, you don¡¯t have to worry. ¡°


    He Yanjun patted He Qianmin¡¯s head lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore.¡±


    He Qianmin pursed his lips, but did not continue to speak in the end.


    But old Mrs. He believed in her own speculation.


    She had studied abroad for many years and respected the religious beliefs of various countries. When she was studying abroad, she would occasionally go to church with religious friends. After returning to China, she would also go to mountain temples to worship, but she did these more just for fun, she didn¡¯t really believe it. However, after knowing that the identities of Jiang Chen and He Qianjian were switched, her thinking changed drastically.


    After He Qianjian was discharged from the hospital, the words of the old Daoist priest who they met at the entrance of the hospital rang in her ears, everything he had said hd come true. Old Mrs. He just thought he was a charlatan before, but now she just wanted to know what the Daoist priest meant whe he said, ¡°There will be a catastrophe within three years¡±.


    He Yanya often went home in the past few days and heard the old lady¡¯s nagging a few times. When she saw the old lady¡¯s expression, she knew that her mother really felt that He Qianjian was haunted by something.


    But¡­..He Qianjian¡¯s expression just now was indeed strange. He Yanya suppressed the doubts in her heart, comforted her old mother and said: ¡°Mom, Qian Jian is probably just tired from a day of class, the course load in the third year of high school is heavy, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yang Yun answered, ¡°Qian Jian has been under a lot of pressure from his studies during this period, and he is often like this.¡±


    Just now He Qianjian thought on impulse about just pretending that he was really haunted by something to muddle through just now, but He Yanya¡¯s words made him sober. Over these years, in order to ingratiate himself to the He family it was like walking on thin ice, and he also knew the temperament of the He family very well.


    No one in the He family was easy to fool, moreover the system had been offline recently. His biggest backer now was old Mr. He and old Mrs. He. He must not try to lie to the old lady, otherwise once she came back to her senses, he would really have no foundation left in the He family.


    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine.¡± After thinking it over, He Qianjian smiled a little. He held the old lady¡¯s arm, and his voice was a little hoarse: ¡°I have been sleeping late during this time, and I had a fever as well a while ago. Maybe I haven¡¯t fully recovered yet, so I have been easily distracted recently.¡±


    ¡°A fever?¡± The old lady hastily touched He Qianjian¡¯s forehead: ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡±


    He Qianjian raised his eyes and looked upwards, his eyelashes lowering slightly, and his voice was very docile: ¡°It¡¯s much better now.¡±


    ¡°Drink more soup later, you lost so much weight.¡± The old lady said with distress: ¡°Even if you are a third year in high school, you have to pay attention to your health, Xiao Yang, you go back¡­..¡±


    ¡°What are you all doing on the stairs?¡± Old Mr. He interrupted old Mrs. He with a serious face, ¡°Hurry up already!¡±


    The study room was huge, and even with ten people standing or sitting, it didn¡¯t look crowded at all. Old Mr. He sat on a red sandalwood armchair, his imposing and calm eyes swept over the people present, and finally fell on He Qianjian, before saying slowly: ¡°I called you all back today because I have something important to say, Qian Jian.¡±


    He Qianjian met old Mr. He¡¯s gaze, and tried his best to control his facial expression, trying his best to look confused.


    Old Mr. He said: ¡°Because of a mistake, the identities of you and Jiang Chen had been switched. In fact, you are not a child of our He family, but the child of Jiang Chen¡¯s parents.¡±


    ¡°How, how is that possible?¡± He Qianjian¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment, and he said with disbelief: ¡°I¡¯m not the son of my parents? I don¡¯t believe it! Impossible, impossible, I can¡¯t not be the son of my parents, Grandpa, you are lying to me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The lines at the corners of old Mr. He¡¯s mouth deepened, he sighed silently and did not speak.


    ¡°Mom, Mom!¡± He Qianjian turned his head and grabbed Yang Yun¡¯s hand: ¡°Am I really not your son? I don¡¯t believe it, tell me this is not real.¡±


    Seeing He Qianjian¡¯s red eyes, Yang Yun felt her heart clench a little: ¡°Even if you return to Jiang¡¯s, you are still Mom¡¯s child.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± He Qianjian looked at He Yanjun and He Yanya: ¡°Uncle, Aunt, tell me, i this true!?¡±


    He Yanjun and He Yanya glanced at each other, feeling a little unbearable.


    He Qianmin moved closer to Jiang Chen¡¯s ear, and said in a low voice, ¡°He can¡¯t perform as well as he usually can today, his expression looks like he¡¯s choking on mustard.¡±


    Jiang Chen was a little surprised at He Qianjian¡¯s quick response at first, but now hearing He Qianmin¡¯s words, and seeing He Qianjian¡¯s open mouth and red eyes, he couldn¡¯t hold back the silent smile on his lips.


    He Qianjian was brewing tears at first, but catching sight of Jiang Chen¡¯s brief smile, hatred flashed across his face. Before anyone noticed, he quickly lowered his head and murmured: ¡°So it¡¯s like this¡­..no wonder Jiang Chen always shows up at our house, no wonder he could make Qian Min and Qian Yu like him so quickly, no wonder he is better than me in everything¡­..I actually didn¡¯t know anything before, it¡¯s normal for you to not want me because of him, who told me to be unable to compare to him¡­..¡±


    ¡°Da Bao, come to Grandma.¡± Old Mrs. He grabbed He Qianjian¡¯s hand, pulled him close with distress and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as long as Grandma is here, no one can drive you out. Don¡¯t be afraid, Grandma will protect you.¡±


    He Qianjian whimpered and lay down in the arms of old Mrs. He, crying loudly.


    After He Qianjian finished speaking, He Qianmin¡¯s expression became very ugly. Seeing that he was crying so falsely, he stepped forward to speak. Jiang Chen sensed his intention, grabbed his arm without a trace, and shook his head lightly at him.


    Old Mr. He saw everything with his eyes, sighed in his heart, and said in a deep voice: ¡°Alright, what is there to cry about, you are already eighteen, and you can¡¯t even bear this setback?¡±


    He Qianjian remembered that cowardice and fragility was what the old gentleman hated the most, and his body stiffened. His eyes were red when he looked up, and he said in a hoarse voice: ¡°Grandpa, I was just too upset just now, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Have you calmed down now?¡±


    He Qianjian nodded, his trembling voice making it hard to believe that he had indeed calmed down, but old Mr. He seemed to be unable to see it, and said lightly: ¡°Then let¡¯s get down to business. Since you two had your identities wrongly switched, then it must be changed back. Our He family knows about this matter, but the Jiang family probably doesn¡¯t know about it, so we need to find a time to discuss this matter with the Jiang family, when do you two think is the most appropriate?¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s voice was tense: ¡°I will listen to Grandpa.¡±


    Old Mr. He looked at Jiang Chen, and Jiang Chen looked at him calmly and said, ¡°Grandpa, I have already discussed with my father, and I hope to tell my parents about this in half a year.¡±


    He Qianjian raised his head abruptly, almost unable to hide the surprise and joy on his face. He Yanjun and He Yanya were also very surprised, they didn¡¯t expect Jiang Chen to push the time so far back.


    ¡°Half a year?¡± Old Mr. He¡¯s expression darkened, and his eyes carried the imposing and oppressive aura of one being in a high position for so long: ¡°Give me your reason.¡±


    ¡°My mom is pregnant.¡± Jiang Chen looked at him, and said without avoiding his eyes, ¡°I can¡¯t let her emotions be stimulated.¡±


    Old Mr. He stared at him closely, and after a while, he looked at He Qianjian, and said in a deep voice, ¡°What do you think about delaying returning to the Jiangs for half a year?¡±


    He Qianjian secretly scolded Jiang Chen as an idiot, and suppressed the sudden ecstasy in his heart. He pretended to hesitate for a moment, and then murmured: ¡°It is true that older pregnant women cannot be stimulated, Grandpa, I have no objection.¡±


    ¡°You have no objection?¡± Old Mr. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and said in a cryptic way: ¡°You don¡¯t have any thoughts about when to recognize your biological parents?¡±


    He Qianjian froze, and recalling that old Mr. He didn¡¯t like people who had no opinions, so he decided to take a gamble: ¡°I want to stay in the He family! Just like Jiang Chen has no feelings for the He family, I have never met the Jiang family. I also have no feelings for them, so as long as I can stay by your side longer, even for one more day, I am willing.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that you won¡¯t recognize us anymore when you go back to the Jiangs?¡± Old Mr. He¡¯s eyes were dark, and seeing the anxiety hidden in He Qianjian¡¯s eyes, he sighed deeply in his heart, raised his hand and said, ¡°You all go out first, I¡¯ll talk to Jiang Chen alone.¡±


    When there were only two people left in the study, old Mr. He softened his tone: ¡°Tell me what you think.¡±


    ¡°My mom has finally conceived a second child. I don¡¯t want her to be stimulated in any way. This child is one our family has been looking forward to for a long time. I hope you can understand.¡±


    Looking into the young man¡¯s clean and clear eyes, old Mr. He said in a deep voice: ¡°Have you ever thought that you are also the child your parents had been looking forward to for a long time, and now knowing that their own flesh and blood is unwilling to recognize them, won¡¯t they be sad as well?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips, remained silent for a while, and then said, ¡°I will try my best to make it up to them.¡±


    Old Mr. He shook his head. He and Jiang Chen had only met twice, but at this age, he also had some experience in judging people. Jiang Chen seemed gentle and polite, but in fact he was simply hiding the distance and aloofness within him. To put it bluntly, this child was not one to be moved or persuaded by either soft or hard methods.


    The emotional card could not be played, and other aspects were equally difficult to use. Jiang Chen himself was excellent enough, so even without the He family¡¯s money, power and status, just him alone was enough to let himself stand in a higher position than even the He family. And his only weakness was his adoptive parents. If something happened to them because of the He family, he was afraid that not only would their biological child be unable to be recognized back, instead there would even be enmity and hatred.


    Old Mr. He said: ¡°I can promise you that I will tell your parents your true identity after half a year, but during these six months, you have to come back here for two meals a month, and after disclosing your identity, you must change your surname back to He.¡±


    Jiang Chen pondered for a moment, then nodded, ¡°Okay.¡±

 CH 93

    ¡°Boss, we have checked all of Li De¡¯s monitoring. We have also screened the people who are on the scientific research floor and the people in the lobby that day. No suspicious people were found.¡±


    ¡°Have the people in the monitoring room been investigated fully?¡±


    ¡°We interrogated the people who were on duty in the monitoring room that day, and there were no inconsistencies or signs of strangeness, and we also monitored their recent accounts, and no one has received any suspicious payments.¡±


    ¡°Everything is normal¡­..¡± The bearded man wiped his face vigorously, and when he put his hand down, he slammed it on the table suddenly, shocking everyone in the conference room. He raised his voice while slamming the table: ¡°If everything is normal, then did the suspect possess clairvoyance and can see through walls? Huh?!¡±


    The meeting room was silent, and the several people looked at each other, not daring to set him off further.


    ¡°Huh?!¡± The bearded man slammed the table and said, ¡°I am asking you a question? Does the suspect have clairvoyance or can he see through walls! Tell me!¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡±


    The bearded man turned his head quickly, and the policeman shrank his neck and closed his mouth.


    ¡°But what?¡± The bearded man walked up to him, put his hands on the back of his chair, and said, ¡°Tell me, tell me what you are about to say.¡±


    The policeman swallowed, lowered his head and remained silent.


    ¡°Speak!¡±


    ¡°But there is really nothing abnormal!¡± The policeman raised his head and said, ¡°Boss, we can¡¯t arrest people randomly.¡±


    The bearded man threw the documents in his hand and was about to get angry when a small voice said: ¡°Actually, I think there is something suspicious, but I can¡¯t find the connection between it and the victim being targeted¡­..¡±


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°When we went to check the monitoring that day, in order to check more clearly whether someone had installed monitoring equipment in Li De in advance, we went ahead and checked for a few days, and found that there was a boy who was very suspicious¡­..¡±


    ¡°Boy?¡± The bearded man paused, ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°The boy is about seventeen to twenty years old. He was well-dressed in clothes that looked very expensive! I saw that coat on him when I was shopping with my girlfriend before. Do you know how much it is? Six Digits! Six digits, tsk tsk¡­..¡±


    The bearded man frowned and said, ¡°Get to the point!¡±


    ¡°That boy looked like a child of a rich family. At first we thought he might be a child of a higher-up in Li De who came to the company to find them, so we didn¡¯t pay much attention. Later, we found that he took the elevator to the 22nd floor. After going out for less than a minute, he went back to the elevator and went down.¡±


    ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think much about it at the time. I thought it might be because the person he was looking for was not there, so he went back, but there happened to be a security guard on duty on the day we checked the surveillance. He said that he saw a very miraculous scene, which involved that boy.¡± The policeman who spoke recalled: ¡°The security guard said that the boy came in with a bouquet of flowers, because he bought a bouquet of flowers that was exactly the same for his wife the day before, so he took a closer look, but who knew that when the boy came out on the 22nd floor, the flowers were gone!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± One person asked, ¡°He gave away the flowers within a minute?¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid!¡± Another person said: ¡°He is saying that the boy hadn¡¯t even got out of the elevator when the flowers disappeared!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The policeman who spoke first said, ¡°The security guard also said that he saw the flowers disappear out of thin air with his own eyes. In order to prove that it was not a trick of the eye, he watched the surveillance many times and found that the flowers really did disappear out of thin air in such an inexplicable way.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Everyone concentrated their thoughts: ¡°Did you watch the surveillance too?¡±


    ¡°I was curious too!¡± The policeman who spoke shook his head: ¡°I asked the security guard to show me the monitoring of that day, and he said that after he went to work the next day, he found that the monitoring had changed. The boy was still in the elevator, but the flowers in his hand were gone, and the monitoring content is what we saw. The boy reached the 22nd floor, and then went down again less than a minute after going out, no flowers in sight from beginning to end.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Someone snorted, ¡°That security guard must be making it up.¡±


    ¡°I also thought he was lying to me at first, and warned him that if he talks nonsense while we are investigating the case, he would be legally responsible, but he insisted that he saw it right. I don¡¯t think he was lying, so I played back the surveillance a few times with him. After watching the boy¡¯s hand movements ten times, I found that he must have been holding something in his hand at that time, because normal people¡¯s hands don¡¯t relax like this, but when holding something, there will be a grasping movement.¡± The policeman who spoke while raising his hand and made a gesture of grabbing something: ¡°His gesture at that time was a typical appearance of grabbing onto something, so I asked the people in the technical department to analyze the surveillance, and the people in the technical department told me that there are indeed traces of deletion in the monitoring, but the deletion was done very carefully, and would not be found out without careful analysis.¡±


    Listening to his words, the people present were puzzled and said, ¡°That boy just had a bouquet of flowers, why bother to go to the trouble of deleting the monitoring?¡±


    The policeman who spoke first was also very confused: ¡°I couldn¡¯t find any relationship between him and the suspect, so I didn¡¯t say anything at the beginning.¡±


    ¡°At a time like this, any suspiciousness must be investigated.¡± The bearded man asked, ¡°Did you check the identity of that boy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve checked.¡± The policeman who spoke said, ¡°We asked the front desk. The boy is He Qianjian, the son of the boss of Tu Nan Group. He went to Li De that day to find an intern on the 22nd floor. We also confirmed it. There is indeed a female intern who knew He Qianjian, but she said that He Qianjian left without seeing her that day.¡±


    The bearded man knocked on the table and muttered, ¡°The He family¡­..¡±


    ¡°The He family is one of the people who called to ask about the progress of the investigation.¡± One policeman said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then He Qianjian should know Jiang Chen. The two are about the same age. Could they be friends?¡±


    The policeman who spoke first said: ¡°I went to investigate in private, and found that He Qianjian and Jiang Chen don¡¯t have much contact with each other. On the contrary, Jiang Chen has a very good relationship with his younger brother He Qianmin. Everyone knows, and it may be because of this reason that Jiang Chen has a good relationship with the He family, but his relationship with He Qianjian is just average.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why the He family got involved? It turned out to be this kind of relationship.¡± A policeman said: ¡°If you ask me, this Jiang Chen is quite well-connected, he is just an ordinary high school student, but something happened to him and there are quite a lot of people backing him, and each one is more of a bigwig than the other.¡±


    ¡°I actually think his identity is definitely not simple. The He family may have got involved because of his relationship with He Qianmin. The Li family because of his cooperation with Li De. But what about the Shi family?¡±


    The bearded man knocked on the table: ¡°Don¡¯t talk about things that have nothing to do with the case, get back to the point!¡±


    The young policeman suggested: ¡°Boss, why don¡¯t we go to the He family and ask, and we¡¯ll know right away.¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid!¡± The policeman sitting next to him said: ¡°You don¡¯t have any evidence, and just go knocking at their door and say you¡¯re here to investigate a case, and the subject you are even investigating is the eldest young master of the He family, are you not afraid of being¡­..¡±


    ¡°What is there to be afraid of!¡± The bearded man interrupted him: ¡°You contact Jiang Chen, I will contact the He family, and we¡¯ll go ask questions now.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± The young policeman was surprised: ¡°But it¡¯s almost eight o¡¯clock now.¡±


    The bearded man zipped up his police uniform and said as he walked, ¡°Jiang Chen and He Qianjian are both students. Only at this time can we find them. Stop talking nonsense and make the call.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Yang Yun picked up two pieces of mutton, put them in Jiang Chen¡¯s and He Qianjian¡¯s bowls, and said with a smile, ¡°Eating mutton in winter is the best way to keep your body warm. Now that it is the third year of high school, you have to pay special attention to your nutrition.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his chopsticks and was about to speak when a pair of chopsticks came across from the side, blocking his chopsticks. He Qianmin¡¯s displeased voice sounded: ¡°Mom, my brother is allergic to mutton and cannot eat mutton.¡±


    Yang Yun was taken aback, and quickly took out the piece of mutton: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom didn¡¯t know you are allergic to mutton.¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and smiled: ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    He Qianmin got up: ¡°How is it okay, I¡¯ll go and change a bowl of rice for you.¡±


    Old Mrs. He smiled and said: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that your father didn¡¯t inherit this aspect from your grandfather, but you ended up inheriting it. He used to be the only one who could only watch and not eat mutton at the table, but now there is one more person to accompany him.¡±


    ¡°Besides the allergy to mutton, is there anything else you can¡¯t eat, Xiao Chen?¡± Yang Yun said, ¡°Tell Mom, and Mom will avoid these dishes in the future.¡±


    ¡°Only mutton.¡± Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°I can eat everything else.¡±


    ¡°Then besides braised meatballs, what else do you particularly like?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± Just as he started talking, Jiang Chen¡¯s cell phone rang, and he got up slightly: ¡°I¡¯ll take this call first.¡±


    Just as Jiang Chen left the dining table, He Yanfeng¡¯s cell phone also rang. He glanced at the caller ID, and a trace of surprise flashed across his eyes. He got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll answer the call too.¡±


    After leaving the dining room, He Yanfeng connected the call. After hearing what was said on the other line, he frowned slightly. Before he could respond, he heard Jiang Chen¡¯s voice not far away.


    He Yanfeng raised his brows slightly: ¡°Your people are also calling Jiang Chen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with him now, and I¡¯ll send you the address later, so you can come here directly.¡±


    Jiang Chen hung up the phone, turned around and saw He Yanfeng standing not far away. He also heard He Yanfeng¡¯s words just now, so he asked, ¡°You had Capt. Yu and the others come directly to the old family house?¡±


    ¡°He said he wanted to ask you and He Qianjian something.¡± He Yanfeng said, ¡°When he finishes asking, I¡¯ll take you back to the Jiangs.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, saw the thoughtful look in He Yanfeng¡¯s eyes, and asked, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    He Yanfeng shook his head, put his hands on Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulders, and said with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, let¡¯s go in and eat.¡±


    The doorbell rang just as dinner was over.


    The bearded man was dressed in casual clothes, and walked in with the young policeman, following behind the He family¡¯s helper auntie. Seeing the big family sitting on the sofas in the lobing room, and Jiang Chen who blended into them without seeming out of place at all, he paused briefly before saying, ¡°CEO He, I¡¯m Yu Fei who just called you, we¡¯re here to inquire and investigate on a case.¡±


    He Yanfeng stood up and shook hands with him: ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°What inquiry?¡± Yang Yun said, ¡°Investigate what?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mrs. He.¡± The young policeman took out his ID and said, ¡°We are the investigation team responsible for the deliberate attack in Chengyang Square, and we are here now to ask Jiang Chen and He Qianjian questions for the investigation.¡±


    Yang Yun was puzzled: ¡°Then why are you looking for Qian Jian?¡±


    ¡°We discovered that He Qianjian appeared in Li De Building the day before Jiang Chen¡¯s incident. We found some abnormalities through the surveillance video, so we came here to investigate.¡±


    Old Mr. He glanced at He Qianjian, then his gaze fell on the young policeman, and his tone was cryptic: ¡°You mean you are suspecting that Qian Jian has something to do with the suspect behind the attack on Jiang Chen?¡±


    ¡°This¡­..¡± The young policeman was soaked in cold sweat under old Mr. He¡¯s oppressive gaze, and he couldn¡¯t speak for a moment.


    The bearded man was neither humble nor overbearing: ¡°Mr. He, we came here to make the case clear as soon as possible, and we have not confirmed the suspicion of He Qianjian. It is just a routine investigation now. I hope you can cooperate.¡±


    The atmosphere froze for a moment, and just when Yu Fei thought old Mr. He would not agree, old Mr. He raised his eyes halfway and said, ¡°Ask your questions, but ask them here.¡±


    The young policeman glanced at the bearded man, hesitant.


    ¡°Okay.¡± The bearded man looked at Jiang Chen, sat down in front of him and said, ¡°Student Jiang Chen, as far as I know, although you and He Qianjian are not in the same school, you two still have a competitive relationship. May I ask if there is any conflict between you two?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°There is no direct conflict.¡±


    ¡°Then can I understand this as there being non-direct conflict.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen and I have barely met a few times, how could there be any conflict¡± He Qianjian suppressed his beating heart, pretending to be calm and smiled: ¡°Mr. Police, you are checking in the wrong direction.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking Jiang Chen now.¡± The bearded man said without expression, ¡°Please wait until it is your turn.¡±


    He Qianjian gritted his teeth, squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°But¡­..¡±


    He Qianmin interrupted him coldly: ¡°My brother hasn¡¯t even spoken yet, why are you rushing to defend yourself here, are you feeling guilty?¡±


    Old Mrs. He patted He Qianjian¡¯s hand, comforting him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of things you haven¡¯t done, it¡¯s okay, Grandma is here.¡±


    The bearded man withdrew his gaze, looked at Jiang Chen again, and repeated the question he had just asked.


    The smile on Jiang Chen¡¯s face faded a little, and he said lightly, ¡°Yes.¡±

 CH 94

    He Qianjian¡¯s gaze changed suddenly. He sat forward and was about to speak, the excuse already on the tip of his tongue when he caught a glimpse of He Yanfeng¡¯s expression from the corner of his eye. And as if a basin of cold water was poured on his head, he regained his senses, and sat stiffly, lips pressing tightly close.


    Yu Fei took in the expressions of the He family members, and at the same time he was relieved, he also had some doubts. He suppressed the suspicion in his eyes, and said calmly: ¡°Then, can you tell me about the conflict between you two?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping mildly over He Qianjian¡¯s stiff expression and clenched jaw.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± He curved his lip upwards lightly, but then quickly lowered it, and said softly: ¡°Does Officer Yu want me to start from the beginning or give a brief summary.¡±


    ¡°From the beginning, the more detailed the better.¡± Yu Fei glanced at the He family and asked, ¡°Do you need to find a separate room?¡±


    ¡°No need, the He family should also know about this.¡± Jiang Chen pondered for a moment, then slowly said: ¡°In June 2000, I witnessed a car accident on Beiguang Middle Road. A truck collided with a small car, there were no other pedestrians on the street, so I pulled out the driver of the car and the two boys inside by myself.¡±


    After hearing Jiang Chen¡¯s first words, the He family members¡¯ attention sharpened. When he mentioned the time and place, the expressions of the He family members changed suddenly, so He Qianjian¡¯s sudden shift in expression didn¡¯t seem so out of place.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t seem to notice the sudden change in the He family¡¯s expression. He patted He Qianmin¡¯s knee lightly and continued, ¡°The last boy I pulled out was the youngest and the most seriously injured. I originally wanted to wait until the ambulance arrived, but at that time there was an urgent matter regarding my family and I was in a hurry, so I entrusted him to the passers-by who appeared later, and left first.¡±


    Yu Fei glanced at He Qianjian thoughtfully, withdrew his gaze and nodded, signaling Jiang Chen to continue.


    Jiang Chen: ¡°About a week after the car accident, my friend found out that someone was following me and before the day of the high school entrance exam, someone hit me with a bicycle.¡±


    Yu Fei said, ¡°How can you be sure that person was following you?¡±


    ¡°He admitted it himself.¡± Jiang Chen replied lightly, ¡°From the day of the car accident, he has been secretly following me for nearly three years.¡±


    ¡°Three and a half years?¡± The young policeman asked: ¡°You can report this kind of situation, and why didn¡¯t you mention it when we asked you about any abnormal signs around you?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m sure he has nothing to do with this incident.¡± Jiang Chen said: ¡°And I only found out about him following me this semester, I didn¡¯t know about it before.¡±


    ¡°Why did he hit you? Was it related to the car accident you witnessed?¡± Yu Fei grasped the key point instantly.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes fell on He Qianjian, whose forehead was already dripping with cold sweat. He paused for two seconds, then withdrew his gaze and said, ¡°Because I was going to the hospital to see the injured little boy before I was hit by him.¡±


    Yu Fei hit the nail on the head: ¡°You mean that the person who was following you injured you in order to prevent you from going to the hospital.¡±


    The young policeman couldn¡¯t hold back his words, and quickly asked, ¡°Why? Is there something strange about that car accident?¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at the expressions of everyone in the He family, and finally landed on He Qianjian: ¡°It¡¯s not just strange, it¡¯s even supernatural.¡± He didn¡¯t keep them waiting long, and continued: ¡°Before the car accident happened, I had already noticed that arriving car, the car was driving south, and the older boy was sitting behind the driver, but after the accident, he appeared in the seat behind the co-passenger, and the boy in the seat behind the driver became the little boy I rescued last.¡±


    Yang Yun¡¯s expression changed drastically, and she looked at He Qianjian suddenly. He Yanfeng held her hand tightly, shook his head slightly at her, and stopped what she wanted to say.


    In fact, the shock in his heart was no less than that of his wife. Although he had received the surveillance video from Jiang Chen before, even though he had doubts about the car accident that year, before Jiang Chen told the situation in person as a witness, he still held the hope that all this might be just a misunderstanding. However, Jiang Chen¡¯s words were like a blow to the head, completely waking him up.


    Not only did He Yanfeng feel a blow to the head, but He Qianjian also felt dizzy as if he had been bludgeoned in the head as well. He never expected that Jiang Chen would tell this matter in front of the He family and the police at this time. He lowered his head and did not dare to raise his eyes, for fear of seeing the cold and hateful eyes of the He family.


    At this moment, the only thing he could do was call the system over and over again in his mind.


    Probably sensing his urgency, the system finally responded this time.


    [What is it?]


    The cold electronic voice mixed with a staticy current was like heavenly music to his ears, and He Qianjian¡¯s tense nerves relaxed a little. He was afraid that the system would ignore him again, so he didn¡¯t talk nonsense and didn¡¯t dare to complain at all, just quickly relayed the whole situation.


    The system didn¡¯t speak for a while after hearing this, and He Qianjian anxiously called in his mind: [System? System! Are you still here?]


    At this moment, Yu Fei who digested the information continued to ask: ¡°Are you sure that you saw correctly?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen said: ¡°The car accident happened in an instant, and the boys in the back seat were both wearing seat belts. It is impossible to have the time to quickly switch positions and then fasten their seat belts again. When I rescued them, their seat belts were still fastened, I remember this clearly.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± The young policeman didn¡¯t believe it: ¡°You must have been mistaken.¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t mistaken.¡± He Qianmin lowered his eyes and said calmly, ¡°I was the little boy who was in the car accident at that time.¡±


    The young policeman was stunned for a moment, and looked at Yu Fei in a daze.


    Yu Fei had already seen something from the expressions of the He family members, so he was not surprised to hear He Qianmin¡¯s words at this time, and in a flash of insight he latched onto the key point: ¡°The older boy was He Qianjian?¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head slightly and looked at He Qianjian.


    Yu Fei and the young policeman followed his gaze. He Qianjian had his head lowered and no one could see his expression clearly, as if he didn¡¯t know that everyone was looking at him.


    Just when the young policeman thought that He Qianjian was guilty, he slowly raised his head, looked straight at Jiang Chen and said, ¡°You were indeed the one who rescued me and Qian Min back then, I am very grateful to you, but I don¡¯t know whether you remember wrong or there are other reasons for saying this? I am just an ordinary person. I can neither predict the car accident nor change places with others in an instant. If I really have this ability, won¡¯t I be Superman?¡± He laughed self-deprecatingly, looked at Yu Fei and said, ¡°If you doubt me, I can accept an interrogation, and I am willing to cooperate even if I am sent to the laboratory for tests. Right now I don¡¯t have any evidence that I didn¡¯t do it so I can only prove to everyone that I really am a normal person.¡±


    Yu Fei said: ¡°We¡¯re just here to inquire and investigate, we aren¡¯t here to arrest people for tests. Can we continue?¡± The last part was directed at Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen nodded, ignoring the complicated looks of the people in the living room, and briefly talked about Sun Zhi threatening Zhang Zhipeng in the second semester of his second year, Sun Zhi leading his cronies to block him outside the alley, and the conflict that happened at the skating rink during the summer vacation. ¡°Sun Zhi was afraid of being expelled by the school, so he went to me directly, and used what He Qianjian told him to do as a bargaining chip, asking me to intercede for him in front of the school leaders.¡±


    ¡°All those things were ordered by He Qianjian?¡±


    He Qianmin turned his head to look at He Qianjian, hooked up one corner of his mouth and said, ¡°I was also there when Sun Zhi said this, and all the text messages he sent and received on his mobile phone are there. We backed them up just in case, I know you are very cautious, you have been using another mobile phone to contact Sun Zhi, but we still found your IP, do we need to show it to you?¡±


    Facing He Qianmin¡¯s mocking look, He Qianjian tried his best to hide his ugly expression.


    He dared to imply that the truth of the car accident was slander by Jiang Chen and He Qianmin, because the system told him that even if Jiang Chen and the others insisted on it being the truth they could not find any evidence. And this was indeed the case, but he couldn¡¯t guarantee that Sun Zhi did not leave any evidence behind or whether Jiang Chen had actually traced his IP.


    Although the system was in his head, it did not obey his orders unconditionally, and because of the restrictions of the system rules, the system would only take action when he used the exchange and optimal selection functions. For a period of time, He Qianjian and Sun Zhi had to make contact almost every day, and it was impossible to order the system to hide his IP every time, so he had to find a way to buy a phone card that claimed to hide information from the black market and then contact Sun Zhi.


    Seeing that He Qianjian remained silent, He Qianmin snorted coldly: ¡°You aren¡¯t going to say that this is evidence that my brother and I forged to frame you, right?¡±


    He Qianjian asked in panick: [What should I do?]


    System: [Admit to it.]


    [Admit to it?!] He Qianjian screamed in his mind: [If I admit to it then I can¡¯t stay in the He family any longer!]


    [I already said earlier not to do these useless things.] The system said coldly: [With me here, you can become an elite anywhere, why must you stay in the He family.]


    [I must stay in the He family!] He Qianjian gritted his teeth and said: [I exchanged these things with Jiang Chen, and they are mine after the exchange. Why should he take them back.]


    [Then admit to it.] Seemingly knowing that He Qianjian would refute, the system quickly continued: [You just need to admit what happened after the entrance exam.]


    He Qianjian pondered for a long time, and suddenly realized: [Sun Zhi lost his mobile phone in his first year of high school, and his current mobile phone was bought later, and there is no evidence that I asked him to follow Jiang Chen.]


    He Qianjian looked at Jiang Chen with a shamed look on his face: ¡°I admit that I didn¡¯t do well in the practice college entrance exam before, so I asked Sun Zhi to make trouble for you on the spur of the moment, and later on at the skating rink because I was worried about the final exam results, so I started a fight with you, I was too narrow-minded, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t admit that Sun Zhi followed you, including him hitting you with a bicycle, was on my order. You were also my savior at that time. It¡¯s not possible that I would stop you from coming to the hospital to see Qian Min and me.¡± He Qianjian said with an honest expression: ¡°I admit to everything I have done, and I know I was wrong, but I cannot admit to what I have not done.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes in surprise, and He Qianmin gave him an expression that said ¡°I had expected this¡±. It was at this moment that Jiang Chen knew why the He family hadn¡¯t seen the slightest flaw in He Qianjian¡¯s lies for so many years, because he was too well versed in mixing lies with truth. He Qianmin was right, He Qianjian¡¯s acting skills in the study before were really not as good as they were now.


    Yu Fei suddenly asked: ¡°The day before Jiang Chen¡¯s accident, what were you doing with flowers at Li De Building?¡±


    ¡°I went to find¡ª¡ª¡± The system¡¯s voice suddenly sounded in his mind, He Qianjian¡¯s voice paused, and then he continued naturally: ¡°A friend of mine, but I didn¡¯t bring any flowers that day, and that girl is also a friend of my fianc¨¦e. It¡¯s not possible that I would bring flowers to a friend of my fianc¨¦e.¡±


    Yu Fei said: ¡°But someone saw you bring a bouquet of flowers into the elevator that day, and when you got off, it disappeared.¡±


    He Qianjian said: ¡°That person must have been mistaken. It isn¡¯t possible that I would bring flowers to my fianc¨¦e¡¯s friend.¡±


    Yu Fei stared closely at He Qianjian¡¯s expression, then looked away. He nodded to old Mr. He and said, ¡°Then that¡¯s all for our inquiry today, excuse us.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to ask Qian Jian questions?¡± Old Mr. He said asked mildly.


    ¡°We already know what we need to know.¡± Yu Fei stood up: ¡°I¡¯ve bothered Mr. He today, and I will visit and apologize for the offense in a few days.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Old Mr. He waved his hand and said, ¡°As if I don¡¯t know what kind of kid you are, just go.¡±


    Yu Fei smiled, and with the surprised look on the young policeman¡¯s face, he said goodbye to the He family and left the old house.


    On the car back to the police station, the young policeman couldn¡¯t hold back his curiosity, and asked, ¡°Boss, was this trip wasted? Why do I feel like we didn¡¯t find anything?¡±


    While driving, Yu Fei asked calmly in response, ¡°Which of them do you think was telling the truth?¡±


    ¡°I think what they said all seem to be true, but the car accident part is indeed rather supernatural. I don¡¯t really believe that anyone can switch their positions with others in an instant, but the surveillance video that Xiao Liu mentioned is also quite supernatural, and all of these supernatural things showed up on the same person. Even if it¡¯s a coincidence¡­..¡± The young policeman leaned over and said, ¡°What about you? Boss, who do you think was telling the truth?¡±


    ¡°There are clues hidden behind everything that appears unreasonable, and uncovering those clues will bring the truth.¡± Yu Fei curled his lips and said, ¡°Send someone to watch He Qianjian. I want to see if he really does possess abilities beyond that of ordinary people.¡±

 CH 95

    After Yu Fei and the young policeman left, the atmosphere in the He family house became solemn. Old Mr. He glanced over at He Qianjian and Jiang Chen, and said to He Yanfeng and Yang Yun, ¡°Follow me to the study.¡±


    After old Mr. He left, the atmosphere in the living room was not much more relaxed either. He Qianjian was restless as he endured the eyes of everyone present. While discussing countermeasures with the system in his mind, he racked his brains to find a way to save the situation.


    He decided to start with the old Mrs. He who loved him the most: ¡°Grandma, I know I was wrong, please don¡¯t be angry with me, okay?¡±


    Before old Mrs. He could speak, He Yanya took the lead and said, ¡°Jiang Chen is the one you should apologize for in this matter.¡±


    ¡°Your aunt is right, you should apologize to Xiao Chen.¡± Old Mrs. He pulled out her hand that was held by He Qianjian, and the smile also disappeared from her always smiling face.


    He Qianjian turned his head to look at Jiang Chen, struggle and humiliation visible in his eyes, and he could not utter a word for a long time.


    Jiang Chen raised his wrist and looked at his watch, got up and said goodbye to the elders: ¡°It¡¯s getting late, I should go back.¡± As if he didn¡¯t see He Qianjian finally opening his mouth, his tone calm and polite.


    He Qianjian froze, looked up at Jiang Chen, and clenched his back teeth secretly.


    ¡°Xiao Chen, how about¡­..¡±


    He Yanjun interrupted old Mrs. He: ¡°I¡¯ll send you back.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    After arriving home, Jiang Chen immediately turned on the computer, and Changjiang made a routine report:


    ¡°Dylan, the database has been automatically improved to 37.128%. The estimated time to reach 99% is twelve months. The last 1% needs to be improved manually, and the estimated time is forty-five months.¡±


    ¡°Task target implantation progress.¡± Jiang Chen turned on another computer, tapped his fingers on the keyboard quickly, and at the same time as lines of code appeared, Changjiang replied: ¡°The gap has been opened in the task target, and the progress of Trojan horse virus implantation is 1.212%. Completion is expected to take 82 days.¡±


    ¡°The task target tried to superimpose security patches to prevent tracking for the first time today, and tried to find a gap to implant a Trojan horse virus to invade my program when counterattacking for the 15th time, all of which failed.¡±


    ¡°Have you collected the task target code today?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still repeated code.¡± Changjiang said: ¡°The task target has modified its own IP, and the code order has changed, but no new code has been added.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, remembering He Qianjian¡¯s calm and tense appearance today, pondered for a moment and then said, ¡°Give me the time when you interfered with the task target today.¡±


    A form quickly appeared on the computer next to him. Jiang Chen glanced over it, and soon found that the time when He Qianjian couldn¡¯t concentrate was when Changjiang was fighting the system.


    ¡°Dylan.¡± Changjiang said: ¡°Today¡¯s data analysis shows that the task target is building a new channel. Once the channel is built, I will no longer be able to hide the IP, and it will find us soon.¡±


    Jiang Chen frowned: ¡°How long do you estimate it will take for the task target to complete the channel?¡±


    ¡°Based on the premise of maintaining the current attack frequency and the task target having not updated, the estimated duration is about eight months.¡± Changjiang said: ¡°Once the conditions change, the time will also change.¡±


    ¡°What is the shortest time?¡±


    ¡°Two months.¡± Changjiang said: ¡°The program algorithm of the task target is far more complex, and most of the high-level codes are distributed in currently unknown directions, so its attack and protection ability is relatively weak. Once the task target is upgraded for attack and protection, the difficulty of capturing the task target code will be increased by 22%-58%, taking the highest value, it will only take 1 month and 28 days for it to complete the construction of the channel.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°That¡¯s enough time, is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°A message from C on Wingnet, do you want to open it?¡±


    ¡°Open.¡± Jiang Chen tilted his head slightly and looked at the other computer. The messenger pop-up window had already been opened, showing the conversation sent by C which could no longer fit in a chat window.


    [C: Are you busy recently? Let¡¯s chat~]


    [C: I passed the political review a few days ago, and I will report to the Internet Security Bureau the day after tomorrow. I am still so excited now!]


    [C: My idol God A is in the Security Bureau! ! !]


    [C: As soon as I think of seeing God A, I¡¯m so excited that I can¡¯t sleep!]


    [C: I haven¡¯t slept for a week so far! I¡¯m so sleepy but so excited! ! ! !]


    [C: Brother, please talk to me, I¡¯m so bored if you don¡¯t talk to me! I haven¡¯t found anything fun in the surveillance cameras these days, it¡¯s really boring!]


    [C: Nonono, actually there is something interesting, I¡¯ll send it to your email, the title is Ghost Night at the Geological Museum, remember to reply after watching it dear~]


    After Jiang Chen finished reading this long test list, he deeply realized that C was indeed really bored. He hooked up the corner of his mouth and returned:


    [D: I¡¯ve been very busy recently, so I don¡¯t have time to chat.]


    [C: Don¡¯t! Let¡¯s chat! Let¡¯s chat for five minutes!]


    [C: Have you watched that video? It¡¯s absolutely terrifying! A stone that big disappeared just like that! People from the Yan City Museum stayed up three nights to check the surveillance, but they couldn¡¯t find out how the stone disappeared. Go have a look, it¡¯s very interesting.]


    Jiang Chen raised his hand and was about to refuse when a window popped up from the computer. He smiled helplessly and clicked on the video.


    The video was very short, a total of five seconds. The stone went from still being present to disappearing. When Jiang Chen was about to turn off the video, his eyes suddenly paused, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. He clicked on the video again, watched it five to six times, and then turned off the video thoughtfully.


    [D: When was this surveillance?]


    [C: Just three days ago.]


    Jiang Chen thought for a moment, and said, ¡°Changjiang, call up the analysis data of the task target three days ago.¡±


    ¡°The analysis data on December 23 has been called up.¡±


    Jiang Chen took a piece of scrap paper and pen, and carefully calculated the data on the analysis form. The time passed unknowingly. When the scrap paper was filled up, the phone rang. He glanced at the time and pressed the button, connecting the call: ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep?¡±


    ¡°He Qianyu has been pestering me and just went to sleep.¡± He Qianmin sounded impatient, but in fact there was a smile on his face: ¡°She asked about you all night, and asked me why you didn¡¯t come home with us, and why doesn¡¯t He Qianjian go back to his own family. She¡¯s so annoying, chattering endlessly.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled slightly: ¡°She¡¯s still young.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve a headache from the noise.¡± He Qianmin paused, and his tone changed slightly: ¡°Brother, have you ever thought that if you don¡¯t disclose your identity for the coming six months, He Qianjian might do something to you behind the scenes.¡±


    Recalling the incident in Changyang Square, Jiang Chen said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he can¡¯t do anything to me.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, you have to be careful.¡± After He Qianmin finished speaking, he was silent for a moment, and then said, ¡°After you went back, Grandpa asked He Qianjian a lot of questions.¡±


    Hearing He Qianmin¡¯s tone, Jiang Chen said, ¡°Did he mention the car accident three years ago?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°But just who they believe now is not important to me anymore. He Qianjian and I have no evidence, and it is impossible to produce evidence in the future. It¡¯s indeed the best solution now for them to choose to put it aside.¡±


    ¡°Not asking doesn¡¯t mean not doubting.¡±


    Although they only met a few times, Jiang Chen could tell that old Mr. He and Mr. He Yanjun were not the kind of people who would let dangerous factors exist in their midst. Today, if they asked He Qianjian about what happened three years ago, it would mean that they didn¡¯t have any doubts. In contrast, not asking now meant they weren¡¯t giving He Qianjian a chance to defend himself. According to the resolute and decisive personalities of these two, they probably already started their own investigation.


    But as He Qianmin said, the car accident three years ago did not leave any evidence. In front of old Mr. He and He Yanjun, as the only witness, compared to He Qianjian, who had been raised by the He family for eighteen years, his words were not convincing enough.


    But after adding He Qianmin and the video he sent to He Yanfeng back then, this matter would definitely not be settled like it was three years ago. There was no evidence left from the car accident three years ago, but what He Qianjian had done these years were not without flaws.


    When a person¡¯s inherent image was shattered a little bit, his credibility in another person¡¯s heart would be infinitely reduced, and when another person finds that person was full of lies and his character was worrisome, even if there was no evidence, there would still be a conclusion about the car accident in the hearts of the He family.


    This was exactly Jiang Chen¡¯s motive in telling the truth about the car accident three years ago in front of everyone in the He family after he knew that Yu Fei had come to him and He Qianjian for investigation.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless for them to doubt. There weren¡¯t any surveillance back then, so it is impossible for evidence to have been left. That¡¯s why He Qianjian is so confident.¡± He Qianmin didn¡¯t want to continue this topic, so he changed the subject: ¡°I suspect He Qianjian knew from the beginning that he is not my parents¡¯ son, only this can explain why he deliberately targeted you before.¡±


    ¡°And as I said before, he did a paternity test at the beginning, which proves that there must be someone else behind him to help. Although I don¡¯t know what the purpose of that person is, since he sneaks around and never shows up, it must be because he is afraid of the He family. When we find that person, everything will be revealed.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s typing hands paused, and he said calmly, ¡°How do you plan to find that person?¡±


    ¡°He would definitely contact the people behind the scenes every once in a while. I am going to install a bug in his room, and then send someone to watch him to see who he makes contact with.¡±


    ¡°He has managed to keep his secrets for so many years. He would only be more cautious in the current situation. How can you be sure that you can catch the people behind him?¡±


    ¡°Because He Qianjian has a bad habit.¡± He Qianmin laughed: ¡°The more he panics, the more he loses control. The less control he maintains, the more he likes to ask for help. Now that things have reached this point, I don¡¯t believe he won¡¯t ask for help from the people behind him.¡±


    Not hearing Jiang Chen¡¯s response, He Qianmin paused, and said cautiously: ¡°Brother, I know you don¡¯t want me to get in a conflict with He Qianjian, but now¡­..¡±


    ¡°If you want to investigate, just investigate.¡± Jiang Chen came back to himself and said, ¡°I believe you have a sense of magnitude.¡±


    He didn¡¯t allow He Qianmin to get in a direct conflict with He Qianjian before because of He Qianjian¡¯s insidious methods and the abilities of the system. He Qianmin would only suffer if he rushed at him headlong.


    However, now He Qianjian could barely even take care of himself, and he was especially afraid of losing the protective umbrella of the He family. Even if he knew that He Qianmin was investigating him, he would never dare to attack him. And now old Mr. He and He Yanjun should have sent people to investigate He Qianjian, and with Yu Fei watching him as well, no matter how much He Qianmin tossed about, nothing would happen.


    And no matter what, he was also there to step in.

 CH 96

    After the final exam was over, Jiang Chen briefly reported to his parents, took his two computers and all peripherals, and went to the research institute under the guard of a few special forces concealed in his vicinity.


    Last time, Jiang Chen and Major General Wu discussed the application of image processing in the military. Major General Wu used to work in the radar research room of stealth reconnaissance aircraft, and was later transferred to the 17th Research Institute of National Defense. He was mainly responsible for the research and development of security technology. After learning about Jiang Chen¡¯s image processing system, he was very interested. After bringing Jiang Chen to the research institute, he even formed a temporary group to discuss the scope of application of the Changjiang Image Processing System.


    The seven-hour meeting that day not only discussed the application of the Changjiang Image Processing System in military affairs, but after seeing the power of the Changjiang Image Processing System with his own eyes, Major General Wu directly asked Jiang Chen if he had any intention of joining the national research institute.


    After confirming Jiang Chen¡¯s intentions, Major General Wu submitted the report as quickly as possible, explaining in detail the importance of the project in Jiang Chen¡¯s hands to the country¡¯s military development. The documents for the new research group had been approved in less than two days.


    Unexpectedly, on the day the documents were approved, an accident almost happened to Jiang Chen.


    The start time of the project had to be pushed back because of this, but it had been nearly a month since the incident in Chengyang Square, and the investigation of the case had reached a deadlock. Although Major General Wu hoped to put Jiang Chen¡¯s safety and the confidentiality of his identity first, the documents had been approved for nearly a month, but even the researchers of the research team had not yet been confirmed, let alone started the research.


    The case had no progress, but the start time of the research project could not be delayed again and again, so after handling all the matters at hand, Jiang Chen was directly taken to the research institute, and he stayed for ten days. Except for the fixed call time, the research institute cut off all contact with the outside world.


    In the past ten days, after careful assessment, he initially selected an assistant researcher and three researchers, and including him, there were a total of five people. Except for the first few days of breaking in, the later progress was fairly stable. The only thing that troubled Jiang Chen was that except for Yu Yi, the first researcher he picked, it was difficult for the others to keep up with his train of thought.


    It wasn¡¯t until the day before he had to go to the He family¡¯s old family house for dinner that Jiang Chen asked Major General Wu for leave, and mentioned this matter by the way.


    Major General Wu was very straightforward: ¡°Do you want a change of new people?¡±


    ¡°Not for the time being.¡± Jiang Chen shook his head: ¡°The time is still short, after a while, everyone will get used to this rhythm and it may become better.¡±


    ¡°If you think they are not suitable, just tell me.¡± Major General Wu was worried that Jiang Chen was young and thin-skinned, and he was too embarrassed to kick the people he selected out of the research group, and reminded: ¡°Your current project is one of the most important ones in the entire 17th Institute. Not only our research institute, but also the higher-ups attach great importance to this project. I have issued a military order that there will definitely be results in a year. I know that your general direction will not go wrong, but don¡¯t forget that you must not stumble on the little details either.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Your current first step is military reconnaissance. The three-dimensional geographical maps and topographical maps of military simulations need to be checked by professionals. Do you have a suitable candidate in mind?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°At that time, I will ask the personnel transfer office to give you the information of the researchers who have no projects to complete in the Navigation Department for the time being, and you can choose among them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°By the way, do you know Shi Fengyue?¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That kid, like you, entered the research institute when he was a teenager, but he entered the navigation department. Although he is no longer involved in the research, he still has an idle position as a technical consultant. If you can persuade him to come over to help, it will bring nothing but good to your project.¡±


    ¡°An idle position at the research institute?¡± Jiang Chen was a little surprised: ¡°As far as I know, he hadn¡¯t ever been in the research institute after returning to the country, nor participated in any research projects. How¡­..¡±


    ¡°That kid is an exception.¡± Major General Wu put on his hat, and said in a rather distasteful tone: ¡°He is talented and has a bad temper, and he is used to being a brat. No one can control him.¡±


    The secretary behind Major General Wu said with a smile: ¡°But there¡¯s no helping it, he is very capable, the group of people in the navigation department gave him an idle position so that they can have a reason to call him when something comes up in the future.¡±


    ¡°When something comes up?¡± Major General Wu snorted coldly: ¡°He won¡¯t even lift his eyelids even when the enemy comes knocking.¡±


    Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t hold back coming to Shi Fengyue¡¯s defense: ¡°If something really happens in the research institute, I believe Shi Fengyue will still come to help.¡±


    Major General Wu didn¡¯t speak, but the secretary tilted his head slightly, moved closer to Jiang Chen, and listed what Shi Fengyue had done:


    ¡°Feng Yue just returned to the country at the beginning of this year, and the navigation department called him three times, but he refused all times. In July, the navigation department called him once because of technical problems, and he refused on the grounds that he had to rest after a night of consecutive operations. Someone checked his location out of a quibbling mindset, and found that he drove to the drag racing area of the abandoned warehouse in Xing City that day. And also some time ago, he directly used the military satellite positioning system without reporting it. If not for Mr. Shi and old general He mediating, he might have to answer directly at a court-martial.¡±


    Then the secretary¡¯s tone changed: ¡°However, apart from Mr. Shi and General He, the reason the higher-ups let go of this matter was because he was helping you investigate the case. Xiao Jiang, do you think you have a certain chance of convincing Shi Fengyue to come and help?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± With a smile on his lips, Jiang Chen lightly shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s true that Shi Fengyue and I are good friends, but he has his own freedom, and I can¡¯t persuade him to do what he doesn¡¯t want to do, and his current work in the hospital is also quite tiring, so coupled with the work in the laboratory, it might be too exhausting.¡±


    ¡°Then have him quit his job in the hospital.¡± Major General Wu¡¯s voice was cold and firm: ¡°He¡¯s a talent for scientific research. It¡¯s just nonsense to become a doctor. Is the hospital lacking him as a doctor?¡±


    Hearing Major General Wu¡¯s words, for some reason, Jiang Chen felt a sense of stuffiness in his heart. He pursed his lips, and said, ¡°Whether it¡¯s scientific research or saving people¡¯s lives, Shi Fengyue has done a good job, so I think he has the strength and the right to choose what he wants to do, and I don¡¯t agree with you saying that the hospital does not lack him as a doctor.¡±


    ¡°You may not know this, but my father was in a car accident, and his lower body was basically paralyzed, without any feeling at all. My mother and I searched all the hospitals and experts in Yan City, and no one dared to accept my father¡¯s operation. Only Shi Fengyue dared, not only did he dare, he succeeded, and now my father is recovering very well. Other than not being able to run for a long time or do strenuous exercise, he is no different from a normal person.¡±


    ¡°If there was no Shi Fengyue, my father might still be paralyzed in bed, and my mother would have to carry all the burdens of the family alone. I would not have extra time and thought to do scientific research, and I would not meet Mr. Xiang and you. So it can be said that without Shi Fengyue, our family would not be where we are today.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, and met Major General Wu¡¯s eyes, saying in a neither humble nor overbearing tone: ¡°Studying medicine is to cure diseases and save lives, and scientific research is also to better protect our country and people. There is no difference between the two. Both are for the development of mankind.¡±


    Major General Wu also stopped, looked straight at Jiang Chen, and said in a deep voice: ¡°Shi Fengyue being a doctor for a lifetime can save at most tens of thousands of families, but if he uses his skills in research, he would protect the more than one billion people in our country, which is more important, the country or the individual family?¡±


    The smile on Jiang Chen¡¯s face faded, and his tone was flat: ¡°Even if it¡¯s just to save a single family, Shi Fengyue is worthy of respect, and his choice is also worthy of respect¡­..¡±


    Seeing Major General Wu¡¯s expression getting worse and worse, worried that the two would quarrel in the corridor of the research building, the secretary immediately interrupted Jiang Chen, ¡°Xiao Jiang, your cell phone is ringing.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, took out his cell phone from his pocket, and was slightly taken aback when he saw the caller ID. Major General Wu also saw the caller ID, he frowned and looked away, and said in a deep voice: ¡°The car outside is waiting for you, go quickly, remember to come back on time the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Jiang Chen turned around and said goodbye to Major General Wu and his secretary: ¡°I¡¯m leaving first.¡±


    When Jiang Chen walked away, the secretary smiled and said to Major General Wu: ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen Xiao Jiang quibbling over something. If I hadn¡¯t seen him arguing with you with my own eyes, I would have thought he had no temper.¡±


    ¡°That kid has a big temper.¡± Major General Wu had no expression on his face, but there was a hint of a smile in his tone.


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t help capable people having bad tempers, right?¡± The secretary said with a smile: ¡°Xiao Jiang¡¯s temper is actually the best among them. Usually, I hardly see children of his age who are so mature and sensible. Because of his young age, don¡¯t know how much trouble Zhang Lei caused him before, both openly and secretly, but he didn¡¯t say a word about Zhang Lei. Even when you asked him if he wanted to kick anyone out, he just said that he didn¡¯t need to for the time being. Listening to his tone, I can really tell he is speaking the truth. I don¡¯t know if the child really has no temper, or if he values Zhang Lei¡¯s ability and is willing to tolerate him.¡±


    Major General Wu glanced at him: ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know before, but I know now.¡± The secretary smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s quite uncommon for a child of this age to have such magnanimity and long-term thinking.¡±


    Major General Wu snorted coldly: ¡°Zhang Lei almost pissed on his head and he could smooth things over with a smile. I just said a few words about Shi Fengyue, but he got into a fight with me. You still call this a good temper? I think there are few who have a more stinky temper than him.¡±


    The secretary smiled and said, ¡°Zhang Lei has true skills. Xiao Jiang is willing to tolerate him out of not only the sake of the project but also because he really does have a good temper. If you ask me, if you didn¡¯t step on his bottom line just now, he wouldn¡¯t be so angry.¡±


    ¡°Shi Fengyue is his bottom line?¡± Major General Wu snorted and said, ¡°If this is the case, it won¡¯t be long before he finds that this bottom line will be trampled by someone soon.¡±

 CH 97

    After coming out of the research institute, Jiang Chen was also thinking about why his reaction was bigger than usual when Major General Wu mentioned Shi Fengyue. The phone rang, stopped and rang again, but he still couldn¡¯t figure out the reason.


    ¡°Mr. Jiang.¡±


    A man got out of the SUV and opened the door for Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen nodded at the man, got in, and connected the phone at the same time.


    ¡°In the research institute?¡±


    ¡°Just came out.¡± Jiang Chen put aside the questions in his mind, raised his wrist and looked at the time. It was now three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, and Shi Fengyue¡¯s conference was from two to five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, so he should be in the middle of a meeting at this time: ¡°How is the conference in Nan Province?¡±


    ¡°The same old debates.¡±


    Hearing Shi Fengyue¡¯s lazy voice, Jiang Chen could already imagine him leaning against the wall or slouching on the sofa hugging a pillow, loose and sleepy. He smiled and said, ¡°You slipped out?¡±


    ¡°Something unexpected came up, so I didn¡¯t go.¡±


    Jiang Chen was curious: ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I met someone unexpected on the way.¡±


    ¡°An unexpected person?¡± Knowing that Shi Fengyue would not bring up things unrelated to him for no reason, Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows: ¡°I know them?¡±


    Shi Fengyue tilted his head, glanced at the young man who was staring at him, and said casually: ¡°Do you want to come and take him back?¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Shi Fengyue handed the mobile phone to the boy beside him: ¡°Talk to your brother.¡±


    The boy had a dark expression on his face, and after giving him a hard look, but when he took the phone, his tone instantly became innocent: ¡°Brother.¡±


    Hearing He Qianmin¡¯s voice, Jiang Chen paused before lowering the car window: ¡°Are you in Nan Province?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to tell you before I left.¡± He Qianmin lowered his head, and that clear voice unique to teenagers was very docile and obedient indeed, ¡°But I didn¡¯t get through to you, and I know you are very busy at the institute, I didn¡¯t want to worry you, so I came to Nan Province by myself.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing in Nan Province?¡±


    Glancing at Shi Fengyue on the side, He Qianmin said vaguely: ¡°I found something before, and I came to Nan Province to trace the clues.¡±


    ¡°Do your parents know?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He Qianmin licked his lower lip nervously, and immediately added: ¡°But I sent them a text message after getting off the plane.¡±


    Jiang Chen said lightly, ¡°Give the phone to Shi Fengyue.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­..¡±


    ¡°Immediately.¡±


    He Qianmin raised his eyes and met Shi Fengyue¡¯s eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling. He pursed his lips and handed him the phone.


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Please send him to the airport later.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°Have him come back on the nearest flight.¡±


    Shi Fengyue glanced at the sullen young man who was visibly nervous, raised one corner of his mouth wickedly, and said, ¡°Do you want to see what your kid brother looks like now?¡±


    ¡°You dare!¡±


    He Qianmin raised his head suddenly, revealing a few dirt marks on his milky white face, and the fierce light in his eyes as he reached out to grab the phone.


    Shi Fengyue seized the opportunity, captured this moment, and sent it to Jiang Chen before He Qianmin could react.


    Jiang Chen looked at He Qianmin who was showing his teeth and claws in the photo, and keenly noticed the mud on his body and the marks of being scratched by something.


    ¡°He got hurt?¡±


    ¡°Broke into the territory where a smuggling and trading deal was taking place.¡± Shi Fengyue laughed: ¡°But he ran fairly fast, and he didn¡¯t suffer any injuries except for a few falls.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Check to see if he¡¯s injured. I¡¯ll book the nearest flight to pick him up.¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s slightly raised eyes held a smile: ¡°I¡¯ll send you the address of the hotel.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Jiang Chen said to the driver: ¡°Brother Zhao, please take me to the airport.¡±


    ¡°The ticket has already been booked.¡± Qian Yi said in the co-passenger seat: ¡°We are going to the airport now just in time to catch this flight.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°Thanks, Brother Qian.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    It took about three and a half hours from Yan City to Ming City, the capital of Nan Province, and it was already eight o¡¯clock in the evening when Jiang Chen arrived at the hotel that Shi Fengyue had reserved.


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    Jiang Chen walked into the private room, and He Qianmin stood up instantly. After changing his clothes, one could no longer see a trace of the sorry appearance captured in the photo.


    ¡°I ordered your favorite dish.¡± He Qianmin sat down next to Jiang Chen, and poured him a glass of water: ¡°Drink some water.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at him, and then his eyes collided with Shi Fengyue¡¯s. Shi Fengyue raised his eyebrows at him, and smiled knowingly.


    Jiang Chen took a sip of the water, turned his head to Qian Yi and Zhao Lin behind him and said, ¡°Brother Zhao and Brother Qian, have a seat and help yourselves.¡±


    The two stood upright, standing at the door of the private room: ¡°You eat first, we just ate something on the plane, so we¡¯re not hungry.¡±


    After the words fell, the waiter pushed open the door of the room and came in. He was startled when he saw the two people who looked like stern door gods, and the soup in the bowl almost spilled out.


    While apologizing, the waiter finished serving the dishes and walked out with lingering fears. Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°Let¡¯s eat some together, otherwise the three of us won¡¯t be able to finish the dishes, and it¡¯s not good to waste them.¡±


    Hearing what Jiang Chen said, the two of them sat down at the dining table without anymore mincing.


    Shi Fengyue ladled up a bowl of soup and put it in front of Jiang Chen, ¡°The mushroom soup here is pretty good, try it.¡±


    The delicious mushroom aroma had blended into the soup, the taste was mellow and smooth, and it was enjoyable from the tip of the tongue to the stomach.


    Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help but take a few more sips. Seeing this, He Qianmin put a piece of fried crab into Jiang Chen¡¯s plate: ¡°Brother, this crispy crab is really tasty, try it.¡±


    ¡°Eating mushrooms and crabs together is not good for your health.¡± After Shi Fengyue said lightly, he filled Jiang Chen¡¯s empty soup bowl again, put a piece of ribs in his plate and said, ¡°The ribs here are also good.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused. He Qianmin took away the piece of crab from Jiang Chen¡¯s plate, and put some root vegetables in Jiang Chen¡¯s plate instead: ¡°Eating too much meat is not good for your health, brother, you should eat some vegetables.¡±


    ¡°The fish is not bad.¡±


    ¡°Brother, your favorite cauliflower.¡±


    ¡°This tastes good too.¡±


    ¡°Brother, have some carrots.¡±


    Jiang Chen stopped with his chopsticks, and at the same time blocked He Qianmin and Shi Fengyue who were putting food on his plate, ¡°I can¡¯t eat anymore, don¡¯t pick up anymore for me.¡±


    He Qianmin retracted his chopsticks and glanced at Shi Fengyue. Shi Fengyue tilted his head slightly, leaned closer to Jiang Chen who was beside him, and said in a low voice, ¡°How many days will you stay here for.¡±


    Jiang Chen was puzzled why Shi Fengyue came so close all of a sudden, and was about to speak when he caught a glimpse of He Qianmin¡¯s nervous expression from the corner of his eye. He raised his brows lightly, and also lowered his voice and said to Shi Fengyue, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow.¡±


    Shi Fengyue curved his lips upwards, ¡°Won¡¯t you stay for a few more days?¡±


    ¡°No time.¡± Jiang Chen recalled something, turned his head and said, ¡°Today I¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes widened slightly, Shi Fengyue¡¯s lips were still curved upwards, but his eyes were filled with surprise and bewilderment. It seemed as if molecules were floating in the air, and emotions were transmitted and connected within a distance of less than five centimeters. Jiang Chen¡¯s mind went blank, and he was so infected that only shock and bewilderment remained.


