Chapter 264: Chapter 264
As night fell, a couple lay together in their rented room. Liu Fang woke up midway, feeling stifled, and got out of bed groggily. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flickering past the window, frightening her awake. She was too scared to move.
"Xiaoguang, Xiaoguang..."
Nervous and stuttering, she turned back to push her husband in bed, trying to wake him up.
But the shadow outside was faster than her, brazenly throwing open the curtains and jumping in, his cold, hard face obscured by the moonlight. The aura of blood and murder around him was unmistakable.
Liu Fang froze for a moment before stammering, "Mr. Song?!"
How could Song Yue be here? And this is the ninth floor?!
Gao Xiaoguang was shaken awake by her, and he too was taken aback upon seeing Song Yue. "Mr. Song, it’s the middle of the night, what brings you here?"
Wait, what was he doing here?
Intruding in the middle of the night, breaking into their home...
Some unpleasant scenarios flashed in Gao Xiaoguang’s mind, causing his expression to turn grim. He wanted to question Song Yue, but Song Yue wasn’t in the mood for chatter. He directly pulled a stun gun from his sleeve.
It was a ten-centimeter gadget, a new product from Qianji Pavilion, which could be strapped to the sleeve and drawn suddenly to catch opponents off guard.
So neither Gao Xiaoguang nor his wife expected that on this mundane evening, they would be stunned by Song Yue, tied together, and taken nonchalantly by him down the elevator.
Meanwhile, the cameras in the rented building, which had gone dark for a few minutes, resumed normal function.
By then, Song Yue had dragged the couple to the underground parking lot, thrown them in the trunk, and was driving towards the gambling den.
The boss of the gambling den suddenly received word that someone was bringing him some forced labor. He went to the back door and found it was an old acquaintance.
"Brother Yue, what’s the matter?" The boss had some ties with Song Yue, who was familiar with the Criminal Police Brigade. For all these years, the gambling den boss had relied on Song Yue for assistance with the facade of his gray enterprise.
Song Yue tossed Gao Xiaoguang and his wife onto the ground like trash, crossed his arms, and pointed with his chin, "These two committed a crime and owe your gambling money. Do as you see fit."
The boss immediately puffed out his belly and clicked his tongue in disdain: "All right, Brother Yue, don’t worry. I’ll ’take care’ of these two bastards!"
The ’taking care’ he mentioned wasn’t pampering. If they just got beaten and thrown out, that would be a good outcome; the worst was stripping them bare, tossing them on the stage for the guests’ amusement, until the debt was repaid.
Song Yue nodded, waved casually, and turned to leave.
The gambling den boss spat in disdain at the unconscious Gao Xiaoguang and his wife, called for his security to drag them away, and planned to offer them to a boss who’d be in tomorrow looking for new toys!
The next day, Rong Zhi finally didn’t have to endure the salt-heavy porridge. He leisurely took a bite of a steamed dumpling and replied to Song Yue’s WeChat.
Not long after, Song Yue replied, asking about another matter: [Third Young Master, I remember you know someone from Qianji Pavilion. Are you still in touch?]
Rong Zhi raised an eyebrow.
Knowing herself, does that count as staying in touch?
Thinking in this manner, he slowly typed with his finger: [What do you want? Speak.]
Song Yue: [Hehe, Third Young Master, you’re so sharp! Right to the point!]
Song Yue: [That stun gun is quite useful, I want to get another one, but it’s so hard to find. I can’t even snag one on the online Heaven Gate Network, and those smart glasses too.]
Rong Zhi pondered for a moment. It seemed there was such a thing among the new products this time, but alongside other lethal handguns, it seemed quite ordinary.
Once Song Yue listed the items he wanted to buy, Rong Zhi nodded. It was just a few items. It seemed that Song Yue’s gear was still good, and he only intended to swap out some small parts.
She replied with a "Fine," held down the message to send the list to Jing Ji.
Jing Ji quickly replied: [Yes, my lord.]
Switching the chat window back, she found that Song Yue had transferred tens of thousands to her. She didn’t accept it, declined the payment, finished breakfast, and went to the Engineering College.
The first phase of the research was finally completed, and Rong Zhi had already distributed the second-phase research directions to various researchers. Spinning the stylus in her hand, she smiled, "Let’s put in some extra work these days and finish the second-phase research before New Year’s Day."
Liu Yue Zhang flipped through the documents, nodding, "Alright, Dr. Rong."
Rong Zhi responded softly, the tip of her pen paused slightly as she turned to Lu Si, speaking unhurriedly, "I heard you have final exams in a few days."
As the end of the semester approached, Jing University was conducting final exams, and Lu Si had to return to school to attend.
He scratched his head and sighed, "Ah—damnable exams."
Lu Si may be a straight-A student, but even top students sometimes hate exams. For instance, he’s busy with the CSS project while preparing for exams, wishing he could split his time in two, or could use a shadow clone technique.
Looking at Rong Zhi, he asked tentatively, "Teacher Rong, how about you give me some special tutoring?"
After a pause, he continued, "Just a few lessons, otherwise I really don’t feel confident."
Rong Zhi, with her two long, slender legs crossed casually, idly tapped the stylus on the table, thinking for a moment, "Okay."
Lu Si leaped up from his stool, eyes sparkling, "Really?!"
Rong Zhi nodded slightly.
Old Li at school had asked her to tutor Chi Cha, and with Lu Si’s finals coming, they might as well have their sessions together.
With the tutoring time set for the next day, Lu Si’s annoyance dissipated, and he happily went to do experiments.
They aimed to complete the second-phase research of the CSS project before New Year’s, taking a holiday, as everyone had worked hard for a year. Despite the project’s importance, passing up a chance to rest would be foolish.
Rong Zhi didn’t keep them busy for long, taking on most of the work herself, and worked in the lab until nighttime. By then, more than half of the second-phase research was completed. Her computer was even filled with data predictions for the third-phase research directions.
The sky was ink-stained, Liu Yue Zhang and the others resumed work after their meal. Time slipped by, and only when everyone was too tired to stand straight did they realize it was already past three in the morning.
Lin Qiming, holding documents, went to find Rong Zhi and saw her leaning back in the not-so-large chair, surrounded by a peaceful aura, her long legs lazily resting on the floor.
The lab was unheated, quite cold, and she had just fallen asleep in the chair.
Lin Qiming immediately quieted his breathing.
Opposite her, the computer was still on, green letters bouncing across the dark background, one after another, striking his eyes.
His gaze slightly widened, his mouth fell open in silence.
This... was the third-phase research prediction?
Seeming to sense movement around, Rong Zhi sleepily opened her eyelids, her voice drowsy and soft, "Hm?"
Lin Qiming quickly averted his gaze, awkwardly apologizing, "Teacher Rong, sorry to disturb your rest."
"It’s okay," Rong Zhi rubbed her brow, leaned on the armrest to get up, and stretched her stiff neck before looking sideways at Lin Qiming. Glancing at the documents in his hand, she reached out, "Give them to me."
Lin Qiming promptly handed them to her.
Rong Zhi walked and glanced through them, finishing just as she reached the computer.
"There’s a figure here to revise; the rest is fine."
Circling the number with a pen, Rong Zhi returned the documents to Lin Qiming.
Lin Qiming acknowledged her, "Teacher Rong, it’s over three in the morning. Perhaps you’d like to go home and sleep for a bit?"