“Come on… don’t talk nonsense like that!”
Huang Ling’er’s eyelids drooped, and her gaze flickered unpredictably. No one could really tell what was going through her mind.
“We’re willing to join!”
“Being able to do research under Professor Jiang, even if there’s no pay at all, would still be our lucky break!”
The students reacted with great enthusiasm.
This included not only the people from the University of Pharmaceutical Sciences but also the teachers and students from Jinling University and Jinling University of Technology who had rushed over to attend the lecture. Among them were quite a few renowned scholars.
In an instant, the students, lecturers, and professors were all abuzz, swarming toward Lin Monong.
“Everyone, please don’t rush. Just come one by one!”
Lin Monong was busy registering names and answering questions, completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people.
This was exactly the effect Jiang Tian wanted.
To build his laboratory, he needed not only expertise in pharmaceuticals and chemistry but also top minds in cutting-edge fields like materials science and physics.
During the lecture, he had interacted quite a bit with everyone and had already gotten a good sense of their academic foundations.
You could say that, after today, many of the top scholars in Jinling University Town would essentially be under Jiang Tian’s influence.
But just as he stepped out of the classroom door,
Jiang Tian used his spiritual sense to instantly erase the memory of his wall-walking stunt from the minds of the several hundred people present.
Getting the result he wanted was enough. If news of his astonishing, almost supernatural ability got out, it would scare people to death, wouldn’t it?
…
Building a laboratory isn’t something that happens overnight. Jiang Tian wasn’t in a hurry and left Lin Monong and Huang Zhihui fully in charge.
Aside from occasionally dropping by the University of Pharmaceutical Sciences to check on the lab’s preparations, Jiang Tian mostly spent his time cultivating in his villa and studying the reactor. Life was lazy and comfortable.
Still, during his downtime, Jiang Tian missed Zhao Xueqing a little. It was unavoidable that they would flirt and express their feelings for each other every day over video calls.
One morning, after finishing his cultivation session,
“Mom was right. I have to be wary of the Nie family. Besides, my return has caused some butterfly effects. It’s about time I went and shooed away those flies buzzing around Ziwei.”
Jiang Tian exhaled a breath of stale air, his eyes narrowing slightly. His gaze was like an autumn lake—clear, calm, and deep.
…
After the two billion yuan injection from Jiangbei, the King of Medicine Group had returned to its core business of producing traditional Chinese medicine. The prescriptions Jiang Tian had given Jiang Lin were quickly patented, and all eight of the group’s production bases, with dozens of production lines, were running at full capacity day and night.
The King of Medicine Group had regained its vitality and energy. Orders were pouring in like snowflakes, and business was booming, shaking up the entire industry.
“I really didn’t expect Xiaotian’s prescriptions to be so powerful. Our sales in the month before and after the Lunar New Year have already surpassed the total for the entire first half of last year!”
In the President’s Office of the King of Medicine Group, a stunningly beautiful woman sat behind a large executive desk, looking over the monthly financial report.
Ye Ziwei had a delicate oval face with no makeup at all, yet her skin looked clear and translucent. Her eyebrows were elegant and dark, and her eyes sparkled like autumn waters. She was simply gorgeous.
Her long hair was tied up high, accentuating her long, fair, jade-like neck. Her black OL uniform hugged her perfect figure, highlighting her curves. With her perky backside and full chest, she was unbelievably alluring and beautiful.
On her straight, elegant nose sat a pair of frameless glasses. Her eyes were bright and focused, radiating an intellectual and refined beauty.
While Jiang Tian’s prescriptions were certainly crucial to the King of Medicine Group’s excellent performance, Ye Ziwei’s business acumen was equally indispensable.
Ye Ziwei, with her stunning face and attractive figure, was considered the most beautiful woman in all of Jinling. People couldn’t stop talking about her. She had the nickname “Ice Beauty” and had countless suitors.
But she showed no mercy to any of her pursuers, rejecting them outright. And she had never been linked romantically with anyone. This only fueled the competitive fire in many young masters from prestigious families, making more and more people eager to try their luck, hoping to conquer this proud phoenix and claim both wealth and beauty. Yu Qiang was really just one insignificant person among her many admirers.
Just then, the female secretary knocked on the door and walked in, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “President Ye, someone has sent flowers!”
“Huh? Did you bring them up? Just hand them out to the female employees…” Ye Ziwei said indifferently, her gaze flat, without even looking up.
“Ziwei, that’s not very nice of you! You’re really breaking my heart!”
A warm, pleasant baritone voice drifted in.
Then, a handsome young man in a white shirt and black trousers walked in, a smile playing on his lips.
Behind him, two delivery guys from a flower shop carried in a large basket full of vibrant, blooming roses.
Even the expensive and rare blue roses were just accents, setting off the red roses in the center that were arranged to form a large heart shape.
This huge basket held at least a thousand roses, worth at least ten thousand yuan.
Seeing this, the female secretary’s eyes went wide, practically sparkling with admiration. She cooed, “Young Master Nie is so romantic!”
“Mingyuan, it’s you. Please, have a seat!”
Ye Ziwei put down the financial report, gave a faint smile, and stood up, gesturing for him to sit.
She had mixed feelings about Nie Mingyuan.
Nie Mingyuan was extraordinarily capable and came from a powerful background. He was the heir of Changhai Real Estate, immensely wealthy, and he was very gentlemanly, elegant, and proper—nothing like the typical spoiled second-generation rich kid.
Especially in recent years, he had helped and even guided her quite a bit in business. His advice was often insightful and got right to the heart of the matter.
Previously, when Jiang Qingfeng abandoned traditional Chinese medicine to produce proprietary Chinese medicine, Nie Mingyuan had explicitly opposed the idea.