    Everyone¡¯s actions seemed to have gone still from a press of the pause button, and a needle could even be heard if it were to be dropped at this instant.


    ¡ª¡ªClack.


    Someone¡¯s chopsticks fell to the ground.


    Jiang Chen suddenly came back to his senses, and leaned back a little. After the surprise faded away, he was about to apologize for the accident, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Shi Fengyue¡¯s index finger touching his lower lip. Even though he clearly only thought it was just an accident when he leaned back, now he suddenly felt a burning sensation traveling up to the back of his ears, and he let out a cough: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± It was an accident just now.


    The next six words were swallowed before being uttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Shi Fengyue lightly rubbed his lower lip, put down his hand and said, ¡°It was just an accident.¡±


    The two people involved in the incident had opened their mouths, and the other three present also recovered from the shock. He Qianmin had a lot to say, but when his eyes caught on the special atmosphere flowing between the two of them even though they were clearly now sitting farther apart, he could only scoop up a large spoonful of rice and put it into his mouth, lower his head and focus on chewing hard.


    The meal ended soon and as the restaurant was not far from the hotel, and Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t drive, they could only walk back. Qian Yi and Zhao Lin quickly disappeared into the crowd without a trace just as before.


    Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue walked on both sides of He Qianmin, one on the left and one on the right, with He Qianmin in the middle, who suddenly regretted coming to Nan Province on impulse.


    ¡°Have you been to Nan Province before?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± After such a long period of buffering, Jiang Chen had already recovered, and when he heard Shi Fengyue speak first, he naturally followed his words: ¡°Is there anything interesting in Ming City?¡±


    ¡°There is a street with folk artisanship nearby, and there are many handicrafts.¡± Shi Fengyue said, ¡°Want to take a look?¡±


    Jiang Chen was also planning to buy some gifts for his parents and the He family, so he said without hesitation, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Even though it was almost approaching the new year, Ming City was still warm, which was in stark contrast to the weather in Yan City now, which had dropped to minus ten degrees. Because of this, there was an endless stream of tourists visiting Ming City during the winter vacation, and the folk artisan street was especially lively.


    The three who were walking originally side by side were quickly separated by the crowd.


    Jiang Chen grabbed Shi Fengyue¡¯s wrist and pulled him to his side, ¡°You stand here first, Qian Min is gone, I¡¯ll go back and look for him.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go together.¡±


    ¡°There are too many people.¡± Jiang Chen said: ¡°We¡¯ll only be separated again later by the crowds, you wait for me here, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Shi Fengyue grabbed Jiang Chen¡¯s hand, and said in a drawl, ¡°This way we won¡¯t be squeezed apart.¡±


    It was the usual lazy drawl, as if it was only natural for the two to hold hands. Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he and Huo Bo, Shen Xu, and the others had too little physical contact before, and that was why he thought it was strange for two men to hold hands.


    Before Jiang Chen had time to think, he was dragged by Shi Fengyue and squeezed into the crowd.


    He Qianmin was not left far behind. Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue were tall, and they were very eye-catching when standing in the crowd. Although he was squeezed away, he could still see them and kept walking in their direction. Seeing that they were heading back into the crowds, and knowing that they were looking for him, He Qianmin raised his hand.


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s gaze collided with his. After He Qianmin met his eyes for a moment, he saw Shi Fengyue suddenly bowing his head and saying something in Jiang Chen¡¯s ear. Then, they went in the other direction.


    He Qianmin stood there in a daze for a moment, only to realize that he had been made a fool of when he recalled the upward curve of corners of Shi Fengyue¡¯s lips before he lowered his head just now.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    He Qianmin jumped up and yelled.


    Across the noisy crowd, Jiang Chen seemed to have sensed something, and was about to turn around, when he heard Shi Fengyue, ¡°The person in front looks a bit like He Qianmin.¡±


    Jiang Chen followed Shi Fengyue¡¯s line of sight, and only saw a corner of a person¡¯s clothes, which were indeed very similar to the coat He Qianmin was wearing today.


    ¡°Qian Min!¡±


    Jiang Chen yelled, and pulled Shi Fengyue to chase over.


    Shi Fengyue turned his head, hooked up one corner of his mouth, and waved his hand lazily at He Qianmin.


    ¡°What a bastard!¡±


    He Qianmin was so angry that he stomped his foot. He pushed aside the crowd and chased after the two.

 CH 98

    Not long after, He Qianmin saw Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue from a distance through the crowd of moving heads.


    Shi Fengyue said something in Jiang Chen¡¯s ear, and the two stepped back a little and looked at each other with a smile. He Qianmin felt a surge of anger in his chest, and immediately quickened his pace.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head, still with a smile on his face, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Just now were you two¡ª¡ª¡± He Qianmin complained, but after catching sight of Shi Fengyue¡¯s half-smile, he held back for some reason, as if he would lose if he tattletaled.


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He Qianmin¡¯s gaze paused, and he landed on the bracelet in the booth in front of them. He took two steps, pushed Shi Fengyue away naturally, and asked Jiang Chen, ¡°Brother, what do you think about us giving this to Mom?¡±


    Jiang Chen was also looking at the bracelet just now, seeing that the one He Qianmin picked really suited Yang Yun¡¯s aura, he smiled and said, ¡°Very good.¡±


    ¡°What about this?¡± He Qianmin picked up another bracelet: ¡°Do you think Aunt will like this?¡±


    Jiang Chen thought for a while, and said, ¡°Aunt is usually in the laboratory, so she should rarely have the opportunity to wear bracelets, so why don¡¯t we give her something else.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± He Qianmin put down the bracelet and picked up the silk scarf beside him: ¡°Then what do you think of this? It¡¯s the blue color that Aunt likes.¡±


    ¡°Very pretty.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll give this as a gift.¡± He Qianmin handed the bracelet and silk scarf to the stall owner: ¡°Please help me put it in a bag, how much is it together?¡±


    ¡°168.¡± The stall owner said with a smile: ¡°I see you two are brothers, choosing a gift for your family? How filial, I¡¯ll wipe the change from the sum, so just give me 160.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He Qianmin dug in his pocket, paused, and turned to look at Jiang Chen: ¡°Brother, all my money is in the pocket of my previous clothes. Have you brought any money?¡±


    Jiang Chen had been in the research institute for the past few days, and there was no need to spend money. He went directly to the airport as soon as he came out, and he had no money on him. He turned to look at Shi Fengyue: ¡°Have you brought any money?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Shi Fengyue touched his pocket, the corners of his mouth froze, and he touched another pocket, but there was nothing.


    He Qianmin crossed his arms and sneered: ¡°Oh, you brought money?¡±


    Jiang Chen chuckled, raised his eyes and said, ¡°Did you forget to bring money too?¡±


    Shi Fengyue pulled out his fingers, inserted them into his trouser pockets, looked away and said, ¡°It was still there after I came out of the hotel just now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, boss.¡± Jiang Chen laughed, and said to the stall owner, ¡°I wasted your time.¡±


    ¡°Not a waste, not a waste, I¡¯m setting up a stall here for people to see.¡± The stall owner advised with a smile: ¡°Your money should have likely been pickpocketed, it¡¯s crowded here, you must be careful with your wallet and mobile phone.¡±


    Naturally, they couldn¡¯t continue shopping without money, and the three of them could only return to the hotel.


    Shi Fengyue left the conference group for a whole day, and lost his ID card, so he had to go to the person in charge of the conference group to explain the situation. Jiang Chen took He Qianmin back to a newly opened room.


    As soon as He Qianmin sat down, Jiang Chen went straight to the point: ¡°Tell me, what are you doing here in Ming City?¡±


    ¡°I found some clues.¡± He Qianmin approached Jiang Chen and showed him his mobile phone: ¡°This is the man who has been in contact with He Qianjian every year since He Qianjian was in junior high school.¡±


    Jiang Chen opened the enlarged photo, only to see a blurred face, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°A small leader of a smuggling gang in Nan Province.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°I only found out that he smuggled many kinds of things, but the quantity is very small. He usually smuggled rare plants or jade. They were carrying out business in Ming City today.¡±


    No emotion could be detected from Jiang Chen¡¯s tone: ¡°So you broke into the territory where smugglers were doing business?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to make sure that person was the one who was in contact with He Qianjian¡­..¡± He Qianmin¡¯s voice became smaller and smaller.


    ¡°And after confirming?¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°I didn¡¯t think that much.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how dangerous it was about what you did today?¡± Jiang Chen remained expressionless, and leaned over slightly to meet He Qianmin¡¯s eyes: ¡°Those people were doing smuggling business, and none of them are clean. If you were caught by them, you might have even lost your life. Have you thought about this before being so impulsive?¡±


    He Qianmin lowered his head, pursed his lips, and did not speak.


    Jiang Chen said mildly, ¡°Look up.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­..¡± He Qianmin raised his head slowly and called out timidly.


    ¡°How do you know that He Qianjian contacted that person?¡±


    He Qianmin was taken aback for a second, and immediately replied after being stunned for two seconds: ¡°I saw a document in He Qianjian¡¯s room before, which recorded many rare plants and a list, and there was a phone number as well. I saw He Qianjian take that call, so I sent someone to investigate in this direction.¡±


    Although Jiang Chen knew that He Qianmin had sent someone to investigate He Qianjian, he never expected that he would actually find something.


    ¡°What is he doing with smugglers¡­..¡± Jiang Chen frowned and pondered.


    ¡°Could that person be the one who helped him behind the scenes?¡± He Qianmin guessed: ¡°But I found out that that little leader only started smuggling when He Qianjian was in the second year of junior high school. Given his financial strength, it¡¯s unlikely. Moreover, this person is a native of Nan Province, and his parents and relatives have no connection with our family, so it is unlikely that the person behind He Qianjian is him.¡±


    ¡°Since you know that he is not the person behind He Qianjian, why did you still go and take the risk?¡±


    He Qianmin curled his lips: ¡°I have only found so much. Of course, I want to follow the vine and kick He Qianjian out of our house earlier. It would be even better if I can find evidence that he was involved in smuggling. Then he can directly go to prison, and he won¡¯t get a chance to harm Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang.¡±


    Jiang Chen warned lightly: ¡°No matter what, you can¡¯t do such a dangerous thing in the future.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He Qianmin bowed his head and admitted his mistake, carefully looking at Jiang Chen¡¯s face, and seeing that he was not angry, he immediately continued: ¡°Brother, I also found out that when He Qianjian was in the second year of junior high school, he transferred all the money he received before to an account, and that account is the account of this little leader of a smuggling gang, and I suspect that when this little leader first started smuggling, He Qianjian provided the starting capital.¡±


    With the help of the system, He Qianjian had been investing since junior high school. He should indeed have some spare money, but he should be very careful in managing his accounts and could not be caught so easily by He Qianmin.


    ¡°How did you find out about this account?¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°I hired a hacker.¡±


    ¡°Where did you find the hacker?¡±


    ¡°Wingnet.¡± He Qianmin asked: ¡°Brother, do you know Wingnet? The most powerful hacker website in our country.¡±


    ¡°How do you have a Wingnet account?¡±


    ¡°Brother Mo gave it to me.¡± Fearing that Jiang Chen might not remember Mo Xi, He Qianmin reminded, ¡°Shi Fengyue¡¯s uncle.¡±


    Jiang Chen had basically guessed who He Qianmin looked for help from. If it was C, it would not be difficult to find He Qianjian¡¯s account.


    Some time ago, Mo Xi¡¯s attitude towards him suddenly turned 180 degrees. Sometimes he would even avoid him when he met him in Li De. He didn¡¯t understand before, but later he learned from C the story of ¡°a friend who didn¡¯t know how to treat a master who was even younger than him¡± which let him match up the identity of 196 to Mo Xi.


    He also thought about making it clear to Mo Xi, so that he didn¡¯t have to worry about it, but later, he was too busy with things, and he never came across Mo Xi again, so he forgot about it. Who knew that He Qianmin had been in touch with him the whole time.


    ¡°That website has a ranking list, and the top 26 are all top masters in the hacker world. Brother Mo Xi helped me connect with C wjo is number three.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°Brother, I think if you play the website, you will definitely be in the top few.¡±


    Jiang Chen frowned, and He Qianmin leaned over and said, ¡°Mo Xi said that Shi Fengyue also has a Wingnet account, and is also ranked in the top 26. Brother, do you think you are more powerful or Shi Fengyue is more powerful.¡±


    ¡°Shi Fengyue is nine years older than you, is it polite for you to call him by his name so directly?¡± Jiang Chen rapped He Qianmin on the head with his knuckles: ¡°From now on, call him Brother.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to call him brother.¡± He Qianmin pouted: ¡°I¡¯d rather call him uncle, or directly bastard Shi¡­.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t hear the last two words clearly, ¡°Directly what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He Qianmin argued: ¡°I call Brother Mo Xi brother, and Brother Mo Xi is Shi Fengyue¡¯s uncle, so I am the same generation as Brother Mo Xi. If this is the case, Shi Fengyue is my junior instead. It¡¯s normal to call him by his full name.¡±


    Although Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know why He Qianmin was so hostile towards Shi Fengyue, Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t care too much about titles. He had only said that just now casually and didn¡¯t intend to hold on to this matter. Currently he only wanted to know more about He Qianjian.


    After pondering for a moment, he asked, ¡°Has He Qianjian ever had business with that little smuggling ring leader?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Qianmin said: ¡°It¡¯s all flowers, plants and jadeite, but recently this smuggler seems to be looking for a rare plant that is about to become extinct recently. When I saw them trading today, it seemed to be that plant.¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian likes flowers and plants very much?¡±


    He Qianmin shook his head: ¡°He didn¡¯t water the garden downstairs even once. But there are many books related to plants in his room, not only plants, but also a lot of other books, but I haven¡¯t seen him read them much.¡±


    ¡°Brother.¡± He Qianmin returned to the previous topic: ¡°Why do you think He Qianjian wanted someone to smuggle things for him?¡±


    Jiang Chen frowned and said nothing, he also felt that this matter was very abnormal.


    With the system in hand, He Qianjian had it easy no matter whether it was investing or making money, so there was no need to take the risk of doing such illegal things. Besides, he couldn¡¯t possibly be unaware. Once the He family found out that he was partnering with others in illegal smuggling, it would definitely end badly.


    And as far as he knew, although He Qianjian was eager for quick success, he had always been cautious in doing things. It was not too much to say that he was overly cautious. With so many open ways to make money, smuggling was definitely a risky one with extremely low benefits for him.


    Under such circumstances, He Qianjian still persisted in this unbenefitting task that would capsize his ship if he was not careful, for four years. There must be some reason why he had to do so.

 CH 99

    Next day.


    After breakfast, Jiang Chen and He Qianmin went to the folk artisan street yesterday to buy gifts for his parents and the He family, and then went straight to the airport. They arrived at the He family¡¯s old family house just in time for lunch.


    Before stepping through the gate, Jiang Chen saw He Qianyang sitting by the door eating roasted sweet potatoes. He was squatting by the door wearing a military jacket and a cap with ear flaps, completely different from the fashionable clothes he wore on his birthday in July.


    ¡°Yo! You¡¯re back, lil¡¯ bro!¡± He Qianyang waved a sweet potato to greet them when he heard the movement. His breath was quickly misted by the cold air, and looked like he was swallowing a cloud: ¡°Do you want to eat? It¡¯s nice and hot.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, then turned to look at He Qianmin.


    He Qianmin lowered his voice and leaned into Jiang Chen¡¯s ear: ¡°He¡¯s always like this at home, don¡¯t pay attention to him.¡±


    ¡°What are you two whispering about?¡± He Qianyang stood up, took out two sweet potatoes from his coat pocket, and stuffed them into Jiang Chen and He Qianmin¡¯s hands: ¡°Warm your hands, I¡¯ll help you carry your luggage, what goodies did you bring back?¡±


    ¡°Some simple gifts.¡± Jiang Chen was having a hard time adapting to He Qianyang¡¯s huge change between summer and winter, and he stepped back unconsciously with the sweet potato: ¡°There are not many things, I can just carry them in myself.¡±


    ¡°What carry it yourself, you don¡¯t think of me as a brother?¡± He Qianyang took over his suitcase, stuffed the half-eaten roasted sweet potato into Jiang Chen¡¯s other hand, and rubbed the hand with the aroma of sweet potato still clinging to it on Jiang Chen¡¯s head: ¡°Help your brother hold it, thanks. A younger brother must listen to his big brother¡¯s words. Go, let¡¯s go in.¡±


    Jiang Chen froze in place, He Qianmin suppressed the corners of his mouth which were tugging up in amusement, ¡°Brother, shall we go in?¡±


    ¡°He Qianyang has always been like this?¡± Jiang Chen asked.


    He Qianmin thought for a while: ¡°On and off, it¡¯s probably because Uncle and the others told him of your identity, and it¡¯s because he is naturally familiar with people. It should be fine after a while.¡±


    ¡°What are you teo talking about?¡± He Qianyang walked halfway, turned around and said, ¡°Are you two speaking ill of your brother behind his back?¡±


    He Qianmin rolled his eyes at him, ¡°You¡¯re so annoying! We¡¯re coming!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up! What are you dawdling for!¡±


    Jiang Chen and He Qianmin walked side by side behind He Qianyang, seeing him humming softly in a good mood. He Qianmin turned his head slightly, leaned close to Jiang Chen, covered his mouth and said: ¡°Every time he does this, someone will be unlucky, Brother, be careful.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jiang Chen was curious.


    He Qianmin: ¡°As soon as he is in a good mood, someone will be unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunate how?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± He Qianmin shrugged his shoulders, lowered his voice and said meaningfully to Jiang Chen: ¡°You¡¯ll find out later.¡±


    ¡°Chen Chen and Min Min are back!¡±


    When He Qianyang raised his voice, Jiang Chen and He Qianmin stopped and looked at each other.


    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Old Mrs. He and Yang Yun greeted them, saw them standing at the door, and immediately each grabbed one boy: ¡°Come in quickly, is it cold outside?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°It¡¯s not cold.¡±


    Jiang Chen was led by Yang Yun to sit down on the sofa. There were so many people in the living room that there was only a loveseat sofa left. He Qianmin sat next to him, and He Qianyang also came over after putting down the luggage.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my sweet potato?¡±


    Jiang Chen handed the sweet potato that he had been holding to He Qianyang, and after He Qianyang took it, he sat on the other side of Jiang Chen very naturally. Originally, two people sitting on a loveseat sofa was just right, but when three people sat down on it, it became a bit crowded.


    ¡°Why are you squeezing together with your younger brothers?¡± A handsome woman with short hair raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, He Qianyang, don¡¯t stir up any trouble, and especially not bully your two younger brothers, you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there no other seat?¡± He Qianyang squeezed Jiang Chen again righteously, ¡°And what do you mean by bullying my younger brothers? This is called a loving education. I must treat Chen Chen and Min Min equally. Grandma, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± Old Mrs. He said with a smile: ¡°The brothers just want to be affectionate with each other. See how the three of them sit together, especially Chen Chen and Yang Yang, they seem to be carved out of the same mold.¡±


    He Qianyang hooked an arm around Jiang Chen¡¯s neck, and leaned towards old Mrs. He: ¡°Are we very alike?¡±


    ¡°Very alike.¡± The old lady touched the faces of the two: ¡°Aiyoh, you are both my good grandsons, so handsome.¡±


    He Qianyang raised his chin: ¡°He Qianmin is just lacking when compared to us, right?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Min Min?¡± Old Mrs. He scolded him: ¡°Your younger brother¡¯s little dimple when he smiles is unbelievably adorable, just like Chen Chen.¡±


    ¡°So it seems Chen Chen has become the best-looking template in our family.¡± He Qianyang pretended to be dissatisfied, ¡°Before, you kept saying that I was the most handsome grandson, but now you have changed your mind, right?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, you are still also grandma¡¯s most handsome grandson.¡± Old Mrs. He smiled from ear to ear: ¡°You and Chen Chen, Min Min are the most handsome boys in grandma¡¯s heart. There is no one in this world who is more handsome than the three of you.¡±


    ¡°Before, I always thought that child from the Shi family was the most good-looking.¡± The handsome short-haired woman smiled and said, ¡°Now seeing Chen Chen, I feel that our Chen Chen is even more good-looking.¡±


    ¡°Chen Chen is good-looking, but Xiao Shi is even more good-looking. I don¡¯t know how he grew up, he is like an exquisite doll.¡± Yang Yun said with a smile: ¡°When Qian Min saw him for the first time when he was young, he asked me if he was an elf prince from a fairy tale.¡±


    ¡°When did that happen?¡± He Qianmin clicked his tongue, dissatisfied: ¡°I was still young at that time, and I never saw Shi Fengyue¡¯s parents, so I thought that he came out of an egg and said that. It doesn¡¯t matter what he looks like, okay?¡±


    ¡°You thought elves come out of eggs?¡± He Qianyang laughed.


    He Qianmin: ¡°I said I was still young at that time!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Shi looks like his mother.¡± Old Mrs. He followed Yang Yun¡¯s words and said with a smile: ¡°His mother was so beautiful. When she first came to our compound, all the young men came out to see her. Loitering at the door and refusing to leave. After living for so many years, I have only seen such a beautiful girl as Xiao Shi¡¯s mother. Just sitting there she was like a beautiful painting.¡±


    Just as Jiang Chen was about to pull off He Qianyang¡¯s arm, he paused when he heard old Mrs. He¡¯s words. The old lady didn¡¯t continue after she said this, and Yang Yun also changed the topic with a smile: ¡°We got lost in chatting as soon as you came in, Chen Chen hasn¡¯t seen your Aunt yet, right.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at the handsome woman, and said with a smile, ¡°Aunt.¡±


    ¡°What a good child.¡± Jiang Yiyuan smiled and handed a small box to Jiang Chen: ¡°I don¡¯t know what to give you when we meet for the first time. I heard that you are going to Hua University and I happened to have an apartment near the university.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused the hand that was about to take over the box, and said, ¡°This is too precious.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just take it, it¡¯s a gift from your aunt.¡± He Qianyang directly took the box for Jiang Chen, took out the keys and stuffed it into Jiang Chen¡¯s pocket, saying with a smirk in a low voice: ¡°You will know when you find a girlfriend the benefits of having a house outside.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about! I told you not to be a bad influence on your younger brother.¡± Jiang Yiyuan slapped He Qianyang on the head: ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a girlfriend?¡± He Qianyang didn¡¯t care about being beaten by his mom, and turned to ask Jiang Chen.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good, where¡¯s that flare I had from back then.¡± He Qianyang clicked his tongue: ¡°But it¡¯s okay, when you go to college, brother will introduce you to some girls.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Jiang Chen twitched the corner of his mouth, ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°Then you want a boyfriend?¡± He Qianyang frowned in difficulty: ¡°That¡¯s also okay, as long as you like it, brother can also¡­..¡±


    ¡°Also what!¡± He Yanjun heard this sentence as soon as he came downstairs, and slapped him on the back of the head: ¡°What did your brother say?¡±


    ¡°What can I say?¡± He Qianyang hid behind Jiang Chen: ¡°Brother is doing this for your sake, please help me to say something nice.¡±


    Jiang Chen pushed He Qianyang¡¯s hand away, and pushed him in He Yanjun¡¯s direction: ¡°Uncle, he said he would introduce a boyfriend to me.¡±


    ¡°Boyfriend!¡± He Yanjun¡¯s expression changed, and several hits landed instantly.


    ¡°I¡¯m in college and you still hit me!¡± He Qianyang said while dodging: ¡°I was wrong, Dad, I was just joking! It was really a joke! Aren¡¯t I trying to cultivate a relationship with my younger brother?¡±


    ¡°Do you make jokes like this to cultivate feelings?¡± He Yanjun chased him and said, ¡°If your younger brother really takes a detour then, see if I don¡¯t beat you to death!¡±


    Jiang Chen calmly watched He Qianyang jump up and down, and He Qianmin gave a thumbs up: ¡°Brother, you are the best.¡±


    ¡°All right, all right, stop making trouble.¡± Jiang Yiyuan was used to this scene, ¡°It¡¯s time to eat, the food is all ready.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He Qianmin pulled Jiang Chen up, but halfway there, he suddenly remembered something, and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I see He Qianjian? I was wondering why I was so happy just now. The atmosphere is different without him.¡±


    Yang Yun was walking behind them, and when she heard this, she turned to look for him: ¡°Qian Jian is still in the living room just now, Mom will go to look for him, you go to the dining room first.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jiang Yiyuan and He Yanya walked up from behind and asked Yang Yun when they saw Yang Yun returning.


    Yang Yun lowered her voice: ¡°Qian Jian is gone.¡±


    Jiang Yiyuan was taken aback, and said: ¡°He should have gone upstairs by himself, I¡¯ll send someone upstairs to call him down.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs and find him.¡± Yang Yun said.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He Yanfeng and old Mr. He also walked over.


    ¡°Qian Jian seems to be upstairs, I¡¯ll go call him to come down to eat.¡±


    Old Mr. He frowned: ¡°Go.¡±


    When everyone at the table was seated, Yang Yun and He Qianjian walked into the dining room.


    Old Mr. He glanced at him mildly, ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    He Qianjian stood where he was, his eyes sweeping over Jiang Chen who was sitting in his original position, and he didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Qian Min, move a seat to the side.¡± He Yanfeng said lightly.


    The table in the He family dining room was a big round table, and they usually sit in order of seniority. At this time, except for Jiang Chen sitting in the position where He Qianjian sat before, the other positions have not changed. But He Qianjian was not there just now and He Qianmin, who should have moved one seat back, did not reserve a place for him.


    He Qianmin called the home worker auntie: ¡°Auntie, please put a chair there.¡± He was referring to the place next to He Qianyu.


    He Qianjian said: ¡°You are sitting in my place.¡± He couldn¡¯t get in direct conflict with Jiang Chen, it didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t either with He Qianmin. On the contrary, if he kept giving in, old Mr. He would only look down on him.


    ¡°When did I take your place?¡± The smile on He Qianmin¡¯s face disappeared, and his expression darkened as he said word by word: ¡°You have been taking my brother¡¯s place all this time.¡±

 CH 100

    When the words fell, the entire dining room was silent for a moment, and everyone had varying expressions on their faces.


    Yang Yun came back to her senses first, and immediately whispered: ¡°Qian Min.¡±


    He Qianmin snorted coldly, and did not say any more with a sullen face.


    The helper auntie had already added a stool, and retreated in the silent atmosphere.


    Old Mr. He: ¡°Sit.¡±


    He Qianjian paused, and across the dining table, he met Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes who happened to raise his eyes at that moment.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t remain, skipping over He Qianjian and looking to He Qianyang at the side. He asked in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Who told you to betray your big brother.¡± He Qianyang poked Jiang Chen¡¯s waist, saw him tremble, and the words on his tongue took a turn. As if he had discovered a new world, he exclaimed: ¡°Are you ticklish?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    He Qianyang raised his eyebrows, held the chopsticks and waved them in the direction of Jiang Chen¡¯s waist. Seeing his eyes twitch slightly, he laughed instantly. He moved closer and said, ¡°Sure you¡¯re not?¡±


    Jiang Chen moved a little towards He Qianmin¡¯s direction: ¡°I¡¯m sue.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll put you to the test¡­..¡±


    Just as Jiang Chen was about to dodge, there was a low cough from the opposite side, and He Yanjun said: ¡°He Qianyang, what are you doing?¡±


    He Qianyang sat up straight, and put the chopsticks on the table, ¡°I just dropped it on the floor, and I was picking it up.¡±


    ¡°Go to the kitchen and get a new pair, what is with that crooked posture while sitting at the dining table?¡±


    ¡°If you drop the chopsticks, of course you have to bend over to pick them up.¡± Old Mrs. He said, ¡°Why are you reprimanding him, Yang Yang, hurry up and get a new pair of chopsticks.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    He Qianjian looked at the harmonious scene at the dining table, everyone¡¯s attention was on Jiang Chen and He Qianyang, and the hands on his side couldn¡¯t help but tightened a little bit into fists¡ª¡ªif he had dealt with it cleanly at the beginning, all of this would not be happening. Noticing the sight from diagonally in front, he lowered his head, silently walked to the seat next to He Qianyu and sat down.


    He Qianyang got new chopsticks and came back quickly. With him at the dining table, it was impossible for the atmosphere to not be lively. The topics ranged from his embarrassing incidents at the beginning of school to his travel trip during the vacation to final exams. He always had a way to make people laugh.


    Jiang Chen was eating quietly, looking down and pondering over the bug just discovered by the image recognition system, and suddenly felt his arm being bumped.


    ¡°What are you thinking about? You¡¯re so engrossed.¡± He Qianyang said, ¡°I¡¯ve called you several times but you don¡¯t seem to have heard me.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes: ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa said that we will move to live in Wugu Village in two days.¡± He Qianyang said, ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll celebrate Chinese New Year there this year.¡±


    Jiang Chen was startled: ¡°Wugu Village?¡±


    ¡°This winter is colder than usual. Grandpa was just allocated a house in that village, so he said to spend the winter there and move back after the new year.¡±


    Seeing Jiang Chen frowning slightly, He Qianyang asked: ¡°You don¡¯t know Wugu Village? It is a hot spring village in the northern suburbs. The place is not big, but the hot springs there are good. Few people knew about it before due to its remoteness, but the documents for building a 5A scenic spot there have been approved a long time ago, and now there should be quite a lot of people who know about the place. But as a student, it¡¯s normal if you don¡¯t know.¡±


    He Qianmin leaned over to Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Who says my brother doesn¡¯t know? Not only does my brother know, he also has a house over there. He is the only one besides the allocated housing and the original villagers who lived there to have a house there.¡±


    He Qianyang looked at Jiang Chen: ¡°You have a house there?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°I had a sum of money before, and I heard that the hot springs over there are good, so I bought a place there.¡±


    He Qianyang hadn¡¯t expected Jiang Chen to have his own house in Wugu Village. He was completely surprised, and suddenly thought of something: ¡°Then when do you plan to move over?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°The original plan is to move there this winter.¡±


    He Qianyang glanced at He Qianjian, who was eating with his head down and unable to see his expression clearly, thought for a while and said, ¡°I heard that your and He Qianjian¡¯s identities will not be disclosed for the time being, so if we all move to Wugu Village at that time, your parents will definitely see He Qianjian, have you thought about what to do?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly: ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±


    He Qianyang observed Jiang Chen¡¯s expression, and lowered his voice a bit: ¡°How was your relationship with He Qianjian before?¡±


    ¡°Before?¡±


    ¡°Before you found out who your biological parents are.¡±


    ¡°Not good.¡± He Qianmin interjected, and he said: ¡°My brother and I are both incompatible with him.¡±


    He Qianyang clicked his tongue: ¡°What are you talking about, little brat? Stop interrupting when grown-ups are talking, and go away.¡± He lowered his voice, and said to Jiang Chen: ¡°If your relationship is not good, I suggest you not let He Qianjian see your adoptive parents. After all, he is their biological child, and He Qianjian already knows his identity. If he meets them, he will inevitably reveal something. I heard that Aunt Jiang is pregnant. I am afraid she will be affected negatively.¡±


    ¡°What are you three huddling together and chattering about?¡± He Yanjun said; ¡°Eat properly.¡±


    He Qianyang and He Qianmin sat up straight, while Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flashed, thoughtful.


    ¡­¡­.


    Before celebrating the New Year, the research institute was given a holiday.


    After careful consideration, Jiang Chen still decided to go to the house in Wugu Village to celebrate the New Year as planned. There were three reasons. Firstly, Yang Si was getting further along in her pregnancy term now, and she had been stimulated before, and needed a more comfortable environment to await the birth of the baby. Second, when he was preparing for the renovation, he promised his parents that he would give them a surprise during the New Year¡¯s this year and he didn¡¯t want to let them down. The third and most important reason was that Jiang Chen believed that it was absolutely impossible for He Qianjian to reveal his identity voluntarily. Because making his identity known would mean leaving the He family early, and he would never do so.


    On the second day of the New Year, Jiang Chen took Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si to Wugu Village. Because the house in Wugu Village was well prepared, even if they went to spend the winter, the family did not bring anything except a change of clothes and traveled very lightly.


    The car soon drove into the entrance of the village. It was the first time for Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo to come here. Looking at the blooming flowers on both sides of the road, Yang Si couldn¡¯t help but joyfully say: ¡°The temperature here seems to be warmer than that at home. There are many flowers and plants blooming.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°Our house has a big terrace. If you like flowers, you can plant them on the terrace.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Yang Si said with a smile: ¡°When the time comes, Mom will plant a terrace full of flowers, so that you can look outside after finishing work and feel relaxed.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo asked: ¡°Chen Chen, how has work been recently? Are you tired?¡±


    ¡°Not tired.¡± Jiang Chen curved his eyes and said with a slight smile, ¡°It¡¯s all things I like to do, but there is one thing I might discuss with you guys.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Yang Si was curious.


    ¡°In the second semester of the third year of high school, I may have to spend most of my time at the research institute.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°I might rarely go to school.¡±


    Yang Si asked: ¡°Then what about your college entrance examination?¡±


    ¡°I am basically familiar with all the contents in the books.¡± Jiang Chen said: ¡°Even in the research institute, I will not slack off. I study and do the test papers every day.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that very tiring?¡± Yang Si worried: ¡°Chen Chen, Mom has seen that you have lost weight during this time. Is it because you are too busy with work to eat well? Back then, Mom and Dad didn¡¯t let you skip grades because we wanted you to enjoy your school life every year. Now after going to the research institute it has become so tiring, and you don¡¯t even have the time to attend your final courses. When you think back to this, that you only have two and a half years of high school memories, will you regret it?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo said with a smile: ¡°The child can make his own decision, this is what he likes, how could he regret it? As parents, we just need to support him. But there is one thing, you are still in the third year of high school, can the school agree?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already got the early admission quota, and the school will agree to it.¡± Jiang Chen pointed out the window: ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Turning her head to look out the window, Yang Si¡¯s eyes lit up. Even before Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo opened the door for her, she got out of the car by herself.


    Yang Si walked to the small modern flower bed, reached out to touch the plants inside, turned around and said with a smile, ¡°Is this the one?¡±


    Jiang Chen got out of the car and held her arm: ¡°Mom, be careful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so fragile.¡± Yang Si said impatiently, ¡°Open the door quickly and let¡¯s take a look inside.¡±


    Standing outside the door, Jiang Zhuo looked up at the whole house and nodded with satisfaction.


    ¡°This lock is opened like this.¡± Jiang Chen demonstrated how to open the combination lock, causing Yang Si to tut in amazement. Jiang Zhuo lowered his head and studied it for a while: ¡°Son, what material is this screen made of?¡±


    But Yang Si couldn¡¯t wait to open the door: ¡°Let¡¯s go in quickly.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, and led Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo to tour the whole house, including the hot spring in the backyard, Yang Si¡¯s dressing room, the baby¡¯s room, Jiang Zhuo¡¯s workshop, and so on.


    After taking his parents for a tour, Jiang Chen received a call from the research institute. He stayed upstairs to answer the call, while Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo went downstairs.


    Yang Si stood in the bright kitchen, looked at the fine dishes in the transparent cabinet, and said with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s a pity that you don¡¯t let me cook now, otherwise I really want to try this kitchen out.¡±


    ¡°After the baby is born.¡± Jiang Zhuo put his arm around her shoulders and said with a smile, ¡°You can cook whenever you want.¡±


    Yang Si smiled and was about to speak when she heard the doorbell ring.


    ¡°Who could it be?¡± She looked at Jiang Zhuo.


    Jiang Zhuo: ¡°Chen Chen has seen the neighbors here before, maybe they saw our car parked outside and know there are people at home, so they came over to visit.¡±


    Yang Si nodded: ¡°Then go see who it is.¡±


    Jiang Chen went downstairs and saw only Yang Si in the living room, and asked, ¡°Mom, where¡¯s Dad?¡±


    ¡°There was a knock on the door, and your father went to open it.¡±


    After Yang Si finished speaking, the iron gate of the courtyard sounded. Jiang Chen got up and walked to the French windows, and saw the He Yanfeng couple outside the door.


    It was too late to be surprised, Jiang Zhuo had already led them in.


    ¡°Please come in. I didn¡¯t expect you to live here too, what a coincidence.¡± Seeing Jiang Chen and Yang Si both looking over, Jiang Zhuo smiled and said: ¡°Qian Min¡¯s parents are here, Chen Chen come and say hello. ¡°


    Jiang Chen supported Yang Si to walk over to Jiang Zhuo, and nodded slightly: ¡°Uncle He, Aunt Yang.¡±


    ¡°Welcome, welcome, please have a seat.¡± Yang Si said: ¡°Chen Chen, go and pour a cup of tea for your uncle and aunt.¡±


    Yang Yun¡¯s expression changed slightly. She paused for two seconds, and then forced a smile: ¡°No need for the trouble, we just came over to have a look, we¡¯ll only sit for a bit before leaving.¡±


    ¡°No trouble, no trouble.¡± Yang Si smiled and said, ¡°A visitor is a guest, and making tea is a courtesy.¡±


    Jiang Chen helped Yang Si sit down on the sofa, turned around and went into the kitchen, made tea and brought it out.


    ¡°Please have some tea.¡±


    After Yang Yun and He Yanfeng each took a cup of tea, Yang Si smiled and opened the topic: ¡°By the way, why don¡¯t I see Qian Min? I also heard that you have an older son and a young daughter. Have they come along as well?¡±

 CH 101

    ¡°Qian Min is doing his homework and didn¡¯t come out.¡± He Yanfeng said lightly: ¡°We went out for a walk and saw your house occupied, so we came to visit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Yang Si didn¡¯t notice anything strange, and she smiled softly, her slightly round face from pregnancy looking very gentle: ¡°Our two families really have an affinity. Our children play well together, and now we are even neighbors.¡±


    Yang Yun¡¯s eyes fell on Yang Si¡¯s baby bump, paused for a moment, and asked: ¡°You are now seven months old, how do you feel?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a bit fussy.¡± Yang Si lowered her eyes and rubbed her tummy, saying with a smile: ¡°When I was pregnant with Chen Chen he was very quiet. This child is not like their older brother. I wonder if they will be a little troublemaker when they come out.¡±


    ¡°Little troublemakers are also fine.¡± Jiang Zhuo washed the fruit, put it on the table, and smiled at He Yanfeng and his wife: ¡°Have some fruit, little troublemakers brings cheer and liveliness.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yang Si took Jiang Chen¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°The elder son is mature and sensible, and the younger daughter is fussy. With one son and one daughter, all my wishes are fulfilled.¡±


    He Yanfeng held Yang Yun¡¯s hand, squeezed it calmly, and said with a smile, ¡°Already know it¡¯s a daughter?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Yang Si smiled and shook her head: ¡°It¡¯s just that we already have Chen Chen, so we want to have a daughter even more, and Chen Chen has always wanted to have a younger sister.¡±


    ¡°A boy is not bad either.¡± Jiang Zhuo touched Yang Si¡¯s belly reassuringly, and said to her, ¡°What if it will be a boy? Don¡¯t say that in front of the child.¡±


    Yang Si couldn¡¯t help laughing: ¡°They¡¯re still in my stomach, what can they hear?¡±


    ¡°This is prenatal education.¡± Jiang Zhuo insisted on this very much, and took Jiang Chen¡¯s hand from the other side of Yang Si, ¡°Come on son, tell your brother or sister quickly, you like both boys and girls.¡±


    Jiang Chen had no choice but to be pulled by Jiang Zhuo and put his hand on Yang Si¡¯s belly. Suddenly he felt a light kick. His eyes lit up and he touched it lightly. Yang Si smiled and said, ¡°Every time you touch Mom¡¯s belly, it¡¯s like she can feel you, it seems that she really likes her older brother.¡±


    ¡°Nothing happens every time I touch.¡± Jiang Zhuo said jealously, ¡°Don¡¯t you like Dad?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re moving!¡± Yang Si turned to look at Jiang Zhuo: ¡°Did you feel it?¡±


    ¡°I feel it.¡± Jiang Zhuo laughed immediately, ¡°It seems that they like Dad too.¡±


    The hands of the family of three were laid together touching their future family member, and their eyes were full of soft smiles looking forward to a new life. Yang Yun hid the sadness in her eyes, and grabbed He Yanfeng¡¯s hand tightly.


    After going back, Yang Yun was frequently absent-minded, and He Yanfeng knew the reason, so he let her be alone.


    There were a few chairs and a tea table by the hot spring in the courtyard. Yang Yun looked in one direction, lost in thought. The tea on the little stove was boiling and the smoke was rising, but she didn¡¯t notice at all.


    He Qianjian¡¯s eyes flickered slightly. He walked up to Yang Yun and sat down, poured a some tea into a teacup, and put it in Yang Yun¡¯s hand: ¡°Mom, drink some tea.¡±


    Yang Yun came back to her senses and saw a trace of disappointment in He Qianjian¡¯s eyes. She forced a smile and said, ¡°I don¡¯t really want to drink now, you can drink it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Are you unhappy?¡± He Qianjian took a sip of tea himself, and said in a concerned tone, ¡°I saw that after you came back in the morning, you seemed to be in a not so good mood.¡±


    Yang Yun looked away and smiled: ¡°Mom is not unhappy, but you, how are you feeling these days?¡±


    He Qianjian squeezed the teacup tightly, lowered his head to conceal it, and said with a wry smile: ¡°I also don¡¯t know, I¡¯m at a loss, I don¡¯t know what to do, I never thought that this kind of thing would happen.¡±


    Yang Yun pursed her lips and raised her hand to touch his head, but she stopped in mid-air for some reason. She withdrew her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s normal to have a hard time accepting this after just learning about it, but after a while it¡¯s enough to accept it slowly.¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± He Qianjian raised his head: ¡°Can I not go back to the Jiang¡¯s? I don¡¯t know Jiang Chen¡¯s parents at all, and I have never met them. I only know that you and Dad are my parents. I just want to recognize you, don¡¯t let me go back to the Jiang¡¯s, okay?¡±


    Yang Yun¡¯s heart seemed to be tugged by something, and the smile that barely managed to be kept on her face faded.


    If He Qianjian had always thought this way and didn¡¯t want to go back to the Jiang¡¯s at all, then what about Jiang Chen? Did it mean that he didn¡¯t want to go back to the He family at all, that was why he always thinking about the Jiang couple, that was why he wanted to delay telling them and the others the truth, and that was why he treated the Jiang couple completely differently from the way he treated her and He Yanfeng.


    Yang Yun was in a daze and lost in unknown thoughts. He Qianjian frowned, impatience and anxiety appeared in his eyes, which changed into worry before Yang Yun looked over, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Yang Yun looked at He Qianjian flatly, the always gentle smile on her face was gone, and her voice seemed to be a little colder: ¡°Qian Jian, you and Chen Chen¡¯s identities have been misplaced for eighteen years. Both of us have missed a lot in the past eighteen years. Not only do I want to make it up for Chen Chen, but I also imagine that your biological parents will also want to make it up to you after learning of your identity. I know it may be difficult for you now to accept this fact, but I hope you will think about your biological parents and give them a chance to make it up to you.¡±


    ¡°But in my heart, you and Dad are my biological parents.¡± He Qianjian squatted down, lay his head on Yang Yun¡¯s lap, and looked up at her: ¡°Mom, I just want to be the son of you and Dad, I don¡¯t want to be the son of the Jiang family.¡±


    Yang Yun lowered her eyes, and the image of He Qianjian in front of her now seemed to coincide with the image of Jiang Chen gently stroking Yang Si¡¯s belly with a smile. She pursed her lips, and gently pushed He Qianjian¡¯s hand away: ¡°Qian Jian, this is impossible to change, you and Chen Chen must return to your original position, your father and grandfather are right, you are already an adult, it will be a matter of time before you leave home, so just think of it as leaving home early.¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡±


    ¡°Can you let Mom be alone for a while?¡± Yang Yun gently rubbed He Qianjian¡¯s head: ¡°Mom really wants to be alone for a while now.¡±


    He Qianjian swallowed the words that came to his lips, lowered his eyes to hide the gloom in his eyes, nodded and got up and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go for a walk, be careful not to catch a cold.¡±


    Yang Yun¡¯s heart warmed, and she smiled and said, ¡°You also need to add another layer of clothes before going out. Although it¡¯s warmer here than at home, it¡¯s easy to catch a cold if you don¡¯t pay attention.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    After walking out of the courtyard, He Qianjian¡¯s obedient smile disappeared instantly. He grabbed the door frame and lowered his face. Looking around at the rustic rural buildings, his expression became even uglier.


    ¡°Are you the second child of the He family?¡± A passing village woman saw He Qianjian and pointed in a direction with a smile: ¡°Your brother and younger siblings have all gone to play there, are you going to find them?¡±


    He Qianjian adjusted his expression, his n was still a little ugly, but in front of a village woman, he didn¡¯t bother to pretend, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± The village woman saw that his face was not very good, and said in a very friendly manner: ¡°Would you like to go to auntie¡¯s house? There are many delicious foods at auntie¡¯s house. You children from the city should have never eaten it before. The child about your age in Xiao Jiang¡¯s house in front likes to eat the frozen sticky bean buns from auntie¡¯s house, so why don¡¯t you try some too?¡±


    Originally, He Qianjian wanted to refuse after hearing the first part, but after hearing that Jiang Chen liked to eat it, he agreed.


    The village woman was warm and generous. After leading He Qianjian in, she took a large bowl and filled it with frozen sticky bean buns. When she handed it to him, she smiled and said, ¡°Just take this bowl home, and just bring it back to auntie¡¯s house after you¡¯re done.¡±


    He Qianjian looked at the chipped and yellowish bowl in his hand, curled his hands in disgust, and finally took it.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, you¡¯re welcome.¡± The village woman waved her hand: ¡°You children are just too polite, now go and play.¡±


    He Qianjian came out of the village woman¡¯s house with the bowl in his hand, picked up a piece casually and took a bite, but unexpectedly knocked his tooth. He spat, covered his mouth and threw the sticky bean bun in his hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re wasting food.¡±


    A child with a runny nose came out from some corner, pointed at He Qianjian, but looked at the sticky bean bun in the grass.


    He Qianjian glanced over the child¡¯s dirty clothes, turned around and was about to leave.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go, you threw out the food, you can¡¯t throw out food.¡± The little boy grabbed He Qianjian¡¯s shirt and handed the sticky bean bun he picked up to He Qianjian: ¡°This is yours.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± He Qianjian pulled away the hem of his shirt: ¡°Go away and mind your own business.¡±


    The little boy grabbed He Qianjian again: ¡°Don¡¯t leave.¡±


    He Qianjian¡¯s face darkened: ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t hit children.¡±


    The little boy shrank his neck, but did not let go of his hand.


    He Qianjian stared at the little boy for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed inexplicably, and raised the bowl in his hand: ¡°Want this?¡±


    The little boy sniffed and nodded honestly.


    ¡°You can have it if you want.¡± He Qianjian picked up a sticky bean bun that was frozen hard, and tossed it up and down before saying to the little boy, ¡°Stand in front.¡±


    The little boy obediently walked a few steps, ¡°A little further ahead.¡±


    ¡°Okay, stop.¡± He Qianjian smiled, shaking the sticky bean bun in his hand and said, ¡°Just stand there, I¡¯ll throw it over, and it will be yours if you catch it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The little boy¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The little boy held out his hand and struck a catcher¡¯s pose.


    He Qianjian smiled, and casually threw the sticky bean bun forward. The sticky bean bun fell into the soil two meters away from the little boy.


    The little boy looked at the sticky bean bun in the mud with pity, then turned his head to look at He Qianjian again, and said with a pursed mouth, ¡°You didn¡¯t throw it correctly, it fell to the ground.¡±


    He Qianjian smiled: ¡°Then go pick it up.¡±


    The little boy shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s in the mud, it¡¯s too dirty to eat.¡±


    He Qianjian didn¡¯t expect a rural kid to be so particular. He rolled his eyes and laughed again: ¡°I¡¯m throwing it over, you catch it.¡±


    The little boy stared at the sticky bean bun in He Qianjian¡¯s hand, and nodded.


    The smile on the corner of He Qianjian¡¯s mouth deepened, and he threw the frozen sticky bean bun.


    Seeing the sticky bean bun flying towards him, the little boy¡¯s eyes brightened and he went to catch it, but cried out when it hit him, his eyes turning red instantly.


    He Qianjian smiled maliciously, ¡°Continue.¡±


    One after another, the sticky bean buns hit the little boy. The little boy went from trying to catch it to dodging it, and finally squatted down and hugged his head in pain.


    After He Qianjian threw out all the sticky bean buns in the bowl, he felt his bad mood fade away. He glanced at the child squatting on the street, and was about to turn around and leave.


    Suddenly there was an angry shout, ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    He Qianjian paused, looked left and right but saw no one, but recalling that the speaker had a standard Yan City accent, a trace of guilt flashed across his face, and he lowered his head and hurried away.


    Yang Si supported her belly and walked quickly to the little boy. She looked in the direction where the young man had just disappeared, lowered her head and said softly, ¡°Little friend, stand up first and let auntie see if you are injured.¡±


    The little boy had a red nose and a red spot on his forehead, but he didn¡¯t cry. He let go of the hand holding his head, looked at the direction He Qianjian was leaving, heaved a sigh of relief and pouted aggrievedly: ¡°Wait till I go back and tell my brother that someone hit me.¡±


    Seeing that the little boy was not seriously injured, Yang Si breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing his words, she was both amused and distressed: ¡°Where is your home, tell auntie, and auntie will walk you back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s right in front.¡± The little boy stretched out a finger and pointed, taking Yang Si¡¯s hand familiarly: ¡°My brother and father and grandfather are also in front.¡±


    ¡°Then auntie will take you home.¡± Yang Si¡¯s heart softened. She looked at the little boy¡¯s face carefully, and saw that besides the red forehead, the lower part of his cheek was also red. She frowned, and scolded that young man in her heart, saying with distress, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°It hurts.¡± The little boy pursed his mouth, ¡°But it¡¯s okay, it only hurts a little.¡±


    Yang Si held his hand while walking and told him: ¡°Go back and ask your parents to apply some medicine for you, and it¡¯s better that you don¡¯t come out alone in the future, you have to let brother accompany you, you understand?¡±


    The little boy blinked: ¡°We don¡¯t have medicine at home.¡±


    ¡°How can there be no medicine in your house?¡± Yang Si smiled and said, ¡°You tell your parents and they will apply medicine for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a mother.¡± The little boy said, ¡°My brother said our mother is dead.¡±


    Yang Si was stunned, and stopped: ¡°Then let¡¯s go to auntie¡¯s house first, and auntie will apply medicine to you before sending you back.¡±


    The little boy was not at all wary of strangers: ¡°Okay.¡±


    When seeing Yang Si come back with a little boy, Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo were very surprised.


    ¡°Honey, whose child is this, why did you bring him back?¡±


    Being reminded, Yang Si was quite angry about what happened. She brought a medicine box to the little boy and relayed what she saw while applying the medicine. At the end, her emotions even became a little excited: ¡°That boy looked pretty big but he actually bullied such a young child, I think he has antisocial personality disorder symptoms.¡±


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t be angry, have you seen what he looks like?¡±


    ¡°I only saw the side of his face.¡± Yang Si said angrily, ¡°But I¡¯ll recognize him when I see him next time, and I¡¯ll be sure to ask his parents how this child was taught and why he became like this.¡±


    ¡°According to what you said, the child is probably almost or already an adult. It¡¯s useless for you to talk to his parents.¡±


    ¡°Why is it useless?¡± Yang Si said: ¡°Even if he is an adult, they raised him. Such a child will practically cause a lot of harm when he enters society in the future! If I talk to his parents before he enters society, maybe he can change.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry anymore.¡± Jiang Zhuo patted her back: ¡°Be careful of the baby.¡±


    Yang Si gently wiped the medicine on the little boy, rubbed the little boy¡¯s head comfortingly, and suddenly sighed. She said: ¡°To be able to teach such a child, the parents are probably not very good either, and it may be difficult to talk sense to them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Zhuo had long been used to his wife¡¯s capriciousness during pregnancy, and said with a smile: ¡°That child will not be successful in the future, so you shouldn¡¯t care about him. But after sending this child back, we must tell his parents, don¡¯t let the child play outside alone again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yang Si ordered Jiang Chen: ¡°Chen Chen, you get some snacks for your little brother, and then send him back to his family, make sure you let them know, okay?¡±


    Knowing that he would be the one running errands, Jiang Chen got up and accepted the task. Holding the snacks that Yang Si gave the little boy, he led the little boy to the door of his house under his guidance.


    The courtyard gate of the little boy¡¯s house was open, and there were many cardboard boxes piled up in the yard. Some people were walking around, and Jiang Chen paused. He thought the boy was a villager¡¯s child, but now it seemed that he should be from one of the families assigned to a house here who came to stay for the winter.


    ¡°Elder Brother!¡±


    The little boy broke away from Jiang Chen¡¯s hand and ran forward on his short legs.


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes, and happened to collide with the eyes of the young man who looked up, and they were both taken aback.

 CH 102

    ¡°Xu Chang?¡±


    Jiang Chen recognized the young man in front of him at a glance, and his voice revealed his surprise.


    Xu Chang didn¡¯t expect to see Jiang Chen here either. He paused, hesitating a bit before nodding: ¡°Senior Jiang.¡± His sight lowered and landed on the little boy¡¯s red and slightly swollen face. His expression changed, and he immediately crouched down to check the little boy¡¯s injuries, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Hearing Xu Chang¡¯s anxiety, Jiang Chen explained: ¡°When your younger brother was playing outside, he was hit by an older boy with something. My mother took him to my house to apply some medicine.¡±


    ¡°Who hit him?¡± Xu Chang raised his head with coldness in his eyes.


    Jiang Chen was slightly surprised. He remembered that the first time he saw Xu Chang, he was being surrounded and beaten by Sun Zhi and the others. He didn¡¯t see him so angry when the punches and kicks landed on him. Instead, he very calmly planned his counterattack. And afterwards, most of the time he saw him he was very indifferent and precocious, who would¡¯ve expected that he would be so impulsive when it regarded his younger brother.


    ¡°My mother only saw a side profile, saying it was a boy of seventeen or eighteen years old.¡± Jiang Chen reminded: ¡°Your brother is still young, so try not to let him go out alone in the future to avoid accidents.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid!¡± The little boy held Xu Chang by the hand, raised his head and said, ¡°Brother, I remember what he looks like, let¡¯s go find him!¡±


    Xu Chang nodded, and was about to walk out while leading the little boy.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t expect the two brothers to charge out just like that. He paused for a moment before raising his legs to follow as well.


    The little boy knew the way very well. He led them around and walked past several houses without any hesitation, heading straight in one direction.


    ¡°This is it?¡± Xu Chang looked at the iron gate in front of him.


    ¡°He came out from here.¡± The little boy pointed at the door, sniffed and said, ¡°He also had a bowl of sticky bean buns. I ate them yesterday, and they were very delicious.¡±


    Jiang Chen vaguely heard the sound of swallowing saliva from the little boy, and Xu Chang heard it as well. He lowered his head: ¡°Did you ask someone for food?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The little boy shook his head immediately. He was not very big, but his speech was very logical: ¡°He wasted food and threw the sticky bean bun on the ground. I picked it up and returned it to him. He asked me if I wanted to have it, and only then did I say yes.¡±


    ¡°Then why were you hurt?¡±


    ¡°Because he told me to stand a little farther away, and if I catch it, it¡¯s mine!¡± The little boy pursed his mouth: ¡°But the sticky bean buns were too hard, so I only caught one.¡± He took out a softened sticky bun from his pocket.


    Xu Chang¡¯s face darkened, and he knocked on the door in front of him.


    ¡°Coming, coming!¡± The village woman pushed open the door, and when she saw the three outside the door, she was stunned. Rubbing her hands together she said with a smile, ¡°Xiao Jiang, are you here to see auntie?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t expect that Aunt Zhang who had given him a lot of food before lived here, but he remembered that Aunt Zhang said that there was only one daughter in her family who was already working, ¡°Aunt Zhang, we want to ask if your family has a boy about my age.¡±


    ¡°A boy?¡± Aunt Zhang shook her head: ¡°I just have a daughter. And she can¡¯t come back for this year¡¯s spring festival because she didn¡¯t buy a ticket. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Jiang Chen and Xu Chang exchanged looks, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°But that big brother came out from here!¡± The little boy craned his head and looked inside, his eyes lighting up: ¡°And that! That big brother was holding that sticky bean bun!¡±


    Aunt Zhang turned her head and looked at where the little boy¡¯s finger was pointing. She saw the sticky bean buns she had frozen outside, and smiled: ¡°That¡¯s what auntie made for the spring festival. Do you want to eat it? Auntie will prepare you a bowl each to bring back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± The little boy raised his hand.


    Xu Chang pressed down his younger brother¡¯s hand, and his expression improved a bit. He asked, ¡°Auntie, did you give sticky bean buns to others today, a boy about our age.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes!¡± Aunt Zhang said with a smile: ¡°Not long ago, the boy from the He family took a bowl back from me, and the bowl hasn¡¯t been sent back yet. Did you eat his buns and came looking for more?¡±


    ¡°The He family?¡± Jiang Chen asked, ¡°Do you know his name?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Aunt Zhang shook her head: ¡°Of the boys in their family, I think he should be the second child.¡±


    ¡°Second child?¡± Xu Chang narrowed his eyes: ¡°He Qianmin?¡±


    ¡°He seem to be called He Qian or something.¡± Aunt Zhang said, ¡°It seems that their children all have this name, what¡¯s the matter? Are you looking for something with him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°Aunt Zhang, I¡¯m sorry to bother you, we¡¯ll be going first.¡±


    ¡°Leaving already? Why not take a bowl of sticky bean buns with you? Auntie has other food at home, do you want some?¡± Aunt Zhang said: ¡°There are still sweet potatoes in the pot? Do you want to eat?¡±


    But Xu Chang had already turned around and was leading the little boy away.


    ¡°We¡¯ll eat it next time, thank you.¡±


    Jiang Chen took several big steps, and caught up with Xu Chang: ¡°Are you going to the He family?¡±


    Xu Chang: ¡°He Qianmin hit my younger brother, of course I¡¯m going to seek an explanation.¡±


    ¡°I know Qian Min, he can¡¯t have hit your brother.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Zhang said he is the second child.¡± Xu Chang knew that Jiang Chen and He Qianmin had a good relationship, and when he heard him defending He Qianmin, his tone became dark: ¡°Isn¡¯t the second child of the He family He Qianmin? If not him, who else could it be?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows lightly, and suddenly remembered something. Normally speaking, He Qianyang should be the eldest grandson of the He family. But why was it that when it came to the lineup, everyone started counting from He Qianjian.


    ¡°He Qianyang should be here too.¡± Jiang Chen said mildly, ¡°Aunt Zhang probably judged by their ages.¡±


    Xu Chang frowned, and was about to say something when he saw several people walking towards them.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    As soon as He Qianmin saw him his eyes lit up, and he raised his legs and walked towards Jiang Chen quickly. But He Qianyu was one step ahead of him, like a small cannonball. She opened her arms and threw herself into Jiang Chen¡¯s arms, holding him tightly without letting go.


    Jiang Chen patted He Qianyu¡¯s head, looked at He Qianmin and He Qianyang who were approaching: ¡°Where did you guys go just now?¡±


    ¡°Digging sweet potatoes.¡± He Qianyang raised the basket in his hand: ¡°When did you come here?¡±


    ¡°This morning.¡± Jiang Chen glanced at Xu Chang, lowered his head and asked the boy he was leading, ¡°Is there anyone here who just bullied you?¡±


    The little boy shook his head: ¡°No.¡±


    Xu Chang frowned: ¡°It¡¯s not them?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He Qianyang asked.


    Jiang Chen explained the matter, and He Qianmin crossed his arms over his chest and said, ¡°We went up the mountain early in the morning, and the only one staying at home was He Qianjian.¡±


    He Qianyang frowned: ¡°No matter how insensible He Qianjian is, he wouldn¡¯t bully children.¡±


    He Qianmin felt that there was nothing He Qianjian couldn¡¯t do behind everyone¡¯s backs, especially now that he was in a very bad mood. It was possible he would find someone to take his anger out on, and this kid might have just showed up at the wrong time.


    However, in the final analysis, it was unknown whether who was more unlucky. When He Qianjian bullied this kid, he definitely never thought that this kid could call his brother over to avenge him.


    Thinking about it this way, He Qianmin couldn¡¯t help but look forward to He Qianjian¡¯s expression: ¡°Since this kid knows who hit him, he¡¯ll recognize him when he goes back with us.¡±


    Jiang Chen saw He Qianmin¡¯s glee, rubbed his head, and said, ¡°Speak less later.¡±


    ¡°What can I say.¡± He Qianmin curled his lips, a little aggrieved: ¡°It¡¯s his own fault, and I¡¯m just gonna watch the show.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡ª¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s voice paused, and he turned his head to look at He Qianyang. He Qianyang withdrew his hand very naturally, and affirmed with a smile: ¡°Chen Chen did a good job. Helping the poor injured child is worthy of praise.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s forehead twitched. He dodged He Qianyang¡¯s hand that was still covered in mud or dirt, and felt for the first time the desire to curse someone out but could only suppress it down.


