Chapter 298 I was stunned
The neon lights outside the window flickered, and the city was filled with colorful light.
The coffee shop was dimly lit, and the coffee grinder hummed with a low growl. Brown powder rose and smoldered in the glass container, only to be swallowed by steam.
A faint aroma of caramel wafted through the air, and two steaming lattes sat on the teakwood table.
Qin Ruozhi added a sugar cube and stirred gently, causing the foam in the cup to burst open one by one.
"Suxin, what's wrong with Jing Zeyang? Why did he invite us over so late?"
"I don't know. I asked, but he wouldn't tell me, saying he'd tell me when we meet!" Jing Suxin frowned. "Ruozhi, could he be thinking of backing out?"
Qin Ruozhi paused for a moment: That is indeed possible.
In Ye Anning's words, being with Lin Sicheng doesn't require much communication; just that feeling alone allows you to intimately experience what "peace and tranquility" truly means.
The saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" might be a bit of an exaggeration. But both Qin Ruozhi and Lin Suxin had a very good impression of Lin Sicheng.
Calm, reserved, composed, even with a touch of tranquility.
Jing Zeyang, on the other hand, is the complete opposite: talkative, active, playful, mischievous, always laughing and joking, and carefree.
Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin could both imagine what would happen if they put two people with completely opposite personalities together.
The problem is, it's not like he's being asked to accompany Lin Sicheng on a trip. He's just asking Jing Zeyang to keep an eye on Lin Sicheng and make sure he doesn't fall into a trap. And with so many benefits promised, what could he possibly complain about?
Thinking it over, Qin Ruozhi scoffed, "Even without Butcher Zhang, can we still eat pigs with their hair still on? He might not do it, but plenty of others will..."
Jing Suxin didn't say anything.
If Ye Anning gives the word, there are plenty of people willing to do it: putting aside other issues, if Ye Anning and Lin Sicheng end up together, it's like we're just waiting for the right opportunity. By establishing a good relationship in advance, Jing Zeyang will undoubtedly benefit from it later.
The main reason was that the two were close in age. Furthermore, although Jing Zeyang was always acting carefree, he was very tight-lipped and dared to take responsibility, which is why he was chosen.
But he himself is unwilling, so what can be done?
Jing Suxin sighed and picked up her coffee cup. Just as she brought it to her lips, Qin Ruozhi rested her chin on her hand and said, "He's here!"
Looking around, Jing Zeyang entered the coffee shop, looking around curiously.
Jing Suxin waved: "Over here!"
Jing Zeyang walked over and sat down opposite the two of them.
After getting him a coffee, Jing Suxin got straight to the point: "What's wrong? Did you have a fight with Lin Sicheng?"
Jing Zeyang scoffed, "He's as calm as an old man, what kind of conflict could he possibly have?"
Qin Ruozhi had just taken a sip of coffee when she heard this and couldn't help but chuckle.
Luckily, he dodged quickly, otherwise he would have sprayed Jing Zeyang's face with water.
Jing Zeyang pulled out a tissue and handed it to her: "Sister Ruozhi, don't laugh yet. I just want to ask you: don't you think it looks like it?"
Qin Ruozhi thought about it carefully, then laughed out loud: "It does look like it, it really does!"
Jing Suxin glared at Jing Zeyang.
The uncle is their elder brother, and he's retired now. Before retiring, he worked at the Ministry of Education, and before that, he was a professor at Tsinghua University.
The typical scholarly personality: dignified, generous, composed, refined, humble, and polite.
To be honest, if we only compare personalities, Lin Sicheng is quite similar.
Qin Ruozhi sipped her coffee: "Then why did you call us out?"
Jing Zeyang leaned back: "I was just curious!"
Qin Ruozhi paused for a moment: "I'm curious why An Ning took a liking to him?"
"I'm not curious about that anymore!"
Jing Zeyang counted on his fingers, one by one, "Lin Si is beautiful, has a good personality, knows a lot, and is very knowledgeable. She is enthusiastic when she should be, and she has a strong sense of justice when she should be, which shows that she is capable and willing to take responsibility... The key is that she is only twenty-one! If I were a woman, I would like her too."
