Chapter 299: Shocked into Submission

Outside the window, neon lights flickered, and the city flowed with colorful light.

Inside the cafe, the lights were soft and bright, the coffee grinder emitted a low roar, and brown powder rose in smoke and dust within the glass container, only to be swallowed by steam immediately after.

A faint, burnt aroma drifted through the air, and on the teak table, two lattes were steaming hot.

Adding a sugar cube, Qin Ruozhi stirred gently, and the foam in the cup popped one by one.

"Suxin, what's wrong with Jing Zeyang? Why did he ask us out so late?"

"I don't know. I asked, but he wouldn't say, just said he'd tell us when we met!" Jing Suxin frowned. "Ruozhi, he isn't thinking of backing out, is he?"

Qin Ruozhi paused: It was indeed possible.

In the words of Ye Anning, being with Lin Sicheng didn't require much communication; just that feeling alone allowed you to intimately experience what "the quiet beauty of time" meant.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; this might be a bit of an exaggeration. But whether it was Qin Ruozhi or Jing Suxin, their perception of Lin Sicheng was excellent.

Steady, introverted, indifferent, and even carrying a touch of tranquility.

And Jing Zeyang was the exact opposite: talkative, restless, playful, mischievous, giggling, and devil-may-care.

Putting two people with completely opposite personalities together—Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin could both imagine what would happen.

But the problem was, it wasn't like he was asked to accompany Lin Sicheng to play. He was just asked to keep an eye on things so Lin Sicheng wouldn't get set up, and he had even been promised so many benefits; what was there for him to be dissatisfied about?

Turning the thought over, Qin Ruozhi let out a "ha": "Can't we eat pork with hair on it just because the butcher Zhang is gone? If he won't do it, there are plenty of others who will..."

Jing Suxin didn't speak.

As long as Ye Anning gave the word, there were indeed plenty of people who would do it: not to mention anything else, if Ye Anning and Lin Sicheng ended up together in the future, doing this now was like tending to a cold hearth. By building a connection early, Jing Zeyang wouldn't lack for benefits later.

The main thing was that the two were of similar age, and furthermore, although Jing Zeyang was never serious all day, his mouth was very tight, and he dared to take responsibility, which was why he was chosen.

But if he himself wasn't willing, what could be done?

Jing Suxin sighed and picked up her coffee cup. Just as she brought it to her lips, Qin Ruozhi nudged her chin: "He's here!"

Following her gaze: Jing Zeyang had entered the cafe, looking around.

Jing Suxin waved her hand: "Over here!"

Jing Zeyang walked over and sat down opposite the two of them.

Helping him order a cup of coffee, Jing Suxin got straight to the point: "What's wrong? Did you have a conflict with Lin Sicheng?"

Jing Zeyang let out a "che": "He's as steady as my Great Uncle; what kind of conflict could we have?"

Qin Ruozhi had just taken a sip of coffee, and upon hearing this, she couldn't help but let out a "pfft."

Fortunately, she dodged quickly, otherwise she would have sprayed it all over Jing Zeyang's face.

Jing Zeyang pulled out a tissue and handed it over: "Sister Ruozhi, don't laugh yet; I just want to ask you: don't you think they look alike?"

Qin Ruozhi thought about it carefully and laughed out loud again: "They do, they really do look quite alike!"

Jing Suxin glared at Jing Zeyang.

The Great Uncle was their eldest uncle, who was now retired. Before he retired, he was at the Ministry of Education, and before entering the Ministry of Education, he was a professor at Tsinghua University.

Just that kind of standard scholar personality: dignified, generous, steady, refined, humble, and polite.

Don't say it, if you only compare personalities, Lin Sicheng really was quite similar.

Qin Ruozhi sipped her coffee: "Then why did you call us out?"

Jing Zeyang leaned back: "I'm just purely curious!"

Qin Ruozhi paused: "Curious why Anning took a fancy to him?"

"I'm not curious about that anymore!"

Jing Zeyang counted on his fingers, one by one, "Lin Sicheng is good-looking, has a good personality, knows a lot, and is erudite. He is enthusiastic when he should be, and he doesn't lack a sense of justice when he should have it, which shows he can handle things and dares to take responsibility... The key is, he's only twenty-one! If I were a woman, I'd like him too."