    ¡°You dare be disdainful of your big brother?¡± He Qianyang raised his muddy hands and looked up to the sky and sighed: ¡°These hardworking hands were digging sweet potatoes grown by the working people in order to feed my hungry little siblings, but they don¡¯t know how to be grateful, don¡¯t know how to appreciate their big brother¡¯s hard work, and even feel disdain for their big brother who dug sweet potatoes for them and dirtied his hands in the process, it¡¯s so hard to be a big brother~ah~ah~¡±


    Hearing He Qianyang elongated ¡°ah¡¯s¡±, Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, turned his head and said, ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll carry it for you.¡±


    He Qianyang handed the sweet potato basket to Jiang Chen, and patted a handprint on his shoulder: ¡°Good boy.¡±


    Jiang Chen lifted the basket and said to Xu Chang, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Your name is Xu Chang?¡± He Qianyang paused, ¡°From the Xu family?¡±


    Xu Chang paused, his face turning cold: ¡°Yes.¡±


    He Qianyang nodded slightly, and changed the subject: ¡°I heard that Grandpa Xu will also celebrate the New Year here this year. Are you and your brother here to accompany him?¡±


    Xu Chang¡¯s expression softened slightly, and his tone was much gentler than before: ¡°I¡­..Father doesn¡¯t have time, so we came to accompany him.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡± He Qianyang thought of something and asked, ¡°I remember you are also in Chenghua, are you a second year in high school?¡±


    Xu Chang nodded: ¡°My first year of high school was in Yan City No. 1 High School, and in my second year I transferred there.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes, hearing the conversation between He Qianyang and Xu Chang. Only then did he know that Xu Chang had transferred to Chenghua in his second year of high school. No wonder he didn¡¯t seem to have seen him this semester.


    ¡°Then you and Chen Chen met when you were in your first year in high school?¡± He Qianyang always had a smile on his face, and when he spoke to people in a relaxed tone, it was easy for people to let down their guard: ¡°How did you know each other?¡±


    ¡°Senior Jiang and his friends helped me,¡± Xu Chang said.


    He Qianyang nodded, raised his finger and pointed to the door: ¡°Here we are, let¡¯s go in.¡±


    Xu Chang pursed his lips, led the little boy, and followed Jiang Chen into the He family¡¯s house.


    Yang Yun was making dumplings with old Mrs. He when she saw He Qianyang and the others coming in. She put down the things in her hands, and said with delight, ¡°Chen Chen is here.¡±


    Seeing the bamboo basket in Jiang Chen¡¯s hand, Yang Yun immediately wanted to take it over: ¡°Why are you carrying such a heavy thing? Your hand was cut last time and it hasn¡¯t healed yet. Didn¡¯t the doctor say that you should try not to lift heavy things?¡±


    Jiang Chen avoided Yang Yun¡¯s hand, curved his eyes inna smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s been more than a month, it¡¯s already healed.¡±


    ¡°Your mother is right. Injuries take a hundred days to fully recover, even if it is already three months, you should still pay attention.¡± Old Mrs. He also came over and said to He Qianyang: ¡°Help your little brother carry it.¡±


    He Qianyang did not expect that Jiang Chen was injured, so he immediately took the basket and said, ¡°If you are injured, you should have told me earlier, quick, let me see if the wound has reopened.¡±


    Jiang Chen withdrew his hand: ¡°It¡¯s already fine.¡± He turned his head to look at Xu Chang who had a surprised look on his face, sighed inwardly, and said, ¡°Mom, Grandma, this is Xu Chang, he and his little brother have something to do here. ¡°


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Old Mrs. He, at this age, felt fondness for any child she saw. When she saw the little boy Xu Chang was leading by hand, she immediately asked with a smile: ¡°Little friend, what¡¯s your name? How old are you this year? Come, what did you come to granny¡¯s place for?¡±


    ¡°My name is Xu Xi. I¡¯m five and a half years old. I¡¯m here to find someone.¡±


    The little boy¡¯s voice was clear and sweet, and old Mrs. He smiled even deeper. She took out a piece of candy from her pocket and handed it to him, ¡°Who are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°A big brother.¡± Xu Xi took the candy, pointed to his bruised face, and said with a pout, ¡°That big brother hit me.¡±


    Yang Yun took a closer look at Xu Xi¡¯s bruised face, looked up at Jiang Chen and the others, and asked in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    He Qianyang first recounted what he had just heard, and then said: ¡°They went to Aunt Zhang¡¯s house, and Aunt Zhang said the kid belongs to our family, so they came here.¡±


    ¡°Impossible.¡± Old Mrs. He shook her head: ¡°You guys went up the mountain early in the morning, and Qian Jian stayed home and didn¡¯t go out. Aunt Zhang must have made a mistake.¡±


    Yang Yun knew that He Qianjian went out today, but she didn¡¯t quite believe that he would bully a child. She knelt down and asked Xu Xi, ¡°Little friend, do you remember what color shirt the big brother who hurt you was wearing today?¡±


    ¡°Blue.¡±


    Yang Yun¡¯s face changed slightly, and she was silent for a few seconds. Then she got up and said to He Qianyu, ¡°Go and call your Brother Qian Jian down, say that I have something to ask him.¡±

 CH 103

    He Qianjian followed behind He Qianyu, a still sleepy look on his face, and just when he was rubbing his eyes, Jiang Chen¡¯s face came into his sight. After a pause, his sleepy expression tensed instantly, and the hatred in his eyes flashed and then faded again, turning into confusion when everyone looked over.


    ¡°Mom.¡± He Qianjian looked puzzled: ¡°Did you ask me to come down?¡±


    ¡°It was him!¡± Xu Xi pointed at He Qianjian, raised his head and tugged at the corner of Xu Chang¡¯s shirt, looking confident that he would get revenge after finding a backer: ¡°Elder Brother, he was the one who hit me!¡±


    He Qianjian looked down and saw the small, short boy standing among He Qianmin and the others. The little boy still looked the same as when he had seen him before. Not only did he not change his clothes, but he didn¡¯t even wash his dirty hands. He Qianjian¡¯s expression changed slightly, recognizing him at a glance.


    ¡°Qian Jian, do you know this child?¡± Yang Yun asked.


    He Qianjian¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, ¡°I¡­..¡±


    ¡°He was the one who hit me!¡± Xu Xi rushed over like a small cannonball, stepped on He Qianjian a few times, leaving a few dirty marks on his slippers, put his fists on his hips after stepping, and looked up at him: ¡°Bad guy! Bad guy!¡±


    ¡°You¡­..¡± He Qianjian gritted his teeth. The kid looked small and short, but he was actually quite stocky. He only stepped on his toe through a thin layer of slippers, but after having it stepped on the same spot several times in a row, he could feel the swelling on his toe.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xu Chang apologized expressionlessly: ¡°My little brother is young and not very sensible. If He Qianjian is injured, our family will pay for the medical expenses.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡± Yang Yun blushed with shame. Looking at the situation, she already knew that He Qianjian might have indeed done something to the child. How could she have the nerve to accept the child¡¯s older brother¡¯s apology, moreover, it sounded more like sarcasm than actually apologizing, ¡°How heavy can a child¡¯s stomps be.¡±


    ¡°Qian Jian.¡± Yang Yun took a deep breath, and turned to look at He Qianjian: ¡°You went out for a walk before, did something happen on the way, this child said you hit him.¡±


    He Qianjian glanced over at Xu Chang, and cursed inwardly. During this period of time, his mood had been getting worse day by day, and Yang Yun¡¯s attitude this morning made him even more angry but with nowhere to let it out. When he saw this child, it happened to be when he was most irritated, and he was wearing a rustic cotton jacket, his whole body was dirty and his nose was running, and without even thinking about it, he didn¡¯t even think that the child could have been from one of the important families who moved here. So he vented his bad mood on him, but who knew that he was actually a child of some status.


    If it was before, he would not spare a thought to the two illegitimate children of the Xu family at all, and would not even let them appear in front of him at all. But now it was different from the past, and his situation in the He family was already very difficult. There must be no accidental mistakes that would make his already difficult situation feel like walking on eggshells.


    He Qianjian opened his mouth, but the kid had already brought someone to his door, and he was clearly identified. The situation in front of him simply did not allow him any chance to quibble. But if he admitted to it, what would the He family think of him in the future? He could already feel the recent change in the attitude of old Mr. He, He Yanfeng and He Yanjun towards him. Currently, the soft hearts of old Mrs. He and Yang Yun was the easiest and most important premise for him to continue staying in the He family in the future.


    In any case, he would never let this premise be affected by such a trivial incident.


    ¡°It should be a misunderstanding.¡± He Qianjian pretended to be distressed and said, ¡°I got a few sticky bean buns from a nearby auntie¡¯s house in the morning. I haven¡¯t eaten them before, and they were too cold. I knocked my teeth when I bit it. I even scratched the skin of my mouth, it was so painful at the time and I didn¡¯t care about the frozen sticky bean bun, I just threw it out, maybe it hit the child at that time.¡±


    Seeing the scratch on He Qianjian¡¯s upper lip, Yang Yun¡¯s face softened a lot. She didn¡¯t really believe that He Qianjian could do such a thing, no matter what happened between him and He Qianmin before, she didn¡¯t believe that He Qianjian would do such a thing as bullying young children.


    ¡°Could there be some misunderstanding here?¡± Yang Yun looked at Xu Chang.


    Xu Chang said: ¡°Mrs. He, my little brother never lies. Things are what they are. At his age, he doesn¡¯t know how to add embellishments. I trust him.¡±


    He Qianjian took half a step forward, met Xu Chang¡¯s gaze, and a trace of contempt flashed in his eyes which then turned into helplessness in an instant: ¡°Young Master Xu, your brother probably thought that my frozen sticky bean bun deliberately hit him. I really didn¡¯t mean it, but no matter what, it is my fault that I hit him and hurt him, and I apologize to you.¡±


    Xu Chang grew up being ridiculed and abused since he was a child, and he was most sensitive to other people¡¯s emotions. So he naturally did not miss the disdain that flashed in He Qianjian¡¯s eyes just now, not to mention that his apology did not at all hold any sincerity.


    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t know that you hit my brother?¡± The pale and thin young man pursed his thin lips slightly, with a serious expression on his face: ¡°Then how can you recognize him at a glance? If you can recognize him, how can you not know you hit him?¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± He Qianmin clapped vigorously, shrugged his shoulders when the eyes of everyone moved to him, and did not forget to express his opinion while putting down his hands: ¡°Maybe He Qianjian also has eyes on his back, how about you take off his clothes to see?¡±


    Jiang Chen was so amused by his words that he couldn¡¯t help but curve his lips upwards. Out of the corner of his eye, he unintentionally caught a glimpse of He Qianjian¡¯s hidden cold gaze, and the smile on his mouth faded away. He moved slightly and blocked He Qianmin from sight before saying mildly: ¡°Xu Chang¡¯s words make sense, since you didn¡¯t know you hit Xu Xi, how did you recognize him just now?¡±


    Jiang Chen again. He Qianjian clenched his fists tightly, and from a distance of less than three meters, the gaze that fell on Jiang Chen¡¯s face was very dark and sinister.


    ¡°Such a big kid standing there, of course I could see it.¡± He Qianjian¡¯s voice was not as calm as before, and the accumulated emotions rolled with his heaving chest. He told himself to calm down over and over again, that there would be ways to deal with Jiang Chen in the future. After imagining Jiang Chen kneeling down and begging for mercy repeatedly in his mind several times, only then did he open his mouth to defend himself: ¡°My mouth hurt so much at the time that I didn¡¯t pay attention to my surroundings. Now that he showed up, I remember that I seemed to have indeed heard the voice of a child. Since he said it was me, and I have indeed seen him before, I can only admit to it.¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± He Qianjian turned to look at Yang Yun, the corners of his mouth twitched, as if he wanted to show a smile, but in the end he couldn¡¯t hold back the helplessness and grievance of being wronged: ¡°I hope you believe me, I am your son, you should know that it is impossible for me to intentionally bully a child. I have no reason to do so, and it is impossible for me to do so.¡±


    If it was more than a month ago, Yang Yun would never have believed that He Qianjian might bully children, but thinking of the video He Yanfeng showed her, and thinking of He Qianjian¡¯s increasingly unstable emotions and seemingly increasingly unfamiliar character, she couldn¡¯t help becoming a little dubious. However, she was still partial to the belief that He Qianjian didn¡¯t do it on purpose.


    Yang Yun put aside the repeated doubts in her mind, suppressed the emotions in her heart, and sighed softly: ¡°No matter what, Xu Xi was injured because of you, please apologize to him first.¡±


    He Qianjian nodded, lowered his head to look at Xu Xi and said, ¡°Little friend, I¡¯m sorry, this big brother accidentally hit you.¡±


    Xu Xi frowned, looked at He Qianjian suspiciously, then turned to look at Xu Chang.


    Xu Chang nodded slightly.


    Xu Xi pouted, and looked up at He Qianjian with his hands behind his back, putting on the look of a grown-up: ¡°Alright, I forgive you. I hope you will not bully children in the future.¡±


    He turned around and went back to hold Xu Chang¡¯s hand. Before Xu Chang came over, he really thought about retaliation, but the He family, except for He Qianjian, had a very good attitude in apologizing, so good that he couldn¡¯t find a reason to keep holding on to a grudge. And thinking of what he had just heard, he glanced at Jiang Chen and felt that it was best to leave first.


    Xu Chang said to Yang Yun: ¡°Since the matter has been settled, Xiao Xi and I will leave first. Goodbye Granny He, Auntie Yang, sorry for the trouble.¡±


    Xu Xi¡¯s words of forgiveness were childish, and quite adorable. Normally, it would definitely make the adults laugh, but at this moment Yang Yun only felt very guilty, and she called out to Xu Chang: ¡°Little Xu, there are many medicines for treating bruises upstairs, which can also be used by children, wait a moment, and Auntie Yang will get them for you.¡±


    Xu Chang turned around and said, ¡°No need.¡±


    Old Mrs. He didn¡¯t speak the whole time, but at this moment she held onto Xu Chang: ¡°Go on, Xiao Xi¡¯s face is tender at this age, and if you don¡¯t apply the medicine, it will turn into a purple patch of bruises. It will be the spring festival soon, and it would not be a pretty sight to have such a big bruise on his face.¡±


    ¡°Then thank you Granny He and Auntie Yang.¡±


    ¡°Thank us for what.¡± Old Mrs. He bent down, took out a lot of candies and biscuits, put them in Xu Xi¡¯s pocket, and said kindly: ¡°Xiao Xi, come often to granny¡¯s house to play.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Xu Xi agreed in a high sweet voice: ¡°This biscuit is my favorite!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that big brother will hit you again?¡± He Qianmin squatted down, put a piece of candy into his already stuffed pocket, and made faces to scare him as he said that.


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡± Xu Xi clutched his pocket: ¡°I have my elder brother to protect me.¡±


    ¡°Your elder brother can¡¯t beat He Qianjian.¡± He Qianmin lowered his voice, creating a terrifying atmosphere: ¡°Look at your elder brother, he is much shorter than He Qianjian, and he will beat up your elder brother along with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid!¡± Xu Xi walked to Jiang Chen¡¯s side, took him by the hand and said, ¡°This big brother is a good person, and he will also protect me.¡±


    Jiang Chen was amused and surprised, he knelt down and asked Xu Xi, ¡°How do you know that I will protect you?¡±


    ¡°Because your mom is a good person, she applied medicine on me, and asked you to send me home, and you know my elder brother, so you are a good person. Good people will protect young children, bad people will bully young children, our kindergarten teacher taught us this.¡±


    When Jiang Chen first spoke, Yang Yun happened to come down with the medicine. After listening to Jiang Chen and Xu Xi¡¯s conversation, she paused slightly, hiding the sadness in her eyes, and said with a smile: ¡°These medicines are all good for children. You can take them all back.¡±


    Xu Chang took the bag from Yang Yun, thanked her, and left with Xu Xi.


    When Xu Chang left, Jiang Chen was also about to leave, but Yang Yun held him back and said, ¡°It¡¯s time for lunch, stay and eat with us.¡±


    Jiang Chen considered his words, and refused, ¡°I just moved here today, and they are not very familiar with the kitchen utensils at home. I¡¯m worried, so next time.¡±


    Yang Yun knew this would be the answer, but she still couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit disappointed. She smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you off.¡±


    ¡°You should keep Grandma company, it¡¯s just a few steps away, and Qian Min can see me off.¡± Jiang Chen said to old Mrs. He, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±


    ¡°Wrap your collar tightly, so you don¡¯t catch a cold.¡± Old Mrs. He said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯ve moved here, so come over to see grandma often.¡±


    After Jiang Chen agreed, He Qianmin went out with him.


    Walking to an open space, Jiang Chen took out a metal cube in the shape of a miniature audio system, and handed it to He Qianmin: ¡°This is a signal tracking and location catcher. Put it in your room later.¡±


    He Qianmin looked at it curiously for a while, but didn¡¯t see anything, and asked curiously: ¡°Brother, what¡¯s the use of this.¡±


    ¡°Catching abnormal signals.¡± Jiang Chen didn¡¯t explain too much: ¡°It¡¯s part of my current experiment.¡±


    He Qianmin didn¡¯t ask any more questions, put away the small cube, and nodded: ¡°Okay.¡±

 CH 104

    This time, the project team led by Jiang Chen was begun in the name of developing the military use of the Changjiang Image Processing system. But in fact, most of the system had already been developed by Jiang Chen, and he did not need the help of others at all.


    However, as a high school student who had never been in contact with military projects before, it would only lead to suspicion if he presented the results so rashly, not to mention that it was a matter of national security. So from the very beginning, what Jiang Chen brought out was just the normal version of the image processing system. Later, the project team he gathered was more to deceive people. In truth, he was able to control the entire progress of the project.


    The time limit for this project was two years and Jiang Chen planned to use the high-precision machinery and computer equipment of the research institute to complete the development of the Changjiang defense system, and at the same time find the flaw in He Qianjian¡¯s system and then attack it directly to destroy it in one fell swoop.


    The signal tracking and positioning catcher handed over to He Qianmin at this time was the result of Jiang Chen¡¯s half a year of efforts in Li De and then in the research institute. Although it was called a signal catcher, it had a very wide range of applications. It could not only catch signals, but also had the function of distinguishing and identifying signals and was an indispensable part of the Changjiang defense system. The iron box left during the renovation of the house in Wugu Village was exactly used to store the upgraded version of this signal catcher.


    After the version upgrade was successful, this signal catcher would be used as an accessory of the Changjiang Defense System. In addition to capturing and distinguishing signals, it also had a scanning function, which could effectively protect everyone who entered the house with high-tech equipment. And the signal catcher Jiang Chen gave He Qianmin was not only able to capture ordinary signals, all kinds of energy fluctuations could be recorded by it, and could mark the location under remote control.


    Although he was only responsible for the development of the software, and the hardware equipment was all provided by researchers in Li Des laboratory, he had tested several times and found that the signal capture device could accurately capture the frequency or data code he specified. He had entered the system code captured by Changjiang previously in the device, and after it was placed in the He family¡¯s house, it would only capture the data of He Qianjian¡¯s system, and then directly transmit it to Jiang Chen¡¯s computer.


    In the last few times Jiang Chen saw He Qianjian, he didn¡¯t hear him talking to the system. Based on Changjiang¡¯s statement that the system was building a channel, it may be that the system was trying to save energy or had no time to maintain the connection with He Qianjian. The frequency had been reduced a lot, and this was the best time to collect the system¡¯s data.


    Back home, Yang Si asked with concern: ¡°Did you send that little boy back?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Chen was still thinking about the signal catcher, and answered with an absentminded expression.


    ¡°What did his family say? Did you go to find the person who injured him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Recalling that Jiang Chen had been gone for a long time, Yang Si asked curiously, ¡°You went with him? Who was it? Is he a child from the village?¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian.¡± Jiang Chen blurted out, and then suddenly paused, looking up at Yang Si.


    Yang Si felt the name sounded familiar, and was thinking about where she heard it before, and didn¡¯t notice Jiang Chen¡¯s strangeness. Just at this moment, Jiang Zhuo came out of the kitchen with the last dish, and seeing Jiang Chen was back, he said loudly, ¡°You¡¯re back? It¡¯s time for lunch!¡±


    Yang Si was still thinking about when she had heard this name before, sitting on the sofa without moving, while Jiang Chen was annoyed that he had let his tongue slip inadvertently. It would not be a good thing for Yang Si to know the existence of He Qianjian at this time. However, the words have already been spoken, and it was not possible to take back.


    Seeing his son and wife not moving for a while, Jiang Zhuo put the dish down and walked towards the living room: ¡°What are you two thinking about? It¡¯s time to eat.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of the name He Qianjian.¡± Yang Si was helped up by Jiang Zhuo, still frowning in thought, she murmured, ¡°Where did I hear that name before¡­..¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian?¡± Jiang Zhuo thought for a while, and then said, ¡°Isn¡¯t he Qian Min¡¯s elder brother? It¡¯s CEO He¡¯s eldest son. Didn¡¯t you mention it this morning?¡±


    Yang Si suddenly realized, ¡°That¡¯s right, I just said why the name was so familiar, it turned out to be Qian Min¡¯s brother.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking about him for?¡± Jiang Zhuo helped Yang Si sit down at the dining table, served her a bowl of soup, and said casually: ¡°We moved here, CEO He and his family are also here, and we will definitely meet in time. If you are curious about what his eldest son looks like, you can also visit their house.¡±


    At this time Jiang Chen also walked to the dining table, and he couldn¡¯t help but stop and look at Yang Si.


    Yang Si frowned, stirred the soup with a spoon, shook her head and said, ¡°Forget it, our family does not walk the same path as they do.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Jiang Zhuo teased: ¡°When they came over in the morning, you and Xiao Yang had a good chat. Didn¡¯t you both say that your surname was both Yang, and must have been a family hundreds of years ago?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yang Si rolled her eyes at him: ¡°Aren¡¯t I just being polite? They are the boss and the boss¡¯s wife of the Tunan Group. What kind of conversation can I have with her? Everytime our conversation revolves around Chen Chen. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal, but it¡¯s one thing for our son to be outstanding, but it¡¯s not decent to always show off in front of others, so I can only find something else to talk about.¡±


    ¡°I thought you two had become friends.¡± Jiang Zhuo sat down, and didn¡¯t take this matter seriously. He picked up a chopstick of food and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°Say, how can those in the same family be so different?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo paused. He didn¡¯t hear the conversation between Jiang Chen and Yang Si just now so when he heard Yang Si¡¯s question so suddenly, he couldn¡¯t figure out who she was talking about. He hesitated: ¡°Honey, what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I mean He Qianjian.¡± Yang Si put down the spoon, frowned and said, ¡°Qian Min is a good boy, and although I said I don¡¯t have much in common with Mrs. He, but after a few times of contact, I can see what kind of person she is and she shouldn¡¯t be too bad at educating children, so why it that He Qianjian became like that.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo was confused. He looked at Jiang Chen, and saw that he was eating with his head down, as if he didn¡¯t hear Yang Si¡¯s words at all, so he could only ask again: ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong with He Qianjian?¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian was the one who hit the child in the morning.¡± Yang Si said: ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what we said just now?¡±


    ¡°I was cooking, honey.¡± Jiang Zhuo finished explaining dumbfoundedly, and also felt surprised: ¡°Was it really him?¡±


    ¡°Chen Chen said so.¡± Yang Si said: ¡°My son followed that child to find him just now, and it was He Qianjian.¡± Thinking of the scene she saw in the morning, Yang Si slightly pursed her lips. For the first time in her life, she wanted to interfere with her son¡¯s social life. She actually wished he had less contact with He Qianjian and even the He family.


    ¡°Why did he do that?¡± Jiang Zhuo looked at Jiang Chen and asked.


    Jiang Chen had no choice but to say, ¡°He Qianjian said he didn¡¯t pay attention.¡±


    ¡°How is it that he didn¡¯t pay attention?¡± Yang Si¡¯s voice was infused with anger: ¡°I could see clearly at that time, he was holding a bowl, and the stone-like frozen sticky bean buns were thrown at the child one by one, and even aimed to hit the face, laughing all the while, it¡¯s just simply¡­..¡±


    ¡°How could this be?¡± Jiang Zhuo was a little dubious: ¡°The child is about the same age as Chen Chen, and wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. No matter how ignorant a child of his age is, he should know not to bully such a young child.¡±


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t it happen?¡± Yang Si said: ¡°I saw it clearly, are you saying my eyes saw wrong?¡±


    Knowing that his wife¡¯s temper fluctuated during pregnancy, Jiang Zhuo quickly appeased her: ¡°I just think he is already this old and he has no reason to bully a child, but since you have seen it, he must have been bullying the child. What a waste of having lived so long.¡±


    ¡°Chen Chen.¡± Yang Si turned her head and looked at Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes, ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°In the future¡­..¡± Yang Si pursed her lips, and she couldn¡¯t utter the words on the tip of her tongue in the end. When her son was young, she never stopped him from playing with anyone. Now that he was an adult, she was controlling his social circle. No matter what her son thought, she herself felt that she should not do this.


    However, Yang Si couldn¡¯t help worrying when she recalled He Qianjian smashed the frozen sticky bean buns at Xu Xi¡¯s face with a malicious and happy smile. As the saying went, a good habit was hard to form, but a bad habit could be formed in a day. The influence of friends with good qualities may take a long time to exert a subtle influence, but the influence of friends with bad conduct may only need to take a short time to be exerted.


    Even though Jiang Chen was eighteen years old, no matter how sensible and outstanding he appeared to outsiders, in her eyes he was still the child who pouted while holding back tears and needed his mother to protect him.


    ¡°Mom doesn¡¯t mean to stop you from making friends.¡± Yang Si made up her mind, and thinking over her words she said, ¡°But Mom still wants to give you a reminder. Most bullies lack kindness, and it is difficult for them to be sincere to friends. Long-term friendship with them might lead to one getting hurt.¡±


    Jiang Chen was slow to react for the first time. After a few seconds, he blinked: ¡°Mom, are you talking about He Qianjian?¡±


    Yang Si nodded solemnly, and decided to be straightforward: ¡°Chen Chen, Mom thinks that He Qianjian¡¯s character is not very good, it¡¯s better for you to have less contact with him in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± The corners of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth twitched. If it was someone else, he might have agreed right away, but He Qianjian was still his parents¡¯ biological son no matter what. They just said that without knowing the situation now. If they knew in the future, their attitude might change.


    Seeing that Jiang Chen didn¡¯t answer, Yang Si pursed her lips slightly, and Jiang Zhuo quickly winked at Jiang Chen, signaling him to agree. Jiang Zhuo let out a low cough and said, ¡°I think your mother is right. Although you are this big already, and we shouldn¡¯t control what kind of friends you make, this kind of behavior is clearly problematic and it¡¯s better to have less contact.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly. He picked up a chopstick of vegetables and placed it in his bowl but didn¡¯t eat it. He asked, ¡°What if he has a special status?¡±


    ¡°Special in what way?¡± Jiang Zhuo paused for a moment, and suddenly said: ¡°This has nothing to do with Qian Min, even the nine sons of the dragon god are all different. How can we confuse the two of them? Your mother and I are not unreasonable. You or Qian Min, it¡¯s better to have less contact with He Qianjian.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like him very much?¡± Jiang Chen raised his eyes and asked.


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t like him!¡± Jiang Zhuo glanced at Yang Si, and immediately expressed his position: ¡°Don¡¯t say your mother doesn¡¯t like him, even if your mother likes him, I wouldn¡¯t like him.¡±


    Yang Si was so amused by him that she couldn¡¯t hold onto her serious expression. She laughed, but after laughing, she still said: ¡°Chen Chen, Mom and Dad aren¡¯t completely preventing you from interacting with him, but just giving you advice based on our experience in judging people. Whether you listen to the advice or not is up to you.¡±


    The cold wind infiltrated through the open door and blew past the dining table, but ended up being warmed by the heat in the room. Under two pairs of concerned and focused eyes, Jiang Chen¡¯s own eyes were filled with smiles: ¡°I don¡¯t like him either, don¡¯t worry, I have nothing to do with him, and I will try to avoid contact with him in the future.¡±

 CH 105

    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t expect that he would bump into He Qianjian when he was taking a walk after lunch just after he said he would have less contact with He Qianjian. Not only the Jiangs, but also the five members of the He family also chose this time to take a walk after their meal.


    Jiang Chen supported Yang Si and walked slowly while turning his head to talk to Jiang Zhuo about the shopfront he bought before. The shop was originally planned to be opened as a handmade wooden toy store after Jiang Zhuo recovered, but later Yang Si became pregnant, and then the hitman incident happened so the matter was delayed. But the subway there had not been built yet, and it was relatively deserted, so Jiang Chen felt that it would not be much of a loss to just leave it as is, while Jiang Zhuo felt that it could be rented out and bring in some income.


    Both father and son had their own opinions. Jiang Chen felt that managing tenants was also a troublesome thing. That bit of rent could be said to be insignificant compared to the time consumed in managing the rent, while Jiang Zhuo felt that savings were accumulated like this bit by bit. Since the renovated shop might not be used within a year, it was better to rent it out to have a stable income.


    Yang Si listened with a smile, interjecting from time to time, not at all seeming superfluous in the discussion between the father and son.


    ¡°I think what Chen Chen said is also reasonable. You are always keeping me company now, how can you find time to find a tenant, besides there is only two months left before I give birth. If you find a tenant at this time, sign the contract and then prepare the shop, it will take some time. And if there is a problem with the shop to discuss, but I also need someone to help me, you will definitely be crazy busy.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo was somewhat persuaded, and Jiang Chen hit the iron while it was hot: ¡°And the renovation of the store was done according to your preferred style, if the tenant doesn¡¯t show care for the renovation of the store, broke or dirtied something, the rent money might not even cover the repair fee. It¡¯s fine if you meet a reasonable tenant, but if they are unreasonable, won¡¯t you have to go and talk to them?¡±


    ¡°These things are clearly written in the contract, so this kind of problem will naturally not arise.¡± Jiang Zhuo glanced at his wife¡¯s bulging stomach, and said, ¡°But the time right now is indeed not suitable.¡±


    Seeing that Jiang Zhuo had changed his mind, Jiang Chen curved his eyes into a smile, and was about to speak when he saw the He family members coming out one by one from the corner ahead. He paused, and at the same time the He family members also saw them.


    ¡°Big Brother!¡±


    He Qianyu was the first to react, and ran over quickly. Originally she wanted to hug Jiang Chen, but stopped in her tracks after seeing Yang Si¡¯s big belly, and only said greeted politely.


    Yang Si had always wanted a daughter, and when she saw He Qianyu¡¯s sweet and adorable face with the two little dimples that showed while smiling, she immediately felt her heart soften in fondness. She bent down slightly, took her little hand and asked Jiang Chen: ¡°Whose child is this? So beautiful.¡±


    ¡°My name is He Qianyu.¡± He Qianyu looked at Yang Si¡¯s stomach and blinked: ¡°Auntie, are you pregnant?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yang Si touched her braid with a smile, and said, ¡°Auntie hopes it will be a beautiful and lovely little sister like you.¡±


    He Qianyu nodded, very sure: ¡°Definitely!¡±


    Yang Si was amused by her and smiled deeper. She raised her head and saw He Yanfeng and his wife who were walking together. The smile on her face remained, and she greeted them.


    ¡°Are you going for a walk too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we just ate and wanted to digest the food.¡±


    Yang Si smiled and looked at He Qianmin: ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a while, Qian Min seems to have grown taller.¡±


    Since He Qianmin confirmed Jiang Chen¡¯s true identity with his parents, this was the first time he saw Jiang Zhuo and his wife. For some reason, seeing Yang Si¡¯s smiling face, he felt a little guilty, and his eyes drifted a little: ¡°Hello, Auntie.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­..¡± Yang Si moved her eyes to He Qianjian who finally showed his face, and the smile on her face paused briefly along with her voice, before continuing: ¡°This is Qian Min¡¯s brother, right?¡±


    He Qianmin was taken aback. Before, he was only ever called He Qianjian¡¯s younger brother. This was the first time someone put He Qianjian¡¯s identity after his name. If it was before, he might be happy to be recognized, but at this time thinking of the identities of He Qianjian and Jiang Chen, as well as Yang Si who was kept in the dark, his mood became a little complicated.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yang Yun observed Yang Si¡¯s expression carefully, and said, ¡°This is Qian Jian.¡±


    Yang Si and He Qianjian¡¯s eyes met. She smiled at him, and quickly looked away: ¡°Are you going to go that way?¡± She pointed in the direction their family of three came from.


    ¡°We¡¯re just walking randomly.¡± Yang Yun glanced at Jiang Chen, then at Yang Si, who didn¡¯t know anything. She wanted to take a walk with them, but changed her mind in the end: ¡°You are heading in the direction we came, right. Then let¡¯s part ways here.¡±


    Yang Si had this intention exactly, and was ready to nod when she heard the words, but He Yanfeng said: ¡°Why don¡¯t we go together, we¡¯ve been walking for so long, and it just so happens we can go back together.¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡± Yang Yun glanced at Yang Si subtly, a little hesitant.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± Jiang Zhuo smiled and said, ¡°Chen Chen and Qian Min can also talk.¡±


    The husbands on both sides said so, and the two wives naturally would not disagree, so the He family returned the way they came from with the three members of the Jiang family.


    ¡°Brother¡­..¡± He Qianmin leaned closer to Jiang Chen, and said in a low voice, ¡°Auntie Yang has seen He Qianjian, there¡¯s no problem, right.¡±


    Jiang Chen shook his head. In fact, he understood He Yanfeng¡¯s intentions. Even if he didn¡¯t tell Yang Si about He Qianjian¡¯s identity, just leaving an impression like this would make it less difficult for him and He Qianjian to change back their identities in the future. It was just that the premise was that Yang Si had a good impression of He Qianjian.


    Although He Yanfeng was not at home in the morning, he also heard Yang Yun talk about what He Qianjian did, but none of them knew that Yang Si had seen He Qianjian bullying Xu Xi with her own eyes. If he had known, he would never have suggested this.


    Jiang Zhuo supported Yang Si, He Yanfeng and Yang Yun held hands, the two couples walking side by side while the juniors followed behind. On Jiang Chen¡¯s left was He Qianmin¡¯s whispering and on the right was He Qianyu¡¯s chattering. He occasionally turned his head sideways, and neither side was left out. The three of them chatted happily, and He Qianjian, who was walking alone on the side, looked rather lonely.


    Yang Si turned her head and saw this scene, so she started a conversation first: ¡°I heard that your eldest is also a third year in high school. Have you ever thought about which university he would go to in the future?¡±


    The purpose of He Yanfeng¡¯s suggestion was to have Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo make more contact with He Qianjian, so when he heard Yang Si raise a question related to He Qianjian, he naturally and quickly answered: ¡°His goal is Yan Uni.¡±


    Yang Si was a little surprised. Being able to set his goal for Yan University, his grades would definitely not be lacking. However, she was not very interested in where He Qianjian would go to school. What she wanted to ask more was why He Qianjian was so distant with He Qianmin and He Qianyu. When walking together, Jiang Chen appeared more like siblings with them than He Qianjian himself.


    ¡°Yan University is really good.¡± Yang Si smiled and said casually, ¡°Has he chosen his major yet?¡±


    He Yanfeng turned his head, glanced at the three siblings who were chattering and laughing together, and a smile flashed in his eyes, before his gaze fell on He Qianjian: ¡°Qian Jian, come here.¡±


    He Qianjian paused, and was really unwilling to move forward. When he saw Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo just now, he wanted to turn around and leave, but he knew that if he did this, the He Yanfeng couple would definitely have opinions on him, so only then did he reluctantly stay, deliberately walking behind so as not to attract attention.


    Who knew, after only a few steps, He Yanfeng called him over, could it be that he was so impatient to drive him back to the Jiang¡¯s?


    But no matter what He Qianjian thought or how reluctant he was, his superficial mask would not reveal his true inner feelings. He nodded and walked forward, and although there was no smile on his handsome face, it gave people a calm and gentle feeling: ¡°Dad, you called me.¡±


    ¡°You Auntie Jiang wants to know what major you plan to choose for college.¡± He Yanfeng said, ¡°Tell her yourself.¡±


    He Qianjian breathed a sigh of relief, turned his head slightly to look at Yang Si, and said politely, ¡°My first choice is international trade and finance, and my second choice is technical economics and management.¡±


    As the distance drew closer and Yang Si met that face that did not reveal the slightest aggressiveness, the feeling of repulsion in her heart became stronger and stronger. She braced herself and moved away from him subtly but in her heart, she had an even worse impression of him. She just felt that although this kid was young, he was quite proficient in masks and pretenses. If she hadn¡¯t seen him treat Xu Xi so maliciously with her own eyes, she was afraid she wouldn¡¯t have picked up any sign of the bully he was from his current smiling face.


    ¡°It¡¯s all related to management.¡± Yang Si leaned close to Jiang Zhuo, felt the temperature of her husband¡¯s arm, and felt the discomfort in her chest becoming better. She forced a smile and said casually: ¡°It seems that you are preparing to work in your dad¡¯s company in the future.¡±


    When these words fell, the expressions of He Yanfeng and Yang Yun changed slightly.


    Although Jiang Chen had been talking to He Qianmin and He Qianyu, he had been paying attention to the situation ahead the whole time. He had especially focused his concentration when he saw He Qianjian being called to the front. Now hearing Yang Si¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help looking at He Qianjian, wondering what he would say.


    He Qianmin also heard Yang Si¡¯s words, curled his lips, and snorted lightly: ¡°In his dreams.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it that much yet.¡± He Qianjian said without any hesitation: ¡°I¡¯ve always been very interested in this aspect. I also tried to make some investments and bought a few stocks before, and made some money. I feel that I can be regarded to have a bit of talent in this aspect, so I chose to further my studies in this area.¡±


    Yang Si didn¡¯t notice the change in the atmosphere, she just wanted to end the conversation with He Qianjian, and said with a vague smile, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°What major will Jiang Chen choose?¡± He Qianjian originally didn¡¯t want to have too much contact with Yang Si, but after seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s expression from the corner of his eye, he suddenly changed his mind. Even if he didn¡¯t want to go back to the Jiang family, he could still make use of his identity as Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo¡¯s biological son to pull them to his side. He really wanted to see Jiang Chen¡¯s expression when his parents no longer cared about him.


    Not only did he want Jiang Chen to lose the money and power of the He family, but he also wanted Jiang Chen to lose the love and care of the Jiang family. Since Jiang Chen liked to oppose him so much, he would let him have a taste of losing everything, let him regret coming to this world and provoking him.


    ¡°Chen Chen.¡± Mentioning Jiang Chen, the smile on Yang Si¡¯s face became much more real: ¡°He has good computer skills, and he has already been admitted to Hua Uni.¡±


    He Qianjian naturally knew this, and he only mentioned Jiang Chen because he was the only topic that could be established with Yang Si at this moment. He smiled and said: ¡°Computer science is a popular major now, and the prospects are very good. The salary is higher than that of ordinary graduates, unlike my management major, which may need to start from the bottom, and it is difficult to receive high returns in a short time. If you start your own business, the risk is even greater.¡±


    ¡°In everything you do, you have to go up from the bottom step by step. Experience is the cornerstone of success.¡± He Yanfeng said lightly: ¡°But whether you can succeed in the end depends on your own efforts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Dad.¡± He Qianjian said: ¡°That¡¯s why I started practicing my skills in junior high school, hoping to be one step ahead of other peers when I graduate.¡±


    In terms of investing, He Yanfeng also had to praise He Qianjian for his precise vision, and he didn¡¯t refute what he said. Yang Si picked up on the disparagement underneath He Qianjian¡¯s words of agreement, and she disliked him even more in her heart. Clutching her stomach she said: ¡°I seem to feel a little tired, why don¡¯t we go back first.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo became nervous: ¡°Are you feeling discomfort? Or did the child move?¡±


    Yang Si shook her head: ¡°I just feel that my back is a little sore from walking, and I want to go back and rest.¡±


    ¡°Then go back quickly.¡± Yang Yun said: ¡°Although it is said that you need to move around more during pregnancy, you can¡¯t tire yourself out either.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be going first.¡± Yang Si called Jiang Chen: ¡°Chen Chen, let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Jiang Chen answered, patted He Qianmin on the shoulder, and rubbed He Qianyu¡¯s head. After bidding farewell to the He Yanfeng couple, he caught up with Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo, and protected Yang Si left and right with Jiang Zhuo as they made their way back home.


    Yang Yun watched from afar, eyes full of envy, and couldn¡¯t help but say: ¡°If back then¡­..¡± But after seeing He Qianjian from the corner of her eye she swallowed the words. However, she couldn¡¯t help feeling slightly sad in her heart. If the children had not been switched at birth, surrounding her at this time should be three children who got around in harmony.

 CH 106

    After that meeting, Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo did not run into the He family again until the Chinese New Year.


    On New Year¡¯s Eve, Jiang Chen and his parents watched the Spring Festival Gala and sat in the living room to count down to the New Year¡¯s. There were many fruits and nuts on the table. Yang Si picked up an orange, peeled it and divided it into two halves, giving one half to Jiang Zhuo beside her and handed the other half to Jiang Chen who was chatting with Huo Bo and Shen Xu: ¡°Chen Chen, this orange is not sour, try it.¡±


    After Yang Si was pregnant, she was especially partial towards sour foods. There were countless sour snacks and preserved fruits at home. Neither Jiang Chen nor Jiang Zhuo could eat sour things so Yang Si especially liked to tease them with these snacks, laughing whenever they made scrunched up faces. Jiang Zhuo often said that after Yang Si became pregnant, she became more like a little girl. As men, father and son had to give way to their wife/mother.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat.¡± Just seeing this orange color, Jiang Chen felt his teeth sting, and he shrank back on the sofa, pursing his mouth and refusing.


    ¡°It¡¯s really delicious, Mom isn¡¯t lying to you, it¡¯s very sweet.¡± Yang Si pulled Jiang Zhuo down the water, ¡°Is it sweet or not?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo had already swallowed half an orange whole, and barely even chewed it much at all. When he heard this, he smacked his lips pretending to recall the aftertaste: ¡°Sweet.¡±


    Jiang Chen was skeptical. He took the orange from Yang Si¡¯s hand, broke off the smallest piece, and was about to put it in his mouth when he heard the doorbell. As soon as he heard it he put the orange down and immediately got up: ¡°I¡¯ll open the door!¡±


    ¡°At this time, who could it be?¡± Jiang Zhuo looked out, frowning.


    Yang Si picked up another orange and said without thinking: ¡°It should be a neighbor. I heard that the custom here is to visit each other¡¯s houses on New Year¡¯s Eve. Auntie Zhang told me about this yesterday. The first month of the year there is a lot of visiting among relatives, so on New Year¡¯s Eve, they would visit the neighbors.¡±


    Yang Si was right, the ones who knocked on the door were Auntie Zhang and her husband from next door. She came over with a basket of homemade food, and when she saw Jiang Chen, she handed it to him with a smile, and told Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si that this was also an old custom in the village. Family elders and neighbors who were fond of youngsters would make a lot of snacks for unmarried juniors to eat on New Year¡¯s Eve. When the times were still poor before, it was to hope that they would be healthy and have no lack of food to eat in the coming year. Now it was more about wishing the children a good New Year and expressing love.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to!¡± Yang Si said with some embarrassment, ¡°We didn¡¯t prepare anything for Niu Niu.¡±


    ¡°Ai, prepare what, she didn¡¯t even come back.¡± Auntie Zhang had always been a cheerful person, with a loud voice: ¡°The first time I saw Xiao Jiang, I thought this child was very endearing, and I wished I could take him back and have him be my own son. It¡¯s fate that your family ended up moving next to our house and being neighbors, so don¡¯t refuse, these things are not expensive, just a little show of goodwill.¡±


    After hearing this Yang Si no longer refused. Knowing that Auntie Zhang and her husband were the only two people at home, she invited them to wait for the New Year together. Other neighbors also came over in the meantime and also bought a lot of snacks. Although the Jiang family had no handmade snacks there were still a lot of store bought ones as a result of Yang Si¡¯s pregnancy, and it would not be rude to give them to the neighbors in return.


    Although there were only three members of the family, this New Year¡¯s Eve was still lively and cheerful because of these enthusiastic neighbors. When the coffee table was already piled up with all kinds of handmade food, it was only ten o¡¯clock in the evening.


    Auntie Zhang and her husband had just been pulled away by other neighbors to go visit the homes of others. Jiang Chen saw the last neighbor off, and the house became quiet. Back in the living room, seeing what Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo were talking, Jiang Chen asked casually, ¡°Mom and Dad, what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Your father and I are discussing whether our family should send some things to the He family since it is the custom here.¡± Yang Si said: ¡°It¡¯s just that I heard that the two elders of the He family are here, and they should have already fallen asleep at this point. It won¡¯t be good to disturb the two old people¡¯s sleep.¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve, they probably won¡¯t go to bed so early. Even if they did, the elders are upstairs, and we won¡¯t be bothering them downstairs.¡± Jiang Zhuo felt that according to etiquette, they should go to the He¡¯s. If they didn¡¯t know about it then it didn¡¯t matter, but now that the two families live in Wugu Village, they should do as the villagers do and follow the customs.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t expect his mother to want to send over things to the He family. Remembering that He Yanjun, He Yanya and old Mr. He were all there at this time, Jiang Chen tactfully persuaded: ¡°How about we forget it, it¡¯s getting late now, and the custom is to send homemade food, and there aren¡¯t any at home.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it is homemade or not, the key is our sincerity.¡± Jiang Zhuo said: ¡°The last time your mother was hospitalized, your Uncle He and the others came to see us a few times, and later when we moved here, our two families often met each other. In the future, as neighbors we will have even more contact with each other. So it¡¯s better to be more thorough.¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and was about to say something when he heard the doorbell ring again. He turned around and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and open the door.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo looked at Jiang Chen¡¯s back, and a trace of confusion flashed across his face. He didn¡¯t know if it was his illusion, but he felt that Jiang Chen¡¯s attitude towards the He family was a bit strange.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yang Si asked curiously when she noticed that Jiang Zhuo¡¯s expression was strange.


    Jiang Zhuo shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, maybe I¡¯m thinking too much.¡±


    Yang Si laughed, ¡°It is said that pregnant women think a lot. Why do you and your son seem to think a lot more than I do? Our son is always thinking about things in the research institute, why are you suddenly thinking so much as well?¡±


    At the door.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Holding a plate of strangely shaped dumplings, He Qianmin gestured his chin at him with a smile: ¡°I made these, and I am here to send them over as New Year¡¯s snacks for you, how about it?¡±


    ¡°Does anyone still use dumplings as snacks?¡± Jiang Chen teased him with a smile, and looked behind him: ¡°Aunt.¡±


    He Yanya nodded lightly, and explained: ¡°Your parents and your uncle have something to discuss, and they didn¡¯t come down from the study all night. I accompanied Qian Min and Qian Yu to bring you homemade food instead.¡±


    He Qianmin smiled, and was about to speak when his gaze suddenly focused, and the smile on his face faded.


    He Qianjian appeared behind He Yanya, and said with a smile, ¡°Aunt, why didn¡¯t you call me and Cousin Qian Yang when you came looking for Jiang Chen, we almost fell asleep watching the Spring Festival Gala in the living room.¡±


    He Yanya didn¡¯t expect that He Qianjian would follow, and her calm expression stiffened slightly. When she turned her head to look at Jiang Chen, her gaze was a little apologetic: ¡°We have brought over the food, and we¡¯ll be going back first.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± He Qianyang was pulled out by He Qianjian in a daze. He had just stood straight when he heard that they were going to leave. He had been looking forward to seeing what Jiang Chen¡¯s house looked like inside, so he was instantly a little disappointed.


    ¡°Of course we are going, or is it that you still want to stay as a guest.¡±


    As soon as He Yanya finished speaking, Jiang Zhuo, who hadn¡¯t seen Jiang Chen coming back for a long time, had already come looking for him: ¡°Who is it?¡± He paused, and through the light on the porch, he could easily see the people outside the door. Immediately, he smiled: ¡°Just now I was talking about whether we should send you some things, but you came here first, come in quickly.¡±


    He Yanya hesitated, and looked at Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen turned his body sideways, said with a faint smile, ¡°Please come in.¡±


    He Qianyang originally wanted to see the inside of the Jiang¡¯s house, but after hearing Jiang Zhuo¡¯s voice, he suddenly realized the embarrassing identities of Jiang Chen and He Qianjian at this time, and his expression changed slightly, immediately saying: ¡°Actually, never mind, how about another day. Besides, grandma is downstairs alone right now, and we are all not at home, so I am a little worried.¡±


    Only then did Jiang Zhuo see the two unfamiliar faces, He Yanya and He Qianyang, and asked, ¡°These are¡­?¡±


    ¡°This is Qian Min¡¯s aunt, and this is Qian Min¡¯s cousin.¡± Jiang Chen glanced at He Qianyang, his eyes dimming, and turned his head to introduce.


    Jiang Zhuo nodded, smiling very enthusiastically: ¡°Come in.¡±


    Yang Si also urged from inside: ¡°Who is outside, old Jiang, why don¡¯t you and your son invite the guests in?¡±


    He Yanya turned her head and said to He Qianyang: ¡°Grandma is watching the Spring Festival Gala downstairs alone, you and Qian Jian go back to accompany her first, we will be back later.¡±


    He Qianyang immediately agreed, took He Qianjian¡¯s arm and turned to leave. He Qianjian subtly exerted force, pulled out his arm, and took a step forward: ¡°I¡¯m with you guys.¡±


    Seeing them tugging at the door, Jiang Zhuo smiled and said, ¡°Then come in.¡±


    He Yanya pursed her lips, glanced at He Qianjian and wanted to say something, but after thinking of something, in the end she didn¡¯t speak, and took the lead into the Jiang¡¯s house.


    He Qianmin¡¯s jaw was strained, and when he passed by He Qianjian, he lowered his voice to warn: ¡°I advise you not to think any crooked thoughts.¡±


    He Qianjian pursed his lips, and looked challengingly at Jiang Chen who was looking at this side. Seeing that Jiang Zhuo and He Yanya had already walked to the front, he also lowered his voice and said, ¡°If Jiang Chen can see his biological parents, then I am also qualified to meet my biological parents.¡±


    Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes. He Qianjian smiled happily, and walked in past Jiang Chen and He Qianmin.


    ¡°You!¡±


    He Qianmin took half a step, but Jiang Chen held him back and said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to him.¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡± He Qianmin said worriedly, ¡°I don¡¯t think He Qianjian has good intentions.¡±


    The corners of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth slightly curled up, a bit mocking: ¡°I know exactly what he has in mind, but he may have overestimated himself and underestimated my parents.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± He Qianmin was puzzled.


    ¡°You will know in the future.¡±


    When Jiang Chen and He Qianmin entered, He Yanya and He Qianyu were already sitting on the sofa, and He Qianjian was sitting where Jiang Chen had just been, talking to Jiang Zhuo.


    Seeing Jiang Chen coming in, Yang Si immediately stood up: ¡°What are you two doing whispering by yourselves outside? You only came in after so long, is it cold?¡±


    He Qianmin was already familiar with Yang Si, and with a smile on his face he said obediently, ¡°It¡¯s not cold.¡±


    ¡°Then sit down quickly.¡± Yang Si walked to another sofa and sat down, patted next to her, and Jiang Chen and He Qianmin sat down beside her.


    He Qianmin glanced at He Qianjian, still a little wary: ¡°Auntie, what were you talking about just now?¡±


    Yang Si smiled and said: ¡°Nothing really, just let them relax and eat something. But I didn¡¯t expect that you are Qian Min¡¯s aunt. You look so young, like you are in your twenties.¡± The latter part was said while looking at He Yanya.


    He Yanya had been working in the research institute since graduation, and she was really not used to these occasions that required socializing. She felt the kindness of Jiang Chen¡¯s parents, but she didn¡¯t know how to respond, so she could only change the topic: ¡°How many months pregnant are you right now, it looks very big.¡±


    Yang Si rubbed her stomach, lowered her head gently and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s been more than seven months, and the baby will be born in two months.¡±


    ¡°So fast?¡± He Qianjian interjected, ¡°Do you know if it is a boy or a girl?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t know until they¡¯re born.¡±


    He Qianjian said casually: ¡°For the second child, either a son or a daughter is the same, there is no difference.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s the first child, it¡¯s the same for sons and daughters.¡± Yang Si¡¯s lips smiled, but the smile in her eyes faded, ¡°We like both boys and girls.¡±

 CH 107

    ¡°Jiang Chen, do you prefer a younger brother or a younger sister?¡±


    He Qianjian turned his head to look at Jiang Chen, and when his eyes swept over He Qianmin and He Qianyu, there was some deeper meaning in his eyes, but there was nothing wrong with his tone.


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes. He saw He Qianyu¡¯s expectant expression from the corner of his eye, and said calmly, ¡°Our family doesn¡¯t practice gender preferences. As long as it¡¯s my younger brother or my younger sister, I will naturally like them.¡±


    He Qianjian didn¡¯t know if Jiang Chen really didn¡¯t understand the meaning of his words or if he was just deflecting the question. The trap he threw was not stepped on and he was a bit displeased. In the tone of a friend, he asked with a smile: ¡°That being said, biases always exist, and as long as you are human, you will have an emotional bias, so it doesn¡¯t matter if you say it.¡±


    He Qianmin¡¯s face turned cold, and he wanted to explode, but recalling that this was the Jiang family, and He Qianjian¡¯s identity was really special, he could just pull a sullen face in the end.


    ¡°Brother Qian Jian.¡± He Qianyu propped her hands on both sides of the sofa and leaned forward. She looked at He Qianjian, with a puzzled expression: ¡°Do all people have emotional biases?¡±


    He Qianjian said: ¡°Of course.¡±


    He Qianyu¡¯s tone was very innocent: ¡°Then do you like father or mother more?¡±


    He Qianjian choked and opened his mouth, but he didn¡¯t know how to answer.


    He Yanya glanced at He Qianjian, frowned, and looked down at her watch: ¡°It¡¯s getting late, we should go back.¡±


    Yang Si nodded, and didn¡¯t keep them. She got up and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you off.¡±


    After He Yanya and the others left, only then did Yang Si shake her head slightly, but didn¡¯t say anything. It was almost midnight at this time, and there were fireworks blooming outside the window in the dark night. With the sound of the Spring Festival Gala program playing on the TV, the atmosphere of the New Year celebrations was very strong.


    The whole family went to the balcony on the second floor. Yang Si looked at the fireworks in the night sky and the children playing downstairs. She supported her belly and said, ¡°The new year is about to begin.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo put on a coat for her, and said with a smile, ¡°Yes, this year has passed, and our family will become better and better.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes, staring fixedly at the simple but still gorgeous fireworks in the sky, his phone buzzing and vibrating in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was messages from the small chat group and other friends on the list. Without exception, they were all ¡°Happy New Years¡±.


    Glancing at the time, he realized that they had missed the most exciting countdown to the New Year during the time spent watching the fireworks. Jiang Chen turned his head to look at his parents: ¡°Dad, Mom, Happy New Year.¡±


    Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo were also taken aback for a moment, and then they both laughed in response: ¡°Happy New Year, son.¡±


    Although Wugu Village was not as cold as the urban area of Yan City, the cold wind was still chilly at night, and Yang Si was still an elder pregnant woman. Both Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo were worried about her health. After standing on the balcony for a while, they all went back to the living room where they chatted for a while. Soon feeling sleepy, they naturally retired to their respective rooms.


    Lying on the bed, Jiang Chen was chatting with Shen Xu and Huo Bo. The sound of fireworks exploding outside the window had gradually lessened, and the sound of children laughing and playing had also quieted down. He walked to the computer, but after turning on the computer, he suddenly didn¡¯t know what to do.


    He had promised his parents that he would take a good rest on New Year¡¯s Eve and New Year¡¯s Day and not work, but turning on the computer before going to bed had become an instinct, and work was one of the things he must do before going to sleep.


    ¡°Changjiang.¡± Jiang Chen said softly, ¡°Happy New Year.¡±


    Changjiang quickly responded, still with a cold electronic voice, but don¡¯t know if it was due to psychological reasons, it seemed to be a little warmer this time: ¡°Happy New Year, Dylan.¡±


    In a daze, Jiang Chen seemed to have returned to the heavily guarded but cold apartment in his previous life. At that time, countries no longer existed. Human beings of all nationalities and skin colors and even other races from other planets lived together, celebrating holidays from various countries.


    Whenever the New Year came, only Changjiang accompanied him. He was used to working during the New Year, but he would also say Happy New Year to it on this day every year. It was like a routine, but also like a kind of nostalgia. It was not until today that he finally realized that he had returned to his family and close ones who could wish each other a happy new year. This feeling was indeed really different.


    Jiang Chen smiled, opened a webpage randomly, and saw the local news reporting that someone was poisoned during the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner, and when the whole family was admitted to the hospital, he picked up his phone for some reason and opened the chat app.


    The chat app was just opened, when a caller ID showed up that happened to be exactly the person he was looking for.


    Jiang Chen paused, and suddenly there was a smile in his eyes that he didn¡¯t even notice, and he answered the phone: ¡°Happy New Year.¡±


    Shi Fengyue chuckled, his voice seeming to be able to cause the vibration on the other end of the line through the electric current. Jiang Chen switched hands and stood up: ¡°What are you laughing at?¡±


    ¡°Laughing that you answered the phone so quickly, were you just waiting for me to say Happy New Year to you?¡± His voice was low and deep, as if it had been deliberately lowered, and there was a hint of huskiness in his laughter, as if he was currently completely relaxing in lazy idleness on the sofa hugging a pillow.


    ¡°I was indeed about to send you a message.¡± Hearing his voice, Jiang Chen paused, and asked, ¡°You just woke up? Didn¡¯t count down until the new year?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shi Fengyue said: ¡°There were two surgeries in the afternoon, and I got home in the evening. I went to bed after eating with my grandfather and uncle.¡±


    During the Chinese New Year holidays, most professions could take a break, but there were also many professions that could not take a holiday, and doctors were one of them.


    ¡°Why are you awake now?¡±


    ¡°I was woken up by the sound of fireworks in the community.¡± Shi Fengyue said with a smile hidden in his voice, ¡°I closed the window and planned to continue sleeping, but recalling that I didn¡¯t say Happy New Year to you, I picked up the phone.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°I heard it now, you can continue to sleep.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t said it yet, how could you hear it?¡± Shi Fengyue asked him with a smile.


    Jiang Chen thought about it, just now Shi Fengyue said the words ¡°Happy New Year¡± several times, but it seemed that he never said it to him formally.


    ¡°Happy New Year, Jiang Chen.¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s voice was a little softer than before, and the less hoarse voice seemed to be a little more earnest, inexplicably giving people a serious feeling.


    Jiang Chen paused, and curved his lips upwards: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to wish me a happy new year?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it before?¡± Jiang Chen could imagine Shi Fengyue¡¯s raised eyebrows in dissatisfaction, and his smile became a little deeper, but he still said, ¡°Happy New Year.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, he suddenly felt that he could fall asleep without working. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t turn off the computer, just lay back on the bed, and fell asleep not long after.


    After the third day of the new year, Jiang Chen would go back to work in the research institute. After meeting several times in the past half month, Yang Si¡¯s impression of He Qianjian dropped again and again, to the point where she would deliberately avoid bumping into He Qianjian while walking outside. But apart from He Qianjian, Yang Si unexpectedly had a good impression of He Yanya, and even said to him: ¡°I heard that Qian Min¡¯s aunt is also in research, and I felt it when I saw her last time. She is an intellectual, calm, polite and doesn¡¯t talk much. If you have any questions in the future, you can ask Qian Min¡¯s aunt.¡±


    Jiang Chen laughed. He didn¡¯t tell Yang Si that he and He Yanya were in completely different fields of research, and their fields had absolutely no interaction, let alone have anything to discuss with each other. He just smiled and got into the car that came to pick him up from the research institute, and continued his unfinished words: ¡°Call me if you feel uncomfortable, I will always have my phone on. Also, I told you the function of every switch in the house before, if you think you are about to¡­..¡±


    ¡°Aiya, how is this necessary?¡± Yang Si complained and interrupted him, but her eyes were full of smiles: ¡°It¡¯s still early before the due date, don¡¯t learn from your father, he now practically watches me without taking a step away 24 hours a day, even checking in on me a few times while I go to the toilet.¡±


    When these words fell, Jiang Zhuo¡¯s voice sounded: ¡°Honey! Has our son gotten in the car yet? Have you come in yet?¡±


    Yang Si shook her head helplessly at Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen also felt a little amused when he saw his father trotting out to check the situation. Even Qian Yi who came to pick him up couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    When they arrived at the research institute, the atmosphere of the New Year was swept away. Everyone put aside the leisure of the holidays and devoted themselves to intense research experiments.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s project team was just set up last year, and the project deadline and progress were very good, so they took a few days off for the New Year. However, there were also many research institutes that don¡¯t rest at all during the New Year holidays, such as the navigation team.


    They seemed to have encountered some difficulties. While eating in the cafeteria at noon, Jiang Chen heard Yu Yi from the same project team discussing this matter with someone: ¡°Is there really no way to fix it?¡±


    The man shook his head: ¡°We haven¡¯t found out which part is the problem. The new assistant researcher left the laboratory that day and didn¡¯t record the data. Our efforts for more than a year are all in vain. We can only start over again.¡±


    ¡°Are you just going to give up like this?¡± Yu Yi frowned, she seemed to have a good relationship with the woman next to her, or maybe she was aware of the seriousness of this matter, and her tone, which was always unruffled, was full of worry: ¡°The higher-ups will definitely chase after your responsibility.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of being held accountable anymore now.¡± The woman lowered her head: ¡°It¡¯s just that this was our painstaking effort for more than a year, and it was ruined just like that. When our leader found out about it, he locked himself in the laboratory and still hasn¡¯t come out¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen listened silently for a while, only to realize that during the New Year holidays, the navigation team had encountered a problem with some of the equipment, which led to the suspension of their project that was already in the final stage. The assistant researcher who was on duty when the problem happened was not present, so they don¡¯t even know what caused the problem, but the chip on the equipment was the core of this research. If the chip was destroyed, their project was basically ruined.