The two girls looked disgusted and said, "Tch~"
Of course, they looked down on Jing Zeyang. They, however, greatly admired Lin Sicheng.
"So what are you curious about?"
Jing Zeyang didn't know where to begin.
After gathering his thoughts, he asked mysteriously, "Sis, do you know why he came to Beijing this time?"
Jing Suxin paused for a moment: "Didn't Lin Sicheng come here to study?"
Qin Ruozhi nodded as well.
That's what Ye Anning said on the phone. He also said the same thing to Lin Sicheng when he picked him up from the airport.
"He's just being modest!" Jing Zeyang scoffed. "Do you even know what he does at the Institute of Literature and Art? He mentors projects. Do you even know who he mentors?"
"The vice president of the Institute for Advanced Study in Literature, senior engineers, senior researchers... what a large group! And several of them receive special government allowances from the State Council. Even my uncle has to shake hands with them!"
The two girls froze, their eyes widening little by little.
Supervising projects at the Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences?
Although the Institute for Advanced Study in Humanities is not a top-tier research institution and its importance cannot compare with departments such as military, science and technology, and aerospace, it is still a national-level research center.
Pick any random intern from there; they'd be top-notch experts outside. Lin Sicheng is just a college graduate; what kind of guidance could he possibly provide?
"You don't believe me? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it either..."
Jing Zeyang clicked his tongue. "You guys didn't see what happened today: the Institute of Literature held a welcome party for him, and the applause didn't stop for an hour straight. Lin Sicheng prepared a ten-minute speech, but it took him half an hour to finish..."
"I was stunned at the time: let alone him being just Uncle Wang's student, even if it were Grandpa Wang or Director Wang (Wang Qizhi's father) who came, would they receive this kind of treatment?"
"Later, when I arrived at the lab, a group of experts and researchers in their fifties and sixties surrounded him, calling him 'teacher' and asking him questions and giving him pointers. That's when I learned that he had been specially invited by the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences to guide the project."
"It's said that he developed some kind of BTA technology, but I don't know the specifics. I only know it's related to archaeology and cultural relics. But Dean Ma personally said at the meeting: This is a key scientific research project of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, a major project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Social Science Foundation of China. From the beginning of the preparation to now, the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences has been researching it for nearly five years..."
But Lin Sicheng, though a latecomer, surpassed them all. In just one year, his research results were at least ten years ahead of the Academy of Arts & Design and the National Museum of China... Moreover, not only domestically, but also internationally, he was the undisputed leader, far ahead of the competition, with no one able to catch up..."
Jing Zeyang became more and more excited as he spoke, while Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin stood there dumbfounded.
They did know that Lin Sicheng had established a cultural relics research center at Xida University. It was quite large, contained many cultural relics, and they heard that his research capabilities were also very strong.
Last year when they went to Xi'an, Ye Anning took them to visit the center, saying that Lin Sicheng started from scratch and built it up from nothing in just six months.
At the time, they thought: Lin Sicheng is indeed quite amazing. No wonder Ye Anning, who has always been arrogant, suddenly fell in love.
But they never imagined that Lin Sicheng could be this capable.
Even if Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin didn't understand, they knew what the Eleventh Five-Year Plan key scientific research projects, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the National Social Science Foundation of China major projects meant: one project, three national-level indicators...
The two looked at each other in bewilderment.
Suddenly, Jing Suxin remembered something: "Wait a minute, when we went there last time, Anning said that Lin Sicheng's center mainly studies cultural relic restoration?"
"It's not his center, it's Uncle Wang's laboratory. But Uncle Wang is just a figurehead; he's been in charge of the project from design to specific research."
"You'd never guess what kind of people were working under him. In the words of Dean Zhang, they'd be lucky to even wash test tubes at the Institute of Literature... I thought to myself at the time: 99% of this project was thanks to Lin Sicheng. The key thing is, he completed the project before he even graduated. How old was he then? Twenty or twenty-one?"
Jing Zeyang shrugged: "Can't figure it out, huh? I can't figure it out either..."
The two girls remained silent, unsure of what to say.
It's easy to guess: since it's a laboratory under the school, Lin Sicheng must have used classmates or alumni.
