This World Really Is Incredibly Complicated

"Go ahead, why wouldn't I? After all, I'm the second author on the paper," Lin Fangxin said with complete justification, having no idea what Lin Wushu was actually worried about.

Lin Wushu badly wanted to say she wasn't allowed to go,

yet he just couldn't bring himself to say those words.

After all, his daughter wasn't his appendage; she had her own life and thoughts.

Especially since going out with Yan Xiao had a legitimate reason, he had even less reason to stop her.

Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to directly ask his daughter when they were going.

Doing that would be far too obvious.

Recalling his network of contacts in his mind, Lin Wushu decided to call an acquaintance to fish for some information.

"Right, I remember the equipment from the last experiment is all still there, isn't it? Why does Yan Xiao need to do it over again?" Lin Wushu changed the subject and asked.

"That thing? I asked him too. He said that since the previous equipment was just cobbled together, the design in a lot of places was actually pretty unsatisfactory.

For instance, that lamp net for high-voltage pest extermination and the pest collection box-changing the shape would make it much more efficient.

Then he also said it was pure luck that the last experiment didn't catch fire.

And the current intensity of the previous rat-catching equipment was still too high, posing a certain amount of danger to humans.

When I asked him what they'd do about that,

he said he was going to redesign it himself and then find a manufacturing plant to make and produce it separately.

Especially the core 'high-voltage pest-catching equipment,'

he planned to do everything he could himself, including the 'high-voltage current-limiting circuit board' and things like that.

I asked him if there was any need to go to all that trouble.

He actually said it was to keep other people from copying it in the future, leaving him with nowhere to even file a lawsuit.

I don't know why there wouldn't be anywhere to file a lawsuit,

ah well~

Anyway, it's just very troublesome, that's all," Lin Fangxin recounted what she had heard from Yan Xiao.

When Lin Wushu heard this, he felt that Yan Xiao was making a mountain out of a molehill.

In Huaxia, where intellectual property protection was enforced with such intensity, would anyone be foolish enough to infringe on a copyright?

Once caught, the fines would land them in a state where they could never turn their lives around.

If it were a country like Meilizhijian where 'piracy' ran rampant, being on guard like that would make sense.

Ordinary people listened to content when people spoke,

whereas someone like Lin Wushu listened to the subtext behind the words.

Through his daughter's retelling of Yan Xiao's words, he saw the extreme lack of a sense of security deep within this teenager's heart.

As for how such a state of mind came to be, Lin Wushu knew it was caused by his family background and environment.

After all, Yan Xiao's parents had passed away not long ago.

A high school student facing society alone,

once a line of defense was stripped away,

it was very easy for him to develop an over-protective awareness toward society and the people around him.

"Dad, tell me, will I actually be able to score higher than Yan Xiao on this second mock exam?"

"Hm?"

"I'm asking if I can score higher than him on the exam! Are you even listening to me?"

Lin Fangxin complained.

"You can," Lin Wushu perfunctorily replied.

The father and daughter chatted a little longer,

and Lin Wushu found that his daughter brought Yan Xiao into almost every topic to a greater or lesser extent,

which generated a sense of tension in his heart as if an enemy was at the gates.

To sum it up, it was-

Sigh...

My family's tender little vegetable is in danger...

Under Lin Wushu's unengaged, perfunctory responses of mm-hm, Lin Fangxin grew more and more bored with the conversation. She let out a huff and returned to her bedroom.

Opening Weibo, she found that the ninth trending topic was actually-

#HighSchoolStudentDecodesNewlyExcavatedOracleBoneScript#

Oh?

Isn't this just Yan Xiao?

Lin Fangxin tapped on the trending topic title, and the content posted by Weibo netizens instantly appeared before her eyes.

'I mean, when someone studying ancient literature like me first looked at those oracle bones, I was completely clueless. Are high school students really this awesome now?'

'It's not that high school students are awesome, it's that Yan Xiao is awesome. Coincidentally, this little bro from Jida Affiliated High School is also named Yan Xiao.'

'It seems being named Yan Xiao really is an awesome thing. First we had the Xicheng District first mock exam full-score genius, and now we have the archaeology little overlord. I'm getting ready to go change my kid's name to Yan Xiao.'

'I told my mum today that I wanted to change my name to Yan Xiao, and she cried, saying "So you knew all along." Now I'm totally baffled-what on earth is it that I knew? Could the almighty netizens please come and explain it to me? Waiting online, super urgent.'

'I have to say, I'm extremely puzzled right now. Without much supporting information, how can anyone judge the authenticity of this paper?'

'I just knew someone wouldn't read the complete report. It says very clearly there that classmate Yan Xiao first researched a portion of the content, then obtained permission to enter the "Jida Ancient Script Research Center," and after a series of researches, finally decoded this piece of oracle bone script.'

'Is it really just me caring whether this bro is going to enter the Department of Ancient Literature in the future?'