    Not only Jiang Chen was listening to their conversation, but Zhang Lei at the same table was also listening. Seeing Yu Yi gently pat the woman¡¯s back in comfort, he glanced at Jiang Chen who was eating with his eyes downcast, and suddenly chuckled: ¡°How can there be no solution? If I remember correctly, your project is based on the N1571 patent. The owner of the patent is Shi Fengyue and he was originally researching in this field. I heard he was Professor Xiang¡¯s student, even if he can¡¯t save your chip, at least you should be able to find the cause of the equipment failure.¡±


    The woman raised her head. She hadn¡¯t cried, but her face was very haggard: ¡°But Shi Fengyue is so difficult to invite over, the whole research institute knows, it¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t thought of this method, but will he come?¡±


    ¡°If you guys can¡¯t manage to invite him, it doesn¡¯t mean others can¡¯t manage to invite him.¡± Zhang Lei gestured in Jiang Chen¡¯s direction, ¡°Here, the leader of our project team, like Shi Fengyue, is a genius scientist that appears once in a century. The social circles of geniuses naturally overlap, and the two of them are friends, if he comes forward, he will definitely be able to invite Shi Fengyue.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes. Zhang Lei smiled challengingly, and enunciated word by word: ¡°Am I right, team leader?¡±

 CH 108

    After Zhang Lei finished speaking, Yu Yi and the woman looked at Jiang Chen. The woman¡¯s eyes lit up, and there was a hint of hope in her eyes. She really wanted to say something immediately, but she didn¡¯t know Jiang Chen well, so even though the corners of her mouth twitched she was still unable to open her mouth.


    Yu Yi didn¡¯t know about the relationship between Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue. Hearing what Zhang Lei said suddenly, the first thing she did was not to think that her friend¡¯s research might be saved, but to question whether Shi Fengyue was really close to someone enough to help just because they asked him to. She was a few years older than Shi Fengyue, but graduated a few years later than him. When Shi Fengyue submitted the patent, she was still in college. After Shi Fengyue went abroad, she entered the research institute and logically speaking the two shouldn¡¯t have any interaction.


    However, her postgraduate mentor was a student of Professor Xiang, and she had heard about Shi Fengyue several times from her mentor, hearing a lot of his deeds after entering the research institute. Later she also met Shi Fengyue by chance, so she could be said to know a little bit about Shi Fengyue.


    A man who was so indifferent that he didn¡¯t care about his former teacher or his own research achievements, how could he come here just because someone asked him to? It was simply a dream.


    ¡°Yiyi.¡± The girl looked at Yu Yi, hoping that she could speak for her.


    Yu Yi frowned slightly, looked at her friend reassuringly, and turned to Zhang Lei, this time with a more aggressive tone: ¡°The matters of the navigation team are handled by the navigation team, and Jiang Chen¡¯s interpersonal relationship is also Jiang Chen¡¯s own business. Why are you minding things that have nothing to do with you? And even also clearly arranging everything, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re reaching too far?¡±


    Zhang Lei didn¡¯t expect Yu Yi to become angry. Being made to lose face with just a few sharp words, a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes, but after all, they were colleagues of many years. Although he refused to accept Jiang Chen, he didn¡¯t want to destroy his relationship with other colleagues. Compared with the mocking tone he had when speaking to Jiang Chen before, his tone now was a little more familiar and friendly: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that, isn¡¯t it because the navigation team is in a quandary? They¡¯ve been working on such a big project for so long, and we all know how awful it feels to have such hard work suddenly ending up in vain. We are all colleagues here, since Jiang Chen has the connections, let him help.¡±


    ¡°Then how are you sure that Jiang Chen is familiar with Shi Fengyue?¡± Yu Yi knew Zhang Lei¡¯s intentions, which was why she didn¡¯t believe Zhang Lei¡¯s words at first. She knew how many underhanded things have been done by him ever since Jiang Chen became the head of the project. If it wasn¡¯t for seeing that Jiang Chen didn¡¯t take it seriously, and his behavior didn¡¯t slow down the progress of the research, she would have said something long ago.


    She didn¡¯t say anything before, but now she said: ¡°We¡¯ve been in the same team for so long, you¡¯ve been making trouble for Jiang Chen this whole time, can¡¯t you just be more open-minded? Even if he¡¯s younger than you, and he¡¯s more capable than you, if you¡¯re a man then be jealous blatantly, instead of pulling these juvenile schemes.¡±


    There were researchers coming and going in the cafeteria, not just ordinary researchers, but also the heads of various laboratories or project leaders, and the leaders of the research institute. Usually, even if there were many people, it couldn¡¯t be called noisy, so even if one spoke at a normal volume, a few words could still be heard at the next table.


    When Yu Yi spoke just now, she didn¡¯t control her volume, but her voice wasn¡¯t too loud either. However, the movement here had already attracted the attention of the two tables next to them and now that she was speaking, some from the table next to them looked over.


    The environment of the research institute was simpler than that out in society. It was not that complicated. Everyone had their own projects, and they all worked in the top research institute in the country. Everything depended on one¡¯s abilities. Even if they were in the same group, there was not much competition. Such a peaceful environment naturally lacked the nourishment of gossip, and it was precisely because of this that Shi Fengyue, who had barely been to the research institute a few times, would be mentioned many times, because there was no hot topic other than academic discussions for them to chat about.


    At this time, smelling gossip, the people at the next table pretended to be eating seriously, but actually scooted over, and secretly prepared to squat down and witness the showdown.


    ¡°Juvenile schemes?¡± Zhang Lei didn¡¯t expect Yu Yi to be so merciless to him. He just took a step back and handed her a ladder to go down. But she not only did not appreciate it but went even further: ¡°Which of your eyes see that I am pulling juvenile schemes on him? And jealousy, what a joke, why should I be jealous of him, jealous of his good looks?¡± At the end, he sneered to express his disdain.


    Jiang Chen did not speak from the beginning to the end, but as the protagonist at the center of the topic, he could feel the eyes of his surroundings.


    ¡°You know what you¡¯re jealous of.¡± Yu Yi withdrew her gaze, looked at Jiang Chen, and said comfortingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Jiang Chen knew that Zhang Lei was dissatisfied with him, and he didn¡¯t take his dissatisfaction to heart. When he was in the Imperial Research Institute in his last life, he was a thorn in the eyes of many people. In fact, because of his research project and the political situation, many assassination attempts had been made on him. In contrast, Zhang Lei, who only babbled a few words and didn¡¯t deliberately make mistakes at work, was a colleague who he could get along with in his eyes.


    However, it was always inappropriate to cooperate in a project team and maintain such a hostile attitude forever.


    Jiang Chen thought for a while, and said to the woman next to Yu Yi: ¡°I¡¯ll go and ask Shi Fengyue for you, but I can¡¯t guarantee whether he will help, is that okay?¡±


    The woman was taken aback, and nodded again and again: ¡°Yes, yes, of course, please.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem.¡± Jiang Chen put down his chopsticks, picked up the tray and said, ¡°I¡¯ve finished eating, and I¡¯ll tell you the result in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Looking at Jiang Chen¡¯s back as he walked away, Zhang Lei snorted coldly: ¡°Not very old, but he could put on airs.¡±


    Yu Yi was used to Zhang Lei picking at every little fault, and even if there was no fault he would still come up with one. So she ignored him and turned around. Seeing her friend who looked much calmer, she sighed slightly in her heart. If Shi Fengyue was that easy to be invited over, how could the navigation department make such slow progress? It seemed that her friend was destined to be disappointed.


    When Jiang Chen called Shi Fengyue, Shi Fengyue had just finished an operation.


    His voice was a little sleepy and also a little hoarse, as if he hadn¡¯t drank water for a long time: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Knowing that Shi Fengyue might not be resting yet, Jiang Chen cut to the chase and said, ¡°I want to ask you for a favor.¡±


    ¡°What favor?¡± Probably because he was sleepy, Shi Fengyue¡¯s voice was lazy and a little dazed, even so he did not forget to fight for his rights: ¡°How many meals?¡±


    Jiang Chen remembered how many meals he still owed Shi Fengyue, paused for a while, and suddenly laughed. When the debt was a lot, just one more was no longer overwhelming. In any case, he owed the other so much, so why not begin to pay it off in person now.


    ¡°When are you off?¡±


    ¡°There will be no surgery tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°You decide.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, as long as it¡¯s in the afternoon.¡± With the sound of fabric rubbing, Shi Fengyue seemed to be nestling in the sofa, and his voice became even lazier: ¡°I need to catch up on sleep in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Then tomorrow afternoon.¡± Jiang Chen thought for a while, and before hanging up the phone, he said, ¡°Remember to eat before going to bed.¡±


    Shi Fengyue seemed to laugh, ¡°Understood.¡±


    The next day.


    The place that Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue made an appointment at was a club, which was opened by Li Nanfeng. Shi Fengyue had a suite here exclusively for him, and he slept here last night. Because he had notified the front desk, as soon as Jiang Chen entered, he was led directly to the door of Shi Fengyue¡¯s suite.


    He knocked on the door, and about a minute later, the still sleepy man with disheveled hair falling into his eyes opened the door. He casually turned sideways to let him in, poured himself a glass of water and after he finished drinking, his eyes were a little more awake.


    ¡°What do you want to drink?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty.¡± Jiang Chen looked at him, wondering if it was the fluffy hair or the soft cotton pajamas. At this moment, Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t seem to possess the same aggressive aura when he was awake at all, and that overly good-looking face became particularly eye-catching without the sharpness of his aura, ¡°What time did you sleep yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Forgot.¡± Shi Fengyue yawned, gulped down the hot water in the cup. As if he hadn¡¯t woken up yet, his long eyelashes were half drooping, and the steam from the hot water blurred his features a bit, unexpectedly making him appear endearing and youthful, the aura surrounding him becoming soft and gentle. After slowly drinking a glass of water, he seemed to finally wake up with the hot water in his stomach, and when he raised his eyes, the light in his eyes became different, ¡°The research institute is so busy and you still came to find me, what do you want me to help you with? ¡°


    ¡°You should know about the navigation team of our institute.¡± Jiang Chen also threw away the momentary feeling of weirdness just now, and began to talk business. After relaying the things about the navigation team, he said: ¡°They want you to go and have a look and help analyze where it went wrong.¡±


    Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t even think about it, flatly refusing: ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡±


    Jiang Chen was not surprised. In his impression, Shi Fengyue was not someone who would easily agree to other people¡¯s requests, but he still asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°They want to ask me to help, so how come it¡¯s you coming to make the request?¡± Shi Fengyue put down his cup and sat down opposite Jiang Chen, ¡°I remember you are not from the navigation team, right?¡±


    ¡°A member of my team has a good relationship with a researcher in their team, so I want to ask you for help.¡±


    ¡°Male or female?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Chen caught up with Shi Fengyue¡¯s sudden jump in the topic: ¡°They¡¯re both women.¡±


    ¡°The one in your group.¡± Shi Fengyue only thought for a moment, and said, ¡°Yu Yi?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen nodded subconsciously, and then realized: ¡°Do you know her?¡±


    Shi Fengyue: ¡°Professor Xiang¡¯s student¡¯s student, I met her once.¡±


    This was the first time he heard Shi Fengyue mention old Mr. Xiang. Jiang Chen raised his eyes to look at him, and Shi Fengyue said: ¡°I¡¯m free tomorrow, I can go and see.¡±


    This was unexpected. Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you won¡¯t go before, so why are you planning to go all of a sudden now?¡±


    ¡°I changed my mind.¡± Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t show the slightest embarrassment at all at going back on his decision, and was even very righteous: ¡°You owe me so many meals, when will you pay them back?¡±


    Jiang Chen looked around: ¡°How about I treat you to have a meal in this clubhouse?¡±


    Shi Fengyue snorted: ¡°You are really perfunctory.¡±


    ¡°What is not perfunctory?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how to cook?¡±


    Jiang Chen said truthfully, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Shi Fengyue looked at him in surprise: ¡°You do?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and nodded. If he was at this time in the previous life, he would definitely not be able to. Even if his family situation changed dramatically, his parents never let him worry about food and clothing. But for a long time afterwards, he had no family and could only search for the feeling of home by replicating the taste of his parents¡¯ home-cooked food.


    Like this, over two lifetimes, he had thirty years to practice.


    So, of course he knew how to cook.


    Shi Fengyue stood up and made a decision without giving Jiang Chen a chance to refuse: ¡°Let¡¯s go grocery shopping.¡±

 CH 109

    The clubhouse was located next to a high-end residential area, with lawns, lakes, and gardens in it. It was a rare quiet, elegant and convenient residential area in the center of Yan City.


    Since it was convenient, it would naturally lack a supermarket. The supermarket here was only open to the residents of the residential area and the members of the clubhouse. It was noon at this time, which was when there was less traffic in the supermarket. When Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue walked in pucjing a shopping cart, they almost suspected that it was only the two of them in the whole supermarket.


    ¡°That was your residence card just now.¡± Jiang Chen took a box of potatoes, put them in the shopping cart, and said casually when he straightened up.


    Shi Fengyue was holding a box of strawberries and looking at it, and casually hummed softly, which could be regarded as an answer. Jiang Chen turned his head to look at him, and even though he had been beside him from the time they went out until now, he still couldn¡¯t help turning his head away and letting out a muffled laugh.


    Shi Fengyue was wearing a large and clumsy looking black down jacket that reached down to his calves, but he had a long neck, a small face, broad shoulders and long legs. Even wearing such clumsy looking clothes on he still didn¡¯t look bloated. Even if the down jacket was zipped up to the top, it still exposed the soft neckline of the white turtleneck sweater inside and a fair neck, followed by a sharp jawline and the perfect profile of his face. The owner of this face was staring at the strawberries with no expression, the hand that was not holding the box of strawberries would from time to time, pull at the high collar of the sweater, trying to cover his neck which was exposed to the air.


    ¡°Is it that cold?¡± Jiang Chen had long since discovered that Shi Fengyue was particularly afraid of the cold, but he had seen many people who were afraid of the cold, and this was the first time he had seen someone like Shi Fengyue, ¡°Aren¡¯t you wearing three sweaters underneath?¡±


    Yes, Jiang Chen watched Shi Fengyue put on three sweaters under this down jacket that seemed to be able to withstand the wind and cold of minus ten degrees with his own eyes. But even so, despite the distance from the door to the supermarket being only one kilometer, for the entire walk, Shi Fengyue kept pinching on to his collar and did not let go, trying to prevent even a trace of cold wind from slipping down his neck.


    Shi Fengyue squinted at him, and put the strawberries into the shopping cart. As soon as Jiang Chen finished speaking, he shrank his neck and shivered.


    ¡°Is it so cold?¡± Shi Fengyue repeated what Jiang Chen said just now, and the hand that easily clasped the nape of his neck squeezed a little harder, pressing closer to his skin. The distinct wrist bones and slender fingers were as white as ice jade.


    Jiang Chen was suddenly attacked by feezing hands. He was surprised but also a little dazed. He leaned forward, trying to avoid his hand: ¡°Why is your hand so cold?¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s hand followed him like a shadow, sticking to his neck the whole time. He lazily pursed his lips and said, ¡°It¡¯s much warmer now.¡±


    ¡°Take it away.¡± Jiang Chen grabbed the cart handle with one hand, and leaned forward even more. Shi Fengyue¡¯s hands were really icy, not just the skin, but from the inside out, it seemed that even the bones were carved from ice, like cold jade that radiated coolness, cold to the bone.


    The two were pushing a shopping cart together, and they were facing each other when they were talking. At this time, Jiang Chen tilted his upper body to avoid Shi Fengyue¡¯s hand, the loose neckline of the down jacket slid to one side, revealing his thin and fair collarbone.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any clothes on inside?¡± Shi Fengyue lowered his eyes, raised his eyebrows lightly, and his tone seemed surprised.


    Jiang Chen dodged, reprimanded him to take his hand away, and at the same time replied: ¡°How is that possible.¡±


    The touch under his palm was delicate and smooth, and the warmth radiated from the palm to the fingertips to his limbs. Shi Fengyue also felt that it would be too much if he continued to tease Jiang Chen, but he couldn¡¯t pull away from the warmth no matter what. When Jiang Chen dodged again, he subconsciously chased after him, and accidentally became forceful, causing the both of them to freeze for a moment.


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple rolled up and down, and the fingers attached to Jiang Chen¡¯s neck unconsciously curled with his breathing. His cold fingertips ran across the raised spine, and a shudder traveled straight up the spine. Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help but huff softly. He raised his head, his eyes filled with astonishment.


    With one raising and the other lowering their heads, the two stared at each other in a daze for a few seconds before they separated abruptly.


    The movement was too big, and the shopping cart was pushed aside, slammed into the supermarket shelf, causing several packages of packaged food to fall to the ground, and then rolled out from the space between Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue.


    One was rubbing his fingertips subtly, the other was covering his neck with a dazed expression, and no one cared about the shopping cart that had rolled away.


    Shi Fengyue hid the look in his eyes, put his hands in the pockets of his down jacket, and turned his head sideways. His Adam¡¯s apple rolled again, and he said in a slightly hoarse voice, ¡°So you¡¯re wearing two sweaters.¡±


    He clearly knew it was just an accident, but when he heard Shi Fengyue¡¯s casual and nonchalant joking tone, somehow, he felt a surge of annoyance, which made him turn his head suddenly, to open his mouth to reprimand and pursue his behavior just now. But when the words came to his lips, his eyes landed on Shi Fengyue¡¯s flushed ears, and he swallowed them down again.


    Shi Fengyue put one hand in his pocket, and stared into the distance casually. If one ignored his blushing ears, his side face looked really calm and breezy. Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, his furrowed brows relaxing a little bit. The light in his eyes flickered several times, and finally he lowered his eyes, his tone a bit absentminded: ¡°Not everyone is as afraid of the cold as you are.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Shi Fengyue looked back, but only saw Jiang Chen walking past him, ¡°Let¡¯s continue shopping.¡±


    After walking a few steps, Jiang Chen paused, and a young man walked out around the corner. He was pushing a shopping cart, and his eyes were searching the surroundings, as if he was looking for something.


    When his gaze swept over, the young man paused, and his eyes widened slightly, as if hesitating in disbelief, but his tone was pure surprise: ¡°Jiang Chen?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly, took a few steps forward, and stood still one meter away from the boy: ¡°You Jiuyu, why are you here?¡±


    You Jiuyu did not expect that after such a long time, he would meet Jiang Chen in his own community. He seemed to be taller than last time, but his voice was as clear and gentle as ever. He suppressed his accelerated heartbeat and pursed his lips in a smile: ¡°My family lives here, how about you?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t notice the light in the other¡¯s eyes, his eyes fell on the shopping cart he was pushing, and he said casually: ¡°Accompanying someone out to buy groceries, the shopping cart you are pushing is the one we just accidentally¡­..pushed forward.¡±


    ¡°I just saw it roll out, and I was looking for its owner.¡± You Jiuyu hurriedly returned the shopping cart to Jiang Chen, and the two walked closer because of this. His hands shifted backwards a little and he said in a small voice: ¡°Recently I wrote a song myself¡­..¡±


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    Shi Fengyue approached, put one hand casually on the push rod of the shopping cart, glanced lightly at You Jiuyu, and lowered his eyes to ask Jiang Chen.


    ¡°You Jiuyu.¡± Jiang Chen thought for a while, and said, ¡°You should have seen him at He Qianyang¡¯s birthday party last time. He played a piece of violin music.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Shi Fengyue casually looked over, glanced at You Jiuyu lightly, then looked away again, saying with a lazy tone: ¡°I don¡¯t have any impression.¡±


    Jiang Chen was pushing the shopping cart, and when Shi Fengyue came over, he also put one hand on the shopping cart, standing behind him with his arm almost pressing against Shi Fengyue¡¯s chest, not even two centimeters away. When he spoke just now, Shi Fengyue changed his stance and leaned his body forward, seeming to be a distance away from Jiang Chen, but in fact he seemed to breathe right next to his ear when he spoke.


    And this standing posture, in You Jiuyu¡¯s eyes, was like Shi Fengyue holding Jiang Chen in his arms.


    ¡°Young master Shi.¡± You Jiuyu greeted a little shyly, and looked at Jiang Chen again, his voice was still soft, a little hopeful: ¡°Jiang Chen, if you have time, can you listen to it for me, the song I wrote.¡±


    Jiang Chen was a little surprised: ¡°You wrote a song yourself?¡±


    You Jiuyu nodded slightly, smiling shyly, but couldn¡¯t help looking at Jiang Chen expectantly.


    ¡°I¡­..¡± Jiang Chen didn¡¯t have the heart to refuse.


    ¡°If you have the time, then make up for all the meals you owed me before.¡± Shi Fengyue took a bag of cereal from the shelf next to Jiang Chen, threw it into the shopping cart without looking at it, and said in a calm tone.


    Jiang Chen swallowed the agreement that was on his tongue, and smiled apologetically: ¡°Sorry, I have a lot of things to do recently, and I don¡¯t really have much time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± You Jiuyu immediately expressed his understanding. Not only was he not unhappy at all, on the contrary he seemed a little more ashamed because he opened his mouth to trouble others. His face flushed and even beads of sweat appeared: ¡°You are in your third year of high school, and you must be very busy, I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned this matter without thinking.¡±


    ¡°Although I will be busy during this time, I should have more time to relax after a while.¡± Jiang Chen had a good impression of You Jiuyu, and thinking of his experience, he also felt a little sympathetic at the other¡¯s timidnes, ¡°Just give me your number, and when I¡¯m free, let¡¯s make another appointment.¡±


    You Jiuyu¡¯s eyes lit up instantly, ¡°Really?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled: ¡°Of course.¡±


    You Jiuyu recited his phone number, and Jiang Chen went to take out his phone but touched an empty trouser pocket. He paused, and then remembered that when he was in the suite of the clubhouse just now, after he answered a call from the research institute, he casually placed the phone on the table.


    ¡°Sorry, I forgot to bring my phone.¡± Jiang Chen withdrew his hand, and neatly repeated the phone number that You Jiuyu recited just now, and said, ¡°But I have already remembered your number, and I will save it on my phone when I go back.¡±


    You Jiuyu nodded, took out his mobile phone, hesitated for a bit, and then whispered: ¡°Can I have your number?¡±


    Jiang Chen recited his number, and then said with a smile, ¡°We still have something to do, so we¡¯ll leave first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± You Jiuyu turned sideways to get out of the way, curved his eyes in a smile, and said in a relaxed and joyful tone, ¡°See you later.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded and smiled, ¡°See you later.¡±


    When they walked out of You Jiuyu¡¯s sight, it seemed that there were only the two of them left in the supermarket again. Jiang Chen was pushing the shopping cart, but for some reason his attention was focused on the sound of their footsteps. Shi Fengyue¡¯s footsteps were not only very neat, but even the distance of the steps and the lifting of his legs were exactly the same.


    ¡°139678XXXXX, 267XXXX¡­..¡± Shi Fengyue said suddenly, and recited a series of eleven-digit and seven-digit numbers. After reciting, he paused, looked down at Jiang Chen, and said, ¡°Have you memorized it?¡±


    Jiang Chen was able to memorize thousands of irregular combinations of numbers and letters at one time, so Shi Fengyue¡¯s list of numbers which did not even reach a hundred could not trouble him at all. He repeated the numbers back to Shi Fengyue.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shi Fengyue slightly raised the corners of his mouth, pushed the shopping cart forward, and said leisurely: ¡°These are the numbers of my personal mobile phone, work mobile phone, spare mobile phone, and the home phones at the houses I usually live in. Remember to save them all on your phone later.¡±

 CH 110

    After returning to the clubhouse suite, Jiang Chen went straight to the kitchen to tidy up the things he had just bought.


    At the kitchen counter, he methodically sorted and placed the ingredients needed for each dish. Shi Fengyue had already taken off his coat and changed into home clothes and walked over. Jiang Chen raised his eyes, glanced at him, and opened the freshly bought chicken thighs, moving his attention back to the work at hand.


    Shi Fengyue leaned against the refrigerator next to him, and handed the mobile phone in his hand to Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, and said casually, ¡°What?¡±


    Shi Fengyue leaned against the refrigerator, maintaining the gesture of handing the phone to him, and lazily said: ¡°Test your memory.¡±


    ¡°I already saved your number.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t take the phone, but took out a knife and began to process the chicken legs on the chopping board. Carefully and neatly, he removed the bones of the chicken legs in two or three strokes, and then cut the chicken meat.


    Shi Fengyue stared at his bony and slender fingers, and the hand that wasn¡¯t holding the phone unconsciously curled inwards, then gently rubbing the index finger and ring finger with the thumb. It was these two fingers that accidentally touched Jiang Chen¡¯s spine in the supermarket just now. The smooth and delicate feeling seemed to still remain on his fingertips. Shi Fengyue put his hand in his pockets, stood up straight, and raised the phone in front of Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes, as if challenging him: Did you forget?


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes, and guessed that he was deliberately provoking him, but he already knew Shi Fengyue¡¯s character very well. If he did not get what he wantrd at this time, the meal would remain interrupted by his perseverance, and who knew when it would be cooked.


    ¡°Changjiang.¡± He said in a clear voice, ¡°Open the address book.¡±


    The screen of the phone that Shi Fengyue was holding lit up, and the interface of the address book quickly showed up.


    Jiang Chen said, ¡°Save the contacts.¡±


    The mobile phone screen followed the instructions again, and Jiang Chen repeated the long series of numbers recited by Shi Fengyue before, and accurately made notes on the kind of mobile phones and home phones corresponding to each number.


    After all the numbers were stored, Jiang Chen also finished with the chicken legs. He put the chicken leg meat into the prepared bowl beside him, and the seasonings for marinating the chicken leg meat were also put in according to the proportion required. He grabbed the chicken leg meat casually to spread the seasonings, and after doing all this, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Shi Fengyue: ¡°Happy?¡±


    Shi Fengyue put the phone into his pocket, and leaned forward with upward curving lips. He looked down at the shrimp Jiang Chen was handling, and asked, ¡°What are you going to make?¡±


    ¡°Large prawns in tomato sauce and teriyaki chicken.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°Two home-cooked dishes that I¡¯m good at.¡±


    ¡°This shrimp is so fresh.¡± Shi Fengyue said.


    Jiang Chen heard the underlying meaning, and glanced at him: ¡°Because you picked it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly the case.¡± Shi Fengyue smiled: ¡°You also helped with the weighing.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised the shrimp in his hand and shook it at him. The struggling shrimp, which was still alive and kicking, broke free with his movement, flew in a parabola, and jumped onto the bridge of Shi Fengyue¡¯s nose with a snap, twisting and slapping from the bridge of his nose. Then sliding down, it jumped back into the kitchen sink.


    For some reason, Jiang Chen suddenly recalled a sentence that fans who chased stars in later years often said when they were blowing rainbow farts: I want to slide on the bridge of my honey¡¯s nose.


    Now, this shrimp managed to do it.


    Jiang Chen saw Shi Fengyue¡¯s reflexively closed eyes slowly open, wiping away the shrimp-smelling water droplets that flowed to his lips with a look of disgust, and then showing a very unfriendly look at him. Jiang Chen held back his laughter again and again, his gaze lingering on the bridge of his nose that still had a wet trail on it, and he finally couldn¡¯t hold back. His body bent over slightly, and holding the cooking table with his hands, he burst out laughing.


    The fishy smell was even on the edge of his mouth, and it seemed that some of the water droplets had flowed into his mouth. Shi Fengyue wiped his mouth again, and narrowed his eyes in annoyance: ¡°That funny?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Jiang Chen supported himself on the kitchen counter, his shoulders shaking in mirth as he looked up at him. Seeing him wiping his mouth again and again, his smile became even more uncontrollable. At the same time, he did not forget to tease: ¡°How does it taste?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to try?¡± Shi Fengyue put down his hand, approached half a step, and looked down at Jiang Chen from his taller height, his lacquer-like black eyes which were originally quite sharp, but now when filled with annoyance, made them even more captivating.


    Jiang Chen was not afraid at all, and he didn¡¯t show weakness when he saw him looming over him. He regulated his breathing which almost failed from laughing so hard, and stood up straight. His eyes met the other¡¯s, and still with a smile on his face, he teased: ¡°There are also many people now who love to eat raw prawns, and drunken prawns is one of the dishes. I am just asking if it suits young master Shi¡¯s taste.¡±


    ¡°My taste is basically the same as yours.¡± Shi Fengyue moved closer to him, almost touching nose to nose. Half of the light behind him was blocked by him, and his eyes seemed to appear dark in this angle: ¡°If you like it, then I like it.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know that we have the same taste?¡± Jiang Chen was calm and steady, and even if their breathing mingled together, he didn¡¯t retreat at all.


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, and his eyes swept across his pink lips. Before, he had thought, how could a boy¡¯s lips be so pretty, and the dimple on his side cheek simply made one want to¡­..Dark and light seemed to flicker in his eyes, and he moved closer again.


    The tip of their noses touched each other, but neither seemed to notice. They just stared into each other¡¯s eyes, as if they would lose something if they backed down. Eventually, Jiang Chen looked away after an unknown amount of time.


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s breathing was light and cool, like his person, but for some reason, this kind of coolness not only didn¡¯t make people feel cold, but made Jiang Chen feel a little strange in his heart, just like how he felt in the supermarket. Or when he got an answer from Shi Fengyue, and then owed him one meal after another.


    His gaze moved down and landed on Shi Fengyue¡¯s perfect lips, his eyes dimming and his throat feeling a little dry for no reason.


    The tips of their noses had already touched, and the distance between the lips could only be measured in millimeters. Jiang Chen and Shi Fengyue raised their eyes at the same time.


    The temperature of the heating in the room was just right, but the temperature seemed to be still rising. The shrimps in the kitchen sink were alive and kicking, and the occasional splash was the only sound in this space other than their breathing.


    His lips met with something cold, and Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes moved down in astonishment. White jade-like fingertips were pressed against his lips, and the slightly calloused fingertips rubbed against his lips twice. Shi Fengyue moved back a little, retracting his hand, and all the emotions in his eyes had been suppressed, but his voice was a little more hoarse than before, ¡°Like this taste?¡±


    Jiang Chen came back to his senses, took half a step back and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. He smelled a faint fishy scent, and then remembered that the fingers that Shi Fengyue had used to rub his lips just now were the ones he used to wipe his own lips before.


    His heartbeat seemed to come faster, and the suppressed dryness in his throat surged up again. Jiang Chen lowered his eyes and grabbed a fresh shrimp that had jumped out of the kitchen sink. Only then did he calm down, his tone casual: ¡°I am the one handling shrimp, and the smell is much stronger than this.¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s gaze fell on the slender neck that was exposed when the other lowered his head. His eyes darkened instantly, but he concealed it in an instant. He snorted softly, looked away, and responded without even knowing what he was talking about: ¡°I hope it won¡¯t smell fishy when it¡¯s cooked later.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jiang Chen also answered with mixed emotions, but his voice sounded a little absentminded: ¡°Guaranteed to be delicious.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Shi Fengyue nodded, leaning back on the refrigerator again: ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    The kitchen became quiet. Jiang Chen finished processing a plate of shrimps, Shi Fengyue¡¯s gaze still on him, and he wiped his hands. He said casually, ¡°You are just going to watch me cook?¡±


    Shi Fengyue stood up straight, as if he had been waiting for his words: ¡°Then is there anything I can help?¡±


    ¡°Chop up the green and red peppers.¡± Jiang Chen stepped back a little, allowing him to see the location of other ingredients: ¡°And also peel the garlic.¡±


    Shi Fengyue followed his instructions readily, and after washing his hands, he took the knife in Jiang Chen¡¯s hand, and quickly cut according to his request. Jiang Chen glanced at him and was surprised by his neat knife skills. After recalling that Shi Fengyue worked with a scalpel, which was much more difficult than cutting vegetables, it was actually not surprising that he could cut  vegetables well.


    With the help of Shi Fengyue, the preparatory work was done much faster than Jiang Chen expected. He turned on the fire and cooked the first dish in a short time. In less than half an hour, three dishes and one soup were served at the dining table.


    Shi Fengyue watched Jiang Chen cook the whole time, and predicted that the taste of the meal should not be bad when looking at the process, but when he actually tasted it, only then did he realize that Jiang Chen¡¯s cooking was so good.


    He sincerely praised: ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and smiled, accepting his compliment.


    ¡°Especially the shrimp.¡± Shi Fengyue took a sip of his wine, and said with a half-smile: ¡°I really can¡¯t smell anything fishy at all.¡±


    ¡°Try this.¡± Jiang Chen picked up a shrimp and put it into Shi Fengyue¡¯s bowl. ¡°I marked it specially by cutting its tail. After you taste it, you might be able to recall the taste from just now.¡±


    Shi Fengyue picked up the shrimp in the bowl, looked at it in front of his eyes, and laughed suddenly. Maybe because he just took a sip of wine, his voice seemed to sound slightly intoxicated: ¡°No need to recall, I wouldn¡¯t be able to forget it at all.¡±


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyes, and slightly raised the corners of his mouth, as if he didn¡¯t understand what he was saying, ¡°Try this dried celery, I¡¯ve always thought it¡¯s my best vegetable dish.¡±


    Shi Fengyue glanced at the green celery piled on the rice, and raised his eyes to Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen looked back with his lips curled up, and said with a smile, ¡°Quickly try it.¡±


    He picked up the smallest piece of celery, raised his eyebrows when he put it in his mouth, chewed it quickly and swallowed it, and immediately took a sip of red wine.


    Jiang Chen smiled and asked, ¡°How does it taste? You won¡¯t forget it even if you don¡¯t try to recall the taste, right?¡±


    Shi Fengyue put down his wine glass, the mellow aroma of the wine mixed with the lingering celery taste jumping on his taste buds. He snorted a laugh without changing his face, ¡°Yes, as long as you made it, I will never forget it.¡±


    The eyes of the two collided, seemingly exchanging calm looks and at the same time confronting each other. A few seconds later, they chuckled at the same time, the ambiguity and testing of each other dissipating, and the floating emotions were hidden in a tacit understanding.


    Jiang Chen also took a sip of wine, and recalling his previous curiosity, he said, ¡°You have a house here, so why do you still live in the clubhouse?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m used to it.¡± Shi Fengyue¡¯s hand paused, and he said casually.


    Jiang Chen remembered asking Li Nanfeng the last time, Shi Fengyue clearly had to go to work in the hospital every day, but why didn¡¯t he live in an apartment near the hospital, but instead seemed to stay at a different place every time. Li Nanfeng¡¯s answer at that time was: He¡¯s used to it.


    So, what was Shi Fengyue used to?


    Jiang Chen wanted to ask, but his eyes caught the other¡¯s sudden apathetic look, and he swallowed the words that came to his lips. He was not one to be very curious about other people¡¯s private life and character, and many times he would deliberately avoid touching on private issues or picking at other people¡¯s past. But for some reason, every time he encountered Shi Fengyue, he always wanted to know more.


    Jiang Chen looked at the distinct grains of rice in his bowl, and gradually became lost in his thoughts. Did he really not know why he was so interested in Shi Fengyue¡¯s matters?


    He actually did.


    Jiang Chen was not a person who avoided his own feelings, on the contrary, he was a person who was very cautious in the face of any intimate relationship. In his opinion, one should not be reckless in establishing any intimate relationship. The closer the relationship, the more cautious one had to be. On the way back from the supermarket, including when he was just cooking, he had rationally analyzed his feelings for Shi Fengyue.


    There was definitely a good impression, and maybe a little liking, but the deep love that must be there for two to be together did not exist. He had thought of several possible factors for having feelings for Shi Fengyue beyond the scope of friends. One was that Shi Fengyue himself was attractive enough, regardless of his physical conditions or his material conditions. The second was that they had spent a relatively long time together and shared common topics. The third was the unintentional physical contact that surpassed friends, such as the accidental kiss when eating together that day and the ambiguous touch in the supermarket today.


    As long as he was a man, he would inevitably be swayed by the sensory and physical contact. This was the inferiority of male creatures. Jiang Chen thought that it could not be avoided. In his opinion, Shi Fengyue¡¯s ambiguity towards him may also be derived from this.


    They both knew it well and were rational enough, so they could always step on the brakes before breaking the veneer. Even when being ambiguous and testing each other, they never crossed the bottom line, which just proved that they both had a tacit understanding that the other party was not suitable for each other.


    AN: Shi Fengyue: It seems that our tacit understanding is not enough.

 CH 111

    With the help of Shi Fengyue, the navigation department restarted the experiment much faster than expected. For this reason, Yu Yi¡¯s friend came to the security department to thank Jiang Chen.


    Since Jiang Chen brought Shi Fengyue to the navigation department after lunch that day, he hadn¡¯t seen him again. Even though Shi Fengyue stayed in the research institute for a week straight except for leaving to do the surgeries that had been booked in the hospital, Jiang Chen never ran across him. The only contact was through the text Shi Fengyue sent after finishing the laboratory affairs:


    ¡ª¡ªI¡¯m at the gate of the research institute, let¡¯s have a meal together if you have time.


    At that time, Jiang Chen happened to be processing the information that Changjiang grabbed from He Qianjian¡¯s system, and it was almost early morning when he saw the message, and seven hours had passed since the text message was delivered. He wanted to explain something or call back, but in the end he only texted back with a few words: Sorry, just saw your text.


    After waiting for a long time, Shi Fengyue still didn¡¯t reply, and he didn¡¯t send any texts to Jiang Chen after that. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t have time to think about it, and was quickly distracted by the many assignments in the second semester of the third year of high school and Li De¡¯s software upgrade.


    His work at the research institute had already determined a clear direction. It now mostly involved repeated experiments and looking for loopholes to improve the software. There were other researchers in the laboratory besides Jiang Chen so he did not need to stay in the laboratory all the time. But as the person in charge of the entire project, and in order to be persuasive enough to start the next project after the success of this project, Jiang Chen had to be involved in everything himself.


    Under the triple pressure of school, research institute, and Li De, Jiang Chen had been very busy since the start of school, but even so, the work of finding new loopholes in the Changjiang Defense System every night before going to bed had never fallen behind, and had even made great progress¡ª¡ªthe Changjiang Defense System was already operational. Through deep learning, it could accurately distinguish between intruders and protectors, and take countermeasures.


    This point was discovered by Jiang Chen after he was attacked by the system. That day happened to be the first day back at school. Jiang Chen only stayed at school for half a day before going to Li De to discuss with Li Nanfeng¡¯s team the upgraded version of the image recognition system, and it was past ten o¡¯clock at night when he got home.


    Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo had already fallen asleep. After Jiang Chen took a short shower, he turned on the computer to run the Changjiang Defense System as usual, but after turning it on, he did not start looking for loopholes as before, but stared at the keyboard for a while.


    Before leaving the research institute yesterday, Yu Yi called him to the small conference room and asked him a very serious question: how would he allocate his time in school and the research institute after the term started.


    In fact, when he chose to enter the National Research Institute in advance, he made preparations for this aspect, but at that time he did not expect that the project would go from approval to preparation to the establishment of a scientific research team so quickly. The previous plans had been disrupted so replanning was needed. There were only twenty-four hours in a day, and even if he didn¡¯t sleep, Jiang Chen knew that he could no longer take care of school and research at the same time.


    Now there were less than 100 days left before the college entrance examination. This period of time was extremely urgent for third year high school students, but for Jiang Chen who had already received a direct admission and skipped four years of university study and directly entered the research institute, this period of time held a meaning that was far more than that. This was the third year of high school life he had held regrets on, and it was also the path he must take to accompany his friends on the battlefield.


    It was easy to get the answer by weighing the pros and cons, but what was involved was not only the pros and cons, but also many other things. In the choice between the two, Jiang Chen was caught in a dilemma.


    While he was thinking, Changjiang issued an alarm: ¡°Dylan, the target has established a channel and is tracking our IP and launching an attack.¡±


    Jiang Chen regained his senses, and immediately ordered: ¡°Open the first-level firewall.¡±


    During this period of time, he had been working hard to capture the system¡¯s coding. At first, he captured only minor details, and the system didn¡¯t pay attention to them. However, after the number of confrontations increased, the system probably guessed his intentions and became more cautious and cunning. In each confrontation, the effective coding captured by Changjiang decreased again and again, and even in a certain confrontation, Changjiang caught the virus deliberately buried by the system.


    Even though Jiang Chen discovered it in time, the string of viruses still allowed the system to penetrate some gaps, so the system¡¯s attacks became more and more violent during this period, and gave the feeling that it would not rest until the person behind the scenes was found out. Fortunately, the system did not catch the flaws in the security of the Changjiang Defense System, otherwise Jiang Chen would be found sooner or later.


    Just when Jiang Chen thought that there would be another fierce battle tonight, the Changjiang Defense System automatically operated, the firewall was opened to the highest level, and a counterattack began. Jiang Chen withdrew his hand from the keyboard, looking at the codes that quickly slid up in front of him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.


    ¡ª¡ªThe Changjiang Defense System finally possessed the embryonic form of its interstellar era version.


    In less than ten minutes of confrontation, the system failed. The Changjiang Defense System not only captured the system¡¯s code, but also automatically generated a folder, saved and analyzed the captured data, stored and marked as high-risk prevention targets, and strictly prevented the system from repeating its old tricks.


    But in this complete victory, Jiang Chen was not without loss. The computer equipped with the Changjiang Defense System was scrapped.


    This was within Jiang Chen¡¯s expectation. In order to ensure the successful operation of the Changjiang Defense System, he had already upgraded the computer configuration to the highest level. However, for the Changjiang Defense System, this level was far from enough. It needed a more professional server to ensure smooth operation.


    In this era, no single server could fully load and maximize the functions of the Changjiang Defense System. This hardware difference could not be overcome. Jiang Chen could only use the best servers in the world¡¯s current technology to improve the Changjiang Defense System as much as possible.


    And this kind of server was only available in the country¡¯s top research institutes.


    Although the current image processing project had given Jiang Chen a certain reputation in the circle at a certain level, it was far from enough to really make them interested. It was precisely because he knew this that Jiang Chen wanted to make achievements in the image processing system as soon as possible. Only when he truly demonstrated his own strength could he have the right to speak, so that the top few could truly recognize his value and open all doors for the research on the Changjiang Defense System.


    After figuring this out, Jiang Chen also made a decision.


    The next morning, instead of going directly to school, he told his parents what he thought, and then went directly to the institute. That afternoon, he had already asked the school for a long leave, and he would not return to school to review until a week before the college entrance examination.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s long leave sparked heated discussions in Yan No. 1 High School. Most of the year three high school students could only envy this, and a small number of people put themselves on the moral high ground and condemned Jiang Chen: Seeing that this year¡¯s college entrance examination science champion was about to come from Yan No. 1 High School, the teachers spent countless efforts to train Jiang Chen, but Jiang Chen asked for leave just like that, completely disregarding the honor of the school and the cultivation of his teachers.


    When Shen Xu heard these words, he rushed forward with a shout, grabbed the boy who was speaking, and said condescendingly, ¡°What did you just say? You have the balls to repeat that?¡±


    In the past six months, Shen Xu¡¯s stature had skyrocketed, and now he had broken through the 185cm mark. Although he still had a baby face, he was already taller than Jiang Chen and Huo Bo. So when he grabbed the boy under 175cm in this way it felt a bit like bullying the weak.


    The boy was a little nervous, everyone in Yan No. 1 High School knew Shen Xu, not to mention his relationship with Jiang Chen and Huo Bo. Just his status as the president of the student union was enough to make ordinary students fearful.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything¡­..¡± The boy dared not admit it: ¡°We were just chatting casually just now.¡±


    ¡°Chatting casually?¡± Shen Xu sneered, ¡°Chatting casually about school honor? And even involving Jiang Chen?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± The boy shrank his neck, ¡°I was just talking casually¡­..¡±


    Someone came over to smooth things over: ¡°We¡¯re all classmates in the third year of high school. There will be an exam later in the afternoon. Let¡¯s take a step back and don¡¯t quibble with him?¡±


    Shen Xu let go of the boy, looked at the round-faced classmate who was trying to smooth things over, and said in a bad tone: ¡°So you also think that Jiang Chen¡¯s asking for leave is a disappointment to the school and a disappointment to you all?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The round-faced classmate said: ¡°We all have high academic pressure. Seeing that God Jiang can take a half year leave, everyone just can¡¯t help feeling a little unbalanced, and just complained casually, so don¡¯t take it seriously. Besides, it¡¯s already the second semester of our third year of high school, and the college entrance examination is coming soon. If we get a demerit for fighting at this time, it would be bad for everyone, right?¡±


    The boy and the others immediately nodded in agreement. Shen Xu saw the round-faced classmate¡¯s indifference hidden under the playful smile, and squeezed his fists, feeling very uncomfortable, not for himself, but for Jiang Chen.


    Ever since Jiang Chen asked for leave, there were not only such discussions among his classmates, but even some teachers were puzzled by his actions. Shen Xu heard that a teacher who did not teach Jiang Chen once mentioned this in his class, saying that Jiang Chen¡¯s request for leave made the attention of the students in the third year of high school fluctuate, and it really set a bad example at the beginning of this semester. Because of this teacher¡¯s public remarks, the matter of Jiang Chen asking for leave in the school turned from ordinary envy to persecution.


    ¡°Be careful what you say in the future.¡±


    Shen Xu turned and left. Before he had gone far, a voice from behind floated over:


    ¡°On the next practice exam. I wonder whether it will be Chenghua or the attached secondary high school taking first place this time.¡±


    ¡°Probably Chenghua¡¯s He Qianjian, I heard that he is very aggressive this semester, and studying in class and after class. He withdrew from the math competition before, so he has to fight hard in the college entrance examination.¡±


    ¡°If you ask me, Jiang Chen takes himself too seriously. Giving up after getting direct admission by Hua University. He Qianjian¡¯s family background is so good but he is still sitting in the classroom obediently and attending class¡­..¡±


    Shen Xu paused, turned his head and wanted to go back, but just as he moved, someone grabbed his arm. He turned his head to look: ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you in your classroom.¡± Huo Bo said lightly, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what they said?¡±


    Shen Xu didn¡¯t lower his voice, and the voices of the people inside paused, and then there was the sound of footsteps leaving quickly.


    ¡°I heard.¡± Huo Bo glanced at the several people who ran away, his expression unchanged: ¡°So what? You want to start a fight?¡±


    ¡°I¡­..¡± Shen Xu pursed his lips. He relaxed his tense muscles, rubbed his face and said, ¡°I just don¡¯t like what others say about Jiangzi.¡±


    ¡°Even if he heard it, what those people said would not affect him in any way.¡± Huo Bo turned around and said, ¡°You should think about how many test papers you did when he comes back to collect the papers on the weekend.¡±


    Shen Xu froze, quickened his pace to catch up with Huo Bo, and complained: ¡°Jiangzi is so busy, and he still collects our test papers every week. Now whenever I see him calling on weekends I can only feel panic.¡±


    Huo Bo sneered: ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you don¡¯t hand in all the papers every time?¡±


    ¡°Is it my fault? There are already so many test papers to do in school every day, and I have to do Jiangzi¡¯s test papers as well. I don¡¯t have six hands to write with, and I have already entered the top 50 of our year. Although Hua/Yan Uni are a little far away, I can choose any other college in Yan City at will, so I can relax for a while now and then.¡±


    ¡°Then in the future, Jiang Chen and I are at Hua University, and you will be in the college next door?¡±


    Shen Xu paused, kicked a stone, and said sullenly: ¡°I just feel that the distance between us and Jiangzi is getting farther and farther. He has already entered a research institute before even entering university, and he has already determined the path he will take in the future. But me, I don¡¯t know anything, I don¡¯t know what I want to do. We said before that the three of us will start a company together, but now I don¡¯t know what Jiang Chen thinks¡­..¡±


    Huo Bo took out a stack of materials from his schoolbag, hooked an arm around his neck, and said with a smile, ¡°Have a look.¡±


    Shen Xu¡¯s eyes fell on the cover of the document, and he was stunned for a moment: ¡°Application form for enterprise name? Isn¡¯t this only used when registering a company?¡±


    Huo Bo smiled: ¡°Think about the name of our company.¡±


    ¡°When did this happen?¡± Shen Xu was a little confused: ¡°Why don¡¯t I know?¡±


    ¡°Birthday surprise for you.¡± Huo Bo said: ¡°We planned to wait until your birthday to tell you, but we decided to let you see it first because you have been thinking nonsensical things recently.¡±


    ¡°Registering a company¡­..¡± Shen Xu¡¯s eyes lit up: ¡°Will Jiangzi still start a company with us?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Huo Bo stopped, handed the information to Shen Xu, and said slowly but seriously: ¡°Since childhood, we have been walking on the same path, no matter who is faster and who is slower, the one who walks in front will stop and wait for the one behind. It was like this in the past, and it will be like this now and in the future. Now Jiangzi is going faster than us, so what we have to do is to catch up with him as much as possible and not let him wait too long.¡±

 CH 112

    The passage of time and the progress of research go hand in hand. In early April, Jiang Chen¡¯s image processing system had achieved a fair amount of results.


    At present, domestic surveillance was not as widespread as in later years, and compared with foreign video surveillance technology, their country¡¯s technology could be said to be very immature. In addition to external interference and insufficient technology of the equipment itself, the digital image space, video transmission efficiency being low, and environmental issues might interfere with the video image.


    Because of the existence of these problems, the current application of surveillance in criminal investigation had very limited effects, but the significant progress brought by video surveillance to solving crimes could not be ignored, so it was imminent to improve domestic video surveillance technology.


    Because of this, after learning from old Mr. Xiang that Jiang Chen¡¯s image processing system was extremely intelligent, Major General Wu went directly to Yan No. 1 High School to find Jiang Chen without even a heads up. And after seeing his results, regardless of the complicated procedures within the system, he directly handed Jiang Chen¡¯s results to the desk of the immediate leader. After an emergency meeting of higher ups, Jiang Chen¡¯s project and identity became confidential.


    A single image processing system was not considered an important scientific research project. As far as the Seventeenth Research Institute was concerned, there were three laboratories dedicated to image processing projects. However, the image processing system in Jiang Chen¡¯s hands was different, and its neural network algorithm was highly intelligent. What was accomplished was not only the technology of video image processing, but also the achievements that research institutes around the world have not achieved so far. Although the current research direction of the image processing system was criminal investigation, it did not mean that the image processing system only had applications in this direction. Its future was limitless.


    As the developer of the image processing system, Jiang Chen, who was only 18 years old, was regarded as the top priority by the entire research institute. There were not many talented researchers of this age in the world. If they did not protect him while he was still young and weak, the covetous desire and oppression he attracted would destroy not only a talented boy, but also the progress of the country.


    It was just that research belonged to research, and politics belonged to politics.


    The people in the research institute were interested in Jiang Chen because they were rooted in this field, and have a deep understanding and forward-looking perspective on this field. However, it would be difficult for them to force laymen to have such a precise vision. They only know that Jiang Chen¡¯s invention would have an effect on the progress of the country¡¯s science and technology and the security of the border defense, but how much effect it would have depended on Jiang Chen¡¯s real achievements.


    Therefore, in the past few months, apart from searching for flaws every night before going to bed, Jiang Chen had devoted all his time and energy to the image processing system. As the head of the artificial intelligence laboratory that once stood at the top of the federal research institute, when Jiang Chen really got serious, his efficiency and rigorous attitude towards work were far beyond the reach of ordinary researchers.


    The entire project team, except for Yu Yi who could only just barely keep up with Jiang Chen¡¯s thinking and efficiency, everyone else could only maintain the most nervous and cautious state to catch up with Jiang Chen¡¯s pace, the laboratory falling into an unprecedentedly busy environment.


    This kind of tension and busyness had eased the relationship between the researchers in the group. What was important in doing scientific research was to be pragmatic. Everyone could clearly see a person¡¯s ability when standing in the laboratory, let alone the fact that a huge gap existed between them and this teenager who had just become of legal age. The huge gap even made them unable to feel jealous. They could only sigh in their hearts: There are always people better than you.


    After all, research institutes could not compare to society. Most scientific researchers were relatively simple-minded. Science knew no borders or ages. And when coming across people with true abilities and skills, most of them would submit willingly.


    Even Zhang Lei, who used to find faults from time to time, silently shut his mouth. He got up early every day and was busy until the early hours of the morning. Because he couldn¡¯t keep up with Jiang Chen¡¯s pace, he couldn¡¯t get involved with important experiments. He could only do the simplest data recording and summary work with other researchers. But even so, he didn¡¯t dare to relax for a moment, because during this period of time, he really realized how terrifying this young man who smiled innocently and harmlessly was when he was actually serious. He could see at a glance mistakes, omissions and invalid data that he couldn¡¯t find, pointing out all real flaws, which made people unable to refute and could only bow their heads and be scolded.


    Jiang Chen handed the data to Zhang Lei, and saw that he was drooping in defeat. He was clearly in his thirties, wearing glasses and a white coat, and looking like an elite, but somehow he seemed aggrieved and pitiful at that moment.


    ¡°There is a lot less invalid data during this period.¡± Jiang Chen thought for a while, then smiled, ¡°It must have taken a lot of care.¡±


    The surprise in Zhang Lei¡¯s eyes had just leaked out, only to be suppressed immediately. He coughed and said calmly, ¡°I didn¡¯t put much effort into it. The previous mistakes and omissions were because I haven¡¯t entered the right state yet.¡±


    ¡°I knew you could do it.¡± Jiang Chen bent down, inserted the USB flash drive in his hand into Zhang Lei¡¯s computer, and said, ¡°This is my newly written code. It runs fine, but there are still many flaws in it. I hope Mr. Zhang will work harder during this time, and help me debug it.¡±


    Zhang Lei was taken aback, and subconsciously said: ¡°Can I?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his head and said with a smile, ¡°Of course, I believe in Mr. Zhang¡¯s ability.¡±


    ¡°I¡­..my ability is beyond doubt.¡± Zhang Lei coughed again, and after glancing at Jiang Chen, he eagerly sat in front of the computer. When he saw the code, his eyes lit up, and he couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled slightly, and Zhang Lei immediately said, ¡°I mean it¡¯s not bad, you can go to eat first, the laboratory needs someone to remain behind, I will work for a while, and go when Xiao Yu and the others come back.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t expose him, and nodded slightly with a smile, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll trouble Mr. Zhang.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Zhang Lei waved.


    Walking out of the research institute, Jiang Chen greeted the researchers who came and went. On the way to the cafeteria, he suddenly received a call from home. Jiang Zhuo¡¯s voice was stiff and nervous: ¡°Son, your mother and I are on the way to the hospital right now. She¡¯s going to give birth soon, don¡¯t be nervous, we¡¯re fine, and your mother is doing good.¡±


    Yang Si next to him was breathing loudly, but her voice sounded strong, and she could even laugh at her husband¡¯s nervousness. She raised her voice to comfort Jiang Chen: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Chen Chen, Mom is fine, if you have something to do, you can come back after getting off work at night. At that time you should be able to see your little brother or sister.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, then quickened his pace in an instant, ignoring the other people who were greeting him, and soon changed from a brisk walk to a jog. While running, he asked, ¡°Mom, are you going to the Affiliated Hospital of Yan University? I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry.¡± Yang Si¡¯s voice was comforting: ¡°Mom has experience, it¡¯s only labor pains at this time, and it will take a while to give birth. Tell Xiao Qian to drive slowly later, you must drive safely.¡±


    How could Jiang Chen think of anything else, he hung up the phone and immediately dialed Qian Yi¡¯s number. The research institute did not allow outsiders to enter and leave at will. Jiang Chen had been staying in the research institute during this period of time. And because Qian Yi and the others didn¡¯t need to protect or pick him up, they simply stayed in a small hotel near the research institute. The first person who received Jiang Chen¡¯s call rushed to the gate of the institute to pick him up as soon as possible.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± After getting along for this period of time, Qian Yi and the others were already very familiar with Jiang Chen, but it¡¯s the first time they¡¯ve seen him so visibly nervous and filled with urgency, ¡°Sister Yang will be fine, I¡¯ll try my best to drive faster, we might even get there before she goes into the delivery room.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Brother Qian.¡± Jiang Chen nodded, and called the institute to ask for leave. After explaining the reason, he got a quick reply.


    Yang Si¡¯s due date was two weeks later. And the reason Jiang Chen was in such a hurry with the progress of his experiments was because he also hoped to take a few days off to accompany his mother at that time, but who knew that the plans couldn¡¯t keep up with the changes. Their family¡¯s long-awaited little fella couldn¡¯t wait to come into this world.


    When Jiang Chen rushed to the hospital, Yang Si hadn¡¯t entered the waiting room yet. Due to the early delivery date, the beds in the waiting room were a bit tight. In addition, she was an older pregnant woman. So at this time, the nurses and doctors were adjusting the beds.


    After learning about the situation, Jiang Chen looked at the nurse who came over and asked, ¡°How is the situation?¡±


    ¡°There are no beds in the waiting room for the time being.¡± The nurse shook her head, glanced at Yang Si who was obviously struggling to stand, and said sympathetically, ¡°For the time being, we can only add an extra bed in the corridor. After a pregnant woman who has finished giving birth comes out, we can then coordinate a free bed.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at the noisy corridor, frowned slightly, and after thinking about it, he went out and called He Yanfeng.


    Since New Year¡¯s Eve, Jiang Chen has had almost no contact with them except for the scheduled time of eating at the old family house every month. He rarely saw them and rarely called them, so when he received Jiang Chen¡¯s call, He Yanfeng was very surprised.


    ¡°Chen Chen, is there something you need Dad to help you with?¡±


    Jiang Chen briefly explained Yang Si¡¯s situation, and He Yanfeng immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad will contact your Uncle Xiang Hong immediately, he should be in the hospital right now, and he will be able to come and make arrangements immediately.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Chen pursed his lips with a somewhat complicated expression: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He Yanfeng smiled: ¡°Thank me for what, it¡¯s only natural for Dad to help my son, if that¡¯s all, I¡¯m going to hang up, and I¡¯ll let Uncle Xiang Hong contact you later.¡±


    Not long after hanging up the phone, Jiang Chen received a call from an unfamiliar number, and it was indeed Xiang Hong.


    Xiang Hong was very efficient, and as soon as the call was connected, he said directly: ¡°Xiao achen, I have heard from your father about your situation. I just contacted the obstetrics and gynecology department, and there happens to be a VIP room there. The waiting room can be arranged immediately, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you, Uncle Xiang.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for what.¡± Xiang Hong smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right over, don¡¯t panic.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Jiang Chen refused, ¡°My dad and I are here, so I won¡¯t waste your time.¡±


    ¡°What can it delay?¡± Xiang Hong¡¯s voice was panting, as if he was walking or jogging hard, but his tone was very fast: ¡°Mrs. Jiang suddenly went into labor, and she is giving birth at an advanced age. There are too many things to prepare and pay attention to before and after childbirth. The obstetrics department is too busy with no one watching. Although I am not in the obstetrics and gynecology department, I know someone who can help you figure out what you need to know.¡±


    Hearing what he said, Jiang Chen had no reason to refuse, no matter what, his mother¡¯s health was the most important thing at this time.


    ¡°Then thank you, Uncle Xiang.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me.¡±


    As soon as he hung up the phone, Jiang Zhuo came over, and he said, ¡°The doctor said that a delivery room has been vacated, and we can take your mother there now.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The VIP waiting room was similar to a hotel suite. It not only had a well-equipped waiting room for pregnant women, but also had a small kitchen and a gym that let pregnant women move around. And because it was in the obstetrics and gynecology department, most of the walls were painted light pink and looked very warm and welcoming.


    As soon as Yang Si entered, she almost forgot about the pain, and asked in surprise, ¡°How much does this waiting room cost?¡±


    ¡°Not much.¡± Jiang Chen said, ¡°The key now is that you can rest well and receive the most professional care later.¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡±


    Just as she uttered the first word, Yang Si cried out at the sudden sharp pain in her stomach, and she almost couldn¡¯t stand up. Immediately behind her, a nurse helped her to sit down. While encouraging her softly, she told her about the preparations she needed to do before giving birth. What the nurse said quickly attracted Yang Si¡¯s attention, and she listened carefully.


    Jiang Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief, and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that your mother would insist on sleeping outside in order to save money.¡± He showed a thumbs up, ¡°Good job, son.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, and turned his head to look at Yang Si, whose complexion had improved a little bit from before, and was now accompanied by the nurse, sitting on a yoga ball and exercising.


    Jiang Zhuo also watched with him, and couldn¡¯t help but reveal a trace of worry in his eyes, and his tone still carried the tension from the previous phone call: ¡°I hope your younger brother or younger sister can learn from you, and don¡¯t make your mother suffer too much, letting your mother give birth smoothly¡­..¡±


    In fact, Jiang Chen was also very worried. Although Yang Si seemed to be in good condition, the doctor said that she and the fetus were both healthy during every check-up before, but what happened in front of the Li De Building had left some effects. In addition, she was an advanced mother, and now the due date was two weeks earlier, all of which made him very nervous.


    Jiang Zhuo caught a glimpse of Jiang Chen¡¯s slightly tense face from the corner of his eye, and knew that he was as nervous as himself. In this room, the most optimistic and relaxed person was actually Yang Si who was about to give birth.


    ¡°By the way.¡± Jiang Zhuo deliberately diverted the attention of himself and Jiang Chen, and said, ¡°I just heard from the nurse that this suite is not open to the public and is only reserved for special patients. How did you book it so quickly?¡±


    ¡°I got someone to help me.¡±


    Before Jiang Zhuo could ask who it was, he heard the door being knocked three times. The person who came in wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, had a gentle demeanor, and he was smiling as well.


    Xiang Hong: ¡°Xiao Chen.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Xiang.¡± Jiang Chen said to Jiang Zhuo, ¡°Dad, this is Dr. Xiang, he is the one who helped.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo immediately greeted him: ¡°Dr. Xiang, thank you very much, we have troubled you today.¡±


    ¡°No trouble, no trouble.¡± Xiang Hong said with a smile: ¡°Xiao Chen is almost like a nephew to me, and helping him is natural.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo was taken aback for a moment, feeling that there was something strange with his words, but before he had time to think about it, he heard Xiang Hong ask, ¡°How is your wife¡¯s current condition?¡±


    ¡°The nurse said it is good.¡± Jiang Zhuo thanked again: ¡°This is all thanks to you, Dr. Xiang.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t need to thank me.¡± Xiang Hong smiled and said, ¡°Brother Jiang, I¡¯m a few years younger than you, so why don¡¯t you just call me Xiao Xiang.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo also had a straightforward personality, and he changed his address with a smile, but he was a little curious: ¡°Chen Chen, how did you and Uncle Xiang know each other? Why doesn¡¯t Dad know?¡±


    Xiang Hong knew that Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t told his adoptive parents about the mistaken identity, so he answered with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m friends with Qian Min¡¯s father. I met Xiao Chen a few times with Qian Min before, and we became acquainted after a few visits.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo had no doubts, ¡°So that¡¯s the case.¡±


    When talking with Xiang Hong, his eyes always glanced at Yang Si from time to time. At this time, the current topic came to an end, and he didn¡¯t look for a next topic. His attention was completely on his wife with a pale face.


