I'm Here to Turn In the Assignment

The torrential rain gradually subsided. For a summer downpour to last more than two hours was already quite impressive.

It was late at night, and the hospital room was quiet. The glass provided excellent soundproofing. Qin Ze slept beside his sister, while Qin Baobao faced away from him. There was about a finger's width between them, and the faint fragrance of her hair drifted into his nose.

After letting his thoughts run wild for a while, he finally fell asleep in the latter half of the night.

The next day, at seven thirty, Qin Baobao's internal clock woke her right on time. Opening her eyes, she glanced over the furnishings in the room and remembered that she had spent the night at the hospital to keep her younger brother company.

A warm body pressed against her back, comfortable and cozy. Qin Baobao's lips curled slightly. She had slept very well last night. At the same time, she felt a little awkward. They might fool around a lot normally, but sharing a bed like this had not happened since they were ten.

When they were children, Qin Ze slept with her, and she had to tuck him in and pat his head, taking care of him like a doll.

To avoid making things even more awkward later, Qin Baobao carefully shifted her body, trying not to disturb her sleeping brother. She slipped quietly out from under the covers, then turned to look at his sleeping face. His brows were sharp, his lashes thick. Though his features were not especially handsome, they were pleasing to look at.

Qin Baobao reached out and poked her brother's face, making him frown without waking up.

She kissed him on the forehead, gave him a good-morning kiss, and left for work.

Two days later, Qin Ze changed out of his hospital gown, slung his laptop over his back, and left the hospital. He called Old Mom to explain the situation. The doctor said his wound was healing very well. After the stitches were removed, he would be more or less fully recovered in another week. But he had to remember one thing: no strenuous exercise for the next month.

Qin Ze really wanted to wave a hand and say, "That applies to ordinary people. Master has a cheat system—I'm not ordinary."

Since Qin Ze's wound had not fully healed, he could not sit for long periods, so he did not go to school. He had Old Man arrange a long leave of absence, planning to take the exams directly at the end of the semester. At home, he worked on Professor Li's model. Studying and making money were secondary; completing missions was the real priority.

Qin Baobao had not been willing to talk to him these past few days. Maybe things had been too awkward that morning. No matter how close they were, they were still siblings. If Old Man found out that Qin Ze had pressed his little brother against his elder sister's butt, Qin Ze would probably end up torn apart by five horses.

That morning, Qin Ze got up right on time at six thirty, washed his face, and brushed his teeth. Since he could not exercise vigorously, he had no choice but to stop his morning workout. Instead, he practiced a set of internal exercises in the living room.

Qin Ze had looked up information on traditional martial arts and discovered that the Twelve-Section Brocade gifted by the system was very similar to Internal Martial Arts. They shared one trait: slow and unhurried, with the goal of cultivating vital energy.

An hour later, he was refreshed and full of energy.

He went downstairs and bought two breakfasts, silently finished his own portion, and considered the fact that his sister was in a Cold War with him. So he did not knock on her door to remind her to get up. He wrote a note and left it on the table, then took his laptop and USB drive and left home.

At eight, Qin Baobao got up. Wearing pink flip-flops and bear-print pajamas, she looked around the empty living room. When she did not see Qin Ze, she muttered softly, "Where the hell did he run off to again?"

After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she found a breakfast laid out on the table with a note pinned beneath it. With her bangs stuck down against her forehead, Qin Baobao grabbed a Small Steamed Bun and took a bite, then casually picked up the note to read it:

Elder Sister:

I went to the hospital. Eat well and sleep well. Leave after breakfast, and don't be late. I'll make chicken stew with mushrooms for you tonight.

Qin Ze!

The slight upward curve of Qin Baobao's lips revealed her inner delight.

At the same time, Professor Li was receiving a manager from a private equity company in his hospital room.

"Su CEO, our contract says before nine in the morning. Please wait a little longer, just a little longer," Professor Li said cautiously, unable to hide his anxiety.

The woman wore a black Dior skirt suit, red-soled stilettos, and her long hair was pinned atop her head. She wore thin-framed glasses, and her pale, long legs were shapely and straight. She pointed at the Vacheron Constantin 37-time-zone world-time watch on her wrist and said expressionlessly, "It's eight thirty."

The woman was young and stunningly beautiful. Her high-end office attire, paired with her cold and indifferent expression, gave her an especially powerful presence. Even the experienced Professor Li felt as though needles were pricking his back. After Su CEO entered the room, his wife had poured a cup of tea and sat silently on the sofa. She truly had no place to interject.

