I Swapped Bodies With a Female Celebrity - Chapter 20

“No, I need to inform the Dean immediately!”

Mu Zhiyan spoke with an apologetic tone, “Xuanxuan, since you’re no longer affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, I can’t take you directly to see the Dean.”

Qin Lang smiled and quickly replied, “It’s fine, I’ll just look around on my own!”

Once Mu Zhiyan left, Qin Lang finally let out a sigh of relief.

The entire time she was around, his heart had been pounding, terrified that a single wrong word might arouse her suspicion. Fortunately, so far, she hadn’t shown any signs of doubt.

“That scared me to death. I never expected Qin Yunxuan to be a tech fanatic—meanwhile, I’m a total slacker when it comes to academics!”

Qin Lang was troubled. If Mu Zhiyan really wanted to discuss some scientific invention with him, how was he supposed to respond? He’d be exposed in seconds!

“No way, I can’t keep interacting with Mu Zhiyan,” he muttered to himself.

Being around her was far too risky.

Still grumbling, he pulled out his phone and switched it to airplane mode.

Perfect. If questioned, he could just claim he’d accidentally messed up the settings. For now, he just had to make it through the day.

“Now I can finally explore properly!” Qin Lang murmured.

He was genuinely curious about this world’s technology.

Dean’s Office, Jiuyang Academy of Sciences

The white-haired old Dean was utterly stunned after listening to Mu Zhiyan’s explanation.

“What? The Dark Forest Theory?”

“Which renowned scholar proposed this? Why haven’t I heard of it before?”

“Which scientific journal published it?”

Faced with the Dean’s rapid-fire questions, Mu Zhiyan could only smile helplessly.

“Dean Chen, it wasn’t proposed by a scholar—it was my friend.”

“Your friend? Are they in astrophysics research?”

“No… she’s a celebrity.”

“Nonsense! That’s impossible!”

Dean Chen’s face darkened. “Xiao Mu, do you take me for a senile old man?”

“A celebrity came up with such a theory? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”

Mu Zhiyan sighed. She completely understood the Dean’s anger—if she hadn’t heard it directly from Qin Yunxuan, she wouldn’t have believed it either.

“Dean, do you remember Yunxuan, last year’s top-scoring student?”

Dean Chen paused, stroking his beard with a slight frown.

“You mean… that Yunxuan who entered the Academy with the highest scores in history? Wasn’t she later pulled into…”

At that moment, his hand jerked, accidentally yanking out a few strands of his beard. He winced in pain.

“Exactly. The Dark Forest Theory was proposed by Yunxuan.”

Dean Chen froze, still clutching the pulled-out beard hairs.

“Impossible… How is this possible?!”

Suddenly, he slammed his palm on the desk with a loud BANG!, making Mu Zhiyan jump.

“What a waste of god-given talent! An absolute travesty!”

The Dean’s voice was filled with anguish.

“With such brilliance, why would she become a celebrity?”

“Why not dedicate herself to research? This is a loss for the nation—no, for all of humanity!”

“This is infuriating! Absolutely infuriating!”

Mu Zhiyan’s lips twitched. Seeing the Dean so worked up, she worried he might collapse from sheer frustration—and she’d be indirectly responsible!

“Dean Chen… Yunxuan comes from a powerful family. She was never going to be just a researcher.”

At the mention of Qin Yunxuan’s background, the Dean’s expression shifted to helpless resignation.

But then he turned sharply. “Where is Yunxuan now?”

“At the tech exhibition.”

“Why didn’t you bring her here directly?”

“Huh? But the rules state—”

“Xiao Mu, you’re so young, yet so rigid!”

Dean Chen sighed in exasperation. “Can’t you be a little flexible?”

“Do you have any idea how impactful this Dark Forest Theory is for humanity?”

“Without exaggeration, it could very well save our entire species!”

Mu Zhiyan was stunned. Was it really that significant?

“Xiao Mu, go invite Yunxuan to the Academy immediately—no, wait. I’ll go myself!”

Now Mu Zhiyan was truly shocked.

“Dean Chen… isn’t that too much? Let me bring her here.”

“You don’t understand the magnitude of this theory. And the person who proposed it… deserves my personal invitation!”

Dean Chen’s tone was solemn. “More importantly, I must recruit her into the Academy at all costs!”

Mu Zhiyan’s hands trembled as waves of shock crashed through her mind.

She had only thought Yunxuan’s hypothesis was thought-provoking—she never expected it to warrant the Dean’s personal attention!

Dean Chen was one of the few National Distinguished Professors, a title reserved for the country’s most esteemed academicians.

“Oh, and wash your face. What’s all that makeup? I barely recognized you earlier!”

The Dean’s parting remark left Mu Zhiyan speechless.

Meanwhile, Qin Lang remained blissfully unaware that the Dean of Jiuyang Academy had set his sights on him.

Had he known, he would’ve never brought up the Dark Forest Theory—why invite trouble?

But fate had other plans.

Unknowingly, Qin Lang was already walking into a trap.

Right now, he was eagerly heading toward the virtual 3D technology exhibit.

“I wonder if this world’s VR tech is as advanced as those gaming novels describe—like helmets that let your consciousness dive into the game!”

Of course, being the academic slacker he was, Qin Lang’s first thought was about gaming.

*”Our virtual 3D technology, also known as virtual reality, now allows full neural integration with machines for large-scale immersive simulations!”*

A presenter on stage explained enthusiastically.

“Today, we’re offering a live demo. Who’d like to experience it firsthand?”

Dozens of hands shot up.

Ironically, Qin Lang—despite being fully disguised—stood out precisely because of his getup.

Even with sunglasses and a mask, Qin Yunxuan’s striking figure and presence were unmistakable.

And so, the opportunity fell into his lap.

“This is so exciting!”

Heart racing, Qin Lang stepped onto the stage.

“Now, let’s welcome our celebrity guest tester—Miss Liu Qingcheng!”

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Qin Lang frowned.

Liu Qingcheng? Why does that name sound so familiar?