    Seeing Jiang Zhuo¡¯s worried expression, Xiang Hong said empathetically, ¡°Brother Jiang, go and start with sister-in-law. I¡¯ll go outside with Xiao Chen later and ask the director of the obstetrics department to see what else my sister-in-law has to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should go as well¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and said, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s fine for me and Uncle Xiang to go, you can stay with Mom, she can¡¯t be left here alone.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo was already quite focused on his wife, so he was soon persuaded by Jiang Chen and Xiang Hong. He turned around and walked in the direction of his wife.


    ¡°Go out for a walk?¡± Xiang Hong smiled at Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°Uncle Xiang, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Out of the ward, out of the noisy and bustling obstetrics and gynecology department, Jiang Chen and Xiang Hong came to the secluded garden downstairs.


    Xiang Hong was very friendly and his tone was very gentle. He said with a smile, ¡°I heard that you are now in the Seventeenth Research Institute. How is it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Xiang Hong was considered half an insider of the project in Jiang Chen¡¯s hands, so he didn¡¯t have much to hide. He casually talked about the progress of the project. Jiang Chen soon changed the subject and asked the question he had always wanted to know: ¡°Uncle Xiang, how did you know the true identity of He Qianjian and me?¡±


    ¡°So straight to the point?¡± Xiang Hong laughed, paused, shook his head and said, ¡°I promised the first person to discover this matter, not to say it.¡±


    ¡°Is it Qian Min?¡± Jiang Chen said affirmatively.


    Xiang Hong was a little surprised: ¡°You know?¡±


    Jiang Chen had already guessed and was 80% sure that the first to discover his identity was He Qianmin. At that time, he and He Qianmin were together all the time, and it was easy to find that the two of them were surprisingly similar in many habits, including their tastes. And walking on the street, not only one person said that they looked like brothers, and towards what Sun Zhi said at the time, anyone would have doubts.


    However, the fact that He Qianmin found out about it a long time ago, but never mentioned it in front of him, proved that he didn¡¯t know how to tell him at that time, or planned to continue keeping it hidden. So why did he suddenly reveal this matter?


    With that in mind, Jiang Chen asked.


    ¡°Qian Min really wanted me to keep it a secret.¡± Xiang Hong smiled and said: ¡°The test sample he gave me at the time did not tell me who the subject was, and what he asked for was also a sibling relationship test. Your identity came out from checks later on, and I guessed it eventually.¡±


    ¡°And you told my parents?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xiang Hong turned his head, looked at Jiang Chen, and said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a little curious.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly, indicating that he was listening.


    ¡°As far as I know and what I saw just now, you have a very deep relationship with your adoptive parents.¡± Xiang Hong smiled and said slowly: ¡°But no matter how deep your feelings for your adoptive parents are, when one finds that their biological parents are other people, normal people would have hopes and expectations towards their biological parents, but you didn¡¯t show any of that, instead you chose to hide it after knowing your identity in advance. I really want to know, why do you reject the He family so much?¡±


    Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes and smiled lightly: ¡°I don¡¯t reject the He family.¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s the difference between your current attitude towards the He family and rejection?¡±


    Xiang Hong was the first person to know Jiang Chen¡¯s true identity, and he was also He Yanfeng¡¯s best friend, so he was very clear about Jiang Chen¡¯s current attitude towards the He family. Putting aside the rest, just talking about Jiang Chen and the He family both being in Wugu Village, the two families lived so close to each other, but after New Year¡¯s Eve, Jiang Chen had never been to the He family¡¯s again, which could give one a glimpse on a lot of things.


    ¡°I personally think that He Yanfeng is a relatively qualified father, and Yang Yun is also very gentle as a mother, and both Qian Min and Qian Yu also like you so much.¡± Xiang Hong looked into Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes and said calmly: ¡°You practically don¡¯t even need to adjust to the He family, but after half a year, your relationship with your biological parents and Qian Min, Qian Yu may actually be a little more distant than before your true identity was revealed. If you are willing to accept them, this situation is unlikely to happen.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes were half-downcast: ¡°Uncle Xiang, people¡¯s feelings don¡¯t just accumulate overnight.¡±


    ¡°But you also have to give them the opportunity to accumulate feelings in the first place.¡± Xiang Hong said earnestly: ¡°Just because you are close to your biological parents, doesn¡¯t mean you have betrayed your adoptive parents. They all love you equally. You can¡¯t hurt one for the sake of other.¡±


    Jiang Chen was silent for a long while without speaking. After some time, he sighed lightly and raised his eyes to look at him: ¡°Without me as their son, they still have Qian Min, but my parents only have me. They poured all their love and all their energy into me, I grew up as an only child and enjoyed everything they gave me, I¡­..¡±


    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡±


    Jiang Chen and Xiang Hong were startled at the same time, and whipped their heads around.


    Jiang Zhuo stood by the flower bed with a shocked and bewildered expression. The two sides did not speak, and looked at each other in silence for a few seconds. Jiang Zhuo seemed to suddenly come back to his senses, and moved towards Jiang Chen step by step.


    Stopping in front of Jiang Chen, he stared closely at Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes, and repeated what he just said:


    ¡°What biological parents and adoptive parents, what were you two talking about just now?¡±

 CH 113

    ¡°Dad¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s pupils dilated suddenly, his voice became tense, and his mind was thrown into chaos.


    Xiang Hong quickly patted Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulder reassuringly, and said, ¡°Brother Jiang, it¡¯s like this, Xiao Chen¡­..¡±


    ¡°Uncle Xiang.¡± Jiang Chen interrupted Xiang Hong, his fingers tightening and stretching by his side. After a few times, he suppressed the heart that seemed to be jumping out of his chest, calmed down, and said in a hoarse voice: ¡°This is our family business, I¡¯ll be the one to tell my dad.¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡± Xiang Hong looked at Jiang Chen, whose face was a little pale, and then at Jiang Zhuo, who had an inscrutable expression on his face. He felt uneasy and at the same time also guilty. If he had chosen a more hidden place for their conversation, the situation now would not have appeared.


    Xiang Hong knew exactly how much Jiang Chen cared about the Jiang family. If Jiang Chen¡¯s relationship with his adoptive parents was really strained because of his talkativeness, he would really be to blame.


    ¡°Uncle Xiang, please go to the waiting room. If my mother has any problems, can you tell us right away?¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s voice had calmed down, and his tone was firm and held no room for question.


    Xiang Hong opened his mouth, pressed Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulder heavily, sighed and turned to leave.


    It was evening at this time, the light of the setting sun overlapped with the shadows of the trees, and the soft golden light cast a halo on everything, creating a peaceful and idyllic scene.


    Jiang Chen opened his mouth, but his planned words to explain the truth to his parents didn¡¯t work at this time. He saw Jiang Zhuo¡¯s unfamiliar expression, and the rationality and calmness that had just returned turned into indescribable sadness. He wanted to say a lot, but only the syllables from when he just learned to speak as a toddler came to his mouth: ¡°Dad¡­..¡±


    Jiang Zhuo had always been a caring and responsible father. He had never been absent from his son¡¯s growth since he was a child. He was very familiar with every expression of Jiang Chen¡¯s. It seemed that he had matured a lot, but in his eyes, he was still the little fella who would sit on his shoulder and hug his head and laugh.


    He couldn¡¯t have understood the expression on Jiang Chen¡¯s face more at this moment. Ever since he overheard those words, his mind that had been roaring into confusion suddenly calmed down a little bit.


    Jiang Chen was really not his biological son, and he probably knew about it a long time ago, but he had been hiding it the whole time.


    Countless emotions surged, and he couldn¡¯t tell whether it was more disbelief or more sadness and anger, but after seeing Jiang Chen showing such a helpless and aggrieved expression, one that hadn¡¯t appeared since he was in elementary school, these emotions all turned into a sorrowful pain.


    He heard it, his son said that he and his wife only had him, and his son also knew that they poured all their love on him¡­..just like the infinite softness that surged from the bottom of his heart when he hugged this little person for the first time filled with infinite expectations. This child saw their dedication and was grateful, and gave the warmth and equal love that parents want most in return.


    Jiang Zhuo took a deep and long breath, and then exhaled slowly. He looked at Jiang Chen who was already half a head taller than him, put his hands on his shoulders, and led him to sit down on the stone bench beside them.


    When the voice came out of his throat, it was calm and steady: ¡°Can you explain to Dad about this?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple rolled, and he nodded slightly. He briefly explained what happened after He Yanfeng and the others found him. Out of selfishness, he did not mention that He Qianjian was their biological son.


    After hearing the whole story, Jiang Zhuo was silent for a long time.


    The setting sun was slanting to the west, the gray sky was infiltrated with orange, and the distant horizon was gradually dimming.


    ¡°This matter¡­..you did nothing wrong.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo raised his head when the last ray of light in the sky disappeared. He looked at his son who had grown up before he knew it, and there was a hint of relief in his eyes. Under the relief, there was more surging pain.


    He smiled, turned his head slightly to conceal his emotions, and then looked at Jiang Chen again, and he said firmly: ¡°Chen Chen, you did nothing wrong, this matter¡­..your mother really can¡¯t know for the time being, we wait until the time you agreed on with the He family arrives to tell her together.¡±


    Seeing his father¡¯s forced smile, Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes reddened, but his heart gradually settled down. Just like every time when he was a child, no matter how big things happened, as long as his father said to him: You did nothing wrong. He would be able to walk forward firmly.


    ¡°After a while¡­..¡± Jiang Zhuo rubbed Jiang Chen¡¯s head, and said slowly, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to see the He family together.¡±


    Jiang Chen blurted out: ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°Chen Chen.¡± Jiang Zhuo didn¡¯t take back the hand on his head, just like when he lost his temper as a child, he patiently and gently reasoned with him: ¡°Dr. Xiang was right just now, your mother and I are your parents, Mr. He and Mrs. He are also your parents, we raised you up, they gave you life, no matter what, you shouldn¡¯t have any repulsion towards them.¡±


    Before Jiang Chen could speak, Jiang Zhuo continued: ¡°Your mother and I love you very much, but parents¡¯ love for their children is not possessive. We love you and hope others  will love you too. You love us, and your my mother and I are also okay with you loving other elders in your life, not to mention, they are your biological parents.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked into Jiang Zhuo¡¯s eyes and said seriously, ¡°But in my eyes, my parents are only you and Mom.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo was moved, but still shook his head, ¡°Dad is very happy to hear you say that, but your mother and I don¡¯t need you to do this, this matter can wait until¡­..¡±


    ¡°Brother Jiang, Xiao Chen.¡±


    Xiang Hong¡¯s voice interrupted the conversation, he said: ¡°Sister Yang is about to enter the delivery room.¡±


    Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo hurriedly got up and ran upstairs quickly.


    Yang Si was still in good spirits. When Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo came back, although her face was pale, her voice was not weak: ¡°Where did you two go? I didn¡¯t see you even after searching for a long time.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo paused, and said with a quick smile, ¡°We were downstairs talking about names for the child, and we forgot the time while we were discussing.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know if they are a boy or a girl yet, yet you are already naming them.¡± Even though she said so, Yang Si didn¡¯t doubt it, and was a little curious: ¡°You two have been discussing for so long, what did you come up with? What¡¯s the name?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Ran.¡±


    Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo looked at Jiang Chen at the same time, Jiang Chen smiled slightly and said, ¡°Whether it¡¯s a boy or a girl, they can be called by this name.¡±


    ¡°Which Ran?¡± Yang Si smiled and asked.


    ¡°The ¡®Ran¡¯ that means to ascend gradually.¡±


    Jiang Chen had long thought about what the name would be if he had a younger brother or younger sister. Although it is the parents who usually chooses the name, when he was doing an experiment one day, this name suddenly appeared in his mind. Seeing Yang Si¡¯s belly, he always had acquiesced in his heart that his younger brother or sister had a name, so when Yang Si asked just now, he subconsciously said it.


    ¡°Ran¡­..¡± Jiang Zhuo pondered for a moment, then said slowly, ¡°Ran Ran, it¡¯s really a good name, it can be used by both boys and girls.¡±


    Yang Si laughed and said: ¡°You two, the child has not yet been born, and it¡¯s already settled like this?¡±


    When these words were uttered, her face changed, and she suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out in pain.


    The nurse came up immediately and told Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo to leave the waiting room for now.


    Not long after, the nurse just now came out, and she said: ¡°She has been sent to the delivery room, you can stay here and wait.¡±


    The waiting room for pregnant women in the VIP suite had a passage leading directly to the delivery room, and one could directly enter and exit through that passage before and after giving birth.


    Jiang Zhuo grabbed the nurse¡¯s arm and asked nervously, ¡°How is my wife doing now?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Jiang¡¯s condition is very good. Just now our director came to see her and said that the fetal position is very proper and the opening is fully extended. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The nurse left after finishing speaking. The father and son waited outside the door. Although they couldn¡¯t hear any sound, they still had anxious expressions.


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any problems.¡± Xiang Hong comforted: ¡°Just now the nurse said that Sister Yang¡¯s pregnancy is very normal, and the delivery should go smoothly. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo nodded politely but perfunctorily, and couldn¡¯t help pacing back and forth in the room, looking at the door of the waiting room from time to time.


    Jiang Chen was also pale with nervousness. From ancient times to the present, childbirth had always been a huge challenge for women. Even if medical technology was more and more advanced, even in the future interstellar era, human females still faced a certain mortality rate in childbirth.


    Even though he knew that this possibility was extremely low, when he thought of his mother inside, he couldn¡¯t think about it calmly at all, he could only feel fear of any possible accidents happening.


    Seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s expression, Jiang Zhuo walked up to him and put his arms around his shoulders. When Jiang Chen turned his head, he comforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, your mother will be fine.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, but his eyes did not move from the door of the waiting room.


    Xiang Hong stood on the side, and looking at the father and son clinging to each other, he let go of the worry in his heart, but also couldn¡¯t help worrying about his friend. Jiang Chen and his adoptive parents had such a good relationship, if Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si were not willing to let go, it might be difficult for his friend¡¯s family to really get the child¡¯s approval and affection.


    As soon as he thought of this, his cell phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, Xiang Hong turned his head to look at the father and son pair, and walked out quietly.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    Xiang Hong stood in the corridor and said in a low voice, ¡°Sister Yang has already entered the delivery room, there is no problem.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He Yanfeng paused, and said, ¡°How about Xiao Chen and Jiang Zhuo¡­?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear their conversation, but just looking at the situation, it seems the talk went well.¡±


    He Yanfeng breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Xiang Hong thought for a while, and said: ¡°Since Jiang Zhuo already knows the true identities of Xiao Chen and Qian Jian, why don¡¯t we find a time and let them get in touch. No matter what, Jiang Zhuo is Qian Jian¡¯s biological father. With him helping to persuade, it should be easier for Yang Si to accept this matter.¡±


    He Yanfeng pondered for a moment, ¡°This matter can indeed be considered.¡±


    Xiang Hong thought of the warm atmosphere when the family of three talked just now, and sighed softly in his heart, a little worried for his friend, but this was still his friend¡¯s family matter after all, and his friend was well aware of the situation of the Jiang family, so he didn¡¯t need to say anymore words that would put salt on his wound.


    Thinking of this, Xiang Hong said, ¡°How¡¯s Qian Jian doing?¡±


    He Yanfeng¡¯s tone became slightly indifferent: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have known if I hadn¡¯t checked. Only after I checked did I find out how many things he had done behind our backs for so many years.¡±


    Xiang Hong glanced at the closed door of the ward, and lowered his voice: ¡°Does he know about their switched identities? Just who was behind it all, did you find out?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not clear yet.¡± He Yanfeng¡¯s voice was a bit cold: ¡°However, it is very likely that He Qianjian knew about it long ago, otherwise he would not have sent someone to follow Jiang Chen and report his situation to him when he didn¡¯t know Jiang Chen at all.¡±


    Xiang Hong asked: ¡°Does your father know about this?¡±


    ¡°For now, no.¡± He Yanfeng said: ¡°Although he also likes Xiao Chen, before Qian Yang came back, my father and mother thought that Qian Jian was the eldest son and grandson of our He family, and they practically raised him for a period of time when he was young. Their relationship is different, and my father¡¯s blood pressure has been a little high recently, so we didn¡¯t dare to tell him.¡±


    ¡°What does your brother think?¡±


    Xiang Hong asked about He Yanjun.


    He Yanfeng said lightly: ¡°To wait, we all want to see who is behind this incident and what their purpose is.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Xiang Hong comforted: ¡°Even if someone behind the scenes switched Qian Jian and Xiao Chen, after so many years, he has never really hurt Xiao Chen. Jiang Chen is now working in the research institute, and there won¡¯t be a safety issue again.¡±


    ¡°I have yet to find out what happened in Chengyang Square last time, so I can¡¯t let that matter go at all.¡± He Yanfeng rubbed the space between his brows and lowered his voice: ¡°The police came to question He Qianjian. He went to Li De the day before Jiang Chen encountered the hitman.¡±


    Xiang Hong was taken aback for a moment, he didn¡¯t expect that there would be such a thing, and suddenly thought of something. He subconsciously asked: ¡°Is there something wrong with him?¡±


    ¡°He said he was there to see a female intern.¡± He Yanfeng said indifferently: ¡°I sent someone to find that female intern later, and she has no relation with him, and she didn¡¯t see him at all that day. It seems He Qianjian went to Li De and only took a ride in an elevator and nothing else.¡±


    Xiang Hong frowned slightly, thought for a while, and said, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s really just a coincidence?¡±


    He Yanfeng¡¯s voice was cold: ¡°Every time I find something about him, I am more disappointed in him. Back then, Yang Yun and I thought it was just a coincidence or misunderstanding, but now after investigating, only then did I realize that nothing was a coincidence or a misunderstanding. Now, he has no credibility with me any longer. I will investigate that matter. If that hitman was really instigated by him, he will not only leave the He family, there will also be a price to pay.¡±


    Xiang Hong opened his mouth and didn¡¯t know what to say. He still remembered how He Yanfeng was still sympathetic and loving to He Qianjian at the beginning of finding out his true identity and never thought of expelling him from the He family.


    When they talked about this matter at that time, although his friend felt upset, he said that he would think of it as He Qianjian leaving home as an adult. In any case, he was going to get married sooner or later, and leaving early didn¡¯t mean anything. That he would say this, in fact, meant that he did not intend to give up on He Qianjian at all. That they quickly accepted and quickly calmed down, it was also because in the hearts of his friend and his wife, He Qianjian was still their child, they just had one more child now.


    It was just that no one expected so many things to be found out later, especially involving He Qianmin¡¯s car accident back then, which had always been a knot in the heart of He Yanfeng and his wife. If He Qianjian really hired the hitman, then He Yanfeng¡¯s last trace of affection towards He Qianjian was bound to be cut off.


    Xiang Hong also watched He Qianjian grow up. In his eyes, although He Qianjian was a little too mature and sophisticated, he was never a bad boy. Occasionally, when he saw him giving in to Qian Min taking care of Qian Yu, he also felt that he was very sensible. If these were all masks that He Qianjian showed them, then he, who had maintained a flawless mask for so many years, must have a deep and terrifying mind.


    After not hearing Xiang Hong¡¯s response for a long time, He Yanfeng said: ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for me to go there now, so please help me keep an eye on Xiao Chen. If the Jiang family needs any help, please let me know at any time.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Xiang Hong stood there for a while before opening the door and going inside.


    Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo were all focused on the delivery room, they didn¡¯t notice Xiang Hong going out and coming in at all. At this time, Yang Si had only been in for a little more than ten minutes, but they both felt as if several hours had passed.


    ¡°I sent someone to the cafeteria to bring up two nutritious meals.¡± Xiang Hong took the food basket from the nurse, walked to the center of the sitting room with a smile, took out the lunch box, and said, ¡°Brother Jiang, you and Xiao Chen haven¡¯t eaten yet, so eat something now.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo was distracted by his words, but he didn¡¯t move. Instead, he told Jiang Chen, ¡°You¡¯ve been in the lab today, go and eat something, don¡¯t starve yourself.¡±


    Jiang Chen was not hungry now, and he didn¡¯t have an appetite at all. He said: ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, Dad, go and eat first.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo: ¡°I¡¯m not hungry either.¡±


    Xiang Hong looked helplessly at the father and son pair, and persuaded: ¡°Brother Jiang, sister-in-law will not come out for a while. When sister-in-law comes out, you have to take care of both child and adult. If you don¡¯t eat now, you won¡¯t have time to eat later.¡± And only when you are full, will you have the energy to take care of her.¡±


    Only then did Jiang Zhuo turn around. He thought for a bit, and pulled Jiang Chen to the sofa to sit down: ¡°Your Uncle Xiang is right, eat something first.¡±


    Jiang Chen could only grab a bowl of porridge and drink it absentmindedly. After taking a few sips, the mobile phone that was put on the side rang. He casually picked it up and saw that it was an unfamiliar number, so he put down the phone without paying it any attention. After a while, the phone stopped ringing only to then ring again.


    ¡°Could it be the research institute?¡± Jiang Zhuo said: ¡°They are quite persistent, it should be something urgent, answer it and see who it is.¡±


    Jiang Chen shook his head: ¡°It won¡¯t be the research institute.¡± Despite saying this, he still connected the call.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    As soon as he answered, he was hurriedly interrupted by the other side. Shen Xu¡¯s anxious, tearful voice sounded: ¡°Jiangzi, something happened to Huo Bo.¡±


    Jiang Chen hurriedly stood up, and didn¡¯t even notice when the porridge bowl was overturned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Huo Bo? Where are you?¡±


    ¡°He is injured, and we are now in Yan No. 2 Hospital.¡± Shen Xu¡¯s tone was filled with deep guilt: ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have argued with others. If it wasn¡¯t for me, Huo Bo wouldn¡¯t have had an accident¡­..¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore.¡± Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know the specific situation, and when he heard Shen Xu¡¯s panicked voice, he became anxious instantly: ¡°Tell me, where is Huo Bo¡¯s injury? How is the injury? How is the situation now?¡±


    ¡°He bled a lot on his head. I don¡¯t know the specific situation. He just entered the operating room.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s calm voice infected Shen Xu, and he calmed down a little, thoughts becoming more organized: ¡°My parents these days have been away on business, and I don¡¯t have that much money with me, do you have money?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen glanced at the door of the waiting room, and took a deep breath: ¡°Shi Fengyue is Yan No. 2 Hospital¡¯s doctor, I¡¯ll call him and ask him to go and have a look, and send the money over by the way. Don¡¯t panic or worry, I will rush over in a while, and you can tell me about Huo Bo¡¯s situation at any time then.¡±


    Although they couldn¡¯t hear the voice from the other end, Jiang Zhuo and Xiang Hong could hear what Jiang Chen said. Seeing him put down his phone, Jiang Zhuo immediately said, ¡°What¡¯s happened to Xiao Bo?¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°His head got injured, and he¡¯s in the operating room for emergency treatment. I don¡¯t know the situation yet.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo stood up, ¡°Go and have a look, we¡¯re not far from Yan No. 2 Hospital, you¡¯ll be there in half an hour, while I¡¯ll watch over your mother.¡±


    ¡°Do you need my help?¡± Xiang Hong said: ¡°I know Yan No. 2 Hospital¡¯s doctors, and I can send someone to check on your friend¡¯s condition.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Jiang Chen glanced at the waiting room, made a call on his phone, shook his head and said, ¡°Shi Fengyue is over there, I¡¯ll ask him to go and have a look.¡±


    Xiang Hong nodded when he heard these words, Shi Fengyue was Yan No. 2 Hospital¡¯s doctor, and it was indeed more suitable for him to help.


    The call was quickly connected, and Jiang Chen briefly explained Huo Bo¡¯s situation. Shi Fengyue was not on duty today, but he was also near the hospital. After hearing this, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll go there right away, and don¡¯t worry about the hospital bill.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be there in a while.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen on your side?¡±


    Based on Shi Fengyue¡¯s understanding of Jiang Chen, if there was no particularly important matter, even if he was in the laboratory, Jiang Chen would definitely rush over immediately instead of saying he wpuld be there in a while.


    ¡°My mother is in the delivery room now.¡±


    Shi Fengyue paused, and his tone became softer: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you have me.¡±


    For some reason, upon hearing his words, Jiang Chen actually felt a little more at ease. He twitched the corner of his lips upwards and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As soon as the words were uttered, the door of the waiting room was pushed open, and the nurse came in with a smile and a bundle in her arms, ¡°A successful birth, the mother and daughter are both safe, the little princess weighs six pounds, and is a very healthy child.¡±


    Jiang Chen was taken aback, and quickly walked over. Jiang Zhuo also got up instantly, and walked over in two large steps.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my mother?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s my wife?¡±


    The nurse said with a smile: ¡°She is still inside, and will be able to come out after tidying up.¡±


    Only then did Jiang Chen feel relieved, and lowered his head to look at the little stranger in the baby swaddle. She was small, pink and wrinkled, a little ugly, but the sight made his heart soften.


    Seeing him staring so eagerly, the nurse smiled and said, ¡°The elder brother can hold her for a bit, as long as you are careful.¡±


    Jiang Chen took over the bundle carefully, and feeling the light weight in his arms, his whole body became stiff. He neither dared to use strength or loosen his grip, for fear of hurting her or dropping her.


    The nurse was also afraid that Jiang Chen would not know the severity, so she quickly took the baby and handed her to Jiang Zhuo: ¡°The papa can hold her for a while too.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo immediately took over, and as soon as he held the bundle, there was a sound, and Yang Si was pushed out.


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Yang Si seemed in good energy, and stretched out her hand with a smile: ¡°Isn¡¯t she beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Very beautiful.¡± Jiang Zhuo immediately went forward with his daughter in his arms, so that his wife could take a closer look.


    Yang Si smiled and gazed down into the little face for a while. She beckoned Jiang Chen to come over, took his hand and put it on the baby¡¯s hand, and said with a smile: ¡°From now on we will be a family of four, Mom and Dad, Jiang Chen and Jiang Ran.¡±

 CH 114

    When Jiang Chen rushed to Yan No. 2 Hospital¡¯s emergency department, Huo Bo was still in the operating room.


    Shi Fengyue had already arrived, dressed in a simple long gray trench coat, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and closing his eyes to rest his mind, while Shen Xu squatted in the corner opposite him, his face buried in his palms, his expression unable to be seen clearly. The atmosphere was oppressive and silent.


    Hearing the sound of footsteps, the two raised their heads at the same time, and when they saw Jiang Chen their expressions changed instantly.


    The indifference on Shi Fengyue¡¯s face disappeared, and those dark eyes hid heat. Shen Xu stood up directly, and put down his palms. Only then did Jiang Chen see his red eyes, bruised cheeks, and the large bloodstains on his clothes.


    He paused, then immediately walked faster: ¡°How is Huo Bo?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shen Xu stood where he was, his pale face contrasting with his red eyes.


    Jiang Chen walked over and hugged him tightly: ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    Shen Xu hugged Jiang Chen tightly, and his tense body finally relaxed, the tears that had been welling in his eyes sliding down his chin.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault¡­..¡± He trembled a little: ¡°If anything happens to Huo Bo¡­..¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jiang Chen patted him on the back, reassuring him firmly.


    Hearing his friend¡¯s determined tone, Shen Xu calmed down a little, and grunted lightly. He wiped his eyes, and inadvertently saw Shi Fengyue on the opposite side, only to realize that there was an outsider here, and this outsider was even looking straight at them with a cloudy expression on his face. Shen Xu immediately felt embarrassed of his behavior just now, sniffed, and let go of Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen also let go of Shen Xu, and turned to look at Shi Fengyue on the other side.


    Shi Fengyue still had his arms crossed over his chest, and said lightly: ¡°I have read his examination report, there is no intracranial hemorrhage or cerebral hematoma, it should be nothing serious, and he will come out in a while.¡±


    Only then did Jiang Chen feel fully relieved. He sat down on the bench, closed his eyes tiredly, and exhaled lightly.


    The familiar scent approached, and in the corridor full of the smell of disinfectant, the woody aroma on the man sitting next to him, which was usually faint and barely noticeable, became obvious at this time, like the morning after a night of snowing, the sunshine was pleasant, the light frost on the green leaves gradually melted, and the crystal clear dew condensing on the tip of the leaves, which was cool but fragrant.


    Just inhaling it, his tired brain gradually relaxed, awake but comfortable.


    When Shi Fengyue saw Jiang Chen move a little towards him, his slightly tense jaw relaxed a little bit, and he unfolded his crossed arms. He raised his brows slightly, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Tired?¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes and was slightly startled, only to realize that before he knew it, he and Shi Fengyue were very close, and their breaths seemed to be intermingling slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He moved away subtly, leaned back in the chair, and closed his eyes: ¡°I¡¯m just a little worried.¡±


    When Shi Fengyue saw the flickering in his eyes, the corner of his mouth raised in a slight arc, and he moved closer to him, asking with a concerned tone: ¡°How is Aunt Yang?¡±


    Shen Xu happened to sit down on the other side of Jiang Chen, and asked at this time, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Aunt Yang?¡±


    ¡°She just gave birth at Yan University¡¯s Affiliated Hospital.¡± Jiang Chen opened his eyes with a smile on his face, ¡°It¡¯s a girl named Jiang Ran.¡±


    ¡°Girl?¡± Shen Xu now had some vitality: ¡°Awesome, I¡¯ve always wanted a younger sister.¡±


    Jiang Chen rolled his eyes: ¡°En, me too.¡±


    Before Jiang Ran was born, Jiang Chen felt in his heart that there was no difference between a younger brother or sister, but after seeing the tiny bundle that was Jiang Ran, he felt that there was no one even better in this world than that little one.


    ¡°What gift do you think I should give her?¡± Shen Xu was distracted, thinking hard: ¡°For girls¡­..is it too early for a dress? Or a baby carriage, that¡¯s right! I saw a sports car model, which is completely a miniature version of a Ferrari, it looks very cool, and it will be absolutely awesome to give it to our little sister.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s for a girl?¡± Jiang Chen looked at him.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Shen Xu said: ¡°It¡¯s red and is only cool when girls drive it. Now I will give her a small one. When she turns eighteen, I will give her a real sports car.¡±


    Shi Fengyue seemed to say inadvertently: ¡°Why haven¡¯t I seen you drive the sports car that Li Nanfeng gave you?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, then turned to look at him: ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to take the driver¡¯s license test, so I never drove it.¡±


    Shen Xu had also seen Jiang Chen¡¯s car, because the Jiang family lived in a community that was not suitable and there was no place to park it, so it had been parked in his garage this whole time. Thinking of the smooth lines and the parameters he saw in magazines, he immediately cheered up: ¡°Yes, Jiangzi, when you have time you must get a driver¡¯s license immediately, I have been coveting your car for a long time, you must take Huo Bo and me for a ride¡­..¡±


    But towards the end of these words, his happy tone gradually fell down again. Shen Xu looked up at the operating room where the lights were still on, and the smile that had just floated on his face disappeared.


    Jiang Chen knew what he was thinking, and patted him on the shoulder. Just as he was about to say something, the door of the operating room opened, and the surgeon and nurses came out.


    The three people on the bench got up at the same time. Shi Fengyue nodded to the surgeon in the white coat at the front, and said, ¡°How is the situation?¡±


    ¡°The operation went very well. Except for some concussion side effects, there are basically no problems.¡± The surgeon took off his mask, glanced at Jiang Chen and Shen Xu on the side, and joked: ¡°It¡¯s rare to see our Dr. Shi pay so much attention to a patient, so of course I must do my best.¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s gaze shifted past him, seeing Huo Bo being pushed out. Jiang Chen and Shen Xu immediately surrounded him.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The doctor obviously had a good relationship with Shi Fengyue, winked at him and said, ¡°I remember this is your previous patient¡¯s family member, I¡¯ve never seen you care so much about any patient¡¯s family member before. Does our hospital actually have such high-quality follow-up services?¡±


    Shi Fengyue rolled his eyes at him, turned around and followed Jiang Chen and the others.


    The doctor caught up, put away this topic, and picked up another: ¡°Just before this emergency call, your department¡¯s Song Rongrong was at my place, and asked me to find a way to ask you out. The young lady has been romantically pursuing you for so long, almost a year now, you are not tempted at all?¡±


    Shi Fengyue paused, and turned to look at him expressionlessly.


    The doctor raised his hand in a gesture of surrender: ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t ask any more.¡±


    ¡°That person jist now isn¡¯t simply my patient¡¯s family member.¡± Shi Fengyue raised the corner of his mouth a little, and said unhurriedly: ¡°He¡¯s the person I¡¯m romantically pursuing.¡±


    The doctor laughed and said, ¡°I know he¡¯s your patient¡¯s family¡­..what?¡± He widened his eyes: ¡°Who are you romantically pursuing? Who? Which one? I recall that they are both boys.¡±


    ¡°The most good-looking one.¡±


    ¡°Most good-looking¡­..¡± The doctor recalled for a while, and when he saw that Shi Fengyue had turned around and left, he realized that he had been led along by the nose. He widened his eyes and hurried after: ¡°Shi Fengyue, are you playing with me or are you for real?¡±


    ¡°Ask Li Nanfeng.¡±


    Without looking back, he waved his hand casually and walked in the direction of the inpatient department.


    In the ward.


    Standing by the hospital bed, Jiang Chen, seeing Huo Bo¡¯s pale face and closed eyes, tightened his grip on the railing of the bed a little. He looked up at Shen Xu, and asked about the whole story of Huo Bo¡¯s injury.


    Shen Xu stood on the other side of the bed, and when he heard Jiang Chen¡¯s question, anger appeared on his face.


    ¡°Huo Bo and I were in the arcade in the afternoon, originally¡­..¡±


    Rewind to an hour ago:


    The second mock exam ended yesterday, and today happened to be Sunday. After doing two sets of test papers in the afternoon, Shen Xu wanted to relax, so he took Huo Bo to an arcade that he had always wanted to go to before, and found a seat at random and started playing.


    Not long after, a few more people came to the arcade, laughing and shoving, and sat down opposite them, talking about something, bursting into laughter from time to time.


    The arcade was originally very noisy, and the game consoles were also at a certain height. Although they were sitting face to face, the two sides were separated by two game consoles, and no one could see the other. It did not have much impact, so Shen Xu and Huo Bo did not care.


    During the interval in between playing, Shen Xu inadvertently caught some familiar key words from the opposite side.


    ¡ª¡ªSecond mock exam.


    No one in the third year of high school would not care about grades and mock exams, so Shen Xu couldn¡¯t help listening in a bit more. Although the conversation at the beginning was flattering, it was normal. It was probably a group of people praising one of them, wishing that person to come first in the second mock exam.


    Hearing this, Shen Xu couldn¡¯t help but start to think. The second mock exam was a city-wide joint examination in Yan City. All schools would be included in the rankings. The competition for the top ten was very fierce, but there were only a few students in the third year of high school in the city who could make it on that list and everyone knew it well.


    Therefore, Shen Xu subconsciously began to guess the identity of the person opposite, and before he could use the elimination method in his mind, he heard the other party suddenly change the subject, switching from flattery to smack talk.


    ¡°That Yang Liang actually has the face to compete with our Brother Jian for the top spot, and said that our Brother Jian¡¯s paper is marked wrong, he is just a nerd. His lenses are as thick as the bottom of a beer bottle. I¡¯m even afraid that one day he would spontaneously combust while reading English under the sun.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember the time we threw away his glasses? That was really interesting. He lay there like a blind man fishing for fish. It was so funny.¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, Brother Jian will definitely be number one in the city this time. When the results come out, the number one in the city must treat us to a good time!¡±


    Hearing this, Shen Xu basically knew who was in front of him. He sneered, the number one in the city, saying such arrogant words, wasn¡¯t he afraid of being criticized.


    He Qianjian was at least quite self-aware, and said, ¡°If it¡¯s really number one, I¡¯ll definitely invite everyone to celebrate, but there¡¯s still Li Xiao, so it¡¯s not very likely.¡±


    ¡°Brother Jian, that¡¯s you being humble.¡± Immediately, someone complimented him: ¡°How can Li Xiao compare with you?¡±


    ¡°Brother Jian, you have to win for us. Last time Li Xiao got the first spot by chance, the guys in the attached secondary school all had their tails raised, as if this year¡¯s top scorer was already reserved. Last time when those guys saw our school uniform, their eyes seemed to grow to the top of their heads.¡±


    Someone said with disdain: ¡°They¡¯re just a group of poor people who don¡¯t have any knowledge. Even if Li Xiao is really the top scorer in the college entrance examination, after four years of university, she will still work for people like us. Does she really think she is so great.¡±


    ¡°Li Xiao? A brat of a girl who hasn¡¯t even grown any boobs. What else can you say about her besides just being a little smarter?¡±


    Someone expressed an opinion: ¡°Her cousin, Pan Liuyi, is the belle of the attached secondary school, and if you look closely, Li Xiao looks pretty good too, maybe it won¡¯t be bad once she grows up in two years.¡±


    ¡°Pan Liuyi¡¯s boobs are quite big. If it¡¯s genetically inherited, I expect Li Xiao will develop in a year or two.¡±


    There was a burst of tacit laughter on the other side, as if they had imagined something interesting.


    As soon as the topic was skewed, it went astray, and someone suddenly asked: ¡°Who do you think is more beautiful, Pan Liuyi from the attached secondary school or Jiang Yao from our school?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it must be¡­..Miss Han.¡± Someone said flatteringly, ¡°Miss Han is our Brother Jian¡¯s fianc¨¦e. I only met her once, and I was quite astonished by her beauty. Only someone like Brother Jian is worthy of standing with her.¡±


    Immediately, someone followed up and praised that Miss Han. Shen Xu curled his lips and stopped paying attention to them. But it wasn¡¯t long after he picked up the game controller when he heard familiar words again.


    ¡°But speaking of, fortunately Jiang Chen has asked for leave this semester, otherwise¡­..¡±


    ¡°Otherwise what?¡± Someone immediately interrupted the person who just spoke: ¡°Even if he didn¡¯t ask for leave, the first place will have nothing to do with him, it¡¯s just that he came in first place in the previous few practice exams by chance. The practice exams and mock exams are not the same.¡±


    ¡°The way I see it, he has some self-awareness at least. A poor bastard yet he still likes to pretend so much. What ¡®most handsome guy of all three schools¡¯. Looking like a loser, yet he has the nerve to call himself the most handsome. Who gave him the face.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± A few people echoed in unison, their habitually tactful eyes flickered, and they immediately spoke up: ¡°Don¡¯t talk about grades, he can¡¯t even compete with our Brother Jian in anything, so what is Jiang Chen? I heard that his father was hit by a car and broke his leg, and he asked for leave as soon as school started this semester, probably to move bricks at a construction site to pay for the treatment of his crippled father.¡±


    There was a burst of laughter, and someone said something again in a low voice, and the laughter became more exaggerated.


    Shen Xu¡¯s expression was becoming worse and worse. He got up and was about to rush over, but Huo Bo grabbed his hand, lowered his voice and frowned, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Did you hear what they said? Calling Jiang Chen a loser?¡± Shen Xu gritted his teeth and said with a dark face, ¡°I¡¯m going to beat them until even their own mothers won¡¯t recognize them, and then I¡¯ll put their heads in the toilet and let them see who actually looks like the loser.¡±


    Huo Bo also heard those people talking, and he was of course also angry in his heart, but those people were just spewing sh*t, and none of what they said was true. Don¡¯t mention him, Jiang Chen himself would probably just laugh it off when he heard it, and would not care at all.


    Most importantly, he always felt that the relationship between Jiang Chen and He Qianjian was not simple, and he didn¡¯t want to cause trouble for Jiang Chen before the situation became clear.


    He grabbed Shen Xu and said in a deep voice, ¡°Don¡¯t be impulsive.¡±


    ¡°But they said that about Jiang Chen? Are you not angry?¡± Shen Xu pulled out his hand, kicked the stool, and walked over.


    Just now, Shen Xu didn¡¯t restrain his voice when he spoke, and the other side naturally heard them talking. When Shen Xu stepped around, several teenagers beside the game console were staring contemptuously at him.


    ¡°What?¡± One person said disdainfully: ¡°Want to fight? One against five?¡±


    Shen Xu rolled up his sleeves: ¡°Your grandpa, I, can beat your whole family by myself, let alone one-on-five, even one-on-five I can make you cry.¡±


    He Qianjian stood up, sneered, and said: ¡°I think your friend is very sensible, I advise you to be more sensible, and I¡¯ll let this matter go after you apologize, how about it?¡±


    ¡°Apologize?¡± Shen Xu also sneered: ¡°Use your urine to take a look at your loser self. It¡¯s fine if one is uglier than the next, but your face is bigger than the next. Who gave you the confidence? Did you eat too much lotus root?¡±


    A boy pushed him: ¡°I advise you to keep your mouth clean.¡±


    Shen Xu¡¯s lips curled up, his height was about 1.8 meters, and he had a smile on his baby face, but his tone was as harsh as it could be: ¡°What? Have you brushed your teeth with the toilet brush too many times, so you can¡¯t stand anyone else having more bad breath than you?¡±


    Shen Xu¡¯s mouth was so poisonous that so long as one had experienced it, there was no one who didn¡¯t want to beat him up.


    The boy who pushed him threw a punch. Shen Xu¡¯s face turned cold and he dodged it nimbly. Huo Bo, who had just come over, landed a kick on the other¡¯s companion. In the next moment, the prelude to the five-on-two brawl kicked off.


    Huo Bo could take on three, and Shen Xu also did his part. There was no pressure at all when the two of them fought against five, and soon they had beaten them to the ground within a few blows. The fight should have ended here.


    However, unlike Jiang Chen who fought with agility and decisiveness and Huo Bo, who directly hit the opponent¡¯s vital points in a fight, Shen Xu was not as good as the former, but he had never come up short when throwing down harsh words after a fight to instigate hatred.


    In the chaos and mess, Shen Xu stepped on someone¡¯s hand and said condescendingly: ¡°First in the mock exam?¡± He sneered: ¡°That¡¯s something you can eevee get only if our God Jiang doesn¡¯t want it, but you haven¡¯t even touched it with your fingers yet and you¡¯re already acting so gleeful?¡±


    ¡°And still wanting to compete with Jiang Chen? A bunch of trash like you, do you deserve it?¡±


    After saying this, Shen Xu clapped his palms and was about to leave, but don¡¯t know which nerve of He Qianjian¡¯s his words just touched, but the other who was leaning on the side panting for breath suddenly became violent. He grabbed the wooden stool beside him and threw it at Shen Xu. It was too late for Huo Bo to pull Shen Xu away, so he could only block the stool for him.


    The corner of the wooden stool hit Huo Bo¡¯s head, and blood was seen immediately. He Qianjian¡¯s eyes were scarlet, and he made to hit him a second time. Huo Bo¡¯s vision was spotted from the hit and his reaction time was slowed, so the second hit landed on his head as well.


    Shen Xu turned his head, and only had time to see a face dripping with blood, and Huo Bo¡¯s eyes slowly closing.


    Huo Bo falling to the ground finally woke up He Qianjian from his rage. He stopped on the spot holding the blood-stained stool, and his friends panicked when they saw this.


    Someone said, ¡°Is he dead?¡±


    Shen Xu came back to his senses suddenly, hugged Huo Bo and screamed for someone to call an ambulance.


    After that, Shen Xu followed Huo Bo to the hospital and called Jiang Chen.


    After listening to the whole story, Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes were icy cold, but his face showed no fluctuations, and his tone was very calm: ¡°Where are He Qianjian and the others?¡±


    Shen Xu shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t know. At that time, I was afraid that something might happen to Huo Bo, so I didn¡¯t pay that much attention.¡±


    Jiang Chen took out his mobile phone and made a call.


    He Qianmin¡¯s voice came quickly: ¡°Brother? Are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Is He Qianjian at home?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Qianmin was puzzled: ¡°You are looking for him¡­..?¡±


    Jiang Chen hung up the phone, glanced at Huo Bo who was still unconscious, and said to Shen Xu: ¡°I¡¯m going out, when Huo Bo wakes, call me.¡±


    Jiang Chen acted too calmly, but Shen Xu keenly sensed something was wrong.


    He grabbed Jiang Chen: ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s footsteps paused slightly, and his tone was calm: ¡°I¡¯m going to take care of some things, and I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to look for He Qianjian?¡±


    Shen Xu was impulsive before, but now he had calmed down. The He family had a poweeful background. If Jiang Chen went and injured He Qianjian, even if He Qianmin had a good relationship with him, this matter would not end well. But¡­..


    He gritted his teeth: ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°You stay here and take care of Huo Bo.¡± Jiang Chen pulled his hand away: ¡°I always do things properly, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Shen Xu frowned slightly, and seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s calm expression, he was slightly relieved. Indeed, no matter what happened since childhood, Jiang Chen had always been the most level-headed among the three of them.


    This time, he should also be the same, and could handle it calmly and rationally, right?


    AN: Shen Xu: I believe in Jiang Chen, he has always been very level-headed.


    Hou Bo: If I was awake, I sure as hell wouldn¡¯t let him go.


    Shi Fengyue: Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be following.


    When fighting¡ª¡ª


    Shi Feng Yue: Ashtray or Vase? Be careful not to cut your hands.

 CH 115

    When Jiang Chen walked out of the ward, he saw Shi Fengyue sitting on the bench in the corridor. Seeing him coming out, Shi Fengyue got up, and said lazily, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To the He¡¯s.¡±


    This was a private ward with good sound insulation. Shi Fengyue knew that Jiang Chen and Shen Xu had something to talk about, so he didn¡¯t go in on purpose. He didn¡¯t know what happened. Hearing that Jiang Chen was going to the He¡¯s, he only thought it was a private matter between him and the He family, so he didn¡¯t ask any further.


    He stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll see you off.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s lips were pressed tight, his jaw moved slightly, as if nodding, and he walked forward past him.


    Only then did Shi Fengyue realize that something was wrong. He caught up with him in two to three steps, and walked side by side with him. His tone was more concerned than before: ¡°How did Huo Bo get injured?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s footsteps stopped, and the air around him instantly cooled down, and his face seemed to be covered with frost: ¡°He Qianjian hit him.¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian?¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s eyes showed some surprise. In his impression, although He Qianjian was vain and hypocritical, he could almost say that he was impeccable in putting up a pretense to the outside world. If it weren¡¯t for the accidental mishaps before, even he would have found it difficult to notice He Qianjian¡¯s unusual skills and his style of doing things behind the scenes.


    According to He Qianjian¡¯s caution in the past, even if he really didn¡¯t like someone he would not do the dirty work himself. But if the target was someone who had ties to Jiang Chen, it was hard to say.


    When the He family approached Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen and He Qianjian¡¯s identities came to light, apart from Xiang Hong who took out the test report, Shi Fengyue was the only outsider who knew about it.


    It wasn¡¯t that Jiang Chen informed him intentionally, but he guessed it from the sudden increase in the frequency of contact between Jiang Chen and the He family, and Jiang Chen didn¡¯t hide it from him afterwards, and directly admitted it.


    At that time, Shi Fengyue advised Jiang Chen to pay attention to He Qianjian.


    Unexpectedly, after a long time, Jiang Chen did not come to any harm, but instead his friends were implicated.


    Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t ask any further questions, he opened the door of the co-passenger seat, and went around to the driver¡¯s seat to drive. He remained silent all the way, and when they were about to reach the He¡¯s, he glanced at the young man in the rearview mirror who had been so calm and almost indifferent, and asked, ¡°How are you planning to handle it?¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t answer. Shi Fengyue lowered the car window to let the security guards at the entrance and exit see clearly the people inside.


    When the security guard saw Jiang Chen, he immediately smiled, ¡°Young Master Jiang, good evening.¡± After saying hello, he let them in.


    Shi Fengyue didn¡¯t make any sound until the car stopped in front of the garage on the first floor of the He family house. The car door opened, and Jiang Chen went to ring the doorbell. Shi Fengyue got out of the car slowly, and stood beside him.


    Yang Yun was helping He Qianyu with her homework. He Yanfeng was upstairs in the study, and the only one in the living room was the helper auntie who stayed in the He family. She looked at the surveillance camera and saw that it was Jiang Chen, and immediately smiled: ¡°Young Master Jiang Chen, come on in.¡±


    As an old helper who once took care of old Mrs. He, the He family¡¯s helper auntie naturally knew Jiang Chen¡¯s true identity. During these few months, Jiang Chen would be there every month at the family dinner and this did not need to be hidden from the srrvants either.


    She knew that He Yanfeng and his wife attached great importance to this child, and immediately went upstairs to inform them after opening the door. Both He Yanfeng and Yang Yun were very surprised. Jiang Chen had never come over without a warning, but they hadn¡¯t seen each other for a long time, and they both felt pleasantly surprised.


    He Qianyu was also very pleasantly surprised. When the helper auntie informed Yang Yun, she was also present, and now she didn¡¯t want to do homework anymore. She jumped off the stool as soon as she put the pen down, and ran out of the room impatiently, not forgetting to knock on He Qianmin¡¯s door.


    ¡ª¡ªKnock knock knock, knock knock knock.


    The knocking rhythm was extremely fast, and the excitement and eagerness of the person knocking could be heard.


    He Qianmin was working on a math competition question, and when the knock on the door sounded, it was just when he had found his train of thought. But as soon as the distinct rhythm sounded, all the clues he had just now were lost. He put down the pen, frowned, and pulled the door open forcefully, with an anger that was about to explode on his face.


    It was just that before the anger could come out, He Qianyu¡¯s next words scattered everything.


    ¡°Second Brother! Brother is back!¡±


    Ever since she knew that Jiang Chen was her real brother, He Qianyu changed how she referred to him, He Qianmin was still the second brother, He Qianjian changed from eldest brother to Brother Qian Jian, and Jiang Chen directly changed from Brother Jiang Chen to Brother, the closeness and distance in relation were clear when you hear it.


    Because of this, He Qianjian even secretly scolded the He family members behind their backs for being more cold blooded than the next, and only valued blood relationship and not the feelings developed over many years.


    He Qianyu¡¯s knocking on the door was quite loud, and He Qianjian next door also heard it. As soon as he opened the door, he heard this sentence, and he sneered from the bottom of his heart, closing the door again.


    His slamming of the door was neither loud nor small, but his room was next to He Qianmin, so He Qianmin and He Qianyu could see his movement clearly.


    He Qianyu shrank her neck, and realized belatedly: ¡°Brother Qian Jian is not happy.¡±


    He Qianmin snorted coldly, and walked out with the door closing behind him, ¡°Who cares about him.¡±


    Since He Qianyu saw He Qianjian in a fight with Jiang Chen last time, she had an inexplicable fear of him. Later, with the exposure of Jiang Chen¡¯s true identity, He Qianjian became more and more gloomy every day, and her relationship with him became even more distant. Seeing He Qianmin ignoring He Qianjian, she also followed him downstairs.


    ¡­¡­


    The iron door opened with a click, and Jiang Chen walked straight in. Shi Fengyue followed behind him in a leisurely manner. It was his first time visiting the He family house, and he looked at the surrounding environment with some interest.


    As soon as he reached the first floor, he saw He Qianyu jumping down from the last few steps of the stairs, and ran to Jiang Chen: ¡°Brother!¡±


    Jiang Chen had long been used to this once every time he met He Qianyu, and the coldness in his eyes faded a little. He opened his arms to catch her: ¡°Be careful not to fall.¡±


    ¡°Brother.¡± He Qianmin came downstairs half a step behind, and when he saw Shi Fengyue behind Jiang Chen, he was surprised, and his footsteps paused: ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°He drove me over.¡± Jiang Chen explained casually, and went straight to business: ¡°Where¡¯s He Qianjian?¡±


    He Qianmin frowned: ¡°What do you want him for?¡±


    After these words fell, Yang Yun and He Yanfeng also came downstairs. They were very happy to see Jiang Chen, and they were also surprised for a moment when they saw Shi Fengyue beside him.


    He Yanfeng smiled. There was a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, probably because he didn¡¯t take them off when he left the study just now, and his smile looked a bit more scholarly because of this: ¡°Xiao Shi is here too.¡±


    Shi Fengyue put away his lazy look, nodded politely to He Yanfeng and Yang Yun: ¡°Uncle He, Aunt He.¡±


    Yang Yun¡¯s attention was all on Jiang Chen. Seeing that his complexion was not very good, after nodding to Shi Fengyue, she immediately held Jiang Chen¡¯s hand, and asked with concern, ¡°Why are you so thin? And why is your face so pale? Did you wear too little, or is there too much work in the institute?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips, the cold anger greatly dispelled by He Qianyu¡¯s hug and Yang Yun¡¯s soft voice. He tugged at the corners of his lips, not forgetting the purpose of coming here this time.


    ¡°My mom just gave birth.¡±


    As soon as he opened his mouth, the living room fell silent, and Yang Yun¡¯s hand holding him froze.


    He Yanfeng was the first to know about this matter. Not only did he know that Yang Yun had given birth to a daughter, but also that before Yang Yun gave birth, Jiang Chen and Xiang Hong were talking in the garden of the Affiliated Hospital of Yan University, and was overheard by Jiang Zhuo.


    As soon as Jiang Chen opened his mouth at this time, he thought Jiang Chen was about to bring up this matter. He took off his glasses and was about to speak when he heard Jiang Chen change the subject: ¡°During her childbirth, I received a phone call, one of my best friends whom I grew up with was beaten badly enough to need surgery.¡±


    ¡°The operation was completed fifty minutes ago. From here to here, someone smashed him twice with the sharp corner of a solid wooden stool.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s index finger moved down from above the right eye until the end of the eye that was close to the temple, ¡°Sewn twelve stitches, and he¡¯s still unconscious.¡±


    Yang Yun was taken aback, and subconsciously said: ¡°That¡¯s so serious, who hit him? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    He Yanfeng faintly realized something. When Jiang Chen left the Affiliated Hospital of Yan University, Xiang Hong called him and said that Jiang Chen answered the phone and left after holding his younger sister for a while. It seemed very serious, because his complexion was very ugly when he left.


    At that time, Xiang Hong asked if something happened, and whether he should send someone to investigate, and if there was something wrong, he could help, but He Yanfeng refused. He knew Jiang Chen¡¯s ability and believed that he could handle it by himself. And secretly, he also hoped that if something serious happened, Jiang Chen would ask him to help.


    With this matter, their father and son relationship might be able to get closer.


    Now that Jiang Chen came over and brought up the matter of his friend, there was a high probability that the handling of this matter may require the He family to take action.


    He Yanfeng smiled, and said with confidence: ¡°Is there any trouble that your friend might¡¯ve gotten into, or is it the background of the one who injured him, do you want Dad to help?¡±


    Shi Fengyue¡¯s eyelids twitched slightly, and he raised his eyes to look at He Yanfeng. The corners of his mouth curled up a little bit, and then he pressed it down subtly, wondering why he didn¡¯t realize that Tunan Group¡¯s boss was not very smart before.


    He Yanfeng didn¡¯t notice Shi Fengyue¡¯s hidden amusement at all. His attention was all on Jiang Chen. Seeing Jiang Chen slightly pursed lips, he recalled what he had investigated when he learned of Jiang Chen¡¯s identity, and knew that how important his only two friends were to him, he immediately said: ¡°You tell Dad, no matter who the other party is, they must pay the price for hurting someone like this, Dad will definitely help you.¡±


    However, He Qianmin had a faint premonition. He remembered the phone call from before, and Jiang Chen asking where He Qianjian was just as soon as he entered the door. He frowned and hisbown expression looked ugly.


    ¡°Brother, who is injured? Brother Shen Xu or Brother Huo Bo?¡±


    ¡°Huo Bo.¡± After Jiang Chen answered He Qianmin, he shifted his gaze back to He Yanfeng and Yang Yun. He gently pulled out the hand held by Yang Yun, his eyes darkened: ¡°I will personally make him pay the price. I hope you don¡¯t meddle in this matter.¡±


    He Yanfeng frowned slightly, something flashed through his mind, and he asked, ¡°Who is the one who hurt your friend?¡±


    Jiang Chen opened his lips and enunciated each syllable: ¡°He Qianjian.¡±


    Yang Yun¡¯s face changed slightly, and she turned to look at her husband, but He Yanfeng¡¯s face remained calm. He just looked into Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes and asked him, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    Jiang Chen remained silent, looking at the stairs behind him. The two looked at each other silently for a few seconds, then He Yanfeng turned slightly sideways, moving out of the way for one person to pass.


    When Jiang Chen passed by, he said calmly, ¡°Violence cannot solve any problems.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused slightly, then passed him by.


    Violence could not solve any problems, and using violence to control violence was always the most clumsy and low-level means of revenge.


    For a long time, Jiang Chen also thought so. Even though he faced He Qianjian¡¯s many provocations before, even if they had a life-and-death enmity, Jiang Chen never thought of using violence to solve the problem.


    In the final analysis, it was because from the very beginning, he didn¡¯t take He Qianjian seriously. In Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes, his opponent was the system in He Qianjian¡¯s head from the beginning to the end. He Qianjian did all kinds of evil things, but he also relied on the system to do so, and those evil things were most likely encouraged by the system, and when he lost the system, he would naturally be nothing.


    There was no need for him to deal with him at all. For a person who attached all his worth to an external object, once this external object disappeared, he would be like a pile of mud.


    What Jiang Chen wanted was never that He Qianjian would pay for taking his life with his own life. Apart from the fact that he occupied the body of Jiang Zhuo and Yang Si¡¯s own son, it was also because he wanted him to see with his own eyes the retribution for his evil deeds.


    However, it wasn¡¯t until Yang Si and Huo Bo met with accidents one after another that Jiang Chen realized that the duration before this soul deep revenge was too long, and before the system in He Qianjian¡¯s body was truly removed, he would always hurt the people by his side without fear.


    His previous ignorance turned into a form of laissez-faire in another sense. He made He Qianjian feel that he was weak, so He Qianjian defined him as one who could be easily bullied. It was precisely because of his underestimation, and because he did nothing to He Qianjian on the surface, that He Qianjian treaded on his bottom line step by step, provoking and hurting his most important people.


    Now, he would let He Qianjian know that there was a price to pay for everything, and this price would be paid by him personally.


    Jiang Chen knocked on He Qianjian¡¯s door three times.


    He Qianjian opened the door in response. Before he could see the person outside the door, his face was hit with a heavy punch, followed by a kick that knocked him to the ground. The severe pain in his tailbone and the bridge of his nose made it impossible for him to not scream out. He raised his eyes to see the person at the door, and hatred burst out of his eyes instantly.


    ¡°Jiang Chen!¡±


    Jiang Chen closed the door expressionlessly, and locked it with a click.


    When He Qianjian heard this sound, he subconsciously felt that something was wrong, he shrank back a few steps, and said vigilantly, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°What you did to Huo Bo, I will do to you.¡±


    He Qianjian froze, thinking of Huo Bo who fell in a pool of blood in the afternoon. He couldn¡¯t help but feel palpitations, and cold sweat spread down his back in an instant.


    Could it be that Huo Bo was dead, and Jiang Chen wanted to kill him to avenge his friend?


    Thinking of this, He Qianjian shuddered. He got up with difficulty and embarrassment, quickly ran behind the desk, glanced across the surface, and quickly picked up the heaviest sculpture decoration. He Qianjian gritted his teeth and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°This is the He family, do you really dare to do something here?¡±


    Seeing Jiang Chen approaching step by step, He Qianjian leaned his back against the wall, and raised his voice: ¡°If you do this, you won¡¯t be afraid that your parents and grandparents will settle accounts with you? Do you think because you are their own son, you can hurt me casually? Let me tell you, I have been in the He family for eighteen years, and I know them better than you. If you hurt me today, their impression of you will definitely drop again and again. In the future, if you want the He family resources or enter Tunan, it will be difficult.¡±


    He Qianjian spoke very fast, such a long series of words only took a few seconds, but in just a few seconds, Jiang Chen was already right in front of his eyes.


    When he was half a meter away from He Qianjian, Jiang Chen paused, and He Qianjian¡¯s tense shoulders relaxed a little. He was overjoyed, thinking that Jiang Chen had listened to his words. Mocking ridicule flashed across his eyes, but his face did not show a hint.


    ¡°If you go out now, I can tell Mom and Dad that we were just playing casually and you just accidentally hurt me. I believe for you this is¡­..what are you doing!¡±


    A scream accompanied by the muffled sound of heavy objects falling to the ground could be heard. He Yanfeng and Yang Yun glanced at each other, and quickly lifted their legs to run up the stairs. Shi Fengyue followed behind them, not at all treating himself as an outsider.


    He Qianmin pushed He Qianyu to the helper auntie at home, and told her: ¡°Don¡¯t let her go upstairs.¡± Then he took the stairs in three or four steps at a time.


    ¡°Chen Chen!¡± Yang Yun knocked on the door vigorously: ¡°Chencl Chen open the door, you must not be impulsive!¡±


    He Yanfeng also said in a deep voice: ¡°Xiao Chen, calm down, don¡¯t cause things to lead to unmanageable consequences. ¡°


    There was still no movement inside the door, Yang Yun and He Yanfeng looked at each other and knocked on the door even more violently.


    But before knocking for long, the door opened.


    Jiang Chen stood inside the door, glanced at them mildly, and then straightened his sleeves slowly. The soft folds of the shirt cuffs were curled up in the crook of his arms. The young man¡¯s aura was bright and clean and soft, his handsome face was expressionless but his lowered lashes were soft and gentle. If not for the scream just now, everyone outside the door might think that he was just reading a book in the study, and it was even an elegant literary work.


    Yang Yun froze for a moment, then suddenly came to her senses and craned her neck to look inside.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Qian Jian?¡±


    Jiang Chen turned sideways to let them in.


    There was no one in the room, only the French windows behind the desk were wide open, and the soft gauze curtains danced with the wind.


    ¡°Brother, where did He Qianjian go?¡±


    He Qianmin voiced everyone¡¯s questions, and only Shi Fengyue looked once around, and when his eyes touched Jiang Chen, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he slowly mouthed something.


    Jiang Chen saw what he said clearly, and the hostility in his heart drifted away with the wind. He rolled his eyes at him.


    Suddenly, a low wail came from outside the window, the wind carrying it into the bedroom. Everyone reacted and walked to the balcony outside the window.


    ¡°Qian Jian?¡± Yang Yun was relieved when she saw He Qianjian had fallen into the flower bed, but couldn¡¯t help worrying: ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    He Qianjian looked at the heads protruding from the balcony, and the humiliation and resentment in his heart surged. He gritted his teeth, and his resentful eyes passed through the first few people, as if he could see Jiang Chen in the room.


    He clutched his broken leg, his face twitching slightly in pain, remembering what just happened.