And during this recent period, when the Baicao Group had eased up on suppressing the Jiang family, he had been involved in the mediation.
You could say that in terms of background, ability, looks, and every other aspect, Nie Mingyuan was more than a good match for her.
Furthermore, thinking further ahead, a marriage alliance with the Nie family would be greatly beneficial to the King of Medicine Group’s development.
After all, the Nie family’s assets had already reached ten billion yuan. Nie Changhai had connections on both sides of the law and essentially had absolute power in Jinling.
But whenever she thought about dating him or marrying him, Ye Ziwei felt a pang of discomfort. Jiang Tian’s handsome, clean-cut face and his sunny or domineering smile would always pop into her mind…
“I won’t sit down. It’s already noon. Let’s go to Sister Xu’s Banana Club for lunch!”
Nie Mingyuan took a bottle of water, smiled, and thanked the female secretary. Then he glanced at his Patek Philippe watch. His clear eyes narrowed into a nice crescent shape, full of affection, and he said gently:
“You’ve been so busy lately, you probably haven’t been eating well, have you? You need to take care of yourself. The work isn’t going to finish itself.”
Every move he made exuded incredible charm. The female secretary watching felt her heart completely melt, sweet and soft.
“Oh my, President Ye is so lucky! Nie Mingyuan cares about her so much. If I could just have one meal with Young Master Nie, I’d die happy!”
“Mingyuan, will it just be the two of us?” Ye Ziwei asked hesitantly, frowning slightly.
Nie Mingyuan smiled helplessly, but looked incredibly dashing as he did so. He looked toward the door and called out, “Alright, Mu Yunqing, come on out. I lose! Looks like we need you to come along for President Ye to be willing to go out!”
“Haha, I told you you couldn’t do it on your own!” Mu Yunqing walked in, carrying a small Prada handbag.
She was a woman around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, tall, wearing a striped shirt with a white blazer and a black professional skirt. Her outfit accentuated her curvaceous figure, her perky backside, and her full chest. Her small face was as delicate as jade, with exquisite makeup. She was a knockout, a real femme fatale.
Seeing that her best friend Mu Yunqing was coming too, Ye Ziwei had no choice but to agree. She quickly sorted out some documents and got ready to leave.
Mu Yunqing sat on the sofa, waiting a bit impatiently.
Her clear, beautiful eyes scanned the man and woman in the office. To her, they seemed like a perfect match made in heaven.
“Ziwei is so foolish. That good-for-nothing brother of hers, the one she dotes on, is already married. What is she still hesitating for, what is she waiting for? Jiang Tian is impulsive and wild, with a chaotic personal life. How can he compare to Nie Mingyuan?”
Just then, a figure walked slowly into the office and said with a smile, “Qing’er, I made lunch for you!”
“Jiang Tian, why are you here?” Ye Ziwei shot to her feet, unable to believe her eyes.
“I came to bring you food…”
Jiang Tian placed an insulated lunchbox on the big desk and opened it. It had four compartments: sweet and sour ribs, spicy fried chicken chunks, steamed sea bass, and a bowl of white rice.
“How rare! I didn’t know you were such a good cook! You didn’t show off your skills during the New Year!”
Ye Ziwei’s eyes narrowed into beautiful crescents. For a moment, they glistened with moisture. Then, like a little foodie, she grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started eating.
She had completely forgotten about Nie Mingyuan and Mu Yunqing. At that moment, it seemed like her world only contained Jiang Tian and the delicious food. She ate with gusto, her mouth greasy, mumbling in praise, “This is so good!”
“It’s just like the rumors said…”
Nie Mingyuan’s pupils suddenly contracted sharply. It was as if he was facing the greatest enemy of his life. A flash of cold light appeared and vanished in an instant.
He had never seen Ye Ziwei like this. Shedding her tough, cold, and strong-willed facade, she was completely acting like a delicate, charming young girl.
There was a deep, affectionate look in her beautiful eyes, as if a wife were greeting her husband after a long journey home.
In that moment, an invisible barrier seemed to wrap tightly around the two of them, cutting him and Mu Yunqing off. Their eyes were only for each other; there was no one else in the room.
“If you like it, I’ll cook for you every day.” Jiang Tian smiled, his gaze full of affection.
In his previous life, Ye Ziwei had taken care of him for so many years. In this life, it was only right for him to take care of her and show her some love.
“Oh my, that’s so cheesy…”
Mu Yunqing felt a twinge of jealousy. She raised an eyebrow and spoke.
Mu Yunqing had known Jiang Tian for a long time. More than ten years ago, her father was the county party secretary. She was well-mannered, sensible, and a good student, and she was also considered the school beauty at Qixia No.1 High School.
Back when Jiang Tian, Bin Shuai, and the others were still in middle school, Mu Yunqing, already in high school, was considered the beauty of the county and party compound. She was the dream girl of many kids from of high-ranking officials families, including Jiang Tian. He was one of the many, runny-nosed admirers back then, no surprise there.
Later, her father was transferred to Jinling, and she moved here too. Her career was going well, and she seemed even more charming. But surprisingly, Jiang Tian hadn’t even glanced at her from start to finish.
Ye Ziwei had already eaten nearly half the bowl of rice. When she heard this, she suddenly remembered Nie Mingyuan and the others. She stood up and said apologetically, “I’m really sorry, but I won’t be able to make it to your gathering.”
“Jiang Tian, you caused so much trouble back then, and you still dare to come back? Aren’t you afraid the old man will break your legs?”
Mu Yunqing raised her fair chin and looked sideways at Jiang Tian, half-jokingly, half-seriously, “You come back and ruin our get-together right away. You’re so clueless. Ziwei has been pining over you every single day, but after all these years, I don’t really see any improvement in you. You didn’t even say hello to your big sister when you walked in the door.”