The two girls looked disgusted: "Hiss~"

Of course, what they despised was Jing Zeyang. As for Lin Sicheng, they both still admired him very much.

"Then what are you curious about?"

Jing Zeyang didn't know where to start.

Organizing his thoughts, he said mysteriously: "Sisters, do you know what he came to Beijing for this time?"

Jing Suxin paused: "Isn't Lin Sicheng here to study?"

Qin Ruozhi also nodded.

That was what Ye Anning said on the phone. When he picked up Lin Sicheng at the airport, he said the same thing to his face.

"That's him being humble!" Jing Zeyang scoffed. "Do you know what he's doing at the Cultural Relics Research Institute? Guiding projects. Do you know who is being guided by him?"

"Deputy Directors of the Cultural Relics Research Institute, Senior Engineers, Senior Researchers... a huge group of them. And several of them receive special government allowances from the State Council; even our Great Uncle has to take the initiative to shake hands when he sees them!"

The two girls were stunned, their eyes widening bit by bit.

Guiding projects at the Cultural Relics Research Institute?

Although the Cultural Relics Research Institute couldn't be counted as a top-tier research institution, and its importance couldn't compare to departments like military industry, technology, or aerospace, it was still a National Level research Center.

If you picked any random intern Researcher from inside, they would be a bona fide Expert outside. Lin Sicheng had just graduated from university; what could he guide?

"Don't believe me, right? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it either..."

Jing Zeyang made a "tsk" sound, "You didn't see the scene today: the Cultural Relics Research Institute held a welcome meeting specifically for him, and from beginning to end for an hour, the applause never stopped. Lin Sicheng only prepared a ten-minute speech, but it took him a full half hour to finish..."

"I was stunned at the time: let alone that he's just Wang Sanshu's student, even if Great Uncle Wang, Director Wang (Wang Qizhi's father), came, would he have this kind of treatment?"

"After that, when we went to the laboratory, a group of fifty or sixty-year-old Experts and Researchers surrounded him and called him teacher, asking for advice and guidance; that's when I knew: he was specially invited by the Cultural Relics Research Institute to guide projects."

"It is said that he developed some kind of BTA Technology; I don't understand the specifics, I only know it has to do with archaeology and Cultural Relics. But Dean Ma said in the meeting himself: this is a key scientific research project of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, a major project of the National Natural Science Foundation and the Social Science Fund; from the preparation to now, the Cultural Relics Research Institute has been researching it for nearly five years..."

"But Lin Sicheng arrived late but surpassed them, only using one year, yet the research results are at least ten years ahead of the Cultural Relics Research Institute and the National Museum of China... and it's not just domestically, including internationally, he is the only one, leaving everyone else in the dust, no one can even see his back..."

The more Jing Zeyang talked, the more excited he became, while Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin were wooden and stunned.

They did know that Lin Sicheng had set up an Artifact Research Center at Xida, which was not small in scale and had many Cultural Relics, and they heard that its research capabilities were also very strong.

When they went to Xijing to play last year, Ye Anning even took them to visit, saying that Lin Sicheng started from scratch, piled earth into a mountain, and the Center went from nothing to something in just half a year.

At the time, they even thought: Lin Sicheng is truly quite impressive; no wonder Ye Anning, who has always looked down on everyone, suddenly had a change of heart?

But they never imagined, could Lin Sicheng be impressive to this extent?

No matter how little Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin understood, they knew what concepts like Eleventh Five-Year Plan key scientific research projects, Natural Science Fund, and major Social Science Fund projects were: one project, three National Level indicators...

The two looked at each other in dismay.

Suddenly, Jing Suxin remembered: "That's not right, when we went last time, Anning said that Lin Sicheng's Center mainly researches Artifact Restoration?"

"It's not his Center, it's Wang Sanshu's laboratory. But Wang Sanshu only lends his name; from the design to the specific research, the project has always been his responsibility."

"You certainly wouldn't imagine what kind of people he has under him? In the words of old Dean Zhang: they wouldn't even be good enough to wash test tubes at the Cultural Relics Research Institute... I thought at the time: this means ninety-nine percent of this project is Lin Sicheng's credit. The key is, he finished the project before he even graduated. How old was he then, twenty, twenty-one?"

Jing Zeyang spread his hands: "Can't wrap your head around it, right? I can't either..."

The two girls remained silent, not knowing what to say.

