Cheng Che did not check the mission rewards immediately.
He first opened his email and replied to Professor Liu.
The letter was very short.
Thank you, Professor Liu, for your recognition and recommendation. I agree to submit the paper to " Advances in Mathematics ". Please feel free to contact me if you have any suggestions for revision.
Signed: Cheng Che.
After sending it, he leaned back in his chair, looked at the "sent" message on the screen, and smiled slightly.
Then he opened the system panel and looked at the rewards.
[Congratulations, host, you have acquired the active talent " Brain Overclocking ".]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the item " Intelligence Insurance ".]
[ Brain Overclocking: Forcibly breaks through the limits of brain neural signal transmission, greatly enhancing information processing speed, logical operation ability, and short-term memory retrieval efficiency. Cooldown time: seven days. Effects are affected by Intelligence stat.]
[ Intelligence Insurance: Provides an invisible energy barrier for the host's intellectual center, automatically activated when the head or nervous system suffers physical trauma, psychological shock, toxins, or disease, ensuring that the basic level of intelligence does not fall below the normal threshold and preventing permanent intellectual decline due to accidental injuries.]
Cheng Che stared at the two lines of text for several seconds, then smiled happily.
This reward is pretty impressive.
Brain Overclocking.
With the combination of [ The Art of the Brain ] and [ Flash of Inspiration ], plus the prop [ Scratch Paper ], wouldn't he be able to solve the world's problems?
He almost burst out laughing, but after seeing "the effect is affected by intelligence value," he calmed down.
Even if we were to use it, we'd have to wait until our intelligence reaches its current maximum.
With an intelligence level of around 70, the effect of overclocking will definitely be limited.
When intelligence reaches eighty or even one hundred, that's when the real qualitative change occurs.
Then he looked at [ Intelligence Insurance ].
This prop is nice.
Even if you may never need it in your lifetime, having it and not having it are two different things.
Having insurance means you don't have to worry about having brain problems.
He closed the rewards page and looked at the new task.
[ Intelligence Trial, Phase Four: Publish one article in an international academic journal during undergraduate studies.]
This task is concise, but it's anything but simple.
International academic journals have a high barrier to entry for undergraduate students.
But upon closer inspection, it's not that difficult.
There is no requirement that it must be a top-tier publication; any international-level publication will suffice.
Then it won't be so difficult.
He had just closed the task panel when he suddenly smelled a burning odor.
Then came a scream.
Cheng Che suddenly stood up and rushed out of the study.
In the kitchen, a pot was burning on the stove.
Yan Ruanning stood in front of the stove, her right hand tucked into her chest, her face filled with panic.
When she saw Cheng Che come in, it was as if she had seen a savior, but she didn't know what to say. She just pointed to the pot and then to her own hand.
Without hesitation, Cheng Che rushed over, grabbed the pot lid, and placed it on the pot.
The flames were extinguished, and thick smoke spilled from the edge of the pot lid.
He turned off the stove, turned on the range hood, and then opened the window.
The thick smoke dissipated somewhat.
Cheng Che turned around and looked at Yan Ruanning.
She was still standing there, her right hand gripping the fingers of her left hand, looking extremely aggrieved.
He walked over and removed her hand.
There is a noticeable red mark on the index and middle fingers of my left hand, with slightly whitish edges.
Yan Ruanning looked up at him.
Her eyes reddened, and the tip of her nose also turned slightly red.
She opened her mouth, her voice carrying a rare vulnerability.
" Cheche, it hurts so much."
Cheng Che's heart softened when he saw her like this.
Yan Ruanning never calls him " Cheche " and never acts coquettishly.
She has always been the female singer who calmly analyzes scripts for him in the recording studio and exudes confidence at parties.
At that moment, she stood in the kitchen, her fingers burned, her eyes red-rimmed, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"It's alright, it's alright," he said. "I'll handle it."
He took her wrist, led her to the tap, turned on the cold water, and put her fingers under the running water.
"Take a ten-minute shower," he said. "That will help relieve the discomfort."
Yan Ruanning nodded.
She stood in front of the sink, her fingers submerged in the water, her shoulders slightly hunched.
Cheng Che did not stand by and wait.
He turned and began tidying up the kitchen.
Put the burnt pot into the sink, wipe up the splattered soup, and put away the half-cut vegetables on the cutting board.
His movements were quick and efficient, as if he were doing something very ordinary.
Yan Ruanning turned her head to look at his back.
She recalled the moment the pot caught fire, and her mind went completely blank with fear.
Then Cheng Che rushed in, without panicking or questioning her, he simply put out the fire and took her hand.
She remembered when he first visited her studio in Hang City, and it was the same thing.
Quiet, reliable, and unhurried.
She suddenly felt a little scared.
I was afraid he would leave after cleaning up the kitchen.
She was afraid he wouldn't be there for her. She knew she was vulnerable, but she didn't have the strength to hide it.
She just kept watching him, afraid he would disappear.
Cheng Che finished tidying up the kitchen and walked back to her side.
He looked down at her fingers. The red marks had faded a bit, and the blisters hadn't formed.
"It's alright now," he said. "No need for medicine. If it still hurts, soak it for a while longer."
Yan Ruanning nodded obediently.
Cheng Che took a cup from the cabinet, filled it with warm water, and handed it to her.
"Go sit outside and soak your fingers. I'll cook."
Yan Ruanning took the cup, but didn't touch it.
She stood there looking at him, her lips pursed, as if she was hesitating about something.
Then she spoke, her voice much softer than before.
"I was planning to cook..."
Cheng Che smiled and said, "It's alright. I'll do it from now on."
Yan Ruanning was taken aback.
She lowered her head and looked at the cup in her hand.
She remembered the two words Cheng Che had just said... "from now on."
Her ears turned red, but she didn't look up.
She turned and walked towards the living room. After taking two steps, she looked back again.
Cheng Che was already standing in front of the stove, wearing an apron, putting the pot back, and starting to pour in the oil.
His movements were very practiced, as if he had done it many times before.
Yan Ruanning sat on the sofa and soaked her fingers in the warm water cup that Cheng Che had filled for her.
She turned her head to look towards the kitchen. Cheng Che's figure swayed in front of the stove, oil fumes rose, and the spatula made a crisp sound as it hit the iron pot.
She watched for a while, and then the corners of her mouth slowly curved into a smile.
She remembered the book " The Secret Art of Husband Taming " that Su Jianqiu had given her.
The instructions were written down, but she didn't use a single one of them.
She was just standing in the kitchen, her fingers burned, when she called his name.
Then he arrived.