If these people were truly that capable, they would have figured it out long ago; why wait for Lin Sicheng?
Ultimately, it all comes down to Lin Sicheng.
What was I doing when I was twenty-one?
No need to recall, just look at Jing Zeyang and you'll know: carefree, indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun.
At the age of 21, Lin Sicheng was already standing in the national research hall, presiding over key national projects and guiding a group of experts he could call uncles or even grandfathers in their research.
Thinking about it this way, it feels like I wasted the last twenty-odd years of my life on dogs?
The two looked at each other, stunned for a long while, and then looked at Jing Zeyang.
"Don't look at me!" Jing Zeyang pouted. "Brother Yan's exact words: 'Jing San'er, are you out of your mind? Why compare yourself to Lin Sicheng? You'd never catch up in eight lifetimes...'"
"Oh, Brother Yan, you know Lin Sicheng too?"
"It's just that he knows Lin Sicheng, but Lin Sicheng doesn't know him... But we'll talk about that later, let's settle the score first."
Jing Zeyang lazily leaned back, "Even a donkey knows it needs a little feed before it can go to the millstone. But you two, you treated your brother like a Japanese soldier, blindfolded him, and without a second thought, all you knew was to whip him..."
With a "Heh," Jing Zeyang squinted and said, "Come on, who can tell me why no one ever told me that Lin Sicheng is a master at finding bargains?"
The two girls were stunned for a moment: "Oh, he got another bargain?"
"What a wonderful 'again'!"
Jing Zeyang gave a cold laugh, his face contorted as if he'd lost a billion dollars. "Do you even know where we went today? Panjiayuan! From beginning to end, Lin Sicheng asked me three times, a full three times: 'Brother Jing, if you're interested, pick one out, and I'll help you check it out...'"
"I didn't even bother to respond... I was thinking that different fields are like different worlds. Research is research, and appraisal is appraisal. There are so many researchers at the Institute of Literature and Art, and I've never heard of anyone getting a bargain or making a fortune."
I kindly advised Lin Sicheng: "Cousin Lin, don't get scammed... This place has many things, but three things: lots of fake goods, lots of fools, and even more scammers... But guess what? Lin Sicheng snagged three bargains right before my eyes."
Especially his assistant, whose eyes were practically blind, kept checking one item and finding it to be a fake, then another, and still a fake. He was about to give up when Lin Sicheng persuaded him to pick out a floral dress for him, almost like it was free. Did he know how much it cost? Eight hundred. Did he know how much that thing was worth? One hundred thousand…”
"If I had known Lin Sicheng had this ability, I would have begged and cried to get him to slap me. And how many times did Lin Sicheng ask me? Three times, a full three times... Just thinking about how I refused makes me want to cry..."
Jing Zeyang grew angrier as he spoke, "Sisters, put your hands on your conscience: doesn't it hurt?"
"Hahahaha..." Qin Ruozhi couldn't help but laugh.
Jing Suxin laughed, then glared at Jing Zeyang.
He knew his cousin's personality best: to put it nicely, he had a good mentality; to put it bluntly, he was shameless.
Lin Sicheng was such an introverted person, they didn't want to end up being blamed instead of helping him, so they didn't tell him.
But now it seems the two are getting along quite well...
"Don't worry, there's still a chance. Once you get to know Lin Sicheng, you'll understand his personality: if you treat him well, he'll treat you ten times better..."
Qin Ruozhi pointed to the jade hairpin in her hair, then to the jade pendant around Jing Suxin's neck, "Last time we only helped with a small matter, Lin Sicheng had Anning give it to us, it's all antique jade, worth tens of thousands..."
You just give away things worth tens of thousands of dollars like that?
Jing Zeyang was startled, then tried hard to recall: "The last time, when Sister Anning asked you to go to the auction?"
"Yes, that was the time. I held up the bidding paddle for Lin Sicheng and we bid on more than ten paintings, which brought in almost six million."
Qin Ruozhi lowered her voice, "He raised his paddle himself and bought a seal of Emperor Qianlong for only 70,000!"
Ha, Qianlong's seal... only cost 70,000?
Jing Zeyang shuddered, his eyes bulging outwards.