One could easily guess: since it was a laboratory affiliated with the school, Lin Sicheng must have used his classmates and alumni.

If these people were truly that capable, they would have researched it long ago; why wait for Lin Sicheng?

When all is said and done, it still comes down to Lin Sicheng.

And at twenty-one, what was he doing himself?

No need to recall, just look at Jing Zeyang and you'll know: mindless, eating, drinking, and having fun.

Yet at twenty-one, Lin Sicheng was already standing in a National Level research hall, presiding over a National Level key project, and guiding a group of Experts he could call uncles or even grandfathers to conduct research.

Thinking about it this way, does it feel like his own twenty-plus years have all been lived in vain?

The two looked at each other, stunned for a good while, then looked at Jing Zeyang again.

"Don't look at me!" Jing Zeyang curled his lip, "Brother Yan's exact words: Little Third Jing, your brain is broken; who is bad to compare with, why compare yourself with Lin Sicheng? You wouldn't catch up in eight lifetimes..."

"Ah, Brother Yan also knows Lin Sicheng?"

"It's just that he knows Lin Sicheng, but Lin Sicheng doesn't know him... but let's put that aside for later, let's settle our accounts first."

Jing Zeyang leaned back lazily, "Even a donkey knows you have to add fodder before putting it to the mill. You two, on the other hand, treat your younger brother like a Japanese person, blindfolding him, and then regardless of anything else, you just know how to whip him..."

With a "heh," Jing Zeyang squinted his eyes, "Come on, who wants to tell me why no one told me that Lin Sicheng is a master of picking up leaks?"

The two girls were stunned for a moment: "Ah, he picked up a leak again?"

"A fine 'again'?"

Jing Zeyang gave a cold laugh, his face twisting as if he had lost a billion, "Do you 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, I'll help you vet it..."

"And I, on the other hand, didn't even respond... I was thinking at the time, different trades are like mountains apart; research is research, appraisal is appraisal. There are so many Researchers at the Cultural Relics Research Institute, and I've never heard of anyone picking up a leak and getting rich.

I even kindly advised Lin Sicheng at the time: Cousin Lin, don't get scammed... This place has nothing else, but it has three things in abundance: fakes, fools, and even more scammers... But guess what? Lin Sicheng picked up three leaks right before my eyes.

Especially that Assistant of his, whose two eyes are worse than being blind; she looked at one and it was a fake, looked at another and it was still a fake, and was about to give up, but was stubbornly persuaded by Lin Sicheng, and he picked out a carved wooden panel for him as if it were being given away for free. Do you know how much he spent? Eight hundred. And do you know how much that thing is worth? One hundred thousand..."

"If I had known Lin Sicheng had this ability, I would have begged him to take a look for me. And how many times did Lin Sicheng take the initiative to ask me? Three times, a full three times... Every time I think about how I declined him, I want to cry..."

The more Jing Zeyang spoke, the angrier he became, "Two sisters, put your hands on your hearts: does it hurt?"

"Hahahaha..." Qin Ruozhi really couldn't hold it in and started laughing.

Jing Suxin also laughed and glared at Jing Zeyang.

She knew her cousin's personality best: to put it nicely, he has good mental fortitude; to put it bluntly, he is shameless.

Lin Sicheng's personality was so introverted that they thought they wouldn't be helping, but rather inviting resentment, so they didn't tell him.

But looking at it now, the two get along quite well...

"Don't worry, there's still a chance. After you spend more time together, you'll know what kind of personality Lin Sicheng has: if you treat him a little better, he can treat you ten times better..."

Qin Ruozhi pointed to the jade Hairpin on her head, then pointed to the jade pendant on Jing Suxin's neck, "Last time we only helped with a small favor, and what Lin Sicheng had Anning give us were all ancient jades, worth tens of thousands..."

Things worth tens of thousands, given away just like that?

Jing Zeyang was shocked, then tried hard to recall: "Last time, the time Sister Anning asked you to go to the auction?"

"Right, that was the time. I raised the paddle for Lin Sicheng and auctioned off a dozen paintings, almost six million."

Qin Ruozhi lowered her voice, "He raised the paddle himself and auctioned a seal of Qianlong for only seventy thousand!"

What the hell, a seal of Qianlong... and it only cost seventy thousand?

Jing Zeyang shuddered, his eyeballs bulging out.