    He thought Jiang Chen stopped because he was persuaded by him, but he didn¡¯t expect that Jiang Chen would suddenly turn around and pick up the small wooden tea table next to the sofa with one hand. Almost instantly, he realized what Jiang Chen was going to do.


    He Qianjian retreated immediately, but found that there was no way to retreat. Seeing that Jiang Chen had turned around and came this way again, he knew that he couldn¡¯t win against Jiang Chen, so he immediately opened the French windows and fled to the balcony. But before he had time to lock the glass door, Jiang Chen had already squeezed in.


    In his hand was a small tea table that was not much different from a solid wooden chair, and used it to hit his right leg without blinking. The sound of his bones breaking accompanied the indescribable pain, and He Qianjian¡¯s vision blackened and became spotted. He had just regained his senses when he saw Jiang Chen lift up the tea table again, and the target seemed to be his possibly broken right leg.


    Once the tea table swung down, he might have to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of his life!


    He Qianjian desperately wanted to escape, but every movement of that injured leg shot pain through him that felt like it penetrated into the bone marrow. He was covered in cold sweat, and when he raised his eyes to meet Jiang Chen¡¯s calm gaze, he felt a chill run up his back. On the top of the head, the hair stood on end, and he couldn¡¯t help begging for mercy: ¡°I was wrong, I shouldn¡¯t have killed your friend, please let me go, I was wrong, don¡¯t kill me¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, then suddenly took a deep look at him, and weighed the tea table in his hand, seemingly finding kindness.


    ¡°If you jump from here, I will let you go, or, this table will break your other leg, choose one.¡±


    His room was on the second floor, and it would be no problem to jump down if he was not injured. Even if he was injured now, it would be better than having his legs be broken by Jiang Chen.


    He Qianjian didn¡¯t hesitate at all, and even rolled and climbed over the column-shaped stone railing on the terrace, landing on the ground with a bang.


    It wasn¡¯t until the stabbing pain of countless small wounds on his body and the sharp pain in his buttocks came that he remembered that He Qianyu had used this area to grow cactus some time ago.

 CH 116

    As a popular figure in the school, He Qianjian taking leave of absence for three consecutive days and did not come to school sparked quite some discussion.


    The results of the second mock test would be released on Wednesday, but as early as after the first mock test, many people from several schools bet that either Li Xiao or He Qianjian would take the top spot in the second mock test. Most of the students from the attached secondary school chose Li Xiao, while most of Chenghua¡¯s students chose He Qianjian.


    As for the fact that He Qianjian had never taken the top spot since the practice entrance examination, there were two reasons why so many people in Chenghua still think that he had the possibility of winning the first place in the mock test: First was that before, he was always among the top three even if it was not in the top spot, which showed his strength. Second, it was possible that due to He Qianjian seldom taking the minor exams because of his privileges before, he was not used to taking exams, so he ranked second or third.


    After the second mock test, there would be the third mock test. After the third mock test, they would directly take the college entrance examination. Before the college entrance examination, there were only these two exams that could be ranked. Last year, Chenghua had a liberal arts top scorer, but this year there was no strong opponent in the liberal arts in the third year of high school, so everyone¡¯s hopes naturally rested on He Qianjian.


    After all, He Qianjian had received various exceptional treatment all the way since elementary school, and he could be said to be a legendary existence in Chenghua. Long before he entered high school, some people predicted that He Qianjian would be the top scorer of the college entrance examination three years later. When the senior sister of the previous year took the top spot in the liberal arts, some people regretted that if He Qianjian had gone to school a year earlier, Chenghua would have produced a double top scorer in the arts and sciences that year.


    Three years passed quickly, and He Qianjian¡¯s college entrance examination was coming soon, but he was either overwhelmed by Jiang Chen from No. 1 High School or Li Xiao from the Attached Secondary School. Seeing that the hope of being the number one student in the sciences became more and more elusive¡ª¡ªthe greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. Even before the final reveal, Chenghua¡¯s students couldn¡¯t help but mutter in their hearts: Let¡¯s hope that after glory for twelve years, he didn¡¯t trip up in the final stage.


    It was also because of this that not only the third year students in Chenghua, but also the students in the junior high school and the first and second years were very concerned about the results of this mock test.


    Early on Wednesday morning, the Chenghua Bulletin Board was surrounded by students. The ranking list of the mock test was citywide. Towards the few study tyrants who were familiar to everyone, they didn¡¯t even need to look at the school names next to their names. They just needed to look at their ranking number.


    ¡°The first is Li Xiao from the attached secondary school.¡±


    Some people in the crowd sighed, but they couldn¡¯t say they were very surprised. After all, since Jiang Chen in Yan No. 1 High School took a long leave and didn¡¯t even take the mock exams, Li Xiao had been ranked first every time.


    ¡°Who is the second? Why have I never seen the name before?¡±


    ¡°Huo Bo?¡± Someone looked at the school name that followed and asked in surprise, ¡°From Yan No. 1 High School?¡±


    ¡°Huo Bo?¡± Some people had some impressions and said with wide eyes: ¡°Isn¡¯t that Yan No. 1 school tyrant? And he is from class 11, how is that possible? It must be the same name and surname.¡±


    ¡°The famous garbage class of Yan No. 1 High School?¡± The speaker shook his head: ¡°It must be the same name and surname. I can believe that the boss fights fiercely. But it¡¯s unlikely that he would be second in the mock test.¡±


    ¡°How is it impossible?¡± Someone said: ¡°I saw it before, and he placed sixteenth in the first mock exam. I heard that he placed around 600 in the first practice entrance exam. Then squeezed into the top 200 in the second practice entrance exam, and then improved more and more fiercely each time. At the end of last semester, he was already in the top 50 in the city.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Someone couldn¡¯t believe it: ¡°Or is the Huo Bo you mentioned not the same one we know?¡±


    ¡°The same one.¡± The person said firmly, ¡°I asked my classmates in Yan No. 1 High School. The students in their school are even more surprised than us before. I heard that someone directly questioned him for cheating, and a teacher in their school testified later that he had been tutored by God Jiang. You probably all know that God Jiang did not go to evening self-study in the last semester of high school, but you probably don¡¯t know that this was to tutor his two friends¡­..Look, Shen Xu, placing in the top thirty, you should have heard of him, he¡¯s very popular, he, God Jiang and Huo Bo had been a trio since childhood.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± A boy exclaimed, unable to tell whether it was jealousy or envy: ¡°Being friends with God Jiang can have this benefit?¡±


    ¡°Awesome.¡± One person thought of something, burst into laughter, and said while their shoulders shook from laughter: ¡°You said that Jiang Chen in Yan No. 1 High School asked for leave as soon as school started, don¡¯t tell me he was busy holding a remedial class.¡±


    The students at the bulletin board were taken aback for a moment, and couldn¡¯t help but also laugh out loud.


    One person said: ¡°If it¡¯s true, I¡¯ll go to every class even if it costs 10,000 f**king yuan per class.¡±


    ¡°Ditto, I¡¯ll go even if it¡¯s 100,000 yuan per class. What kind of badass teaching is this, able to pull someone from the last spot to become the second in the city.¡±


    Someone pulled the topic back: ¡°It seems that our school¡¯s science top scorer is out of luck this time. He Qianjian didn¡¯t get in the top three this time, he¡¯s fourth.¡±


    ¡°The third place is also from our school, Zhang Liang, who is that, I haven¡¯t heard of him.¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian is in his class. He wears glasses every day, so he doesn¡¯t have any sense of presence. I heard that He Qianjian didn¡¯t like him very much for a while. The group of people who played well with him messed with him several times. This time, his ranking in the exam topped He Qianjian. I imagine his life may become difficult again.¡±


    ¡°He Qianjian himself doesn¡¯t know what kind of trouble he is in, yet he can still mess with other people.¡±


    Hearing this cold snort, everyone looked in the direction of the sound. Seeing that it was Zhang Yanjing who had always been at odds with He Qianjian, they couldn¡¯t help becoming gossipy.


    Chenghua was a private school, and the family conditions of the students who could study there were not bad, but these backgrounds were also divided into rankings. He Qianjian and Zhang Yanjing were undoubtedly the top existences of the pyramid. In the entire Chenghua, apart from He Qianmin who had transferred to Yan No. 1 High School, Zhang Yanjing was the only one who could smack talk He Qianjian.


    The gossip of big families was well hidden, and those who were not in the same circle couldn¡¯t touch the truth at all, let alone have any source of news. He Qianjian asked for leave for three days, and no one knew why he asked for leave. Now there were many guesses, but there was no solid conclusion, and Zhang Yanjing in front of them was undoubtedly one of the most likely to know why He Qianjian asked for leave.


    Yan No. 1 High School had Huo Bo, and Chenghua had Zhang Yanjing, both being school tyrants, the less courageous students were unavoidably a little timid, but there were also some bold ones who directly asked: ¡°Brother Jing, why did He Qianjian take such a long leave, when will he come back? Is he all right?¡±


    Zhang Yanjing did know why He Qianjian asked for leave, and he even knew a little bit about the recent treacherous situation in the He family. After all, their social circle was only so big, no secret could be kept for long, not to mention that the He family didn¡¯t deliberately conceal it, they just didn¡¯t announce it to the public for the time being.


    Thinking of the young man whom he had met once before, Zhang Yanjing raised the corner of his mouth upwards, the other looked much more pleasing to the eye than He Qianjian.


    Others might give He Qianjian and the He family face by not revealing He Qianjian¡¯s scandal, but Zhang Yanjing didn¡¯t have this concern. Hearing this question, he didn¡¯t whet their appetites and simply smiled meaningfully: ¡°It seems out of boredom he jumped off the balcony at home, fell into a cactus bush, and broke a leg. The people in the hospital plucked out nearly an entire operating table of cactus needles, so you tell me if you think he¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°Jump off a balcony?¡± Some people was in disbelief, but they didn¡¯t question Zhang Yanjing. As they all know, he didn¡¯t bother to lie at all, and would rather hand in a blank paper than cheat.


    Someone was curious: ¡°Which floor?¡±


    Zhang Yanjing sneered: ¡°The second floor.¡±


    Falling from the second floor could also fall like this, and before he jumped down didn¡¯t he look at the spot first? Falling into the cactus bush in his own home, was there something wrong with He Qianjian¡¯s head?


    He Qianjian didn¡¯t know that everyone was gossiping about him in Chenghua. His eyes were red at this moment, and he looked at He Yanfeng in disbelief. With his leg in a plaster and his pale face, he looked a bit pitiful.


    ¡°Dad? Jiang Chen treated me like this and pushed me downstairs, but you¡¯re just going to forget about it?¡±


    Although he was speaking to He Yanfeng, his gaze had already moved to Yang Yun, with tears shining at the end of his eyes.


    Seeing his appearance, Yang Yun slightly turned her head away, but there was not much emotion in her eyes.


    To be honest, when she saw He Qianjian lying in the flower bed with scratches and bruises all over his body, Yang Yun felt a lot of worry and distress. After all, she had raised He Qianjian for more than ten years, even knowing that he may have done a lot of bad things behind their backs and she had also thought about giving up on this child, but this was not something that happened overnight.


    What was more, it was Jiang Chen¡¯s indifferent appearance which contrasted with He Qianjian¡¯s tragic appearance at that time that left the greatest impression.


    He broke one of He Qianjian¡¯s legs and forced him to fall off into the cactus bush, and he didn¡¯t hold back the slightest bit, as if doing all of this was a matter of course. This contrasted greatly with the image of the bright and clean handsome young man she had before. With He Qianjian as a former lesson, what Yang Yun was most afraid of now was sudden contrast, and the last thing she wanted to see was a different appearance from what she imagined.


    That night, after returning to their room, her husband noticed her strangeness. He didn¡¯t say much, but just took out a stack of thick documents and handed them to her for her to look through.


    In it, it was written that He Qianjian had sent people to monitor Jiang Chen since the third year of junior high school, it was written that he had a physical examination on the same day as Jiang Chen coincidentally every year, and it was written that he had sent people after Jiang Chen to break his hand, it was written that he deliberately provoked Jiang Chen at the skating rink, but when he came back, he reversed the truth and lies¡­..


    On black and white paper, everything was very clear. Yang Yun held the stack of papers, her mind going blank. Before, she knew that He Qianjian was duplicitous, and also suspected that what happened to He Qianmin had something to do with him, but there was no real evidence for that, so it was difficult for her to separate from the mother-child relationship she had with He Qianjian completely.


    But now this investigation report, like a basin of cold water, poured over her head, making her feel completely cold while completely awake.


    She also had doubts about her husband¡¯s sudden indifference or even coldness towards He Qianjian, and once felt that her husband¡¯s drastic changes were too unreasonable, but only after seeing this did she know that there was a reason for everything.


    Later, she went to Yan No. 2 Hospital and saw the injured child with her own eyes. His head was wrapped with thick gauze. Even after so many days, he could still only lie on the bed. Compared with him, don¡¯t know how much better He Qianjian¡¯s condition was now.


    Seeing Yang Yun¡¯s indifference, He Qianjian¡¯s heart jumped and then sank. He called out in a low voice, ¡°Mom¡­..¡±


    Yang Yun interrupted him: ¡°Your father¡¯s handling is not wrong. You injured Chencl Chen¡¯s friend first. The doctor said that his injury is serious enough to call the police, and the child¡¯s injury is on the head. He will take the college entrance examination soon. You are already much better off than him now, so we will leave it at that.¡±


    He Qianjian couldn¡¯t believe what he heard. Was this the mother who would feel distressed when she saw even a scratch on him? Now he had a broken leg, and hundreds of cactus needles had been pierced all over his body, some of which when being pulled out even took his flesh with it, and the pain was so painful that he could hardly even breathe.


    As expected, this was blood relationship? In such a short time, her heart had already become biased towards her own biological son. He thought that Yang Yun had at least some affection for him after so many years, but he didn¡¯t expect it to change just like that.


    He Qianjian could hardly suppress the darkness in his heart. For so many years, he had been living in the He family. Before they knew his true identity, the He family had treated him so well, so even though he knew that he was not their biological son and kept a distance from them, how could he have no feelings for them at all.


    In his last life, his parents were poor people at the bottom of the society. They didn¡¯t receive any higher education. They were petty and vulgar. They treated their children like belongings that could be beaten and scolded easily. Since childhood, if he did something wrong it was his own reasons, and if he did something right it was due to the success of parental education, something that could be gleefully shown off by them.


    How many times, when he saw his classmates¡¯ parents who were well-dressed and behaved elegantly, did he envy and complain to the heavens for not giving him such a good birth and family, but after he died once, the heavens seemed to have opened their eyes and actually gave him a chance to choose.


    Ordinary parents or rich parents, he didn¡¯t need to think about it at all. He Qianjian chose the latter. At that time, he only thought such a family was glamorous and decent. Later, when he grew up in the He family and saw how a family that possessed wealth and education and were caring towards their children was like, the more grateful he was for his choice on the first day of transmigrating, and the more afraid that one day Jiang Chen would come back and take everything from him.


    Therefore, he tried his best to disguise himself so that everyone in the He family would like him. He wanted to live like those blessed sons of heaven he wanted to be the most in his previous life, and he also wanted to have the warmth of family that he never had in his previous life.


    However, Jiang Chen¡¯s appearance shattered all his fantasies.


    A biological child was a biological child, even if they had eighteen years of familial affection, even if he tried to please them so much, He Yanfeng and Yang Yun still chose their own biological child without hesitation over him.


    He Yanfeng could see through the resentment and unwillingness in He Qianjian¡¯s eyes at a glance, as well as the little bit of sadness, but he was extremely disappointed in He Qianjian now. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Jiang Chen¡¯s car accident involving the hitman hadn¡¯t been clarified, he might have immediately kicked He Qianjian out of the house.


    ¡°This matter is settled like this.¡± He Yanfeng said lightly: ¡°No matter who asks, you can only say that you slipped and fell off the balcony, including your grandparents.¡±


    He Qianjian gritted his teeth, hating so much that he almost tasted blood in his mouth, and then slowly raised his head: ¡°What if I tell Grandpa?¡±


    He Yanfeng narrowed his eyes slightly, the coldness in his eyes was self-evident.


    ¡°If Grandpa knew that Jiang Chen is such a person, will he let him come back to the He family so easily?¡±


    He Qianjian had always been afraid of He Yanfeng. Even if he was reborn, he was still intimidated by the oppressive feeling of his cold face, just like the natural fear of students for teachers and employees for superiors. Since childhood, he had never dared to talk back to He Yanfeng, playing the role of the mature and excellent eldest son who always obeyed him.


    But now, seeing that He Yanfeng abandoned him without hesitation for Jiang Chen, and thinking of the embarrassment and fear he had experienced during this period of time, the resentment in his heart could no longer be concealed.


    ¡°Jiang Chen is ruthless, cold-blooded and cruel, arrogant to the point of lawlessness. He dared to break into the house and break my leg and force me to jump off the balcony even before he was officially admitted to the He family. It shows what he is capable of doing when he really does come back!¡± He Qianjian¡¯s tone sounded suppressed and also concealed sharpness: ¡°If Grandpa knows, he will definitely not let this kind of person who may disturb the harmony of the He family and ruin the reputation of the He family come back!¡±


    ¡°Do you think your grandpa will still stand by you after knowing that you attacked Jiang Chen¡¯s friends first?¡± He Yanfeng¡¯s words were calm and mild: ¡°His own grandson versus other people¡¯s children, you have been using this status since childhood to do many things for yourself, so you should be very clear who the old gentleman will lean towards in the end.¡±


    ¡°Besides, you stayed in the hospital for three days, and the old gentleman and the old madam didn¡¯t come to see you. Do you really think they don¡¯t know about this?¡±


    At this, He Qianjian froze, his face turning pale inch by inch.

 CH 117

    The vicissitudes of life upstairs couldn¡¯t affect the harmony downstairs at all.


    While He Qianjian confronted He Yanfeng and Yang Yun in the surgical inpatient department on the fifth floor, Jiang Chen¡¯s family was packing up their things in the obstetrics inpatient department on the second floor, preparing to be discharged and go home.


    Yang Si gave birth very smoothly. Not only did she give birth to Jiang Ran within half an hour, but also her follow-up recovery was very fast. She could be discharged from the hospital in less than three days. After that, she only needed to stay at home for recuperation and there would be basically no problem at all.


    In the ward, Yang Si sat on the side with her daughter in her arms, smiling as she watched the father and son pair packing up their luggage.


    Although they only stayed for less than a week, Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo filled the suite-like ward with all the things they might or might not need after Yang Si gave birth. The sitting room, bedroom, and nursing room were already full of things that a mother and her baby might need.


    It would take a lot of time just to clean these up.


    Yang Si complained: ¡°I said at the beginning not to buy so many things, and it would be difficult to carry it when we leave the hospital. But you two keep bringing things here, and you bought so many duplicate things, wasting time and money.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo picked up a pacifier, carefully put it into a small sterilized box. He turned around and said, ¡°How are there any duplicates, aren¡¯t these all necessities?¡±


    ¡°You bought more than twenty pacifiers. Does she have twenty mouths? How can she use them up?¡± Yang Si pointed at the pacifier in Jiang Zhuo¡¯s hand. Then seeing Jiang Chen with three piles of clothes for the baby, she changed her target: ¡°And Chen Chen, you bought so many clothes for your little sister, could she wear them all? Babies grow very fast, and the clothes will not be able to be worn after a few days. She won¡¯t be able to wear all the ones you bought even if she changes three times a day.¡±


    Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo looked at each other, lowered their heads and packed up their things without speaking.


    Yang Si shook her head and teased the little girl in her arms: ¡°Ran Ran be good, you can¡¯t be like your brother and daddy, it¡¯s bad to be excess and extravagant.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Back home, Yang Si fed her once, and then took Jiang Ran to bed.


    Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo organized the things they brought back, cooked a light meal of some dumplings, and ate some casually before completely relaxing.


    The father and son pair sat on the sofa, looking at the many extra baby products at home, with smiles on their faces. Jiang Zhuo thought of something, and his smile gradually faded. He got up and walked to the door, quietly glanced at his sleeping wife and daughter inside, and then closed the door and went back to the living room.


    Jiang Chen also put away his relaxed look, and looked up at his father who sat next to him.


    ¡°Chen Chen.¡± Jiang Zhuo lowered his voice: ¡°I have been taking care of your mother and sister for the past few days, and I haven¡¯t been able to continue the chat with you about the unfinished things in the hospital garden. Now I finally have the time. Dad wants to chat with you.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Dad wants to ask you, what is the attitude of the He family now.¡± Jiang Zhuo paused, and added: ¡°Towards you.¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips: ¡°I discussed with them before that I will not disclose my identity before the college entrance examination, and only go to the old family house once a month to have dinner with the old gentleman and old madam, and¡­..after it is made public, I will change my identity and return to using the He surname.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo¡¯s expression changed slightly. He was silent for a while, then sighed softly. He slowly raised his hand, put it lightly on Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulder, and pressed it firmly: ¡°You have worked hard during this time, son.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes suddenly, and they involuntarily reddened..


    He agreed to the He family to change back to using the He surname because the He family gave him half a year of freedom and buffer time in exchange for this surname, and also because he believed that his parents cared more about other things than the surname.


    However, no matter how sure he was before, when faced with that short period of silence just now, he still felt uneasy. He couldn¡¯t help thinking, if his father was really sad because of this matter, or if he really cared about this matter, then how would he explain it, and how would he solve it.


    In just a few seconds, he thought about many things his father might say, and also thought about many ways to answer and respond. He was even ready to endure his anger, but he didn¡¯t expect that what he heard was: You¡¯ve worked hard.


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyelashes, and the teardrops quickly fell into the sofa cushion, leaving no trace.


    Jiang Zhuo moved his hands on Jiang Chen¡¯s shoulders, wrapped his arms around him, and hugged him gently with one hand. He patted his back with the other, comforting him in a gentle voice: ¡°Okay, it¡¯s all over, no matter what happens in the future, Dad will face it with you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t blame me?¡±


    ¡°Why would Dad blame you?¡± Jiang Zhuo said in a hearty and gentle voice, ¡°Would you disown Dad just because you don¡¯t share my surname?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Jiang Chen raised his head, his eyes still red.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Zhuo touched the end of his eyes and said, ¡°Dad knows, you would agree because you know what Mom and I care more about than these formalities, because you care about Mom and Dad and are afraid of us being sad, so you wanted us to have the time to slowly adjust, right?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes stung more, and he nodded slightly.


    ¡°In that case, of course I won¡¯t blame you.¡± Jiang Zhuo paused, and looked at him pretending to be surprised: ¡°I thought us father and son had a better understanding than you and your mother, a tacit understanding without words. You wouldn¡¯t happen to not trust Dad just now, would you.¡±


    Jiang Chen wiped his eyes casually. He didn¡¯t expect that after decades, he would still cry in front of his father. He turned his head slightly, coughed softly, and changed the subject: ¡°Let¡¯s continue talking.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo joked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you still shy in front of your own father? When you were young, and got in a fight with a little girl for toys, you couldn¡¯t win against her physically or using reasoning, don¡¯t know who it was who loved to cry so much. I didn¡¯t see you being shy back then.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head: ¡°That¡¯s a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°No matter how long, Dad still remembers it clearly.¡± Jiang Zhuo smiled, recalling the memories, and stretched out his hand to gesture: ¡°Your mother and I watched you grow from such a small little thing to a tall young man now. We participated in every moment of your growth, and we understand and love you better than anyone else.¡±


    ¡°So, not only do Mom and Dad trust you, you also have to trust us. No matter what happens, we are a family of three, no, now we are a family of four. No matter what difficulties we face, our family of four will never be separated.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes were as clear as water, and a faint smile overflowed from his eyes, lighting up his entire face. He nodded heavily and agreed.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Zhuo glanced at the time, got up and said, ¡°Dad just wanted to ask you about the He family¡¯s decision. Now that your mother is about to wake up, Dad is going to make her something to eat. You haven¡¯t had much rest either during so many days, so go to sleep for a while, didn¡¯t you say that you will go to the hospital with Xiao Xu to see Xiao Bo after school later?¡±


    Jiang Chen stood up and was about to take a step when he stopped, and called after Jiang Zhuo: ¡°About He Qianjian, what are you going to do?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo turned his head, the smile on his face faded: ¡°Your mother doesn¡¯t like him very much, so we¡¯ll talk about it later.¡±


    ¡°But he is¡­..¡±


    Jiang Zhuo shook his head, turned around and looked at Jiang Chen: ¡°You know that Dad had no parents, and you have no grandparents. I have always been an orphan, until I met your mother, and then we had a family. From Dad¡¯s point of view, blood relationship is very important, but it is far less important than affinity. You would become the child of me and your mother, this is fate, he¡­..maybe there is no fate between us from the beginning. ¡°


    ¡°Damn, Uncle Jiang really said that?¡± Shen Xu took a bite of the apple and said, ¡°That¡¯s so cool.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at him: ¡°I¡¯ve said so much, and you only pick up on this?¡±


    ¡°What else is there?¡± Shen Xu frowned, thinking hard, then suddenly snapped his fingers. He leaned over and said in a mysterious and vulgar way: ¡°I heard that He Qianjian has a fianc¨¦e, you guys were promised to each other when you two weren¡¯t even born yet. Since you are Uncle He¡¯s biological son, then the fianc¨¦e is also yours.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his leg, kicked his stool, and turned to look at Huo Bo.


    Huo Bo¡¯s head was still wrapped in gauze, but his complexion was pretty good. Seeing Jiang Chen looking over, he was still in the mood to joke, and he raised his lips and said, ¡°Congratulations, the eldest young master has a fianc¨¦e.¡±


    ¡°You two¡­..¡± Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help laughing, and after laughing, he said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I kept this matter from you both this whole time.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing to apologize for.¡± Shen Xu threw the apple core into the trash can, put his foot on the ground, and slid the chair to Jiang Chen¡¯s side. He said with a smile: ¡°Actually, old Huo and I have suspected it for a long time. You and He Qianmin look so similar, as long as we are not blind, we can¡¯t help but think about it in our heart, not to mention that you not only resemble He Qianmin, but you resemble every He family member we have ever met, either this part or that part. No matter how dumb, anyone would have doubts.¡±


    Huo Bo nodded: ¡°At first when I learned it was He Qianjian who was looking for your trouble I was worried that you would suffer losses, so I wanted to check He Qianjian¡¯s background for you. Later, I found that He Qianjian is very strange. I wanted to warn you, but I can see that you already had an understanding in your heart, so I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, every time He Qianjian tried to find trouble with you, he failed, and he is the one who suffered. We saw that you didn¡¯t want to mention him very much, so we didn¡¯t tell you about him.¡± Shen Xu picked up a banana this time, and while peeling the skin, said: ¡°Besides, we both understand that you not telling us about this is because you don¡¯t really want to go back to the He family. To put it bluntly, you don¡¯t really want to admit your identity, and if you don¡¯t want to admit it, naturally you won¡¯t tell us.¡±


    ¡°But, I have to say something.¡± Shen Xu handed the banana to Huo Bo, only for Huo Bo to reject it in disdain, then handed it to Jiang Chen: ¡°Eat a banana, I peeled it specially for you.¡± Jiang Chen was also disdainful and gave him an eyeroll. Shen Xu shrugged his shoulders, took a bite himself, and continued: ¡°Your biological parents are actually quite good to you. You can¡¯t think that the He family is not good just because He Qianjian is disgusting. Isn¡¯t there still Min Min? He is your dear little brother. I know you are filial to Uncle and Aunt Jiang, but Mr. He and Mrs. He are also your parents, and you being good to both sides is not a hindrance. So, buddy, we just want to tell you that you should learn to accept them, have them give you more pocket money, and then often treat us buddies to food.¡±


    Jiang Chen kicked his chair away, and amidst the laughter and cursing, he lowered his eyes and began to think.

 CH 118

    April flew by, and at the beginning of the May Day holiday, the military image processing system of Jiang Chen¡¯s team passed countless experiments, and finally entered the army for small-scale trials. If the system operated without any problems, it would soon be included into the national public security system.


    As a non-staff member who was temporarily given leadership and caused a lot of controversy due to his young age, Jiang Chen and his team achieved such an achievement in just half a year, which really surprised many people. On the first day of the system loading experiment, Major General Wu and the top leaders of the institute attended the signing meeting.


    In the conference room, Jiang Chen sat on the left side of the main seat, looking calmly at a group of military experts who often appear in various academic journals and national news.


    ¡°Young people are terrifying.¡±


    Directly opposite Jiang Chen, the gray-haired old man pushed the silver-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, and gave a faint compliment. The corners of the old man¡¯s mouth were cast naturally downward, and the deep nasolabial folds on both sides made him look extremely solemn and difficult to get along with. His tone of praise also proved this point.


    ¡°Thank you, Professor Yang.¡±


    Jiang Chen got up, bowed lightly, and sat down calmly, without arrogance or rashness, appearing calm and mature.


    The appreciation in the eyes of the old man flashed by, and when he spoke, his tone was more solemn than before: ¡°I heard that you are not going to fully authorize the ownership of the system to the country, but hope to start a company by yourself, apply for a patent and put into the market.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Chen nodded slightly, looked straight into the eyes of the old man, his eyes still calm and respectful: ¡°I hope that the research institute can divide the intellectual property rights and transfer part of the patents to the research institute. After the company is established, the research institute will own part of the profits of the image processing system according to the shareholding ratio, and these profits can be invested in the research institute as a research fund.¡±


    The old man looked at him probingly, and with a touch of intimidation, he said: ¡°This seems to be a contract that is completely beneficial to the research institute. Without spending a cent, a relatively large amount of funding is received.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes curved, and his tone was the clearness of a young man¡¯s: ¡°Professor Yang, why bother to make fun of me? My plan is entirely to get the protection of the research institute. When the company is first established, it will inevitably encounter various troubles. I just want to concentrate on research. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Since you are afraid of trouble, why go out and start a company.¡± Professor Yang said lightly: ¡°Stay in the research institute directly, and I will make an exception for you to become a formal researcher. I can also speak with Hua University. As long as you finish all your credit requirements and maintain excellent grades, the school will not pursue your class attendance rate.¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°How does Professor Yang know that I can remain outstanding even if I don¡¯t go to school? Hua University is full of talents. If I can¡¯t keep up with the class, won¡¯t it be a waste of the previous ten years of hard study.¡±


    ¡°Will you not be able to keep up with the class?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The corners of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth were curved slightly, but the slightly raised brows could not hide the youthful spirit, which was clear and confident.


    ¡°Then why bother to talk nonsense to me.¡± The tone seemed to be scolding, but a smile flashed across his eyes. Professor Yang brought up the previous topic, and said in a deep voice: ¡°Tell me about your thoughts, doing research and starting a company are not the same thing.¡±


    Jiang Chen was already prepared. He got up and turned on the computer and the projector at the same time.


    The PPT background on the screen was simple, and the text was concise and to the point.


    ¡°Changjiang Image Processing System, our team is currently developing a military version, but the original version in my hand was originally positioned for home use, it¡­¡± Jiang Chen calmly introduced the feasibility of putting the image processing system on the market and the various functions it can develop in the future, ¡°Not only military, image processing systems are also used in medicine and even radar, and our company¡¯s products are only for home use. If other fields want to use the Changjiang Image Processing System, we can authorize them to carry out research and development on other aspects of the processing system, and the authorization fee will also be divided between the research institute and the company I will establish according to equity.¡±


    The meeting room was very quiet, and the faces of the several bigwigs did not fluctuate much, including Professor Yang who was sitting opposite Jiang Chen.


    However, after Jiang Chen finished speaking and sat down, the middle-aged man next to Professor Yang said, ¡°Your idea is very good and very commercial. If you put this idea in front of those investors, they will probably provide funds to build a research laboratory for you, or even provide you with a large amount of start-up funds, the research institute should not be your first choice.¡±


    ¡°The research institute has always been my first choice.¡± Jiang Chen shifted his gaze slightly, and nodded politely to the middle-aged man, but what he said caused everyone present to change their expressions slightly. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t just want to cooperate with the institute, but also the government and country.¡±


    ¡°Young man, what a bold tone.¡± Sitting near the center, a man with extremely high cheekbones laughed, and raised his chin slightly to look at Jiang Chen: ¡°Do you think that if you just come up with some results and make a small achievement, you will be able to get the full backing of the country, so that you can have smooth sailing in the future?¡±


    He didn¡¯t say the last two words, but Jiang Chen could hear them.


    ¡ªHow ridiculous.


    Whether it was ridiculous or not, Jiang Chen slightly curled his lips, one would not know until they saw for themselves.


    ¡°Professor Xu, although I¡¯m young, I don¡¯t think that my image processing system alone is enough to be recognized by everyone.¡± Jiang Chen quickly tapped his fingers on the keyboard a few times, and said, ¡°This is another system I developed independently, the Changjiang Image Processing System is only a part of it, I call it¡ª¡ªChangjiang.¡±


    ¡°Changjiang?¡±


    Everyone looked up at the front, and an image made of blue dotted lines resembling an asteroid appeared on the background of the Milky Way.


    Jiang Chen tapped the keyboard with his fingers, and the slowly rotating dotted line on the screen condensed, and then shrunk little by little, turning into a star and blending into the background of the Milky Way.


    ¡°Please allow me to introduce this system.¡± Jiang Chen got up, and the Changjiang system that drove the galaxy to rotate on the screen was shining brightly, and part of it reflected into his eyes: ¡°Changjiang, an artificial intelligence protection system, has its own firewall and the ability to attack and invade other networks, in terms of home use and other aspects I will not elaborate here. In terms of military affairs, its powerful algorithms and databases enable it to have a strong ability to analyze, which is equivalent to the brainstorming of hundreds of military strategic deployment experts. When foreign enemies invade, not only can it automatically turn on the protection system, it can also adjust the strategy according to the battlefield situation during the battle. When all the weapons in the military library are implanted into the Changjiang database, it can complete a warfare by itself.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head, his eyes swept over the people with different expressions one by one, and the corners of his mouth curled up confidently.


    ¡°And it will be a definite victory.¡±


    It was undeniable that Jiang Chen¡¯s words moved them deeply, and they couldn¡¯t help but start to imagine that if such a system really existed, it would not take many years for their country to become a world superpower. This image was too grand and too exaggerated.


    Someone came back to themselves, and the middle-aged man with high cheekbones said coldly: ¡°What you said is simply nonsense. Have you ever fought a war? Yet you talk about a definite victory, how ignorant.¡±


    Jiang Chen was not infuriated by his words, but calmly looked at everyone present: ¡°The research and development of hot weapons is just for deterrence, and the real confrontation of hot weapons, at least in our country, has been impossible in the past few decades, but I can assert that it will not take ten years for network technology to develop to an incredible level. By then, the war will be transformed into an information war. Whoever occupies the high ground of the information war will be invincible. The Changjiang system is the glass ceiling of information warfare.¡±


    The confidence in these words was not insignificant, even those who were shaken by the blueprint he drew before shook their heads at his words, and even Major General Wu sighed in his heart.


    After all, he was still a young man, thinking so naively.


    Professor Yang¡¯s gaze was heavy: ¡°How do you prove that your system has the ability you said?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and smiled slightly: ¡°If possible, I hope everyone will allow me to show my ability.¡±


    Major General Wu said in a deep voice, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    After these words were uttered, the scientific research institute suddenly issued an alarm that the network was being attacked, and the blue light began to flicker on the wall. Several people present subconsciously got up and wanted to go out to check the situation, but the blue light stopped blinking as soon as the door was opened.


    Only Professor Yang, with surprise in his eyes, was as motionless as a mountain.


    ¡°Major General¡­..¡±


    A young researcher ran over in a hurry, just when someone in the meeting room opened the door to go out to check the situation, and without even having time to say hello, he panted and said: ¡°Someone just invaded our system and left immediately before we found out, only a word was left behind¡­..¡±


    Major General Wu hurriedly asked, ¡°What word?¡±


    ¡°¡®Ability¡¯.¡±


    Everyone present was taken aback for a moment, and at the same time came back to their senses and looked at Jiang Chen.


    Jiang Chen got up, and Major General Wu hurriedly sent the young researcher to go out, closed the door and said, ¡°Was it you just now?¡±


    ¡°It was Changjiang.¡±


    Someone speculated: ¡°You had it hack into the firewall of the institute before the meeting started?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and shook his head: ¡°It only started to invade when I said to show ability.¡±


    ¡°How is it possible!¡± Someone said directly: ¡°The firewall of the research institute is the latest researched version by the Security Bureau, not to mention the firewall, even the most powerful hacker, it will take at least half an hour to overcome it, yet you just finished talking and it successfully invaded? How long was it, two seconds or three seconds?¡±


    ¡°Not even one second.¡± Jiang Chen corrected: ¡°The alarm device of the research institute seems to be delayed.¡±


    ¡°How, how is it possible?¡±


    Silence spread in the conference room, and the middle-aged man next to Professor Yang said: ¡°How can we believe that you didn¡¯t prepare well from the beginning, but really used your system to invade the firewall of the research institute in a second?¡±


    ¡°I can continue to prove it.¡± Jiang Chen said: ¡°If the leaders here guarantee that I will not be held accountable, Changjiang can even enter the national arsenal system, obtain the secret key of nuclear weapons, and check the code. Naturally, the role of Changjiang can be determined.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s words clearly sounded like blatant nonsense, but don¡¯t know if his tone was too firm or what, shaking their disbelief from the bottom of their hearts. This system might really be as powerful as he said?


    It didn¡¯t even need to be like what he said, even if it could only achieve one or two percent of what he said, it could have an inestimable impact on the country.


    However, how could they know the secret key of the country¡¯s nuclear weapons? This was something that was only in the hands of the leaders above. This kid wouldn¡¯t happen to know this, so he is bluffing them, right?


    Someone looked at Jiang Chen suspiciously, and Jiang Chen didn¡¯t dodge or avoid, he let him look at him, and even the corners of his mouth were slightly pursed in a smile, the dimple on his left cheek showing faintly.


    Very sweet and well behaved.


    He didn¡¯t look like he could deceive people.


    He looked like a good boy.


    The man withdrew his gaze, telling himself not to be confused by this kid¡¯s appearance. When he said all of that just now, his tone was so arrogant, even if he didn¡¯t lie, he was too young.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know what was going on in the mind of the person who was looking at him, he just felt that the middle-aged man was quite amiable, and smiled back. He also knew that what he just said had no possibility of being implemented, at least not now.


    He smiled and said, ¡°However you want to gain proof, Changjiang is willing to accept the challenge.¡±


    ¡°Including military exercises and an information war with the National Cyber Security Agency?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, he smiled and said, ¡°Anytime.¡±

 CH 119

    After Jiang Chen left, the conference room was quiet for nearly three minutes, and no one left.


    The man with high cheekbones moved the chair he was on, and the movement attracted the attention of the others. Facing the gazes of his colleagues, he frowned deeply: ¡°Do you think¡­ will his idea really come true one day?¡±


    The middle-aged man next to Professor Yang was thoughtful, ¡°What Xiao Jiang said may really be the mainstream of national development in the future. The main focus of our Seventeenth Research Institute is electronic technology. Everyone here knows that computers will be everywhere in every house in the future. At that time personal information will be more transparent, and all kinds of information of the country will inevitably need to use the Internet. If there is an information war, a strong firewall and counterattack methods are essential. Whoever takes the lead first will occupy a place among the future powers.¡±


    In the words of both, they used the Changjiang system described by Jiang Chen as the blueprint, but both of them only took it as the blueprint, and did not believe that the Changjiang system could really be as powerful as Jiang Chen described.


    ¡°Without testing at all, you all believe that the system in his hands does not have the capabilities he said.¡± Sitting at the end of the long table, the woman who had been silent the whole time before raised her red lips and casually questioned: ¡°Is this not against the spirit of scientific research?¡±


    ¡°Director Yang.¡± The man with high cheekbones turned to look at her, both surprised and mocking: ¡°Do you really think what Jiang Chen said is true? Have you listened carefully to what he said? He said that he is now developing, what is it called¡­ the Changjiang system is already the glass ceiling of the information war, the glass ceiling of the defense system, heh, what big talk. Before the information war has even officially started, he is saying that the system he developed is already the glass ceiling. Has he experienced war? This is no different from watching the sky from a well, you are the director of the Cyber Security Bureau, you don¡¯t really believe what he said, do you?¡±


    The woman known as Director Yang glanced at him lightly, then turned her gaze to Professor Yang, who was at the main seat, and said respectfully: ¡°Professor Yang, we represent the National Cyber Security Bureau, and we are ready to conduct information warfare with the Changjiang System at any time.¡±


    ¡°Can you represent the Security Bureau?¡±


    Professor Yang glanced heavily at the man with high cheekbones, and waited until the man was silent before his eyes fell on Director Yang¡¯s face. He capped the pen in his hand, and said softly, ¡°I will decide on the time as soon as possible, and notify you three days in advance.¡±


    Director Yang nodded: ¡°Understood!¡±


    Professor Yang nodded: ¡°Remember, you are the National Cyber Security Agency, and I hope you will send out the strongest opponents.¡±


    Originally, when the man with high cheekbones heard what Professor Yang said earlier, he wanted to interrupt and ask him why he wanted to conduct this experiment that would yield results everyone already knew without having to be carried out at all. But when he heard the last sentence, he hesitated again. Could it be that Professor Yang didn¡¯t believe the words of that immature kid? But just want to polish him through this matter?


    After all, Jiang Chen¡¯s achievements at this age have indeed left most scientific researchers behind. If he was trained well, his future would definitely be limitless.


    The doubts and guesses that the man with high cheekbones have, everyone else had, too.


    The man next to Professor Yang asked directly: ¡°Teacher, do you really believe that Jiang Chen¡¯s system is as powerful as he described?¡±


    Professor Yang didn¡¯t answer his question, but asked, ¡°How old is that child?¡±


    The man quickly replied, ¡°Eighteen years old.¡±


    ¡°What were you doing when you were eighteen?¡±


    The man paused: ¡°Attending the third year of high school.¡±


    ¡°He is also in the third year of high school.¡± Professor Yang¡¯s stern gaze swept over everyone, and he said meaningfully: ¡°And every year, his comprehensive score ranking is the first in the whole grade and even the first in the city. Not only that, he also developed the image processing system, signed a licensing contract with Li De, and had his own laboratory at the age of seventeen. Who of you can accomplish what he has at his age?¡±


    The several people looked at each other, but did not speak.


    Major General Wu was optimistic about Jiang Chen quite a bit, but he had to say something: ¡°This kind of genius is not without precedent. The most recent one is Shi Fengyue. He had his own patent at the age of fifteen, but even so, he is now¡­..¡± He originally wanted to say that he had accomplished nothing, but he changed his words: ¡°Deviating from the path of scientific research.¡±


    ¡°That kid from the Shi family didn¡¯t deviate from the path of scientific research, he just wanted to change another path.¡± Professor Yang said calmly: ¡°You only see how much time and energy it takes to lead a military exercise and an information war and how many approval reports are needed, but have you ever thought that if what Jiang Chen said is true, if the system in his hands can really be as he said, then even if the time to understand and use this system comes a single day late, it will be a huge inestimable loss for the country.¡±


    The conference room fell silent.


    If the system Jiang Chen mentioned was really so powerful, then there were too many things it could do. Although Jiang Chen only talked about its military application, everyone here was an expert in this field. Just based on what Jiang Chen said, they could think of various application methods of the Changjiang System in various industries of the entire national network.


    If the application of the Changjiang system was developed one step ahead of the world, when it was actually put into use, the development of all walks of life in the motherland, the economy and politics of the entire country, including diplomacy, would take a rocket-like leap.


    Not to mention too far away, just to talk about the world science and technology exhibition in July this year. Once the Changjiang system was exhibited, it would definitely become one of the most cutting-edge technologies in the world. When it comes to the United Nations Diplomatic Conference in October, how much advantage would their country have at the diplomatic level? They could hardly dare to imagine.


    However, was the Changjiang system really as powerful as Jiang Chen said?


    Everyone here didn¡¯t know the answer, but they now have a decision in their hearts, no matter how much manpower, material and energy this experiment required, they must still carry it out.


    In the corner of the conference room, the young man sitting next to the female head of the Cyber Security Bureau held his heart, felt its rapid beating. He couldn¡¯t help but hold his head, and let out a soft exclamation.


    If it was real! If Changjiang was really as powerful as that boy said just now, then he, he would squeeze into his scientific research team even if he must be shameless! At all costs!


    He could imagine that if what he said was true, the company founded by the boy would definitely be the coolest and most exciting place to work in this century! Without exception! ! !


    ¡°C, are you okay?¡±


    Noticing the movement of the young man beside her, the woman turned slightly and asked in a low voice.


    C blushed, shook his head, but halfway through the shaking, he froze again, and nodded.


    It seemed that there was something wrong¡­..


    He was socially phobic. If he really wanted to go to the boy¡¯s lab, then he had to resign and then apply for the job. When he resigned, he would need to report to how many people, and also how many layers of selection would be required to pass the job. Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps, but¡­¡­what were these difficulties compared to the world-class top computer science laboratory in the future?!


    The woman couldn¡¯t understand his movements, and frowned slightly: ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡±


    C immediately shook his head, avoiding the woman¡¯s gaze a little guiltily, and sat up straight.


    The woman didn¡¯t ask any more questions. This new colleague was very capable, and he was even third in Wingnet¡¯s hacker rankings. He had performed very well since he took the job, but he didn¡¯t like to talk and didn¡¯t fit in well. Leaving him alone was the most comfortable way for him.


    ¡­¡­


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know about the discussion in the conference room, nor did he know that he just passed by a netizen he had a good relationship with. He was currently talking with Shi Fengyue.


    ¡°Thank you very much this time.¡± Jiang Chen was basically sure that the goal he wanted to achieve in this meeting had been achieved, and he was very excited. He even walked faster than usual, and his tone was full of smiles: ¡°Say it, whatever you want to eat, I will even treat you to ten meals.¡±


    Jiang Chen had devoted himself to research for three lifetimes. The slightly commercial way of splitting up shares of intellectual property rights was simply not something that a person like him who had never done business could think of.


    At first, he just wanted to propose cooperation to Major General Wu to further develop the Changjiang Protection System after the image processing system was completed.


    However, the night before preparing for the image processing system test meeting, Jiang Chen suddenly remembered the special case of Shi Fengyue¡ª¡ªhe only had two patents, and only one was in the Seventeenth Research Institute, but he had more authority than some leaders and main researchers, and even at one point, he could directly apply to use the military system.


    The military system included a lot, but because of its particularity, each system branch was very important, and it was impossible to open the military system authority unless one was in a certain position.


    But Shi Fengyue did it, and had the experience of using the military system in advance before the request was even passed. Although several factions jointly suppressed this matter that time, it had to be said that this matter being able to be suppressed stemed from the contract he signed with the military and the research institute back then.


    This was what Jiang Chen heard when he mentioned this matter to old Mr. He and He Yanjun during a certain family dinner, but he was not very clear about the specific agreement. But thinking about it, that it was possible to get the research institute and the military to agree to sign such a contract could not be separated from Shi Fengyue¡¯s identity.


    Thinking of this, Jiang Chen immediately called Shi Fengyue. After all, he said that he could find him if he ever planned to sign a contract with the research institute.


    That night, after listening to all his thoughts, Shi Fengyue gave him a feasible plan, which was the division of intellectual property rights.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to treat me to ten meals.¡± Shi Fengyue¡¯s voice seemed a little tired, but held a deep smile: ¡°You can just come to my house again and make the same meal as last time.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s footsteps paused, and the bouncing shrimp floated up in his mind inopportunely. The fishy smell seemed to be still lingering on the corner of his lips, and that slight touch also flashed past.


    ¡°That¡¯s too simple.¡± Jiang Chen continued to walk forward, and said calmly, ¡°You have helped me so much, I must thank you well, and it is better to show sincerity by eating outside.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    Shi Fengyue agreed so readily, and it was obviously the result he wanted, but for some reason, Jiang Chen¡¯s heart suddenly became a little more irritable. Suddenly, even he himself didn¡¯t know what answer he wanted to hear. Holding the mobile phone in one hand, his tone was indifferent: ¡°We¡¯ll make a decision at that time. I have something to do now, so I¡¯ll hang up first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Shi Fengyue hung up the call first, Jiang Chen glanced at the phone with a blackened screen, raised his hand and waved to Yu Yi who was coming this way.


    Jiang Chen lowered his eyes slightly and smiled lightly: ¡°Sister Yu Yi.¡±


    Yu Yi raised her chin towards the conference room: ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°Achieved the intended purpose.¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Yu Yi smiled and said, ¡°But I also guessed that you would succeed. The two-year project was completed in half a year. You are the first case in the Seventeenth Research Institute.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡± Jiang Chen responded with a smile, and looked into Yu Yi¡¯s eyes: ¡°Sister Yu Yi, what do you think about what I told you earlier?¡±


    ¡°After the results of the meeting come out.¡± Yu Yi said, ¡°Even if I promise you, if you can¡¯t sign a contract with the research institute, it¡¯s still useless, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°True.¡±


    The smile on Yu Yi¡¯s face faded, and she pursed her lips and said, ¡°Actually, I think you can postpone starting your company. Now you are only in the third year of high school, and you still have four years in college. You can definitely wait until after sophomore year to consider this matter.¡±


    Jiang Chen shook his head, and the smile on his face faded a bit: ¡°This was originally something I had already planned to do, and¡­..I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡±


    Before, he had been using Changjiang to attack and capture the System¡¯s codes. The System was in a passive attack state for a while, and many useful codes were captured by Changjiang. After enough codes were analyzed, Jiang Chen could already confirm that it was indeed another program language, and currently he had a cracking direction.


    However, not long ago, the channel established by the System was completed. During this period of time, the battle between Changjiang and the System was often unable to decide on a victor. If it continued like this, the System would find Changjiang¡¯s loopholes, and finally complete the counterattack.


    If it was the version of Changjiang in the interstellar era, there was absolutely no need to be afraid of the System, but the technology of this era was limited after all. As he just said in the conference room, the version of Changjiang in his hand was already the glass ceiling that technology could reach now or even in the next ten years.


    But the System was not the case. It came from an unknown world and had unknown and powerful capabilities. Perhaps it did not need to upgrade itself after in-depth learning and was not affected by earth technology. If things went on like this, one day the System would be more powerful than Changjiang.


    Although this was only the worst outcome Jiang Chen speculated, if he continued fighting alone, under the limitation of hardware flaws, the growth of Changjiang would never catch up with the growth of the System. Therefore, he must form a company as soon as possible to form his own scientific research team, and he must also cooperate with the national government. Only with the support of the country and the government and completely raising the current hardware level could Changjiang be in an invincible position, could it truly break through the core of the System, and be able to know the origin and purpose of the System.


    Yu Yi didn¡¯t know what Jiang Chen was thinking, but she believed in Jiang Chen¡¯s ability, and the reason she would speak out to dissuade Jiang Chen was just because she thought that if Jiang Chen put too much thought into things outside scientific research, such as establishing a company and managing a company, it would definitely be a waste of talent.


    It was just that everyone had their own choices, and she had no position to interfere.


    After briefly mentioning this, Yu Yi didn¡¯t continue, she changed the topic: ¡°You won¡¯t come to the institute tomorrow, right?¡±


    It was now May, less than thirty-five days before the college entrance examination, the image processing system project was completed, and Jiang Chen, who had been on leave for more than half a semester, had to go back to school to prepare for the exam amidst the urging of one to two or three phone calls a day.


    ¡°It will be based on the results of this meeting.¡± Jiang Chen thought for a while and said, ¡°If it goes well, I may come to the institute again before the middle of this month.¡±


    ¡°What about the start time for the new project?¡±


    Yu Yi was very interested in the Changjian Protection System that Jiang Chen briefly described. When Jiang Chen established the image processing system military research and development team, she knew Jiang Chen¡¯s ability very well because of the information provided by her previous mentor, so she signed up immediately to Jiang Chen¡¯s research and development team.


    After only half a year of getting along, she also had a deeper understanding of the boy¡¯s ability, and she was convinced long before the end of the project that if Jiang Chen became a full-time researcher, she would continue to work with his team. But who knew that Jiang Chen offered to create a scientific research team and even invited her to join his team.


    When she knew that Jiang Chen was going to start a company, she had hesitated, but after seeing only part of the code of the Changjiang system, she had already made up her mind. No matter whether Jiang Chen could reach an agreement with the research institute, she would join Jiang Chen¡¯s team.


    And, she couldn¡¯t wait.


    ¡°If all goes well, within two months.¡±


    The company had been successfully registered, and the office location was also decided. The lease just needed to be signed and the place refurbished, and the laboratory did not need to be prepared. After the contract was signed, the Seventeen Research Institute would naturally provide their team with an independent test environment. These most important aspects having been taken care of, other things could come slowly.


    Yu Yi didn¡¯t expect Jiang Chen to be so efficient, but this was exactly what she wanted, the sooner the better.


    She nodded and promised: ¡°If everything goes well, I will definitely join your scientific research team.¡±


    Jiang Chen curved his eyes in a smile and stretched out his hand: ¡°Then wish us a happy cooperation in advance.¡±


    Yu Yi smiled and shook his hand: ¡°So confident?¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled but said nothing, though his slightly raised eyebrows had already revealed the answer.


    At a corner where the two of them couldn¡¯t see, a young man was frowning, he raised his leg for a moment and then turned the direction immediately. He hesitated and repeated several times, and finally made up his mind to walk out.


    However, as soon as he saw where the two of them were standing, the young man was taken aback. He quickly caught up with Yu Yi who had already turned around and walked towards the end of the corridor, and asked, ¡°Where is Team Leader Jiang?¡±


    Yu Yi paused and raised her eyebrows: ¡°Zhang Lei?¡±


    Zhang Lei looked around: ¡°Weren¡¯t you two just standing there and talking? Where did Jiang Chen go?¡±


    ¡°He left.¡± Yu Yi asked, ¡°Did you have something you need with him?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, a trace of frustration flashed across Zhang Lei¡¯s eyes, he was silent for a while, and tentatively asked: ¡°What were you talking about just now? Is Jiang Chen preparing for some new project? He greeted you in advance and let you join his project group?¡±


    When he was in the laboratory before, he overheard the conversation between Jiang Chen and Yu Yi. It was Jiang Chen who invited Yu Yi to join his scientific research team. At that time, he left without hearing the whole thing, but whenever he was free, he could not help but wonder what Jiang Chen¡¯s next research and development project would be.


    Even if he pondered about it day and night, he couldn¡¯t get a result. He wanted to ask directly a few times, but he couldn¡¯t put down his pride. The longer it took, the more itchy his heart became, but the longer it dragged on, the more he couldn¡¯t open his mouth.


    The relationship between him and Jiang Chen had not been considered good from the start and there had been several conflicts before. Now that the research project was over and it was time to part ways, Jiang Chen must not be willing to cooperate with him anymore¡ª¡ªsince he took the initiative to invite Yu Yi, but never mentioned it in front of other people in the laboratory.


    But, was he really going to give up this opportunity?


    He was thirty-two years old, and the project he established with enthusiasm and hope had been carried out for ten years without any results. Some time ago, the research institute did not approve any more funding for him, so the project had to be stopped, and he became an idle personnel, which was why Jiang Chen picked him into the team in the first place. At that time, he had grievances against Jiang Chen, and he couldn¡¯t help but not vent after his own research was stopped.


    But as a result of working together during this period of time, he also had to admire Jiang Chen¡¯s excellent scientific research ability and imagination and creativity. A truly top-notch system developer was not as boring as outsiders imagined programmers to be. On the contrary, imagination and creativity strength was indispensable.


    These things that seem to require talent by nature, Jiang Chen definitely possessed them to the full point. Not only did he have the talents bestowed by gods, he also had excellent brains and abilities, and he was still so young. It was conceivable that he would make something of himself in the future.


    If he could join his team, it would be of great help to expand his thinking and improve his ability. Not only that, but he also had a faint feeling in his heart that Jiang Chen¡¯s project this time was definitely not simple. If he could join, it would absolutely be beneficial to him.


    However, how could he have Jiang Chen let him join, and how could he open his mouth?


    ¡°Jiang Chen will create his own scientific research team.¡± This was something that would definitely be made public in the future, and Yu Yi had no need to hide it, but hearing Zhang Lei¡¯s probing tone, she smiled and said, ¡°Why? Are you interested?¡±


    Zhang Lei froze, the corners of his lips twitched a few times, and he finally nodded stiffly: ¡°I am indeed interested in the project in his hand, can you tell him for me, and ask him to let me join his team?¡±


    Yu Yi paused, then turned to look at Zhang Lei: ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Zhang Lei¡¯s cheeks were hot, but he still said: ¡°I didn¡¯t get along well with him before. I don¡¯t know if he will agree to my joining, so I want to ask you for help¡­.I really want to join his team.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t care about the past.¡± Yu Yi said, ¡°But it may be difficult for you to join his team.¡±


    Zhang Lei blurted out: ¡°Why?¡±


    Even if his previous projects have not produced results, the fact that the Institute was willing to provide him with funding for ten consecutive years had already proved his ability, not to mention that he also believed that his ability in the Seventeenth Institute was no worse than anyone else. Apart from personal grievances, he couldn¡¯t think of any other reason for not choosing him.


    Yu Yi shook her head, left behind ¡°you will know later¡± and passed him on her way upstairs.


    Once the research institute signed a cooperation agreement with Jiang Chen, and the scientific research team could be established, relying on the strength of the Changjiang itself, he only needed to let out a little bit of wind, and give that group of scientific research madmen a glimpse of a little sweetness, even if it was just a line of code, they would smash their heads in a battle to grab a spot.


    When the time came to compete with the top researchers in the country and even the world, Zhang Lei would get the answer by himself.

 CH 120

    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know that Yu Yi and Zhang Lei had such a conversation after he left, and he didn¡¯t know what Yu Yi was thinking. If he knew, he would probably give a wry smile, then shake his head and tell her that choosing among all the people in the world for scientific researchers was absolutely impossible, at least not in the next five years.


    When he recruited Yu Yi to join the team, he only revealed the general direction of Changjiang¡¯s research and development and an extremely simple model of the Changjiang system. It was not because he was too cautious or did not trust Yu Yi, but because the programming language of Changjiang was not of any of the existing programming languages, but the general-purpose programming language of the interstellar era¡ª¡ªStar.T.


    Star.T was named after the initials of the new galaxy ST1101 and the planet T, the planet that humans first arrived on, combined with the word star and symbolized beginnings. It had become a programming language jointly developed by humans after entering the new galaxy and regaining technological civilization. Before that, almost all programming languages had limitations, and were not suitable for the interstellar era after reconstruction, but Star.T was different. It basically combined the advantages of all programming languages and was applicable to all terminals and servers. Known as the most beautiful language of the interstellar era.


    Even if Jiang Chen directly asked Yu Yi to read the core code of Changjiang, Yu Yi would not understand anything, so he could only convert the code into the commonly used programming code now, and established a system model to attract Yu Yi to enter his research team.


    It might be that the construction of the system model was too simple. Yu Yi showed great interest in this project, but she didn¡¯t really realize the real power of Changjiang, so she would think in such a way.


    The strength of Changjiang did not lie in the fact that one aspect of it had reached the top level of the world today, but in the fact that after all its abilities were added together, one plus one was greater than two. It could be said that owning Changjiang was equivalent to having the most powerful army, the strongest shield, and the most secretive and pervasive intelligence organization for the entire country at the same time¡­..


    After the experiment, once the country truly understood the power of Changjiang, it would protect and hide this project team in an airtight manner. There was absolutely no possibility of putting it on an international platform for researchers from all over the world to study together.


    Jiang Chen knew this very well, but it was a pity that Yu Yi didn¡¯t know it, and even the people in the conference room only had vague understanding.


    When he arrived at the He family¡¯s old family house, it happened to be five o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Jiang Chen walked through the courtyard and saw old Mr. He sitting by the pond fishing.


    He turned around and walked to old Mr. He¡¯s side, ¡°Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Old Mr. He glanced at him, pointed to the little stool on the side, ¡°Sit.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded politely to the old gentlemen who were fishing together, sat down beside old Mr. He, and watched them fishing quietly.


    The pond was rippling, and a fishing line moved up and down. The owner of the fishing rod immediately reeled in the line, and caught a black fish that was as long as an adult man¡¯s arm. Then he said triumphantly: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that today¡¯s first fish would be caught by me.¡±


    Old Mr. He glanced at him lightly, and another old gentleman snorted, and said sourly: ¡°It¡¯s worth being happy to be able to catch one out of ten times.¡±


    The old gentleman who caught the fish was not angry either, he picked up the bucket and put it beside Jiang Chen, and said with a smile, ¡°Come, this is a gift from grandpa.¡±


    Jiang Chen was startled. His gaze was still on the fish when he heard someone say, ¡°Old Zhang, you just give a fish as a meeting gift?¡±


    Following the sound, Jiang Chen saw old Mr. Xiang wearing a wide-brimmed fisherman¡¯s hat. He couldn¡¯t help being pleasantly surprised: ¡°Grandpa Xiang.¡±


    Professor Xiang took off his hat, walked to Jiang Chen¡¯s side, bent over with his hands behind his back to look at the fish in the bucket, straightened up and said, ¡°Stingy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if the recipient doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m stingy.¡± Old Mr. Zhang looked at Jiang Chen: ¡°Xiao Chen, are you satisfied with this grandpa¡¯s gift?¡±


    Before Jiang Chen could speak, old Mr. He said, ¡°The gift you gave my grandson is a fish from my fish pond. You tell me if he is satisfied or not?¡±


    Not long after sitting down, Jiang Chen received a fish. Facing the hale and hearty old man in front of him, Jiang Chen was still a little confused about the situation, but since it was said to be a meeting gift, a fish was also good.


    If it¡¯s too expensive, he wouldn¡¯t know how to refuse it.


    ¡°I like it very much.¡± Jiang Chen said with a slight smile, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Old Mr. Zhang had been observing Jiang Chen, and he clearly saw the whole process of him from being dazed for a moment, to thanking him calmly after quickly regaining himself. This young man¡¯s disposition was very good. Thinking of this, old Mr. Zhang let out a few laughs, randomly took out a piece of jade pendant from his pants pocket, and handed it to Jiang Chen, ¡°Two fish, eat one and keep the other.¡±


    After Jiang Chen saw the jade pendant in the old gentleman¡¯s hand, he hesitated slightly. This jade pendant carved with a fish jumping over the dragon¡¯s gate had a beautiful luster and was exquisitely carved. He could tell it was worth a lot at first glance, and it was a bit expensive just as a meeting gift.