Today, he witnessed it with his own eyes: Lin Sicheng spent a few hundred and earned a hundred thousand, which was already shocking enough for Jing Zeyang. He never imagined it could be even more shocking.
Did they stumble upon an imperial seal at a bargain price?
Go to Panjiayuan and Liulichang and ask the stall owners and shop owners: Do they dare to make up stories about finding bargains every day?
Moreover, it happened at an auction, specifically at the Xiling Seal Society's auction.
Even if Jing Zeyang had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run. He knew that Xiling Seal Society was second to none in terms of its expertise in seal appraisal and epigraphy.
Lin Sicheng's ability to pick up the imperial seal at the Xiling Seal Engraving Society's auction is like swaggering into a bank vault and openly carrying out a chest of gold. Go ask any TV drama if they'd dare portray it like that.
No, even if it's just a small favor, I have to beg Lin Sicheng to take me to Panjiayuan again. I don't need to spend a hundred to find a hundred thousand, ten thousand will do, or even a few thousand.
I don't care how much money I make, I just want my buddies to be able to brag about it and have face to save...
Seeing his eyes darting around, Qin Ruozhi thought he was up to something again, and scoffed, "Don't blame me for not warning you: if you dare to have any crooked ideas about Lin Sicheng, Anning will make you suffer three layers of skin..."
The mere mention of Ye Anning sent chills down Jing Zeyang's spine.
He didn't speak, he just shook his head vigorously.
Jing Suxin pressed her advantage: "Don't think Lin Sicheng makes money fast, he spends it even faster: during the Qingming Festival, he donated seven million yuan to impoverished mountainous areas in western Sichuan in one go..."
Jing Zeyang exclaimed in surprise, "How much?"
Jing Suxin gestured: "Seven million!"
No... Cousin Lin, that's seven million! Why don't you do something else with it?
Jing Zeyang stared blankly: "No... what's Lin's motive? Isn't a bar better? Aren't the girls prettier?"
"What do you know?" Jing Suxin kicked him. "You think everyone is like you?"
That's what they say, but actually, neither Jing Suxin nor Qin Ruozhi knew what Lin Sicheng was after.
Even Ye Anning couldn't explain it.
If it was for fame, Lin Sicheng donated money but didn't even leave his name. It wasn't until four months later, when he went to the auction and asked his partner for money, that Ye Anning and Professor Wang discovered that the account that originally had millions was cleaner than a dog had licked clean.
Of course it couldn't be for personal gain; someone who wants personal gain wouldn't donate millions.
Privately, Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin even speculated: Could it be to make Ye Anning's family think more highly of her?
It doesn't seem like it at all: if it were for this reason, he might as well have given the money directly to Ye Anning.
Moreover, it's obvious to everyone that Lin Sicheng has always had reservations about this. Otherwise, with his intelligence, wouldn't he have sensed Ye Anning's thoughts?
It is precisely because I haven't thought it through that I've been pretending to be stupid.
So after thinking it over, it seems there's only one reason: out of a sense of justice and social responsibility...
The words are few, and we've heard them since childhood, so many that they're practically callous. But if you count on your fingers: how many people around you can actually do that?
The answer is zero.
The three were deeply moved and remained silent. After a long while, Jing Zeyang raised his head, his eyes vacant: "When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven... This guy's become a saint?"
Jing Suxin kicked him again: "Stop swearing!"
Jing Zeyang rubbed his legs, looking unconvinced: "Fine, sis, give me an analogy!"
Jing Su was speechless.
The crucial point is that Lin Sicheng is far from being "successful." Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so poor at the auction that he had to borrow money from others...
"I just feel like he's quite unique!" Qin Ruozhi sighed. "An Ning has good taste!"
It's more than just unique.
Using phrases like "as rare as morning stars" or "as rare as phoenix feathers" to describe them would not be an exaggeration...
No wonder Brother Yan admires him so much, calling him "teacher" when they meet and even in private.
In a flash, Jing Zeyang paused: If you don't mention Brother Yan, you still can't remember?