Today he saw it with his own eyes: Lin Sicheng spent a few hundred and made ten thousand, which was already shocking enough for Jing Zeyang. He never imagined there could be something even more shocking?

Picking up a leak and getting an imperial seal?

Go to Panjiayuan and Liulichang and ask those street vendors and shop owners: they make up stories about picking up leaks every day, but would they dare to make up one like this?

And it was at an auction, and it was an auction of the Xiling Seal Art Society?

He hadn't eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run; no matter how ignorant Jing Zeyang was, he knew the Xiling Seal Art Society: when it comes to the level of seal appraisal and research on epigraphy, if this place claims second, no one dares to claim first.

For Lin Sicheng to pick up an imperial seal at a Xiling Seal Art Society auction is like walking swaggeringly into a bank's Treasury and openly carrying out a box of gold. Go ask, would they dare to act this out in a TV drama?

No, even if he has to kowtow, he must beg Lin Sicheng to take him to Panjiayuan again. He doesn't ask to spend one hundred and pick up one hundred thousand; ten thousand will do, even a few thousand is fine.

He doesn't ask to make a lot of money, he just wants to have some face when he goes out to brag to his buddies in the future...

Seeing his eyes rolling around, thinking he was up to something again, Qin Ruozhi said with a "heh": "Don't blame me for not warning you: if you dare to have crooked ideas about Lin Sicheng, Anning will peel three layers of skin off you..."

At the mention of Ye Anning, Jing Zeyang wanted to shiver.

He didn't speak, just shook his head vigorously.

Jing Suxin struck while the iron was hot: "Don't think Lin Sicheng makes money fast; he spends it even faster: during Qingming, he donated seven million at once to the impoverished mountainous areas in Western Sichuan..."

Jing Zeyang exclaimed: "How much?"

Jing Suxin gestured: "Seven million!"

No... Cousin Lin, this is seven million, couldn't you have done something else with it?

Jing Zeyang's eyes went blank: "No... what is Cousin Lin after? Aren't bars fun, aren't girls pretty?"

"What do you know?" Jing Suxin kicked him, "Do you think everyone is like you?"

That is what is said, but in truth, neither Jing Suxin nor Qin Ruozhi knows what Lin Sicheng is after.

Even Ye Anning cannot give a reason.

If he were after fame, Lin Sicheng donated the money but did not even leave his name. It was not until four months later, when he borrowed money from a Partner at an auction, that Ye Anning and Professor Wang discovered that the account, which originally held several million, was cleaner than if a dog had licked it.

Of course, it could not be for profit; someone seeking profit would not donate millions away.

In private, Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin had even speculated: could it be to make Ye Anning's family hold him in higher regard?

It felt even less like that: if it were for this, he might as well have given the money directly to Ye Anning.

Moreover, everyone could see that Lin Sicheng had always had reservations about this aspect. Otherwise, with his intelligence, could he not feel Ye Anning's thoughts?

It was precisely because he had not thought it through that he kept playing dumb.

So, thinking it over and over, there seemed to be only one reason: out of justice, out of a sense of social responsibility...

The words are few, and having heard them since childhood, one's ears have grown calluses. But counting on one's fingers: how many people around us can actually do this?

The answer is zero.

The three were filled with emotion, silent and speechless. After a long while, Jing Zeyang raised his head, his eyes unfocused: "When poor, one keeps oneself virtuous; when successful, one benefits the whole world... has this guy become a saint?"

Jing Suxin kicked him again: "Less foul language!"

Jing Zeyang rubbed his leg, looking unconvinced: "Fine, Sis, you give me a comparison!"

Jing Suxin was speechless.

The key is that Lin Sicheng is still far from the "successful" stage. Otherwise, at the auction, he wouldn't have been so poor that he had to borrow money from someone...

"I just feel he is quite unique!" Qin Ruozhi sighed, "Anning has a good eye!"

More than just unique?

Using "as rare as morning stars" or "a phoenix feather or unicorn horn" to describe him would not be an exaggeration...

No wonder Brother Yan admires him so much; he calls him Teacher when they meet, and even calls him Teacher in private?

In a flash, Jing Zeyang paused: if he didn't mention Brother Yan, he wouldn't have remembered?