'The Huaxia ancient literature world has added yet another extraordinary talent. Keep it up, little bro-you'll definitely become a big shot on the ancient literature celebrity roll in the future!'

'Comparing people just makes you want to die of frustration. I always thought my kid was pretty smart, knowing over 2,000 already-decoded oracle bone characters, but who would've thought other people's kids are already starting to decode oracle bones.'

Looking at the various fancy ways of hyping him up, for some reason, Lin Fangxin felt extremely happy herself.

She had a sense of shared glory.

Happy things had to be shared.

Picking up her phone, Lin Fangxin dialed Yan Xiao right away.

Then the phone rang out with, "The number you have dialed is currently on another call, please do not hang up."

'Is he on the phone? With whom? Is it someone even more important than me?' For a moment, a wave of sourness welled up in Lin Fangxin's heart.

Even so, she still hung up the phone, waiting for Yan Xiao to call her back.

At that moment, Yan Xiao was on the phone with Guan Zhiyuan's dad, Guan Houyi.

"Uncle, do you know any reliable manufacturers that can make circuit boards?"

"I do know some, but if you're making them in large batches, they don't have them in Ji City. You'd have to go over to Guangzhou Province."

"It's not in large batches, just make one sample. As long as it works, that's fine."

As Yan Xiao spoke, before Guan Houyi could reply, he continued:

"Didn't we submit that patent application report earlier? I heard from people on the judging panel for the 'National Agricultural Science Essay Competition' today that once it wins an award, this patent will come through very quickly."

"If you have the organizing committee endorsing it, that's the best possible state of affairs," Guan Houyi's voice sounded very pleased.

"If you put it that way, then I can rest easy." Yan Xiao offered up a trace of unnoticeable flattery.

"If you're only building one set of equipment, I suggest you just find an 'electronic laboratory.' That's the most cost-effective option."

Pausing for a moment, Guan Houyi continued, "You don't need to worry about the laboratory. I'll help you find one in the next couple of days."

"An electronic laboratory?"

"Right."

"Do places like Jida University have electronic laboratories?"

"Of course they do. University labs are the most advanced places outside of state-level laboratories," Guan Houyi said.

This caught Yan Xiao somewhat by surprise, and he discovered yet another difference between this world and his original one.

"All right then, help me ask around about it first. I'll ask around too and see if there's any place that can lend one to me."

"Sure, no problem. Call me anytime if anything comes up."

After hanging up the phone, Yan Xiao placed another call to Wu Xiaohong.

As soon as the call went through,

before Yan Xiao could speak, Wu Xiaohong said first, "Did you receive your prize money?"

"I got it, thank you, Dean Wu." Regardless of whether the thanks were justified, thanking him anyway could never be wrong.

"Don't thank me, it's because your own strength reached that level."

"Without your introduction, how could I possibly have gotten so much prize money?" Yan Xiao practiced a bit of fake modesty.

Wu Xiaohong was quite pleased with Yan Xiao's attitude of not forgetting the well-digger while drinking the water. "Look, I told you long ago, doing academic research is very profitable, right?"

"It really is quite profitable." Yan Xiao agreed.

"I told you before that even if the archaeology department doesn't produce academic results, you can still make money hunting for treasures at the Panjiayuan antique market.

Now it seems that you producing results is happening a lot faster than expected.

How about it, are you interested in coming to our archaeology department?

I guarantee that as long as you produce results, the prize money won't be a penny less!"

Yan Xiao: "..."

"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you too excited?"

"That's not it, I've already decided to go to Yuanpei first." Yan Xiao wasn't going to fall for Wu Xiaohong's trick.

Star student?

Wasn't that just a target!

Hmph hmph...

"If you hadn't said it, I almost forgot about this matter." Pausing for a moment, Wu Xiaohong asked, "What on earth did you call me for, kid?"

"It's like this, Dean Wu, I..." Yan Xiao told Wu Xiaohong about needing an 'electronic laboratory' to develop and build some experimental equipment.

After hearing him out, Wu Xiaohong replied, "I thought you were talking about some difficult problem-just this? Come to my office at noon tomorrow, and I'll take you to borrow a lab."

"Thank you so much, I..." Yan Xiao trailed off, hesitating.

Wu Xiaohong, however, was very direct. "Say what you want to say, you don't need to beat around the bush with me."

"I also want to borrow someone who knows practical operation. I'll provide the design blueprints, and then I need someone to help me build it out..."

This was Yan Xiao's weak spot.

He could use the 'system' to elevate his theoretical knowledge, and even purchase ready-made patents.

Yet practical execution couldn't be done that way; he had to do it with his own hands.

He had also asked the system if there was any place that could support him in practical execution.

The system answered with silence.

There was no need to ask-either it didn't exist or his level wasn't high enough.

It was cut from the exact same cloth as the [Patent Mall].

"We can bring that up together when the time comes, it's not a major issue." Wu Xiaohong gave his guarantee.

After hanging up the phone, Yan Xiao opened Weibo and saw the trending search topic about his translation of the oracle bone script.