"Oh, by the way, we ran into a group of people trying to scam us at Panjiayuan today. My cousin Lin saved a little girl from out of town, and fearing retaliation from them, I asked Brother Yan for help... You wouldn't believe the look in Brother Yan's eyes after he found out that my cousin Lin was Lin Sicheng: like a starving ghost seeing meat, his eyes gleaming with greed..."
"He was shaking hands, putting his arm around Lin Sicheng's waist, calling him 'teacher' at every turn, showering him with compliments like they were free... I asked him why he was so attentive to Lin Sicheng, but he wouldn't tell me. Later, when I kept bothering him, he finally said there were rules he couldn't tell me. He said I should ask you, and that you definitely knew..."
Jing Zeyang asked curiously, "What did Cousin Lin do?"
Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin exchanged a glance, and subconsciously recalled the time last winter when they went to Xijing to visit Ye Anning.
At that time, they did not know Daolin Sicheng. They just felt that Ye Anning was restless and worried all day long, so they asked her about it out of concern.
Later, the two of them learned that Ye Anning was in love with his uncle's student.
At that time, Lin Sicheng was in a semi-disappeared state, and apart from Ye Anning's uncle, no one knew where he had gone. Ye Anning was so anxious that she asked her mother to help investigate, only to find out that Lin Sicheng was helping the police investigate a tomb raiding case.
That's a murderer with countless lives on his hands, armed with guns and explosives, ready to kill and cover up his crime at any moment. And Lin Sicheng, on the other hand, dares to barge into his lair all by himself?
It's no exaggeration: if Lin Sicheng had shown even the slightest sign of wrongdoing, he would have been shot on the head and his body buried in the mountains or sunk in the river.
Not to mention Yan Wenjing's admiration, even Ye Anning's parents and the old man of the Wang family were amazed: How can this child be so brave?
From that time on, Ye Anning's parents never offered any further opinions on her marriage...
Almost a year has passed, and the cases that should have been closed have long been closed, but Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin still only picked out a few things that could be discussed and talked about them.
He didn't mention any case or what crime the other party had committed, but simply told Jing Zeyang that Lin Sicheng had single-handedly helped the police uncover a group of thugs.
This group of people had blood on their hands, had committed dozens of murders, killed people like chickens, and had been executed more than a hundred times over.
The leaders fled, some ran away, and the core members hid or hid. In the end, Lin Sicheng managed to dig them out through a combination of coaxing and cajoling. In the end, they put up a last-ditch resistance, with a dozen or so men armed with guns and explosives, acting like they were in a war.
There were over fifty guns seized alone...
Jing Zeyang trembled with excitement, his eyes shining, as if all the blood in his body was boiling: more than fifty guns, thousands of bullets, and hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
Cousin Lin, this isn't solving a case, this is a fucking war!
What is a saint?
That was too far away, too high, unattainable; its symbolic meaning outweighed its practical significance. Jing Zeyang admired it, but he didn't agree.
This is a real, flesh-and-blood human being: punishing evil and promoting good, sacrificing one's life for others, and seeking justice and revenge.
It's like a hero you've fantasized about since childhood, but who only existed in your imagination, suddenly coming to life?
This is the real idol.
Jing Zeyang may not become that kind of person, but that doesn't stop him from admiring and worshipping such a person...
With a "whoosh," Jing Zeyang stood up, turned around, and walked out.
Jing Suxin was taken aback: "Zeyang, where are you going?"
"drink wine!"
Wait... what time is it?
"Don't be ridiculous, Lin Sicheng doesn't drink!"
Jing Zeyang didn't even turn his head: "He's probably already asleep. Why would I look for him?"
He has to do research, catch murderers, and even if he manages to make a profit, he wants to convert it into money to donate to mountainous areas.
Lin Sicheng's brain is so precious, it must not be contaminated by alcohol.
"I'm going to find Brother Yan..."
Seeing him walk out resolutely and confidently, Jing Suxin and Qin Ruozhi exchanged a glance: Were they completely impressed?
This is a good thing.
Jing Suxin was a little worried: "But how will you drive tomorrow?"
"I don't need to drive. The Institute of Literature and Art has arranged a car and driver for him, who also acts as his bodyguard."
Jing Zeyang walked out of the coffee shop, his voice carrying far away: "But I'll definitely go with him tomorrow, even if I'm just there to watch..."
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