"Oh right, today at Panjiayuan I ran into a group of scammers, and Cousin Lin saved a girl from out of town. Fearing this group would retaliate, I asked Brother Yan to help out... You don't know the look in Brother Yan's eyes after he found out Cousin Lin was Lin Sicheng: it was like a starving ghost seeing meat, his eyes glowing green..."

"He was shaking his hand, grabbing his waist, calling him Teacher every other word, and flattery flowed out like it was free... I asked him why he was so attentive to Lin Sicheng, but he wouldn't tell me. Later, when I pestered him until he was annoyed, he said there were disciplinary rules and he couldn't talk about it. He told me to ask you guys, saying you definitely knew..."

Jing Zeyang looked curious, "What did Cousin Lin do?"

Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin exchanged a look, subconsciously thinking back to last winter, the time they went to Xijing to visit Ye Anning.

At that time, they didn't know Lin Sicheng; they just felt Ye Anning was restless and worried all day long, and out of concern, they asked about it.

Only then did they learn that Ye Anning was in love, and the object of her affection was her uncle's student.

And at that time, Lin Sicheng was in a state of semi-disappearance; except for Ye Anning's uncle, no one knew where he had gone. Ye Anning was so anxious she had no choice but to ask her mother to help check, only to find out Lin Sicheng was helping the police investigate a Grave-robbing case.

Those were murderers with countless lives on their hands, possessing not only guns but also explosives, ready to kill to silence witnesses and destroy evidence at any moment. And Lin Sicheng? He dared to break into their lair single-handedly?

It is not an exaggeration at all: at that time, if he had shown even the slightest flaw, Lin Sicheng would have been shot in the head immediately, and then his body would have been buried in the mountains or sunk in the river.

Not to mention Brother Yan Wenjing's admiration, even Ye Anning's parents and the elder of the Wang Clan were filled with emotion: how could this kid be so bold?

It was also from that time on that Ye's Mom and Dad never expressed any more opinions regarding Ye Anning's lifelong affairs...

Nearly a year has passed, and the cases that should have been closed were long since closed, but Qin Ruozhi and Jing Suxin still only picked a few things they could talk about.

They didn't say what the case was, nor what crimes the other party had committed, just telling Jing Zeyang: Lin Sicheng, by his own strength, helped the police dig out a group of thugs.

This group had blood on their hands, had committed dozens of homicides, killing people as easily as chickens, and deserved to be executed a hundred times over.

The leaders fled, the core members hid. In the end, they were dug out by Lin Sicheng through a mix of baiting and coaxing. In the end, they resisted stubbornly, a dozen people with guns and explosives, just like a war.

The confiscated guns alone numbered over fifty...

Jing Zeyang was shaking with excitement, his eyes shining, as if the blood in his whole body were boiling: over fifty guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, hundreds of kilograms of explosives?

Cousin Lin, this isn't solving a case, this is a damn war!

What is a saint?

That is too far, too high, unreachable, with more symbolic meaning than practical significance. Jing Zeyang admired him, but he did not agree.

This is a flesh-and-blood, living person: punishing evil and promoting good, risking his life, and settling grudges with a flourish.

Just like a hero he had fantasized about since childhood, but who only existed in his imagination, suddenly coming to life?

This is a damn idol.

Jing Zeyang cannot become such a person, but that does not stop him from revering and worshipping such a person...

With a "whoosh," Jing Zeyang stood up and turned to walk out.

Jing Suxin was stunned: "Zeyang, where are you going?"

"To drink!"

No... what time is it?

"Don't mess around, Lin Sicheng doesn't drink!"

Jing Zeyang didn't even look back: "He's probably asleep already, why would I look for him?"

He has to do Artifact Research, he has to catch murderers, and even if he finds a treasure, he has to exchange it for money to donate to the mountains.

Lin Sicheng's brain is so precious, it must not be polluted by alcohol.

"I'm going to find Brother Yan..."

Watching him walk out with determination and high spirits, Jing Suxin and Qin Ruozhi exchanged a look: was he completely won over?

This is a good thing.

Jing Suxin was a bit worried: "But how will you drive tomorrow?"

"I don't need to drive; the Cultural Relics Research Institute has arranged a car and a driver for him, who also doubles as a bodyguard."

Jing Zeyang walked out of the cafe, his voice drifting back from afar: "But I'm definitely going with him tomorrow, even if I'm just tagging along..."

(End of chapter)