    That¡¯s more like it.¡± Professor Xiang patted Jiang Chen¡¯s arm and said with satisfaction, ¡°Take it.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, took the jade pendant and thanked him again. He had figured it out. Old Mr. He probably specially gathered these old people here today. He would take the college entrance examination soon and after the college entrance examination, his identity wouldn¡¯t be concealed anymore. Now that old Mr. He gathered these old friends together, his intentions should be to have them meet him in advance, which could be regarded as letting him recognize people in advance.


    Just as he thought this, old Mr. He soon introduced another old gentleman to him: ¡°This is Grandpa Han, this is Grandpa Zhang, and there is another one you already know, Grandpa Xiang, they are my and your grandma¡¯s friends of many years. Today they are here to give you their meeting gifts.¡±


    After old Mr. He finished speaking, old Mr. Han handed a key to Jiang Chen with a satisfied expression on his face: ¡°Grandpa has nothing to give you. This is a house on the side of Fengshan Mountain. The location is not bad. When you go to university in the future you can live there, and you can also use it when you get married.¡±


    Having already accepted old Mr. Zhang¡¯s gift, Jiang Chen naturally wouldn¡¯t mince about things. After accepting old Mr. Han¡¯s key, he calmly thanked him.


    Professor Xiang approached Jiang Chen and said in a low voice, ¡°You will know what my gift will be in a few days.¡±


    Seeing the mysterious expression on Professor Xiang¡¯s face, Jiang Chen paused. Something flashed through his mind, and he felt that it was impossible. He laughed secretly that he was thinking too much, and said calmly, ¡°Okay.¡±


    The old gentlemen stayed at the old He family house all afternoon, met Jiang Chen and chatted for a while, and then they were all picked up by people from their respective families. Today was the He family¡¯s family dinner, and they all knew it well, so they didn¡¯t stay and be a bother.


    There was also a small episode during this period, the person who came to pick up old Mr. Han and Professor Xiang was the same person. Jiang Chen saw the two old gentlemen walking together and thought they were going the same way. It was not until Han Qiya called old Mr. Han ¡°grandfather¡± did he learn that Han Qiya¡¯s grandfather was old Mr. Han.


    Under such circumstances, Han Qiya naturally knew Jiang Chen¡¯s identity. Before the two old gentlemen got into the car, she stopped Jiang Chen and chatted for a while, and they talked about things that strangers who were not familiar with each other usually would talk about. Neither cold nor offensive, although Jiang Chen was surprised why she stopped him on purpose, he didn¡¯t think too much, just answered her questions politely.


    Before leaving, Han Qiya suddenly asked: ¡°Do you know that I have a marriage contract with you?¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s mind unexpectedly recalled what Shen Xu said teasing him before. After a slight change in his expression, Han Qiya smiled before he could speak, and said, ¡°It seems that you know.¡±


    Having said that, there was no need to deny it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a bit.¡±


    Han Qiya nodded, and asked him with a smile: ¡°Do you have someone you like?¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, but did not answer.


    Seeing him like this, Han Qiya smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll pretend you don¡¯t have one.¡±


    Jiang Chen put away his smile, and said politely but distantly: ¡°Even if I don¡¯t have someone I like, I think the marriage contract was just a joke among the elders.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.¡± Han Qiya approached Jiang Chen and whispered, ¡°Look over there.¡±


    Jiang Chen took half a step back and looked in the direction she was pointing at, only to see old Mr. He, old Mr. Han, and Professor Xiang looking at this side with smiles on their faces.


    He took another half step back, narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    The smile on Han Qiya¡¯s face faded, she bit her lower lip, and said with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s okay, we are not familiar with each other now, it¡¯s normal for you to reject me.¡±


    Jiang Chen frowned slightly, but before he could speak, the girl had already turned and ran away, waving at him while running, saying with a smile: ¡°We will meet again soon!¡±


    Not long after the old people left, He Qianyu came back from her dance class. She chattered at Jiang Chen, asking him if he could accompany her to the playground during the summer vacation, and asking him about Jiang Chen¡¯s newborn little sister, whether she had grown up a bit. Wherever Jiang Chen went she followed, like a little tail.


    When dinner was about to start, other people also arrived at the old house one after another. Among them, He Qianjian was the latest one. It may be because of the distance from the school, or it may be because of his leg and could only walk with a crutch.


    As soon as He Qianjian entered the old house, he saw Jiang Chen, and the hand holding on the crutch pausex. New and old hatred surged up at the same time, and he almost swung his crutch to hit him.


    Fortunately, the System reminded him in time: [If you want to stay in the He family, I suggest you calm down.]


    [I know.]


    He Qianjian¡¯s chest heaved for a while, he retracted his gaze and walked in with his head down: [Now is not the time to deal with him, I will not let him grab hold of a weakness again.]


    The voice of the System was colder than before: [It¡¯s good that you know, I don¡¯t have any extra energy to help you wipe your ass now, I hope you can take care of yourself. There is a third mock exam in ten days, if you want to continue using the system¡¯s optimal choice function, you¡¯d better find it as soon as possible¡­..]


    Jiang Chen looked up at the direction in which He Qianjian was walking away, his eyes flickering slightly, thoughtful.


    What was the optimal choice function? And what did the System want him to find?


    He suddenly realized that he had discovered a System function that he had never understood before, and even wanted to get up and follow He Qianjian, and listen to the conversation between him and the System within a certain distance, but it was too obvious to get up and follow him at this time.


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    Jiang Chen came back to his senses, turned to look at He Qianmin: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°What were you thinking just now? You still didn¡¯t hear me after I called you several times.¡± He Qianmin handed the phone to Jiang Chen and motioned him to look at it: ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a week before you guys will have the third mock exam? Everyone is discussing who will be the number one this time, our school basically placed their bets on you, look.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at the content of the forum, raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Even betting?¡±


    ¡°We started betting as early as the first mock exam.¡± He Qianmin thought of something, suddenly laughed, and said: ¡°Before, Chenghua was betting on He Qianjian taking first place, but he never got first place. He was also overtaken by Zhang Liang in their class, I wonder what he is thinking now.¡±


    Jiang Chen rubbed his head amusedly: ¡°So happy?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He Qianmin leaned over and said, ¡°Brother, can you take first place on this third mock exam?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely! It must be possible!¡±


    ¡°What absolutely must be possible?¡± Yang Yun cut the fruit and put it on the coffee table in front of them, smiling: ¡°Dinner is about half an hour away, you should eat some fruit first.¡±


    He Qianmin said: ¡°We were talking about whether my brother can take first place in the third mock exam this time.¡±


    ¡°Well, then Mom also believes that you can do it.¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips and smiled, not trying to be modest: ¡°I also believe that I can.¡±


    He Yanya sat down opposite Jiang Chen, and after listening to them finish speaking, she suddenly said to Jiang Chen, ¡°I heard that the project in your hand has been completed.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded, not surprised how He Yanya knew about this. Although she was in the Central Research Institute, her research direction was not related to that of computers, but the scientific research circle in the entire Yan City was only so big, and gossip resources were extremely scarce. A little bit of wind and grass could easily spread.


    He said mildly: ¡°It has been put into the special forces for experimentation, and it will be put into the public security system after the experiment yields no problems.¡±


    He Yanya looked at Jiang Chen with complicated eyes, ¡°You are very amazing, completing the expected two-year project within half a year.¡±


    Long before Jiang Chen was recognized back into the He family, she had actually heard about him already. At that time, the van in Chengyang Square chased and tried to crush the young man in the street. Everyone in Yan City knew about it. And on that day after learning about it she put pressure on the task force through He Yanjun. As a He family member, she knew about this matter for the first time, and it was also the first time she heard of Jiang Chen¡¯s name.


    Later, her best friend told her that the Seventeenth Research Institute had parachuted in a genius boy with a mysterious identity. He was in charge of a project alone despite being a teenager, and this project was led by Major General Wu, which showed the importance of it. Her friend joined Jiang Chen¡¯s project team, and when mentioning Jiang Chen, their tone changed from casual at first to being of high praise now, which was a huge change.


    As Jiang Chen¡¯s aunt, He Yanya¡¯s understanding of him mostly came from other people instead, which made her feel more complicated about Jiang Chen, but no matter what happened before, she had to admit that her feelings for Jiang Chen now was mostly admiration, after all, he was definitely a rare scientific research talent.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know that He Yanya had many things going through her mind in an instant. He nodded slightly: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He Yanya nodded, and did not say anymore to him.


    At 6:30, the He family served dinner on time. When the family dinner started, only then did He Qianjian appear. Jiang Chen listened attentively, and saw that he wasn¡¯t talking to the System at this time, so he withdrew his focus.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t care about He Qianjian, but He Qianjian always paid attention to Jiang Chen¡¯s every move. Seeing him chatting with He Yanfeng in a leisurely manner, one could tell from the occasional few words that He Yanfeng cared about him. Asking whether he could adapt to school quickly after being absent from school for so long, and also expressing confidence in his mock exam results.


    This kind of conversation, before Jiang Chen returned to the He family, would only happen between him and He Yanfeng, but now that Jiang Chen was back, everything had changed, everything that originally belonged to him had become Jiang Chen¡¯s.


    [You are sure that if I find promethium, I will definitely be the number one scorer in the sciences in the college entrance examination.]


    He Qianjian¡¯s voice suddenly sounded, and Jiang Chen¡¯s eyelashes flickered slightly.


    Promethium?


    Jiang Chen thought about the text behind the pronunciation in his mind, while listening intently.


    The System¡¯s cold electronic voice: [Yes.]


    [Good.]


    He Qianjian picked up a piece of fish, and chewed to hide the coldness in his eyes: [I will definitely help you find it, but you have been absent recently, I don¡¯t really believe that you will show up to help me in time during my college entrance examination, so I want you to promise me that you must be online all day during the two days of my college entrance examination.]


    The System was silent for a while, and then said: [I can promise you.]


    He Qianjian was relieved, so long as the System promised, it had never missed an appointment. The last math competition should indeed be just an accident.


    It was just that the System had been offline frequently recently, which still made him very uneasy, and no matter how much he asked, the System would not tell him the reason. His confusion amplified his uneasiness even more, and he even had an ominous premonition that something had gone out of control.


    Thinking of this, He Qianjian asked again without giving up, but he changed his method: [You said earlier that you encountered some small troubles, have you solved them yet?]


    [It won¡¯t be long before it will be resolved.]


    The System answered quickly, and probably because He Qianjian¡¯s frequent asking made it irritated, it added a word of consolation: [The civilization level of the planet where the host is located does not have any technology that can pose a threat to me, you don¡¯t need to worry.]


    He Qianjian really believed in this before, but after the System lost contact many times and a bug appeared at an important time, he was not so sure. If there was really nothing in this world that could threaten the existence of the System, then what was the little trouble it had to solve during this time?


    Also, were the small troubles really just small troubles?


    While He Qianjian was immersed in his uneasiness, old Mr. He put down his chopsticks, and seeing that most of the people at the table had almost finished, he said, ¡°Xiao Chen, we decided to hold a banquet on the second day after your college entrance examination, to announce your identity.¡±


    Jiang Chen also put down the chopsticks in his hand, looked up at old Mr. He, and didn¡¯t speak.


    He knew exactly what old Mr. He meant. Holding a banquet the next day meant that he would have to show his cards to his parents after the college entrance examination. Regardless of whether they could accept this fact, the He family¡¯s banquet would be held as scheduled.


    This was the result he had agreed with the He family from the very beginning, and he would not raise any objections.


    ¡°I know, Grandpa.¡±


    Old Mr. He nodded in satisfaction, and seemed to mention another matter casually: ¡°I heard that you and Qian Jian had some misunderstandings.¡±


    A trace of glee flashed across He Qianjian¡¯s eyes, and he fixed his eyes on Jiang Chen, wondering how he would answer.


    He had lived and maintained his relationships in the He family for eighteen years, and the people he knew best were not He Yanfeng and Yang Yun, but old Mr. He, who only brought him by his side and raised him for a period of time when he was a child. Because he knew very well that in the whole He family, who was in charge in the end and winning over the person who gave orders would naturally bring more protection for future variables.


    This moment was the reward for his hard work in the past.


    What old Mr. He hoped most was the harmony and unity of the family, so naturally he didn¡¯t like disharmony between brothers. He was able to gain the upper hand in the confrontation with He Qianmin every time, precisely because he grasped this point, and interpreted a gentle, generous and helpless elder brother perfectly, contrasting against the hysterical He Qianmin who hated him blatantly, setting off the other as willful and narrow-minded. In such a comparison, anyone would choose to believe the former.


    Therefore, He Qianjian had never had a direct confrontation with Jiang Chen in front of the He family before. He knew very well that he was already in a weak position, and he would definitely be at a disadvantage if he confronted Jiang Chen, but he never expected that Jiang Chen would barge into the He family, break his leg and force him to jump off the balcony.


    That being the case, how could he not make good use of this opportunity, causing Jiang Chen¡¯s status in old Mr. He¡¯s heart to plummet, and causing the He family to feel guilty about him, while consolidating his position in the He family.


    KillIng three birds with one stone.


    He Qianjian hid the resentment and glee in his eyes, and waited leisurely for Jiang Chen¡¯s answer.


    Jiang Chen wiped his mouth slowly and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s not a misunderstanding. He smashed my friend¡¯s head with a stool, and I broke his leg with a table. It¡¯s just an eye for an eye.¡±

 CH 121

    Old Mr. He¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but his tone sank a bit: ¡°Do you think you did the right thing?¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head slightly, raised his eyes to look at old Mr. He, who was at the head seat, looked straight at him without blinking or avoiding, and said, ¡°What does Grandpa think is the right way?¡±


    Ever since Jiang Chen and He Qianjian¡¯s identities were revealed, the two had almost no communication, but there had never been any conflicts. Occasionally, when He Qianmin and He Qianjian had conflicts, Jiang Chen would even try to stop and appease the fight. Except for the He Yanfeng couple and He Yanjun, although the others also heard that they had a quarrel, they only thought it was a conflict between children, so when they first heard that Jiang Chen broke He Qianjian¡¯s leg without a care at all, everyone present had some doubts in their hearts.


    When old Mr. He asked this question, everyone was mentally prepared.


    But Jiang Chen¡¯s neither soft nor hard, and even faintly forceful answer, surprised most of the people present. In the previous contact, Jiang Chen had always treated people mildly and politely, hardly showing any aggression. His tone was not back-talk, it was even very calm, but such a rhetorical question that was almost rebuttal was not like what they thought Jiang Chen could say.


    ¡°He Qianjian hurt your friend, you can be angry or infuriated, but you can¡¯t use violence to control violence.¡± Old Mr. He said in a deep voice: ¡°There are many ways to solve it, but you chose the most brutal one, didn¡¯t you? Do you think you did the right thing?¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips, lowered his eyes and said, ¡°Grandpa, if there are many ways to solve a problem, but there is only one way to deal with some people, do you think I should solve it or not?¡±


    When these words were uttered, the dining room fell into silence.


    ¡°Xiao Chen!¡± He Yanfeng frowned and raised his voice. He got up and said, ¡°Follow me to the study room.¡±


    Jiang Chen followed He Yanfeng up to the second floor, and when his figure disappeared, He Qianmin seemed to finally wake up from a dream, and was also about to follow immediately.


    ¡°Sit down!¡± Old Mr. He said in a deep voice, ¡°Continue to eat.¡±


    He Qianmin pointed to his own bowl: ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m done eating.¡±


    ¡°The g do your homework.¡± Old Mr. He also stood up: ¡°No one follow me upstairs.¡±


    Yang Yun pulled He Qianmin back, looked upstairs with some concern, sighed softly, and was about to say something, but from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the glee and resentment that He Qianjian hadn¡¯t had time to restrain. She was slightly taken aback, and instantly felt her heart go cold.


    ¡°Mom.¡± He Qianyu pulled Yang Yun¡¯s sleeve and whispered, ¡°Will Dad and Grandpa punish Brother? Go up and persuade Dad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Yang Yun touched her daughter¡¯s little head, and comforted her: ¡°Your Dad will not punish your Brother, Mom promises, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Yang Yun was sure that her husband would never really reprimand their son, and he stopped him just now only to avoid any real conflict between Jiang Chen and old Mr. He. After all, she was able to distinguish between real anger and fake anger after many years of being husband and wife. It was just that old Mr. He didn¡¯t know what He Qianjian had done, because they were all worried about his health, and because they knew that old Mr. He had a special feeling for He Qianjian compared to the other children, so they hid everything He Qianjian had done from him.


    Until now, old Mr. He still thought that He Qianjian and Jiang Chen being switched in the first place was because of an outsider¡¯s conspiracy, and Jiang Chen and He Qianjian were both innocent. So they were not surprised that the old man would speak for He Qianjian this time. After all, he was getting on in years, and which elderly didn¡¯t hope their family would be harmonious? Especially old Mr. He who paid great attention to family unity and harmony.


    ¡°Of course Dad won¡¯t say anything about Brother. Back then when Brother went to beat He Qianjian, he stepped aside.¡± He Qianjian curled his lips and said, ¡°But it¡¯s hard to say for Grandpa. In his heart, He Qianjian is his most precious grandson.¡±


    ¡°Qian Min.¡± Yang Yun frowned slightly, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Why am I talking nonsense?¡± He Qianmin said, ¡°Whenever I had a conflict with him, didn¡¯t Grandpa always stand by He Qianjian¡¯s side?¡±


    He Yanjun glanced at He Qianjian who kept his head down and silent, seemingly helpless and forbearing, and said mildly: ¡°Alright, don¡¯t say anymore and just watch TV.¡±


    He Qianmin snorted coldly, and roughly stood up. The stool rubbed against the floor making a loud noise, and he went to the living room without looking back.


    ¡°That stinky kiddo.¡± He Yanjun shook his head, stood up as well, and said to Yang Yun, ¡°Your sister-in-law and I will go back first.¡±


    Yang Yun took He Qianyu by the hand, got up and saw He Yanjun and his wife at the door, and then returned to the living room to watch TV with He Qianmin.


    He Qianjian was still sitting in the empty dining room, and the glee in his eyes gradually turned into gloom. He threw away his chopsticks and stood up as well.


    *


    In the study.


    He Yanfeng closed the door, and said to Jiang Chen, ¡°You kiddo, you dare to yell at your grandfather the first time you lose your temper. You are tougher than your old man.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s footsteps paused slightly, his expression slightly hesitant. He had never heard He Yanfeng speak in such a tone, and he called him up, wasn¡¯t it to scold or lecture him?


    ¡°Do you think I am schizophrenic? I was the one who let you go upstairs. If I scold you now, isn¡¯t it slapping myself in the face?¡±


    He Yanfeng knew what Jiang Chen was thinking just by looking at Jiang Chen¡¯s expression. Speaking of, it was strange that Jiang Chen was usually not a character with too much emotion. Although he was gentle most of the time, he also kept a certain distance from others, so it was difficult read his emotions beneath his polite surface.


    But, don¡¯t know if it was because of the blood connection or something else. Although clearly Jiang Chen was not the child he brought up, his personality was almost a replica of himself as a youth. He might not understand Jiang Chen, but it was impossible not to know himself, so towards Jiang Chen¡¯s every expression and every action, he could guess almost exactly what they meant.


    The child had been unwilling to open his heart to accept them before, so his emotions were always very mild and indifferent when facing them. Whether he was happy or angry, it practically disappeared with just a touch, but since that night he came over and beat He Qianjian up. After that, don¡¯t know if he had vented his anger or something else, but the distance between them also faded a lot.


    He Yanfeng was actually happy to see the turbulent conversation between him and old Mr. He tonight. If Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t unconsciously regarded this place as his own home, with his usual personality, he would never have said such almost disrespectful words. But perhaps Jiang Chen might not even be aware of this.


    No matter what, He Yanfeng felt very happy. After getting along and working hard for such a long time, he finally saw a little gain.


    Jiang Chen was a little uncomfortable with He Yanfeng¡¯s speaking style. In the previous conversations with He Yanfeng, he was mostly elegant, gentlemanly and rational, and the content of their conversations was mostly business-like, the occasional joking also kept a good sense of scale, keeping a comfortable distance.


    It was not that it was uncomfortable now, it was just that this sudden change made him feel a little at a loss, not knowing what attitude to take to face this new way of speaking.


    He Yanfeng didn¡¯t give Jiang Chen any time to prepare. He took his shoulders and pressed him to sit on the sofa, sat down himself and said, ¡°Believe it or not, if I scold you, your grandpa will show up in two minutes. And if the two of us stay quiet, your grandpa will show up on time in ten minutes.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t even have time to think about how he should adapt to He Yanfeng¡¯s abrupt conversation style, as he was attracted by the words he said, and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°How are you sure?¡±


    He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows and looked at him with a smile: ¡°Want to make a bet?¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, slightly raised the corners of his mouth, and nodded.


    ¡°Then which one do you choose, quarrel or silence.¡±


    Jiang Chen really wanted to know what He Yanfeng looked like when scolding others. He Qianmin had told him before that the He family did not advocate beating and scolding education. No matter how big the trouble they got into, they would only have their allowances cut as a punishment. Even if he fought at school, He Yanfeng never punished him harshly.


    Without thinking too much, Jiang Chen chose the first option.


    He Yanfeng put down his crossed legs, smirked at him briefly, and then suddenly changed his expression, and shouted angrily: ¡°Do you know how to talk to elders!¡±


    ¡°You talked back to your grandfather at the dinner table, yet you dare to say that you are right?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Chen! Let me tell you! You¡¯d better reflect on this incident today, and then go to your grandfather to apologize to him, otherwise your mother and I will not continue to tolerate your rudeness!¡±


    ¡°Are you wrong or not?¡± After a pause, He Yanfeng¡¯s voice suddenly rose, grabbed an ashtray, and threw it on the ground: ¡°Tell me! Are you wrong or not!¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at the shards of the ashtray under his feet, and before he could react from the speed at which the other¡¯s face changed, he heard the door of the study room being opened vigorously.


    Old Mr. He appeared at the door of the study and walked in with big strides. After seeing that Jiang Chen was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief, pointed at He Yanfeng, and raised his eyebrows: ¡°How do you teach children! You actually dare to smash things! Do you think you look like a father at all?!¡±


    He Yanfeng had not yet come out of his role, and he frowned, with a look of lingering anger: ¡°Dad, I am educating him, Jiang Chen is my son, I have my way of educating him, you can go out first, I¡¯ll¡­..¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Old Mr. He interrupted him, and said in a deep voice, ¡°Do you still want to beat him?¡±


    He Yanfeng: ¡°Didn¡¯t you beat me and my brother like this back then?¡±


    Old Mr. He paused, then pointed at him: ¡°I beat you because you deserved it! Look at how you are now. If I didn¡¯t beat you at that time, you would deserve a beating even more now!¡±


    The corner of He Yanfeng¡¯s mouth twitched, and he forced himself to continue acting: ¡°I¡¯m teaching him now, just to let him know that it was wrong for him to talk back to you just now. Aren¡¯t I just teaching him like this so that he won¡¯t deserve a beating in the future?¡±


    ¡°When did he talk back?¡± Old Mr. He rebutted: ¡°He just asked me a question, and you called him up before I could answer. What are you doing? Is this a rebellion?!¡±


    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t dare to rebel against you.¡± He Yanfeng said: ¡°Please go out for a bit, I will talk nicely, I haven¡¯t finished talking to him yet.¡±


    ¡°What else do you want to say?¡± Old Mr. He said vigilantly: ¡°I have already said that there are problems with how you educate your children. Qian Jian and Qian Min fights and quarrels at home every day. Not only can¡¯t you sort out the relationship between the two children. Now Xiao Chen was also influenced badly by you! You think I didn¡¯t know that he would hurt Qian Jian before because you tacitly encouraged him?!¡±


    He Yanfeng couldn¡¯t continue acting now, he really felt wronged: ¡°Dad, you must be reasonable, did I cause the conflict between Qian Jian and Qian Min? If you didn¡¯t favor He Qianjian back then, can the relationship between the two become like this?¡±


    ¡°I favored Qian Jian?¡± Old Mr. He¡¯s eyes widened with anger: ¡°Why don¡¯t you blame yourself for not being able to find any evidence after so long. The doctor said that Qian Min had suffered a shock which caused him to talk nonsense, and what Qian Jian said is true. If I don¡¯t stand on his side, who will?¡±


    He Yanfeng choked. He really couldn¡¯t find anything about the car accident from back then, and though now he had a clue, he couldn¡¯t tell the old man directly, so he could only endure this grievance: ¡°Don¡¯t talk about that, aren¡¯t we talking about Xiao Chen¡¯s business now? He talked back to you at the dinner table just now, so I teach him a lesson, isn¡¯t that normal?¡±


    ¡°Did I say he talked back to me?¡± Old Mr. He slapped the sofa hard, refusing to admit it.


    He Yanfeng glanced at Jiang Chen, gave him a wink, and asked old Mr. He: ¡°Then what are you doing here?¡±


    Old Mr. He asked back: ¡°This is my study, what do you think I¡¯m here for?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa.¡± Jiang Chen got up, pursed his lips slightly and said, ¡°I indeed didn¡¯t pay attention to my tone when I talked to you just now, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Old Mr. He paused, looked at Jiang Chen, and his voice softened. He sighed: ¡°Xiao Chen, grandpa don¡¯t blame you, nor do I favor Qian Jian, but Grandpa thinks you are too young, and you tend to act impulsively and recklessly regardless of the consequences. Have you ever thought that the conflict between you and Qian Jian would lead to irreparable consequences in the end, and it would be your parents and your adoptive parents who will be in trouble in the end.¡±


    Jiang Chen was silent for a moment. To be honest, he didn¡¯t think that what old Mr. He had been thinking about this kind of thing. He always thought that old Mr. He had preconceived notions, and always favored He Qianjian when facing He Qianmin and He Qianjian, so why wouldn¡¯t it be similar when it came to him?


    Not only did he have preconceived notions about old Mr. He, he even had preconceived notions about everyone in the entire He family except He Qianmin and He Qianyu, but he didn¡¯t realize it until now.


    *


    Not long after returning to school, the third mock exam arrived as scheduled.


    When Jiang Chen was in the research institute, he would set aside two hours every day to do practice questions, so when he faced the exam papers again, he was not as rusty as others thought. On the contrary, because the third mock exam questions were relatively simple, he finished each subject test a long time in advance.


    After the two-day mock exam, the school basically entered the independent review time. Jiang Chen¡¯s return to school was like a small pebble casting a wave of ripples on a calm lake and did not attract too much attention among the third year students.


    However, class 1 of the third year was different. Students in other classes paid less attention due to distance or unfamiliarity, but Jiang Chen¡¯s classmates were almost uncontrollably happy. For nothing else, the longer Jiang Chen sat in the classroom, the more questions they could ask him, the more questions they asked, the greater their confidence would be when the college entrance examination arrived.


    All the students in class 1 of the third year knew that Jiang Chen was the god of the gods of studying. If one wanted to check his tutoring accomplishments, one only had to find the rankings of Shen Xu and Huo Bo on the grade list put up in the cultural corridor.


    Before the results of the third mock exam came out, class 1 of the third year specially asked Fu Jinyu for a physical education class, and played a game of basketball happily. Jiang Chen lacked exercise during this period, having stayed in the laboratory with a group of adults nearly 24/7 so he lost two goals when he first played. Fortunately, he cooperated with Shen Xu and barely managed to win by two points.


    After playing ball, the other students went to the cafeteria first, while Jiang Chen and Shen Xu sat in the bleachers of the playground, watching a group of boys play while waiting for Huo Bo and He Qianmin to finish class. It had been a long time since they hung out, and they didn¡¯t have time due to preparing for the third mock exam two days ago, so now that they were finally free they made an appointment to go to the hot pot restaurant outside the school for lunch.


    On the court, a boy shot a three-pointer from outside the line. Shen Xu applauded vigorously and praised loudly.


    Probably because there was a lot of movement here, the boys playing basketball quickly noticed them. The boy who had just shot a three-pointer staggered a few times and trotted towards this side after being pushed by several people.


    ¡°Senior Brother Shen Xu, God Jiang.¡± The boy scratched the back of his sweaty head in embarrassment, and said with a simple smile: ¡°I just saw you guys play, would you like to play with us, we all want to play a game with you.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at the time, smiled and said, ¡°The period will be over soon, and we¡¯re going to eat out later, so we¡¯ll play a game with you guys when we have a chance.¡±


    The boy nodded vigorously, seeming a little embarrassed, and said ¡°Sorry for bothering you guys¡± and turned to leave. After walking a few steps, having thought of something, he then turned around again, put his hands next to his mouth, and said loudly: ¡°I wish you guys luck on the college entrance examination!¡±


    Jiang Chen and Shen Xu were slightly taken aback. They looked at each other and laughed.


    Shen Xu stood up, put his hands to his mouth, and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s play together next time!¡±


    Jiang Chen waved his hand and said loudly with a smile, ¡°Thank you, Junior Brother!¡±


    The boy ran away with a smile. Shen Xu smiled and suddenly said with emotion: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that we will have the college entrance examination so soon.¡±


    Jiang Chen tilted his head and said with a smile, ¡°Can¡¯t bear to leave behind high school?¡±


    ¡°Well, no.¡± Shen Xu shook his head: ¡°I just feel that time passes so fast, we all grew up all of a sudden, and the life before your dad¡¯s accident and Huo Bo¡¯s departure seemed to be very far away.¡±


    Jiang Chen propped his hands on the ground and looked up at the blue sky. It was indeed very far away, as it had already been two lifetimes.


    ¡°Jiangzi¡­..¡± Shen Xu turned his head and lowered his voice: ¡°The college entrance examination is coming soon, have you thought about how to talk to Aunt Yang about it then?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Jiang Chen paused, and said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it a lot, but I still don¡¯t know how to say it.¡±


    Shen Xu raised his hand and patted his shoulder: ¡°Aunt Yang can understand, don¡¯t worry too much.¡± He then changed the subject: ¡°By the way. Is our kid sister even cuter now? I haven¡¯t seen her for a long time. I will go to your house after school this afternoon to see her.¡±


    ¡°Then have dinner at my house and invite Huo Bo to join us. My mother was just talking about you guys before.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The get out of class bell rang, and students came out of the teaching building one after another. Jiang Chen and Shen Xu stood on the campus avenue, searching for Huo Bo and He Qianmin.


    Shen Xu quickly saw He Qianmin in the crowd and waved his hand to call him. He was very conspicuous at around 1.8 meters tall so He Qianmin quickly ran over and asked, ¡°Brother Huo Bo hasn¡¯t come yet?¡±


    Shen Xu: ¡°He¡¯s upstairs, so he¡¯s slower. I¡¯ve already made a reservation, so it¡¯s okay to go there later.¡±


    He Qianmin nodded, walked up to Jiang Chen, and asked him what old Mr. He and He Yanfeng said to him in the study a few days ago.


    Jiang Chen thought of the scene that day, and laughed a little. He shook his head and was about to speak when the phone rang.


    Seeing the caller ID, Jiang Chen was surprised for a moment, and answered, ¡°Grandpa Xiang?


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t received any news yet. Is the location set at the Cyber Security Bureau? When will it start?¡±


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take a leave of absence in the afternoon and go there by myself.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Huo Bo had already arrived. Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows slightly: ¡°Let¡¯s go eat first, and I¡¯ll tell you guys some good news later.¡±

 CH 122

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Shen Xu quickly swallowed a fish ball, and stretched forward involuntarily only to have his face scalded by the steam and he reflexively shrank. He patted the table excitedly and said: ¡°Then does that mean we are going to start a company in summer vacation and be the boss?!¡±


    Before Jiang Chen could speak, Huo Bo poured cold water on him: ¡°As a boss, do you know how to manage a company?¡± He then turned to Jiang Chen, frowned and said, ¡°Even if you plan to set up your own research team, starting a company now is still too early. First of all, the capital and technology of each shareholder is unbalanced, the technology and capital can only be provided by you for the time being, and Shen Xu and I have nothing to offer but still take a certain share, even if we are childhood friends, we can¡¯t do this.¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se. wo rd pr es s . c o m )


    Shen Xu also calmed down from his excitement after hearing these words: ¡°Huo Bo is right¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen: ¡°Who said you guys don¡¯t have any capital to offer? Each of us will start with 100,000 yuan, and I will provide the technology. In the future one of you will manage the company and the other will handle outside negotiations and networking.¡±


    ¡°In the next three years, our business is only open to Li De and other companies that have contacted us for authorization after Li De¡¯s mobile phone goes public. The content of the job is to screen and negotiate cooperation. As for recruitment of other employees we only need to recruit a person who can discuss projects, a front desk and a financial manager.¡±


    ¡°Three hundred thousand yuan, as our start-up capital. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t even have this money?¡±


    Huo Bo¡¯s eyes were steady, he took a deep look at Jiang Chen, and then said, ¡°We do.¡±


    Jiang Chen looked at Shen Xu. Shen Xu tapped his chopsticks excitedly, raised his chopsticks and said, ¡°Of course!¡±


    Shen Xu¡¯s family conditions were good, and he didn¡¯t like to spend money recklessly. He had saved almost all his pocket money and New Year¡¯s money. Up to now, there were more than 100,000 yuan saved. After Huo Bo came back from his biological mother, he also had 30,000 yuan in his hands for living expenses. He was never a person who did not have financial plans. He taught himself to study investment and financial management within a year, and the money in his hands had now multiplied several times. Jiang Chen knew that it should be about 150,000.


    The starting capital of 100,000 yuan per person was the amount proposed by Jiang Chen after careful thinking.


    This money not only guaranteed that they could all take it out and could maintain their daily life after taking it out, but also ensured that the company could operate normally in the first year. Now that they were ready to cooperate with the country, the laboratory test equipment and materials would be provided by the country, and even the members of the scientific research team would mostly be selected from the country¡¯s top scientists, which saved a huge amount of expenses.


    Changjiang was the company¡¯s main project in the future, and it would also be the most classic and longest-lasting project. It would be updated but would not be replaced. It would become the most popular and safest home protection system in he country and even the world in the future. This initial investment in scientific research was huge. The money in the hands of Shen Xu and Huo Bo was indeed a drop in the bucket, but if the money was completely borne by the state, then even if the company did not make a profit in the initial stage, the money could last for two or three years, not to mention through their business with Li De they had liquidity coming in every year, and 300,000 was enough.


    Jiang Chen held up his soda can: ¡°Then, I wish us a happy cooperation.¡±


    Shen Xu: ¡°Let¡¯s drink to Changjiang, which will dominate the world in the future!¡±


    Huo Bo: ¡°Cheers!¡±


    He Qianmin: ¡°¡­..For the cause of my brothers.¡±


    *


    Cyber Security Bureau.


    A young man wearing black-rimmed glasses paced back and forth between the two desks, glanced at the door from time to time, and all while muttering something under his breath.


    ¡°Nice to see you, no, nice to meet you, no¡­..I should just say hello, hello, my name is Chai Can, I am very interested in your Changjiang system, I hope you can invite me to join your research team, although I am working in the Cyber Security Bureau, but¡­..¡±


    A voice injected: ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°But¡­..¡± The young man was about to continue, but when he realized that someone was talking next to him, his body froze, and then he immediately dashed to an open space with a whimper. After seeing the person standing where he was just now, he blushed and said: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Deputy Chief Li, do you have anything you need with me?¡±


    ¡°The person you want to jump ship over to is here.¡± Deputy Chief Li took a sip from a thermos cup, raised his chin, and motioned him to look out: ¡°Look, he¡¯s over there.¡±


    Chai Can walked towards the door, but when he saw the young man surrounded by several people, his footsteps froze and he stood still on the spot again.


    Deputy Chief Li knew about his problem. Because of this, he wouldn¡¯t even stay in the main control room. He had to stay alone in this small office.


    ¡°Not going?¡± Deputy Chief Li said, ¡°If you don¡¯t talk to him, how can you change jobs?¡±


    Chai Can and Deputy Chief Li have also known each other for a while now, and they were familiar with each other. So he was not so nervous when he talked with the other from a distance. He said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t even speak during the interview. Didn¡¯t you guys hire me anyway?¡±


    Deputy Chief Li: ¡°Isn¡¯t that because of your ability?¡±


    Chai Can looked at him without saying a word, but Deputy Chief Li suddenly understood what he meant.


    ¡°I chose you because I have discerning eyes, because I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice, and I can tell at a glance who is capable and who is not. Did you see the boy who just passed by? He is at least three or five years younger than you. If you don¡¯t speak, do you think he can develop a pair of clairvoyant eyes and see what¡¯s inside your head?¡±


    ¡°Then, let me participate in the information war later¡­..¡±


    Deputy Chief Li spread his hands: ¡°There is really nothing I can do about it today. Did you see those people who came this morning? Although they are also members of our Security Bureau, they are all non-staff personnel. On the surface, their position is the Security Director. But in truth they are foreign aid that will only come out in a crisis, and the hacking skills of these few, not just in the domestic but also in the international circle, are almost matchless. So today, all the people participating in the information war were assigned by the above, and I can¡¯t add in anyone else.¡±


    Chai Can lowered his eyes sadly, and Deputy Chief Li didn¡¯t say any more. He raised his legs and walked out, only to turn back halfway, and pick up the thermos cup that he had just put down. He looked at Chai Can, paused, and finally said, ¡°Spectators are allowed however, do you want to go with me?¡±


    When asking this question, Deputy Chief Li was ready to be rejected, but Chai Can followed him without hesitation.


    ¡°Are you really going?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Deputy Chief Li looked at Chai Can who was two steps away from him, sighed, and waved his hand: ¡°Okay, follow along.¡±


    The two had just stepped into the computer room where the competition was to be held one after the other¡ª¡ªthe computer room was divided into two floors, the entrance was on the second floor, and there was only a corridor surrounded by silver metal railing. One could see the downstairs, and the downstairs was the auxiliary control room, which was symmetrically placed with twenty-five computers, leaving a host computer in the middle, and the overall shape was semi-circular.


    Upstairs and downstairs, one could see three side-by-side two-storey large screens. In the center of the three large screens was a bright and mysterious Milky Way image, while the other two screens were twinkling dots of light. The information war had not yet begun, but both sides were all ready.


    The entire auxiliary computer room was divided into two distinct lineups. On both sides were more than 20 top computers in the world. In front of these computers were the top cyber security engineers and hackers in the country; and in the middle there was only one young man, who was even wearing a high school uniform. But despite the white short-sleeves and dark blue trousers, he didn¡¯t look immature, it only emphasized his relaxed demeanor and made him look very calm.


    Deputy Chief Li stopped to look at the boy, nodded slightly in his heart, and walked up to the woman with long curly hair, ¡°Xiao Yang, how is it?¡±


    Director Yang lowered her voice: ¡°There are still two minutes left, and it will start soon.¡±


    Deputy Chief Li looked at the young man in the middle of the room, and asked, ¡°Who do you think will win?¡±


    In the last meeting, Deputy Chief Li directly sent Director Yang over because he was unable to find the time, but Director Yang brought Chai Can along with her, who was socially phobic. Who knew that after the meeting, Xiao Yang, his most reliable subordinate, told him that there might be an information security competition in the bureau when he came back from his meeting, and Chai Can who normally would not speak a word to him for ten days uncharacteristically even asked him twice whether the information war would be held.


    The abnormality of the two caught the attention of Deputy Chief Li. He originally wanted to ask his old friend about the achievements of that young man named Jiang Chen. Who knew that the news from his old friend hadn¡¯t come yet, but the documents from above came first.


    It was clearly written in black and white, and he was asked to hold this information security competition. In addition, a list of contestants not compiled by the Cyber Security Bureau was attached. All of them were well-known hackers, and each one was bigger than the next.


    ¡ª¡ªEven A, who had been quiet for many years, came.


    Deputy Chief Li was a little puzzled. Back then when hackers from Japan and South Korea fought in a melee, some people harassed the security network of their country by taking advantage of the murky waters, and even tried to break into the domestic confidential information database, but A was not dispatched. So why was A invited to attend such a competition?


    For this reason, he made a cup of tea early in the morning. Others used it to clear away heat and to detoxify but he used it to keep himself alert. He wanted to take a good look at what this young man was capable of, that it even startled the few higher-ups above him.


    The screen in the middle began to count down, 10, 9, 8¡­..


    Chai Can stood some distance away from everyone, staring at the Milky Way on the big screen almost obsessively, counting down along with the numbers on the screen.


    ¡°C.¡±


    A voice suddenly came from below. Chai Can was taken aback for a moment. He looked down and saw a young man with dyed yellow hair and pale skin sitting cross-legged on one side, pointing his finger at him: ¡°Sit and watch.¡±


    Chai Can froze, and took two steps back in an instant, avoiding the other as if he was the plague.


    There was a trace of mischief in the young man¡¯s eyes, but the countdown on the big screen ended before he could speak. Instantly, a calm male voice that was a little electronic sounded: ¡°Dylan, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    The yellow-haired young man turned his head in surprise, and looked up at the large screen in the middle. The rotating planet already occupied one-sixth of the entire screen. Its brilliance was not too dazzling but also not too dim, but it was very alive and real.


    Not only the yellow-haired young man, everyone was attracted by the voice that was almost no different from a real person, and looked up at the big screen.


    Only Chai Can froze in place, turning his head stiffly until he faced the young man in the middle, and his mouth gaped open.


    No one paid attention to his expression, because the match was about to start.


    Standing by the computer, Jiang Chen said in a warm voice, ¡°Changjiang, turn on the first level of defense. All you have to do is defend. No one or any data is allowed to break through our safety net.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Dylan.¡±


    The dotted outline of the planet in the center of the big screen had turned into a solid outline. If one looked carefully, one would see that the planet was actually composed of hundreds of billions of solid and dotted lines. In fact, each line was a long string of codes. The lines were solid and virtual, rotating around a center point. The transformation, exchange, extension and shrinking of countless lines occurred at the same time. Some lines went from solidification to virtualization and then disappeared, and some lines quietly entered the matrix of the sphere, and occasionally white light flashed, but was swallowed and dispelled by the lines.


    If a layman looked at this, they could only see a planet composed of countless lines rotating and changing, but in this space a group of people who were the most expert in network security technology was gathered.


    Not long after the battle began, they figured out some clues from the rapidly sliding codes on the left and right screens and the light spots that bloomed and disappeared on the planet in the middle: the red light spots were viruses, the white light spots were Trojan horses, and the blue virtual light that was wandering around was looking for loopholes¡­..But no matter what it was, these light spots were blocked by the seemingly fragile dotted lines, and they couldn¡¯t even penetrate or destroy them.


    The big screen seemed to be playing out a wonderful astronomical movie. The light spots were shining, flickering and fading, there were meteors and nebulae, as beautiful as a painting.


    But everyone present was shocked by the reality represented in this picture. Twenty or so top cyber security engineers in the country launched an attack on a computer at the same time, but it was as if the air touched the surface of the water, and they couldn¡¯t leave a trace or ripple. So don¡¯t even mention implanting a Trojan horse virus or attacking a certain node, they couldn¡¯t even get past the outermost firewall.


    Deputy Chief Li and Director Yang looked at each other, and they both saw solemnity and shock in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Director Yang¡¯s voice was extremely low, as if she was afraid of affecting the people in the room: ¡°Should we report it?¡±


    Deputy Chief Li shook his head, pointed up slightly, and then pointed in one direction of the computer room. Director Yang looked subconsciously, and was slightly stunned. She didn¡¯t dare to say anything when she recovered, ¡°That person is here?¡±


    ¡°I also received the news this morning.¡± Deputy Chief Li whispered in her ear: ¡°I just came back from a visit to the United States, and came here directly.¡±


    ¡°Has even that person been startled by this matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say¡­.¡± Deputy Chief Li looked at the small planet that was still rotating in an orderly manner, and said without blinking: ¡°Professor Xiang came together.¡±


    Director Yang nodded in understanding, and looked at the young man in the middle.


    With no shortage of opportunities and connections, the young person in front of her was probably about to soar into the sky soon.


    The rotation speed of the planet on the big screen accelerated, and the intersection of solid and dashed lines became more solid. At the same time, the planet gradually shrank and slowly sank into the Milky Way.


    Deputy Chief Li began to wonder about what kind of novel defense method this was now, when he suddenly heard a few familiar curses. He followed the sound, and saw a tall man standing up in the left side of the room. He threw the mouse and aggressively walked towards the teenager in the middle.


    ¡°Hey hey hey!¡± Deputy Chief Li immediately went downstairs, striding forward to stop him, wanting to call that person¡¯s name, but because he was a non-staff member, he didn¡¯t even know his name at all, so he could only run wildly while holding his thermos, trying to deter him with words: ¡°Comrade! Assaulting someone is breaking the law! Calm down! Don¡¯t¡­..¡±


    His voice stopped at the same time as his footsteps, and he almost didn¡¯t manage to brake.


    The burly man, who was nearly 1.9 meters tall, looked at the comparatively petite young man in front of him with an ingratiating expression, and smiled with every muscle on his face: ¡°Student Jiang Chen, is that your name? Your system¡¯s firewall is so awesome! Did you develop it yourself? Or do you actually have a team? Is your team still short of people? If so, how about adding me? It doesn¡¯t matter if there is no shortage, we can discuss it, and I also really want to discuss computers with you¡­..¡±


    Deputy Chief Li was taken aback for a moment, but when he finally realized what was going on, he suddenly felt very angry for some reason!


    The people from their security bureau haven¡¯t even gotten a spot in the research team! Yet this fellow was already rushing to perform here! Sure enough, those who have not joined the party and have no official position were more cunning!


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the battle not over yet?¡± Deputy Chief Li interrupted the big man, and holding a thermos cup under his armpit, he said in the most majestic tone: ¡°Bribing the opponent before the competition is over is extremely immoral, hurry up and go back to your seat.¡±


    The burly man looked at Deputy Chief Li and raised his hand little by little.


    Deputy Chief Li¡¯s heart jumped. Just as he was about to retreat strategically, he saw the big man scratching the back of his head, and said rather honestly, ¡°The computer has been hacked, so what else is there to compete?¡±


    The other people standing on the second floor watching the information war were all taken aback. They had all been attracted by the screen in the middle before, and were also surprised by the action of the big man just now. They didn¡¯t even look at the screens on both sides for a while. What the big man said, it was like waking them up from a dream, and they looked to both sides of the rowsbof computers one after another.


    At the same time, a not-so-unfamiliar male voice sounded in the auxiliary room: ¡°Dylan, all the intruders have been resolved, no viruses and Trojan horses remain, please instruct if the security level needs to be adjusted.¡±


    ¡°Adjust to the dormant firewall.¡±


    ¡°The firewall has been adjusted to sleep level.¡±


    Back and forth was like a conversation between two real people, and someone murmured: ¡°Artificial intelligence¡­..¡±


    There were also some people who couldn¡¯t hide their dissatisfaction and asked directly: ¡°What is a dormant-level firewall? Just now, I remembered that you said to open a first-level firewall. Is the highest level firewall in your system a first-level firewall?¡±


    Jiang Chen paused, then smiled and said, ¡°The highest level is level three.¡±


    When these words were uttered, the audience fell silent.


    The highest level was level three, so many hackers together couldn¡¯t break through the defense system, but it¡¯s only level one? How strong would it be if it was adjusted to level three? Could anyone or even an organization in this world manage to intrude into the firewall of the system in front of them?


    No one asked, but everyone was thinking about the same questions in their hearts. Some had expressions of astonishment, some had bright eyes, and some was contemptuous..¡­


    All the reactions of everyone in front of him were within Jiang Chen¡¯s expectations. He waited quietly until they came back to their senses and continued with the next battle.


    ¡°Start preparations for the next battle!¡± A young man with yellow hair on the second floor drew everyone¡¯s attention back. He looked at his watch: ¡°It will start in ten minutes!¡±


    After the young man finished speaking, he was about to sit down again when he saw the eyes of the colleague next to him go blank, clearly lost in his own world.


    ¡°C?¡± The young man approached and patted him: ¡°Chai Can?¡±


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se. wo rd pr es s . c o m )


    Chai Can suddenly returned to his senses. He stepped around him and lay on the railing, staring at the young man downstairs without blinking before suddenly turning around and running off. The young man frowned, ¡°It¡¯s just a pat, is there need for such a big reaction?¡±


    Before he could be fully confused, he saw Chai Can take out a laptop computer out of nowhere, and began doing something with his fingers. The young man only glimpsed a message dialogue window.


    Almost at the same time that Chai Can pressed Enter, the voice they had engraved deeply into their memories came from downstairs again: ¡°Dylan, there is a message on Wingnet that is from C, do you want to open it?¡±

 CH 123

    ¡ª¡ªWingnet.


    This keyword that could be captured almost without thinking was also a hacker website that everyone here was familiar with. Some of them could even be said to be one of the few people in the world who were most familiar with Wingnet.


    Under the screen on the right, an ordinary-looking man raised his eyes, and his face, which had not shown any fluctuation of emotions even after the attack failed just now, revealed a trace of curiosity and interest.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se. wo rd pr es s . c o m )


    Some reacted calmly, while others reacted in astonishment, especially the burly man just now. Before he could even walk back to his seat, he suddenly heard a familiar website and a familiar name. He immediately stopped and ran towards Jiang Chen again.


    ¡°Bro! It¡¯s me! Short Ruler! We know each other, don¡¯t you remember? Last year, Japan and South Korea fought each other, and we fought side by side to stir up the chaos even more!¡±


    Jiang Chen was still a little dazed at first, but when he heard the last part, something vaguely flashed through his mind. He blinked and said hesitantly, ¡°H?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The big man clapped his hands, his thick black eyebrows flying in excitement, ¡°It¡¯s me, Short Ruler! I kept thinking your English name was familiar! We have known each other for a long time, bro¡­..¡±


    ¡°Cough cough cough!¡± Deputy Chief Li coughed deliberately and loudly, interrupting the big man¡¯s words: ¡°The next battle will start soon, you can go back and prepare first.¡±


    The big man could only nod his head, and reluctantly said to Jiang Chen, ¡°Don¡¯t leave when it¡¯s over, let¡¯s have a good chat.¡±


    If one ignored the tone of voice and only looked at the body size and expression of the other, it would seem like he was tough talking or throwing down a challenge.


    Jiang Chen also felt a little pleasantly surprised. He thought of inviting hackers from Wingnet to join him when he was preparing to create a research team. However, the time since he registered on Wingnet was relatively short compared to those masters, and except for 196 and C, there were almost no people he knew well enough, whether it was their tempers or their skills, so this idea had never been put into action.


    He had fought side by side with H before, and he knew that he was actually not good at cyber attacking methods, but in terms of security, almost no one in the entire Wingnet could match him.


    In the interstellar era, the core of the protection system was no longer a firewall, but a secure network architecture built by sophisticated algorithms, which combined the advantages of almost all current and future network security tools, and could resist almost all external and internal attacks, including viruses, Trojan horses and backdoors, etc. They have long since lost the limitations of firewalls used in this era and were not only impenetrable, but also unstoppable.


    Changjiang was able to resist so many hackers using various means to attack at the same time because it had already surpassed the ¡°firewall¡± technology in this era. In the interstellar era, its name was ¡°boundary¡±, the meaning of which was similar to that of the same concept written in the ancient myths or fantasy novels of their country. It could resist external attacks, and at the same time, it would not prevent the people inside the magical boundary from attacking the outside world. Basically being able to both attack and defend.


    There was always specialization of skills in every industry so although Jiang Chen was the chief researcher of the Changjiang Research and Development Laboratory, he was better at framework and algorithms than security. The current Changjiang was developed by him alone, so it would naturally lack security. Even if, as he said, Changjiang would be the glass ceiling of information warfare within ten years. But what about another fifteen years? Twenty years?


    He could keep studying cyber security knowledge, but he had a long way to go. No matter how much time he spent on security research, he may indeed develop a more advanced security system after fifteen years. But what about the framework and algorithms? Just don¡¯t upgrade them? Letting go of what he was good at and using a long time to make up for his shortcomings was by no means Jiang Chen¡¯s way of doing things.


    Therefore, the scientific research team he wanted to build needed programmers who were good at cyber security more than programmers who were good at framework and algorithms. And the big man known as H in front of him was one of the people he had considered.


    Jiang Chen smiled and waved to the big man, changing from his previous calm but slightly distant attitude: ¡°Let¡¯s chat later.¡±


    The big man was so excited that he couldn¡¯t help stamping his feet when he got back to his seat. The people sitting next to him: ¡­..Bro, if you stamp again, the chair will collapse.


    Fortunately, the second battle started soon, and the big man immediately focused, and everyone also did the same and started defending.


    Almost within ten seconds, the battle ended before it even started¡ª¡ªevery computer screen that had someone sitting in front turned into a small rotating planet. People with a good attitude also had the mood to notice that each planet was even different from the rest. If someone was interested in astronomy, they may find that most of the planets here were planets that have not yet been discovered at this time.


    But losing in ten seconds, maybe even shorter, only holding on for three or two seconds and still having a good mentality, there were actually not many people who could maintain such a good mindset. Being secretly selected by the government to participate in this information war game in which dozens of hackers went up against one person/one system. There was no one here who hadn¡¯t wondered about who could mobilize such a big show.


    They had curiosity and expectations in their hearts, and they were even eager to test this person. They thought about losing and winning, but they never thought that they would lose so badly, without a hope of winning at all.


    Before the start of the battle, and even now, they were not sure why the government called them here, but now they could vaguely guess that it must have something to do with the glowing planet on the screen.


    A system that could integrate offense and defense, and was so powerful in both offense and defense, probably had yet to appear in the whole world.


    Everyone here had different expressions, and most of them have their own guesses and ideas.


    What Jiang Chen was thinking now was another matter.


    The follow-up research and development of Changjiang would definitely be the highest-level confidential scientific research project in the entire country. The hackers who could appear here, whether they were in the establishment of the Cyber Security Bureau or non-staff personnel who come as foreign aid, were all screened by the state through layers of screening. They had clean backgrounds and top-notch skills, making them the most suitable programmer candidates to be selected into the scientific research team. On this point, Jiang Chen was very clear.


    However, as early as the beginning of conceptualization, Jiang Chen thought that the entire team should be controlled within twelve people, of which the ones responsible for software, that is, system upgrade and follow-up development, including him and Yu Yi, would not exceed six people, while the other six would focus on research and development of a CPU that was more suitable for loading the Changjiang system.


    Among these twelve people, at least three must come from his own team, which meant that the people signed to his company must account for at least a quarter of the entire research team, preferably one-third. After all, the scientific research team to be formed was not a national scientific research team, nor was it a research institute funded only by his company. Only when the core technology and interests were clearly divided, the entire team would be stronger in the future.


    At present, Jiang Chen¡¯s idea was that among the other two or three people who have signed contracts with his company, it was best to have two security personnel, and one who took care of algorithms and framework as he does, or if they just specialized in one of the two, they could also be considered, and other aspects could be discussed later.


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes and looked smilingly at the burly man walking towards this side. It was as if he was dozing off and someone gave him a pillow.


    However, before the big man had time to approach, Deputy Chief Li ran over in small steps and whispered in Jiang Chen¡¯s ear, ¡°Student Jiang, please step out with me.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned his head to look at the burly man, raised his hand to greet him, signaling to him he would leave for a bit, and followed Deputy Chief Li to the second floor.


    Before leaving the auxiliary room, Jiang Chen passed a young man wearing black-rimmed glasses. He was leaning against the wall and looking at him with a blushing face. His wide-open eyes were full of things he wanted to say. Originally, Jiang Chen wanted to ask if he knew him, but Deputy Chief Li urged him on as soon as he paused, so he could only nod to the young man and pass him by.


    ¡°Deputy Chief Li.¡± Jiang Chen followed him unhurriedly, and asked curiously, ¡°Why did you call me over?¡±


    Deputy Chief Li paused slightly, turned his head to look at the young but accomplished boy beside him, and sighed in his heart. He said in a low voice: ¡°The higher cups above have high regards for this information war game, and there is a big leader who has been watching the game in the monitoring room, Now that it is over, I am taking you there to meet the old gentleman, don¡¯t be nervous, you can just answer whatever he asks.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you, Deputy Chief Li.¡±


    Jiang Chen remained calm on the surface, but in his heart he was guessing who this person would be. Deputy Chief Li¡¯s position was not low, and the status of the person who could make him so respectful and careful to be called a ¡°big leader¡± must not be low. A few figures that he often saw on TV flashed through his mind, but he couldn¡¯t guess who it might be in the end, and could only follow Deputy Chief Li in speeding up the pace.


    ¡°Knock knock knock¡ª¡ª¡±


    The voice inside the door was deep and majestic: ¡°Please come in.¡±


    Deputy Chief Li straightened the hem of his striped T-shirt, gave Jiang Chen a comforting look, opened the door and stepped in first. Jiang Chen followed closely behind, and finally saw the two old men standing inside. Even though he had been prepared, he still couldn¡¯t help being stunned for a moment.


    He had guessed many people, and it was undeniable that this person also appeared in his guesses, but yesterday¡¯s news was still the image of him sitting in the White House shaking hands with the president of the United States, so just when this guess came to mind the possibility was ruled out almost immediately. After all, apart from the itinerary, Jiang Chen didn¡¯t think that the project in his hands would have the opportunity to be inspected by the busy old gentleman before him before it was officially launched.


    However, no matter how unbelievable it was, he had to believe that the kindly smiling old man in front of him was really standing here.


    ¡°Child.¡± The old gentleman with a gentle but dignified smile waved to him, ¡°Are you Jiang Chen? I saw the system you designed just now, and it¡¯s indeed very powerful.¡±


    Jiang Chen restrained his emotions, walked up to the old man, and said politely and respectfully, ¡°Premier Zou¡­..¡±


    The old gentleman waved his hand and said with a smile, ¡°You can just call me Grandpa. Today, Grandpa Zou was pulled over by an old friend to see the kid he admired. And indeed you are quite extraordinary.¡±


    Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t too surprised. In fact, when he saw Professor Xiang standing with the old man in front of him, he guessed the reason why the busy old gentleman would appear here¡ª¡ªProfessor Xiang said that he would give him a gift.


    This gift could no longer be described as simply just precious. Jiang Chen could only bury his gratitude in his heart and savor this warmth and caring heart carefully.


    ¡°Grandpa Zou.¡± Jiang Chen changed his form of address readily. After a brief surprise, he quickly recovered his usual calmness. He had a calm expression, and with a peaceful and calm smile in his eyes, he asked, ¡°Do you mind if I introduce you to Changjiang?¡±


    ¡°Changjiang?¡± The old gentleman was surprised for a moment, then laughed loudly: ¡°A good name.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled and thanked him, and spoke unhurriedly, using the two information battles just now to briefly introduce Changjiang¡¯s offensive and defensive systems in a way that laymen could understand, and by the way, mixed in a lot of his own views, such as the future development trend of the Internet and the importance of information security.


    After the old gentleman listened carefully, his tone was kind, but his eyes were sharp and dignified: ¡°If information warfare will be the main method of future wars, do you think Changjiang can have a place in it?¡±


    Jiang Chen responded calmly: ¡°The development of the Internet is changing faster than any other industry, but the deep learning algorithm owned by Changjiang can guarantee that it will always be one step or even ten steps faster. If Changjiang¡¯s coding can be perfected and a server that can load Change lamb¡¯s system is developed, then Changjiang will not just have a spot, but take over most of the global territory.¡±


    Surprise floated in the eyes of the old gentleman. For so many years, few people could speak so openly in front of him. However, compared with the boldness of the young man, he cared more about his clean and clear eyes and the steadiness that could only be obtained after polishing and experience. Even if he had seen countless people, it was extremely difficult for him to find a few existences whose temperament could match the boy in front of him.


    ¡°I heard that you once said that Changing can not only win the information war, but also have an advantage on the real battlefield.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Has the time for the military exercise been decided?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    The old gentleman smiled slightly and said, ¡°Then how about now?¡±


    Jiang Chen was slightly stunned, but quickly replied: ¡°No problem.¡±


    After the old gentleman¡¯s order was issued, the execution speed was astonishingly fast. When Jiang Chen and Professor Xiang drove together to the military area hidden in the deep forest in the next province, there were already military officers leading a team to greet them. He helped Professor Xiang get out of the car, and with a quick look, he could tell at a glance that the soldiers in front of him were not simple, at least they should be part of the special forces.


    The soldier standing at the front saluted and talked to the old gentleman from a distance. Jiang Chen could only tell from his epaulets that his rank was not low, but he couldn¡¯t tell anything else.


    Jiang Chen and Professor Xiang stood in place, looking at the people talking in front of them, waiting for the next order, only to see the head soldier suddenly nod and beckon a soldier to step out from the troops behind. He bowed his head and said something to the soldier and the dark-skinned soldier ran towards this side.


    The soldier saluted, and after introducing himself, he said to Jiang Chen with a serious face: ¡°We have prepared the things you need, just follow me.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at Professor Xiang. Professor Xiang looked around and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be there later, you can go with him first.¡±


    ¡°Pay attention to your steps.¡±


    This place was located next to a deep mountain. The road was covered in mud and rocks. Even at the gate of the military area, it was not so smooth. Prpfessor Xiang was old, and Jiang Chen was still a little worried.


    ¡°Walk slowly, don¡¯t fall.¡±


    ¡°Am I the old man or are you the old man? Long-winded!¡±


    Professor Xiang waved his hands, then put his hands behind his back, and strolled forward.


    Jiang Chen smiled helplessly, and left with the dark-skinned soldier.


    ¡°Do you have a satellite network here?¡± Jiang Chen walked behind the soldier and asked while looking at the surrounding environment.


    The soldier nodded sternly: ¡°Yes, there are satellite TVs and satellite phones. They are not allowed to be used at ordinary times. You can set aside time every week to call your family.¡±


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t intend to ask about this but hearing him say this, he couldn¡¯t help but think of the days when he was in the research institute of the Imperial Military Department.


    It was an independent and primitive planet, with almost no modern equipment. Although they were researchers, except for their daily routines, the living conditions and the rules and regulations they need to abide by were almost the same as those of the army stationed there. Due to the confidential nature of military training, the entire planet was shielded from all signals most of the time.


    Whenever a fixed communication day came, most of the researchers and soldiers would be elated for a long time, but at that time Jiang Chen had no relatives, and his only friend was also in the same research institute, so there was almost nothing to worry about on this front, so every month on this day, he would find a place to have a meal alone, missing his family from his previous life.