Oh?

It made the list again?

Were these trending topics really that worthless?

Tapping on the content,

Yan Xiao saw various brain-dead netizens posting on Weibo.

So hilarious,

especially the one whose mother cried.

He thought about it for a moment, and with zero class, replied to a comment underneath: "Congratulations to your old man on being a happy dad for twenty years."

As soon as he posted it,

a whole string of comments followed underneath.

"'Happy dad'-that description is brilliant. So you can talk about the truth of a matter so tactfully."

"I wish all those brain-dead hater trolls a 'happy dad' experience."

"My neighbor Old Wang can pretty much be considered the Mount Everest of the 'happy dad' world!"

Mount Everest?

Yan Xiao looked it up, and sure enough, it was the world's highest peak.

Flexing, absolutely flexing~

Yan Xiao played on Weibo for a little while before remembering that he had forgotten to return Lin Fangxin's call.

He closed Weibo and called her back.

The phone rang once before Lin Fangxin picked up.

"What on earth were you doing, talking on the phone for so long?"

Lin Fangxin's question suddenly gave Yan Xiao the uncanny feeling of a family member checking up on him.

However, because Lin Fangxin was a pretty girl, he didn't feel any aversion to it.

He just thought it was quite amusing.

"I was talking to a girl, you know. I have so many fans now, and a lot of them are really pretty."

Yan Xiao spouted a bunch of nonsense.

Upon hearing this, Lin Fangxin suddenly felt an indescribable sense of grievance in her heart.

The moment she felt aggrieved, her voice took on a crying tone.

"Oh, I see..."

When Yan Xiao heard that, he thought to himself: Great, I shouldn't tease her like that. After all, she's just a young girl, nothing like those fierce tigresses from his past life...

"I was just messing with you. I was calling Dean Wu Xiaohong to ask if he could lend me a lab, because I want to build my first prototype inside one."

Hearing Yan Xiao's explanation, a smile instantly bloomed on Lin Fangxin's face.

The teardrops lingering on her cheeks made her look like a flower bud moistened by spring rain.

"You're so annoying!"

Yan Xiao heard the delight in Lin Fangxin's voice and felt torn. If he kept this up, would he end up tying himself to just one woman?

Conflicted as he was,

Yan Xiao gave nothing away in his words. He decided to change the subject rather than dwell on this or get tangled up in it.

"I wonder if Dean Wu can actually make it happen. I'm really worried."

"How about you wait a second..." With that, Lin Fangxin took her phone and ran into the living room.

Through the receiver, Yan Xiao heard-

"Dad, we want an electronics lab."

"What do you want an electronics lab for?"

"We need to make some equipment for experiments. Can we?"

"Wait, can't you just use an existing lab to make your equipment? Why build a separate one? Setting up an electronics lab isn't as simple as you think."

"I didn't say we wanted to build a new one. I'm just asking whether there's somewhere we can use."

"There is."

"Then we also need an operator."

"You want a lab, but you're not going to do the work yourselves?"

"I don't know how. Dad, do you have someone or not?"

"All right, just tell me what you want to make. Send me the drawings, and I'll find someone to make it for you. Will that do?"

"No, it has to stay confidential, so we need to be there to watch."

"Why does this have to be such a hassle?"

"You're being mean to me... Boo-hoo..."

"All right, all right, stop pretending to cry. Come to my office tomorrow, and I'll find someone to help you make it."

"Dad, you're the best!"

The moment Lin Fangxin finished saying that, she ditched Lin Wushu, who had served his purpose, and went back to her room.

Lin Wushu was utterly heartbroken...

"I just asked Dad, and he said he could find someone to help us make it," Lin Fangxin said, eager for credit.

"That's great, but there's no rush. I think we should keep your dad's option as a backup. If the person Dean Wu finds isn't up to the job, we can ask the person your dad finds to help us instead. What do you think?"

"That works for me." Lin Fangxin was delighted that she had helped.

Then she suddenly remembered what she had originally called Yan Xiao to say.

"Yan Xiao, Yan Xiao, did you know you're trending again?"

"Yeah, I know. I don't really care whether I'm trending or not. There's not a penny in prize money, after all. I'm just giving those platform operators traffic for free."

"Why is prize money all you think about? This is publicity! It's only because you don't work in classical literature that it doesn't matter to you. Otherwise, all this would count toward the statistics for the 'Celebrity Rankings.'"

"What???"

"It's one of the statistics they track!"

Yan Xiao didn't really approve of that kind of metric.

"Then what if I hire paid trolls to fake a trending topic?"

"Fake popularity is just an illusion. The organizations compiling the statistics have criteria for telling the difference. Apparently, they're really, really complicated."

With that explanation from Lin Fangxin,

Yan Xiao understood.

Fake data and fake popularity could stir up public opinion, but they did nothing to help anyone's ranking.

This world... really was ridiculously complicated...

If you're enjoying this book, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you can find it again next time.