After a brief standoff, the woman took out a breach-of-contract agreement from the file bag beside her. Her heels clicked across the floor as she walked to the bedside and set it on the nightstand.

"A mathematical model can't be built in half an hour, even though this isn't my field." The woman looked down at Professor Li. "A breach is a breach. Sign it. I don't want to be late by the end of the month and lose my 500-yuan attendance bonus."

A thin layer of sweat seeped across Professor Li's forehead. He grabbed the phone and called. "Xiao Wang, is everyone there?"

"We're all here, Professor. You told us to come to school an hour early today."

"Then hurry and compile everything. I urgently need the complete model over here."

"We're building it now, Professor. Don't worry."

"How can I not worry? It has to be finished before nine. Remember to test it once, and don't make any mistakes. If there's an error, it'll all be for nothing."

"Understood."

Professor Li hung up and said with a forced smile, "Su CEO, please wait a little longer."

The woman said nothing, merely crossed her legs. It would be best if Professor Li could complete the model, because it concerned an investment the company was about to make. With stock market funds, things changed by the day. Being one step late could mean enormous losses.

A few days ago, Professor Li had placed all his hopes on Qin Ze—or rather, Lao Qin. But through the WeChat group for teachers, he learned that Lao Qin had been busy with final exams and his son's lawsuit these past few days. He simply had no time to work on the model.

At eight forty-five, Professor Li's phone rang.

Professor Li hurriedly answered. "Xiao Wang, hurry and send the materials to my email. Quickly, the client is waiting over here."

An urgent, tearful voice came from the other end. "Professor Li, I'm sorry. We got it wrong, we got it wrong... The model failed verification. We don't know where the problem is either."

Professor Li's head buzzed, and his heart seemed to stop for several beats. He said urgently, "What happened? What happened? Didn't I call every day to guide you? Why did something go wrong at the very last stage of assembling the model?"

"We... we don't know either."

"Then hurry up and find the problem! Check every step. Did you get the formulas wrong? Was there an error in the calculations? Or was the function curve wrong?" Sweat poured from Professor Li's forehead.

"Professor... I'm sorry. We'll do our best, but... but there's definitely no way we can finish before nine. It's already eight fifty."

Professor Li hung up and sat there in a daze.

So it really was impossible after all.

His wife grew somewhat exasperated. "Didn't you say Lao Qin would help? Weren't you so sure? Great, now not only did we not make a single cent, we even have to pay back one hundred thousand."

Professor Li was utterly despairing. Expressionless, he said, "Su CEO, we'll pay."

The woman nodded and took out another document from her briefcase. "This is the compensation agreement. Sign it and transfer the money to our company account." As she spoke, she also took out the Official Seal and an ink pad.

The woman swiftly signed her name, stamped it with the Official Seal, and handed the agreement to Professor Li. "Pay first, then sign."

Professor Li sighed. Using his left hand to operate his phone, he entered the other company's account information and began transferring the compensation...

Knock, knock, knock!

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

The woman smiled faintly and got up to open it.

Qin Ze stood outside with a laptop bag on his back. When he saw the woman opening the door, he froze for a moment, and a flash of amazement crossed his eyes.

The woman before him had a face that would score nine out of ten. Her hair gleamed like silk, with delicate curls at the ends. She wore an OL Suit several grades higher than Qin Baobao's. Her waist was slim and her legs long, and as if that were not enough, she wore three-inch black high heels.

Her looks were just a little below Qin Baobao's, and her figure was not as voluptuous, but she had a well-proportioned body. What drew the most attention was her temperament, which made Qin Ze think of a phrase for no reason: pure and refined.

Who was this beautiful elder sister? Professor Li's daughter?

The woman gave him a slight nod, then turned and walked back into the room.

"Professor Li, if there's no problem, please make the payment. I need to get to work," the woman urged from the foot of the bed.

Qin Ze followed her into the room and greeted him. "Professor, I'm here."

Professor Li had been about to make the payment. He froze. "Qin Ze, why are you here?"

Qin Ze was taken aback by the question. "I'm here to turn in the assignment. The mathematical model is done. Aren't you handing it over to the client today? I'm not late, am I?"

Turn in the assignment? The mathematical model was done?

Professor Li stared at him blankly.

The woman looked at him in astonishment.