    Later, Liao Zhe discovered his secret base somehow, and he was never able to return to his lonely peace.


    It had been nearly two years since he returned to his original world. He had parents and friends here, and he had not thought of the people and things in his last life for a long time. Now he suddenly returned to a place where the environment was not similar, but the feeling was the same. So he couldn¡¯t help thinking of people who hadn¡¯t thought of for a long time.


    Jiang Chen was immersed in his memories and didn¡¯t pay attention to his surroundings. He didn¡¯t come back to his senses until the soldier spoke. He stood at the bottom of the steps, looked into the building where the wall was peeling off, and couldn¡¯t help hesitating: ¡°Is this the training base?¡±


    The soldier nodded, walked in first, and said as he led the way, ¡°It¡¯s inside.¡±


    Jiang Chen followed behind him, looking at this computer room, which was no different from an ordinary office and was in fact even more dilapidated. Several ordinary computers were randomly placed on the table, and although the screens were wiped clean, the yellowish shell on the bulky body betrayed the painstaking cleaning.


    Going further inside, there was another computer room, which was no different from the one outside. After passing through five computer rooms, the soldier stopped in front of a door, which looked the same as the previous ones. But Jiang Cheek keenly noticed that the key hole of this door was not the same.


    Sure enough, the soldier gently turned the lock, and there were two clicks, revealing the combination lock inside. He entered the combination skillfully, and the green-painted door clicked open.


    ¡°This is¡­..¡±


    The high-tech equipment in front of him contrasted sharply with the dilapidated computer room outside. Looking at the huge electronic screen in front of him, Jiang Chen was slightly startled. In the interstellar age, because he stayed in the military research institute of the empire for a long time, he had some knowledge of the military strength and modern military equipment of each country before the interstellar migration, but most of the information was lost at that time, including the strategic situation of each country, so in truth he did not know too much.


    At least, according to the information he saw at the time, their country in 2005 should not have such advanced technology.


    ¡°The preparations were done in a hurry, so we could only pull two teams to do the exercise for the time being.¡±


    Behind Jiang Chen, a loud voice approached along with the sound of footsteps. The military officer who had been talking to the old gentleman came over and pointed to every detail on the giant screen to explain to him: ¡°Each team has sixteen people, that is the equipment vehicle, two for each team, the weapons are¡­..¡±


    Jiang Chen was listening carefully, and asked a few questions related to weapons from time to time. The military officer saw that everything he asked was on point, and asked in surprise, ¡°Do you usually like to watch military channels?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat interested.¡± Jiang Chen smiled. He didn¡¯t say that his database contained information on most of the existing weapons from various countries in the world. Although the secret research could not be loaded into the database, most of the weapons used in this exercise were already available. He knew that there was going to be a military exercise, so he would naturally do his homework in advance.


    The military officer nodded and didn¡¯t say any more. He waited until a  soldier came to report, and then said to Jiang Chen, ¡°Are you ready? The blue team will be under your command. What you have to do is let the blue team operate under the command of your system to win against the red team.¡±


    Jiang Chen turned on the computer and loaded the data: ¡°We¡¯re ready.¡±


    At the same time as these words fell, a red flare was shot into the air, and the two teams on the practice field were also ready to go.


    Both sides were the elites of the army, and had likely been in many actual combats as well, but this was their first time for such an exercise. They have been fighting under the direction of a commander for the past year, so even if the commander connected to the headset was said to be artificial intelligence, there was no need to adapt and get used to it.


    The red team attacked fiercely, and soon drove the only armored vehicle to attack this side. At the same time, other soldiers were also hiding, outflanking or sniping.


    However, the blue team hadn¡¯t received an order for a long time. The captain stood there, frowning. He wanted to give orders to command his own soldiers, but his duty as a soldier forced him to obey the orders from above. Now that the orders hadn¡¯t been issued, he could only wait.


    Suddenly, a voice came from the headset, ¡°All take cover and conceal yourselves in the three o¡¯clock direction, sniper on the ready, and the rest will wait.¡±


    The captain of the blue team raised his hand and immediately acted according to the instructions. They had just laid in ambush in the designated building when they saw members of the red team moving not far away.


    ¡°Sniper, attack.¡±


    The sniper aimed at the members of the red team, and with one shot, the red team lost one member. Just as the sniper was about to wait, another member of the red team appeared soon. The sniper reacted quickly and pressed the trigger at the same time as the headset voice appeared.


    ¡°Snipe all opponents you see.¡±


    Bang, bang, bang¡­..


    The members of the blue team looked at each other, completely unaware of what was going on with the red team. They had already sniped five people on their side, and they supposedly knew that someone was ambushing and sniping here, so why did people keep running into their shooting range?


    Except for the sniper, the rest of them hardly needed to do anything, and half of the opponent had already been lost.


    However, what was even more weird was that the red team members seemed to be half-bewitched, running out one by one. Although their movements were very vigilant and covert, they all had experience in actual combat, and the blue team had occupied the best line of sight. No matter how cautious the red team was, they still fell one after another.


    After a while, the red team only had two armored vehicles left.


    The blue team captain frowned, and couldn¡¯t help whispering, ¡°What are they doing?¡±


    The headset sent an order again: ¡°Except for the sniper, all the troops are dispatched to capture the enemy alive.¡±


    The captain had been waiting inexplicably, and immediately waved his hand and led the team downstairs. He thought it would be an offensive and defensive battle against the sturdy armored vehicle. But unexpectedly, as soon as they got down, the door of the armored vehicle opened automatically. Both sides stared at each other, obviously not realizing this situation. Although the two sides reacted quickly, the blue team had the numerical advantage and captured the red team with almost no effort.


    The personnel on one side either died or were captured. The exercise ended unprecedentedly quickly, and the whole process made people feel at a loss. The captain of the blue team and the captain of the red team looked at each other and walked quickly to the exercise room.


    You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se. wo rd pr es s . c o m )


    In the exercise room at this time, the people watching the battle were also dumbfounded.


    The commander of the red team wanted to curse, but he could only grit his teeth and bear it when he thought about who was watching the battle.


    Only the military officer who had been standing by Jiang Chen¡¯s side was thoughtful: ¡°It¡¯s actually possible to fight like this.¡±

 CH 124

    After the military officer finished speaking, he paused for a moment, then turned his head to look at Jiang Chen with inquiring eyes.


    ¡°Is your system intelligent enough to make decisions on its own, or have you already prepared a strategy?¡±


    Before his words were even finished uttering, the confused red and blue teams pushed the door in. They were all soldiers who had secretly trained in this training ground that seemed to be of poor conditions, but was actually a place concentrated with the highest level of technology in the country. Being able to be selected to come here, their ability was naturally extraordinary.


    From enlisting to the present, they have never won/lost so inexplicably and felt at such a loss.


    ¡°Reporting in!¡± The captain of the blue team and the captain of the red team stood still at the same time, saluting uniformly, ¡°The exercise is over, and all members of the blue team/red team have returned!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been hard work, take a break.¡±


    At this the two captains were no longer as serious as before. The captain of the red team couldn¡¯t wait to ask the question that had troubled him since the beginning of the exercise: ¡°Why did the commanding officer give inconsistent instructions? First telling us to lay in ambush, and then sending out scouts one by one. As a result, not only did the enemy¡¯s position not be determined, but we were wiped out one by one by the enemy¡¯s snipers. I am really suspicious of the commanding officer¡¯s serious dereliction of duty!¡±


    After losing in such a pathetic way, it would be difficult to raise his head in front of the blue team for a period of time in the future. The captain of the red team couldn¡¯t swallow this down, and his temper was so hot that he was even more unwilling to suffer such dumb losses. If not for several high ranking leaders here, he would¡¯ve even pointed at the nose of the commanding officer and launched into a fierce scolding.


    The commanding officer was also very aggrieved. Just thinking about it with their brains, everyone would know that it was impossible for him to issue such terrible orders, but e had to swallow this bitterness down. In order to cope with the high-tech battles that may occur in the future, from the establishment of this covert foreign military simulation force, using the command and squad to cooperate in combat had always been the case, and the combination of the two sides made up the real team.


    The commanding officers were not fixed. In addition to combat, the soldiers of the special forces must be knowledgeable of strategic deployment and military acumen, so every time they practiced command, they would rotate soldiers. In order to cooperate with each other in the most tacit way, in the exercise field and training, completely obeying the commands of the commanding officer became the first thing they kept in mind and engraved into their bones since the first day of training.


    Obedience to orders was a soldier¡¯s bounden duty, and for soldiers of the simulated troops, this condition also included the addition of obeying the orders of the commanding officer.


    In any case, the red team did receive orders from the commanding officer. When the system was cut off or even given false instructions by the opponent, they were unable to fight back, which was indeed their dereliction of duty.


    It turned out that Jiang Chen had no intention of actually using tactics to fight wars from the very beginning. Even if he had been in the army for a few years as a system researcher, it was like he would have also become an expert in tactical deployment. Otherwise, he would have gone to the army instead of staying in the research institute.


    His initial order to the Changjiang was to use electronic warfare and cyber warfare.


    After the red team commander issued the first few correct instructions, Changjiang cut off the opponent¡¯s radio communication, making their command fail, and then pretended that everything was normal. The red team commander was still issuing instructions, but all his instructions would be intercepted by Changjiang halfway, and then sent fake instructions to the red team.


    The red team acted according to the false order, and ran to the blue team¡¯s sniper range one by one to die. The red team¡¯s commander was shocked and angry after seeing it on the big screen, and gave the order again, but the other side still didn¡¯t follow the order. No matter what, at this time he would finally realize that someone was playing tricks.


    But even if he knew that Jiang Chen was playing tricks, the exercise was still going on, and he could only wait anxiously. And he really didn¡¯t know if he should be thankful that the waiting time was not too long. After the red team members died one by one, even the armored vehicles which were connected to the command network automatically opened their doors, allowing the blue team to win without any effort.


    The young and vigorous commander couldn¡¯t suppress the anger in his heart, and said in a low voice, ¡°Despicable.¡±


    Hearing this, Jiang Chen followed the sound and saw the soldier¡¯s still youthful face. He was slightly taken aback, but he didn¡¯t feel sorry. It was just that he, an ¡°old man¡± who had lived three lifetimes and wielded Changjiang in his hand, was competing with these soldiers who were no older than twenty-five years old. He really did feel guilty of bullying children.


    He blinked and wanted to say something, but the sharp eyes of the military officer standing beside him had already swept over, looked directly at the soldier who had just spoken, and said, ¡°Do you think that the other party is despicable just because you lose?¡±


    The soldier didn¡¯t expect the head of the regiment to ask a question directly, but he straightened his back, stood up and said with a stiff neck, ¡°He cut off our system and passed on false orders. Is this not despicable?¡±


    The military officer snorted coldly: ¡°Go to the battlefield and ask the people in our military industry research department whether the new stealth aircraft is despicable. Whether the nuclear weapons developed by the research institute are despicable. As a soldier, if you can¡¯t even accept the newly developed weapons, why are you still a soldier?¡±


    These words were not insignificant, and in front of so many people, the young soldier¡¯s red face gradually turned pale. His hands beside him were clenched into fists, shame and embarrassment alternated on his face, and he slowly lowered his head.


    Jiang Chen swallowed what he wanted to say. Forget it, if they want to understand Changjiang¡¯s method of cutting off the enemy¡¯s communication as a weapon, it couldn¡¯t be considered completely inaccurate.


    ¡°And you!¡± Jiang Chen didn¡¯t speak, but the military officer¡¯s lecturing did not end. His eyes swept over every soldier present, his aura serious and solemn: ¡°Our country is developing every day, and technology and weapons are changing with each passing day. What is the purpose of this? It is to protect the peace of the motherland, and to give you more protection in battle!¡±


    ¡°Every minor detail on the battlefield can become the direct factors that determine success or failure. In the past, it was a bullet and a knife, but now it is the gap in military strength between the enemy and us. How can these gaps be closed? Technology and weapons! Let me ask, if one day, the system that just commanded the blue team appeared on the battlefield, and we can repel the enemy without losing a single soldier, as well as be able to defend our borders and our allies. Could it be that you will think it¡¯s still despicable then?¡±


    Most of the people who were caught by the military officer¡¯s gaze lowered their heads in shame. They were only annoyed by the exercise that ended like a joke, but they didn¡¯t think about how powerful this would be as a secret weapon if it was placed on the international war stage.


    If they have the system shown in today¡¯s exercise, they would be able to reverse control as long as the enemy used weapons connected to the computer system in the future, and most of the weapons connected to the computer system were the most powerful secret weapons of various countries.


    The scene of the enemy country firing laser cannons and suddenly finding that they couldn¡¯t activate the turret came to mind. Just thinking about it made their blood boil excitedly, and they looked at Jiang Chen¡ª¡ªor rather the computer beside him with scorching eyes.


    Jiang Chen felt the soldiers¡¯ ¡°enthusiastic¡± gazes. Not only did he not feel uncomfortable, but a little nostalgia floated in his heart. In the interstellar era, whenever a new type of weapon or mech appeared, the soldiers were also so enthusiastic and excited.


    Sure enough, no matter how the times change, some enthusiasm would never change.


    ¡°Jiang¡ª¡ª¡± The military officer faced Jiang Chen, but recalling that he had no official position, he changed his address to the respectful manner of address: ¡°Mr. Jiang.¡±


    Jiang Chen was used to this kind of address, and he didn¡¯t feel that there was anything strange at all, and he responded readily, ¡°Please speak your mind.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move to the conference room to talk, how about it?¡± The military officer was obviously not used to speaking like this, but facing the handsome young man in front of him, he couldn¡¯t utter those straightforward and rough words he would use with his subordinates, and for a while, he utilized the tone that he used to speak to his old father at home.


    Hearing his tone, Jiang Chen felt a little strange in his heart, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what was so strange, so he nodded and followed behind him.


    In the meeting room, apart from the old gentleman and Professor Xiang who didn¡¯t make a sound from the beginning to the end of the simulated battle exercise, there were also two unfamiliar old men and two middle-aged men wearing epaulets. They all seemed to be of a certain age. Even the military officers who walked side by side with Jiang Chen were definitely juniors among these people, let alone Jiang Chen.


    The military officer saw clearly the people present and his pupils dilated, immediately giving a loud report.


    Jiang Chen glanced politely at the few people he didn¡¯t know but obviously had a deep background. After slightly nodding his head, he greeted the two he knew: ¡°Grandpa Zou, Grandpa Xiang.¡±


    Hearing Jiang Chen¡¯s address, some people present looked slightly surprised, and turned to look at the old gentleman at the main seat.


    The old gentleman didn¡¯t seem to notice other people¡¯s gazes, and nodded to Jiang Chen with a smile, saying with a kind tone: ¡°Come and have seat, we¡¯re going to have a meeting.¡±


    Jiang Chen and the military officer sat at the same time¡ª¡ªthe conference room was not big, and there were only two seats left, and the two of them didn¡¯t need to look much to know where to sit.


    However, what surprised Jiang Chen was that his seat was actually in the second seat on the left side of the main seat, which was just below Professor Xiang.


    The seats in the conference room were very particular, and even in the interstellar era, some hidden rules still exist. From Jiang Chen¡¯s point of view, no matter how powerful his Changjiang was, it was not suitable for him to sit in such a position before he had really produced results, not to mention that he had no official position at all at this time.


    But the people present seemed to think that he should sit there, and they didn¡¯t even show a look of surprise at his sitting down. They looked at him with kindness and calmness.


    ¡°Xiao Jiang.¡± The old gentleman at the main seat opened his mouth and said kindly: ¡°Talk to your grandpas about the functions of your Changjiang. The extent to which it can go and after successful research and development, how much percent of its capabilities can it maintain within the maximum radiation range.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye Professor Xiang who sat calmly beside him. He guessed that during the period just now, Professor Xiang explained alot about Changjiang to the old gentleman.


    ¡°If the bearer server is successfully developed, Changjiang can radiate to all places where signal receiving towers are built. In terms of security protection, different security levels can be set, such as civilian level and military level, as well as the level of ordinary databases and special databases. Depending on the level, the server level required for the coverage area is also different.¡±


    After digesting the content of Jiang Chen¡¯s words, the old gentleman asked, ¡°Do you have a direction for server development?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°But I¡¯m not a hardware engineer, so I can only provide some theories. It may take a long time from development to achievement.¡±


    An old gentleman in a military uniform asked, ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure.¡± Jiang Chen told the truth, he was a software engineer, no matter how good he was, he couldn¡¯t know the hardware well. When he was in the federation, there were no less than 200 people in the Changjiang R&D Center, and the specializations were extremely clear. As the person in charge of the system, even if there were necessary debugging and discussions, he only focused on the running speed of the system, and he knew nothing about the server.


    Today¡¯s Changjiang could run on his laptop, all thanks to his excellent memory. At that time, he had seen the portable server made by the researchers of the server team for easier and clearer research. Although the process was complicated, the materials were relatively simple, so Jiang Chen remembered most of it after seeing it a lot.


    But even so, this simplified version of the server was made by Jiang Chen after countless failed experiments, and once the attack and defense system was turned on, the usage time varied according to the level. For the highest level of defense and attack it could support up to 30 minutes. Fortunately, the information warfare and the exercise just now only need to be turned on to the lowest level, so Jiang Chen could use this laptop which had a shorter time support than if it was connected to a PC to go through the two information battles.


    However, Jiang Chen¡¯s answer made another old gentleman in military uniform dissatisfied.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you¡¯re researching? You don¡¯t even know how long it will take to develop it successfully?¡±


    There was no need for Jiang Chen to speak, Professor Xiang replied coldly: ¡°He only makes software, and you ask him how long it would take to make the hardware, why don¡¯t you ask yourself, can you also dance if you know boxing? How about ballet?¡±


    Directly asking an old man who was over sixty years old if he could dance, whether it was ballet or not, it was really a retort full of gunpowder.


    However, no one in the room took offense. It was no secret that Professor Xiang and the general in front of him were at odds, but the two had quarreled from young to old, and it was just verbal smack talk.


    Sure enough, the old man in military uniform just snorted coldly, as if he was too lazy to argue with him.


    Seeing this, Jiang Chen continued with a slight smile, and said, ¡°Although I can¡¯t predict the length of the server¡¯s research and development, it doesn¡¯t mean that Changjiang can¡¯t run. The simple server I¡¯ve made can carry Changjiang for a period of time. With this simple server, I believe the scientists in the engineering department should be able to get inspiration more easily.¡±


    In fact, the old man just now only asked habitually. He usually spoke this way to his subordinates and his children and grandchildren. So he really didn¡¯t realize his problem when he spoke. It was only after Professor Xiang spoke up that he realized he shouldn¡¯t be taking his big temper out on the young man in front of him.


    Seeing that he obviously didn¡¯t care about his unprofessional question just now, but explained from another perspective gently and patiently, which not only took care of his face, but also gave him a step down and shifted everyone¡¯s focus, the old man¡¯s good feelings towards Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help but increase greatly.


    ¡°Do you have any requirements for the researchers of the scientific research team?¡± A middle-aged man with a square face who had not said anything before looked at Jiang Chen, and his tone unconsciously revealed a bit of majesty when he spoke: ¡°I heard that you plan to start a company to cooperate with the research institute. Where do you plan to find people for the scientific research team?¡±


    Jiang Chen replied to the questions one by one: ¡°I hope to personally select each collaborator. The current plan is to set up a team of twelve people a day, six of whom will specialize in servers, and the other five will work with me to further develop Changjiang. I will try my best to select researchers from the establishment of the National Research Institute and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Other researchers who contract with the company will also be hired after the national verification.¡±


    Jiang Chen¡¯s considerations were practically comprehensive, and he methodically explained every detail and possible concerns of the people present and calmed any concerns that they may have. Even the elderly gentleman sitting at the main seat felt that this plan was the most feasible and acceptable plan for the Institute to cooperate with a private and state-owned company.


    ¡°I heard that you are still in the third year of high school.¡± Wearing gold-rimmed glasses, the thin, middle-aged man had a more refined aura compared to the square faced middle aged man, and he said: ¡°If the R&D team and project is established, can you ensure that your school studies and research can be carried out at the same time?¡±


    Jiang Chen was asked this question more than once when he entered the Seventeenth Research Institute, and when he heard it again at this time, he still gave the same answer.


    ¡°I can handle everything well.¡±


    The thin middle-aged man nodded and it was unclear whether he believed it or not. Instead of continuing the question, he asked, ¡°Are you planning to go to Yan University or Hua University?¡± The tone was positive, without the slightest hesitation that Jiang Chen might choose other schools or fail to get into these two top 2 prestigious schools.


    ¡°Yan University, Department of Computer Science.¡±


    A smile floated on the thin man¡¯s face: ¡°That¡¯s my alma mater, your choice is good.¡±


    There was a soft snort in his ear at this. Every time Professor Xiang thought of Jiang Chen not choosing Hua Uni¡¯s Department of Mathematics, he was still angry, even if Jiang Chen didn¡¯t bring it up.


    Jiang Chen was a little helpless, but he had nothing to say.


    The thin man continued: ¡°If you are at Yan Uni, you can conduct research and studies at the same time. Yan Uni has always had examples of undergraduate students entering the research institute in advance to participate in research. After applying, you only need to take important exams every semester and complete the credits.¡±


    Jiang Chen had heard of this before, but a big reason he chose Yan Uni was its basic computer courses, and he didn¡¯t intend to just pass the exams to get a diploma. But the elder in front of him told him this clearly out of good intentions, and even if he didn¡¯t intend to take the advice, he still thanked him.


    ¡°Yan University is not the only one that can do this. The national military school is also the same.¡± The old man in military uniform glanced at the thin man, and had no intention of continuing this topic. He said to Jiang Chen, ¡°The research and development of Changjiang will become a national first-class secret. In the future, your daily necessities will be closely monitored, including your parents who will also have a dedicated security detail. Besides the researchers, you can also choose those who will protect you. I tell you this in the hope that you will be prepared, and your life may be turned upside down in the future.¡±


    Jiang Chen had already adapted to the life of being protected at all times. Although he occasionally felt that he was not free when he was in the federation, it was this strict protection that allowed him to survive many assassinations and explicit attacks, so naturally he would not reject it.


    Hearing the old man¡¯s seeming warning but actually a kind reminder in advance, Jiang Chen nodded: ¡°Thank you, I will be ready.¡±


    The old man frowned. What did he say that deserved thanks?


    This kid was smart, but his personality was too soft. When he chooses his security detail, he would have to let his old subordinates insert the good youngsters under his command. He must choose people from his most elite subordinates to protect him so that everyone could be at ease.

 CH 125

    Thanks to Professor Xiang¡¯s ¡°meeting gift¡±, Jiang Chen¡¯s project approval was much faster than he planned. There were advantages and disadvantages to the plan being advanced, but in general it was more beneficial.


    After the simulated military battle and the meeting, it was already past eleven o¡¯clock in the evening when they left the military base, and drove back to Yan City from the border of the neighboring province overnight. During this period, the several elderly people who traveled along the way were all in high spirits, chatting about the meeting that would be held in a few months, and did not shy away from speaking in front of Jiang Chen who was also present.


    However, Jiang Chen didn¡¯t pay much attention to these political issues. It would take some time for the project to go from approval to real launch. During this period, the candidates for the scientific research team must be determined. However, until now, he had no suitable choice except Yu Yi, and Yu Yi would not sign a contract with the company.


    In addition, the company¡¯s office location should be selected as soon as possible. Although he didn¡¯t have much experience in business operations, when he started a business with Shen Xu and Huo Bo back in the first life, it was not like he didn¡¯t pay attention to the outside world and just focused on research. At least in the early days of the business, including recruiting employees and other miscellaneous matters he was also involved.


    Having a certain amount of experience could indeed improve efficiency, but the college entrance examination was coming soon. It was quite difficult to establish a company, choose a location, complete renovations, and procure all equipment and materials all before the summer vacation as it was such a tight time frame.


    Jiang Chen looked out the window, thinking about how to compress the time for establishing the company.


    Probably seeing that he was lost in his thoughts, the hale and hearty old gentleman asked him, ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    Jiang Chen blurted out: ¡°About starting my company.¡±


    The three present here were aware of the contract proposed by Jiang Chen, and there was no need for even a pause: ¡°Is there any trouble?¡±


    Jiang Chen sat up slightly, paused for a moment, and briefly explained his concerns.


    The old gentleman smiled: ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to worry. The people in the research institute will try their best to match your time to recruit the scientific research team, and it will take a while from the notification to the selection of applications. By the time you are actually asked to oversee interviews, you will probably have finished taking the exam.¡±


    ¡°These things are not something you have to worry about at all.¡± Professor Xiang looked at him sideways, and said calmly: ¡°If you don¡¯t have time, leave it to your dad. He doesn¡¯t deal in real estate, and he has a lot of office buildings in good locations. Just tell him, and he will naturally take care of it for you.¡±


    Jiang Chen was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously wanted to refute this approach.


    Professor Xiang didn¡¯t give him a chance to refute, and continued: ¡°Your time is used for scientific research, don¡¯t waste your energy on these things that don¡¯t need your attention at all.¡±


    The old gentleman looked at Jiang Chen with a smile, and said in a kind tone, ¡°Grandpa Xiang is right. Since you are running out of time, why not leave this matter to someone you trust and have the ability to take care of it.¡±


    The middle-aged man who had been by the old gentleman¡¯s side glanced at Jiang Chen, and suddenly said, ¡°I was thinking you look familiar. I seem to have seen you before but I don¡¯t have much impression. Which family are you from?¡±


    As an insider, Professor Xiang naturally answered this question for Jiang Chen: ¡°He is the eldest child of the third son of the He family.¡±


    The middle-aged man nodded, a hint of curiosity flashing across his eyes, but he didn¡¯t ask any more questions.


    The car drove smoothly to Yan City. Since Jiang Chen had to attend class tomorrow, he was sent home first.


    When the car gradually left the neighborhood where the Jiang¡¯s lived, the middle-aged man asked, ¡°Why is the eldest child of He Yanfeng surnamed Jiang?¡±


    Professor Xiang sighed. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the whole circle knew about it, and if the middle-aged man in front of him really wanted to know he had many channels to find out, so he didn¡¯t need to hide it.


    ¡°Back then the He Yanfeng couple and Jiang Chen¡¯s adoptive parents¡­..¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    Back home, Jiang Chen immediately turned on the computer.


    Sure enough, countless messages popped up on Wingnet. Among them, H and C sent the most messages, and two came from A.


    Jiang Chen was slightly surprised, and clicked on A¡¯s message first:


    [A: Today¡¯s information battle was very exciting.]


    [A: I am very interested in your Changjiang system, can we have a chat?]


    Jiang Chen¡¯s fingers on the keyboard paused for a moment, and he turned off the chat interface. It seemed that A was also one of the people who participated in the information war today. He was indeed very interested in this great god who had retired for a long time, but it was too late now, and it was not suitable for talking about business.


    He first opened the dialog box of C, he really wanted to know what would be the news that made him lose his sockpuppet in front of everyone in the Cyber Security Bureau.


    [C: I, I, I saw you.]


    [C: You, you, why are you so young!]


    [C: Great God! God D! Take me flying ahhhhhh! I want to join your team! Even if it¡¯s just to sweep the floor!]


    [C: Great God, where are you? How come you don¡¯t reply?]


    [C: Hey, are you really not going to reply? Don¡¯t you want to know who I am? We passed by today, you are so scummy, you passed by my shoulder, turning your face and not recognizing me.]


    The corners of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth twitched. He couldn¡¯t imagine that among the people he met at the Cyber Security Bureau today, anyone would post these messages with a straight face. Besides, he passed by many people, and he really couldn¡¯t guess at all¡­..


    No, Jiang Chen paused suddenly. He wanted to establish a scientific research team. Apart from the few people who he saw at the meeting in the research institute before, there were only a few big figures who had a meeting at the military base today who knew about him wanting to establish a research team. All the insiders did not exceed fifteen people.


    The information warfare and military exercise were all carried out under other pretexts. Even the participants didn¡¯t know the true meaning behind it. How could C know?


    [D: How do you know that I am going to form a scientific research team?]


    C seemed to have been waiting by the computer, and replied almost the second after Jiang Chen¡¯s message was sent.


    [C: On the day you held a meeting at the 17th Research Institute of the Military Department, I was also in the meeting room.]


    Jiang Chen looked at the text on the screen, and the faces he had seen in the conference room of the research institute came to mind one by one. Comparing with C¡¯s tone, those who were over sixty like Major General Wu were definitely crossed out. In addition, there was only a woman with long curly hair who he couldn¡¯t tell the age of and the young man sitting next to her who kept his head down and who he couldn¡¯t see the face or age clearly.


    Recalling that C once said that he was socially phobic, Jiang Chen had the answer:


    [D: Were you sitting at the end opposite me?]


    [C: Right, right, right! And when you left this afternoon, I was even standing at the door on the second floor, and just as I was about to call you, you left without looking back.]


    [D: So you sent me a message on purpose?]


    [C: I just wanted to confirm your identity! I always thought you were about the same age as me, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be so young. My mood at that time was so complicated that you couldn¡¯t understand. I had to confirm it right away.]


    Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t angry at all, he just thought it was amazing. This was the first time he encountered such a situation of meeting netizens in reality, and it was really just a meeting without any communication.


    [D: Why didn¡¯t you call out to me then.]


    [C: I have social phobia, and I can¡¯t speak when I see a real person.]


    Jiang Chen¡¯s understanding of social phobia had gained another level. Putting aside other things, if C could join his team, at least in terms of mutual familiarity, he was better than everyone in Wingnet including H and A.


    It was just that his understanding of C was limited to his love of browsing other people¡¯s surveillance videos and his ability to track other people¡¯s IPs. These two things have no real effect on the Changjiang project.


    [D: You want to join my team, but what advantages do you think you have?]


    [C: Actually, I used to be a beta in XX, but because I really didn¡¯t like contact with people, I resigned and changed to accepting orders online to become a hacker. Does your team lack betas?]


    He really was lacking.


    Jiang Chen thought about finding a beta at the research institute before, but the hugeness of the whole project of Changjiang was far from the amount of work that could be completed by a single beta, and Changjiang would continue to develop and upgrade, and one beta was simply not enough.


    Moreover, XX was the most famous software company in the world. If C had worked there, it proved that he had certain abilities. However, being able to work for one of the world¡¯s top ten companies and entering a scientific research team for a difficult scientific research project was not the same concept. Whether it could be successful or not depended on C¡¯s strength.


    [D: After a while, I¡­..]


    Jiang Chen suddenly thought of something, deleted all the words he just typed, and re-typed.


    [D: I will send you a program. It is a new programming language, but it can run. You can test it and give me the result in three days.]


    [C: Sure!]


    After chatting with C, it was getting late. Jiang Chen casually looked at H¡¯s messages, most of which were asking him about the Changjiang system. He randomly picked a few questions that could be answered, and fell asleep on the bed without even washing his face.


    *


    The results of the third mock exam were released as scheduled, and it was as usual posted on the bulletin board in the Cultural Corridor, but this time the place was much more lively than the previous few times. Not only the third year students, but even the first and second year students crowded in front of the bulletin board.


    ¡°Do you see it? Do you see it? Is it Jiang Chen senior?!¡±


    ¡°Is God Jiang number one?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push! There are heads in front, I can¡¯t see at all.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up! I¡¯m so anxious!¡±


    ¡°I see it, I see it! God Jiang is number one! 748! Hot damn~¡±


    ¡°748? Did you read that correctly?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 748. Oh my God.¡±


    ¡°Then the top scorer in science is guaranteed?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s absolutely guaranteed.¡±


    There was a crowd under the bulletin board, and there were also crowds in discussions. The central figure of the topic was highly unified. No matter the years of the students, they all had smiles and pride on their faces.


    Just as they said, the other schools taking the first place in the city before was only because God Jiang/Senior Jiang was not there. Once he took part in the exam, everyone had to give way.


    Jiang Chen went to bed too late yesterday, and came late today, which was rare for him. He practically stepped into the classroom the same time as the bell rang and didn¡¯t have time to look at his grade. However, he didn¡¯t need to look at the results. The teacher who oversaw the early morning study period had already smiled and congratulated him. And by the way, the whole class also performed a 30-second long drumming on their desks and applause.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Jiang Chen put down his schoolbag, thanked them with a smile, but what was in his mind was the phone call he made before going out in the morning.


    In the He family house before, after hearing the conversation between He Qianjian and the System, he had been very curious about the unknown functions of the System and the substance He Qianjian mentioned, so that night, he asked the former detective he was in contact with to keep an eye on He Qianjian, wondering what exactly he was looking for.


    Jiang Chen¡¯s intuition told him that the thing shouldn¡¯t be anything simple for the System to specially tell He Qianjian to find it.


    However, until this morning, there was no progress on the detective¡¯s side. All of He Qianjian¡¯s actions were normal, and he didn¡¯t deliberately buy or look for anything. Even if he did buy something during this period, there was nothing similar to the pronunciation of the substance PO.


    What would it be?


    Jiang Chen took out the English practice paper, put on his earphones, and thought about it while doing the questions.


    Passing the third mock exam meant that there were only a dozen days left before the college entrance examination. At this time, most teachers would relax the atmosphere in the classroom, and the early self-study was not as strict as before. Everyone could read their textbooks and do practice problems. As long as it did not affect other students, even if they discussed problems with others, it was fine.


    Taking advantage of this, Shen Xu moved his chair to Jiang Chen¡¯s desk, bumped his elbow, and waited for him to take off his earphones, before saying in a lowered voice, ¡°I met Sun Zhi this morning, and he told me that He Qianjian had contacted him again recently.¡±


    Jiang Chen tilted his head: ¡°He came to you?¡±


    Shen Xu shrugged: ¡°Maybe he was grateful that you didn¡¯t completely cut off his path back then, allowing him to stay in school, so this time when He Qianjian made a move, and he couldn¡¯t find you, so he told me directly.¡±


    ¡°What did He Qianjian ask him to do?¡±


    ¡°Buy batteries, he asked him to buy a lot of batteries.¡±


    ¡°Batteries?¡±


    ¡°Who knows what¡¯s up with He Qianjian, and Sun Zhi can¡¯t figure it out either. He just asked me to tell you about it.¡±


    Jiang Chen nodded slightly, indicating that he understood. After Shen Xu returned to his seat, he couldn¡¯t help pondering over it.


    Could the batteries that He Qianjian asked Sun Zhi to buy have any connection with the substance PO that the System asked him to find?

 CH 126

    One week before the college entrance examination, C sent Jiang Chen the test results two days later than the agreed time.


    [C: [Picture] [Picture] [Picture]]


    [C: My notepad was set to be non-replicable, so I took a screenshot and gave it to you directly. I have never seen the programming language of the program you gave me before. Did you develop it yourself?]


    [C: But there seems to be something missing in the operation of this program. I don¡¯t know the business related to this program, I just analyzed the database structure myself, and I did the environment and framework construction myself. Take a look.]


    Jiang Chen clicked on the picture, glanced over it quickly, and raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling a little surprised.


    ¡ª¡ªC actually cracked most of the System¡¯s codes according to this program, and actually issued a very detailed test report.


    In fact, Jiang Chen had only cracked a part of the captured codes so far, but because there was enough data, after multiple comparisons and blind tests, he actually managed to fiddle out a runnable program, but this program seemed to be useless, and was just runnable.


    But judging from C¡¯s report, this program should be a statistical classification program. You need to put something in it before it would work.


    Jiang Chen directly dragged out a form, clicked on the program to run, and put the form in.


    Soon, a form with a format very similar to the one Jiang Chen put in appeared on the computer interface, but the data inside were all obscure characters. Jiang Chen frowned slightly, somehow feeling that these characters looked familiar.


    But where he saw it before, he had no memory of it.


    It stood to reason that this kind of situation was difficult to happen to him. Jiang Chen had always had a good memory, and because he was very interested in programming languages, whether it was in the interstellar era or now, he could be said to be very familiar with the existing programming languages that have been eliminated in previous history. There were almost no programming languages that he had never seen. Even if he was not familiar with it, he would still have some impressions.


    If this was not a programming language, but other racial languages that have been passed down through culture, even if he was unfamiliar, it shouod not be without any impression.


    The light from the screen shone on Jiang Chen¡¯s face, and it suddenly became brighter. A message from C came in again.


    [C: What do you think? Is it possible for me to join your team?]


    Jiang Chen came back to his senses, and slowly typed a word:


    [D: Welcome.]


    [C: Ahhhhhhhhhhh I am accepted?! Really?! Do you want an interview? Can I have an office or a laboratory alone?]


    Jiang Chen smiled and typed:


    [D: You work in the Cyber Security Bureau, and I will talk to them at that time. You can be directly transferred to my team without having to attend an interview, but I can¡¯t give you an answer for a separate office or laboratory, because I don¡¯t know the situation of our future laboratory for the time being.]


    [C: It¡¯s okay, it just so happens that I also want to cure my social phobia.]


    In less than a second, C sent again:


    [C: No, actually I don¡¯t want to treat my social phobia, I don¡¯t want to get in touch with people¡­.]


    Jiang Chen saw that he could chat so happily by himself in a dialog box and it was hard to imagine that, as he said, he would be speechless face to face. Just as he was about to tease him, C sent another message:


    [C: I heard that you are still in the third year of high school. Doesn¡¯t it mean that the college entrance examination is about to take place? Are you ready?]


    Jiang Chen raised his hand to type, and suddenly thought of something, his fingers paused, and his typing speed became faster.


    [D: Do you still remember that I asked you to track an IP address before?]


    [C: Of course I remember, that was the most exciting IP address I have ever chased in my life, and I still have endless aftertastes~]


    [D: Do you want to do it again?]


    [C: Of course, but who is the other party? Do you have enmity with them? Always checking their IP and blocking it on purpose.]


    [D: It¡¯s indeed an enmity, but the interception has nothing to do with it, it¡¯s just to test Changjiang.]


    [C: If you say this, I must definitely do it now.]


    [C: What time?]


    [D: June 8th, morning.]


    It was a little in replying on the other side, but after a pause:


    [C: Aren¡¯t you going to take the college entrance examination on June 8th?]


    [D: It¡¯s exactly on that day.]


    [C: OK]


    *


    A week passed in a flash. On the day of the college entrance examination, traffic control was implemented in the streets near the school in the entire Yan City. Everything in these two days must make way for the college entrance examination and the students taking the college entrance examination.


    Jiang Chen was assigned to Chenghua Academy as the examination location for the college entrance examination this time. Because it was far away from his home, he was urged to go out early in the morning by Yang Si. Even Jiang Ran was sent to old Mr. Miao¡¯s house to be babysat. It wasn¡¯t until she and Jiang Zhuo delivered Jiang Chen safely to Chenghua¡¯s gate that she let go of her worries all the way.


    Yang Si took a deep breath and comforted Jiang Chen: ¡°Chen Chen, don¡¯t be nervous, Mom believes you can do it.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo joked: ¡°Son doesn¡¯t look very nervous, but you seem to be unable to breath.¡±


    Yang Si glared at him: ¡°My son is about to take the college entrance examination, but you act so relaxed, what kind of a father¡­..¡±


    Before she finished speaking, she frowned slightly, craned her neck around Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo, and the smile on the corner of her mouth dropped a little.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Mom, what did you see?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo and Jiang Chen noticed the change in her expression at the same time. After asking at the same time, they turned their heads and looked in the direction Yang Si had just looked at.


    Then, the expressions of the two changed slightly.


    Less than 20 meters away stood a family of three, He Yanfeng, Yang Yun, and He Qianjian. It was easy to see what they were here for.


    Yang Si had already withdrawn her gaze. Seeing her husband and son looking over, she immediately said, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t look, Chen Chen, remember Mom¡¯s advice, don¡¯t be nervous, you¡¯ve already been accepted to college, don¡¯t worry about the pressure from the school, take the exam as easy as possible.¡±


    Jiang Chen agreed, and she turned to look at her husband¡¯s expression, a little puzzled: ¡°Old Jiang, what¡¯s the matter? What are you thinking?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo¡¯s eyes fell, and they didn¡¯t have much focus. He was obviously distracted.


    ¡°Old Jiang?¡±


    ¡°Husband?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Zhuo!¡±


    Yang Si pushed at him, and when Jiang Zhuo came to his senses, she said unhappily, ¡°What are you thinking about? You¡¯re so preoccupied, and your son is about to enter the examination room, yet you can still be distracted. Quickly check to see if he has everything in his file bag.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Zhuo immediately opened Jiang Chen¡¯s file bag to check. There were only a few things in it, which were clear at a glance, but he still looked through it for a long time.


    Yang Si also noticed something strange now. Although her husband acted very relaxed, she knew very well that he valued his son¡¯s college entrance examination just as much as she did. He was turning over all night last night, and was even talking in his sleep. Words of blessings, and other things like ¡°don¡¯t be stressed¡±. Most of her lines today were his sleep talk from yesterday.


    It was just that he suddenly became absent-minded when he obviously attached so much importance to such an important matter. The only thing Yang Si could think of was a physical cause. A trace of worry floated on her face: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Zhuo handed the checked file bag to Jiang Chen, and forced the corner of his mouth to twitch upwards: ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t sleep well yesterday.¡±


    Yang Si was dubious, but Jiang Chen was about to enter the examination room. She didn¡¯t want to worry her son, so she nodded and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the hotel next door to open an hourly room. You can rest there for a while.¡±


    Jiang Chen pursed his lips slightly: ¡°Mom, you and Dad should go back, I will eat something at Chenghua¡¯s cafeteria at noon, it won¡¯t upset my stomach, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Mom and Dad will be waiting for you outside.¡± Yang Si glanced at the line that had already started queuing up, hugged Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Take the exam well, don¡¯t worry about Mom and Dad, other people¡¯s parents will be waiting for them, of course your Dad and I can¡¯t lag behind, hurry and go in.¡±


    Jiang Chen glanced at Jiang Zhuo, and Jiang Zhuo had already come to his senses. He smiled at Jiang Chen, and patted him on the shoulder: ¡°Trust Dad.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡±


    Jiang Chen was at the end of the line, and Jiang Zhuo and his wife followed the flow of people and walked out. Unknowingly, intentionally or not, they stood on the diagonal farthest from the car that He Yanfeng and his wife had just got off.


    The number of students queuing up gradually decreased, and the exam was about to start soon. Jiang Zhuo withdrew his gaze from watching Jiang Chen walk into Chenghua¡¯s campus avenue, turned his head and said casually, ¡°It¡¯s been so long, why do you seem to be getting more and more hostile towards that kid from the He family?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t like him.¡± Yang Si didn¡¯t deny it. In the noisy crowd, her voice came into Jiang Zhuo¡¯s ears clearly: ¡°Maybe it¡¯s from the first time I saw him and I didn¡¯t have a good impression. I always have a very strange feeling about this child. I remember we took a walk together once. I don¡¯t know if you still remember. During the Chinese New Year in Wugu Village, he walked beside me for a while, and he was a little close to me, and I¡­..¡±


    Yang Si paused for a while, then frowned: ¡°I felt uncomfortable all over. I don¡¯t know how to tell you about that feeling. In short, it¡¯s a feeling of disgust from the bottom of the heart.¡±


    Yang Si looked up at her husband with a complicated expression: ¡°To be honest, when I felt that feeling, I was taken aback. I am a grown up hating a child from the bottom of my heart. And this child is about the same age as my son. It¡¯s quite strange to think about it. Besides, I have never felt this way towards anyone in all these years, even towards my parents who treated me that way.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo remained silent. Yang Si thought he couldn¡¯t hear clearly through the noisy crowd, and she opened her mouth several times but in the end didn¡¯t say anything more. Even if they were an old couple, she still found it strange to directly tell her husband that she didn¡¯t like a junior.


    But who knew, just when Yang Si was about to change the subject, Jiang Zhuo said:


    ¡°I also have this feeling.¡±


    Yang Si raised her head and looked at her husband in surprise.


    Jiang Zhuo¡¯s brows were tightly wrinkled, and he sighed faintly when he spoke, as if he was indescribably conflicted: ¡°Actually, that walk was not the first time I saw him. The morning we just moved to Wugu Village, I saw him standing at the door of our house when I stepped out on the terrace.¡±


    Yang Si was slightly surprised: ¡°This happened?¡±


    Jiang Zhuo nodded. Thinking of the cold expression on He Qianjian¡¯s face at that time, he thought he had seen incorrectly, but unexpectedly met He Qianjian¡¯s eyes who suddenly raised his head. What he saw at that moment was the darkness and coldness he had never seen in the eyes of any boy. That look was fleeting, and he quickly turned and left.


    ¡°At that time he saw me and left. Later we went for a walk and saw him, only to find out that he is¡­..the son of old He¡¯s family.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed strange.¡± Yang Si said: ¡°I look at Qian Min and Qian Yu and think they are pretty good children, but there is something wrong with He Qianjian. If you want to talk about preconceived ideas, I hated my boss when I was at work. I told you before that he likes to harass female employees. Yet I don¡¯t seem to have such a strong sense of repulsion when I walked with him as I did with He Qianjian.¡±


    ¡°However, this is just idle talk. In any case, the relationship between Chen Chen and that child is not very good anyway. It¡¯s still a question of whether we can even come across each other in the future.¡±


    Jiang Zhuo glanced through the crowd and saw He Yanfeng and his wife standing there like other parents.


    For some reason, he had an intuition in his heart that told him that it might not be He Qianjian who they were waiting for.

 CH 127

    Jiang Chen went to the seat where his name was labeled and sat down. It was only about twenty minutes before the exam, and most of the people in the classroom had already arrived. Some were silently reciting something to themselves and some were also chatting among themselves in groups of twos and threes.


    ¡°Classmate.¡±


    Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Jiang Chen turned his head and looked at the boy at the desk behind him.


    ¡°Are you Jiang Chen from Yan No. 1 High School?¡± The boy propped his head on one hand, stretched out the other to him, and lazily introduced himself: ¡°My name is Zhang Yanjing, and my grandfather asked me to say hello to you if I see you today.¡±


    Jiang Chen paused. Since he was in elementary school, he had rarely heard the sentence pattern ¡°My ex wants me to do this or that¡±. However, when this sentence came out of the boy in front of him, it was quite obvious that his tone was simply one tasked with completing a task.


    ¡°Who is your grandfather?¡±


    ¡°Zhang Yuanhe.¡± Zhang Yanjing raised his eyebrows: ¡°You don¡¯t know him?¡±


    Jiang Chen recalled the old man who had given him a jade pendant by the pond of the He¡¯s old family house before. He shook his hand, and smiled slightly: ¡°So you are Grandpa Zhang¡¯s grandson, hello.¡±


    Zhang Yanjing withdrew his hand. Thinking of something, he lowered the hand propping up his head and leaned forward: ¡°You are the number one in the third mock exam, right?¡±


    Jiang Chen remained silent, waiting for his next words.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always heard that you¡¯re the top pick in the sciences¡­..¡± Zhang Yanjing¡¯s eyes flicked across Jiang Chen¡¯s face without malice, but he was clearly evaluating something, ¡°Do you think you have a certain chance of getting the top score in the college entrance examination? At least 80% sure?¡±


    The examination room of the college entrance examination was randomly allocated, but 40% of the examination room was made up of Chenghua students, and the students of Yan No. 1 High School and the Attached Secondary School each account for 30%.


    The students in the classroom could always find a few people who they knew, not to mention that there were only three schools  distributed among the exam rooms, so most people in the classroom at this time had classmates who they were either familiar with or just nodding acquaintances. And these people all knew Jiang Chen, and most of them also knew Zhang Yanjing.


    So when Zhang Yanjing and Jiang Chen began talking, several students sitting nearby subconsciously pricked up their ears. When they heard Zhang Yanjing¡¯s question, people from the three schools all had different thoughts.


    The students in Chenghua thought it was amazing that their school tyrant who was indifferent to his own grades, would actually care about whether another school¡¯s study tyrant could get the top score; those in the attached secondary school felt that Zhang Yanjing was looking down on their school, Jiang Chen did well in the third mock test, but everyone knew that the third mock test was easier than the previous two, and Li Xiao was only 2 points away from his score. Where did Jiang Chen come from? Provocative, so what made God Jiang 80% sure that the number one in the college entrance examination would be him?


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t think too much about it, and he just told the truth: ¡°100%.¡±


    The students in Yan No. 1 High School all raised their chins, secretly thinking that they really had a spiritual connection with God Jiang.


    The students in the attached secondary school frowned, and some even rolled their eyes subtly. Only Chenghua¡¯s students pricked up their ears again. They knew that Zhang Yanjing must have something to say when he asked his question.


    Sure enough, Zhang Yanjing raised his eyes, looked in the direction of the door in the front, and said with the corner of his mouth curled up, ¡°So confident? He Qianjian of our school is also sure he will take the number one spot in the college entrance examination.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled faintly, and turned back to his desk. At this time, he inadvertently met He Qianjian¡¯s eyes but his gaze did not stay long, and lowered his eyes to prepare the pens he would use in the exam.


    He Qianjian had appeared at the door, causing the classroom to fall silent.


    Chenghua¡¯s students scrutinized his expression secretly. Since the second semester of the third year of high school, He Qianjian had become increasingly moody as the college entrance examination approached. Especially after failing several mock exams, his face was always gloomy. No longer did he possess the ¡°gentle and mature¡± image he had cultivated since little, he could now occasionally be seen getting angry at a few of his sycophants who hung out with him before.


    There were rumors that the He family was dissatisfied with He Qianjian because his grades were getting worse and worse. And that the coming-of-age ceremony was canceled because He Qianjian had failed several times in the mock college entrance examinations. And in addition to the fact that there had been no follow-up or explanation for the cancellation of He Qianjian¡¯s birthday party, some people really believed this rumor.


    At this time, in this examination room, except for Zhang Yanjing, no one was from the same class as He Qianjian, but most of Chenghua High were directly ascended from Chenghua¡¯s elementary and junior high division. So some students were actually more familiar with He Qianjian than their own classmates who they don¡¯t talk much with.


    And based on what they knew about He Qianjian, he would definitely be angry right now.


    Whether it was when He Qianjian had a good temper before, or after his grades dropped and his temper gradually became bad, he really didn¡¯t like others to put him in a low place when comparing him with others. Especially when the person who said this was Zhang Yanjing, He Qianjian¡¯s rival since elementary school.


    However, He Qianjian¡¯s gaze just lingered on Jiang Chen for a few seconds, then he found his seat and sat down without saying a word.


    Several Chenghua students exchanged glances, and Zhang Yanjing also raised his eyebrows, a little surprised.


    Others didn¡¯t know about the relationship between He Qianjian and Jiang Chen, but he did. He said those words more to test Jiang Chen¡¯s attitude towards He Qianjian. He had never been afraid of being heard by the people themselves when speaking ill of others, and even expected that He Qianjian, who had become more and more bad tempered during this period of time, would fly into a rage and make a scene in the examination room.


    But unexpectedly, he looked calmer than ever before.


    Jiang Chen nimbly rotated the pen in his hand with his fingers, but there was a conversation that no one in this classroom could hear except him and He Qianjian.


    He Qianjian: [Promethium has been given to you, you must make sure that nothing will go wrong today.]


    The System said coldly: [Don¡¯t worry.]


    He Qianjian: [The first test is Chinese language and literature. This time it is different from the previous. Other than the composition, the best choice is to extract all Jiang Chen¡¯s exam answers.]


    The System replied in a business-like manner: [The coverage of the program is 500 meters. Within 500 meters, it will automatically screen the answers of the students who took the same test paper as you, and convey the best choice to you. These answers will not necessarily be Jiang Chen¡¯s answers, but definitely the optimal choice.]


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes flickered, and he recalled that Li Xiao had told him before that He Qianjian¡¯s question answering styles were different in each test paper, so the root cause was here.


    After a pause, when the proctor entered the classroom, He Qianjian¡¯s voice sounded again, a little impatient and mixed with anger: [Jiang Chen¡¯s answers will definitely be the most correct answer, there is no need for screening, just give me his answers. For the composition essay, use the database to synthesize the most suitable one for me. When the time comes, and the results come out, unless Jiang Chen can write a composition essay that gets a perfect score, I want to see how he can beat me.]


    [Don¡¯t forget that your goal is to get the top score in the college entrance examination, not to beat Jiang Chen.]


    [Jiang Chen will get the top score.] He Qianjian gritted his teeth, looked at the proctor who was talking at the front of the room, lowered his head and said in his mind: [No need to say so much, just listen to me.]


    [The optimal choice is a separate program, which I cannot control.] The System voice revealed a hint of human impatience: [If you need to use this function, use it according to the rules.]


    [What do you mean?] He Qianjian¡¯s voice in his head suddenly increased in volume: [Recently, the things you want have become more and more difficult to find. Do you know that just that bit of promethium is incredibly difficult to get? You can see clearly yourself how much manpower and material resources I wasted to get that thing. Now that you have the thing, you¡¯re acting all arrogant?]


    [From the first time you used the optimal choice, you already knew the rules.] The System said coldly: [If you accidentally forgot, I can repeat the rules.]


    While the System was speaking, the proctor on the podium had finished his inspection and was opening the sealed bag on the podium.


    He Qianjian looked at the exam paper that was pulled out, and though his voice held suppressed anger, his reason overcame his anger for a while, and he compromised: [I still remember, just do it according to the rules then.]


    Even till the exam started, the System didn¡¯t make any more sound. Jiang Chen collected his thoughts and quickly read over the exam paper.


    When the proctor told them that it was time to start answering, there was only a slight rubbing sound of pens writing out answers in the classroom. But Jiang Chen heard that every time he finished answering a question, the System¡¯s voice would immediately sound: [First question: D¡­ Second question: A¡­ Third question: A¡­]


    Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes were calm, and the System¡¯s voice remained consistent with his answer until he finished filling out the blanks to an ancient poem.


    Soon came the reading comprehension questions, but Jiang Chen¡¯s habit had always been to write the composition essay first and then do the reading comprehension questions. His personal experience was that after writing a composition, the brain¡¯s sensitivity to the words would be higher and it would also be easier to understand.


    Jiang Chen directly turned to the composition section, saw the topic clearly, and a smile appeared in his eyes.


    Chinese language and literature composition took up a very high score, but it had always been the most unstable part of Jiang Chen¡¯s grades. Most of the college entrance examination compositions were divided into three categories: propositional/semi-propositional composition, topical composition, and material composition. He was not very sensitive toward words when compared to numbers. General composition, including reading comprehension, was mostly based on the experience accumulated from doing the questions, and an existing framework was used to write the answer.


    This kind of situation allowed him to often get full marks in reading comprehension, but he could only rely on luck in composition. There was a fixed framework for reading comprehension questions, and he would naturally understand after getting used to it. However, each composition was different and the type was also different.


    It was okay if it was a propositional composition, since the topic of writing was clearly defined, so long as one wrote according to the material and thought in a positive direction, one wouldn¡¯t go wrong. But once it was topical or material compositions, Jiang Cgen would be troubled because compositions on themes tend to explore more emotional topics, and he would need to mobilize his own experience and emotions to write, and this was where he struggled the most.


    Fortunately, this time the composition type was the former. After reading the materials, Jiang Chen listed a few central points on the draft paper, and quickly started writing. At the same time, the voice of the System reading and comprehending the answers for He Qianjian was always sounding in his ears.


    By the time Jiang Chen finished writing the composition, He Qianjian had already started writing the composition. The System seemed to be still screening the templates, and there was no sound for a while.


    Jiang Chen rubbed his forehead and thought to himself that if he hadn¡¯t already made plans long ago, He Qianjian¡¯s System would be quieted down this afternoon. He really didn¡¯t want to go through the second exam where someone kept reporting the answers in his ears.


    After the Chinese language and literature exam was over and the proctor left, He Qianjian was the first to walk out of the classroom in a good mood. A student who came out of another classroom seemed to know him and asked, ¡°How did you do in the exam?¡±


    The corner of He Qianjian¡¯s mouth curled up: ¡°Not bad.¡±


    The other smiled and said congratulations. He wanted to say something else, but he saw students leaving the classroom one after another and probably saw the person he was looking for, so he waved to He Qianjian and left.


    Jiang Chen packed up his things and stood up. Zhang Yanjing behind him asked him, ¡°Where are you going for lunch?¡±


    ¡°My parents are outside, waiting for me to eat together.¡±


    Zhang Yanjing nodded, ¡°Eat well, when taking the exam this afternoon, don¡¯t lose to He Qianjian.¡±


    Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and turned to look at him: ¡°You hate him?¡±


    Zhang Yanjing also raised his eyebrows: ¡°Don¡¯t you hate him?¡±


    Jiang Chen thought for a while. His feelings towards He Qianjian were far from being able to be described by a single word: hate, but this word was also included in it. It wasn¡¯t wrong so he nodded.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s right.¡± Zhang Yanjing got up, smiling cynically: ¡°An enemy of an enemy is a friend. As long as you are the top scorer in the college entrance examination this time, you can ask me for help if you have any issue in the future.¡±


    Jiang Chen smiled, but didn¡¯t answer. He turned around and walked out of the examination room.


    The first day of examinations would be over soon. From the conversation between the System and He Qianjian, Jiang Chen learned a lot of things that he didn¡¯t know before, most of which were about the functions of the System.


    To sum up, it was about the following points:


    First: In the optimal selection function, He Qianjian must be in the same space as the selected person, with a maximum range of 500 meters, and if he wants to exchange something, he must be within a range of 50 meters.


    Second: He Qianjian¡¯s System had a limit on the number of exchanges, which would be judged according to the item level of the person being exchanged from. The number of times was 1-10 times per person, and the maximum number could not exceed 10 times.


    Third: Every time the System opened the optimal choice function, there would be a condition. The condition was that He Qianjian must provide it with something it requested. Only when He Qianjian provided it could the optimal choice function be opened.


    Fourth: Any exchange was based on the condition that the health of the person being exchanged from could not be directly harmed.


    Fifth: In order to protect the safety of the System and the host, no exchange could be detected.


    Rules 1 and 3 were inferenced from the Chinese language and literature exam in the morning, while rules 2, 4, and 5 were from the mathematics exam in the afternoon.


    Probably because when doing the Chinese language and literature exam, he needed to edit the template essay by himself. The number of words written was too large and time-consuming, while in mathematics, he only needed to fill in the answers directly. No matter how many numbers that needed to be written down, he could finish it quickly. So He Qianjian didn¡¯t need to use his brain and was bored enough that while transcribing on the answer sheet, he almost got into an argument with the System about the previous matter.


    Jiang Chen didn¡¯t pay attention to the cause of the argument. He was doing a question at the time, and he didn¡¯t notice the content of their words until He Qianjian raised his volume.


    He Qianjian¡¯s tone was somewhat infuriated: [¡­Jiang Chen will be publicly recognized by the He family soon, and then everyone will know that he is the eldest young master of the He family, and that I am no one, so we have to stop it tomorrow. Do you have any other way to stop this before the exam is over?]


    [You can no longer exchange anything with Jiang Chen. The two of you have reached the upper limit of the number of exchanges, and all around here are surveillance cameras. I can¡¯t guarantee that you will escape unscathed.]


    [Why not?] He Qianjian said: [Didn¡¯t we cooperate very well every time before? Since He Qianmin¡¯s car accident, we have never failed, including the last time in Changyang Plaza, even if they found out that I went to Li De, so what? So what if they suspect that I have tampered with things behind the scenes, there is no evidence, and the police can¡¯t do anything to me when they come.]


    System: [The flower bouquet that disappeared from your hand in the Li De elevator last time has attracted attention. Those two policemen followed you for so long before, have you forgotten?]


    [So what? They can¡¯t possibly think of you, and isn¡¯t it your job to help with the mess left by the host? I remember your system rules, one of which is to protect the security of the system and the host, and any exchange cannot be detected. The last time you exchanged the bouquet of flowers with the stones at the gate of Li De, you went to their surveillance room the next day and deleted the surveillance completely, and you also helped me monitor Jiang Chen¡¯s actions. If not because we underestimated his defensive skills he would be dead by now.]


    He Qianjian continued: [I know you have rules, but didn¡¯t you help me break the rules before, why can¡¯t you do it this time?]


    The System voice was cold, with no room for negotiation: [Impossible.]


    Sitting at the desk, Jiang Chen listed all the rules related to the System on the draft paper, thinking about it.


    On the computer screen at the side, the dialog box with C was still going on:


    [C: Then tomorrow I not only need to trace his IP, but also attack its server in cooperation with Changjiang? That¡¯s so exciting!]


    [C: Don¡¯t worry, I guarantee that he won¡¯t be able to enter the scope of your choosing.]


    [C: But, I¡¯ve wanted to ask for a long time, who is the other person, that he is so powerful, you don¡¯t need to reveal too much, I just want to know if he¡¯s from our country?]


    Jiang Chen took a look and replied with an affirmative.


    [C: If I hadn¡¯t seen it with my own eyes, I would never believe in the real existence of Changjiang. However, after knowing the existence of Changjiang, it would not be surprising to have such a powerful opponent. But I still have one question.]


    [C: Is the other party human or is he the same as Changjiang?]


    [D: Same as Changjiang.]


    C didn¡¯t reply for a long time, and there was an exam and a tough battle tomorrow, so Jiang Chen turned off the computer, tucked the mess of scrap papers into a book, and went back to bed.


    He just closed his eyes but couldn¡¯t fall asleep. His mind was filled with various images and thoughts, piled up in a mess. For a while, Jiang Chen thought about the functions and rules of the System that he didn¡¯t know, and for a while he thought about the recruitment of the members of the scientific research team. When thinking about the second purpose, there would be some irregular pictures flashing through his mind.


    Jiang Chen turned on the bedside lamp, walked to the window and stared at the clean night sky with only a few stars visible outside.


    When he came back to his senses, it was to Yang Si knocking on his door after seeing that the light in his room was still on.


    ¡°Chen Chen, you have to continue taking exams tomorrow, why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± Jiang Chen turned around, looked at his mother who had a concerned expression by the door, and his face shifted slightly. The words lingered on his slightly opened mouth, but he couldn¡¯t say anything. He lowered his eyelashes and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep soon.¡±


    The light at the head of the bed was dim, and there was an ambiguous blur between Yang Si and Jiang Chen by the window. Yang Si couldn¡¯t see Jiang Chen¡¯s expression clearly, and she only coaxed with a light chuckle: ¡°Sleep early, when you have finished the exams you can rest happily for a while.¡±


    Jiang Chen hummed lightly and said good night to her.


    Yang Si closed the door, and Jiang Chen looked back at the night sky with only a few stars. He then turned and returned to the bed, turned off the light and closed his eyes.